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Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Storm Back in Second Half to Equalize

After a poor first half, Orlando City was excellent for most of the second 45, pulling even and coming within inches of winning on the road.

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3 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City struggled through the opening 45 minutes but played well after halftime, coming back from 1-0 down to draw Nashville SC 1-1 at Nissan Stadium. The Lions (8-4-7, 31 points) were a crossbar’s width from becoming the first visiting team to win in Nissan Stadium all season but had to settle for the team’s second road draw at Nashville SC (7-2-11, 32 points).

The fact the teams split the points keeps Orlando a point behind Nashville with a game in hand. However, with Philadelphia’s win over New York City FC, the Lions slipped to fifth in the Eastern Conference standings.

Antonio Carlos’ header in the second half canceled out a first-half goal by Lion killer C.J. Sapong, meaning the team to score first in this series has still never won the game (0-2-2). The teams are 1-1-2 against each other in the first four meetings.

“Good match. I think we recognized in the second half where we were missing in the first,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We were losing some silly balls.”

With Nani questionable, Pareja didn’t risk the captain for this match and he wasn’t in the match day lineup. Mason Stajduhar once again started in net, backing up a defensive line of Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Carlos, and Kyle Smith. Joey DeZart got the start alongside Junior Urso in central midfield, with Mauricio Pereyra and Silvester van der Water facilitating the attack to Benji Michel and Tesho Akindele.

Orlando City was swarmed in the midfield throughout most of the first half and it allowed Nashville to get forward in transition. The first decent look came in the fourth minute when Hany Mukhtar got down the right and fired a shot that Stajduhar parried away.

DeZart struggled in the first half hour and his giveaway led to a chance for Randall Leal, who fired just wide of the left post.

Van der Water forced Joe Willis into a diving save in the 11th minute with a nice effort from outside the area, cutting inside from the right.

Nashville always seemed likely to score first with the Lions continually giving the ball away around the middle of the pitch. Tah Anunga fired wide in the 16th minute, but the hosts opened the scoring minutes later. Unsure of his options, Moutinho telegraphed a back pass with numbers forward and Nashville easily read the play and took it away, breaking in 2-v-2 with Mukhtar and Sapong on Orlando City’s center backs. Sapong finished the play with yet another goal against the Lions and Nashville led 1-0 in the 23rd minute.

“They were playing defensively and getting some counters, which is very dangerous for us,” Pareja said. “The second half we were much better. We were smarter on containing those counters.”

Leal fired into outside netting in the 30th minute as Orlando continued to struggle against Nashville’s superior numbers in the midfield.

The Lions finally started to get something going in the final five minutes of the half. A heavy touch by Willis at the top of the box nearly became an easy goal for Akindele, who came in to nick the ball, but he couldn’t quite finesse it around the keeper, who was able to recover. Four minutes later, Moutinho and Urso combined to unlock the defense and Akindele laid off a ball to his left for van der Water. The Dutchman should have equalized, but his shot skipped just wide of the right post in the 44th minute.

“I know I had a lot of chances and I need to score. But on the other side, I think we need to be happy with a point today,” van der Water said. “I think the mentality of the second half was much better.”

Akindele got his head to a good cross from Pereyra in first-half stopage time and hit it down into the wet turf. The ball skipped up and looked to be heading in but it was floating a bit and Willis was able to get a touch on it to keep it out with the last play of the half.

Nashville finished the first half with more shots (10-5) and shots on goal (4-2). Each team won one corner, and the Lions held more possession (60.2%-39.8%) and passed more accurately (89.1%-82.1%). It was all about Orlando giving the ball up in bad areas and Nashville taking advantage on one of its opportunities.

Orlando City played a much better second half, but the Lions still nearly saw their deficit doubled early in the second period. Jansson was forced to foul Mukhtar in a dangerous spot near the box to Stajduhar’s right. Mukhtar went for goal on the set piece but could only catch the top of the crossbar near the far post as the young goalkeeper did well in playing his angle.

