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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew SC (Round 2): Player Grades and Man of the Match

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7 years ago

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Orlando City’s winless run continues but if the team can continue playing like it did against the Columbus Crew tonight, it won’t last much longer. Look, I get it. you want wins — not draws, and certainly not losses. You want more than a good effort. I do too. But results in sports don’t always reflect performance and words like ‘deserve’ have nothing to do with the game of soccer.

So, while I understand people’s frustrations with the final score and a dwindling hope of reaching the playoffs (which, if you’ve paid attention since May 1, you shouldn’t be surprised by), but I have to applaud a solid 96-minute effort by the Lions, who out-shot the Crew 20-4 (7-2 on target), out-possessed them 55.5%-44.5%, and out-passed them 85%-77%. You can perform well and not get a result. That’s the sad truth about the game of soccer that a lot of people forget.

Anyway, enough with the preamble, let’s get to the grades.

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 6.5 — You might think it was a light night for Joe with the Crew only getting four shot attempts and only two on goal, but he did put in some work. His save in the 37th minute was a tremendous effort as Ola Kamara got in behind the defense and left Joe all alone to come way off his line and smother the shot. Columbus tried to play directly over the top with quick long passes often and he was called on to come outside the box to make plays, notably a couple of clearances. Bendik made only one save and the goal against was from point-blank range with a quick change of direction. His distribution was mostly solid with 5/10 on long balls, including a couple really good ones. This grade may be low but there wasn’t a lot for him to do at times.

D, Donny Toia, 6.5 — Donny made two crucial one-on-one challenges in the box to break up potential Crew breakaways. But he also gave up the foul that led to the Columbus goal. It was a bit soft, especially considering the venom in some of the challenges in the game, but Toia did put his hands on the Crew player and that’s an easy way to get noticed by the referee. He finished with two tackles, an interception and two clearances and a very good 84.2% passing percentage, and managed one cross on the offensive end, before being subbed off in the 83rd minute for Richie Laryea.

D, Leo Pereira, 6.5 — The young Brazilian held his own for the most part. He did have a couple of shaky moments and allowed a couple of free runners. But he was active in the game, with 70 touches — most on the back line and second most on the team. His 63 passes were the most on the team and he was a respectable 81% on the night. He did get beat over the top a few times but that was largely how Columbus was playing. He finished with one tackle, two interceptions, two clearances, one aerial won, and an accurate cross. He did, however, concede three free kicks on the night. As with Bendik, his score may have been higher had he needed to do more defending.

D, Tommy Redding, 6.5 — Overall a solid night for Tommy, who, like his central defense partner, didn’t have to fend off too many periods of sustained Columbus pressure. His 96.9% passing rate will raise some eyebrows, but he didn’t have a single tackle in the game, with one interception, one aerial won, and two clearances. As you could say about anyone, he had a little trouble handling Justin Meram, but in the end all Meram did was rattle the woodwork. Allowed Ola Kamara to get behind the line once forcing a huge save by Bendik.

D, Scott Sutter, 7 — As usual, Sutter did his thing and helped the team out on both ends. Defensively, he had two tackles, two interceptions, and a clearance, and was part of the reason that Meram and Kamara had pretty quiet nights. His 73.3% passing is a bit misleading as the majority of his passes were in the offensive half, as opposed to his back line mates. He had two key passes, sent five crosses into the area, and had one shot attempt, but his movement and ability to read the game helped Orlando maintain sustained pressure in the second half.

MF, Antonio Nocerino, 6 — When your defensive midfielder has no defensive statistics it is either a sign that he was terrible or that the other team didn’t attack a whole lot. It was the latter in the Italian’s case on this night. He spent most of the game connecting the left and right sides of the attack and facilitating between the back line and the attacking players. He passed at a pretty good 87.8% clip but had no crosses or shots and drew only one foul. We’ve seen him jump into the attack last week at New York but on this night he was a spectator when the ball went into the final third, and that was possibly part of the game plan.

