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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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3 years ago

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The Cardiac Cats are back as Orlando City scored in stoppage time to win 2-1 over D.C. United and climbed back up the Eastern Conference standings. Both of Orlando’s goals came from corner kicks as Robin Jansson and Daryl Dike found the back of the net to overcome an early goal by Julian Gressel.

Let’s dive into how each Lion performed in the team’s first win since Sept. 4.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 5 — Gallese was beaten at the near post by Gressel’s powerful shot from distance that seemed to catch the Peruvian goalkeeper off guard. El Pulpo also had a nervy moment early in the second half when he couldn’t handle a cross into the box, but D.C. ultimately wasn’t able to capitalize on the opportunity. Apart from those moments, it was a fairly quiet night for Gallese as he had one save and 26 touches. He completed 15 of his 19 passes for a 79% rate and was accurate on three of his seven attempted long balls. While he hasn’t had a clean sheet since a scoreless match with Inter Miami on Aug. 27, this was the first time since that match that Orlando hasn’t conceded multiple goals in a game. Gallese will join Peru for World Cup qualifiers during this international break.

D, João Moutinho, 6 — Moutinho was fairly involved when on the field, but was taken off at halftime. He had 50 touches in Orlando’s first half and 40 passes at an 83% completion rate. His only attempted cross was unsuccessful as Orlando’s other playmakers weaved most of the team’s chances. Defensively, Moutinho had a tackle, an interception, and a clearance. If his substitution was due to an injury concern, at least he has time to recover as Orlando’s next game isn’t until a road trip to face FC Cincinnati on Oct. 16.

D, Robin Jansson, 7.5 (MotM) — The Swede did a great job following through on a corner kick to score Orlando’s first goal, slamming the ball into the net after Hamid made a save. It was Jansson’s second goal of the season as he continues to make an impact on set pieces. On the defensive side of things, Jansson had three interceptions and a defensive block to limit D.C.’s chances alongside Antonio Carlos. He had 63 touches and completed 87% of his passes. Jansson is the Man of the Match for helping Orlando respond to Gressel’s goal with one of his own and also clamping down on a D.C. offense that scored 12 goals in the previous four games leading up to this match.

D, Antonio Carlos, 7.5 — Carlos led the Lions with seven interceptions as he used great vision and his large frame to cut off passes and regain possession. He also had a tackle and three clearances to help keep D.C.’s offense quiet. He made an important defensive play in the 40th minute to prevent an Ola Kamara breakaway. The center back completed 50 of his 52 passes for a 96% success rate, which is fantastic considering D.C.’s high press to try to force mistakes. Carlos was calm, cool, and collected with 70 touches in the match and no committed fouls — important since he entered the match one yellow card shy of a suspension. His two shots came late in the match as Orlando hunted for a winner. Both were deflected, with the first going out for the corner that led to Dike’s goal.

D, Ruan, 5.5 — The right back’s crossing ability still leaves something to be desired as he was unsuccessful on all three of his attempts. However, one of those crosses was a low effort to Dike that had to be forced out for the corner that resulted in Orlando’s first goal. Ruan seems to be getting better at cutback passes into the box after sprinting down the right side rather than trying to loft the ball in front of goal for someone to head in. He had three tackles and his quickness allowed him to chase down loose balls before D.C. players could reach them. He got beat down his side a couple of times and gave the ball away in his own end a few times in the first half, which affected his score. Ruan played every minute and finished with 68 touches while completing 75% of his 44 passes.

MF, Sebas Mendez, 7 — The Ecuadorian midfielder led the Lions with 97 touches and also had 90 passes at a great 96% success rate. Mendez’ role was crucial for the Lions to get past D.C.’s press as he served as an outlet for passes to help build possession. He had two interceptions and a clearance to help solidify Orlando’s defense in the center of the field. While he didn’t make much of an impact on offense beyond helping the Lions string together passes, his presence allowed players like Mauricio Pereyra and Nani to push higher upfield.

MF, Junior Urso, 5.5 — While Urso made a great play by safely intercepting a low cross in front of goal without putting it into his own net, that initial chance for D.C. was created by Urso’s dispossession and his attempted clearance didn’t end the danger. It was a series of moments that happened for Urso in the match as he tended to turn the ball over and then hustled to make up for it. He also gave away a couple of unnecessary free kicks in his defensive half. He played all 90 minutes and had 77 touches while completing 50 of his 60 passes for an 83% success rate. Urso had a tackle, an interception, and a blocked shot in the match. Offensively, he was able to get enough behind his header from a corner to force a save from Hamid, with Jansson there to put it away. That was one of his two shots and the other was deflected late in the match for a corner. Urso has played every minute of Orlando’s past five games so the international break comes at a great time for the Bear.

