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Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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2 years ago

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Orlando City hosted FC Cincinnati and fell 2-1 after a brace from Brandon Vazquez. Junior Urso was able to score his first goal of the season to equalize after the first Vazquez goal, but the Lions couldn’t find another goal in them in the second half. It was a windy night in Orlando, making crossing even more difficult as Cincy stacked the box with bodies to earn a result on the road. Orlando’s offense looked threatening but couldn’t convert as the Lions lost their first game of 2022.

Here’s how the Lions individually performed in the loss.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — El Pulpo wasn’t able to come up with a save in a one-on-one against Vazquez as Orlando conceded its first goal of the season in the 13th minute. On the second goal, Gallese nearly reacted in time to get a hand to Vazquez’s quick header, but there was enough speed that it may have gone in regardless. His only save of the night was a good one against another header from Vazquez. Gallese passed at a strong 89.5% success rate and was accurate on four of his six long balls.

D, Joao Moutinho, 6 — There wasn’t too much the Portuguese left back could do to stop the first Vazquez goal, as the Cincinnati forward cut inside between defenders and Luciano Acosta’s ball in transition was inch perfect. His 106 touches were the second most on the team behind Mauricio Pereyra as he worked with Facundo Torres on the left flank to create chances. Although there were miscues here and there, the pair formed a strong connection that grew as the game went on. Although he did a good job finding open space to deliver crosses, none of his six attempts found the target due to the visitors packing the box and none of his five long balls were able to find their targets either. One of his crosses led to Orlando’s goal though, as Geoff Cameron couldn’t clear it cleanly and Torres was there to send in another for Urso to score off of. Moutinho led the Lions with four tackles and was successful on five of his attempted dribbles. He also had two clearances and a shot that went high and wide. He was strong in the air with a team-high four aerials won, and he passed at a 79% rate.

D, Robin Jansson, 5.5 — Jansson returned to the starting lineup following his one-game suspension. The Swede was beaten by Acosta’s pass on the first Vazquez goal but that’s more due to placement and timing than a positioning issue. However, he drifted too far from his mark on the second goal, allowing Vazquez an easy free header for the second goal. His 84 touches were the third most on the team, and he was successful on 86% of his 78 passes while accurate on two of his seven attempted long balls. It’s unclear how those are charted, as he connected multiple seeing-eye passes through the Cincinnati formation during the game to switch play. Jansson had a clearance and a pair of blocks, including a crucial one in stoppage time against Vazquez that kept the Lions alive. He received a yellow card for dissent as well in a frustrating night for Orlando. It was the kind of preventable booking that will end up being costly when he gets his fifth.

D, Antonio Carlos, 6 — Carlos led the Lions with three clearances and two interceptions while also adding two tackles in a decent defensive performance. He was successful on 89% of his 65 passes to help Orlando build possession and was also accurate on seven of his 10 long balls. The Brazilian center back drifted forward as the Lions searched for a goal and had two shots, one on target that forced a good save late in the game and the other blocked. Like Jansson, he foolishly received a preventable yellow card for dissent.

D, Ruan, 4.5 — Ruan’s crossing was especially poor in this match as he was only accurate on two of his 10 attempted crosses. Orlando players would often find Ruan in a good position behind enemy lines but the attack swiftly died once he tried to send the ball into the box. He either needs to improve at crossing or figure out a better way to attack, such as racing toward goal and giving a cutback pass. Things weren’t much better for him on defense, as he was shouldered off the ball on a counter attack by Dominique Badji to allow the assist on Cincy’s winner. He was caught jogging back after being upfield and could not recover to hold Badji up enough for Orlando to recover defensively. He had a chance to atone moments later but overhit what should have been an easy short cross to Kara after Pato sent him behind on the right. His only defensive stat was an interception and he was accurate on his lone long ball. He completed 35 of his 40 passes for an 88% success rate, but his crossing was a killer as he hardly worried Cincy’s defense. He had two particularly wasteful ones late, sending one into outside netting and the other was hit long for a goal kick.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — Araujo did plenty of the little things in another strong match as he won five fouls and completed 48 of his 52 passes for an impressive, team-best 92.3% success rate. His best moment came in the 51st minute when he inserted himself between Badji and an open net, walling off the attacker to win a foul after a tough save by Gallese ended up with a loose ball in front of goal. His worst moment was a bad pass that nearly ended up with Cincy scoring on the counter. Araujo understandably didn’t get involved much in the attack, although he was accurate on all three of his long balls and had one shot that was off target. Defensively, he finished with a tackle, an interception, and a clearance, and he came off in the 66th minute as the Lions hunted for goals while trailing. The 20-year-old continues to impress after joining this off-season.

