Uncategorized

Final Product Plagues All of Orlando’s Teams

Published

8 years ago

May 6, 2019

“Juuuuuuuust a bit outside.” — Harry Doyle, Major League

Orlando City SC has three professional soccer teams and not one of them found the net this past weekend. While it was the first time the MLS side has been shut out in 2019, the Pride and OCB have made not scoring a habit this season.

The Pride were shut out 1-0 at Houston last night, marking the fourth time in five games the team has failed to score under Marc Skinner. Despite boasting known offensive threats like Alex Morgan (until Sunday) and Marta, the team’s lone goal of 2019 came off a set piece and required a spectacular overhead kick from defender Alanna Kennedy to put a goal on the scoreboard.

OCB, which was the only one of Orlando City’s three teams to garner a point this weekend, drew 0-0 against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC Friday at Montverde Academy. It was just the second point earned this season for the Young Lions, but they failed to score a goal for the third time in six matches in 2019.

The senior Lions fell 2-0 at home to Toronto FC on Saturday, failing to score for the first time in 2019 despite firing 18 shots toward Quentin Westberg’s net. City has scored 13 goals in 10 matches this season, which isn’t too bad until you consider that four of them came in one game against Colorado — the worst team in MLS so far this season. The Rapids are 0-8-2 and have already fired their head coach. The Lions have put more than one goal on the board only one other time this season and that came at home in the season-opening 2-2 draw against New York City FC. It’s tough to make the playoffs when you have to shut the other team out to win games.

This weekend was a microcosm of why OCSC’s three squads are off to poor starts this season. Actually, the MLS side is doing merely “OK” at 3-4-3, with both OCB (0-4-2) and the Pride (0-4-1) still seeking their first win and not looking like any particular threat to do so.

The common problem across the teams is a maddening lack of quality in the final third. The three Orlando teams combined to take 48 shot attempts in their games this weekend — OCB took 21 on Friday, Orlando City fired 18 times on Saturday, and the Pride managed nine attempts on Sunday. But only six of those attempts across the three teams were on target. OCB led the way with four shots on goal, the senior Lions hit the target twice, and the Pride failed to get a single shot within the perimeter of the 192 square feet of area that lie between the posts from ground to crossbar.

The most worrisome team so far is the Pride and it isn’t close. Aside from the glaringly obvious four shutouts so far, Orlando’s NWSL team has hit the target on only six of 60 shot attempts (10%) in 2019. Averaging barely over a shot on goal per contest and only 8.2 unblocked shot attempts per game is not going to produce a lot of goals, and you can’t win if you don’t score at least one of those, so it’s little surprise that the Pride have yet to taste victory. To take the numbers further, the Pride’s season high for shots on target is just three (vs. Utah Royals FC). The team has failed to register a single shot on goal twice and has mustered just two on two other occasions.

[Note: the NWSL website shows Orlando having just 41 shots on the team stats page, but if you go game-by-game you’ll see there have been 60 attempts so the site is not counting blocked shots in that overall shot total in the team statistics.]

The team’s best opportunity so far for three points came at Reign FC, but Marta passed up a good shooting opportunity late in the game and Emily van Egmond missed the target badly from a good position as time wound down — unfortunately a trend rather than an exception for the Australian during her time with the club. Quality and composure in the attacking third have simply been dreadful.

Orlando City has attempted 113 shots this season, getting 36 on target (31.9%). That’s not too bad overall, which is likely why the Lions have had the most success of the three teams. OCB has gotten 22 shots on goal out of its 85 overall attempts (25.9%). The Young Lions lead USL League One in shot attempts but are dead last in conversion rate (5%).

I asked James O’Connor specifically about Saturday’s lack of getting shots on target after the match, with City only firing on target twice in 18 attempts. The Orlando City skipper chalked it up to his team’s overall lack of energy in the game, particularly in the second half.

