Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Colorado Rapids: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Survive After Losing the Lead

Published

2 years ago

on

Orlando City blew a great opportunity to double the lead in the second half after an early Facundo Torres goal had the Lions up. But City couldn’t convert and Gyasi Zardes equalized for the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO. The Lions (8-7-5, 29 points) earned yet another road point in 2022 but it felt like it could have been more, although at the same time they may have been lucky not to lose to Colorado (5-8-6, 21 points) in the end.

Pedro Gallese had a heroic second half to at least salvage a 1-1 draw for Orlando.

The Lions are 1-1-2 in four trips to Colorado and 4-1-2 in the overall all-time series in MLS play, but against a struggling bottom feeder in the Western Conference, even a point in that thin mile-high air feels like not enough during this vital stretch of the season. On the other hand, Orlando City is now 3-2-5 on the road this year, taking points in eight of 10 away matches.

“A good point in a difficult place,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I thought it was a game with two different versions. First half, I thought we played very well, went ahead of the score, and had a couple more chances. Then Colorado started reacting and in the second half they overloaded us with more players up front where we couldn’t sustain the possession as we did in the first half.”

Pareja’s lineup featured Gallese in goal behind a back line of Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan. It was the first start for Carlos since April 2 against LAFC. Cesar Araujo was joined in central midfield by Junior Urso, but there was a big shakeup in the attack, with Torres starting alongside Alexandre Pato and Benji Michel and Tesho Akindele in the striker’s role.

Orlando held possession off the opening kickoff and worked it up the field, with Pato finding Urso at the top of the area. The midfielder fired a shot that deflected off a defender and that touch slowed up the shot so William Yarbrough could get down and make the save.

Moments later, Pato delivered a long, bending free kick but nobody from the Lions could get onto it. In the fifth minute, it was Jansson unlocking the defense with a long ball to Michel, who danced into the corner of the box and smashed a wicked shot on frame that Yarbrough parried away.

The Lions kept generating chances early. In the seventh minute, a good buildup of play put the ball on Torres’ foot on the left side. He crossed in for Akindele’s run but the pass was behind the striker. Seconds later, Pato tried a shot from long range but it was no trouble for Yarbrough to catch.

The first Rapids shot came in the 11th minute, when Jonathan Lewis found space in front of Ruan and curled a shot toward the near post, where Gallese caught it.

Orlando broke the scoreless deadlock in the 22nd minute. Smith took a long throw-in from the left side that skipped off a defender’s head and fell in the box, where Pato got a foot on it and settled it for Torres, who smashed it home just under the crossbar with his left foot to make it 1-0.

It was Torres’ fourth goal in MLS play and fifth in all competitions this season. The Uruguayan Young Designated Player now has double-digit goal contributions on the season, with six assists to go with his four MLS goals.

“Happy to have that luck to score tonight,” Torres said through a club interpreter. “Scoring goals for me is obviously very important. It was a set piece that we had worked on and prepared with (Assistant Coach) Josema (Bazan). We knew that we were going to be able to use that long (throw) and thankfully I was there, and it fell to me, and I was able to score.”

The goal woke the Rapids up and they were able to start generating chances, playing long balls down both wings and feasting on Orlando’s fullbacks. Colorado started getting on the ball more and drawing set pieces. Urso’s foul on Lewis handed the Rapids a free kick in a decent spot and the delivery was on target but Gallese was there to catch it. Moments later, Sam Nicholson got past Smith to the end line and chipped a cross over to Lewis at the left post. The forward hit the post with his shot, although a sprawling Gallese may have had it covered in the 29th minute.

Colorado quickly won a corner and then Lewis chipped a shot — or a cross — over the net. The next chance for the hosts came on another corner in the 39th minute when Zardes got his head to a cross, but the striker got under the ball and it sailed high over the bar.

Orlando survived a late corner and took its slim 1-0 lead into the locker room at the half.

