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Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Final Score 1-0 as Lions Earn Another Road Win

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2 years ago

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Kyle Smith’s late flicked header rescued Orlando City from a wasteful performance in the attacking third as the Lions defeated Toronto FC 1-0 at BMO Field. Orlando (6-4-2, 20 points) sent the Reds (3-7-2, 11 points) to their fifth consecutive loss and extended the Lions’ unbeaten streak against Toronto to five matches.

The Lions improved to 3-1-2 on the road in 2022. Orlando City is now 5-8-3 against Toronto FC in the all-time series and 2-4-3 in road games, but this win was the team’s first at BMO Field. The previous “road” win came at Exploria Stadium during the time Toronto was playing in exile during the pandemic last year.

“Congratulations to the players today in such an important match in a difficult place, with that personality and collectiveness that we are pursuing in this project,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I like the way they controlled the game the whole time. I think we imposed our rhythms. We came here to win and the victory is ours and we’re very pleased and happy.”

Pareja’s lineup had just a few changes from Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup lineup. Pedro Gallese returned to the goal behind a back line of Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Ruan. Cesar Araujo and Andres Perea took up residence in central midfield behind an attacking midfield line of Facundo Torres, Mauricio Pereyra, and Junior Urso, with Ercan Kara up top.

The Lions played the first half like a team that either played a few days ago 1,200 miles south of BMO Field or was assembled two weeks ago. Players failed to connect or read where their attacking partners would go, crosses were poor to the point of not being worthy of MLS-level players, and bad touches cost Orlando City multiple goals.

Torres fired the game’s first shot from long range in the fifth minute but missed wide to the right of goal. This was the theme of the opening 45 minutes as the Lions wasted several opportunities.

In the 12th minute, the first of Urso’s heavy touches cost the Lions a chance to score. He and Pereyra played a nice give-and-go but the first touch by the Bear was heavy and he had to make a sliding effort at a cross. The ball hit off the defender and back off of him for a harmless goal kick. It was a tough way to end a nice spell of attacking pressure set up by a great run up the field by Jansson.

Jordan Perruzza ended up with the ball after Pereyra turned it over in the corner of his own defensive half but the Toronto forward’s shot was blocked in the 15th minute.

Ruan was sent down the right by Urso moments later and had plenty of space to pick out one of his teammates in the box but instead he sent his cross lazily right at goalkeeper Alex Bono in the 17th minute. A minute later, Torres sent a cross over everyone as Orlando continued to waste opportunities in the final third.

Toronto nearly capitalized after the two poor crosses. In the 19th minute, the Reds got the ball in the right corner and a cross went through everyone in the area to find Luca Petrasso. The fullback took a shot but Ruan blocked it to keep it scoreless.

Jesus Jimenez was left all alone from long distance in the 24th minute and he got his shot on target, forcing a diving save from Gallese.

Seconds later, the Lions should have scored. A good line-breaking spell of passing ended up with Urso on the right. He led a 3-v-1 with Kara and Torres to his left and only one defender to beat. However, the Bear took a massively heavy touch and by the time he caught up with it, the chance was gone.

Three minutes later, Urso was served up a golden opportunity at the left post by a Ruan pass. All the ball needed was a touch toward net for the Lions to open the scoring. Urso, however, popped up his deflection over the net from just a few yards off the goal line, continuing the theme of Orlando letting Toronto off the hook.

The Lions lined up a dangerous set piece in the 38th minute when Torres was knocked down by Michael Bradley about 25 yards straight out from goal. Pereyra took the free kick and got it on target but left it too far from the right post and Bono did well to get a hand on it to knock it out for a corner. It was Orlando’s only shot on target of the half.

That was the last decent chance of the half for Orlando, which defended a late corner and went to the locker room tied at 0-0.

Orlando City led in most statistical categories, including possession (52.2%-47.8%), shots (7-3), corners (3-2), and passing accuracy (84%-78.8%). But both teams put just one shot on target, and that’s the only reason the Lions didn’t have at least a two-goal lead at the break.

Toronto sent on Ayo Akinola for Ralph Priso to start the second half and the last 45 minutes were much more wide open.

The Lions quickly won an early corner that was played short and sent to Jansson from about 30 yards out. The defender fired a shot on target but it didn’t have much venom in it and it was right at Bono. Orlando played corners short through most of the match and seemed more likely to concede a goal at times than score one from such set pieces, so the game-winning goal seemed a bit ironic in the end.

A minute after Jansson’s shot, Deandre Kerr sent a shot on frame from distance and Gallese did well to knock it away.

