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Orlando City

The Great Pretenders II: For the Second Straight Year Orlando City Squandered an Outstanding Start

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6 years ago

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For the second consecutive season, the promise of a great start to the MLS campaign devolved into a relentlessly brutal summer and fall that saw Orlando City set new club marks for futility since joining the top flight prior to 2015. The Lions began the season with injuries and suspensions, then put together a club record six straight wins before setting a new club mark for consecutive losses, with nine, and ultimately finishing the year in a 2-20-3 free fall.

A year ago I wrote about how the Lions squandered a 6-1-0 start to the 2017 season and eventually collapsed and it was nearly the same story in 2018 — only worse. So how did it happen (again)?

Orlando City GM Niki Budalic and then-coach Jason Kreis overhauled the roster in the off-season and nearly every move seemed like a good one. The club brought in a variety of players who seemed to offer improvement across every position group. The attack was bolstered with the additions of veterans Sacha Kljestan and Justin Meram from top Eastern Conference rivals. A Young Designated Player was signed in the person of Josué Colmán, who was expected to be ready to step in and play right away despite being a teenager.

The SuperDraft brought in exciting rookie Chris Mueller and the Lions took a chance that Brazilian Stefano Pinho could translate two NASL Golden Boot-winning efforts to the MLS level and that another year of pro soccer would have Richie Laryea and Pierre Da Silva ready to contribute when needed. Additionally, the club took a flier on promising former LA Galaxy Homegrown Player Jose Villarreal. The lack of striker depth was obvious behind Dom Dwyer, but, through some combination of Pinho, Mueller, Meram, and Colmán, it seemed there were players who could fill in as a second striker in Kreis’ 4-4-2 or a shape change to a 4-2-3-1 could mitigate the issue.

In the defensive midfield, the club signed former MLS star Oriol Rosell, a standout on a championship team with Sporting Kansas City, who seemed to be the perfect player to play the bottom of the diamond midfield or partner with Yoshimar Yotún in central midfield. With Will Johnson, Cristian Higuita, and Tony Rocha on the roster, defensive midfield seemed set with both talent and depth.

The back line, a problem area for the club since joining MLS, was given a lot of attention. Fullback strength was added through presumed new starter Mohamed El-Munir and depth was added in RJ Allen on the right side. Donny Toia could slide into a backup role on the left in a battle with PC behind El-Munir. The club brought in multiple center backs in Bundesliga starting caliber defender Lamine Sané, MLS veteran Chris Schuler, and journeyman Amro Tarek — a player with international experience with Egypt. It seemed some combination would partner well with Jonathan Spector and Scott Sutter to form a solid MLS back line.

Even more depth was added by re-signing former MLS Rookie of the Year Dillon Powers and trading for promising rookie Cam Lindley. The roster seemed formidable, but the obvious problem was getting all the new faces to jell.

But nothing seemed to go right in 2018. It began with late arrivals and key preseason injuries — notably to Dwyer and Rosell — along with a two-game suspension for Kljestan due to an incident in the previous year’s playoffs while he was with New York.

Despite that, Orlando earned a dramatic late draw in the season opener on a Pinho goal while the Lions were down a man for a significant portion of the match. A close loss to Minnesota United and a road defeat at New York City were concerning but not overly so.

Then things started to click. Players began to return to the lineup and the club went on a six-game run from March 31-May 6, beating four eventual 2018 playoff teams in that span. The loss that snapped the streak was a well-played match against Atlanta United that saw an iffy penalty on Higuita and a few other questionable decisions figure heavily in a 2-1 final. Then came another narrow 2-1 loss — this time on the road at Toronto on late mistakes by El-Munir and Johnson that allowed the Reds to steal all three points near the end of normal time. The third consecutive 2-1 loss was a late dagger from distance by Alan Gordon against the Chicago Fire in another match in which Orlando mostly performed well, but couldn’t quite finish.

Those results weren’t good but at least the performances were there. Then the wheels fell off.

By this time, Meram’s struggles to find his form were coming to a head and injuries started to pop up again en masse. It got so bad that the club’s fourth center back, Chris Schuler, played through a broken arm and Kreis was playing a center back pairing of Allen and Rocha. In addition, Yotún departed for World Cup duty with Peru. It was the perfect storm, and Orlando lost by multiple goals in six consecutive league games, including scores of 3-0, 5-2, 3-0, 2-0, 4-0, and 4-1. Before that streak ended, Orlando had run Kreis out of town while the club still lingered above the playoff line and just as some of those injured stars were returning to either form or the lineup.

