Connect with us

Orlando City

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

Published

3 years ago

on

In the final game of Orlando City’s 2020 MLS regular season campaign, a late collapse resulted in a 3-2 loss against Nashville SC. Despite a strong start, the defense gave way to Nashville’s second-half substitutes, conceding twice in the final two minutes of the game and four minutes of injury time. Daryl Dike continued his torrid form with another goal and we saw a moment of brilliance from Nani (who was allowed to play after his red card was rescinded by the league), but it wasn’t enough to hold onto the points.

Orlando fell to fourth in the Eastern Conference and will play bitter rivals New York City FC in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs. Here’s how the Lions performed in a very disappointing close to the season.

Starters

GK, Brian Rowe, 5 — I don’t want to put too much of the blame on Rowe for the goals, but it was far from a great performance from the veteran backup. He did make a hat trick of saves, including a very nice stop on Derrick Jones, but he did concede three goals. The first goal was simply a wonder-strike from Daniel Lovitz — nothing he could really do there — but the other two feel like maybe he could’ve done more. It would’ve been very impressive as both headers were wide open on the doorstep, but Rowe was in position to potentially make a play, but he couldn’t.

D, Kyle Smith, 5.5 — It was far from the best performance for Smith against Nashville. Going forward he was a complete non-factor with no shots and only one cross, though he did draw the free kick on which Nani scored. He struggled to contain Randall Leal, losing several duels on the outside, and also committed a team-high five fouls, including the one that set up the game-winning goal. On the bright side, he was fairly good in possession, completing 40 passes at an 83% clip, and had a solid five ball recoveries. He wasn’t horrible but it was far from a great game for the fullback.

D, Robin Jansson, 5.5 — The big Swede had a solid game leading the back line but it was a struggle at times. On the bright side, his distribution was solid with 43 completed passes at 84% and three very solid completed long balls. He also led the team in clearances with seven. Unfortunately for Orlando, he was very poor in the air, losing both of his aerial duels.

D, Antonio Carlos, 6 — It may have been a frustrating defensive performance, but Antonio Carlos was mostly impressive once again. His distribution was excellent, completing 88% of his passes, including six out of eight long balls. He nearly found his way onto the score sheet with a brilliant bit of skill off a corner in the 64th minute, but the final effort was well wide. Defensively, Carlos was the anchor of the back line with five clearances, four interceptions and five ball recoveries. But much like Jansson, his play in the air in the last few minutes of the game was poor. He wasn’t in a good position on Mukhtar for the second goal, making it far too easy for the designated player to score.

D, Ruan, 5.5 — The pacey Brazilian had his moments against Nashville, but it was a poor showing for the right back. He was solid going forward once again, registering a key pass and three crosses, but defensively things were inconsistent. He did lead the team in completed tackles with three, but down the stretch it was a struggle. He really struggled with Alex Muyl allowing the ball into the area that led to Nashville’s second goal. He also got shielded by Muyl on the third goal, leaving Cadiz to run in unmarked. Maybe it felt like it was a worse performance than it really was, but it was disappointing regardless.

MF, Chris Muelller, 7.5 — Mueller’s breakout season continued in this one as he was a force to be reckoned with going forward. It was his pressure and excellent run that led to the assist on Dike’s goal early in the first half and he created several other chances as well, finishing with a pair of key passes. His energy created a spark in transition and set the tempo for the Lions going forward. It wasn’t always the cleanest for the Money Badger, but he now sits at 17 goal contributions (goals plus assists), only behind LAFC’s Diego Rossi and Toronto’s Alejandro Pozuelo.

MF, Andres Perea, 6.5 — It wasn’t a particularly dynamic performance, but the Colombian youth international continues to look very sound in the center of midfield. He led the team in passing with 61 completed passes at an incredible 92% clip, with a team leading 10 successful long balls as well. His defense was solid as well with three interceptions and eight ball recoveries. However, he provided very little going forward, failing to register a key pass or shot on target despite getting an excellent open look from the top of the area. Even if he’s not a particularly dynamic player, he’s looking better and better every game and I really hope that his loan can be made permanent this offseason.

