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Orlando City vs Inter Miami CF: Five Takeaways

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3 years ago

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It’s MLS Rivalry Week, and as such Orlando City hosted Inter Miami CF in another Friday night match. Right from kickoff Orlando City controlled the match and mostly kept Miami off balance. Despite that, the Lions were only able to manage a 0-0 draw against the in-state rival. What can we learn from a squandered chance to shore up second place in the Eastern Conference against Inter Ft. Lauderdale FC?

Penalty Kick Woes Continue

Orlando City earned a penalty for a handball in the 11th minute of play. With no Nani on the pitch, Tesho Akindele stepped up to the spot. Nani usually does a stutter step with mixed results when it comes to penalty shots. I’m not a professional soccer player, but from what I’ve seen, a confident shot hit with pace at either corner of the goal is usually effective. That is not what Akindele did with his opportunity. While it is true that Nick Marsman guessed the correct side, Akindele did not place the shot well, and Marsman was easily able to save the kick.

El Pulpo: Still Good in Return

In the 22nd minute, Miami sent in a dangerous corner. The ball pinged around the box and Rodolfo Pizarro got a foot on it close to goal. Fortunately for Orlando City, Pedro Gallese had returned from injury and the MLS All-Star Game in time to start the match, and also palm away that shot.

Gallese made another big save look easy in the 70th minute when he swatted away a Gonzalo Higuaín shot from about three feet when the older Miami player actually made it into the box onside.

Corner Kick Woes Continue

In the first half, the Lions took four corner kicks. In the fifth minute, the delivery was perfect and Junior Urso got a free header but couldn’t keep his shot on target. Another corner in the first half was taken short in the 24th minute. Initially, it looked like Robin Jansson had scored on a shot from outside the box, but Akindele got a toe on it from an offside position and the goal was rescinded. The shot may have been drifting wide without that touch anyway.

In the 61st minute, Chris Mueller took what was supposed to be a short corner back to Silvester van der Water. However, he hit it with a lot of pace and van der Water promptly mishandled it, passed it towards the center of the field and nearly had Higuaín going the other direction. Fortunately, Higuaín was in a race with Ruan for the goal, and never stood a chance.

I think The Mane Land Twitter account put it best.

Dike’s Return was Uneventful but Necessary

Daryl Dike made his return to the lineup, and to the pitch in the second half. While he wasn’t able to get back on the scoreboard, just having the big guy back is important for Orlando City. He had some opportunities on set pieces, and during the run of play, but it might be that there’s just a little bit of rust that needs to be dusted off. He did start to establish his physical presence the longer he was on the field. Hopefully, playing a half in a rivalry match will get him back on the front foot.

Missed Opportunities

At the end of the day, this was a match of missed opportunities for the Lions. From not converting the penalty kick, to a whole lot of nothing from 10 corner kicks, this is one of those draws that almost feels like a loss. To be certain, Orlando was the better team most of the night, and while the Lions had 15 shots, only two were on target. That lack of finishing doomed the Lions to a fourth draw in the last five matches. There is nothing wrong with a point on the road, but not earning three points at home against a conference rival is a lost opportunity. Hopefully, it won’t come back to haunt the club at season’s end.

That is what I saw in the match, but let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Cesar Araujo

The Uruguayan midfielder turned in another solid performance in his third season in Orlando.

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16 hours ago

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December 28, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City signed Uruguayan midfielder Cesar Araujo on Jan. 7, 2022, from Montevideo Wanderers, making him the club’s first-ever MLS U22 Initiative signing. Araujo inked a three-year contract through 2024 with an additional club option year in 2025. The midfielder has since been moved out of a U22 slot.

The 2024 season was Araujo’s third in Orlando, and he continued to do the kinds of things that we’ve seen since he arrived and immediately seized a spot in the starting XI. Let’s look back at Araujo’s performance during the 2024 MLS season.

