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Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Drop Two Points at the Death

Seconds from a rare road win, Orlando allowed 10-man Chicago a last-gasp equalizer.

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City may win a road game or a match against the Fire at some point in the future, but it sure doesn’t seem possible, even under the most favorable circumstances.

Leading by a goal and with a manpower advantage against the 10-man Fire, Orlando threw two points away when CJ Sapong scored on a free header to level the game at 1-1 in the 95th minute at SeatGeek Stadium.

Dom Dwyer had given the Lions (0-0-2, 2 points) a 1-0 second-half lead, and Ruan’s speed forced a Jorge Corrales sending off. Still, Przemyslaw Frankowski was given time in the dying seconds to cross in for Sapong. Defender Shane O’Neill didn’t have tight enough marking and didn’t even jump to try to bother the Fire striker, who gave Chicago (0-1-1, 1 point) a late equalizer.

“That’s totally unacceptable,” James O’Connor said to My65 sideline reporter Jenny Chiu after the match. “You’re winning the game. You’re playing against 10 men. To get that [result]. It’s totally unacceptable.”

Orlando was seconds against snapping a six-game winless streak against Chicago and nabbing its first road win in league play since April 29, 2018. Instead, the Lions are now 0-3-4 in the last seven meetings against the Fire, dating back to Sept. 19, 2015.

The only change in O’Connor’s starting lineup from the opener was to replace Chris Mueller with Nani.

Chicago came out with a lot of energy and tried to jump on Orlando City early. A cross for Nemanja Nikolic should have seen the striker put the Fire on top in just the second minute, but Kamal Miller did just enough to bother the Chicago striker and he wasn’t able to get on the end of the cross, which trickled harmlessly out for a goal kick.

The Fire tried going over the top with diagonal passes behind the wingbacks most of the first half and looked dangerous — especially early — but Orlando eventually settled into the game a bit. Both teams were struggling to defend the wide side on Orlando’s right, with Kyle Smith getting around Corrales a few times and Sapong doing the same behind Smith.

Nikolic missed just wide in the 20th minute on a tap-in given to him on a plate by Aleksandar Katai, who burned Smith badly and fizzed a perfect cross in to the Fire’s forward. He simply missed the net from point-blank range.

Tesho Akindele pulled up with an apparent hamstring issue and Dwyer checked into the game in the 21st minute — much earlier than anticipated. Dwyer nearly sent Nani in behind the defense in the 36th minute, but the Portuguese international was just offside and fired over the bar anyway.

The Lions finally got a decent opportunity in the 40th minute, when Dwyer played a cross off his chest and hit it off the half volley. The shot was headed for the inside of the near post but David Ousted was able to make a sprawling save.

An uneventful five minutes later, the first half was over and the sides headed into the locker rooms scoreless. Chicago held 56% of the first-half possession and out-shot the Lions, 4-1 (1-1 on target). Fouls were 7-3, with the hosts committing more infractions. Each team had one player booked — Smith for Orlando and Djordje Mihailovic for Chicago.

City pounced early in the second half. Nani got on the end of a Danilo Acosta header and blooped a ball over top of the Fire defense. Dwyer ran hard to split the Chicago center backs and arrived just before Ousted, coming out off his line. Dom chipped it with his toe on the second hop over the Fire keeper and into the net for the 1-0 lead at the 47-minute mark.

It was Orlando’s first goal at Chicago since Aug. 14, 2016.

Dwyer got in behind again three minutes later but lost control trying to finesse his way past Ousted; however, the assistant referee’s flag came up anyway.

Ruan was introduced in the 58th minute, coming on for Smith, and his speed impacted the game. Six minutes after coming on for his MLS debut, the Brazilian blazed past Corrales to get onto a slick through ball from Nani. Corrales lunged and brought Ruan down. Robert Sibiga gave a red card and upheld it upon video review, putting Chicago down a man as well as a goal.

Orlando was either unable or unwilling to control the game by possessing the ball. Chicago actually improved its halftime possession numbers, finishing with 59% of the ball, compared to Orlando’s 41%. Chicago continued to try to attack down the wings and cross the ball into the middle. Alex De John did a nice job of clearing out a few crosses into dangerous spots.

The Lions continued to give the ball away too often down the stretch and it finally cost them in stoppage time. Frankowski was given too much time on the ball and picked out a beautiful cross for Sapong. O’Neill was the closest defender and perhaps expected De John to be able to jump up and head it away before it arrived. De John didn’t jump and O’Neill wasn’t tight enough to the Fire forward. He also didn’t jump, giving Sapong a free header to level things in the 95th minute with time essentially up. It was Sapong’s fifth career goal against Orlando City.

