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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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2 years ago

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Orlando City will return to Exploria Stadium empty handed after a 5-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union on the road. Some bad luck and a good performance from one of the league’s best teams was enough to end the Lions’ hopes at a result in this match. An own goal — originally credited to Olivier Mbaizo but changed after the match — opened the floodgates and goals by Mikael Uhre, Daniel Gazdag, Alejandro Bedoya, and Jack Elliott sunk the Lions. Andres Perea was able to spoil Philadelphia’s clean sheet at least.

Let’s take a look at how each Lion performed individually in the loss.

Starters

GK, Mason Stajduhar, 5 — He didn’t have much of a chance on the Union’s first goal as a cross by Olivier Mbaizo was deflected by Moutinho. The ball went over Stajduhar’s attempted swat and into the back of the net. Stajduhar was able to get a leg to Uhre’s shot from point blank range on the Union’s second goal, but there was too much power behind it. He conceded a penalty in the second half for barely making contact with Uhre, but he spilled a fairly routine-looking cross to allow Uhre the chance to pounce on it. The 24-year-old wasn’t able to stop Gazdag’s strike from the spot and had no chance on Bedoya’s diving header a few minutes later. Elliott scored on a free header and Stajduhar ended up conceding five goals. Still, he came up with seven saves, including three good ones in a row in the second half to stop Philly from scoring off of a free kick. Stajduhar only had 14 passes, completing 71.4% of them, and was accurate on three of his seven long balls. He’s not the first goalkeeper to be brutalized by the Union’s offense this year and likely won’t be the last. Some unlucky moments will make his performance look worse than it was, but there were still good moments for the backup goalkeeper, along with some on which he could’ve done better.

D, Joao Moutinho, 5.5 — The left back had a long and busy night as he led the Lions with a whopping 103 touches. His 72 passes were also the most by an Orlando player, although he completed them at just a 65.3% rate. Just one of his five crosses were accurate, including a great one that Junior Urso couldn’t put on frame, and he delivered some decent balls late in the match. Five of his 12 long balls were accurate, and he had two key passes to set up opportunities. His lone shot was from range and went wide. Defensively, Moutinho had three clearances, a tackle, and an interception. Moutinho was dispossessed and an unlucky deflection after he got a piece of Mbaizo’s cross ended up as an own goal. He (understandably) appeared to have nothing left in the tank late in this game, tracking back far too slowly on Cory Burke late to allow a shot that resulted in a corner kick, and he also wasn’t able to stick with Elliott on the ensuing goal from that corner. However, his long throw helped create Orlando’s only goal of the game.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5 — Schlegel did a poor job marking Bedoya on the Union’s fourth goal. The center back finished the game with five tackles, four clearances, two blocks, and an interception. He had 28 passes at a good 85.7% success rate, but none of his four long balls were accurate. Schlegel also picked up a yellow card to stop Philly on a counter for his first booking since July.

D, Antonio Carlos, 6 — Carlos led the Lions with five clearances and three interceptions, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Union’s red-hot offense. The center back was beaten by a good through ball by Gazdag, as Uhre beat him to the ball and buried his shot on the Union’s second goal. Carlos was beaten multiple times by Uhre’s pace, but that’s more a credit to the Philadelphia striker than anything to do with Orlando’s center back. He nearly got his head to Kai Wagner’s cross on Philly’s fourth goal, but it fell for Bedoya. It was a strong night in terms of passing for Carlos though. The 29-year-old was accurate on nine of his 10 long balls and completed 90.2% of his 32 passes. Carlos also won all three of his aerial duels. It was always going to be a tough assignment against the Union and Carlos will have to shake off this result as the team prepares for Wednesday.

