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Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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The Lions took on the Chicago Fire today, and once again came away with no points in the 4-0 loss. The loss was arguably one of the worst games Orlando has played all season with no energy at all. With the poor performance as a whole, how did the Lions fare individually in Chicago?

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 3 — This is a pretty favorable grade for Bendik after this match. He gave up four goals and was at least partly responsible for most of them, especially the second goal in which he gave away possession and basically gave a free goal to Aleksandar Katai. Bendik has had a rough season and this game was just a representation of how the season has gone for him.

D, Jonathan Spector, 5 — Spector played a pretty solid match, playing multiple positions on the back line in this one. Spector was the best passer on the back line and also cleared the ball out of the danger area seven times. Within a poor defensive line, Spector was a bright spot.

D, Carlos Ascues, 3.5 — Ascues had a rough game on the back line, much like his teammates around him. The third goal of the match for the Chicago Fire was mostly because of terrible defense from Ascues, and the game as a whole for Ascues was just poor. He had the most blocked shots, with two, but besides that, not many positives came from his performance.

D, Shane O’Neill, 4 — O’Neill wasn’t the greatest player on the pitch on Sunday, but he also wasn’t the worst. His defensive play was subpar along with his passing, but it was also hard to evaluate him after being subbed out at the start of the second half. Not a terrible outing for the center back but definitely could have been better.

D, Scott Sutter, 5 — Sutter was probably the second best defensive player on the pitch behind Spector, but he also had his moments at right back. Sutter was involved in creating offensive chances with numerous crosses into the penalty area, but none of them resulted in legitimate scoring chances. He was beaten by Katai a few times but held up for the most part in an average outing.

MF, Uri Rosell, 5.5 — Rosell had a very solid match as he was involved in all facets of the game on both sides of the pitch. He had nice tackles in the midfield along with three clearances to go with them. Rosell also read opposing passes well with three interceptions to shut down what could be shut down from the Chicago Fire. Rosell has been playing very well as of late and kept it up on Sunday.

MF, Yoshímar Yotún, 5 — Yotún had a very slow game with offensive production. He only took one shot in the game, which was not on goal. He was fouled three times during the match, which set up scoring chances that were just never taken advantage of. Yotún has had a pretty good season overall but he didn’t do anything spectacular at all against Chicago.

MF, Sacha Kljestan, 4.5 — Kljestan had a pretty average game for his caliber. He took one shot but it wasn’t on target. The 33-year-old made some solid passes throughout but created minimal scoring chances for the offense. He didn’t do much with his 56 touches and can’t really be blamed for the loss, but as a leading player he had to be held accountable.

MF, Josué Colmán, 4 — Colmán took one of the two shots on target for the Lions, but his poor decision trying to back heel and losing possession to Dax McCarty led to Chicago taking the advantage early on. The Paraguayan was one of the players who seemed to just go through the motions rather than showing any sort of care or energy. With him being subbed off, the Lions didn’t get much better, but getting a player who seemed to not care much off the pitch was a positive.

MF, Mohamed El-Munir, 6 (MotM) — El-Munir was the best player on the pitch during the match for Orlando, in my opinion. Placed at a winger spot to start the game, El-Munir once again showed his versatility, creating numerous offensive chances and shutting down attacks on the wings. He cut off passing lanes as well as clearing the ball out of the danger area, but his production wasn’t enough to even get his team on the board. He moved to left back after the first half. Despite an poor overall team effort, El-Munir had a productive match.

F, Dom Dwyer, 4.5 — Whenever the offense does poorly, Dwyer usually has had a bad game. Dwyer easily led the team with six shots, but only one hit the target and was easily saved by Richard Sánchez, with the striker smashing the ball right off the goalkeeper’s chest on a 1-v-1 situation. Dwyer struggled throughout the match in multiple areas, from his poor shooting accuracy to his minimal amount of touches. It was a rough outing for Dwyer and the scoreline showcased the struggles of the entire offense.

Substitutes

MF, Chris Mueller, 5.5 (46’) — Mueller brought a sense of energy on to the pitch with his entrance, but he still struggled to get anything going. Mueller’s passing accuracy was a poor 68% and he only took one shot, so not much came out of the rookie off of the bench, even though he was one of the few players to show some urgency.

