Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City at New England Revolution: Five Takeaways

Published

5 years ago

on

I want to preface what’s to come: I have been more positive than a large portion of the fan base about Orlando City this season and I fully intended to remain as such in these takeaways, even if the result of the match was poor.

Well, then the match itself happened. In my humble opinion, this was the worst the Lions have played since the end of the 2018 disaster campaign. Unfortunately, there will be no positivity here today.

Real Grass in Gillette Stadium Doesn’t Help

As the game started and New England Revolution’s new superstar Gustavo Bou scored in just the third minute, I fully expected this to be the one bright side for Orlando City. The Revs are used to playing on turf at home, and really terrible turf at that. Of course, the Lions are used to the beautiful natural surface of Exploria Stadium. Theoretically, the fact that Gillette had grass laid over the turf last night (for an international friendly match being hosted there today) should have been an advantage for the men in purple.

Actually, the first 15 minutes of the match — minus Bou’s goal — seemed to back up that theory. During this time, the Revs were testing the weight of their passes on the unfamiliar surface and made a few errors because of it. Revolution captain Carles Gil went down awkwardly in the sixth minute after appearing to get his foot stuck in on the grass. The Lions can’t have nice things, however, so it quickly became apparent that Bruce Arena’s team was quite capable of making the necessary adjustments to ensure the grass was a non-factor throughout the rest of the game.

Gustavo Bou is Legit

Here’s something none of the clubs in Major League Soccer want to compete against: the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Josef Martinez, or Carlos Vela. The bad news is that in his short time with New England, Bou looks to be exactly that. We all saw the wonder volley from his debut match as a Rev. Matter of fact, he was set up on a 45th-minute corner last night to nearly replicate that great goal with another solid strike but the shot barely missed the target. Bou led the Revolution with nine shots, two on target, and often had all the space in the world to work in thanks to Orlando City’s awful defensive showing (more on that later). Had it not been for a fantastic Dillon Powers block in minute 31, Bou might have had himself a relatively easy brace in only his third match for the Revs.

Early Goals Still a Problem for the Lions

This is absolutely a known issue and something that’s been discussed many, many times this year. Not only did Orlando City concede three minutes into the match, the Lions again conceded a mere two minutes into the second half when it was still only a 1-0 game. The team leads the MLS with the most goals allowed in the first 30 minutes this season. From the performance last night, there were two big factors that I saw contributing to this problem. Obviously, the Lions aren’t there mentally when the first whistle blows and that could come down to coaching or on-field leadership, or both. Tactics had a part to play in this match as well. Both halves saw Orlando City coming out to be a counter-attacking team, though they were putting little to no pressure on the ball early.

Tesho Akindele Struggled

There’s no sane way to blame any individual player for the beating the Revs put on the Lions. Perhaps the most surprising performance of the night was that of Akindele. He’s been a more reliable striker, and frankly looked better, all season than Dom Dwyer and has never given off the impression that he lacked confidence. Never up until last night, that is. I’m in no way saying Akindele has been perfect or hasn’t had poor performances this year, just that he hasn’t been deflated when those bad games have occurred. In the 10th and 12th minutes he had excellent service and couldn’t dig the ball out of his feet, and later, at minute 55, Akindele had the ball in a decent position in the box with time to make a decision. He was flustered, undecided, and ultimately did nothing with the opportunities. He managed three shots, with two on goal, and thankfully got the tap-in goal in the 77th that I’m hoping will help Akindele find his confidence again.

Atrocious Defending Leads to Season-High Goals Allowed

If you watched this match, this needs no real explanation. Orlando City’s defense was abysmal versus New England, allowing the Revs 20 shots, of which they successfully converted 20%. Sebas Mendez managed to give up the first penalty kick against the Lions this season with a very clear and obvious handball in the box. Head Coach James O’Connor also had to make a change at the half, due to an injury to left back Joao Moutinho, bringing on rookie center back Kamal Miller in his spot.

I had to keep reminding myself that yes, that is Robin Jansson and I’m not having flashbacks to David Mateos. Jansson came across as being completely lost for a large majority of the match and was often caught flat-footed and ball watching. I’m honestly not sure how he managed two tackles, an interception, and six clearances. Ruan’s defending wasn’t much better, although he did lead the team with three tackles and made small contributions offensively. Lamine Sané was the only true line of defense on the pitch for the Lions. For about the first 30 minutes, I believed he would hands-down be the Man of the Match, especially after his 23rd minute goal-line tackle. Sané was mostly steady for the rest of the match, blocking two shots with two interceptions and four clearances.

So there you have it. Those are the five things I believe we can take away from the Lions’ 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Revolution. Let me know in the comments what you think the team can learn from the loss.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/23/25

Orlando City signs Thomas Williams to new contract, Orlando Pride schedule revealed, USMNT wins against Costa Rica, and more.

