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Orlando City vs. FC Dallas: Final Score 2-0 as Lions Get First Ever Victory Against Dallas

Tesho Akindele scored against his old team and Carlos Ascues opened his MLS account to lead Orlando to victory.

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Carlos Romero, The Mane Land

Tesho Akindele came back to haunt his old team and Carlos Ascues opened his MLS account as Orlando City (8-11-5, 29 points) got its first ever win (and goals) against FC Dallas (9-9-6, 33 points) in front of 22,479 at Exploria Stadium. The Lions played well defensively and got a timely goal in each half to finally beat the Texas side, moving to 1-3-1 in the all-time series.

With the three points, Orlando also has guaranteed it will finish with more points than the previous season, after putting up just 28 in 2018. It’s the first time in the club’s MLS history that it has amassed more points than the previous year.

“I thought that the mentality that the players showed was excellent,” Head Coach James O’Connor said after the match. “I think there were some outstanding individual performances.”

“It’s just a lot of mixed feelings,” Akindele said about scoring against his old teammates. “I played for that team for five years. I really love the club. I have a lot of respect from the ownership all the way down to the players, the academy. I was glad to be there. And I’m glad to be here. It was a mix of emotions. Hard to explain.”

Aside from not starting Nani, O’Connor’s match day squad for Dallas was a first-choice lineup.

Ruan was active in the attack almost from the jump. He drew an early free kick in the seventh minute, set up a shot by Dom Dwyer in the 10th minute, then set up the game’s first goal three minutes later.

The Brazilian cut inside from the right sideline and sent a perfect diagonal ball through the defense for Akindele to run onto. The former FC Dallas man slid his shot inside the back post past Jesse Gonzalez. The goal was Akindele’s eighth of the season, establishing a new career high for the Canadian. It was also the first goal Orlando has ever scored against FC Dallas after being shut out in all four previous meetings.

“I saw (Ruan) kind of cut inside and he was streaking through the middle,” Akindele said. “I checked and then went in behind and I didn’t really think he would see me, honestly, because it was pretty hard, but he saw me and played a great pass, I think with the outside of his foot. He just put it on a platter for me and I was finishing it.”

“I think for Ruan to come inside and play a fantastic weighted ball…but then you look at the quality of the finish from Tesho. It’s slotted right in the corner, outstanding finish,” O’Connor said. “It was a really good goal from our standpoint.”

Dallas started to get back into the game more after the goal, with Santiago Mosquera fizzing a ball through the area in the 16th minute and Edwin Gyasi firing a shot right at Rowe a minute later.

Akindele had a chance to put Dwyer in alone on goal in the 19th but put too much oomph on his pass. Orlando looked more content to counterattack and Dallas was forced to take some yellow cards to stop it. Reto Ziegler was booked for chopping down Ascues after being nutmegged by Dwyer.

Gyasi went off for Dallas after sustaining what appeared to be a groin injury and was replaced by Michael Barrios in the 30th minute. Dallas shifted from a 4-2-3-1 into a 4-3-3 and started seeing more of the ball.

Robin Jansson was forced into some good emergency defending in the 38th minute to concede a corner but prevent a scoring chance. Lamine Sané cleared the ensuing cross and Paxton Pomykal was booked for taking Dwyer down from behind on the counter.

The last good chance of the half came in the first minute of stoppage time when an Akindele cross took a deflection and Will Johnson sent it inches wide. The Canadian may have been distracted by Dwyer, who was tracking back for the ball and jumped over it to allow the shot.

Orlando took its 1-0 lead into the break with a 4-3 edge in shots (1-1 on goal). Dallas held 61% of the possession and the better passing accuracy (88%-83%).

Dominique Badji, who subbed on for Dallas at halftime for Brandon Servania, got the first shot of the second half, but he fired it over the Heineken sign in the south end and into the upper deck as a tribute to Orlando legend Carlos Rivas.

Dallas buzzed for the equalizer in the early part of the second half, with Mosquera serving as the danger man. He fired a free kick just wide in the 51st, then forced a Brian Rowe save in the 53rd after a corner kick that was set up when a Pomykal shot attempt deflected out off of Sané.