MF, Junior Urso, 6 — The Bear had a quiet performance in his 72-minute outing, but it was fairly effective. He was a beast winning the ball back, as per usual, with a solid seven recoveries. Against the physical Anibal Godoy and Dax McCarty it’s important to match the intensity and Urso provided that energy and strength in the middle of the park. Like Perea, he wasn’t much of a factor going forward, though he found himself with a chance at a header in the box on multiple occasions.

MF, Jordan Bender, 5 — The most interesting lineup decision made by Oscar Pareja in the regular season finale by far was giving Homegrown Player and Lake Mary native Jordan Bender his first ever MLS start. The 19-year-old attacker showed plenty of promise with a few impressive runs, but he’s clearly still a very raw prospect. Multiple times the moment got away from Bender and he took a slightly heavy touch or had a slightly late reaction that squandered a potentially lethal attack. He did make one nice cross in the 33rd minute that Dike headed on goal. It wasn’t the a dynamic introduction for the youngster, but it’s very exciting to see the him make his first start.

F, Nani, 7.5 — MLS thankfully rescinded the captain’s garbage red card against Columbus, and the Portuguese superstar delivered against Nashville. He was fairly inefficient and ineffective for much of the game, completing only 78% of his passes and only racking up a single key pass, but he still delivered a moment of brilliance when the team needed it. His 61st-minute free kick goal was the moment of the match for Orlando and looked to potentially seal the three points. Things took a turn for the worse following his substitution, but when his team needed him, the captain delivered.

F, Daryl Dike, 8 (MotM) — The rookie striker has been in impeccable form as of late and that certainly didn’t stop against Nashville. He returned to the score sheet early in the game, capitalizing on a Mueller counter attack with an excellent low drive to the far corner. It’s not a goal that will break the internet, but the class on the strike was excellent from the young man. He nearly grabbed a second with an inviting header off Bender’s cross in the 33rd minute, but a nice save by Joe Willis kept Dike from his brace. For much of the game, Nashville really struggled to contain Dike. His strength, and a surprising show of pace and skill, allowed him to easily get by defenders and put his team in dangerous positions while his holdup play continues to be superb. Dike is quickly becoming one of the better strikers in the league and could become the Lions’ best striker since Cyle Larin.

Substitutes

F, Tesho Akindele (46’), 6.5 — It was a quiet game for Tesho, who came on for Bender in the second half, but it was far from poor. He didn’t create any chances, but his ability on the ball helped Orlando transition from defense to offense. Though he’s a striker by trade, the Canadian has shown that he’s plenty capable dropping into midfield, and against Nashville that versatility was on display once again.

MF, Sebas Mendez (71’), 6.5 — For the second match in a row, Sebas came off the bench to help bolster the midfield down the stretch and he played fairly well in limited action once again. He completed all of his 11 passes including a key pass. His defensive work was solid as well, with a clearance and an interception. He couldn’t help the Lions secure the three points (or one point for that matter) but it was another solid performance from the young Ecuadorian international.

F, Benji Michel (72’), 5 — After his heroics against the Crew midweek, it would’ve been impossible to match that performance, but even so it was a slightly disappointing outing. The homegrown striker only had eight touches in his 20 minutes on the pitch and was a complete non-presence.

MF, Joey DeZart (87’), N/A — It was a cameo performance from the rookie in an attempt to secure the result, but things soured once he came on the pitch. That’s not really on DeZart but he did very little in his few minutes in this one.

F, Matheus Aias (90’), N/A — Pareja brought on Matheus in a desperate attempt to secure the three points in stoppage time, but the Lions were unable to generate any offense in injury time.

That was my take on Orlando’s disappointing end to the regular season, but how do you think the Lions played? Vote on who you thought deserved man of the match.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Daryl Dike29
Chris Mueller6
Nani3
Andres Perea0
Other (write in comments)0

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Final Score 1-0 as 10-Man Lions Concede Early Once Again

A goal conceded early and a first-half red card put Orlando in a bad spot early and the Lions could never recover in yet another home loss.

