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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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Well, it wasn’t a loss. Orlando City fought hard against a hot Philadelphia Union side and even when an unfortunate deflection gave the visitors a late lead, the Lions didn’t quit. Scott Sutter’s strike leveled things in stoppage time and gave the Cardiac Cats a point.

The Lions looked much better in the first half, and James O’Connor wasn’t happy with the team’s second-half energy for the second straight week, but Orlando City will take the point and keep trying to move forward.

Now let’s get to those performances.

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 5.5 — Joe was a bit shaky early on his passing. He couldn’t do much about Burke’s goal in the 32nd minute. He wasn’t tested too often in the first half, as Philadelphia got only three on frame in the opening period, of which Joe stopped two but neither were difficult. In the second half, Bendik continued to have issues trying to play out of the back and he and his defenders seemed at odds over it at times. The deflection off of Shane O’Neill wrong-footed him a bit on the late goal that briefly put Philly ahead.

D, Jonathan Spector, 7 — Specs got a run-out at fullback and although he added some much-needed stability to the back line on that side, his lack of pace created a bit of a gulf in the attack at times. Yoshimar Yotún simply had nowhere to go to on the left most of the time in the attack and had to look to cut balls back inside toward traffic. Spector led the team in tackles (4), with two interceptions, and one clearance. He also created a scoring chance, fired in two crosses, and passed at 89% — not bad for a fullback.

D, Carlos Ascues, 6.5 — The Peruvian got his first start on the back line and had a mixed night. He had a pair of defensive-half turnovers while trying to dribble the ball forward, putting his teammates under pressure and forcing Bendik to punch away a shot from Haris Medunjanin on one occasion. Ascues had a tackle, two interceptions, four clearances and a pair of blocked shots and passed at a 95% clip. He also made a few crucial 1-v-1 plays that prevented Philadelphia scoring chances.

D, Shane O’Neill, 6 — O’Neill appeared to lose his footing as the cross came in from Borek Dockal on Burke’s goal and was on his way to the ground, helpless to do much about it. It’s debatable on whether he was out-muscled or simply slipped, but either way he was culpable. He was an unfortunate victim on the second goal, trying to block Fafa Picault’s shot but only succeeding in deflecting it to a spot where Joe couldn’t get it. He had a good passing rate (94%), with three tackles, an interception, and a team-high five clearances.

D, Scott Sutter, 7.5 (MotM) — Sutter looked to get into the attack often in the first half, and nearly earned himself a penalty early in the match. He had a pinpoint cross-field switch to Yotún midway through the first half that was like porn for passing enthusiasts. Sutter’s late game-tying goal was vital, of course, and he finished with two shots (one on goal) and a passing rate even better than Spector’s (95% — he was accurate on all six of his long-ball attempts). He also produced two tackles and two clearances and mostly kept his side of the pitch quiet when the Union were attacking.

MF, Oriol Rosell, 5.5 — Uri played a quietly solid game in the defensive midfield, finishing with two tackles, three interceptions, and three clearances. His 90% passing rate was pretty good but at times he tried to force some passes into difficult spots. Overall, I thought Rosell was mostly solid but we’ve seen better from him in a few recent games.

MF, Will Johnson, 5.5 — Will combined well early on the right with Sutter. He drew the free kick that led to Orlando’s opening goal. Tracked back well in the 61st minute to break up a Union attack. His 83% passing rate was a bit average, his one shot was off target, and he didn’t create any scoring chances. He produced an interception and a clearance defensively, and gave his usual blue collar work rate, but even that waned in the second half before he was subbed off.

