Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City at New York City FC: Final Score 2-0 as Lions Remain Winless in 2018

Despite some reinforcements on the pitch, a sloppy performance gifted the hosts two easy goals.

Published

6 years ago

on

Nick Leyva, The Mane Land

Orlando City gifted New York City FC a pair of easy goals off turnovers in the second half and the Lions fell to 0-2-1 on the young season after a sloppy St. Patrick’s Day matinee at Yankee Stadium. Ismael Tajouri-Shradi found the breakthrough in the 62nd minute after Yoshimar Yotun’s difficult back pass led to Joe Bendik’s turnover in the box. Sacha Kljestan’s defensive third miscue set the stage for Maxi Moralez to double the score in the 74th.

It was a typical game at Yankee Stadium, with the ball pinging off shins all over the place, nobody having time on the ball, no real build-up play from either side, and, in the end, a couple of mistakes making the difference.

Orlando (0-2-1, 1 point) falls to 5-3-2 in the all-time series after a game that was evenly played for an hour turned on two horror plays in a 12-minute span and New York City FC (3-0-0, 9 points) — playing without David Villa — took full advantage.

Jason Kreis made a few changes to the lineup, inserting RJ Allen at right back for Scott Sutter, alongside Jonathan Spector, Amro Tarek, and Mohamed El-Munir. Cristian Higuita got his first start, playing the base of the diamond beneath Will Johnson and Yotun, with Kljestan debuting as a Lion at the top of the midfield. Chris Mueller and Justin Meram started up top. Josué Colmán made the 18 for the first time and eventually made his MLS debut.

The first half was largely devoid of scoring chances, with the action pinballing back and forth between the two penalty areas. New York City was the sharper team in the final third but couldn’t really generate many opportunities despite their passing and possession advantage.

The Lions got the first good look just five minutes in, but Mueller’s shot from just above the penalty spot was deflected over the bar and out for a corner. Moralez nearly got in behind off a Jesus Medina pass, but he was offside at the 10-minute mark.

Spector had a scary minute in the 16th, clashing heads with Maxime Chanot in the air on a corner kick. After a few minutes to collect himself and get checked out, Specs returned to the match.

Meram got the game’s first shot on goal in the 32nd minute, firing from the left side just above the penalty area. However, his attempt was too close to goalkeeper Sean Johnson, who made a comfortable save. Allen’s cross nearly found its way inside the back post a minute later, but Johnson was wise to the danger and caught it.

In the 34th, the hosts nearly broke through. Rodney Wallace’s shot went off the right post and the Lions were able to clear the danger on the rebound.

The Lions nearly sprung Kljestan in the 39th minute, but Alexander Ring made a nice play to backtrack and get in between City’s attacking midfielder and the ball to prevent a scoring chance. Orlando got a stoppage-time corner for the final chance of the half, but the cross fell just inches behind Johnson’s foot and he couldn’t sweep it back far enough to get a shot. The teams went to the break deadlocked at 0-0.

Each team attempted three shots in the opening period but only one was on target — Meram’s saved effort. The Lions had only a paltry 37% of the possession, but they seemed comfortable laying back and waiting to spring the counter. The trouble with that was a lack of sharpness in the final third, with Meram in particular missing on passes around the area. Orlando City connected on just 65% of its passes in the first 45 minutes and just 53% in the final third.

Spector could not continue and subbed out at the half, giving Lamine Sané his MLS debut.

Seven minutes after the restart, Meram came within inches of snapping the scoreless tie and scoring his first Orlando City goal, but his shot fizzed inches wide of the goal in the 52nd minute. A minute later, Moralez did the same thing at the other end for New York City.

Meram got to the end line in the 57th minute and cut a pass back into the box but it was behind Kljestan as the Lions continued their lack of clinical play in the final third. Three minutes later, Meram tried to send in Allen but overcooked his pass and it went harmlessly out for a goal kick.

