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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Seattle Sounders: Final Score 2-1 as Lions’ Comeback Falls Short

The Lions snap a five-game scoreless drought but still can’t get back in the win column.

Published

6 years ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Coming into the game without a win in the last 12 MLS matches and no goals in the last five, Orlando City (7-21-4, 25 points) came out slowly again and it looked like another blowout was at hand. However, after going down two goals, the Lions made adjustments, Seattle defended in numbers and Orlando got back into the game off a Dom Dwyer goal. One goal was all the Lions could muster though, and the Seattle Sounders (16-11-5, 53 points) won 2-1 and clinched a playoff spot in front of an announced crowd of 22,344 at Orlando City Stadium.

“I think obviously the first half started really poorly and we gave away two really poor goals,” Orlando City Head Coach James O’Connor said. “The second half, I felt we came at them a little bit, had a little bit more energy. I thought we started to cause them a few more problems, have maybe more pressure in their half and obviously got the goal.

“I think when we got the goal we are then hopeful that we are going to go on and get something from the game. I think we needed to get more numbers into the box. It’s indicative of the way the season has gone for us with the type of goals we’ve giving away so early on and made it really difficult for us to get back into the game.”

After serving his suspension, Dwyer returned to the starting XI and got back on the score sheet. Dwyer now has 13 goals on the year. Adam Grinwis got his second start in as many games and Cristian Higuita started in an attacking position at right midfield.

Fans might have missed the first goal of the match as Seattle started quickly and in just the third minute the Lions let one in. Kelvin Leerdam had time outside the box, looked up, and saw Victor Rodriguez wide open and making a run into the box. Rodriguez flicked the ball over Grinwis, who was caught in no man’s land, and put Seattle up 1-0. It was poor defending all around for Orlando. Seattle had too much time and space in the midfield and easily got the ball out wide. Chris Mueller didn’t close down Leerdam and neither Lamine Sané nor Shane O’Neill picked up the goal scorer.

Ten minutes later, it was Handwalla Bwana’s turn to find the back of net. His shot would have been a routine save from Grinwis but O’Neill deflected it, and the Sounders doubled their lead. Once again it was poor one-on-one defending that created this goal. Sacha Kljestan never challenged Rodriguez, Bwana walked his way around Scott Sutter, and O’Neill should have blocked it in front of Grinwis.

“It’s never easy [going 2-0 down] but I think we really battled in the second half,” said Dwyer. “We have a tendency recently to slow towards the end of games and I think we were going for it at the end of the game today and that’s a real positive to take from it.”

There were some bright spots for the Lions in the first half, albeit not many. For a span of about three minutes starting in the 37th minute, Orlando City was in the final third and looked dangerous. It started with Kljestan playing a sneaky through ball to Dwyer and the Lions earned a corner. It was unsuccessful but the ball fell to Sutter deep outside the area and his rocket of a shot forced Stefan Frei into a save.

While the on-field production showed Orlando City getting blown out, the first half stats were eerily similar. Both teams had seven shots, Seattle had two more shots on target (3-1), the Lions made just six more passes (270-264), and possession was a 51%-49% split in favor of Orlando.

“We came out a little bit better and a little bit sharper [in the second half], and if we could play the entire game like that, we’d have a chance,” said Dwyer. “We started out a bit slow, we were punished early, and that’s how the game goes sometimes. We almost got ourselves back into the game and if there was another 10 minutes I think we would have.”

The second half continued where the first left off and the Lions had no energy and were second best. O’Connor switched things up a little and changed from a 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-3, with Dom up top and Kljestan and Higuita playing underneath him.

“I think regardless of formation, basic principals of defending are to deny space and to be compact,” O’Connor said. “So whether you’re playing with a back three or back four you need to be compact vertically and horizontally. It’s basic stuff.”

Then, out of nowhere, against the run of play, Orlando City ended its goalless drought at 507 minutes when Dwyer found the back of the net in the 57th minute. The Lions were moving the ball fairly well and Mueller got it out wide to Sutter. The fullback sent in a cross in and found Dwyer at the back post, and the striker passed it into the back of the net.

