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Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Final Score 2-1 as Martinez Breaks the Record with Game Winner

Atlanta once again breaks Orlando hearts with a second-half goal.

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6 years ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City put in a good performance for 45 minutes but could not maintain it for the full 90. Atlanta United (16-4-6, 54 points) got a second-half goal from Josef Martinez — his record-breaking 28th of the season — to snap a 1-1 deadlock and win, 2-1, in front of 25,058 fans at Orlando City Stadium. The Lions (7-16-2, 23 points) dropped to 0-4-2 in the all-time series and are now winless in six (0-5-1).

It was a workmanlike effort from Orlando City, which was missing midfielders Yoshimar Yotún and Cristian Higuita due to suspension, but the defensive shape throughout the match was mostly good and Atlanta didn’t get its usual number of great scoring chances, despite a final shot advantage of 19-6.

“Obviously very disappointed. It was a game we wanted to try and win for the supporters,” Head Coach James O’Connor said after the match. “When you look at the level of the performance, I think it wasn’t good enough. We need to be honest with ourselves. For where we want to get to and where we’re going to get to, we need levels of performance that are higher.”

O’Connor’s lineup included the return of Jonathan Spector from a hamstring injury and the debut of Carlos Ascues. Sacha Kljestan (ankle) and Mohamed El-Munir (coach’s decision) were not in the 18.

The Lions got the first good look at goal three minutes into the match. Chris Mueller took the ball up the left side and faked his way past three defenders across the top of the box before Atlanta closed on him. The ball deflected wide to Will Johnson, who fired a blast that forced a diving save by Brad Guzan.

Atlanta’s first decent effort came two minutes later when Jeff Larentowicz was left in space above the penalty area. The midfielder smashed a shot that forced Joe Bendik into a diving stop. Four minutes later, Bendik made a comfortable save on Hector Villalba, who cut inside of PC and fired from the top of the area.

Josue Colmán fired wide after a nice buildup play in the 13th minute. Dom Dwyer sprayed the ball wide for Mueller, who found Colmán just inside the area. Two minutes later, PC blasted a shot from the left that Guzan tipped over the net for a corner.

Atlanta broke the scoreless deadlock in the 21st minute after Uri Rosell was whistled for a foul in the defensive third, handing the visitors a free kick. Rosell tried to play a 50/50 ball and extended his leg, which Chris McCann ran into from the side. Ezequiel Barco took the set piece and fired a one-hopper right at Bendik. The Orlando keeper misplayed the hop and it deflected straight to Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, who bundled it in off of Bendik to make it 1-0.

The game slowed down a bit for the next 10 minutes or so before the next good opportunity. Miguel Almiron tried his luck from long range and Bendik didn’t seem to pick it up right away, eventually diving to keep the score at 1-0 in the 35th minute.

Orlando leveled the match four minutes later. As the attack switched from left to right, the ball found its way to Ascues, who gave it to Mueller. Mueller found Johnson, who flicked a backheel into the path of Scott Sutter. The fullback smashed a knuckling shot past Guzan to tie the game in the 39th minute.

“It was a good play by the guys,” Sutter said. “We knew that they were quite vulnerable if you switch the side quickly and I think we did that. I think it was Chris who played the ball inside and Will laid it off perfectly. I took it in my stride and closed my eyes and struck the ball. It was one of my better goals I’ve scored in my career but it all led to nothing, unfortunately.”

Atlanta nearly pulled that goal right back after the restart. An attack down the right managed to get in behind the defense and a pass to Martinez seemed to set him up for an easy goal to set the all-time MLS goal-scoring mark for a single season. Spector got back and did just enough to throw Martinez off and the shot trickled just wide of the right post. That was the last good opportunity for either team in the half and the teams went to their locker rooms all even at 1-1.

Atlanta led in shots (9-4), shots on target (6-3), possession (60%-40%), and passing accuracy (91%-88%), but if not for a big miscue by Bendik, the Lions would have led at the half.

The second half largely consisted of long spells of Atlanta possession above the Orlando City penalty area but not a lot of dangerous attacking movements.

Atlanta got the first dangerous chances of the second half, with Almiron firing a shot over the bar in the 47th minute and Gonzalez Pirez sending a header wide off a free kick two minutes later. In the 55th minute, Bendik made a vital save to deny Villalba and Spector cleared the rebound out of harm’s way. Martinez got onto a cross in the 58th but sent his shot right at Bendik.

Bendik then made back-to-back saves in the 61st minute to keep the game stalemated.

The visitors finally broke through on the counter in the 74th minute after Mueller lost the ball at the top of Atlanta’s penalty area. The ball was cleared out to Villalba, who found Gressel on the right side. Gressel slipped a ball past Rosell, who mistimed his challenge, allowing Martinez to get in behind, where he patiently waited for Bendik to commit and scored the game winner.

Orlando City’s best opportunity to pull a goal back came in the 79th minute. Second-half sub Pierre Da Silva — seeing only his second MLS game action ever — won a corner kick and Johnson delivered an excellent near-post cross to Dwyer, who flicked a header on target. Guzan stuck out a hand to get just enough of it to keep it out and preserve Atlanta’s lead.

From that point on, Orlando continued to try to throw numbers forward and Atlanta seemed destined to get a third on the counter but nothing materialized for either team and the Lions simply couldn’t maintain possession long enough to create anything on the offensive end.

Atlanta led the stat sheet in shots (19-6), shots on target (10-4), possession (62%-38%), and passing accuracy (91%-85%). Orlando managed only a measly two shots after halftime.

“They pinned us in and they were keeping the ball, so for us it needs to be better,” O’Connor said. “When we had the ball we were giving the ball away in needless areas. Our decision making was really poor and we’ve got guys who are better than they showed tonight. That’s the really frustrating thing.”

“Today I don’t think it was good enough,” Sutter said. “James let us know that at the end of the game. I think we just need to improve in every which way.”

One of the bright spots for Orlando City was Ascues, who played 67 minutes in his debut and looked solid after only a week of training with his new team.

“I thought to be fair to him, I thought he battled away,” O’Connor said. “I think all things considered he can be pleased. He gave a very encouraging performance for sure.”

“I feel very grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the starting (lineup) today,” Ascues said through a club translator. “I think that I had a good debut but I’m not happy that we weren’t able to get the result.”

The Lions are back in action next Saturday when the Philadelphia Union visit Orlando City Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/11/24

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

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2 days ago

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October 11, 2024

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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!

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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

3 days ago

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October 10, 2024

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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!

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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

4 days ago

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October 9, 2024

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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!

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