Connect with us

Orlando City

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

Published

4 years ago

on

Orlando City’s win streak ended on Wednesday night, as the Lions tied Nashville SC on the road, 1-1. Benji Michel had a rocket of a goal in the first half, and then Randall Leal leveled it at the start of the second half. Orlando had the bulk of possession but was unable to use it to create good chances on net.

Here’s how each player fared individually:

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — He perhaps could have done better on Nashville’s goal, but it was a good goal nonetheless at a very close range. He made three saves, all of which were pretty straightforward. Gallese did not have to make any spectacular saves, but put in a decent shift.

D, Kamal Miller, 6 — Leal ran right by him on Nashville’s goal. Miller did well in the first half but was a little slow to start the second and got beat. He had one interception and one clearance. On the attacking end, Miller had the most passes in the game (88), and his 94.3% accuracy is fifth-best from both teams, but the left side was lacking its usual threat without Joao Moutinho.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — The Swede came out hard, trying to win the ball to start the second half. After he missed the ball, Nashville was able to use the space left by Jansson to score. There’s not much Jansson could have done, as that is a move he is expected to make and not give up space in the middle of the field. He did not have much to do, and his one chance to really make a difference was Nashville’s goal. His passing was excellent (98.3%) and he contributed one clearance, 3/3 long ball accuracy, and won a corner.

D, Antonio Carlos, 7 — Carlos made an excellent interception in the 43rd minute to deny Nashville from completing a dangerous cross. He made another good spot in the 83rd minute to steal the ball, falling to the ground. Similar to Jansson, he was not called into action much. However, he was Orlando’s best defender on the night. He made four clearances and two interceptions and was 88% accurate on 67 passes.

D, Ruan, 6 — Ruan was not his usual self, and it was one of his quieter games that he’s had this season. He did send in eight crosses — second-most on Orlando — but had no defensive stats. Ruan did not make any significant errors, but he could have provided Orlando with a little more on the attacking end.

MF, Junior Urso, 7 — Urso must go to bed and dream about scoring on Joe Willis. For the second time in as many games against Nashville, the ‘keeper has come up with huge saves against Urso. This time it would have been the game-winner late in the match, but Willis came out on the better end. It was another strong performance from Urso, who helped to control the middle of the field.

MF, Uri Rosell, 7 – Uri did well in the first half. He was a focal point in the Lions’ buildup and finished with 35 passes and one key pass. He did not venture forward often. Defensively, he made three interceptions.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 7 — Pereyra was awarded an assist on the match’s first goal, chipping a Ruan throw-in over Dax McCarty for Michel to run onto and launch a terrific shot. That was his third assist of the year, all against Nashville. He finished with one key pass and 89% passing accuracy on 28 passes. He took one shot at the tail end of the first half that just sailed over the bar.

MF, Robinho, 4 — Robinho was mostly ineffective. He had no shots in 52 minutes. He did send in three crosses and had a 90.9% accuracy on 22 passes and contributed two tackles. Overall, it was disappointing for a player making his first appearance this season. He made way for Mueller in the 52nd minute, and Mueller finished the match with more successful passes, more key passes, and more crosses than the starter. 

MF, Benji Michel, 7.5 (MotM) — It was a quiet start to the match. Orlando was dominating possession, but nothing much happened until the Homegrown product put a banger into the upper 90 to open the scoring. That was Michel’s second goal — first in MLS play — of the season. He had a perfect chance to earn a brace in the 70th minute. Tesho Akindele back-heeled a ball in the box to him, but Michel took too much time, and Nashville cleared the ball. He was active on the defensive side of the ball. He finished with two tackles, two clearances, and one interception.

F, Daryl Dike, 5 — The rookie had a lot of hype surrounding him after an impressive performance against Atlanta. He was not able to keep that up on Wednesday. He did well off the ball and was physical but did not have much of an impact. He had no shots, which is obviously less than ideal for a striker, and managed just 16 total touches.

Substitutes

MF, Chris Mueller (52’), 6.5 — Mueller immediately took the corners after entering. He slipped on the first one, but the rest were pretty good and were sent into a dangerous spot. Unfortunately, no Lion got on the end of them. He was sloppy in possession, even though he got into promising positions. He had an impressive 95% passing accuracy on 21 attempts.

MF, Andres Perea (52’), 6 — Perea was quiet and had little effect in the time that he spent on the field. It just seemed like he never really got fully into the match. As a midfielder playing almost 40 minutes, that is obviously not a great sign, but he helped the Lions maintain possession and build the attack.

F, Tesho Akindele (53’), 6 — In the 70th minute, Akindele made a great run onto the ball and back-heeled it to Michel. It was an excellent no-look pass that Michel should have done better with. Tesho finished with two key passes but no shots.

MF, Sebas Mendez (60’), 7 — Mendez had 47 passes in just over 30 minutes. Since he came on, just about everything from Orlando went through him. He lost the ball a few times but was able to fight to win it back.