“I think [Dwyer’s goal] definitely gave us a lift that we were looking for,” Sutter said. “To get that much-needed 2-1 to get a bit of momentum. I think the second half was a good all around effort. We were knocking on the door for quite awhile. Just a shame really. I thought we deserved a draw and I think we put a lot into it and just a shame that the slow start punished us.”

After the goal, neither team had any good chances at goal but Orlando looked more threatening. Still, the game was played almost entirely in the middle third of the field. Seattle seemed content in holding onto its one-goal lead, and Orlando City did not have enough quality to breakdown the Sounders’ defense.

In the last 10 minutes of the match, Orlando City finally starting to get into the final third, but Seattle played with all 11 men behind the ball. Kljestan had multiple shots that failed to hit the target. Josúe Colmán took a crack in the 88th minute from outside the box that went inches wide. Will Johnson tried an over-the-head kick that was badly mistimed. With six minutes of stoppage time it looked like Orlando might have a chance to tie it up but could not find a second goal.

The Lions actually led in shots, thanks to the late surge (15-9), but only managed to get three on target. The Orlando defense held Seattle to just two shots in the second half, neither of which were on target. Orlando City had the advantage in most statistical categories — possession (54%-46%), passes (543-470), and corners (6-3) — but couldn’t find the tying goal.

“I think it’s just pride now,” Dwyer said about the last few games. “Obviously the season is done for us; there’s no chance at getting in the playoffs. We’ve understood that for awhile. It’s really just showing that pride and you know that will to win. We have guys that want to win and now we just have to go out there and do it.”

The Lions play in their last home game of 2018 on Sunday against the Columbus Crew.

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Orlando City

How Orlando City’s Offense Stacks Up Against What Atlanta Does Defensively

How Orlando City has performed against teams playing with three or four defenders, and how that may influence the playoff game against Atlanta United.

Published

18 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The most famous quote about real estate is that “there are three things that matter in property: location, location, location.” Soccer coaches also like to think in threes, especially when it comes to points, but for a soccer coach, the three things that matter might be the rhyming triplet “formation, formation, formation,” as that is where they will have the biggest influence on every game that their team plays.

Throughout his tenure as head coach, Óscar Pareja has preferred to use a 4-2-3-1 as his formation (fbref.com’s lineup data shows that the Lions primarily played a 4-2-3-1 in 65% of their MLS matches this season, and 79% of their MLS matches during the last three seasons). The Lions have lined up in a 4-2-3-1 during each of their last 14 games, and my confidence level is strong to quite strong (can you believe Meet the Parents came out 24 years ago?) that they will do so once again on Sunday when they host Atlanta United.

Atlanta United also prefers to deploy a 4-2-3-1, but was less consistent than Orlando City this season during MLS play, as evidenced by the chart below that shows how Atlanta lined up this season:

The purpose of this image is a table to show how Atlanta United lined up in 2024 (mostly in a 4-2-3-1 but also in one of six other formations).

I am relying on the coders at Opta for their evaluation of the formation, as I do not watch a lot of Atlanta United matches (sounds terrible), but though Atlanta primarily played with four defenders in more than two-thirds of its matches, during the last two matches it played a 3-5-2, the only two matches all season in which interim coach Rob Valentino rolled out that formation. I suspect that the formation change was related partially to playing Inter Miami and trying to defend the Herons’ dynamic offense and partially due to an injury suffered by defender Brooks Lennon in the first game of that series. So, while Atlanta primarily played four in the back for most of the season, there is a good chance it will roll with what worked against Florida’s second-best MLS team when it plays Florida’s best MLS team this weekend.

Now, if you want to read more about Atlanta, then you can read our match preview, which will drop Sunday morning, but I want to look at how Orlando did against teams that play similar styles. Looking only at MLS games, the table below shows how Orlando City performed against different back line structures this season (the left side is how the Lions’ opponents lined up, the right side is how Orlando City performed against opponents in those formations):

Table embedded as an image showing Orlando City doing best in goal differential in 12 games against three-man back lines, second best against four-man back lines, and having played once against a five-man back line (a 1-1 draw).

