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Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. Portland Timbers

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7 years ago

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The Portland Timbers are trending upward, taking two points from their last two after being battered in their opening matches of 2018. But they travel across the continent to Central Florida to take on an Orlando City team that is also on the upswing after a wild 4-3 victory over the New York Red Bulls.

There’s a new boss at the helm in the Rose City and, while the bulk of the roster has remained intact, the team that topped last year’s Western Conference has struggled to get results this time around.

For what to expect of this year’s Timbers, we’ve asked Will Conwell from Portland’s SB Nation blog Stumptown Footy to give us some insight. I also answered some questions about our side and you can find them over at their place.

How has life been after Caleb Porter and how has Giovanni Savarese left his mark on this team?

Will Conwell: Saravese has certainly had an impact on the Timbers through four games this season, changing up the side’s tactical approach after five years of playing under Porter. In those four games there have been definite struggles as the team looks to adjust to their new look, but as the team has adapted to Saravese and Saravese has adapted to the team, the results have gone from disappointing to encouraging over the course of the Timbers’ season-opening road trip.

Under Porter, the Timbers developed an identity as a team that was capable of holding the ball and would wear down teams with their possession, as well as being a side capable of picking their moments and striking out on the break after dropping deep and welcoming their opposition forward.

In many ways, Saravese’s preferred approach to the game is the opposite of this. Given the right personnel, Saravese would love to be a team that actively presses high up the pitch, turning over the opposing team deep in their own end and creating the sort of high value chances that come when the defense is out of its shape. Unfortunately, while the Timbers’ attacking trio of Fanendo Adi, Diego Valeri, and Sebastian Blanco are all capable of being quite active on the defensive front, none seem particularly inclined toward the sort of high energy performance it takes to press all game.

That is not to say that the Timbers have abandoned the high press. In last weekend’s 2-2 road draw against the Chicago Fire, the Timbers were able to put the home side on the back foot for much of the match, getting the opening goal early in the match after turning over the Fire and taking advantage on the break. Saravese is still determining how best to make use of his players, but the seeds that he has planted with the side are showing definite signs of growth.

Portland’s defense struggled through March, allowing nine goals in four matches. Liam Ridgewell’s exclusion from the side has been a major talking point; are the two things related?

WC: Ridgewell was on the field for six of the Timbers’ nine goals allowed so far this season and as the team captain, his lack of effort in the side’s 4-0 week two loss to the New York Red Bulls was particularly galling.

In the first two matches that the Timbers — and Ridgewell — played, the side were disorganized and disheartened. The back line was out of sync, the midfield was disconnected, and the forwards were stranded on an island by themselves. Not all of that can be pinned on Ridgewell, but as a veteran and the team captain, it is on him to rally the side through words or deeds and it appeared that he went for neither.

What’s more, Ridgewell’s game has long been built around his ability to take a timely step up and break up a play with a headed ball away, an interception, or a timely foul. Without a dedicated defensive midfielder in front of him, dropping back onto the back line as David Guzman or Diego Chara did so often in 2017, Ridgewell has struggled to keep from opening up holes on the back line through his play. In the right situation and the right formation, Ridgewell’s instincts could still serve him well, but with the changes that Saravese has looked to implement this year he has often been the odd man out.

Recent word from the Timbers camp is that Ridgewell has taken the benching like a professional and is training well. Ridgewell is training so well, according to word from this week’s training sessions, he is in consideration for a return to the 18 this weekend. This is all, of course, exactly what the Timbers should be saying and after two weeks in exile, it seems as likely as not that the Timbers will continue to turn to Larrys Mabiala and Bill Tuiloma, the self-proclaimed “French Connection,” to be their starting center backs.

How has the team dealt with Darlington Nagbe’s high-priced departure over the off-season?

WC: The loss of Nagbe to Atlanta United, the Timbers’ first draft pick and a staple of the side since they joined Major League Soccer in 2011, has been difficult for the Timbers to deal with as they adjust to life without him.

Nagbe brings a number of things to the pitch, but first and foremost is an absolute inability to lose the ball. A pass anywhere near Nagbe at any speed is as good as received. Getting the ball on Nagbe’s foot means that he will get off a pass to another player on his team just about every time. Losing that remarkable knack for possession makes things difficult for the Timbers. Without Nagbe, the Timbers have lost one of their most effective pressure release valves. They no longer have a player that they can just pass the ball near and expect good things to happen.

At the same time, the loss of Nagbe has been freeing for the Timbers.

