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Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Final Score 3-3 as Lions Fight Back Twice

Lions come from behind to draw but suffer a bit of a blow in the playoff race by gaining no ground.

Published

5 years ago

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Deon Cooper, The Mane Land

Orlando City gave up three first-half goals but fought back twice to draw 3-3 with the New England Revolution at Exploria Stadium. The draw helped Orlando (9-13-9, 36 points) gain a point on Montreal but the Lions lost ground to Chicago and didn’t make up any on the Revs (10-10-10, 40 points) — the holders of the last playoff spot.

Failing to secure all three points makes a playoff appearance even more unlikely for an Orlando team that is winless in its last five (0-2-3). On the other hand, the Revolution have still never won in Orlando in six attempts in MLS play (0-2-4) and seven in all competitions (0-3-4).

The Lions fought back from Tesho Akindele’s early own goal on a Nani strike before Cristian Penilla and Gustavo Bou gave the Revs a seemingly insurmountable halftime lead. But a resilient Orlando side bounced back on goals by Dom Dwyer and Nani and had a couple of opportunities to score a fourth and win the game.

“Incredibly proud of the second-half performance,” Head Coach James O’Connor said after the game. “That was incredible when you look at the guts and you look at the quality. On another night we end up winning it.

“The second half after about 15 minutes, when it went to 3-3, then the game really opens up. They have a couple of chances and we have some chances. I think to be 3-1 down and come back out second half and fight like that, the players deserve enormous credit.”

O’Connor had Mauricio Pereyra available, so he started the Uruguayan in the midfield with Nani left and Akindele right behind Dwyer. The back line remained the three usual starters from right to left with Kyle Smith at left back in front of Brian Rowe. The central midfield consisted of Cristian Higuita and Carlos Ascues.

Orlando had a half chance just two minutes in, as Akindele got the ball on the left, but after taking a bit of a heavy touch, the defense recovered and he was forced to try to work around it for a shot, which he eventually did but it was blocked.

New England sent in a couple of warning signs after that with Penilla fizzing a cross through the box that none of his teammates could get onto and then Carles Gil sent one just wide from long distance.

The Revs then grabbed the lead in the 15th minute on a cross. Akindele stuck out a leg to block it and he knocked it off the post and into his own net to make it 1-0 New England.

“Own goal is never easy to judge,” Sané said. “I think it’s unlucky. He tried to do his best.”

Akindele’s own goal made Orlando City’s teams three for three on the weekend, with OCB scoring a game-winning own goal for Toronto FC II yesterday and the Pride’s Kristen Edmonds conceding one at North Carolina earlier tonight. You really can’t make stuff like this up.

The Lions fought back and scored seven minutes later. Pereyra sent in a cross on a corner and Nani headed it into the far corner of the net to make it 1-1 in the 22nd minute.

The Revolution regained the lead in the 35th minute on a play that seemed harmless. A through ball found Penilla but Ruan was in good position to cut him off. However, Rowe had come far off his line, not anticipating his fullback would be in position to close down the forward. Penilla got to the ball just before Ruan and chipped Rowe with his first touch to make it 2-1.

Akindele got down the right side in the 40th minute with a couple of potential targets in the box but his pass was picked off and the chance evaporated. That was costly because the Revs scored their third goal a minute later.

A simple pass to Bou from Gil resulted in a quick shot that Lamine Sané was unable to block and it beat Rowe to the near side to make it 3-1, seemingly putting the game away just before the half.

Ruan was fouled in the corner to set up a late City free kick, which the Lions played short to Higuita, who blasted it off target.

The Lions out-shot the Revs, 8-6, but got only one on target to New England’s two. The Revs held 53% of the possession and out-passed the Lions (84%-78%).

Orlando got right back in the game after the break. Just two minutes after the restart, Dwyer played a ball out wide to Ruan, who dropped off to Nani. The captain had time on the ball, so he looked up and fired a cross to Dwyer, who ducked down and headed it inside the far post to make it 3-2 in the 47th minute. It was Dwyer’s first goal since July 7 at Philadelphia and his sixth of the 2019 season.

Orlando pushed numbers into the attack, which opened the game up and allowed New England the occasional counter, but O’Connor said after the game that the team had to play that type of game to get back in it and try to go on and win. The first such dangerous counter saw Penilla hit a sky ball with a gaping net in the 48th minute. The Revs were dangerous down the right side, getting in behind Smith repeatedly and crossing in threateningly for Penilla and Bou.

But it was the Lions who scored the next goal. Nani found some space at the top of the area, cutting the ball right, then left, and firing just inside the right post with a left-footed blast in the 54th minute.

