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Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Final Score 2-1 as Alan Gordon’s Strike Sinks Lions

The Lions may have been the better side for most of the game but wasted opportunities cost Orlando again.

Published

7 years ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City dominated the play but was beaten on the scoreboard, losing 2-1 to the Chicago Fire on a rainy night in front of 25,288 at Orlando City Stadium. Alan Gordon’s blast from distance in the 82nd minute gave Joe Bendik no chance to stop it and the Fire will leave Florida after a smash-and-grab job to keep all the points.

Cristian Higuita scored for the second consecutive game — this time pulling the Lions level after an early free kick goal by Aleksander Katai. Orlando City (6-5-1, 19 points) is now just 0-1-3 at home against the Fire (4-6-2, 14 points).

“I think the players know in their hearts that we were by far the better team,” said Orlando Head Coach Jason Kreis after the match. “And you won’t hear me say that very often but tonight I will tell you there was only one team that was pushing things and the other one was just trying to pick up the draw or catch something on the break.”

“At the end of the day, we left them hanging around and we got punished for it,” RJ Allen said. “We definitely need to learn from it and move forward.”

Due to players already missing with injuries or off on international duty, coupled with the unexpected absences of center back Lamine Sané (leg injury) and midfielder/right back Will Johnson (illness), Kreis was forced into a makeshift lineup. He started Allen at right back and slotted Tony Rocha next to Chris Schuler in central defense. Josué Colmán started up top in place of the injured Dom Dwyer, with Stefano Pinho returning to the bench. The squad was so thin that both backup goalkeepers made the 18.

Orlando City started the game more or less holding possession but taking shots from outside the penalty area. Unfortunately, the Lions couldn’t get any of them on target, shooting way wide or over the bar. That inability to threaten goalkeeper Patrick McLain allowed the Fire to get on the board first.

Chicago struck in the 13th minute off a set piece. Mohamed El-Munir was booked after contact with Diego Campos above the penalty area, setting the Fire up with a free kick in a dangerous spot. Katai stepped into the set piece and beat Bendik with a shot into the upper 90 on the left side. Bendik appeared to be caught mid-hop as he prepared, possibly thinking Bastian Schweinsteiger would take the kick after a Katai dummy. Bendik was so off-balance on the save attempt that he reached across his body with his trailing hand to try to stop the shot.

“Very disappointing. The first decision that awards them the free kick they score off of was ludicrous. Absolutely ludicrous. Never a foul,” Kreis said. “And so we shouldn’t be behind in that game.”

Orlando City responded well to the Fire’s early goal.

The Lions’ first good opportunity came in the 18th minute on the counterattack after a Fire free kick. The Lions broke and Chris Mueller ended up with the ball but he was forced onto his weaker left foot by the defense and he fired over the bar. Two minutes later, Colmán fired over the bar from the left side.

Orlando continued to push forward. Sacha Kljestan’s header went over the bar in the 25th minute off a great back-post ball by Allen. A minute later, Justin Meram was nearly sent in but McLain came off his line to smother the shot right off his foot.

But the Lions scored soon after that. Mueller took a pass from Colmán and sent Higuita in on the right side. The Colombian fired his third goal of the season into the net to tie things up at 1-1.

“For me it’s been important to score the goals [the last two games] but I would have liked a lot better to have scored and to win,” a dejected Higuita said through a translator after the match. “For me, I prefer the group objectives instead of my personal objectives.”

The rest of the first half was a probing affair, with both teams playing a bit more cautiously as the rain increased. The Fire nearly regained the lead on another dangerous set piece opportunity, but this time Schweinsteiger did take the kick after a Katai dummy run, and his low drive was just wide of the left post.

As time wound down in the first half, Colmán earned a free kick just wide of the penalty area. The delivery from Kljestan found Uri Rosell, who nodded it on frame, but McLain made a big reaction save to keep the game level.

