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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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/23/25

Orlando City signs Thomas Williams to new contract, Orlando Pride schedule revealed, USMNT wins against Costa Rica, and more.

Published

7 hours ago

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January 23, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

I hope you all are staying warm as we deal with cold weather across Florida. It’s at least been nice to break out some of my heavier blankets and forgotten hot cocoa packets I’ve had stored away. My cat has also been curling up next to me more, which is always a plus. Still, not shivering while waiting for my car to warm up would be great. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Thomas Williams Signs New Orlando City Contract

Orlando City center back Thomas Williams signed a new contract with the club that lasts through 2026, with an option for 2027 as well. Williams joined the club’s academy back in 2015 and became the youngest Homegrown Player in club history when he signed a first-team contract at 16 years old in 2021. The 20-year-old hasn’t featured much for the first team, and he’ll likely spend most of this year with Orlando City B for consistent playing time. Hopefully Williams can take a step forward in his development and provide the Lions some helpful depth at center back in the event of injuries.

Orlando Pride 2025 Season Schedule Unveiled

The NWSL announced its 2025 season schedule Wednesday, and the Orlando Pride will start their title defense season at home against the Chicago Red Stars on March 14. Their first road game will be the following weekend on March 23 against NJ/NY Gotham FC. Decision Day returns to the schedule this year, with all 14 clubs in action on Nov. 2. The Pride will close out their regular season at home that day against the Seattle Reign, with the postseason set to begin on Nov. 7. There’s also a break in the schedule in July, with no regular-season games scheduled due to international tournaments like the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and Copa America Femenina.

USMNT Shuts Out Costa Rica in Orlando

The United States Men’s National Team beat Costa Rica 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando Wednesday night to stay perfect at the home of the Lions and Pride at 7-0-0. Goalkeeper Zack Steffen truly earned his clean sheet, coming up with some great saves to deny Costa Rica. It was also a solid attacking performance from the Yanks, and Patrick Agyemang put a bow on what’s been a great month for him with his second goal in as many games. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has some time to assess things before the USMNT plays Panama in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals on March 20

Keeping Up With MLS Transfer News

San Diego FC added another Designated Player ahead of its inaugural season, signing Danish winger Anders Dreyer from Anderlecht for a transfer fee reportedly near $5 million. He recorded 31 goals and 23 assists in 87 appearances across all competitions for Anderlecht and joins San Diego on a three-year deal. Charlotte FC officially added Wilfried Zaha on loan from Galatasaray. He’ll occupy a DP spot and the loan lasts through Jan. 16, 2026, with an option to extend it through June of that year as well.

LAFC made a trade with its rival to strengthen its midfield, acquiring Mark Delgado from the LA Galaxy in exchange for $400,000 in General Allocation Money. The Portland Timbers signed Venezuelan forward Kevin Kelsy from Shakhtar Donetsk as an MLS U22 Initiative player, with FC Cincinnati receiving GAM for his discovery rights. Real Salt Lake, which signed Mason Stajduhar from Orlando City earlier this month, continued to make changes to its goalkeeping group. The club signed veteran goalkeeper Rafael Cabral as a free agent and transferred 19-year-old American Gavin Beavers to Brondby IF in Denmark.

UEFA Champions League Roundup

The penultimate round of the UEFA Champions League’s league phase wrapped up this week. Paris Saint-Germain beat Manchester City 4-2 in the heavyweight matchup of the round, with all six goals coming in the second half. Joao Neves gave PSG the lead in the 78th minute before Goncalo Ramos put the game on ice in stoppage time. City now needs to win its final game against Club Brugge on Wednesday in order to advance.

Real Madrid cruised to a 5-1 win against RB Salzburg to advance, with both Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. scoring braces. Celtic also booked its spot in the next round after a 1-0 win against Young Boys. Feyenoord pulled off an upset by winning 3-0 against Bayern Munich as well. Elsewhere in the tournament, AC Milan won 1-0 at home against Girona, Arsenal beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0, and RB Leipzig did well in a 2-1 victory over Sporting CP.

Free Kicks

  • American goalkeeper Michelle Betos announced her retirement from professional soccer after a career that included winning the 2016 NWSL Shield with the Portland Thorns and the 2023 NWSL Championship with Gotham. Betos was also named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year with the Thorns in 2015.
  • Arsenal and Chelsea are among the multiple clubs reportedly keeping an eye on American forward Trinity Rodman, whose contract with the Washington Spirit ends after this year.
https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1882171400481542482

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

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Orlando City

Orlando City Signs Defender Thomas Williams Through 2026

Orlando City signs Homegrown center back Thomas Williams to a new contract through 2026 with a club option for 2027.

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1 day ago

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January 22, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Orlando City announced this morning that the club has signed defender Thomas Williams through the 2026 season with a club option for 2027. The Homegrown Player has been with the first team since 2021 and will continue for at least two more years.

