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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Montreal Impact: Final Score 2-0 as Impact Sweep the Lions

The Lions were never a threat to score and an early mistake allowed Montreal to park the bus.

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6 years ago

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Carlos Romero, The Mane Land

Orlando City will be glad not to see the Montreal Impact anymore this season. The Impact got yet another goal from Ignacio Piatti and the second Orlando City own goal in 10 days to escape Orlando City Stadium with a 2-0 win over the Lions, who have now lost seven straight in MLS play.

The announced crowd of 23,498 had to wait a half hour due to a weather delay but there wasn’t much to cheer for over the course of the 90 minutes.

Orlando (6-9-1, 19 points) wasn’t threatening at all after falling behind Montreal (6-11-0) just 13 minutes in on the own goal by Lamine Sané and is now below the playoff line after results elsewhere.

Bobby Murphy stuck with the 3-4-3, despite using five players who went 120 minutes on Wednesday night in U.S. Open Cup play on the road — something he admitted after the match may have been a mistake. Dom Dwyer took over at striker in between Justin Meram and Josué Colmán in front of a midfield of Donny Toia, Uri Rosell, Sacha Kljestan, and Will Johnson. Amro Tarek, Sané, and Jonathan Spector manned the back line.

The first half may have been the most boring 45 minutes seen in Orlando City Stadium this season, overall. But it didn’t start out that way.

Dwyer earned a free kick in the game’s first minute but Johnson blasted the set piece over the bar.

Montreal got the first good chance when Piatti fired on frame in the seventh minute but Joe Bendik parried the shot away. Spector headed wide on a corner kick in the 10th minute for Orlando.

Disaster struck in the 13th minute when Matteo Mancosu fizzed a cross into the area and Sané tried to nod it behind for a corner but instead he only got a glancing touch on it and it beat Bendik to the near post to make it 1-0 Montreal.

After the goal, the Impact sat back and were content to counter when possible. Montreal did well to gum up the pitch and allow very little space for the Lions to operate in. Orlando City never threatened goal for the rest of the first half.

Montreal got a couple of weak shots on target from outside the area but Bendik was called to action on a Mancosu header in the 35th minute that he did well to keep out.

Orlando City had more possession (56%-44%) in the first half and was the better passing team (88%-87%). Montreal led in shots (7-2), shots on goal (4-0). The Impact were quite content to sit behind the ball and wait for counter attacks after the own goal and the Lions were stagnant in the attack.

“I think the first half we had next to no energy and that might have been me thinking people could get through what they went through on Wednesday night, thinking we’d get a lift from some people we brought in, and none of it seemed to work,” Murphy said. “That’s on me.”

The Lions started the second half with a bit more energy but still struggled with quality in the attack. Meram put in an early back post cross but no one made the run. A few moments later, Meram made a nice turn in traffic at the top of the penalty area and tried to play Dwyer in alone but put a tad too much on the pass and Evan Bush collected it.

Mancosu had a go for Montreal in the 54th minute but missed the goal frame. Bendik then denied Alejandro Silva in the 62nd minute.

The Lions’ best opportunity came two minutes later. Dwyer laid a ball off for Kljestan who fired just a foot or so wide of the goal.

That chance came just after Chris Mueller subbed on for Amro Tarek and Orlando shifted into a 4-2-3-1. Moments after the miss, Scott Sutter made his return to the pitch for the first time since April 8 against Portland, replacing Will Johnson at right back.

“It was nice to get back out there, nice to be involved,” Sutter said after the game. “Obviously really, really disappointed that we lost again.”

Mueller got into the box in the 67th minute but took a heavy touch before going down after some contact, but there wasn’t enough in the challenge to warrant a penalty, especially after the rookie lost the ball. Colmán buzzed a cross into the box in the 69th that was cut out for a corner and Orlando finally got a shot on target out of it. Colmán’s cross found the foot of Sané, who fired it on goal but Bush stopped it right on the goal line.

Sutter put in a dangerous cross in the 75th minute that nearly connected with Dwyer, who either mishit it with his head or else he was perhaps trying to nod it back for Meram, but the chance fizzled out.