The visitors won a lot of corners after that, finishing with eight in the second half alone. But Orlando defended well all night. Despite seeing most of the possession, Dallas created few clear-cut opportunities as the Lions swarmed to the ball whenever it crossed into the defensive third.

Akindele nearly got a brace on a good play in the 70th. He sent the ball left to Ascues and the Peruvian returned it to him on the doorstep but Akindele’s shot hit Gonzalez in the chest and the score remained 1-0.

As the game moved into its final stages, there was a video review for a possible handball on Sané in the box. Lamine was tangled up with an opposing player and the ball did appear to glance off his hand but he was nudged by Badji as he jumped, spinning him a bit and no penalty was given.

Dallas started lumping more crosses and passes into the area in a final push to tie the game. The Lions threw their bodies in front of shots and did anything they could to shield Rowe’s goal.

“I think overall when you look at the commitment to defending, it was excellent,” O’Connor said.

Ascues put the game to bed in the 92nd minute. Second-half sub Nani centered the ball from the left, sending a ball to the top of the area to Ascues, who flicked on to Akindele — wearing the captain’s armband for the first time in his MLS career. Tesho laid off to second-half sub Sacha Kljestan, who found Ascues with a slick backheel pass. With Kljestan breaking into open space on his right, Ascues opted to shoot. Gonzalez got a piece of it but couldn’t prevent the Peruvian’s first MLS goal.

“It was a little layoff by Tesho. My first idea was to shoot, but I didn’t think I had a good angle,” said Kljestan. “So, I could see Carlos kind of in the blind spot of the defenders and I flicked it to him. And to be honest I expected him to pass it back to me for a tap-in. So, fortunately he finished it because if he hadn’t I’d have been very angry.”

With the assist, Kljestan moved into sole possession of eighth in the all-time MLS assist list. His 92nd career helper moved him past Cobi Jones, but the midfielder said he didn’t care about that so much as getting the three points.

From there it was a matter of seeing out the rest of the seven minutes of stoppage time, which Orlando was able to do.

Dallas led in most of the statistical categories, out-shooting the Lions, 10-9, although City had three on target to just two for the visitors. FC Dallas also led in possession, with 64.2%, corner kicks (10-2), and passing accuracy (86%-79%).

“We had better opportunities in the first half, apart from Tesho’s in the second,” O’Connor said. “But overall when you look at the way the game went and how difficult it was for Dallas to break us down, I think that was the thing we wanted to try to make sure — that we made it hard for them to attack — and then equally we needed to be on point when we attacked them. So it’s a pleasing performance for all the guys.”

The team can now turn its attention to the massive match coming up this week.

“We know (Tuesday is) probably the biggest game in our club’s short time, short history, so everyone’s excited,” Kljestan said. “I know it’s going to be a very big game.”


Orlando City’s next match is a gigantic one, as Atlanta United visits Exploria Stadium on Tuesday night in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. The Lions’ next league match will be next Saturday night in Toronto.

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Lion Links: 10/29/24

MLS playoff results, USWNT prepares for Argentina, Ballon d’Or winners announced, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It was a great weekend, as Orlando City got its playoff campaign off to a strong start. We have a busy week ahead of us with the United States Women’s National Team in action, the Orlando Pride playing their last match of the regular season, and the Lions traveling to North Carolina for Game 2 against Charlotte FC. As usual, there’s plenty to discuss this morning, so let’s jump right in.

Keeping Up With the MLS Playoffs

The playoffs continued on Monday night, which means we have two matches to catch up on. The early fixture saw FC Cincinnati pick up a 1-0 win over New York City FC at TQL Stadium. Cincinnati had the better of things for most of the game with 22 shots (seven on target) to NYCFC’s six (two on target). In the end, Yamil Asad’s goal in the 51st minute was the decider, and NYCFC defender Tayvon Gray’s red card in stoppage time adds an extra layer of intrigue for Game 2 in New York on Saturday. The late match delivered the first scoreless draw of the postseason as the Seattle Sounders battled the Houston Dynamo to a 0-0 result in regulation, with the Sounders advancing 5-4 on penalties. To make matters worse for the Dynamo, Adalberto Carrasquilla was sent off in the 66th minute so they’ll need to find a way to keep their season alive without him as the series now shifts to Houston.

