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Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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4 years ago

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Orlando City played to a goalless draw in its 2020 season opener. There seemed to be a different energy around the team than in the previous season, with lots of attacking. However, it was the same old story as chances went to waste and the Lions struggled in the final third.

The team looked sound defensively, and the midfield controlled the game for the most part. Real Salt Lake never threatened nor looked like it was going to score. Here is how everyone performed:

Starters:

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — It is impossible for a goalkeeper to have a poor game when they are not involved. Gallese only had to make one save, and that was a slow roller that he could have made with his eyes closed. He had a total of 11 touches, seven passes, and a passing accuracy of 57%.

D, João Moutinho, 8 (MotM) — Moutinho had one of his best games as a Lion. He was rock solid defensively and finished with two tackles, five interceptions, and five clearances. The latter two were both team highs. On the attacking side, he had the second-most touches (97) and passes (59) and was accurate 76% of the time. He attempted three crosses, but only one found the target. He beat players on the dribble a few times as well and looked like the best player on the field all night long.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — The entire defense did well and limited Real Salt Lake to practically no chances. Jansson did his part, and, while he did nothing spectacular, the 28-year-old did what needed to be done. He missed one header off a corner late in the match, mistiming his jump. Jansson was tied with Moutinho with five clearances, and also had a block and two interceptions to go with an 89% passing rate.

D, Antonio Carlos, 6.5 – Similar to Jansson, Carlos did nothing spectacular but did everything asked of him. He showed in his first outing that he will fit in nicely with Orlando, and he already has impressive chemistry with Jansson. Carlos had a little less to do defensively than his center back partner though, finishing with four clearances and one block but he did tie Moutinho for the team lead in aerials won, with four. He had 47 passes and was successful on 72% of them. That is a number he will want to increase to reach at least 80% as a center back.

D, Ruan, 6.5 — It was not the best game for the Brazilian, but he certainly did not play poorly. His speed was not used as much as it was at times last season, but he was still able to get into the final third several times. He sent in four crosses, but only one was successful. He also had a key pass, four tackles, and two clearances in the game.

MF, Junior Urso, 7 — In his first game in Orlando, Urso was very good in his role. He did not provide fireworks, but did well distributing the ball and keeping RSL’s attack at bay. He had 42 passes and was accurate on 74% of them. He also finished with two tackles, an interception, and a clearance, firing two of Orlando’s nine shots.

MF, Sebas Méndez, 8 — There could be arguments made that Méndez was the best player, and it would be hard to deny them. He had a few dangerous turnovers late in the game, but he was involved in almost every Orlando City attack. He led all players with 72 passes, three shots, and one shot on target. He was also dispossessed four times — a game-high, tied with Chris Mueller. He had a team-high six tackles, an interception, a clearance, and a block.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 — Pereyra was the worst of the three midfielders, but still had a solid game. His 71% passing accuracy was the lowest of all Orlando City field players, although he had a lot more attempts in the final third, where space is scarce. He had five crosses, but none found their intended target. While those numbers are not encouraging, he didn’t get much help from his teammates up front. He easily could have had two assists on the night. In the last 20 minutes, Pereyra played two balls perfectly over the top of the defense, but Mueller and Robinho botched both attempts.

F, Chris Mueller, 5 — Mueller might have been the most frustrating player to watch during the game. He seemed to have an abundance of chances, but was unable to do anything with them. The 23-year-old had a few opportunities to get on the board but lacked that final touch. His best chance came in the 83rd minute, and it was a golden opportunity to score the game-winner. After Robinho lost the ball just inside the box, Mueller tried a first-time shot at the top of the 18. He should have done better with the left-footed effort, but the ball sailed into the stands.

F, Tesho Akindele, 4.5 — Akindele played striker for 83 minutes and finished with no attacking stats. He had just 26 touches and 18 passes. Of those passes, only three were in the box, and two of those three were intercepted. He was also offside twice. His best chance was in the first five minutes of the match. Nedum Onuoha went to take him down in the box, but there was no call and no review.

