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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Final Score 3-1 as Lions Sunk by Controversial Decision

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3 years ago

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A controversial play late in the first half spelled doom for Orlando City (10-7-8, 38 points) as it fell 3-1 to the Philadelphia Union (9-7-8, 35 points) this afternoon. What could’ve been a red card to Union forward Kacper Przybylko ended up as the Union’s first goal. Making matters worse, Przybylko scored a brace in the second half to end Orlando’s chances at a comeback.

Pedro Gallese was between the sticks and the Lions used a five-man back line in this one, with Antonio Carlos, Robin Jansson, and Rodrigo Schlegel as center backs and Ruan and Kyle Smith as the two wingbacks. Junior Urso, Mauricio Pereyra, and Joey DeZart started in the midfield, with Tesho Akindele starting up top alongside Benji Michel. Nani and Andres Perea missed this game after being sent off in the team’s 4-2 loss to Montreal and both Daryl Dike and Silvester van der Water began this game on the bench.

Philadelphia dominated the first half as Orlando City found it difficult to get anything going offensively. In the 11th minute, the Lions had a decent chance when Akindele lost the ball near the end line but won it back. He ended up getting it to Pereyra at the top of the box, who was able to get a shot off, but it was blocked.

The Union nearly opened the scoring in the 14th minute when Jamiro Monteiro found space at the top of the box, using some fancy footwork to lose Junior Urso. His shot was just out of reach of the oncoming Jansson, but Schlegel blocked the shot from distance with his head.

Five minutes later, the Lions were forced into an early substitution when DeZart went down injured and was replaced by Raul Aguilera. Right after the change, Alejandro Bedoya played Monteiro right in front of goal. Fortunately for Orlando City, Monteiro was unable to make good contact and the ball went harmlessly out of play.

The second opportunity for Orlando City came in the 25th minute when Ruan took a shot from close range. Union goalkeeper Andre Blake had the near post covered, but the ball was deflected by Jack Elliott, who had extended his foot. The deflection forced Blake to slap the ball away, his first real action of the game.

Following the save, the Union went back on the attack. In the 30th minute, Bedoya played Olivier Mbaizo through on the right. The Cameroonian sent a dangerous ball across the box, nearly finding Cory Burke in on goal. However, Burke’s half-hearted attempt allowed the Lions to send it toward the top of the box. Leon Flach was waiting to collect it though and shot toward the far post, the ball rolling just wide.

The Union finally broke through in the 37th minute, though it was controversial. A Philadelphia free kick was quickly won by Orlando City, which tried to break out with numbers. However, a poor touch allowed the Union to regain control. With multiple Lions upfield, Burke found Kai Wagner at the top of the box and the midfielder’s shot was deflected past Gallese for the first goal of the game.

Replays showed that during the free kick, Przybylko elbowed Schlegel in the face, which should have been a free kick to Orlando City and possibly a red card for violent conduct for the forward. The assistant referee waved his flag, but was ignored by the referee, who let play go on. It was thought that VAR would’ve seen the infringement and reviewed the play, but the check informed Alan Kelly that he didn’t need to review it on the monitor.

In addition to the foul, it appeared as though there were multiple players offside and standing in front of Gallese during the shot. However, the referee didn’t call any of them offside and allowed the goal to stand.

“What I can tell you is what I saw first was a foul,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the game. “I would consider it a red card. It was flagged by the linesman. He saw it first. Second, the play that he was allowed to have advantage for us, I respect this decision of the referee on that part. But then, what I thought was (a player) well in between the shooter and our keeper. He’s blocking his side and was being part of the play.” 

“We were going to go on a counter attack,” Akindele said about the play. “And unfortunately, we lost the ball and they converted. That’s what good teams are gonna do. They had a couple guys in front of Pedro that could have been called offside or not. They didn’t call it offside.”

Despite the unlucky break, the Lions were fortunate to only be down one at the half. Philadelphia led the first half in possession (60%-40%), shots (8-1), shots on goal (3-1), total passes (209-150), passing accuracy (85.2%-74.7%), corners (4-1), and crosses (15-1).