MF, Yoshimar Yotún, 7.5 — The Peruvian provided excellent free kick service on Dom Dwyer’s header goal. He created four chances in the first half alone, as his passing was deadly accurate, even when he was trying something audacious. After halftime, he created three more scoring chances and practically had to hold down the left-sided attack by himself most of the night. His 88% pass percentage was decent and five of his 11 crosses were accurate. His one shot was off target. Defensively he made two tackles. He’d surely have been Man of the Match if not for tiring noticeably over the last half hour and he just had nothing left in the tank to give. This was evident in trying and failing to tackle Picault prior to the second Philadelphia goal. Still, it was a good night overall for the Peruvian and if he hadn’t had the last three weeks off — one via bye week and two via suspension — he may have had more left in his tank in the second half.

MF, Sacha Kljestan, 5 — I’ll give Sacha credit for trying to come back after only a few training sessions but the rust was evident on this night. He created no chances, attempted one shot, which was off target, and only completed 77% of his pass attempts. He contributed one clearance on defense.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 6.5 — Cristian was a surprise return from an adductor injury and was all over the pitch in the first half. His 24th-minute effort from a tight angle could have made it 2-0, but he hit the far post. He had a terrible giveaway in the 52nd minute and then had to foul to concede a free kick. His passing and play in the second half wasn’t nearly as crisp and he was subbed off for Josué Colmán in the 57th minute.

F, Dom Dwyer, 7 — He scored his 12th goal of the season in the ninth minute, shaking free of his marker and placing his header where Andre Blake couldn’t get to it. He generally created mayhem throughout the first half with his runs in behind the defense. Dom could have gotten a second goal late in the first half but missed the target with his header. He led the team in shots (3) but only the goal was on frame. His 65% passing rate isn’t great but he raised it from 50% at halftime and was one of the few players who was active throughout the entire 90 minutes. He also helped out on defense with an interception and a clearance.

Substitutes

MF, Josué Colmán (57’), 6.5 — The Paraguayan disappeared at times but he also had several moments of individual brilliance. He assisted on the game-tying goal, created two scoring chances, passed at an 88% clip, and attempted a shot. He didn’t repeatedly dribble into dead ends in this match as he’s done often in the past (though he did so a couple of times). He even came up with a tackle.

F/MF, Stefano Pinho (76’), 4.5 — The Brazilian didn’t do a lot in his 14 minutes. He did manage a weak header on goal that forced a Blake save and probably could have drawn a penalty since he was undercut by Jack Elliott on the play. He generally hustled and tried hard, bringing some much-needed energy onto the pitch where it was severely lacking. He also blocked a shot. However, he only got six touches on the ball and attempted one pass, which he completed.

MF, Chris Mueller (76’), 5 — As usual, the rookie worked his tail off and provided energy. His passing was OK, at 80%, (4/5) but he only got in eight touches. He didn’t attempt a shot but he did make a tackle defensively. It’s fair to say that he brought some energy into the attack, and he gave the Philadelphia back line something extra to worry about, but he didn’t accomplish a great deal in his 14 minutes.


That’s how I saw the match. What did you see? Please give us your vote for Man of the Match below and provide your arguments in the comments section.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Dom Dwyer10
Yoshimar Yotún21
Scott Sutter44
Josué Colmán3
Jonathan Spector4
Other (comment below)1

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 3-0 win over Atlanta United?

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City poured it on in the second half to defeat Eastern Conference rival Atlanta United 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium Saturday night. After not scoring in three straight matches, it was very satisfying to have the team dominate Atlanta on both sides of the ball. This was an important win with the club heading back out on the road next week.

Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in the victory over rival Atlanta United.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — Gallese did not have much to do in this match, thanks to the defense. While Atlanta took 12 shots, none were on target. El Pulpo made the right decisions on when to come out of goal to gather the ball before the offense could pounce. He had an 83.1% passing rate on his 16 attempts while completing three of his six long-ball attempts. This result makes it four straight clean sheets for Gallese.