Nagbe’s unwillingness or inability to get involved in the attack in a regularly effective manner has long been a source of frustration for anyone who watches him play. Without Nabge on the pitch, the Timbers have looked to Sebastian Blanco to provide many of the same services in transition that Nagbe once did and they have profited from it. While Blanco is far from the possession machine that Nagbe was for the Timbers, his creativity, flair, and attacking mindset have already paid dividends this year with three goals and an assist through four games.

In Nagbe’s absence and with teams unable to ignore the dual attacking threats of Diego Valeri and Fanendo Adi, Blanco should continue to flourish this year. 

What injuries/suspensions will keep players out this weekend and what is your projected lineup and predicted final score?

WC: (4-3-2-1) Jake Gleeson; Vytautas Andriuškevičius, Bill Tuiloma, Larrys Mabiala, Zarek Valentin; Christhian Paredes, Diego Chara, Andres Flores; Sebastian Blanco, Diego Valeri; Fanendo Adi

2-1 Orlando, with a Will Johnson goal and a Dom Dwyer red card.

Thanks again to Will for taking the time to provide some information on this weekend’s visitors.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/17/25

Orlando City and Orlando Pride players on Team of the Week, USMNT Gold Cup continues, and more.

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19 hours ago

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June 17, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wedn…er…Tuesday, Mane Landers. That’s right, I’m here a day early and not a moment too late. Orlando is knee deep in soccer, thanks to the FIFA Club World Cup on top of our favorite Orlando City and Orlando Pride clubs. We will have coverage of the matches taking place in the City Beautiful. Before we get started today, join us in wishing a happy 25th birthday to Orlando Pride midfielder Summer Yates. Now, let’s get to the links.

Schlegel Honored

Rodrigo Schlegel had a pretty good match against the Colorado Rapids. Despite not being named Man of the Match in our Player Grades, he did make the MLS Team of the Week bench. Meanwhile, Orlando held steady at the ninth spot in ESPN’s MLS Power Rankings, while dropping two spots from seventh to ninth in SI.com’s Power Rankings despite winning on the road. It just shows how very accurate and scientific power rankings are, doesn’t it?

Quadruple Honors for the Pride

The Orlando Pride saw Schlegel’s TotW Bench honor and said we can do better. Barbra Banda, Cori Dyke, Emily Sams, and Anna Moorhouse all made the NWSL Team of the Week from the Attacking Third. Congratulations to the Pride for covering a third of the Attacking Third’s selections.

Moorhouse is also up for Player of the Week and Save of the Week. As of this morning, she is not leading either category so you know what to do.

The USMNT Gold Cup Journey Continues

The Concacaf Gold Cup group stage is underway, with the USMNT securing a 5-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago Sunday evening. I’m always for beating Trinidad & Tobago, but more talented teams and tougher matches lie ahead. Next up for the USMNT is Saudi Arabia. I know what you’re thinking, and you’re correct. Saudi Arabia isn’t a Concacaf nation, but the team is the invitee for this Gold Cup. The match is Thursday night at 9:15 p.m. at Q2 Stadium in Austin, TX. The U.S. will most likely need a win to secure the top spot in the group.

FIFA Club World Cup Results

The Club World Cup, which will visit Orlando’s Inter&Co Stadium later today (we’ll be on hand with the coverage, naturally), continued early this week with Bayern Munich obliterating Auckland City 10-0, PSG defeating Atletico Madrid 4-0, Botafogo beating the Seattle Sounders 2-1, and Facundo Torres and Palmeiras drawing Porto 0-0 on Sunday. In the Monday slate, Chelsea defeated LAFC 2-0, and Boca Juniors and Benfica drew 2-2. Overshadowing all of this is the poor attendance, despite FIFA spending millions to boost said attendance.

Free Kicks

  • One might think that a club sitting second in the official standings on a three-match winning streak would have matching ranks in all the various power rankings. However, one would be wrong, because although the Pride are in the second spot in the SI.com Power Rankings, the club sits at third in the ESPN.com Power Rankings. Do I need to say anything?
  • You don’t often see Barcelona get passed over for an MLS club, but that is exactly what happened despite Barcelona calling FIFA to get a spot in the Club World Cup. That MLS club was LAFC, and it had to earn its way in by beating Club America.
  • Liverpool has set a date for the medical for Florian Wirtz following the record transfer.
  • Congratulations to Orlando City’s Alex Freeman on his performance in his first cap for the USMNT in a competitive match.

Stacked the stat sheet 📈– 10 duels won (led team)– 3 tackles won (led team)– 54 passes completed– 95% passing accuracy– 90 minutes played– 2 clearances– 2 fouls drawn– Clean sheet ✅

— Orlando City SC (@orlandocitysc.com) 2025-06-16T23:03:59.932Z

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the matches this week. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Colorado Rapids: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids?

