Orlando City
Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Remain Winless at Home
Set piece defending did the Lions in against the league leaders.
Orlando City couldn’t rally from a 2-0 hole and eventually saw its comeback attempt fall short in a 2-1 home loss to league-leading D.C. United. The Lions conceded twice on set pieces in the first half and simply couldn’t convert enough chances to come from behind in front of 22,481 fans at Orlando City Stadium.
D.C. United (3-0-1, 10 points) won on the road at Orlando (1-2-2, 5 points) for the first time since 2015, snapping the Lions’ 3-0-1 home streak against the Black and Red. Dom Dwyer pulled a goal back in the second half and City had plenty of good scoring chances to equalize but just couldn’t put a second past Bill Hamid.
The game hinged on two set pieces and each had its share of controversy, although the second was by far the more questionable and it left Head Coach James O’Connor livid in his post-game press conference. Normally someone who downplays questions about officiating, O’Connor was visibly upset about the second goal in particular and it was clear that several of the controversial calls from last year are still on the coach’s mind.
“Since I’ve been here we’ve had it in game after game — Columbus away last year, D.C. had an incident, New York at the start of this year,” he said pounding the table in his postgame press conference. “How many more times? The players go out and give an incredible second-half performance — absolutely incredible — and yet we come off and we lose the game again through no fault of our own. How many more times?
“So for me, when I look at it, it’s like yeah we’ve got VAR, but why bother? They don’t even look. And you look at it and the whole stadium can see. It’s mind boggling stuff.”
O’Connor made only two changes from the starting lineup that won at New York last Saturday, inserting Lamine Sané in for the injured Alex De John and Dwyer for rookie Santiago Patino.
Before some fans had found their seats, the visitors were up 1-0. Robin Jansson was called for a handball out near the sideline on a wicked hard cross attempt that caught his arm on the way in. You know Orlando’s history with handball calls, so you can guess what happened next. D.C. scored on the ensuing free kick as Ruan was overmatched trying to defend Steve Birnbaum, who headed in the Wayne Rooney cross from point-blank range in the sixth minute.
“When you look at the first set piece, we’ve fallen asleep on the set piece,” O’Connor said.
Orlando City should have equalized almost immediately. Dwyer’s cross found a wide-open Nani in the eighth minute but the Portuguese star sent his thunderous header over the bar from less than 10 yards out, squandering an excellent scoring opportunity.
Nani got another header chance in the 17th minute off a corner kick but he sent the attempt straight at goalkeeper Bill Hamid.
D.C. doubled the lead in the 30th minute after a challenge in the corner gave United a free kick. Dwyer had gone out to hound Rooney and swiped at the ball with his right foot. Despite not making contact, Rooney immediately appealed to referee Armando Villarreal and was awarded a free kick.
After the match, Villarreal answered the pool reporter’s written questions about the foul and stated that he viewed Dwyer’s action as an attempt to kick Rooney — not the ball — and awarded the free kick. Although contact isn’t strictly required for a foul to be given, Villarreal avoided the question of whether he saw any contact by petulantly replying “see above answer.”
Rooney himself said Dwyer didn’t make contact with him on the play that led to the goal but he agreed with the referee’s decision of intent.
“I seen him coming and I got out the way because if I didn’t it could’ve been a serious injury and again, as the referee said, it’s intent,” Rooney said. “I’m not stupid enough to stand in there and let him take my knee off. I got out the way. By the way he come into the tackle he’s forced me to lose control of the ball, which is a free kick.”
Rooney set the ball several yards from where the foul was committed — near the corner at the sideline — and actually started his run-up from where the foul occurred, giving himself a little more leverage and a better angle on his delivery, then sent his free kick sailing directly into the net at the back post while Frederic Brillant bowled over Brian Rowe. Rowe would likely not have reached that ball regardless, but you still aren’t allowed to smash into the goalkeeper. Villarreal appeared to discuss the play with the VAR, but the play did not get reviewed.
“I think when you look at the second set piece, it’s embarrassing, really at this stage. I’m at a stage now when players need to be protected because when you look at the foul on Brian Rowe is so obvious. It goes to VAR. Everybody can see it. And for some reason we don’t…what’s the point of having VAR? He didn’t even go and look at it. Yet everyone can see that it’s a foul.”
