Orlando City
2020 Orlando City Season in Review: Sebas Mendez
The 2020 season was Sebas Mendez’s second with Orlando City after signing on Dec. 28, 2018 from Independiente del Valle in Ecuador. The Lions reportedly beat both Sao Paulo FC and Atletico Paranaense to his signature and it is appearing to pay off thus far. Mendez once again showed how physically capable he is in the middle of the park and how robust he can be for the Lions.
While a good chunk of the 23-year-old’s appearances were off of the bench and he played 727 minutes fewer than last season, albeit in a shorter season, the question still remains: did he utilize his game time well in his second season with Orlando City?
Statistical Breakdown
As mentioned above, Mendez played far less this season for Orlando City than he did in 2019, although that was due in large part to the shortened season. Still, Mendez managed 19 appearances in the team’s 23 regular-season matches, but only 11 of those were starts, for a total of 1,087 minutes. The Ecuadorian did not have any game time in the playoffs due to testing positive for COVID-19 after returning from international duty.
Once again, Mendez did not score any goals or have any assists during the regular season. Out of 17 shots, only three were on target. However, one attacking stat that was quite impressive was his pass completion rate, which was a solid 90.5%.
On the defensive side, he boasted numbers that exemplify his aggression. He broke teams’ attacks by having an average 2.4 tackles, 0.6 interceptions, 0.4 clearances and 0.3 blocks per game. He received four yellow cards — including a second yellow to earn a sending off at Dallas — and committed 32 fouls, just eight fewer than his 40 last season. It seems as though his job is to be a bull in a china shop by discombobulating opposition and attacking plays with transitional fouls.
Additionally, Mendez played in all four of Orlando City’s MLS is Back Tournament knockout stage games in place of Junior Urso, starting all four for a total of 328 minutes. He didn’t score but he provided an assist against Minnesota United in the 3-1 win on Aug. 6 that pushed Orlando City into the championship match. He attempted eight shots in those four games, getting one on frame, and committed 10 fouls while drawing five from the opposition.
Best Game
Mendez’s best match of the season may have come in the MLS is Back Tournament semifinal against Minnesota United. In addition to assisting on a Nani goal for his lone assist of 2020, Mendez nearly set up another goal and he got on the ball more than anyone else on the team. He passed at a 90% clip and created two scoring chances. If not for two goals and an assist by Nani in this game, Mendez might have earned Man of the Match honors.
Orlando’s engine was at full steam in this game as Mendez led the team with 59 passes and had 68 touches — behind only Nani and Moutinho. Yes, Nani deserves the bulk of the credit for the second goal, but it was Mendez who reacted quickly to find Nani across the field, and deliver a ball fast enough and accurate enough to really earn that assist. He almost had a second assist but Ruan couldn’t convert his drilled cross. If he continues to do well with the ball at his feet like last night, then the game will really open up for the Lions.
Here’s a clip of Mendez picking out Nani across the field and delivering an accurate ball that led to the captain’s golazo:
The Ecuadorian’s performance helped Orlando reach its first ever final since joining MLS.
2020 Final Grade
The 23-year-old workhorse earned a respectable rating of 6 from The Mane Land staff. While Mendez did not quite kick on and improve on last season, receiving the exact same grade this year as he did last, he did not do himself any disservices either. With quality midfield players ahead of him in the pecking order such as Urso, Uri Rosell and Mauricio Pereyra, Mendez still managed a decent amount of minutes. In the 19 outings, he mastered a job that the aforementioned trio do not specialize in by being an utter nuisance to the opposition.
2021 Outlook
All in all, I think Mendez did exactly what was expected of him this season and I hope that he does the same in next year’s campaign. The role in which he specializes in is far from a glamorous one, however he is well-equipped and good at it and it is great to have an individual like him in the squad. Given the fact that Mendez remains under contract, it appears as if he will be staying at the club for next season. Even if he was not under contract, I believe Orlando City would have done all it could to keep hold of him as he is a valuable asset that the side reportedly already rejected a lucrative offer for in the past.