Published

2 days ago

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June 16, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City used a professional performance to defeat the Colorado Rapids 1-0 near the Mile High City. It’s a big win for the Lions after two consecutive losses to Atlanta United and the Chicago Fire. It also gives the team some good vibes heading into next week’s international break.

Let’s take a look at the individual performances in this big win.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 8 (MotM) — Gallese had a massive game for his eighth clean sheet of the season. The shot stopper was credited with two saves and they were both quality. In the 50th minute, he made a one-handed save on a Rafael Navarro header and pushed Djordje Milhailovic’s shot wide while defending his near post in the 72nd minute. Apart from his goalkeeping, Gallese touched the ball 32 times, completing 38.5% of his 26 passes, including four of his 20 long balls. He was also credited with three clearances.

D, David Breaklo, 6 — The starting left back touched the ball 63 times and completed 91.8% of his 49 passes. He completed two of his three long balls, but his lone cross was incomplete. Brekalo also recorded one interception, won an aerial duel, and had eight clearances defensively. He didn’t have any attacking statistics, contributing to the clean sheet.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Jansson had 65 touches, completing 93.1% of his team-high 58 passes, including four of his seven long balls. He won one tackle and had four clearances defensively. The center back was a bright spot early, making a couple of huge challenges to keep Colorado from getting free chances on goal. Overall, it was a strong performance by the captain.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 7 — Schlegel got a first-half booking that sees him suspended for the next game, but the center back was a monster in this game. He had a team-high 86 touches and completed 87.5% of his 56 passes but only one of his five long balls. However, his strength was defensively, where Schlegel recorded an interception and two blocked shots, won three aerial duels, and had an astounding 21 clearances. Despite defending for most of the game, the center back put a shot on target as well.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 5.5 — Thorhallsson had 38 touches, completing 85.7% of his 21 passes without attempting any long balls or crosses. The right back added two clearances and a blocked shot defensively. He made some mistakes in his own half that created some issues and didn’t get into the attack at all in this game before being replaced by Kyle Smith in the 72nd minute.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 5.5 — Angulo touched the ball 39 times, completing 83.3% of his 30 passes but didn’t attempt any crosses. The midfielder didn’t attempt any shots either. Defensively, Angulo added a clearance and won an aerial duel, but it was largely an invisible night by the speedster.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 6 — Atuesta had 65 touches and completed 77.6% of his 49 passes, including a key pass and one of his two long balls. He didn’t take any shots, but the defensive midfielder’s focus was on defense. He recorded one tackle, two aerial duels won, three interceptions, and two clearances in a strong performance. He was replaced by Colin Guske in second-half stoppage time.

MF, Joran Gerbet, 6 — Gerbet got the start over Cesar Araujo in this game due to back spasms for Araujo, touching the ball 57 times. The rookie completed 88.4% of his 43 passes without attempting any long balls or crosses. Like Atuesta, his job was defensive as he had three interceptions, won two aerial duels, and logged five clearances in 90 minutes of action.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 7 — Pasalic was trouble for the Rapids defense. He touched the ball 31 times and completed 86.4% of his 22 passes, including three key passes and his lone long ball. The midfielder’s most significant moment came in the 24th minute, when great vision and a good pass found Martin Ojeda for the game’s long goal. Pasalic took two shots, putting one on target. The attacker left the game in the 72nd minute, replaced by Ramiro Enrique.

F, Luis Muriel, 5.5 — Muriel had 26 touches, completing 80% of his 15 passes with a key pass. The forward took two shots, putting neither on target. He also helped defensively, winning an aerial duel, recording a tackle, and adding a clearance before being replaced by Araujo in the 58th minute. Overall, it wasn’t an impressive performance by the Designated Player.

F, Martin Ojeda, 7 — Ojeda was a game-changer, touching the ball 52 times and completing 90.9% of his 44 passes with a key pass, and connecting on one of his two crosses and his lone long ball. He put one of his two shots on target, a hard attempt that went off the hands of Nico Hansen and in for the game’s only goal. It was a good performance for Ojeda, who came off in second-half stoppage time for Nico Rodriguez.

Substitutes

MF, Cesar Araujo (58’), 6 — Araujo replaced Muriel in the 58th minute as the Lions looked to defend their 1-0 lead. The defensive midfielder had 34 touches and completed 96.4% of his 28 passes, including one key pass. He added a tackle and blocked shot in 32 minutes of action, helping to secure the clean sheet.

