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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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2 years ago

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Orlando City went on the road and won 1-0 against the New York Red Bulls Saturday night at Red Bull Arena. Facundo Torres scored the game’s only goal and Orlando’s defense held on for all three points. Each team only had one shot on target as neither goalkeeper saw much action.

Let’s take a look at how each Lion performed individually in the win on the road.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — The Peruvian goalkeeper likely won’t complain about only having one save in this match as the Red Bulls only put one of their 15 shots on target. That one save was easy as well, catching a long-range effort from Frankie Amaya that was fired right at him. His distribution could have been a bit better in this one though, only completing 57.5% of his 40 passes and connecting on just nine of 26 long balls. He also sent the ball out of bounds a couple of times late in the match. That being said, he started the play that ended up with Orlando scoring as his long ball found Alexandre Pato. It was Gallese’s eighth clean sheet this season and a nice result after conceding three goals last week.

D, João Moutinho, 7 — Moutinho made crucial defensive plays in this one, including a fantastic sliding challenge to snuff out a counter in the 68th minute and clearing New York’s free kick from the goal line in the dying moments of the match. He played every minute and finished with four tackles, an interception, three clearances, and a blocked shot. The left back was unsuccessful on his two crosses and one of his two long balls found its mark. Moutinho’s 40 passes were the third most on the team and he completed them at a decent 72.5% rate. He received a yellow card for halting a counter attack in the first half and will miss Orlando’s game next Sunday against Charlotte FC.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — It was another strong outing from the Beefy Swede as he had two tackles, two interceptions, and five clearances. Jansson also had to turn on the jets at times to chase down Patryk Klimala and did well when putting out those fires. He was successful on 71.4% of his 28 passes and connected on two of six long balls. Jansson was great when making sliding challenges and also won all three of his aerial duels.

D, Antônio Carlos, 7.5 (MotM) — The Brazilian center back led the Lions with a whopping 10 clearances, putting an end to many of New York’s attacks before they could pick up steam. Carlos also had three tackles, two interceptions, and a blocked shot as he bounced back from a rough game last week. When the Red Bulls sent balls past Kyle Smith into dangerous areas, Carlos was there with long strides to see out the danger. Like Jansson, Carlos was a force in the air and won all five of his aerial duels. He had 36 passes at a 75% success rate and two of his six long balls were accurate.

D, Kyle Smith, 6 — Playing at right back, Smith led the Lions with 75 touches and 49 passes, but needed to take much better care of the ball. Only 57.1% of his passes were accurate, neither of his two crosses were successful, and just two of his nine long balls connected. Smith had four tackles and four clearances, but gave the ball away in his own defensive third at times and conceded a pair of free kicks in dangerous areas.

MF, César Araújo, 7 — Araujo offered plenty of support to the back line in this match and had two tackles, an interception, and two clearances. The 21-year-old also used his body to stop a worrying cross late in the match and then earned a throw-in. His 45 passes were the second most by a Lion and 93.3% of them were successful. Four of his six long balls found their mark as well. It was a solid outing from the defensive midfielder and he won three fouls without committing any.

MF, Júnior Urso, 6 — The Bear did a great job on Orlando’s goal, holding up play to wait for runners and finding Torres in on goal to notch his fifth assist of the season. While he often found open spaces in the midfield, he was a bit sloppy with the ball and was dispossessed five times. Both of Urso’s long-ball attempts were accurate and he had 30 passes at a 76.7% success rate. He didn’t have any defensive stats and won four of his eight aerial duels in this win. He struggled physically at times with New York youngster John Tolkin, who got the best of him in 1-v-1 match-ups.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 —  Pereyra played the first half fairly deep in the midfield but in the second half he had to fill the playmaking role left by Pato’s exit just before halftime. His passing helped Orlando work its way past New York’s press and he completed 79.5% of his 39 passes. Four of his six long balls were accurate, but only one of his seven crosses found their mark. While the statistics only show an interception and a blocked shot from the captain, his hustle on defense in this match deserves some recognition. Pereyra may not have led Orlando’s offense to a blowout win, but he did the little things to help secure all three points on the road.