“It’s really poor play from us to allow that to happen,” O’Connor told reporters after the match. “I just think our understanding of when we’re playing against 10 men, we need to do a better job of keeping the ball and playing in their half. It’s just very, very annoying for all of us.”

Despite leading for about 48 minutes, Orlando City’s offense was dormant, attempting only two shots in the game, although getting them both on frame. Chicago out-shot the Lions, 7-2 (3-2 on target). The Fire were also the better passing team (80%-72%).

Where last week’s draw may have felt like a win, despite the penalty not given, this one’s surely feels more like a loss.


Orlando will be back in action at home next Saturday, hosting the Montreal Impact at 4 p.m. ET.

Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/3/24

Orlando Pride lead early 2025 NWSL rankings, Americans in midweek action, MLS transfer news roundup, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Tuesday, everyone. I hope you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving, and aren’t too crestfallen to be back at work if you were lucky enough to get some time off. Saturday’s game may not have gone the way we wanted it to, but it was still a vastly enjoyable season that I’ll look back on fondly. We have a lot to talk over today, so let’s wish David Brekalo a happy birthday, and get into the links!

Orlando Pride Top Early 2025 NWSL Rankings

The National Women’s Soccer League season has only just ended, but it’s never too soon to start looking ahead to next year, so let’s have a look at how the teams are stacking up at the moment. As is right and just, the Orlando Pride top the list after winning both the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship this year, although there’s the question of whether Marta will be with the team in 2025 now that she’s a free agent. The runner-up Washington Spirit come in at second, with other semifinalists NJ/NY Gotham FC and the Kansas City Current at third and fourth, respectively. The Houston Dash are at the other end of the list, as they currently don’t have a coach, general manager, or sporting director after a rough season.

What to Watch for Against the Netherlands

The United States Women’s National Team takes on the Netherlands today in the team’s final match of 2024. Even though it’s a friendly there are still plenty of things to keep an eye on. Alyssa Naeher’s final international match will rightly grab a lot of the headlines, considering how long and illustrious her career has been with the USWNT. Newly committed Lily Yohannes will have a chance to show what she can do in the attack in the absence of big names like Sophie Smith, Trinity Rodman, and Mallory Swanson. Jaedyn Shaw finds herself in a similar situation as well. If that wasn’t enough, we may also have a chance to see Pride defender Emily Sams, who didn’t appear in the team’s previous game against England.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans who are in action this week, so make sure you have everything noted and marked down on your calendar. Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan get things started today when they take on Sassuolo in the Coppa Italia’s round of 16. Thursday has Antonee Robinson and Fulham welcoming Brighton and Hove Albion to Craven Cottage in English Premier League play, while Tyler Adams and Bournemouth travel to play Tottenham Hotspur. Things wrap up on Friday with Ricardo Pepi, Malik Tillman, Richy Ledezma, and PSV Eindhoven hosting FC Twente in Eredivisie play.

MLS Transfer Roundup

Plenty of MLS teams are busy making off-season moves, and we have a few that we need to cover. We start in the realm of rumor, where new San Jose Earthquakes coach Bruce Arena has reportedly traded for Mark Anthony-Kaye, Dave Romney, and Ian Harkes from the New England Revolution. Arena worked with all three during his time with the Revs, and Tom Bogert reports that San Jose is giving around $500,000 in General Allocation Money and an international roster spot in exchange. We then shift to confirmed moves, where we know that FC Cincinnati has permanently acquired Luca Orellana after he spent 2024 on loan with the Knifey Lions to great effect. Cincy also announced that it signed defender Bret Halsey to a contract extension.

Free Kicks

  • Barba Banda and Marta are both finalists for the 2024 FIFPRO World 11!
  • Congratulations to Orlando City defender Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, who announced on Instagram that his family has a little one is on the way.

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

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-0 loss in the Eastern Conference final?

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Every loss stings, but season-ending playoff losses hurt the most, and unfortunately Orlando City felt that deep sting Saturday night, losing 1-0 to the New York Red Bulls and falling one game short of advancing to MLS Cup. The Lions simply did not have it offensively, again, and it led to the Red Bulls celebrating a smash-and-grab victory on the field of Inter&Co Stadium after the final whistle. Ugh, I did not like typing that at all.

