Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New England Revolution, 2019 U.S. Open Cup: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Win in Extra Time

Lions are through to the quarterfinals thanks to goals by Benji Michel and Tesho Akindele.

Published

5 years ago

on

Nick Leyva, The Mane Land

Survive and advance is a good description of what Orlando City did tonight on a rainy evening at Exploria Stadium. The Lions played lethargic soccer for nearly 90 minutes, then scored twice in extra time and held on against a furious rally to nip the New England Revolution, 2-1.

Benji Michel opened his Orlando City account and Tesho Akindele added some much-needed insurance before New England scored late and came close to equalizing numerous times. The Lions are through to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals and will host New York City FC at 7:30 p.m. on July 10.

“Obviously, very pleased to get through,” O’Connor said after the game. “I thought it was a very tough game, as we knew it would be. Credit to New England. I thought they put up a great fight. I thought it was a very difficult game for both football teams, back and forth. But I thought the heart and the commitment that the players showed was outstanding.”

O’Connor put together a similar lineup to last week’s match in Memphis, but starting fullbacks Joao Moutinho and Ruan returned to the starting XI, pushing Shane O’Neill and Alex De John to the bench. Other than that, the personnel were only different on the bench, with Nani, Kyle Smith, and Michel dressing, along with last week’s reserves, Brian Rowe and Carlos Ascues.

The first half was as sloppy as the Orlando weather throughout the day, with neither team doing a whole lot. The Lions were slow and plodding, and as a result, New England easily picked off a pass nearly every time City approached the final third. The Revolution were easily the more motivated club for the first 45 minutes and that showed in their 7-2 advantage in shots, even though New England failed to put any on target (Orlando managed one).

Teal Bunbury got the game’s first chance three minutes in, sending a shot that Adam Grinwis parried, but it looked to be heading wide anyway. Cristian Penilla sailed a shot over the bar four minutes later.

Orlando’s first shot came off a counterattack that put Cristian Higuita into a good spot but the Colombian didn’t get much power on his effort and it was an easy save for Matt Turner in the eighth minute.

Santiago Patino fired a header wide off a free kick cross in the 16th minute and Orlando’s chances were done for the half.

Most of the rest of the first half was played between the boxes with the teams trading forays forward only to turn it over when they came toward goal. New England looked the far more likely team to score, getting deeper into the Lions’ end overall.

Late in the first half, the Lions tried to send a long ball to Higuita and Jalil Anibaba got to the aerial ball first, colliding with the Orlando midfielder in the New England box. He won the ball cleanly but Higuita was injured on the play and had to be subbed off with an apparent leg injury.

The half ended 0-0 with Orlando holding 57.4% of the possession and out-passing the Revs 86%-79%.

New England continued to get the better opportunities in the second half and it seemed like only a matter of time before the Revs would cash in. Sacha Kljestan blocked a shot by Anibaba off a corner kick in the 57th minute to deny a goal. Moments later, Dillon Powers arrived to make a vital block.

After a couple of Orlando crosses couldn’t find anyone in the area, a cross to an open Penilla looked like it would give New England the lead but the Revs forward couldn’t set his feet properly and the chance was wasted in the 66th minute.

After a weak shot by Chris Mueller fell right to Turner, New England nearly scored in the 75th minute. Grinwis did well to get down to deny a wicked cross that was back-heeled on frame by Bunbury.

Juan Fernando Caicedo hit the post four minutes later, then tracked down the rebound and missed wide.

Orlando City got a late flurry despite the second half being all New England, which coincided with Michel entering the game in the 81st minute. Akindele smashed a shot off the post five minutes later as the Lions started to find some energy. The rebound almost fell for Michel, but he was offside, and Ruan followed with a shot that didn’t matter, but it was right at Turner anyway.

Moments later, Powers fired and forced a great save by Turner, who committed to his right and had to reach back to his left to make the save.