Previewing the USWNT Friendly Against Argentina

The United States Women’s National Team is having a good international window so far, starting things off with a pair of 3-1 victories over Iceland. The final game of the window will take place tomorrow when the U.S. faces Argentina in Louisville. It will be just the sixth meeting between the two teams, with the USWNT winning all five previous games, including the most recent one during the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup. Argentina is managed by German Portanova, who lines the team up in either a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3. Accordingly, the idea is to stay compact and be difficult to play through, although things have a tendency to devolve after giving up a goal, which was the case during the USWNT’s 4-0 triumph in the last match between the two sides. It’s a game the Yanks should win, and win comfortably.

Ballon d’Or Winners Announced

The Ballon d’Or ceremony took place on Monday evening in Paris, and there weren’t too many surprises in how the awards were doled out. Manchester City midfielder Rodri took home the award on the men’s side, following a year in which his club team won the Premier League and his Spanish side won the 2024 European Championship. Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati won the women’s award for the second straight year after helping her side win its second consecutive Champions League title. Orlando Pride forward Barbra finished 12th in the voting for the award.

Lamine Yamal won the Kopa Trophy for the best player under the age of 21, while Emiliano Martinez was named the best goalkeeper in the world for the second year running.

Manchester United Sacks Erik ten Hag

Manchester United announced on Monday morning that the club has fired Erik ten Hag, with Ruud van Nistelrooy named interim manager. The Red Devils were in the midst of a poor run of results to start the season, with just four wins from 13 matches played. A 2-1 defeat to West Ham on Sunday seems to have been the final straw, with the result leaving United 14th in the Premier League on 11 points after nine matches. While van Nistelrooy has taken over on an interim basis, reports have emerged that Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim is the leading candidate to get the permanent gig, with United having also reportedly asked about the availability of Brentford manager Thomas Frank.

Free Kicks

  • Emma Hayes was named 2024 Women’s Coach of the Year.

That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 2-0 win over Charlotte FC?

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City got its 2024 playoff campaign off to a good start with a 2-0 win over Charlotte FC. The Lions can advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second consecutive year with one more win in the series. It was a solid overall team performance, though some stood out more than others.

Let’s take a look at the individual performances in this critical victory for the boys in purple.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — Gallese didn’t have much to do in this game because Charlotte only managed to put two of its shots on target and the Lions’ number one stopped both. He touched the ball 30 times in 90 minutes while completing 78.3% of his 23 passes, including five of his 10 long balls. There’s not much bad to say about his performance and he recorded another clean sheet.

