Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Seattle Sounders: Player Grades and Man of the Match
For the third consecutive game, Orlando City scored in second-half injury time to claim all three points, in a 3-2 win over the Seattle Sounders. However, this time the Lions came back from a two-goal deficit and it wasn’t Tesho Akindele scoring the winner. It’s the Lions’ fourth straight win, keeping them in fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Let’s take a look at the individual performances in this big win.
Starters
GK, Pedro Gallese, 5.5 — Gallese didn’t have a lot to do in this game, only facing three shots on target. He conceded two goals in the game, but came up with a huge one-handed save late in the second half that would’ve given the Sounders the lead. Gallese couldn’t do much about Albert Rusnak’s free kick, which went through the wall and was perfectly placed in the top corner, but he could have done better on Raul Ruidiaz’s near-post effort.
D, Joao Moutinho, 6.5 — Moutinho was the better of the two starting fullbacks in this game. The left back had two tackles and one clearance defensively, but his biggest impact was going forward. He completed 84.2% of his 38 passes, including four key passes, and an assist on Facundo Torres’ goal. Moutinho completed three of his seven crosses and one of his two long balls. Additionally, he took one shot on the rebound of Mauricio Pereyra’s poor penalty but what was a likely goal was blocked at the last second by Seattle’s Jackson Ragen.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5.5 — Schlegel was good for most of the game. He ended the game with one tackle, two interceptions, and one clearance, but Jordan Morris blew by him on the second Seattle goal. Going forward, Schlegel completed 81.4% of his 43 passes, completed one of his two long balls, and took one off-target shot. His grade would be higher but his poor defending on Morris on the second goal was his biggest contribution.
D, Antonio Carlos, 6 — As expected, Carlos was the better of the two center backs for most of the game. The Brazilian had two tackles and three clearances defensively. He completed 88.9% of his 36 shots and five of his seven long balls. He also took one shot, which was on target. However, Carlos had a role in both Seattle goals. He committed the foul that led to the first goal and was at the near post on the second, although Ruan was the man covering Ruidiaz. Carlos also took an unnecessary yellow card arguing a foul call that went against him.
D, Ruan, 5 — Ruan was at fault for one of the Seattle goals but unlike Carlos, didn’t put up a strong display to overcome that mistake. He didn’t have any defensive statistics in this game. He completed 83.3% of his 24 passes and had two key passes, but he only had one cross attempt and it was incomplete. Ruan was at the near post on Seattle’s second goal but was unable to clear it. It’s fair to say that in a transition situation with three defenders back against two attackers, it’s probably not the best idea to leave the other team’s Designated Player striker 1-v-1 with the Brazilian right back. The inability to clear the ball allowed Rusnak to score the game’s opening goal.
MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6 — Pereyra had a strong game on both sides. Offensively, he completed 94.6% of his 37 passes, including one key pass. He completed two of his four crosses and five of his six long balls. He took two shots and one of those was on target. Defensively, Pereyra had one tackle, one interceptions, and one blocked shot. Pereyra would’ve had a higher score, but he took a very poor penalty in the first half that was at the perfect position and height for Stefan Frei. Had the Lions not scored at the end, it could’ve cost the team two points.
MF, Cesar Araujo, 7 — Araujo has been one of Orlando City’s most consistent players and had another great performance in this game. Defensively, the central midfielder had four tackles and was instrumental when Oscar Pareja brought on Benji Michel for Ruan, going with three defenders. When in possession, he completed 90.2% of his 51 passes, had a key pass, and completed all five of his long balls. He also had one off-target shot but was fantastic in his role.
MF, Niko Gioacchini, 5 — This was Gioacchini’s first start for the senior team and a little rust was showing. Gioacchini’s had an early unlucky touch as he seemed about to break free for a scoring chance but lost the handle on the ball. He completed just 70.6% of his 17 passes, had one key pass, and one off-target shot. His biggest contributions of the game were drawing the penalty that Pereyra sent at the goalkeeper and nearly assisting a goal for Ivan Angulo had Frei not made a terrific save.
MF, Junior Urso, 5.5 — After arguably his best performance of the season, Urso saw a bit of a drop-off in this one. He completed 82.4% of his 34 passes and completed four of his six long balls. He didn’t get any shots off but did play Gioacchini into the box that resulted in the first penalty. Defensively, Urso had one tackle and two interceptions. It wasn’t one of Urso’s more impactful games, but it wasn’t a bad performance either.
MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo was in the starting lineup for the first time in this game and had another strong performance. He completed 88.2% of his 17 passes, had one incomplete cross, and completed his only long ball. He took two shots in the game, both of which were on target and chipped in two tackles on defense. While he wasn’t as good as the game against New York City FC Sunday night, he’s been better than Jake Mulraney and Gioacchini and has probably cemented his spot in the starting lineup for the upcoming games.