“It’s unbelievable to be honest,” Dwyer said about the foul call that led to the goal. “After all the hard work we put in tonight, it’s sad we have to look back and that’s one of the turning points. I thought maybe having VAR would help the referees but it seems to be doing the opposite.”
The Lions had the last decent scoring chance of the half when Nani stepped into a shot in first-half stoppage time, but he sent his bullet right at Hamid, and the teams went to the break with the visitors holding a 2-0 lead.
Orlando out-shot D.C. 7-2 in the first half (3-2 on target) and held more of the possession (55%-45%). The visitors were slightly more accurate passers (82%-81%) in the opening half.
The Lions came out more aggressive in the second half, pushing more numbers up the field and just accepting that the occasional counter was the price to pay for trying to claw back into the game. D.C. got the first good opportunity of the second half. Luciano Acosta blasted a shot from above the box that Rowe tipped over the bar in the 49th minute.
From that point on, the game was almost all one-way traffic the other direction. Two minutes after Acosta’s chance, Dwyer sent a ball past Hamid that rolled agonizingly close to the back post but missed just wide. Joao Moutinho — who had a fantastic game at left wingback for City — was too far away to get there before it bounced out for a goal kick. A minute later, Moutinho fizzed a wicked cross through the area that was only an inch or two out of Dwyer’s reach. Moutinho’s attacks continued in the 54th minute with a cross/shot that floated over Hamid and just missed the upper 90 on the right side of goal.
D.C. should have put the game away in the 57th minute off a turnover but Junior Moreno hit the right post on a shot from just inside the top of the box. The ball deflected harmlessly out for a goal kick.
Two minutes later, O’Connor sent Chris Mueller and Sebas Mendez into the game and withdrew Sacha Kljestan and Uri Rosell, and it gave the Lions a big lift. Four minutes after the switch, Mueller took a pass from Nani and drove to the end line to the right of goal, then sent an inch-perfect pass across the six-yard box for Dwyer to head past Hamid, making it 2-1 in the 63rd minute. It was the first goal conceded by D.C. United this season.
“It was fantastic,” Dwyer said of the buildup to the goal. “I think Nani was great all game. Chris brought a tremendous amount of energy when he came on the field. He’s grown every single game. It was a fantastic ball in from him and I’ve just got to put it away and it was pretty simple.”
Orlando pushed hard for the equalizer, with Ruan getting his cross knocked out for a corner just a minute after Dwyer’s goal. The cloud of purple smoke had not yet cleared when Dwyer got a chance in the 65th minute, but he missed the net and all he could do was grab his head in dismay.
From there it was just more near misses the rest of the way. Mueller sent a shot wide in the 75th minute, cutting in from the right. Hamid fought off a Dwyer long-range shot in the 83rd. Jansson shot just wide off a corner kick that somehow landed in the box at his feet. Mueller capped it off with a stoppage-time shot off the left post and a shot just wide in the 93rd minute.
Orlando players collapsed after the final whistle, having done all they could to fight back and take something from the game, but in the end they just weren’t clinical enough in front of goal and they didn’t defend those first-half set pieces well enough.
The Lions out-shot D.C. 16-4 (5-3 on target) and out-possessed the visitors (54%-46%), also holding the edge in passing accuracy (78%-77%). But United leave with three huge points and Orlando is still looking for a home win in 2019 (0-1-2).
“I thought we had a fantastic performance. It’s a shame that the referees keep making a difference,” Dwyer said. “We’re upbeat. The group sees a lot of positives from tonight. We played very well. I think we had a lot of chances and we concede off two set pieces. That’s just how it goes. We’ve got to defend them a little bit better but there’s a lot of positives to take tonight.”
Lost in the shuffle was rookie Benji Michel making his debut, coming on for Nani, who appeared to come off complaining about his leg. He didn’t make much impact though, managing only six touches in his 12+ minutes.
Orlando City will again go for its first home win of 2019 on Saturday night when the Colorado Rapids come to town.
Orlando City
Orlando City Season in Review: Shakur Mohammed
The Ghanaian forward spent most of his second pro season with OCB but made his first-team debut.
Orlando City selected forward Shakur Mohammed with the No. 2 overall selection out of Duke in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. The Kumasi, Ghana native signed a Generation Adidas deal with Major League Soccer prior to the draft, meaning the club selecting him would receive salary cap relief during the early part of his career while he developed.
