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Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Final Score 6-1 as Lions Crush Revs

Five different Lions scored against 10-man New England.

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7 years ago

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Nick Leyva, The Mane Land

A modest announced crowd of 23,018 showed up at Orlando City Stadium for a midweek game against the New England Revolution. Every one of those fans got their money’s worth.

The Lions (10-13-8, 38 points) seemingly unleashed a season’s worth of frustration on the Revs en route to a 6-1 bombing of the visitors, setting a team record for goals in an MLS game. Five different players scored a goal — including Kaká, who scored two — in a thorough domination of the Revs (11-15-5, 38 points), who were down to 10 men just minutes into the match.

“I think we’ve proven that we’re a capable team. I think we’ve proven that when the guys are fully committed and work really hard together, we can be a very good team,” said Head Coach Jason Kreis after the game. “That’s the way it’s been all year, from my point of view. And when we’ve been putting forth our best, when players give everything we have, that’s when we get the good results. When we don’t, we don’t.”

Kreis rotated the squad for the midweek contest, starting a center back pairing of Seb Hines and Leo Pereira between regular fullbacks Donny Toia and Scott Sutter. The diamond midfield was anchored by Servando Carrasco, with Yoshimar Yotun left, Antonio Nocerino right, and Giles Barnes up top. Kaká and Dom Dwyer were the strike partnership. Joe Bendik took his usual residence in front of goal.

The game had barely started when it took a strange twist, with Xavier Kouassi taking down Seb Hines in the midfield. Video review turned the foul into a straight red card and just 11 minutes in the Lions were up a man.

Orlando looked to get on the front foot and nearly got in a few times before Claude Dielna took Kaká down hard near the right sideline in the 21st minute, giving the Lions a set piece. Yotun delivered a cross in that Nocerino got a toe on and Cody Cropper couldn’t handle. The ball trickled over the goal line to give the Italian his first MLS goal and Orlando City a 1-0 lead at the 22-minute mark.

“I’m happy first for the game and after for the score,” Nocerino said about his first MLS goal. The Italian spoke emotionally about how much the team and city means to him and stated clearly after several questions about the goal that the win was more important to him.

New England served notice that set pieces would be dangerous as Benjamin Angoua got a free header in the 25th minute, but he sent it wide and the flag was up anyway.

Kaká went down in the box in the 28th minute and was booked for simulation although it did appear that Dielna got a piece of City’s captain as he turned to go in on goal. The Brazilian made a great hesitation move to freeze Antonio Delamea and ended up earning a corner kick. Yotun delivered a cross that Hines nodded home to make it 2-0 at the 32- minute mark.

“I was so thrilled it went in the back of the net. That’s what I like to do. I like to score with my head,” Hines said. “Obviously we needed that win and I was just glad my goal meant something today.”

The Revs nearly pulled one right back on a set piece from just outside the box. Pereira stepped in front of Kamara to steal a pass but he was booked for an infraction and instead New England nearly scored. Lee Nguyen fired a free kick that Bendik got a fingertip on and pushed off the outside of the post. The ensuing corner was an adventure but was eventually cleared.

The game then became very choppy, with referee Silviu Petrescu doling out cards like they were candy, booking Kaká, Scott Caldwell, and Pereira in a five-minute period. It was starting to look like the game would finish with very few players.

“I think any time you have an early ejection to your opponent, the first thing that’s in your mind is will the referee be looking to even the score a little bit. Will he be influenced to try to level it a little bit, especially if it’s a decision he wasn’t quite sure about,” Kreis said. He added that his intention was to take Pereira out at halftime but then Hines was booked in the 45th minute, forcing him to rethink the decision. In the end, Pereira came out shortly after halftime and Hines was able to play through his yellow card without further damage.

Nocerino nearly got his second in the 39th minute off a corner kick scramble but he sent his shot just wide of the far post.

In the 43rd minute Dwyer fed Kaká a pass and the captain stepped into a shot and blasted it into the back of the net in the 43rd minute to make it 3-0.