After a couple of misfires from Urso and Akindele in the next few minutes, the Lions seemed to finally get their legs under them in the match. Van der Water fired just wide of the left post in the 55th minute from the middle, just outside the area. Urso drew a foul on Anibal Godoy — one of several fouls the Bear suffered on the night — moments later, and Orlando made it pay off. Pereyra sent in a perfect cross from right to left and Carlos won the race to the ball, heading it back to the right and past Willis for the tying goal in the 58th minute.

Carlos laughed in the postgame press conference, saying he was happy to be able to celebrate his second goal of the season after getting injured while scoring his first against Miami.

“Normally Antonio wins those balls in the air because of his size and his timing,” Pareja said. “He’s very dominant in the air. He needed to (get) some direction and improve his contact with the ball. And Josema Bazan, our assistant coach, is spending a lot of time with him. He’s trying to reinforce those actions and today they got rewarded by that beautiful goal, and important goal as well. So he’s not just making contact, but I think he’s now finding the net which is important for us.”

Stajduhar made what looked to be a sensational save on Alistair Johnston at the back post just two minutes after Orlando’s goal but the play didn’t count anyway as the flag had gone up.

Pereyra went for goal on a set piece in the 67th minute but couldn’t get his shot to dip and it sailed just over. A minute later, Michel smashed a shot just wide of the right post from the top of the box. Michel then won a couple of corners but the Lions couldn’t pay them off. Then Akindele headed a Moutinho cross off the front of Willis’ crossbar in the 75th as Orlando came within inches of taking the lead.

Nashville threw players forward in the final 10 minutes to go for the win and had a couple of opportunities, with Pareja making some subs that changed the shape and tactics. With more Nashville players forward, Orlando looked to absorb pressure and counter, putting four fullbacks on the field at one point, but Ruan played a forward position and Emmanuel Mas came on, pushing Moutinho further up the field.

Moutinho did well in the 80th minute to beat a Nashville player to a back-post ball and knock it out for a corner. Then there were a couple of late nervy moments when Nashville won some balls in the air and they pinged around the area, but ultimately, Orlando did enough to hang on.

Orlando completely turned around the shots totals, with each team registering 14 for the match. Nashville got more on target (4-3). Each team earned three corners in the match, with Orlando holding more possession (56.1%-43.9%) and passing more accurately (86.7%-81.5%).

“I saw the team positioned better and be closer to their backs and creating options,” Pareja said of his team in the second half. “And when they wanted to come up from that pressure, they couldn’t, and that was the best part of the game — I think that probably 30-35 minutes in the second half was a highlight for us.”

“Playing away at Nashville is not an easy feat,” Carlos said through a club interpeter. “I was thrilled, once again, to be able to help the team, and we walked away with a well-deserved point but I believe that we could have even won the match.”

The Lions have another quick turnaround with the Chicago Fire visiting Exploria Stadium on Saturday night in a match that sure feels like a must-win game.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/14/24

MLS playoff predictions, Barbra Banda and Marta earn recognition, USMNT takes on Jamaica tonight, and more.

Published

13 hours ago

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November 14, 2024

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve been a bit under the weather this week, but it’s at least meant I’ve been able to spend more time with my cat and get some reading done when not hacking up a lung. But enough about that, let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world!

MLS Conference Semifinal Predictions

Former Orlando City captain Sacha Kljestan weighed in on which of the remaining eight teams will prevail in the MLS playoffs. He predicts that Atlanta United can lean on its counterattacking and Brad Guzan’s goalkeeping to beat Orlando City when the two rivals face off in Orlando on Nov. 24. A key thing to watch heading into the match is if Head Coach Oscar Pareja switches things up up top given Ramiro Enrique’s slump.

Kljestan predicts a tight match between New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls, but has NYCFC moving on. He also has both the LA Galaxy and LAFC advancing in the Western Conference, which would set up a playoff edition of El Trafico.