F, Tesho Akindele, 5.5 — After scoring game-winning goals in the two most recent games, Akindele earned himself a spot in the starting lineup against Seattle. In 63 minutes, the forward completed 53.3% of his 15 passes, completed one long ball, won four aerials, and took two off-target shots, one of which was blocked by a defender from point-blank range in his last action before being subbed off.
Substitutes
MF, Facundo Torres (46’), 7 (MotM) — After starting 14 of the last 15 games, Torres was given a rest for the first half against Seattle. However, Pareja said after the game that he wanted the star midfielder’s left-footed option in the second half, and he came on at halftime for Gioacchini. He made an immediate impact, scoring Orlando City’s first goal in the 53rd minute and assisting the winning goal in injury time. He completed 90% of his 20 passes with two key passes, one of his two crosses, and his one long ball. He had two shots in the game, with one going in.
F, Ercan Kara (64’), 6 — Similar to Torres, Kara came on in the second half and made an immediate impact. The striker replaced Akindele with Orlando City down a goal. In the 68th minute, he stepped up for the team’s second penalty of the night after a handball in the box. Unlike the first, Kara put his attempt into the corner, evening the game at 2-2. In addition to the goal, Kara completed one of his three passes and took two other shots, but both were officially recorded as off target — although one was a header that Frei made an excellent save to keep out, so there’s no telling what the official scorer saw on that play. The actual off-target shot was a header that missed by about a foot or less on a good corner kick cross from Torres. He was brought on to bring the Lions back even and did his job.
MF, Benji Michel (64’), 5.5 — Pareja made an aggressive move by bringing Michel on for Ruan in the 64th minute. He played in the midfield in this game, spending most of his time out wide in a bit of a wingback role to start before moving to the attacking midfield when Kyle Smith came on. He completed eight of his 10 passes, had one incomplete cross, and one incomplete long ball. He took one shot, which was on target, but didn’t make a big impact on the game.
D, Kyle Smith (76’), 7 — Smith came on for Pereyra in the 76th minute as the Lions went back to a traditional back four. It looked as though he wouldn’t have a big impact, but he did late. In the 89th minute, he nearly assisted the winner on a fantastic ball that landed on the head of Andres Perea, but Frei made a great save. A minute into injury time, Smith scored the game-winning goal. It took a deflection off Ragen’s body, but Smith was awarded the goal due to the original effort being judged on target, lifting the Lions to a 3-2 win. In the end, Smith completed all five of his passes, his lone cross, both of his long balls, and scored on his only shot. Can’t do much better than that.
MF, Andres Perea (76’), 6 — Perea came on in the 76th minute with Smith, replacing Angulo. He completed four of his five passes and nearly scored the winner in the 89th minute. Perea attacked the ball, beating the defenders to the ball on Smith’s cross but hit his shot right at Frei.
That’s how I saw the individual performances in this game. Let us know how you saw it and vote on the Man of the Match below.
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Facundo Torres | 55 |
| Cesar Araujo | 3 |
| Kyle Smith | 9 |
| Joao Moutinho | 2 |
| Mauricio Pereyra | 0 |
| Other (let us know in the comments) | 0 |
Orlando City
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati
Get all the inside information you need ahead of Orlando’s match with FC Cincinnati.
Another Orlando City matchday looms large this weekend, as the Lions will try to put Saturday’s thoroughly dispiriting loss behind them. They’ll have a tough task ahead of them though, as they welcome an FC Cincinnati team to town that currently sits second in the Eastern Conference.
A match against FCC means I spoke with Justin Blair of the always excellent Cincinnati Soccer Talk. As always, Justin was very helpful in getting us all caught up on Cincy before tomorrow’s match.
The nine goals conceded by FC Cincinnati are tied for the fewest given up by any team in the league. What’s been working so well for FCC defensively so far?
Justin Blair: In 2023, FC Cincinnati was tied for fourth in goals conceded with 39 allowed (Orlando, NYCFC, and RBNY). This season is continuing that impressive trajectory. The addition of Miles Robinson, arguably the best MLS center back, was a home run signing for FCC. Robinson joins 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Matt Miazga as the feature center back duo. But Pat Noonan’s system asks for three in the back and has been plugged with a rotation of players that have kept the defense stout. I have to mention that central defensive midfielder Obinna Nwobodo is arguably the most underrated player in all of MLS. He is an extremely skilled player that flies around and acts as a catch-all in front of the back line.
Brandon Vazquez departed in the off-season for Monterrey. In his absence, who has Cincy turned to for goal scoring?