The Lions did lead some first half statistical categories, but they were all defensive. These included duels won (28-17), tackles won (9-6), and clearances (18-3).

Orlando City came out much better to start the second half, beginning the period on the front foot. In fact, it didn’t take long for the visitors to get the equalizer.

In the 57th minute, Pereyra sent a good ball across the box for Ruan. Concerned about the wingback’s speed, the Union defenders provided plenty of space for him. So, despite Ruan being one of the smallest players on the field, he was able to redirect the cross toward the far post with his head. The header got past Blake and bounced off the far post for the equalizing goal.

The goal had Orlando City thinking of getting out of Philadelphia with at least a point, but that hope didn’t last long. In the 61st minute, Monteiro attempted to dribble down the Orlando City end line. He lost the ball to Smith, but Bedoya immediately won it back for the Union, laying it off to Monteiro. The midfielder found Przybylko, who could’ve been sent off in the first half for striking Schlegel, right in front of goal and the striker slammed it past Gallese, giving Philadelphia a 2-1 advantage.

Orlando City’s best chance after its goal came in the 74th minute. Ruan played a nice ball into the box for Junior Urso, who redirected it on target with his head. However, Blake was up to the task again, making the diving save and keeping the Lions behind by one.

Two minutes later, Sergio Santos had his first of multiple good chances on goal. Sent through behind the Orlando City defense, Gallese did well to cut down his angle. Santos shot but Gallese was right there to make the easy save. Orlando City was fortunate that Santos decided to shoot as he had Przybylko in the middle with no defenders around.

A bad situation almost got worse in the 80th minute. Santos once again was sent behind the defense, though it was questionable whether he was onside. Gallese came out of his box to tackle the midfielder, missing the ball and taking the Brazilian out.  With no defenders around, the referee could’ve considered it denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity, which would’ve been a red card for the Lions’ goalkeeper. But it was decided that Santos was too far toward the touchline, giving him a yellow instead.

In the 88th minute, the Lions did end up getting a player sent off. For the third time late in the game, Santos was able to get behind the defense, this time beating Carlos into the box. The usually solid center back grabbed the midfielder and pulled him down. Kelly immediately pointed to the spot and issued Carlos a red card.

The sending off was Orlando City’s third in its last two games. While the team will get Nani and Perea back next week, it will now be missing a key defender in Carlos.

To put a dagger in a disappointing afternoon, Przybylko stepped up to the spot and converted the penalty. So instead of being sent off in the first half, the Polish striker netted a brace and led his team to a 3-1 win.

It appeared at halftime as though this would be a lopsided affair. Despite the two-goal difference, the Lions made up ground in the second half. Philadelphia ended the game leading in possession (51.5%-48.5%), shots (13-9), shots on goal (8-4), total passes (381-365), passing accuracy (80.3%-80%), corners (4-3), and crosses (18-10). Orlando City led in duels won (51-42) and clearances (21-10).

The once defensively strong Lions have now conceded 12 goals in their last four games. This was the team’s third straight loss, the longest losing streak under Pareja.

“I think overall, especially our reactions in the second half when we tied the game and then we had control of it, we felt good,” Pareja said of the performance. “We could have had more. We have to say what came and take our responsibilities as well to keep improving. Try to get the team out of this moment that is difficult, but we are united and we will keep pushing.”

The Lions will look to end their losing streak Saturday night when they face the first-place New England Revolution in Foxborough, MA.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Jose Earthquakes: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

Orlando City completes its three-matches-in-eight-days marathon with a cross-country trip to San Jose.

Published

11 hours ago

on

May 18, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a late Saturday night matchup between Orlando City SC (3-5-4, 13 points) and the San Jose Earthquakes (3-9-1, 10 points). This is the only meeting between the teams in 2024 and the first time the teams have met since 2021.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of tonight’s match.