Orlando City held 59% of the possession in the first period, out-shooting the Fire, 10-5, but the teams were even at 2-2 getting them on frame. The Lions passed at a 90% rate in the opening 45 minutes, compared to Chicago’s 84%.

Somewhere along the way, Schuler broke his arm in the first half. However, he came out of the locker room with a sleeve on and played through it.

The Lions looked better after the break, playing much of the second period in the attacking half. The hosts produced many scoring opportunities but couldn’t seem to break through and penalty shouts from both Higuita and Mueller going down in the box went unheeded by referee Nima Saghafi, although the latter went to video review.

Orlando forced two outstanding saves from McLain in the early minutes of the second half. El-Munir cut in on his right foot and smashed one that forced a diving save in the 49th minute.

Two minutes later, Meram curled one that was headed just inside the far post but McLain got over just in time to keep it out.

In the 55th, a terrific give-and-go play between Kljestan and Colmán sent Sacha in on McLain, but he tried to chip the keeper on the half volley and hit it too hard, sending it over the net. A minute later, Colmán fired over the bar after another good exchange above the box.

Mueller went down after contact in the box in the 60th minute and after about a minute of review, Saghafi determined no foul had occurred. He initially not only didn’t see a foul, but also ran into the box to stare down Mueller in a bizarre moment. There was no yellow for simulation so it’s unclear why he made that run toward the Orlando rookie.

Chicago got a bit more of the game for the next 10 minutes, with Daniel Johnson forcing a Bendik save in the 68th minute and Katai firing over the bar in the 71st.

The Lions then got back on the front foot. Meram volleyed a low drive off a corner kick cross but it hit a defender and deflected out for a corner. Kljestan then nearly got in all alone on a gorgeous ball over the top from Allen, but he couldn’t quite control the wet ball and it skipped away in the 73rd minute. In the 79th, a buildup ended up in front of Higuita, but the Colombian, who seemed to tire late in the game, couldn’t dig it out of his feet to take a shot.

Three minutes later, disaster struck.

Second-half sub Gordon, who came on at the break for Nemanja Nikolic, got the ball in space about 30 yards out and sent a rocket into the upper 90 to Bendik’s left. It was an unstoppable shot and very much against the run of play but that didn’t matter, as it allowed Chicago to win the game. It was the perfect storm, with a wounded and nearly immobile Schuler and the inexperienced Rocha defending, neither stepped up to close down Gordon and he made the Lions pay.

Needing a goal, and with some players tiring, Kreis sent on PC and Richie Laryea for Colmán and Higuita.

Meram nearly got through on goal in the 87th minute but there was too much traffic and he couldn’t get a clean shot away.

Two minutes later came one of the bigger talking points of the match as Kljestan tangled with Mo Adams at the top of the penalty area. It appeared that Sacha dragged Adams down but then the Fire midfielder brought his boot down on Kljestan’s face. Saghafi immediately showed a red card to Adams and after a few moments he booked Kljestan.

Kreis was incensed that no penalty was given, after the initial action resulted in a dead ball and the foul on Adams that earned the red took place in the area. He cited a conversation with the technical committee about a year ago on red card calls.

“Maybe I misremembered but I think it was specifically told to me that any red card that happens during a dead ball situation — where that red card violation is, that’s where the foul is awarded. So in my point of view, if there’s an ejectionable offense that happens in the penalty box, it’s a penalty.

“The explanation was that because Sacha fouled him first and received a yellow card, that was it. The player at that point can do whatever he wants to Sacha, pick up a red card, and then they get the ball back. Seems odd to me.”

Orlando got only one good look at goal in the five minutes of stoppage time, with Schuler playing up and getting a shot but it was blocked by the defense.

The whistle finally blew on Orlando’s third consecutive 2-1 defeat.

The Lions held 60% of the possession, passed at a 90% rate, and out-shot Chicago, 20-10 (5-4 on target) but had nothing to show for the match.