Statistical Breakdown

Araujo appeared in 30 of Orlando City’s 34 games during the regular season, starting 28 and playing 2,424 minutes. All of those numbers either set new or equaled career lows, but with more competitions — and more yellow cards — Oscar Pareja wisely got his midfield stopper off the field when he could, even beyond the two matches he missed due to suspensions for accumulation. The Montevideo, Uruguay native also missed a pair of games with an ankle injury. Araujo scored one goal, equaling a career high, and added one assist. He set a new career high in shots (25), but put only two of them on target. He passed at an 89.8% rate with 12 key passes, one successful cross, and 47 completed long balls. Defensively, Araujo chipped in 64 tackles, 29 interceptions, 20 clearances, and eight blocks. He committed 47 fouls, drew 70 on the opposition, and picked up 11 yellow cards but no red cards.

In the playoffs, Araujo started all five of Orlando City’s matches, playing 448 of the 450 available minutes. He did not score a goal, but he provided one assist, attempting six shots without putting any of them on frame. He raised his passing rate to 91.6% — his highest accuracy in three playoff runs — including one key pass, one successful cross, and 20 completed long balls. Defensively, Araujo contributed three tackles, seven clearances, and a block in the postseason. He committed four fouls, drew 10 on the opposition, and saw one yellow card.

Araujo played in three of Orlando City’s four Concacaf Champions Cup matches, starting two and logging 215 minutes. The ankle injury kept him out of the away match at Tigres. He did not make a goal contribution in the competition, attempting five shots and putting one on target. He completed 67 of his 82 passes (81.7%), including one key pass, no cross attempts, and six completed long balls on seven attempts (85.7%). Defensively, the midfielder contributed seven tackles, one interception, and three clearances. He committed seven fouls, drew four, and was shown one yellow card in the competition.

In Leagues Cup, Araujo started all three of Orlando’s games and went the full 270 available minutes. He did not score a goal or assist on one, attempting four shots without putting one on target. He completed an outstanding 141 of his 153 passes (92.2%), including three key passes, one successful cross on his only attempt, and 11 completed long balls on 12 attempts (91.7%). On the defensive end, Araujo contributed two tackles, two interceptions, two clearances, and one block. He committed two fouls, drew 10 on the opposition, and was shown one yellow card.

Best Game

The Uruguayan had a number of standout games this season. It’s tempting to take the 3-0 win at Nashville on July 17, in which Araujo scored his only goal of the regular season, opening the scoring 19 minutes in.

However, I’m going to select the game right before that one. On July 13, the Lions visited the New England Revolution riding a modest two-game winning streak. It was the first time all season Orlando City had posted back-to-back wins. To keep that momentum going, the Lions would have to do something they’d never done before — win a game at Gillette Stadium. Araujo’s performance that evening helped Orlando City do just that, as the Lions captured a 3-1 victory.

Araujo contributed on both sides of the ball that night, but Orlando City still found itself trailing 1-0 at halftime in its house of horrors on a Giacomo Vrioni goal as Dagur Dan Thorhallsson and Rodrigo Schlegel lost communication defensively in the 23rd minute. Facundo Torres scored in the 51st minute to pull the Lions level, and then Araujo helped Orlando take the lead eight minutes later on a set piece. Martin Ojeda sent a corner kick from right of goal to the back post, where three Lions were waiting. Araujo got up and headed the ball down in front of goal, where Ramiro Enrique flicked it in to make it 2-1.

It was a smart play by Araujo, who was not likely to score from that position. By heading it in front, he gave his teammates a chance to make a play on the ball, and Enrique took advantage of the opportunity, giving the Lions a second-half lead. A late second goal by Torres put the match away, giving Orlando City it’s first-ever road win in New England.

Araujo’s evening went far beyond the assist. In his 89 minutes, the Uruguayan attempted a season-high three shots, although none of them found the target. He had one of his best passing performances of the season, completing 94.6% of his attempts, including his one key pass that turned into an assist and three successful long balls. Araujo completed six dribbles in the match, which was one shy of his season high. Aside from his contributions in the attack, Araujo chipped in three tackles and an interception, helping the Lions hold the Revolution at bay and retain the lead once they’d gotten it. The performance helped stretch Orlando City’s winning streak to three games, building momentum that propelled the team into the top four by season’s end.

