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Orlando City

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

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6 years ago

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Orlando City was a goal post away from putting the eventual Supporters Shield winners away in last night’s 2-2 draw against Los Angeles FC. But that pesky woodwork denied Santi Patino a goal that would have pushed the Lions’ lead to 3-1 and a minute later, Diego Rossi made good on one of his rare opportunities in the game to level things.

Draws are funny things, because how you feel about them is often related to the order in which the goals were scored. If LAFC scored the first two, Orlando fans would be ecstatic with the point. If the Lions had even scored just the last goal in the draw, supporters go home much happier. But when the other team gets the last licks in, it doesn’t feel quite as good, and the later that goal is scored, the worse it feels.

I went into this one expecting no points, Carlos Vela or no Carlos Vela, so a point was a nice surprise for me. Anyway, the Lions gained a point on New England. Let’s see how the individual performances graded out.

Starters

GK, Brian Rowe, 5.5 — Rowe got a hand on both LAFC goals but it would be unfair to say he should have stopped them. Adrien Perez’s goal took a deflection just in front of him and Diego Rossi’s 15th of the season was a 1-v-1 and just had too much on it to keep it out from that range. He didn’t have what you’d call a difficult save to make on either of the two that he stopped. His distribution was awful early in the game, as he sent two free kicks straight out of bounds and sending a long ball over everyone to opposing goalkeeper Tyler Miller. Rowe, who finished with just a 29% passing rate, has been better and he’s been worse this season. It was an OK game. He didn’t cost the team any points, nor did he earn the Lions any.

D, Kyle Smith, 7 — Smith just continues to play solid soccer. His offensive shortcomings are obvious — he hasn’t been a good crosser this year and he seems to get cut off when he gets to the corner and encounters traffic. But when he releases the pass early it’s usually pretty good and he’s been a workhorse on the defensive end. Last night, Smith was an 83% passer to lead the back line, led the team in tackles (5), and finished with two interceptions and five clearances.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — I like what the Swede brings to the team. Last night he was solid if unspectacular. He led the Lions in clearances (6) but failed to record any tackles or interceptions. He got beat by Rossi’s speed on the tying goal. The back line could have stepped up before the pass or they’ve got to track Rossi and they did neither. His 83% passing was just a couple of tenths of a percentage point behind Smith. He attempted one shot but it was blocked.

D, Lamine Sané, 7 — Sané seemed right on the edge all night. He got caught on an early LAFC break but luckily after Perez rounded Rowe, he was too wide and Rowe smothered the pass attempt. Sané led the team in interceptions (6) and pitched in five clearances, two tackles, and two blocked shots. He did tee up the first goal for Perez but that was bad luck. He stretched out to get a toe to a dangerous cross and couldn’t get any power to clear it and it unfortunately fell perfectly for the LAFC forward. His passing was decent at 78%.

D, Ruan, 8 (MotM) — It was good to have the Brazilian speedster back on the pitch. He adds a dimension to the attack that doesn’t exist without him and could have made more plays had his teammates looked for him a bit more. There were opportunities to play him in that went ignored. He still sent a perfect ball to Benji Michel for the second goal to earn his assist. He was a 73% passer and created one chance. Sometimes he makes a great move to split two guys and then inexplicably dribbles right at a third defender, which is a bit maddening, but he’s always entertaining. He finished with three tackles, two clearances, and two interceptions and made some plays tracking back that no one else on Orlando could make just because of his speed. He even showed he was faster than a fresher Mohamed El-Munir late in the game, winning a race to a loose ball.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 8 — I had a tough time deciding between Higuita and Ruan for Man of the Match. The Colombian lost out by the slimmest edge for me. He was involved in both goals and the space LAFC had in Orlando’s end widened considerably after he tired and eventually left the game. I had to triple check his passing accuracy because I couldn’t believe it was only 56%, but he played in the final third a lot more than usual and was asked to facilitate the attack in ways he rarely is. He got a hockey assist on Michel’s goal and was a slight deflection from a primary assist on Nani’s. He sent in the cross that ended in Uri Rosell’s disallowed goal after Michel and Miller collided. He won an aerial, had three tackles, and made two interceptions.

MF, Uri Rosell, 6.5 — It was tough watching Rosell’s goal waved off as the midfielder has worked hard and fought for Orlando City this year and it would have been a nice reward for him. The Spaniard put in a good shift, with an interception and a clearance and he took one for the team when he was booked for a professional foul to prevent a break when Smith slipped on the play. His 84% passing was the highest among non-defensive starters except Michel, although Uri had 36 more attempts. Only Nani and Smith had more than his 51 touches.