Nguyen got the Revs on the board in first-half stoppage time with nearly an identical free kick to the one that Bendik saved. This time, Bendik couldn’t quite get over in time to save it and the teams went to the locker room with Orlando holding a 3-1 lead that seemed more precarious than it should have.

New England started the second half strong, despite being down a man. Nguyen was allowed a free run to the top of the box before firing just over the bar in the 48th minute. The Revs put a couple of dangerous balls into the area after that but the Lions were able to deal with them.

“Anytime you’re playing against a team that’s down a man they can [only] hold on for so long, and typically when you start to score a couple of goals on them is when they want to give up,” Kreis said. “I think a big credit to New England because I thought at the beginning of the second half they came out really bright, caused us some real trouble and maybe should have scored a goal that could have made our night very, very difficult.”

Barnes got his head to a loose ball off Cropper’s save on Dwyer in the 52nd but missed the wide-open net, pushing it wide. Just after that, a moment of inattentiveness on a soft pass resulted in a turnover and the Revs broke two-on-two but Hines was able to make a sparkling tackle in the box on Teal Bunbury to break up the chance.

From that point on, Orlando possessed the ball but couldn’t do much more than earn some corners and free kicks without really threatening goal. That all changed in the 77th minute. Dwyer got in behind and had a shot stopped by Cropper and then attempted a flying scissor kick that didn’t quite come off but Kaká was right there to smash home the loose ball, effectively killing the game at 4-1. Dwyer got his second assist of the game.

That didn’t mean the Lions were done, however.

In the 84th minute, Dwyer took a pass from second-half sub Cyle Larin, dribbled down the left side of the box and blasted one past Cropper to score his first home goal since his trade from Sporting Kansas City.

The OCS crowd chanted “we want six!” and got their wish in the 90th minute. Yotun took a pass from Richie Laryea and sent a rocket past Cropper to make it 6-1. Laryea earned his first MLS assist.

Moments later, Petrescu blew the full time whistle and the Lions had their most lopsided MLS win ever, snapping an 0-3-3 run of form at home and sending the Revolution to an 0-13-3 road mark.

Orlando held 59% of the possession and out-shot New England, 21-10 (11-5 on target), which can be attributed in no small part to being up a man for 80 minutes.

“We were just ruthless tonight. Everything we hit went into the back of the net,” Hines said after the game. “It just shows when we’re on we can be a threat to any team. Today we needed to bounce back from our performance against Portland and I thought we did that.

“We owed them one. They beat us comfortably at their place so we had to make sure that we got one back on them today.”

Orlando City will be back in action Sunday at 4 p.m. against FC Dallas.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/21/25

Orlando Pride release preseason camp roster, scouting Costa Rica, women’s soccer transfer grades, and more.

Published

18 hours ago

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January 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone! If you had yesterday off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, then I hope you enjoyed some restful time off. If not, then I hope you got your week started off on a good and productive note. There’s a lot going on around here this week as the United States Men’s National Team is in town, and Orlando City will play its first preseason match on Saturday. That means we have plenty to discuss, so let’s dig into today’s links.

Orlando Pride Drop Preseason Roster

Monday might have been a holiday but the Orlando Pride were busy, as they announced the roster for their upcoming preseason camp. Almost all of the usual suspects from the 2024 season are back, as the Pride return 98% of the player-minutes from last season and every single scorer. Mariana Larroquette is on the list although she’s currently on loan in Argentina, and Amanda Allen is likewise included after her loan at Lexington Sporting Club was terminated due to a torn labrum. The biggest intrigue comes from the trio of non-roster invitees: goalkeeper DeAira Jackson, midfielder Aryssa Mahrt, and forward Simone Jackson.

Scouting Costa Rica

The USMNT takes on Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium to wrap up the team’s annual January camp. Like the U.S., Costa Rica is bringing a roster devoid of the majority of its important players. Costa Rica also has a new manager at the helm in Miguel Herrera, who will take charge of the team for the very first time on Wednesday. Herrera typically lines his teams up in a 5-3-2 where the wingbacks take on a very important role and the team looks to hit on the counter while staying compact at the back. This will be the last time we see the USMNT in action until the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in early March.