D, Ruan, 4.5 — It’s no secret that the right back’s crossing needs some work, but Ruan just wasn’t able to provide enough from the wing during this match. Both of his crosses were inaccurate and his second one had a real chance to give Orlando a lead if he didn’t send it right into the lone defender’s feet. Two of his four long balls were successful and he had 36 passes at a 77.8% success rate. Ruan had two tackles and two interceptions, but the Union really made the most of the space left when he went on the attack. Sometimes the Brazilian was able to track back in time to apply pressure, but other times Carlos and the defense were left to pick up the slack. Ruan didn’t provide the offensive bite to make his trips up the field worth it in the end.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 5.5 — The Peruvian defensive midfielder led the team with six tackles and also contributed three clearances and an interception. His work on defense helped limit Philadelphia’s attack through the middle of the field. Cartagena completed 78.1% of his 41 passes, but his service when attacking needed to be better and only one of his four long balls was accurate. More time playing with his teammates may correct that over time, but a bad pass from Cartagena led to Philadelphia’s second goal. It was a decent outing from the 27-year-old, although it showed some fixable areas to improve moving forward. He could have had the game’s biggest contribution when he aggravated Jose Martinez into headbutting him but it wasn’t called and the video assistant referee apparently deemed there wasn’t enough evidence to award a red card.

MF, Andres Perea, 6.5 — It was a mixed bag from Perea. The 21-year-old gave the ball away after trying a harder pass than needed and the Union capitalized off of the mistake. It wasn’t his worst match offensively though, as he scored a goal, made two key passes, and had three successful dribbles. His first goal of the season was a nice one as he set it up at the top of the box and smashed it past Andre Blake, which is no easy feat. He completed 83.3% of his 42 passes but neither of his long balls. Perea also chipped in defensively with two interceptions.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 (MotM) — In his 65 minutes on the field, Pereyra pulled the strings to help Orlando build possession or surge forward on counter attacks. Although he was positioned deep in the midfield, Pereyra showed plenty of hustle to help out on both sides of the ball. The Uruguayan’s lone shot was an attempt from distance that was blocked before it could test Blake. Pereyra had 48 passes at a solid 85.4% success rate and also had a key pass by slipping a ball through the Union’s defense for Benji Michel to get a shot off and earn a corner. Although his single cross didn’t find its target, he was successful on two of his three long balls. His effort on defense shouldn’t be overlooked as he had three tackles and two interceptions to break up some of the Union’s attacks.

MF, Jake Mulraney, 4 — It was a pretty pedestrian performance by Mulraney, who was too often out of position to help the team during transition moments. It was hard to see how he fit into Orlando’s game plan as he lacked the speed to rush forward on counters and didn’t create many chances. He only had 11 passes, completing them at a 90.9% success rate, and his only cross was unsuccessful. Mulraney was subbed off at halftime and it was a night to forget for the Irishman.

MF, Niko Gioacchini, 4.5 — The American had six unstable touches and was dispossessed four times in this one as he was unable to get much going on the offensive end. He didn’t have any crosses, although that is partially because he tended to drift into the center of the field while Ruan worked the right wing when attacking. His passing needed to be a bit better as he only completed 68.4% of his 19 passes, and he didn’t have a shot. Gioacchini was a step behind opposing players at times and didn’t contribute any defensive stats in a rough game on the road.

F, Benji Michel, 5.5 — Although he won four of his five aerial duels, Michel had a tough time dealing with the strong center back pairing of Elliott and Jack Glesnes. His only shot was from a tough angle near the end line and the Homegrown Player did well to force a save from Blake and win a corner. In the second half, he had a key pass as he headed the ball towards Facundo Torres in the box. In terms of his hold-up play, Michel was successful on 84.2% of his 19 passes and had four unstable touches. His speed was certainly an asset, particularly in the first half, but he ultimately had a difficult time against the league’s best defense.

Substitutes

MF, Facundo Torres (45’), 5.5 — Torres came on with the Lions trailing by two at halftime, but the Union made sure to swarm him and force Orlando’s other players to beat them. Still, he found ways to get involved and had 32 touches and 23 passes at a strong 91.3% success rate. Torres had two shots, sending one wide and having the other blocked. His one cross and two long balls didn’t find their targets. All in all, Torres wasn’t able to make much of an impact on this game but only played one half and should be ready to roll for the upcoming matches.