MF, Pierre Da Silva, 3.5 (69’) — Not much came from Da Silva, except that his first involvement of the game resulted in a Chicago goal. His lazy back pass to Yotún was easily picked off by Raheem Edwards, starting a 2-v-1 with Nemanja Nikolic against Spector. Nikolic then padded the score line with his second goal of the match. Other than that, Da Silva’s presence was never really felt at any point in the match. He didn’t do much wrong coming on for James O’Connor — after the early turnover — but he couldn’t force a comeback effort either.


Who was your Man of the Match in the loss to the Chicago Fire? Let us know in the comments.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Mohamed El-Munir24
Jonathan Spector12
Uri Rosell3
Chris Mueller11
Other18

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Three Keys to Victory

What does Orlando City need to do to earn a second victory in a row at home this Saturday?

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City is coming off its first win of the MLS regular season and will look to carry that momentum into Saturday night’s Eastern Conference matchup against the New York Red Bulls. The Lions will have several players back from international duty, making Oscar Pareja’s job a bit easier, although some of them will be on short rest. What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points against the Red Bulls?

Stop Morgan

Lewis Morgan has been on a tear this season with five goals in five matches. That is more than every Orlando City player combined so far this season. The Red Bulls were held scoreless in two matches, meaning those five goals have come in three matches, with Morgan scoring a hat trick against Inter Miami. I love that he took it to the Herons like that, but I’m going to need him to cool off a bit against the Lions.

If Orlando City is to stop Morgan it will take excellent defending from the Lions’ back line and of course Pedro Gallese, who is returning from international duty. Orlando City also gets Wilder Cartagena and David Brekalo back, meaning more of the first choice lineup will be available to keep a clean sheet. With the match at home, earning a clean sheet is all the more important.

Proper Rest and Preperation

It might seem silly to say, but having more than a few days between matches is conducive to earning points. When Orlando City was participating in the Concacaf Champions Cup, the Lions never had time to properly recover or train with a game plan for the next match. Now, the Lions are able to do so, and the result against Austin FC reflects that.

Pareja is a top level MLS coach. We know that he has a plan for about the first 20 minutes of any match, and then makes adjustments throughout the remainder of the match. Even so, many of those adjustments have been planned out prior to the match. That, paired with a more rested roster, allows the Lions to be the protagonists Pareja wants them to be.

Shots, Shots, Shots

Orlando City was able to create plenty of chances against Austin FC, and will need to do so again against the Red Bulls. The Lions took 22 shots Saturday night, with eight on target, and they put two in the back of the net against Austin. Hopefully, Orlando City can be more efficient going forward, but if you don’t create opportunities, you won’t score.

The Red Bulls have some decent defenders who Orlando City will have to deal with, including fullback John Tolkin and Carlos Coronel at keeper. If the Lions can pass even close to the way they did against Austin, the opportunities will come, and if that is the case, hopefully the goals will come. Orlando City still has a sizable goal deficit, thanks to the early part of the season, that can only be corrected with more goals on the other end.


That is what I will be looking for this Saturday night at Inter&Co Stadium. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 3/28/24

Getting to know Rafael Santos, Orlando Pride prepare for Chicago, Midge Purce out for the season, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope the work week has been treating you well as we gear up for another weekend of soccer. March flew by for me and April is shaping up to be a pretty busy month as well. In other news, I’m looking into adopting a cat and gathering the supplies to make that happen. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Getting to Know Rafael Santos

Orlando City left back Rafael Santos was the latest Lion to field questions as part of the club’s video series for fans to learn more about its players. The 26-year-old spoke about the decision process behind joining Orlando and playing outside of Brazil for the first time in his career after five years with Cruzeiro. He’s brought his attack-minded style of play to the team, particularly in terms of providing lethal crossing from the wing. Make sure to check out the full video as Santos also shared photos of his newborn and showcased his skill with a cavaquinho.

Orlando Pride Prepare to Host Chicago

After a pair of draws to start their season, the Orlando Pride will have a chance to claim their first win of the season when they host the Chicago Red Stars tomorrow night at 6 p.m. Head Coach Seb Hines spoke about how the Pride have shown plenty of resilience so far this young season. The team managed to secure a point in last week’s 1-1 draw with Angel City FC despite a patchwork back line due to injuries. That defense will likely have its hands full against Mallory Swanson and a Chicago team that won both of its first two games. Hines spoke about how the Pride are preparing for Chicago and how they will need the home crowd to bring the support tomorrow night.