I have my purple pen out and I am ready to issue some grades, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their Eastern Conference final matchup.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — There was not a lot for Gallese to do during this match, as while the Red Bulls did pose a threat offensively, they only managed seven shots and just one shot on goal, a well placed header off the post that no goalkeeper would have saved. Gallese made a great play to snuff out a late breakaway, coming well out of his box and making a sliding block with his body to keep the score 1-0, but aside from that, most of his game contributions were in distribution, and he did not have his finest game in that area, connecting on only 61.5% of his passes and only six of his 16 long-ball attempts.

D, Rafael Santos, 6 — The Brazilian left back gave a strong effort, but was just was unable to make a major impact on the game. Orlando City attacked up the left side 45% of the time, but despite having so much possession and so many touches (a team-leading 88, 21 more than the next highest player), Santos passed at just a 68.8% rate, only completed one long ball and did not have any successful crosses in seven attempts. Some of those crosses were good, but New York kept them from reaching their targets. Defensively, he chipped in four clearances. In the attacking end, Santos fired one of Orlando City’s nine shots and registered one of the team’s meager three shots on target and drew two fouls without committing any.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Jansson was solid in the back, providing his standard steady defending in partnership with Rodrigo Schlegel, and helping to limit the Red Bulls from getting any shots on target during the run of play. As the Lions began to chase the game in the second half and found themselves stretched, he made several excellent defensive recovery runs to track back and win it back, though when he did get the ball back I thought too often he settled for just launching the ball forward instead of trying to work the ball up the field out of the back. He blocked two shots and finished with two clearances. He completed 78.3% of his passes, a number which was limited by connecting on just six of 15 long balls.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — As is his trademark, Schlegel was intense and engaged for the full 90 minutes and left everything on the field. He and Jansson did an excellent job protecting the center of the box, limiting the Red Bulls to very few scoring opportunities through the middle of the field. Schlegel picked up a yellow card for a professional foul late in the game, but at that time the Lions were stretched and chasing the game and if not for his foul New York may have put the game away. The Argentine was the best passer of the back four (89.7% and 1/1 on long balls) and provided three clearances.

D, Dagur Dan Thórhallson, 6 — Orlando City played primarily down the left side of the field during the Icelandic defender’s time on the field, and so despite playing 60 minutes, he only had 24 touches and did not contribute much offensively with those touches. Thorhallsson passed at a 75% rate without attempting a long ball or creating a scoring chance. On the defensive side he led the team with five clearances, but overall it was a quiet night for Thórhallson, and he was removed in an offense for defense substitution in the 61st minute.

MF, César Araujo, 6.5 —Araujo played a solid match in the middle of the field, completing 94.2% of his passes, winning a team-leading four aerial duels, drawing two fouls, blocking one shot, and making one interception. I thought he was far closer to his usual standard than his midfield partner Wilder Cartagena, but despite his work rate and contributions, he was removed late in the game for Jack Lynn, as the Lions needed to throw all of their attacking players onto the field to try to find an equalizer.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 5 — Cartagena picked the worst night to have perhaps his poorest performance of the season, as he was not the dominant player in the middle of the field that we saw in nearly every game. Everything seemed a step slow for the Peruvian midfielder and his touch was off as well, he only completed 79.4% of his passes, only the fourth time all season he was under 80%. The goal scored by the Red Bulls happened right behind him, and it appeared to me that it was his man who came in unmarked while he was watching the ball instead seeing both ball and man. Cartagena was subbed off in the 71st minute for Nico Lodeiro in a like for like substitution. His best moment was sending a great ball down the left for Martin Ojeda, setting up a golden opportunity for Facundo Torres. It was one of the Peruvian’s three successful long balls on six attempts. Defensively, he blocked a shot and had one interception.

MF, Iván Angulo, 5.5 — I don’t want to overly castigate Angulo for his foul that led to the game’s only goal, but it was a completely unnecessary one, and in a game against a team that struggles to score from open play, there was no excuse for giving the Red Bulls a cheaply earned set piece opportunity. That said, it is not Angulo’s fault that Cartagena did not stay with his man on the free kick (or perhaps got confused about whether someone behind him was supposed to pick up that runner — only the Lions know for sure), but without that foul, there would have been no dangerous cross in the first place. That was the moment of the match, but it was only one moment, and Angulo brought a lot to the table during the rest of that match. His speed up the left side created chances, he completed 90.5% of his passes, and the Colombian also showed his versatility by stepping back into a right back/right wingback role late in the match as Orlando City tried everything to get as many attacking players on the field as possible. I think he left everything on the field before being subbed out in the 88th minute for Kyle Smith, but I wish he had also left his hands down when trying to double the ball in the 47th minute. Angulo attempted one shot that was just wide, registered one key pass, and recorded one clearance.