MF, Ivan Angulo (45’), 5 — Like Torres, Angulo wasn’t able to create a spark to revive Orlando after coming on at halftime. Unlike Torres though, he didn’t see much of the ball and had 17 touches and 11 passes at an 81.8% success rate. Angulo’s only shot came early after coming on, but it missed the target. It was an otherwise quiet night for the Colombian and we didn’t see much of the speed and skill on the ball he’s displayed in previous matches.

MF, Junior Urso (65’), 6 — The Bear notched his seventh assist of the season with a nice headed pass to find Perea open at the top of the box following a long throw-in from Moutinho. Urso gave the Lions some needed energy on offense and was accurate on both of his long balls. He had 27 touches and 17 passes at an 82.4% success rate. The 33-year-old received some needed rest after playing nearly every minute of Orlando’s past five matches.

D, Kyle Smith (65’), 5 — Smith had 25 touches, two tackles, and two interceptions after coming on to replace Ruan. The damage had mostly been done by that point and he wasn’t able to create much on the offensive end as his only long ball was inaccurate and just one of his three crosses was successful. Smith had 14 passes at a 71.4% success rate and wasn’t part of any aerial duels.

MF, Cesar Araujo (84’), N/A — Coming on for Cartagena late in the match, Araujo had three touches and completed both of his passes. Philadelphia added its fifth goal shortly after he came on and there wasn’t enough time on the pitch for him to be graded.

The roster featured plenty of rotation following the club’s U.S. Open Cup win this past Wednesday. The Lions will have to shrug off this result as they get ready for critical matches against Atlanta United and Toronto FC this upcoming week. Let us know your thoughts in the comments and be sure to vote for your Man of the Match below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Mauricio Pereyra6
Andres Perea4
Junior Urso1
Someone else (Tell us who in the comments below)0

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Orlando City

2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Pedro Gallese

The Peruvian goalkeeper had an inconsistent start to the year, but was solid throughout the team’s second-half surge.

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13 hours ago

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December 30, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City initially signed goalkeeper Pedro Gallese on Jan. 17, 2020, and the Peruvian immediately became a fixture in the Lions’ starting lineup. He led the club to its first MLS playoff appearance and was sent off during penalties in one of the most bizarre endings in league history before leading the team to the postseason again every year since joining the Lions. In the 2022 season, he started the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, helping the Lions win their first major trophy. Orlando City signed Gallese to a new contract on Dec. 27, 2022, keeping him in purple through 2024 with a club option for 2025.

Let’s take a look at how Gallese played in his fifth season in Orlando.

Statistical Breakdown

Gallese was Orlando City’s first-choice goalkeeper for the fifth straight season, playing in 29 games (all starts) and recording 2,610 minutes during the regular season. He gave up 39 goals while making 72 saves for a save percentage of 64.9% and a 1.34 goals-against average. Additionally, Gallese recorded eight clean sheets and saved two of his six penalties faced. The shot stopper completed 439 of his 614 passes (71.5%) in the regular season, including 83 long balls. He also recorded his first assist for the club, setting up an attack that resulted in a Duncan McGuire goal against Charlotte FC on Sept. 18.

In the playoffs, Gallese started all five games, recording 450 minutes. He conceded two goals while recording three clean sheets and making seven saves for a 77.8% save percentage and a 0.40 goals-against average. He completed 67 of his 97 passes (69.1%), including 14 long balls. He split his two penalty shootouts in the postseason, not making a save in Game 2 against Charlotte, but stopping the first two spot kicks in Game 3 against Pep Biel and Karol Swiderski to help Orlando City advance to the conference semifinals.