“I think (Nani’s) quality is there for everyone to see,” O’Connor said of his captain, who finished with two goals, an assist, seven shots and five chances created. “His performance tonight was outstanding, especially the second half when he went to that central area. His shot from distance, his ability to drop balls in behind. It was great.”

With two goals and an assist in the game, Nani set a new Orlando MLS record for combined goals and assists in a season, with 12 and nine, respectively. His combined 21 goal contributions broke the mark shared by Kaká and Kevin Molino, who each had a combined 19 in 2016.

Penilla fired straight at Rowe in the 59th on another Revs counter and then Orlando got three golden opportunities for a fourth goal in the 62nd minute. Nani played a ball over the top that Akindele ran onto but the ball was in the air and he didn’t make good contact, sending a weak shot that Matt Turner knocked down. Dwyer sent a shot back toward the net and Turner again fought it off. The ball fell for second-half sub Sebas Mendez, but the Ecuadorian fired wide of the net.

Sané made several vital challenges throughout the second half to keep the game tied. With Ruan pushing forward and New England knocking long balls over the top for Penilla and Bou to run onto, Sané was forced into several emergency 1-v-1 recovery runs and did outstanding work throughout the second half to prevent breakaways from turning into goals. His work in the 74th minute after Smith again got beat for speed down the right was incredible.

“He’s very, very fast like Ruan,” Sané said of Penilla. “Our fastest one has to go very high and take the risk and I told him ‘OK I’m going to cover your back and take the risk to make the 1-v-1’ and I was lucky tonight to stop him. But I think we have to take more risk like that if we want to do better.”

Ruan sent a cross into the area in the 75th minute that was halfway between Dwyer and Turner. Both players stabbed a foot at it and the ball was sent wide, but a foul was called on Dwyer on the play. The contact momentarily shook up the Orlando striker and he was replaced by Santiago Patino. Three minutes later, Higuita smashed a shot that Turner fought off.

In the 80th minute Nani sent a gorgeous ball to spring Patino behind the defense. The rookie fired but Turner got a toe on the ball and it pinged off the far post.

Rowe made his best save of the night in the 84th minute. Sané got beat for speed by Penilla and could do nothing but watch as the New England attacker fired a ball that Rowe stopped. It wasn’t the best shot by Penilla, but the save was vital.

The Lions could not get anything on target in the seven minutes of stoppage time and the game ended all even at 3-3.

With a big second half, Orlando finished with more shots (19-15), shots on goal (7-6), and possession (53%-47%), and closed the gap on the Revolution’s passing advantage, with New England completing 84% and Orlando rising to 80% overall.

“We wanted to win. We wanted three points,” Nani said. “We knew this was the most important game for us. That was our final. But we are a team who is learning a lot (and) is improving. Tonight we showed our best performance in the second half. We must take all the good things we did tonight.”

“I think we had nothing to lose, so I think that’s why maybe we played better,” Sané said. “I think the second half we gave everything.”

Orlando City dropped to 10th in the standings, one point behind Chicago and Montreal, and still four behind the Revs in the last Eastern Conference playoff spot.

The Lions now go on the road for two games, with the Houston Dynamo first up. That game will be next Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.

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Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions look to bounce back from a tough loss to Toronto against league favorites FC Cincinnati.

Published

9 hours ago

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May 4, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (2-4-3, 9 points) and FC Cincinnati (5-2-3, 18 points) at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+). It’s the first of two scheduled meetings between the teams this season with the Lions scheduled to make the return trip to Ohio on Oct. 5.

Here’s what you need to know for the match.

History

Orlando City leads the all-time series, 4-2-3, with a 2-1-1 mark at home. The teams last met on Sept. 2, 2023, with the Lions claiming a 1-0 win on enemy soil, becoming the first road team to beat FC Cincinnati all season. Facundo Torres scored the game’s only goal. Orlando had to hold on down a man late when Wilder Cartagena was sent off. The teams played to a 0-0 draw in Orlando on March 4, 2023 in the most recent meeting in Central Florida.

The Lions fell 1-0 at TQL Stadium on June 24, 2022. A second-half goal from Brenner represented all the offense, but it could have been worse for Orlando City as Pedro Gallese made eight saves in the match. The first meeting of 2022 took place in Orlando on March 12, with FC Cincinnati notching its first win in the all-time series, 2-1 at Exploria Stadium. The Lions were more in control but were wasteful, despite dominating the stat sheet. The visitors got a brace from Brandon Vazquez to offset Junior Urso’s goal in the 42nd minute.