D, David Brekalo, 6.5  With the suspension of Rafael Santos, Head Coach Oscar Pareja moved Brekalo back out to left back. Brekalo touched the ball 87 times and completed 90.9% of his 66 passes including one of his three long-ball attempts, and one key pass. Defensively, he recorded one tackle, recorded a team-high six clearances, and suffered one foul. Like many on the team, he was active in pressing the attack but making certain that the defense recovered to keep a numerical advantage over Atlanta’s attack.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Orlando City’s captain led the defense to another clean sheet. He was his usual solid self, making important defensive plays, like a great tackle in the 33rd minute to stop a potential Atlanta breakaway. He logged a team-high 94 touches, completed 91.7% of his 84 passes, and completed two of his eight long-ball attempts. Defensively, he made four clearances and blocked two shots. He even made one of his patented long runs up through the defense, where no one seems to want to stop him.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — Rodrigo Schlegel returned to the starting lineup from his red card suspension. Despite earning a yellow card late in stoppage time, it was a solid outing from the center back. He logged 82 touches and completed 97.4% of his 77 passes and one of his three long-ball attempts. Defensively, Schlegel recorded four clearances and committed one foul. It was good to have him back next to Jansson, and even better that he kept his head to assist in another clean sheet.

D, Alex Freeman, 7 — Freeman played well against Atlanta. The highlight was his perfectly placed goal in the 51st minute. He took a through ball from Pasalic on the right side of the six-yard box, put the ball on his right foot, and fired it across the goal into the bottom left corner. He touched the ball 55 times, completed 83.8% of his 37 passes, and had one successful cross. Defensively, the young Lion contributed one tackle and three clearances. Offensively, Freeman took two shots, with one (his goal) on target.

MF, Kyle Smith, 6 — Smith moved from the back line to the midfield with Cesar Araujo still out due to personal reasons. El Soldado had a few errant passes but nothing that ultimately harmed Orlando City. He did a workman’s job in one of the many positions he was asked to play. Smith touched the ball 50 times and completed 85.4% of his 41 passes, including one of his two long-ball attempts. Offensively, Smith took two shots with one on target, and suffered one foul. Defensively, he made one tackle, contributed one clearance, and suffered two fouls.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 7 — Atuesta returned to his starting role and quietly had an excellent match. He did exactly what the team needed of him by connecting the defense to the offense and contributing on both sides of the ball. Atuesta logged 85 touches and completed 87.1% of his 70 passes, including three key passes. He logged one shot, which was just off target, and drew a team-high four fouls. Defensively, he logged an interception, three clearances, and a blocked shot. He was active and was able to go the full match.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo wasted too many offensive chances but still helped the team in other ways. He managed two shots, with one on target. It was a one-on-one with Brad Guzan, but he wasn’t able to put it past him. Angulo did well tracking back on defense, contributing two interceptions and generally getting in the way of Atlanta. He touched the ball 36 times and completed 83.3% of his 24 passes, including two key passes and one of his three long-ball attempts. He made way for Nico Rodriguez in the 86th minute.

MF, Luis Muriel, 7 — Muriel dropped into the attacking midfield in the spot usually occupied by Martin Ojeda. Muriel does well when playing a little deeper, and it ultimately paid off when he won a penalty in the 37th minute. He then confidently put the ball in the back of the net, sending Guzan the wrong way for Orlando City’s first goal in 312 minutes. Muriel logged 50 touches, completing 71% of his 31 passes, including one key pass. He took four shots with two on target. Defensively, he logged one interception and committed one foul. After Duncan McGuire was subbed off, he moved back up into the striker position.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 7.5 (MotM) — Pasalic, at times early in the match, was trying to force some passes into some tight spots. You could see the idea, but the execution wasn’t there. Fortunately, like many of his teammates, he turned it on later in the match. His first goal contribution was the assist on Freeman’s goal. It was one of those passes he tried earlier, but this time he found his target. Pasalic put the icing on the cake for Orlando City with his 67th-minute goal. It was an absolute stunner that froze Guzan in place and rocketed into the bottom right corner of the goal. He touched the ball 43 times and completed 84.9% of his 33 passes, including two key passes. Defensively, Pasalic contributed one clearance and one tackle. Offensively, he took two shots with one on target (his goal). Two goal contributions earn him our Man of the Match. He also set up Atuesta for a golden chance but the midfielder missed just wide of the right post on what could have been Pasalic’s second assist of the match.

