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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Player Grades and Man of the Match

Published

6 years ago

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Well that game was…interesting. The 3-3 scoreline covered up the fact that the Orlando City defense was at complete sixes and sevens for much of the game. On the other hand, when the ball wasn’t given away before reaching midfield, the team looked capable of creating chances going forward. But if the defense isn’t sorted out soon it isn’t going to matter.

Starters

GK, Earl Edwards Jr., 4 — Not Earl’s best performance tonight. Though he was largely helpless on the Penilla goal he might have been able to do a bit better with the Revs’ third goal, and he certainly could have done better on the first goal the Lions conceded. He had a terrible first-half pass that went straight to Diego Fagundez and could have buried the Lions in too deep of a hole to dig out of. He did have three saves, but he’ll definitely wish he could have had the first one back.

D, PC, 4 — He was incredibly lucky to stay on the field after committing a professional foul as the last man back in the opening minutes of the game. He got forward in attack on multiple occasions but also lost runners in behind more than once and had some bad giveaways in the team’s defensive third. He was sacrificed for Stéfano Pinho when James O’Connor decided it was time to throw the proverbial kitchen sink at the Revs.

D, Amro Tarek, 4.5 — Quite the mixed bag for Tarek. On the one hand he had a goal-line clearance and was credited with Orlando’s second goal. On the other hand, the only reason he had to make that clearance was because he completely lost Scott Caldwell’s run in behind him. He too was guilty of multiple bad giveaways in the defensive third, and got taken to the cleaners on Teal Bunbury’s goal. Scoring the goal helps his score a little, but this was not a good performance by the Egyptian.

D, Shane O’Neill, 4 — It was a tough night for the entire defense and O’Neill’s fortunes were no different. Even though Scott Sutter’s pass put him in a horrible position he was dispossessed far too easily on Penilla’s goal, and poor positioning just a few minutes earlier led to a Diego Fagundez chance that meant Edwards needed to bail him out. He did make an important last-ditch tackle in the second half but he had a rough go of it.

D, Scott Sutter, 5 — Like Tarek, Sutter gets some bonus points for scoring his goal. But, the pass he played to O’Neill in the first half was the soccer equivalent of a quarterback lofting a ball up the middle for his wide receiver to get completely obliterated: absolute suicide. He didn’t make too many mistakes aside from that, and while he took his goal well it was clear that it’s been awhile since he last played.

M, Cristian Higuita, 5.5 — Deployed as one of two holding midfielders, Higuita worked hard as usual. He had more than one good pass and combined well in the attack several times. However, he was also guilty of more than one bad giveaway, including one in the first half that would have led to a scoring chance had the resulting pass not been overhit. He was one of the few players that played with good physical presence. He made way for Chris Mueller as O’Connor looked to add more energy to the attack.

M, Tony Rocha, 5 — His game started off very badly as he was completely out-muscled by Juan Agudelo on the opening goal, although it still shouldn’t have gone in. While he did have the assist on Dom Dwyer’s goal, like too many of his teammates he was guilty of several sloppy giveaways in his own half.

M, Mohamed El-Munir, 6 — El-Munir looks more and more like he should be a winger. Mostly freed up of defensive responsibilities he got forward in attack well, beating his man off the dribble on several occasions. His final pass was lacking, but all in all it was a pretty steady night for the Libyan.

M, Sacha Kljestan, 5.5 — It was a pretty quiet night for Sacha, who was wearing the captain’s armband. He made several smart passes, including one around the corner in the 32nd minute for Higuita that nearly put the Colombian through on goal. Unfortunately, he was forced off with an injury right before the end of the first half. Hopefully its nothing too serious.

M,  Yoshimar Yotún, 7.5 (MotM) — Orlando’s best player on the pitch by several country miles, Yoshi bagged assists on all three Orlando goals, although one may be removed if Tarek’s is changed to an own goal. He had a hockey assist on Dom’s goal, and ran the show going forward. He had a team high 90 touches, and his set piece delivery was lethal. Unfortunately, he was baited into a frankly stupid red card, which means the team will be without his top quality services in the next match.

F, Dom Dwyer, 6.5 — It was a bit of an odd night for Dom. He didn’t see much of the ball at all, his 21 touches were the third fewest out of all the Lions. But, he took four shots and put three of them on target, while another was blocked. Plus, he scored Orlando’s opening goal. Like PC, he can probably count himself lucky not to have been sent off for an extremely rash tackle late in stoppage time.

Subs

Josué Colmán (44’), 5.5 — Coming on for the injured Kljestan, Colmán often looked dangerous with the ball at his feet, much as he has all season. The problem was that he didn’t know when to get the ball out of his feet, and multiple times he held onto it too long and was dispossessed in promising positions. It was not a bad half from him, but it could have been better if he had passed in some situations where he chose to dribble.

Stefano Pinho (60’), 4.5 — Coming on for PC in the 60th minute, Pinho found it very hard to get involved in the game, only managing seven touches. He did get a shot off and make a tackle, but it was not enough considering he had 30 minutes to work with.

