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Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Final Score 3-1 as Lions Fall on the Road Again in Weird Game

Kaká sent off while goofing around with his close friend seems about right at the end of whatever that game was.

Published

7 years ago

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Nick Leyva,The Mane Land

Where do I even start? I guess we’ll start with the most important part, as Orlando City (8-10-6, 30 points) fell 3-1 on the road against the New York Red Bulls (12-9-2, 38 points). That’s ultimately what matters most.

As for the rest of it…man, I don’t know.

The Lions came out hungry and pressing and looked like a completely different team than the one that took the pitch last weekend at Montreal. But, like they did in that game, they scored first, only to see the other team come back to win.

Carlos Rivas opened the scoring, but an own goal, a transition strike by Bradley Wright-Phillips, and a golazo by Sean Davis upended what was a much better performance from a team that wasn’t passive, wasn’t disinterested, and wasn’t apathetic. This team wanted to win and, more importantly, played like it. It didn’t, but not from lack of effort or generating the chances necessary to do so, as we’ve seen in the past.

But the final scrum in stoppage time saw Kaká give former Lion (and the captain’s good friend) Aurelien Collin a couple of playful face washes to break the tension from a chippy match. Referee Jorge Gonzalez ignored the smiles on both players’ faces upon video review and sent the captain off. He’ll miss a vital game next week against Columbus unless the MLS Disciplinary Committee correctly overturns the red card.

Orlando City Head Coach Jason Kreis wasted no time getting Designated Player signing Yoshimar Yotun into the lineup, slotting him into the left side of the diamond in his 4-4-2 lineup (despite the club’s graphic below — Kaká was mainly the 10, though the two swapped at times) and removing Cristian Higuita. Kreis raised some eyebrows by playing his two youngest center backs together in Leo Pereira and Tommy Redding with Jonathan Spector (knee) unavailable — likely due to Pereira being a natural left-sided defender while both Redding and Aja are righties. Rivas slotted in for the injured Dom Dwyer (nose surgery). Newbie Dillon Powers was on the bench.

The Lions came out pressing and playing with high energy, closing down the Red Bulls all over the pitch and generally making the hosts uncomfortable. Yotun showed the quality of his service early with a great ball over the top in the second minute to spring Rivas down the left. The Colombian fizzed a cross into the box for Cyle Larin but it was a bit behind. The Canadian went down after contact but no call was made.

Kaká sent Larin in at the six-minute mark but he showed too much of the ball on his right rather than firing with his left and Kemar Lawrence knocked it out for a corner. The Lions subsequently took the first of two frustratingly ineffective short corners.

The first New York opportunity materialized at the 10-minute mark when Michael Murillo headed a set piece cross off target and over the bar. Five minutes later, Alex Muyl headed a Tyler Adams cross well wide.

Two minutes later, Rivas was in all alone on Luis Robles with acres of space after being released by Larin, but he tried a chip shot and missed just a bit over the bar. Rivas made up for the gaffe a minute later after the ensuing goal kick. Will Johnson dispossessed New York’s defense and Larin picked up the ball and dished to Kaká in the middle. The captain sent Rivas in down the left and the Colombian smashed it this time to beat Robles and put the Lions on top at 18’.

Orlando City nearly made it 2-0 six minutes later, when Larin took a cross in the box, spun, and fired on frame to force a diving two-handed save from Robles.

Two minutes after that save, Larin was inches from getting onto Kaká’s free kick in space in the box, missing another opportunity to double the lead. That came back to haunt Orlando a few minutes later.

New York tied the game at the 30-minute mark when an Adams cross into the box was deflected past Joe Bendik by Pereira, who was trying to deny the pass.

The remainder of the first half consisted mostly of both teams building up but not able to quite craft a scoring chance. Redding did well in the 38th minute to make a vital clearance in the box as Wright-Phillips was going in on goal. Redding poked it away from behind and had to get his challenge just right to avoid conceding a penalty.

New York held 60% of the first-half possession, with Orlando owning a 3-2 advantage in shots (2-0 on target). With some new players in the side, the Lions’ passing was just 70% in the opening period. Yotun, however, completed 10 of his first 13 passes as a Lion in the half.

The Red Bulls started the second half by turning up the heat with their pressing and jumped on the Lions out of the break. Bendik was forced into two big saves early in the second half, first on Muyl, who got a fortunate deflection on a ball into traffic that fell perfectly for him. The second came on the ensuing corner kick when Murillo got a free header.

