Connect with us

Orlando City

Chicago Fire vs. Orlando City: Player Grades and Man of the Match

Published

5 years ago

on

James O’Connor decided to keep his 3-5-2 formation and make just the one change to the lineup for Orlando City’s first road game of the season, swapping last week’s Man of the Match Chris Mueller for latest Designated Player signing Nani.

In a game that lacked quality, the Lions nearly earned their first road win since April 29, 2018. Indeed that was the last time the team had picked up any points away from home so it was a blow when 10-men Chicago rescued a draw at the death.

Starters

GK, Brian Rowe, 5.5 — Largely untested by way of Chicago’s ineptitude over Orlando’s solidity, Rowe saw the defense in front of him carved open twice in the opening exchanges and looked helpless to do anything. After that he was only forced into a couple of routine saves, collected a couple of crosses confidently, and was seconds away from banking a first clean sheet in purple until a close-range stoppage-time header caught him flat footed and nestled in the bottom corner. He’s not at fault, but it wasn’t an inspiring dive either. Also a note on his distribution which was wayward from his feet although he did well trying to spring a counter when throwing it out.

D, Kamal Miller, 5 — Orlando set up with a very wide back three to the extent that rookie Miller spent a lot of the game hugging the sideline. Despite the distance and bizarre shape, he kept his line well enough to help catch a couple of offside calls but struggled one on one, only making one tackle and regularly getting burned for pace. His clearances seemed wild and skittish, his 54% pass success rate was only better than an isolated Dwyer and even playing with a man advantage he looked far more unsettled than he did on his professional debut last week as the Lions tried, and ultimately failed, to see the game out.

D, Alex De John, 6 — De John imposed himself on Nemanja Nikolic to keep the Hungarian quiet after an opening few minutes that could have (and should have) seen him score twice, helping clean up after his fellow defenders’ mistakes by playing the sweeper role as the central man in a back three. It wasn’t pretty at times but he did his own job well with a dominant aerial performance and he also made a team-high 10 clearances.

D, Shane O’Neill, 5 — O’Neill went quietly about his job for the most part. His 25% tackle success was disappointing but not costly as he played high and to the right in Orlando’s wide defensive shape. He wasn’t as busy as De John, nor did he struggle as much as Miller…that was until Przemyslaw Frankowski’s cross was fired towards the head of CJ Sapong. At this point O’Neill should have either attacked the ball or at the very least not given Sapong the room to jump, but instead his feet froze, he got caught ball watching a solid foot away from Sapong, and let the forward head in the equalizer unchallenged.

WB, Danilo Acosta, 6 — Acosta had a better day than his right-sided counterpart Kyle Smith, not that that is much of a compliment in itself. He led the team in touches, with 59, and had twice as many crosses as the next highest (four), but none of them connected. Defensively he registered two interceptions and made several good recoveries but the game-tying assist came from his flank, as he didn’t close down, which is disappointing mark on an otherwise promising but unproductive performance.

MF, Sebas Méndez, 7.5 — The Ecuadorian was an effective anchor, doing well off the ball to cut out the passing lanes and making several interceptions from his midfield station that in the first half was all too often merging with the defensive line. He looked more confident, decisive, and expressive in the second half and finished the game leading the team with 45 passes. It’s hard to know where the 21-year-old’s ceiling is, having not really seen much of his playmaking abilities from deep, but I feel O’Connor will just be content to use him in the defensive role he shined in today on the road.

MF, Will Johnson, 7.5 — Johnson had plenty of energy as part of a midfield tandem with Mendez, with whom he shared a near identical average playing position, owing to the fluid nature with which they changed sides and covered for the other when they went to close down the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, who was given license to roam freely into the Orlando half. He spent a lot of the first half dropping deep into the back line to lend a much-needed hand and level head as Orlando struggled to get a foothold in the game but the early goal in the second half seemed to loosen the team up and they played with more confidence in the middle of the park, as seen in Johnson’s 39 passes at a success rate of 87% — the best in the team.

