Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Inter Miami CF: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Concede on Late Corner Kick

The Herons end the Lions’ streak after Orlando City squandered an easy opportunity to grab a late lead.

Published

4 years ago

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

The streak is over. Orlando City’s 12-match unbeaten streak came to an end as the law of averages caught up with the Lions in multiple ways in a 2-1 loss at Inter Miami. The Lions (8-3-8, 32 points) conceded on a late corner kick — Miami’s 12th of the match — to fall behind after squandering a golden opportunity to take the lead at the other end.

Leandro Gonzalez Pirez’s header in the 89th minute was the difference after a Daryl Dike goal and an own goal off Robin Jansson had the teams knotted up after the opening half. Orlando City and Miami (6-11-3, 21 points) split this season’s four Tropic Thunder meetings, with each winning twice — Inter twice at home and the Lions once at home and in the MLS is Back Tournament bubble. It was Orlando’s first loss in 2020 when scoring first.

Orlando’s 12-game unbeaten streak now turns into a four-match winless skid (0-1-3) as the Lions failed to find a second goal in the match for the fourth consecutive game and the fifth in six outings.

“At the end, you know, it’s very dramatic for us because it happens on a moment when we had a great opportunity to unbalance the game,” Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match.

Pareja had Pedro Gallese back in goal to start this match, behind a back line of Kyle Smith, Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan. Sebas Mendez returned to the midfield, along with Junior Urso, Andres Perea, and Chris Mueller, with Nani and Dike leading the attack.

Orlando started the game brightly and that paid off with an early goal after a corner, a couple of half chances, and a Nani free kick just over the bar. Carlos played a fantastic long ball for Dike and the rookie just out-muscled Nicolas Figal and broke in on John McCarthy’s goal all alone, slotting home the opening goal — his fifth of the season — in the 12th minute.

Miami ramped up its pressure after falling behind but the Lions dealt reasonably well with it, continuing to get into dangerous areas, but the crosses on this day weren’t clinical enough. Nani crossed a set piece delivery right at McCarthy in the 15th minute and Ruan fizzed a cross from open play behind everyone in the 28th.

A minute later, the Lions almost conceded an own goal after a poor Mendez touch in the box fell in front of goal. Carlos went to clear it but it hit a teammate and ricocheted toward his own net, but it sailed wide for a corner.

The rain started to make things a bit precarious around the half-hour mark. There were several odd deflections and controlling the ball became difficult. Miami started trying shots from just outside the top of the area, including a shot that required a sprawling Gallese save in the 33rd minute, just seconds after the hydration break.

Six minutes later, it was Ben Sweat sneaking inside, taking a pass and firing, but El Pulpo was again up to the task.

A few minutes later, Mueller came to the rescue with an overhead goal-line clearance on a Miami set piece, as the Herons racked up corners late in the first half. Then Gallese made a comfortable save on a Lewis Morgan free kick in the 43rd minute.

The Miami breakthrough came late in the half, just after a seemingly obvious foul on Dike went unpunished. The big rookie was sent sprawling by the Miami defense, which allowed the hosts to counter. At the other end, the ball pinballed around the area with neither team able to hit or collect it cleanly and it ended up with Blaise Matuidi, who sent in a harmless-looking shot that Jansson seemed to have lined up but the ball squirted backward off his foot and past Gallese in the 43rd minute to tie the game.

“It’s tough, you know, because you know he feels down on himself, because he scored an own goal, but you know it’s not his fault,” Smith said. “It happens in soccer. It happens to everyone.”

It was an unlucky break, but with the volume of chances Miami was getting and the weather conditions, it wasn’t too surprising when it happened. After Nani left another free kick delivery too close to goal, and a late free kick for Miami, the teams went to the break all even at 1-1.

Miami led in shots (13-4), shots on goal (3-1), corners (9-1), and passing accuracy (86%-83%), with Orlando keeping more of the possession (51.4%-48.6%). The Herons got a lucky bounce, but did enough to earn being level at the break, handling the wet, windy conditions much better than the Lions.

Figal nearly put Miami ahead just after the break on a set piece, pulling Mueller down without a call and then sending his free header wide in the 47th minute.

Ruan got up the right side just a minute later but again his cross was poor and McCarthy caught it.

Miami came close again in the 53rd when Julian Carranza got onto a good cross from Morgan and slammed it off the crossbar.

