Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Inter Miami CF: Player Grades and Man of the Match
Orlando City couldn’t capitalize on its chances in a 1-1 draw against Inter Miami at Exploria Stadium. Center back Antonio Carlos scored Orlando’s only goal, but Miami equalized in the second half and Orlando couldn’t find a winner.
Let’s dive right into how each of your favorite Lions rated in this draw at home against a rival.
Starters
GK, Mason Stajduhar, 6 — It was a fairly quiet night for Stajduhar in his second MLS start as he only faced four shots and had no saves. Two of those shots were on target, with the first coming in the 52nd minute as Robbie Robinson stormed into the box after beating Rodrigo Schlegel and Robin Jansson. Stajduhar rushed to close down the angle, but Robinson’s shot went over him, although Kyle Smith was there to save the day. On the goal, a good cross in the box found Kiernan Gibbs’ header at an odd angle that made it difficult for Stajduhar to get to. It’s hard to blame Stajduhar for the goal given the speed and placement of the header and it’s frustrating to see another Orlando clean sheet slip away. The important thing is that Stajduhar didn’t let the goal affect him all too much as a minute later he confidently snuffed out a dangerous opportunity from Lewis Morgan in the box. In terms of distribution, Stajduhar completed 10 of his 11 passes and his one long ball was inaccurate.
D, Kyle Smith, 7 — Playing at left back for the majority of the game, Smith did well on both sides of the ball. His best moment came in the 52nd minute when he got in position to make a goal-saving block after Robinson chipped his shot over Stajduhar. He did a good job making life difficult for Miami winger Morgan, although he did concede a few corners in the process and made an almost deadly error on an errant back pass that sent Morgan in on goal. On offense, his only shot was from a similar position to his goal against Atlanta United, but his header from Nani’s corner went just wide. Smith completed 90% of his 51 passes, but was only accurate on one of his four crosses. When Emmanuel Mas came on for Ruan in the 81st minutes, Smith switched to his preferred right back position and nearly provided the game-winning moment late in the match, but the video assistant referee had match referee Armando Villarreal take another look and, after reviewing the play, he ruled Tesho Akindele offside. Smith had a clearance and 69 touches, third most on the team.
D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — The masked Swede was able to keep Gonzalo Higuain and Rodolfo Pizarro quiet in terms of scoring. Jansson was a brick wall that Miami had to work its way around and he had two interceptions and two clearances. Miami often went wide with its attack and Jansson wasn’t able to do much about the goal. The trio of Jansson, Smith, and Andres Perea did well to stop Miami on the left side of defense for the most part. All in all, it was a solid performance from Jansson and he finished with 66 touches and 58 passes at a 79% success rate.
One interesting thing from the match was Jansson’s involvement on corner kicks as he often lurked at the top of the box. It set up his only shot of the match, which he mishit on the volley and sent wide. On the other attempts, he tried passes over the defense but it never seemed to work. It’s unclear if this has anything to do with his face injury, but his size wasn’t used as a target in the box.
D, Antonio Carlos, 7 — Throughout the season, Carlos has been a threat on corner kicks and his headers have been getting closer and closer to goal with every attempt. His breakthrough finally came in this game as Carlos made perfect contact with his head to give Orlando the lead before halftime. It was his first goal of the season and first with his head as a Lion.
Unfortunately, his head collided with Kelvin Leerdam’s seconds after his shot and he was sent to the ground in a scary moment that needed immediate medical attention. It certainly makes highlights of his goal harder to watch, but Carlos was able to walk off the field with no assistance. He didn’t return for the second half out of an abundance of caution and finished with a tackle, a clearance, 42 touches, and also won all three of his aerial duels. Carlos was also successful on 92% of his 38 passes as he helped the Lions build out of the back.
