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Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. Montreal Impact

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Ahead of tomorrow’s game with the Montreal Impact, I’m here once again to bring you a little insider information on Orlando City’s foes for the third match of the season. This week saw me traveling to the great white north to meet with a shadowy figure in the ruins of an old Zamboni factory (Canada stuff!). That shadowy figure was Paul Vance, the managing editor of Mount Royal Soccer, and he was gracious enough to give me a very in-depth idea of the current state of the Impact.

From what you’ve seen through two games, what do you believe is the strongest area of the field for Montreal this season?

Paul Vance: Probably the defense. Unlike last year with three center backs injured and one traded just prior to the big kickoff, it’s a lot more stable this time around. The defense, in front of the most-improved goalkeeper in MLS, Evan Bush, has performed well in its first two road games this season. Former France European Championship-winning goalkeeper Joel Bats gets the credit for Bush’s improvement.

The back four is one of experience with former Arsenal and Manchester City right back Bacary Sagna on the right flank, and newly USMNT-capped Daniel Lovitz on the left. Sagna, now 36, arrived last summer from Serie A side Benevento, and has been a calming influence on the right side. He also links up well going forward and, despite advancing years, brings much experience and a presence to the squad. Lovitz has played his way from Impact trialist to the USMNT in the space of three years. His improvement is a marked one, and he’s another who has benefited from working with a highly experienced coaching team.

The center back pairing is a new one. Former French Ligue 2 player Zakaria Diallo was one of the center backs injured in preseason in 2018, the snapping of an Achilles tendon keeping him out for the whole season. He’s now established as the number one central defender at the club. The question is, who partners him? Now, there are options, when before the cupboard was bare. Finnish international Jukka Raitala, coming back from injury and who can also play in his more accustomed left back role, is one. Add to that Rudy Camacho, who arrived from Beveren-Waas (Belgium) amidst the crisis last year, is another, but the man currently starting alongside Diallo is experienced warrior Victor Cabrera, now entering his fifth season as a Montreal Impact player. The rugged Argentinian has dovetailed well with the more cultured Diallo. The chemistry is good and they appear to complement each other well. The others may have to wait to get their chance. In front of the defense the Impact has the protective shield of Samuel Piette. In road games, Ugandan Michael Azira is also preferred in midfield to more attacking options.

Saphir Taïder has certainly hit the ground running this year. With two goals and an assist he’s been involved in all of Montreal’s goals so far. Do you think he’ll continue to be one of the Impact’s big guns this year?

PV: The Algerian international midfielder had a good season last year. We’d probably have seen an even more effective Taider in 2018, but for the fact the Impact for the first third of the season were unbalanced and in disarray. Consequently there was probably too much asked of the player, who tried manfully to plug defensive gaps, while at the same time endeavored to get into the opposition box to help a relatively blunt attack (Piatti excepted, of course).

So, Taider’s start to the season does not come as that much of a surprise. In a more settled and organized side he has more freedom (and energy) in a creative sense to cause problems for the opposition, as we’ve seen from the first two road games. Saphir is certainly one of the key players in the Impact team. He’s an automatic choice as can be deduced from him starting every single game but one since the beginning of last season. The one game missed was due to suspension. Big things are indeed expected from the 27-year-old this season.

While Taïder is firing on all cylinders, no Montreal striker has scored a goal yet. Obviously it’s only two games in but is that a worry for you or do you expect goals to start flowing soon?

PV: You’re right in suggesting that none of the Impact strikers have been on target this season, following a trend carried over from 2018. However, the main source of goals since the Didier Drogba days has been Ignacio Piatti, with 50 in the last three seasons, and already off the mark this term.

New signing from FC Dallas, Maxi Urruti, has never been prolific. However, the hard-working forward is likely to weigh in with double figures this season, despite not yet hitting the target in the first two MLS games. He will act as a foil, and provide plenty of industry. Remember, France had a striker in the recent World Cup, Olivier Giroud, who failed to score in the tournament but was never left out of the starting lineup. Despite cultural connections, I’m not comparing the Montreal Impact to France, but that’s the type of striker Remi Garde sees when looking at Urruti. He’s strong, can hold up the play, and bring others in. It is also fair to say that he’s not so far had the best of service, with the Impact creating only a handful of chances over its first 180 MLS minutes in 2019.