JB: Brandon Vazquez is a tremendous striker for FCC and has been solid for Rayados with 10 goals in 22 appearances. But his form never hit stride in 2023. He had nine goals across all MLS competitions, which was down from a career high of 18 goals in 2022. FCC had to find goals in other places last season, so they aren’t exactly in uncharted waters. So far in 2024, reigning MLS MVP Lucho Acosta has been carrying the load with four goals and five assists. Yuya Kubo, who I affectionately call FCC’s Swiss Army knife, has seen recent minutes at the forward position. Kubo’s confidence on the ball and chemistry with Acosta has seen him score three goals in a short amount of time. Surprisingly, FCC’s star Designated Player striker Aaron Boupendza has fallen in the graces of the squad and hasn’t hit consistent minutes this season.
Run me through some of the other arrivals and departures that took place during the off-season. Who are a few names to watch out for?
JB: Well FCC’s off-season was a doozy to say the least. Several departures include the previously mentioned Vazquez, along with Sanitago Arias, Yerson Mosquera (loan), Alvaro Barreal, Dominique Badji, Junior Moreno, and Ray Gaddis — all of whom played significant minutes for the orange and blue during their 2023 Supporters’ Shield season. For incoming players, GM Chris Albright brought in Robinson, Pavel Bucha, Luca Orellano, Kipp Keller, and Corey Baird during the off-season. The additions of DeAndre Yedlin and Yamil Asad have also worked their way into the matchday rotation. Every piece added has felt like an upgrade or at least a comparable replacement. This is, of course, with the exception of replacing Vazquez.
FCC (recently) announced the loan signing of target striker Kevin Kelsy from Shakhtar Donetsk. The young loanee is sure to see considerable minutes with FCC but will likely not feature in the match versus Orlando City. I would keep an eye on Orellano for FCC. The left wingback is the heir apparent to Barreal that is so critical for Cincinnati’s ability to progress the ball from the midfield into the attacking third. Orellano is clean with his touches and can serve up line-splitting through balls that are perfectly weighted.
Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting XI and score prediction?
JB: Unavailable players might include Yedlin (hip), goalkeeper Roman Celentano (ankle), forward Sergio Santos (leg), and center back Nick Hagglund (knee). It seems uncertain if either or all will miss minutes in the match versus Orlando but most likely to participate would be Celentano, who was a late scratch versus Colorado on Saturday.
Starting XI (3-5-2): Roman Celentano (Alec Kann); Bret Halsey (DeAndre Yedlin), Miles Robinson, Matt Miazga, Ian Murphy, Luca Orellano; Obinna Nwobodo, Pavel Bucha, Lucho Acosta; Yuya Kubo, Corey Baird.
Score Prediction: Oscar Pareja seems to have Pat Noonan’s system figured out. FCC also struggles to find wins against Orlando City. I’m going to go with a 1-1 draw when the final whistle sounds.
Thanks again to Justin for the great info on FCC. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 5/3/24
MLS roster profiles revealed, Marta’s best moments, Kelley O’Hara announces her retirement, and more.
Happy Friday! We’ve reached the homestretch of the week and I couldn’t be happier. A busy weekend awaits me, but I’m hoping for some quiet, nice moments to offset some of the hustle and bustle. It’s also another weekend packed with Orlando soccer to enjoy, so make sure to plan your next couple of days accordingly. But for now, let’s get to the links!
MLS Unveils Club Roster Details
There’s a little more transparency in Major League Soccer after the league released helpful snapshots of each club that detail the composition of each roster. From Designated Players and MLS U22 Initiative Players to international roster slots and contract lengths, the graphics are easy to comprehend and give a nice look behind the curtain on each team. Using this, we can see that Orlando City midfielder Cesar Araujo no longer takes up a U22 Initiative slot and that the team also has an open international roster slot. It should be a fairly nice reference guide for fans moving forward, as well as a way to check out how other MLS teams are building their rosters.
Emily Sams Earns Recognition as Potential USWNT Player
Orlando Pride defender Emily Sams was mentioned as one of the top 20 eligible Americans who have yet to make an appearance with the United States Women’s National Team according to Pro Soccer Wire. The shout out is well deserved, as Sams has helped anchor a Pride defense that’s only given up seven goals this season. Only time will tell if Sams will earn a call-up once Emma Hayes is at the helm of the USWNT, but it does feel inevitable given how she’s been playing. Other notable players on the list include Ajax’s Lily Yohannes, Washington Spirit rookie Croix Bethune, and Angel City FC defender Sarah Gorden.
Marta’s Top Moments
All For XI compiled some of the best moments from Marta’s career into a tidy top five. Considering how prolific she has been for Brazil over the years, it was nice to see a pair of goals from her time with the Pride receive some recognition. Both of those moments were from 2018, with her free kick to equalize against the Seattle Reign placing fifth and her solo effort to stun the Spirit taking third. It’s fitting though that the top moment on the list showcases the impact she’s had off the field, as it’s Marta’s emotional speech after Brazil’s exit in the 2019 World Cup.