MF, Dillon Powers, 6 — It was the kind of quiet night you need from a defensive midfielder. Powers was a 79% passer and had two tackles, two interceptions, and a clearance. He even tied Nani as the team’s best long passer, connecting on four of his five long-ball attempts. As a guy who hadn’t played much in recent weeks, it was no surprise that his energy level dropped late in the game and he wasn’t closing down as quickly as he had earlier in the match.

F, Nani, 7.5 — The captain was active against LAFC, scoring his first non-penalty goal since May 19 with a lovely chip over Miller. He also participated in the buildup on Michel’s goal, giving the ball to Higuita at the start of the sequence. His cross nearly ended up in a goal in the 77th minute but Patino hit the post. Nani hit four of his five long balls like Powers, passed at a 78% rate, made three key passes, and chipped in defensively with an interception and a clearance.

F, Dom Dwyer, 5.5 — It was a quiet night for Dwyer, who didn’t receive great service and didn’t manage a shot attempt. He did chip in with solid hold-up play and he was pesky without crossing the line. He won three aerials, drew three fouls, passed at 80% and had one tackle and tried to block Perez’s 12th-minute shot but didn’t get enough of it.

F, Benji Michel, 6.5 — The rookie made no mistake on his go-ahead goal, scoring on his only shot attempt. His 89% passing rate was good but it came on just nine attempts. He chipped in a clearance and an accurate long ball. The only blemish to his game was that he was dispossessed four times on the night as the young Homegrown Player has to learn how to use his body better in traffic.

Substitutes

F, Santiago Patino (67’), 6 — In 23 minutes plus five more in stoppage time, Patino only managed 11 touches. He was nearly a hero in the 77th but his lone shot attempt of the night bounced back off the right post. He connected on all four of his pass attempts and showed good touch on his hold-up play. He contributed a tackle and two clearances defensively.

MF/F, Chris Mueller (73’), 6 — Despite coming in late, Mueller didn’t seem to have the usual jump in his legs against the players who had been on the pitch for most of the game. He did have a tackle and a clearance on defense and was an 88% passer. He was credited with two shot attempts, but neither was on target. He had just 16 touches and no key passes.

F, Robinho (87’), N/A — There wasn’t really enough time to give Robinho a fair grade. He only touched the ball seven times, though he did complete all three of his pass attempts. That about sums up his few minutes on the pitch.

That’s how I saw the individual performances as the Lions grabbed a vital point. What did you think? Vote for your Man of the Match in the poll below and let us know in the comments section where you think I went wrong.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Ruan27
Cristian Higuita25
Nani6
Benji Michel1
Lamine Sané2
Kyle Smith2
Other (Tell us who in the comments)0

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Lion Links: 3/21/25

Scott Sutter joins Orlando Pride staff, Pride watch party schedule announced, USMNT falls flat vs. Panama, and more.

Published

19 hours ago

on

March 21, 2025

By

Carlos Romero, The Mane Land

Welcome to the weekend, Mane Landers. I just found out that Barbra Banda’s goal didn’t win NWSL Goal of the Week, despite earning the most fan votes. Utterly ridiculous and I hope that Banda takes out the supporters’ frustration this weekend. I need these upcoming matches to take the bad taste of that USMNT match out of my mouth. In the interest of moving on, let’s get to the links.

Former Lion Scott Sutter Joins Orlando Pride Staff

Former Orlando City fullback Scott Sutter has joined Seb Hines’ staff with the Orlando Pride. Sutter was one of three new support staffers announced by the Pride on Thursday and will serve in the role of player development coach. Sutter made 51 appearances with Orlando City in 2017 and 2018, scoring four goals and adding six assists in his time with the club. He joins fellow former Orlando City players Hines and Giles Barnes on the Pride’s staff. Previously, Sutter has coaching experience as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Virginia and as an academy head coach with D.C. United. 

The Pride also named Erin Angelini as the new head of rehabilitation and Tara Kaff as the club’s performance nutritionist. In addition to the new hires, Chris Cafaro and Christi Edson were promoted to head of video performance analysis and head of performance, respectively.

Pride Announce Watch Party Schedule

You can watch the Orlando Pride away matches in the comfort of your own home, but if you crave the excitement of celebrating goals with your follow supporters, you can attend of the club’s official watch parties. These events are scheduled for some of the Pride’s biggest away matches against the best the NWSL has to offer. The match Sunday against NJ/NY Gotham FC is a must-see match and the first of those aforementioned watch parties.