MF, Alexandre Pato, 6 — Pato’s night was cut short late in the first half when Dru Yearwood collided into him while he was taking his first shot of the match. Pato couldn’t get much of anything behind the shot as a result and went to the ground in pain. It didn’t look good and he had to be taken off on a stretcher. His time on the field was a mixed bag of brilliant passing and frustrating turnovers. He didn’t record a key pass, but made great through balls into dangerous areas and did well to win the ball up field and find Urso in the buildup of Orlando’s goal. Although he dribbled into trouble and gave the ball away on occasion, Pato completed all but one of his 15 passes for a strong 93.3% success rate and was accurate on his single long ball as well. He didn’t have any defensive stats, but helped apply pressure.

MF, Facundo Torres, 7.5 — Torres’ goal was from a tough angle, but he put enough behind it that Carlos Coronel couldn’t cleanly handle it as the ball got past the goalkeeper and then bounced off the far post and into the net. He also had a key pass with a cutback cross that served the ball to Pato on a silver platter in the box. The Uruguayan’s quickness helped stretch New York’s defense, but it was his superb passing and control of the ball in tight areas that was crucial for Orlando to beat New York’s pressure. Torres was accurate on 84.2% of his 38 passes, although neither his one cross nor his one long ball were successful. He brought plenty of pressure on defense and had three tackles as well.

F, Benji Michel, 5.5 — His first touch has left plenty to be desired this season and that was an issue again in this game as he had three unstable touches. Michel made a good run to draw a defender to open space for Torres to score, but he didn’t have much more of an impact on offense than that. In 66 minutes of action, Michel only had 16 touches and seven passes at a 71.4% success rate. The Homegrown Player’s speed was certainly an asset at times for the Lions on offense, but a lack of control and strength made it hard for him to influence the match. 

Substitutes

MF, Jake Mulraney (45’), 5.5 — .Mulraney came on for Pato right before halftime and played out wide. It took some time for him to find his footing, but he did well when Torres joined him on the left wing. The two did well maintaining possession with quick passing, but not much came from Mulraney on offense. Neither of his crosses were accurate, but one of his attempted crosses did earn the team a corner after a deflection. He had 15 touches and completed seven of his 10 passes. Although he didn’t record any defensive statistics, Mulraney helped break up a few plays late in the match.

F, Tesho Akindele (66’), 5 — Bringing Akindele on for Michel makes sense on paper in order to give the Lions a taller player to win possession and hold up play. But the Canadian lost his two aerial duels and had two unstable touches. He also committed a foul right outside of the box that nearly cost the Lions. Akindele had a tackle, completed five of his seven passes, and finished with 11 touches.

MF, Wilder Cartagena (90’), N/A — The Peruvian midfielder made his debut for Orlando in a brief cameo to help see out the match. He had five touches, most notably when chasing down the ball after Moutinho’s goal-line clearance to end the danger. None of his three passes nor his lone long ball were successful, but it was a very small sample size from which to garner much information.

MF, Andres Perea (90’), N/A — Perea had one touch and one unsuccessful pass in a short stint. He mostly just helped give the Lions some fresh legs late in the match.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando’s 1-0 win on the road. Let me know your thoughts in the comments and be sure to vote for your Man of the Match below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Antonio Carlos5
Facundo Torres38
Robin Jansson9
Joao Moutinho6
Other (Let us know who in the comments)1

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Orlando City

In Praise of Orlando City’s Game 3 Penalty Kicks

The Lions employed some crafty strategy and flawless execution to win the Game 3 penalty shootout, and it deserves to be recognized.

Published

2 days ago

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November 15, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Depending on who you talk to, penalty kicks aren’t a great way to decide a soccer game. They’re exciting, of course, but not exactly a good measuring stick of which team is more deserving of winning the game. Fortunately for Orlando City fans, the team has excelled at shootouts for the vast majority of its MLS existence. In fact, the Lions hadn’t lost one until this year, when they were bounced from Leagues Cup by Cruz Azul after losing 5-4 in penalties. The team then accomplished another first in Game 2 of the MLS Cup playoffs against Charlotte, when it missed three of four spot kicks, and lost 3-1 in penalties.