Kelley O’Hara Will Retire After 2024 Season
USWNT defender Kelley O’Hara announced that she will retire from professional soccer following the 2024 season. Over the course of her international career, she’s played in four World Cups, three Olympic Games, and was named to the FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2019. O’Hara has played in every NWSL season since the league’s inception, winning the title with the Spirit in 2021 and again with NJ/NY Gotham FC last year. She joined Gotham as the first free agent signing in NWSL history and she is set to close out her illustrious career there.
Free Kicks
- Curve Fragrances was named the official fragrance partner of Orlando City. As part of the partnership, there will be giveaways and product sampling at select games this season.
- Wrexham’s women’s squad for The Soccer Tournament this summer will include a trio of former Pride players, with Bridget Callahan, Danica Evans, and Nickolette Driesse all taking part. I can’t wait to see if Callahan will make SkoRed a rallying cry at the tournament.
- Orlando City won’t have to contend with FC Cincinnati forward Aaron Boupendza tomorrow, as he will miss the next six to eight weeks due to a broken jaw suffered in an off-field incident.
- The Europa League semifinals are underway and Bayer Leverkusen extended its unbeaten run to 47 games after a 2-0 road win against Roma. In the other matchup, Atalanta and Marseille drew 1-1 in France.
- American midfielder Johnny Cardoso hasn’t been with Real Betis for long, but he’s doing well enough that Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, and Borussia Dortmund are among the clubs reportedly interested in signing the 22-year-old.
- Lucas Hernandez suffered an ACL injury in Paris Saint-Germain’s loss to Borussia Dortmund and will miss out on this summer’s Euros with France.
- Reims and Will Still have mutually agreed to part ways, with the coach leaving now despite just having three games left in the Ligue 1 season. It will be interesting to see where the 31-year-old coaches next, as he had a notable 19-game unbeaten stretch with Reims last season.
- Here’s a detailed dive into the obstacles Everton has faced in recent years, as well as how the club has avoided relegation amid another difficult season.
That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Three Keys to Victory
What does Orlando City need to do to ensure a victory over FC Cincinnati Saturday at home?
Orlando City looks to bounce back from the disappointing 2-1 loss to Toronto FC Saturday night at Inter&Co Stadium. Cincinnati has twice as many points as Orlando City and more than twice as many wins. FCC has only scored one more goal than Orlando City, but with only nine goals conceded compared to Orlando City’s 17, it’s easy to see why Cincinnati is sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference.
What I’m trying to say is that the task doesn’t get any easier this weekend. What does Orlando City need to do to secure all three points at home against FC Cincinnati?
Accost Acosta
Cincinnati’s attack revolves around Luciano Acosta. The attacking midfielder has four goals and five assists so far this season. To put that into perspective, Duncan McGuire — Orlando City’s leading scorer — also has four goals but only one assist. If we look at the Lions’ attacking midfielders, Facundo Torres has one goal and one assist, Ivan Angulo and Nico Lodeiro both have one goal and two assists, and Martin Ojeda has zero goals and only one assist. Luis Muriel is still at double zeroes.
The defensive midfield and the back line must do everything possible to mark him out of the match. It’s not enough to keep him from scoring, they must also keep him from setting up chances for his teammates. Most importantly, the defense must do that for 90 minutes plus stoppage time. There is no room for the mental lapses we’ve seen throughout the first part of this season.
Break Through
Cincinnati is stingy on defense. As I mentioned above, the club has only allowed nine goals this season. The back line is formidable with the likes of Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson, and Ian Murphy. On the wings are DeAndre Yedlin and Luca Orellano. This is a tough defense, and whether it is McGuire or Muriel who gets the start, they must find the spaces in between.
Just as importantly, Torres, Angulo, Ojeda, and Lodeiro — depending on who is in at any given moment — must be able to thread the passes in for McGuire, Muriel, or each other to create quality chances. On top of that, the Lions must convert on those chances, which is not something that has been a strength so far this season. If the Orlando City defense continues to give up cheap goals, then the offense will need to one-up the competition when it comes to scoring.
Deal with an Unknown
FC Cincinnati recently signed Venezuelan forward Kevin Kelsy from Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk. Kelsy comes in as an MLS U22 Initiative player and is eligible to play against Orlando City. Even though Kelsy is only 19, he has 68 professional appearances, including UEFA Champions Leagues matches. At 6-foot-3, he can be a challenge for defenders, especially in the air.
Kelsy hasn’t had much time with the team, but he could be a second-half substitution for Cincinnati. Given that Orlando City just gave up two late headers against Toronto FC, the back line will need to be careful that Kelsy doesn’t hurt the Lions in the same manner — especially if he comes on late when legs and minds are tired.
That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati
PawedCast Episode 415: FC Cincinnati Preview with Cincy Soccer Talk and More
Lion Links: 5/3/24
Orlando Pride Midfielder Luana Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
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