D, Ruan, 6 — The right back was engaged in an entertaining duel with former Arsenal left back Kieran Gibbs. Ruan had to put in more defensive work than usual as a result, leading the team with five clearances and tying Junior Urso for a team-high three interceptions as well. Gibbs got the better of Ruan on his goal, easily getting across the front of the smaller defender to get a header on goal. On offense, Ruan had a key pass and one of his two crosses found their target. He had a great opportunity in the 51st minute but the ball he whipped in front of goal was deflected. Ruan had 63 touches and was successful on 82% of his 39 passes. While dangerous when sent forward, he didn’t spend as much time in the attacking third as he did against Atlanta United.
MF, Junior Urso, 5 — The Bear had a rough time in his first start since July 17. Urso battled against Gregore and Blaise Matuidi in central midfield and was a fouled a whopping five times. Miami committed a total of 19 fouls in the match and most were tactical decisions to interrupt Orlando’s flow of play in the midfield. Urso was a frequent victim of this and frustrated for most of the game as he couldn’t get much going. In 76 minutes of action, he completed 34 of his 38 passes for an 89% success rate and had 58 touches. Urso wasn’t much of a factor on offense, with no shots and one key pass. He did well defensively though, coming up with three tackles, three interceptions, and two clearances. He picked up a yellow card and was dispossessed twice in a performance he’ll shrug off despite some bumps and bruises.
MF, Andres Perea, 6.5 — Perea did much better in this match compared to his last performance against Atlanta United. Partnered with Urso in central midfield, he had stats similar to what we’ve seen from Ecuadorian midfielder Sebas Mendez. Perea led the Lions in touches (80), tackles (four), and passes (67). Only one of those 67 passes was inaccurate, resulting in an excellent 99% success rate. That being said, none of his passes were particularly threatening as he spent more time connecting Orlando’s defense and offense rather than creating chances. That’s not to say he wasn’t present on offense though. He had three shots, sending two off target while the other was blocked. Perea’s proven himself to be versatile in the midfield and seemed to do better in a more defensive minded role in this match.
MF, Benji Michel, 5 — For most of the match, Orlando’s offensive plays tended to end once Michel got involved. Michel wasn’t always at fault for this as he was often given daring balls in on goal by Pereyra, but his touch was heavy and he couldn’t seem to get past defenders. Although he played 75 minutes, Michel only had 18 touches and eight passes at a 75% success rate. It is worth noting that he posed enough danger running down a ball in the box that Leerdam desperately played it out for the corner that resulted in Orlando’s goal. Defensively, he did well securing goal kicks by using his body and had an interception. Michel had no shots or crosses and needed to make much more of an impact against Miami.
MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 7 — In the 19th minute, Pereyra sent a nice ball from deep in the midfield over the top of Miami’s defense, but Nani’s resulting header didn’t give Miami goalkeeper Nick Marsman much trouble. That ball was one of his two key passes during a full shift and it was Orlando’s first real chance of the game. Most of the maestro’s conducting was done from similar spots deep in the midfield rather than at the top of the box. His quality was on display all night long as he was able to cut through Miami’s defense with a single touch on multiple occasions. However, most of his created chances ended up as corners rather than goals as attacking Lions had tough positions to score from. He put one of his two shots on target, but it was fired right at Marsman. Pereyra finished the game second on the team in touches with 75 and he was successful on 85% of his 53 passes, which isn’t too bad considering most of his unsuccessful passes were lengthy and in Miami’s half. He was dispossessed twice, including a late turnover that could’ve ended up badly, and also chipped in defensively with three tackles. It was a strong outing from Pereyra and he’ll certainly benefit once Orlando’s strikers are more frequently on the field.
MF, Chris Mueller, 5 — Mueller’s struggles on offense continued as he had no shots or key passes over the course of 66 minutes of play. He was successful on one of his three crosses and completed 19 of his 21 attempted passes for a strong 90% success rate. Mueller was also successful on his single attempted dribble, but was dispossessed three times. It was far from his best game, but Mueller did the little things well as he hustled on defense and won four fouls. Mueller has definitely been overshadowed by Orlando’s other offensive players in recent weeks and only has one shot in his past five appearances.