2024 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Araujo a composite grade of 7 out of 10 for the 2024 MLS season. This is a step down from the 7.5 we gave him last year, although I don’t think he necessarily played worse than he did in 2023. Perhaps it’s a function of the team’s slow start and worse finish in the standings. It’s also a full point below the 8 out of 10 he received from TML in 2022. The midfielder played well and I don’t know that there’s been a lot of variation from him from his arrival, but opinions wax and wane, and perhaps the staff overall simply expects more in his third year. It would be nice if he’d chip in an additional goal here or there, but he at least attempted more shots this season. He could also cut down some of the unnecessary cards, earning a career-high 11 this year. If I’ve got a knock on him in 2024 as opposed to previous seasons, it’s that he conceded three penalties, although the one on Aidan Morris vs. Columbus was one of the softest shirt pulls given in my 10 years of watching OCSC at the MLS level. Pedro Gallese stopped Josef Martinez on one of those penalties.

Araujo was still a solid central midfielder, and his partnership with Wilder Cartagena has been essential to any success the Lions have had the last three seasons. The duo of Araujo and Cartagena limited opponents to the fourth-fewest shots against per match and the sixth-fewest goals per game in MLS in 2024, tying for fifth in MLS in clean sheets. Additionally, the team allowed just one goal in the run of play in the postseason and it had nothing to do with the midfield.

2025 Outlook

Araujo’s option year for 2025 was automatically triggered by performance metrics, so although he’s still under contract for another year, it is open ended on whether he’ll be in Orlando beyond next season. At just 23, Araujo is entering his prime years, but he is costly, as his budget charge of $675,000 in base salary and $714,000 in guaranteed compensation is about $200,000 above that of his more experienced central midfield partner. That said, he was the eighth-highest paid player on the squad, which places him in the middle of the starting XI (three players making more were coming off the bench in the second half of the 2024 season) and one of those starters making more was former Lion Facundo Torres.

Unless the club opts to break up the midfield partnership and go in another direction, or City simply receives a transfer offer too good to pass up, Araujo should still be winning fouls in the Orlando City starting midfield in 2025. A good starting central midfield pairing with effective chemistry is as important as a dependable back line. If the central midfield can pick up where it left off at the end of the season — and it might need to do so quickly if the club can’t replace Torres’ offense — the club should try to lock Araujo in with a new contract. The team is well positioned financially, after all. I am hopeful we will see fit to give Araujo’s final score a bump after another solid campaign in the Orlando midfield in 2025.

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2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Robin Jansson

Let’s take a look at how the Beefy Swede performed in his first year captaining Orlando City.

Published

2 days ago

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December 27, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City signed Robin Jansson all the way back in early March of 2019. Although we knew he should be a solid option when he arrived, few could have predicted just how astute of a signing he would turn out to be. The Swede promptly nailed down a starting spot that he’s refused to relinquish when healthy, and the club’s captain is also one of its longest-tenured players alongside Kyle Smith and Mason Stajduhar. The team recognized his efforts with a new contract before the 2024 season which will keep him here through the end of the 2025 season and also has an option for 2026.

Let’s take a look at the Beefy Swede’s 2024 season.

Statistical Breakdown

Jansson played in 30 regular-season games, starting all 30 and totaling 2,662 minutes. His totals for appearances, starts, and minutes played were all the second-most in his Orlando City career, behind only the 2023 season. He scored one goal and provided one assist, with the assist matching his career high of one. He completed four dribbles, took seven shots and put two of them on target. Jansson also attempted a career-high 1,691 passes and completed a career-high1,476 of them for a passing accuracy of 87.3%. His four key passes tied the second-best mark of his career, and while he did not complete a cross, he did connect on 73 long balls. Defensively, he recorded 20 tackles, 31 interceptions, 91 clearances, 23 blocks, and 20 aerial duels won. He committed 13 fouls, drew 37 fouls — a number that was easily a career high — and was booked eight times (all yellow cards).