Sophia Smith Signs Record-Breaking New Deal

American forward Sophia Smith signed a new contract with the Portland Thorns that will make her the highest-paid NWSL player, according to the club. The new deal will last through the 2025 season, with an option for 2026 as well. The 23-year-old was drafted by the Thorns with the first overall pick in the 2020 NWSL Draft and has gone on to score 34 regular-season goals. Smith re-signed with the club in 2022 and was set to become a free agent following this season, but will instead stay in Portland.

Midge Purce Out for NWSL Season

NJ/NY Gotham FC forward Midge Purce will miss the remainder of the NWSL season after tearing her ACL. The 28-year-old will undergo surgery and suffered the injury in her team’s 1-0 victory over the Portland Thorns this past weekend. She’s been with Gotham since 2020 and assisted on both goals in her team’s 2-1 win in the 2023 NWSL Championship. It’s a tough blow for the United States Women’s National Team too, as she will not be representing the U.S. during this summer’s Olympics in France.

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  • Orlando City B’s match against Carolina Core FC on April 14 has been rescheduled.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 3/27/24

Bally Sports will broadcast Orlando Pride matches, Pride players called up, USWNT announces SheBelieves Cup roster, and more.

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Hello, Mane Landers. I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I attended my friend’s wedding this past weekend and have been getting myself back into work mode by covering high school tennis this week. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Bally Sports Will Broadcast Select Orlando Pride Matches

Bally Sports was announced as the new local television partner for the Orlando Pride. There will be 13 select Pride matches broadcast this season across Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports Sun, and on the Bally Sports app. The partnership will begin this Friday, with the Orlando Soccer Insider show taking place before the kickoff of the Pride’s home match against the Chicago Red Stars at 7 p.m. The show will be broadcast on Bally Sports Florida, and then you can switch to the Bally Sports app to watch Friday’s match. Below are all the select matches that will be broadcast on Bally Sports this season.

Brazilian Orlando Pride Players Called Up

The Orlando Pride’s Marta, Angelina, and Luana were all called up by Brazil for next month’s SheBelieves Cup. Brazil heads into this tournament after a solid showing in the Concacaf W Gold Cup. The format is different for this year’s SheBelieves Cup, as there will only be four matches instead of six. Brazil’s first match of the tournament will be a semifinal on April 6 against Canada in Atlanta.

USWNT Announces Roster for SheBelieves Cup

United States Women’s National Team interim head coach Twila Kilgore announced the 23-player roster for the 2024 SheBelieves Cup matches next month. The USWNT has won this competition four consecutive times since 2020, and is going for a seventh title in 2024. Of those called up, 19 players on this squad were part of the team that won the Concacaf W Gold Cup earlier this month. San Diego Wave forward Jaedyn Shaw, the Concacaf W Gold Cup’s MVP, is back on the roster after she led the USWNT with four goals. The squad also includes familiar names like former Pride forward Alex Morgan, Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman, and Olympique Lyon midfielder Lindsey Horan. Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario return to the squad after being sidelined with injuries. The USWNT will begin its quest to defend its SheBelieves Cup title when it faces Japan on April 6 in Atlanta.

MLS Referees Agree to New CBA

After a lockout that resulted in Major League Soccer starting the season with replacement referees, the Professional Soccer Referees Association voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement with the Professional Referee Organization. The new CBA is a seven-year deal that runs through January of 2031. This deal will also include significant pay raises for referees, assistant referees, and video assistant referees. The PRO referees will return to the pitch for this weekend’s MLS matches.

Ukraine, Georgia, and Poland Qualify for Euro 2024

Ukraine has qualified for this summer’s Euros after edging out Iceland 2-1 in its playoff final, with Mykhaylo Mudryk scoring the winning goal in the second half. Georgia eliminated Greece 4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw to book a spot in the tournament as well. Georgia qualifies for its first major tournament after coming up short in 2020. Poland also needed penalties to qualify, with goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny making the final save against Daniel James to beat Wales 5-4 on penalties after a scoreless draw.

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

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