Five minutes later, the hosts got on the board. Higuita’s nonchalant pass in the midfield was easily cut out and started the play toward Bendik’s goal, Yotun sniffed out the danger and seemed to have everything calmed down but he stayed on the ball far too long and eventually was pressured into a back pass to Bendik. The pass had a bit of air under it and bounced in front of Joe, who appeared to try a one-touch pass rather than try to smash it down the field. Instead, it was an awful turnover to Tajouri-Shradi, who took a touch to his right and buried his shot to make it 1-0.

Apparently unfazed by what just happened, the Lions barely got away with another bad back pass moments later. The slow roller back to Bendik was dangerously close to being picked off as Joe sat back and waited for it rather than attacking it. It reached him about a half a second before it could become an embarrassingly easy second goal.

In the 74th, the Lions weren’t as lucky. Trying to break out of his own end, Kljestan sent a soft pass that never reached its target and instead was picked off by Saad Abdul-Salaam, who crossed in for Jesus Medina, who then flicked it on for Moralez’s easy finish. Orlando was also essentially finished at that point, trailing by two with 16 minutes to play.

Richie Laryea and Colmán came on to try to pull Orlando back into the game and both had some nice individual moments, but neither could stem the tide. Colmán made a terrific play to slice through two defenders in the box in the 79th minute but there was no one at the back post to attack his cross and it drifted harmlessly out of the area. Tarek and El-Munir tried their luck from long range in the last 10 minutes and both got their shots on goal but didn’t trouble Johnson.

Will Johnson hit the crossbar late and Mueller’s stabbing effort was deflected wide for a corner in the 92nd minute on Orlando’s final opportunities to salvage something from the game.

Orlando out-shot NYCFC, 11-10 (3-2 on target) and improved the final possession and passing numbers a bit (41% and 70%, respectively), but the two turnovers in the Lions’ own end proved fatal.

The Lions have a week off before returning home to play the New York Red Bulls on March 31 at 1 p.m.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Five Takeaways

What did we learn from a hectic 1-0 home loss to FC Cincinnati?

Published

7 hours ago

on

May 5, 2024

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City got bull rushed in the opening 30 seconds of the match against Eastern Conference rival FC Cincinnati, falling 1-0 at home Saturday. The match saw a red card for both squads, although Orlando’s came early in the match while Cincinnati’s came late, and multiple injury substitutions for the Lions before the final whistle. Ultimately the match will go down as a loss in the record books, but something has to be said for the fact that the Lions did not let this one get out of hand and continued to battle.

Here are my five takeaways from the match.

Cincinnati finds Early Success

I didn’t even have time to take my seat with drink in hand before the Lions found themselves down a goal. Luciano Acosta got on the end of a DeAndre Yedlin long ball to start the match and dribbled through three Orlando defenders to slot the ball home 22 seconds into the match, scoring the fastest goal in FC Cincinnati history. It proved to be the deciding goal of the match and took place less than a minute into the game.

Close but No Cigar

Orlando nearly answered back four minutes later from a corner kick sent in by Martin Ojeda which fell to Wilder Cartagena. The shot attempt found the bottom of the crossbar and then was ultimately cleared out of danger, but it carried with it the chance to completely reset the tone of the match. The shot was a good volley effort by Cartagena with a high degree of difficulty, but he hit it just inches high or the game would have been knotted at one before the five-minute mark.

Early Red Card Changed the Game

Cincinnati seemed like it was poised to go up by two goals as Yuya Kubo was in alone on goal with only Pedro Gallese left to defend. Rodrigo Schlegel, whose misplay of a pass at midfield created the break to start with, came streaking in from behind and appeared to have broken the play up, leading to a Gallese save. The play was ultimately reviewed by referee Ismail Elfath, who deemed that Schlegel made contact with Kubo’s trailing leg, tripping him. Due to it being a denial of a goal-scoring opportunity, Schlegel was shown a straight red card and Orlando was forced to play a man down starting in the 23rd minute. The call proved costly for multiple reasons. Oscar Pareja was forced to sacrifice an offensive piece — Ojeda — to send on David Brekalo. The Lions went to three center backs, with Cartagena playing between Brekalo and Jansson, with Dagur Dan Thorhallsson and Rafael Santos serving as wingbacks.