Orji Okwonkwo has arrived on loan from Bologna. He plays wide right, has started both games so far, and it’s fair to say the jury remains out, while allowing him time to settle into Montreal life. Okwonkwo would not have started those first two games had Harry Novillo been fit. Novillo, a Frenchman who played under Garde at Olympique Lyonnais, has a slight hamstring pull, and his MLS debut is expected sooner rather than later. It could well be against Orlando City, as the current prognosis is positive. A bit of an unknown quantity (but not to Garde), he’s had spells in French, Australian, and Turkish football and a brief stint in the Malaysian league before his surprise arrival in Montreal.

I would say goal-power is a concern, but it’s a little hard to judge, since strategy is different on the road to what it would be at Stade Saputo, and we’re not going to see a home performance until round seven!

Are there any injuries/suspensions that will keep players unavailable for selection, and what is your projected Montreal starting lineup?

PV: No suspensions. No injuries that I’ve heard of yet, apart from Novillo referred to above, but they are making noises about him playing against Orlando. (No starting lineup prediction provided).


Thanks very much to Paul for the detailed insight and updates on Montreal. Vamos Orlando!

Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/28/25

Lions defeat Atlanta United, Pride bounce back against Angel City FC, OCB falls to New York Red Bulls II, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I will cover high school volleyball and soccer later this week. Let’s wish a happy birthday to Orlando City B forward Thalles, who turns 20 today. Our beloved Lions finally won a match this month, the Pride bounced back with a win, and OCB lost over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Defeat Atlanta United at Home

Orlando City snapped its three-game winless streak and extended its unbeaten streak to seven games, beating rival Atlanta United 3-0 Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. Luis Muriel, Alex Freeman, and Marco Pasalic scored for the Lions. With Pasalic’s goal and assist in Saturday’s match against Atlanta, he added his name to the club record books by becoming the fourth player in club history to have seven goal contributions in his first 10 matches.

Orlando set a club record early in the match for the most consecutive shutout minutes. By the end of the match, Orlando had not conceded a goal in 436 minutes. The Lions’ last goal conceded was to Christian Ramirez in the 14th minute against the LA Galaxy last month. Orlando City will be on the road Saturday to take on the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field.

Pride Rally to Defeat Angel City FC at Home

The Orlando Pride completed the comeback, overcoming a 2-0 deficit late in the second half and defeating Angel City FC 3-2 Friday at Inter&Co Stadium. In the final 20 minutes, Marta and Barbra Banda scored to tie the match after Orlando trailed 2-0. Orlando also got an own goal in stoppage time from Angel City FC defender M.A. Vignola and escaped with a win at home. The Pride bounced back after a defeat to the Washington Spirit the previous week. With the Kansas City Current losing to the North Carolina Courage over the weekend, the Pride are tied with the Current atop the NWSL table. After the match, Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines shared his thoughts on his team’s resiliency to overturn a 2-0 deficit and fight back for the win at home.

The Pride will travel to the Pacific Northwest to face the Portland Thorns in their next match Saturday at Providence Park.

Orlando City B Falls at Home to New York Red Bulls II

Orlando City B started slowly and dug too deep a hole to climb out of on Sunday night in a 4-2 loss to New York Red Bulls II at Osceola County Stadium. The Young Lions trailed 2-0 early in the first half. Jhon Solis pulled one back for OCB before Red Bulls II added another goal to make it 3-1 just before halftime. In the second half, Justin Ellis scored to pull the Young Lions within one again before Ibrahim Kasule converted a penalty kick goal in stoppage time to seal the win against OCB. New York Red Bulls II moves to second in the Eastern Conference with 13 points, while Orlando City B has lost back-to-back matches and is in fifth with 11 points. OCB will be on the road Friday to take on Chicago Fire II at SeatGeek Stadium.