Published

3 hours ago

on

January 23, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

I hope you all are staying warm as we deal with cold weather across Florida. It’s at least been nice to break out some of my heavier blankets and forgotten hot cocoa packets I’ve had stored away. My cat has also been curling up next to me more, which is always a plus. Still, not shivering while waiting for my car to warm up would be great. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Thomas Williams Signs New Orlando City Contract

Orlando City center back Thomas Williams signed a new contract with the club that lasts through 2026, with an option for 2027 as well. Williams joined the club’s academy back in 2015 and became the youngest Homegrown Player in club history when he signed a first-team contract at 16 years old in 2021. The 20-year-old hasn’t featured much for the first team, and he’ll likely spend most of this year with Orlando City B for consistent playing time. Hopefully Williams can take a step forward in his development and provide the Lions some helpful depth at center back in the event of injuries.

Orlando Pride 2025 Season Schedule Unveiled

The NWSL announced its 2025 season schedule Wednesday, and the Orlando Pride will start their title defense season at home against the Chicago Red Stars on March 14. Their first road game will be the following weekend on March 23 against NJ/NY Gotham FC. Decision Day returns to the schedule this year, with all 14 clubs in action on Nov. 2. The Pride will close out their regular season at home that day against the Seattle Reign, with the postseason set to begin on Nov. 7. There’s also a break in the schedule in July, with no regular-season games scheduled due to international tournaments like the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and Copa America Femenina.

USMNT Shuts Out Costa Rica in Orlando

The United States Men’s National Team beat Costa Rica 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando Wednesday night to stay perfect at the home of the Lions and Pride at 7-0-0. Goalkeeper Zack Steffen truly earned his clean sheet, coming up with some great saves to deny Costa Rica. It was also a solid attacking performance from the Yanks, and Patrick Agyemang put a bow on what’s been a great month for him with his second goal in as many games. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has some time to assess things before the USMNT plays Panama in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals on March 20

Keeping Up With MLS Transfer News

San Diego FC added another Designated Player ahead of its inaugural season, signing Danish winger Anders Dreyer from Anderlecht for a transfer fee reportedly near $5 million. He recorded 31 goals and 23 assists in 87 appearances across all competitions for Anderlecht and joins San Diego on a three-year deal. Charlotte FC officially added Wilfried Zaha on loan from Galatasaray. He’ll occupy a DP spot and the loan lasts through Jan. 16, 2026, with an option to extend it through June of that year as well.

LAFC made a trade with its rival to strengthen its midfield, acquiring Mark Delgado from the LA Galaxy in exchange for $400,000 in General Allocation Money. The Portland Timbers signed Venezuelan forward Kevin Kelsy from Shakhtar Donetsk as an MLS U22 Initiative player, with FC Cincinnati receiving GAM for his discovery rights. Real Salt Lake, which signed Mason Stajduhar from Orlando City earlier this month, continued to make changes to its goalkeeping group. The club signed veteran goalkeeper Rafael Cabral as a free agent and transferred 19-year-old American Gavin Beavers to Brondby IF in Denmark.

UEFA Champions League Roundup

The penultimate round of the UEFA Champions League’s league phase wrapped up this week. Paris Saint-Germain beat Manchester City 4-2 in the heavyweight matchup of the round, with all six goals coming in the second half. Joao Neves gave PSG the lead in the 78th minute before Goncalo Ramos put the game on ice in stoppage time. City now needs to win its final game against Club Brugge on Wednesday in order to advance.

Real Madrid cruised to a 5-1 win against RB Salzburg to advance, with both Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. scoring braces. Celtic also booked its spot in the next round after a 1-0 win against Young Boys. Feyenoord pulled off an upset by winning 3-0 against Bayern Munich as well. Elsewhere in the tournament, AC Milan won 1-0 at home against Girona, Arsenal beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0, and RB Leipzig did well in a 2-1 victory over Sporting CP.

Free Kicks

  • American goalkeeper Michelle Betos announced her retirement from professional soccer after a career that included winning the 2016 NWSL Shield with the Portland Thorns and the 2023 NWSL Championship with Gotham. Betos was also named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year with the Thorns in 2015.
  • Arsenal and Chelsea are among the multiple clubs reportedly keeping an eye on American forward Trinity Rodman, whose contract with the Washington Spirit ends after this year.
https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1882171400481542482

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

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City Signs Defender Thomas Williams Through 2026

Orlando City signs Homegrown center back Thomas Williams to a new contract through 2026 with a club option for 2027.

Published

24 hours ago

on

January 22, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Orlando City announced this morning that the club has signed defender Thomas Williams through the 2026 season with a club option for 2027. The Homegrown Player has been with the first team since 2021 and will continue for at least two more years.

“Thomas is someone whose future we’re still very excited about and we’re happy to get him locked in with us for a couple more years,” Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi said in a club press release. “He’s shown a lot of growth these last few seasons, continuing to get game action with Orlando City B and proving the importance of our development pathway, and we’re looking forward to having him with us for the foreseeable future.”