F, Nani, 7.5 (MotM) — The captain led Orlando with five shots, with two on target and another two blocked. None were particularly easy and he did decent enough with the opportunities even though he wasn’t able to find the back of the net. His cross from a short corner to find Carlos in the box was picture perfect, the ball placed in the best spot possible for his sixth assist of the year. That cross was his only successful one from three attempts in open play, but he also led the Lions with five key passes. Nani took six of Orlando’s seven corners and found his target on all but one as he continues to make an impact from those dead-ball situations. He was also very efficient with the ball at his feet, only being dispossessed once and completing 40 of his 43 passes for a great 93% success rate. Nani is our Man of the Match for creating multiple chances for Orlando while taking care of the ball. He had 63 touches, committed no fouls, was successful on two of his three attempted dribbles, and looked threatening for most of the game.
Substitutes
D, Rodrigo Schlegel (45’), 6 — Schlegel came on at halftime in place of the injured Carlos. He got himself out of position on Robinson’s chance, pushing forward to pressure Higuain and then losing the foot race against him after pressing high. He does get some style points for a neat somersault of sorts to keep his momentum when slipping to stay in the play. It wasn’t his most dominant performance, but he did have three clearances and won all three of his aerial duels to limit Miami’s chances. Schlegel completed 90% of his 21 passes and had 25 touches as well.
MF, Silvester van der Water (67’), 6.5 — The Dutchman came on to give the Lions an edge on offense after Miami equalized. His only shot was in the box, but he wasn’t able to get all of his weaker right foot on it to put it on target. Van der Water did well finding dangerous areas to operate in and had a brilliant pass out wide to Smith in the same motion he fashioned to take a shot to fool the defense. Had Akindele not been offside, that would have been an important part of the buildup to a game-winning goal. Van der Water provided the needed urgency the Lions lacked during the match and was hungry in the half hour he spent on the field. He completed all eight of his passes and had 13 touches in another efficient shift.
F, Tesho Akindele (75’), 5.5 — It looked like the Canadian scored the game-winner but his goal was ruled offside after review. Apart from that moment, he didn’t make much of an impact in the match beyond his diligent pressing, which shouldn’t be overlooked. Akindele was accurate on all four of his passes and had a total of eight touches.
MF, Uri Rosell (76’), 6 — Like Urso, Rosell had a frustrating time in the midfield. He committed two fouls that gave Miami free kicks in dangerous areas, picking up a yellow card in the process. While he didn’t have any tackles, interceptions, or clearances, Rosell completed 22 of his 23 passes and had 23 touches to help stabilize the midfield.
D, Emmanuel Mas (81’), 6 — The left back came on late to relieve Ruan and racked up 20 touches in a brief outing. Defensively, Mas had a clearance, an interception, and won both of his aerial duels. His only cross didn’t find its target, but he did a good job making sure Miami couldn’t get much going on his side of the field. Mas completed nine of his 12 passes for a 75% success rate and is looking like a solid acquisition for Orlando.
That’s how I saw things play out in Orlando’s draw over its rival. Make sure to weigh in on how you feel about the grades in the comments below and to vote for who you think deserves the title of Man of the Match.
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Nani | 12 |
| Mauricio Pereyra | 6 |
| Antonio Carlos | 10 |
| Kyle Smith | 8 |
| Andres Perea | 1 |
| Other (tell us who in the comments) | 0 |
Lion Links
Lion Links: 10/7/24
Orlando City wins on the road, Ramiro Enrique up for Player of the Matchday, Orlando Pride lift the NWSL Shield, and more.
Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy working at Under Armour and spent my birthday yesterday catching up with friends I haven’t seen in a while. For our clubs in action, Orlando City and the Orlando Pride won, while OCB lost over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.