NWSL Announces Plans to Launch a Second Division Women’s League

The National Women’s Soccer League has submitted an application to the U.S. Soccer Federation to launch a second-division soccer league in 2026, the league announced on Friday. The plan for this new league is to focus on furthering player development and building a pipeline between the NWSL and the second division league, similar to Major League Soccer and MLS NEXT Pro. Eight clubs are reportedly set for the league’s inaugural season, including the Orlando Pride. Joining Orlando in committing to the league are Bay FC, the Kansas City Current, the North Carolina Courage, NJ/NY Gotham FC, Racing Louisville, the Seattle Reign, and the Washington Spirit. The Division 2 clubs would play in the same stadiums as their parent clubs. The season format would be a round robin, featuring 14 matches, home and away, and will include playoffs with two semifinals and a championship match.

Free Kicks


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 vs. Atlanta United: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 3-0 win over Atlanta United?

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City poured it on in the second half to defeat Eastern Conference rival Atlanta United 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium Saturday night. After not scoring in three straight matches, it was very satisfying to have the team dominate Atlanta on both sides of the ball. This was an important win with the club heading back out on the road next week.

Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in the victory over rival Atlanta United.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — Gallese did not have much to do in this match, thanks to the defense. While Atlanta took 12 shots, none were on target. El Pulpo made the right decisions on when to come out of goal to gather the ball before the offense could pounce. He had an 83.1% passing rate on his 16 attempts while completing three of his six long-ball attempts. This result makes it four straight clean sheets for Gallese.

D, David Brekalo, 6.5  With the suspension of Rafael Santos, Head Coach Oscar Pareja moved Brekalo back out to left back. Brekalo touched the ball 87 times and completed 90.9% of his 66 passes including one of his three long-ball attempts, and one key pass. Defensively, he recorded one tackle, recorded a team-high six clearances, and suffered one foul. Like many on the team, he was active in pressing the attack but making certain that the defense recovered to keep a numerical advantage over Atlanta’s attack.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Orlando City’s captain led the defense to another clean sheet. He was his usual solid self, making important defensive plays, like a great tackle in the 33rd minute to stop a potential Atlanta breakaway. He logged a team-high 94 touches, completed 91.7% of his 84 passes, and completed two of his eight long-ball attempts. Defensively, he made four clearances and blocked two shots. He even made one of his patented long runs up through the defense, where no one seems to want to stop him.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — Rodrigo Schlegel returned to the starting lineup from his red card suspension. Despite earning a yellow card late in stoppage time, it was a solid outing from the center back. He logged 82 touches and completed 97.4% of his 77 passes and one of his three long-ball attempts. Defensively, Schlegel recorded four clearances and committed one foul. It was good to have him back next to Jansson, and even better that he kept his head to assist in another clean sheet.

D, Alex Freeman, 7 — Freeman played well against Atlanta. The highlight was his perfectly placed goal in the 51st minute. He took a through ball from Pasalic on the right side of the six-yard box, put the ball on his right foot, and fired it across the goal into the bottom left corner. He touched the ball 55 times, completed 83.8% of his 37 passes, and had one successful cross. Defensively, the young Lion contributed one tackle and three clearances. Offensively, Freeman took two shots, with one (his goal) on target.

MF, Kyle Smith, 6 — Smith moved from the back line to the midfield with Cesar Araujo still out due to personal reasons. El Soldado had a few errant passes but nothing that ultimately harmed Orlando City. He did a workman’s job in one of the many positions he was asked to play. Smith touched the ball 50 times and completed 85.4% of his 41 passes, including one of his two long-ball attempts. Offensively, Smith took two shots with one on target, and suffered one foul. Defensively, he made one tackle, contributed one clearance, and suffered two fouls.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 7 — Atuesta returned to his starting role and quietly had an excellent match. He did exactly what the team needed of him by connecting the defense to the offense and contributing on both sides of the ball. Atuesta logged 85 touches and completed 87.1% of his 70 passes, including three key passes. He logged one shot, which was just off target, and drew a team-high four fouls. Defensively, he logged an interception, three clearances, and a blocked shot. He was active and was able to go the full match.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo wasted too many offensive chances but still helped the team in other ways. He managed two shots, with one on target. It was a one-on-one with Brad Guzan, but he wasn’t able to put it past him. Angulo did well tracking back on defense, contributing two interceptions and generally getting in the way of Atlanta. He touched the ball 36 times and completed 83.3% of his 24 passes, including two key passes and one of his three long-ball attempts. He made way for Nico Rodriguez in the 86th minute.