MF, Sacha Kljestan, 6.5 — I’m struggling to assess Kljestan’s performance in Chicago. It wasn’t good but it certainly wasn’t bad. It just happened. His passing was elegant at times and wayward at others but with 78% successful, increasing to 82% in the final third he was making things tick over even if he wasn’t making things happen. He put himself about defensively, making some good reads but if he didn’t win the first ball he seemed a little too lethargic to continue battling and pressing didn’t seem to be part of O’Connor’s game plan, so he struggled to get into the game at times, ending up being simply passed around. His heat map shows no pattern, with him pretty much floating everywhere as he struggled to find a way into the game and I’ll forgive you if you forgot he was on set pieces as his deliveries looked fine at best but produced nothing by way of chances.

WB, Kyle Smith, 4 — Smith played incredibly high up the right wing and took every invitation to carry the ball forward. On the sole occasion he managed to beat his man, his service was poor. Defensively he looked rattled and pretty much got beat every time, allowing Aleksandar Katai to provide some easy service to Nikolic, who you’d expect to bury such chances. Add to that a first half booking and it wasn’t a surprise to see him hooked off by his former Louisville City boss before the hour mark in a like-for-like switch with Ruan.

F, Nani, 8 (MOTM) — The game’s two big talking points and positives from an Orlando standpoint both came as a product of the Portuguese international. First, he got the assist on Dwyer’s goal, taking the initiative and having the nous to lift the ball over the Chicago back line after a bit of aimless back and forth in midfield. Panic ensued and Dom capitalized. Later, he threaded a beautifully weighted through ball to Ruan, which drew the red card, an event that should’ve confirmed all three points for Orlando and hailed Nani as a hero on his full debut. But, alas, it wasn’t to be. There were promising signs though of what happens when you put actual quality in your side. The one down side is he didn’t have a shot.

F, Tesho Akindele, 6 — Tesho was forced off last week after he scored the equalizer, later citing cramp, so some may have been surprised to see him thrown straight back in to starting lineup against the Fire, with Dwyer once again on the bench and instead Mueller having the make way for Nani. But he must have looked fit enough through the week’s training and he got the nod. Unfortunately, the Canadian lasted 20 minutes before being forced off. In the cameo he flashed his strength with some holdup play and had a good passing exchange with Nani but did little to trouble the Chicago back line, registering six passes and no shots.

Substitutes

F, Dom Dwyer (21’), 8 – Dwyer once again started the game on the bench but was called upon earlier than expected as a replacement for the hobbling Akindele. He immediately made his presence known in the box in true Dwyer fashion, chasing down every ball, but his only chance in the first half was from outside the box. Early in the second half he pounced on some indecisive defending to calmly poke Nani’s testing dink over an onrushing David Ousted. He continued to chase lost causes, hound defenders much more effectively than Akindele, and could have found the net again if he hadn’t hesitated and got the ball stuck under his feet — albeit for a belated offside flag to save his blushes.

WB, Ruan (58’), 7 – Ruan made his Orlando City debut from off the bench, with the Brazilian tagging in for the struggling Smith near the hour mark, and looked a vast improvement. He showed a lightning burst of pace to catch up to Nani’s through ball which invited a last ditch red card challenge from Jorge Corrales and he also made good on his defensive duties, registering two tackles and two interceptions in his 30 minute shift.

F, Chris Mueller (89’), 6 – Last week’s Man of the Match, Mueller surprisingly started on the bench as Nani was drafted into the lineup, but he was called upon on in the final minute of normal time to help see the game out. He didn’t get a chance to get up to game speed but still managed to link up with Dwyer and help drive towards goal, only for the duo to get in each other’s way, ending the chance to put the game away. He did track back and attempt to block the cross for the assist but appeared to hesitate before dangling a futile leg as it whipped past him.

On paper a draw away at Chicago doesn’t seem like such a bad result but when you consider Orlando had a man advantage and came within seconds of walking away with a W, it’s an absolute disaster. I struggled at times to see the game plan: Orlando had a stretched back three that literally spanned the entire width of the pitch but the wingbacks had an average position at the halfway line in a game the Lions struggled to get out of their own half. How does that work? Answers on a postcard!

There were positives, however, namely that the defensive side of the midfield looked good and Nani and Dwyer’s individual talents have shined now in both games. On first glance Ruan looks like a must-start over Smith and I guess it’s also a comfort knowing that Orlando still has the likes of Carlos Ascues and Lamine Sané to fit back into this defense.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Dom Dwyer20
Nani81
Sebas Méndez25
Will Johnson6
Other5

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 2-2 draw with CF Montreal?