Colorado ended up with slim advantages in most of the statistical categories in the opening half. The Rapids had more possession (51.6%-48.4%), shots (8-7), corners (4-3), and passing accuracy (86.4%-83.4%). Orlando City got more shots on target (4-1).

After the break, the Rapids picked up where they finished the first half and created a great scoring chance in the 49th minute. Nicholson was given too much space by Smith and sent in a perfect ball that bounced between the Orlando center backs and fell for Zardes to head on target. Gallese got over to make a vital save.

Orlando’s passing started to look a bit labored in the thin Colorado air and it allowed the Rapids to keep possession. Carlos did well to block a Lewis shot in the 58th minute as the Rapids kept coming. Colorado went for it at that point as Robin Fraser sent on Diego Rubio and Michael Barrios.

Just after the substitution, Orlando should have doubled the lead. A long ball forward was flicked on by Akindele for Michel. The winger got in down the left and was in perfect position to either shoot or pass back to Akindele to his right. Michel either made an awful shot or a terrible pass, because from that range, he should have had no trouble picking out his teammate or getting his shot on frame. The ball was sent well wide of the far post instead.

Barrios started causing problems after that and an already effective pair of wingers for the Rapids got even more dangerous. Smith simply couldn’t stay with Barrios and it allowed the Colorado winger to put inch-perfect balls across to his teammates. The first of those found Zardes’ head in the 61st minute. Gallese came off his line to pressure the striker and forced an off-target shot.

The Lions had an opportunity two minutes later when Torres got the ball at the top of the box from Michel, who had started the play with a nifty takeaway on defense. But just as Torres went to send the ball toward goal, he was pressured from behind and wasn’t able to get off a shot.

In the 64th minute, Rubio found space from distance and sent a wicked shot on goal that skipped off the turf in front of Gallese. The goalkeeper was able to swallow it up anyway. But a minute later, the Rapids equalized. Barrios again beat Smith to the end line and sent in a perfect cross that Zardes only had to get a touch on to send into the inside netting. the game was tied in the 65th minute.

Max fired a shot that took a deflection in the 67th but Gallese was able to correct his movement and make the stop. A minute later, Gallese made yet another absurd save from close range on a Rubio header.

“Pedro’s obviously a very important part of our team. He’s always there for us,” Torres said. “And we’re able to kind of have faith and confidence in him that he’s going to step up in those moments where the game is maybe a little bit more fluid and getting a little bit crazy. We know that we’ve got him behind us and he’s able to step up in those big moments and just play great, as you saw in that second half.”

While Pareja often goes to a five-man back line to see out wins or results, in this match he had no choice. With the Colorado wingers raining in dangerous crosses, the team needed more stability in the back, so Rodrigo Schlegel came on and it helped limit the number of point-blank opportunities.

“The chances that they had was with those two wingers, wide open, very deep,” Pareja said. “We wanted to have control without losing our initiative to play. We wanted more control. It was a point in the second half when it was extremely, extremely difficult to mark, and Kyle had some difficulties there. Ruan had some difficulties, and then that’s why we came with five. We brought in Rodrigo, we extended the line, and we started to match Barrios and Rubio, and then we were just trying to control them more. And I think we did. We lost a man in the middle, but I think we had control. At least we were better there.”

Orlando was able to deal with the next couple of Barrios crosses with Jansson and an alert Gallese breaking them up. Then Rubio sent in another shot from distance in the 81st minute that Gallese caught.

The Lions got a couple of late set pieces, looking to break the deadlock. Michel drew a free kick just outside the area after a takeaway by substitute Michael Halliday. Pereyra touched the free kick and Jansson blasted it, but his shot hit the wall in the 83rd minute. Three minutes later, Schlegel sliced through the Rapids and won a free kick on the left side in the attacking third. The ball into the mixer fell to Carlos and he had a corner to shoot at but a defender got in the way and blocked it in the 87th minute.