“I certainly can’t remember a night where I felt like we were more dominant with this club and maybe with any club,” said Kreis. “So you walk out of this night thinking how cruel this game can be, how cruel this job can be, and trying to grasp at the positives, for sure.”

“Soccer is about goals,” Higuita said. “We have to be more efficient.”

The Lions will find it difficult to stop the bleeding, as the next match is on the road at New York City FC next Saturday night in the baseball stadium.

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Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s disappointing playoff exit against the Red Bulls.

Published

20 hours ago

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December 1, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City looked to advance to the MLS Cup final as the club hosted the Eastern Conference final for the first time in its history. Unfortunately, for the sold-out crowd at Inter&Co Stadium, the Lions came up just short and lost a 1-0 defensive battle to the New York Red Bulls. Getting to the Eastern Conference final is no small achievement, but the loss likely leaves many with a sense of “what if,” as the postseason finally has arrived. What follows are our final five takeaways of the Lions’ 10th year in MLS.

Bland Start

For a team that usually does not dominate possession, the Red Bulls came out of the gate on the front foot and likely surprised Orlando City with their early aggression. The Red Bulls started the game with the type of drive and desire that I would have assumed to see from Orlando City as the results during the playoff run where OCSC has been the aggressor were far more desirable. Instead, Orlando looked content to let the visitors dictate the pace of the game and attempted to find attacks on the counter. While there were some such chances, they proved unsuccessful.

Lack of Connectivity

Throughout the match, Orlando committed many careless giveaways. Several of these came in the team’s defensive third throughout the first quarter hour of play, but as the game wore on, some promising buildups collapsed with errant passes in the attacking half. The Lions’ passing rate in the first half was below 75%, which is uncharacteristic of their usual quality. While New York’s pressure was responsible for some of that, Orlando City players looked at times like they expected different runs or positioning from their teammates once they started to enter the final third.

Golden Opportunity Missed

Orlando City grew into the first half and started to inject more of its preferred style of play as the game hit the half-hour mark. Orlando’s best chance came in the 32nd minute when a pass from Wilder Cartagena released Designated Player Martin Ojeda down the left side of the field. Ojeda did well to run onto the ball with pace and draw the remaining two Red Bulls defenders toward him before squaring a pass for fellow DP Facundo Torres. The Uruguayan had time and space in the box to pick out a spot, but he may have felt rushed and fired his shot far too close to goalkeeper Carlos Coronel. Torres will likely lament his shot placement and a missed opportunity that could have put his team ahead before halftime. It was a relatively easy save for the goalkeeper, and in that moment, one would expect a player of Torres’ quality to do better after Orlando had executed a perfect buildup.

One is Enough

It is ironic that the deciding and lone goal of the match came from a set piece, as Orlando was one of the league’s best during the year in not conceding goals from set pieces. The shocking moment came before most fans were likely back in their seats from their halftime beverage run and bathroom breaks. Ivan Angulo committed an unnecessary foul on the right side of the penalty box, setting up a free kick by the left-footed John Tolkin. The kick had plenty of pace and was swinging in toward the far post. Andres Reyes made an unimpeded run to the post as the Orlando City defense left him completely unmarked. Reyes made good contact with his free header, leaving no chance for Pedro Gallese to make a save. It was New York’s only shot on target of the night, meaning the Orlando defense allowed just one shot on target — and 14 total shot attempts — in the team’s final two playoff games of 2024.

No Late Magic Off the Bench

The final 45 minutes plus stoppage time of game play after the breakthrough goal involved Orlando sending on every attacking component that the coaching staff could muster, looking for an equalizer. Duncan McGuire, Luis Muriel, Jack Lynn, and Nico Lodeiro all entered the match as second-half substitutes, looking to change the outcome. The Lions were unable to muster many successful looks, as New York looked to pack in the defense and grind out the game. Ultimately, with no goal to show for their efforts and by allowing the NYRB to score on their only shot attempt on target, the Lions came up just a little short of advancing to the clubs’ first-ever MLS Cup final.