With recent history far from being in OCSC’s favor, there was plenty of reason to be pessimistic when the deciding Game 3 went to a shootout, but the Lions breezed right through it, winning by a score of 4-1 and sending Charlotte packing. While there’s only so much strategy you can employ in shootouts, the Lions pulled a couple fast ones that may just have given them a leg up when they needed it most.

Let’s first talk about the shootouts the Orlando has been involved in this year, because even before Game 3, there had been a lot. The Lions’ final two games in Leagues Cup were both decided at the penalty spot, with the good guys emerging victorious against San Luis 5-4, and then losing by that same score to Cruz Azul to exit the tournament. Game 2 against Charlotte was therefore the team’s third shootout of the year, and by that point we were starting to see some familiar faces in the team’s shooting lineup.

There isn’t anything inherently wrong with sending the same (or mostly the same) guys up in a shootout. Conventional wisdom says that you want your best, most reliable guys from the spot taking penalties. However, if the opposing goalkeeper has done his research, and a player tends to favor shooting in a certain direction, it can potentially give the man between the sticks an advantage in making the save. Let’s examine who Orlando City sent to the spot this year in shootouts, starting with the two Leagues Cup games.

Against San Luis, the order went: Nico Lodeiro, Duncan McGuire, Wilder Cartagena, Rafael Santos, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Lodeiro went central, McGuire went to the goalkeeper’s right, Cartagena to his left, Santos to his right, and Thorhallsson to his left. All five penalties were scored, but the keeper got a strong hand to Thorhallsson’s and it only just went in.

Against Cruz Azul, the order was: Robin Jansson, Luis Muriel, McGuire, Facundo Torres, and Thorhallsson. Jansson shot to the goalie’s left and had it saved, Lodeiro and Muriel both went to his right and scored, McGuire and Torres both went to his left and scored, and Thorhallsson went to his left and had it saved.

That brings us to Game 2 against Charlotte. The order was: Lodeiro, Jansson, Muriel, and McGuire. Nico shot to Kristijan Kahlina’s left and had it saved, Jansson went to his right and put his shot over the bar, Muriel also went right and scored, and McGuire went to the goalie’s left and had his shot saved.

Let’s pause for a minute and dig deeper into those Game 2 takers. Lodeiro had already taken two penalties on the year, and scored both. Jansson had taken one and had it saved, Muriel had taken one and scored, and McGuire had taken two and converted both. Interestingly enough, Kahlina also went the right way on Jansson’s shot, although the Swede put the ball over the bar. After taking penalties in the two previous shootouts and the goalies getting strong hands to both, Thorhallsson wasn’t used, but he couldn’t be, because he’d already been subbed off late in the second half. McGuire went to the goalie’s left for the second shootout in a row, with Kahlina guessing correctly and making the save.

In the all-important Game 3, the takers were: Muriel, Kyle Smith, Torres, and Santos. Muriel and Smith both went to Kahlina’s right, while Torres and Santos went to the Croatian’s left, with all four men scoring. It was Muriel’s third time in a shootout for the club, third time going to the goalie’s right, and third time converting. Smith made his first appearance from the spot on the year. It was Torres’ and Santos’ second time taking in a shootout this year and they both went left for the second time. Taking a closer look at each shooter, I really like the selection choices and the order in which they went.

While Kahlina had plenty of tape on Muriel by this point, the Colombian had already beaten him once, and the striker prefers to watch the goalkeeper during his run-up and go whichever way he doesn’t. That makes it especially difficult to save his penalties, and his years of high-level experience means he’s no stranger to high-pressure situations. You could hardly ask for a better first shooter to set the tone for what was to come.

We then got a big old wild card in the form of Smith, who hadn’t taken a penalty kick at all this year. Oscar Pareja could have chosen to use Jansson or Lodeiro, both of whom have taken multiple kicks this year and were still on the field, but he opted to go for someone who Kahlina both hadn’t seen already, and who he likely had very little, if any, tape on. It was a decision that paid off, as Smith positively blasted his kick into the top corner, with Kahlina guessing the wrong way on his dive.