Minutes later, Will Johnson sent a corner kick that pinged dangerously around in the box but no Lion could get onto it. Then Redding nearly put Rivas in on goal in the 53rd minute, but the Colombian had it taken away before he could clear himself to shoot.

Muyl missed a couple decent opportunities in the 56th and 59th minutes, as Orlando struggled to deal with the New York press. A minute after Muyl’s second miss, it paid off.

Another turnover on the left led to a quick transition and a cross found a sliding Wright-Phillips who beat Bendik and collided with the Orlando keeper, stopping the game while Joe’s bloodied cheek was patched up.

Just like that, the hosts had the lead. It nearly became 3-1 at the 65-minute mark as Wright-Phillips made a sensational effort to bicycle kick a cross toward goal, but it hit off the woodwork.

The Lions didn’t sit back, though, to their credit. Orlando City poured forward looking for the equalizer. Felipe, who had been warned earlier in the game for persistent infringement, fouled Rivas to break up an Orlando attack and was shown a yellow card. Gonzalez showed incredible restraint when he didn’t send off Felipe for mocking him with fake applause.

Redding headed a free kick delivery well over the bar in the 70th as the attack resumed. Seconds later, Antonio Nocerino sliced a shot just inches wide of the left post. Then, in the 74th, Kaká nearly had an Olimpico on a corner kick but Muyl cleared it off the line.

A minute after that, Yotun nearly opened his Orlando City account. Rivas got in behind down the right side and his cross deflected out to the top of the box. Yoshi smashed it off the underside of the crossbar and it stayed out.

Just a few minutes later, Davis put the game away with 10 minutes to play on another Goal of the Week candidate.

That goal happened with Giles Barnes and Higuita waiting on the touch line to check in, but ultimately, the subs came too late. Nocerino was visibly tired from his pressing efforts and getting forward in the game. He turned outside and lost Davis on the last goal — as did Redding — and there was no help inside on that play.

Richie Layrea came on a few minutes later and produced the Lions’ final shot on goal, but he didn’t catch all of his shot and Robles got down to make the save.

New York tried to manage the game through possession the rest of the way and in stoppage time, the weirdness happened. Yotun ran into Redding and went down and Adams taunted the Peruvian with mock applause while he was down. Higuita took exception and gave Adams a light shove and the teams came together.

While yapping ensued, mostly fueled by Sacha Kljestan, Kaká spotted his good friend — I’m being serious here, they are really good friends — Collin, the former Lion, in the middle of the fray. With the Brazilian’s trademark grin, he mischievously reached out and rubbed the Frenchman’s face. Collin took exception until he turned around and saw Kaká’s grin, then he too started to laugh. Kaká gave him a second face wash for good measure.

Gonzalez spent several minutes talking to the assistant referee, then went to video review. When he came back, he rightfully booked Higuita and Davis, who came into the scrum, missed Adams somehow, and sent the incredulous captain off.

Seconds later, the final whistle mercifully blew on a performance that deserved more and flattered the home team a bit.

Orlando City returns home to face the Columbus Crew in a crucial Eastern Conference battle next Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

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2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Javier Otero

The Homegrown goalkeeper made his MLS debut in 2024 under difficult circumstances.

Published

4 hours ago

on

December 9, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City signed Javier Otero to a Homegrown Player contract on July 10, 2023, keeping him in purple through the 2024 season with club options for 2025 and 2026. Otero was the starting goalkeeper for Orlando City B during the beginning of the 2024 season but was called up with Pedro Gallese on international duty, eventually making an unexpected debut when Mason Stajduhar went down with a season-sending injury. From that point on, Otero moved up to the senior roster permanently and dressed with Orlando City as the backup for the rest of the season.

Let’s take a look back at Otero’s 2024 season.

Statistical Breakdown

The Venezualan goalkeeper was expected to spend most of the season playing for OCB, and during the beginning of the season that was the case, as he started nine of the team’s early season matches. He made 34 saves and gave up 13 goals for a save percentage of 72.3% and a goals against average of 1.44 for the Young Lions, while also passing at a 76.8% completion rate. Otero likely would have been the starter for most of the rest of OCB’s matches, getting valuable game experience, but Stajduhar’s injury meant the senior Lions needed him on the game day roster as the backup for every game, and they could not risk him playing again for OCB.