Those are our takeaways from a 1-0 home playoff loss to the New York Red Bulls. The 2024 season will be remembered as a long and winding one, which started in Victoria, British Columbia and ended with the first conference final appearance in team history. Let us know what your takeaways were in the comments below and as always, vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Final Score 1-0 as Toothless Lions Fall at Home

Published

1 day ago

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November 30, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City’s playoff motto for 2024 was “All Teeth,” but the team again showed no bite offensively in a 1-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls at Inter&Co Stadium in the Eastern Conference final. A redirected John Tolkin free kick by Andres Reyes early in the second half was the difference as the Lions were shut out for the second time in these playoffs — finishing with four goals in five 2024 postseason matches. It was the fourth time in the club’s last nine postseason matches. Despite conceding only twice across five playoff games, Orlando City is out.

The team had its chances, although they were few, but lacked lethality in front, particularly on a first-half chance that could have put the visitors on their heels. As a result, Orlando finished 0-2-1 in three games against New York in 2024, without scoring a goal against the opposition. The lone draw featured a goal in Orlando’s favor, courtesy of a Red Bulls own goal by Noah Eile.

“Obviously, a few words will not tell the whole story about how we feel tonight after not getting this result,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I thought we had a good season and we had a bunch of things just to be proud of, but it’s very painful at this moment that we’re not achieving that objective. And that tells us that we have grown. This is a playoff game. I thought New York had two shots. It was a very rocky game for both. But in those options they took it and we didn’t take ours when we had the chance.”

Pareja’s lineup had no changes, with goalkeeper Pedro Gallese starting behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Facundo Torres, with Ramiro Enrique up top.

The game was cagey from the onset, with New York holding more of the ball than it normally does. Orlando stayed well organized and didn’t give up many good looks, but also rarely broke down the Red Bulls’ attack to go the other way. The Lions were untidy in their passing as well, which broke down opportunities to get into the final third.

The game was back and forth for more than half an hour before a scoring chance materialized, and it was a good one. Cartagena unlocked the defense with a pass to Ojeda, sending the Argentine down the left side. Ojeda did well to draw two defenders toward himself and fed a pass to Torres in the box. Torres had time and space but fired his shot too close to goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, who made a good, if not difficult, save to keep the match scoreless in the 32nd minute.

New York’s first shot came two minutes later when Lewis Morgan went down softly, drawing a free kick from referee Rosendo Mendoza. The kick was from at least 30 yards out so the service was sent short, as Dante Vanzeir deflected it out front. The redirection didn’t miss the upper right corner by much.

The Lions should have had a good opportunity to score in the 39th minute when Enrique stole a ball in the attacking half. Entering the box on the right side, he had a trailing defender and rather than rip a shot with his right foot, he tried to make a move to improve his positioning inside, but he couldn’t finesse it past and the chance evaporated.

Vanzeir got inside of Santos in the 42nd minute but his angle was severe and he put a shot into the outside netting.

That was about it for the good looks at goal in the first half, as the teams went to the break without a goal on the board.

The visitors held the halftime advantage in possession (57.4%-42.6%), shots (4-1), corners (1-0), and passing accuracy (80.4%-74.3%). The Lions had more shots on target (1-0). But it was mostly a dull half with few chances and little play of note from the Lions.

“We had two or three chances in the first half that were really good chances for us that could have changed the game,” Ojeda said.

The decisive play came just moments after the restart on an unnecessary foul by Angulo just to New York’s attacking right side of the penalty area. Tolkin sent in the cross to the back post, where no one bothered to mark Reyes, who knocked it off the inside of the post and in to make it 1-0 in the 47th minute.

“A very unnecessary foul,” Pareja said about conceding the set piece. “We’re dealing with this obvious frustration. I have not seen (the goal on film). But what I saw in the game is not just that (Reyes) came out free, but the ball was very tight. I would have to see it. In this kind of games, it seems that those things sometimes are the tiebreaker.”