“Thomas is someone whose future we’re still very excited about and we’re happy to get him locked in with us for a couple more years,” Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi said in a club press release. “He’s shown a lot of growth these last few seasons, continuing to get game action with Orlando City B and proving the importance of our development pathway, and we’re looking forward to having him with us for the foreseeable future.”

The Titusville native joined the Orlando City Academy in 2015 and made his professional debut for the club on Aug. 7, 2020 against New England Revolution II. He played in 13 games that year with 10 starts and recorded 844 minutes. His play on the Young Lions’ back line earned him a first-team contract on June 15, 2021, at just 16 years old, making him the youngest player in club history to sign a Homegrown contract.

The 20-year-old center back made his MLS debut on April 16, 2022 in a 2-0 win over the Columbus Crew in Ohio. He made five appearances with three starts in all competitions that season, recording 271 minutes. To date, those are the only appearances he’s made with the first team.

Since joining OCB in 2021, Williams has made 69 appearances with 61 starts and recorded 5,132 minutes. He’s been booked 19 times and sent off twice, both times after receiving second yellow cards.

What It Means for Orlando City

Williams is the fourth natural center back for Orlando City on the current squad behind Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Rodrigo Schlegel. He played well early in his OCB and MLS career, but has struggled recently. Last year, he played exclusively with the second team, partnering with Nabi Kibunguchy.

While Williams hasn’t made much of an impact on the first team so far, he’s only 20 years old and still has plenty of time to develop. Extending his contact shows that the club still has faith that he can turn into a key player for the MLS side.

It’s unlikely that Williams will see any time with the first team in 2025 (barring injuries and/or suspensions), considering that he’s also been behind versatile defender Kyle Smith at the center back position. He’ll likely spend the upcoming season with OCB, continuing to develop and earn his spot with the first team. As a Homegrown Player, there isn’t much risk in signing Williams to a new contract, especially if the club’s technical staff thinks he can develop into a quality defender.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/22/25

Orlando City transfer rumors, Orlando Pride preseason begins, USMNT at Inter&Co, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

January 22, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The ManeLand

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Up here in Tallahassee, I’m waking up to snow/sleet, closed schools, closed government offices, and potentially icy roads. Many people will get an extra day off of work, however, I still get to go to work. I’m sure you can imagine how happy I am about that. Enough of my winter grumbling. Let’s get to the links but not until after we wish Orlando City fullback Michael Halliday a happy 22nd birthday.

Orlando City Reportedly Targeting Croatian International

While I can no longer say that Orlando City hasn’t signed any new players, the club is still moving at its traditionally slow speed as compared to other MLS clubs. We had the signing of Nicolas Rodriguez last week. Now, we have Tom Bogert report of yet another winger prospect for the club in Croatian Marco Pasalic from HNK Rijeka, though it is not a done deal. Hopefully the other targets Bogert mentions are of the striker variety.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881755961125449765?s=46&t=pMoq7Wulqfb35D7C8ydroA

Pride Preseason Begins

The 2024 NWSL champions are back to defend their title. The Orlando Pride returned to training on Tuesday. The club hasn’t needed to add many pieces, though some of the players already here, like Simone Charley and Grace Chanda, haven’t actually played any minutes for the Pride yet. Most of the chemistry is in place for Seb Hines, but reinforcing those bonds will be the challenge as the Pride look to repeat.

USMNT at Inter&Co Tonight

Hopefully you have tickets to the USMNT friendly match versus Costa Rica at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. The match starts at 7 p.m. and there are television and streaming options if you’re not going in person. Despite the squad having 14 players with three or fewer caps, Mauricio Pochettino does not consider this an “alternative” squad, nor does he want the players to think of themselves like that.

Girma Reportedly Nearing Completion of Chelsea Move

USWNT defender Naomi Girma is reportedly headed to Chelsea FC Women for a record $1.1 million transfer fee. That is a very big chunk of change for San Diego FC to use to try to replace one of the best defenders in the world. The deal is not complete as of Tuesday evening, but according to the original report from The Athletic, it is close to being done. Girma would be the first women’s soccer player to earn a transfer fee of over $1 million.

MLS Transfer Updates

Other MLS clubs keep on putting pen to paper when it comes to new players. The Chicago Fire are bringing in Jonathan Bamba on a Designated Player deal from La Liga side Celta de Vigo. The Luca de la Torre loan from Spain’s RC Celta de Vigo to San Diego FC is also official.

https://twitter.com/sandiegofc/status/1881741042904350864

Cucho Hernandez evidently wants to stay with the Columbus Crew, though he is still waiting on a new offer.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881786193693823104

Free Kicks

https://twitter.com/weareangelcity/status/1881749040863588770?s=12&t=_WZBNG4ILAyRLdwBeB4mpQ
  • Keep your eyes peeled later today for the NWSL schedule drop.
https://twitter.com/nwsl/status/1881749035218042954?s=46&t=pN-YJp3s7ZQlCXqnTAgSfw

That will do it for today. Stay warm out there, my friends. Vamos Orlando!

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