History

Orlando City is 2-1-3 in the previous six MLS meetings with the Quakes since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2015. The Lions have yet to win an away game in the series, however, going 0-1-2 on the road against San Jose.

The most recent meeting took place on June 22, 2021, with the Lions beating the Quakes down, 5-0. Orlando got things started with an early penalty kick goal by Nani, followed by braces from Benji Michel and Daryl Dike to easily put the game away. The lasting memory from the game is Michel’s celebratory dance wearing a cowboy hat that came out of the stands.

Prior to that Orlando City romp, the last time the teams met was on Aug. 31, 2019 when the Lions got freight trained 3-0 at Avaya Stadium, giving the Quakes their first win in the series. San Jose’s offense came via a Chris Wondolowski brace and an early opening goal by Magnus Eriksson. Orlando looked flat and weary out of the gate.

The Lions were victorious in Exploria Stadium in the 2018 meeting on April 21, a 3-2 Orlando win. It was the first win in the series for either side after three straight draws. Chris Mueller, Sacha Kljestan, and Dom Dwyer gave the Lions a 3-0 lead before Florian Jungwirth pulled two back in the game’s late stages.

The Lions led all of the first three matches in the second half only to see San Jose pull level, with two of those tying goals coming late. In the 2017 meeting, Carlos Rivas finally broke the scoreless tie and gave Orlando City the lead in the 81st minute, but Wondolowski spoiled the Lions’ night with an equalizer two minutes later as the teams drew at Avaya Stadium, 1-1.

In 2016, the Lions were gut-punched in the 94th minute in an emotional match that ended in a 2-2 draw. It was the first home match following the Pulse nightclub tragedy and what appeared to be a storybook ending to a cathartic win turned sour on a last-gasp equalizer by Shea Salinas. Seb Hines — now in his second full season as the Orlando Pride’s head coach — opened the scoring for Orlando, only to see Chad Barrett tie it up. Julio Baptista restored the lead in stoppage time, but Salinas ruined everything.

The two teams also drew in the first meeting, a 1-1 affair at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, with the Lions down to 10 men after Brek Shea was sent off in the first half. Kaká and Wondolowski each scored from the penalty spot four minutes apart in that initial meeting.

Overview

Orlando City is unbeaten in its last two games following a 0-0 home draw against Inter Miami Wednesday night. The Lions and Herons looked shattered in the second half of that game, and neither side would give an inch defensively. On the first clear looks at goal the teams had, both goalkeepers were outstanding, keeping the game scoreless. Orlando looks to earn points for the third straight match, but the team didn’t get to rotate much in the last week due to injuries, and things may not be back to normal just yet.

San Jose is in the Western Conference cellar with just three wins and 10 points from 13 matches. Still, the Earthquakes can score. San Jose has put the ball in the net 22 times this season. Only three Western Conference teams and five clubs in all of MLS have scored more. San Jose’s big problem has been shipping goals. The Quakes have conceded 32 times in 2024, which is dead last in Major League Soccer. The closest team to giving up that many is Portland, which has yielded 27 goals and just beat San Jose 4-2 on Wednesday night. That game was wild, with a horrible penalty throwing the Timbers a lifeline while they trailed 2-0 late. The bad call also resulted in the sending off of defender Bruno Wilson, though he will be eligible for this match after his one-game suspension was rescinded by the Independent Review Panel. Portland not only scored the penalty, but roared back to win 4-2 in a crazy game that included a second penalty on the Quakes later in the match.

Former FC Dallas coach Luchi Gonzalez is in his second season at the helm in San Jose. His team features a standout forward in Cristian Espinoza, who has two goals and a team-leading eight assists on the year. That gives him a direct goal contribution on nearly half of San Jose’s 22 goals in 2024. He’ll be the man Orlando must stop from scoring or setting up others, but the Quakes still have Jeremy Ebobisse (three goals), as well as a new No. 9, Amahl Pelligrino, who leads the Quakes with four goals on the year.