That was all the scoring the visitors needed, as Orlando rarely threatened Coronel’s goal frame, putting two more shots on frame in the second half, but neither was much of a threat.

Orlando managed to win a few set pieces over the next several minutes but couldn’t do anything with them. Jansson had a ball come off of him in the box in the 59th minute that pinged around but didn’t threaten goal. He felt he was knocked down from behind in the aftermath, and there was some contact, but no foul was given and it was a speculative shout for a penalty.

Chasing the match, Pareja sent Duncan McGuire and Luis Muriel on in the 61st minute for Enrique and Thorhallsson, moving Angulo to right back. The move nearly paid off three minutes later, when Reyes, already on a yellow card, raised a high boot that caught McGuire in the head. Mendoza inexplicably didn’t give the obvious second yellow card, allowing New York to keep 11 men on the pitch. There could hardly be an easier yellow card decision, but none was forthcoming.

Reyes then took a shot to the face from an Ojeda free kick a few minutes later and left the match either for precautionary reasons or because he’d gotten away with a second yellow offense already and the Red Bulls didn’t want to push their luck.

New York cleared a corner kick in the 78th minute that fell to Santos well outside the box. The Brazilian fired a shot on target but it was from too far out to trouble Coronel, who made the save. A minute later, McGuire ran onto a good ball over the top and fired with his weaker left foot from the left side, but the ball squirted off his foot sideways and sailed wide.

The Lions got a chance in the 84th minute on a Santos cross that skipped off the head of a defender and fell near the back post. Angulo knocked it just wide of the right post. Moments later, Ojeda won a corner and then picked out Torres in front, but the Uruguayan couldn’t get much power on his knockdown header, which bounced straight at Coronel.

Orlando again shouted for a penalty in the second minute of stoppage time. A set piece into the ball was cleared to the top of the box and looked as if it may have caught Cory Burke’s outstretched arm. It wasn’t given, and Burke streaked down the field on a breakaway. Gallese came well out of his box and did well to knock it away and Schlegel prevented further danger by holding a player back, picking up a yellow card for the professional foul.

The Lions couldn’t mount much of anything after that, and the full-time whistle blew on Orlando City’s 2024 season.

The Lions finished with the advantage in possession (60%-40%), shots (9-7), shots on target (3-1), corners (5-2), and passing accuracy (79.6%-71.6%). The Red Bulls got their smash-and-grab spot in the MLS Cup final on their lone shot on target.

“They’re a really tough team to play against,” Ojeda said. “They really take away those spaces that we like to play into, and they press really high. And it’s a situation where I think we have to have a little bit more patience and a little bit more calm in those moments.”

“Everybody is disappointed,” Jansson said. “Didn’t really get out what we wanted from this game. We didn’t really break through their pressure. We had some good chances in the first half to put it in the goal, and in these types of games we have to put the goals in there.”

“It was there for us and we didn’t take it, and it’s difficult,” Pareja said. “And I said to the players in the locker room that I was not going to prepare any speeches to lift their souls. It’s painful. We did have a bunch of things that we would be proud of and we will feel that this club is growing in a great direction, but I’m not going to mention that today because my frustration’s bigger than that. We will die for this club. Today, we have to accept that we’re not in the final of the MLS Cup.”

That’s a wrap on the season. Orlando went further than ever before but came up short on its own home field against a team it failed to score on in three matches.

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Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions meet the Red Bulls in another semifinal as the teams meet for the right to advance to MLS Cup.

Published

2 days ago

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November 30, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread and preview for a Saturday night Eastern Conference final matchup between Orlando City and the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). This is the third meeting of 2024 between the teams this season and the first-ever meeting in the postseason.

Here’s what you need to know for the match.