F, Benji Michel, 4 — Michel had a poor night and was not involved very often. Playing out wide, he found himself one-on-one with RSL’s full back quite often, but he struggled to use that to his advantage. He officially had four unsuccessful dribbles and only one successful one. The only time he had success was on the right side after switching with Mueller after half time. Michel had no shots and just 11 passes.

Substitutes

F, Robinho (64’), 6 — Robinho might have done enough to earn himself a start next week, although he was not great. He didn’t have any shots and should have done much better with that perfect ball from Pereyra late in the match. His first touch was poor, and that forced him to take any touch to control it. By that time, two defenders closed him down, and the Brazilian couldn’t get a shot off.

F, Santiago Patino (83’), N/A — Patino played the last seven minutes, plus stoppage time, but had little effect on the match. He had three touches and one pass, which was completed.

D, Andrés Perea (93’), N/A — Perea was in the match for maybe 90 seconds. It seemed like a waste of time for him to even go into the game, but at least the 19-year-old got his debut, surprisingly taking over at right back for Ruan rather than playing in the midfield.

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Orlando City

How Orlando City’s Offense Stacks Up Against What Atlanta Does Defensively

How Orlando City has performed against teams playing with three or four defenders, and how that may influence the playoff game against Atlanta United.

Published

15 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The most famous quote about real estate is that “there are three things that matter in property: location, location, location.” Soccer coaches also like to think in threes, especially when it comes to points, but for a soccer coach, the three things that matter might be the rhyming triplet “formation, formation, formation,” as that is where they will have the biggest influence on every game that their team plays.

Throughout his tenure as head coach, Óscar Pareja has preferred to use a 4-2-3-1 as his formation (fbref.com’s lineup data shows that the Lions primarily played a 4-2-3-1 in 65% of their MLS matches this season, and 79% of their MLS matches during the last three seasons). The Lions have lined up in a 4-2-3-1 during each of their last 14 games, and my confidence level is strong to quite strong (can you believe Meet the Parents came out 24 years ago?) that they will do so once again on Sunday when they host Atlanta United.

Atlanta United also prefers to deploy a 4-2-3-1, but was less consistent than Orlando City this season during MLS play, as evidenced by the chart below that shows how Atlanta lined up this season:

The purpose of this image is a table to show how Atlanta United lined up in 2024 (mostly in a 4-2-3-1 but also in one of six other formations).

I am relying on the coders at Opta for their evaluation of the formation, as I do not watch a lot of Atlanta United matches (sounds terrible), but though Atlanta primarily played with four defenders in more than two-thirds of its matches, during the last two matches it played a 3-5-2, the only two matches all season in which interim coach Rob Valentino rolled out that formation. I suspect that the formation change was related partially to playing Inter Miami and trying to defend the Herons’ dynamic offense and partially due to an injury suffered by defender Brooks Lennon in the first game of that series. So, while Atlanta primarily played four in the back for most of the season, there is a good chance it will roll with what worked against Florida’s second-best MLS team when it plays Florida’s best MLS team this weekend.

Now, if you want to read more about Atlanta, then you can read our match preview, which will drop Sunday morning, but I want to look at how Orlando did against teams that play similar styles. Looking only at MLS games, the table below shows how Orlando City performed against different back line structures this season (the left side is how the Lions’ opponents lined up, the right side is how Orlando City performed against opponents in those formations):

Table embedded as an image showing Orlando City doing best in goal differential in 12 games against three-man back lines, second best against four-man back lines, and having played once against a five-man back line (a 1-1 draw).

Orlando City earned slightly more points per game — the stat that matters most — against teams that played four in the back, but the Lions had a better average goal differential when teams played three in the back. Atlanta will likely deploy one of those two formations. In both games against Orlando City this season, Sunday’s visitors went with a 4-2-3-1, but as mentioned earlier, they used three in the back in each of their last two matches, so it really could be either.

