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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Earn Another Road Point

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2 years ago

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After falling behind on a Carles Gil goal, Orlando City showed some fight and earned another road point in a 1-1 draw against the New England Revolution. The Lions (6-5-4, 22 points) had opportunities to break the deadlock after Robin Jansson tied the match but couldn’t push another goal past the Revs (5-5-5, 20 points) as they remain winless in their history at Gillette Stadium (0-5-2).

Orlando is winless in its last eight league matches against the Revs going 0-4-4 in the regular-season series since September of 2017. That record falls to 0-5-4 when including the playoff loss to New England after the 2020 season.

Still, it was an important road result for the Lions, who stand at 3-1-4 with 13 points of a possible 24 away from Exploria Stadium this season.

“I think it was a game well played. We have the sensation that it could have been more than a point,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We found in New England today, a team that wanted to play the transitions with players who were dangerous there. And I think we controlled them, but well-played by the players. The effort after 16 days without playing was much, much better and the rhythm was better than I thought and we’ll be ready for the next one.”

Pareja’s lineup was a bit unusual coming off the international break. Pedro Gallese, who played 120 minutes — plus a penalty shootout — on Monday in Qatar, not only made it back but started in goal. His back line was only three-quarters of the usual group, with Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, and Rodrigo Schlegel joined by Kyle Smith rather than Ruan. Junior Urso slid back into central midfield with Cesar Araujo after playing several games as a winger. Jake Mulraney started in the attacking midfield line with Mauricio Pereyra and Facundo Torres, while Alexandre Pato was a surprise starter over Designated Player Ercan Kara up top.

Pareja said it wasn’t an easy decision to start Gallese over Adam Grinwis after the Peruvian played Monday and spent half a day on a plane. However, Gallese beat the team to the hotel and made sure he was available.

As is typical with trips to New England, the Lions spent the early minutes getting used to the turf and as a result there were some passing miscues and poor touches. The Revs got the first opportunity three minutes in when Gustavo Bou fired from the right and although his shot appeared to be heading just wide, Gallese took no chances and knocked it behind for a corner. Nothing came of the ensuing set piece.

Bou got in behind the defense in the 12th minute. He didn’t make much contact with the entry ball, but he got a touch and Gallese did well to get down and make the save.

The first good scoring chance for Orlando took place in the 21st minute. Pato worked his way left to right across the top of the box and smashed a shot on target. The shot was a bit too central, which allowed Djordje Petrovic to make a good save. Moutinho found the handle and took a shot on the ensuing corner, but he hit Urso and the ball took an unfortunate bounce, allowing the Revs to counter.

Bou got around Araujo, who slid on the turf and was slow to recover when trying to block a pass, allowing the forward to get past. The ball cycled left to right to Gil and Mulraney played way too far off the Designated Player, who took his time, lined up his shot, and curled one just inside the upper left corner to make it 1-0 in the 22nd minute.

Orlando looked to pull that goal right back when Pato was fouled just outside the area. Pereyra took the free kick and sent a too-soft shot that gave Petrovic no trouble at all.

Bou was left in too much space in the 29th minute and fired a shot that didn’t miss by much.

Orlando pulled level in the 35th minute off a corner kick scramble. The ball fell to Jansson on the left and the defender dribbled toward the end line and smashed a shot from a tough angle that found its way just inside the right post to make it 1-1.

“I came at the back post after Rodri hit the ball on one of their guys, and then I picked up the rebound and just tried to get it past the first defender there,” Jansson said. “And then one-touched on the left and then hard between the legs on the goalkeeper. So yeah, I’m happy about that.”

New England lost midfielder Matt Polster to concussion protocol late in the half after a scary head-to-head clash with Schlegel. Tommy McNamara replaced Polster, while Schlegel was able to continue. Neither team was able to create another good chance in the remaining time before the break.

The Revs held more of the possession in the first half (53.6%-46.4%) and won more corners (6-3), but Orlando had more shots (9-4), with each team getting three attempts on target. The teams were just about even in terms of passing accuracy, with the Revs holding a slim 84.7%-83.3% edge.

Orlando looked good out of the break, getting more of the early second-half chances. Urso had an early shot blocked and it ended up with Torres, who got his shot on target but Petrovic made the save in the 48th minute. Two minutes later, a great ball from Mulraney nearly found Pato, but Andrew Farrell did some emergency defending to deny the ball to the Orlando forward.

The Lions should have had a free kick from just outside the area in the 57th minute due to a handball near the top of the box. The referee didn’t call it live and, because it wasn’t in the box, it was outside the jurisdiction of video review to correct.

New England’s first good chance of the half came on a set piece in the 63rd minute. Brandon Bye found himself with a free header as a backpedaling Moutinho couldn’t quite get to him. But the defender’s header skipped wide of the right post. Two minutes later, Jozy Altidore sent a shot from outside the area high above the crossbar. New England then had a number of crosses and set pieces during a spell in which the Lions struggled to hold possession.

