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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Final Score 1-0 as Toothless Lions are Swept in Season Series

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Orlando City lost on the road for just the second time in 2022 at TQL Stadium — a place that has been more than kind to visitors since it opened. FC Cincinnati (7-7-2, 23 points) got a second-half goal from Brenner to lift the hosts to just their third home win this season, 1-0 over the toothless Lions (7-6-4, 25 points). FC Cincinnati improbably swept the season series after never tasting victory previously against Orlando.

A win would have lifted the Lions to the top of the conference but instead, the Lions reached the halfway point of the season in a precarious position due to having played more games than the teams around them in the standings. That includes Cincinnati, which pulled within two points of Orlando with a game in hand.

“I thought it was a game full of inconvenience for us,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the game. “We were trying to overcome from warmups with the needs of changing players and things needed to adapt according to our game plan. But with that situation I thought we had a decent first half when we tried to control the ball with not much ambition moving forward, but in certain ways we controlled the ball. That’s something that we like.”

Pareja’s lineup included goalkeeper Pedro Gallese behind a back line of Thomas Williams, Rodrigo Schlegel, Kyle Smith, and Ruan. Cesar Araujo and Junior Urso were deployed in the central midfield behind an attacking midfield line of Jake Mulraney, Andres Perea, and Facundo Torres, with Ercan Kara up top. Although not on the availability report, Mauricio Pereyra was not in the game day lineup.

An Orlando City spokesman said Mauricio Pereyra is being held out of the lineup for precautionary reasons. Additionally, Joao Moutinho experienced pain during warmups and was held out of the match.

However, center back Antonio Carlos did make the bench for the first time since sustaining his thigh injury in early April.

The hosts got the first good chance of the match on a corner in a sixth minute. Haris Medunjanin sent a pass to the top of the area for Brenner, who was open on the set play but fired his shot wide of the right post.

Nick Hagglund had a great chance on a set piece played short in the 14th minute. Geoff Cameron was played to the end line by Ray Gaddis and sent it to Hagglund right in front of goal for a glorious opportunity, but Gallese made a huge save to keep the game scoreless.

Orlando City struggled to break down Cincinnati’s back line, with slow movement, sloppy touches, and a lack of runs allowing the hosts to stay compact and organized. As a result, the Lions never looked a threat to score except during a play in the 31st minute, in which Mulraney was offside in the buildup. That sequence ended with Kara firing a hard shot that Roman Celentano saved. It was a good stop but Kara’s shot was too close to the keeper, giving him a chance. Also…you know…offside on Mulraney.

In the 33rd minute, the Lions did well to clear a set piece and looked to have a great counter opportunity, but Perea spoiled it with an extremely heavy touch in the open field, allowing John Nelson to come over and make a sliding tackle to break things up.

After that brief attacking phase, Cincinnati got two golden opportunities to open the scoring but Gallese thwarted both. Alvaro Barreal was left all alone at the top of the area when he took a pass from Brandon Vazquez. He had plenty of time to line up his shot but Gallese made a big stop to keep it scoreless.

On the ensuing corner kick, Hagglund was all alone at the back post for a free header, shaking free of Williams, but Gallese made his best save of the half from point-blank range, and the Lions cleared the rebound.

Orlando finally got a shot attempt on goal a few seconds into injury time, when Mulraney got his head on a cross near the top of the area. His shot was on target but had little power on it and gave Celentano no trouble. It was the last action of the half.

The Lions held more possession (56.4%-43.6%), but generated next to nothing in the attack despite having much more of the ball. The Lions were also more accurate in the passing game (83.8%-81.4%), while Cincinnati had more shot attempts (5-3), shots on target (3-1), and corners (3-0).

Carlos made his return to start the second half, coming on for Williams. Benji Michel also replaced Mulraney.

Not much changed in the run of play in the second period. Torres did get an opening to go for goal from distance in the 51st but he scuffed the shot and it didn’t trouble goal.

Two minutes later, Gallese again came up huge. Vazquez cut across Schlegel and got a powerful header on target at the near post. Gallese stopped it and then stuck out a foot to deny a rebound opportunity, allowing his defense to clean things up.

