Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Five Takeaways

Published

6 years ago

on

Orlando City traveled to great white north to match up with last year’s MLS Cup, Supporters’ Shield, and almost Concacaf winner Toronto FC. Both teams came in limping a bit. Toronto was without Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore, with the Lions missing Dom Dwyer and Yoshimar Yotun. The match played out fairly evenly, with the Lions once again falling behind first, but coming back, and then falling prey to a late goal — one that did not leave enough time to come back from.

So what did we learn from last night’s late loss to TFC?

Dom Dwyer was Sorely Missed

I think the collective reaction from Lion Nation was a gasp when we all learned that Dom did not make the trip to Canada. So far this season, the goal scoring hasn’t been all Dom, but it was obvious last night that just his presence on the pitch means a ton. If research is correct, the Lions are 0-3-1 without Dom on the pitch in 2018. This doesn’t mean that Dom is the sole reason the Lions score goals, but his presence is enough to free up other Lions in a dramatic way. That drama means shots, and shots mean goals.

El-Mo is a Beast on the Left

There may have been a few lapses during the match, including getting beat to allow the late cross that set up a goal, but you cannot deny that Mohamed El-Munir is a terror from his left wing back position. Yes, I said wing back, because how many times did he end up further up the pitch than everyone on the left, including Justin Meram? How many times did he dribble through three defenders, only to have the rest of the players on the pitch, both Orlando City and Toronto, watching? His link play was on point, although not necessarily returned in kind. As it stands right now, other than the next player to be mentioned in takeaways, El-Mo was heads above this evening.

Where Have You Been, Higuita?

It is almost as if aliens have come down and switched out the Cristian Higuita we have watched for the past few seasons for the calmer, infinitely more mature and well-rounded Higuita we have seen blossom this season. His vision is better, his temperament is angelic (relative measurement here, folks), and his footy acumen is becoming something concrete in the starting XI. Does he foul? Of course, so does everyone, but that is part of the job. The difference is knowing when and how to foul, and it certainly appears that Higuita is learning, and learning fast.

Right Side is Not Helping

This is by no means a bash Will Johnson takeaway. Both Scott Sutter and RJ Allen have dealt with injuries, and Johnson has filled in admirably — and by admirably I mean extremely well. However, I think if we sit down and truly compare notes on Will and Sutter, Sutter has proven to date to be the better right back. If the position that Will had to cover was just to defend, I am sure he would cover it just fine, but that is not what that position is asked to do. Orlando City’s defense has proven to be extremely dangerous when it can play wide, from both sides of the pitch. Last night, 52% of Orlando City’s possession was on the left side of the pitch.

Uri and Colmán Make Impact

I, for one, was excited to see Oriol Rosell in his first start; however, I was equally shocked to see Josué Colmán starting from the bench. Uri played as I expected, owning the defensive mid position alongside Higuita, but lacking a bit of chemistry with other players. The lack of chemistry led to a paltry 95.5% passing accuracy. Colmán, on the other hand, who came on in the 64th minute, made an impact immediately. Like Uri, it is obvious that the minutes aren’t there yet, but that didn’t stop him from trying to knock the chip off of his shoulder. Credited with the assist on the Higuita goal, I can only hope that more minutes come to the Lions’ number 10.

It was a tough result for Orlando. Toronto played as I think most people expected, dug in deep, waiting for their chances to run an effective counter attack, and for the most part Orlando City went shot for shot with the defending champs. MLS is a league of massive parity, and I believe we saw the need to get more than one dangerous and well-known option up top. Head Coach Jason Kreis is going to have tough decisions to make once Yoshimar Yotún is again available for the club. As far as right backs go, hopefully the guys see some good fortune soon as Johnson is doing his all to fill in, but Sutter and RJ, statistically speaking, are missed. I thought this was one of those matches where a 1-1 draw was absolutely correct; unfortunately, the heart attack was not in Orlando’s favor this time.

P.S. — Sane and Amro…wow.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/11/24

Orlando Pride in Portland, U.S. men and women news, international upsets, and more.