Both teams started to substitute after that, with much of the play between the penalty areas. A major talking point happened around the 80th minute when a cross from second-half sub Tesho Akindele appeared to come off Matuidi’s arm. After video review, the no-call stood. Akindele said he saw the play clearly but perhaps the play occurred just outside the area, hence no penalty being given.

“It was definitely a handball,” Akindele said. “I don’t know if he was inside the box or not. I think he was outside of the box, and that’s why it didn’t come back, but to me it was definitely a handball. They didn’t call it in the moment so they can’t go back (and award a free kick).”

Orlando started getting more opportunities just before Miami’s game-winner, as time wound down. Nani had a shot blocked in the 85th minute. Benji Michel was first to the ball but his cross was blocked behind for a corner. Akindele had a shot blocked moments later for another corner. That should have led to a go-ahead goal by Orlando.

A bouncing ball in the area fell for Jansson on the set piece but he couldn’t direct it on goal. Instead, it cut back across the face of goal and deflected out to Michel. Although McCarthy was on the ground, Orlando’s Homegrown fired his shot straight into the prone goalkeeper with almost the entirety of the net open to him in the 88th minute. Try not to cringe at the miss or the pronunciation of Michel’s name in this clip.

“The ball was bouncing around their box and we were unlucky (not) to get that goal,” Smith said. “When we get those opportunities to score, it’s important for us to be clinical.”

A minute later, the Lions conceded late for the second straight match. Perea cleared a ball out over the end line to give up the corner kick. There was a miscommunication about assignments as Morgan took the set piece, with Urso passing off Gonzalez Pirez to Carlos, who already had a man. Urso ended up near the top of the area with no one to mark as Gonzalez Pirez sent his free header past Gallese for the winner.

“You know, I take the responsibility on the matchups and the way we have to defend it,” Pareja said. “I need to review it because it just happened. But obviously it creates concern from us conceding another goal at the end.”

The Lions were unable to get a clean look at goal in the five minutes of stoppage time, despite Matheus Aias making his Orlando City debut late in the match, coming on for Perea on a set piece opportunity. The final whistle went, and that was that.

The hosts finished with more shots (20-9), shots on target (4-2), corners (12-5), and passing accuracy (85%-83%), while Orlando had slightly more of the ball (51%-49%).

“There are things that happen in the season that alert you, wake you up, send you sort of messages that you have to absorb and pay attention to,” Pareja said. “But one thing that we’re not going to do is just get desperate right now.”

“I think the loss will give us a good reset and refocus us,” Akindele said. “Of course tonight this is going to definitely hurt but tomorrow morning we’re going to be up, we’re going to be at practice, and we’re going to be focused on beating Atlanta.”

Orlando City is back home on Wednesday night to take on Atlanta United for the fourth time this season. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Final Score 1-0 as Lions Advance to Eastern Conference Final

The Lions played well defensively and did just enough offensively to knock rival Atlanta out of the postseason.

Published

5 hours ago

on

November 24, 2024

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The Orlando City-Atlanta United rivalry has been a one-sided affair since the latter joined Major League Soccer in 2017. The Lions had won only four times in all competitions between the clubs, including dropping both regular-season meetings this year. Orlando took a big step toward making the series a true rivalry by ousting the Five Stripes from the playoffs with a 1-0 win in front of an announced sellout of 25,046 fans at Inter&Co Stadium tonight.

Ramiro Enrique’s goal late in the first half off a corner kick scramble was the only scoring, as Orlando City continues to struggle offensively in the postseason. However, the Lions were so good defensively it didn’t matter, as the visitors attempted just seven shots and couldn’t get one of them on frame. As a result, Orlando City advanced and will play in the Eastern Conference final for the first time.

“We are obviously very excited and proud, but first from our players and our staff, we want to honor the fans that came today with such energy and helped us,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “It’s beautiful to see the stadium that way and see how the culture of this club has become one of the best in Major League Soccer. So, responding with this victory is great.”

Pareja’s starting lineup offered no surprises, with Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Facundo Torres with Enrique up top.

Orlando created a chance just two minutes into the match. Ojeda sent in a perfect cross from the left flank that picked out Torres in front. Torres got his head to it but got under it, sending it well over the bar.

Thorhallsson was able to sneak in on the right in the fifth minute, firing his shot off the right post. Brad Guzan saved the rebound shot but the entire play was ruled offside anyway.

Enrique got his head to a corner kick cross in the 10th minute but hit his shot straight at Guzan.