Lions Beat FC Cincinnati On the Road
Orlando City defeated FC Cincinnati 3-1 at TQL Stadium on Saturday. Ramiro Enrique scored early on, but FC Cincinnati equalized just before halftime. Ivan Angulo scored for Orlando in the second half, and Enrique added his second of the match to secure all three points for the Lions. It was Orlando’s third straight win and the team is fourth in the Eastern Conference table with 52 points. The Lions are off this weekend but will return to action on Oct. 19 at home against Atlanta United for their final game of the regular season.
Ramiro Enrique Up for Player of the Matchday
Orlando City forward Ramiro Enrique was nominated for MLS Player of the Matchday for his performance in Cincinnati.
Enrique scored two goals and also assisted on Angulo’s goal to lift the Lions to victory against one of the league’s best teams. The 23-year-old has scored in three of Orlando’s last four matches and has eight goals to his name this season. Other players in the running for MLS Player of the Matchday are Cucho Hernandez of the Columbus Crew, Simon Becher of St. Louis City SC, and Santiago Rodriguez of New York City FC.
Orlando Pride Win the NWSL Shield
On Sunday, the Orlando Pride defeated the Washington Spirit 2-0 at Inter&Co Stadium to clinch the NWSL. It’s the first trophy in club history and the Pride extended their unbeaten run to 23 matches as well. After a scoreless first half, Marta scored from the penalty spot to put the Pride in front and an own goal by defender Tara McKeown off a shot from Adriana gave the Pride a 2-0 lead to seal the win. Orlando is atop the NWSL table with 57 points and has a 10-point cushion over the Spirit with three games left this season. The Pride’s next match will be on the road against the Portland Thorns on Friday. Enjoy this moment of the Pride celebrating winning the NWSL Shield as their historic season continues.
Pride Players Named to NWSL Best XI of the Month
Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse, defender Emily Sams, and forward Marta were named to the NWSL Best XI of the Month for September. This is the second time that Moorhouse has been named to the NWSL Best XI of the Month this season. She registered four clean sheets in five matches last month and made 18 saves as well. Moorhouse also set a new league record with 12 shutouts. Sams also made her second appearance on the NWSL Best XI of the Month. She played in all five matches, won five tackles, and had six interceptions in 450 minutes of play. It’s Marta’s first time on the NWSL Best XI this season, and she scored twice in September to keep Orlando’s offense rolling. All three played vital roles throughout the season to help the Pride keep their unbeaten streak alive.
OCB Falls to FC Cincinnati 2 On Decision Day
Orlando City B lost 3-1 to FC Cincinnati 2 at TQL Stadium on Sunday, falling short of clinching a home playoff match. The Young Lions trailed 2-0 at halftime before Alex Freeman pulled one back in the second half. Gerardo Valenzuela completed his hat trick to give Cincinnati its third goal and the win. With OCB’s defeat, Inter Miami CF II took the Southeast Division title, and OCB dropped from third to fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. With the regular season over, the Young Lions will have to wait and see if Cincinnati, Philadelphia Union II, or Miami will choose them as their opponent in the first round of the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs. If OCB isn’t chosen, it would travel to face Chicago Fire FC II, which finished fourth in the East.
Free Kicks
- Marta’s contract with the Pride expires at the end of the season, and she told The Athletic ($) she wants to continue playing professional soccer for at least two more seasons.
- USMNT and Borussia Dortmund winger Giovanni Reyna is dealing with a setback in his recovery from a groin injury suffered last month. There is currently no timetable for his return.
- Tanner Tessmann, Brandon Vazquez, and Alex Zendejas were called into camp for the USMNT’s upcoming friendlies against Panama and Mexico. Folarin Balogun, Johnny Cardoso, and Tim Weah have all withdrawn from the team due to injuries.
- Christian Pulisic scored another goal for AC Milan, as he found the back of the net in his team’s 2-1 loss to Fiorentina in Serie A action. Pulisic has scored six goals across all competitions for Milan this season.
- Austin FC announced that the club has parted ways with its head coach, Josh Wolff.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday and I’ll see you next time.
Orlando City
Orlando City at FC Cincinnati: Five Takeaways
Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 3-1 road victory over FC Cincinnati.