Soccer is not like baseball, where players primarily stay in the same spot throughout the game, so some of these stats have to be taken with a grain of salt, as players are not always rigidly in the same position throughout a match. A team may also primarily play with four in the back but switch to three when chasing a game, or five when trying to protect against a late goal.

That said, using the data around Orlando City’s opponents’ general formations, here are the attacking groups who played the most frequently against four defenders during the 24 MLS games where Opta coded the opponents as using a defensive group of four:

Table embedded as an image showing the most frequently used lineups against teams who deploy four defenders. The most frequently used attacking group has a plus eight goal differential for the season.

It is a little ominous that the main starting group, shown in row one, has played 666 MLS minutes against back lines of four this season, but do I like that green goal differential of +8 in those minutes, which is a strong +1.08 per 90 minutes. I like that goal differential more than I like all the things that Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin like on their song that is creatively named “I Like It.” Coincidentally, when people ask me what I think about that song, I say, “I like it.” I am very creative.

If we look at the lineups that Orlando City has used against back lines of three defenders then there are some pretty major differences in personnel groupings, but it must be noted that more than half of the games against teams playing three in the back came early in the season, when Ramiro Enrique was unavailable to play. Enrique, my presumed starter at striker, has played fewer than three games’ worth of minutes (265 total) against back lines of three this season, and only 28 minutes with the main starting group, which ranks 13th among all the attacking lineups for minutes played against three defenders. That group scored one goal in their 28 minutes together though, for a robust 3.21 goals-scored-per-90-minutes average.

While the team as a whole has been successful against three-man back lines, I do not expect any of the lineups shown in the table below to play more than a few minutes together this weekend, though the first row and the last row are strong groups and had a lot of success.

Table embedded as an image showing the most frequently used lineups against teams who deploy three defenders. The most frequently used attacking group has a plus three goal differential for the season.

I am sure that all week long the Orlando City coaching staff has been going back and forth on whether it is more likely that Atlanta reverts to its most commonly used four in the back, or if the Five Stripes try for three wins in a row with three in the back. I would prefer that Atlanta plays with zero defenders and goalkeeper Brad Guzan wears a blindfold, but I think that is unlikely to be the case.

Even though Atlanta defeated Orlando City both times while in a 4-2-3-1, based on available personnel and recent results, I believe that the team will come out in a 3-5-2 in Inter&Co Stadium in the conference semifinal. Good things come in threes, and Orlando City’s best offensive production this season has been against three defenders, so I am going to be hoping that this continues, and in the third game against Atlanta the Lions grab the three points. Three’s company!

Well, it is a playoff game, so there are no actual points at stake, but you know what I meant.

Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to get a victory to advance to the Eastern Conference final?

Published

17 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City continues its playoff journey against Atlanta United Sunday at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions are coming off an emotional penalty shootout win over Charlotte FC in their best-of-three, first-round series. Likewise, Atlanta United stunned everyone by taking out Inter Miami to advance in its own best-of-three matchup. Now, the rivals meet in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

What does Orlando City need to do to get past Atlanta United to advance to the Easter Conference final?

Beat Guzan

Brad Guzan made 16 saves over Atlanta’s three matches against Inter Miami, including seven in the 3-2 win on the road in Game 3. The 40-year-old former USMNT keeper is in excellent form and is a big reason why the Five Stripes are facing Orlando City. Converting chances against Guzan will be crucial to earning a result. There have been times this season when the Lions have struggled to convert their chances. Despite that, the team has done enough offensively to get to this point. Facundo Torres, Martin Ojeda, Duncan McGuire, Ramiro Enrique, and others have contributed and will need to do so this weekend.

Cartagena is Essential

Orlando City lost twice to Atlanta United during the regular season. What is interesting, and perhaps relevant, is that Wilder Cartagena was out for both of those matches. Cartagena was shown a straight red in the match against Minnesota United prior to the first match against Atlanta way back in March. He was shown a yellow card in the match against FC Cincinnati and then served a yellow card accumulation suspension for the final match of the season against Atlanta. Fortunately for Orlando City, Cartagena will be available for the match this weekend. I’ve mentioned before the importance of Cartagena to Orlando City’s success. When he and Cesar Araujo are on the field together, the defense is simply better. Cartagena is frankly one of the better defensive midfielders in MLS. Atlanta scored five goals in the series against Miami, and Orlando will need to keep the visitors from having that kind of offensive success.