We then got Torres, who would ordinarily be a no-brainer when it comes to taking penalty kicks if not for the fact that he’d just had one saved mere minutes earlier in stoppage time. Still, you want your main man to step up in high-pressure situations, so it wasn’t surprising to see him stepping forward to take one, particularly with the Lions already leading 2-0. He won the mental battle with Kahlina and went in his preferred direction to the left of the goalkeeper, with Kahlina guessing wrong again.

Finishing things off was Santos, who had only taken one penalty on the year and employs an unconventional, stuttering run-up. As he did in the San Luis game, the Brazilian went to the goalkeeper’s right and scored, with his penalty being the only one in which Kahlina dove the correct way. The decision to go with another player who there was little film on, especially one with a run-up that’s difficult to time correctly, again proved to be a decision that paid off.

We’ll never know who OCSC’s fifth taker would have been, as the shootout never got that far. We know it wouldn’t have been McGuire, who was being kept on the sideline after injuring his shoulder. I think it’s telling that Jansson and Lodeiro weren’t in the first four, even though both had already taken multiple shootout penalties on the season, and Thorhallsson was the only other player who had taken more than one kick in a shootout this year, and he had been substituted. My bet is on Cartagena, who had only taken one and scored it.

Regardless of what we don’t know, we can give the deserved amount of praise to what we do know. Namely, that the decision to use a mix of guys who are proven in high-pressure situations and ones who have few, if any, recent penalties on film was a strategy that paid off big time. Pedro Gallese also deserves every flower in the garden for the two saves he made, which absolutely made things easier on the takers. I think it’s interesting that Karol Swiderski took a spot kick for the second game in a row, with Gallese getting the better of him in Game 3 despite the Polish striker going to the Peruvian’s right instead of his left.

It’s also fair to say that the men who stepped up in Game 3 simply took better shots in than in Game 2. Nico’s wasn’t far enough in the corner and was a good height for Kahlina, Jansson put his completely over, and McGuire’s was too central and at a height that favored the goalkeeper. There were no such issues in Game 3, with every shot being well placed.

All in all, you couldn’t have drawn up the Game 3 shootout any better if you tried. Pareja threw a couple curveballs Charlotte’s way, Pedro Gallese made two huge saves, and all of the shooters came up with outstanding efforts. From strategy to execution, the shootout was about as perfect as you can get. Now here’s hoping that’s the last one we have to endure for awhile. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/15/24

Barbra Banda speaks about playing alongside Marta, USMNT beats Jamaica, international soccer roundup, and more.

Published

3 days ago

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November 15, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday! I hope the week hasn’t been too rough on you as we gear up for what should be an exciting weekend. There aren’t too many plans lined up for me, but I’m still looking forward to being able to relax a bit over the next few days. Before we dive into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to our favorite Beefy Swede, Robin Jansson!

Barbra Banda on Playing With Marta

It’s an understatement to say it’s been a fantastic year for the Orlando Pride, and NWSL MVP finalists Barbra Banda and Marta have been major reasons for the team’s success. Marta has been with the Pride since 2017 and is thriving in what may be the twilight of her legendary career. Meanwhile, it’s Banda’s first year with the Pride and she’s taken the league by storm alongside Marta. In an interview with Futbol W, which is co-hosted by former Pride player Ali Krieger, Banda spoke about how motivating it is to play with the greatest women’s soccer player of all time.

Battle of the Rebuilds in NWSL Playoffs

Of the four teams remaining in the NWSL playoffs, only NJ/NY Gotham FC was in the playoffs last year. Not only are this year’s semifinalists a testament to how much things can change each year, but it’s also an interesting showcase of the different ways clubs can build a team capable of winning in this league. The Pride capped off a patient and smart rebuild by signing international players like Banda, while the Current have benefited greatly from adding Temwa Chawinga. After winning the NWSL Championship last year, Gotham added several American stars like Rose Lavelle and Crystal Dunn in free agency to do it again. Meanwhile, the Washington Spirit have leaned on a strong rookie class and other young players to reach this point.