The Lions will need to avoid getting in a shootout with the Earthquakes, try to conserve energy, and play tight defense like they did on Wednesday.

“A really short period to prepare the game, but it’s the way that it is,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said about tonight’s game. “We’re traveling to the west coast, we had a very good flight, the boys look very fresh, and today we will train in the evening to keep our preparation and to keep recovering the team. So basically, that has been the routine so far and we’re just trying to get in and use this momentum to keep adding points.” 

The Lions will play this west coast game without Ramiro Enrique (right ankle), Mikey Halliday (right knee), Robin Jansson (right ankle), and Tahir Reid-Brown (left thigh). Cesar Araujo is also out tonight due to yellow card accumulation. The Earthquakes have three injuries heading into this game, with Daniel Britto (lower body), JT Marcinkowski (knee), and Jamar Ricketts (lower body) listed as out.

Match Content

Projected Lineups:

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Rodrigo Schlegel, David Brekalo, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Defensive Midfielders: Wilder Cartagena, Nico Lodeiro.

Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, Facundo Torres.

Forwards: Duncan McGuire.

San Jose Earthquakes (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: William Yarbrough.

Defenders: Vitor Costa, Tanner Beason, Rodrigues, Carlos Akapo.

Defensive Midfielders: Niko Tsakiris, Carlos Gruezo.

Attacking Midfielder: Amahl Pelligrino, Hernan Lopez, Cristian Espinoza.

Forwards: Jeremy Ebobisse.

Referees

REF: Malik Badawi.
AR1: Ryan Graves.
AR2: Adam Garner.
4TH: Brandon Stevis.
VAR: Kevin Stott.
AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert.

How to Watch

Match Time: 10:30 p.m.

Venue: PayPal Park — San Jose, CA.

TV/Live Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+

Radio: FM 96.9 The Game (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

Examining Orlando City’s 3-5-2

Let’s talk about Orlando City’s three-center-back formations, and try to determine if they should be the new norm.

Published

1 day ago

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May 17, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

In the last two Orlando City matches against the Philadelphia Union and Inter Miami, Oscar Pareja has deployed his team in 3-5-2, and 3-4-1-2 formations, respectively. While Papi typically prefers to set his team up in a 4-2-3-1, injuries to fullbacks Rafael Santos, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, and Mikey Halliday have necessitated some creative problem solving. The two uses of the 3-5-2 and its slightly tweaked variant have been met with success, as the Lions have taken four points from their last two games and, as a result, there’s been some calls online for the team to persist with the formation. With that being the case, let’s do some digging into how the formation has served OCSC, and try to determine if it’s a viable option going forward.

A big thing to note with Orlando’s use of a three-man back line is the presence of Wilder Cartagena as the middle center back. It isn’t his natural position, but Rodrigo Schlegel’s suspension for the Union game meant that Pareja needed to conjure another center back from somewhere, and he elected to shift Cartagena into the back line rather than use Kyle Smith or one of Abdi Salim or Thomas Williams.

Against Philly, a normal 3-5-2 was used, with Pedro Gallese in goal, David Brekalo, Cartagena, and Robin Jansson in the back line, Ivan Angulo and Facundo Torres as wingbacks, Nico Lodeiro, Cesar Araujo, and Martin Ojeda in the midfield, and Luis Muriel and Duncan McGuire up top. The only tweaks against Miami were Schlegel replacing the injured Jansson and Ojeda pushing up to sit behind the two strikers in a 3-4-1-2 formation.

In the Union game, Orlando did a great job at pushing numbers forward quickly when it won the ball, and all three of its goals came in situations where the attack was pressed quickly when the Lions won possession. The Lions took 13 shots, with eight of them from inside the box, and totaled 1.25 expected goals (xG). The team’s best chances of the night came with McGuire’s headed opener and Muriel’s second goal, as both came from inside the box and both were converted. Against Miami, the Lions took 14 shots, with seven from inside the box, and totaled .69 xG. OCSC’s best chance came from Martin Ojeda’s 32nd-minute shot from inside the box, which was well saved by Drake Callender.