MF, Júnior Urso, 7.5 (MotM) — The Bear’s goal counted this time as he made a great run into the box and smashed a header off the ground and past Alec Kann. It was one of Urso’s team-high four shots in the match, and he led Orlando with three shots on target while the fourth was blocked. He also had a key pass in the second half to give Benji Michel a crack at goal. On the defensive side of things, Urso had three tackles and an interception. Urso also did a nice job drawing five fouls, including three in the attacking third to set up dangerous set pieces for Orlando. He had 70 touches in 88 minutes of action and completed 86% of his 51 passes in a strong, all-around performance.

MF, Facundo Torres, 6.5 — For his first assist in MLS, Torres pounced on a loose ball near the end line and delivered a great cross for Urso to connect with. It was one of many impressive moments from the 21-year-old and Orlando looked most dangerous when he was on the ball. While his height was a mismatch at times against Cincy, his speed gave him plenty of opportunities to make runs and whip balls into the box. Of his seven crosses, four found their mark, and he led the team with five key passes. Both of his two shots were off target. Like Chicago last week, Cincy sent Facu to the ground often as he continues to get a rough welcome to the league and although Chris Penso called a tight game most of the night, he allowed the visitors to take a few liberties with the Uruguayan. As a result, he was dispossessed four times but hustled to chase after them and finished with 81 touches and 54 passes at an 85% success rate, while completing one of his three long balls.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6 — Orlando’s captain led the Lions with 108 touches and 81 passes, as he hustled around the field to serve as an outlet for teammates and fuel the attack. But the captain had a mixed night. His poorly placed pass ceded possession and led to the opening Cincinnati goal. He had a chance for an equalizer late in the match but he had to strike with his weak foot and sent the ball high from close range. That strike was one of two shots from him, the other sent wide from an ambitious free kick. There was another shot from long range that was well off target and perhaps so badly so that it wasn’t officially counted as a shot attempt. The Uruguayan had two key passes, completed 82% of his total passes, and was dispossessed three times. He was successful on four of his seven attempted crosses and accurate on four of his six long balls. Pereyra helped out defensively as well with two tackles, an interception, and a clearance. But he struggled at times on through-ball attempts, creating transition attempts for Cincinnati, and missed a couple of his teammates’ runs into space that could have gotten Orlando in behind the tightly packed Cincinnati defense.

MF, Alexandre Pato, 6 — The Brazilian had moments of brilliance throughout the match, including a beautiful ball right in front of goal for Kara despite a lack of vision. It was one of two key passes for Pato in the match as he tried to spark something on offense while trailing. One of his two shots on the night was a header well saved by Kann and the other was from distance but never dipped back down to get on target. He was accurate on one of his two attempted crosses as well. Pato played every minute of the match and had 50 touches while completing 82% of his 34 passes. While the series of passes between him and his teammates looked pretty at times, it wasn’t enough to put the ball in the back of the net as the final product was just never there.

F, Ercan Kara, 6 — In his first start as a Lion, he nearly scored in the 22nd minute with a diving header after Pato found him in the center of the box but Kann made a good save. It was his only official shot of the night — the statistician was a bit stingy in the game, not giving him a shot for his flick attempt off a first-half cross from Ruan, which was blocked by a defender — but he did well working himself into good positions in the center of the box. With the opposition leading much of the match and sitting back defensively, Kara was limited to 24 touches in 88 minutes. He completed 63% of his 16 passes but did create a scoring chance and his off-the-ball movement was good. He nearly had a tap-in in the first half off a good Moutinho cross but he was sandwiched between two defenders and couldn’t make contact with the ball. He tired notably in the second half and wasn’t as involved but the signs are there that Kara can be a dangerous addition to the Orlando attack.

