Orlando City’s Three Keys to Victory Against the Chicago Fire

Orlando City hosts the Chicago Fire Saturday night in its second home match of the season. The Lions are still looking for their first win of the 2020 Major League Soccer season, and Chicago won’t be an easy victory by any stretch of the imagination. Still, City has a chance if it addresses some of the areas in need of improvement. Some of these are a carryover from last week, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t still key factors.

The Attack

Dom Dwyer is day-to-day, but Nani is back, and he should make a huge difference in Orlando City’s attack. The Lions have struggled in their first two matches to find goals. Against Real Salt Lake there were plenty of opportunities with nine shots and 12 corners; however, that final bit of quality couldn’t be found with only two shots on goal, and none getting through. In Colorado, there were 13 shots but only two corners. Orlando did have more shots on goal with five, and Chris Mueller was able to get the first goal of the season. One goal in two games won’t cut it if the Lions want to make their first playoff appearance. I’ve mentioned previously that Orlando will need to get goals by committee. That means Tesho Akindele, Nani, Mueller, and Benji Michel must contribute. This Saturday against Chicago they need to start.

Win Set Pieces

I mentioned the 12 corners Orlando City had against RSL. That match ended in a draw because the Lions couldn’t convert on numerous set-piece chances. I hope they worked on it during training, because set pieces are golden opportunities to score, especially when they can get the big bodies like Robin Jansson and Antônio Carlos involved. Of course, it’s not just on offense where set pieces are important. Defending them will be key against Chicago and throughout the season. With Jansson and Carlos in front of Pedro Gallese, the Lions have a good opportunity to do just that.

Play a Full 90 Minutes

Just as Orlando struggled late when the club traveled to the altitude of Colorado, I anticipate the high temperatures expected in Orlando this Saturday could negatively impact the Fire as they visit Exploria Stadium. It’s hard enough for our own players to deal with the Florida sun, but for those that have been training in the cooler weather of Chicago it will be much worse. To put it in perspective, the high in Orlando on Saturday is predicted to be 88 degrees. In Chicago, the high will be 36 degrees. Environmental factors matter in professional sports, and the high temps could help the Lions. All Orlando needs to do is outlast the competition.