D, Kyle Smith (72’), 7 — His first touches in the match got him into an attacking position and a shot on goal. It was a difficult look, but he got into the dangerous spot. He put in a great cross in the 84th minute, but Joe Willis came up with a better save to deny Urso. He finished without any defensive stats but was deployed as a left wing back. He had two crosses, which were both dangerous. It seemed odd to take out a forward — Michel — for Smith, but it turned out to be an excellent substitute and shape change from Oscar Pareja.

That’s the way I saw things in the Lions’ first win over Atlanta. Be sure to vote in the poll below for your pick for Man of the Match and if you have some disagreements, let me hear it in the comments section below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Benji Michel20
Junior Urso8
Antonio Carlos7
Mauricio Pereyra 8
Other2

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/21/25

Orlando Pride release preseason camp roster, scouting Costa Rica, women’s soccer transfer grades, and more.

Published

19 hours ago

on

January 21, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone! If you had yesterday off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, then I hope you enjoyed some restful time off. If not, then I hope you got your week started off on a good and productive note. There’s a lot going on around here this week as the United States Men’s National Team is in town, and Orlando City will play its first preseason match on Saturday. That means we have plenty to discuss, so let’s dig into today’s links.

Orlando Pride Drop Preseason Roster

Monday might have been a holiday but the Orlando Pride were busy, as they announced the roster for their upcoming preseason camp. Almost all of the usual suspects from the 2024 season are back, as the Pride return 98% of the player-minutes from last season and every single scorer. Mariana Larroquette is on the list although she’s currently on loan in Argentina, and Amanda Allen is likewise included after her loan at Lexington Sporting Club was terminated due to a torn labrum. The biggest intrigue comes from the trio of non-roster invitees: goalkeeper DeAira Jackson, midfielder Aryssa Mahrt, and forward Simone Jackson.

Scouting Costa Rica

The USMNT takes on Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium to wrap up the team’s annual January camp. Like the U.S., Costa Rica is bringing a roster devoid of the majority of its important players. Costa Rica also has a new manager at the helm in Miguel Herrera, who will take charge of the team for the very first time on Wednesday. Herrera typically lines his teams up in a 5-3-2 where the wingbacks take on a very important role and the team looks to hit on the counter while staying compact at the back. This will be the last time we see the USMNT in action until the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in early March.

Women’s Soccer January Transfer Grades

January has been a busy time for transfers in the women’s soccer world, so which teams have done the best business? Well, the Orlando Pride received an A grade for signing Marta to a new two-year deal, retaining a player who helped the team win its first ever trophies. Liverpool got an A for signing Julia Bartel on loan from Chelsea. Leicester City made an interesting call by transferring goalkeeper Lize Kop to Tottenham despite just being a point above the relegation zone. The Foxes get a C for the move, while Spurs get a B+ for adding a capable netminder.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans taking part in some very important games over the course of this week. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus face Club Brugge today in the UEFA Champions League, while Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Esmir Bajraktarević, Malik Tillman and PSV Eindhoven take on Crvena Zvezda in the same competition. Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan will play Girona in the UCL on Wednesday, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic take on Young Boys. On Friday, John Tolkin could make his Bundesliga debut when his new team, Holstein Kiel, travels to face Wolfsburg.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride players reported for their preseason physicals on Monday.
  • Meanwhile, Orlando City took on the dreaded beep test during Monday’s training session.

That’s all I have for you today. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Striker Suddenly a Position of Need for Orlando City

Departures and a key injury mean Orlando City needs a striker heading into the 2025 MLS season.

Published

2 days ago

on

January 20, 2025

By

Image Courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City reached the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in 2024, a milestone for the club. The core of the team was locked up through the 2025 season, so there was no reason to believe it needed to add much this off-season. Unfortunately, injuries and departures have created a serious problem for the team.

The group of forwards last year consisted of Duncan McGuire, Ramiro Enrique, and Jack Lynn. McGuire scored 15 goals in 2023 and was expected to depart for Blackburn Rovers before a clerical error allowed the Lions to keep their target man. The team’s primary striker scored 11 goals in 37 games — the same number as the previous season — but split time starting with Enrique. The Argentinian improved greatly in 2024, increasing his total goal tally from four to 12. Even Lynn showed tremendous improvement last year, playing a greater role in the team and scoring his first two MLS goals.

The future also seemed bright for the Orlando City forwards because of their ages. Lynn is the oldest of the trio at just 25 years old. Meanwhile, McGuire and Enrique are only 23, so there was no reason to believe this group couldn’t produce this coming season.

The problem at striker began in the postseason when McGuire was pulled down by Charlotte FC midfielder Djibril Diani in the final first round game of the playoffs. McGuire suffered a shoulder injury during the challenge that required surgery on Dec. 13. It’s expected that the striker could take four to five months to return to action, possibly leaving him out until May or June.

Another blow to Orlando’s attack occurred Saturday when Lynn surprisingly announced his retirement from professional soccer. In just over a month, Orlando City went from having three strikers to having just one as preseason training starts.

With McGuire injured and Lynn gone, one option would be to have Designated Player Luis Muriel play up top. However, the Colombian prefers to play a more withdrawn position and proved to be effective in that role last year. Since Head Coach Oscar Pareja prefers to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, the Lions need someone up top to control the ball and involve the midfielders in the attack. That’s not Muriel’s game.