History

The Lions are 8-10-3 in 21 league meetings with the Red Bulls in the all-time series (9-10-3 in all competitions), with a record of 4-4-2 in home league matches and 5-4-2 in Orlando in all competitions.

The teams last met on June 1 at Red Bull Arena, with the hosts coming away with a 1-0 win on a set piece goal from John Tolkin. Orlando City wasn’t in the best run of form at the time, and it was the third shutout the Lions suffered in a five-game span. The first meeting of the season came at Inter&Co Stadium on March 30, with the two sides playing to a 1-1 draw. A Kyle Smith foul in the box allowed Lewis Morgan to put the visitors ahead, but a late own goal by Noah Eile resulted in a stalemate. Ivan Angulo and Jack Lynn combined to force the own goal.

Orlando City got the sweep last year and did not concede a goal in the series, winning the last meeting 3-0 at Red Bull Arena. Facundo Torres scored twice — once from the spot — after Angulo opened the scoring for an easy road win. The two sides met in Orlando on opening day of 2023, with Orlando City winning 1-0 on a Torres penalty kick on Feb. 25. Sean Nealis’ handball allowed the Lions to start the season with a victory.

Orlando City won at Red Bull Arena 1-0 on Aug. 13, 2022, thanks to a Torres goal. That allowed the Lions to split the regular-season meetings and take two of three against New York in all competitions in 2022.

The Lions scored five unanswered goals to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 5-1 romp in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals on July 27, 2022 at Exploria Stadium. Cesar Araujo scored his first two professional goals on set pieces, while Mauricio Pereyra, Torres, and Benji Michel also found the net. Lewis Morgan scored New York’s lone goal.

The win in August had allowed the Lions to snap a four-game winless streak (0-3-1) in the regular-season series. The last of those non-wins came on April 24, 2022, when the Lions were walloped 3-0 at home on goals by Luquinhas, Cristian Casseres Jr., and Morgan, and Orlando City failed to get any of its measly three shot attempts on target.

The Red Bulls swept the season series in 2021. The teams met at Exploria Stadium on July 3 of that season with New York taking home a 2-1 win. Casseres opened the scoring just six minutes in, but Chris Mueller pulled the Lions level early in the second half. Fabio’s late goal lifted the visitors. Pereyra’s poor penalty was saved by Carlos Coronel, which cost Orlando City a better result.

The Red Bulls also handed Orlando City its first loss of the 2021 season, a 2-1 affair at Red Bull Arena, on May 29, 2021. Nani was suspended for that match and it showed, as the Lions were sloppy in possession and lacked composure on the ball. New York took the lead on goals by Caden Clark and Casseres, before Silvester van der Water pulled one back late. The Dutchman had a golden opportunity to tie the match moments later but skied his shot well over the bar.

The Lions got a road draw on Oct. 18, 2020, with Brian White equalizing deep in stoppage time in a 1-1 match. Nani had put the Lions ahead in the second half with a penalty kick goal and Orlando clinched its first ever MLS playoff spot despite spilling those late two points. That was the last match in the club’s record 12-match unbeaten streak in MLS play.

Orlando got the better of New York at Exploria Stadium on Oct. 3, 2020, winning 3-1 on goals by Daryl Dike, Junior Urso, and Antonio Carlos. Florian Valot scored for New York.

The Red Bulls won 1-0 at Exploria Stadium on July 21, 2019. White’s goal stood up as Carlos Ascues, Tesho Akindele, and Sacha Kljestan each hit the woodwork in the second half. Prior to that, the Lions eked out a 1-0 win at Red Bull Arena on Kljestan’s goal on March 23, 2019. Before that game, the home team had won each of the previous five home games in the series, splitting a pair of matches during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

The teams split two meetings in 2018, with the Red Bulls grabbing a 1-0 result in the 2018 season finale to capture the Supporters’ Shield and the Lions pulling off a 4-3 home victory on March 31, 2018. Each team won at home in 2017 to split the two-game series, with New York winning 3-1 on Aug. 12, and Orlando City opening the season series with a 1-0 win on April 9 behind Servando Carrasco’s goal.

