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

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3 years ago

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Yet another 1-1 draw with an Eastern Conference bottom feeder for Orlando City, as the Lions fought their way to a point on the road against FC Cincinnati. Orlando was out-shot by the hosts and outplayed in stretches, but had a majority of the ball and won the expected goals (xG) battle. In the end, a draw was probably the fair result and both teams walk away with a point. It’s disappointing having yet another low-scoring draw against inferior opposition, but it could’ve been worse.

Enough preamble, let’s see how each player fared in last night’s action in Cincinnati.

Starters

GK, Mason Stajduhar, 7 — Stajduhar didn’t do anything wrong and he made a big play to secure a result in this game, so pretty much a perfect game for a backup goalkeeper. He only finished with one save, but he wasn’t asked to do much and didn’t make a mistake. His distribution was mediocre, completing 16 of 22 passes — five of 11 on long balls — but for a backup that’s fine.

D, Emmanuel Mas, 7.5 — In the first half, Mas was the most goal-dangerous player for Orlando City. He had a pair of speculative long-range efforts that both asked real questions of Kenneth Vermeer in goal. Outside of that, he was consistently getting into good areas on the left flank, looking to whip in a cross or link up with other attackers. This is the most dangerous any left back has looked for this team in a while and it was a welcome sign. Defensively, Mas did get caught out at times but it didn’t cost Orlando. He made six interceptions as well.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 7.5 — Both center backs put in strong shifts yet again. Schlegel continues to be a stat-sheet stuffer on the defensive end, with four tackles, four clearances, and nine ball recoveries. He has a tendency to get a little aggressive and leave space, but Schlegel makes a ton of plays on the back end. He was also fine with the ball, completing 34 of 39 passes, and never making any serious blunders in possession. Yet another strong shift for the Argentine.

D, Robin Jansson, 7.5 — Jansson is an incredibly consistent performer for the Lions and he did a solid job again. He was a consistent defensive presence, sniffing out opposition attacks and did a good job defending space. The Swede finished with a tackle, two clearances, and eight ball recoveries. Much like Schlegel, his passing was fine, a solid 36 of 43, though he wasn’t really able to break lines with his deep passing.

D, Kyle Smith, 5.5 — Very Kyle Smith performance in this game. He was good in possession, completing over 90% of his 35 passes, and he was good defensively, with a successful tackle, four interceptions, and six ball recoveries. For all of those things he does right, his complete lack of offensive prowess was on full display. Smith’s crossing was poor and he rarely even attempted whipping in a ball, and he squandered some quality chances when he got into the box. Still a solid overall performance from Smith, just frustrating in the final third.

MF, Uri Rosell, 5 — It was a tough night for the Spaniard, sustaining another injury near the end of the first half. Although it’s admirable to try to stay on and save the team a substitution window, it ended up being costly. On the Cincinnati goal, Rosell was obviously struggling to move and got caught behind the play, giving the hosts an overload on his side. He wasn’t able to get into the passing lane and his teammates compounded the problem by leaving Brenner alone in the area. To his credit, he completed 30 of 34 passes, including all four long balls, plus he made four ball recoveries, a tackle, and an interception before subbing out for Andres Perea.

MF, Junior Urso, 7 — Urso is a great box to box player who did a lot for the Lions in this game, especially progressing the ball forward. The Bear is fantastic with the ball at his feet and routinely broke pressure with his dribbling ability, completing two dribbles and drawing two fouls. His passing was also great, completing 48 of 51 including a pair of key passes. Good shift from Urso, though he did get caught marking the same player as Schlegel on Brenner’s goal.