The full time whistle blew and the game headed to extra time for two additional 15-minute halves, still scoreless. The Revs held a 14-7 lead in shots after 90 minutes but Orlando got three on target to New England’s one. The Lions held 56% possession and an advantage in passing accuracy (84%-79%).

In the first minute of the extra period, Michel got down the right. With no one else in the area he fired a bad-angle shot that forced Turner into a save. The Revs came back the other way and fizzed a cross through the six but no one could get a touch on it.

Michel’s earlier foray was a sign of things to come. The Lions broke through in the 96th minute when Moutinho got down the left and fizzed a cross in that deflected off the back of Michel’s foot. It fell for Carlos Ascues, who shot. Turner saved it, but Michel was there for the put-back to open his Orlando account and make it 1-0.

“I mean, wow. It’s an amazing feeling,” Michel said of scoring his first professional goal. “I’ve been dreaming of this since I was younger, watching the club and then thinking about me scoring in front of these amazing fans, and I finally achieved it. I scored my first goal in front of this club and I’m still just…thinking about it. It’s like amazing to me.”

Ascues freed himself up for a shot in the 100th minute but it was deflected out for a corner kick by the defense. A minute later, the ball fell to Akindele’s feet in the box. He was standing dead still and couldn’t get any power on his shot, but it deflected off Andrew Farrell and wrong-footed Turner, trickling across the goal line to make it 2-0.

After what seemed an interminable amount of stoppage time, the Lions held a two-goal advantage into the extra time break.

Nani nearly made it 3-0 just after the restart on what would have been a truly spectacular goal. The Portuguese star tried to catch Turner off his line from near midfield and the ball sailed just over the bar and landed on the roof of the net.

Orlando then went into conservation mode more out of self-preservation than sitting on the lead. Powers went off with what appeared to be a groin injury or cramps and limped off the field, being replaced by Alex De John. Akindele could hardly walk let alone run for the final 10 minutes.

As a result, New England sent numbers forward and was able to sustain some pressure over the final five minutes. The Revs broke through in the 117th minute on what seemed like their 20th dangerous cross of the game. Carles Gil sent a back-post ball that second-half sub Justin Rennicks got onto and nodded home to make it a game with just minutes remaining.

The Lions got nervy after that but were able to just see out the final few minutes, with Bunbury heading just off target in stoppage time. The whistle mercifully sounded and City had a trip to the quarterfinals.

“Credit to our back line,” Grinwis said of his defense’s work on the night. “I mean, even Joao Moutinho, who’s one of the shortest guys out there and he’s winning balls in the air left and right. I think we weathered the storm well, because they were just putting balls in on us left and right. It was tricky on the pitch and I thought (the defense) did really well to manage that.”

Orlando saw 52% of the final possession and was the better passing team (83%-80%) but the Revs fired more shots (22-15). The Lions, however, were the more accurate side, getting eight attempts on frame to just three for New England.

Orlando City returns to MLS action next Wednesday, June 26 at D.C. United.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City at CF Montreal: Three Keys to Victory

What does Orlando City need to do on the road against CF Montreal to take home all three points ?

Published

13 hours ago

on

April 18, 2024

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City opened the season against CF Montreal, playing to a 0-0 draw at Inter&Co Stadium back in February. Now, the Lions head to the Great White North to play the pesky Canadian club again. There’s no Concacaf Champions Cup competition to worry about this time, so hopefully Orlando City can get a victory.

What does Orlando City need to do to follow up the D.C. United victory with another win?

Just Say No

Outscoring your opponents while giving up two goals is all well and good, but outscoring your opponents while also keeping a clean sheet is much better. Orlando City has given up 13 goals over seven matches. It’s actually worse than that considering that the club has two clean sheets meaning those 13 goals came in just five matches. The Lions need to do better at not conceding goals.

Of course, one of those clean sheets came against Montreal to start the season, and the entire defense is seemingly healthy and ready to go. Our old foe Josef Martinez is always a threat and Matias Coccaro has three goals for Montreal so far this season. Stopping them is crucial. If Orlando City can maintain the same defensive discipline it showed in the previous match against Montreal, it will make earning points on the road much easier.