While he was in the lineup for every game except one from the end of June through the end of the season, Otero played in only one match for Orlando City, subbing in for the injured Stajduhar and playing the final 61 minutes during the team’s 4-2 loss at New York City FC on June 28. During his 61 minutes on the field for the senior Lions, Otero gave up three goals and did not make any saves, though he wasn’t put in the best spots by his teammates during the game. He successfully fielded one of the four crosses that were played into the box. He completed 71.4% of his passes and had one defensive action outside of his penalty area.

During his one regular-season game, Otero did not commit a foul or draw one, and he was not booked.

Otero did not dress during the Concacaf Champions Cup games and was on the bench, but did not play, during the Leagues Cup and MLS playoff matches.

Best Game

There’s no contest since Otero played in only one match in 2024 with the senior Lions. It has to be the 4-2 road loss at NYCFC on June 28. When the game kicked off, I am sure Otero did not expect to play, and had the assistant referee raised his flag on an obvious offside call, he probably would not have played, because Stajduhar would not have suffered his awful injury. As it was, Stajduhar had to be stretchered off, and Otero entered the game in the 29th minute and was immediately under duress, as within the first few minutes he faced a corner kick and a free kick against an NYCFC team that was clearly the more aggressive side, completely comfortable with how to play on its tiny baseball field. Nothing came of the early action though, and Otero was engaged and communicative, talking to the defense and organizing the back.

Unfortunately, that was probably the high part of his match, because in first-half stoppage time, NYCFC scored two goals, one on a deflected shot off of Robin Jansson that Otero looked to be in position to save pre-deflection and one on a tap-in from a brilliant cross that gave Otero no chance to make a play. In the second half, the Lions played much better, cutting the lead to 3-2 and limiting NYCFC’s offensive attacks, but a giveaway and a poor tackle attempt late in the game allowed another shot on goal, and it was bent perfectly around Otero’s outstretched fingers for his third goal against.

The Homegrown goalkeeper may not have made any saves and gave up three goals in only 61 minutes on the field, but I thought he was well-positioned throughout the game and probably would have saved his first goal against if not for the deflection, and only an inch-perfect shot on the third goal was able to sneak by him. It was a trial by fire coming off the bench into MLS action on a field that plays differently than every other pitch in the league due to its shape, but I thought Otero played well and was not at fault for any of his goals against.

2024 Final Grade

With only 61 minutes on the field across all competitions in 2024, Otero did not play enough minutes to get a grade for the 2024 season, receiving an incomplete from The Mane Land staff. 

2025 Outlook

Orlando City announced Dec. 5 that the club has exercised Otero’s 2025 option as part of the team’s end-of-season roster decisions. With all three of Gallese, Stajduhar, and Otero under contract for 2025 I expect that, barring an unexpected transfer of Gallese or Stajduhar, Otero will return to splitting his time between OCB and Orlando City, playing games with OCB while practicing with both teams and being on the game day roster when Gallese is called up for national team duty or injuries arise. The big question that remains to be answered is how soon Stajduhar can return, and if he can get back to playing at the level he had achieved before he was injured.

If Stajduhar can return to full health, then it makes sense for Otero to get as many minutes on the field as he can to help with his development, and those minutes would likely be with OCB. The Venezuelan just turned 22, and with the 2024 season basically being a wash for him, he will want to get back out on the field in a starting role, but with the OCB option there, it is not likely he will push to go to another club before the 2025 season. This may be why Orlando City did not retain Carlos Mercado, who backstopped the Young Lions after Otero was needed with the first team.

I believe that Orlando City is grooming Otero to eventually compete for the starting role, so the technical staff will want to see him on the field in 2025 with OCB.

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Lion Links: 12/9/24

Former Lion Nani announces retirement, OCSC U-19 team winning at MLS NEXT Fest, FIFA Club World Cup schedule revealed, and more.

Published

11 hours ago

on

December 9, 2024

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I had a busy week at Under Armour and watched a Chicago Blackhawks game with friends. Besides that, I’ll be working the Christmas Winterland Event at Wrigley Field later this week. We have plenty to cover today so let’s get to the links.