Injury Bug Bites Both Fullbacks

If dealing with a red card wasn’t enough, Orlando was dealt two additional major blows to its back line, as both Thorhallsson and Santos exited the match due to injuries. Thorhallsson was originally checked by the medical staff after blocking — with the back of his head — the Cincinnati free kick that Schlegel conceded. He was cleared to continue by the medical staff but went down again behind the play about 18 minutes later and had to be helped off.

So, effectively, Schlegel’s mistake took two players off the pitch, although one was eligible for replacement.

Shortly after halftime, Santos made a valiant effort to break up a Cincinnati transition after an Orlando corner kick. His sliding challenge was a vital one, as he put in a clean tackle and prevented a dangerous scoring opportunity. However, he was clearly favoring what appeared to be a dislocated shoulder after the play and came off for Michael Halliday.

Pareja said it was a dislocated shoulder for Santos after the match and added the Brazilian would be evaluated further. Thorhallsson passed his initial checks after he blocked the Luca Orellana free kick, including the training staff tracking his eye movement with a flashlight, but Pareja said the onset of his symptoms were delayed. He displayed concussion-like symptoms after going down the second time, and he will be evaluated further by the medical staff.

For a back line that has had glaring issues to start the year, long-lasting injuries to starters could prove to be devastating, especially in a May filled with six matches.

Orlando Keeps Fighting

It is hard to maintain a positive outlook looking up the table at so many teams now almost a third of the way through the season, but in a game in which the odds were stacked against them, the Lions never hung their heads. Instead, over the last half hour, they continued to be the aggressors and eventually found themselves even on manpower again after Cincinnati went a man down in the 78th minute. While a few last gasp efforts could not find the back of the net, Orlando’s body language demonstrated that they believed they were in the match until the end. A game which could have easily wound up as a 2-0 or 3-0 result was never allowed to get out of hand. Moral victories — am I right?

That is what I saw in Orlando City’s home loss to FC Cincinnati. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Final Score 1-0 as 10-Man Lions Concede Early Once Again

A goal conceded early and a first-half red card put Orlando in a bad spot early and the Lions could never recover in yet another home loss.

Published

18 hours ago

on

May 4, 2024

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Luciano Acosta scored less than half a minute after kickoff and Rodrigo Schlegel was sent off in the 23rd minute, yet the Lions still had opportunities to beat FC Cincinnati at Inter&Co Stadium. That was especially true after Cincinnati (6-2-3, 21 points) also had a man sent off late in the second half. However, great goalkeeping by Roman Celentano and the same lack of finishing touch that has plagued Orlando (2-5-3, 9 points) all season was again on display and the Lions fell 1-0, dropping to a pitiful 1-3-2 at home on the year.

“Another frustrating night, because the result obviously at this point where we are with urgency to add points is the feeling that we all had in the locker room,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “But I think the effort and the character of the players demonstrates that we still are brave and were trying to bounce back. I thought we were the best team, but that doesn’t give us anything.”

Pareja’s lineup was almost the same as the starting XI against Toronto, with Schlegel starting over David Brekalo, who was on the bench. Pedro Gallese was in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena started in the central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Facundo Torres, with Duncan McGuire up top.

Cincinnati needed just 22 seconds to open the scoring. DeAndre Yedlin sent Acosta down the right wing and the Cincy Designated Player cut inside twice to beat two defenders and his shot bulged the net behind Gallese to make it 1-0. It was his sixth goal of the season.

“You can say we weren’t concentrated at the start, or you can say anything, but the reality is that can’t be allowed to happen, and that’s something that we talked about amongst the players as well,” Gallese said.