With the midfield of Urso, Pereyra, and Rosell, along with the tenacious terrier that is Mendez just behind them metaphorically and literally, Oscar Pareja has an incredibly well-balanced midfield at his disposal. Mendez is just the player you want as an option and he is so well-suited to his role as an engine on the team. Hopefully the belligerent, Ecuadorian machine can improve his game, eliminate some of the mistakes in his own defensive half, and earn a higher grade next season.
Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)
- Jordan Bender (12/2)
- Alex De John (12/3)
- Kamal Miller (12/4)
- Matheus Aias (12/5)
- Alexander Alvarado (12/6)
- Antonio Carlos (12/7)
- Joey DeZart (12/8)
- Dom Dwyer (12/9)
- Kyle Smith (12/10)
- Tesho Akindele (12/11)
- Santiago Patino (12/12)
- Robinho (12/13)
- Rodrigo Schlegel (12/14)
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match
How did the men in purple perform during Orlando City’s 2-0 victory over Charlotte FC?
Orlando City played a third straight game at home and picked up a third clean sheet win, beating Charlotte FC 2-0 in a match that ended up being a pretty comfortable affair for the men in purple. Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire got on the scoresheet again, the defense played lights out, an the Lions picked up all three points.
Let’s have a look at how the individuals performed in Wednesday night’s victory.
Starters
GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — It was a fairly quiet night in between the sticks for El Pulpo. Charlotte took four shots but only put two of them on target, both of which were placed comfortably close to Gallese, and were saved with no problem. At 72%, his passing accuracy could have been better, although he also completed two long balls and even picked up the secondary assist on McGuire’s goal. All in all, a nice, easy night’s work.
D, Rafael Santos, 6.5 — He was given the chance to try to replicate his stunning goal from the weekend, but Charlotte was wise to it and his shot was blocked. That was the only one the fullback took, but he also chipped in with two crosses and two long balls going forward. He had an excellent defensive night with a game-high four tackles, three clearances, one interception, and 91% passing accuracy. He’s been putting in vastly improved performances lately after a shaky start to the season, and Wednesday night was no exception.
D, Robin Jansson, 7.5 — Charlotte rarely threatened OCSC’s goal, and the Beefy Swede was a big reason why. He put in a composed and commanding performance at the back, and helped snuff out the few dangerous moments that the visitors did muster. He totaled four interceptions and five clearances, both of which were game highs, drew two fouls, and completed five long balls while passing with 89% accuracy. He did have a scary moment in the first half when he committed a silly turnover in his own half, but other than that it was the kind of performance we’re used to seeing.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 7 — Schlegel’s performance complemented Jansson’s perfectly. He stepped into the spaces the captain vacated the few times he ventured forward and did a good job marshalling his side of the back line. He recorded two tackles, one interception, three clearances, and eight long balls while passing with 93% accuracy. He’s another guy who’s been playing a lot better after having some difficult moments during the first few months of the season, and Wednesday was an example of what he can look like when he’s on form.
D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6.5 — DDT provided exactly the sort of performance that won him the starting right back role, as he was steady, didn’t make mistakes, and combined well with Torres going forward, even though it didn’t show up on the stat sheet. He finished with one tackle, three clearances, four long balls, and 83% passing accuracy. He gets a black mark for picking up a yellow card, but frankly it was a soft one, so it’s hard to hold it against him too much.
MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — Cesar did exactly what we’ve come to expect from him, as he ran a lot, did the dirty work in midfield, and took care of the ball. He even took a shot, which isn’t something you see every day, although it was blocked and didn’t come to anything. He recorded one interception, one clearance, drew a whopping seven fouls, completed eight long balls, passed with 87% accuracy, and committed two fouls of his own. The biggest downside of his performance was picking up a yellow card, which means he’ll be suspended for this weekend’s trip to Columbus due to accumulation.
