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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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5 years ago

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It feels like Groundhog Day reporting on Orlando vs. Philadelphia again. The rematch no one was overly excited for didn’t end in a loss! Not the match we wanted, but the match we needed? Hear me out: Orlando City struggles to win back-to-back, so while a draw isn’t a win, there’s hope for the Open Cup match on Wednesday? Yeah? No, this was a tough draw to accept as the Lions fought hard to come up from behind only to lose the lead in the 90th minute in true Lion fashion. Thank goodness for Brian Rowe, am I right? Here’s how they played according to me, for what it’s worth.

Starters

GK, Brian Rowe, 8.5 (MotM) — Rowe couldn’t stop that Fabian goal in the fourth minute but we quickly saw him stop what could have been an early second in the 10th minute when a Carlos Ascues turnover led to a Kacper Przlbyko shot. Rowe made another great save in the 35th when he tipped it right over. Rowe stopped the ball twice in two minutes to deny Kai Wagner and Fafa Picault’s attempts to get a second for the Union, only to shut down their attempts again in the 58th. It was his grasp in a moment of desperation that saved the Lions the point in 93rd minute, when he somehow got a finger on the ball to deny Philadelphia the win. I’ve watched the save on Jack Elliott’s header at least 50 times and I’m still in shock.

WB/D, Danilo Acosta, 5.5 — Try as he might, Acosta couldn’t make anything happen from some of his long balls up to the top. One clearance, four crosses, six long ball attempts, and a key pass had Acosta in the middle of a lot of it, but not much else.

D, Kamal Miller, 5.5 – Miller got the start tonight in the Orlando City musical chairs act. Miller’s time on the pitch saw one interception, four clearances, a blocked shot, and 75% passing accuracy. It was not a wild night out, but not a silent one either.

D, Alex De John, 6.5 — De John also got the start tonight for the first time in a while. He had the second-highest passing accuracy at 82%, three long ball attempts, a team-high nine clearances, and a blocked shot. Not a bad showing for the defender.

D, Shane O’Neill, 5.5 — O’Neill had a tough match, not because he wasn’t performing well, but because he just kept getting knocked around. Picault’s head to his face in the 24th had him down for a bit but he played on. In the 62nd minute, O’Neill went down again, possibly a culmination of everything coming at him in this match. He left the field with trainers as Nani came on in his place. In his time on the field he had four clearances, a tackle, four long ball attempts, and 73% passing accuracy.

WB/MF/D, Kyle Smith, 5.5 — In a surprising turn of events, Kyle Smith fired a shot off early in the second half, but saw it sail over the bar. His cross in the 80th minute that was blocked out for the corner — you know the one! — resulted in the play that put the Lions up for the first time all match. Heartbreak ensued as Smith got caught in between closing down Matthew Real and staying in position to mark the oncoming Przybylko, leading to the equalizer in the 90th minute. He had two tackles, one clearance, 74% passing accuracy this time out.

MF, Carlos Ascues, 5.5 — It was not the Peruvian’s best performance. An early turnover led to what could have been a quick second for the Union. His minutes saw a 79% passing accuracy, one tackle, two interceptions, and a blocked shot. He also lost track of Przybylko on the late equalizer.

MF, Uri Rosell, 8 — It was not very kind of the Union to beat up on Uri Rosell so much on this, his birthday! Rosell saw a team high in touches with 67, and had a team-high passing accuracy at 91%! Additionally, he finished with two tackles, two interceptions, and a clearance. I said it just last week and I’ll say it again, I love Uri in the midfield. He’s solid and dependable. A close second for my MotM, but Rowe’s denial of the Union’s win gave him the edge for me, so you know that was hard for me!

MF, Dillon Powers, 6 — Dillon Powers saw the starting XI for the first time in a few matches. His corner shot in the 42nd minute saw too much power and led to nothing for the Lions. Powers finished with two clearances, an offside call, and 78% accuracy on his 45 passes. He did well to hold his own out there.

F, Dom Dwyer, 7.5 — In his first start since May, Dom came to play. He was run down in the 27th minute, earning a free kick. Acosta crossed the ball up to Dwyer from distance and he got a head on it but saw the ball fly over the net. He had another shot in the 49th where we saw Acosta cross behind him and he made another bicycle attempt against the Union, but making poor contact sent it over again. In what may be the most contact we’ve seen in such a long time, Dwyer got another shot off in the 60th but it was just wide. This shot had ESPN+ announcers repeating, “They’ve got to keep an eye on Dwyer, they cannot lose sight of him.” Then bam! Without even looking, Dom headed in a beautiful ball from Nani’s free kick.

F, Benji Michel, 6.5 — Benji Michel was taken down by Wagner in the 66th minute after he made a great run that led the Lions to the oh-so-important free kick. His time on the pitch saw one key pass, one interception, and a 69% passing accuracy.

