Orlando City
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati
Another Friday is upon us, and after the 2-1 loss up in Seattle it couldn’t get here soon enough. To be fair to Orlando City, the team played better than I was expecting, especially given the heavy rotation in the squad, but now it’s time to put Wednesday in the rearview mirror and look ahead to Sunday.
This weekend sees Orlando City take on Major League Soccer’s newest club, as FC Cincinnati will come to Orlando City Stadium for the first clash between the two teams. In order to prepare I spoke to Bill Wolf of Cincinnati Soccer Talk and he was kind enough to give us a wealth of information about the league’s new kids on the block. I also answered his questions and you can read those over at their place.
One of the big stories in MLS recently was the firing of Alan Koch fairly early on in the season. His replacement, interim coach Yoann Damet, immediately notched a 2-1 over the Montreal Impact last week. Obviously there’s only one game to go off of, but what are your early impressions of this team under Damet?
Bill Wolf: As you say, it’s really early to make generalizations, but if we compare the players in the last seven games under Koch to the one game with Damet at the helm, there is an obvious energy and drive that was not present before. There has been a lot said by players in the last several weeks. Prior to the coaching change, there were many statements of support and belief in the team and each other. Noticeably absent was any belief or support in the coach. Since the coaching change, there have been many players talking about their respect for Coach Damet, and their belief in his plan. Implied, of course, is a contrast to their previous coach. The players gave a vote of no confidence to Koch and the front office listened. When you’ve lost the locker room, there really isn’t much that can be done. Alan Koch had said the players weren’t good enough. The players look like a team with something to prove now. On the pitch is a spark. You can see joy back in their game, and it’s much more enjoyable to watch. What will have to unfold is how sustainable that is. Was this a one-game bump? A three-game bump? Or is it the new normal?
Frankie Amaya was the number one overall pick in this year’s MLS SuperDraft. While he hasn’t played in a ton of the team’s game so far, how has he performed in the games in which he’s featured?
BW: Frankie has been a bright light in a rough start to the season. It took him awhile and several injuries to other teammates before he got a chance to play a few minutes in any game, but even in those early looks, it was obvious he was tenacious and gifted. He doesn’t have the size, but he doesn’t back down either. When he gives up the ball, he is hounding the player to turn it over. Just as he started to break into the 18 and get some minutes, he was loaned out to Orange County. At a time, when attacking options were scarce, it was an odd decision. Fortunately, the club recalled him quite quickly and we’ve seen his playing time continue to increase.
Amaya’s style of play seems to fit Damet better. Under Koch, he was a wing. Amaya is quick, but his size means that a large player with a long stride will catch him. In a long ball and counter system, he wasn’t the most effective. Playing wing also meant dropping back and being prepared to defend when the outside back crashed forward. Amaya wants to go forward. Damet, slid him into the middle of the pitch as an attacking mid. Amaya is good with the ball at his feet. He is comfortable dribbling through traffic and his vision is top rate, creating opportunities with well-placed passes. With Victor Ulloa behind him, his job is more about causing turnovers high up the pitch and moving the ball forward. He likes to link up with other players, continuously moving off the ball to be available and looking to find the next opportunity to move the ball strategically.
He needs to shore up his first touch and get more fit to be able to last 90 minutes at the energy level he is bringing. If he had gotten more playing time to improve fitness and show his capabilities more, I’m confident he would have been selected for the U-20 World Cup. So, though I feel like the club failed him in that regard, they will absolutely benefit from that as well.
Speaking as a fan of a team that was a first-year expansion club not so very long ago, I know it can be difficult to build a team identity and establish a way that the club likes to play. So far, what would you say FCC’s on-field identity is — what is the team’s bread and butter?
BW: Again, it’s really too early to tell. Anything we saw under Alan Koch is clearly in the past. We’ve only seen a single game with Yoann Damet at the helm. Was the plan a reaction to the opponent? Will the team look and play differently against Orlando? Damet even made some comments that they’d have to evaluate what worked and what didn’t for this group of players, and they will make adjustments. I think their identity is still being developed a bit.
However, it is probably safe to say the Coach Damet has already made some changes that seem to reflect his vision for what he’d like to see out of the team. Under Alan Koch, we saw a lot of long balls out of the back, a bunker-and-counter style. The midfield was not heavily involved in buildup. Under Damet, the team is now building out of the back and working the ball through the midfield. Passes are short and simple with players continuously moving off the ball into available space. In the first 11 games of the season, the team averaged around 44% possession. They averaged around 400 passes per game, with 180 of those passes, on average, coming in the first half. Against Montreal, under Damet, the team had 55% possession. They had 401 passes in the first half, exceeding their past total game average. They finished the game with 571 passes.
Are there any injuries, suspensions, or call-ups that will keep players unavailable for selection and what is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?
BW: The only significant injury I’m aware of at this time is Allan Cruz. He took a hard knock at the end of the Montreal game and had to be removed from the field. It’s unclear whether he will be recovered for the game against Orlando. Kenny Saief appears to be back training and could likely step in for Cruz. We have no suspensions at this time — a couple of players, sitting on four yellows at this time, but no one who will miss Orlando on accumulation.
Projected starting lineup:
Last game, Yoann Damet rolled out a 4-3-3 formation, and I think, considering it worked, he’ll stick to that. The back line will remain the same with Spencer Richey in goal, Greg Garza, Kendall Waston, Justin Hoyte and Mathieu Deplagne making the back four. The midfield will also be the same, with Ulloa as the holding mid, and Leonardo Bertone and Amaya sitting ahead of him in a more attacking role. The front three will be Roland Lamah, Darren Mattocks and Saief. The only change from last week being Saief for Cruz.
Score prediction:
This is a big game for both teams. Cincinnati has an opportunity to leap Orlando in the standings and, depending on results, end up tied with the Red Bulls on points. Both teams have a game in hand over Cincinnati, but FCC needs some upward momentum having dropped significantly after their seven-game winless streak. Orlando has an opportunity to leap Red Bulls and put some distance from the bottom of the table. They are winless in the last three (now four) and will want to turn things around back home for this game.
Cincinnati opened the gates in the last game and scored two goals after being scoreless for literally hours upon hours of play. I think they are riding high on confidence and we’ll see some more goals. That said, the back line has been a little shaky under their new system and I expect another error to allow a goal against. I’ll predict an outcome of 2-1 in favor of the Orange and Blue.
A big thank you again to Bill for that wonderful insight into FC Cincinnati.
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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