D, Kyle Smith (72’), 6 — Smith came on for Thorhallsson in the 72nd minute, touching the ball 23 times at right back. He completed 55.6% of his nine passes with an incomplete long ball and through ball. However, Smith’s contribution came on defense, where he added a tackle, four clearances, and two successful aerial duels to help secure the three points.

F, Ramiro Enrique (72’), 6.5 — Enrique came on for Pasalic in the 72nd minute and was solid in his 18 minutes. He had 10 touches and completed 75% of his eight passes without taking any shots. However, he did precisely what his team needed, holding up the ball, winning an aerial duel, and keeping possession late. His wise decision-making is why he gets such a high grade.

MF, Colin Guske (90 + 1’), N/A — Guske came on for Atuesta in the dying minutes to kill some time. He got booked right after coming on, touching the ball only three times and adding a clearance.

MF, Nico Rodriguez (90 + 1’), N/A — Rodriguez came on with Guske for Ojeda and had nearly an identical performance minus the booking. He touched the ball three times, won an aerial duel, and had a clearance defensively.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in this crucial win for the Lions. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/16/25

Lions and Pride win, USMNT beats Trinidad & Tobago in Gold Cup opener, FIFA Club World Cup weekend recap, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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June 16, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you and belated happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there. The Lions and the Pride both won while OCB was off this weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Blank Colorado Rapids on the Road

Orlando City defeated the Colorado Rapids 1-0 Saturday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Martin Ojeda scored the lone goal for the Lions in the first half to snap their two-match winless streak. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese made two saves and earned his eighth clean sheet of the season. With the win, Orlando moved up to fifth in the Eastern Conference standings with 30 points. Orlando City will be off this weekend but will be return to action June 25 on the road at St. Louis City.

Banda’s Goal Lifts Pride Over Bay FC

The Orlando Pride defeated Bay FC 1-0 Friday at PayPal Park in San Jose, CA. After a scoreless first half, Barbra Banda scored the only goal in the match — her eighth goal of the season — and the Pride held on for the win. It’s the team’s third straight 1-0 victory over Bay FC, and the Pride also claimed their fifth clean sheet of the season. Orlando has won three matches in a row and remains second in the NWSL table with 25 points. The Pride will be on the road to take on Racing Louisville Friday.

USMNT Dominates Trinidad & Tobago in Gold Cup Opener

The U.S. Men’s National Team beat Trinidad & Tobago 5-0 Sunday in the opening match of the Concacaf Gold Cup at PayPal Park. Orlando City defender Alex Freeman started the match and played 90 minutes. Malik Tillman scored twice, and Patrick Agyemang added one to give the USMNT a 3-0 lead before halftime. In the second half, Brenden Aaronson and Haji Wright each added a goal to extend the USMNT’s lead to 5-0. With the win, the Yanks snapped a four-match winless streak. The USMNT will take on Saudi Arabia Thursday night at Q2 Stadium in Austin, TX.

FIFA Club World Cup Weekend Recap

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup kicked off on Saturday, with Inter Miami and Al Ahly playing to a scoreless draw in the opening match of the group stage. Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari made eight saves, including a penalty kick saved in the 43rd minute against Trezeguet of Al Ahly as the teams split the points. On Sunday, Jamal Musiala scored a hat trick as Bayern Munich crushed Auckland City 10-0, Paris Saint-Germain routed Atletico Madrid 4-0, and Palmeiras and FC Porto ended in a scoreless draw. The Seattle Sounders battled Botafogo in the late match. Today’s matchups feature Chelsea taking on LAFC, Boca Juniors facing Benfica, and Flamengo taking on Esperance Sportive de Tunis.

Tampa Bay Sun Wins USL Super League Championship

The Tampa Bay Sun defeated Fort Lauderdale United 1-0 after extra time to win the inaugural USL Super League championship on Saturday at Riverfront Stadium in Tampa. Former Pride players Jordyn Listro and Erika Tymrak were part of the squad’s stellar run to its first championship title in the inaugural season of the USL Super League. After no goals came from either side during the 90 minutes of play, the match went to extra time, and Cecilie Floe scored the winning goal for the Sun. Sydny Nasello was named the 2025 USL Super League Final MVP.

Free Kicks

  • Check out this video on Orlando City’s social media pages featuring some players giving their dads a surprise phone call on Father’s Day.
  • PayPal Park will host the 2025 NWSL Championship match on Nov. 22.

From the home of legends to the stage of champions 🏆The 2025 NWSL Championship presented by Google Pixel is coming to the Bay Area and PayPal Park.

— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) 2025-06-13T12:14:48.657Z

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

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