Luciano Acosta came on as a sub for the hosts and his movement and passing opened things up for Cincinnati. He bounced a shot in on goal from long range with one of his first touches, that didn’t trouble Gallese, but he was a handful.

The Lions finally got a through ball to Kara in the 60th minute, but like Torres earlier, he scuffed the shot attempt. It ended up on goal but very slowly and easily for Celentano. That was it for Kara, as he was replaced shortly thereafter by Alexandre Pato.

Acosta shook free at the left corner of the box in the 64th minute and fizzed a curling shot just over the bar. But moments later the hosts found a breakthrough. Urso turned the ball over in his half and Cincinnati made the Lions pay for it. Acosta took a shot that deflected toward the near post and Gallese got over to stop it but he couldn’t handle the rebound. Acosta got to it first and sent it in front to Brenner, who got away from Schlegel. Brenner only had to redirect it in from point-blank range to make it 1-0.

“I think I did a good job with those eight saves, but obviously a shame that I wasn’t able to help the team on that one that got through,” Gallese said through a club interpreter. “A little bit of frustration there.”

Pato took a shot from outside the area that buzzed well over the bar in the 66th minute and then the match turned into a spell of Orlando passing it around without generating anything and then falling back to break up Cincinnati counters.

Orlando had a late opportunity to find an equalizer off a set piece. Although the service was poor from Pato and should have ignited a counter, the Lions quickly won the ball back in the attacking third and Pato was slipped in on the right. Unfortunately, the Brazilian had a poor touch that took him wide and his chance at a shot evaporated. He did well to cross it to Carlos at the back post but the defender’s header skipped wide.

The Lions kept coming but Pato’s uncharacteristically poor service on a couple of late set pieces and a wide-open chance to cross during open play from the right prevented any chance to rescue a late point. The latter opportunity was so poor that it ended up in the stands behind the end line rather than coming close to any teammates in the box.

Orlando finished with more possession (54.1%-45.9%) and passing accuracy (83.1%-80.7%) than the hosts, but FC Cincinnati fired more shots (14-7), and more shots on goal (9-2). Each team finished with three corner opportunities.

The Lions wasted Gallese’s stellar night, as the Peruvian international made eight saves, and most of them were difficult ones.

“In the second half I thought our roles changed,” Pareja said. “Cincinnati started having more of the ball. And then after the goal we found the reaction needed to be earlier from us and it was not much up front.”

Pareja took responsibility for the team’s poor movement and lack of ideas in the attacking third, but it seemed obvious that without Pereyra on the field, the Lions on the pitch lacked confidence in either themselves, their teammates, or both.

“As much as Mauro is an important piece of our team and he has that crafty game that opens doors for us in the last 20, 25 yards, we assume the responsibility,” Pareja said. “We have enough players that can create and then once again it could be as well the way I line (the team) up, the way that I present the plan, and I take that responsibility today. I did not feel I could help them to make sure we have that strength up front and where it could be position or just put people in places where they can have more possibilities. We were not creative today in those last 20 yards. Indeed.”

Neither the ball nor the players moved quickly enough to create any gaps in the Cincy defense and no one seemed particularly interested in even trying to beat an opponent 1-v-1. Sometimes decent shots were passed up in an effort to find a perfect one, and more than one opportunity to cross evaporated due to holding onto the ball too long on the wings.

For all his potential as a player somewhere in the Orlando midfield, Perea just isn’t a viable replacement for Pereyra and there doesn’t appear to be one on this current roster, although there is more than one way to create opportunities that don’t rely on a Designated Player’s ability to see passing lanes that are barely visible.


The Lions will next take the field Wednesday, June 29, when they host Nashville SC in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals. The next Orlando City league game will take place July 4 at home against D.C. United.

Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/13/24

Orlando City’s international call-ups, Orlando Pride playoffs preview, NWSL Awards voting opens, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Orlando City might have to wait a week to continue its playoff journey, but the Orlando Pride do not. The Kansas City Current are coming to town this Sunday for the third meeting between these NWSL heavyweights this year, and I will be there. I hope you will make it to Inter&Co Stadium to show this Pride club how much we appreciate all they have done this season in their final home match of the season. For now, let’s get to the links.