Gallese started all three Concacaf Champions Cup games, playing 270 minutes. He recorded a pair of clean sheets in a 3-0 win over Cavalry FC and a scoreless first leg against UANL Tigres before giving up four goals in the 4-2 loss to the Mexican opponent in the second leg for a 0.50 goals-against average. His 10 postseason saves resulted in a 71.4% save percentage. The starting goalkeeper completed 44 of his 59 passes for a 74.6% completion percentage.

In the Leagues Cup, Gallese started all three games, recording 270 minutes. He conceded a pair of goals with a clean sheet and made 15 saves for an 88.2% save percentage and a 0.25 goals-against average. Additionally, he saved the only penalty he faced in the competition during normal time. He completed 44 of his 69 passes for a 63.8% pass completion percentage. In Orlando City’s two penalty shootouts against Atletico San Luis and Cruz Azul, Gallese stopped Leo Bonatini to help the Lions win the former. He wasn’t able to make a save in the penalty shootout against Cruz Azul, and although Ignacio Rivero missed the net entirely, Orlando fell on penalties due to Robin Jansson and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson having their spot kicks saved.

Best Game

Gallese’s best game of the year was a game the Lions didn’t win and saw them eliminated from the Leagues Cup. On Aug. 9, he faced six shots on target in a scoreless draw against Mexican giants Cruz Azul, the third-highest number of shots he faced all season. However, he conceded four goals from nine shots in the second leg against Tigres and two goals from seven shots against Philadelphia on May 11. For this reason, I consider his clean sheet against Cruz Azul to be his best performance.

Orlando’s starting goalkeeper played all 90 minutes in that game and kept Cruz Azul off the board with his six saves. His distribution was also excellent, as he completed 21 of his 25 passes (84%). It was his only clean sheet of the tournament, as he conceded once each against CF Montreal and Atletico San Luis.

Due to the Leagues Cup format, the game went directly into penalties, which was unfortunate for Orlando City. Rivero missed the first attempt for Cruz Azul, but the other five shooters were successful. Cruz Azul goalkeeper Kevin Mier saved the two aforementioned penalties to put his team into the round of 16, but that doesn’t take away from Gallese’s strong performance against a good side from Liga MX.

2024 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Gallese a composite grade of 7 out of 10 for the 2024 season. It’s the lowest grade he’s received since 2020, when he received the same grade. That season was followed by an 8 in 2021, an 8 in 2022, and a 7.5 in 2023. His 39 goals conceded are his second most since joining Orlando City and his 72 saves are his fewest in a 34-game season for the club. The latter number is attributable in part to Orlando City allowing the fourth-fewest shots against per match in 2024. Gallese, like the team in general, was particularly inconsistent in the first half of the 2024 season. However, he was at his best when it mattered most, especially in the shootout against Charlotte, when he stopped two the first two penalties and guessed correctly on the third. Gallese recorded three clean sheets in five playoff games and only gave up one goal in each of the other two games. Overall, while there was a slight drop in the Peruvian’s consistency, it was a solid season for the Lions’ shot stopper.

2025 Outlook

Gallese signed a deal through the 2024 season with an option for 2025 back in 2022 and that option was triggered because he achieved the necessary performance-based metrics. As a result, he’ll be the starting goalkeeper for his sixth season in Orlando. The only way the Peruvian won’t be in net is if he’s injured or away on international duty. While he allowed some uncharacteristic goals at times in 2024, he’s still a proven shot stopper and a leader on this team. Even with a slight dip in form, his presence is necessary for Orlando City to reach its goals in 2025.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

This concludes our 2024 Orlando City player-by-player Season in Review series. We hope you’ve enjoyed looking back on the Lions’ performances from the past year as we move closer toward seeing what lies ahead in 2025.

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Lion Links: 12/30/24

Orlando City shares top goals of 2024, MLS transfer roundup, English Premier League results, and more.

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16 hours ago

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December 30, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers. I hope you all have been doing well and enjoying time with family and friends for the holidays as we close out 2024 tomorrow. I’ve been busy working at Under Armour all week. I’ll also be back at Wrigley Field to work the NHL Winter Classic tomorrow, and two Big Ten college hockey games later this week. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Unveils Top Goals of 2024

Orlando City shared some of the club’s top goals of 2024 and invited fans to vote on which one was the best of the year.