The result of these issues is that nobody is currently behind Enrique when the season begins. If the Argentinian gets tired, hurt, or simply needs rest, Pareja is limited in his options. 

Whether there was a lack of strikers or a lack of goals from the position previously, that problem was resolved by the club’s all-time leading goal scorer. Facundo Torres scored 20 goals in 2024, becoming the first player in Orlando City’s MLS history and the second player in club history to do so. He went on to set a new club record for total goals of 47.

However, Orlando City sold its best player to Brazilian side Palmeiras on Dec. 20. It was a gut punch to fans as Torres had signed a new contract on Jan. 10, 2024 that ran through the 2026 season. There had been talk for the last couple of years that the attacker would look for a move to Europe and rumors of a move to South America arose this off-season. Still, it created a huge gap the club has to fill.

There are players on the roster that can make up for the injury and departures. Martin Ojeda had a strong season in 2024, finishing with seven goals and 13 assists. His seven goals ranked fourth on the team and his 13 assists topped the squad alongside Nico Lodeiro. Muriel came on strong later in the season, finishing with five goals and eight assists. But those numbers are a long way from the 20 goals that Torres tallied last year.

Even if you consider all goal contributions, Ojeda and Muriel fall well short of Torres. Ojeda had a total of 20 goal contributions in 2024 while Muriel had 13. In addition to Torres’s 20 goals, he added nine assists for a team-leading 29 goal contributions.

All of this information leads to one undeniable fact — Orlando City needs to sign a striker prior to the season. And there’s not much time for Luiz Muzzi to act. The European transfer window closes on Feb. 3 and many MLS teams have already been filling similar needs. With the season starting in just over a month, the options will be limited if the Lions don’t do something soon.

After the best postseason finish in Orlando City’s MLS history, things were looking good heading into 2025. While the back line and most of the midfield is returning, McGuire’s injury and the departure of Torres and Lynn have left the Lions in a tough spot offensively. If they don’t do something in the next couple of weeks, it could be a long 2025.

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/20/25

Orlando City signs Nicolas Rodriguez, Jack Lynn announces retirement, USMNT defeats Venezuela in friendly, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

January 20, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope you’re all having a good holiday weekend as we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Over the past week, I’ve been working and covering high school ice hockey. It will be a busy week in Orlando, with the United States Men’s National Team’s match against Costa Rica on Wednesday and Orlando City’s first preseason match against Atletico Mineiro on Saturday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Signs Nicolas Rodriguez

Orlando City announced on Friday that the club has signed forward Nicolas Rodriguez from Fortaleza CEIF in Colombia’s top flight. The deal is through the 2027 season, with a club option for 2028, and Rodriguez will occupy a MLS U22 Initiative slot. Rodriguez made 19 appearances for Fortaleza, recording 1,607 minutes, five goals, and three assists during the 2024 Primera A Clausura season. The Lions add a young attacking player the club can develop and Rodriguez can play on the right wing, the right side of a three-man midfield, or in the No. 10 spot.

Jack Lynn Announces Retirement

Orlando City forward Jack Lynn announced his retirement from professional soccer on Saturday. Lynn was drafted by Orlando in the first round of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. He became a regular starter for Orlando City B, scoring a team-record 38 goals in over three seasons with the MLS NEXT Pro side. Lynn also won the Golden Boot with 19 goals during the 2023 season and became the first OCB player to be named MLS NEXT Pro MVP. He played sparingly with the first team, but he scored twice last season as his role increased. The Lions will likely look to add another striker for more depth up top.

Orlando Pride Acquire Allocation Money in Trade

On Friday, the Orlando Pride announced that the club has acquired $50,000 in Allocation Money from the Washington Spirit. In exchange, the Pride sent the Spirit a 2025 international roster spot. The Pride will face the Spirit in the NWSL Challenge Cup final on March 7 at Inter&Co Stadium.

USMNT Defeats Venezuela in Friendly

The USMNT defeated Venezuela 3-1 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday in a friendly. Jack McGlynn and Patrick Agyemang scored in the first half to give the USMNT a 2-0 lead just before halftime. Matko Milijevic scored the third goal for the Americans in the second half, with Venezuela pulling one back thanks to a goal from Jorge Yriarte. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has led the USMNT to winning four out of its first five matches since he took charge last September. The USMNT’s next match will be against Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium.

Alyssa Naeher Named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year

On Saturday, goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was voted 2024 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year. Naeher won 40% of the vote, while defender Naomi Girma finished in second with 32%. In her final year with the USWNT, Naeher ended 2024 with 18 starts, playing 1,170 minutes and only conceding 11 goals. She played a crucial role with clutch saves to help the USWNT win the 2024 SheBelieves Cup, 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup, and gold at the Olympics in Paris. Naeher is the second goalkeeper to win the award since Hope Solo won it in 2009.

Free Kicks

  • Manchester City forward Erling Haaland has reached an agreement with the club on a record-breaking contract that extends his deal through 2034.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

Continue Reading

Trending