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Orlando City

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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/15/24

MLS Decision Day scenarios, Orlando Pride announce playoff campaign, USMNT plays Mexico tonight, and more.

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18 hours ago

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October 15, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

How’s it going, Mane Landers? Things aren’t exactly back to normal for me here in Tampa after the hurricane, but they’re getting there. On this day in 2017, Kaká played his final official game for Orlando City. Plenty has changed since then and I’m glad he’s been able to see the Lions transform into a true contender in recent years. Let’s get to the links!

Getting Ready for MLS Decision Day

MLS Decision Day is Saturday and Orlando City’s home game against Atlanta United is a crucial part of the Eastern Conference drama. A win by the Lions would guarantee them fourth in the standings and crucial home-field advantage in the first round. A loss or draw would open the door for New York City FC to possibly leapfrog Orlando if the Pigeons beat a CF Montreal team desperate to hold onto the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta needs a win to qualify for the playoffs and the same goes for the Philadelphia Union, which faces FC Cincinnati. Orlando clinching home-field advantage and denying Atlanta a spot in the postseason in the process would be a nice way to close out the regular season.

Orlando Pride Launch Playoff Campaign

With the 2024 NWSL playoffs only a few weeks away, the Orlando Pride have announced their campaign to get the community ready for the postseason and celebrate a historic season. The motto “Do You See Us Now?” highlights how the Pride have been impossible to ignore this year by winning the NWSL Shield for the first time and setting records left and right. There will be plenty of local events leading up to the playoffs, including player appearances, watch parties, and ways to get merch to represent the Pride in November. There’s also a promotion in which you would get a ticket to the semifinal if you buy a quarterfinal ticket and the Pride advance.

USMNT Takes On Mexico Tonight

After a 2-0 win over Panama in Mauricio Pochettino’s coaching debut, the United States Men’s National Team is on the road tonight for a friendly against Mexico in Guadalajara. It will be Pochettino’s first taste of the rivalry and a fairly tough test for him, as the U.S. has only beaten Mexico once in Mexico. However, the Yanks also haven’t lost in their past four trips to Mexico to face El Tri. The U.S. will be without five players who returned to their clubs after the win over Panama, including Christian Pulisic and Ricardo Pepi.

Angel City FC Releases Statement on Sanctions

In response to the sanctions imposed by the NWSL that included a three-point deduction and a $200,000 fine after an investigation into a salary cap rule violation, Angel City FC has released a statement.

The club stated that it did not exceed the salary cap, noting that it was the club’s understanding that child care did not count against the salary cap. Angel City was found in violation of going over the salary cap by $50,000 for four weeks this season. That three-point deduction has Angel City in 11th and five points out of a playoff spot with just two games to go.

Free Kicks

  • The Pride remained at the top of ESPN‘s NWSL power rankings, while the Portland Thorns jumped up five spots to sixth for handing them their first loss of the season.
  • Orlando City B’s Wilfredo Rivera had quite the birthday, drawing the penalty kick that resulted in the winning goal in Puerto Rico’s 2-1 win over Sint Maarten in the Concacaf Nations League.
  • Boston’s NWSL team set to join the league in 2026 will reportedly be named BOS Nation FC, which is almost impressively bad. We’ll see if the reports are true when the name and logo are officially revealed today.
  • Nigeria boycotted its Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya after being stranded at an airport 130 miles from the team’s intended destination. Libyan authorities deny it was sabotage, but the CAF will investigate what happened.
  • Australia’s match against Japan highlights an intriguing slate of matches in AFC World Cup qualifying that also includes South Korea facing off against Iraq.
  • Amandine Henry, who captained France at the 2019 Women’s World Cup, has announced she is retiring from international soccer. The 35-year-old midfielder won seven Women’s Champions League titles while with Lyon and currently plays for Toluca in Mexico.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a great Tuesday and rest of your week!

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Orlando City

Orlando City Experiencing Its Golden Age of Offense

Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire are leading Orlando City to its best offensive seasons.

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2 days ago

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October 14, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

For most of Orlando City’s MLS history, finding multiple reliable goal scorers has been a struggle. As a result, the team has often been further down the league in goals scored, decreasing its goal difference. However, the duo of Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire has changed that trend and provided the Lions with their best offensive seasons.

Orlando City drafted Cyle Larin with the first pick of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft and he quickly became a reliable source of goals. The Canadian international scored a team-record 18 goals across all competitions in his rookie year, and then scored 14 in the following season.

Larin’s production dipped slightly in 2017, scoring 12 goals, and the striker departed following that season. Orlando City has struggled to find someone that can provide the same scoring threat since. Over the next five years, only Nani and Chris Mueller scored double-digit goals in multiple seasons, each doing so twice. Prior to 2023, four other players scored double-digit goals in one season, as Dom Dwyer did it in 2018, Tesho Akindele in 2019, Daryl Dike in 2021, and Ercan Kara in 2022.

The lack of consistent goal production changed in 2022 when the club signed Facundo Torres from Uruguayan side Penarol. The young Designated Player made an immediate impact for his new team, scoring 13 goals in all competitions, including a brace in the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final to lift the Lions to their first major trophy.

Torres and Kara combined for an impressive 25 goals that season. Unfortunately, the pair didn’t have much support and the Lions only scored 44 goals in 2022. However, that changed the following year when Orlando City drafted former Creighton striker and Hermann Trophy winner Duncan McGuire.