Women’s Soccer January Transfer Grades

January has been a busy time for transfers in the women’s soccer world, so which teams have done the best business? Well, the Orlando Pride received an A grade for signing Marta to a new two-year deal, retaining a player who helped the team win its first ever trophies. Liverpool got an A for signing Julia Bartel on loan from Chelsea. Leicester City made an interesting call by transferring goalkeeper Lize Kop to Tottenham despite just being a point above the relegation zone. The Foxes get a C for the move, while Spurs get a B+ for adding a capable netminder.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans taking part in some very important games over the course of this week. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus face Club Brugge today in the UEFA Champions League, while Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Esmir Bajraktarević, Malik Tillman and PSV Eindhoven take on Crvena Zvezda in the same competition. Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan will play Girona in the UCL on Wednesday, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic take on Young Boys. On Friday, John Tolkin could make his Bundesliga debut when his new team, Holstein Kiel, travels to face Wolfsburg.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride players reported for their preseason physicals on Monday.
  • Meanwhile, Orlando City took on the dreaded beep test during Monday’s training session.

That’s all I have for you today. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Striker Suddenly a Position of Need for Orlando City

Departures and a key injury mean Orlando City needs a striker heading into the 2025 MLS season.

Published

2 days ago

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January 20, 2025

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Image Courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City reached the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in 2024, a milestone for the club. The core of the team was locked up through the 2025 season, so there was no reason to believe it needed to add much this off-season. Unfortunately, injuries and departures have created a serious problem for the team.

The group of forwards last year consisted of Duncan McGuire, Ramiro Enrique, and Jack Lynn. McGuire scored 15 goals in 2023 and was expected to depart for Blackburn Rovers before a clerical error allowed the Lions to keep their target man. The team’s primary striker scored 11 goals in 37 games — the same number as the previous season — but split time starting with Enrique. The Argentinian improved greatly in 2024, increasing his total goal tally from four to 12. Even Lynn showed tremendous improvement last year, playing a greater role in the team and scoring his first two MLS goals.

The future also seemed bright for the Orlando City forwards because of their ages. Lynn is the oldest of the trio at just 25 years old. Meanwhile, McGuire and Enrique are only 23, so there was no reason to believe this group couldn’t produce this coming season.

The problem at striker began in the postseason when McGuire was pulled down by Charlotte FC midfielder Djibril Diani in the final first round game of the playoffs. McGuire suffered a shoulder injury during the challenge that required surgery on Dec. 13. It’s expected that the striker could take four to five months to return to action, possibly leaving him out until May or June.

Another blow to Orlando’s attack occurred Saturday when Lynn surprisingly announced his retirement from professional soccer. In just over a month, Orlando City went from having three strikers to having just one as preseason training starts.

With McGuire injured and Lynn gone, one option would be to have Designated Player Luis Muriel play up top. However, the Colombian prefers to play a more withdrawn position and proved to be effective in that role last year. Since Head Coach Oscar Pareja prefers to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, the Lions need someone up top to control the ball and involve the midfielders in the attack. That’s not Muriel’s game.

The result of these issues is that nobody is currently behind Enrique when the season begins. If the Argentinian gets tired, hurt, or simply needs rest, Pareja is limited in his options. 

Whether there was a lack of strikers or a lack of goals from the position previously, that problem was resolved by the club’s all-time leading goal scorer. Facundo Torres scored 20 goals in 2024, becoming the first player in Orlando City’s MLS history and the second player in club history to do so. He went on to set a new club record for total goals of 47.

However, Orlando City sold its best player to Brazilian side Palmeiras on Dec. 20. It was a gut punch to fans as Torres had signed a new contract on Jan. 10, 2024 that ran through the 2026 season. There had been talk for the last couple of years that the attacker would look for a move to Europe and rumors of a move to South America arose this off-season. Still, it created a huge gap the club has to fill.