Orlando came within inches of tying the game in the fifth minute on the game’s first corner kick. Ojeda sent in a good ball that fell to Cartagena’s foot The Peruvian’s volley shot crashed off the front of the crossbar and the visitors cleared.

The next good chance for either side came in the 19th minute off a free kick won by Araujo. Taking the set piece himself, the midfielder hit his entry ball off the defenders in front of him, but he was able to recycle it wide. The ball was sent across the box and bounced just inches behind where Torres could get to it and bounced harmlessly away.

A minute later, the game changed for the worse for the Lions.

Schlegel appeared to have plenty of time to make a routine play on the ball but somehow got himself in a poor position and had it taken away. Yuya Kubo broke in toward goal all alone and Schlegel caught up from behind, knocking the ball away. Referee Ismail Elfath initially ruled that he made a clean tackle but after Orlando won a corner kick at the other end, he took a look at the monitor and changed his call. Schlegel was sent off and Cincinnati awarded a dangerous free kick just outside the penalty area.

Thorhallsson blocked the ensuing free kick but was a bit shaken up and needed a quick visit from the trainers before continuing.

Brekalo came on for Ojeda and Orlando shifted to a 5-3-1, looking to keep Cincinnati to just the one goal and hoping to find opportunities to counter. Neither side was able to create much after the formation change, but the visitors were hardly pressing with the lead already in their pockets.

Thorhallsson went down off the ball just before halftime and needed to be helped off the field. Michael Halliday replaced him.

The Lions had the best chance in first-half stoppage time, as a ball into the box fell dangerously in front for Halliday. He and a Cincinnati defender went down with the ball next to them and Angulo tried to dig it out so he could shoot, but the defense arrived and cleared the danger.

“It just kind of bounced around. I tried to do everything I could to just kick it towards the goal, but his foot was there and then it just got caught up, so there was nothing I could do,” Halliday said.

That was the last sight of goal for either side and Cincy took its one-goal lead to the break.

Cincinnati unsurprisingly held the advantage in possession (55.1%-44.9%) and passing accuracy (90.3%-82.2%), and also led in shots on target (2-0). Orlando City attempted more shots (4-3), and won more corners (3-1).

Orlando City came out of the locker room looking to get even on the scoreboard, and the first chance of the half went to the Lions. Angulo blazed down the right and got to a loose ball first. He beat his defender and rounded the keeper, but that action allowed the defense to get back and clear his shot off the line in front of goal in the 48th minute. A follow-up shot by Araujo was deflected just wide seconds later.

Cincinnati tried to break in transition off the ensuing Orlando corner and Santos did well to track back and make a sliding challenge to prevent a scoring chance. Unfortunately, the Brazilian appeared to dislocate his right shoulder doing so. He came off and was replaced by Nico Lodeiro, with Angulo sliding back to the left back position.

Halliday made a sliding effort to get to an Angulo cross in the 56th minute but the ball was just inches out of reach in front of a gaping net. The flag came up on the play afterward, but it appeared Angulo did well to time his run and the review would have been interesting had Orlando scored.

Cartagena thought he scored in the 68th minute as he blasted a shot into the back of the net. The flag, however, came up for an offside on Torres, adding to the series of unfortunate events. Elfath never went to the monitor for the review. This time, he took the word of video assistant referee Fabio Tovar.

“Very frustrated with the call on the goal that was taken from us,” Pareja said. “I don’t know why (Elfath) did not go and see it. Since we have technology and we can have space to take time and make good decisions. At this point in my review it was just very doubtful.”

Jansson couldn’t quite get onto a header across the box by McGuire in the 70th minute off an Orlando set piece, as the Lions continued to look for the equalizer.

The visitors nearly doubled their lead in the 71st minute when Kubo got sent in down the right channel. He tried to go near post but missed just wide of the right upright.