MF, Yoshimar Yotun, 6.5 — Yoshi is still finding his way with his new team but he is certainly showing his skill set. Just two minutes in, he made a ridiculous move to get by a defender and launched a shot toward the back post from distance that didn’t miss by much. None of his three shots were on target, but considering the range he’s shooting from, he wasn’t off by much. On a team-high 88 touches, he had one key pass, an 85.5% passing accuracy, a team-high three interceptions, and a tackle. He showed his versatility when he finished the game at left back after Toia was subbed out.

MF, Will Johnson, 7 — Will’s night ended after only 32 minutes after a knee-to-knee collision with Waylon Francis and then a second foul by Wil Trapp took him out of the match. But while he was out there, Johnson fired two shots — both on goal — completed all 10 of his passes, and cleared one ball on defense. He brought energy and passion to the field but in the end a nasty challenge wrecked his night.

MF, Giles Barnes, 7.5 (MOTM) — His game-tying goal was a brilliant strike from deep on the right side of goal he fizzed one off the back post, which deflected all the way to the right post and in. It was unsaveable. He took on defenders all night, while connecting on 88.9% of his passes and taking a team-high five shots (two on frame). He also drew three fouls, made two tackles, and had one interception.

F, Carlos Rivas, 7 — The Colombian was active and had a very strong game that was spoiled only by a few really off-target passes that could have played teammates in alone on goal and some poor set-piece service that repeatedly failed to beat the first defender. He still had four key passes to lead all players but there were a few near-misses that really could have made the difference in the game where he just failed to hit the mark. He also whiffed spectacularly from the top of the box when Cyle Larin played him a great cross. Only one of his eight crosses was on target and his passing rate of 73.3% should have been better. He chipped in two tackles and an interception defensively. It wasn’t a bad night at all for Carlos but a little more sharpness in his passes into the penalty area would have made him MotM worthy in my book and possibly helped the Lions get that second goal.

F, Cyle Larin, 5.5 — The Canadian allowed Lalas Abubakar to get inside of him on the first-half Columbus set-piece goal, which was certainly unfortunate. Cyle had only one shot on target and one key pass. His passing rate was good (87.5%) but he won no aerials and managed only 29 touches on the night — the fewest of any starter who went at least half the game except Bendik. Larin worked hard but just seemed to get marked out of the game.

Substitutes

MF, Cristian Higuita (32’), 7.5 — This was a completely different Higuita than we’ve seen throughout 2017. This Higuita got into the box repeatedly, assisted on the game-tying goal, completed 93.3% of his passes — many of which were forward in the attacking half — and took two shots. He was feisty and assertive on the pitch, earning four free kicks, and tallying four tackles. It was a literal toss-up for me to pick MotM between Cristian and Barnes. Giles scored the goal so he gets the nod.

F, Dom Dwyer (63’), 6.5 — Dom made his Orlando City Stadium debut and immediately changed the energy of the match. His first involvement was a collision with goalkeeper Zack Steffen on an aerial ball and there was at least a hint of a foul on Steffen, who looked to initiate the contact. The keeper gets the benefit in those situations though, especially when they are shaken up on the play. Dwyer had three shots, with two on frame, including a blistering effort that forced a very good save in the 94th minute. He completed all four of his passes and his passion and energy gave the team a lift. With only three full training sessions since his arrival due to the All-Star Game and his surgery, the team needs a full 90 from this Dom.

MF, Richie Layrea (83’), N/A — Richie has been getting on the pitch too late to do enough to warrant a fair grade, but the glimpses he’s showing are certainly promising. He completed all six of his passes — including a key pass. Another good showing for the young Canadian in an abbreviated spell of play.

That’s the way I saw the individual performances from Orlando City’s draw with the Crew. Please feel free to share your scores in the comments section and vote for your OCSC Man of the Match below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Dom Dwyer14
Carlos Rivas9
Cristian Higuita30
Giles Barnes29
Scott Sutter4
Other4

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Three Keys to Victory

What does Orlando City need to do to ensure a victory over FC Cincinnati Saturday at home?

Published

13 hours ago

on

May 2, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City looks to bounce back from the disappointing 2-1 loss to Toronto FC Saturday night at Inter&Co Stadium. Cincinnati has twice as many points as Orlando City and more than twice as many wins. FCC has only scored one more goal than Orlando City, but with only nine goals conceded compared to Orlando City’s 17, it’s easy to see why Cincinnati is sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference.