D, Rafael Santos, 6.5 — Santos was excellent in this game, recording a team-high 83 touches. The left back completed 86.7% of his 60 passes, including two key passes, two of his five long balls, and four of his nine crosses. His cross in the 32rd minute was headed out, but only to Torres, who put it in to give the Lions a 1-0 lead. He also took one shot that was off target. Defensively, Santos recorded two tackles, an interception, and four clearances.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — Jansson had a solid performance, recording 61 touches on the night. He had an interception, a blocked shot, and four clearances but was fortunate in the 70th minute when he was out-muscled by Patrick Agyemang, allowing the substitute to get a free header that forced Gallese into a good save. Going forward, the center back completed 98% of his 51 passes, including both long balls. While he played well, I lowered his grade a little for nearly conceding a goal, although some (including Jansson) might say he was fouled on the play.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — Schlegel has had an up-and-down season, but the center back was excellent in this game. He recorded 67 touches, a block, and a team-high eight clearances. Offensively, the center back completed 94.3% of his 53 passes, including a key pass and seven of his eight long balls. He hit a volley well in the 64th minute that forced Kristijan Kahlina into a save and had a second shot that went off target.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6 — Thorhallsson caused headaches for Charlotte on the right side in this game, recording 44 touches and completing 90.3% of his 31 passes, including two key passes and his lone cross. He also took a shot, but it was off target. Defensively, he added a tackle, an interception, and a clearance before coming off for Kyle Smith in the 78th minute in a defensive change.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 — Cartagena recorded 81 touches in this game while completing 89.2% of his team-high 65 passes, including a key pass and three of his seven long balls. He also took one off-target shot. Defensively, the defensive midfielder recorded three tackles, one interception, and two clearances.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — Similar to Cartagena, you can’t say much negative about Araujo’s performance. He touched the ball 70 times and completed 91.4% of his 58 passes, including five of his seven long balls. Both of his shots were off target, but his excellent long ball in the 76th minute helped Ivan Angulo set up the second goal. He nearly had an assist with a beautiful ball for Ramiro Enrique in the 20th minute, but the striker missed wide and was ruled offside.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6.5 — Angulo made the most of his 49 touches in this game, completing 94.4% of his 36 passes, including a key pass and his lone long ball. However, both of his cross attempts were incomplete. His biggest impact on the game came in the 76th minute when he used his speed to win a ball down the wing and played Martin Ojeda into the box for the second goal. Defensively, Angulo recorded a tackle, an interception, and a clearance before being replaced by Nico Lodeiro in the 88th minute.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6.5 — Ojeda only touched the ball 36 times this game, the fewest of the attacking midfielders. He completed 82.6% of his 23 passes, including a key pass, two of his five crosses, and two of his three long balls. His biggest moment came in the 76th minute when he received a pass from Angulo in the box and drilled his second touch past Kahlina to put the game away. His key pass set up a golden opportunity for Facundo Torres in the 54th minute. The attacker was taken out right after the goal, making way for Luis Muriel in the 78th minute.

MF, Facundo Torres, 7 (MotM) — It was a record-tying and breaking night for Torres, who finished the game with 69 touches. He completed 91.5% of his 47 passes, including three key passes, two of his six crosses, and all five of his long balls. Three of his four shots were on target, and he did well to bring down a cleared cross before volleying it in to give the Lions a 1-0 lead. The goal tied Dom Dwyer for the most goals in club history (46) when considering both USL and MLS eras, and he set a new MLS-era record for most goals in a single season (19) across all competitions. Torres came off to a standing ovation in the 88th minute for David Brekalo.

F, Ramiro Enrqiue, 5.5 — It was a tough night for Enrique, who should have had at least one goal. He touched the ball 21 times and completed five of his 10 passes, including a key pass. He only put one of his four shots on target, missing a golden chance in the 20th minute — even though he was ruled offside — and missed the target when free on goal in the 50th minute. It was a forgettable night for the striker, who was replaced by Duncan McGuire in the 61st minute.

Substitutes

F, Duncan McGuire (61’), 5.5 — Similar to Enrique, McGuire couldn’t really find his feet in his 29 minutes of action. He touched the ball 17 times and completed eight of his 10 passes, including a key pass. He had a great chance to get behind the back line in stoppage time but couldn’t control the ball.

F, Luis Muriel (78’), 5 — Muriel came on for Ojeda right after the midfielder made it 2-0 and never really got involved in the game. He only touched the ball nine times in 12 minutes, completing 62.5% of his eight passes. He didn’t help to create any shots, nor did he take any of his own.

D, Kyle Smith (78’), 5.5 — Smith came on in the 78th minute for Thorhallsson for defensive help. The right back touched the ball nine times and completed 66.7% of his six passes. He also didn’t record any defensive statistics in the 12 minutes on the field, but he did help see out the final minutes of the match with some strong play to maintain possession.

MF, Nico Lodeiro (88’), N/A — Lodeiro was one of the more effective substitutes, though he was only on for the final minutes and didn’t play long enough to warrant a grade. Replacing Angulo, the midfielder touched the ball seven times and completed 85.7% of his seven passes.

D, David Brekalo (88’), N/A — Brekalo came on in the 88th minute for Torres as the Lions went to three center backs to see out the game. He only touched the ball five times and completed two of his three passes while recording a clearance, which was his purpose for entering.


That’s how I saw the individual performances in tonight’s win for the Lions. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

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Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 2-0 home playoff victory over Charlotte FC.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City kicked off its run in the 2024 Major League Soccer playoffs with a first-round opening victory at home in front of a fiery crowd by a score of 2-0 over Charlotte FC. Much had been made about the contrasting styles of play between the two sides heading into the match, with Orlando sporting one of the best attacks in all of MLS since league play resumed after the Leagues Cup break and Charlotte boasting the second-best defense by goals allowed throughout the regular season.