Halliday wasted a couple of decent-looking attacks late by sailing his crosses well past everyone wearing the same colored uniform as him, even though he had plenty of space and time to send in his passes. Orlando seemed the likelier team to find a winner for the final minutes of normal time and early in stoppage time, but just couldn’t get the ball to a Lion in a threatening position.

A dangerous cross through the six in the 93rd minute by Lewis had Orlando fans and players holding their collective breath, but it skipped harmlessly out of play wide of the back post for a goal kick. A few minutes later, the game was over.

The Rapids held just a slight possession advantage at the end (50.6%-49.4%), but Colorado ended up with a dominant advantage in shots (19-12), and turned around the shots on goal stat (7-4) in their favor, putting six on frame in the second half while the Lions failed to hit the target. Colorado also passed more accurately (84.2%-80.6%) and earned more corners (5-4).

The Lions have a short turnaround with more travel to come, as they head to Georgia to take on Atlanta United on Sunday afternoon.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

How Orlando City’s Offense Stacks Up Against What Atlanta Does Defensively

How Orlando City has performed against teams playing with three or four defenders, and how that may influence the playoff game against Atlanta United.

Published

12 hours ago

on

November 21, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The most famous quote about real estate is that “there are three things that matter in property: location, location, location.” Soccer coaches also like to think in threes, especially when it comes to points, but for a soccer coach, the three things that matter might be the rhyming triplet “formation, formation, formation,” as that is where they will have the biggest influence on every game that their team plays.

Throughout his tenure as head coach, Óscar Pareja has preferred to use a 4-2-3-1 as his formation (fbref.com’s lineup data shows that the Lions primarily played a 4-2-3-1 in 65% of their MLS matches this season, and 79% of their MLS matches during the last three seasons). The Lions have lined up in a 4-2-3-1 during each of their last 14 games, and my confidence level is strong to quite strong (can you believe Meet the Parents came out 24 years ago?) that they will do so once again on Sunday when they host Atlanta United.

Atlanta United also prefers to deploy a 4-2-3-1, but was less consistent than Orlando City this season during MLS play, as evidenced by the chart below that shows how Atlanta lined up this season:

The purpose of this image is a table to show how Atlanta United lined up in 2024 (mostly in a 4-2-3-1 but also in one of six other formations).

I am relying on the coders at Opta for their evaluation of the formation, as I do not watch a lot of Atlanta United matches (sounds terrible), but though Atlanta primarily played with four defenders in more than two-thirds of its matches, during the last two matches it played a 3-5-2, the only two matches all season in which interim coach Rob Valentino rolled out that formation. I suspect that the formation change was related partially to playing Inter Miami and trying to defend the Herons’ dynamic offense and partially due to an injury suffered by defender Brooks Lennon in the first game of that series. So, while Atlanta primarily played four in the back for most of the season, there is a good chance it will roll with what worked against Florida’s second-best MLS team when it plays Florida’s best MLS team this weekend.

Now, if you want to read more about Atlanta, then you can read our match preview, which will drop Sunday morning, but I want to look at how Orlando did against teams that play similar styles. Looking only at MLS games, the table below shows how Orlando City performed against different back line structures this season (the left side is how the Lions’ opponents lined up, the right side is how Orlando City performed against opponents in those formations):

Table embedded as an image showing Orlando City doing best in goal differential in 12 games against three-man back lines, second best against four-man back lines, and having played once against a five-man back line (a 1-1 draw).

Orlando City earned slightly more points per game — the stat that matters most — against teams that played four in the back, but the Lions had a better average goal differential when teams played three in the back. Atlanta will likely deploy one of those two formations. In both games against Orlando City this season, Sunday’s visitors went with a 4-2-3-1, but as mentioned earlier, they used three in the back in each of their last two matches, so it really could be either.

Soccer is not like baseball, where players primarily stay in the same spot throughout the game, so some of these stats have to be taken with a grain of salt, as players are not always rigidly in the same position throughout a match. A team may also primarily play with four in the back but switch to three when chasing a game, or five when trying to protect against a late goal.