There are players on the roster that can make up for the injury and departures. Martin Ojeda had a strong season in 2024, finishing with seven goals and 13 assists. His seven goals ranked fourth on the team and his 13 assists topped the squad alongside Nico Lodeiro. Muriel came on strong later in the season, finishing with five goals and eight assists. But those numbers are a long way from the 20 goals that Torres tallied last year.

Even if you consider all goal contributions, Ojeda and Muriel fall well short of Torres. Ojeda had a total of 20 goal contributions in 2024 while Muriel had 13. In addition to Torres’s 20 goals, he added nine assists for a team-leading 29 goal contributions.

All of this information leads to one undeniable fact — Orlando City needs to sign a striker prior to the season. And there’s not much time for Luiz Muzzi to act. The European transfer window closes on Feb. 3 and many MLS teams have already been filling similar needs. With the season starting in just over a month, the options will be limited if the Lions don’t do something soon.

After the best postseason finish in Orlando City’s MLS history, things were looking good heading into 2025. While the back line and most of the midfield is returning, McGuire’s injury and the departure of Torres and Lynn have left the Lions in a tough spot offensively. If they don’t do something in the next couple of weeks, it could be a long 2025.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/20/25

Orlando City signs Nicolas Rodriguez, Jack Lynn announces retirement, USMNT defeats Venezuela in friendly, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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January 20, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope you’re all having a good holiday weekend as we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Over the past week, I’ve been working and covering high school ice hockey. It will be a busy week in Orlando, with the United States Men’s National Team’s match against Costa Rica on Wednesday and Orlando City’s first preseason match against Atletico Mineiro on Saturday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Signs Nicolas Rodriguez

Orlando City announced on Friday that the club has signed forward Nicolas Rodriguez from Fortaleza CEIF in Colombia’s top flight. The deal is through the 2027 season, with a club option for 2028, and Rodriguez will occupy a MLS U22 Initiative slot. Rodriguez made 19 appearances for Fortaleza, recording 1,607 minutes, five goals, and three assists during the 2024 Primera A Clausura season. The Lions add a young attacking player the club can develop and Rodriguez can play on the right wing, the right side of a three-man midfield, or in the No. 10 spot.

Jack Lynn Announces Retirement

Orlando City forward Jack Lynn announced his retirement from professional soccer on Saturday. Lynn was drafted by Orlando in the first round of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. He became a regular starter for Orlando City B, scoring a team-record 38 goals in over three seasons with the MLS NEXT Pro side. Lynn also won the Golden Boot with 19 goals during the 2023 season and became the first OCB player to be named MLS NEXT Pro MVP. He played sparingly with the first team, but he scored twice last season as his role increased. The Lions will likely look to add another striker for more depth up top.

Orlando Pride Acquire Allocation Money in Trade

On Friday, the Orlando Pride announced that the club has acquired $50,000 in Allocation Money from the Washington Spirit. In exchange, the Pride sent the Spirit a 2025 international roster spot. The Pride will face the Spirit in the NWSL Challenge Cup final on March 7 at Inter&Co Stadium.

USMNT Defeats Venezuela in Friendly

The USMNT defeated Venezuela 3-1 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday in a friendly. Jack McGlynn and Patrick Agyemang scored in the first half to give the USMNT a 2-0 lead just before halftime. Matko Milijevic scored the third goal for the Americans in the second half, with Venezuela pulling one back thanks to a goal from Jorge Yriarte. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has led the USMNT to winning four out of its first five matches since he took charge last September. The USMNT’s next match will be against Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium.

Alyssa Naeher Named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year

On Saturday, goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was voted 2024 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year. Naeher won 40% of the vote, while defender Naomi Girma finished in second with 32%. In her final year with the USWNT, Naeher ended 2024 with 18 starts, playing 1,170 minutes and only conceding 11 goals. She played a crucial role with clutch saves to help the USWNT win the 2024 SheBelieves Cup, 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup, and gold at the Olympics in Paris. Naeher is the second goalkeeper to win the award since Hope Solo won it in 2009.

Free Kicks

  • Manchester City forward Erling Haaland has reached an agreement with the club on a record-breaking contract that extends his deal through 2034.

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

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