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Orlando City vs. Inter Miami CF: Final Score 4-1 as Lions in Free Fall with Another Loss

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2 years ago

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Orlando City sank beneath the weight of bad bounces and defensive transition mistakes in an inconceivable 4-1 beatdown loss to Inter Miami CF at DRV PNK Stadium. The loss dropped the Lions below the playoff line with one match day remaining.

Starting in the game’s very first minute, awful mistakes cost the team and luck played a little bit of a role as well, as the Lions (13-14-6, 45 points) fell back below .500, fell below .500 on the road (5-6-6), and lost their fourth game in the last five since winning the U.S. Open Cup. Meanwhile, Miami (14-13-6, 48 points) climbed above .500 and clinched a postseason berth for the first time.

Leonardo Campana, Gonzalo Higuain (twice), and Ariel Lassiter did the damage on the scoreboard, but the Lions were honestly their own worst enemies in the first Tropic Thunder match that was decided by more than one goal. Ercan Kara pulled a goal back in the second half but by then the game was effectively over.

“I know what these kinds of games mean for our fans and I’m very disappointed not to perform the way we should,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “In that part, I take responsibility.”

“I want to say sorry to our fans, because they come from Orlando to Miami to to push us and today was not so good for us,” Junior Urso said.

Pareja rotated his lineup somewhat, playing Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Joao Moutinho, Rodrigo Schlegel, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith. Cesar Araujo played his customary stopper role next to a deep-lying Mauricio Pereyra, with an attacking midfield line of Benji Michel, Junior Urso, and Facundo Torres, with Tesho Akindele up top.

It took less than a minute for that lineup to break down. Smith somehow knocked a pass attempt off an opponent and the ball squirted in behind the Orlando center backs. Neither Carlos nor Schlegel went to get the ball so Campana ran onto it and chipped Gallese, who was off his line but not nearly far enough out to get to the ball before the Miami forward. Just over 30 seconds into the match, Orlando City trailed. (Warning: sound off is better, so you can avoid Ray Hudson’s overblown, maniacal commentary.)

The Lions didn’t respond well to going behind, despite getting a ton of possession. Orlando looked unsettled, consistently did nothing with set piece opportunities, and broke down in transition when there were chances to get numbers forward. Wayward passes from Torres, Akindele, and Urso and a couple of poor touches from Michel prevented some quality chances from materializing. The Lions did set up some half chances but did nothing with them.

“It’s normal when you start the game in the first minute just conceding the goal and then obviously, the other team with energy and with this momentum that they have, they take advantage of that situation,” Pareja said. “And then from there, our energy was doubtful and we were not precise in the movements, and then we started losing confidence.”

Akindele tried to flick a pass from Smith on target but he didn’t quite pull it off, slowing the ball too much and sending it off target. Smith sent a blistering pass through the six in the 18th minute, but there was no way Akindele could get to it in time and Michel didn’t anticipate the pass quickly enough to get to the back post for the tap-in.

Higuain nearly got in behind in the 21st minute but Carlos did just enough to force him wide and Gallese chased him into the corner and knocked it out of play. Two minutes later, Campana got in for a first-time shot but just missed wide.

Moutinho smashed a shot well wide from the top of the area when a long throw fell to him. A failure to put shots on target was a problem Sunday at New York City FC and it definitely continued into tonight.

The hosts doubled the lead in the 38th minute on a weird transition as Akindele tried to force a pass into traffic. Miami came the other way and Schlegel got caught pressing high, giving the Herons a 2-on-1 break. Ariel Lassiter crossed in early to Higuain and his first touch was a shot past Gallese to make it 2-0.

Akindele ‘s headed flick went just over the bar in the 43rd minute off a corner kick cross, which was the closest the Lions came in the opening half. In the final minute of the half, a good cross found Urso but he swung and missed at it and kicked DeAndre Yedlin instead.

Orlando City held more possession in the half (61.9%-38.1%), had more shots (7-4) and corners (2-1), and passed more accurately (87.3%-78.3%) but Miami got more shots on target (2-0) and both of those went in. It was the second consecutive first half in which Orlando failed to get a single shot on frame and the Lions had only one on target in its last three halves.

