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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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5 years ago

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To put it kindly, that was not fun. Watching Orlando City play a sloppy, lazy match and waste opportunity after opportunity is never any fun. This 1-0 defeat to Wayne Rooney United — oops, make that D.C. United — feels especially miserable since it provided a very unwelcome flashback to the last time the Lions were at Audi Field. It’s hard to grade a squad of players who didn’t really seem interested in playing soccer tonight, but I’ll have a go at it.

Starters

GK, Brian Rowe, 6 — I believe Rowe to be the most difficult player to grade after this match. Had it not been for two times that the veteran goalkeeper made the incorrect choice to come way too far out of his box (the Rooney goal and the VAR-disallowed Ulises Segura goal), Rowe might have been my Man of the Match. His excellent back-to-back reaction saves in the 30th minute certainly kept Orlando City in the game, as did the two times he correctly came out of his box in the 56th and 60th.

D, Kyle Smith, 6.5 — Seeing Smith as the starting left back with Danilo Acosta on the bench was a bit odd to me. I have to say, however, that it wasn’t necessarily a bad call by Head Coach James O’Connor. Smith was the quiet, steady defender on the pitch tonight, starting as early as the third minute, when he fought to escort the ball out for a goal kick while under heavy pressure from D.C.’s attacker. He didn’t get into the attack in the same ways the injured Joao Moutinho, or perhaps Acosta, would have, but Smith’s five tackles led the team.

D, Robin Jansson, 5.5 — This was not Jansson’s best game as a Lion. It wasn’t his worst either. He definitely didn’t close down Rooney when he should’ve, such as the 41st minute when he allowed Rooney to rip a shot that sailed high and right of the goal. That was an issue shared by others below too. Jansson had two good chances to get on the score sheet and skied both of the headers from corners in the second and 84th minutes. No tackles, two interceptions, and one clearance illustrate that the viking defender had an uninspired night.

D, Lamine Sané, 5.5 — In the opposite conundrum I had with Rowe, I planned to give Sané a lower score until his brilliant goal-saving 68th-minute tackle on Luciano Acosta. That tackle alone could have won him MotM had he not decided to, much like Jansson, let Rooney have all the time and space he needed to make plays. See minutes 6 and 19 for two great examples. Sané also lost a ball to Rooney in the 73rd that a man of his stature should never have lost to a man of Rooney’s stature. That ball ended up in the back of the net as well, only to be called back by VAR because of an offside.

D, Ruan, 5 — This was an uncharacteristically off night for Orlando City’s newest golden boy. Ruan never looked particularly threatening making runs down the right, and was shut down by D.C.’s defenders the few times he got into potentially dangerous areas. His 26th-minute yellow card for a horrible sliding tackle on Joseph Mora was bad enough that a red card wouldn’t have been unwarranted. In the 82nd minute, Sacha Kljestan placed a perfect ball on Ruan’s head at the edge of the six yard box. Unfortunately, the right back chose to attempt heading it across the face of the goal instead of putting the header on frame.

MF, Carlos Ascues, 4.5 — I don’t think anyone complained when O’Connor subbed Ascues off for Uri Rosell in the 70th minute. Most fans were probably screaming for it to have happened sooner. I’ve been one to defend Ascues in the past. His performance in this match makes that very hard. Ascues was part of the Jansson and Sané trifecta that continually allowed Rooney tons of space. Surprisingly, the defensive midfielder did manage four tackles, an interception, and a clearance although those numbers certainly don’t make up for wasting a chance to shoot after rounding Bill Hamid, or his terrible shot in the 20th minute. The only redeeming play I saw from Ascues was in minute 58 when his cross went right to Tesho Akindele’s foot in front of goal.

MF, Sacha Kljestan, 6 — Old Mr. Mustache had himself a very subdued night. I actually didn’t have any notes written about him until his beautiful 82nd-minute cross to the head of Ruan. Kljestan played like a less passionate Will Johnson, doing what was asked of him and not really anything else. His 67 passes, with two of them being key passes, led the team and he also provided three tackles. The game’s second yellow card was given to Kljestan in the 89th for a needlessly bad tackle at the corner of Orlando City’s 18-yard box.

MF, Dillon Powers, 7.5 (MotM) — The formerly headbanded one continued his great form with another outing worthy of the MotM title. Powers was the only midfielder who seemed to play with heart and drive throughout the match. With 77 touches, he trailed only Nani on the night. Both of his shots weren’t on goal, though at least he actually attempted them unlike some of the Orlando City attackers. The midfielder put in a super cross that landed right on Chris Mueller’s head at minute 67. Powers was also the only Lion that wanted to shut down Rooney, providing two interceptions in the 72nd and 92nd minutes on passes destined for the D.C. star. He capped off his game with a gorgeous steal from Rooney in the 93rd that firmly cemented Powers as my MotM.