Lifeless USMNT Crashes Out of Nations League

The USMNT lost 1-0 to Panama on a second-half stoppage-time goal from the visitors. The U.S. garnered most of the possession and more shots, but the Yanks couldn’t finish their chances and it came back to haunt them in the end. The loss knocks the U.S. out of the Concacaf Nations League, meaning it will be the first time that the competition isn’t won by the USMNT.

New Women’s World Sevens League

A new 7-v-7 league, Women’s World Sevens, will launch in May with a reported $5 million grand prize pool for each event. Eight clubs will participate in each event, though the participants have not yet been announced. We do know that form USWNT star Tobin Heath will be involved as a player advisor for the events.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. Make sure to check back as we get you ready for the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City’s Defense Must Start Rocking Right Now

Orlando City’s defensive struggles and the historical risks of giving up an average of more than two goals per game.

Published

2 days ago

on

March 20, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock penned a song in 1988 that became a staple on dance floors and in sports arenas everywhere, and it will probably remain so for years to come. That song is the classic single “It Takes Two,” a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. The reason I bring it up here is not because of Rob Base and his excellent flow, but rather because in three of the four games this season “it takes two” was also the answer to the question “how many goals will the Lions need to score to at least give themselves a chance to earn a point?”

Sadly, in the other game of the first four it was not it takes two but rather it takes two times two, or perhaps it it takes two two times, when the Lions gave up four goals in the season opener.

The regular season is 34 games long, and with only four games played, Orlando City still has 88% of its games remaining. And, with one win and one draw among those first four games, the Lions have earned four points, which is better than last season, when they had only earned one point after their first four games. That team went on to make it all the way to the Eastern Conference final, so we should not overreact to a slow start.

And really, the slow start is only on the defensive side, because the offense has scored nine goals, tying for second in MLS so far, and it is also among the top teams in shots (second), shots on target (third), goals per shot (seventh), and goals per shot on target (sixth).

I wanted to look a little more at the defense this week, and in particular look at that ugly stat around giving up at least two goals in every game. I looked back at the last three seasons in MLS to see how many regular-season games a team gave up at least two goals, and I was both heartened and disheartened by what I found. Here are the results, broken out by each team’s final position (reminder that the regular season is 34 games):

Final Position202220232024Three-Year Avg.
Champion11131914.3
Runner-Up4121410.0
Conf. Finalist14.010.013.512.5
Conf. Semi-Finalist13.012.313.813.0
Conf. Quarter-Finalist13.212.113.512.9
Wild CardN/A14.51916.8
Did Not Make Playoffs17.515.819.517.6

It was heartening to see that the average across every final position that ended in the playoffs was at least 10 games, and most were at least 12.5. I had thought it would be a lower average, so based on Orlando City’s early performances, I was glad to see that it was higher than I thought.

Though it is not in the chart above, the average for all playoff teams during the three seasons was 13.1 games of giving up at least two goals. That is approximately 38% of a season, so the average playoff team gave up at least two goals in nearly two out of every five games. This was also more than I thought, and it means that Orlando City can pretty quickly get back onto a similar pace with a good run of defensive form.

While I was happy to see that most teams — even teams that went deep into the playoffs — had posted double-digit games of shipping two or more goals, that still does not change the fact that Orlando City is on pace to give up two or more goals in…let me check my math here….every game this season. A four-game sample is a small one, and it would not be wise to make any firm conclusions off of that, but it is simple math to look at the three-year averages for the teams that went deep into the playoffs and to calculate that Orlando City is already around one-third of the way there, with nearly 90% of the season left to play. Disheartening.

The obvious question is why are the Lions giving up so many goals, and, as was discussed a bit on the most recent episode of The Mane Land PawedCast, the team has started four different defensive lineups in four games, and the Lions will make it five for five during this week’s game against D.C. United, as Pedro Gallese was called up to Peru’s national team, so Javier Otero will likely be the starter in goal. The back line in front of Otero will probably be a repeat of a lineup that has already been used, but the lack of continuity in defense has certainly contributed to some of the issues in the first four games.