The Lions brought on offensive-minded reinforcements to start the second half as Pareja withdrew Akindele, Michel, and Smith, sending Kara, Ivan Angulo, and Ruan onto the pitch. The changes made Orlando seem more dangerous immediately. Angulo got in the box, made a good move to bypass two defenders and took a shot. The Lions screamed for a handball but Victor Rivas did not give it and a check by the video assistant referee maintained the call on the field. The only replay shown on the broadcast was inconclusive.

But Rivas wasn’t opposed to giving Miami a penalty moments later when the Lions were bit again by a bad bounce. A ball in for Lassiter skipped up off the Miami forward’s foot and hit Ruan’s arm at close range. The fullback’s arm wasn’t extended unnaturally, nor was the play intentional, but the call was upheld again and Higuain scored on the ensuing penalty to make it 3-0 in the 53rd minute.

Three minutes later, Lassiter added to Orlando’s misery with a shot just inside the right post, making it 4-0. Don’t ask me why Carlos was trailing on the play, my stream froze a few seconds earlier and started back up right where this video begins.

Things got worse for Orlando City moments after the fourth goal when Carlos was booked, meaning he’ll miss Sunday’s regular-season finale against Columbus with a suspension for yellow card accumulation.

“It’s a little bit soon to answer it but we always have to think about what’s next,” Pareja said when asked if he had formulated a plan for the back line on Sunday yet with Carlos suspended and Robin Jansson injured. “(The booking) was probably the thing that frustrated me the most. It’s the lack of common sense from the referee. It’s unbelievable. Their responsibility is to protect the game and they need to have the context of the players. And it was a very, very, very unnecessary yellow card, and that’s what disappoints me. Not a good call for me, and it affects us not having Antonio, but we have to find a different answer and see how we can set out that back four. Somebody needs to do the job.”

Kara spoiled Miami’s shutout bid in the 71st minute, taking a pass from Torres at the top of the box, then turning and firing a well-placed shot just inside the left post. It was the big Austrian’s 11th goal of the season.

Ruan had a chance to set up Kara for another moments later. With Kara running free to his left, Ruan tried to chip a pass across to him over Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender. Unfortunately, he didn’t quite get the pass high enough and Callender caught it to prevent the easy header at the back post.

Orlando squandered a late series of corner kicks and Ruan got deep into the box but sent a pass behind both of his teammates crashing the net and that was basically the end.

As a product of chasing the game for all but a few seconds of the match, Orlando finished with more possession (60%-40%), shots (16-6), corners (8-1), and passing accuracy (89.1%-83.4%), but Miami got more shots on target (4-1). Every shot on target in the match ended up in the net. The Lions now have one shot on target in each of the last two matches, which is just two on 29 attempts.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Urso said of the lack of precision. “We had good passing, we had good combinations, but like Oscar told us we have to get more confidence in front of the target and to shoot well. I think we have to be more calm in front of the goal, but no excuses for us.”

“We’re going to leave it there, we’re going to make our corrections,” Pareja said. “We’ve got to move on. This is a quick turnaround. We have a possibility at home that nobody gave us. We fought for that one during the season and this opportunity belongs to us. We’ll see. If we don’t beat Columbus then maybe we didn’t deserve to be in the playoffs, but certainly we have a great opportunity at home to get our qualification.”

The Lions have a knockout game in the final match of the regular season on Sunday, when the Columbus Crew visit Exploria Stadium. A draw won’t be good enough unless Cincinnati somehow loses at D.C. United.

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Lion Links: 5/7/24

Barbra Banda up for NWSL Goal of the Week, Americans in midweek action, Champions League preview, and more.

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3 hours ago

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May 7, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Tuesday, everyone. It was a mixed bag for Orlando’s teams over the weekend, as Orlando City B drew 1-1 with Chattanooga FC and lost the subsequent shootout, Orlando City lost 1-0 to FC Cincinnati, and the Orlando Pride won 1-0 over Racing Louisville. As usual, we have a lot to talk through this morning, so let’s dig into the links.

Barbra Banda Up for Goal of the Week

Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda has been nominated for the NWSL Goal of the Week for her strike in the 77th minute against the North Carolina Courage last Wednesday. Banda controlled the ball off a throw-in, turned, and drove across the box before slotting a low shot past Casey Murphy for the Pride’s fourth and final goal of the game. She scored twice in that game and scored again in Sunday’s win over Racing Louisville. Banda now has four goals in four games — including at least one in each of her three starts since appearing off the bench in her debut — and shows no sign of slowing down. Make sure you go vote for her to win this week’s award!