That said, using the data around Orlando City’s opponents’ general formations, here are the attacking groups who played the most frequently against four defenders during the 24 MLS games where Opta coded the opponents as using a defensive group of four:

Table embedded as an image showing the most frequently used lineups against teams who deploy four defenders. The most frequently used attacking group has a plus eight goal differential for the season.

It is a little ominous that the main starting group, shown in row one, has played 666 MLS minutes against back lines of four this season, but do I like that green goal differential of +8 in those minutes, which is a strong +1.08 per 90 minutes. I like that goal differential more than I like all the things that Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin like on their song that is creatively named “I Like It.” Coincidentally, when people ask me what I think about that song, I say, “I like it.” I am very creative.

If we look at the lineups that Orlando City has used against back lines of three defenders then there are some pretty major differences in personnel groupings, but it must be noted that more than half of the games against teams playing three in the back came early in the season, when Ramiro Enrique was unavailable to play. Enrique, my presumed starter at striker, has played fewer than three games’ worth of minutes (265 total) against back lines of three this season, and only 28 minutes with the main starting group, which ranks 13th among all the attacking lineups for minutes played against three defenders. That group scored one goal in their 28 minutes together though, for a robust 3.21 goals-scored-per-90-minutes average.

While the team as a whole has been successful against three-man back lines, I do not expect any of the lineups shown in the table below to play more than a few minutes together this weekend, though the first row and the last row are strong groups and had a lot of success.

Table embedded as an image showing the most frequently used lineups against teams who deploy three defenders. The most frequently used attacking group has a plus three goal differential for the season.

I am sure that all week long the Orlando City coaching staff has been going back and forth on whether it is more likely that Atlanta reverts to its most commonly used four in the back, or if the Five Stripes try for three wins in a row with three in the back. I would prefer that Atlanta plays with zero defenders and goalkeeper Brad Guzan wears a blindfold, but I think that is unlikely to be the case.

Even though Atlanta defeated Orlando City both times while in a 4-2-3-1, based on available personnel and recent results, I believe that the team will come out in a 3-5-2 in Inter&Co Stadium in the conference semifinal. Good things come in threes, and Orlando City’s best offensive production this season has been against three defenders, so I am going to be hoping that this continues, and in the third game against Atlanta the Lions grab the three points. Three’s company!

Well, it is a playoff game, so there are no actual points at stake, but you know what I meant.

Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to get a victory to advance to the Eastern Conference final?

Published

14 hours ago

on

November 21, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City continues its playoff journey against Atlanta United Sunday at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions are coming off an emotional penalty shootout win over Charlotte FC in their best-of-three, first-round series. Likewise, Atlanta United stunned everyone by taking out Inter Miami to advance in its own best-of-three matchup. Now, the rivals meet in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

What does Orlando City need to do to get past Atlanta United to advance to the Easter Conference final?

Beat Guzan

Brad Guzan made 16 saves over Atlanta’s three matches against Inter Miami, including seven in the 3-2 win on the road in Game 3. The 40-year-old former USMNT keeper is in excellent form and is a big reason why the Five Stripes are facing Orlando City. Converting chances against Guzan will be crucial to earning a result. There have been times this season when the Lions have struggled to convert their chances. Despite that, the team has done enough offensively to get to this point. Facundo Torres, Martin Ojeda, Duncan McGuire, Ramiro Enrique, and others have contributed and will need to do so this weekend.

Cartagena is Essential

Orlando City lost twice to Atlanta United during the regular season. What is interesting, and perhaps relevant, is that Wilder Cartagena was out for both of those matches. Cartagena was shown a straight red in the match against Minnesota United prior to the first match against Atlanta way back in March. He was shown a yellow card in the match against FC Cincinnati and then served a yellow card accumulation suspension for the final match of the season against Atlanta. Fortunately for Orlando City, Cartagena will be available for the match this weekend. I’ve mentioned before the importance of Cartagena to Orlando City’s success. When he and Cesar Araujo are on the field together, the defense is simply better. Cartagena is frankly one of the better defensive midfielders in MLS. Atlanta scored five goals in the series against Miami, and Orlando will need to keep the visitors from having that kind of offensive success.