The club has been slowly unveiling its top 10 goals of the season on its Instagram page. Here’s what the organization has chosen as the best so far:

10. Martin Ojeda’s goal against D.C. United on July 6.
9. Duncan McGuire’s chip goal against Charlotte FC on Sept. 18.
8. Ramiro Enrique’s volley against FC Cincinnati on Oct. 5.
7. Facundo Torres’ strike against the Chicago Fire on June 22.
6. Ramiro Enrique’s goal against Cavalry FC in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
5. Luis Muriel’s first goal as a Lion against the Philadelphia Union on May 11.

Orlando City’s top four goals of the year are still to come, but what was your favorite Orlando City goal from the 2024 season? Let me know in the comments section below.

MLS Transfer Roundup

We have some big moves in Major League Soccer to catch you up on from the weekend. FC Dallas has acquired defender Shaq Moore from Nashville SC in exchange for $50,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM) and incentive-based GAM of up to $100,000. Moore has agreed to a two-year deal through 2026 with a club option for 2027. San Diego FC signed goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega to a one-year contract for the 2025 season with club options for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. Sisniega previously played for USL Championship side San Antonio FC. Lastly, Inter Miami has reportedly signed former Vancouver Whitecaps winger Fafa Picault.

English Premier League Recap

The Premier League fixtures continue through the holidays, and there were plenty of matches on Sunday. Manchester City defeated Leicester City 2-0 to snap its run of five consecutive matches without a win. Crystal Palace defeated Southampton 2-1, while Nottingham Forest won 2-0 against Everton and moved to second in the league table. Fulham and Bournemouth battled to a 2-2 draw, while Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton’s match also ended 2-2. Liverpool cruised past West Ham United 5-0 as well. We have three more Premier League matches later today, with Aston Villa hosting Brighton, Ipswich Town facing Chelsea, and Manchester United taking on Newcastle United.

Keeping Up With the Americans Abroad

Several Americans were in action in Europe over the weekend. Brenden Aaronson scored the lone goal for Leeds United to defeat Derby County 1-0 to extend its unbeaten run to six matches and remain atop the EFL Championship table. Auston Trusty was on the bench for Celtic, but Cameron Carter-Vickers played a full 90 minutes against St. Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership. Celtic won 4-0 to extend its unbeaten run to 19 matches across all competitions. Weston McKennie played 62 minutes for Juventus before he was subbed off in the second half. Fiorentina grabbed a late equalizer for a 2-2 draw against Juventus as both sides have 32 points in Serie A and remain in fifth and sixth in the league table, respectively. Gianluca Busio played a full 90 minutes for Venezia, but his side lost 1-0 to Napoli on Sunday.

Free Kicks

  • NJ/NY Gotham FC will reportedly sign midfielder Gabi Portilho from Corinthians. Portilho won a silver medal with Brazil at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and was a Ballon d’Or finalist.
  • AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic had an injury setback and did not play in Sunday’s match against AS Roma due to an ankle injury.
  • Dani Olmo is at risk of not playing for Barcelona in the second half of the La Liga season after a court rejected the club’s lawsuit to extend his temporary registration, which expires at the end of this month.
  • Dunfermline Athletic forward Dapo Mebude gave insight into resurrecting his career in an interview with BBC Sport. He had survived a car crash earlier this year while playing for Oostende in Belgium.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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Orlando City

Top 10 Moments of 2024: Orlando City Advances to First Conference Final

In our No. 3 moment, the Lions advance further in the MLS playoffs than ever before at the expense of rival Atlanta United.

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2 days ago

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December 29, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

As we count down to the new year of 2025 — which will be Orlando City’s 11th in MLS, the Orlando Pride’s 10th in the NWSL, and OCB’s third in MLS NEXT Pro — and say goodbye to 2024, it’s time to look back at the club’s 10 best moments of the year as selected by The Mane Land staff via vote.