Americans in Midweek Action

As usual, there are a number of Americans playing games this week, so make sure you mark down any that you want to tune in for. Wednesday has Brandon Vazquez and Monterrey traveling to El Volcan to take on Tigres in the quarterfinals of the Clausura. Moving to Friday, Tanner Tessmann, Gianluca Busio, and Venezia have a chance to gain promotion to Serie A if they beat Spezia and Como loses. On the other side of things, former Lion Nicholas Gioacchini and Como play Cosenza, and will secure automatic promotion as long as they don’t have a worse result than Venezia.

UEFA Champions League Preview

The UEFA Champions League continues this week with the second legs of the two semifinal matchups. In this afternoon’s game, Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique has said that even Kylian Mbappe will have to work hard defensively if his team is going to progress to the final. Borussia Dortmund leads that tie 1-0, and will need to rely on a defense that has kept five clean sheets in this year’s tournament. However, the German club has a concerning record away from home, where it has lost nine of its last 11 games. In tomorrow’s game between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, this season’s La Liga winner will hope its finishing prowess continues from the first leg, when it turned two chances into two goals.

European Transfer Rumor Roundup

With European seasons drawing to a close, the transfer rumor mill is starting to heat up, which means there are several items worth discussing today. First, Manchester United will reportedly face competition to sign Crystal Palace star Michael Olise. Chelsea and PSG are said to also be interested in signing the Frenchman, who was instrumental in his side’s 4-0 drubbing of the Red Devils yesterday. Staying in the Premier League, Virgil van Dijk has said he intends to be part of the transition following Jurgen Klopp’s departure from Liverpool, confirming that he does not intend to leave in the summer. Elsewhere, Bayern Munich is said to have agreed to personal terms with AC Milan’s Theo Hernandez. David Moyes has confirmed he will leave West Ham at the end of the season, with reports suggesting that the Hammers have reached an agreement with Julen Lopetegui to be the team’s new manager.

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That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

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

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s home loss to FC Cincinnati?

Published

23 hours ago

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May 6, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City dropped yet another match at home, this time to FC Cincinnati. Despite the 1-0 loss, a couple of red card, and the all-too-familiar lack of finishing, the Lions played pretty well. Orlando City continues to give up early goals and to not be able to find the back of the net. However, the Lions do create opportunities and are usually in the match despite recent results.

Here’s how I saw the individual performances for the Lions in this injury-riddled and heartbreaking loss.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — Gallese didn’t have much chance on the goal and otherwise had a decent night, making the saves on Cincinnati’s other two shots on goal. There were some scary moments when he found himself outside of the box on occasion, but he acquitted himself well. Apart from his goalkeeping, Gallese completed 70.6% of his 17 passes, including four of his nine long balls.