MF, Martín Ojeda, 7 (MotM) — Ojeda made the offensive play of the game for Orlando City, making a great run up the left side to get onto Cartagena’s well-placed pass, drawing two defenders out of the middle, and playing a perfect cross to a wide-open Facundo Torres. On another night he would have added an assist to his ledger and the rest of the game could have played out completely differently. Ojeda was all over the field for the Lions, making plays all across the attacking third and leading the team with three chances created. In a departure from the normal substitution pattern, he stayed on the field when Luis Muriel entered the game and deservedly so, as I felt he was Orlando City’s most impactful player throughout the match. Ojeda passed at a 77.8% clip, including the aforementioned three key passes, two of his three long balls, and three successful crosses on 15 attempts. His lone shot attempt wasn’t on frame. The Argentine added a clearance on the defensive end.

MF, Facundo Torres, 6 — Torres was active, but he did not have the precision that he showed during the late summer run and will rue the huge chance he missed in the 32nd minute, one that certainly would have changed the entire tenor of the game. I was surprised he chose to shoot to his right instead of his left, as Torres is an outstanding shooter to his left when attacking from the right, and he left his shot far too close to Carlos Coronel for an easy save. The Uruguayan did get another shot on goal on a header late in the match, but it also did not trouble Coronel, and though he drew a team-leading three fouls, none of them led to any great chances for Orlando City. The Lions attacked down the right side on only 24% of their possessions, and with their focus on going left, Torres had few chances on his preferred right side to cut back into the middle to cause havoc. The enduring memory from this game for Torres will be that missed opportunity, one that I think he generally scores for more often than not, but alas on this night it was not to be. Aside from that, he passed at a 78.2% rate, completing one of his two crosses and one of his two long balls, but he surprisingly did not register a key pass. Torres also didn’t register any defensive stats.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 7 — Orlando City followed its usual substitution pattern and removed Enrique after 61 minutes for Duncan McGuire, but I wish Oscar Pareja had found a way to keep him on the field instead, because I thought he was one of the two Lions (along with Ojeda) playing the best during his minutes on the field. He drew a team-leading three fouls to match Torres in that department and was constantly making darting runs all over the attacking third of the field. He made a great hustle play to create one of Orlando City’s best opportunities, but rather than shooting, he tried to finesse past a defender to get a better angle and the chance fell apart. Enrique’s only shot attempt was not on target, and he passed at 77.8% accuracy on just nine attempts without a key pass or attempting a long ball or a cross. He won three aerials and chipped in defensively with a team-high two tackles and an interception.

Substitutes

MF, Luis Muriel (61′), 6.5 — Muriel once again changed the game once he stepped on the field, helping to ratchet up Orlando City’s attack, but despite playing several high-level passes, nothing ended up coming from any the plays he initiated. Muriel also had a half-chance late in the game that he badly mishit, skying a ball high and to the right, so much so that it actually stayed in bounds due to all the back and sidespin on the ball. Even though Orlando City’s best chance came before Muriel entered the game I thought the offense looked better when he was on the field, and I walked out of the stadium wishing that he had come on right after New York had scored, as he clearly grasped the urgency and played like it throughout his time on the field. Muriel completed 90% of his 20 passes, including a key pass and a completed long ball on his lone attempt, but his one cross attempt did not meet the target. Neither of his two shots hit the target either, but he added a tackle on the defensive side.

F, Duncan McGuire (61′), 6 — The most impressive play McGuire made while on the field was a full-field sprint back on defense to break up a counterattack, and while that was a big play to prevent a possible doubling of the lead, you generally want a striker’s most impressive play to come while attacking the opponent’s goal, not defending their own. McGuire got one shot off, attempting to finish on a ball played beautifully over the top by Muriel, but he could not get his body turned enough and the ball went harmlessly into the stands off his weaker left foot. The effort was there on Saturday night, but the final product was not. He completed six of his nine passes (66.7%) without a key pass, long ball, or cross. He won an aerial but contributed no defensive statistics.

MF, Nico Lodeiro, (71’), 6.5 The Uruguayan came on around his usual time, but with the Lions playing from behind, he was asked to play differently than he has in recent appearances off the bench. By the end of the game he was playing as the sole defensive midfielder, with Orlando City throwing everyone forwards in hopes of tying the game. I thought he was excellent off the bench and that he outplayed Cartagena, the man he replaced in the lineup, completing 84.9% of his 33 passes, including his only long-ball attempt, however, he did not create a scoring chance or complete a cross. He added a tackle on the defensive side.

