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Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New England Revolution

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Another Friday means that there’s another Orlando City game right around the corner. Tomorrow the New England Revolution come to town for the second match-up of the season between the two teams.

A visit from the Revs means that I spoke to Jake Catanese, one of the senior editors over at SBNation’s The Bent Musket. As always, Jake did a great job of getting us caught up on the Revs.

I was a little surprised to see the news about Sebastian Lletget being traded to FC Dallas after joining the Revs in the off-season. Can you give us some insight into the reason for his departure? Who will step up to replace him now that he’s gone?

Jake Catanese: The Bruce Arena/USMNT trio of Lletget, Jozy Altidore, and Omar Gonzalez that were signed to bolster the Revs for their CCL campaign in the off-season did not pan out, but Lletget was at least actually good to — at times —great for New England. His late runs and off the ball movement are elite in this league and in a different situation, I think he would have played a few years here, but obviously the Revs and Bruce have other ideas and found him a great landing spot in Dallas and suddenly made that team better. New England was always likely to take a step back in 2022 after their record-setting Shield run last year, but the team has just lacked so much cohesion between turnover and injuries that even someone like Lletget, who featured pretty regularly, just wasn’t going to have the same impact.

Assuming the Revs will stick with their 4-2-3-1, the one name that jumps out as getting more minutes to me is Homegrown Damian Rivera. He’s logged just under 300 league minutes this year between three starts and a handful of cameo appearances off the bench, but an extended run of play for him would be very beneficial for his development and offers another speed option opposite newcomer Dylan Borerro. Otherwise you’ll see a platoon of veterans like Tommy McNamara, Arnor Traustason (if he doesn’t transfer back to Europe this month), and Ema Boateng offer a more box-to-box role rather than attacking mid or true winger on one side of the Revs’ formation.

Like Orlando City, New England has had a shaky run of results lately and hasn’t won since June 19. What do you think the biggest reason is for the current run of form?

JC: Goals, and a lack thereof, specifically. The Revs have notched three 0-0 draws in the last month or so and at times just sit back and fail to generate the big chances we’ve come to expect from them over the years. Carles Gil is still pulling the strings and racking up key passes, but the Revs’ shooting and xG numbers have been woefully bad at times. Obviously losing Adam Buksa midseason hurts a lot and it’s going to take some time for the Revs’ squad to adjust to Giacomo Vrioni up top, but game plan and tactics wise, New England has been too passive for my liking. This is a team that I don’t think counter attacks often enough despite having the opportunities to do so and instead waits for numbers to get forward and allows the defense to get set. That’s been a no-go for the Revs for a while as far as breaking down eight or nine players behind the ball, as they do their best work when there’s a significant amount of chaos going on and someone gets lost in the box. If not for the heroics of Petrovic in goal, the Revs might have a couple more losses from those 0-0 games.

Also like Orlando, the Revs seem to be stalling a bit while teams around them start to figure things out. What needs to change in order for New England to make the playoffs?

JC:

Points dropped from winning positions in MLS this season:

1. LAFC – 0 (!!!)
2- Inter Miami – 2
3. NYCFC – 4

T-27. FC Cincinnati – 15
T-27. FC Dallas – 15
28. New England Revolution – 24

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) July 17, 2022

Stop losing leads. New England is great at scoring first, but in the early part of the year especially, was exceptionally bad at holding leads and hasn’t turned that around yet. Now the pendulum has swung too far the other way and the Revs are too cautious going forward and aren’t scoring. There needs to be a balance and if Bruce can figure it out I do think this is a team that can be a threat in the playoffs. Gil is still the reigning MVP, Vrioni will have a couple of months to get up to form, Gustavo Bou can fire in a winner from just about anywhere, and Djordje Petrovic might literally be the Serbian god of goalkeeping. Some luck and staying healthy would do the Revs some good — two things they had a lot of last year, save for the month or so Gil missed in the middle of the year, but this team just can’t grind out a win like they did in 2021. The middle of the Eastern standings is a mess, so all it takes is a couple of wins in a row and you can gain a lot of separation from the pack.