Since there was no immediate replacement, the Lions struggled under interim coach Bobby Murphy, falling further off the pace. By the time James O’Connor took the helm, Orlando was below the line and the losses were piling up.

O’Connor had to quickly deal with a Meram situation that had become untenable and figure out what the players he had could do and which ones were willing to buy in. A 2-1 win over Toronto FC in O’Connor’s home debut on July 14 offered promise, with only a consolation goal conceded at the death marring a complete performance.

That was it. From that point on the club finished on a 1-11-3 skid and lost in every way imaginable, and at least two that weren’t fathomable at all (at D.C. and Columbus). Meram was shipped back to Columbus, the club added center back Shane O’Neill and defender/midfielder Carlos Ascues, and did nothing to address the attack, possibly owing to being up against the cap or just not being able to land the players the Lions wanted.

Nobody seemed to have the answers. The front office assured fans and media that the roster was not the problem, hence the firing of Kreis. The assurance was that the next coach could win with the players in place and no major rebuild would be necessary. Either the front office vastly overrated the work done in the off-season or hired a coach who could not, in fact, win with the roster in place. But it’s difficult to see how O’Connor could field a workable lineup with such a dearth of attacking talent — because by then it was obvious that Pinho had not adjusted to the MLS level, Mueller had been struggling after a promising start, no replacement for Meram was brought in, and Colmán was obviously not ready to play significant minutes.

O’Connor was playing interesting lineups comprised mainly of defensive midfielders with the hope that Yotún and the fullbacks could replace the missing creativity. They certainly tried (Yotún reached double digit assists and Sutter scored three goals) but usually Dwyer seemed on an island, stranded far from his service.

As I write this, we’re awaiting the news of which Lions will have their contract options picked up and which will not. Budalic has stated there is some roster flexibility but the top end of the roster seems etched in stone. Rumor has it that El-Munir won’t be retained, and while I feel he could be a good wingback in a 3-4-3, his defensive lapses don’t translate well to a four-man back line and he’s pricey, so his might be a sacrifice with both another move in mind and with an eye on spending his salary elsewhere. But that’s all conjecture at this point.

What we do know is that Orlando City is coming off a historically bad season and that change is needed. O’Connor has been hired, so it’s only fair he have an opportunity to build a team in the mold he envisions. Whether that will ultimately be successful remains to be seen. This off-season will be another busy one and it’s unlikely O’Connor can fix everything that was broken in just one transfer window, so we’re likely in for another long season in 2019. Whether ownership and the front office will allow O’Connor the requisite time or blow everything up by midseason again if things aren’t going well…time will tell.

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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.

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2 hours ago

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January 22, 2025

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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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/21/25

Orlando Pride release preseason camp roster, scouting Costa Rica, women’s soccer transfer grades, and more.

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1 day ago

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January 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone! If you had yesterday off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, then I hope you enjoyed some restful time off. If not, then I hope you got your week started off on a good and productive note. There’s a lot going on around here this week as the United States Men’s National Team is in town, and Orlando City will play its first preseason match on Saturday. That means we have plenty to discuss, so let’s dig into today’s links.

Orlando Pride Drop Preseason Roster

Monday might have been a holiday but the Orlando Pride were busy, as they announced the roster for their upcoming preseason camp. Almost all of the usual suspects from the 2024 season are back, as the Pride return 98% of the player-minutes from last season and every single scorer. Mariana Larroquette is on the list although she’s currently on loan in Argentina, and Amanda Allen is likewise included after her loan at Lexington Sporting Club was terminated due to a torn labrum. The biggest intrigue comes from the trio of non-roster invitees: goalkeeper DeAira Jackson, midfielder Aryssa Mahrt, and forward Simone Jackson.

Scouting Costa Rica

The USMNT takes on Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium to wrap up the team’s annual January camp. Like the U.S., Costa Rica is bringing a roster devoid of the majority of its important players. Costa Rica also has a new manager at the helm in Miguel Herrera, who will take charge of the team for the very first time on Wednesday. Herrera typically lines his teams up in a 5-3-2 where the wingbacks take on a very important role and the team looks to hit on the counter while staying compact at the back. This will be the last time we see the USMNT in action until the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in early March.