Overcome the Past

That darn international break in the middle of the playoffs is something I don’t love. More precisely, I don’t like it because Orlando City often struggles after a break. It would have been nice if Orlando City could have ridden the momentum from the penalty kick victory into the Atlanta match, but that’s not to be. Now is the time for Orlando City to break some bad habits, including turning around its historical lack of success against Atlanta, and tendency to struggle in the first match after a break. Oscar Pareja needs to have the players in the right frame of mind, and the players need to execute the plan. A full house of supporters can also make a difference. Given it’s a Sunday afternoon match, there’s no reason not to pack the house.

That is what I will be looking for Sunday afternoon. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/21/24

Marta’s chance to shine in NWSL Championship, NWSL and MLS award winners announced, 2025 SheBelieves Cup details, and more.

Published

18 hours ago

on

November 21, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve been spending most of this week plotting out some holiday shopping to make things a little less stressful for myself over the next few weeks. A big weekend filled with Orlando soccer awaits us, so make sure to get any errands or obligations out of the way sooner rather than later. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Spotlight Falls On Marta in NWSL Championship

There are plenty of storylines heading into Saturday’s NWSL Championship between the Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit, including Marta’s opportunity to put an exclamation point on what has been an excellent season for the Pride. Orlando has been enjoying the fruits of its labor this season after a rebuild over the past few years that’s included plenty of change in the City Beautiful. Marta has been a constant, however, enduring some difficult seasons since joining the Pride and adapting her game She’s scored in both of the Pride’s playoff games so far and has a chance to author a storybook ending on Saturday.

Ann-Katrin Berger Named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year

NJ/NY Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was named 2024 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year, beating out the Pride’s Anna Moorhouse and Utah Royals FC’s Mandy Haught for the honor. It was Berger’s first year in the NWSL and she’s the first European player to win the award. She only conceded 16 goals across her 22 matches for Gotham this season and was a key reason behind her team’s success. I’m not too surprised that Moorhouse did not win, considering how solid the Pride’s defense was as a whole, but this won’t take anything away from a record-breaking season for her.

Wilfried Nancy Named MLS Coach of the Year

Columbus Crew Head Coach Wilfried Nancy was voted 2024 MLS Coach of the Year after a historic season in which the Crew set club records in both points and goals. The Crew also won the Leagues Cup this summer and their 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup campaign included advancing past Tigres and Monterrey en route to the final. This is Nancy’s first time being named Coach of the Year and he has been a finalist for the award every year since 2021. The Frenchman received 40.02% of the vote, winning the award over Inter Miami’s Gerardo Martino and Colorado Rapids Head Coach Chris Armas.

2025 SheBelieves Cup Details Unveiled

The 10th annual SheBelieves Cup will take place next year and the tournament will return to its usual format where each of the four teams plays each other once. The United States Women’s National Team will host Japan, Colombia, and Australia in February in what should be an exciting tournament. The U.S. will take on Colombia on Feb. 20 in Houston before facing Australia in Arizona on Feb. 23 and finishing the tournament on Feb. 26 against Japan at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. These games will also be the first domestic games of 2025 for the USWNT as it prepares to qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.

Eric Quill Named FC Dallas Head Coach

FC Dallas announced that Eric Quill will become the team’s next head coach. Quill joins Dallas after a great year with New Mexico United that included trips to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals and USL Championship Western Conference semifinals. It’s also a reunion of sorts for Quill, as he previously coached North Texas SC and was named USL League One Coach of the Year with the club in 2019. Dallas missed out on the playoffs this season, with Peter Luccin coaching the team on an interim basis after the firing of Nico Estevez in June.

Free Kicks

  • District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser challenged Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer to a bet involving this weekend’s NWSL Championship, with embarrassing lightshows on the line.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

Continue Reading

Trending