In essence, Orlando created more chances against the Union, and was more clinical about finishing those chances. However, the difference in attacking output wasn’t drastic, and we might be able to put it down to Miami being a better team than Philly and the Lions playing the Herons on short rest.

Against Philly, OCSC had a rough outing defensively. While one of the Union goals came from a penalty kick, the home team took a whopping 29 shots during the game with all but eight from outside the box, for a total of 3.85 xG. Against Miami, the Herons took seven shots with six inside the box for a total of .60 xG. Aside from Gallese stonewalling Luis Suarez just minutes into the game in a 1-v-1 chance, the defense largely did a good job of limiting chances.

Even accounting for two penalty kick attempts inflating Philadelphia’s expected goals, the Lions did a far better job at limiting dangerous chances against Miami. That could be due to the team being more comfortable with the defensive setup after using it for a game or a more cautious approach by Oscar Pareja due to Miami’s considerable firepower, even without the injured Lionel Messi.

The numbers and the eye test say that there’s enough reason to consider continuing to use the formation going forward. The Lions have shown that they can create chances and score goals, and they’ve shown that they can have a solid defensive outing, although it would be nice to demonstrate both characteristics in the same game. That, my friends, is where things start to get tricky, because persisting with the 3-5-2 or a variation of it isn’t as simple as obeying what the numbers say.

Let’s talk about Orlando’s personnel. Thorhallsson and Santos both seem to be working their way back from injury, and once healthy they could theoretically slot in at the two wingback positions, which should help Orlando avoid the defensive mess we saw against the Union. That means we need to figure out what to do with Torres and Angulo. Despite his slow start to the season, Torres is a guy you have to have on the field, and in order to do that, I propose slotting him into Ojeda’s spot in the 3-4-1-2. The problem there is that he hasn’t looked super comfortable when operating as a central playmaker, but this could be resolved by instructing Muriel to drop off McGuire and play a little deeper, and giving Facu free reign to roam into the wide areas where he’s more comfortable.

Assuming Jansson will be missing for a few more games, I think you keep Cartagena at center back, considering how well he’s played there. Ojeda and Angulo come off the bench as impact subs, and you can rotate Ojeda into Lodeiro’s spot in the midfield as necessary to protect the Uruguayan’s legs. Once Jansson is back, he can slot in as the third center back, and Cartagena can move into the midfield, with Nico likely being the man sacrificed in games where Pareja wants more defensive stability, or Cartagena/Araujo dropping to the bench if Papi wants to go in guns blazing. I don’t particularly love that option though, as you generally want your best players on the field, and I have a hard time justifying breaking up the Araujo-Cartagena partnership that’s seen so much success.

The immediate problem with any three-center-back formation is Araujo’s yellow card suspension, which will mean he’s unavailable for Saturday’s game against San Jose. Theoretically, Cartagena could move up the field to take his place and Smith could slot in for the Peruvian, or Felipe could start in Araujo’s place, but if Santos and Thorhallsson are fit enough to start, I think we’ll see the return of a four-man back line. Otherwise, the same lineup would be starting its third game in eight days, and on a West Coast trip to boot. That seems like a recipe for disaster, so while I think there’s a way to trot out a 3-5-2/3-4-1-2, I don’t think we’ll see it on Saturday.

In short, the two formations have shown enough promise for them to merit some more looks, while bearing in mind that we’ve only seen a small sample size. The biggest challenge with continued use comes when Orlando has a clean bill of health and you try to figure out how to get as many of your best players on the field as you can. At that point it becomes a question of whether one of the new formations maximizes this team’s strengths, or if the best course of action is to revert to a 4-2-3-1 and keep the 3-5-2 in the back pocket for when its needed.