F, Nani, 7 — Nani did Nani things for the majority of the match. I’m sure many will have him as their MotM. Had he been a bit more selfish at times, I may have had him as mine as well. The Portuguese world beater had seven insane dribbles that were the best soccer on the pitch for either squad tonight. Nani took four shots, with one on goal, but I fully believe he should have taken more himself instead of consistently looking for the cross. A few additional shots along the lines of the 17th-minute laser from outside the 18, and I’m certain that the captain would have added his name to the score sheet.

F, Tesho Akindele, 5.5 — Add Akindele to the list of players who didn’t appear to want to go all out this match. The striker was invisible for large portions of the first half. A curling shot from the top of the 18 in the 40th minute forced a save from Bill Hamid. It was Akindele’s only shot on goal for the match, and 50% of his total shots. On Ascues’ lone decent play, he put a cross right on Akindele’s right foot as he stood directly in front of goal in the 58th minute. Somehow, Akindele couldn’t connect and ended up falling down next to Hamid almost on the goal line with the ball still tangled up in his feet. Those of us watching simply had to shake our heads since it was another one of those nights for the Lions.

F, Chris Mueller, 6.5 — Unlike a lot of his teammates, Cash was his typical energetic self. Sadly, he reverted back to some old bad habits that didn’t do him or the team any favors. Mueller was way too hesitant to shoot again and it may have cost a goal or two. In the 20th minute, he was alone just to the left of the penalty area and took too many touches before deciding to lay the ball off for Ascues’ awful shot. Someone — maybe Nani or O’Connor — might have told Mueller to be more selfish late in the first half. After making a good run down the right in the 45th, he took a shot from the edge of the 18 and sent it into the stands. Mueller also put shots over the crossbar in minutes 67 and 77 before being subbed off in the 79th.

Substitutes

MF, Uri Rosell (70’), 5 — Getting Ascues off the pitch was a complete necessity. Trailing 1-0, I’m not convinced that Rosell was the right sub here. He didn’t provide any offensive help and did the minimum on defense, putting up big fat goose eggs in the interception, clearance, and tackle columns.

F, Benji Michel (79’), 4.5 — Michel may have wanted to follow up his first professional goal with another, but his performance tonight didn’t do anything to show that. The only thing the rookie did of any note was get called for a handball after getting an over-the-top ball right outside the 18.

F, Santiago Patino (83’), 5.5 — The best of the subs on the night. In my opinion, Patino should have been the first sub on at the 70th minute (or earlier). As soon as he came on, he took a shot that was blocked inside the box. Patino was motivated and might have made a bigger difference if given more minutes.

So that’s how I saw in the 1-0 road defeat to D.C. United. Make sure to vote for your Man of the Match in the poll below and tell us all why in the comments section.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Brian Rowe5
Sacha Kljestan2
Dillon Powers13
Nani15
Chris Mueller10
Other11

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Orlando City

How Orlando City’s Offense Stacks Up Against What Atlanta Does Defensively

How Orlando City has performed against teams playing with three or four defenders, and how that may influence the playoff game against Atlanta United.

Published

17 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The most famous quote about real estate is that “there are three things that matter in property: location, location, location.” Soccer coaches also like to think in threes, especially when it comes to points, but for a soccer coach, the three things that matter might be the rhyming triplet “formation, formation, formation,” as that is where they will have the biggest influence on every game that their team plays.

Throughout his tenure as head coach, Óscar Pareja has preferred to use a 4-2-3-1 as his formation (fbref.com’s lineup data shows that the Lions primarily played a 4-2-3-1 in 65% of their MLS matches this season, and 79% of their MLS matches during the last three seasons). The Lions have lined up in a 4-2-3-1 during each of their last 14 games, and my confidence level is strong to quite strong (can you believe Meet the Parents came out 24 years ago?) that they will do so once again on Sunday when they host Atlanta United.

Atlanta United also prefers to deploy a 4-2-3-1, but was less consistent than Orlando City this season during MLS play, as evidenced by the chart below that shows how Atlanta lined up this season:

The purpose of this image is a table to show how Atlanta United lined up in 2024 (mostly in a 4-2-3-1 but also in one of six other formations).