MF, Wilder Cartagena, 7 — The Peruvian isn’t exactly known for his goal scoring, but he really should have gotten things started in the fourth minute when the ball found him in the box with a clear shooting lane. He blasted the ball directly at Kristijan Kahlina though, and the chance went wanting. He played a good game otherwise though, helping Araujo control the midfield and distributing the ball well. He finished with two tackles, one clearance, two completed dribbles, three fouls drawn, three fouls committed, four long balls, and 89% passing accuracy.
MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — His game isn’t well-suited to opponents who put men behind the ball and bunker, but he still had good moments on offense. He did well to steal the ball and start the break with 20 minutes played, and while nothing came of it that time, he played a smart pass to find Martin Ojeda in the second half and picked up the secondary assist on the opening goal as a result. He finished with two tackles, two shots that were both blocked, one completed dribble, one foul drawn, and 94% passing accuracy.
MF, Martin Ojeda, 7.5 — As has usually been the case lately, Ojeda was involved in a lot of what Orlando City did well. His Olimpico attempt landing on the roof of the net was a moment to forget, but he did a lot of creative work from open play, particularly when drifting out towards the left side of the field. That’s the area that he ultimately created the goal from, as he made a nice diagonal run into space, kept his head up after receiving the ball from Angulo, and then played a perfectly weighted ball to the back post for Facundo Torres to smash home. His night finished with two fouls committed and a yellow card, one shot that was blocked, two key passes, one assist, three crosses, and 92% passing accuracy.
MF, Facundo Torres, 7.5 (MotM) — Another game brought another goal for Orlando’s main man, and it really could, and probably should, have been two. Headers aren’t a strong point of the little Uruguayan’s game, but he’s scored them before and he should have done better with the free one that he got in the first half. He made up for it with a venomous volley in the second though, and he once again was a source of danger throughout the game. He got a well-deserved bit of rest with a substitution as the game wound down, and his final stat line read three shots (one on target and two off target), one goal, one interception, one clearance, one foul committed, one foul drawn, three key passes, one long ball, and 80% passing accuracy. He gets the Man of the Match award, although there were several worthy candidates in this one.
F, Ramiro Enrique, 5.5 — It was a pretty quiet night for the Argentine, as he only recorded 11 touches during the 45 minutes he was on the field. His biggest moment of involvement came during the 20th minute. The Lions broke down the left hand side and Ojeda found Enrique on the edge of the box with a great pass, but the striker’s first touch was far too heavy and he lost possession of the ball. Like Angulo, this type of game doesn’t really play to his strengths, and it showed.
Substitutes
F, Duncan McGuire (45’), 7 — Dunc entered the fray after the halftime break, and put in an efficient 45 minutes. He actually had fewer touches than Enrique as he finished with seven, but it’s what he did with those touches that made all the difference. He took his goal superbly, timing his run to perfection and splitting the Charlotte center backs with ease before executing a textbook chip to beat Kahlina and double the Lions’ lead. His run pulled plenty of Charlotte’s attention away from Torres on the back side of goal on the first Orlando City strike. He finished with 83% passing accuracy, one foul committed, one clearance, one goal, and two shots (one on target, one off target). The only improvement could have come if he’d scored on his second chance of the game, a free (albeit tricky) header.
MF, Nicolas Lodeiro (63′), 6.5 — On as a second half sub for Martin Ojeda, Lodeiro offered a different look going forward than his South American counterpart. He did an excellent job taking care of the ball as he delivered all 11 of his passes accurately, and provided a key pass and a long ball as well. He took one shot which was blocked, and chipped in on defense with a tackle and an interception.
D, Kyle Smith (79′), N/A — Smith came on for Dagur Dan to give the Icelandic defender a rest and help close out the game. He turned in a steady performance and completed 80% of his passes but didn’t record any other statistics. He didn’t spend enough time on the field to earn a grade.