Nani Announces His Retirement

Former Orlando City captain Nani announced his retirement from professional soccer on Sunday after a stellar career. The 38-year-old left a heartfelt message on social media to announce the news.

The Portuguese star spent three seasons with Orlando City after joining the club from Sporting Lisbon in 2019, scoring 31 goals across all competitions. Nani recently played for his hometown club, Estrela da Amadora, in Portugal. He also spent time with Manchester United, Valencia, Fenerbahce, and many other clubs over the span of his career. At the international level, Nani made 112 appearances for Portugal, scoring 24 goals and helping the team win Euro 2016 in France. We here at The Mane Land wish him all the best in his retirement.

OCSC U-19 Team Beats LAFC and FC Cincinnati

MLS NEXT Fest kicked off this weekend and Orlando City’s U-19 team has been on fire. Orlando beat LAFC 7-4 in its first game of the event, with Jack Basinet and Gustavo Caraballo each scoring two goals.

The team followed that up with a 4-0 win against FC Cincinnati on Saturday. The U-19 academy team will be back in action later today to face the LA Galaxy.

Orlando Matches Set for FIFA Club World Cup

The full schedule for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup was unveiled and we’ve learned which games will be held in Orlando’s two venues for the tournament.

Inter&Co Stadium will host two matches, with Ulsan HD of South Korea playing against South African club Mamelodi Sundowns on June 17 before Benfica takes on Auckland City on June 20. Camping World Stadium will host four matches. The first will be June 24 between Club Leon and Flamengo, and Juventus will play Manchester City on June 26. Camping World Stadium’s third match will be a round-of-16 matchup on June 30, while the fourth match will be a quarterfinal on July 4. MetLife Stadium will host nine matches, including the semifinals and final.

LA Galaxy Defeat the Red Bulls to Win MLS Cup

The LA Galaxy beat the New York Red Bulls 2-1 to win the MLS Cup at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday. It’s the sixth time that the Galaxy have won the MLS Cup. Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic put the Galaxy ahead 2-0 before the Red Bulls pulled one back in the first half with a goal by Sean Nealis. Despite missing their star player, Riqui Puig, the Galaxy held onto their lead in the second half to secure the win. The Galaxy snapped their title drought that had lasted since 2014, and Head Coach Greg Vanney became the fourth coach to win an MLS title with two MLS clubs. Gaston Brugman won the MVP honors for the match for his role orchestrating things in the midfield.

Free Kicks

  • The Guardian named its 100 best female footballers in the world for 2024. Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda was seventh, while Marta was 27th on the list. FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati took the top spot.
  • Christian Pulisic left the pitch in the first half of AC Milan’s 2-1 defeat to Atalanta on Friday due to a calf injury. However, AC Milan manager Paulo Fonseca stated after the match that the injury doesn’t look too serious.
  • The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly in talks to acquire Monterrey forward Brandon Vazquez.
  • Here are the 10 MLS clubs that have qualified for the 2025 Champions Cup.
  • Botafogo defeated Sao Paulo 2-1 on Sunday to win its first Brazilian league title since 1995. It secured 78 points and finished six points ahead of runner-up Palmeiras.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday and I’ll see you next time.

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2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Mason Stajduhar

The backup goalkeeper was playing the best soccer of his professional career until suffering a nasty season-ending injury.

Published

1 day ago

on

December 8, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City Homegrown goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar has been a mainstay on the Lions’ roster, having signed a Homegrown Player contract all the way back on Nov. 9, 2015. Following the 2021 season, in which he saw his role as the primary backup to Pedro Gallese begin to develop, Stajduhar had his contract option exercised to keep him on the roster through 2022. He then inked a new three-year contract with the club in June of that year designed to keep him in purple and gold through at least 2025, with a club option for 2026. 

Let’s look back at Stajduhar’s season, which ended prematurely, and at a time he was playing at his highest and most confident level to date.

Statistical Breakdown

Stajduhar equaled his career highs in appearances (5) and starts (5) in 2024, but a short outing in the last of those five resulted in his second-most minutes in regular-season play (389). He conceded eight goals, which was the most he’s allowed, but he was much more under fire, making a career-high 21 saves in the regular season — nine more than his next-highest total from a year ago, with three of those goals coming in a loss to LAFC (one from the penalty spot). The team went 2-1-1 in his five starts, and he earned one clean sheet, finishing with a 1.60 goals-against average.