Chris Mueller (70’), 5 — Given 20 minutes to work with when he subbed on for Higuita, Mueller also did not have the kind of impact on the score sheet he was probably hoping for. As usual though he gets some bonus points for running his butt off for every second he was on the field, and did manage to inject some energy into a faltering Orlando midfield.

As you can see, I was far from thrilled about the team’s performance defensively. A point is a point but I feel like I typed the word “giveaway” so many times it was beginning to make my head hurt. Agree with my assessment? Disagree? Let me know in the poll and the comments.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Dom Dwyer3
Mohamed El-Munir3
Cristian Higuita7
 Yoshimar Yotún103
Other4

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Orlando City

Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union

Get caught up with everything you need to know about the Philadelphia Union from someone who knows them best.

Published

21 hours ago

on

May 10, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City is set to continue a difficult May schedule Saturday, and will try to avoid a three-game losing streak in the process. This week sees the Lions travel north to face the Philadelphia Union, which will be the first of three taking place in a span of eight days, with two of those on the road, forcing Orlando to shuttle back and forth across the country.

A date with the Union means I caught up with Joe Lister of the always excellent Philadelphia Soccer Now. As usual, Joe was very helpful in getting us caught up on what’s been happening with the Union, and I also answered some of his questions about OCSC, which you can find over at their place.

Run me through Philadelphia’s off-season transfer business. Are there any new names who have stood out?

Joe Lister: Philadelphia’s transfer business is nearly nonexistent. They sold a few guys, but didn’t really bring anyone notable in. The group that will be available against Orlando on Saturday is the same group that’s been around with the team for (generally) two or three years.

Quinn Sullivan, however, has been a relevation this season. His brother, Cavan, has obviously been in the news as of late. However, Quinn, 20, has been great for Philly. He’s got great pace down the side of the pitch and has a motor that doesn’t seem to quit. If he can perfect his final touch, he’ll make the Union a good bit of money.

It’s still quite early in the season, but its strange to see the Union not occupying their typical spot near the top of the East. Is there any concern among the fanbase, or are people largely happy with what they’ve seen so far?

JL: People are upset. This team, by Philly fans’ standards, sucks. The Eastern Conference is obviously super tough this year (Miami and RBNY are worth shoutouts), but Philadelphia just isn’t performing. They nearly lost three games in a row for the first time since 2017 with their draw against D.C. United. They were saved by a blast from Jack McGlynn that they didn’t necessarily deserve.

The Union are underwhelming. The front office has operated under the impression that the teams from 2020, 2021, and 2022 can still compete in MLS. The issue is that while the league has gotten better, the Union have just gotten worse.

The Union’s only two losses of the season have come at home. Is that simply down to playing two good teams in Real Salt Lake and the Seattle Sounders, or is there something else at play there?

JL: That’s just the team being in a funk. Again, this team is underperforming by Philadelphia’s standards. Losing at home is a true showcase of how far this team has fallen. I think the Union will be fine longterm — this is a playoff team, but nothing more than that.

Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?

JL: Defender Olivier Mbaizo and goalkeeper Andre Blake were both out for last match with injuries. Blake’s been in-and-out all season, but I think the team has started to realize that backup Oliver Semmle is good enough that the three-time Goalkeeper of the Year doesn’t need to always be on the pitch. Julian Carranza is also suspended due to yellow card accumulation.

Lineup (4-4-2 diamond): Oliver Semmle; Kai Wagner, Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Nathan Harriel; Jose Martinez; Leon Flach, Alejandro Bedoya; Daniel Gazdag; Quinn Sullivan, Mikael Uhre.

I think this is a 2-2 draw. Based on where the Union are at right now, Orlando will get two first-half goals, the Union will pull back in the second half. Feels like a game where Daniel Gazdag should find the net at some point.

Thank you to Joe for the inside info on the Union. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/10/24

Orlando City hits the road, Angelina has a successful knee procedure, Europa League final is set, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

May 10, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday! I don’t have many plans for the weekend beyond working and looking after my friend’s cat, but I’m hoping it’s a fairly relaxing next few days. Both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are in action tomorrow night, so make sure to plan your weekend accordingly. For now, let’s get to today’s links!

Orlando City Prepares for the Philadelphia Union

After a tough loss at home to FC Cincinnati, Orlando City hits the road for a tough match against the Philadelphia Union tomorrow night. The Lions showed plenty of fight in that loss, which included a red card to Rodrigo Schlegel and injuries to both Dagur Dan Thorhallsson and Rafael Santos. Head Coach Oscar Pareja spoke about the matchup against the Union and stated that Thorhallsson is in concussion protocol and that both he and Santos are day-to-day heading into this match.

The Lions at least won’t have to worry about Philadelphia forward Julian Carranza in this match, as he will miss it due to yellow card accumulation. Both teams have struggled in recent weeks, with the Lions winless in their last three games and the Union winless in their last four. Orlando managed to beat the Union on the road last year and will need to do it again to climb up the Eastern Conference standings.