In the playoffs, Jansson started all five of Orlando City’s matches and played each of the 450 minutes available. He did not have a goal contribution, putting one of his two shots on target. He passed at a higher rate than the regular season, connecting on 89.9% of the passes that he played. He provided one key pass, which was a career playoff high, and also connected on nine long balls. Defensively, he had three tackles, seven interceptions, 12 clearances, and four blocks. He committed two fouls, drew five on the opposition, and picked up two more yellow cards.

Jansson played in three of the team’s Concacaf Champions Cup matches and played the full 270 minutes available. He did not have a goal contribution but put one of his two shots on target. He completed 84.5% of his passes and completed a key pass. On defense he logged six interceptions and 12 clearances. He committed three fouls without being booked and drew four on his opponents.

The defender also started three matches in Leagues Cup, totaling 225 minutes on the field. He did not have any goal contributions but took one shot and put it on target. He passed with 91% accuracy and completed one cross and eight long balls. On defense he chipped in two tackles, five interceptions, six clearances, and a block. Jansson also committed two fouls, picked up one yellow card, and drew two fouls from the opposition.

Best Game

As is typical for him, Jansson had good defensive outings on multiple different occasions. For the captain’s best game of 2024, I went with the one in which he scored his lone goal of the season — the 5-0 home shellacking of D.C. United on July 6. Jansson started, played 77 minutes, and scored a goal on his lone shot of the game to help the Lions beat the brakes off visiting D.C. His 97% passing accuracy was outstanding for a guy who played the full 90, and he even completed a season-high two dribbles. On the defensive side of the pitch, he recorded one tackle, one interception, one block, one aerial duel won, and three clearances. He also drew one foul while not committing any of his own.

Jansson’s goal came in the 23rd minute with Orlando already leading courtesy of a great first-time Martin Ojeda strike just a few minutes earlier. After a corner kick, the ball found its way to Wilder Cartagena out wide. The Peruvian then completed one of the most unlikely connections of the year, as he whipped in a great ball, which Jansson headed past Tyler Miller with authority to double the Lions’ advantage.

Fittingly enough, our own Andrew DeSalvo named Jansson the Man of the Match in his Player Grades piece, while awarding him a grade of 9 out of 10 for a performance that came very close to being perfect. Perhaps the only knocks against him are that he didn’t score a second goal when given a good opportunity to do so, and the fact that he didn’t go the full 90 minutes, as he was withdrawn when OCSC held a comfortable 4-0 lead.

2024 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff awarded Jansson a composite grade of 7.5 out of 10 for the 2024 season. That’s a half point lower than the 8 that he received during 2023, which was the highest he’s been graded during his time with Orlando City. He was given a 6.5 during his maiden voyage in 2019 and then alternated between 7 and 7.5, with a 7 in 2020, a 7.5 in 2021, and another 7 in 2022. While he graded a little lower than last year, it was by no means a bad season, and some of that decrease can be attributed to Orlando’s defense as a whole having a less effective year than in 2023 — giving up 50 goals as opposed to 39.

2025 Outlook

As mentioned earlier, Jansson is under contract through the end of the 2025 season and has an option for 2026. Add in the fact that he’s the club captain and all-time leader in appearances, and it would take something truly unexpected for him to not be back in purple next season.

He also remains a lock to be one of the team’s two starting center backs, and based on his performances in 2024, there isn’t any reason to believe that will change in 2023. David Brekalo will have a chance to prove himself with the benefit of a full off-season and preseason under his belt, but if anyone is going to lose their place to the Slovenian international, then the smart money is probably on Rodrigo Schlegel.

On defense, there aren’t any areas of Jansson’s game that are crying out for immediate attention, and he continues to be a guy who does most everything well, and some things at a very high level. At 33, his speed will be something to keep an eye on, but at the moment, he remains capable of tracking back and making timely interceptions and clearances. At 6-foot-2, it would be nice for him to offer more of a goal threat from set pieces, but that isn’t likely to change at this stage of his career.