The final meeting of 2021 was on Oct. 16 in Cincinnati, when Orlando City got its first road victory in the series, 1-0 on Urso’s goal in the 13th minute. Tesho Akindele should have scored a second off the crossbar late in the game, but the play was never reviewed, despite video evidence that the ball was completely across the line.

On Aug. 7, 2021, the match in Cincinnati ended up in a 1-1 draw. Nani’s strike rescued a point after Brenner had opened the scoring for the hosts just before halftime, taking advantage of an obviously injured Uri Rosell, who subbed off moments later. The first of the three meetings in 2021 came on May 21 in Orlando, with the Lions posting a 3-0 win. Akindele scored in the first minute and Nani and Urso each added a goal.

In Orlando’s first trip to the banks of the Ohio River, the match ended in a 1-1 draw at Nippert Stadium on Sept. 29, 2019. Benji Michel’s goal in stoppage time rescued a point for the Lions after Allan Cruz had given the hosts a lead. The draw officially eliminated Orlando City from playoff contention that year, but realistically the Lions had been out of it for a while.

The first ever meeting between the two sides took place on May 19, 2019, when the Lions pummeled the expansion side, 5-1. Both Nani and Akindele bagged braces in the match and Dom Dwyer added a goal as well.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a 2-1 stunning late defeat at home to Toronto FC one week ago. Orlando City led much of the match on Duncan McGuire’s strike but couldn’t find a second and the visitors turned it around with two late headers from the 87th minute on. That was Orlando’s first loss since March 17. The Lions are just 1-2-2 at home this season.

Cincinnati is coming off a 2-1 home win over the Colorado Rapids and has won its last two matches, including its most recent away game at Atlanta, 2-1 on April 20. The Ohio side is 3-1-1 away from home on the season.

FC Cincinnati is basically good at everything but has not found as much success in the attack so far this season, although Luciano Acosta paces the club with four goals and five assists in 2024. Yuya Kubo has been pressed into service as a forward this season and has responded with three goals in 10 matches. Corey Baird has joined the team this season and although he hasn’t completely settled in yet, he’s got a goal and two assists.

The defense, however, which was already good last season, has been bolstered even more. The team has only conceded nine goals and that has largely to do with the arrivals of center back Miles Robinson and fullback DeAndre Yedlin. The two USMNT defenders join Matt Miazga and others in forming a sizable and nearly impenetrable wall in frong of goal. Scoring hasn’t been easy all season for Orlando City, but it may prove even more difficult tonight.

“Cincinnati has a model that is very concrete,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “We know it, we have played them last year. Coach hasn’t changed much; we don’t see many changes on their squad or the way they do (things). We’re conscious on what we need to do well. It’s always a good match against them. They have done a good job in the past year, and we have done it too, so we’ll see.”

The Lions will be without forward Ramiro Enrique (ankle) and Homegrown fullback Tahir Reid-Brown (thigh), while center back David Brekalo (thigh) is listed as questionable. FC Cincinnati will be without Aaron Boupendza (jaw) and may still be without defender Nick Hagglund (leg).

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Wilder Cartagena.

Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Facundo Torres, Martin Ojeda.

Forward: Duncan McGuire.

Bench: Mason Stajduhar, Kyle Smith, Michael Halliday, David Brekalo, Felipe, Jeorgio Kocevski, Nico Lodeiro, Jack Lynn, Luis Muriel.

FC Cincinnati (3-4-1-2)

Goalkeeper: Roman Celentano.

Defenders: Ian Murphy, Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson.

Midfielders/wingbacks: Luca Orellano, Pavel Bucha, Obinna Nwobodo, DeAndre Yedlin.

Attacking Midfielder: Luciano Acosta.

Forwards: Yuya Kubo, Corey Baird.

Bench: Alec Kann, Alvas Powell, Nick Hagglund, Bret Halsey, Malik Pinto, Gerardo Valenzuela, Kipp Keller, Kevin Kelsy, Yamil Asad.

Referees

REF: Ismail Elfath.
AR1: Corey Parker.
AR2: Kyle Atkins.
4TH: Alyssa Nichols.
VAR: Younes Marrakchi.
AVAR: Fabio Tovar.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.

Radio: Real Radio 104.1 FM (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish).

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Opinion

Predicting Orlando City’s May Results

Take a peek into the crystal ball as we predict this month’s fixtures.

Published

10 hours ago

on

May 4, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After earning four points in the month of April across three matches with a 1-1-1 record, Orlando City looks to calm the storm and gain meaningful results against several squads above them on the table and a few of the Eastern Conference’s best. The Lions will play six matches in the month of May, and before action kicks off later tonight at home against FC Cincinnati, I wanted to put my psychic abilities to the test to try to predict the teams results over a very full month.

