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Orlando City

Orlando City vs CF Montreal: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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3 years ago

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Orlando City hosted Montreal in Exploria Stadium for a midweek clash of Eastern Conference foes in the playoff race. The Lions were hoping to take all three points at home against a very tough to break down Montreal, but it wasn’t to be. Orlando City gave up an equalizer in the second half to draw their Canadian opponent 1-1.

Just a note for those who read our player’s grades: Each staff member has their own scale on how they grade players. My grading involves not just stats and key moments, but also how the player performs against my expectations. If you disagree with how I, or any of our staff, approach our grades, I sincerely encourage you to join The Mane Land staff so you can use your own criteria. Now, let’s see how the Lions did in the draw against their Eastern Conference foes.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — Gallese only made one save in the match, but it was a huge one. In the 49th minute, El Pulpo’s left tentacle stretched out as he was moving to the right and made what should be the MLS Save of the Week. Unfortunately, he had no chance on the Montreal goal off the corner kick in the 52nd minute. Gallese also made a bad giveaway pass in second-half stoppage time to give Montreal a corner and an opportunity to waste time. Fortunately, it didn’t result in anything worse. He attempted 17 passes at a 70.6% passing rate and connected on one of six long balls. Not the best overall match from the keeper, but certainly not a bad one either. 

D, Emmanuel Mas, 6.5 — Mas got the start again for the injured João Moutinho. Mas was more effective this match at getting into the offense, which was a byproduct of Orlando City’s pressing. On defense he had one clearance, six interceptions, and committed one foul. He did a good job of stopping the Montreal offense before much could develop, especially in the first half. They were more effective in the second half, but Mas still played well. He attempted 53 passes and had a 77.4% passing rate with one key pass, while completing two of three long balls.

D, Robin Jansson, 7.5 (MotM) — Jansson was seemingly everywhere during this match. He was a rock on defense, and wasn’t shy about getting into the attack. Even to the point of bringing the ball into the opponent’s box and taking a shot to earn a corner. It wasn’t the only run he made in the offensive half of the pitch, as the Beefy Swede made his presence known. Like others, he did have a giveaway in the 21st minute, but it amounted to nothing. Just before the half, he took the ball off the opponent’s foot and cleared the ball. It was Jansson who started the attack with a pass to Mauricio Pereyra that ended up in Chris Mueller’s goal. Defensively, Jansson made two tackles, two interceptions, one clearance, one blocked shot, and committed no fouls. Offensively, Jansson made two shots, with one on target. He also attempted 75 passes and had an 84% passing rate, with two successful dribbles. The usually accurate Jansson completed just one of 11 long balls. 

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Schlegel was once again pressed into the starting position due to Antonio Carlos serving a yellow card suspension. Having a backup center back of his quality is something to appreciate. He attempted 63 passes and had a 90.5% passing rate, and completed three of three long balls. Defensively, he made three tackles, two interceptions, five clearances, and won three aerials. He committed one foul, earning a yellow card in second-half stoppage time, and also suffered one foul. 

D, Ruan, 6 — Ruan played a very Ruan match. He made his runs up the right side as Orlando City pushed the attack through the speedy fullback during the first half. He also made several not great crosses, and finally connected on one that slid past Benji Michel and out to a waiting Mueller on the back post. He also had an opportunity on a rebound in the 76th minute, but was unable to put it away. It was his only shot in the match. He did make two key passes, four crosses (including an assist), and one dribble. He suffered two fouls, and found himself offside twice. Defensively, he made one interception, and two clearances. Ruan attempted 39 passes, had an 84.6% passing rate and attempted one long ball.

MF, Uri Rosell, 6.5 — Rosell played a solid match. He absolutely stood up Kamal Miller in the 35th minute to start the break for Orlando City. Rosell played within himself and as such was generally where he needed to be to help his club, though he wasn’t able to fight through a moving pick to contain the larger Rudy Camacho on Montreal’s set piece goal. Defensively, he won an aerial, made three tackles, two interceptions, two clearances, and committed three fouls. One of which was a professional foul in the 30th minute. He attempted 49 passes, had a 91.8% passing rate, and connected on two of two long balls. He came off in the 70th minute for Sebas Mendez after getting injured. It was a head impact that had his right side bleeding. He was the second Lion to get bandaged up in the match and on the play he was injured he made a vital challenge in the penalty area to prevent a Montreal scoring chance. 