Orlando City traveled to Ohio to take on third-place FC Cincinnati looking to maintain its fourth-place spot. Cincinnati had lost two straight coming into the match, and the Lions made it three in a row thanks to a 3-1 win on the road.
Here are my five takeaways from an impressive win against a top-three club.
The Accountant Makes it Count
FC Cincinnati was doing well in taking the game to Orlando City, though the Lions were getting the occasional foray into Cincy’s half. It was on one such push that Ramiro Enrique received the ball and passed it wide to Kyle Smith coming up the right. Smith, a Cincinnati native, decided to show his hometown that he was worthy of the start. He took one touch and then put in a curling cross back to Enrique, who did well on a difficult strike to give Orlando the early lead. Smith also added a secondary assist on Ivan Angulo’s goal in the second half.
PRO Gonna PRO
Referee Filip Dujic was less than great most of the night. There are some who will say he “let them play” without calling every little thing. I am of the mind that he let too much go. There were several card-worthy fouls that were not even called as fouls. It’s fortunate that he didn’t impact the match in a negative way for Orlando City. PRO Referees have done so in the past, so I was expecting it early on from Dujic. Thankfully, he didn’t.
Acosta Will Cost Ya
It turns out that the reigning MLS MVP is pretty good at soccer. Orlando was hoping to to get to halftime with the lead, but Acosta had a different idea. Like he has done so many times before, he struck an excellent shot from outside the box to beat Pedro Gallese. To be fair, Gallese had a couple of defenders in front of him, and had cheated a bit to his left, making it to difficult to go back to his right to make the save, but the Lions could have closed down the space better on that play.
Go On, Angulo
As of late, Ivan Angulo hasn’t been great. He hasn’t necessarily been bad, but not as good as we expect. Even in this match, he looked better, but not great. That changed in the 66th minute when he put the Lions back on top with a shot that squibbled — yes, I made up that word, but it’s the right word — past Roman Celentano and into the back of the net. Angulo wasn’t satisfied with just a goal, as he added an assist a mere six minutes later. FC Cincinnati defender Luca Orellano played a poorly weighted pass back to the keeper, allowing the speedy Angulo to take the ball and tap it over to Enrique for goal number three. It was a much better second half for Angulo.
Clinical Scoring
Orlando City has been scoring in bunches over the last seven matches. The Lions have scored 19 goals in that timeframe. The team was particularly clinical against Cincinnati. Orlando City took six shots, putting five on target and three in the back of the net. That is 83% of shots on target, and 50% scoring. If the Lions can be even half as efficient going forward, the playoffs could be pretty fun.
That is what I saw in the 3-1 victory. What were your biggest takeaways from the game? Let us know in the comments below and as always, vamos Orlando!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Final Score 3-1 as Lions Win Final Regular-Season Road Match
Orlando City overcomes an interesting night of officiating with two second-half goals to beat FC Cincinnati on the road.
It wasn’t a pretty game and the officiating could have been costly to Orlando City, but the Lions (15-11-7, 52 points) managed to earn a 3-1 road win over FC Cincinnati (17-11-5, 56 points) at TQL Stadium. Ramiro Enrique scored a goal in each half, had one chalked off for a controversial foul on a corner kick, and assisted on another by Ivan Angulo. Orlando finished with a 2024 MLS road record of 8-6-3 and improved to 3-1-2 in road matches at Cincinnati.
If New York City does not beat Nashville on Sunday, Orlando City would clinch the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference standings and home field for the first-round, best-of-three series.
“I thought we won a very important game against a very good rival who complicated things in the first half for us,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “Second half, I think we settled and we found the answers that we wanted to have earlier in the first half, and we couldn’t do it. But the second half, we controlled the game. We came back in the ways that we wanted in that control and we had options. And happy for our fans, happy for our club, and we’ll keep pushing. It’s a very, very good match for us.”