MF, Benji Michel, 5.5 — The Homegrown Player used his speed to make great runs throughout the match, flying under the radar a bit to find good spaces. His only shot came in the 35th minute as a great ball by Nani found him in the box. Michel made a nice cutback to shake his defender, but his shot skipped just wide of goal. He didn’t have any key passes and his only cross was unsuccessful. He finished with 36 touches in 82 minutes of action and chipped in with a clearance and an interception when defending.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 — Pereyra did well pulling the strings for Orlando’s offense before coming off in the 71st minute for Silvester van der Water. Both of Pereyra’s two key passes were from corner kicks, including the great service that led to Orlando’s goal. He also attempted two crosses in open play but neither found their target. Pereyra also had a shot, but it was deflected. He finished with 60 touches and completed 83% of his 46 attempted passes.

MF, Nani, 6.5 — The captain was most productive in the first half. Nani made two key passes to set up good opportunities for Orlando and also had two shots, although both were deflected. His only cross of the match was unsuccessful and he shifted to a central role once Pereyra was subbed off. Nani wasn’t able to get much going in the second half and was taken off in the 81st minute for fresher legs. He had 61 touches, three clearances, a tackle, and 44 passes at an 84% success rate. Nani hasn’t scored or made an assist in his past five appearances, but this was his longest shift during that stretch and he will have time to rest before Orlando’s next match.

F, Daryl Dike, 7 — With two defenders covering him, Dike literally rose to the occasion in the final moments of the match to head the ball into the underside of the crossbar and into goal for the game-winner. Dike was outright unstoppable whenever the ball was in his vicinity during the match, using his strength to get past defenders and making two clearances with his head as well. His goal was one of his two shots, the other going off-target early on in the match. D.C. was determined to lock him down and he ended the game with just 26 touches and seven passes at a 100% completion rate as Orlando struggled to get him involved when D.C. dug in its heels in the second half. Regardless, Dike gave Orlando all three points with his late winner and has scored in three straight matches against the Eastern Conference’s toughest opposition.

Substitutes

D, Emmanuel Mas (46’), 6 — The left back came on for Moutinho at halftime and ended up leading the Lions with four tackles and three clearances. He did well on both sides of the ball and came alive on offense once Mueller joined the fray as the pair used their speed and footwork to attack the left side. Mas had 64 touches and was successful on 85% of his 41 passes. It was a solid outing from the Argentine defender.

MF, Silvester van der Water (71’), 5 — Van der Water came on for Pereyra and wasn’t able to make much of an impact with no shots or key passes. His only cross was unsuccessful and he finished with 13 touches and eight passes at a 75% success rate. It wasn’t his best outing, but he wasn’t terrible by any means and helped switch the flow of play when needed.

MF, Andres Perea (81’), N/A — Coming on late for Mendez, Perea completed 14 of 15 passes for a 93% success rate and had 15 touches. He wasn’t involved much in the team’s late push for a goal as D.C. was still capable of going on the counter if Orlando’s attack fell apart. While he didn’t play enough minutes to be graded, he still earns some bonus points for giving Dike a pair of sunglasses during his goal celebration. But where did he get them?

F, Tesho Akindele (81’), N/A — The Canadian nearly scored the winner in the 88th minute with a sliding shot to put the ball on target, but Hamid came up with a great save from his knees and it was cleared off the line. It was his only shot of an otherwise quiet performance as he only had three touches and one pass, which he completed.

MF, Chris Mueller (82’), N/A — It was Mueller’s first appearance since a cameo on Sept. 15 and the winger tried to make the most of his few minutes on the field. He had 26 touches and completed nine of his 13 passes for a 69% completion rate as he worked to make something happen while both of Orlando’s Designated Players were off the field. Mueller delivered the team’s only successful cross in open play, had two key passes, and was also successful on three of his five corner kicks, including the game-winning assist. His corner kick for Orlando’s winner was sublime as he delivered a great ball into traffic for Dike to reach and flick towards goal. With Mueller leaving the team after this year and only a few home games left this regular season, it will certainly be a moment to remember.

That’s how I saw things play out in Orlando’s 2-1 win at home. Make sure to weigh in on how you feel about the grades in the comments below and to vote for who you think deserves the title of Man of the Match.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Junior Urso44
Ruan31
Mauricio Pereyra3
Other (Comment Below)6

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/29/24

Orlando City and OCB lose to Toronto, Pride beat the Spirit in Washington, EPL title race update, and more.