Piatti scored in the aftermath of a short corner in the 84th minute but the play was originally ruled offside. The play was reviewed and the goal counted, as Raheem Edwards was off but was judged not to have interfered with the play. Piatti was close to being off, but Spector just kept him on.

Piatti now has eight goals in nine games against the Lions.

Orlando launched about four more shot attempts over the bar in the final moments, plus six added minutes, before the final whistle blew on an utterly forgettable match.

The Lions were out-shot, 12-8, but a whopping 6-1 on target. Going back to Wednesday night’s U.S. Open Cup match, the team has fired 29 shots while only directing four of those on frame.

“To get the chemistry in attack, it takes time. We’ve got to just be better at it, and that’s my job for right now,” Murphy said.

Orlando held 55% of the possession and out-passed Montreal (86%-84%) but it was mainly due to Montreal’s willingness to sit back and defend in numbers.

“I want to apologize to the fans who came out tonight,” Murphy said. “The team selection falls on me and I chose a group that went out there and we weren’t good enough tonight. So that’s my responsibility.”

Orlando City will not have an easy time of stopping the losing streak at seven games, as the Lions will next visit Atlanta United on Saturday, June 30 .

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/15/24

Getting ready for MLS Decision Day, Orlando Pride announce playoff campaign, USMNT plays Mexico tonight, and more.

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17 mins ago

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October 15, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

How’s it going, Mane Landers? Things aren’t exactly back to normal for me here in Tampa after the hurricane, but they’re getting there. On this day in 2017, Kaká played his final official game for Orlando City. Plenty has changed since then and I’m glad he’s been able to see the Lions transform into a true contender in recent years. Let’s get to the links!

Getting Ready for MLS Decision Day

MLS Decision Day is this Saturday and Orlando City’s home game against Atlanta United is a crucial part of the Eastern Conference drama. A win by the Lions would guarantee them fourth in the standings and crucial home-field advantage in the first round. A loss or draw would open the door for New York City FC to possibly leapfrog Orlando if the Pigeons beat a CF Montreal team desperate to hold onto the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta needs a win to qualify for the playoffs and the same goes for the Philadelphia Union, which faces FC Cincinnati. Orlando clinching home-field advantage and denying Atlanta a spot in the postseason in the process would be a nice way to close out the regular season.

Orlando Pride Launch Playoff Campaign

With the 2024 NWSL playoffs only a few weeks away, the Orlando Pride have announced their campaign to get the community ready for the postseason and celebrate a historic season. The motto “Do You See Us Now?” highlights how the Pride have been impossible to ignore this year by winning the NWSL Shield for the first time and setting records left and right. There will be plenty of local events leading up to the playoffs, including player appearances, watch parties, and ways to get merch to represent the Pride in November. There’s also a promotion where you would get a ticket to the semifinal if you buy a quarterfinal ticket and the Pride advance.

USMNT Takes On Mexico Tonight

After a 2-0 win over Panama in Mauricio Pochettino’s coaching debut, the United States Men’s National Team is on the road tonight for a friendly against Mexico in Guadalajara. It will be Pochettino’s first taste of the rivalry and a fairly tough test for him, as the U.S. has only beaten Mexico once in Mexico. However, the Yanks also haven’t lost in their past four trips to Mexico to face El Tri. The U.S. will be without five players who returned to their clubs after the win over Panama, including Christian Pulisic and Ricardo Pepi.

Angel City FC Releases Statement on Sanctions

In response to the sanctions imposed by the NWSL that included a three-point deduction and a $200,000 fine after an investigation into a salary cap rule violation, Angel City FC has released a statement.

The club stated that it did not exceed the salary cap, noting that it was the club’s understanding that child care did not count against the salary cap. Angel City was found in violation of going over the salary cap by $50,000 for four weeks this season. That three-point deduction has Angel City in 11th and five points out of a playoff spot with just two games to go.