F, Duncan McGuire, 6 — McGuire made his first start of the season, taking over for Muriel at the striker position. He was active early, making good runs, getting back on defense, and stretching the defense. McGuire managed one shot on the night in the 46th minute, but unfortunately he couldn’t take the shot quickly enough and it was blocked. It was a good run-out for the striker, who touched the ball 25 times and completed 70.6% of his 17 passes, including one key pass. Defensively, he contributed one clearance and drew two fouls. Duncan looked to be dealing with some tightness or cramping in his legs prior to coming off for Martin Ojeda in the 60th minute.

Substitutes

MF, Martin Ojeda (60′), 6 — Ojeda came on for McGuire, who is still working his way back into full fitness. He moved into his normal role, pushing Muriel into the striker position. The match was well in hand by the time he came on, but he did record 21 touches and completed 86.7% of his 15 passes, including two successful crosses and two key passes. He attempted one shot, but it was not on target.

MF, Nico Rodriguez (75′), N/A — Rodriguez made his second appearance of the season, coming on for Angulo. He showed plenty of energy, especially in defending, as Atlanta pushed late trying to make something work. He recorded 12 touches and completed 87.5% of his eight passes. On offense, he took one shot that was badly off target, suffered one foul, and won an aerial ball.

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (86′), N/A — Thorhallsson was one of three late subs brought on to see out the victory. He only managed three touches, completed his only pass, and contributed one blocked shot.

MF, Colin Guske (86′), N/A — Guske saw his first minutes since his one-minute debut against the Philadelphia Union. He had four touches, completed both of his passes, and drew two fouls.

MF, Gustavo Caraballo (86′), N/A— Like the other late subs, Caraballo only managed five touches, but he completed his only pass — a key pass — and suffered one foul. He also added a blocked shot on defense.


That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s excellent 3-0 victory. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 3-0 home victory over Atlanta United.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Ah winning, it is so much better than tying. After three straight ties, Orlando City returned to their winning ways on Saturday, dominating Atlanta United and reminding the Five Stripes that Orlando is the soccer capital of the south. No, Miami, you cannot join the adults’ table and conversation yet. The Lions dominated play for most of Saturday’s match, and once they scored that first goal, they never looked back, adding two more goals and taking home all three points. Here are my five takeaways from the match.

The Shutout Streak is Over!

Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good, but in this case Orlando City earned its luck as Luis Muriel was making a driving run in the box and was preparing to shoot when Bartosz Slisz tripped him, earning Orlando City a penalty. Initially there was no call, but after video review, Orlando City was awarded a penalty and Muriel sent Brad Guzan the other way and the Lions were on the board for the first time since their trip to Los Angeles. Orlando City dominated the opening segment of the game and could easily have already scored at least one goal prior to the penalty, and as the clock ticked closer to halftime, that uneasy feeling of “not again” was starting to creep in. But then, Muriel created an opportunity and converted the ensuing penalty kick, and everyone breathed a big sigh of relief with a side of purple smoke.

The Shutout Streak Continues!

On the other side of the ball, the defensive back line continued its run of recent form by preventing Atlanta from even getting one shot on target, forcing the visitors to take half of their shots from more than 20 yards away from the goal. Pedro Gallese was barely troubled throughout the game, and the back line of David Brekalo, Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and Alex Freeman all went the full 90 and yet only made a combined two tackles, showing just how little of an attack Atlanta was able to mount against the Orlando City defense. The Lions bossed the game all over the field, from the press by their attacking group through owning the midfield and the defense snuffing out the few threatening attacks Atlanta put together, and it was a full team effort to earn a fourth straight shutout.