Published

3 days ago

on

October 11, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Milton has finally made its way out of Florida, though many of us will be dealing with the aftermath for a while. We hope that you and yours are safe and that the damage is minimal. I know that many are still without power — which is why I’m writing Lion Links today instead of Marcus Mitchell. Fortunately, the Orlando Pride play in Portland tonight, although it will be a late one. Let’s get to the links.

Pride in Portland

The Orlando Pride may be the NWSL Shield winners, but with three matches left in the regular season, the job is not done. Now, the club will take on the Portland Thorns. The Thorns haven’t been great as of late, but Providence Park is a tough place to play. While the club is focused on the upcoming playoffs, the Pride still want to finish undefeated in the regular season. Portland, like many clubs, are fighting for a playoff spot.

USWNT Players in the News

Lindsey Horan didn’t have the best Olympics in my opinion, but she is doing very well in her start to Lyon’s season. She’s scored five goals in four matches to help Lyon top the table. Back home, Crystal Dunn is being honored by Empowerment on the East River hosted by Black Players for Change.

USMNT in Action

The USMNT plays its first match under Mauricio Pochettino Saturday night against Panama, and you can watch it on multiple platforms. There are no conflicts of interest this go-around, but next year, some players will need to choose between playing in the Club World Cup or the Gold Cup.

International Results

Orlando City, and all the other teams and leagues, aren’t playing right now due to an international break. The matches have already begun. Perhaps the biggest news was Greece’s stunning 2-1 win over England. The victory puts Greece atop Group B2 in the UEFA Nations League competition.

Over in Group A2, Italy blew a two-goal lead to draw Belgium 2-2. There were plenty of other results, including Erling Haaland becoming his country’s all-time top scorer after scoring a brace in Norway’s 3-0 win over Slovenia. If you want to catch more matches, here’s where you can watch.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. Check back tonight for our Pride match recap, and follow The Mane Land on Twitter during the match. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/10/24

Orlando City’s potential as a playoff dark horse, the Orlando Pride’s rise to prominence, the USMNT prepares for Panama, and more.

Published

4 days ago

on

October 10, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

I hope you’re all staying safe out there as Hurricane Milton tears across the state of Florida. While we endure the storm and wait for the Orlando Pride to play in Portland on Friday night, let’s distract ourselves with some links from around the soccer world.

Orlando City’s Dark Horse Potential

On the latest episode of the Offside with Taylor Twellman podcast, he spoke on how Orlando City will be a dark horse in the tournament. The Lions have been on an incredible run of form over the past few months and can host in the first round of the playoffs if they manage to hold onto the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference. Nearly all of the team’s attackers are hitting their stride and a recent win over FC Cincinnati is evidence that the Lions aren’t to be overlooked in this year’s playoffs.

“[Orlando City is] the best team in MLS since July 1 and they are scoring goals for fun while winning 10 of those 13 games,” Twellman said. “They will fight, they will claw, basically they will do anything to get under your skin.

“Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to play this version of Orlando City.”

How the Orlando Pride Made History

It still feels a bit surreal that the Orlando Pride lifted the NWSL Shield with three games left to play this season. Here’s a great feature by Henry Bushnell of Yahoo Sports that dives into some of the reasons behind the Pride’s dominance this season. Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter has helped build a culture of confidence, comfort, and resilience by investing in the players as humans and not just what they can do on the field.

Pro Soccer Wire‘s Jason Anderson detailed how the Pride were able to beat the Washington Spirit to deservedly lift the trophy and it’s also a great read. The Pride did well to adjust to the Spirit’s commitment to their formation and cranked up the tempo to create opportunities to win.