Lions on International Duty

Several Orlando City players received call-ups for this international break, including Facundo Torres for Uruguay. Additionally, the following also got the call: David Brekalo with Slovenia, Pedro Gallese and Wilder Cartagena for Peru, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson for Iceland, and Favian Loyola for Chile’s U-20 squad. All we can hope for is they all stay healthy and in form. Orlando City’s next opponent, Atlanta United, also had several players called up.

The NWSL Playoffs Continue

The Orlando Pride will face the fourth-place Kansas City Current this weekend after decimating the Chicago Red Stars Friday. There’s been a lot of drama between these two clubs, making this an intriguing semifinal match. The other match sees the second-place Washington Spirit take on third-place NJ/NY Gotham FC. While we get to enjoy seeing the Pride continue their NWSL playoff run, many clubs are now watching from home and working on next season’s campaign.

NWSL Award Voting Open

The NWSL has opened the “fans voting round” for its 2024 end-of-season awards. There are several Pride players who were named finalists, including Barbra Banda, Marta, Emily Sams, Kylie Strom, and Anna Moorhouse. Of course, Seb Hines is up for NWSL Coach of the Year in what should be a foregone conclusion. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get out there and submit your vote here. This is your chance to make a difference for Hines and these Pride players who have given so much this season.

Pepi is Ready

The USMNT will play its first competitive match under Mauricio Pochettino against Jamaica Thursday night in the first leg of a Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal series. The U.S. doesn’t have a ton of options at forward, meaning Ricardo Pepi will likely get the start. The PSV striker said he feels he’s “ready to be the man.” It’s been years since anyone locked down the starting role up top for the USMNT. Let’s hope that Pepi is indeed ready.

Free Kicks

  • In unsurprising news, Charlotte FC’s Kristijan Kahlina was named 2024 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. Orlando fans are all too familiar with how good Kahlina is in goal. Honestly, Khalina is a very deserving winner.
  • England’s squad will look very different this international window with eight players out due to injury, including Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer.
  • The UScpMNT match scheduled for today has been postponed due to inclement weather.
  • Coventry City has its eye on Frank Lampard as a possible replacement for Mark Robins as manager.
  • We have unfortunately seen the last of Memphis 901 FC. It is a sad day, as we’re unlikely to see such a cool name with whatever Santa Barbara comes up with.
  • We’re sad to share that FC Cincinnati’s Marco Angulo passed away as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and teammates.
  • Finally, I leave you with Ally Watt solving a Rubik’s Cube.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Pride’s playoff match against the Kansas City Current. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/12/24

Examining Orlando City’s playoff path, what to watch in the Concacaf Nations League, Lily Yohannes declares for the U.S., and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City / Jeremy Reper

Happy Tuesday, everyone! The weekend couldn’t have gone much better for Orlando’s soccer teams, as both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride advanced after their respective playoff games, with the Pride dominating Chicago and the Lions getting a late, dramatic equalizer before winning the penalty shootout. The Pride will return to action Sunday against the Kansas City Current, while the Lions have a slightly longer layoff before they take on Atlanta United. As usual, we have plenty to discuss this morning, so let’s get into the links.

Orlando City’s Playoff Path

It was a wild weekend for the MLS playoffs as far as the Eastern Conference was concerned, and a slew of upsets suddenly means that the path to the MLS Cup final in the Eastern Conference goes through Orlando. The Lions are the highest remaining seed in the East, and not only will they host Atlanta Nov. 24, but they would also host the Eastern Conference final, should they come out victorious. Oscar Pareja spoke after the game about not wanting the victory over Charlotte FC to be the end of the playoff journey, and says the team intends to chase the MLS Cup. If Orlando does make it that far, the team wouldn’t be likely to host the match, as it would require Minnesota United to come out of the Western Conference in order for the final to be held in Orlando. Stranger things have happened though.