Another New Midfield Combination

The injury bug bit the Orlando City defensive midfield once again, as after three straight starts Joran Gerbet was unable to go against Atlanta. With César Araújo still to return from injury, and away on Saturday for the birth of his daughter, that meant that Óscar Pareja turned to Kyle Smith to start the game as one half of the defensive midfield. Thankfully, Eduard Atuesta was finally cleared to return, and the Atuesta-Smith pairing became the fourth pair to start in the first 10 games of the season. I thought Atuesta was brilliant in this game, as his incisive passing and playmaking skills were on full display throughout. He did fail to convert on a wonderful chance to score off of a Marco Pašalić pass, but aside from that, he was outstanding on both offense and defense and breathed life into an Orlando City team that had sorely missed him.

For his part, Smith played much more of the defensive role between the two holding midfielders, and he was solid in the middle of the field, partnering with Jansson and Schlegel to wall off Atlanta from being able to attack through the middle. Time will tell if we see yet another new combination next week, but in this week’s game, Atuesta and Smith made it look like they had been playing next to each other for months, not days.

The Formation Was Fluid

As fans of Orlando City, we know that Pareja loves his 4-2-3-1 formation and has used that nearly exclusively during his tenure in Orlando. In this context, I found it interesting that multiple sites listed the Lions as having played a 3-4-2-1 in the match against Atlanta, but this makes sense with how far Freeman pushes up the field on the right hand side and how Brekalo, Jansson, and Schlegel hang back and hold down the defense while their young teammate joins the attack. Additionally, Orlando City makes a point to not lock its players into specific positions, but rather let the front group rotate as needed defensively, leading to times in the second half when it appeared like any one of Martin Ojeda, Muriel, and Nico Rodríguez were playing as a striker, with the others filling in behind. There were also times in the first half when it looked like Duncan McGuire and Muriel were both playing up top, and then others when it seemed like McGuire was the lone striker with Muriel dropped well behind him. These multiple looks caused some confusion among the Atlanta defense and also slowed down the Atlanta attack as well, as they saw players in different locations than they expected. The Lions have a lot of players who have “utility” skillsets, and they took advantage of those in this match.

Duncan Is Now Fully Open For Business

McGuire made his first start of the year on Saturday, and while he did not score a goal, it was good to see that he is now healthy enough to go 60 minutes in a match. Big Dunc was involved in a few chances, taking one shot and making one key pass in addition to drawing two fouls, but the big takeaway here is that he is now one more option that Pareja has available to him to start or bring off the bench. In this match, they decided to bring in Ojeda off the bench and give him a bit of a rest, but as the season starts to move from one game per week to many weeks having both a weekend and weekday game, it will be critical that the Lions can rotate the squad and keep all the key players fresh. McGuire looked like he still had something left in the tank when he subbed out, so I think it is safe to say he is back to full fitness.


Those are my takeaways from an enjoyable beatdown of one of Orlando City’s biggest rivals and a game that was much less stressful than the Pride’s come-from-behind victory on the same field the night before. The Lions will look to build off this victory when they travel to Chicago next weekend, though waiting for them will be an angry Fire team that was just embarrassed 7-2 by Nashville. There is no reason why Orlando City cannot also score seven, but we will settle for at least one more than Chicago scores.

Let us know your thoughts about the Atlanta match in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Final Score 3-0 as Lions Rout Rival Five Stripes

The Lions broke out of their scoreless funk in a big way in a dominating win over rival Atlanta United.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

It took a while for Orlando City’s offense to get going on the heels of three consecutive scoreless draws, but the Lions found their scoring boots in a 3-0 win over rival Atlanta United in front of an announced crowd of 20,184 at Inter&Co Stadium. Orlando (4-2-4, 16 points) ran its unbeaten streak to seven games (3-0-4) while snapping a three-game winless skid (0-0-3) while beating one of its most bitter rivals in Atlanta (2-5-3, 9 points).