Overcome the Past

That darn international break in the middle of the playoffs is something I don’t love. More precisely, I don’t like it because Orlando City often struggles after a break. It would have been nice if Orlando City could have ridden the momentum from the penalty kick victory into the Atlanta match, but that’s not to be. Now is the time for Orlando City to break some bad habits, including turning around its historical lack of success against Atlanta, and tendency to struggle in the first match after a break. Oscar Pareja needs to have the players in the right frame of mind, and the players need to execute the plan. A full house of supporters can also make a difference. Given it’s a Sunday afternoon match, there’s no reason not to pack the house.

That is what I will be looking for Sunday afternoon. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/21/24

Marta’s chance to shine in NWSL Championship, NWSL and MLS award winners announced, 2025 SheBelieves Cup details, and more.

Published

21 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve been spending most of this week plotting out some holiday shopping to make things a little less stressful for myself over the next few weeks. A big weekend filled with Orlando soccer awaits us, so make sure to get any errands or obligations out of the way sooner rather than later. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Spotlight Falls On Marta in NWSL Championship

There are plenty of storylines heading into Saturday’s NWSL Championship between the Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit, including Marta’s opportunity to put an exclamation point on what has been an excellent season for the Pride. Orlando has been enjoying the fruits of its labor this season after a rebuild over the past few years that’s included plenty of change in the City Beautiful. Marta has been a constant, however, enduring some difficult seasons since joining the Pride and adapting her game She’s scored in both of the Pride’s playoff games so far and has a chance to author a storybook ending on Saturday.

Ann-Katrin Berger Named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year

NJ/NY Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was named 2024 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year, beating out the Pride’s Anna Moorhouse and Utah Royals FC’s Mandy Haught for the honor. It was Berger’s first year in the NWSL and she’s the first European player to win the award. She only conceded 16 goals across her 22 matches for Gotham this season and was a key reason behind her team’s success. I’m not too surprised that Moorhouse did not win, considering how solid the Pride’s defense was as a whole, but this won’t take anything away from a record-breaking season for her.

Wilfried Nancy Named MLS Coach of the Year

Columbus Crew Head Coach Wilfried Nancy was voted 2024 MLS Coach of the Year after a historic season in which the Crew set club records in both points and goals. The Crew also won the Leagues Cup this summer and their 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup campaign included advancing past Tigres and Monterrey en route to the final. This is Nancy’s first time being named Coach of the Year and he has been a finalist for the award every year since 2021. The Frenchman received 40.02% of the vote, winning the award over Inter Miami’s Gerardo Martino and Colorado Rapids Head Coach Chris Armas.

2025 SheBelieves Cup Details Unveiled

The 10th annual SheBelieves Cup will take place next year and the tournament will return to its usual format where each of the four teams plays each other once. The United States Women’s National Team will host Japan, Colombia, and Australia in February in what should be an exciting tournament. The U.S. will take on Colombia on Feb. 20 in Houston before facing Australia in Arizona on Feb. 23 and finishing the tournament on Feb. 26 against Japan at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. These games will also be the first domestic games of 2025 for the USWNT as it prepares to qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.

Eric Quill Named FC Dallas Head Coach

FC Dallas announced that Eric Quill will become the team’s next head coach. Quill joins Dallas after a great year with New Mexico United that included trips to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals and USL Championship Western Conference semifinals. It’s also a reunion of sorts for Quill, as he previously coached North Texas SC and was named USL League One Coach of the Year with the club in 2019. Dallas missed out on the playoffs this season, with Peter Luccin coaching the team on an interim basis after the firing of Nico Estevez in June.

Free Kicks

  • District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser challenged Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer to a bet involving this weekend’s NWSL Championship, with embarrassing lightshows on the line.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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