Published

19 hours ago

on

April 22, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City / Mark Thor

Orlando City scored in second-half injury time for the second consecutive weekend to claim points. However, this time it was an equalizer as the Lions drew CF Montreal 2-2 north of the border. The Lions ended their two-game road trip with four points and extended their points streak to four games after dropping three straight. It’s an improvement as they look to climb up the Eastern Conference standings.

Here’s how I saw the individual performances in the draw.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 5.5 — Gallese conceded a pair of goals in this game, though neither were necessarily his fault. The first was a breakaway after Robin Jansson kept Mason Toye onside and the second was blocked wide, but Kyle Smith was caught flat-footed. However, he did concede twice while saving three of Montreal’s five shots on target. Additionally, the Lions’ goalkeeper completed 55.6% of his 27 passes, including eight of his 20 long balls.

D, Kyle Smith, 5.5 — Smith had a solid game other than one specific play. The left back had a team-high 86 touches and completed 78.3% of his 60 passes, including five of his 12 long balls. Defensively, he recorded two tackles, two clearances, an interception, and a blocked shot. Unfortunately, his most impactful play was getting caught watching on a Gallese block while Ariel Lassiter beat him to the rebound to give the hosts a late lead. That play lowers his grade for this otherwise quality performance.

D, Robin Jansson, 5.5 — Similar to Smith, Jansson had a solid game apart from one play. He had 72 touches and completed 79.7% of his 59 passes, including a key pass and three of his 14 long balls. He added a tackle, an interception, a blocked shot, and a team-high seven clearances to his stat sheet. But his failure to step up in the 16th minute enabled Toye to get behind the back line and score the opening goal, lowering his grade.

D, David Brekalo, 6 — Brekalo has proven himself to be the first-choice partner for Jansson and he was arguably the better center back in Montreal. The Slovenian international had 53 touches and completed 85.1% of his 47 passes, including two of his five long balls. The defender recorded two tackles, an interception, and three clearances defensively in a strong performance.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6 — Thorhallsson was in his usual right back position for this game, playing 90 minutes and recording 44 touches. He completed 82.8% of his 29 passes, but only one of his four long balls and neither of his two crosses. He cleared the ball twice and didn’t really get into the attack, but was solid in his defensive duties.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 (MotM) — This was possibly Cartagena’s best performance of the season. His 85 touches were second-most on the team and he completed 76.5% of his team-high 68 passes, including a key pass and two of his six long balls. It was his shielding of Nathan Saliba and strong pass forward for Duncan McGuire that started the last goal, though he didn’t get an assist. The defensive midfielder was also active defensively with five tackles and three interceptions, and he won a pair of aerial duels. His overall performance earns him my Man of the Match.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — Araujo had a similar performance to Cartagena, but fewer touches and more accurate passing. He recorded 55 touches and completed 93.9% of his 49 passes, including a key pass. He was less active than his partner defensively, recording three tackles, and was booked in the 63rd minute.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo had one of his better performances in this one, recording 48 touches and completing 82.1% of his 39 passes. His biggest impact on the game came two minutes into second-half stoppage time, when he connected with an excellent Martin Ojeda cross to even the game at 2-2. He nearly scored a winner five minutes later, but the pass from Ojeda was just a bit too far for him. His goal was one of his two shots and the only one on target.

MF, Nico Lodeiro, 6 — Lodeiro’s 45 touches were the fewest of the Orlando City midfield, but he did the most with them. The playmaker completed 91.4% of his 35 passes, including a key pass, but couldn’t connect on his long ball or either of his two crosses. He was also caught offside and dispossessed twice before being replaced by Ojeda in the 77th minute.

MF, Facundo Torres, 6 — Torres’ 65 touches were the most in the Lions’ midfield and the fourth most on the team. He completed 83.7% of his 49 passes, but didn’t connect on his two crosses or four long balls. The attacker took three shots and put one on target. In the 22nd minute, the midfielder stepped up and buried his second penalty of the season and ninth as a Lion, continuing her perfect record from the spot.

F, Luis Muriel, 6 — While Oscar Pareja had previously been starting Muriel behind McGuire, the forward got the start alone up top for the second consecutive game. He had 34 touches and completed 68.4% of his 19 passes, including his lone long ball but neither of his two crosses. His biggest impact on the game came in the 20th minute, when he tipped the ball past Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois, drawing the penalty that resulted in the first equalizer. He also had a shot of his own, but it was off target.