Orlando nearly made a free kick pay off in the 59th minute after Ruan was fouled out on the right wing by Perruzza. Pereyra sent in a good cross on the set piece that found the foot of Perea. The first-time shot was sent just wide of the left post.

The end-to-end action continued with Ruan getting into the box in the 60th minute. The right back fired a shot toward goal but Carlos Salcedo made a sliding challenge to block it behind for a corner. Moutinho flicked a shot on goal moments later but it was blocked. The left back then fired right at Bono from distance in the 64th as Orlando continued to look for the go-ahead goal.

In the 67th minute, the Reds came close to opening the scoring against the run of play. Kerr sent a curling shot in that went just inches wide of the left post. Jansson may have gotten a sliding touch on it but a goal kick was given. Petrasso fired off target moments later as Toronto spent a spell of time simply out-hustling Orlando. That spell included yellow cards for both Moutinho and Schlegel, with the latter being forced into taking a tactical foul.

Moutinho then handed Toronto a good opportunity on a set piece. The Lions did well to clear that and counter but a poor touch by Ruan trying to cut back against a defender wrecked the transition chance.

In the 78th minute, Urso fired a volley shot just over the bar from 25 yards out after a good layoff by substitute Alexandre Pato.

Toronto nearly created something out of nothing in the 81st minute when the Lions couldn’t find the handle on a loose ball in the box. It ended up on Akinola’s foot and he sent a shot that bounced off Schlegel and went wide.

The next few minutes were frustrating ones for Orlando. Second-half sub Jake Mulraney was knocked down from behind in the box but no call was made. In the aftermath of that, Pato took a boot to the leg and again there was no set piece awarded. Moments later, Urso sent a too-heavy pass forward trying to send Ruan in behind.

Toronto got a free kick just outside the left corner of the box in the 88th when Jansson appeared to make a successful sliding challenge to break up a counter opportunity. The Beefy Swede appeared to get the ball and knock it out for a throw before contact with Paul Rothrock, but a foul was called and Jansson was booked on top of it. The Lions cleared but Urso lost control of the ball during the ensuing counter attack.

The match appeared destined to end in a 0-0 draw at that point. However, substitute Smith cracked the door open and then busted it down in stoppage time. Smith sent a good cross into the area in the 91st that was cut out for a corner kick. On the ensuing set piece, Pato sent a hard, low cross toward the near post. Smith made the run and flicked a header toward goal and the ball found inside netting to put the Lions ahead 1-0 in the 92nd minute.

“I was unmarked in the box on the corner, so I knew I wanted to make a near-post run,” Smith said. “Because Pato plays a good ball into the box. It dips. So, that’s what I did. And luckily the ball found me and I just tried to put it on frame. I’m more of a defender, so I don’t get to score often. So, it’s really fun to score goals and I feel really good right now to help the team win on the offensive side for a change.” 

Orlando did well to see out the last couple of minutes of injury time, with Ruan making a nice play to win a corner. Pato nearly scored a late insurance golazo from midfield. He sent a floating shot on target with Bono well off his line, but the Toronto keeper scrambled back to his net just in time to catch it and avoid an embarrassing late goal against in the 95th minute. That was the last action of the match.

Orlando dominated the stat sheet despite scoring just the one goal. The Lions led in possession (52.3%-47.7%), shots (17-8), shots on goal (6-2), corners (9-3), and passing accuracy (84.1%-80.9%).

It wasn’t a perfect performance due to the finishing and some misplaced passes and heavy touches, but the Lions found a way to get all three points and keep a sixth clean sheet on the season.

We accept ourselves in this moment as a team in a growing process in our attacking phase,” Pareja said. “New players, different characteristics. We would like to wait not too much for gluing us together, but the players are united and they’re working hard just to find those connections and that fineness in the final third. We need to grow up, but just knowing how to win this kind of game in a different way just makes us a very serious and important team.”

The Lions will continue their road trip next Sunday night at Austin in the first meeting between the two sides.

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Orlando City’s 2024 Offensive Blueprint (So Far)

An evaluation of how Orlando City has been trying to score goals in 2024.

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7 hours ago

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July 25, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Jay-Z released one of my all-time favorite albums, The Blueprint, in 2001. With apologies to him, and his track on that album called “Girls, Girls, Girls,” what we as fans want are goals, goals, goals, and we want our team to score as many of them as possible. In this article I will explore Orlando City’s attacking style — some might say their attacking…blueprint — thus far this season and evaluate how the Lions have been trying create those goals we do adore.

All right, now that we have pushed the limit on puns and wordplay about that album, let’s look at some numbers related to Orlando City’s offense. First, let’s start with the direction of play, because Orlando City has a very clear plan of attack in 2024, and it involves the left side. According to the tracking from whoscored.com, Orlando City attacks down the left side on nearly half of its possessions.