Pareja’s lineup included only one change from the starting XI Wednesday against the Philadelphia Union. Pedro Gallese started in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Kyle Smith. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Angulo, Luis Muriel, and Facundo Torres with Enrique up top. Martin Ojeda made way in the starting lineup for Muriel.
Referee Filip Dujic was a talking point in the first half, and it’s never good for a referee to be a talking point. However, before that happened, Cincinnati started the game on the front foot and earned a couple of early corners but could do nothing with them.
The Lions opened the scoring against the run of play in the 10th minute. Enrique sent the ball wide to Smith on the right. The Cincinnati native sent in a beautiful curling cross as a return pass and Enrique blazed past the defense and directed it in with his foot to make it 1-0. It was Orlando’s 56th goal of the season, setting a new club record in the MLS era, and Enrique’s seventh of the regular season. Orlando set the old record of 55 goals in 2016 and equaled that mark last season.
“I forget who passed me the ball…but I knew I had the positioning on my defender, so I took a big first touch, and then I saw Ramiro in a perfect spot between the two center backs,” said Smith, who had a lot of friends and family in attendance. “And I just whipped in a ball, and he had a good finish.”
The hosts kept coming and were creating chances, with Kevin Kelsy firing wide of the left post on a spinning effort in the 17th minute. Three minutes later, Acosta sent a curling free kick wide of the right post after Cartagena was booked for a challenge just outside the area. Cartagena will miss the season finale due to yellow card accumulation. It was a foul, but the card seemed a bit harsh, especially given some of the fouls Dujic let go later.
Smith should have done better with a shot on a layoff from Torres in the 24th minute, sending his effort well off target. The flag for offside came up for Torres in the buildup after the shot, but the replay clearly showed the Uruguayan was onside on the play, meaning the goal would have counted had Smith scored.
Moments later, Kelsy fouled Jansson in a manner that should have drawn a yellow card but didn’t. Kelsy ended up committing five first-half fouls, getting booked for the third of those, but three of his fouls could have (and should have) been punished with a booking.
Angulo was pulled back in his own half without a call, allowing Cincinnati to take possession and attack. Schlegel then did the same just outside his box and Dujic gave the free kick. Acosta sent the layoff from Yamil Asad well over the bar and into the crowd.
Pavel Bucha was left alone on a good attacking movement by Cincinnati in the 33rd minute but scuffed his shot and it dribbled wide of the right post. After Kelsy was booked for a foul on Araujo, Bucha sent a volley attempt well over the bar in the 39th minute.
Orlando nearly scored a minute later, taking a free kick quickly at midfield. It was sent over the defense to Enrique, who fired a shot on a bouncing ball. Celentano made a huge save to keep it out, giving up a corner.
The Lions scored on the ensuing corner kick as Enrique blasted in Torres’ service to the back post. Dujic called a foul on Muriel after contact with Celentano. However, Celentano had charged off his line into a barely moving Muriel, who was tracking the cross. It was a harsh call and kept the score at 1-0 in the 41st minute.
Cincinnati took advantage of the break moments later. Acosta received a pass just outside the area in the 45th minute. Torres sagged off of him and Araujo had another man to mark, so Acosta blasted a shot through traffic that beat Gallese, tying the score just before the break.
After Kelsy committed yet another foul, the halftime whistle sent the teams to the locker room, with plenty of animosity being shown between the two benches as the teams went off.
“I thought it was reactions for both benches and the people there — the personnel and the coaches. And I thought both sides were arguing things to the referees,” Pareja said about the kerfuffle. “From our side, it was just asking them to control the yellow cards. We wanted to keep the players in the pitch. And this is football, and we want to accept that this is a contact game, and sometimes things happen, but we cannot just be yellow carding all the time, but that was with all the respect that we have for referees too. Just a comment. From (Cincinnati’s) side, I don’t know what were they arguing. And I have a ton of respect for Pat (Noonan), and what he has done for this club is incredible. The career that he has done so far, and what he has done for Cincinnati, I respect him a lot and his coaches, too.”