Head Coach Óscar Pareja has pointed to individual mistakes that need to be cleaned up for the results to improve, but the team as a whole has allowed the fourth-most shots on target this season, an average of 5.75 per game. Using expected goals as a measure for the danger of the locations of the shots allowed, Orlando City is giving up shots from the second-most dangerous locations across MLS, making it unsurprising that its opponents have put so many shots on target per game and converted 10 of those shots into goals. Individual mistakes certainly contributed, and Robin Jansson was called for a questionable foul that gave the Red Bulls an undeserved penalty kick, but the issues seem to be a little deeper than just a few mistakes that need to be cleaned up.

Or, perhaps it is a few individual mistakes, a lack of continuity on the back line and also some bad luck. Six of the goals allowed have been from within four yards, one was a penalty kick, and one was shot into a wide open goal after Rodrigo Schlegel took perhaps the worst touch in his professional career. According to Opta’s tracking, Orlando City only gave up five goals from four yards or closer in 2024, and for that number to already be six this season seems like an aberration more than a new normal. The team also opened the season against Philadelphia, and after four games played, the Union lead the league in goals scored. That was also the game when Jansson was unexpectedly scratched from the starting lineup just minutes before the opening kickoff, changing the defensive game plan considerably.

Maybe that is me seeing the glass half full instead of half empty, but these are the same defensive players as last season, with the exception of Alex Freeman playing instead of Dagur Dan Thórhallsson for most of the minutes at right back. The defensive statistics were much better in 2024 than thus far in 2025, and Freeman is not a downgrade from Thórhallsson, so I think a positive regression to the mean will be coming. The 2024 team also gave up 10 goals in the first four games, 2.5 goals per game, but then gave up 40 goals in the next 30 regular-season games, a reduction of more than one goal per game, from 2.5 to 1.33.

The Lions’ defense has the talent and the experience to do something similar this year, especially as the players spend more minutes together, and there is no time like the present to have their first game of giving up fewer than two goals. I do not think it is too much to ask, and if the players are looking for some inspiration, they could get that by watching the Orlando Pride’s defensive players, who are coached by former Orlando City defender Seb Hines.

Let’s hope that the defense can, to quote Rob Base, make this thing go right.

Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to secure three points at home against D.C. United?

Published

2 days ago

on

March 20, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B

Orlando City returns to Inter&Co Stadium Saturday night to face Eastern Conference foe D.C. United. The Lions have given up a ton of goals this season but have also scored quite a few. However, with only one win so far, Orlando City needs to get a positive result at home this weekend. Here’s what Orlando City needs to do to earn all three points against D.C. United.

Blank Benteke

D.C. United has scored six goals so far this season. Christian Benteke has scored three of those six goals. While that is completely unsurprising, it also makes Benteke the most important player on the field for the Lions to shut down. Orlando City has given up at least two goals in every match and a total of 10 goals already this season. That must change on Saturday night.

Robin Jansson is back in the starting lineup, but he didn’t have his best match against the New York Red Bulls. We need the Beefy Swede to get back into form both mentally and physically if he is to help keep Benteke off the scoresheet. Obviously, Jansson won’t be the only player needed to stop Benteke, but he is the leader of the team and the leader of the defense.

The other major factor is Pedro Gallese’s absence, as the keeper will be on international duty. That means Javier Otero will get his first MLS start in goal. Otero will need to rise to the challenge in front of a leaky back line. Said back line needs to stop being so leaky to help out Otero. Everyone elevating to get the job done is ideal.

Continued DP Contributions

Orlando City’s Designated Players have scored six of the club’s nine goals, and provided four of the team’s five assists on the season. While that is exactly like it should be for any team, that hasn’t always been the case for the Lions in the past. It’s so normal and also so odd at the same time.

D.C. United has given up five goals so far this season, which is pretty average in comparison around the league. My point is that Kim Jun-hong is not Carlos Coronel, and D.C. United’s defense hasn’t been as stingy as the New York Red Bulls defense. If the Lions can score two goals against New York — and it should have been more — then Marco Pasalic, Martin Ojeda, and Luis Muriel can certainly score multiple goals against D.C.

New Midfield, Who Dis?

Eduard Atuesta had an excellent game against the New York Red Bulls. Joran Gerbet had as good a first start as any rookie could in place of Cesar Araujo, who missed the match due to some tightness late in the week. Orlando City may have its starting defensive midfielder back, but if not, then Gerbet will need to build on his performance from last week.

The D.C. United midfielders are expected to provide service for Benteke. The Orlando City midfield needs to disrupt that service at every opportunity. If they do this, then Atuesta can do what he does best to link the defense to the Orlando City offense and provide opportunities to the attack to hopefully outscore D.C. United.

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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