The Lions ultimately imposed their will on the match and what follows are our five takeaways from a game that Orlando essentially controlled from the opening kick.

Wasteful Opportunities Early

For the first 15 to 20 minutes of the game, Orlando missed multiple golden chances that could have come back to bite the Lions in the behind. Multiple Lions had decent looks on goal and shot wide, high, or directly at Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina. Ramiro Enrique’s final touch seemed just a tad off in the early portion of the match, and Orlando failed to find the end of a few strong crosses across the box from Martin Ojeda and Rafael Santos. Luckily, none of the early miscues mattered much at the end of the game, but if the Lions are lucky enough to advance to the next round and a single-elimination game, lacking sharpness could lead to an unfortunate exit from the playoffs.

Torres Breaks Through

It was always going to be Designated Player Facundo Torres who found the net first for Orlando City, because of course, it had to be. Torres grew into the game over the first 30 minutes of the match, and for a few moments I thought he might find the first assist of the game from a series of short corner set pieces. Instead, Torres found paydirt in the 32nd minute as he was the first player to arrive at poor attempt at a clearance from the Charlotte back line following a dangerous cross sent in by Santos. El Cuervo quickly pulled the trigger, blasting the ball off the bottom of the crossbar and in for the first goal of the game.

Torres has been chasing records all year long, and with that goal, he became the all-time single-season goal scorer in Orlando City history with 19 across all competitions. It was also his third goal against Charlotte in 2024, as he scored in each of the three meetings between the teams this season. Continuing that trend was an important step toward getting the series started on the right foot.

Ojeda Extends the Lead

The strong play of Designated Player Martin Ojeda has been one of the main reasons that the OCSC attack has been so potent over the last two months. In the first playoff match against Charlotte, Ojeda continued his strong run of form and would/should have recorded at least one assist in the first half if the team could have been a tad more clinical. Nonetheless, Ojeda left his mark on the match in the 76th minute. Running on fumes, Ojeda had a ball played past him by Cesar Araujo on the sideline and wisely made no attempt on the ball as he was in an offside position. His non-action allowed Ivan Angulo to streak down the sideline at breakneck speed to reach the ball, and once he did, Ojeda had recycled into an onside position. He then took a crafty pass from Angulo and ripped a shot inside the near post past Kahlina.

The goal gave Orlando a bit of breathing room as the game entered its final moments and also marked the first time in club history that the team had scored more than one goal in a playoff match.

Defensive Cohesiveness

Much will be made over the coming week about the Orlando City attack, and rightly so, but an understated piece of what made the Lions so successful in their first game of the 2024 playoffs was the cohesiveness demonstrated across the back line and defensive midfield. Having Wilder Cartagena back in the lineup surely did not hurt things from a defensive standpoint, but I felt that the entire back line communicated effectively and covered one another quite well throughout the match. Orlando did well in the possession department during the first half, and not many questions were asked of the defense, but in the first 20 minutes of the second half, the defense stepped up multiple times to snuff out any remote possibilities that could have generated hope for the visitors. They say that defense wins championships, and Orlando showed just how steadfast its defense could be.

Playoff Clean Sheet

Orlando goalkeeper Pedro Gallese has now recorded three clean sheets across three first-round playoff matches going back to the implementation of the new best-of-three format that started last year. Charlotte was only able to put two of its nine attempts on target, but regardless of the volume, Gallese did well to position himself at the right place and at the right time. I thought Gallese did a particularly good job of being decisive on the night and chose his moments wisely to come off his line to collect the ball, or at a minimum, get a glove on it to disrupt Charlotte’s attacking pieces. A playoff clean sheet should always be celebrated, and for me, it was the cherry on top of a very satisfying sundae.


That is what stood out to me most from a complete performance by Orlando City in the first matchup against Charlotte FC in this best-of-three series. Was there anything else in particular that caught your eye throughout the match? Let us know in the comments below and as always, vamos Orlando!

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