Are any players unavailable to injuries, suspensions, etc.? What is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?

JC: The Revs lost backup/Revs II keeper Jacob Jackson to an ACL injury and brought in Clement Diop as deep cover at that spot with Brad Knighton and Earl Edwards Jr. also available behind Petrovic. Jon Bell and Gustavo Bou are still listed on the injury list, so my guess would be they are still unavailable.

4-2-3-1: Djordje Petrovic; DeJuan Jones, Henry Kessler, Andrew Farrell, Brandon Bye; Wilfrid Kaptoum, Matt Polster; Dylan Borerro, Carles Gil, Arnor Traustason; Giacomo Vrioni.

I think a 1-1 draw is in the cards. The Revs on the road likely will sit back more, but I think they do finish their one big chance in this game — something they did not do against TFC at home last week. If the Revs can steal this game it would be a big three points and would bring New England level with 30 points, with the Revs having a game in hand, but I think New England will spend August still figuring things out.


Big thanks again to Jake for the great update on the Revs. Vamos Orlando!

Orlando City

2023 Orlando City Season in Review: Junior Urso

The Bear returned unexpectedly in the middle of the season to bolster the Orlando midfield.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Midfielder Junior Urso joined Orlando City on Jan. 13, 2020 from Brazilian giants Corinthians on a multi-year deal. The Bear spent three years in purple before he and the club mutually agreed to part ways, terminating his contract for personal reasons on Nov. 10, 2022. Upon his return to Brazil, Urso joined Coritiba, but injuries limited him to just seven appearances. In a surprise move, Urso rejoined Orlando City on July 19, returning to the City Beautiful and accepting a backup role behind the Lions’ double pivot of Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo.

Let’s take a look back at Urso’s 2023 campaign.

Statistical Breakdown

Urso made his return to the pitch for Orlando City on Aug. 20, following the club’s run in Leagues Cup. In the MLS regular season, Urso made nine appearances (two starts), logging 250 minutes. Urso did not score a goal or assist on one, attempting just three shots, none of which found the target. The Bear completed 78.3% of his 115 total pass attempts but did not record a key pass or a successful cross. Defensively, Urso tallied two interceptions, five tackles, and five clearances. He committed two fouls, drew two on the opposition, and was booked just once.

The Brazilian also appeared in all three of Orlando City’s playoff matches, all off the bench, totaling 98 minutes. He did not score a goal or assist on one, attempting three shots, one of which was on target. He completed 86.4% of his passes, including three key passes, but did not connect on a cross. Urso chipped in one tackle defensively, committed two fouls, suffered three, and was not booked in the postseason.

Best Game

With a little less than a third of a season in purple and gold and serving primarily as a reserve player, Urso’s best match was his regular-season appearance on the road against Nashville SC on Oct. 4. The Bear came on for Facundo Torres in the 72nd minute and did what fans have always expected of him, which is to frustrate the living hell out of the opponent. Urso made sure that Nashville knew that he had entered the game, winning countless throw-ins, allowing Orlando to walk away with its first road victory at Nashville. Urso also recorded a shot in the match, which was the Lions’ only attempt other than Duncan McGuire’s goal, although it was perhaps a bit generous to call it a shot attempt. He passed at a 72.2% rate and recorded a tackle and a clearance and did his job helping the Lions see out a tight victory.

2023 Final Grade

As Urso came up short of the minimum total of 450 minutes played to receive a rating on our 1-10 scale, The Mane Land has no choice but to mark his grade as incomplete for the 2023 season. While it was a surreal experience just to see the Bear back on the pitch for Orlando City after his sudden departure, a delayed return to the pitch due to a lingering knock and the play of the midfielders in front of him on the depth chart limited his ability to leave his mark on the season. However, it’s difficult to put a grade on the experience he brought to the squad.

