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Orlando City vs. Montreal Impact: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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4 years ago

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Orlando City will return home after coming away with a 1-0 win over the Montreal Impact in New Jersey. New York City FC’s 5-2 win over the New York Red Bulls at the same time made those three points essential as the Lions look to claim a home game in the 2020 MLS Cup playoffs.

It was a solid performance by the whole team as the Lions secured their fifth clean sheet of the season — fourth in regular-season play — and second against the Impact. Here’s how I saw the performance by the Orlando City players in this game.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 7 — There wasn’t a lot for the Peruvian international to do on this night as the Impact only had five shots on target and most were directly at him. However, a second half injury time shot by Bojan was headed just inside the post before El Pulpo came flying in to make the one-handed save. Considering that it would’ve been the equalizing goal, that save itself is enough to call this an excellent performance by Orlando City’s number one.

D, Kamal Miller, 5.5 — Kamal Miller wasn’t as involved in the attack as Kyle Smith or Ruan but did have a solid game defensively. He ended the game with a pair of tackles, an interception, and a clearance. He only played 56 minutes in this one but had another solid performance, contributing to an excellent defensive night for the Lions.

D, Antonio Carlos, 6 — This was a solid game by all defensive players and Antonio Carlos was no different. The team has been lifted by the Brazilian’s return to the lineup and he proved once again why in this game. He made three interceptions in the back and had eight clearances. Additionally, he blocked three shots. Carlos played the role of cleanup in this game, often being the last man defending to halt a Montreal attack and he was excellent in that role.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Similar to the other defenders, Robin Jansson had a great performance. The defense was tasked with keeping the 1-0 lead provided by Daryl Dike in the 39th minute and they did that well. The biggest moment for Jansson, which puts him a little above the other defenders in my mind, came when Bojan made his way into the box and fired on goal. It appeared as though the ball was headed toward the net before the Swede came flying in to make the block. While Gallese might’ve been there, Jansson made sure that the lead was protected. In the end, Jansson had seven clearances and two key blocked shots in the game.

D, Kyle Smith, 6 — Kyle Smith has had an up and down season in 2020. Some games he’s been solid while he’s looked like a liability in others. Tonight was a good performance for the right back, who moved to left back when Kamal Miller was replaced by Ruan. Early in the game, Smith got into the attack on the right, with a pair of crosses. But he factored most in his contribution to the clean sheet. He ended the game with four tackles, two interceptions, four clearances, and a blocked shot.

MF, Benji Michel, 5.5 — Benji Michel wasn’t as involved in the attack as he has been in other games but did come away with two shots on target. He only touched the ball 43 times, which is less than you would like from an attacking player with his ability. He completed 76% of his passes but wasn’t really involved in many dangerous attacks.

MF, Mauiricio Pereyra, 7 (MotM) — Mauricio Pereyra has been missing the last few games with an injury and it’s been noticeable. The midfielder was fantastic in this game and made the biggest play of the night. In the 39th minute, he played a perfect through ball for Daryl Dike, allowing the big striker to put home the winning goal. In 56 minutes, he completed 80% of his 35 passes, including two key passes in the attack. His passing accuracy and presence in the midfield was influential in the team being able to claim all three points.

MF, Sebas Mendez, 6 — It was another solid performance by Sebas Mendez, who has been a key defensive piece for Orlando City in 2020. He made five tackles on the night and had an interception in this game. He nearly provided an insurance goal when he dispossessed Bojan to launch a counter-attack but Clement Diop made the save on the final ball. When Mendez had the ball, he completed 91.6% of his 71 passes, helping to start an attack on several occasions.

MF, Andres Perea, 6 — Similar to Mendez, Andres Perea had a solid game in a defensive midfield role. He had three interceptions and four clearances, helping the Lions remain in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. He made a total of 81 passes going forward and completed 86.4% of those passes.

FW, Daryl Dike, 6.5 — The rookie striker has been the big man up top that Orlando City has been missing since Cyle Larin left. He scored his third goal in three games in this one but it’s the play itself that was impressive. After using his body to shield the defender from the ball and going to ground, he quickly got up and made a nice run for Pereyra. His shot was perfectly placed to the back post for the game’s lone goal. He wasn’t that involved in his 84 minutes, only touching the ball 34 times and taking two shots, but his job is to score and he did that once again.

FW, Tesho Akindele, 5 — Tesho Akindele has had some great games this season but this wasn’t one of them. He wasn’t invisible, nor was he a liability, but he didn’t make the impact you want a veteran striker to make. He completed 81.8% of his 33 passes in this game and took two shots, with one on target. While he touched the ball more times than Dike and had the same number of shots, it was the conversion that separated the performance by the two.

Substitutes

MF, Junior Urso (56’), 5 — Despite coming on for 34 minutes, Junior Urso didn’t make that much of an impact on the game. He touched the ball 25 times and completed 75% of his 20 passes. He made two key passes in the second half but his primary goal was to help defend the team’s 1-0 lead. He was successful in that as they got the win but only recorded one clearance defensively.

D, Ruan (56’), 5.5 — When Ruan came into the game, the Lions were still looking to tack on a second goal. They nearly did in the 80th minute when a break gave the Lions their second chance. Unfortunately, the break was too slow. This wasn’t the fault of Ruan, as his teammates didn’t utilize his speed by sending him into space. By the time he reached the ball, Diop was able to come off his line to make the stop. A minute later he found Michel but the midfielder wasn’t able to get much on the shot. It was a solid 34 minutes for Ruan but less impact than he probably would’ve wanted.

MF, Alexander Alvarado (76’), 5.5 — Alexander Alvarado came on for Akindele with 14 minutes remaining, looking to help seal the win. He made five passes in his 14 minutes, completing each one successfully. At the point of his entrance, the team was defending multiple attacks by the Impact and Alvarado helped. He made two interceptions that helped the team clear the ball and maintain the one-goal lead.

MF, Joey DeZart (85’), N/A — With five minutes remaining, Orlando City made a pair of substitutions, one of which was Joey DeZart for Michel. DeZart only touched the ball three times in those five minutes and recorded one clearance.

F, Matheus Aias (85’), N/A — A late change for Dike, Matheus Aias came on for the final five minutes of the game. He only touched the ball four times and passed once in the short time he was on the field.

That’s the way I saw Orlando City’s individual performances. Let us know what you thought about each Lion and don’t forget to vote on the Man of the Match.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Pedro Gallese5
Mauricio Pereyra38
Daryl Dike12
Robin Jansson1
Antonio Carlos11
Other2

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Orlando City

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

19 mins 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

Projected 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.

FC Cincinnati (3-4-1-2)

Goalkeeper: Alec Kann.

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.

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

1 hour ago

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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

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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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