Designated Player Goals

Orlando City has scored seven goals so far this season. Duncan McGuire leads the team with three goals, thanks to his goal last week. Do you know who hasn’t scored yet? If you said any of Orlando City’s Designated Players, you would be correct. I’m not going to ring any emergency bells just yet, but it’d be a lot cooler if Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda, or Facundo Torres scored a goal this week.

I think they are all close to breaking out. Torres has scored this year, just not in the MLS regular season. Muriel has been getting closer each match, and is still contributing in other ways. The same can be said of Ojeda. My point is that the goals are coming. Perhaps a trip to another country is exactly what they need to get off the mark.

The Battle on the Wings

Orlando City will be playing against former Lion Ruan. He lines up on the right for Montreal and will be a challenge for either Rafael Santos or Kyle Smith, depending on who gets the start. Of course, if Ivan Angulo is playing in his usual role on the left side of Orlando City’s attack, there could be some interesting races between the two speedy players.

I think that the other side of the field is where the match might be won or lost. Since Orlando City fell out of the Concacaf Champions Cup, the team has been on a more regular schedule. That has allowed Dagur Dan Thorhallsson to regain his form in the right fullback position for the Lions. He scored a goal last week, has an assist on the season, four crosses, and 10 key passes. He is an integral part of Orlando City’s attack and if he can win the battles against Raheem Edwards and Joaquin Sosa on the right side of Montreal’s lineup, he could have another big night.

That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/18/24

Barbra Banda’s opportunity in Orlando, Omar Gonzalez’s mental health struggles, UEFA Champions League quarterfinals finish, and more.

Published

16 hours ago

on

April 18, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope this week has been treating you well as we gear up for another weekend packed with Orlando soccer. It’s been a fairly busy week for me as I juggle work with keeping an eye on my cat. He’s a bit of a menace, but at least in a cute way. I’ll spare you my rambling on how great he is, and instead give you today’s links from around the soccer world.

Opportunity Knocks for Barbra Banda

Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda landed in the City Beautiful and spoke on how her first week with the team has been going. While there’s plenty of buzz surrounding the Pride on how Banda should improve the team’s offense, playing in the NWSL will also help the 24-year-old further develop her game.

“I think the league is quite good. I’ve been following it from way back,” she said. “I think it’s a very interesting league, very strong. All the teams are very physical, fast. So I think it’s good for myself to improve.”

Now that she’s with the Pride, soccer fans around the world will now have better access to watch one of the best forwards in women’s soccer. Banda also talked about the warm welcome she received at the airport and you can check out more of her reaction to that and some of her first few days in Orlando in the video below.

Portland Thorns Head Coach Reassigned

Mike Norris is no longer the head coach of the Portland Thorns after the club made him a technical director instead. The Thorns have never had a worse start to an NWSL season, losing three of their four games this year and still searching for their first win. Rob Gale will serve as the team’s interim head coach while the club does a global search for a replacement. I’m a bit surprised that Norris wasn’t given a few more weeks to turn things around, considering Portland is just a win away from being back in the thick of things. We’ll see if the Thorns will get that win with Gale at the helm when they take on the struggling Houston Dash Saturday.

Omar Gonzalez Shares His Mental Health Journey

American defender Omar Gonzalez discussed the difficulties he’s had over the course of his year and the toll it has had on his mental health. His own goal in the USMNT’s loss to Trinidad & Tobago that cost the team its chance to qualify for the 2018 World Cup would be rough for any player to overcome, but Gonzalez stated that head injuries made a stressful few years of his life much more difficult. Gonzalez admitted that he had daily suicidal thoughts until he reached out for needed help while with Toronto FC. Things have since improved and he’s currently with his hometown team, FC Dallas. I think it’s helpful for players like Gonzalez to be open about the mental health problems athletes face. Hopefully this lets other athletes know they aren’t alone in these struggles and encourages them to reach out for help if needed.