Mohammed spent the 2023 season with Orlando City B in MLS NEXT Pro, where he scored six goals and added three assists in 24 appearances, helping the Young Lions reach the postseason. In his second pro season, Shak spent pretty much the entire year with OCB again, taking a step forward and providing a team-high 11 goals and two assists and helping the Young Lions return to the playoffs. However, he also saw some minutes with the first team, making his debut in the Concacaf Champions Cup and also getting his first few minutes of MLS action.
Let’s take a look at Mohammed’s limited minutes in his second season.
Statistical Breakdown
The 21-year-old Duke product appeared in two consecutive MLS regular-season matches — both off the bench. They were his only appearances of the regular season. He made his MLS debut March 17 off the bench in a 2-0 loss at Atlanta and came on late again March 23 in a 2-0 home win over Austin FC. He tallied just four minutes in total. As such, he did not record a goal contribution or a shot attempt, but he completed all four of his passes without a key pass, cross, or long ball among them. Defensively, he won an aerial duel. He did not commit a foul, but drew one on the opposition, and he wasn’t booked.
Mohammed’s first appearance ever for the senior side — and his only start so far — came in Concacaf Champions Cup action in a 3-1 home victory over Cavalry FC Feb. 27, playing the first 45 minutes of the match. He did not record a goal contribution or attempt a shot, but he completed 85.7% of his 21 passes, including his only cross attempt, but he did not provide a key pass. Mohammed didn’t register a defensive statistic in his 27 touches, nor did he commit or draw a foul or receive a card.
The second-year pro did not appear in the MLS Cup playoffs or Leagues Cup.
Best Game
With such a small sample size, let’s go with his start against Cavalry FC in Concacaf Champions Cup action. While Mohammed wasn’t able to leave a mark on the game, and he didn’t show enough to stay on the pitch past halftime, the young forward played his first 45 minutes with the senior team, made himself available with some good runs, and used his speed to help push back the visitors’ attack. Ultimately, he helped the Lions advance in the competition for the first time. Just 20 years old at the time, Mohammed made his first start with the first team, a moment he’s sure to remember forever.
2024 Final Grade
With just a combined 49 minutes played with the first team this year, Mohammed receives an incomplete grade in 2024 from The Mane Land staff. But that’s an improvement over last year, when he didn’t play first-team minutes, meaning he didn’t get a Season in Review piece. Perhaps next season he’ll qualify for a grade if he continues to develop.
2025 Outlook
Mohammed just turned 21 in late August, so he’s still a young player and at times his game is still quite raw. However, he improved from OCB sidekick to Jack Lynn in 2023 to the Young Lions’ main attacking threat in 2024, showing he is learning the professional game. With his pace and shifty moves, Mohammed has a lot of upside. He is still under contract for the 2025 season, but I expect he’ll spend most of 2025 with OCB again due to the makeup of the current roster. If he can continue to develop his game, he may get more than just a few token appearances late in the game as a reward for his hard work next season.
Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)
Lion Links
Lion Links: 12/12/24
Orlando City loses Heine Gikling Bruseth, Facundo Torres now linked with Cruz Azul, Orlando Pride sign goalkeeper Kat Asman, and more.
How’s it going, Mane Landers? December is flying by and the clock is ticking to get things squared away before the holidays are fully upon us. I still have some shopping I need to knock out and then need to decide what I’m baking for when I visit my family in a couple of weeks. Let’s dive into today’s links.
Lions Lose Heine Gikling Bruseth in Expansion Draft
Midfielder Heine Gikling Bruseth is no longer a Lion after San Diego FC selected him in the 2024 MLS Expansion Draft. Orlando City signed the 20-year-old from Norwegian side Kristiansund BK in August as a U22 Initiative player, and he has yet to play in an MLS game. We won’t get a chance to see what impact Bruseth can have here in Orlando and he’s now part of San Diego’s plans on the other side of the country. Bruseth joins Kamal Miller, Nicholas Gioacchini, and Mikey Ambrose on the list of Lions taken in the MLS Expansion Draft, as Orlando just can’t seem to catch a break in these events.