Free Kicks

  • The Pride remained at the top of ESPN‘s NWSL power rankings, while the Portland Thorns jumped up five spots to sixth for handing them their first loss of the season.
  • Orlando City B’s Wilfredo Rivera had quite the birthday, drawing the penalty kick that resulted in the winning goal in Puerto Rico’s 2-1 win over Sint Maarten in the Concacaf Nations League.
  • Boston’s NWSL team set to join the league in 2026 will reportedly be named BOS Nation FC, which is almost impressively bad. We’ll see if the reports are true when the name and logo are officially revealed today.
  • Nigeria boycotted its Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya after being stranded at an airport 130 miles from their intended destination. Libyan authorities deny it was sabotage, but CAF will investigate what happened.
  • Australia’s match against Japan highlights an intriguing slate of matches in AFC World Cup qualifying that also includes South Korea facing off against Iraq.
  • Amandine Henry, who captained France at the 2019 Women’s World Cup, has announced she is retiring from international soccer. The 35-year-old midfielder won seven Women’s Champions League titles while with Lyon and currently plays for Toluca in Mexico.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a great Tuesday and rest of your week!

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Orlando City

Orlando City Experiencing Its Golden Age of Offense

Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire are leading Orlando City to its best offensive seasons.

Published

21 hours ago

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October 14, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

For most of Orlando City’s MLS history, finding multiple reliable goal scorers has been a struggle. As a result, the team has often been further down the league in goals scored, decreasing its goal difference. However, the duo of Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire has changed that trend and provided the Lions with their best offensive seasons.

Orlando City drafted Cyle Larin with the first pick of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft and he quickly became a reliable source of goals. The Canadian international scored a team-record 18 goals across all competitions in his rookie year, and then scored 14 in the following season.

Larin’s production dipped slightly in 2017, scoring 12 goals, and the striker departed following that season. Orlando City has struggled to find someone that can provide the same scoring threat since. Over the next five years, only Nani and Chris Mueller scored double-digit goals in multiple seasons, each doing so twice. Prior to 2023, four other players scored double-digit goals in one season, as Dom Dwyer did it in 2018, Tesho Akindele in 2019, Daryl Dike in 2021, and Ercan Kara in 2022.

The lack of consistent goal production changed in 2022 when the club signed Facundo Torres from Uruguayan side Penarol. The young Designated Player made an immediate impact for his new team, scoring 13 goals in all competitions, including a brace in the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final to lift the Lions to their first major trophy.

Torres and Kara combined for an impressive 25 goals that season. Unfortunately, the pair didn’t have much support and the Lions only scored 44 goals in 2022. However, that changed the following year when Orlando City drafted former Creighton striker and Hermann Trophy winner Duncan McGuire.

Torres increased his goal tally to 14 in his second season in Orlando and McGuire netted a team-high 15 in his rookie campaign. The 29 goals scored by the pair were the most by two Orlando City players in an MLS season, topping the 28 goals scored by Larin and Kaká in 2015.

The goal tally has increased in 2024, with Torres scoring a career-high 18 goals, McGuire adding 11, and Ramiro Enrique chipping in with 11 of his own across all competitions. It’s the first time an Orlando City team — including the USL Pro era — has had three players score double-digit goals in one year. It’s also the first time in club history Orlando has had multiple double-digit goal scorers in three consecutive years.

The production by multiple players has seen a significant increase in goals scored by the Lions over the past two seasons. After netting only 44 league goals in 2022, Orlando City scored 55 times in 2023, tying the team’s MLS record previously set in 2016. The Lions surpassed that number this year by scoring 58 goals with one game remaining in the regular season.

The club’s record-setting scoring output comes at a time when Orlando City is playing some of its best defense in its MLS history. The 2023 squad only conceded 39 goals, the fewest in a 34-game season. While it has conceded nine more this year, it’s the second-fewest goals conceded in a season, tying the 2021 team.

The past two seasons have seen Orlando City set new club records in the MLS era for highest goal difference in a 34-game season. The only two years in which the Lions had a positive goal difference prior to 2023 was in a shortened 2020 season, when they were +15 and in 2021 when they were +2. They set a new record in 2023 by finishing +16 and are +10 this year.