UEFA Champions League Semifinals Are Set

Only four teams are still standing in the UEFA Champions League after the quarterfinals wrapped up with plenty of dramatic soccer. The matchup between Real Madrid and Manchester City lived up to expectations with a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in England. Real Madrid prevailed and ended City’s run, with Andriy Lunin making two saves in the shootout. In the other quarterfinal, Bayern Munich advanced after beating Arsenal 1-0, thanks to Joshua Kimmich’s head.

It all sets up for a thrilling pair of semifinals and potential storylines for the final. Will Bayern and Borussia Dortmund reach the final for a rivalry match for the ages? Can Kylian Mbappe finally give Paris Saint-Germain a Champions League title, and will it be at the expense of Real Madrid? If the semifinals are anything like the quarterfinals, it will be great soccer to enjoy.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City Director of Equipment Operations Charles Raycroft received some deserved recognition after reaching an impressive milestone in his career.
  • Romario, who was named FIFA World Player of the Year in 1994 after helping Brazil win a World Cup, has registered himself as a player for America Football Club. The 58-year-old has been the president of the club since 2009 and now has the chance to play alongside his son Romarinho.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/17/24

Orlando City rises in power rankings, Orlando Pride waive two players, Champions League results, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

April 17, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Time to start your day with some tasty links. It’s shaping up to be an exciting weekend with Orlando City, the Orlando Pride, and Orlando City B all playing. Last week, Orlando’s teams ended up with seven out of nine possible points. Here’s hoping we see nine out of nine this weekend. Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Moving On Up

Starting the season 0-3-1 is a good way to be in the cellar of the utterly meaningless MLSsoccer.com power rankings. Orlando City is now starting to climb up the rankings thanks to three straight results. The Lions moved up four spots to 21st after the 3-2 victory over DC United. It was Duncan McGuire’s goal that secured the win, and his performance off the bench was a talking point for this week as well.

Farewell Kaylie Collins and Tori Hansen

The Orlando Pride announced that goalkeeper Kaylie Collins and defender Tori Hansen were waived on Tuesday. Both players were on loan in Australia’s A-League Women ,with Collins at Western Sydney Wanderers FC and Hansen with Melbourne Victory FC. Collins and Hansen were both NWSL draft picks for the Pride, though neither saw significant minutes with the club.

Barbra Banda Begins Training

Barbra Banda participated in her first training with the Pride Tuesday. It’s uncertain how much playing time she may get this week, but it’s possible she makes her first appearance against the San Diego Wave this Friday. Please remember that it sometimes takes new players time to get used to a new club, a new city, and a new league. Of course, I’m still hoping she comes on and scores a brace against the Wave.

Wild Matches in Champions League Quarterfinals

Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund both overcame deficits in the first leg to advance to the UEFA Champions League semifinals. PSG dropped four goals on Barcelona to win 6-4 on aggregate. Barcelona scored first, but made things hard on itself when Ronald Araújo was sent off.

Borussia Dortmund also scored four goals, defeating Atletico Madrid 5-4 on aggregate. Dortmund gave up an own goal, but battled back to take the lead in the match and then the lead in the tie thanks to goals scored in the 71st and 74th minutes. It was a wild, fun match to watch. Dortmund and PSG will meet in the semifinals.

Free Kicks

  • MLS will now start implementing the new rules for off-field treatments, timed substitutions, and in-stadium VAR announcements. The idea is to maximize effective match time.
  • The International Football Association Board (IFAB) will test new time limit rules during the 2024-2025 season for how long keepers can hold the ball with potential consequences including giving the opposing team a corner or a throw-in.
  • Finally, our thoughts are with the friends and family following the passing of Joel McKell.

That will do it for today. Check back later in the week as we get you ready for the Orlando City, Orlando Pride, and OCB matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Trending