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22 hours ago

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April 29, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers. I hope all is well with you down in Florida. It was a mixed weekend for our teams, with the Pride winning, while Orlando City and OCB lost. I’ve been busy covering high school volleyball, badminton, and soccer throughout the past week. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Lose at Home to Toronto FC

Orlando City SC saw its four-match unbeaten streak come to an end, losing 2-1 to Toronto FC at Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday. Duncan McGuire scored the opening goal to put Orlando ahead in the first half. The Lions held on to the 1-0 lead until late in the second half, when goals from Tyrese Spicer and Prince Owusu put the Reds up 2-1, and they were able to hang on and walk out of Orlando with all three points. Toronto FC has won two in a row in league play and is fourth in the Eastern Conference with 16 points. Meanwhile, the Lions are in 13th with nine points. Orlando City will look to bounce back Saturday at home as it takes on FC Cincinnati.  

Pride Grab Road Win Over Washington Spirit

The Orlando Pride held on to defeat the Washington Spirit 3-2 at Audi Field Friday — their third straight victory. Angelina scored to put the Pride ahead in the first half, but the Spirit equalized just before halftime. Barbra Banda scored her first goal for the Pride, and Summer Yates added her third goal of the season, giving the Pride a 3-1 advantage in the second half. Ashley Hatch pulled one back for the Spirit on a howler by goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse, but the Pride keep their unbeaten streak alive at six matches (3-0-3). Orlando remains undefeated and is fourth in the NWSL table with 12 points. Next up for the Pride is a pair of home matches this week, starting Wednesday at home against the North Carolina Courage. Orlando will host Racing Louisville FC Sunday.

OCB Falls at Home to Toronto FC II

Like the first team, Orlando City B also lost 2-1 to Toronto FC II in its first home match at Osceola County Stadium. The Young Lions went down early in the match when Charles Sharp scored for Toronto FC II to take a 1-0 lead. Wilfredo Rivera scored the equalizer in the second half to tie the match, however, late in the second half, Jesus Batiz scored the game-winning goal to seal the win for Toronto. The Young Lions have yet to win a match at home, but has played well on the road this season and are on a four-match unbeaten streak away. The Young Lions will face MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference leaders Chattanooga FC Saturday at Finley Stadium. 

Manchester City and Arsenal Win to Keep EPL Title Race Close

The Premier League title race is going down to the wire as Manchester City and Arsenal won their matches over the weekend. Arsenal held on to defeat rival Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 in the North London Derby. That result moves Arsenal into first with 80 points with three matches remaining. Manchester City shut out Nottingham Forest 2-0 and is second, with 79 points and still four matches left to play. Liverpool dropped points to West Ham in a 2-2 draw, putting another blow to the Reds’ title chances and leaving them in third with 75 points and three matches left.  

Free Kicks

  • If you missed it, check out the first goal from Pride forward Barbra Banda.

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

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Five Takeaways

What did we learn from a 2-1 home loss to Toronto FC?

Published

2 days ago

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April 28, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City gave up multiple goals for the sixth time in nine regular-season matches. This time the Lions were on the short end of the stick, giving up two late goals to fall 2-1 to Toronto FC at Inter&Co Stadium Saturday night. It was a frustrating and heartbreaking loss that was entirely avoidable.

Here are my five takeaways from the first loss since mid-March.

McGuire Keeps Scoring

Duncan McGuire likes scoring against Toronto so much that he did something that hasn’t happened much this season. He gave Orlando City the early lead in a match. To be fair, it wasn’t just McGuire on that goal. A perfect long ball by Robin Jansson — something he does quite often — was the start of the play. Facundo Torres did well to run on to the ball, lifting his head to to see McGuire. He one-timed the ball to Big Dunc on the back post for his fourth goal of the season. It was a great start to the match.

A Pair of Header-aches

Orlando City has too often had defensive lapses that have resulted in goals for the opposition. That trend continued against Toronto with the visitors scoring a pair of headers that ultimately doomed the Lions. Tyrese Spicer ran onto a cross putting it in the back of the net to tie the match. Jansson was defending his side and Rodrigo Schlegel was defending Toronto striker Prince Owusu in front, allowing Spicer the space behind both of them. No one else tracked Spicer’s run, leaving him alone in front.

The second header wasn’t much better. Kyle Smith was beaten by Federico Bernardeschi twice before he crossed the ball to the head of Owusu on the back post. Jansson had moved out to block the cross and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson had drifted inside the back post. You might be able to chalk it up to late game tiredness but it still shouldn’t happen.

