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Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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3 years ago

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Orlando City remains unbeaten after a 1-1 draw at home against New York City FC. After a scoreless first half, Nani gave the Lions a lead in the 52nd minute for his third goal in three games. But João Moutinho, who came on to replace Ruan after halftime, conceded a penalty and Valentin Castellanos slotted it away to equalize. It was a game filled with chances for both sides, but neither was able to capture all three points, as has happened so often in this evenly matched series.

Here’s how each Lion individually rated in the match, along with who was named the Man of the Match.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 7.5 (MotM) — The Peruvian goalkeeper had his busiest game of the season, making three saves. His first and easiest came in the seventh minute when he dove to stop a shot from Andres Jasson outside of the box. Later, in the 28th minute, he made a crucial save one-on-one against Castellanos to keep the score level. But his biggest save came in the last moment of the game. Jesus Medina was in on goal and it looked as if NYCFC would steal all three points. But El Pulpo went low and covered all angles to make the crucial stop. If I could take the Man of the Match title and divvy them up three ways to Gallese and his center backs, I would. The three of them have done extremely well to only concede two goals this season, a giveaway and a penalty. But today’s honor goes to Gallese, even if he wasn’t able to make the save on the penalty. His confidence and positioning ability deserves some recognition, especially late with the game on the line as he put himself in the best possible place to not be easily beaten.

D, Ruan, 6 — Ruan’s speed was a factor early on, with the Brazilian sprinting down the field on a counter and making a tight pass that almost found Tesho Akindele in the box. His crossing ability still needs some fine tuning as both of his attempted crosses were unsuccessful, but he’s getting better at lifting his head up with the ball at his feet instead of taking shots at bad angles. He was the outlet for most of Orlando’s offense until going down in a tackle where he tracked back to stop a surging Jasson. He was limping in the final minutes of the first half and didn’t return in the second half, replaced by Moutinho. Ruan finished the match with 26 touches and 17 passes with an 88% success rate. Defensively, he made three clearances, tying for most on the team.

D, Antonio Carlos, 7.5 — The center back led the team in touches (89), interceptions (3), and passes (75) in a strong performance full of great moments. Of those 75 passes, 69 of them found their intended target for an impressive 92% success rate. Going up against a group of clever players from NYCFC, Carlos made sure that they weren’t able to capitalize on the many chances they created. Keep an eye on Carlos in set pieces moving forward. Orlando’s corners and free kicks usually wound up near the Brazilian’s head and it’s likely by design rather than chance. Carlos was only able to get his head onto one for a shot that went wide, but if he can improve this part of his game then he can become one of the best center backs in the league.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 7.5 — If there is one thing to learn from Schlegel’s performance last night, it’s that he is so much more than a folk hero or feel good story for Orlando. The Argentine center back is a defensive juggernaut, and not just because his head seems to hit the ball harder than the X-Men villain’s would. While he was a force all night, his best minutes of play came around the 20th minute. Schlegel slid to deny Castellanos on the end line and then blocked Maxime Chanot’s shot on the following corner before getting back into position to make life difficult again for Castellanos. He had 63 touches, two tackles, two interceptions, a headed shot right at Sean Johnson, and completed 90% of his 52 passes. There were so many times in the past where the absence of one center back would cripple Orlando’s defense. That’s no longer the case thanks to Schlegel.

D, Kyle Smith, 6 — In the first half, he had a tough match-up against Anton Tinnerholm, one of the best right backs in MLS. He was also beaten by Castellanos in the 28th minute in a play that ended with a shot on goal for NYCFC, but improved defensively as the game wore on. Ruan exited after halftime and Smith drifted back to his preferred right side of the pitch. NYCFC wasn’t too threatened by him offensively and he didn’t give them much of a reason to be, apart from some nice series with Urso on the wings. He had a weak shot from an awkward volley that might have been an attempted pass but it was gobbled up by Johnson anyway. Neither of his two crosses found their mark, he picked up a yellow card, made two clearances, and had one tackle in a full shift. Smith had 73 touches in this one and completed 83% of his 52 passes.

MF, Junior Urso, 7 — Urso had a bit of a quiet first half with little room to work with in the center of the field, but was a man possessed in the second half. With Ruan off the field, the offense needed a new dynamic and Urso stepped up to the plate. The Bear had a shot saved after a good series of passes along the right side, and minutes later he beat a defender with a nutmeg dribble in the play leading up to Nani’s goal. It was great to see Urso pushing forward in the attack, but he was no slouch on defense and pitched in with two tackles and an interception as well. He had 68 touches in this one and a decent 90% success rate on 51 passes.

MF, Sebas Mendez, 6 — Compared to last week’s match against FC Cincinnati, Mendez had to work in a much more crowded midfield this time around. There were a few errant passes early on from him, but he settled in and carved himself out a spot to connect Orlando’s defense and offense. He led the Lions with five tackles, tied Ruan with a team-high three clearances, and made two interceptions. On offense, his only shot of the game sailed high into the stands, but he did set Mauricio Pereyra up well for a shot. The Ecuadorian was second in touches with 85 and made 64 passes at an 84% rate. His only attempted cross of the game was unsuccessful and Mendez wasn’t able to impose his will on the midfield like past games this time around.