Orlando City earned slightly more points per game — the stat that matters most — against teams that played four in the back, but the Lions had a better average goal differential when teams played three in the back. Atlanta will likely deploy one of those two formations. In both games against Orlando City this season, Sunday’s visitors went with a 4-2-3-1, but as mentioned earlier, they used three in the back in each of their last two matches, so it really could be either.

Soccer is not like baseball, where players primarily stay in the same spot throughout the game, so some of these stats have to be taken with a grain of salt, as players are not always rigidly in the same position throughout a match. A team may also primarily play with four in the back but switch to three when chasing a game, or five when trying to protect against a late goal.

That said, using the data around Orlando City’s opponents’ general formations, here are the attacking groups who played the most frequently against four defenders during the 24 MLS games where Opta coded the opponents as using a defensive group of four:

Table embedded as an image showing the most frequently used lineups against teams who deploy four defenders. The most frequently used attacking group has a plus eight goal differential for the season.

It is a little ominous that the main starting group, shown in row one, has played 666 MLS minutes against back lines of four this season, but do I like that green goal differential of +8 in those minutes, which is a strong +1.08 per 90 minutes. I like that goal differential more than I like all the things that Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin like on their song that is creatively named “I Like It.” Coincidentally, when people ask me what I think about that song, I say, “I like it.” I am very creative.

If we look at the lineups that Orlando City has used against back lines of three defenders then there are some pretty major differences in personnel groupings, but it must be noted that more than half of the games against teams playing three in the back came early in the season, when Ramiro Enrique was unavailable to play. Enrique, my presumed starter at striker, has played fewer than three games’ worth of minutes (265 total) against back lines of three this season, and only 28 minutes with the main starting group, which ranks 13th among all the attacking lineups for minutes played against three defenders. That group scored one goal in their 28 minutes together though, for a robust 3.21 goals-scored-per-90-minutes average.

While the team as a whole has been successful against three-man back lines, I do not expect any of the lineups shown in the table below to play more than a few minutes together this weekend, though the first row and the last row are strong groups and had a lot of success.

Table embedded as an image showing the most frequently used lineups against teams who deploy three defenders. The most frequently used attacking group has a plus three goal differential for the season.

I am sure that all week long the Orlando City coaching staff has been going back and forth on whether it is more likely that Atlanta reverts to its most commonly used four in the back, or if the Five Stripes try for three wins in a row with three in the back. I would prefer that Atlanta plays with zero defenders and goalkeeper Brad Guzan wears a blindfold, but I think that is unlikely to be the case.

Even though Atlanta defeated Orlando City both times while in a 4-2-3-1, based on available personnel and recent results, I believe that the team will come out in a 3-5-2 in Inter&Co Stadium in the conference semifinal. Good things come in threes, and Orlando City’s best offensive production this season has been against three defenders, so I am going to be hoping that this continues, and in the third game against Atlanta the Lions grab the three points. Three’s company!

Well, it is a playoff game, so there are no actual points at stake, but you know what I meant.

Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to get a victory to advance to the Eastern Conference final?

Published

20 hours ago

on

November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City continues its playoff journey against Atlanta United Sunday at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions are coming off an emotional penalty shootout win over Charlotte FC in their best-of-three, first-round series. Likewise, Atlanta United stunned everyone by taking out Inter Miami to advance in its own best-of-three matchup. Now, the rivals meet in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

What does Orlando City need to do to get past Atlanta United to advance to the Easter Conference final?

Beat Guzan

Brad Guzan made 16 saves over Atlanta’s three matches against Inter Miami, including seven in the 3-2 win on the road in Game 3. The 40-year-old former USMNT keeper is in excellent form and is a big reason why the Five Stripes are facing Orlando City. Converting chances against Guzan will be crucial to earning a result. There have been times this season when the Lions have struggled to convert their chances. Despite that, the team has done enough offensively to get to this point. Facundo Torres, Martin Ojeda, Duncan McGuire, Ramiro Enrique, and others have contributed and will need to do so this weekend.

