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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Vancouver Whitecaps: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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6 years ago

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Orlando City lost 5-2 to the Vancouver Whitecaps in one of the more interesting three-goal matches you could watch. The match was 2-1 until the 85th minute, when the Caps scored three goals in five minutes on a 10-man Orlando squad. The game ended on a very rough note, but how did the Lions fare as individuals in the road loss in Vancouver?

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 4.5 — For any goalkeeper, giving up five goals is never a good thing. He allowed the five goals on nine shots on target, saving only 44% of the shots on target he faced. His save on Kei Kamara early in the second half was probably his best moment, but that was about it. Bendik also made 18 passes with only a 50% pass success rate. This was arguably the worst game Bendik has played all season even though his defense did not give him much to work with.

D, Will Johnson, 5.5 — Again being placed at right back, Johnson made an impact but also struggled on numerous occasions. On the good side, Johnson nearly scored in the first 25 minutes on a beautiful save from Brian Rowe. He also had another shot on target and had a few accurate long balls to spark attacking chances. On the bad side, his shot that was saved stacked up the wasteful chances the Lions had in the first half which played a major role in the loss. Johnson’s offensive contribution was overshadowed by his struggles against Alphonso Davies, but I will give Johnson some credit that he deserves for being on the pitch for 38 minutes.

D, Chris Schuler, 5.5 — Schuler is also to blame for the five goals due to being a part of the back line. He made a few nice tackles alongside Amro Tarek but was also responsible for the barrage of scoring chances in the closing minutes. He was the most disciplined player on the back line as well as being the only starting defender to not obtain a foul. Schuler also had a nice passing success rate at 90% which was not present in his teammates at all. Not a horrible game from Schuler, but not a great one either.

D, Amro Tarek, 4 — Tarek was just not great in this match at all. He struggled throughout and put a cherry on top of his struggles by slide tackling Yordy Reyna, resulting in Kamara’s second goal via penalty. The slide tackle play took away any hope of a win or draw away from the Lions. Tarek did nothing to help what was already a poor back line throughout the match. Hopefully the young defender can find his way after what was a lackluster performance and regain some of his confidence.

D, Mohamed El-Munir, 4.5 — Bad judgment call or not by the officials, El-Munir did not have a great match. He picked up a yellow in the first half that would become costly later, resulting in a red card in the 58th minute that put the Lions down a man. He was also beaten to the Davies cross by Kamara on the first goal. He did have a few good plays on defense with a few tackles and an interception, but when you obtain four fouls, none of that matters. Four fouls and poor judgment led to El-Munir’s worst game as a Lion.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 5 — Higuita had a rough match. He lost the ball in the midfield which led to the counter attack that put the Caps up 1-0 in the 35th minute. The midfielder failed to take a shot on goal and made zero contribution to the offensive attack. Higuita had three fouls, including a yellow card that also seemed to get into his head as the match continued. To be fair, Higuita did pass the ball well at a 91.7% success rate even though he only made 36 touches. This was not a usual game for Higuita after a strong last couple of matches.

MF, Uri Rosell, 6 — Rosell was arguably the quietest player on the pitch for Orlando City. He didn’t do much to impact the offense or defense in a positive or negative way. There honestly isn’t much to say about his performance as he made no major plays that turned the game in a different direction. No need to penalize Rosell or give him a boost in a conservative showcase that made him seem like he wasn’t even there.

MF, Chris Mueller, 6.5 — Mueller played his heart out in the match. He only took one shot but it was a solid one that almost ended up resulting in a goal. The rookie picked up an assist in stoppage time to Dom Dwyer to ease the pain a little after the flurry of goals from Vancouver. Mueller showcased his versatility in the midfield throughout the match as he kept himself involved through the full 90 minutes. He didn’t have many touches, at 38, but when he did he made something positive happen in what was an otherwise negative performance as a team. Good showcase of skill and grit from Mueller.

MF, Sacha Kljestan, 7.5 (MotM) — Kljestan was the major bright spot in this match. He put the Lions on the board shortly after El-Munir’s red card and continuously pressed the Vancouver defense. He had some accurate passes from short and long distances and he made some contributions on defense as well, clearing the ball out of the final third on three different occasions. Kljestan needed to be as good as he was to keep Orlando in the match for as long as possible but he could only do so much.

MF, Justin Meram, 5.5 — Meram was on the pitch for an hour before being subbed off and his impact was minimal. He made some solid passes but also had some undisciplined touches along the way. For being a goal scorer and an attacking mind, Meram did not attempt a shot in his time on the pitch. In my opinion, he played very passive instead of sticking with his aggressive nature which affected Orlando City in a major way.

F, Josué Colmán, 6.5 — Colmán had a solid game in an otherwise poor result. The young striker made numerous attacks on net with four shots and near goals on a few of them. Colmán also passed very well, creating chances for his fellow teammates as well, finishing with assists on both goals. A game like this for Colmán will help his overall confidence and how he plays in the future and I believe Jason Kreis will feel the same way.

Substitutes

D, RJ Allen (39’), 4 — Allen was brought on early in the match after Will Johnson left with a hamstring issue, but Kreis did not get nearly what he wanted from Allen. After the yellow card he picked up in the 50th minute, he made a tackle that was luckily not punished with a second yellow after a push of Davies near the sideline just minutes later.

D, Tony Rocha (61’), 6.5 — Rocha was the spark plug that got Orlando City back into this match for a time. Yes, the Lions lost 5-2, but without the beautiful cross he sent to Kljestan to tie the match 1-1 in the 64th minute, Orlando City would have had no fight to even attempt to get back into the match down a man. Rocha picked up the nifty assist and also played well defensively, picking up four tackles in his solid effort. Good game by Rocha coming off the bench.

F, Dom Dwyer (63’), 6.5 — Seeing Dwyer come back was a bittersweet feeling. After El-Munir’s sending off, the Lions saw Dwyer come onto the pitch and immediately flipped the tide of the game. He once again made the usual impact that he makes by making defenders focus on him completely, which allowed Rocha to find Kljestan to tie the match. He picked up a garbage time goal in stoppage time on the Mueller assist. Dwyer made his presence felt once again and had a solid match all around.

Agree or disagree with any of these grades or my Man of the Match? Let us know in the comment section. Also vote on your Man of the Match below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Sacha Kljestan 19
Josué Colmán25
Dom Dwyer 11
Chris Mueller 15
Tony Rocha14
Other5

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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

8 hours ago

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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

11 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

1 day 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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