What to Watch For With the USMNT

It seems like we just had an international break, but here we are again with two more United States Men’s National Team games on the docket. These are two important games, as the USMNT squares off against Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. Besides the obvious chance to advance to the semifinals, there are plenty of other storylines to keep an eye on. With Josh Sargent and Folarin Balogun both absent due to injury, can Ricardo Pepi seize an opportunity to lay claim to the starting striker role? What sort of impacts can Brendan Aaronson and Weston McKennie have in the midst of good starts to the season for their clubs? Last, but certainly not least, is Christian Pulisic, who has had a fantastic start to the season and will have many eyes on him in the first competitive matches under Mauricio Pochettino.

Lily Yohannes Chooses the United States

The United States Women’s National Team has landed a great young talent, as Lily Yohannes announced on Monday that she has chosen to represent the U.S. over the Netherlands. While she was born in Virginia, Yohannes has lived abroad since the age of 10, making her eligible to play for either country. However, she stated that with the United States being her country of birth, as well as where her extended family lives, she decided to commit to representing Emma Hayes’ team. Yohannes made her debut for Ajax’s senior side in November of last year, and has seven goals in 40 appearances for the Dutch team.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

As always, the transfer rumor mill continues to turn, which means we have plenty of things to catch up on. We start with Major League Soccer itself, where FC Cincinnati’s Luciano Acosta has said he may have played his final game for the club. He cited frustration with falling short of silverware as a possible reason for wanting to move on, so he may change his mind once the sting has faded more. Moving to Spain, Barcelona is reportedly monitoring Eintracht Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush as an option to replace the aging Robert Lewandowski. Arsenal and Manchester United are said to be interested in Leroy Sane, and will pursue him hard if contract talks with Bayern Munich don’t progress well.

Free Kicks

  • NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman had some friendly words for the Orlando Pride.

That does it for me today. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

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

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw/4-1 shootout win in Game 3 against Charlotte FC?

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The Cardiac Cats were back again as Orlando City conceded its first goal of the postseason in the 81st minute, equalized on a rebound from a saved penalty with almost the last kick of the game, and won on penalties. Before we begin to look forward to the Eastern Conference semifinal against Atlanta United, we’ll look back at how the team played in its 1-1 draw and 4-1 shootout victory against Charlotte FC.

Let’s take a look at the individual performances in this memorable playoff battle.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 7 — The Lions dominated the chances in this game, so there wasn’t a lot for Gallese to do in the 90 minutes. He saved two of the three shots on target, and the goal he conceded took a deflection that sent the goalkeeper the wrong way. Gallese’s moment came in the penalty shootout with everything on the line. He saved the first two penalties to give his team a commanding lead, helping the Lions advance. He also guessed correctly on the third penalty, although he couldn’t quite get to Ashley Westwood’s shot. In addition to his shot stopping, Gallese completed 80% of his 10 passes but neither of his two long balls. He also recorded two clearances. Although he had a quiet game in regulation, he did what was needed in the shootout.