MF, Júnior Urso, 6.5 — The Bear put in his usual iron man shift. His best chance at goal came on a missed header in the seventh minute. He was instrumental in Orlando City’s goal when he took Pereyra’s pass and put a long ball up to Dike to continue the attack. He took three shots, though none were on target. One of them deflected off the back of an opponent and caught the crossbar. Defensively, he had one tackle, one clearance, one interception, committed one foul, and suffered two fouls. He attempted 65 passes with a 93.9% passing rate, made two key passes, and attempted one long ball. Urso also spent part of the match in a head bandage after he and Dike collided in the box. It wasn’t enough to warrant concussion protocols, but it was enough for him to look like a partial mummy. 

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6 — Pereyra played the role that we expect from the number 10. Montreal’s Camacho played an outstanding match, which prevented several of Pereyra’s passes from getting to the target. He made an excellent delivery on the free kick in the seventh minute, but no one was able to take advantage of it. It was also Pereyra who deftly took the pass from Jansson and made a one-touch pass to send it to Urso on the way to Orlando City’s goal. Pereyra attempted one shot (just off target), had two successful dribbles, was fouled twice, and committed one foul. He attempted 41 passes with a 75.6% passing rate, made eight crosses, had one key pass, and completed one of four long ball attempts.

MF, Chris Mueller, 7 — Cash Money has woken up in the last match or two and this time he gave Orlando City the lead with his 45th-minute goal in the first half. The Money Badger did well in the first half press when the Lions were having their way. He attempted two shots, with one on target for the goal. Mueller made one key pass, committed one foul, and suffered two fouls. Defensively, he made one interception. He attempted 22 passes with an 81.8% passing rate and attempted two crosses. He also completed his one long ball attempt. He subbed off in the 66th minute for Silvester van der Water. 

F, Benji Michel, 6 — Michel was a pest on the right side of Montreal’s defense. He worked well with Mas, and made good runs with both the ball and without. He connected on two of his three crosses, and his early cross to Dike almost earned a goal. Offensively, Michel had one shot. He did have a team-high five poor touches. Defensively, he registered no statistics. He attempted 13 passes with a 76.9% passing rate, including two key passes, and one long ball attempt. He made two key passes, two successful dribbles, and committed one foul. He was subbed off in the 65th minute for Nani. 

F, Daryl Dike, 6.5 — Dike did everything he could to score, short of actually putting the ball in the net. Given how many guys were either riding his hip or worse, it was a tough night for the big guy.  His 29th-minute header was just over the bar. Later, he muscled his way through four defenders but couldn’t get a shot off. He was fouled in the buildup of Orlando’s goal, but the ref rightly called play on, and his touch took the ball out to Ruan on the right side for a secondary assist on the goal. He got in for a late shot that was saved. Dike attempted three shots, with one on target. He also suffered one foul, made three dribbles, and was dispossessed twice. Defensively, Dike made one clearance. He also made two key passes on 11 attempts with a 90.9% passing rate. He was subbed off in the 86th minute for Tesho Akindele. 

Substitutes

MF, Silvester van der Water (66’), 4.5 — Van der Water was not his usual self. His passes were not good, he gave the ball away consistently after coming on, and he just wasn’t sharp. Montreal dared him to play the ball with his right foot by overplaying his left side and the Dutchman tried to force it rather than taking what the defense was giving him. He attempted 18 passes with a 66.7% passing rate, made one cross, and was successful on one of two long balls. He made one interception and was dispossessed once.

F, Nani (66), 5 — Nani was not able to make the type of impact he usually does when coming on late. There was no stoppage time golazo in the run of play or from a free kick. He attempted 11 passes with a 63.6% passing rate, had one successful dribble, and suffered one foul.