Saturday, May 4 — vs. FC Cincinnati

The most important part of a bad loss is not allowing it to beat you twice and that is exactly what the Lions will look to avoid as they attempt to shake off the gut-wrenching, last-minute loss to Toronto FC from the end of April when they host FC Cincinnati. Last year’s Supporters’ Shield winners are riding a two-game winning streak into the match after dispatching the Colorado Rapids 2-1 in their most recent outing. Cincinnati is a different squad than the one that won the shield a year ago, with USMNT striker Brandon Vazquez playing in Mexico and acquisitions like Miles Robinson and DeAndre Yedlin joining the squad this year. Luckily, Orlando’s offense has awakened and in the month of April the Lions scored multiple goals in two out of their three matches. Cincinnati will be without the services of Aaron Boupendza due to a broken jaw and I like this match to be high scoring but level.

Prediction: Orlando City 2-2 FC Cincinnati.

Saturday, May 11 — at Philadelphia Union

The Union have found themselves in a bit of a post-Concacaf Champions Cup haze, much like Orlando has, with only four points separating the squads through nine matches. Subaru Park, a previously impossible site to win at for road teams, was finally cracked by Orlando City last year, and the Union have already lost in front of their home crowd once this year, thanks to Real Salt Lake. The first road test of the month for the Lions will test the team’s ability to play in a hostile environment and a win could go a long way towards the climb up the table. Orlando will still have to deal with Andre Blake, Jack Elliot, and Daniel Gazdag, but this version of the Union feels slightly less menacing than in years past.

Prediction: Orlando City 2-1 Philadelphia Union.

Wednesday, May 15 — vs. Inter Miami

Lionel Messi and friends on a short week after an away match…it feels like the schedulers are just doing this on purpose at this point, doesn’t it? Orlando will look to avenge its worst outing of the year to date, a 5-0 drubbing that happened in South Florida back on March 2. The key to this match will be managing emotions, as the Lions have shown in the past that they have the right players in place to frustrate Messi, but they also can get caught up in the moment. This one could be a coin flip, as both sides could potentially see heavy rotation and Miami continues to deal with several injuries to its supporting cast. Nonetheless, I think Orlando flips the script in this one and the match against the boys in pink becomes a turning point for the entire season.

Prediction: Orlando City 2-0 Inter Miami.

Saturday, May 18 — at San Jose Earthquakes

San Jose has had an abysmal start to their year and is currently tied with the New England Revolution for Wooden Spoon darlings, sitting on four points. Still, this will be Orlando’s third match in eight days, a task the team has not had to deal with since balancing both Concacaf and the MLS regular season in March. This feels like the trap game on the schedule to me, coming off of a tough midweek match against intrastate rivals and with the high-scoring juggernauts known as the Columbus Crew coming up the week after. I expect Oscar Pareja to rotate the squad for this one to try to save some miles on the legs, and that will ultimately be the team’s undoing as it has to salvage a draw late against the Quakes.

Prediction: Orlando City 1-1 San Jose Earthquakes.

Saturday, May 25 — vs. Columbus Crew

The Columbus Crew will face off against the Lions in their first matchup of the season late in the month. The reigning MLS Cup holders have been on a heater in both MLS regular-season play and in the Concacaf Champions Cup, and they are now set to face CF Pachuca on June 1 in the final match of the tournament. The timing of that match one week after this could create some interesting storylines, as the Crew — also have a midweek fixture on May 29 — look to stay fresh. As an Orlando fan, I wouldn’t hold my breath, hoping for some obscure names in the starting 11. The Crew are capable of hurting teams in a myriad of ways, and even with a week’s rest and training back in Orlando, I think the squad that knocked OCSC out of the 2023 MLS playoffs will again find a road victory as the Crew look to tune up for their championship final.

Prediction: Orlando City 0-2 Columbus Crew.

Wednesday, May 29 — vs. Chicago Fire FC

The whirlwind month ends in the Windy City, as Orlando travels to Chicago for a midweek fixture to close out the month. Chicago has had an up-and-down start to the season, much like Orlando has, and the Fire currently sit just one point ahead of the Lions on the table. Orlando took both meetings in 2023 by 3-1 final scores. I think after five other matches in the month, chemistry issues should be a thing of the past, and while road points always come as a premium in MLS, I think Orlando will keep its streak against the Fire alive by jumping on top early and then coasting to a win.

Prediction: Orlando City 3-0 Chicago Fire FC.