Substitutes

MF, Nani (64’), 8 — Three minutes into game play for Nani, he took the free kick earned by Michel, assisting Dom’s equalizer. You know the song by Miley Cyrus, where she sings the line, “She’s just being Miley?” Well, he’s just being Nani, as he worked hard to win the ball for throw-ins, and taking corners that led to goals, that’s all.

F, Chris Mueller (74’), 7.5 — Mueller got his head on the corner kick in from Nani, which was blocked by Blake, but Patino was able to tap it in. Always the perfect infusion off the bench, pace of play changed a bit when Cash took the field. He finished with 78% passing accuracy and all heart.

F, Santiago Patino (80’), 6.5 — In his first minute of game play, on his first touch, Patino tapped it in, and has officially opened his account with Orlando City, helping to put the Lions up late in the second half. If only he’d marked Real instead of Fontana late, perhaps we could have seen a different result.

Those second-half Lions, yes please! These Lions connected on set pieces! I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that before. Agree or disagree with my ratings? Let me know in the comments and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match! 

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Brian Rowe45
Uri Rosell14
Nani14
Dom Dwyer5
Santiago Patino0
Other: Be sure to tell us who in the comments!3

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Three Keys to Victory

What does Orlando City need to do to ensure a victory over FC Cincinnati Saturday at home?

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1 hour ago

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May 2, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City looks to bounce back from the disappointing 2-1 loss to Toronto FC Saturday night at Inter&Co Stadium. Cincinnati has twice as many points as Orlando City and more than twice as many wins. FCC has only scored one more goal than Orlando City, but with only nine goals conceded compared to Orlando City’s 17, it’s easy to see why Cincinnati is sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference.

What I’m trying to say is that the task doesn’t get any easier this weekend. What does Orlando City need to do to secure all three points at home against FC Cincinnati?

Accost Acosta

Cincinnati’s attack revolves around Luciano Acosta. The attacking midfielder has four goals and five assists so far this season. To put that into perspective, Duncan McGuire — Orlando City’s leading scorer — also has four goals but only one assist. If we look at the Lions’ attacking midfielders, Facundo Torres has one goal and one assist, Ivan Angulo and Nico Lodeiro both have one goal and two assists, and Martin Ojeda has zero goals and only one assist. Luis Muriel is still at double zeroes.

The defensive midfield and the back line must do everything possible to mark him out of the match. It’s not enough to keep him from scoring, they must also keep him from setting up chances for his teammates. Most importantly, the defense must do that for 90 minutes plus stoppage time. There is no room for the mental lapses we’ve seen throughout the first part of this season.

Break Through

Cincinnati is stingy on defense. As I mentioned above, the club has only allowed nine goals this season. The back line is formidable with the likes of Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson, and Ian Murphy. On the wings are DeAndre Yedlin and Luca Orellano. This is a tough defense, and whether it is McGuire or Muriel who gets the start, they must find the spaces in between.

Just as importantly, Torres, Angulo, Ojeda, and Lodeiro — depending on who is in at any given moment — must be able to thread the passes in for McGuire, Muriel, or each other to create quality chances. On top of that, the Lions must convert on those chances, which is not something that has been a strength so far this season. If the Orlando City defense continues to give up cheap goals, then the offense will need to one-up the competition when it comes to scoring.

Deal with an Unknown

FC Cincinnati recently signed Venezuelan forward Kevin Kelsy from Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk. Kelsy comes in as an MLS U22 Initiative player and is eligible to play against Orlando City. Even though Kelsy is only 19, he has 68 professional appearances, including UEFA Champions Leagues matches. At 6-foot-3, he can be a challenge for defenders, especially in the air.

Kelsy hasn’t had much time with the team, but he could be a second-half substitution for Cincinnati. Given that Orlando City just gave up two late headers against Toronto FC, the back line will need to be careful that Kelsy doesn’t hurt the Lions in the same manner — especially if he comes on late when legs and minds are tired.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/2/24

The Pride win big, OCSC celebrates Mental Health Awareness Month, USMNT news, and more.

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5 hours ago

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May 2, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

It’s Thursday, Mane Landers. Of course, the name Thursday comes from Thor’s day, and as such, it isn’t a big leap for us to consider it Thorhallsson’s day. Though I suppose that is a bit of a mouthful, so we’ll just keep things the way they are, but do hold Dagur Dan close to your heart today. Also, let us wish a happy birthday to the Orlando Pride’s Luana. Despite the devastating news that dropped about her health earlier this week, we hope that her spirits are high and we wish her nothing but happiness today. It’s also Dagur Dan Thorhallsson’s birthday today, so we’re celebrating him as well. Let’s get to the links.

The Pride Dominate the Courage

The Orlando Pride defeated the North Carolina Courage 4-1 in a midweek match at Inter&Co Stadium. The Pride did indeed dominate the Courage as much as the score line indicates. It was once again the Barbra Banda show, with the Pride’s newest player contributing a brace and an assist on the night. It is the Pride’s fourth straight victory and the undefeated run continues.