San Diego also selected Colorado Rapids midfielder Jasper Loffelsend and Charlotte FC defender Hamady Diop as well. New York City FC forward Thiago Andrade was selected and promptly traded to Toronto FC. St. Louis City midfielder Hosei Kijima is on the move as well after being selected and traded to D.C. United.
Cruz Azul Joins Hunt for Facundo Torres
Orlando City forward Facundo Torres, who was linked with a move to Palmeiras earlier this week, is reportedly being courted by Cruz Azul of Liga MX as well. While Orlando and Palmeiras have reportedly agreed to terms on what would be a club-record deal, Cruz Azul has not yet submitted a bid to Orlando. If Torres does leave the club this winter, I’d personally rather see him head to Palmeiras in Brazil instead of Cruz Azul. The idea of the Lions going up against Torres in the Leagues Cup or another competition makes me sick to my stomach.
Orlando Pride Sign Kat Asman
The Orlando Pride are already making moves this off-season, signing goalkeeper Kat Asman to a two-year contract. Asman was drafted with the 39th overall pick by the Portland Thorns last year but didn’t make any appearances as a rookie. She now joins a Pride goalkeeping group that currently includes Anna Moorhouse, McKinley Crone, and Sofia Manner. While Asman may not make much of an impact next year, she’ll have the opportunity to grow her game and push the players ahead of her on the depth chart.
MLS Free Agency Opens Today
The MLS off-season is in full swing and the free agency officially kicks off today. There is plenty of talent across all positions available, which should make for an exciting flurry of wheeling and dealing as clubs prepare for 2025. It will also be interesting to see where former Lions wind up, as Ruan, Junior Urso, and Benji Michel are all free agents. As for other notable players to keep an eye out for, forwards like Josef Martinez and Jeremy Ebobisse could give clubs some additional firepower. Goalkeeper Tim Melia, center back Jack Elliot, and journeyman striker Kei Kamara are a few of the other interesting players out there.
Champions League Roundup
The latest round of Champions League matches wrapped up, but the standings remain a murky mess where only three points separate the team in third and team in 19th. The heavyweight match of the day Wednesday was between Juventus and Manchester City in Italy, with Juventus putting in a great defensive performance to win 2-0. Americans Weston McKennie and Tim Weah linked up for Juventus’ second goal after coming off the bench.
Atletico Madrid won its third straight Champions League match, beating Slovan Bratislava 3-1, thanks to a brace from Antoine Griezmann. Arsenal cruised past Monaco 3-0 to stay near the top of the standings, Ferran Torres scored twice in Barcelona’s 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund, and Benfica and Bologna battled to a scoreless draw in Portugal.
Free Kicks
- Curt Johnson has resigned as the North Carolina Courage’s chief soccer officer after 14 years with the club in order to pursue other opportunities.
- San Diego FC sent up to $100,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to D.C. United in order to sign defender Christopher McVey, inking him to a contract through 2026. San Diego is also reportedly set to sign New York Red Bulls center back Andres Reyes for a hefty amount of GAM.
- Speaking of the Red Bulls, they announced a 13-year partnership with Sports Illustrated Tickets and their stadium will now be named Sports Illustrated Stadium. Starting in 2026, Sports Illustrated Tickets will also be the official ticketing partner for events at the stadium, including Red Bull and NJ/NY Gotham FC home matches.
- MLS announced the 44 players invited to take part in this year’s MLS College Showcase. The closed-door scouting event will take place over the next few days, with the MLS SuperDraft set for 3 p.m. Dec. 20.
- There will be two matches between MLS teams in the first round of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, with Sporting Kansas City facing Inter Miami and LAFC taking on the Colorado Rapids. The Columbus Crew and LA Galaxy won’t join the fun until the round of 16 after earning byes.
- 2024 MLS NEXT Pro MVP David Poreba will be joining the big leagues, with the Chicago Fire signing the 22-year-old to a contract that will run through 2025, with options for 2026, 2027, and 2028.
- Wolfsburg forward Sveindís Jónsdóttir came off the bench and put on a show, scoring four goals to help her team beat AS Roma in the Women’s Champions League.
- It’s official, Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. FIFA also confirmed that the 2030 edition of the tournament will have matches in six different countries.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!
Orlando City
2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Jack Lynn
The young striker played a career high in minutes for Orlando City and played in all four
competitions.