“I think the first thing when you get tired is your decision-making goes,” he said. “And I think when you look at the decision-making — whether it’s people are trying to hit (the ball) too hard, people are giving the ball away cheaply — I think overall when you look at the decision-making second half I think it was definitely affected and the question then is ‘why was it affected?’ So that’s something that we’re going to need to look at. But obviously if we have 18 shots, we expect to have more than one, two on target.”

One of the biggest issues with all of the Orlando teams is a lack of awareness of when to release a shot, whether it’s waiting too long or simply not taking the extra movement necessary to free up the chance. Orlando City had seven of its shot attempts blocked on Saturday. In total, Orlando City has had 34 of its 113 attempts (30.1%) blocked by the defense. The senior Lions are the only one of the club’s teams to have more shots on target than shots blocked this season.

The Pride have seen 19 of their 60 attempts (31.7%) blocked in 2019. They had 11 shots out of 24 (45.8%) blocked in the first two matches alone, so at least that stat has improved a bit. Still, it’s a losing proposition to have three times as many shots blocked as attempts that find the target.

OCB has had 24 of its 85 attempts (28.2%) blocked this season. This isn’t too surprising as the Young Lions attempt a lot of long shots, which are more prone to having a greater number of defenders between the shooter and the net. The young attackers seem hesitant to take on defenders or work quick give-and-go plays at the top of the area to get into the 18 for better scoring opportunities.

One interesting statistic from Orlando City’s MLS team is that the Lions are only averaging six shot attempts per game on the road, yet they’ve been slightly more successful away from Orlando City Stadium, where they average 14.8 shots per match. Yet City is taking home 41.7% of all possible road points so far in 2019 as opposed to capturing 38.9% of all possible home points. The Lions have been held to six or fewer shots in a game three times this season — all away from home. Perhaps playing their more conservative road style at home would yield better results.

All three of Orlando’s teams need to do a better job of getting shot attempts through the opposition’s defense and, when they do, they must get the ball within the white rectangle at the end of the pitch. Otherwise, the beatings will continue.

Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 144: Gotham Rewind, Seattle Preview, and More

The Pride finished their home schedule with a loss to Gotham and hope to finish their road schedule with a win in Seattle.

Published

1 week ago

October 28, 2026

Michael Citro

Image of Solai Washington running onto a ball behind the Gotham defense.

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride tried to send their fans home happy in their regular-season home finale, but despite an impressive overall performance against the league leaders, the Pride wasted numerous chances in front of goal and paid for two big mistakes at the back in what ultimately ended as a 2-1 loss in a season filled with far too many defeats. Solai Washington did so many things well, but despite a month’s worth of chances, she could only muster one goal. Still, it was a promising outing albeit in a developing story that won’t continue much longer this year.

We discuss the key plays, players, and moments, look back at our score predictions from last week, and select our Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Marta, the reasons for the Pride’s struggles in 2026, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

Finally, we look ahead to Sunday’s season finale at the Seattle Reign. The Pride opened their 2026 season with a home loss to the Reign but would like to close it with a road win over Seattle to enter the off-season on a positive note. It won’t be easy, as the Reign are clinging to the last playoff spot and trying to catch rival Portland as multiple teams are trying to catch them. We look at Orlando’s attempt to play spoiler, check back on the series history, compare the teams’ positions in the table, provide our key matchups, and more.

Here’s how Episode 144 went down:

0:15 – The Pride finished their home schedule with a good performance but another poor result against the league’s top team.

20:07 – Our mailbagbox has questions about the GOAT.

38:26 – Seattle was the first 2026 opponent and will be the last 2026 opponent. We preview for the last time this season.

Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 140: Bay FC Rewind, San Diego Preview, and More

The Pride keep their playoff hopes alive by eliminating Bay FC but things get tougher with San Diego visiting Friday.

Published

1 month ago

September 30, 2026

Michael Citro

Image of Jacquie Ovalle dribbling toward the Bay FC defense.