Ojeda smashed a shot on the volley in the 23rd minute from outside the area, just missing the upper left corner of the net. The next half chance came nine minutes later, when Santos sent in a low cross from the left. Araujo flew in to get his head to it but couldn’t steer it on frame.

Enrique opened the scoring in the 39th minute after the Lions won a corner kick on a cross that deflected behind off the defense. Ojeda sent in a good ball that hit off of Stian Gregersen and fell into an open spot in the six-yard box. Enrique was the first to react, slotting it past Guzan to make it 1-0.

“On that corner and that type of play, I always intend to be ready for that second ball, for that second play,” Enrique said. “When it was hit there, thankfully I anticipated it really well and just got into that space and beat everybody to the ball and was able to convert. Happy for this team and for this club, and to be able to move on in this moment, and to have a part in that by scoring the goal, I think being able to get to the conference final, we’re just really happy.”

Daniel Rios came on for Jamal Thiare in the 43rd minute after Atlanta’s starting striker had gone down multiple times with a knock and ultimately couldn’t continue.

After the change, Enrique tried his luck from long range in the 44th minute but hit his shot poorly and sent it well wide of the right post.

That was the last look at goal of the half and the Lions took their one-goal advantage into the break.

The Lions had the halftime advantage in possession (63.8%-36.2%), shots (7-3), shots on target (3-0), and passing accuracy (89.4%-74.9%). Both teams earned two corners in the opening half.

“Two difficult halves. The first one, we played very well,” Pareja said. “The second one, we found more resistance from Atlanta as you all saw, but we didn’t concede much options. Instead, I thought our group was fine, and then we found our goal. It means a lot for a very tight game.”

Rios took a ball to the face just after the restart and had to be subbed off in the 49th minute. Ronald Hernandez came on for Rios, who played only a few minutes.

Atlanta had a spell of possession just after that and generated a few shots but nothing too menacing. The closest was Aleksey Miranchuk’s shot into the outside netting from the left side in the 51st minute. After the Lions cleared a corner, Bartosz Slisz fired wide from outside the box in the 56th minute.

Enrique again went for a brace in the 57th on an Orlando corner kick. The Argentine was first to the cross but sent his header off target again.

Ajani Fortune shot off target in the 58th minute from the top of the area.

Enrique stole the ball in the 68th minute to ignite the break. Despite having some numbers with him in transition, he fired a shot from long range, missing the net. That was Enrique’s last involvement, as Duncan McGuire replaced him a minute later, with Luis Muriel coming on for Ojeda at the same time. Muriel was a difference maker, helping the Lions maintain more possession and control, however, McGuire was untidy with the ball, giving it away numerous times unnecessarily, helping Atlanta regain possession down the stretch while the visitors were searching for an equalizer.

Muriel was taken down in the attacking third in the 75th minute, but referee Armando Villarreal didn’t call a foul, allowing Atlanta to counter quickly. Saba Lobjanidze sent a dangerous ball across toward an open teammate on the left but Gallese came off his line quickly to make a vital interception.

A minute later, Muriel unlocked the defense on the left, sending Torres down into the corner. The Uruguayan fizzed a dangerous ball in to McGuire at the near post, but the striker’s flick was just wide.

Cartagena was left in too much space in the 86th minute, so he tried his luck from distance. He didn’t get enough on his shot and sent it straight to Guzan, marking the game’s only shot on target in the second half.

Orlando did just enough to see out the remaining few minutes of normal time and seven added minutes. Atlanta’s closest opportunity to finding an equalizer came in the fourth minute of stoppage time, when a good ball in from the right found Miranchuk high in the box. He got his head to the cross but sent it over the bar.

A few minutes later, the match was over. Orlando finished with the advantage in possession (50.6%-49.4%), shots (14-8), shots on target (4-0), corners (5-4), and passing accuracy (85.8%-83.6%).

Atlanta held more of the ball and created more with it in the second half, but ultimately the Lions had just about everything covered. Cartagena, who was suspended for both meetings between the rivals in the regular season, was a difference maker, helping Araujo lock down the middle of the pitch.

“There is not a secret just to see how the connection that Cesar and Wilder have had during the year, and both of them have grown tremendously in the way they helped the group,” Pareja said. “Both of them understand their role and they are very important. Wilder today had the task to control one of the best playmakers in the league, a guy who has created a lot of damage on the prior games, Miranchuk, very crafty, and I thought he neutralized him very well.”