Pride Players Make ESPN’s Top 50

ESPN unveiled its annual list of the top 50 women’s soccer players and a pair of Orlando Pride players made the list. Forward Barbra Banda is ranked third on the list for crushing it in her first year in the NWSL, scoring 13 goals to help the Pride win the NWSL Shield. Marta, who has not been listed in the past two years, ranked 26th for turning back the clock at 38 years old and creating 46 chances for Orlando this season. Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati tops the list, with Naomi Girma in second, Caroline Graham Hansen in fourth, and Sophia Smith rounding out the top five. There are many voters for this year’s list from around the world, including Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter.

Steven Moreira Named Defender of the Year

The Columbus Crew’s Steven Moreira was named 2024 MLS Defender of the Year after a strong season. He made 27 appearances for the Crew this season and was a key part of his team’s success in the Concacaf Champions Cup and Leagues Cup this year. Moreira also helped out offensively with two goals and four assists and was an All-Star this year. The 30-year-old beat out Inter Miami’s Jordi Alba and Seattle Sounders center back Jackson Ragen for the award.

USMNT Takes On Jamaica Tonight

The United States Men’s National Team will play its first competitive match under Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino tonight when it takes on Jamaica in Kingston in the Concacaf Nations League. Although the U.S. may be favored in this series, playing on the road in Concacaf is always tough and Jamaica tends to keep things close against the Yanks. Tonight’s match is the first of the two-leg quarterfinals, with the two nations facing off again in St. Louis on Monday. Hopefully Pochettino can get the team firing on all cylinders as it continues to prepare for the 2026 World Cup.

Free Kicks

  • In a rollercoaster of a match, the U.S. Men’s Deaf National Team fell in a penalty shootout to Brazil in the Deaf Pan American Games. The U.S. took the lead in extra time, but Brazil battled back to tie it, winning from the spot to reach the final.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/13/24

Orlando City’s international call-ups, Orlando Pride playoffs preview, NWSL Awards voting opens, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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November 13, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Orlando City might have to wait a week to continue its playoff journey, but the Orlando Pride do not. The Kansas City Current are coming to town this Sunday for the third meeting between these NWSL heavyweights this year, and I will be there. I hope you will make it to Inter&Co Stadium to show this Pride club how much we appreciate all they have done this season in their final home match of the season. For now, let’s get to the links.

Lions on International Duty

Several Orlando City players received call-ups for this international break, including Facundo Torres for Uruguay. Additionally, the following also got the call: David Brekalo with Slovenia, Pedro Gallese and Wilder Cartagena for Peru, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson for Iceland, and Favian Loyola for Chile’s U-20 squad. All we can hope for is they all stay healthy and in form. Orlando City’s next opponent, Atlanta United, also had several players called up.

The NWSL Playoffs Continue

The Orlando Pride will face the fourth-place Kansas City Current this weekend after decimating the Chicago Red Stars Friday. There’s been a lot of drama between these two clubs, making this an intriguing semifinal match. The other match sees the second-place Washington Spirit take on third-place NJ/NY Gotham FC. While we get to enjoy seeing the Pride continue their NWSL playoff run, many clubs are now watching from home and working on next season’s campaign.

NWSL Award Voting Open

The NWSL has opened the “fans voting round” for its 2024 end-of-season awards. There are several Pride players who were named finalists, including Barbra Banda, Marta, Emily Sams, Kylie Strom, and Anna Moorhouse. Of course, Seb Hines is up for NWSL Coach of the Year in what should be a foregone conclusion. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get out there and submit your vote here. This is your chance to make a difference for Hines and these Pride players who have given so much this season.

Pepi is Ready

The USMNT will play its first competitive match under Mauricio Pochettino against Jamaica Thursday night in the first leg of a Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal series. The U.S. doesn’t have a ton of options at forward, meaning Ricardo Pepi will likely get the start. The PSV striker said he feels he’s “ready to be the man.” It’s been years since anyone locked down the starting role up top for the USMNT. Let’s hope that Pepi is indeed ready.