Women’s Soccer January Transfer Grades

January has been a busy time for transfers in the women’s soccer world, so which teams have done the best business? Well, the Orlando Pride received an A grade for signing Marta to a new two-year deal, retaining a player who helped the team win its first ever trophies. Liverpool got an A for signing Julia Bartel on loan from Chelsea. Leicester City made an interesting call by transferring goalkeeper Lize Kop to Tottenham despite just being a point above the relegation zone. The Foxes get a C for the move, while Spurs get a B+ for adding a capable netminder.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans taking part in some very important games over the course of this week. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus face Club Brugge today in the UEFA Champions League, while Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Esmir Bajraktarević, Malik Tillman and PSV Eindhoven take on Crvena Zvezda in the same competition. Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan will play Girona in the UCL on Wednesday, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic take on Young Boys. On Friday, John Tolkin could make his Bundesliga debut when his new team, Holstein Kiel, travels to face Wolfsburg.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride players reported for their preseason physicals on Monday.
  • Meanwhile, Orlando City took on the dreaded beep test during Monday’s training session.

That’s all I have for you today. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Striker Suddenly a Position of Need for Orlando City

Departures and a key injury mean Orlando City needs a striker heading into the 2025 MLS season.

Published

2 days ago

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January 20, 2025

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Image Courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City reached the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in 2024, a milestone for the club. The core of the team was locked up through the 2025 season, so there was no reason to believe it needed to add much this off-season. Unfortunately, injuries and departures have created a serious problem for the team.

The group of forwards last year consisted of Duncan McGuire, Ramiro Enrique, and Jack Lynn. McGuire scored 15 goals in 2023 and was expected to depart for Blackburn Rovers before a clerical error allowed the Lions to keep their target man. The team’s primary striker scored 11 goals in 37 games — the same number as the previous season — but split time starting with Enrique. The Argentinian improved greatly in 2024, increasing his total goal tally from four to 12. Even Lynn showed tremendous improvement last year, playing a greater role in the team and scoring his first two MLS goals.

The future also seemed bright for the Orlando City forwards because of their ages. Lynn is the oldest of the trio at just 25 years old. Meanwhile, McGuire and Enrique are only 23, so there was no reason to believe this group couldn’t produce this coming season.

The problem at striker began in the postseason when McGuire was pulled down by Charlotte FC midfielder Djibril Diani in the final first round game of the playoffs. McGuire suffered a shoulder injury during the challenge that required surgery on Dec. 13. It’s expected that the striker could take four to five months to return to action, possibly leaving him out until May or June.

Another blow to Orlando’s attack occurred Saturday when Lynn surprisingly announced his retirement from professional soccer. In just over a month, Orlando City went from having three strikers to having just one as preseason training starts.

With McGuire injured and Lynn gone, one option would be to have Designated Player Luis Muriel play up top. However, the Colombian prefers to play a more withdrawn position and proved to be effective in that role last year. Since Head Coach Oscar Pareja prefers to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, the Lions need someone up top to control the ball and involve the midfielders in the attack. That’s not Muriel’s game.

The result of these issues is that nobody is currently behind Enrique when the season begins. If the Argentinian gets tired, hurt, or simply needs rest, Pareja is limited in his options. 

Whether there was a lack of strikers or a lack of goals from the position previously, that problem was resolved by the club’s all-time leading goal scorer. Facundo Torres scored 20 goals in 2024, becoming the first player in Orlando City’s MLS history and the second player in club history to do so. He went on to set a new club record for total goals of 47.

However, Orlando City sold its best player to Brazilian side Palmeiras on Dec. 20. It was a gut punch to fans as Torres had signed a new contract on Jan. 10, 2024 that ran through the 2026 season. There had been talk for the last couple of years that the attacker would look for a move to Europe and rumors of a move to South America arose this off-season. Still, it created a huge gap the club has to fill.

There are players on the roster that can make up for the injury and departures. Martin Ojeda had a strong season in 2024, finishing with seven goals and 13 assists. His seven goals ranked fourth on the team and his 13 assists topped the squad alongside Nico Lodeiro. Muriel came on strong later in the season, finishing with five goals and eight assists. But those numbers are a long way from the 20 goals that Torres tallied last year.

Even if you consider all goal contributions, Ojeda and Muriel fall well short of Torres. Ojeda had a total of 20 goal contributions in 2024 while Muriel had 13. In addition to Torres’s 20 goals, he added nine assists for a team-leading 29 goal contributions.

All of this information leads to one undeniable fact — Orlando City needs to sign a striker prior to the season. And there’s not much time for Luiz Muzzi to act. The European transfer window closes on Feb. 3 and many MLS teams have already been filling similar needs. With the season starting in just over a month, the options will be limited if the Lions don’t do something soon.

After the best postseason finish in Orlando City’s MLS history, things were looking good heading into 2025. While the back line and most of the midfield is returning, McGuire’s injury and the departure of Torres and Lynn have left the Lions in a tough spot offensively. If they don’t do something in the next couple of weeks, it could be a long 2025.

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