Cardiac Cats Strike Again

Coming from behind to get a result is a very Orlando City thing to do. Unfortunately, giving up a lead is also a trait of the Cardiac Cats. Giving up two goals isn’t good and it has happened too often this season. More recently, it’s happened early in the match, allowing Orlando City to come back to get a result. This time, it happened in the 87th and 90th minutes, making it harder for the Lions to get a draw or a win. The Cardiac Cats giveth and the Cardiac Cats taketh away. These things happen over the course of a season, though the bigger problem is our next takeaway.

Lack of Finishing Dooms Orlando City

Orlando City took eight shots, put three on frame, and scored one goal. Martin Ojeda’s free kick miss, McGuire stepping offside in first-half stoppage time, are two examples of wasted opportunities. Of course, it’s not just the missed shots but also the other missed opportunities. Heavy touches, passes just out of reach, blocks, and deflections kept the Lions from putting the match away. It is something that Orlando City needs to do better going forward.

No Bigger Picture

This match was indicative of the problems with Orlando City right now. This team will play 87 minutes of adequate soccer before giving up unnecessary goals. The additions like Luis Muriel, and Nico Lodeiro have been just shy of making a difference, and the one guy scoring goals is most likely gone come summer. The expectations going into the season following last year’s success were high, but might need to be adjusted unless the little things are fixed. The Designated Players need to score more goals, and the defense needs to find last season’s form. All of these deficiencies were on display against Toronto.

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

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Blow Late Lead at Home

Orlando’s inability to finish or to defend for a full 90 minutes was again front and center in a late home loss to the Reds.

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2 days ago

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April 27, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

It was the same script for the Lions (2-4-3, 9 points) in a brutal 2-1 loss to Toronto FC at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. A lack of finishing chances and odd defensive lapses in an otherwise solid game turned around Orlando City’s 1-0 lead late and allowed Toronto FC (5-4-1, 16 points) to smash and grab three points in Orlando.

Duncan McGuire staked his team to a 1-0 lead by halftime, but late headers by Tyrese Spicer and Prince Owusu in the 87th and 90th minutes, respectively, turned things around quickly at the end. Orlando’s four-game unbeaten run is over, as is the team’s 6-0-2 run against Toronto, and the Lions fell to just 1-2-2 at home.

“Very disappointed obviously with a game that certainly had the necessity for us to add three points, win at home, and after these past four games just keep that momentum going,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the game. “And the end of the game is very disappointing for us.”

Pareja’s lineup offered up a couple of changes from the side that drew at Montreal, with Rafael Santos, Martin Ojeda, and McGuire entering in place of Kyle Smith, Nico Lodeiro, and Luis Muriel, respectively. Pedro Gallese started in goal behind a back line of Santos, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena started in the central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Facundo Torres, and Ojeda, with McGuire up top.

The first half was a contrast in styles. Orlando City tried to work the ball up the pitch methodically, but the Lions were often their own enemy in sending an off-line pass or overshooting their intended recipient. The movement was a bit slow and predictable, and Toronto limited most of Orlando’s play to the sides once the Lions got into the final third.

The Reds looked to play direct balls over the top fot Owusu and Federico Bernardeschi when possible, and Toronto looked like the more dangerous team, despite having less of the ball and not getting forward often.

The first chance for either side was a shot over the bar by Owusu in the ninth minute from just outside the area.

Orlando had a few chances to play direct as well, but couldn’t pay them off. The first came in the 11th minute when Araujo made a forward run and made a fantastic pass to send McGuire behind on the right. However as the striker was collecting the ball and looking to get into the box, he was pulled back by Nickseon Gomis, who was booked. Referee Armando Villarreal ruled that another defender could have made a play on McGuire, so there was no red card. Ojeda went for goal on the ensuing corner kick but missed the top left corner just wide in the 13th minute.

Brekalo, who had picked up a knock a few minutes earlier, had to sub off in the 16th minute, with Rodrigo Schlegel coming on to replace him.

Torres tried to pick out McGuire in the 19th minute but the defense arrived to knock the ball back to El Cuervo. His second pass attempt was deflected off of him and out for a goal kick. Torres should have won a corner on another cross moments later but the AR’s flag came up and it didn’t appear to be a good call upon looking at the replay.

Orlando got beat over the top in the 28th minute but Schlegel did well to track back and knock the ball out for a corner kick. The Lions cleared the ensuing set piece.

Bernardeschi then started to get more involved. His cross in the 32nd minute went out for a goal kick, and moments later he got in behind and went down in the box but he was ruled offside.