MLS 2024 22 Under 22 List Unveiled

Although Michael Halliday and Heine Gikling Bruseth were eligible, no Lions made this year’s MLS 22 Under 22. Inter Miami midfielder Diego Gomez tops the list, with Real Salt Lake’s Diego Luna and the Philadelphia Union’s Jack McGlynn rounding out the top three. The youngest player on the list is 15-year-old midfielder Cavan Sullivan, while the Chicago Fire’s Chris Brady is the only goalkeeper to make the cut. Of the 22 players listed, 16 play in the Eastern Conference. As for notable players who weren’t listed, CF Montreal’s Caden Clark has thrived since being traded by Minnesota United and Matai Akinmboni deserves some recognition for his role in D.C. United’s defense at 17 years old.

USMNT Prepares for Panama

The United States Men’s National Team will play its first match under Mauricio Pochettino on Saturday when it takes on Panama in a friendly in Austin. This will be a rematch of when the two nations squared off in Copa America on June 27, with the U.S. falling 2-1. The Yanks failed to make it out of the group stage of that tournament and Gregg Berhalter was fired as head coach in July. A statement win against a Panamanian side that’s currently 37th in the FIFA rankings would be a great start to Pochettino’s tenure as head coach.

Free Kicks

That’ll do it for me today, as my power has just gone out, so it’s the perfect time to wrap things up. Stay safe out there!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/9/24

Orlando City’s on fire, OCB to face the Fire (2), the USMNT’s upcoming friendly, and more.

Published

5 days ago

on

October 9, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. I made the trip down to Inter&Co Stadium to see the Orlando Pride win the 2024 NWSL Shield over the weekend. I know it was raining — fortunately, I remembered my rain jacket — but if you weren’t there, you really missed an amazing night. You can read about it in our recap, but seeing the team raise that shield was unforgettable. Hopefully, it won’t be the only hardware the Pride raise this year. Let’s get to the links.

Red Hot Lions

Orlando City has won 10 of its last 13 matches to climb into position to potentially begin the playoffs with home-field advantage. The run of good form has the Lions sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The latest 3-1 victory over FC Cincinnati moved the team from eighth to sixth in the MLS Power Rankings, and up to fifth in the Goal.com Power Rankings. Orlando City’s last match of the season will be at home against Atlanta United on October 19.

Pride’s Success No Accident

Marta had a great match Sunday and more than earned her moment in the sun when she lifted the NWSL Shield. Of course, none of that happens if the people working behind the scenes aren’t doing everything possible to help the Pride in this incredible turnaround. The players will likely tell you that the club’s success is in part thanks to the organization that has been built.

Of course, not every women’s club gets the amount of support that the Orlando Pride receive. Many clubs do not have the infrastructure from staff to facilities to truly grow the women’s game. It’s an issue for many clubs in various leagues across the world. Coaches end up having to pick up the slack, and that isn’t sustainable. While I’m grateful that the Wilf family and Haley Carter are providing the necessary tools for the Pride to succeed, I would like to see other organizations step up as well.

OCB to Face Chicago Fire II in Playoffs

Orlando City B will square off against Chicago Fire II away from home to start the playoffs. OCB finished the MLS NEXT Pro regular season in fifth place — which isn’t too bad when you look back a few weeks. Unfortunately for OCB, the top four clubs get to choose their first-round opponent in the playoffs (well, the top three do…the fourth-place club doesn’t really have a choice). It’s one of the weird things that MLS NEXT Pro does. No one above the fourth-place Chicago Fire II opted to play the Young Lions. The match between the Young Lions and Chicago Fire II will take place Sunday, Oct. 20, at 3 p.m.

USMNT Ready for Poche

The Mauricio Pochettino era for the USMNT kicks off Saturday with a friendly against Panama at Q2 Stadium in Austin, TX. Three days later, the new U.S. boss will face rival Mexico in Guadalajara. Big-name players like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie are on the roster. One player who won’t be there is the injured Folarin Balogun. That might open a window of opportunity for Josh Sargent to make a splash with the new coach. Sargent’s more rounded style of play is something that forwards have demonstrated under Pochettino at the club level. A friendly is exactly the sort of place for Sargent to show his stuff.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. Check back this week as we get you ready for the Pride’s upcoming match in Portland. Most importantly, stay safe as this hurricane makes its way towards Florida. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Trending