Elfath leveled the playing field in the 78th minute when second-half sub Bret Halsey committed a foul on Angulo and then knocked the ball away to waste time. That was Halsey’s second booking and put Cincinnati down to 10 men.

“When they got the red card, I wanted just to have the two central backs again and then push Wilder in front of them so he could push Cesar,” Pareja said. “That way we can advance another forward or another midfielder — in this case Lodeiro — higher on the pitch. But it didn’t happen much. I thought that we were playing better before.”

Halliday broke in behind the defense on the right in the 82nd minute and fired a shot that deflected off a defender. That changed the flight path of the ball and Celentano made a good save to keep it out.

Substitute Luis Muriel won a free kick in the 85th minute and Lodeiro took the set piece, but he sent it right at Celentano as there was a bit too much whip on his cross. Celentano then made the save of the night in the 88th minute. Angulo blew past Alvas Powell on the left and chipped a cross into the middle. Lodeiro nodded it on frame and Celentano threw up a hand at the last second to keep it out.

Orlando City couldn’t fashion any danger in the seemingly short four minutes of stoppage time and the Lions fell for the second straight match.

FC Cincinnati finished with the advantage in possession (54.7%-45.3%) and passing accuracy (89.8%-81.1%), while Orlando City held the edge in shots (9-6) and corner kicks (5-3). Each team put three shots on target.

“I told the players what I saw on the pitch a was team with heart, with character,” Pareja said.

“I think what we can take out of this game is our mentality was good just to keep going with 10 men versus 11 most of the game, and just the fact that we kept pushing,” Halliday said. “That’s it, nothing more. It seemed like everything was going against us as a team. None of us want that first play to happen. It can’t happen. We did well to keep going after that but it’s frustrating that nothing more came of it.”

“The reality of the game overall is that we’re in a bad run right now, but there’s still plenty of games left that we have to fight for and continue pushing forward,” Gallese said. “But, you know, football is like life, and in life you’ve got tough moments, and you just have to face those moments and push forward and move ahead. And that’s what this team is going to have to do.”

The focus now turns to how quickly Orlando can get its two starting fullbacks healthy after both left the pitch with injuries tonight.

The Lions go on the road next Saturday as they visit the Philadelphia Union.

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions look to bounce back from a tough loss to Toronto against league favorites FC Cincinnati.

Published

1 day ago

on

May 4, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (2-4-3, 9 points) and FC Cincinnati (5-2-3, 18 points) at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+). It’s the first of two scheduled meetings between the teams this season with the Lions scheduled to make the return trip to Ohio on Oct. 5.

Here’s what you need to know for the match.

History

Orlando City leads the all-time series, 4-2-3, with a 2-1-1 mark at home. The teams last met on Sept. 2, 2023, with the Lions claiming a 1-0 win on enemy soil, becoming the first road team to beat FC Cincinnati all season. Facundo Torres scored the game’s only goal. Orlando had to hold on down a man late when Wilder Cartagena was sent off. The teams played to a 0-0 draw in Orlando on March 4, 2023 in the most recent meeting in Central Florida.

The Lions fell 1-0 at TQL Stadium on June 24, 2022. A second-half goal from Brenner represented all the offense, but it could have been worse for Orlando City as Pedro Gallese made eight saves in the match. The first meeting of 2022 took place in Orlando on March 12, with FC Cincinnati notching its first win in the all-time series, 2-1 at Exploria Stadium. The Lions were more in control but were wasteful, despite dominating the stat sheet. The visitors got a brace from Brandon Vazquez to offset Junior Urso’s goal in the 42nd minute.

The final meeting of 2021 was on Oct. 16 in Cincinnati, when Orlando City got its first road victory in the series, 1-0 on Urso’s goal in the 13th minute. Tesho Akindele should have scored a second off the crossbar late in the game, but the play was never reviewed, despite video evidence that the ball was completely across the line.