2024 Outlook

Orlando City has yet to announce its end-of-season roster decisions as of this writing, but with Wilder Cartagena’s loan spell expired, the Lions would be wise to pick up Urso’s contract option for the 2024 season. If that happens, he would likely take up the No. 8 role with Araujo playing the No. 6 in Orlando’s double pivot (assuming Oscar Pareja also returns). Urso could split time at the No. 8 if Orlando adds a new starting No. 10, because in that case, Mauricio Pereyra might see some time in that spot. If a permanent transfer or loan extension for Cartagena is secured, Urso provides value off the bench, although he’s a bit pricey for a backup at $360,000.


Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/5/23

Exploria Stadium will host Copa America games, Pride reportedly make offer for Crystal Dunn, Americans in midweek action, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone. I’m still dragging a little bit after having a shortened weekend due to work, but I hope all of you were able to hit the ground running yesterday and started your weeks off on the right note. As usual, there’s a lot of interesting things to discuss today, so let’s get after it.

Exploria Stadium Picked as Copa America Venue

The host cities and venues for next summer’s Copa America tournament were revealed and Orlando City’s Exploria Stadium has been chosen. The Lions’ home will have games on June 29 and July 1, and both games could be very important ones as they will take place during the final day of play for Groups A and C. We also know that the USMNT will play its group stage games in Atlanta, Dallas, and Kansas City. The semifinal matches will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, with Charlotte also hosting the third-place game. We’ll know very soon which teams will be playing in Orlando, as the draw will take place on Thursday.

Orlando Pride Reportedly Make an Offer for Crystal Dunn

The Orlando Pride have reportedly made a large offer to bring Crystal Dunn to Orlando, with CBS Sports reporting the amount prepared by the Pride to be more than $400,000. However, negotiations between the Pride and Dunn are reportedly no longer ongoing.

The 31-year-old is a free agent after announcing that she was not returning to the Portland Thorns after three seasons there. She is one of the more notable free agents this off-season and the Washington Spirit and NJ/NY Gotham FC are also interested in signing her ahead of the 2024 season.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of American players who will be playing games this week, so make sure you have some of these marked down on your calendar. First up is a match that could feature up to three players currently in the USMNT pool, as Jordan Pefok, Joe Scally, and Borussia Monchengladbach will face Kevin Paredes and Wolfsburg in the DFB Pokal. Tomorrow sees Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, and Fulham playing Matt Turner’s Nottingham Forest, although the USMNT’s starting goalkeeper is not likely to play. The week finishes with Juventus and Weston McKennie facing Napoli in league play, although Tim Weah is still an injury doubt.

USWNT Aims for Change in Mentality

The 2024 calendar year is going to be an important one for the United States Women’s National Team, and the team wants to start it off on the right foot. Interim head coach Twila Kilgore is viewing today’s match against China as a chance for the team to continue building a new identity and to keep developing tactically after a disappointing early exit from this summer’s World Cup. While Emma Hayes has been named the team’s new head coach, she won’t officially join up until Chelsea’s club season ends in May. Until that happens, there’s plenty of work to be done with the Gold Cup just around the corner in March, followed by the Olympics in Paris in July.

The Soccer Tournament Adds Women’s Competition

Following the success of last year’s first edition of The Soccer Tournament, the organizers have added a women’s competition for next summer’s event. The seven-a-side tournament will now also feature an eight-team women’s bracket which will also have a $1 million prize up for grabs. The decision was made after an all-women’s team led by Heather O’Reilly drew significant support when it competed last year, despite not picking up a win. The men’s tournament will also be expanding to 48 teams for this year’s competition, after featuring 32 participants during the summer.

Free Kicks

  • Ramiro Enrique has been called up to Argentina’s training camp for its 2024 Olympic team.
  • Orlando City’s documentary about the 2022 U.S. Open Cup victory has won a Suncoast Emmy.
  • In the 2023 Women’s College Cup final, Florida State beat Stanford 5-1 to win its fourth national championship.

That’s all that I have for today. Y’all stay safe out there.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/4/23

Crew to host MLS Cup final, LAFC returns to MLS Cup, Tim Howard to be inducted into National Soccer Hall of Fame, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good Monday morning, Mane Landers. The weekend brought us some drama-filled conference final action, and we now know who will play for the MLS Cup. But before I dive into that, I just want to take a quick minute to say with mixed emotions that this will be my final Lion Links here, but don’t be sad, because the rest of the boys will still be bringing your daily content needs and coverage. I’ll be stepping away as my wife and I are soon to be first-time parents, and I’m looking forward to all that entails. I appreciate each and every one of you readers for taking the time to scroll through my articles each week. If you’re interested in writing for TML, we could definitely use the help so please reach out. Now, let’s get into the links!