I am relying on the coders at Opta for their evaluation of the formation, as I do not watch a lot of Atlanta United matches (sounds terrible), but though Atlanta primarily played with four defenders in more than two-thirds of its matches, during the last two matches it played a 3-5-2, the only two matches all season in which interim coach Rob Valentino rolled out that formation. I suspect that the formation change was related partially to playing Inter Miami and trying to defend the Herons’ dynamic offense and partially due to an injury suffered by defender Brooks Lennon in the first game of that series. So, while Atlanta primarily played four in the back for most of the season, there is a good chance it will roll with what worked against Florida’s second-best MLS team when it plays Florida’s best MLS team this weekend.

Now, if you want to read more about Atlanta, then you can read our match preview, which will drop Sunday morning, but I want to look at how Orlando did against teams that play similar styles. Looking only at MLS games, the table below shows how Orlando City performed against different back line structures this season (the left side is how the Lions’ opponents lined up, the right side is how Orlando City performed against opponents in those formations):

Table embedded as an image showing Orlando City doing best in goal differential in 12 games against three-man back lines, second best against four-man back lines, and having played once against a five-man back line (a 1-1 draw).

Orlando City earned slightly more points per game — the stat that matters most — against teams that played four in the back, but the Lions had a better average goal differential when teams played three in the back. Atlanta will likely deploy one of those two formations. In both games against Orlando City this season, Sunday’s visitors went with a 4-2-3-1, but as mentioned earlier, they used three in the back in each of their last two matches, so it really could be either.

Soccer is not like baseball, where players primarily stay in the same spot throughout the game, so some of these stats have to be taken with a grain of salt, as players are not always rigidly in the same position throughout a match. A team may also primarily play with four in the back but switch to three when chasing a game, or five when trying to protect against a late goal.

That said, using the data around Orlando City’s opponents’ general formations, here are the attacking groups who played the most frequently against four defenders during the 24 MLS games where Opta coded the opponents as using a defensive group of four:

Table embedded as an image showing the most frequently used lineups against teams who deploy four defenders. The most frequently used attacking group has a plus eight goal differential for the season.

It is a little ominous that the main starting group, shown in row one, has played 666 MLS minutes against back lines of four this season, but do I like that green goal differential of +8 in those minutes, which is a strong +1.08 per 90 minutes. I like that goal differential more than I like all the things that Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin like on their song that is creatively named “I Like It.” Coincidentally, when people ask me what I think about that song, I say, “I like it.” I am very creative.

If we look at the lineups that Orlando City has used against back lines of three defenders then there are some pretty major differences in personnel groupings, but it must be noted that more than half of the games against teams playing three in the back came early in the season, when Ramiro Enrique was unavailable to play. Enrique, my presumed starter at striker, has played fewer than three games’ worth of minutes (265 total) against back lines of three this season, and only 28 minutes with the main starting group, which ranks 13th among all the attacking lineups for minutes played against three defenders. That group scored one goal in their 28 minutes together though, for a robust 3.21 goals-scored-per-90-minutes average.

While the team as a whole has been successful against three-man back lines, I do not expect any of the lineups shown in the table below to play more than a few minutes together this weekend, though the first row and the last row are strong groups and had a lot of success.

Table embedded as an image showing the most frequently used lineups against teams who deploy three defenders. The most frequently used attacking group has a plus three goal differential for the season.

I am sure that all week long the Orlando City coaching staff has been going back and forth on whether it is more likely that Atlanta reverts to its most commonly used four in the back, or if the Five Stripes try for three wins in a row with three in the back. I would prefer that Atlanta plays with zero defenders and goalkeeper Brad Guzan wears a blindfold, but I think that is unlikely to be the case.

Even though Atlanta defeated Orlando City both times while in a 4-2-3-1, based on available personnel and recent results, I believe that the team will come out in a 3-5-2 in Inter&Co Stadium in the conference semifinal. Good things come in threes, and Orlando City’s best offensive production this season has been against three defenders, so I am going to be hoping that this continues, and in the third game against Atlanta the Lions grab the three points. Three’s company!

Well, it is a playoff game, so there are no actual points at stake, but you know what I meant.

Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to get a victory to advance to the Eastern Conference final?

Published

19 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City continues its playoff journey against Atlanta United Sunday at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions are coming off an emotional penalty shootout win over Charlotte FC in their best-of-three, first-round series. Likewise, Atlanta United stunned everyone by taking out Inter Miami to advance in its own best-of-three matchup. Now, the rivals meet in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

What does Orlando City need to do to get past Atlanta United to advance to the Easter Conference final?

Beat Guzan

Brad Guzan made 16 saves over Atlanta’s three matches against Inter Miami, including seven in the 3-2 win on the road in Game 3. The 40-year-old former USMNT keeper is in excellent form and is a big reason why the Five Stripes are facing Orlando City. Converting chances against Guzan will be crucial to earning a result. There have been times this season when the Lions have struggled to convert their chances. Despite that, the team has done enough offensively to get to this point. Facundo Torres, Martin Ojeda, Duncan McGuire, Ramiro Enrique, and others have contributed and will need to do so this weekend.