He was unable to stop either of the two penalties he faced. His passing accuracy of 72.4% was his highest since 2021. The 27-year-old contributed four interceptions and a clearance to help his own cause. He did not commit or suffer a foul and was not booked this season.

Unfortunately, Stajduhar’s season came to an end on June 28 at New York City FC in what was ultimately a 4-2 loss, although the score wasn’t as important as what happened in the 17th minute. On an obviously offside play, the assistant referee kept his flag down, as is customary in the age of video review. However, because the play was still live, Stajduhar came charging out to try to prevent a breakaway by Malachi Jones. The two players collided heavily as they met at the ball. Both had their season end in that moment, requiring surgery to repair the broken tibias and fibulas of both men. Stajduhar was credited with a loss, although the score was only 1-0 at the time he departed and was replaced by first-time starter Javier Otero.

Stajduhar also appeared in one match during Concacaf Champions League play, a 3-1 home victory over Cavalry FC on Feb. 27, picking up the win to help Orlando City advance in the competition. He conceded one goal, stopping two of the three shots on target he faced for a 66.7% save percentage. He also completed 66.7% of his 16 passes that night. He did not commit a foul in the match, drawing three from the opposition, and he was not booked.

Due to his season-ending injury, Stajduhar did not appear in Orlando City’s playoff run or in Leagues Cup.

Best Game

This was an easy decision. Stajduhar’s best match wasn’t his 1-0 shutout against Austin on March 23, in which he only had to make one save. His best work of the year came in a 4-2 home win over the Chicago Fire on June 22, in which the goalkeeper was under duress for much of the evening. The Lions roared out to a 3-0 lead in the contest with Stajduhar making four first-half saves on the Fire’s four shots on target (eight total attempts) in the first half. Stajduhar slammed the door on the visitors up until a handball call on a sliding Rodrigo Schlegel gave Chicago a penalty, which Maren Haile-Selassie converted in the 53rd minute.

The Fire put a tired Orlando defense under a great deal of pressure over the final half hour of the match, and Stajduhar faced a total of 13 shots on target and 19 total attempts, finishing with a club record 11 saves in the match. [Note: The club announced he tied the record with 10 saves on 12 shots, while the MLS match center page lists 13 shots and 11 saves, so one may have been added after review. Either way, he reached a club mark.] He commanded his box well down the stretch, punching away crosses from corners and free kicks, helping his team secure a multi-goal victory. His performance drew high praise from Head Coach Oscar Pareja.

“I think tonight we saw the best of Mason, and I know he has more than that,” Pareja said. “He has been very patient in waiting for his opportunity. And in this moment when we needed that position to step up, he did and provided us a lot of security. We were drained at the end and Chicago was taking shots, but Mason provided us a lot of security and we felt safe. So, congratulations to Mason. We’re very proud of him and his performance. He deserves it because he works tremendously hard.”

2024 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Stajduhar a grade of 7 out of 10 for his 2024 season. This is a step up from the 6.5 he received both in 2022 and again in 2023. While not reflected in the multiple goals he conceded in three straight games from June 15-22 — a span during which the Lions played three times in eight days — Stajduhar played his best soccer to date as a professional while Gallese was away on international duty, making up for a defense that was leakier than expected during the season’s first half. His huge game against Chicago seemed to be his coming out party, despite conceding a penalty kick goal and a point-blank strike which Robin Jansson should have cleared. Unfortunately, he gave up a pinpoint accurate shot by Santiago Rodriguez at NYCFC — one of three early shots on target by the Pigeons, of which Stajduhar stopped two — and then suffered his horrific, season-ending injury two minutes later.

2025 Outlook

Under contract for another year, Stajduhar figures to again be the primary backup goalkeeper for Orlando City next season. The hope is that he can fully recover his form and fitness after sustaining the terrible double bone break in his lower leg. Beyond the physical recovery, he’ll need to overcome the mental hurdle of remaining aggressive in situations that call for him to come off his line or out of his penalty area to prevent a big scoring chance. Having just turned 27, Stajduhar is entering the prime years of a goalkeeper’s career. If he can build on his play from just before his injury, he may push Gallese for more minutes in 2025, especially during Leagues Cup. He will also handle the starting role when the Peruvian international must represent his country in season, meaning Gallese can’t afford to have a dip in form as he had early in the 2024 season.

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