Luis Muriel, Alex Freeman, and Marco Pasalic scored the goals for the Lions, who beat Atlanta at home for just the third time in club history (3-6-3) in the regular season. The club set a new club record early in the game for most conseutive shutout minutes, and by the end of the match, the Lions had not conceded in 436 minutes, dating back to the LA Galaxy game and Christian Ramirez’s 14th-minute strike.

“It’s so nice to see that we kept our balance defensively and we improved something that has been costing us in our last three (games) on not scoring,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match, dedicating the three points to Cesar Araujo, who welcomed his daughter Isabella into the world today. “And getting back today to that mode just made us feel very good. A game well played. In the first half we had some difficulties to find our spaces, but we were patient until we scored the first one. We knew that they were coming in the second (half) and we would have those spaces naturally, organically open for us, and we saw that. And the boys understod the game. They were very responsible with their duties defensively, but offensively we looked like we can harm teams, and that made us feel good.”

Pareja’s lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel (who returned from suspension), and Freeman. With Joran Gerbet picking up a knock this week and Araujo on daddy duty, Kyle Smith started in central midfield alongside a returning Eduard Atuesta behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Muriel, and Pasalic, with Duncan McGuire up top. Martin Ojeda started on the bench.

The first half mostly saw both sides try to be meticulous defensively and take few chances in the attack. This made for a bit of a dull affair for spectators as the teams played a tense game of chess with the ball. Orlando seemed the likelier team to put it all together, but the Lions wasted several chances, with three attacks going through Angulo in the first 12 minutes resulting in turnovers instead of shots.

Pasalic sent McGuire down the right side of the box in the eighth minute, but the striker had no help with him. Rather than hold play up and waiting for help, McGuire tried a tough-angle shot and did not get his effort on target.

A good buildup in the 15th minute ended up with an Orlando chance in front but that chance fell for Smith, who missed the net entirely from about eight yards away.

Jamal Thiare headed over the bar on a cross from the right in the 26th minute.

Atuesta sent Angulo in behind on the left in the 31st minute. Brad Guzan came off his line aggressively to cut down the angle and the left winger’s shot was blocked behind for a corner.

Aleksey Miranchuk fired wide from outside the box for Atlanta in the 34th minute. The game changed moments later.

A good pass sent Muriel into the box in the 37th minute and he was taken down by Bartosz Slisz. Referee Marcos de Oliveira determined the challenge was legal and Pasalic followed with a shot that was blocked. Atlanta broke the other way and Gallese stopped a weak shot from distance, but then de Oliveira went to the monitor. After review, he saw that Slisz had made contact with Muriel’s foot prior to getting the ball and a penalty was awarded to Orlando.

Muriel sent Guzan the wrong way and calmly slotted home in the 42nd minute to open the scoring. It was Orlando City’s first goal in 312 minutes of game time and Muriel’s fourth of the season.

Neither side fashioned a clear-cut chance in the final moments or five minutes of stoppage time. Thiare sent a late header well off target on the final shot attempt of the opening period.

Orlando City finished the half with the advantage in possession (63.3%-36.7%), shots (5-3), shots on target (2-0), and passing accuracy (89.8%-87.7%), while Atlanta won more corners (2-1). The difference at the break was the penalty.

“I think the first half I can say congrats to Atlanta. They played really good defensively and also offense,” Pasalic said. “And they made the game really tough, especially for me, because I had (many) opponents around me, and maybe this was the tactic, to close the pockets, because that’s a style we played in the last games.”

The Lions tried to strike quickly for a second after the restart. Pasalic fired wide of the right post from distance just seconds into the second half. A minute later, Muriel made a great pass to slip the ball to McGuire in the box but the ball was knocked away to Angulo. The winger could have shot with his first touch but instead took the ball wide and recycled for Muriel, who fired wide from a bad angle on the left.