No team in MLS favors one side of the field as frequently as Orlando City’s 45% on the left side, and it is interesting that it is so high down the left because Facundo Torres, generally regarded as the squad’s most creative and dangerous player, plays most frequently on the right side of the field. I think there are three primary reasons for the left side favoritism:

  • Iván Angulo is one of the fastest players in MLS and spends most of his time on the left side of the field, so the team tries to get him into space so he can use that speed to get the defense on its heels.
  • Orlando City has three left-footed players who love a cross so much I am surprised they play for Orlando City and not Vatican City. Rafael Santos averages 5.1 crosses per 90 mins (27th in MLS), Nico Lodeiro averages 5.6 (16th), and Martín Ojeda averages 9.61 (second). Ojeda has been playing more centrally recently, but he still drifts to the left frequently. Lodeiro does the same, and Santos nearly exclusively stays on the left side. All three of them are crossing machines.
  • Torres loves to cut back into the middle from his normal slot on the right side of the field, and so crossing it from left to right gives him space to operate, as the defense has to recover on a switch of field, and a scrambling defense against a talented attacking player is advantageous for Orlando City. Torres is fifth in MLS in receiving passes from 10+ yards away in the offensive area of the field, and his per-90-minute average for those receptions has increased from 2022 (8.4) to 2023 (9.8) to 2024 (11.4). Additionally, here is Facu’s shot chart for the year, courtesy of fotmob.com, and you can see that of his seven non-penalty-kick goals, all of them come from the right half of the field (his most recent goal against New England is highlighted with the red circle, because after a few minutes I gave up on trying to figure out how to show this without having one highlighted):

Expanding a little bit off of the direction of play, but returning to the second item in the list above, Orlando City leads all of MLS with an average of 21.32 crosses per 90 minutes. The other 28 MLS teams average 16.6 crosses per 90 minutes, so Orlando City is crossing the ball 28% more frequently than the average MLS team. The Lions have a physical presence in Duncan McGuire in the middle, so this makes sense to target him with crosses into the 18, and in fact the team is fourth in MLS this season with an average of 2.4 completed crosses into the penalty areas per 90 minutes.

It is not just Duncan though, of the 36 goals Orlando City players have scored this season (the other three are own goals), nine of them have come on a header and by eight different players. That 25% of goals scored on a header is the highest percentage for any Orlando City team in fbref.com’s tracking (goes back to 2018) and ranks the team only behind Austin FC’s 29% in MLS this season.

All crosses do not necessarily end in headers, but nearly all headers come from crosses, and the irony of the fact that Orlando City is scoring a high percentage of its goals from headers is that the Lions rank, to use a technical term, DFL in the league in percentage of aerial balls won (40.1%, and the next lowest is 45.4%). It’s kind of like the tagline to those Most Interesting Man in the World beer commercials from Dos Equis — the Lions don’t often win aerial balls, but when they do, they score goals.

Flipping from balls in the air to balls that are generally played on the ground, according to the data tracked by Opta on fbref.com, Orlando City is seventh in MLS in completed through balls per 90 minutes with an average of 1.5. The Lions have been in the top third of MLS in four of the last five seasons in this statistic, as this is clearly a staple of an Óscar Pareja-coached squad.

If you look at the individual MLS players who are leading the league in completing these dangerous balls, it is a veritable who’s who of creative players across the league. Say what you will about Luis Muriel, and I wrote a whole article about him a few weeks ago, but his passing ability is excellent, and it did not surprise me at all to see him high on this list and among the other well-known names. Here are the top 15, which also includes Lodeiro, among players who have played at least 500 minutes:

I touched on the left side focus earlier and how Angulo’s speed plays a large role in why the team plays more frequently down the left side, and that comes into play here as well with Orlando City’s predilection for playing through balls. It is also now time for Dagur Dan Thórhallsson to enter the chat, because he is just as much of a through ball target as Ruan was for several years in making speed runs up the right side of the field, and he ranks 24th among defenders in goal-creating actions per 90 minutes (0.24). Coincidentally, he also ranks 24th in shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (2.0). McGuire is also a target for these through balls as he makes excellent shallow runs behind defenders to then run onto balls played in front of him, and Ramiro Enrique is also pacey enough to do the same.

The completed crosses and through balls, as well as the fact that Orlando City is in the top 10 in total completed passes per 90 minutes, contribute to the team leading MLS with 10.1 completed passes into the penalty area per 90 minutes. The rest of MLS averages only 8.4, so Orlando City’s offensive tactics puts the team 20% higher than the rest of the league in terms of its frequency of completing passes to teammates inside the box.