The teams met three times in 2016, with New York going 2-0-1. The teams split two games in 2015, with the road team winning both times, including Orlando City’s 5-2 win in New Jersey behind a Cyle Larin hat trick.

Overview

Orlando City is coming off a 1-0 home win Sunday against Atlanta United. It was the third consecutive ugly game of the playoffs for Orlando, with Ramiro Enrique providing the only goal on a scramble off a corner kick that fell in the box. It was another offensively challenged postseason game for Orlando, and that’s unlikely to change tonight. The Red Bulls defend well, have a great goalkeeper, and have recently turned these matches into rock fights.

The Lions were 7-6-4 at home in the regular season and are 11-6-4 at home against MLS teams in all competitions in 2024. However, they have not scored a goal of their own against the Red Bulls this season, a year after blanking New York in both meetings. This is the second consecutive playoff opponent Orlando did not beat in the regular season.

New York is coming off a 2-0 “road” win over New York City FC at Citi Field a week ago. While that wasn’t NYCFC’s home stadium, it was still a baseball field, and the Red Bulls have been impressive in the postseason after going just 4-6-7 away from home in the regular season. That draw in Orlando was one of those seven deadlocks. Since the regular season, New York defeated defending champion Columbus 1-0 at Lower.com Field in the first-round, best-of-three series — then won in penalties in Game 2 to sweep the series — and then beat the Pigeons away to advance to the conference final.

As usual, the Lions will need to take care of the ball and avoid New York’s dangerous transition attack. Morgan led the Red Bulls in goals (13) and chipped in seven assists. With his history of scoring against Orlando, he’ll be a player the Lions will want to keep quiet. However, Emil Forsberg has been the player who has taken over as the leader of the offense, with the team slumping during his injury absence in the second half of the year. Forsberg scored nine goals and added five assists in the regular season. Dante Vanzier had a team-high 10 assists to go along with four goals. That’s the trio Orlando’s defense will need to try to slow down.

“We have tried during the week to stay concentrated on our responsibilities and the opportunity that we have in front of us,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “Certainly, we’re very proud to see that the group has achieved this for our club and our fans, but we’re eager to go for much more than that. And now we have this opportunity, but as we said before, we always play one game at a time, and now we’re so focused on New York [Red Bulls], trying to be prepared the best we can and have a good game to advance. Thats’ the process, nothing else than that.”

Both teams are mostly healthy entering the match. Orlando City will be without Mason Stajduhar (lower leg). New York will be without Roald Mitchell (knee) and Kyle Duncan (knee), while Cory Burke (illness) is listed as questionable.

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Wilder Cartagena.

Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, Facundo Torres.

Forward: Ramiro Enrique.

Bench: Javier Otero, Luca Petrasso, Kyle Smith, David Brekalo, Felipe, Nico Lodeiro, Luis Muriel, Jack Lynn, Duncan McGuire.

New York Red Bulls (3-4-1-2)

Goalkeeper: Carlos Coronel.

Defenders: Sean Nealis, Andres Reyes, Dylan Nealis.

Wingbacks/Midfielders: John Tolkin, Peter Stroud, Daniel Edelman, Cameron Harper.

Attacking Midfielder: Emil Forsberg.

Forwards: Lewis Morgan, Dante Vanzeir.

Bench: Ryan Meara, Noah Eile, Dennis Gjengaar, Wikelman Carmona, Julian Hall, Elias Manoel, Ronald Donkor, Serge Ngoma, Cory Burke.

Referees

REF: Rosendo Mendoza.
AR1: Cameron Blanchard.
AR2: Jeremy Hanson.
4TH: Lukasz Szpala.
VAR: Carol Anne Chenard.
AVAR: Tom Supple.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Radio: Real Radio 104.1 FM (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish).

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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