Either way, the strategy is going to be something interesting to keep an eye on going forward.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/17/24

MLSPA releases player salaries, Duncan McGuire discusses move to Blackburn, Orlando Pride prepare for the Seattle Reign, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

May 17, 2024

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Happy Friday! The weekend is nearly here, with plenty of soccer both here in the domestic leagues and abroad. I have a pretty packed weekend but am looking forward to watching Orlando City and the Orlando Pride in action. It should be a nice next few days, so let’s get it started with today’s links!

MLSPA Releases Player Salaries

The Major League Soccer Players Association unveiled the base salary and guaranteed compensation information for every player under contract with the league as of April 25 — except Wilder Cartagena, apparently. Luis Muriel is the highest-paid Orlando City player, and his $4.3 million in guaranteed compensation is the 12th most in the league, while his base salary is just over $2.83. As for other Orlando newcomers, Nico Lodeiro’s compensation is $800,000 and David Brekalo’s is $683,000.

Lionel Messi predictably tops the list of all players with $20.4 million guaranteed for playing with Inter Miami. To put that number into perspective, it’s more than the compensation of every team in the league except his own team (Miami), Toronto FC, Nashville SC, and the Chicago Fire. Orlando City is 22nd in the league in compensation, clocking in at $15.07 million.

Duncan McGuire Weighs In on Moving to Blackburn

Orlando City forward Duncan McGuire had a hurricane of an off-season due to a transfer saga that nearly saw him join Blackburn Rovers in England. An administration error by Blackburn prevented the move from going through, and McGuire ultimately returned to Orlando. In the time since, there have been reports that Orlando offered him a new contract and that Blackburn still wants him to join in the summer. McGuire spoke about whether he is still interested in a move to Blackburn after the difficult experience.

“It’s tough to say,” McGuire told GOAL.”That was a pretty bad mistake, a pretty bad mistake by them. I’d be open to maybe having a conversation but it would have to be a lot to get me to go back there. On the plane ride back, I just felt like my tail was between my legs. I asked my agent how often this happens and he was like ‘This doesn’t happen’.

“I didn’t burn bridges with my teammates or have it be like ‘Oh you wanted to leave and now you’re back’. When I got back, it was like I never left.”

Orlando Pride Prepare for the Seattle Reign

The Orlando Pride will take their six-game win streak on the road for a match against the Seattle Reign Sunday night. The Reign are coming off of a 4-0 loss to the Portland Thorns in their sixth defeat of the season, but Pride Head Coach Seb Hines discussed how the Reign played better in that match than the score suggests. The Pride have also never won in Washington, and the turf and atmosphere of Lumen Field could give Orlando some trouble after a long trip. Injuries, particularly to the midfield, have made things difficult for the Pride, but midfielder Morgan Gautrat detailed how the team’s chemistry has helped them get results despite the adversity.

Nashville SC Fires Gary Smith

Nashville SC has parted ways with Gary Smith, who had been the club’s only head coach while in MLS. Smith joined Nashville back in 2018, coaching the team for two seasons in the USL Championship before. With a defensive style, Smith led the team to MLS playoff appearances in all four years but couldn’t put together a deep run. Nashville is currently 10th in the Eastern Conference and Rumba Munthali will serve as the club’s interim head coach while the club searches for a new permanent coach.

Charlotte FC Transfers Enzo Copetti Out

Another Designated Player is leaving Charlotte FC, as the club transferred Enzo Copetti to Rosario Central in Argentina’s top flight. The forward recorded eight goals and three assists across all competitions while with Charlotte, and has played less than 500 minutes this season. Copetti is the latest Designated Player transferred out since Dean Smith took over as Charlotte’s head coach, with Kamil Jozwiak sent to Granada and Karol Swiderski loaned to Hellas Verona. Despite the turnover, Charlotte sits fifth in the Eastern Conference and could make some noise this season if it brings in the right players in the summer transfer window.

Free Kicks

  • Former Lion Miguel Gallardo spoke with the folks over at The Blazing Musket about the New England Revolution and the art of goalkeeping.
  • Our condolences go out to the friends and family of Derek Sanderson, who played for many teams across many leagues back in the 1980s, including the American Soccer League’s Orlando Lions.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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