The next decent chance for either side came in the 78th minute when Bye headed wide again.

Orlando’s best chance to find a winner came in the 80th minute. Smith found a loose ball on the right off a long Moutinho throw and sent a spinning shot on target, but Petrovic made a vital save to keep the match even.

The Lions survived a couple of late set pieces and the game finished all knotted up.

The Revs finished with more possession (53.3%-46.7%), corners (10-6), and passing accuracy (84.3%-84.1%), but the Lions had more shots (13-9) and shots on target (5-3).

Orlando was content with the result but realize that more points were there to be had. But the Lions did well to mostly contain the Revs’ strong counterattack.

“They came in a lot of transitions, and we knew before the game that they are strong in that (area) and they have some good players up there,” Jansson said. “You can see on their goal the quality of Gil there, but I think the longer the first half went, I think we started to control it a little bit better and then started to get better control of our game too. So, in the second half, I think we had some good scoring chances too. I think we created some chances and then we we started to get more control in the defense too.”

The Lions have a short turnaround with the Houston Dynamo visiting Exploria Stadium on Saturday night.

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Orlando City

Orlando City at CF Montreal: Three Keys to Victory

What does Orlando City need to do on the road against CF Montreal to take home all three points ?

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16 hours ago

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April 18, 2024

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City opened the season against CF Montreal, playing to a 0-0 draw at Inter&Co Stadium back in February. Now, the Lions head to the Great White North to play the pesky Canadian club again. There’s no Concacaf Champions Cup competition to worry about this time, so hopefully Orlando City can get a victory.

What does Orlando City need to do to follow up the D.C. United victory with another win?

Just Say No

Outscoring your opponents while giving up two goals is all well and good, but outscoring your opponents while also keeping a clean sheet is much better. Orlando City has given up 13 goals over seven matches. It’s actually worse than that considering that the club has two clean sheets meaning those 13 goals came in just five matches. The Lions need to do better at not conceding goals.

Of course, one of those clean sheets came against Montreal to start the season, and the entire defense is seemingly healthy and ready to go. Our old foe Josef Martinez is always a threat and Matias Coccaro has three goals for Montreal so far this season. Stopping them is crucial. If Orlando City can maintain the same defensive discipline it showed in the previous match against Montreal, it will make earning points on the road much easier.

Designated Player Goals

Orlando City has scored seven goals so far this season. Duncan McGuire leads the team with three goals, thanks to his goal last week. Do you know who hasn’t scored yet? If you said any of Orlando City’s Designated Players, you would be correct. I’m not going to ring any emergency bells just yet, but it’d be a lot cooler if Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda, or Facundo Torres scored a goal this week.

I think they are all close to breaking out. Torres has scored this year, just not in the MLS regular season. Muriel has been getting closer each match, and is still contributing in other ways. The same can be said of Ojeda. My point is that the goals are coming. Perhaps a trip to another country is exactly what they need to get off the mark.

The Battle on the Wings

Orlando City will be playing against former Lion Ruan. He lines up on the right for Montreal and will be a challenge for either Rafael Santos or Kyle Smith, depending on who gets the start. Of course, if Ivan Angulo is playing in his usual role on the left side of Orlando City’s attack, there could be some interesting races between the two speedy players.

I think that the other side of the field is where the match might be won or lost. Since Orlando City fell out of the Concacaf Champions Cup, the team has been on a more regular schedule. That has allowed Dagur Dan Thorhallsson to regain his form in the right fullback position for the Lions. He scored a goal last week, has an assist on the season, four crosses, and 10 key passes. He is an integral part of Orlando City’s attack and if he can win the battles against Raheem Edwards and Joaquin Sosa on the right side of Montreal’s lineup, he could have another big night.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/18/24

Barbra Banda’s opportunity in Orlando, Omar Gonzalez’s mental health struggles, UEFA Champions League quarterfinals finish, and more.

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20 hours ago

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April 18, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope this week has been treating you well as we gear up for another weekend packed with Orlando soccer. It’s been a fairly busy week for me as I juggle work with keeping an eye on my cat. He’s a bit of a menace, but at least in a cute way. I’ll spare you my rambling on how great he is, and instead give you today’s links from around the soccer world.

Opportunity Knocks for Barbra Banda

Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda landed in the City Beautiful and spoke on how her first week with the team has been going. While there’s plenty of buzz surrounding the Pride on how Banda should improve the team’s offense, playing in the NWSL will also help the 24-year-old further develop her game.

“I think the league is quite good. I’ve been following it from way back,” she said. “I think it’s a very interesting league, very strong. All the teams are very physical, fast. So I think it’s good for myself to improve.”

Now that she’s with the Pride, soccer fans around the world will now have better access to watch one of the best forwards in women’s soccer. Banda also talked about the warm welcome she received at the airport and you can check out more of her reaction to that and some of her first few days in Orlando in the video below.