MF, Chris Mueller, 5 — No player was affected more by Ruan’s exit than Mueller and he was eclipsed a bit by Urso on his side of the attack. Mueller had no shots in 80 minutes of play, and in fact passed up a couple of good opportunities to fire a shot. He had a hard time finding his place in this one and only had 39 touches and 23 passes — albeit at a good 87% rate — also connecting on one of his two crosses. Mueller was dispossessed twice and had a habit of dribbling into trouble in a quiet game that was far from his best. He does get some brownie points for deflecting a free kick that could have been dangerous though.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 — Pereyra led the Lions in key passes with three as he continuously found players in great positions. The Uruguayan made the assist on Nani’s goal, becoming a revolving door to turn an incoming pass from Urso into perfect service for Nani in one of his favorite spots on the field. He had an 81% success rate on 54 passes, which is pretty good considering the usual distance and boldness from the type of passes he attempts. Pereyra also had the ball teed up for him by Mendez outside of the box, but his shot went wide. He was subbed off late in the second half and had 69 touches. Defensively, he had the second-most tackles on the team with three and had one interception. Pereyra also won three fouls, committing two of his own.

F, Tesho Akindele, 6 — Perhaps no one on the team ran more, or harder, than Akindele did throughout his 71 minutes of play. He still has moments where his touch lets him down, like when Nani delivered a good ball in the box in the first half. But his hold-up play was good for the second-straight match and he made multiple runs to split NYCFC’s center backs that went unrewarded with a pass from his teammates. His only shot attempt was blocked by a desperation lunge by a defender. Regardless, Akindele did all of the little things. If there was a loose ball in Orlando’s attacking third, Akindele was usually chasing it down and his pressing forced NYCFC into turnovers or poor long balls on occasion. He only made nine passes, but all were on target and one was a key pass. Subbed off in the 71st minute for fresher legs after running like a madman all game, the Canadian finished with 17 touches on a night when the opposition’s tight shape limited opportunities.

F, Nani, 7.5 — The captain did it again, working his magic at the top of the box and firing the ball into the back of the net. He was patient as he picked out what he wanted to do with the ball and then got his shot off before NYCFC could close down on him. It was a bit of an off night for his distribution though considering all four of his crosses in open play were unsuccessful, although not all were his fault and it was difficult to center the ball to a teammate with all of NYCFC’s bodies in the box. His one key pass was from one of his five corner kicks and he ended with 44 passes at a 77% success rate. Nani’s other shot of the evening was blocked and there were some miscues late when Orlando tried to switch play and take advantage of Tinnerholm’s exit. Still, it was a good game from Nani beyond his goal as he racked up 75 touches, two dribbles, a tackle, a clearance, and an interception, and often dropped to provide a calm outlet from New York City FC’s pressure — something that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.

Substitutes

D, João Moutinho (45’), 5.5 — Whether it be from rust or fatigue, his tackle in the box that led to the penalty was a bad one. To be fair, Ishmael Tajouri-Shradi put the left back in a tough position and Moutinho took a stab that landed on the midfielder’s foot. It was rough to watch as NYCFC was given a lifeline back into the match, but life goes on and Moutinho will shake it off. Aside from the one bad moment, Moutinho was actually a bright spot at both ends of the pitch. In the most action he’s seen this season, Moutinho had 43 touches and was successful on 77% of his 31 passes. He had one cross, a key pass that found Benji Michel’s head in the box.

F, Benji Michel (71’), 5.5 — The forward didn’t make much noise as a substitute in this game, his only shot coming from Moutinho’s cross. It was an awkward angle for him as the ball wasn’t from out wide, but Michel was able to dig low like a volleyball player and then spring up to flick the ball in on goal. Johnson handled it with ease, but props to Michel for making something out of it. His running and energy forced Johnson to rush a long ball attempt that resulted in a turnover. He had eight touches and completed all six of his passes, adding a tackle as well.

MF, Andres Perea (80’), N/A — Although he wasn’t on the field long enough for a proper grade, I liked what I saw from Perea on set pieces. There’s a level of alertness he has that is pretty valuable late in games. In the 85th minute, Nani’s corner was dealt with but Perea made sure to be onside before Smith hit a weak volley that Perea rushed down. Late on, he made a similar dash on a free kick to try to make something happen. It’s hardly anything groundbreaking, but it’s nice to see.

MF, Silvester van der Water (80’), N/A — The Dutchman didn’t connect on either of his two passes and had seven touches. His biggest contribution was being fouled in the 88th minute in a good position for the Lions to whip a ball in.

That’s how I saw the individual performances of the Lions in a tough draw against NYCFC. Let us know what you thought and make sure to vote for who you think deserves the title of Man of the Match.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Pedro Gallese33
Rodrigo Schlegel7
Nani13
Antonio Carlos5
Junior Urso1
Other0

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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

43 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

2 hours 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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Orlando City

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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