MF, Sebas Mendez (70’), 6.5 — Mendez attempted 37 passes with a 94.6% passing rate, and connected on two of three long balls. He also had one successful dribble. It was good for Mendez to get back on the pitch, and help with the defense to see out the match.

F, Tesho Akindele (86’), N/A — There simply wasn’t enough time or possession for Akindele to contribute to the attack. He attempted two passes on his two touches, with a 100% passing rate.

MF, Alexandre Pato (86), N/A — As much as I would like to give the Duck a grade for simply making an appearance, he didn’t have enough time to contribute much to the match. Pato attempted four passes with a 50% passing rate. Hopefully, we will see more of him in the coming matches so he can get up to game speed and achieve full match fitness. 

That is how I saw the game. How do you feel about the individual performances? Tell us by commenting and voting on the Man of the Match below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Robin Jansson10
Junior Urso2
Chris Mueller9
Uri Rosell2
Benji Michel1
Other (put in the comments below)1

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Orlando City

How Orlando City’s Offense Stacks Up Against What Atlanta Does Defensively

How Orlando City has performed against teams playing with three or four defenders, and how that may influence the playoff game against Atlanta United.

Published

13 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The most famous quote about real estate is that “there are three things that matter in property: location, location, location.” Soccer coaches also like to think in threes, especially when it comes to points, but for a soccer coach, the three things that matter might be the rhyming triplet “formation, formation, formation,” as that is where they will have the biggest influence on every game that their team plays.

Throughout his tenure as head coach, Óscar Pareja has preferred to use a 4-2-3-1 as his formation (fbref.com’s lineup data shows that the Lions primarily played a 4-2-3-1 in 65% of their MLS matches this season, and 79% of their MLS matches during the last three seasons). The Lions have lined up in a 4-2-3-1 during each of their last 14 games, and my confidence level is strong to quite strong (can you believe Meet the Parents came out 24 years ago?) that they will do so once again on Sunday when they host Atlanta United.

Atlanta United also prefers to deploy a 4-2-3-1, but was less consistent than Orlando City this season during MLS play, as evidenced by the chart below that shows how Atlanta lined up this season:

The purpose of this image is a table to show how Atlanta United lined up in 2024 (mostly in a 4-2-3-1 but also in one of six other formations).

I am relying on the coders at Opta for their evaluation of the formation, as I do not watch a lot of Atlanta United matches (sounds terrible), but though Atlanta primarily played with four defenders in more than two-thirds of its matches, during the last two matches it played a 3-5-2, the only two matches all season in which interim coach Rob Valentino rolled out that formation. I suspect that the formation change was related partially to playing Inter Miami and trying to defend the Herons’ dynamic offense and partially due to an injury suffered by defender Brooks Lennon in the first game of that series. So, while Atlanta primarily played four in the back for most of the season, there is a good chance it will roll with what worked against Florida’s second-best MLS team when it plays Florida’s best MLS team this weekend.

Now, if you want to read more about Atlanta, then you can read our match preview, which will drop Sunday morning, but I want to look at how Orlando did against teams that play similar styles. Looking only at MLS games, the table below shows how Orlando City performed against different back line structures this season (the left side is how the Lions’ opponents lined up, the right side is how Orlando City performed against opponents in those formations):

Table embedded as an image showing Orlando City doing best in goal differential in 12 games against three-man back lines, second best against four-man back lines, and having played once against a five-man back line (a 1-1 draw).

Orlando City earned slightly more points per game — the stat that matters most — against teams that played four in the back, but the Lions had a better average goal differential when teams played three in the back. Atlanta will likely deploy one of those two formations. In both games against Orlando City this season, Sunday’s visitors went with a 4-2-3-1, but as mentioned earlier, they used three in the back in each of their last two matches, so it really could be either.