McGuire sent Angulo behind down the right in the 34th minute. The winger could have crossed in but decided to cut back instead. His heavy touch was costly, as the defense arrived and knocked it out off of him for a goal kick, wasting the opportunity. Regardless, Orlando opened the scoring three minutes later.

The Lions finally completed a play in the 37th minute and it started in the back. Jansson pinged a long ball down the left channel for Torres to run onto. Once he got there, Torres put a cross into the box and McGuire got to it, knocking it in to make it 1-0 with his fourth goal of the MLS season.

“Facu played a beautiful ball and made my job real easy after a good buildup play,” McGuire said. “Good counterattack from the guys.”

Two minutes after the goal, Angulo tried to pick out McGuire but the striker couldn’t quite get onto it.

Santos was caught too far inside on a switch in the 42nd minute, which freed up Bernardeschi to cut inside and take a shot. The Italian’s shot fizzed just inches wide of the left post.

McGuire thought he’d scored his second in stoppage time. Jansson made a great play to deny a cross at the defensive end and Orlando broke in transition. Ojeda sent a gorgeous ball across the field from the left to McGuire on the right. The big striker scored on an absolute blast from a tough angle but the flag came up, and this time it looked to be the correct call upon seeing the replay.

“Martin played a good ball. Unluckily, I couldn’t stay onside,” McGuire said. “I mean, it was a good ball by him but I should have stayed onside.”

That was the last opportunity of the half and the Lions took their advantage to the break.

Orlando City held the halftime edge in possession (54.5%-45.5%) and passing accuracy (87.3%-84.1%), while the visitors attempted more shots (3-2) and won the only corner of the first half. Each team put one shot on target.

The teams exchanged corners early in the second half but couldn’t pay them off and the game settled into a bit of back-and-forth play. However, shots were rare in the early going of the second period.

Thorhallsson jumped up into the play in the 61st minute and fired a shot but it deflected out for a corner.

Toronto threw more players forward and started getting more looks. Gallese made a solid save in the 68th minute to deny a shot by Alonso Coello. Deybi Flores fired a minute later from outside the area but hit his shot wide. Thorhallsson blocked a close-range shot in the 72nd minute and the follow-up was sent wide of goal on the rebound.

Torres sent a blast on goal in the 73rd minute and Johnson did well to make a diving save. There was plenty of power on the shot but it was a bit too close to the center of goal.

Derrick Etienne, Jr. sent a header just wide of the left post in the 81st minute, but Gallese had it covered anyway had it been on target. The Lions were defending too deeply at this point and couldn’t get or maintain possession, allowing Toronto to push even higher up the field.

The visitors finally tied the game in the 87th minute and it had been coming. The ball was played out to the right and substitute Kyle Smith couldn’t prevent a Kobe Franklin cross into the area. Nobody picked up Spicer’s run into the box and a routine cross suddenly became a problem with Toronto outnumbering Orlando defenders in front of goal. Spicer put a lot of power on his shot and gave Gallese no chance.

The Lions nearly pulled the goal back two minutes later. Thorhallsson got down the right flank and sent a dangerous ball into the area. Angulo slid to try to get a piece of it at the near post but couldn’t make contact and Johnson smothered it.

It was a costly missed opportunity, because the visitors tied the game on their next attack. The ball again cycled out to the right of the Toronto attack and Smith again could not prevent a cross. Bernardeschi sent the ball to the left, where Thorhallsson had strayed too far from the back post. By the time he realized the danger, it was too late. The ball found Toronto’s leading goal scorer and Owusu sent a powerful header down into the ground in front of Gallese. The keeper was going down, following the flight of the ball but the angle of the bounce off the turf took it up and over him and into the roof of the net to make it 2-1 in the 90th minute.

Orlando had just one decent look in the five minutes of stoppage time. Luis Muriel was fouled just outside the left corner of the box. The Lions had possession so Villarreal allowed play to go on. The ball was crossed through the area and Cartagena tried a shot on the half volley but sent it over the crossbar in the 92nd minute. That was that.

With Toronto chasing the game and Orlando unable to maintain possession after the hour mark, the visitors turned around the possession, keeping more of the ball (52.3%-47.7%), as well as finishing with more shots (13-8), shots on target (4-3), corners (4-3), and passing accuracy (85.2%-84.9%).

“I think we’re playing the way that we want to play and we’re trending in the right direction but I feel like just two little mishaps in the end of the second half cost us the three points tonight,” McGuire said.

“In the second half we lost control of the ball and we lost control of the game and we couldn’t hold the result,” Pareja said. “That’s what we need to study during the week to see how we can be better, because after a good first half, in the second half we lost control of the game.”

The Lions are back home again next Saturday when they host FC Cincinnati.

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