If things go as I have now spoken them into existence, Orlando will earn 11 points in the month of May. The month will also finish with Orlando closer to the playoff line but still on the outside looking in. My predictions are based on historical results that the squad has put in against these teams, schedule congestion of both the Lions and their opponents, and finally, the true belief that this team has the tools necessary to earn victories at the end of the day. Check back at the end of the month to see just how close I came to predicating the correct results. Vamos Orlando!

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Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati

Get all the inside information you need ahead of Orlando’s match with FC Cincinnati.

Published

1 day ago

on

May 3, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Another Orlando City matchday looms large this weekend, as the Lions will try to put Saturday’s thoroughly dispiriting loss behind them. They’ll have a tough task ahead of them though, as they welcome an FC Cincinnati team to town that currently sits second in the Eastern Conference.

A match against FCC means I spoke with Justin Blair of the always excellent Cincinnati Soccer Talk. As always, Justin was very helpful in getting us all caught up on Cincy before tomorrow’s match.

The nine goals conceded by FC Cincinnati are tied for the fewest given up by any team in the league. What’s been working so well for FCC defensively so far?

Justin Blair:  In 2023, FC Cincinnati was tied for fourth in goals conceded with 39 allowed (Orlando, NYCFC, and RBNY). This season is continuing that impressive trajectory. The addition of Miles Robinson, arguably the best MLS center back, was a home run signing for FCC. Robinson joins 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Matt Miazga as the feature center back duo. But Pat Noonan’s system asks for three in the back and has been plugged with a rotation of players that have kept the defense stout. I have to mention that central defensive midfielder Obinna Nwobodo is arguably the most underrated player in all of MLS. He is an extremely skilled player that flies around and acts as a catch-all in front of the back line. 

Brandon Vazquez departed in the off-season for Monterrey. In his absence, who has Cincy turned to for goal scoring?

JB: Brandon Vazquez is a tremendous striker for FCC and has been solid for Rayados with 10 goals in 22 appearances. But his form never hit stride in 2023. He had nine goals across all MLS competitions, which was down from a career high of 18 goals in 2022. FCC had to find goals in other places last season, so they aren’t exactly in uncharted waters. So far in 2024, reigning MLS MVP Lucho Acosta has been carrying the load with four goals and five assists. Yuya Kubo, who I affectionately call FCC’s Swiss Army knife, has seen recent minutes at the forward position. Kubo’s confidence on the ball and chemistry with Acosta has seen him score three goals in a short amount of time. Surprisingly, FCC’s star Designated Player striker Aaron Boupendza has fallen in the graces of the squad and hasn’t hit consistent minutes this season.

Run me through some of the other arrivals and departures that took place during the off-season. Who are a few names to watch out for?

JB: Well FCC’s off-season was a doozy to say the least. Several departures include the previously mentioned Vazquez, along with Sanitago Arias, Yerson Mosquera (loan), Alvaro Barreal, Dominique Badji, Junior Moreno, and Ray Gaddis — all of whom played significant minutes for the orange and blue during their 2023 Supporters’ Shield season. For incoming players, GM Chris Albright brought in Robinson, Pavel Bucha, Luca Orellano, Kipp Keller, and Corey Baird during the off-season. The additions of DeAndre Yedlin and Yamil Asad have also worked their way into the matchday rotation. Every piece added has felt like an upgrade or at least a comparable replacement. This is, of course, with the exception of replacing Vazquez.

FCC (recently) announced the loan signing of target striker Kevin Kelsy from Shakhtar Donetsk. The young loanee is sure to see considerable minutes with FCC but will likely not feature in the match versus Orlando City. I would keep an eye on Orellano for FCC. The left wingback is the heir apparent to Barreal that is so critical for Cincinnati’s ability to progress the ball from the midfield into the attacking third. Orellano is clean with his touches and can serve up line-splitting through balls that are perfectly weighted.

Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting XI and score prediction?

JB: Unavailable players might include Yedlin (hip), goalkeeper Roman Celentano (ankle), forward Sergio Santos (leg), and center back Nick Hagglund (knee). It seems uncertain if either or all will miss minutes in the match versus Orlando but most likely to participate would be Celentano, who was a late scratch versus Colorado on Saturday. 

Starting XI (3-5-2): Roman Celentano (Alec Kann); Bret Halsey (DeAndre Yedlin), Miles Robinson, Matt Miazga, Ian Murphy, Luca Orellano; Obinna Nwobodo, Pavel Bucha, Lucho Acosta; Yuya Kubo, Corey Baird.

Score Prediction: Oscar Pareja seems to have Pat Noonan’s system figured out. FCC also struggles to find wins against Orlando City. I’m going to go with a 1-1 draw when the final whistle sounds. 

Thanks again to Justin for the great info on FCC. Vamos Orlando!

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