Soccer is not like baseball, where players primarily stay in the same spot throughout the game, so some of these stats have to be taken with a grain of salt, as players are not always rigidly in the same position throughout a match. A team may also primarily play with four in the back but switch to three when chasing a game, or five when trying to protect against a late goal.

That said, using the data around Orlando City’s opponents’ general formations, here are the attacking groups who played the most frequently against four defenders during the 24 MLS games where Opta coded the opponents as using a defensive group of four:

Table embedded as an image showing the most frequently used lineups against teams who deploy four defenders. The most frequently used attacking group has a plus eight goal differential for the season.

It is a little ominous that the main starting group, shown in row one, has played 666 MLS minutes against back lines of four this season, but do I like that green goal differential of +8 in those minutes, which is a strong +1.08 per 90 minutes. I like that goal differential more than I like all the things that Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin like on their song that is creatively named “I Like It.” Coincidentally, when people ask me what I think about that song, I say, “I like it.” I am very creative.

If we look at the lineups that Orlando City has used against back lines of three defenders then there are some pretty major differences in personnel groupings, but it must be noted that more than half of the games against teams playing three in the back came early in the season, when Ramiro Enrique was unavailable to play. Enrique, my presumed starter at striker, has played fewer than three games’ worth of minutes (265 total) against back lines of three this season, and only 28 minutes with the main starting group, which ranks 13th among all the attacking lineups for minutes played against three defenders. That group scored one goal in their 28 minutes together though, for a robust 3.21 goals-scored-per-90-minutes average.

While the team as a whole has been successful against three-man back lines, I do not expect any of the lineups shown in the table below to play more than a few minutes together this weekend, though the first row and the last row are strong groups and had a lot of success.

Table embedded as an image showing the most frequently used lineups against teams who deploy three defenders. The most frequently used attacking group has a plus three goal differential for the season.

I am sure that all week long the Orlando City coaching staff has been going back and forth on whether it is more likely that Atlanta reverts to its most commonly used four in the back, or if the Five Stripes try for three wins in a row with three in the back. I would prefer that Atlanta plays with zero defenders and goalkeeper Brad Guzan wears a blindfold, but I think that is unlikely to be the case.

Even though Atlanta defeated Orlando City both times while in a 4-2-3-1, based on available personnel and recent results, I believe that the team will come out in a 3-5-2 in Inter&Co Stadium in the conference semifinal. Good things come in threes, and Orlando City’s best offensive production this season has been against three defenders, so I am going to be hoping that this continues, and in the third game against Atlanta the Lions grab the three points. Three’s company!

Well, it is a playoff game, so there are no actual points at stake, but you know what I meant.

Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to get a victory to advance to the Eastern Conference final?

Published

15 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City continues its playoff journey against Atlanta United Sunday at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions are coming off an emotional penalty shootout win over Charlotte FC in their best-of-three, first-round series. Likewise, Atlanta United stunned everyone by taking out Inter Miami to advance in its own best-of-three matchup. Now, the rivals meet in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

What does Orlando City need to do to get past Atlanta United to advance to the Easter Conference final?

Beat Guzan

Brad Guzan made 16 saves over Atlanta’s three matches against Inter Miami, including seven in the 3-2 win on the road in Game 3. The 40-year-old former USMNT keeper is in excellent form and is a big reason why the Five Stripes are facing Orlando City. Converting chances against Guzan will be crucial to earning a result. There have been times this season when the Lions have struggled to convert their chances. Despite that, the team has done enough offensively to get to this point. Facundo Torres, Martin Ojeda, Duncan McGuire, Ramiro Enrique, and others have contributed and will need to do so this weekend.

Cartagena is Essential

Orlando City lost twice to Atlanta United during the regular season. What is interesting, and perhaps relevant, is that Wilder Cartagena was out for both of those matches. Cartagena was shown a straight red in the match against Minnesota United prior to the first match against Atlanta way back in March. He was shown a yellow card in the match against FC Cincinnati and then served a yellow card accumulation suspension for the final match of the season against Atlanta. Fortunately for Orlando City, Cartagena will be available for the match this weekend. I’ve mentioned before the importance of Cartagena to Orlando City’s success. When he and Cesar Araujo are on the field together, the defense is simply better. Cartagena is frankly one of the better defensive midfielders in MLS. Atlanta scored five goals in the series against Miami, and Orlando will need to keep the visitors from having that kind of offensive success.