Substitutes

F, Benji Michel (67’), 5.5 — Michel came on for Araujo to give Orlando another offensive weapon while trailing in the match. The Homegrown Player used his speed against Cincy’s tired legs to find himself in good positions to score, but he wasn’t able to get any of his three shots on target as two were blocked and the other — on which he was sent down the right by a good Pato pass — went wide. He had 19 touches and was dispossessed twice and halted a potential attack with a handball, while making one key pass to try to spark something. Michel didn’t have any crosses and completed seven of his nine passes for a 78% success rate. He brought needed energy to the offense and gave Cincy’s defense trouble, but ultimately couldn’t capitalize on it.

MF, Sebas Mendez (88’), N/A — It was a brief appearance for Mendez, but he had 12 touches and was successful on nine of his 11 passes for an 82% rate. The Ecuadorian also had a tackle and helped stop Vazquez from getting a hat trick in stoppage time.

F, Tesho Akindele (88’), N/A — The Canadian striker wasn’t able to replicate the success he’s had against Cincy in the past in his brief appearance. He had just three touches and only completed one of his three passes.

That’s how I saw the performances in Orlando City’s home loss to FC Cincinnati. It was a disappointing result, but the players will have to shake it off before road trips out west the next two weeks to take on the LA Galaxy and Portland Timbers. Be sure to vote in the poll below for your Man of the Match.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Junior Urso29
Facundo Torres3
Cesar Araujo3
Joao Moutinho5
Other (tell us who in the comments)9

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Opinion

Resetting Expectations for Orlando City in 2024

What expectations are reasonable for Orlando City fans for the remainder of the 2024 MLS season?

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30 mins ago

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May 11, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After another agonizing loss at home a week ago to FC Cincinnati, Orlando City finds itself near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings almost a third of the way through the regular season. For an organization that entered the 2024 Major League Soccer season with lofty expectations, the beginning of the season has fallen significantly short of preseason projections.

For the most part, the facts that supported those preseason projections still mainly hold true. Orlando brought back its core offensive and defensive pieces, made some specific and pointed acquisitions in an attempt to upgrade, and was still managed by a coach who had enjoyed unparalleled success at the helm for the club.

So with all those things holding true, the head scratching question at this point in the season is what has gone wrong? During the first five to six weeks of the season, Orlando had to balance the regular season and Concacaf Champions Cup. Those days are now long past and that excuse for poor on-field performances no longer holds water.

In years past, Orlando has demonstrated its ability to grow into the season and last year’s record-setting team didn’t find its form until after the Leagues Cup competition. Nonetheless, Orlando City fans have not seen a team stumble out of the gate this badly in recent years. It’s time to reset the expectations for the 2024 MLS season and look to see what the team would have to do to turn the season on its head.

In 2023, Orlando City put up a club-record 63 points by season’s end, but if we break down the numbers of the early season, we can see that it might not be time to press the panic button just yet. Through the first 10 matches of 2023, Orlando put up 14 points on a 4-4-2 record with a goal differential of zero. Orlando City currently sits on nine points through its first 10 matches with a 2-5-3 record and a -7 goal differential. On the surface, those numbers seem to be a stark contrast to one another, but when you take into account a five-goal drubbing at Inter Miami, the goal differential that the team is supporting this year is mainly dragged down by one forgettable outing.

Add in a short-handed loss in Atlanta earlier in March, when the team was banged up and missing Wilder Cartagena due to suspension, as well as a heartbreaking last-ditch collapse against Toronto FC two weeks ago, and the picture starts to look less bleak than just what the numbers would suggest. Still, good teams find ways to not drop points at home and to manage matches where there are pieces of the machine missing.

With 24 matches still on the schedule, there is time to climb the table, but with every dropped point or bad loss the clock ticks closer to midnight and the margin for error becomes smaller.