Cartagena is Essential

Orlando City lost twice to Atlanta United during the regular season. What is interesting, and perhaps relevant, is that Wilder Cartagena was out for both of those matches. Cartagena was shown a straight red in the match against Minnesota United prior to the first match against Atlanta way back in March. He was shown a yellow card in the match against FC Cincinnati and then served a yellow card accumulation suspension for the final match of the season against Atlanta. Fortunately for Orlando City, Cartagena will be available for the match this weekend. I’ve mentioned before the importance of Cartagena to Orlando City’s success. When he and Cesar Araujo are on the field together, the defense is simply better. Cartagena is frankly one of the better defensive midfielders in MLS. Atlanta scored five goals in the series against Miami, and Orlando will need to keep the visitors from having that kind of offensive success.

Overcome the Past

That darn international break in the middle of the playoffs is something I don’t love. More precisely, I don’t like it because Orlando City often struggles after a break. It would have been nice if Orlando City could have ridden the momentum from the penalty kick victory into the Atlanta match, but that’s not to be. Now is the time for Orlando City to break some bad habits, including turning around its historical lack of success against Atlanta, and tendency to struggle in the first match after a break. Oscar Pareja needs to have the players in the right frame of mind, and the players need to execute the plan. A full house of supporters can also make a difference. Given it’s a Sunday afternoon match, there’s no reason not to pack the house.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/21/24

Marta’s chance to shine in NWSL Championship, NWSL and MLS award winners announced, 2025 SheBelieves Cup details, and more.

Published

22 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve been spending most of this week plotting out some holiday shopping to make things a little less stressful for myself over the next few weeks. A big weekend filled with Orlando soccer awaits us, so make sure to get any errands or obligations out of the way sooner rather than later. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Spotlight Falls On Marta in NWSL Championship

There are plenty of storylines heading into Saturday’s NWSL Championship between the Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit, including Marta’s opportunity to put an exclamation point on what has been an excellent season for the Pride. Orlando has been enjoying the fruits of its labor this season after a rebuild over the past few years that’s included plenty of change in the City Beautiful. Marta has been a constant, however, enduring some difficult seasons since joining the Pride and adapting her game She’s scored in both of the Pride’s playoff games so far and has a chance to author a storybook ending on Saturday.

Ann-Katrin Berger Named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year

NJ/NY Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was named 2024 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year, beating out the Pride’s Anna Moorhouse and Utah Royals FC’s Mandy Haught for the honor. It was Berger’s first year in the NWSL and she’s the first European player to win the award. She only conceded 16 goals across her 22 matches for Gotham this season and was a key reason behind her team’s success. I’m not too surprised that Moorhouse did not win, considering how solid the Pride’s defense was as a whole, but this won’t take anything away from a record-breaking season for her.

Wilfried Nancy Named MLS Coach of the Year

Columbus Crew Head Coach Wilfried Nancy was voted 2024 MLS Coach of the Year after a historic season in which the Crew set club records in both points and goals. The Crew also won the Leagues Cup this summer and their 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup campaign included advancing past Tigres and Monterrey en route to the final. This is Nancy’s first time being named Coach of the Year and he has been a finalist for the award every year since 2021. The Frenchman received 40.02% of the vote, winning the award over Inter Miami’s Gerardo Martino and Colorado Rapids Head Coach Chris Armas.

2025 SheBelieves Cup Details Unveiled

The 10th annual SheBelieves Cup will take place next year and the tournament will return to its usual format where each of the four teams plays each other once. The United States Women’s National Team will host Japan, Colombia, and Australia in February in what should be an exciting tournament. The U.S. will take on Colombia on Feb. 20 in Houston before facing Australia in Arizona on Feb. 23 and finishing the tournament on Feb. 26 against Japan at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. These games will also be the first domestic games of 2025 for the USWNT as it prepares to qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.

Eric Quill Named FC Dallas Head Coach

FC Dallas announced that Eric Quill will become the team’s next head coach. Quill joins Dallas after a great year with New Mexico United that included trips to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals and USL Championship Western Conference semifinals. It’s also a reunion of sorts for Quill, as he previously coached North Texas SC and was named USL League One Coach of the Year with the club in 2019. Dallas missed out on the playoffs this season, with Peter Luccin coaching the team on an interim basis after the firing of Nico Estevez in June.

Free Kicks

  • District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser challenged Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer to a bet involving this weekend’s NWSL Championship, with embarrassing lightshows on the line.

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

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