USMNT Beats Jamaica in Nations League

The United States Men’s National Team got its quarterfinal series started with a solid 1-0 win over Jamaica in Kingston. Ricardo Pepi scored the lone foal of the game early on with a nice strike after a silky smooth assist from Christian Pulisic. Matt Turner came up with a great save on a penalty kick in the first half, earning a clean sheet the hard way. It wasn’t exactly a comfortable victory for Mauricio Pochettino and the Yanks, but winning on the road in Concacaf is hardly ever comfortable. The two teams will reconvene in St. Louis on Monday with a spot in the semifinals on the line.

Keeping Up With International Soccer

The U.S. obviously isn’t the only nation taking part in the international break, with teams all around the world in action. Paraguay arguably had the biggest win of the day, beating Argentina 2-1 in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying. Venezuela also had a decent result, drawing 1-1 against Brazil in a match that included a missed penalty by Vinicius Junior.

In 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, Nigeria, Tunisia, South Africa, Uganda, and Gabon all booked their tickets to next year’s tournament after the latest round of matches. Saudi Arabia and Australia battled to a scoreless draw in AFC World Cup qualifying, while South Korea moved closer to qualifying after a 3-1 win over Kuwait that featured Son Heung-min’s 50th international goal. There weren’t too many surprises in the UEFA Nations League, with England cruising past Greece and Italy beating Belgium. France was held to a scoreless draw against Israel but still qualified for the quarterfinals.

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That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/14/24

MLS playoff predictions, Barbra Banda and Marta earn recognition, USMNT takes on Jamaica tonight, and more.

Published

4 days ago

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November 14, 2024

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve been a bit under the weather this week, but it’s at least meant I’ve been able to spend more time with my cat and get some reading done when not hacking up a lung. But enough about that, let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world!

MLS Conference Semifinal Predictions

Former Orlando City captain Sacha Kljestan weighed in on which of the remaining eight teams will prevail in the MLS playoffs. He predicts that Atlanta United can lean on its counterattacking and Brad Guzan’s goalkeeping to beat Orlando City when the two rivals face off in Orlando on Nov. 24. A key thing to watch heading into the match is if Head Coach Oscar Pareja switches things up up top given Ramiro Enrique’s slump.

Kljestan predicts a tight match between New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls, but has NYCFC moving on. He also has both the LA Galaxy and LAFC advancing in the Western Conference, which would set up a playoff edition of El Trafico.

Pride Players Make ESPN’s Top 50

ESPN unveiled its annual list of the top 50 women’s soccer players and a pair of Orlando Pride players made the list. Forward Barbra Banda is ranked third on the list for crushing it in her first year in the NWSL, scoring 13 goals to help the Pride win the NWSL Shield. Marta, who has not been listed in the past two years, ranked 26th for turning back the clock at 38 years old and creating 46 chances for Orlando this season. Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati tops the list, with Naomi Girma in second, Caroline Graham Hansen in fourth, and Sophia Smith rounding out the top five. There are many voters for this year’s list from around the world, including Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter.

Steven Moreira Named Defender of the Year

The Columbus Crew’s Steven Moreira was named 2024 MLS Defender of the Year after a strong season. He made 27 appearances for the Crew this season and was a key part of his team’s success in the Concacaf Champions Cup and Leagues Cup this year. Moreira also helped out offensively with two goals and four assists and was an All-Star this year. The 30-year-old beat out Inter Miami’s Jordi Alba and Seattle Sounders center back Jackson Ragen for the award.

USMNT Takes On Jamaica Tonight

The United States Men’s National Team will play its first competitive match under Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino tonight when it takes on Jamaica in Kingston in the Concacaf Nations League. Although the U.S. may be favored in this series, playing on the road in Concacaf is always tough and Jamaica tends to keep things close against the Yanks. Tonight’s match is the first of the two-leg quarterfinals, with the two nations facing off again in St. Louis on Monday. Hopefully Pochettino can get the team firing on all cylinders as it continues to prepare for the 2026 World Cup.

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  • In a rollercoaster of a match, the U.S. Men’s Deaf National Team fell in a penalty shootout to Brazil in the Deaf Pan American Games. The U.S. took the lead in extra time, but Brazil battled back to tie it, winning from the spot to reach the final.

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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