Freeman doubled the lead in the 51st minute. Pasalic chested down an aerial ball and made a good pass to send it to Freeman breaking down the right into the box. The fullback was at a tight angle but sized up Guzan’s positioning and blasted a shot through the defender’s legs and just off the inside of the left post and in to make it 2-0.

“When Marco got the ball, he controlled it, and I was eager to run in behind. And when Marco passed me that beautiful pass, it was more like to see what the defender was going to do — if he was going to really step or if he was just going to delay, delay,” Freeman said. “And I didn’t see anyone in the box, and I saw the defender’s legs open. I wanted to put it bottom left corner, and with his legs open, I just put it right through, and then I scored and I got to celebrate with Duncan.”

Freeman and McGuire did a celebration they’d worked on with Gerbet, but it was just the two of them out there for the choreographed celly with Gerbet unable to play.

After Freeman’s goal, Atlanta saw a lot more of the ball. The entire next five minutes were spent in Orlando’s half.

The Lions subbed on Martin Ojeda for McGuire and got back in the attack quickly, winning a pair of corners. The service on the first sailed over everyone and was picked up by Muriel outside the box. Muriel’s blast was tipped just wide by Guzan’s diving save, setting up a second corner. Ojeda’s second entry ball found Smith, but his header in the 64th minute was meekly right at Guzan for an easy save.

Atlanta then made a couple of critical turnovers in its own end and paid for the second. The first turnover ended up on Angulo’s foot out on the left with Guzan well out of his goal. Angulo’s curling shot not only missed, but would have gone out for a throw-in on the other side had Atlanta’s defense not picked it up. However, seconds later, Atlanta turned it over again, with Pasalic picking up the ball in the attacking half, dribbling toward goal, and blasting his fifth goal of the season just inside the right post to make it 3-0 in the 67th minute.

“To be honest I feel that we did good pressure, and when the ball came to me, I feel that the ball is going to come to me because the goalkeeper had no other chance to shoot the ball anywhere, and it came right to my feet,” Pasalic said. “I stopped the ball not so good, and then I turned around and see that nobody’s there, and take the ball and I see no pressure. Then I was not so far away from the goal and then I shoot.”

Pasalic should have notched his second assist of the game just a few minutes after his goal, when he slipped Atuesta into the area in the 71st minute. The midfielder fired for the left post but his shot fizzed just inches wide.

Orlando pushed some younger legs out onto the field over the final minutes of the game, subbing on Nico Rodriguez, Gustavo Caraballo, and Colin Guske. Atlanta created some half chances from range but could do little with a few late corners. Edwin Mosquera and Miguel Almiron sent some shots well over the bar down the stretch.

Rodriguez missed well off the mark in the fourth minute of stoppage time in the game’s final opportunity for either side and the final whistle brought the Lions’ fourth consecutive shutout to an end.

Orlando finished the match with the advantage in possession (54.9%-45.1%), shots (16-12), shots on target (6-0), and passing accuracy (89.2%-87.7%). Atlanta won more corners (5-3).

“The second half we looked more us,” Pareja said. “We spoke during the week with our players about this drought moment of not scoring. (The coaching staff) tried not to tense the team or not to stress them too much. Instead we wanted them to get back to their natural mode of play, creating options. The goals are coming. And we felt today that that was happening. I think they bounced back and they found the timing.”

“I’m happy that we won this game today,” Pasalic said. “After those draw games and difficult creation of chances and scoring goals, I think today was really important. I think it was the training this week. We worked more on the creation of the chances and more on the shooting practice, because this is what gives you the most confidence in front of the goal. We worked like a team. We kept the heads together. Now we are really solid and played the defense really good, and maybe thi sis a process and needs time. So, we had this game to prove that we are defensively really good and today we showed both.”


Orlando City is back on the road next Saturday as the Lions visit the Chicago Fire.

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