Since Atlanta United rode Arthur Blank’s considerable checkbook into Major League Soccer, the club up north and MLS have been trying to create a rivalry between the Lions and the Five Stripes that would likely have developed anyway without any artificiality. Late drama in some of the earliest meetings and the overall unlikeability of Josef Martinez would likely have taken care of it without any billboards or hyperbole from the league.

But the rivalry did grow, even though it has largely been a one-sided one over the years. Since 2017, Atlanta had gotten the better of Orlando City, racking up eight wins against just four for the Lions entering the 2024 season, with the teams also playing to seven draws over the years. That didn’t improve for Orlando this year, as the Lions lost both regular-season meetings against Atlanta United, including a Decision Day game that saw the Five Stripes pounce early, building a 2-0 lead inside the first 16 minutes. Orlando outplayed Atlanta the rest of the way, but could only pull one of the two goals back, ending the regular season on a sour note and somehow allowing their rivals an improbable path into the postseason.

Yet, in a strange way, Orlando letting Atlanta get into the postseason changed the trajectory of the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs. In the first round, the Five Stripes shocked Supporters’ Shield-winning Inter Miami, Orlando’s bigger current bogeyman team and the bane of all people sick of hearing about Lionel Messi and tired of seeing ugly pink uniforms plastered to everything related to MLS.

It wasn’t only Miami that succumbed to the upset bug in the best-of-three first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Top-three seeds Columbus and Cincinnati also crumbled, while fourth-seeded Orlando needed a Game 3 stoppage-time penalty and shootout win to advance, which handed the Lions an improbable home-field advantage for the rest of the conference’s postseason. That’s how Orlando ended up drawing nemesis Atlanta as an opponent in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Atlanta had to feel confident after knocking mighty Miami and its ex-Barcelona brigade out of the playoffs. The fact that United swept the season series from Orlando City also likely had the visitors feeling good entering the Eastern Conference semifinal match at Inter&Co Stadium Nov. 24.

On the plus side for Orlando, the Lions no doubt still felt a bit of anger over the Decision Day loss, which could serve as some extra motivation for Oscar Pareja’s team. In addition, this was the first time Orlando City would have its starting central midfield duo against Atlanta in 2024. Wilder Cartagena had missed both regular-season meetings with United due to suspension, while double-pivot partner Cesar Araujo missed the match in Atlanta with an ankle injury. Both booking-prone midfielders managed to get through Charlotte in three matches without earning a suspension. Atlanta had to face a first-choice Pareja lineup for the first time in the year’s three matches.

The winner of the match was going to the Eastern Conference final — in Orlando’s case, it would host the match if it could get past Atlanta. As an added bonus, the victor would also end its rival’s season. The stakes had never been higher throughout the series.

Both teams entered with momentum. Atlanta was no doubt still riding the high of knocking Messi and Miami out of the playoffs. Orlando could hardly have turned its fortunes around any later against Charlotte in stoppage time and then dominated the ensuing penalty shootout against perhaps the league’s best shootout goalkeeper.

In front of a sellout crowd of 25,046, the game on Nov. 24 quickly revealed itself. From the opening kickoff, it seemed Orlando City wanted to have the ball and look for an opening in Atlanta’s defense, while the visitors, coached by former USL Lion Rob Valentino, appeared content to wait for the Lions to make a mistake that they could turn into a transition goal.

Orlando tried to jump on Atlanta early, but the usual nerves of such a big game were showing. Facundo Torres sent a free header from Martin Ojeda’s gorgeous cross over the bar in the opening minutes. Dagur Dan Thorhallsson hit the post on a play that was eventually flagged offside anyway moments later. Ramiro Enrique sent a header straight at goalkeeper Brad Guzan in the 10th minute. It was the same lack of sharpness in front of goal that plagued the team early in the year, but at least the Lions were creating chances against a team that hardly seemed to consider posing a scoring threat at all.