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

The Orlando Pride remained perfect on the road against Bay FC with a 3-1 win on Sunday. Deuces were wild, as Haley McCutcheon, who wears jersey No. 2, scored in the second minute of both halves, and her two goals in California gave the midfielder her second brace of both the 2026 NWSL season and her career. Barbra Banda figured heavily in pulling defenders out of position on two of the three Orlando goals and assisted on Jacquie Ovalle’s right-footed thunderbolt in stoppage time to put the game away. But make no mistake, it’s not as if the Pride played well, turning the ball over often and conceding 28 shot attempts to the hosts.

We break down a road win that may have been more exhausting to watch than to play in (although I wouldn’t bet on it), check back on our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Haley McCutcheon, where to most strongly place the blame for the Pride’s disappointing season, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

Finally, we looked ahead to Friday, when Orlando will host San Diego Wave FC, looking to both complete a season sweep and to keep its faint playoff hopes alive. We look at the series history, provide our key matchups for the contest, and make our predictions for the final score.

Here’s how Episode 140 went down:

0:15 – The Pride improved to 2-1-1 under Yolanda Thomas, but a lot of good Cosette Morche saves were required to get that second win.

20:00- The mailbagbox asks us to play the blame game.

33:36 – The Pride continue to face California-based competition, but Friday’s opponent is much higher in the table than Sunday’s was.

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Jose Earthquakes: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

Orlando City restarts its 2026 MLS campaign late tonight out west at San Jose.

Published

4 months ago

July 22, 2026

Michael Citro

Image of Braian Ojeda taking a shot in a friendly against FC Dallas.

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

Welcome to your match thread for a late night midweek matchup tonight between Orlando City (4-9-2, 14 points) and the San Jose Earthquakes (10-3-2, 32 points) at PayPal Park (10:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the only scheduled meeting between the teams in 2026 and the first time the teams have met since 2024.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of tonight’s match.

History

Orlando City is 3-1-3 in the previous seven MLS meetings with the Quakes since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2015. The Lions got their only away win in the series in the last meeting and enter tonight 1-1-2 on the road against San Jose.

The teams last met on May 18, 2024, with Jack Lynn coming off the bench to score the game’s only goal. Lynn’s strike in the 89th minute broke the scoreless deadlock and lifted the Lions to a 1-0 victory.

The teams met in Orlando most recently way back on June 22, 2021, with the Lions beating the Quakes down, 5-0. Orlando got things started with an early penalty kick goal by Nani, followed by braces from Benji Michel and Daryl Dike to easily put the game away. The lasting memory from the game is Michel’s celebratory dance wearing a cowboy hat that came out of the stands.

Prior to that Orlando City romp, the last time the teams met was on Aug. 31, 2019 when the Lions got freight trained 3-0 at Avaya Stadium, giving the Quakes their first win in the series. San Jose’s offense came via a Chris Wondolowski brace and an early opening goal by Magnus Eriksson. Orlando looked flat and weary out of the gate.

The Lions were victorious in Exploria Stadium in the 2018 meeting on April 21, a 3-2 Orlando win. It was the first win in the series for either side after three straight draws. Chris Mueller, Sacha Kljestan, and Dom Dwyer gave the Lions a 3-0 lead before Florian Jungwirth pulled two back in the game’s late stages.

The Lions led all of the first three matches in the second half only to see San Jose pull level, with two of those tying goals coming late. In the 2017 meeting, Carlos Rivas finally broke the scoreless tie and gave Orlando City the lead in the 81st minute, but Wondolowski spoiled the Lions’ night with an equalizer two minutes later as the teams drew at Avaya Stadium, 1-1.

In 2016, the Lions were gut-punched in the 94th minute in an emotional match that ended in a 2-2 draw. It was the first home match following the Pulse nightclub tragedy and what appeared to be a storybook ending to a cathartic win turned sour on a last-gasp equalizer by Shea Salinas. Seb Hines — now the Orlando Pride’s head coach — opened the scoring for Orlando, only to see Chad Barrett tie it up. Julio Baptista restored the lead in stoppage time, but Salinas ruined everything.

The two teams also drew in the first meeting, a 1-1 affair at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, with the Lions down to 10 men after Brek Shea was sent off in the first half. Kaká and Wondolowski each scored from the penalty spot four minutes apart in that initial meeting.