Free Kicks

  • In unsurprising news, Charlotte FC’s Kristijan Kahlina was named 2024 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. Orlando fans are all too familiar with how good Kahlina is in goal. Honestly, Khalina is a very deserving winner.
  • England’s squad will look very different this international window with eight players out due to injury, including Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer.
  • The UScpMNT match scheduled for today has been postponed due to inclement weather.
  • Coventry City has its eye on Frank Lampard as a possible replacement for Mark Robins as manager.
  • We have unfortunately seen the last of Memphis 901 FC. It is a sad day, as we’re unlikely to see such a cool name with whatever Santa Barbara comes up with.
  • We’re sad to share that FC Cincinnati’s Marco Angulo passed away as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and teammates.
  • Finally, I leave you with Ally Watt solving a Rubik’s Cube.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Pride’s playoff match against the Kansas City Current. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/12/24

Examining Orlando City’s playoff path, what to watch in the Concacaf Nations League, Lily Yohannes declares for the U.S., and more.

Published

3 days ago

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November 12, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City / Jeremy Reper

Happy Tuesday, everyone! The weekend couldn’t have gone much better for Orlando’s soccer teams, as both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride advanced after their respective playoff games, with the Pride dominating Chicago and the Lions getting a late, dramatic equalizer before winning the penalty shootout. The Pride will return to action Sunday against the Kansas City Current, while the Lions have a slightly longer layoff before they take on Atlanta United. As usual, we have plenty to discuss this morning, so let’s get into the links.

Orlando City’s Playoff Path

It was a wild weekend for the MLS playoffs as far as the Eastern Conference was concerned, and a slew of upsets suddenly means that the path to the MLS Cup final in the Eastern Conference goes through Orlando. The Lions are the highest remaining seed in the East, and not only will they host Atlanta Nov. 24, but they would also host the Eastern Conference final, should they come out victorious. Oscar Pareja spoke after the game about not wanting the victory over Charlotte FC to be the end of the playoff journey, and says the team intends to chase the MLS Cup. If Orlando does make it that far, the team wouldn’t be likely to host the match, as it would require Minnesota United to come out of the Western Conference in order for the final to be held in Orlando. Stranger things have happened though.

What to Watch For With the USMNT

It seems like we just had an international break, but here we are again with two more United States Men’s National Team games on the docket. These are two important games, as the USMNT squares off against Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. Besides the obvious chance to advance to the semifinals, there are plenty of other storylines to keep an eye on. With Josh Sargent and Folarin Balogun both absent due to injury, can Ricardo Pepi seize an opportunity to lay claim to the starting striker role? What sort of impacts can Brendan Aaronson and Weston McKennie have in the midst of good starts to the season for their clubs? Last, but certainly not least, is Christian Pulisic, who has had a fantastic start to the season and will have many eyes on him in the first competitive matches under Mauricio Pochettino.

Lily Yohannes Chooses the United States

The United States Women’s National Team has landed a great young talent, as Lily Yohannes announced on Monday that she has chosen to represent the U.S. over the Netherlands. While she was born in Virginia, Yohannes has lived abroad since the age of 10, making her eligible to play for either country. However, she stated that with the United States being her country of birth, as well as where her extended family lives, she decided to commit to representing Emma Hayes’ team. Yohannes made her debut for Ajax’s senior side in November of last year, and has seven goals in 40 appearances for the Dutch team.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

As always, the transfer rumor mill continues to turn, which means we have plenty of things to catch up on. We start with Major League Soccer itself, where FC Cincinnati’s Luciano Acosta has said he may have played his final game for the club. He cited frustration with falling short of silverware as a possible reason for wanting to move on, so he may change his mind once the sting has faded more. Moving to Spain, Barcelona is reportedly monitoring Eintracht Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush as an option to replace the aging Robert Lewandowski. Arsenal and Manchester United are said to be interested in Leroy Sane, and will pursue him hard if contract talks with Bayern Munich don’t progress well.

Free Kicks

  • NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman had some friendly words for the Orlando Pride.

That does it for me today. Vamos Orlando!

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