MF, Luis Muriel, 7 — Muriel dropped into the attacking midfield in the spot usually occupied by Martin Ojeda. Muriel does well when playing a little deeper, and it ultimately paid off when he won a penalty in the 37th minute. He then confidently put the ball in the back of the net, sending Guzan the wrong way for Orlando City’s first goal in 312 minutes. Muriel logged 50 touches, completing 71% of his 31 passes, including one key pass. He took four shots with two on target. Defensively, he logged one interception and committed one foul. After Duncan McGuire was subbed off, he moved back up into the striker position.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 7.5 (MotM) — Pasalic, at times early in the match, was trying to force some passes into some tight spots. You could see the idea, but the execution wasn’t there. Fortunately, like many of his teammates, he turned it on later in the match. His first goal contribution was the assist on Freeman’s goal. It was one of those passes he tried earlier, but this time he found his target. Pasalic put the icing on the cake for Orlando City with his 67th-minute goal. It was an absolute stunner that froze Guzan in place and rocketed into the bottom right corner of the goal. He touched the ball 43 times and completed 84.9% of his 33 passes, including two key passes. Defensively, Pasalic contributed one clearance and one tackle. Offensively, he took two shots with one on target (his goal). Two goal contributions earn him our Man of the Match. He also set up Atuesta for a golden chance but the midfielder missed just wide of the right post on what could have been Pasalic’s second assist of the match.

F, Duncan McGuire, 6 — McGuire made his first start of the season, taking over for Muriel at the striker position. He was active early, making good runs, getting back on defense, and stretching the defense. McGuire managed one shot on the night in the 46th minute, but unfortunately he couldn’t take the shot quickly enough and it was blocked. It was a good run-out for the striker, who touched the ball 25 times and completed 70.6% of his 17 passes, including one key pass. Defensively, he contributed one clearance and drew two fouls. Duncan looked to be dealing with some tightness or cramping in his legs prior to coming off for Martin Ojeda in the 60th minute.

Substitutes

MF, Martin Ojeda (60′), 6 — Ojeda came on for McGuire, who is still working his way back into full fitness. He moved into his normal role, pushing Muriel into the striker position. The match was well in hand by the time he came on, but he did record 21 touches and completed 86.7% of his 15 passes, including two successful crosses and two key passes. He attempted one shot, but it was not on target.

MF, Nico Rodriguez (75′), N/A — Rodriguez made his second appearance of the season, coming on for Angulo. He showed plenty of energy, especially in defending, as Atlanta pushed late trying to make something work. He recorded 12 touches and completed 87.5% of his eight passes. On offense, he took one shot that was badly off target, suffered one foul, and won an aerial ball.

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (86′), N/A — Thorhallsson was one of three late subs brought on to see out the victory. He only managed three touches, completed his only pass, and contributed one blocked shot.

MF, Colin Guske (86′), N/A — Guske saw his first minutes since his one-minute debut against the Philadelphia Union. He had four touches, completed both of his passes, and drew two fouls.

MF, Gustavo Caraballo (86′), N/A— Like the other late subs, Caraballo only managed five touches, but he completed his only pass — a key pass — and suffered one foul. He also added a blocked shot on defense.


That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s excellent 3-0 victory. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

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Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 3-0 home victory over Atlanta United.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Ah winning, it is so much better than tying. After three straight ties, Orlando City returned to their winning ways on Saturday, dominating Atlanta United and reminding the Five Stripes that Orlando is the soccer capital of the south. No, Miami, you cannot join the adults’ table and conversation yet. The Lions dominated play for most of Saturday’s match, and once they scored that first goal, they never looked back, adding two more goals and taking home all three points. Here are my five takeaways from the match.

The Shutout Streak is Over!

Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good, but in this case Orlando City earned its luck as Luis Muriel was making a driving run in the box and was preparing to shoot when Bartosz Slisz tripped him, earning Orlando City a penalty. Initially there was no call, but after video review, Orlando City was awarded a penalty and Muriel sent Brad Guzan the other way and the Lions were on the board for the first time since their trip to Los Angeles. Orlando City dominated the opening segment of the game and could easily have already scored at least one goal prior to the penalty, and as the clock ticked closer to halftime, that uneasy feeling of “not again” was starting to creep in. But then, Muriel created an opportunity and converted the ensuing penalty kick, and everyone breathed a big sigh of relief with a side of purple smoke.