Now, what teams want are goals, not completed passes into the penalty area, but you can see what the Lions are trying to do offensively by looking what these numbers reveal about how they are directing their attacking play.

Orlando City has a burner on the left (Angulo) and also several left-footed players who have the ability to whip in a dangerous cross (Ojeda, Lodeiro, Santos), so the focus is more on going down the left than the middle or the right. The Lions do have a fullback (Thórhallsson) with pace on the right too, so he is a target when they go right, and as a former midfielder, he has the ability to create offense coming forward, so he does with great frequency. The best finisher (Torres) is out on the right but loves to cut back to his left, and this year there is a higher focus on getting him the ball in space as opposed to having him leading the buildup.

Three players (Ojeda, Lodeiro, Muriel) are sharing the 10 role and releasing through balls to the outside and inside threats, and McGuire and Enrique are essentially serving as soccer versions of a basketball rim runner, attacking the goalmouth and trying to score in any way possible.

It all sounds great on paper, but for much of the season the offense was sputtering — so much so that Orlando City has scored more goals in the last seven games (20, 2.9 goals per game) than it did in its first 18 games (19, 1.1 goals per game). The first half of the season contained several issues that I believe contributed heavily to the low goal-scoring output, with several injuries, games missed for international duty, and competing in Concacaf Champions Cup at the same time as the start of the regular season, forcing squad rotation and players playing outside of their normal positions.

There was also just some poor play during those early months as well, some self-inflicted poor performances. I believe that Orlando City has found something though in the last few weeks, and while the Lions may not score 2.9 goals per game for the rest of the season, I think that what we have seen recently is a settled team of players who know their roles and understand the strategy, and who have the ability to execute that strategy.

Just 17 years after it was released, Jay-Z’s The Blueprint was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Let’s hope that 17 years from now, in 2041, we are all looking back fondly on what became an athletically significant 2024 season for Orlando City.

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Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to get a victory to start the Leagues Cup?

Published

11 hours ago

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July 25, 2024

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City plays CF Montreal in its first 2024 Leagues Cup match Friday night at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions have been on a nice five-match undefeated streak during the regular season. Oscar Pareja loves tournament play and will certainly do everything he can to win this first match.

What does Orlando City need to do to defeat CF Montreal in the Don Garber Loves Money Cup…er, the Leagues Cup?

Stop the Canucks

Montreal has scored 34 goals in the regular season. However, only four of those goals came in the last five matches. Still, Orlando City seems to have trouble with this Montreal squad no matter where the match is played. As such, I want to see the defense that shut down D.C. United and Nashville SC, not the one that allowed multiple goals against the Chicago Fire.

That means Pareja needs to get the left back position sorted. I know he wants the Rafael Santos of 2023 to show up in 2024. So far, Santos has not found the good form from a year ago. Kyle Smith has been mostly good when he’s gotten time on the left, but he’s not the first choice.

There’s also the matter of David Brekalo. I think that Pareja kept rolling with Rodrigo Schlegel because the Lions went on a run as Brekalo was on international duty. Now, he can re-insert Brekalo in the starting spot since it won’t affect the MLS standings. Whether he does or not is the real question.

Smart Rotation

I mentioned the potential options on the back line, but there are other players who could use a rest, could recover from a knock, or need some additional playing time. Of course, Pareja tends to stick with what is working, so I’m not sure how much rotation we will see to start the match. He can, however, change up how he uses his substitutes.

If Pareja decides to sit Facundo Torres to allow him to be fully healthy, he still has Martin Ojeda playing well. Jeorgio Kocevski has been effective in his limited minutes, making him a good candidate to see some more time, even if he doesn’t start. Competitions like Leagues Cup can allow the team to heal up or rest up before the regular season starts back up.

Revive the Attack

Ramiro Enrique is on a scoring streak. I’m glad he is since Duncan McGuire is with the U.S. Olympic team, but Orlando City needs more. I think the Leagues Cup is a good opportunity to try anything and everything to get Luis Muriel better integrated into the Orlando City attack. He has the talent, but something hasn’t quite clicked yet.

This is also an opportunity for others to contribute some goals. It’s been a bit since Nico Lodeiro scored one. Ojeda could use a banger to get going again, and don’t forget Jack Lynn. Montreal has given up 49 goals in the regular season and has a -15 goal differential. The Lions need to take advantage of such a defense to spark some offensive production.

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

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Lion Links: 7/25/24

Marta’s legacy, Orlando Pride get ready for Monterrey, U.S. men lose to France in Olympic soccer, and more.