Substitutes

F, Duncan McGuire (63’), 6 — McGuire came on in the 63rd minute for Muriel. He had 16 touches in 27 minutes, completing eight of his 10 passes (80%) with a key pass. His lone shot came in the 90th minute, when Jansson headed the ball over to him and he probably should’ve equalized, but his volley was just wide. The striker also won three aerial duels.

MF, Martin Ojeda (77’), 6.5 — Ojeda came on in the 77th minute for Lodeiro and, similar to Lodeiro last week, made a big difference. He had 15 touches and completed four of his six passes (66.7%), including a key pass. Two minutes into second-half injury time, his excellent cross found Angulo, who touched it in for the equalizer. Five minutes later, he had another great cross that nearly found Angulo for the winner, but was just out of his reach.

D, Rafael Santos (85’), 6 — Santos came on in the 85th minute for Torres as the Lions looked to see out a point. He had nine touches and completed two of his three passes (66.7%), but didn’t connect on his cross or long ball. Coming on to assure the defense, Santos did his job as he recorded a tackle, an interception, and two clearances.

This is how I saw Orlando City’s 2-2 draw with CF Montreal. Let us know how you saw the game and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/22/24

Orlando City draws CF Montreal, Pride and OCB win, FA Cup drama, and more.

Published

23 hours ago

on

April 22, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Hello, Mane Landers. I hope all is well with you down in Florida. Orlando City drew, while the Pride and OCB both won over the weekend. I had friends in town, so I went to Wrigley Field to check out a Cubs game and show them around Chicago. Let’s wish former Orlando City midfielder Kaka and Pride defender Brianna Martinez a happy birthday! There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Draw at CF Montreal

Orlando City again had to overcome a 2-1 deficit on the road when it faced CF Montreal Saturday night. The Lions needed a late stoppage-time goal from Ivan Angulo to walk out of Stade Saputo with a 2-2 draw. Orlando has now picked up points in each of the last four matches. Orlando City will face CF Montreal again on July 26 in the MLS Leagues Cup during the competition’s group stage. The Lions’ next match will be Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium as it takes on Toronto FC.

Orlando Pride Defeat San Diego Wave

The Orlando Pride shut out the San Diego Wave 1-0 on Friday at Inter&Co Stadium and got their second consecutive win with that same scoreline. Summer Yates scored the lone goal in the first half to seal the win for Orlando. Zambian international striker Barbra Banda made her debut for the Pride, coming off the bench in the second half. The Pride remain undefeated through five league matches and are fifth in the NWSL table with nine points. The team will be on the road to face the Washington Spirit Friday.

OCB Wins on the Road at Crown Legacy FC

Orlando City B got a 2-0 win against Crown Legacy FC at the Sportsplex at Matthews on Friday. Alex Freeman and Shak Mohammed scored for the Young Lions, and Javier Otero made six saves. OCB completed its two-match road trip, securing four out of a possible six points, and has kept its unbeaten streak on the road alive at four matches. OCB is in fifth in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference with nine points, while Crown Legacy is winless in five matches. OCB will be back in action this Sunday as it hosts Toronto FC II at Osceola County Stadium.

Manchester United and Manchester City Advance to FA Cup Final

Manchester United won 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw against Coventry City in the FA Cup semifinals to advance to the final. It was a thrilling match at Wembley as United had a 3-0 lead before Coventry City rallied to get back into the match. USMNT forward Haji Wright scored the equalizer to tie the match 3-3 late into stoppage time. Coventry City thought it scored the game-winning goal late into extra time from Victor Torp, but it was ruled offside after video review. Casemiro missed his penalty for United, while Wright and Torp gave Coventry City a 2-1 advantage. United converted four straight penalties while Coventry City missed two to seal the win for the Red Devils. Manchester City edged past Chelsea 1-0 in their semifinal matchup, with Bernardo Silva scoring the lone goal in the second half. The FA Cup final will be played at the end of May and will feature a Manchester Derby for the second consecutive time.

Free Kicks

  • In case you missed it, check out this video on Orlando City’s social media page on Ivan Angulo’s equalizer to tie the match in stoppage time against CF Montreal on Saturday.