MF, Kyle Smith, (88’), N/A — By the time Smith entered, Orlando City was no longer in a standard formation, so Smith debatably came in as a right back or possibly as a right midfielder when he entered the game in the 88th minute. It really did not matter though, as he only had time for four touches and two attempted crosses, neither of which led to significant opportunities for the offense, and he didn’t play long enough to fairly warrant a grade.

F, Jack Lynn, (88’), N/A — Lynn made his first appearance of the playoffs as Orlando City was desperately chasing the game, but only had one touch and really did not have the opportunity to influence the game at all.


That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 1-0 playoff loss. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote on the Man of the Match.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/2/24

Orlando City’s playoff run ends, Barbra Banda nominated for Best FIFA Women’s Player, USWNT draws against England, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all of you had a good Thanksgiving weekend spent with your family and loved ones. Under Armour kept me busy all weekend, along with working at Wrigley Field for the Northwestern and Illinois college football game. Let’s all wish Orlando City goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar a happy birthday! It was frustrating to see Orlando City’s season end over the weekend, but let’s get to the links to catch up on all of the action.

Lions Fall to the New York Red Bulls in MLS Playoffs

Orlando City’s 2024 MLS playoff run ended on Saturday after a 1-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls at Inter&Co Stadium in the Eastern Conference final. Andres Reyes scored the lone goal to seal the win for the Red Bulls to advance to the MLS Cup final for the second time in club history. It’s the second time this postseason that the Lions have been shut out. Orlando didn’t beat the Red Bulls at all this year, drawing 1-1 at home and falling 1-0 on the road during the regular season prior to this playoff match. Orlando’s 2024 season ends just one round before reaching what would have been its first MLS Cup final appearance. Considering how Orlando’s season started, turning things around to finish as one of the final four teams in the playoffs gives the Lions something to build on next year.

Barbra Banda Nominated for Best FIFA Women’s Player Award

Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda has been nominated for the 2024 Best FIFA Women’s Player Award. Banda is coming off a stellar season in her first year with the Pride, leading the club with 17 goals and scoring the winning goal against the Washington Spirit to seal Orlando’s first NWSL Championship title. She scored a hat trick for Zambia in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris against Australia as well. USWNT players Sophia Smith, Lindsey Horan, Mallory Swanson, and Trinity Rodman are also in contention for the award. Other notable players nominated are last year’s winner, Aitana Bonmati, Chelsea defender Lucy Bronze, and Jamaican forward Khadija Shaw.

LA Galaxy Beat Seattle Sounders to Reach MLS Cup Final

In the Western Conference final, the LA Galaxy defeated the Seattle Sounders 1-0 on Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park. Dejan Joveljic scored a late goal in the second half to seal the win for the Galaxy and clinch a spot in the MLS Cup final. Joveljic has scored five goals in the postseason and the Galaxy return to the MLS Cup final for the first time since 2014. Riqui Puig added the assist on Joveljic’s goal and has three assists and four goals this postseason. Unfortunately, Puig suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during the match and will miss the final when the Galaxy host the Red Bulls on Saturday.

USWNT and England Play to Scoreless Draw in Friendly

On Saturday, the United States Women’s National Team fought to a scoreless draw against England in front of a record crowd at Wembley Stadium. The USWNT thought it had scored a goal in the second half courtesy of Lindsey Horan, but it was waved off due to offside. The USWNT was also given a penalty kick after it appeared defender Alex Greenwood handled the ball, but the decision was overturned after video review. The USWNT will travel to The Hague to take on the Netherlands Tuesday at ADO Den Haag Stadium at 2:45 p.m. for the team’s final match to close out the year.

Scouting Report on the Netherlands

Stars and Stripes FC unveiled its scouting report on the Netherlands. The USWNT will face the Dutch for the 12th time, winning eight of the first 11 meetings. Their last matchup was a 1-1 draw in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup group stage. Some notable names on the Dutch roster include forward Chasity Grant, goalkeeper Lize Kop, and defender Dominique Janssen. Kop is known for her quickness to get to the ground and possesses the physical strength to absorb contact from her opponents when going after aerial balls. Veteran defender Danielle van de Donk is another player to keep an eye out for, as she can still provide a spark and identify gaps in the opposition’s defense. Even though this is a friendly, this match will provide another test for Head Coach Emma Hayes to give opportunities to the younger players while building chemistry for the squad.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride midfielder Angelina and forward Adriana were both in action for Brazil in a friendly on Sunday. Brazil won 2-1 over Australia.

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