Cartagena is Essential

Orlando City lost twice to Atlanta United during the regular season. What is interesting, and perhaps relevant, is that Wilder Cartagena was out for both of those matches. Cartagena was shown a straight red in the match against Minnesota United prior to the first match against Atlanta way back in March. He was shown a yellow card in the match against FC Cincinnati and then served a yellow card accumulation suspension for the final match of the season against Atlanta. Fortunately for Orlando City, Cartagena will be available for the match this weekend. I’ve mentioned before the importance of Cartagena to Orlando City’s success. When he and Cesar Araujo are on the field together, the defense is simply better. Cartagena is frankly one of the better defensive midfielders in MLS. Atlanta scored five goals in the series against Miami, and Orlando will need to keep the visitors from having that kind of offensive success.

Overcome the Past

That darn international break in the middle of the playoffs is something I don’t love. More precisely, I don’t like it because Orlando City often struggles after a break. It would have been nice if Orlando City could have ridden the momentum from the penalty kick victory into the Atlanta match, but that’s not to be. Now is the time for Orlando City to break some bad habits, including turning around its historical lack of success against Atlanta, and tendency to struggle in the first match after a break. Oscar Pareja needs to have the players in the right frame of mind, and the players need to execute the plan. A full house of supporters can also make a difference. Given it’s a Sunday afternoon match, there’s no reason not to pack the house.

That is what I will be looking for Sunday afternoon. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/21/24

Marta’s chance to shine in NWSL Championship, NWSL and MLS award winners announced, 2025 SheBelieves Cup details, and more.

Published

24 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve been spending most of this week plotting out some holiday shopping to make things a little less stressful for myself over the next few weeks. A big weekend filled with Orlando soccer awaits us, so make sure to get any errands or obligations out of the way sooner rather than later. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Spotlight Falls On Marta in NWSL Championship

There are plenty of storylines heading into Saturday’s NWSL Championship between the Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit, including Marta’s opportunity to put an exclamation point on what has been an excellent season for the Pride. Orlando has been enjoying the fruits of its labor this season after a rebuild over the past few years that’s included plenty of change in the City Beautiful. Marta has been a constant, however, enduring some difficult seasons since joining the Pride and adapting her game She’s scored in both of the Pride’s playoff games so far and has a chance to author a storybook ending on Saturday.

Ann-Katrin Berger Named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year

NJ/NY Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was named 2024 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year, beating out the Pride’s Anna Moorhouse and Utah Royals FC’s Mandy Haught for the honor. It was Berger’s first year in the NWSL and she’s the first European player to win the award. She only conceded 16 goals across her 22 matches for Gotham this season and was a key reason behind her team’s success. I’m not too surprised that Moorhouse did not win, considering how solid the Pride’s defense was as a whole, but this won’t take anything away from a record-breaking season for her.

Wilfried Nancy Named MLS Coach of the Year

Columbus Crew Head Coach Wilfried Nancy was voted 2024 MLS Coach of the Year after a historic season in which the Crew set club records in both points and goals. The Crew also won the Leagues Cup this summer and their 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup campaign included advancing past Tigres and Monterrey en route to the final. This is Nancy’s first time being named Coach of the Year and he has been a finalist for the award every year since 2021. The Frenchman received 40.02% of the vote, winning the award over Inter Miami’s Gerardo Martino and Colorado Rapids Head Coach Chris Armas.

2025 SheBelieves Cup Details Unveiled

The 10th annual SheBelieves Cup will take place next year and the tournament will return to its usual format where each of the four teams plays each other once. The United States Women’s National Team will host Japan, Colombia, and Australia in February in what should be an exciting tournament. The U.S. will take on Colombia on Feb. 20 in Houston before facing Australia in Arizona on Feb. 23 and finishing the tournament on Feb. 26 against Japan at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. These games will also be the first domestic games of 2025 for the USWNT as it prepares to qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.

Eric Quill Named FC Dallas Head Coach

FC Dallas announced that Eric Quill will become the team’s next head coach. Quill joins Dallas after a great year with New Mexico United that included trips to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals and USL Championship Western Conference semifinals. It’s also a reunion of sorts for Quill, as he previously coached North Texas SC and was named USL League One Coach of the Year with the club in 2019. Dallas missed out on the playoffs this season, with Peter Luccin coaching the team on an interim basis after the firing of Nico Estevez in June.

Free Kicks

  • District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser challenged Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer to a bet involving this weekend’s NWSL Championship, with embarrassing lightshows on the line.

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

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