Published

6 hours ago

on

May 4, 2024

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Luciano Acosta scored less than half a minute after kickoff and Rodrigo Schlegel was sent off in the 23rd minute, yet the Lions still had opportunities to beat FC Cincinnati at Inter&Co Stadium. That was especially true after Cincinnati (6-2-3, 21 points) also had a man sent off late in the second half. However, great goalkeeping by Roman Celentano and the same lack of finishing touch that has plagued Orlando (2-5-3, 9 points) all season was again on display and the Lions fell 1-0, dropping to a pitiful 1-3-2 at home on the year.

“Another frustrating night, because the result obviously at this point where we are with urgency to add points is the feeling that we all had in the locker room,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “But I think the effort and the character of the players demonstrates that we still are brave and were trying to bounce back. I thought we were the best team, but that doesn’t give us anything.”

Pareja’s lineup was almost the same as the starting XI against Toronto, with Schlegel starting over David Brekalo, who was on the bench. Pedro Gallese was in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena started in the central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Facundo Torres, with Duncan McGuire up top.

Cincinnati needed just 22 seconds to open the scoring. DeAndre Yedlin sent Acosta down the right wing and the Cincy Designated Player cut inside twice to beat two defenders and his shot bulged the net behind Gallese to make it 1-0. It was his sixth goal of the season.

“You can say we weren’t concentrated at the start, or you can say anything, but the reality is that can’t be allowed to happen, and that’s something that we talked about amongst the players as well,” Gallese said.

Orlando came within inches of tying the game in the fifth minute on the game’s first corner kick. Ojeda sent in a good ball that fell to Cartagena’s foot The Peruvian’s volley shot crashed off the front of the crossbar and the visitors cleared.

The next good chance for either side came in the 19th minute off a free kick won by Araujo. Taking the set piece himself, the midfielder hit his entry ball off the defenders in front of him, but he was able to recycle it wide. The ball was sent across the box and bounced just inches behind where Torres could get to it and bounced harmlessly away.

A minute later, the game changed for the worse for the Lions.

Schlegel appeared to have plenty of time to make a routine play on the ball but somehow got himself in a poor position and had it taken away. Yuya Kubo broke in toward goal all alone and Schlegel caught up from behind, knocking the ball away. Referee Ismail Elfath initially ruled that he made a clean tackle but after Orlando won a corner kick at the other end, he took a look at the monitor and changed his call. Schlegel was sent off and Cincinnati awarded a dangerous free kick just outside the penalty area.

Thorhallsson blocked the ensuing free kick but was a bit shaken up and needed a quick visit from the trainers before continuing.

Brekalo came on for Ojeda and Orlando shifted to a 5-3-1, looking to keep Cincinnati to just the one goal and hoping to find opportunities to counter. Neither side was able to create much after the formation change, but the visitors were hardly pressing with the lead already in their pockets.

Thorhallsson went down off the ball just before halftime and needed to be helped off the field. Michael Halliday replaced him.

The Lions had the best chance in first-half stoppage time, as a ball into the box fell dangerously in front for Halliday. He and a Cincinnati defender went down with the ball next to them and Angulo tried to dig it out so he could shoot, but the defense arrived and cleared the danger.

“It just kind of bounced around. I tried to do everything I could to just kick it towards the goal, but his foot was there and then it just got caught up, so there was nothing I could do,” Halliday said.

That was the last sight of goal for either side and Cincy took its one-goal lead to the break.

Cincinnati unsurprisingly held the advantage in possession (55.1%-44.9%) and passing accuracy (90.3%-82.2%), and also led in shots on target (2-0). Orlando City attempted more shots (4-3), and won more corners (3-1).

Orlando City came out of the locker room looking to get even on the scoreboard, and the first chance of the half went to the Lions. Angulo blazed down the right and got to a loose ball first. He beat his defender and rounded the keeper, but that action allowed the defense to get back and clear his shot off the line in front of goal in the 48th minute. A follow-up shot by Araujo was deflected just wide seconds later.

Cincinnati tried to break in transition off the ensuing Orlando corner and Santos did well to track back and make a sliding challenge to prevent a scoring chance. Unfortunately, the Brazilian appeared to dislocate his right shoulder doing so. He came off and was replaced by Nico Lodeiro, with Angulo sliding back to the left back position.