Torres increased his goal tally to 14 in his second season in Orlando and McGuire netted a team-high 15 in his rookie campaign. The 29 goals scored by the pair were the most by two Orlando City players in an MLS season, topping the 28 goals scored by Larin and Kaká in 2015.

The goal tally has increased in 2024, with Torres scoring a career-high 18 goals, McGuire adding 11, and Ramiro Enrique chipping in with 11 of his own across all competitions. It’s the first time an Orlando City team — including the USL Pro era — has had three players score double-digit goals in one year. It’s also the first time in club history Orlando has had multiple double-digit goal scorers in three consecutive years.

The production by multiple players has seen a significant increase in goals scored by the Lions over the past two seasons. After netting only 44 league goals in 2022, Orlando City scored 55 times in 2023, tying the team’s MLS record previously set in 2016. The Lions surpassed that number this year by scoring 58 goals with one game remaining in the regular season.

The club’s record-setting scoring output comes at a time when Orlando City is playing some of its best defense in its MLS history. The 2023 squad only conceded 39 goals, the fewest in a 34-game season. While it has conceded nine more this year, it’s the second-fewest goals conceded in a season, tying the 2021 team.

The past two seasons have seen Orlando City set new club records in the MLS era for highest goal difference in a 34-game season. The only two years in which the Lions had a positive goal difference prior to 2023 was in a shortened 2020 season, when they were +15 and in 2021 when they were +2. They set a new record in 2023 by finishing +16 and are +10 this year.

The increase in goals and goal difference has resulted in better performances throughout the season. The team set a new club record with 63 points last season, placing second in the Supporters’ Shield standings. Orlando has amassed 52 points so far this season, the club’s second-highest point total since joining MLS.

While the play of the back line has contributed to the team’s recent success, goal production has been the catalyst. For the first time in its history, Orlando City has two reliable goal scorers who have produced in back-to-back seasons. The result is the best back-to-back seasons in the club’s MLS history.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/14/24

Getting to know Martin Ojeda, Orlando Pride unbeaten run ends, USMNT beats Panama, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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October 14, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you over the holiday weekend. I’ve been busy working at Under Armour and finishing up stream monitoring for an NISA Playoff semifinal match in California. Let’s also wish a happy birthday to Orlando City B forward Wilfredo Rivera. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links. 

Getting to Know Martin Ojeda

Orlando City midfielder Martin Ojeda was featured as part of the club’s video series to learn more about the players. In the video, Ojeda gave insight into his beginnings playing soccer when he was three years old and playing for his neighborhood club in South America. He also discussed his style of play, focusing on the attack, creating opportunities, and stating that there is always room to improve. You can check out the rest of the video below.

Pride Unbeaten Run Ends in Loss to Thorns

The Orlando Pride suffered their first loss of the NWSL season on Friday, falling 2-0 to the Portland Thorns. Morgan Weaver and Christine Sinclair scored for the Thorns to seal the win and end Orlando’s 24-match unbeaten streak dating back to Oct. 6 of last season. Despite the loss, the Pride remain in first place in the NWSL table with 57 points after winning the NWSL Shield a week ago. The next match for the Pride will be on Sunday on the road against NJ/NY Gotham FC.

Keys to Success in Orlando Pride Turnaround

The Athletic ($) took a deep dive into the process that led to the Orlando Pride turnaround this season. The article begins with the Pride joining the NWSL in 2016, their up-and-down seasons, and how recent changes in the last couple of years have set the foundation for the club’s success in 2024. It also shared some unique insights from interviews with staff and players and how the club was eager to make changes after finishing in the bottom half of the table for the last five seasons. The most interesting takeaway for me from reading the article was Head Coach Seb Hines speaking on the process of changing the culture of the club, building that underdog mindset, and how he keeps his players motivated. Although the 24-match unbeaten streak is over, the Pride are breaking records this season and won their first trophy. There’s been plenty to be excited about for the Pride this season, and hopefully they will carry this momentum into the playoffs and make a deep run.

USMNT Defeats Panama in Mauricio Pochettino’s Coaching Debut

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Panama 2-0 on Saturday at Q2 Stadium, securing the first win in Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s debut in a friendly. Yunus Musah and Ricardo Pepi scored the USMNT’s goals in the second half to secure the victory. Matt Turner started in goal, and Christian Pulisic added an assist to set up Musah’s goal. The USMNT will face Mexico in Guadalajara on Tuesday. Pulisic, Pepi, and Weston McKennie will miss the match to return to their respective European clubs. Marlon Fossey and Zack Steffen will also return to their clubs.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese earned a clean sheet on international duty as his Peru side defeated Uruguay 1-0 in a CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying match on Friday. Wilder Cartagena and Facundo Torres did not play in the match.
  • Orlando Pride midfielder Angelina and forward Adriana were called up to the Brazil Women’s National Team for friendlies against Colombia on Oct. 26 and Oct. 29.
  • Sports Illustrated listed five MLS players that could move abroad this off-season, mentioning Orlando City’s Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire as potential targets.
  • Angel City FC forward Christen Press scored her first goal in 28 months over the weekend in a 1-1 draw against the North Carolina Courage. Press had been sidelined due to an ACL injury requiring four surgeries before returning to action.
  • Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga broke an NWSL record after scoring her 19th goal of the season in a 1-0 win over Bay FC over the weekend.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday and I’ll see you next time.

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