Jack Lynn joined Orlando City through the 2022 MLS SuperDraft, when he was selected in the first round by the Lions with the No. 18 overall pick out of Notre Dame. He primarily played with OCB during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, scoring 15 goals in 2022 and 19 in 2023 while earning the MLS NEXT Pro MVP for that season. He was a depth player for most of the 2024 season with Orlando City, but late in the season he returned to playing more frequently with OCB, and quickly found his goal-scoring form once again with the Young Lions.
Let’s take a look back at Lynn’s 2024 season.
Statistical Breakdown
After two seasons of double-digit goal scoring in MLS NEXT Pro, the young forward looked to be a leading candidate to serve as the backup to Duncan McGuire, and in the opening few months he was frequently in the game day squad. However, the signing of Luis Muriel meant that he often was an unused substitute as the Lions used McGuire and Muriel as their strikers. Ramiro Enrique then returned from a prolonged absence and took over the starting spot with McGuire as the primary sub off the bench, and in the second half of the season, Lynn did not dress for Orlando City as frequently. He got some starts for OCB and scored four goals and had one assist in his eight games played with the Young Lions.
For Orlando City, Lynn appeared primarily in MLS regular-season games, making 11 appearances with two starts, playing 253 minutes. He took six shots, putting three on target and scoring two goals. He passed at a 66.7% completion percentage but did not have any key passes or assists. On the defensive side deuces were wild, as he won two tackles, made two blocks and had two clearances. He committed five fouls, drew two on the opposition, and was not booked.
Lynn also made one appearance late in the Lions’ final MLS playoff match, coming in for two minutes and recording just one touch of the ball, with no shots, passes attempted or defensive actions, and he did not receive a booking.
During Concacaf Champions Cup play, the Notre Dame product came off the bench in both games against Cavalry FC, playing 21 total minutes without a goal contribution, recording one shot that was off target, completing all three of his passes, and suffering one foul. He did not contribute any defensive actions or get booked.
Lynn participated in one Leagues Cup match, subbing in against CF Montréal. He played 12 minutes and did not have a goal contribution or take any shots, but he completed both of his passes, with one being a key pass. On the defensive side, he made two recoveries and committed one foul, but he wasn’t booked.
Best Game
The 24-year-old striker earned his first-ever starting nod for Orlando City on March 23 against Austin FC, and in the 42nd minute, he scored his first MLS goal. He timed his run perfectly to get wide open at the back post and finished with a powerful header off a cross from Dagur Dan Thórhallsson to give the Lions a 1-0 lead.
Lynn went on to play 73 minutes, completing 10 of his 13 passes (76.9%) and adding one additional off-target shot. He contributed a tackle and a clearance on defense. Orlando City won the game 2-0, making Lynn’s goal in the opening half the game-winner. Head Coach Óscar Pareja said he was pleased with Lynn’s performance, praising him in the post-game press conference:
“(Jack) is a player who patiently has been waiting (for) his opportunity,” Pareja said. “I could say that maybe he should have more games at this point with the way he has performed in the second group and what he has achieved as an individual. He’s very lethal and he has goals. Today, he opened the game. Jack’s discipline and constant effort has paid off and we’re happy.”
2024 Final Grade
With only 288 minutes on the field across all competitions in 2024, Lynn did not play enough minutes to get a grade for the season, receiving an incomplete from The Mane Land staff. Still, he showed that he was capable of contributing when called upon to play first-team minutes.
2025 Outlook
After watching how prolific Lynn was in MLS NEXT Pro in 2023, and then once again this season when he returned to play a few matches with OCB, Lynn has clearly proven that he is above the level of play in that league. In limited minutes at the MLS level, he has shown flashes, but based on the substitution patterns as the season went along, it was clear that he was at best the third option at striker. Orlando City appears to be bringing back both Enrique and McGuire, so while they picked up Lynn’s option for 2025 season, I expect that it will be another season similar to 2024, where he is a depth player who primarily comes in off the bench, if he comes in at all.
I believe that Lynn is an MLS-caliber player, as he is an excellent finisher of the “fox in the box” ilk, but my projection is that 2025 will look similar to 2024 and he will be fighting for minutes off the bench at the MLS level.
Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)
Orlando City Season in Review: Shakur Mohammed
2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Julie Doyle
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