What I’m trying to say is that the task doesn’t get any easier this weekend. What does Orlando City need to do to secure all three points at home against FC Cincinnati?

Accost Acosta

Cincinnati’s attack revolves around Luciano Acosta. The attacking midfielder has four goals and five assists so far this season. To put that into perspective, Duncan McGuire — Orlando City’s leading scorer — also has four goals but only one assist. If we look at the Lions’ attacking midfielders, Facundo Torres has one goal and one assist, Ivan Angulo and Nico Lodeiro both have one goal and two assists, and Martin Ojeda has zero goals and only one assist. Luis Muriel is still at double zeroes.

The defensive midfield and the back line must do everything possible to mark him out of the match. It’s not enough to keep him from scoring, they must also keep him from setting up chances for his teammates. Most importantly, the defense must do that for 90 minutes plus stoppage time. There is no room for the mental lapses we’ve seen throughout the first part of this season.

Break Through

Cincinnati is stingy on defense. As I mentioned above, the club has only allowed nine goals this season. The back line is formidable with the likes of Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson, and Ian Murphy. On the wings are DeAndre Yedlin and Luca Orellano. This is a tough defense, and whether it is McGuire or Muriel who gets the start, they must find the spaces in between.

Just as importantly, Torres, Angulo, Ojeda, and Lodeiro — depending on who is in at any given moment — must be able to thread the passes in for McGuire, Muriel, or each other to create quality chances. On top of that, the Lions must convert on those chances, which is not something that has been a strength so far this season. If the Orlando City defense continues to give up cheap goals, then the offense will need to one-up the competition when it comes to scoring.

Deal with an Unknown

FC Cincinnati recently signed Venezuelan forward Kevin Kelsy from Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk. Kelsy comes in as an MLS U22 Initiative player and is eligible to play against Orlando City. Even though Kelsy is only 19, he has 68 professional appearances, including UEFA Champions Leagues matches. At 6-foot-3, he can be a challenge for defenders, especially in the air.

Kelsy hasn’t had much time with the team, but he could be a second-half substitution for Cincinnati. Given that Orlando City just gave up two late headers against Toronto FC, the back line will need to be careful that Kelsy doesn’t hurt the Lions in the same manner — especially if he comes on late when legs and minds are tired.

That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/2/24

The Pride win big, OCSC celebrates Mental Health Awareness Month, USMNT news, and more.

Published

17 hours ago

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May 2, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

It’s Thursday, Mane Landers. Of course, the name Thursday comes from Thor’s day, and as such, it isn’t a big leap for us to consider it Thorhallsson’s day. Though I suppose that is a bit of a mouthful, so we’ll just keep things the way they are, but do hold Dagur Dan close to your heart today. Also, let us wish a happy birthday to the Orlando Pride’s Luana. Despite the devastating news that dropped about her health earlier this week, we hope that her spirits are high and we wish her nothing but happiness today. It’s also Dagur Dan Thorhallsson’s birthday today, so we’re celebrating him as well. Let’s get to the links.

The Pride Dominate the Courage

The Orlando Pride defeated the North Carolina Courage 4-1 in a midweek match at Inter&Co Stadium. The Pride did indeed dominate the Courage as much as the score line indicates. It was once again the Barbra Banda show, with the Pride’s newest player contributing a brace and an assist on the night. It is the Pride’s fourth straight victory and the undefeated run continues.

OCSC Celebrates Mental Health Awareness Month

Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are doing their part this May to observe Mental Health Awareness Month. The club is sponsoring and attending events and forums available to the general public, as well as holding club staff workshops around promoting mental health. I have to say my favorite is the therapy dogs visits that will be available to the staff. There’s nothing as good for my personal mental health as the joy and unconditional love a dog can bring. If I didn’t have dogs of my own, I’d be really jealous.

The Billionaires Clubs

Orlando City and Orlando Pride owners, the Wilf family, are not the only billionaire owners in the NWSL. There are more and more owners and ownership groups that fall into that category. The influx of more money is a growth opportunity for the league and potentially for those owners. It’s a bit of a “rising tide lifts all boats” mentality for these owners as they do better when the league as a whole does better. It’s not just the owners who think so. The NWSL was ranked No. 5 on the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2024. I’m just glad the Pride are in the club.