The increase in goals and goal difference has resulted in better performances throughout the season. The team set a new club record with 63 points last season, placing second in the Supporters’ Shield standings. Orlando has amassed 52 points so far this season, the club’s second-highest point total since joining MLS.

While the play of the back line has contributed to the team’s recent success, goal production has been the catalyst. For the first time in its history, Orlando City has two reliable goal scorers who have produced in back-to-back seasons. The result is the best back-to-back seasons in the club’s MLS history.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/14/24

Getting to know Martin Ojeda, Orlando Pride unbeaten run ends, USMNT beats Panama, and more.

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1 day ago

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October 14, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you over the holiday weekend. I’ve been busy working at Under Armour and finishing up stream monitoring for an NISA Playoff semifinal match in California. Let’s also wish a happy birthday to Orlando City B forward Wilfredo Rivera. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links. 

Getting to Know Martin Ojeda

Orlando City midfielder Martin Ojeda was featured as part of the club’s video series to learn more about the players. In the video, Ojeda gave insight into his beginnings playing soccer when he was three years old and playing for his neighborhood club in South America. He also discussed his style of play, focusing on the attack, creating opportunities, and stating that there is always room to improve. You can check out the rest of the video below.

Pride Unbeaten Run Ends in Loss to Thorns

The Orlando Pride suffered their first loss of the NWSL season on Friday, falling 2-0 to the Portland Thorns. Morgan Weaver and Christine Sinclair scored for the Thorns to seal the win and end Orlando’s 24-match unbeaten streak dating back to Oct. 6 of last season. Despite the loss, the Pride remain in first place in the NWSL table with 57 points after winning the NWSL Shield a week ago. The next match for the Pride will be on Sunday on the road against NJ/NY Gotham FC.

Keys to Success in Orlando Pride Turnaround

The Athletic ($) took a deep dive into the process that led to the Orlando Pride turnaround this season. The article begins with the Pride joining the NWSL in 2016, their up-and-down seasons, and how recent changes in the last couple of years have set the foundation for the club’s success in 2024. It also shared some unique insights from interviews with staff and players and how the club was eager to make changes after finishing in the bottom half of the table for the last five seasons. The most interesting takeaway for me from reading the article was Head Coach Seb Hines speaking on the process of changing the culture of the club, building that underdog mindset, and how he keeps his players motivated. Although the 24-match unbeaten streak is over, the Pride are breaking records this season and won their first trophy. There’s been plenty to be excited about for the Pride this season, and hopefully they will carry this momentum into the playoffs and make a deep run.

USMNT Defeats Panama in Mauricio Pochettino’s Coaching Debut

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Panama 2-0 on Saturday at Q2 Stadium, securing the first win in Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s debut in a friendly. Yunus Musah and Ricardo Pepi scored the USMNT’s goals in the second half to secure the victory. Matt Turner started in goal, and Christian Pulisic added an assist to set up Musah’s goal. The USMNT will face Mexico in Guadalajara on Tuesday. Pulisic, Pepi, and Weston McKennie will miss the match to return to their respective European clubs. Marlon Fossey and Zack Steffen will also return to their clubs.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese earned a clean sheet on international duty as his Peru side defeated Uruguay 1-0 in a CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying match on Friday. Wilder Cartagena and Facundo Torres did not play in the match.
  • Orlando Pride midfielder Angelina and forward Adriana were called up to the Brazil Women’s National Team for friendlies against Colombia on Oct. 26 and Oct. 29.
  • Sports Illustrated listed five MLS players that could move abroad this off-season, mentioning Orlando City’s Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire as potential targets.
  • Angel City FC forward Christen Press scored her first goal in 28 months over the weekend in a 1-1 draw against the North Carolina Courage. Press had been sidelined due to an ACL injury requiring four surgeries before returning to action.
  • Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga broke an NWSL record after scoring her 19th goal of the season in a 1-0 win over Bay FC over the weekend.

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

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