The Titusville native joined the Orlando City Academy in 2015 and made his professional debut for the club on Aug. 7, 2020 against New England Revolution II. He played in 13 games that year with 10 starts and recorded 844 minutes. His play on the Young Lions’ back line earned him a first-team contract on June 15, 2021, at just 16 years old, making him the youngest player in club history to sign a Homegrown contract.

The 20-year-old center back made his MLS debut on April 16, 2022 in a 2-0 win over the Columbus Crew in Ohio. He made five appearances with three starts in all competitions that season, recording 271 minutes. To date, those are the only appearances he’s made with the first team.

Since joining OCB in 2021, Williams has made 69 appearances with 61 starts and recorded 5,132 minutes. He’s been booked 19 times and sent off twice, both times after receiving second yellow cards.

What It Means for Orlando City

Williams is the fourth natural center back for Orlando City on the current squad behind Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Rodrigo Schlegel. He played well early in his OCB and MLS career, but has struggled recently. Last year, he played exclusively with the second team, partnering with Nabi Kibunguchy.

While Williams hasn’t made much of an impact on the first team so far, he’s only 20 years old and still has plenty of time to develop. Extending his contact shows that the club still has faith that he can turn into a key player for the MLS side.

It’s unlikely that Williams will see any time with the first team in 2025 (barring injuries and/or suspensions), considering that he’s also been behind versatile defender Kyle Smith at the center back position. He’ll likely spend the upcoming season with OCB, continuing to develop and earn his spot with the first team. As a Homegrown Player, there isn’t much risk in signing Williams to a new contract, especially if the club’s technical staff thinks he can develop into a quality defender.

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/22/25

Orlando City transfer rumors, Orlando Pride preseason begins, USMNT at Inter&Co, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

January 22, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The ManeLand

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Up here in Tallahassee, I’m waking up to snow/sleet, closed schools, closed government offices, and potentially icy roads. Many people will get an extra day off of work, however, I still get to go to work. I’m sure you can imagine how happy I am about that. Enough of my winter grumbling. Let’s get to the links but not until after we wish Orlando City fullback Michael Halliday a happy 22nd birthday.

Orlando City Reportedly Targeting Croatian International

While I can no longer say that Orlando City hasn’t signed any new players, the club is still moving at its traditionally slow speed as compared to other MLS clubs. We had the signing of Nicolas Rodriguez last week. Now, we have Tom Bogert report of yet another winger prospect for the club in Croatian Marco Pasalic from HNK Rijeka, though it is not a done deal. Hopefully the other targets Bogert mentions are of the striker variety.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881755961125449765?s=46&t=pMoq7Wulqfb35D7C8ydroA

Pride Preseason Begins

The 2024 NWSL champions are back to defend their title. The Orlando Pride returned to training on Tuesday. The club hasn’t needed to add many pieces, though some of the players already here, like Simone Charley and Grace Chanda, haven’t actually played any minutes for the Pride yet. Most of the chemistry is in place for Seb Hines, but reinforcing those bonds will be the challenge as the Pride look to repeat.

USMNT at Inter&Co Tonight

Hopefully you have tickets to the USMNT friendly match versus Costa Rica at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. The match starts at 7 p.m. and there are television and streaming options if you’re not going in person. Despite the squad having 14 players with three or fewer caps, Mauricio Pochettino does not consider this an “alternative” squad, nor does he want the players to think of themselves like that.

Girma Reportedly Nearing Completion of Chelsea Move

USWNT defender Naomi Girma is reportedly headed to Chelsea FC Women for a record $1.1 million transfer fee. That is a very big chunk of change for San Diego FC to use to try to replace one of the best defenders in the world. The deal is not complete as of Tuesday evening, but according to the original report from The Athletic, it is close to being done. Girma would be the first women’s soccer player to earn a transfer fee of over $1 million.

MLS Transfer Updates

Other MLS clubs keep on putting pen to paper when it comes to new players. The Chicago Fire are bringing in Jonathan Bamba on a Designated Player deal from La Liga side Celta de Vigo. The Luca de la Torre loan from Spain’s RC Celta de Vigo to San Diego FC is also official.

https://twitter.com/sandiegofc/status/1881741042904350864

Cucho Hernandez evidently wants to stay with the Columbus Crew, though he is still waiting on a new offer.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881786193693823104

Free Kicks

https://twitter.com/weareangelcity/status/1881749040863588770?s=12&t=_WZBNG4ILAyRLdwBeB4mpQ
  • Keep your eyes peeled later today for the NWSL schedule drop.
https://twitter.com/nwsl/status/1881749035218042954?s=46&t=pN-YJp3s7ZQlCXqnTAgSfw

That will do it for today. Stay warm out there, my friends. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Trending