In 2023, Charlotte FC snuck into the playoff wild card position with 43 points on the season, and only 10 wins. It doesn’t seem wildly out of the imagination that Orlando could reach that level this year. Extrapolating the data going back to 2021, with the current MLS playoff qualifications, a team would need an average of 44 points to make the postseason. That equates to Orlando needing 35 points over its final 24 matches — or 1.45 points per match — to reach the wild card round.

A somewhat more lofty goal would be qualifying for the playoffs without the wild card. Again, going back to average the seventh-place spot in the East over the last three years, Orlando would need to reach 48 points this season to avoid a play-in game. That equates to 39 points over the final 24 matches, or 1.62 points per match. In 2023, Orlando managed 49 points over its final 24 matches of the year — that’s 2.04 points per match.

I am not projecting Orlando to go on that same massive (MLS best) type of run over the summer and fall portions of the season, but I do believe that when it comes to expectations on the season there is still hope to be had for Orlando qualifying for the playoffs. The more likely scenario would be for Orlando to end up in the wild card matchup, but with a few extra matches breaking Orlando’s way, it is not a stretch yet to consider the club could climb slightly higher. There is also still the Leagues Cup on the horizon, and regardless of one’s opinion on the competition, a deep, competitive run in that competition could give meaning to the Lions’ 10th anniversary season.

We can likely put to bed the hopes of competing for the Shield or the top spot in the East at this point in the season, given the number of teams above the Lions and the number of matches remaining. However, it is still far too early to give up on the season as a whole. Orlando was five minutes away from going undefeated in the month of April, and there are still meaningful and winnable games on the calendar ahead. My recalibrated expectation of the season is for Orlando to earn a wild card spot, and anything above that would be gravy as far as I am concerned.

What reset expectations do you have for the year? Let us know in the comments below and as always, Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union

Get caught up with everything you need to know about the Philadelphia Union from someone who knows them best.

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1 day ago

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May 10, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City is set to continue a difficult May schedule Saturday, and will try to avoid a three-game losing streak in the process. This week sees the Lions travel north to face the Philadelphia Union, which will be the first of three taking place in a span of eight days, with two of those on the road, forcing Orlando to shuttle back and forth across the country.

A date with the Union means I caught up with Joe Lister of the always excellent Philadelphia Soccer Now. As usual, Joe was very helpful in getting us caught up on what’s been happening with the Union, and I also answered some of his questions about OCSC, which you can find over at their place.

Run me through Philadelphia’s off-season transfer business. Are there any new names who have stood out?

Joe Lister: Philadelphia’s transfer business is nearly nonexistent. They sold a few guys, but didn’t really bring anyone notable in. The group that will be available against Orlando on Saturday is the same group that’s been around with the team for (generally) two or three years.

Quinn Sullivan, however, has been a relevation this season. His brother, Cavan, has obviously been in the news as of late. However, Quinn, 20, has been great for Philly. He’s got great pace down the side of the pitch and has a motor that doesn’t seem to quit. If he can perfect his final touch, he’ll make the Union a good bit of money.

It’s still quite early in the season, but its strange to see the Union not occupying their typical spot near the top of the East. Is there any concern among the fanbase, or are people largely happy with what they’ve seen so far?

JL: People are upset. This team, by Philly fans’ standards, sucks. The Eastern Conference is obviously super tough this year (Miami and RBNY are worth shoutouts), but Philadelphia just isn’t performing. They nearly lost three games in a row for the first time since 2017 with their draw against D.C. United. They were saved by a blast from Jack McGlynn that they didn’t necessarily deserve.

The Union are underwhelming. The front office has operated under the impression that the teams from 2020, 2021, and 2022 can still compete in MLS. The issue is that while the league has gotten better, the Union have just gotten worse.

The Union’s only two losses of the season have come at home. Is that simply down to playing two good teams in Real Salt Lake and the Seattle Sounders, or is there something else at play there?

JL: That’s just the team being in a funk. Again, this team is underperforming by Philadelphia’s standards. Losing at home is a true showcase of how far this team has fallen. I think the Union will be fine longterm — this is a playoff team, but nothing more than that.

Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?