Columbus Crew Claim Hell Is Real Comeback

After a rocky start, the Columbus Crew became the first team to overcome a two-goal deficit on the road and advance in a single-leg round in the history of the MLS Cup playoffs. FC Cincinnati got off to a great start behind USMNT striker Brandon Vasquez, who opened the scoring, but it was captain Luciano Acosta’s sublime free kick finish that stole the show in the first half.

It took trusting the process and the tactics of their first-year manager Wilfried Nancy, but the Columbus Crew fought back with late match heroics to seal the victory. Forward Christian Ramirez bagged the game-winning goal in extra time in the 115th minute.

“You can only fight for someone like that,” said Ramirez. “So many times you can feel that you’re getting the bad end of the stick at certain moments, but I haven’t felt that. I think numerous guys understand how he sees the game now, and we respect that. We talk about writing our story in the Columbus Crew history; this chapter wasn’t done. We got one more week, one more game.”

LAFC Returns to MLS Cup

The league’s defending champion, LAFC, will once again be playing in the final match of the postseason. After frustrating the Houston Dynamo throughout the Western Conference final, LAFC won 2-0. Houston might have dominated the stat sheet in possession, passes, and passing accuracy, but really it was just playing into the gameplan of LAFC.

“We knew that’s what they wanted. They wanted the ball,” said LAFC right back Ryan Hollingshead. “They like to play this little tiki-taka in the middle of the field, these little movements, little one-twos, three of their guys just kind of pass the ball, but they’re going nowhere. And so we just said, do whatever you got, have the ball as long as you want. They created zero dangerous chances. They had a half-chance in the first half on a cross to Baird and that was it. And so a lot of these teams, it’s like, yeah, they’ve got possession, they may be moving the ball. But if they’re not creating dangerous chances, who cares?”

MLS Cup Final Preview

The Eastern Conference champion Columbus Crew will host Western Conference champion LAFC at Lower.com Field on Dec. 9 at 4 p.m for the MLS Cup. The match will be No. 53 across all competitions this campaign for LAFC, and a victory would make the club the first repeat winners since the 2011-2012 LA Galaxy. The storylines leading to the match will likely center around the possibility of it being Carlos Vela’s final game for LAFC, but for the Crew, the bench players will be the ones to watch. In the 65th minute of the Eastern Conference final, Head Coach Wilfried Nancy brought in Julian Gressel and Christian Ramirez, who both played a pivotal role in two of the three Columbus goals in the comeback victory.  The Crew last lifted the MLS Cup in 2020, defeating Seattle Sounders 3-0 at Historic Crew Stadium.

2024 National Soccer Hall of Fame

On May 4, the National Soccer Hall of Fame will induct its 2024 class. Most notable will be long-time USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard, who played 121 matches for the United States and had a successful career in the English Premier League. Other inductees will be USWNT World Cup winner Tisha Venturini-Hoch, 1996 Paralympic captain Josh McKinney, and USL founder Francisco Marcos.

Orlando Reportedly Set to Host USMNT-Brazil Friendly

The United States Men’s National Team is reportedly far along in negotiations to face Brazil in Orlando for a friendly leading to next year’s Copa America. The Yanks and Brazil last met in September 2018 in a friendly match in East Rutherford, NJ. The United States will host the Copa America from June 19 to July 14 as one of six invited teams to the South American competition. Brazil enter as the defending champion and should prove a worthy test for the Stars & Stripes to tune up for the Southern American title.

Free Kicks

  • Check your pockets and secure your valuables when USMNT left back Antonee Robinson is on the field.

That’s a wrap for my personal writing here for a while. It has been a pleasure to bring some coverage to you all for the past couple seasons. It’s not goodbye. It’s see you later. Vamos Orlando!

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