On Aug. 7, 2021, the match in Cincinnati ended up in a 1-1 draw. Nani’s strike rescued a point after Brenner had opened the scoring for the hosts just before halftime, taking advantage of an obviously injured Uri Rosell, who subbed off moments later. The first of the three meetings in 2021 came on May 21 in Orlando, with the Lions posting a 3-0 win. Akindele scored in the first minute and Nani and Urso each added a goal.

In Orlando’s first trip to the banks of the Ohio River, the match ended in a 1-1 draw at Nippert Stadium on Sept. 29, 2019. Benji Michel’s goal in stoppage time rescued a point for the Lions after Allan Cruz had given the hosts a lead. The draw officially eliminated Orlando City from playoff contention that year, but realistically the Lions had been out of it for a while.

The first ever meeting between the two sides took place on May 19, 2019, when the Lions pummeled the expansion side, 5-1. Both Nani and Akindele bagged braces in the match and Dom Dwyer added a goal as well.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a 2-1 stunning late defeat at home to Toronto FC one week ago. Orlando City led much of the match on Duncan McGuire’s strike but couldn’t find a second and the visitors turned it around with two late headers from the 87th minute on. That was Orlando’s first loss since March 17. The Lions are just 1-2-2 at home this season.

Cincinnati is coming off a 2-1 home win over the Colorado Rapids and has won its last two matches, including its most recent away game at Atlanta, 2-1 on April 20. The Ohio side is 3-1-1 away from home on the season.

FC Cincinnati is basically good at everything but has not found as much success in the attack so far this season, although Luciano Acosta paces the club with four goals and five assists in 2024. Yuya Kubo has been pressed into service as a forward this season and has responded with three goals in 10 matches. Corey Baird has joined the team this season and although he hasn’t completely settled in yet, he’s got a goal and two assists.

The defense, however, which was already good last season, has been bolstered even more. The team has only conceded nine goals and that has largely to do with the arrivals of center back Miles Robinson and fullback DeAndre Yedlin. The two USMNT defenders join Matt Miazga and others in forming a sizable and nearly impenetrable wall in frong of goal. Scoring hasn’t been easy all season for Orlando City, but it may prove even more difficult tonight.

“Cincinnati has a model that is very concrete,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “We know it, we have played them last year. Coach hasn’t changed much; we don’t see many changes on their squad or the way they do (things). We’re conscious on what we need to do well. It’s always a good match against them. They have done a good job in the past year, and we have done it too, so we’ll see.”

The Lions will be without forward Ramiro Enrique (ankle) and Homegrown fullback Tahir Reid-Brown (thigh), while center back David Brekalo (thigh) is listed as questionable. FC Cincinnati will be without Aaron Boupendza (jaw) and may still be without defender Nick Hagglund (leg).

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Wilder Cartagena.

Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Facundo Torres, Martin Ojeda.

Forward: Duncan McGuire.

Bench: Mason Stajduhar, Kyle Smith, Michael Halliday, David Brekalo, Felipe, Jeorgio Kocevski, Nico Lodeiro, Jack Lynn, Luis Muriel.

FC Cincinnati (3-4-1-2)

Goalkeeper: Roman Celentano.

Defenders: Ian Murphy, Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson.

Midfielders/wingbacks: Luca Orellano, Pavel Bucha, Obinna Nwobodo, DeAndre Yedlin.

Attacking Midfielder: Luciano Acosta.

Forwards: Yuya Kubo, Corey Baird.

Bench: Alec Kann, Alvas Powell, Nick Hagglund, Bret Halsey, Malik Pinto, Gerardo Valenzuela, Kipp Keller, Kevin Kelsy, Yamil Asad.

Referees

REF: Ismail Elfath.
AR1: Corey Parker.
AR2: Kyle Atkins.
4TH: Alyssa Nichols.
VAR: Younes Marrakchi.
AVAR: Fabio Tovar.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.

Radio: Real Radio 104.1 FM (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish).

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).

Enjoy the match. Go City!

Continue Reading

Trending