F, Luis Muriel (82′), N/A — Muriel entered the game to give Angulo some rest, and managed to be pretty involved during his short time on the field. On defense, he chipped in with one tackle and committed one foul, and also picked up a silly yellow card for kicking the ball away. Going forward, he completed one dribble, accurately delivered all eight of his passes, completed one key pass, and notched an assist on McGuire’s goal. He did so by bringing down Gallese’s goal kick, and played an excellent through ball to Dunc with his second touch to put his fellow striker through on goal. If Orlando can get regular goal contributions from him, it adds another dimension to an already dangerous offense.
MF, Luca Petrasso (82′), N/A — Petrasso made his first appearance of the season when he came on for Torres, as Oscar Pareja looked to simultaneously give his star man some rest while also closing down the game. Playing winger instead of fullback, Petrasso committed one foul, completed one cross, and accurately delivered the one pass he made, which was also a key pass. He was unlucky to not pick up an assist on that pass, as he picked out a great back-post ball for McGuire, who couldn’t put his stooped header in the back of the net.
That’s how I viewed the performances from another nice win by the good guys. What did you make of the game? Have your say down in the comments and be sure to vote for your Man of the Match. Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Five Takeaways
Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 2-0 victory over Charlotte FC.
Orlando City hosted Charlotte FC in a midweek matchup at Inter&Co Stadium. It wasn’t the most enjoyable match to watch, especially in the first half, but ultimately the Lions earned all three points and a clean sheet with a 2-0 victory over the visitors. Here are my five takeaways from another important win at home.
Possession without Purpose
That’s a little bit harsh. Orlando City did have a purpose to go along with all of its 62% possession in the first half. That purpose was to score a goal. What the Lions didn’t have was very many good opportunities on goal in the first half. The Lions took seven shots, with only one on target. The Lions passed at an 89% rate in the first half, but were frustrated in the attack thanks in part to how difficult Charlotte is to break down.
Boring FC
I don’t know how Charlotte FC fans watch this team week in and week out. They don’t give up a lot of goals, but they don’t score many goals either. If I wasn’t covering the match I might have fallen asleep. Defensively, Charlotte is very sound. The addition of Tim Ream at center back only made The Crown more frustrating to play. It reminded me of those tedious matches against Nashville SC a few years ago. Thankfully, it didn’t stay that way the whole match.
Fantastic Facundo
It didn’t take long into the second half for the Lions to finally get on the board. The Lions did what they had done all game, possessing, working the ball into the attack, and crossing the ball into the box. The difference this time was the accuracy of Martin Ojeda’s cross, Charlotte not being in position, and Torres making the most of the chance. He took the ball in mid-air with his favored left foot and put the ball past Kristijan Kahlina to give the Lions the lead.
McGuire Magic
Many consider 2-0 to be the most dangerous score line in soccer. I disagree. I’m always more worried when my team is leading by only one goal. Thankfully, Orlando City got a second goal in the 89th minute. It would be hard to have a quicker buildup to the goal than this one. Pedro Gallese sent the ball up to Luis Muriel, who took one touch, turned, and sent a perfect through ball to Duncan McGuire. For his part, McGuire timed his run perfectly, split the defense, chipped the keeper, and the celebration was on. That’s two straight matches with a goal for Big Dunc. It’s seems he might be “back.”
Muriel Makes a Difference
I already mentioned Muriel’s exceptional assist on the McGuire goal, but that wasn’t all he did. Muriel looked much better on and off the ball for Orlando City in his limited time on the pitch against Charlotte just days after a good performance late against New England. He seemed to know better where his teammates were and would be. Muriel only made eight passes on the night, including the assist, but he completed all of them. There were other times when he was on the ball and was able to keep it away from Charlotte as Orlando looked to see the match out. He may have only played the last 17 minutes of the match, but he looked more comfortable than he has all season. Heading into the playoffs, that is a good thing.
It wasn’t always pretty, but three points is still three points. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and as always Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 9/19/24
Lions beat Charlotte FC, Pareja on Orlando City’s success, U-20 USWNT falls, and more.