Overcome the Past

That darn international break in the middle of the playoffs is something I don’t love. More precisely, I don’t like it because Orlando City often struggles after a break. It would have been nice if Orlando City could have ridden the momentum from the penalty kick victory into the Atlanta match, but that’s not to be. Now is the time for Orlando City to break some bad habits, including turning around its historical lack of success against Atlanta, and tendency to struggle in the first match after a break. Oscar Pareja needs to have the players in the right frame of mind, and the players need to execute the plan. A full house of supporters can also make a difference. Given it’s a Sunday afternoon match, there’s no reason not to pack the house.

That is what I will be looking for Sunday afternoon. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/21/24

Marta’s chance to shine in NWSL Championship, NWSL and MLS award winners announced, 2025 SheBelieves Cup details, and more.

Published

19 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve been spending most of this week plotting out some holiday shopping to make things a little less stressful for myself over the next few weeks. A big weekend filled with Orlando soccer awaits us, so make sure to get any errands or obligations out of the way sooner rather than later. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Spotlight Falls On Marta in NWSL Championship

There are plenty of storylines heading into Saturday’s NWSL Championship between the Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit, including Marta’s opportunity to put an exclamation point on what has been an excellent season for the Pride. Orlando has been enjoying the fruits of its labor this season after a rebuild over the past few years that’s included plenty of change in the City Beautiful. Marta has been a constant, however, enduring some difficult seasons since joining the Pride and adapting her game She’s scored in both of the Pride’s playoff games so far and has a chance to author a storybook ending on Saturday.

Ann-Katrin Berger Named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year

NJ/NY Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was named 2024 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year, beating out the Pride’s Anna Moorhouse and Utah Royals FC’s Mandy Haught for the honor. It was Berger’s first year in the NWSL and she’s the first European player to win the award. She only conceded 16 goals across her 22 matches for Gotham this season and was a key reason behind her team’s success. I’m not too surprised that Moorhouse did not win, considering how solid the Pride’s defense was as a whole, but this won’t take anything away from a record-breaking season for her.

Wilfried Nancy Named MLS Coach of the Year

Columbus Crew Head Coach Wilfried Nancy was voted 2024 MLS Coach of the Year after a historic season in which the Crew set club records in both points and goals. The Crew also won the Leagues Cup this summer and their 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup campaign included advancing past Tigres and Monterrey en route to the final. This is Nancy’s first time being named Coach of the Year and he has been a finalist for the award every year since 2021. The Frenchman received 40.02% of the vote, winning the award over Inter Miami’s Gerardo Martino and Colorado Rapids Head Coach Chris Armas.

2025 SheBelieves Cup Details Unveiled

The 10th annual SheBelieves Cup will take place next year and the tournament will return to its usual format where each of the four teams plays each other once. The United States Women’s National Team will host Japan, Colombia, and Australia in February in what should be an exciting tournament. The U.S. will take on Colombia on Feb. 20 in Houston before facing Australia in Arizona on Feb. 23 and finishing the tournament on Feb. 26 against Japan at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. These games will also be the first domestic games of 2025 for the USWNT as it prepares to qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.

Eric Quill Named FC Dallas Head Coach

FC Dallas announced that Eric Quill will become the team’s next head coach. Quill joins Dallas after a great year with New Mexico United that included trips to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals and USL Championship Western Conference semifinals. It’s also a reunion of sorts for Quill, as he previously coached North Texas SC and was named USL League One Coach of the Year with the club in 2019. Dallas missed out on the playoffs this season, with Peter Luccin coaching the team on an interim basis after the firing of Nico Estevez in June.

Free Kicks

  • District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser challenged Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer to a bet involving this weekend’s NWSL Championship, with embarrassing lightshows on the line.

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

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