According to OptaJack, the Pride have secured the most points at home during the regular season since last May, with 26.

  • USMNT defender Sergino Dest suffered a knee injury during training with PSV Eindhoven over the weekend. Dest will miss the remainder of the Eredivisie season and could miss the 2024 Copa America this summer.
  • Real Madrid came back from being 2-1 down to defeat Barcelona 3-2 and stay ahead of its rivals by 11 points with six league matches left.
  • Bayer Leverkusen extended its unbeaten run to 45 matches after scoring a late goal from Josip Stanisic in stoppage time to get a 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund.
  • Serie A side Udinese is reportedly set to hire former Juventus and Real Madrid player Fabio Cannavaro as its next head coach.

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

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Five Takeaways

What did we learn from a 2-2 road draw against CF Montréal?

Published

2 days ago

on

April 21, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City drew CF Montréal 2-2 on the road at Stade Saputo. It was a dominating first-half performance for the Lions, when the club finally showed some consistency with how potent the players could be up top. While there is a difference in prolificity and potency, it is the first match this campaign where the spark was there from all players in the attack. If the team can continue to find linkups in the final third as they did Saturday night, we might just see the team’s 2023 form return with plenty of 2024 season left to play.

Here are my five takeaways from the draw with the team of Club Foots.

Designated Players Can Score

It took Facundo Torres six matches, but he has finally opened his 2024 scoring account to prove that Orlando City Designated Players do in fact know where the enemy net is. Central midfielder Nicolás Lodeiro dinked a ball forward towards the penalty spot for striker Luis Muriel, who ran on with pace before being brought down in the area for a spot kick. Torres stepped up and continued his four-for-four streak from the penalty spot. While it would be great to see him score in the run of play, this might just be what he needed to really get going for the rest of the year.

Muriel Shows Serie A Spark

When Muriel joined Orlando City from Atalanta in Italy’s top flight, it was never a question of if he would be good enough for MLS but rather when his adjustment period would be over. This might have just been the performance we have been waiting for him to unleash. Throughout the first half, Muriel found the half-spaces to get on the ball as a target striker in holdup play but also making runs into the channel as needed as well. His first half was capped with a 70% passing success rate and ultimately drawing the penalty that leveled the score before the break.

Orlando Needs Nico

When Nicolás Lodeiro replaced his Uruguayan countryman Mauricio Pereyra, it seemed like an instant upgrade despite going up in age to a 35-year-old. However, a slow start in league play seemingly left question marks as to whether it was the right move after all. Lodeiro is part of the problem that is keeping Designated Player Martín Ojeda off of the pitch and starting XI, but the midfield maestro showed why Luiz Muzzi went after him this off-season with his passing proficiency against CF Montréal. Lodeiro set up the penalty and finished with 35 passes with a success rate of 91.4% across the night. He was able to connect the play from the back line to Torres and Muriel.

Super Substitutes Silence Stade Saputo

The Cardiac Cats once again proved their resiliencey, coming from behind not once, but twice, in the match. The second goal to draw level at 2-2 was inspired by the substitutions of Duncan McGuire and Martín Ojeda. McGuire laid off a perfect wall pass to Ojeda, who placed a brilliant low cross in front of goal, where Iván Angulo used his pace to beat the defender and tap one home late in the 92nd minute. It was yet another match in which McGuire came on late to impact the game. Just moments before, he barely missed a full volley that would have drawn the match level on his own, as a headed ball from Robin Jansson fell fortunately to him on the right side of the area.

Orlando Loves to Come From Behind

Yet again, Orlando City failed to find the game’s first goal. In this match, it was a 2-2 stoppage time draw, coming from behind CF Montréal. Last Saturday, it was a 3-2, stoppage-time victory, coming from behind to beat D.C. United. Before that, we witnessed a 1-1 draw gifted by the New York Red Bulls with an 89th-minute own goal. You have to look almost an entire month ago, to March 23, to see a match in which Orlando scored first and bagged a result. This isn’t to say that scoring first is required to win, but it is a whole lot easier to take home valuable points when you are the team doing so. If the Lions have any hope of making a deep playoff run, they will need to find a way to be the protagonists in the matches to come.

That’s what I saw in Orlando City’s come-from-behind draw against CF Montréal. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Continue Reading

Trending