D, Rafael Santos, 6 — Santos was active in his time on the field. He had 44 touches, completing 75.9% of his 29 passes, including one of his two long balls. Santos completed one of his five crosses, and made a key pass. He took one shot but it was not on target as it was blocked. Defensively, Santos recorded two tackles and one interception. He made an extremely good recovery run to stop the counter attack in the 49th minute but dislocated his right shoulder in the process. That ended his night as he came off for Nico Lodeiro in the 51st minute.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 4 — Schlegel had a short night due to a red card in the 23rd minute on a foul committed in the 20th minute. Originally, the referee ruled it a fair challenge, but after looking again, Ismail Elfath gave the red card for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity, which was fair. He misplayed the pass that allowed Yuya Kubo to steal it at full speed and go one-on-one with Gallese, leading to the foul. He may have kept Acosta onside on the Cincinnati goal and was also beaten by Acosta in the box. He only had 14 touches in the game and completed all of his 13 passes, including both long ball attempts. Schlegel did not record a defensive stat.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — Jansson was mostly his usual good self this game. There was some fun to watch gamesmanship with Matt Miazga during Orlando City’s early corner kick attempts. He tied Cesar Araujo with a team-high 61 touches and completed 80% of his team-high 50 passes, including three of nine long balls. Defensively, he matched Dagur Dan Thorhallsson’s team-leading four tackles, while also adding an interception, a clearance, and a yellow card. He did get caught flat-footed on the goal by Acosta, but he wasn’t the only one.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6.5 — Thorhallsson once again got the start at right back and had a really good night up until he had to leave the match with a concussion in first-half stoppage time. He picked up the knock when he blocked the free kick Schlegel allowed in the 24th minute with his noggin. Thorhallsson was good at being in the right place at the right time to keep Cincinnati from going forward on his side of the pitch. He recorded 23 touches, completing 69.2% of his 13 passes, but didn’t connect on either his one attempted long ball or his one attempted cross. Defensively, he made four tackles, and blocked one shot. It’s a shame that he had to go off.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — Araujo had a solid performance against FC Cincinnati, recording 61 touches. He completed 87.2% of his 39 passes, including three of his five long balls, and took two shots. Defensively, he added two tackles, and an interception. Araujo was his usual frustrating self for the opposition, drawing nine fouls. His free kick attempt — which he earned — went into the wall, but he did recover it as well. His second shot was well taken but deflected wide.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 — Cartagena was almost the hero of the match. His shot in the fifth minute off of Martin Ojeda’s corner kick went off the crossbar, and his rocket of a shot in the 67th minute went in, but was waved off because Facundo Torres was offside. He tracked back to try to prevent Acosta’s goal in the first minute, but the Cincinnati star did well to cut back inside when Cartagena committed to blocking the shot or cross. Otherwise, Cartagena had a pretty good match. He had the fourth most touches with 54. He matched Araujo, completing 87.2% of his 39 passes, including six of his nine long balls. He also had two key passes and the aforementioned shot. Defensively, he added one tackle, two clearances, and one interception. He also earned one yellow card.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 7 (MotM) — Angulo was active in the match, roaming where he was needed, hounding Cincinnati defensively, and being an integral part of the attack. He had 60 touches and completed 82.4% of his 34 passes, including two key passes. He completed one of his three cross attempts, had three dribbles and drew four fouls. His lone shot was on target but it was blocked by the defense after he rounded the keeper. Defensively, he made three tackles. He made the necessary switch to a more defensive posture after Schlegel’s red card, but was still a good attacking threat from the left wingback position.

MF, Facundo Torres, 5.5 — Torres wasn’t as much of a factor as he needs to be for Orlando City. He recorded 51 touches while completing 75.9% of his 29 passes. He did not connect on any of his five crosses, nor his three long balls. He had one dribble and one tackle. He made way for Luis Muriel in the 70th minute.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6 — Ojeda was sacrificed for defense in the 27th minute after Schlegel’s departure. He only had 13 touches in his limited minutes but completed 83.3% of his six passes, including a successful long ball. Despite the limited minutes, Ojeda completed two of his five crosses and contributed a key pass.

F, Duncan McGuire, 6 — McGuire continues to show that despite all the botched trade shenanigans before the season, he wants to prove he’s a team player and a quality striker. He touched the ball 25 times and completed 77.8% of his 18 passes. Unfortunately, his one shot was not on target. Defensively, he made a clearance, and while he was the outlet player when the team went down to 10 men, he still came back to help on defense.

Substitutes

D, David Brekalo (28’), 6 — Brekalo came on in the 28th minute for Ojeda, but he really came on to replace Schlegel. He had 33 touches and completed 80.8% of his 26 passes, though he did not complete either of his two long balls. Defensively, he had one interception, one clearance, and one blocked shot. He had one decent run into the attack, although ultimately it came to nothing.

D, Michael Halliday (45’+ 4), 5.5 — Initially, it looked like Oscar Pareja would bring on Kyle Smith for the injured Thorhallsson, but instead it was Halliday. The youngster hasn’t had many minutes this season and defensively the rust showed. Halliday recorded 33 touches, completing 80% of his 15 passes, including both of his long balls. He attempted a cross but it didn’t connect. He also had a shot on goal, but it was deflected. Defensively, he had one tackle, one interception, and committed two fouls. One of those resulted in a yellow card for his foul on Kevin Kelsey. He put himself in dangerous positions repeatedly but simply couldn’t finish the play.

MF, Nico Lodeiro (52’), 6 — When Santos went off injured, Pareja brought on Lodeiro to bolster the midfield and, hopefully, the attack. He touched the ball 26 times and completed 78.6% of his 14 passes and his only long ball. The veteran also connected on two of his four crosses, and his late header nearly leveled the match, but keeper Roman Celentano got a paw on it to keep it out. Defensively, Lodeiro contributed a tackle.