OCSC Celebrates Mental Health Awareness Month

Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are doing their part this May to observe Mental Health Awareness Month. The club is sponsoring and attending events and forums available to the general public, as well as holding club staff workshops around promoting mental health. I have to say my favorite is the therapy dogs visits that will be available to the staff. There’s nothing as good for my personal mental health as the joy and unconditional love a dog can bring. If I didn’t have dogs of my own, I’d be really jealous.

The Billionaires Clubs

Orlando City and Orlando Pride owners, the Wilf family, are not the only billionaire owners in the NWSL. There are more and more owners and ownership groups that fall into that category. The influx of more money is a growth opportunity for the league and potentially for those owners. It’s a bit of a “rising tide lifts all boats” mentality for these owners as they do better when the league as a whole does better. It’s not just the owners who think so. The NWSL was ranked No. 5 on the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2024. I’m just glad the Pride are in the club.

USMNT News

I hate starting off a section with bad news, but Sergino Dest tore his ACL in training with PSV Eindhoven and will miss the Copa America. Dest will require surgery though there is no time frame yet for when he may return. The loss of Dest is a blow to the U.S. defense heading into the competition this coming June. The USMNT plays Bolivia on June 23.

In better news, Tim Weah provided the assist for Juventus on Arkadiusz Milik’s goal against Lazio. Juventus entered the second leg of the Copa Italia semifinal up 2-0, but Lazio drew level before Milik’s goal. Juventus advanced 3-2 on aggregate and will play in the final.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. There’s plenty more soccer to come this weekend with all three teams playing. Check back for more as we get you ready for those matches. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/1/24

Mason Stajduhar was arrested, Orlando Pride play at home tonight, Colin Guske discusses his signing, and more.

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1 day ago

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May 1, 2024

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,
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday and welcome to May, Mane Landers. Don’t forget that the undefeated Orlando Pride are in action tonight, so check back for our match preview and the latest episode of SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast for additional pre-match coverage. In the meantime, let’s get to the links.

Mason Stajduhar Arrested Early Sunday

Orlando City goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar and his wife Tatiana Stajduhar were both arrested on disorderly conduct charges following an incident at a nightclub overnight Saturday in the early hours of Sunday morning. The couple were reportedly disrespectful to the club’s staff and got into an altercation with the security guards. Mason stated he was only resisting the security guards to re-enter the club because the bouncers allegedly hit his wife. Tatiana allegedly pushed the police officers after they arrived, and she was not charged with battery on a law enforcement officer. The couple were released Monday after posting a bond. Orlando City provided the following statement to WESH 2 News:

“The Club is aware that goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar was arrested early Sunday morning. We are currently gathering more information and will have no further comment at this time.”

Orlando Pride Host the North Carolina Courage Tonight

After a 3-2 win on the road last Friday against the Washington Spirit, the Orlando Pride are back in the City Beautiful and will take on the North Carolina Courage tonight. Unbeaten in their six games so far this season, the Pride have also won their past three games and sit fourth in the standings. They’re tied on points with a Courage team that beat the Seattle Reign Saturday. Orlando has scored at least one goal in every match this season. Forward Barbra Banda had a great performance in that win against the Spirit, so hopefully the scoring trend continues tonight for the Pride.

Orlando City/Pride Earn Golden Brick Awards

Have you enjoyed the new food options at the stadium? I know I have, and I’m looking forward to trying even more. The efforts made by Orlando City’s front office to feature more local food and beverage options did not go unnoticed, as the club won the Hospitality & Dining category in the Downtown Orlando Partnership’s 2023 Golden Brick Awards. The Orlando Pride’s 2023 Highway Woman Kit also won the award in the Arts & Culture category. The home jersey was inspired by the work of Mary Ann Carroll, the sole woman in the famed Highwaymen artists from decades ago.

Colin Guske Speaks On Signing First Pro Contract

Orlando City Development Academy player Colin Guske signed his first professional contract with the club last month and spoke on the importance of this moment in his career. The 17-year-old is now on an MLS NEXT Pro contract with Orlando City B, and he has started in nearly every game for the Young Lions this year. Both of Guske’s brothers have also played for Orlando City’s academy over the years, and he thanked his family for helping him reach this point.

“It’s awesome to represent the Guskes,” Colin said. “Thanks to my brothers for always pushing me through early mornings and late nights, always putting in the work, doing video sessions, everything. My sister as well, for always being there for me and my parents, too. They’re always helping me and what was the best for me.”

Free Kicks

  • Enjoy all of the sights and sounds from the Pride’s big win over the Spirit in the nation’s capital.
  • The Champions League semifinals are underway and Real Madrid and Bayern Munich played to a 2-2 draw in Germany. The second leg will take place on May 8 in Madrid.

That will do it for today. If you can make it out to the stadium tonight to catch the Pride in action, I strongly suggest you do so. Barbra Banda is about to take the NWSL by storm and you’ll want to see it in person. Vamos Orlando!

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