With Orlando’s approach to the first half, it’s no surprise that Cincinnati finished with the edge in possession (57.8%-42.2%), shots (8-2), corners (2-1), and passing accuracy (83.2%-80.8%). Orlando City put more shots on target (2-1).
Pat Noonan subbed Kelsy off at halftime, sending on Yuya Kubo and getting away with the incessant fouling from his starting striker throughout the first half. Noonan brought on high-scoring wingback Luca Orellano on 10 minutes after the restart, getting more attacking players onto the pitch.
The Lions were a bit more organized in the second half, despite giving up more shots and shots on target. They mostly kept Cincinnati outside the area and in wider spaces for those shots.
Orlando had the first half-chance of the second half, with Smith whipping in a good ball for Enrique in the 59th minute. Miles Robinson got a touch to it and nearly sent it into his own net but it trickled wide of the left post. Orlando took the corner short, Muriel underhit a backheel pass, and the hosts broke in transition. Smith hustled back to break up the counterattack.
The hosts then won a couple of corner kicks but Jansson headed the first one clear of danger and Orellano put the second one into the outside netting trying for an Olimpico.
Orlando City doubled its lead in the 66th minute. Smith and Enrique were again involved, with the former sending in another good cross to the striker, who had his back to goal. Rather than trying to turn, Enrique laid the ball off to Angulo, who went for goal. Celentano made a mess of the shot and it squirted through him and in to make it 2-0 on Angulo’s fifth goal of the season.
The Lions created some havoc with their press in the second half and it nearly paid off nicely in the 69th minute. Enrique got to a loose ball on the right side of the box and blasted a shot, however, he missed the net to the right.
Orlando survived a couple of turnovers by Angulo in the defensive end over the next couple of minutes, with Gallese making a save on Orellano’s attempt in the 71st minute. A minute after that, Orlando pulled ahead by two.
Angulo was first to a poor back pass from Orellano toward Celentano, touching the ball to his right for Enrique to tap home in the 72nd minute. It was Enrique’s second of the night and eighth of the season, with the foul called on Muriel preventing a hat trick, and the pass gave Angulo his 10th assist of the regular season.
As Cincinnati poured numbers into the attack, Gallese was called into action more often down the stretch. He did well to track a deflected Kubo shot in the 74th minute. Just seconds later, Gallese made two of his best stops of the night to deny Asad and Orellano.
Orlando’s tired legs were starting to show late in the team’s third match in eight days. Pareja’s only substitution to this point was sending on Nico Lodeiro for Muriel in the 73rd minute. Acosta worked his way past five or six defenders in the 76th minute as several Lions had a clear chance to dispossess the Cincinnati talisman, but none could take it away. Once he found some space, Acosta shot wid of the right post.
Torres nearly put the game completely to bed in the 80th minute when he ran onto a pass that Lodeiro headed in behind on the right. Torres fired, but Celentano made a good save and didn’t allow a rebound.
Orellano tried his luck from extreme distance in the 86th minute, but Gallese was there to catch it. Three minutes later, Kubo got free of late substitute Michael Halliday but he headed off target.
Orlando City did well to waste the six minutes of stoppage time indicated but Dujic made one more curious call late. Lodeiro went to ground and stacked his legs on the ground in what appeared to be a clean and excellent tackle. Dujic awarded a free kick instead and Jansson was booked for dissent. Orellano sent the free kick high and wide, and that was the final play of the match.
FC Cincinnati finished with the advantage in possession (55.7%-44.3%), shots (20-6), shots on target (6-5), and passing accuracy (84.4%-80.8%). Each team earned five corners on the night.
“I thought we played well,” Smith said. “We had to absorb a lot of their pressure in the first half. They were kind of putting it on us with the pressure. But I thought in the second half we came out and we did well keeping the ball, and then we took advantage of our opportunities and scored three goals and held them to one. So, it was a big one for us.”
The Lions will have next weekend off and will conclude the regular season at home on Saturday, Oct. 19 against Atlanta United.
Lion Links: 10/7/24
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