USMNT News

I hate starting off a section with bad news, but Sergino Dest tore his ACL in training with PSV Eindhoven and will miss the Copa America. Dest will require surgery though there is no time frame yet for when he may return. The loss of Dest is a blow to the U.S. defense heading into the competition this coming June. The USMNT plays Bolivia on June 23.

In better news, Tim Weah provided the assist for Juventus on Arkadiusz Milik’s goal against Lazio. Juventus entered the second leg of the Copa Italia semifinal up 2-0, but Lazio drew level before Milik’s goal. Juventus advanced 3-2 on aggregate and will play in the final.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. There’s plenty more soccer to come this weekend with all three teams playing. Check back for more as we get you ready for those matches. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/1/24

Mason Stajduhar was arrested, Orlando Pride play at home tonight, Colin Guske discusses his signing, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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May 1, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday and welcome to May, Mane Landers. Don’t forget that the undefeated Orlando Pride are in action tonight, so check back for our match preview and the latest episode of SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast for additional pre-match coverage. In the meantime, let’s get to the links.

Mason Stajduhar Arrested Early Sunday

Orlando City goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar and his wife Tatiana Stajduhar were both arrested on disorderly conduct charges following an incident at a nightclub overnight Saturday in the early hours of Sunday morning. The couple were reportedly disrespectful to the club’s staff and got into an altercation with the security guards. Mason stated he was only resisting the security guards to re-enter the club because the bouncers allegedly hit his wife. Tatiana allegedly pushed the police officers after they arrived, and she was not charged with battery on a law enforcement officer. The couple were released Monday after posting a bond. Orlando City provided the following statement to WESH 2 News:

“The Club is aware that goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar was arrested early Sunday morning. We are currently gathering more information and will have no further comment at this time.”

Orlando Pride Host the North Carolina Courage Tonight

After a 3-2 win on the road last Friday against the Washington Spirit, the Orlando Pride are back in the City Beautiful and will take on the North Carolina Courage tonight. Unbeaten in their six games so far this season, the Pride have also won their past three games and sit fourth in the standings. They’re tied on points with a Courage team that beat the Seattle Reign Saturday. Orlando has scored at least one goal in every match this season. Forward Barbra Banda had a great performance in that win against the Spirit, so hopefully the scoring trend continues tonight for the Pride.

Orlando City/Pride Earn Golden Brick Awards

Have you enjoyed the new food options at the stadium? I know I have, and I’m looking forward to trying even more. The efforts made by Orlando City’s front office to feature more local food and beverage options did not go unnoticed, as the club won the Hospitality & Dining category in the Downtown Orlando Partnership’s 2023 Golden Brick Awards. The Orlando Pride’s 2023 Highway Woman Kit also won the award in the Arts & Culture category. The home jersey was inspired by the work of Mary Ann Carroll, the sole woman in the famed Highwaymen artists from decades ago.

Colin Guske Speaks On Signing First Pro Contract

Orlando City Development Academy player Colin Guske signed his first professional contract with the club last month and spoke on the importance of this moment in his career. The 17-year-old is now on an MLS NEXT Pro contract with Orlando City B, and he has started in nearly every game for the Young Lions this year. Both of Guske’s brothers have also played for Orlando City’s academy over the years, and he thanked his family for helping him reach this point.

“It’s awesome to represent the Guskes,” Colin said. “Thanks to my brothers for always pushing me through early mornings and late nights, always putting in the work, doing video sessions, everything. My sister as well, for always being there for me and my parents, too. They’re always helping me and what was the best for me.”

Free Kicks

  • Enjoy all of the sights and sounds from the Pride’s big win over the Spirit in the nation’s capital.
  • The Champions League semifinals are underway and Real Madrid and Bayern Munich played to a 2-2 draw in Germany. The second leg will take place on May 8 in Madrid.

That will do it for today. If you can make it out to the stadium tonight to catch the Pride in action, I strongly suggest you do so. Barbra Banda is about to take the NWSL by storm and you’ll want to see it in person. Vamos Orlando!

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