“It’s an amazing feeling. I can tell you that,” Thorhallsson said. “I feel like there’s kind of a relief that finally we did it (reached the conference final) and just an amazing feeling. We felt like we needed to come like gun out blazing and just full out from the start, and I felt like we did that. I felt like from the beginning we were quite solid.”

“We are now competing the way we wanted,” Pareja said. “One more step. We haven’t won yet. We will be prepared for New York, and hopefully we can advance to the final.”

Orlando City will host the New York Red Bulls Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the Eastern Conference final.

Continue Reading

Orlando City

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

The Lions look to avenge two regular-season losses against Atlanta and advance to the Eastern Conference final.

Published

15 hours ago

on

November 24, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Sunday Eastern Conference semifinal playoff matchup between Orlando City and Atlanta United at Inter&Co Stadium (6 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). It’ll be the third meeting of the year between the two teams, after Atlanta claimed both of the regular-season clashes.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of tonight’s match.

History

The Lions are 4-10-7 in the all-time series against Atlanta in league play and 2-6-3 at home. Those numbers drop to 4-11-7 and 2-7-3 in all competitions.

The teams last met on Decision Day, with Atlanta scoring two early goals and holding on for a 2-1 win on Oct. 9. Saba Lobjanidze and Jamal Thiare gave the visitors an early lead. Martin Ojeda pulled one back and Duncan McGuire appeared to tie the game late, but the latter goal was overturned on video review for a handball. The teams also met at Mercedes-Benz Stadium back on March 17, when Orlando City fell 2-0 on goals by Lobjanidze and Giorgos Giakoumakis.

The last meeting of 2023 took place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with Orlando City capturing a 2-1 away win. Atlanta took the lead through Caleb Wiley, but Antonio Carlos and McGuire scored to lead the Lions’ comeback.

The southeast rivals also met in Orlando on May 27, 2023, at then-Exploria Stadium and played to a 1-1 draw. It was a heartbreaking dropped two points for the Lions, who took the lead through Kyle Smith at the half-hour mark and held that advantage until four minutes from full time, when Tyler Wolff pounced on a fortunate rebound in the box and equalized.

Atlanta went 1-0-1 in the season series in 2022. On Sept. 14 at Exploria Stadium the Five Stripes won 1-0 on a Thiago Almada goal despite the Lions out-shooting Atlanta 20-10. The sides played to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting of that year on July 22 in Atlanta. Mauricio Pereyra staked the Lions to an early 1-0 lead on a beautiful free kick. Juan Jose Purata equalized in the second half, but Atlanta bombarded Orlando the majority of the game and completely controlled the midfield, out-shooting the Lions 18-3 in the match.

Orlando had a six-match unbeaten streak in the series (3-0-3) snapped on Sept. 10, 2021, as the Five Stripes won 3-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. George Campbell and Ezequiel Barco scored for Atlanta, sandwiched around a Daryl Dike own goal to hand Gonzalo Pineda his first win as manager for United.

The second of three 2021 meetings took place July 30 at Exploria Stadium, with the Five Stripes taking the lead twice on goals by Josef Martinez and Marcelino Moreno, but the Lions not only fought back twice on strikes by Smith and Silvester van der Water, but Nani scored a late game winner by heading in VDW’s cross in Orlando City’s 3-2 win. The first meeting of that season between the two rivals came on opening day — April 17 — and they played to a 0-0 draw. It was an evenly matched game, with each team firing 11 shots and getting three on frame.

The final meeting of 2020 came on Oct. 28, when Orlando City ran away with a 4-1 win over Atlanta at Exploria Stadium. Dike, Chris Mueller, Tesho Akindele, and Matheus Aias — his first in MLS — scored the goals for the Lions, with Cubo Torres preventing a shutout with a late goal for the visitors. Prior to that, the teams met in Atlanta on Oct. 7, 2020 and played to a 0-0 draw. Robinho and Nani each hit the woodwork and Brad Guzan stood on his head to prevent Orlando from taking a deserved three points in that one, while Brian Rowe held down the fort at the other end to earn a shutout in Pedro Gallese’s absence.

Back on Sept. 5, 2020, a late, unforced turnover by Kamal Miller led to Adam Jahn’s 92nd-minute tying goal that offset a Benji Michel goal in a 1-1 draw at Exploria Stadium. Orlando City finally got on the board in the series against Atlanta United with a 3-1 win on the road on Aug. 29, 2020. Junior Urso, Mueller, and Nani supplied the offense to more than counter a Brooks Lennon headed goal. That three-goal explosion snapped a three-match scoreless streak against the Five Stripes for Orlando.