Ojeda just missed the corner of the goal on a 23rd-minute volley attempt. Then Araujo missed the target with a header off a good Rafael Santos cross.

The way the match was unfolding, the longer it stayed scoreless, the more it built the pressure on Orlando and helped Atlanta, and it seemed as if we’d reach halftime without a goal. Then things changed suddenly on a set piece.

Ojeda sent in a good ball on a corner kick from the left side. The service bounced off of Atlanta defender Stian Gregersen and fell in the six-yard box, landing right in front of Enrique, who was the fastest to react to the loose ball, slotting it past Guzan to make it 1-0 in the 39th minute.

Things got worse for Atlanta late in the half, when forward Jamal Thiare was forced out of the game with a knock. The Lions went to the lockerroom with a slim 1-0 lead that did not reflect their domination of the action in the first half. Orlando City led in possession (63.8%-36.2%), shots (7-3), shots on target (3-0), and passing accuracy (89.4%-74.9%) in the opening period. 

Atlanta had to come after the game in the second half, and the Five Stripes tweaked some things to get more of the ball. A decent spell of possession early in the second half saw the visitors generate a few shots, but nothing was too menacing due to the play of Orlando’s back line and midfield. The closest the team came to leveling the match was Aleksey Miranchuk’s shot into the outside netting from the left side in the 51st minute. Over the next 10 minutes, the visitors sent a couple of half chances wide of the frame.

Orlando had the better chances in the second half, but neither team managed to get a shot on frame. Pedro Gallese didn’t have to make a save all game for the Lions, but he did make a smart and athletic play to get to a potentially lethal Saba Lobjanidze cross, preventing it getting through to the back post. A flicked shot from Duncan McGuire that went wide was the closest the Lions came to doubling the lead.

Eventually, time ran out and the match was over. Orlando finished with the advantage in possession (50.6%-49.4%), shots (14-8), shots on target (4-0), corners (5-4), and passing accuracy (85.8%-83.6%). Most importantly, however, the Lions had advanced to the Eastern Conference final for the first time, and they’d done it at the expense of their rivals from the north.

“On that corner and that type of play, I always intend to be ready for that second ball, for that second play,” Enrique said after the game. “When it was hit there, thankfully I anticipated it really well and just got into that space and beat everybody to the ball and was able to convert. Happy for this team and for this club, and to be able to move on in this moment, and to have a part in that by scoring the goal, I think being able to get to the conference final, we’re just really happy.”

It was Orlando City’s first meaningful win in the rivalry, and drawing some postseason blood should only add fuel to it in the future.

The Lions didn’t ultimately reach the MLS Cup final after defeating Atlanta, switching off just once in a tightly contested match against the New York Red Bulls. That was one of the few missteps Orlando City had in the game, but it was one too many in an otherwise strong defensive Eastern Conference final. The Red Bulls went on to lose to the LA Galaxy in the title game.

But Orlando fighting its way deeper into the MLS postseason than ever before, and doing so at the expense of a troublesome Southeast rival, is worth including on our list of the club’s top moments of 2024.

Come back through New Year’s Eve as we count down the remainder of the top 10 moments of 2024 for Orlando City, the Orlando Pride, and OCB.

Previous Top Moments of 2024

10. Orlando City’s massive second-half surge clinches top-four spot in Eastern Conference.

9. The Orlando Pride sign Zambian international striker Barbra Banda ahead of the 2024 season.

8. Facundo Torres scores his 47th goal for Orlando City, breaking the Lions’ all-time goal record.

7. Marta’s magical goal pushes the Orlando Pride past Kansas City and into the NWSL Championship.

6. Orlando City wins nervy three-game MLS Cup playoff series to advance past Charlotte FC.

5. Orlando Pride pick up the club’s first-ever playoff win in their first-ever time hosting a postseason match.

4. Orlando Pride rewrite club and NWSL record books throughout 2024 season and playoffs.

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