Angelina Will Be Evaluated Weekly for Return

Orlando Pride midfielder Angelina had a successful arthroscopic procedure on her knee and will be evaluated by the club’s medical team for a return to the field on a week-to-week basis. She suffered the injury late in the Pride’s 4-1 win over the North Carolina Courage, and rookie Ally Lemos filled in for her in the team’s 1-0 win against Racing Louisville. Angelina signed with the Pride this past off-season and has been a major reason why the Pride are undefeated in 2024. The Brazilian has done well on both sides of the ball and has a goal and an assist to her name so far, while bringing stability to the midfield. Hopefully, she returns to the Pride’s midfield sooner rather than later.

Philadelphia Union Sign 14-Year-Old Cavan Sullivan

The Philadelphia Union have a penchant for developing young players and have now signed 14-year-old midfielder Cavan Sullivan to a Homegrown Player contract that will last through 2028. Sullivan, who is the brother of Quinn Sullivan, is now the fifth-youngest signing in MLS history. He excelled in the past two Generation Adidas Cups with the Union and made his debut for Philadelphia Union II earlier this year. When he turns 18, he will reportedly be transferred to Manchester City as well, so it will be interesting to see how he does in MLS until then.

Leverkusen and Atalanta Reach Europa League Final

Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta both got the job done in second legs at home to advance to the Europa League final. The match in Germany between Leverkusen and Roma was a wild one, with Leverkusen managing yet another late comeback to draw 2-2 and advance on aggregate after winning the first leg. The draw extended Leverkusen’s unbeaten streak to 49 games and it can secure a treble by the end of the month. In the other semifinal, Atalanta cruised to a 3-0 win over Marseille. The Italian club will have a chance at silverware in the Coppa Italia final against Juventus on May 15 before the Europa League final on May 22 in Ireland.

Free Kicks

  • Enjoy these sights and sounds from the Pride’s gritty win over Racing Louisville.
  • Olivier Renard is no longer the vice president and chief sporting officer of CF Montreal, with the two sides agreeing to part ways.
  • PSV Eindhoven reportedly won’t be exercising the option to sign American right back Sergino Dest, who joined the Dutch club on loan from Barcelona last year.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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Orlando City

Orlando City at Philadelphia Union: Three Keys to Victory

What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points on the road at Philadelphia?

Published

2 days ago

on

May 9, 2024

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City travels to the City of Brotherly Love hoping to get back on the winning track against the Philadelphia Union. The Union are currently in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 14 points, and have a 3-2-5 record overall. However, the Union are 1-2-1 at home. Subaru Park hasn’t been the fortress it was in 2023 — though Orlando City did give them their first home loss last season.

Of course, the Lions are riding a two-match losing streak heading into this match. What does Orlando City need to do to take all three points from the Union on the road?

Defense, Defense, Defense

The Union have scored 19 goals so far this season and over half of them have come from Daniel Gazdag (6), and Julian Carranza (4). Obviously, stopping those two is a priority. However, the Union also have excellent midfielders in Alejandro Bedoya and Jack McGlynn — the two players that scored in the Union’s last match against DC United.

I feel like a broken record, but Orlando City’s defense needs to stop making the dumb mistakes that have resulted in way too many goals this season. Philadelphia’s attackers will punish the Lions if that is allowed to happen yet again. So please, for the sake of my sanity, stop giving up the stupid goals.

Score Some *%$#ing Goals

The Union have given up 16 goals so far this season. Philadelphia is not some impenetrable defense, meaning the Lions should have chances to score against the Union. The bigger questions is: Will Orlando City find the back of the net? The dearth of goals so far this season is a great source of frustration for all who support this club. It’s not necessarily the shots that go in — though that does stink — but the missed opportunities.

Orlando City has had more passes/crosses just past a toe or just over a head, and more bobbled balls at a player’s feet than I care to count this season. The missed opportunities are a good reason for the results we’ve seen. I’ve spent plenty of time wishing for Facundo Torres, Luis Muriel, and Martin Ojeda to start scoring. Now, I’ll be happy with any player putting it in the back of the net. Robin Jansson header? Yes, please. Michael Halliday deflects it in with his face? I’ll take it. Own goal by the opposition? Bring it on. Just score some darn goals.

Find the Formula

I’m not certain why it’s taking Oscar Pareja so long to figure out the balance for this club. Most of the players from last season are there, but for some reason the recipe is off. There are a few new players and there have been some injuries to deal with, but the switch needs to be flipped. Pareja needs to figure out which players can turn it around.

It might be the players who haven’t made the necessary adjustments. Perhaps it’s just bad luck. Regardless, every coach and player needs to pull it together to get the ship righted. Preseason expectations might need to be adjusted, but we can still hold out hope for a turnaround. This weekend against the Union is a perfect time for that to start.

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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