Halliday made a sliding effort to get to an Angulo cross in the 56th minute but the ball was just inches out of reach in front of a gaping net. The flag came up on the play afterward, but it appeared Angulo did well to time his run and the review would have been interesting had Orlando scored.

Cartagena thought he scored in the 68th minute as he blasted a shot into the back of the net. The flag, however, came up for an offside on Torres, adding to the series of unfortunate events. Elfath never went to the monitor for the review. This time, he took the word of video assistant referee Fabio Tovar.

“Very frustrated with the call on the goal that was taken from us,” Pareja said. “I don’t know why (Elfath) did not go and see it. Since we have technology and we can have space to take time and make good decisions. At this point in my review it was just very doubtful.”

Jansson couldn’t quite get onto a header across the box by McGuire in the 70th minute off an Orlando set piece, as the Lions continued to look for the equalizer.

The visitors nearly doubled their lead in the 71st minute when Kubo got sent in down the right channel. He tried to go near post but missed just wide of the right upright.

Elfath leveled the playing field in the 78th minute when second-half sub Bret Halsey committed a foul on Angulo and then knocked the ball away to waste time. That was Halsey’s second booking and put Cincinnati down to 10 men.

“When they got the red card, I wanted just to have the two central backs again and then push Wilder in front of them so he could push Cesar,” Pareja said. “That way we can advance another forward or another midfielder — in this case Lodeiro — higher on the pitch. But it didn’t happen much. I thought that we were playing better before.”

Halliday broke in behind the defense on the right in the 82nd minute and fired a shot that deflected off a defender. That changed the flight path of the ball and Celentano made a good save to keep it out.

Substitute Luis Muriel won a free kick in the 85th minute and Lodeiro took the set piece, but he sent it right at Celentano as there was a bit too much whip on his cross. Celentano then made the save of the night in the 88th minute. Angulo blew past Alvas Powell on the left and chipped a cross into the middle. Lodeiro nodded it on frame and Celentano threw up a hand at the last second to keep it out.

Orlando City couldn’t fashion any danger in the seemingly short four minutes of stoppage time and the Lions fell for the second straight match.

FC Cincinnati finished with the advantage in possession (54.7%-45.3%) and passing accuracy (89.8%-81.1%), while Orlando City held the edge in shots (9-6) and corner kicks (5-3). Each team put three shots on target.

“I told the players what I saw on the pitch a was team with heart, with character,” Pareja said.

“I think what we can take out of this game is our mentality was good just to keep going with 10 men versus 11 most of the game, and just the fact that we kept pushing,” Halliday said. “That’s it, nothing more. It seemed like everything was going against us as a team. None of us want that first play to happen. It can’t happen. We did well to keep going after that but it’s frustrating that nothing more came of it.”

“The reality of the game overall is that we’re in a bad run right now, but there’s still plenty of games left that we have to fight for and continue pushing forward,” Gallese said. “But, you know, football is like life, and in life you’ve got tough moments, and you just have to face those moments and push forward and move ahead. And that’s what this team is going to have to do.”

The focus now turns to how quickly Orlando can get its two starting fullbacks healthy after both left the pitch with injuries tonight.

The Lions go on the road next Saturday as they visit the Philadelphia Union.

Continue Reading

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

18 hours ago

on

May 4, 2024

By

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

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, Facundo Torres, Martin Ojeda.

Forward: Duncan McGuire.

Bench: Mason Stajduhar, Kyle Smith, Michael Halliday, David Brekalo, Felipe, Jeorgio Kocevski, Nico Lodeiro, Jack Lynn, Luis Muriel.

FC Cincinnati (3-4-1-2)

Goalkeeper: Roman Celentano.

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.

Bench: Alec Kann, Alvas Powell, Nick Hagglund, Bret Halsey, Malik Pinto, Gerardo Valenzuela, Kipp Keller, Kevin Kelsy, Yamil Asad.

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!

Continue Reading

Opinion

Predicting Orlando City’s May Results

Take a peek into the crystal ball as we predict this month’s fixtures.

Published

19 hours ago

on

May 4, 2024

By

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!

Continue Reading

Trending