It may be a Thursday, but Orlando City’s win Wednesday night makes it feel a little bit more like a Friday. It’s been pretty great seeing all three of Orlando’s soccer teams performing well over the past few weeks. Let’s dive right into Orlando City’s win and more in today’s links!
Orlando City Beats Charlotte FC at Home
The Lions hosted Charlotte FC in a midweek matchup and took all three points in a 2-0 victory. Orlando’s attacking stars showed up when needed, resulting in a nice pair of goals in the second half. The defense also took care of business to secure the team’s third consecutive clean sheet. With another win under their belt, the Lions are now fourth in the Eastern Conference standings with 43 points and a tiebreaker (wins) over the New York Red Bulls. The result was also Head Coach Oscar Pareja’s 171st regular-season win in MLS, putting him in sole possession of fifth on the all-time list.
Oscar Pareja Discusses Late Season Surge
After a sluggish start to the season, Orlando City is parlaying another strong summer into a great run to close out the season. The Lions have won seven of their last nine league games and are on a nine-game unbeaten streak at home across all competitions. Head Coach Oscar Pareja is no stranger to getting an MLS team performing at its best this time of year.
“I do feel that urgency to start heating up better for us to win games. It is a part of the season where you start feeling kind of the smell of autumn,” the Colombian said in a recent one-on-one conversation with MLSsoccer.com. “And that is related to competition, with not much mistakes, and winning the games that you must win. So that is really what we feel now.”
He also spoke on the reasons behind Orlando’s slow start, improvements by Martin Ojeda and Luis Muriel, and how the team is juggling multiple options at forward. It’s a great interview from Pareja that details some of the team’s decisions this season.
Breaking Down the NWSL Awards Contenders
With only six games left for each team in the NWSL season, it’s becoming clearer which players are contenders to win an award at the end of the season. The MVP race looks to be between Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda and the Kansas City Current’s Temwa Chawinga, and it may just come down to if Banda can close the gap some in the Golden Boot race. Pride center back Emily Sams is the frontrunner for Defender of the Year for her role in an Orlando defense that’s only allowed 12 goals in 20 games this season. That defense is partly why Anna Moorhouse isn’t the favorite for Goalkeeper of the Year, despite 11 clean sheets this season. Seb Hines is nearly a lock to win Coach of the Year, although Kansas City’s Vlatko Andonovski has a shot depending on how the rest of the season shakes out.
U.S. Falls in U-20 World Cup Semifinals
The United States U-20 Women’s National Team wasn’t able to pull off a comeback in the U-20 Women’s World Cup semifinals, losing 1-0 to Korea DPR. Pride midfielder Ally Lemos started for the U.S. and played every minute of the game. Choe Il Son scored the only goal of the game in the first half , and the U.S. wasn’t able to find an equalizer despite some decent chances. The U.S. will miss out on Sunday’s final, but will take on the Netherlands to close out its tournament in the third-place match on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City B duo Justin Ellis and Colin Guske both scored in the United States U-18 National Team’s 2-0 win over Peru in a youth tournament in Japan. Ellis also scored in a 4-3 loss to Japan as the U.S. went 1-1-1 in its three matches.
- Lionel Messi won MLS Goal of the Matchday, beating out Orlando’s Rafael Santos and LA Galaxy pair Edwin Cerrillo and Riqui Puig. Santos’ impressive strike from distance deserved more than the 7.6% share of the vote it received.
- Toyota Stadium, home of FC Dallas, is set to undergo major renovations that include adding a roof to provide more shade to fans and increasing seating capacity.
- In Champions League action, Manchester City and Inter Milan played to a scoreless draw in England while Paris Saint-Germain needed an own goal to win 1-0 over Girona. Borussia Dortmund and Celtic also enjoyed wins to start their campaigns.
- AS Roma sacked Daniele De Rossi just four games into the Serie A season and hired Ivan Juric.
- French striker Anthony Martial landed in Greece to sign with AEK Athens on a free transfer.
That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!
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