At the end of the day, he remains a great player for this team, and his will be one of the first names on the team sheet until his abilities start to fade.

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Lion Links: 12/27/24

Yazmeen Ryan reportedly set to join the Houston Dash, USWNT’s year in review, Boxing Day grades, and more.

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2 days ago

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December 27, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to the final Friday of 2024! The weird limbo week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve rolls on as we get ready for the weekend. Looking back at my resolutions from last year, I wasn’t able to hit my reading goal, but did get a cat like I’ve always wanted. It’s the last time I’ll be bringing you links this year, so let’s dive right in!

Yazmeen Ryan Reportedly Headed to Houston

The Houston Dash are reportedly sending $400,000 to NJ/NY Gotham FC in exchange for versatile attacker Yazmeen Ryan. That hefty fee would be a league record when it comes to internal league trades. Ryan was a regular starter for Gotham this year and recorded five assists and five goals. The 25-year-old also made her debut with the United States Women’s National Team this year. While $400,000 is quite the price to pay, the Dash need plenty of help after finishing last in the NWSL this past season.

Reviewing the USWNT’s 2024

It was a year of highs and lows for the USWNT, but things are looking pretty up for the team heading into 2025. It feels like forever ago that the team lost to Mexico in the Concacaf W Gold Cup, a result that called attention to the amount of work needed before the Olympics. It didn’t take long for Head Coach Emma Hayes to bring success, as she made tough decisions on who to bring to Paris and guided the team to a gold medal. Center back Naomi Girma proved why she was one of the best defenders on the planet and the forward line of Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, and Mallory Swanson ushered in a new era for the USWNT. That being said, it will be weird not having veterans like Alyssa Naeher, Alex Morgan, or Becky Sauerbrunn playing for the USWNT next year.

Grading EPL Boxing Day Performances

There was plenty of action in the English Premier League for this year’s Boxing Day and each team was graded for its performance. Manchester City got a D following its 1-1 draw against Everton, with Erling Haaland missing a penalty. Things didn’t go any better for Manchester United, which received an F for losing 2-0 to Wolverhampton in a match that included a red card to Bruno Fernandes and an Olimpico from Matheus Cunha. Chelsea was also given an F after conceding a pair of late goals in a 2-1 loss to Fulham. Top marks went to Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United. Forest held on for a 1-0 victory against Tottenham while Newcastle cruised to a 3-0 win over Aston Villa. Newcastle’s day was made easier by Jhon Duran being sent off in the first half after using Fabian Schar as a doormat.

Spectator Arrested for Alleged Racism in Scotland

A supporter was arrested for allegedly racially abusing Jordan Obita in Thursday’s match between rivals Hibernian and Hearts in the Scottish Premiership. Obita, who was a substitute for Hibernian to help see out the team’s win, received abuse from the spectator and that person was ejected from the stadium and then arrested. Hibernian thanked Hearts for the swift action in dealing with the supporter. Racism has no place in soccer or anywhere else, and it’s nice to see such an immediate and strong response from a club to help stamp it out.

Free Kicks

  • ESPN named its top players, teams, and moments from 2024. I personally think the Orlando Pride got snubbed for Women’s Team of the Year, which went to Barcelona, but I’m admittedly biased.
  • Americans Griffin Yow and Bryan Reynolds starred in Westerlo’s match against Club Brugge, with Yow scoring a goal and Reynolds providing two assists.
  • Arsenal is reportedly interested in signing aforementioned Wolves forward Matheus Cunha. While I think he would bring a major boost to Arsenal’s title hopes, I can’t see Wolves letting him go for anything other than a king’s ransom amid their relegation fight.
  • You may have to squint a bit due to the fog, but Paul Mullin scored quite the goal for Wrexham in a 2-1 win over Blackpool.

That’s all I have for you this time around, Mane Landers. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your year. I’ll see you all in 2025!

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