Orlando City created an incredible 17 scoring chances on Aug. 23, 2019, yet finished none of them in a 1-0 home loss. Martinez scored the game’s only goal in the second half. Only 17 days earlier at Exploria Stadium, Orlando also failed to score and lost 2-0 to Atlanta, getting bounced from the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. On Mother’s Day of 2019, Atlanta United claimed a 1-0 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Pity Martinez scored the goal.

Atlanta won at the building then known as Orlando City Stadium on Aug. 24, 2018 by a 2-1 final score. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez bundled home a rebound off Joe Bendik, who misplayed Barco’s free kick to open the scoring just 21 minutes in. Scott Sutter tied the game just before the half, but Josef Martinez broke the deadlock in the second half, with only 16 minutes remaining in normal time.

Atlanta easily claimed the June 30, 2018 meeting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 4-0. Josef Martinez and Barco each scored a goal and Miguel Almiron added a brace. Orlando lost the first matchup of 2018, 2-1, on May 13. An early penalty on a Cristian Higuita foul gave the visitors a leg up on a Josef Martinez goal from the spot and Barco doubled the lead before halftime. Justin Meram scored his first goal as a Lion to pull one back, but Orlando could get no closer. The unfortunate ending included a shower of debris coming out of the stands due to dissatisfaction with referee Alan Kelly’s decisions that night.

Hector Villalba’s two late goals in the first two meetings turned what could have been an Orlando draw and a win into a loss and a draw. The two teams kicked off their series with Orlando suffering a late 1-0 loss at home on July 21, 2017. Villalba found the net late. Villalba then scored a stoppage-time tally to rescue a 1-1 draw for Atlanta in the second meeting on July 29, 2017. Kaká scored one of his best goals as a Lion in that match to provide Orlando’s lone score.

Orlando City became the first visiting team to take any points out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a 3-3 draw in Atlanta that September. Dom Dwyer scored his first brace as a Lion (in MLS, anyway) and also assisted on Cyle Larin’s goal. Josef Martinez’s hat trick spoiled Orlando’s bid to take all three points.

Overview

Orlando is coming off a nervy, best-of-three series win over Charlotte FC that required penalties to decide. The Lions won the opening game, appeared to score a late winner in the 0-0 second game, only to see the flag come up — perhaps erroneously, but too close to overturn — and lost the penalty shootout 3-1, and then came from behind to tie Game 3 at 1-1 and win the penalty shootout 4-1. Orlando City is 7-1-2 in its last 10 home matches in regular-season and playoff action, with that one loss coming to tonight’s visitors.

Atlanta United is coming off a three-game series win over Supporters’ Shield-winning Inter Miami, falling in Game 1 but claiming the next two. All three games in the series were decided by one goal.

Orlando City’s defense will have to keep tabs on Lobjanidze, who led Atlanta in goals (9) and was second in assists (7), as well as Daniel Rios, who has chipped in seven goals and four assists for an Atlanta team coached (in the interim) by former USL Lion Rob Valentino. Brooks Lennon, an important part of the offense, led Atlanta with eight assists on the year, but was injured in the Miami series.

The winner of today’s game moves on to the Eastern Conference final — a game the Lions have not yet reached.

“It’s an important week and we obviously are trying to prepare the team the best way that we can,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “The preparation has been good, the responsibility of the players and the dedication and attention to their responsibility to be ready for our game on Sunday is first class. The guys who came back from their national teams, everybody is healthy and we’re good. They’ve had the chance already to train with us, so we have the roster complete. So, we’re ready. We’re just getting the last few things and details for the next two days, but our mentality is there.”

Orlando City will be without Mason Stajduhar (lower leg). Atlanta will be without Lennon (shoulder), Edwin Mosquera (knee), and Quentin Westberg (concussion protocol). 

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, Martin Ojeda, Facundo Torres.

Forward: Ramiro Enrique.

Bench: Javier Otero, Luca Petrasso, Kyle Smith, David Brekalo, Felipe, Nico Lodeiro, Luis Muriel, Jack Lynn, Duncan McGuire.

Atlanta United (3-5-2)

Goalkeeper: Brad Guzan.

Defenders: Luis Abram, Derrick Williams, Stian Gregersen.

Wingbacks/Midfielders: Pedro Amador, Ajani Fortune, Dax McCarty, Bartosz Slisz, Saba Lobjanidze.