The Shutout Streak Continues!

On the other side of the ball, the defensive back line continued its run of recent form by preventing Atlanta from even getting one shot on target, forcing the visitors to take half of their shots from more than 20 yards away from the goal. Pedro Gallese was barely troubled throughout the game, and the back line of David Brekalo, Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and Alex Freeman all went the full 90 and yet only made a combined two tackles, showing just how little of an attack Atlanta was able to mount against the Orlando City defense. The Lions bossed the game all over the field, from the press by their attacking group through owning the midfield and the defense snuffing out the few threatening attacks Atlanta put together, and it was a full team effort to earn a fourth straight shutout.

Another New Midfield Combination

The injury bug bit the Orlando City defensive midfield once again, as after three straight starts Joran Gerbet was unable to go against Atlanta. With César Araújo still to return from injury, and away on Saturday for the birth of his daughter, that meant that Óscar Pareja turned to Kyle Smith to start the game as one half of the defensive midfield. Thankfully, Eduard Atuesta was finally cleared to return, and the Atuesta-Smith pairing became the fourth pair to start in the first 10 games of the season. I thought Atuesta was brilliant in this game, as his incisive passing and playmaking skills were on full display throughout. He did fail to convert on a wonderful chance to score off of a Marco Pašalić pass, but aside from that, he was outstanding on both offense and defense and breathed life into an Orlando City team that had sorely missed him.

For his part, Smith played much more of the defensive role between the two holding midfielders, and he was solid in the middle of the field, partnering with Jansson and Schlegel to wall off Atlanta from being able to attack through the middle. Time will tell if we see yet another new combination next week, but in this week’s game, Atuesta and Smith made it look like they had been playing next to each other for months, not days.

The Formation Was Fluid

As fans of Orlando City, we know that Pareja loves his 4-2-3-1 formation and has used that nearly exclusively during his tenure in Orlando. In this context, I found it interesting that multiple sites listed the Lions as having played a 3-4-2-1 in the match against Atlanta, but this makes sense with how far Freeman pushes up the field on the right hand side and how Brekalo, Jansson, and Schlegel hang back and hold down the defense while their young teammate joins the attack. Additionally, Orlando City makes a point to not lock its players into specific positions, but rather let the front group rotate as needed defensively, leading to times in the second half when it appeared like any one of Martin Ojeda, Muriel, and Nico Rodríguez were playing as a striker, with the others filling in behind. There were also times in the first half when it looked like Duncan McGuire and Muriel were both playing up top, and then others when it seemed like McGuire was the lone striker with Muriel dropped well behind him. These multiple looks caused some confusion among the Atlanta defense and also slowed down the Atlanta attack as well, as they saw players in different locations than they expected. The Lions have a lot of players who have “utility” skillsets, and they took advantage of those in this match.

Duncan Is Now Fully Open For Business

McGuire made his first start of the year on Saturday, and while he did not score a goal, it was good to see that he is now healthy enough to go 60 minutes in a match. Big Dunc was involved in a few chances, taking one shot and making one key pass in addition to drawing two fouls, but the big takeaway here is that he is now one more option that Pareja has available to him to start or bring off the bench. In this match, they decided to bring in Ojeda off the bench and give him a bit of a rest, but as the season starts to move from one game per week to many weeks having both a weekend and weekday game, it will be critical that the Lions can rotate the squad and keep all the key players fresh. McGuire looked like he still had something left in the tank when he subbed out, so I think it is safe to say he is back to full fitness.


Those are my takeaways from an enjoyable beatdown of one of Orlando City’s biggest rivals and a game that was much less stressful than the Pride’s come-from-behind victory on the same field the night before. The Lions will look to build off this victory when they travel to Chicago next weekend, though waiting for them will be an angry Fire team that was just embarrassed 7-2 by Nashville. There is no reason why Orlando City cannot also score seven, but we will settle for at least one more than Chicago scores.

Let us know your thoughts about the Atlanta match in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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