F, Luis Muriel (70’), 5.5 — Muriel came on for Torres, playing under McGuire as Orlando City pushed for the equalizer. He only managed 12 touches and completed 44.4% of his nine passes, with one unsuccessful long ball attempt. He did have one dribble and drew a foul in a dangerous area but didn’t take any shots in the match.

That’s how I saw the performances for Orlando City in its 1-0 loss to FC Cincinnati Saturday night. Let us know how you saw the game and vote for your Man of the Match below.

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Lion Links: 5/6/24

Lions lose at home, Orlando Pride win, OCB draws Chattanooga FC, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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May 6, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers. I hope all is well with you down in Florida. It was another mixed weekend for our teams as the Lions lost, the Pride won, and OCB drew. As for me, I’ve been busy managing the broadcast operations for the NISA league’s matches this weekend and also got a chance to cover high school soccer, softball, and badminton. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Lose at Home to FC Cincinnati

Orlando City lost at home for the second straight weekend with a 1-0 defeat to FC Cincinnati at Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday. Luciano Acosta scored the lone goal for Cincinnati just seconds into the match. Orlando City went down to 10 men when defender Rodrigo Schlegel received a red card in the first half. The Lions had some chances to get back in this one, including a free kick opportunity in the second half when Wilder Cartagena scored what would have been the equalizer, but Facundo Torres was ruled offside, and the goal was waved off. Cincinnati also dropped to 10 men late in the second half as defender Bret Halsey received his second yellow for a foul on Ivan Angulo and knocked the ball out to waste time. Still, FC Cincinnati found a way to hang on for the victory, securing its third win in a row. Orlando City will look to rebound on Saturday as it takes on the Philadelphia Union at Suburu Park.  

Orlando Pride Win at Home Against Racing Louisville FC

The Orlando Pride defeated Racing Louisville FC on Sunday, 1-0, at Inter&Co Stadium, winning their fifth straight game. Barbra Banda scored the lone goal of the match and now has four goals for the Pride this season. The Pride remain undefeated in league play, keeping their unbeaten streak alive at eight matches (5-0-3). Orlando also moved up to first in the NWSL table with 18 points. The Pride will be back home on Saturday to face Bay FC. 

OCB Draws Chattanooga FC

Orlando City B drew 1-1 on the road against Chattanooga FC on Saturday. The Young Lions trailed early in the first half as Mehdi Ouamri put Chattanooga FC in front 1-0. Later in the first half, OCB got an equalizer, with forward Shak Mohammed finding the back of the net to score his second goal of the season. The match went to penalties after 90 minutes of action, where Chattanooga FC won the extra point with a 5-4 win over OCB. Despite not getting the extra point in penalties, the Young Lions still keep their road unbeaten streak alive at five. OCB will have a quick turnaround with its next match at Osceola County Stadium on Wednesday against New York Red Bulls II.

European Soccer Roundup

Real Madrid clinched the La Liga title on Saturday, defeating Cadiz 3-0, while their rivals Barcelona dropped points in a 4-2 loss to Girona over the weekend. Madrid has now won La Liga for the 36th time and still has a shot of adding another trophy if it gets past Bayern Munich in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday to reach the final next month. Elsewhere, we had plenty of drama in England. Let’s start in the EFL Championship, where Ipswich Town joined Leicester City, getting promoted to the Premier League after a 2-0 victory against Huddersfield Town. Leeds United, Southhampton, West Brom, and Norwich City will go to the playoffs to determine the third club to secure promotion. Arsenal won 3-0 over Bournemouth, while Manchester City cruised to a 5-1 win over Wolves to keep the EPL title race tight. Arsenal is in first with 83 points, with two matches remaining, while Manchester City is just behind in second with 82 points and three matches left to play.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride midfielder Ally Lemos gave insight on her first NWSL start for the Pride after their match against Racing Louisville FC on Sunday.
  • PSV Eindhoven clinched the Eredivisie title on Sunday with a 4-2 win over Sparta Rotterdam. American Malik Tillman played for 90 minutes, while Ricardo Pepi came off the bench and added an assist. 
  • USMNT midfielder Christian Pulisic put on a solid performance and contributed an assist for AC Milan in a 3-3 draw against Genoa on Saturday.
  • USWNT forward Catarina Macario came off the bench for Chelsea in the second half and made WSL history by adding two assists in 10 minutes in an 8-0 win over Bristol City.

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

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