Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Final Score 3-0 as Lions Pick Up First Win of the Season

Tesho Akindele, Nani, and Junior Urso gave the Lions more than enough offense for a dub and El Pulpo kept a clean sheet.

Published

4 years ago

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Tesho Akindele, Nani, and Junior Urso provided the goals and Pedro Gallese wasn’t called on to make a single save, as Orlando City dominated FC Cincinnat 3-0 at Exploria Stadium. The Lions (1-0-2, 5 points) turned in a good performance to get their first win of the season and remain unbeaten (2-0-1) in the all-time series against FCC (0-2-1, 1 point).

“Very good game for us, very solid performance,” Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “The best part of the game was that we found the net — something that we were missing in the last two games, where we did a very good performance also but we were missing that final touch. In today’s game we did it. We were more precise and that makes us happy.”

Pareja’s lineup included Gallese in his customary spot between the sticks behind a back line of Kyle Smith, Rodrigo Schlegel, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan. Mauricio Pereyra slotted into the midfield with Urso and Sebas Mendez behind an attacking force of Nani, Akindele, and Chris Mueller.

It took just over 30 seconds for Orlando to take the lead. Akindele was the first to reach a wayward back pass and slotted home to score the fastest goal in Orlando City’s MLS history. The only other first-minute goals in the club’s history came in the USL days, as both Dom Dwyer and Kevin Molino accomplished the feat in 2013.

“It’s super important for sure,” Akindele said of scoring early. “I mean, think of it from their point of view. They just lost last week, a big loss, and then they come out this week and they’re down right away. It’s tough. I’ve been in that position where something like that’s happened. I know it’s tough mentally. So, we knew that we had a mental edge right there. We had the fans behind us, we have momentum, we’re feeling good. They’re playing in the heat. So I think at that point we kind of have a lot of things on our side.”

“It meant a lot, especially because I felt the boys in the locker room trying to come up with intensity and and setting the tone of the game,” Pareja said of the early goal.

The Lions’ bright start continued with Urso heading just over the bar three minutes in. Akindele nearly had a brace in the 15th when a deflected cross from Smith just cleared the Cincinnati defense but the ball took a big bounce right in front of Tesho, who bodied it to himself, but he couldn’t keep his shot down.

Nani doubled the lead in the 19th minute with a vintage Nani moment. He faked right, shedding Cincinnati’s Yuya Kubo, then came left again and fired a screamer past Przemysław Tytoń to make it 2-0.

The second goal seemed to wake Cincinnati up and the visitors fashioned a chance off a free kick conceded near the right corner. The cross came in and found Nick Hagglund, who headed just wide in the 22nd minute.

A minute later, Nani nearly made it three for the Lions, getting his head to a Mueller cross but hitting the left post with it. Pereyra nearly slipped in behind in the 26th minute but the play was broken up from behind and the Uruguayan needed a visit from the trainers, although he did continue.

That broke Orlando’s momentum and Cincinnati started playing more directly, trying to lob balls over the defense for well-timed runs by Brenner. A corner in the 36th minute found Tom Petterson’s head at the back post, but again the free chance was nodded wide.

Cincinnati should have scored in the 38th minute when a long ball sprung Álvaro Barreal, who made a nice run. Gallese charged off his line but couldn’t get close to Barreal, but El Pulpo’s presence forced an errant shot by the Cincinnati man.

Orlando settled down a bit after that and fashioned some opportunities. Mueller cleared himself on the left and fired for the back post but couldn’t get enough curl on his shot in the 42nd minute in the final decent look for either side in the opening period.

“Oscar told us the last two games to score the goal. If we have one or two chances we have to score, and we missed that,” Urso said. “So, we talked about that last game. We said when we play against Cincinnati they have to pay the bill. Of course, we respect all teams in the league, but that’s the football. That’s the soccer. So we had talked about that. Today we have to win so today Cincinnati paid the bill. We scored the goals — more than one. That’s important too. I think today Oscar…he’s happy, I think.”

Orlando City attempted more shots (9-4), shots on goal (2-0), and held a slight edge in possession (51.1%-48.9%) in the first half. Both teams earned two corners, and Cincinnati was a bit sharper passing (87.8%-84.2%) but had very few pass attempts in the final third.

The Lions tried to get back on the front foot immediately after the break, with Mueller ripping a shot that was blocked behind for a corner in the 47th. Schlegel headed a shot on target off the ensuing set piece but it was right at Tyton.

Brenner nearly pulled a goal back out of nowhere in the 50th, sending a long range shot just wide of Gallese’s far post.

A minute later, Mueller again let ‘er rip, this time on the volley, sending his screamer just wide of the far post at the other end.

Nani smashed a gorgeous shot in the 63rd to force a good save by Tyton. Mendez ripped a shot just wide moments later. Ruan cut inside and fired a shot that Tyton saved in the 74th as the Lions continued to generate most of the game’s attack and looked to put the game to bed.

Orlando did just that in the 80th minute. Nani sent a back-post cross that second-half sub Andres Perea headed back across the box. It fell for sub Benji Michel, who turned, but he put the ball right on Urso’s foot and the Bear slipped a shot inside the left post to make it 3-0.

Hagglund headed wide on a corner shortly thereafter, but the visitors didn’t cause too much of a fuss for the rest of the match. Joao Moutinho subbed on late, seeing his first game action since last August. After a late shot attempt just wide by Silvester van der Water, the game was over.

Orlando attempted more shots (22-7), got more on target (5-0), and held more possession (52.5%-47.5%). Both teams earned four corners and Cincinnati maintained a slight edge in passing accuracy (88.5%-87.6%).

With his second clean sheet of 2021, Gallese now has five as a Lion, tying Tally Hall for third on the team’s all-time list since joining MLS. El Pulpo trails just Brian Rowe (8) and career leader Joe Bendik (13). But it was the offense that stole the show on this night.

“Just getting that first win and especially getting a win with a few goals, it feels really good, Akindele said. “Maybe kind of takes some pressure off of the team, maybe the forwards especially. So that was huge from us.”

“Congratulations to the group. Congratulations to the fans as well, for the first win of the year and hopefully can can do many more,” said Pareja.

The Lions remain at home for their next game, hosting New York City FC next Saturday at 6 p.m.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

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

9 hours ago

on

November 21, 2024

By

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!

Continue Reading

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

11 hours ago

on

November 21, 2024

By

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!

Continue Reading

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

15 hours ago

on

November 21, 2024

By

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!

Continue Reading

Trending