Forwards: Aleksey Miranchuk, Jamal Thiare.

Bench: Matt Edwards, Ronald Hernandez, Luke Brennan, Noah Cobb, Josh Cohen, Tristan Muyumba, Xande Silva, Daniel Rios, Tyler Wolff.

Referees

REF: Armando Villarreal.
AR1: Kathryn Nesbitt.
AR2: Chris Elliott.
4TH: Pierre-Luc Lauziere.
VAR: Greg Dopka.
AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert.

How to Watch

Match Time: 3:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Live Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Radio:  Real Radio 104.1 FM (English), Mega 97.1 (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!

Continue Reading

Opinion

The Case for Starting Luis Muriel Against Atlanta

Muriel’s game is tailor made to help Orlando get the result in what will likely be a tight contest.

Published

3 days ago

on

November 22, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

For the second season in a row, Orlando City finds itself hosting a match in the Eastern Conference semifinals. It was a scenario that was far less likely this year, with the Lions watching as all three seeds above them crashed out in the first round, leaving OCSC as the highest-seeded team still standing in the East. Last year’s semifinal match didn’t go so well, with 10-man Orlando falling to the eventual champion Columbus Crew in extra time. So, how do the Lions avoid that fate this year and advance to the Eastern Conference final for the first time?

For starters, they can succeed on each of Dave Rohe’s three keys to victory! I’d like to make an addition though, and campaign for Oscar Pareja to start Luis Muriel instead of Ivan Angulo. To be clear, it’s not that I have an axe to grind against Angulo, as he’s largely ranged from solid to good when starting out on the left wing. For my money though, this match is tailor made for Muriel and giving him the start could help Orlando get through to the next round without needing to resort to extra time or penalties.

It’s not unreasonable to expect Sunday’s game to play out in a similar manner to Orlando’s 2-1 Decision Day loss to Atlanta, in which the visitors had 34% of the ball to OCSC’s 66%. True, part of that disparity was down to Atlanta’s 2-0 lead after 16 minutes, which allowed the visitors to sit back, bunker, and protect what they had. Even if the game had remained scoreless for longer though, Atlanta probably would likely have ceded possession anyway and looked to play defensively and hit on the counter. They rolled out a compact 4-2-3-1 in that game, but deployed a 3-5-2 in their last two games against Miami, and they might do so again after its effectiveness.

With Orlando likely to have the lion’s share (hehe) of the ball, and Atlanta sitting deep, there figures to be less room for Angulo to deploy his electric pace. OCSC will probably need to make things happen in the “half-court,” with an emphasis on moving the ball quickly, making clever runs, and finding those runs with creative and accurate passes.

Enter Luis Muriel. The Colombian Designated Player had a slow start to life with Orlando City but has come on strong in recent months, excelling in a super sub role and frequently making an impact in games off the bench. In 56 minutes against Charlotte in Game 3, he completed two dribbles, played one key pass and one through ball, and took three shots, with one on target, one off target, and one blocked. He doesn’t offer Angulo’s speed, but he has maybe the best vision and range of passing of anyone on the team, he’s an outstanding dribbler, and he’s a calm and capable finisher.

He hasn’t been asked to do a ton of traditional striker work during his resurgence, but Muriel has excelled at setting up teammates and creating chances, as evidenced by the litany of key passes littering his stat sheet. Those attributes could be hugely important in breaking Atlanta down, and with two key passes and two completed dribbles against them in just 22 minutes on Decision Day, he’s already proven he can be effective against the Five Stripes.

Another thing that could help the Lions in starting Muriel, is that it would almost certainly take Atlanta by surprise. Oscar Pareja isn’t exactly known for tweaking his lineup on a game-to-game basis, vastly preferring to find an XI that works and stick with it religiously. As long as everyone’s healthy, that lineup has featured Angulo starting with Muriel coming off the bench, and flipping the script would certainly be an unexpected variation that Atlanta might not be expecting. At this level, teams are good enough to adjust on short notice, but you also take every possible edge that you can find, and a lineup shift could be exactly that.

In short, as much as I like Angulo, I think Muriel should get the call in his place on Sunday. The veteran’s combination of vision, passing ability, and dribbling makes him uniquely suited to help unlock defenses, which will be crucial in a game where Orlando City is likely to dominate possession. I don’t think it’s likely to happen given Papi’s consistency with his lineups, but the unexpected move could give the Lions the edge they’re looking for. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Trending