D, Rafael Santos, 6 — Santos had a team-high 86 touches, completed 87.7% of his 57 passes and two of his three long balls, and had two key passes. While he only completed one of his seven crosses, he should have had an assist when Kyle Smith failed to convert right in front of the goal in the 90th minute. Defensively, the left back recorded two tackles, two interceptions, and four clearances, leading the team in all three statistics. He also converted his penalty, sending the Lions through to the conference semifinals.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — Jansson touched the ball 69 times in this game while completing 92.1% of his 63 passes. He had one key pass, completing five of his 10 long balls, and put his lone shot on target. Defensively, Jansson was less active than usual, recording three clearances and a blocked shot. He got caught on a high bounce on the attack that ultimately led to Charlotte’s only goal, which was his lone mistake of the night.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Schlegel had 42 touches in the game and completed 87.5% of his 32 passes, including two of his three long balls. Like Jansson, Schlegel took one shot and put it on target. The center back recorded one tackle, two interceptions, and three clearances. He was replaced by David Brekalo in the 89th minute.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6 — Touching the ball 49 times in this game, Thorhallsson completed 87.9% of his 33 passes, including two key passes, one of his three crosses, and his lone long ball. He didn’t take any shots in the game and didn’t record any defensive statistics before being replaced by Kyle Smith in the 79th minute.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 — Cartagena came into this game with two yellow cards, leaving him one short of a suspension. However, the defensive midfielder did well to stay out of the book while touching the ball 84 times and retaining his grit in the middle of the pitch. He completed 88% of his team-high 75 passes, including four of his six long balls. He recorded two interceptions and a clearance, but his biggest impact was a good ball into the box that contributed to Djibril Diani pulling down Duncan McGuire, resulting in the penalty that set up the equalizer.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — Araujo took 70 touches and was back to his stellar passing, completing 93% of his 57 attempts, including one of his two crosses and six of his seven long balls. He was also credited with a key pass in the game. His two shots were off target, but he added three clearances defensively.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo’s 37 touches were the fewest of Orlando City’s midfielders. However, he completed 93.3% of his 30 passes, the highest pass completion percentage of his position group. His only shot was off target and he didn’t record any defensive statistics before being replaced by Luis Muriel in the 65th minute.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6.5 — Ojeda touched the ball 62 times and completed 83.8% of his 37 passes, including four of his five long balls and a team-high four key passes. However, he only completed three of his team-high 14 crosses. One of the midfielder’s two shots was on target and he didn’t have a defensive impact before coming off for Nico Lodeiro in the 79th minute. For much of the first hour of the game, most of Orlando’s offensive chances and most dangerous attacks came via Ojeda’s forays up the left and interplay with Santos.

MF, Facundo Torres, 7 (MotM) — Torres had 68 touches and completed 88% of his 50 passes, including two key passes. He didn’t complete any of his seven crosses but all of his three long balls. While only two of his six shots were on target, he hit the post and crossbar in the first half. More importantly, he converted on the rebound after Kristijan Kahlina saved his penalty for the equalizing goal. He made up for the penalty save by converting his spot kick in the shootout.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 5.5 — Enrique wasn’t very involved in this game, touching the ball 20 times and completing 90.9% of his 11 passes. While he completed his lone cross, none of four shots were on target, including a free running header on a corner kick when he was left completely uncovered. The forward was replaced by Duncan McGuire in the 65th minute.

Substitutes

F, Duncan McGuire (65’), 6 — McGuire came on for Enrique in the 65th minute, but only touched the ball five times. He completed all four of his passes and didn’t take any shots, but had the most impactful play of the night. In the final seconds of the game, he went down after a tug on the back of his jersey by Diani, drawing the penalty that resulted in the equalizing goal. Unfortunately, he injured his shoulder on the play and didn’t take part in the shootout.

F, Luis Muriel (65’), 6.5 — Muriel replaced Angulo in the 65th minute and touched the ball 28 times. He completed 76.5% of his 17 passes, including a key pass, one of his two long balls, and one of his two through balls.  Only one of his three shots were on target, with his free kick effort deflected by the defense, but he converted the first penalty in the shootout, getting the Lions off to a good start. His introduction allowed the Lions to maintain possession and create chances as time wound down.

MF, Nico Lodeiro (79’), 6 — Lodeiro came on for Ojeda in the 79th minute, touching the ball 19 times in his short appearance. He completed 83.3% of his 12 passes, including a key pass and two of his seven crosses.

D, Kyle Smith (79’), 5.5 — Smith came on for Thorhallsson in the 79th minute, touching the ball seven times and completing one of his three passes. Santos found him for a tap-in at the back post in the 90th minute, but the defender completely messed up the golden opportunity stepping over/onto the ball and going to ground. However, he made up for it with the best penalty of the shootout, in my opinion. He didn’t end up with any defensive statistics in the game.

D, David Brekalo (89’), N/A — Brekalo replaced Schlegel in the 89th minute, as Oscar Pareja wanted his aerial presence on the field for the final push. He touched the ball seven times and completed all of his five passes. He didn’t record any defensive statistics in his short appearance.


That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s playoff win over Charlotte. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

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