Published

14 hours ago

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July 25, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’m settling back into the swing of things after a weekend trip to Maine that featured so many lobster rolls that I’m pretty sure my veins have more butter than blood in them at this point. All of the soccer going on takes some of the sting out of returning to work at least. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Marta’s Journey to Paris

Orlando Pride and Brazilian star Marta will begin her final international tournament today when Brazil takes on Nigeria this afternoon. Through interviews with the coaches, teammates, and opponents she’s had over the course of her career, ESPN detailed the impact she’s had on soccer. It’s a great feature that I strongly suggest you read in full, as it also touches on the instability of women’s soccer at the club level that she and many others had to battle against. From her teenage years in Brazil to becoming an outspoken ambassador for the sport, there are plenty of great vignettes into her life as a player included as well.

Orlando Pride Prepare for Monterrey

After losing a penalty shootout to the North Carolina Courage in their NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup opener, the Orlando Pride will aim to right the ship when they take on Monterrey on Saturday. It’s been over a month since the Pride have played at home, which should give the team a boost while notable players are at the Olympics. None of the Liga MX teams beat an NWSL team in the first round of matches, and Monterrey lost 3-1 to Racing Louisville. Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke on how he’s excited to see how the team matches up against a team from outside the NWSL, along with how it will be a good experience for the players.

Checking In With Dennis Chin

As part of the recurring series to put a spotlight on those who have played a part in Orlando City’s history, former Lion Dennis Chin spoke on his time in Orlando during the team’s USL days. It’s been 10 years since Chin played in Orlando, where he scored 32 goals across 103 appearances and won the 2012 USL Pro Golden Boot. His family came to Orlando from Jamaica when he was young, and playing for the club gave him a chance to represent the City Beautiful.

“I felt like an extension of what everyone wanted to be,” he explained. “I felt like I was representing not just myself, but the whole city, my family and everyone. To still have that connection and to still feel that love, it just means the world to me.”

Chin tried his hand at coaching after retirement but stated he didn’t enjoy it, instead choosing to start his own player agency. He’s made strides providing player representation since then, using the lessons he learned from his own career to support players.

U.S. Olympic Men’s Team Loses to France

The United States Men’s Olympic Soccer Team had a rough first game in Paris after losing 3-0 to France. After a scoreless first half, Alexandre Lacazette gave France the lead in the 61st minute and Michael Olise scored another soon after. Orlando City forward Duncan McGuire started up top for the U.S. and was subbed off in the 86th minute, right after Loic Bade scored France’s third goal. The next match for the U.S. will be on Saturday against a New Zealand side that won 2-1 against Guinea. The Yanks will need to be sharper in that match and the group stage finale against Guinea on Tuesday if they want to advance.

MLS All-Stars Fall to Liga MX All-Stars

It was a rough night for the MLS All-Stars, who lost 4-1 to the Liga MX All-Stars in Columbus. Monterrey striker German Berterame got the scoring started in the 16th minute, but Columbus Crew duo Diego Rossi and Cucho Hernandez linked up for an equalizer a minute later. The Liga MX All-Stars scored again before halftime and then put the game to bed with a pair of back-to-back goals in the second half. The MLS All-Stars had their chances to score but lacked a finishing touch and weren’t able to claw their way back into the match. Attention now turns to the Leagues Cup, which kicks off on Friday and will pit MLS and Liga MX teams against each other.

Free Kicks

  • French winger Delphine Cascarino will join the San Diego Wave after the Olympics, signing a contract through the 2026 season. The 27-year-old has been with Lyon since making her professional debut in 2015.
  • An assistant coach and analyst for Canada were both removed from the team and sent home after New Zealand reported Canada for disrupting its Olympic training with a drone. Head Coach Bev Priestman withdrew herself from coaching the match as well.
  • The Olympic match between Argentina and Morocco had to be suspended for two hours due to fans rushing the field to protest a goal deep in stoppage time. What would have been the equalizer from Argentina was disallowed for offside upon video review after the delay, and Morocco went on to win 2-1.
  • American striker Ricardo Pepi scored a hat trick in PSV Eindhoven’s friendly against FC Eindhoven.
  • Konrad de la Fuente is headed to Switzerland after being transferred from Marseille to FC Lausanne. The American has spent the past two seasons on loan, playing for Eibar in Spain’s second division last year.
  • The Belgian Pro League kicks off on Friday and there are some Americans to keep an eye out for, including Owen Otasowie, Mark McKenzie, and Westerlo duo Bryan Reynolds and Julian Placias.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a great Thursday and rest of your week!

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