Portland Thorns Head Coach Reassigned

Mike Norris is no longer the head coach of the Portland Thorns after the club made him a technical director instead. The Thorns have never had a worse start to an NWSL season, losing three of their four games this year and still searching for their first win. Rob Gale will serve as the team’s interim head coach while the club does a global search for a replacement. I’m a bit surprised that Norris wasn’t given a few more weeks to turn things around, considering Portland is just a win away from being back in the thick of things. We’ll see if the Thorns will get that win with Gale at the helm when they take on the struggling Houston Dash Saturday.

Omar Gonzalez Shares His Mental Health Journey

American defender Omar Gonzalez discussed the difficulties he’s had over the course of his year and the toll it has had on his mental health. His own goal in the USMNT’s loss to Trinidad & Tobago that cost the team its chance to qualify for the 2018 World Cup would be rough for any player to overcome, but Gonzalez stated that head injuries made a stressful few years of his life much more difficult. Gonzalez admitted that he had daily suicidal thoughts until he reached out for needed help while with Toronto FC. Things have since improved and he’s currently with his hometown team, FC Dallas. I think it’s helpful for players like Gonzalez to be open about the mental health problems athletes face. Hopefully this lets other athletes know they aren’t alone in these struggles and encourages them to reach out for help if needed.

UEFA Champions League Semifinals Are Set

Only four teams are still standing in the UEFA Champions League after the quarterfinals wrapped up with plenty of dramatic soccer. The matchup between Real Madrid and Manchester City lived up to expectations with a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in England. Real Madrid prevailed and ended City’s run, with Andriy Lunin making two saves in the shootout. In the other quarterfinal, Bayern Munich advanced after beating Arsenal 1-0, thanks to Joshua Kimmich’s head.

It all sets up for a thrilling pair of semifinals and potential storylines for the final. Will Bayern and Borussia Dortmund reach the final for a rivalry match for the ages? Can Kylian Mbappe finally give Paris Saint-Germain a Champions League title, and will it be at the expense of Real Madrid? If the semifinals are anything like the quarterfinals, it will be great soccer to enjoy.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City Director of Equipment Operations Charles Raycroft received some deserved recognition after reaching an impressive milestone in his career.
  • Romario, who was named FIFA World Player of the Year in 1994 after helping Brazil win a World Cup, has registered himself as a player for America Football Club. The 58-year-old has been the president of the club since 2009 and now has the chance to play alongside his son Romarinho.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/17/24

Orlando City rises in power rankings, Orlando Pride waive two players, Champions League results, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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April 17, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Time to start your day with some tasty links. It’s shaping up to be an exciting weekend with Orlando City, the Orlando Pride, and Orlando City B all playing. Last week, Orlando’s teams ended up with seven out of nine possible points. Here’s hoping we see nine out of nine this weekend. Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Moving On Up

Starting the season 0-3-1 is a good way to be in the cellar of the utterly meaningless MLSsoccer.com power rankings. Orlando City is now starting to climb up the rankings thanks to three straight results. The Lions moved up four spots to 21st after the 3-2 victory over DC United. It was Duncan McGuire’s goal that secured the win, and his performance off the bench was a talking point for this week as well.

Farewell Kaylie Collins and Tori Hansen

The Orlando Pride announced that goalkeeper Kaylie Collins and defender Tori Hansen were waived on Tuesday. Both players were on loan in Australia’s A-League Women ,with Collins at Western Sydney Wanderers FC and Hansen with Melbourne Victory FC. Collins and Hansen were both NWSL draft picks for the Pride, though neither saw significant minutes with the club.

Barbra Banda Begins Training

Barbra Banda participated in her first training with the Pride Tuesday. It’s uncertain how much playing time she may get this week, but it’s possible she makes her first appearance against the San Diego Wave this Friday. Please remember that it sometimes takes new players time to get used to a new club, a new city, and a new league. Of course, I’m still hoping she comes on and scores a brace against the Wave.

Wild Matches in Champions League Quarterfinals

Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund both overcame deficits in the first leg to advance to the UEFA Champions League semifinals. PSG dropped four goals on Barcelona to win 6-4 on aggregate. Barcelona scored first, but made things hard on itself when Ronald Araújo was sent off.

Borussia Dortmund also scored four goals, defeating Atletico Madrid 5-4 on aggregate. Dortmund gave up an own goal, but battled back to take the lead in the match and then the lead in the tie thanks to goals scored in the 71st and 74th minutes. It was a wild, fun match to watch. Dortmund and PSG will meet in the semifinals.

Free Kicks

  • MLS will now start implementing the new rules for off-field treatments, timed substitutions, and in-stadium VAR announcements. The idea is to maximize effective match time.
  • The International Football Association Board (IFAB) will test new time limit rules during the 2024-2025 season for how long keepers can hold the ball with potential consequences including giving the opposing team a corner or a throw-in.
  • Finally, our thoughts are with the friends and family following the passing of Joel McKell.

That will do it for today. Check back later in the week as we get you ready for the Orlando City, Orlando Pride, and OCB matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

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