Overview

The teams meet tonight to get their post-World Cup portion of the season started. Orlando City has been terrible on the road all season long, keeping only one MLS opponent under two goals all year away from home and allowing five goals twice (at New York City FC and Nashville) and six goals twice (at LAFC and in the team’s most recent match away at FC Cincinnati just before the break).

Orlando City is a putrid 1-6-1 on the road this season, and now the Lions must face the Western Conference co-leaders tonight before coming home to face Supporters’ Shield-leading Nashville SC at home on Saturday. They’ll have to play at least tonight’s game without Martin Ojeda, who is out with a thigh injury sustained some time between his first-half goal a week ago in a friendly against FC Dallas and the time the availability report dropped on Tuesday.

But it isn’t all bad news for the Lions, who should have both Antoine Griezmann and Dike in the lineup. Griezmann was the club’s highly prized and widely publicized summer Designated Player signing, while Dike’s return to Orlando came together more recently, following his departure from West Bromwich Albion. They’ll help the club’s offense, but the attack hasn’t been the issue in 2026 — it’s been the historically porous defense, which is on pace to shatter the MLS record for goals conceded.

Meanwhile, San Jose is one of the first half of the season’s biggest surprises, as the Quakes have been outstanding in 2026. Scoring 34 goals while conceding just 15, San Jose is among the league leaders in goals scored (tied for third), goals conceded (third), and goal differential (+19, third).

The Earthquakes are 4-2-1 at home and are coming off a 3-1 road win at Portland in their last game prior to the World Cup break. San Jose boasts Golden Boot challenger Preston Judd, who leads the Quakes with 11 goals, adding two assists in his 15 appearances. Ousseni Bouda has chipped in five goals and three assists. Niko Tsakiris leads the team with seven assists to go along with his two goals, but he’s still recovering from a lower body injury and is not available tonight. However, the arrival of Timo Werner (four goals and five assists in just seven games) has truly elevated Bruce Arena’s Quakes, and he’ll need to be one of the main focal points for the Orlando defense.

To have any shot at taking something from this game, the Lions will need to play better road defense than they have all season. Orlando can score goals, but with Ojeda out, Griezmann will need to adapt quickly, and someone other than the team’s leading scorer will need to find the net.

The Lions will play without Ojeda (thigh), Joran Gerbet (knee), Nolan Miller (knee), Colin Guske (international duty), and Clovis Archage (international duty). In addition, Marco Pasalic may or may not have returned to the team after the World Cup. He was not in training Monday, although interim head coach Martin Perelman said he expected the Croatian back soon. The Earthquakes will be without Nonso Adimabua (lower body), former Lion Earl Edwards Jr. (lower body), DeJuan Jones (lower body), and Tsakiris (you guessed it, lower body…come on, San Jose).

Match Content

Our most recent PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for tonight’s match.

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Tiago.

Forwards: Justin Ellis, Antoine Griezmann.

Bench: Javier Otero, Bernardo Rhein, Tahir Reid-Brown, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Harvey Sarajian, Tyrese Spicer

San Jose Earthquakes (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Angus Gunn.

Defenders: Jamar Ricketts, Reid Roberts, Daniel Munie, Benjamin Kikanovic.

Defensive Midfielders: Beau Lerouox, Ronaldo Vieira.

Attacking Midfielders: Timo Werner, Nick Fernandez, Ousseni Bouda.

Forwards: Preston Judd.

Bench: Jonathan Gonzalez, Dave Romney, Paul Marie, Jack Skahan, Jack Jasinski, Ian Harkes, Francesco Montali, Max Floriani, Darius Johnson.

Referees

REF: Elijio Arreguin.
AR1: Adam Wienckowski.
AR2: Mike Nickerson.
4TH: Timothy Ford.
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.

How to Watch

Match Time: 10:30 p.m.

Venue: PayPal Park — San Jose, CA.

TV/Live Stream: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!