JL: Defender Olivier Mbaizo and goalkeeper Andre Blake were both out for last match with injuries. Blake’s been in-and-out all season, but I think the team has started to realize that backup Oliver Semmle is good enough that the three-time Goalkeeper of the Year doesn’t need to always be on the pitch. Julian Carranza is also suspended due to yellow card accumulation.

Lineup (4-4-2 diamond): Oliver Semmle; Kai Wagner, Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Nathan Harriel; Jose Martinez; Leon Flach, Alejandro Bedoya; Daniel Gazdag; Quinn Sullivan, Mikael Uhre.

I think this is a 2-2 draw. Based on where the Union are at right now, Orlando will get two first-half goals, the Union will pull back in the second half. Feels like a game where Daniel Gazdag should find the net at some point.

Thank you to Joe for the inside info on the Union. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/10/24

Orlando City hits the road, Angelina has a successful knee procedure, Europa League final is set, and more.

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1 day ago

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May 10, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday! I don’t have many plans for the weekend beyond working and looking after my friend’s cat, but I’m hoping it’s a fairly relaxing next few days. Both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are in action tomorrow night, so make sure to plan your weekend accordingly. For now, let’s get to today’s links!

Orlando City Prepares for the Philadelphia Union

After a tough loss at home to FC Cincinnati, Orlando City hits the road for a tough match against the Philadelphia Union tomorrow night. The Lions showed plenty of fight in that loss, which included a red card to Rodrigo Schlegel and injuries to both Dagur Dan Thorhallsson and Rafael Santos. Head Coach Oscar Pareja spoke about the matchup against the Union and stated that Thorhallsson is in concussion protocol and that both he and Santos are day-to-day heading into this match.

The Lions at least won’t have to worry about Philadelphia forward Julian Carranza in this match, as he will miss it due to yellow card accumulation. Both teams have struggled in recent weeks, with the Lions winless in their last three games and the Union winless in their last four. Orlando managed to beat the Union on the road last year and will need to do it again to climb up the Eastern Conference standings.

Angelina Will Be Evaluated Weekly for Return

Orlando Pride midfielder Angelina had a successful arthroscopic procedure on her knee and will be evaluated by the club’s medical team for a return to the field on a week-to-week basis. She suffered the injury late in the Pride’s 4-1 win over the North Carolina Courage, and rookie Ally Lemos filled in for her in the team’s 1-0 win against Racing Louisville. Angelina signed with the Pride this past off-season and has been a major reason why the Pride are undefeated in 2024. The Brazilian has done well on both sides of the ball and has a goal and an assist to her name so far, while bringing stability to the midfield. Hopefully, she returns to the Pride’s midfield sooner rather than later.

Philadelphia Union Sign 14-Year-Old Cavan Sullivan

The Philadelphia Union have a penchant for developing young players and have now signed 14-year-old midfielder Cavan Sullivan to a Homegrown Player contract that will last through 2028. Sullivan, who is the brother of Quinn Sullivan, is now the fifth-youngest signing in MLS history. He excelled in the past two Generation Adidas Cups with the Union and made his debut for Philadelphia Union II earlier this year. When he turns 18, he will reportedly be transferred to Manchester City as well, so it will be interesting to see how he does in MLS until then.

Leverkusen and Atalanta Reach Europa League Final

Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta both got the job done in second legs at home to advance to the Europa League final. The match in Germany between Leverkusen and Roma was a wild one, with Leverkusen managing yet another late comeback to draw 2-2 and advance on aggregate after winning the first leg. The draw extended Leverkusen’s unbeaten streak to 49 games and it can secure a treble by the end of the month. In the other semifinal, Atalanta cruised to a 3-0 win over Marseille. The Italian club will have a chance at silverware in the Coppa Italia final against Juventus on May 15 before the Europa League final on May 22 in Ireland.

Free Kicks

  • Enjoy these sights and sounds from the Pride’s gritty win over Racing Louisville.
  • Olivier Renard is no longer the vice president and chief sporting officer of CF Montreal, with the two sides agreeing to part ways.
  • PSV Eindhoven reportedly won’t be exercising the option to sign American right back Sergino Dest, who joined the Dutch club on loan from Barcelona last year.

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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