MF, Chris Mueller, 6.5 — Slightly disappointing showing for Mueller, but not a bad one. He completed a ton of passes — 52 of 56 — but never looked super dangerous with the ball and had no key passes or successful crosses. He did have three shot attempts, but two of them were off target, while one presented Vermeer with little trouble. Mueller completed a dribble, but was also dispossessed three times. The one saving grace for his game recently has been his defensive work, and that continued once again with two tackles and eight ball recoveries. Not terrible stuff, but I certainly would’ve liked to see more dynamism from a player like Mueller in this game.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 8 — Strong game in the center of the park for Pereyra, pulling the strings and controlling the tempo of the game. He was the most important and used player for Orlando City, completing 66 of 78 passes. Pereyra was everywhere in possession for the Lions, picking the ball up deep to play out of pressure, finding the final ball in the attack, and linking play in the middle of the field. The Uruguayan had a team-high three key passes. Pereyra also got back defensively, making five ball recoveries and two interceptions. If there are negatives from this performance, he was dispossessed thrice and had no shot attempts. However, it was a fantastic all-around performance from the Maestro.

MF, Benji Michel, 4 — Poor performance from Benji in Cincinnati. In 55 minutes of action, he only had 17 touches, with no shots, crosses, or key passes. He did complete two dribbles, but did nothing for Orlando going forward. Michel was dispossessed four times and completed five of seven passes. That level of offensive production isn’t good enough for this level.

F, Tesho Akindele, 5 — Incredibly frustrating game for Tesho. This was an incredibly on-brand game for the Canadian in the worst possible way. He was good in the little things, but his touch and ability to be goal-dangerous really let him down. Tesho only had two shots all game — neither super threatening — and should’ve had more chances. On multiple occasions, he received the ball in a dangerous area, but his touch completely took him out of the play or even turned it over. It wasn’t all bad though, as he completed 16 of 17 passes, including a key pass, completed a dribble, and even made a clearance. For all the good work Tesho does, it doesn’t really matter if he can’t provide much of an offensive threat, and he couldn’t do that in this game.

Substitutes

MF, Andres Perea (43’), 5.5 — Perea was thrust into a difficult situation after Rosell’s injury, and while he was better than Uri, he was far from his best. Especially when he pushed forward, Perea either made the wrong decision, or just didn’t hit the ball well. He was still solid in possession, completing 34 of 39 passes. Perea’s defensive performance was hit or miss. He made two tackles, but only at a 40% success rate, plus he chipped in two interceptions and three ball recoveries. On paper, it doesn’t look like a bad game, but in practice, it was a sloppy evening for the U.S. international.

MF, Nani (55’), 8 (MotM) — In what was supposed to be a rest game, Nani had to play hero once again for this squad. He had his chance soon after coming on, capitalizing on an FC Cincinnati mistake and having the quality to tuck it away. Outside of that, he was clearly the most dangerous player for Orlando, even if he wasn’t his sharpest. His touch got the best of him a few times, and his crosses were often overcooked, but he still finished with a key pass and put the opposition back line under serious pressure. Nani completed two dribbles and 11 of 15 passes, and even chipped in a little defensively with a tackle.

D, Joao Moutinho (55’), 6 — Frankly, I didn’t really notice Mouthinho much of the time he was on the field. For what he does in the system, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, and he didn’t have a bad game. He wasn’t super clean with the ball, completing only 84% of his passes, but Moutinho generally got the job done in possession, even completing a dribble. He was mostly good defensively, making six ball recoveries and an interception. Not a bad game, just little impact for the Portuguese left back.

D, Ruan (55’), 6.5 — Even when his delivery isn’t great or he’s sloppy on the ball, Ruan completely changes the complexion of Orlando City’s attack. His speed and willingness to get forward makes the Lions much more dangerous. Even with that, it’s still frustrating that none of his three crosses were accurate. Ruan also completed 15 of 18 passes, had a successful dribble, and made three ball recoveries.

MF, Joey DeZart (83’), N/A — Not much to report in DeZart’s latest cameo performance. He was a steadying presence in the middle to help Orlando see out the result and he did just that. He was good with the ball, completing all eight of his passes, including a nice forward pass to Ruan in space. DeZart also picked up a yellow card.

That’s how I rated last night’s performances, but what did you see? Comment your thoughts below and vote for your Man of The Match.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Nani30
Mauricio Pereyra11
Emmanuel Mas5
Rodrigo Schlegel1
Other (Comment Below)5

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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

8 hours 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

9 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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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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