Connect with us

Orlando City

TML Staff Roundtable: 2023 Orlando City Preseason Thoughts

The staff weighs in on the season to come in advance of Oscar Pareja’s fourth season in charge of the Lions.

Published

on

As we head into the 2023 MLS season this weekend, it’s time to once again get a feel for the hopes and expectations for the campaign that awaits. Orlando City enters the season with more questions on the back end than the front this season after last year’s team entered the season with the exact opposite outlook.

I reached out to The Mane Land staff to find out what everyone is thinking ahead of the Lions’ eighth season in Major League Soccer. Big thanks to the entire staff for submitting their thoughts.


1. What part of Orlando City gives you the most confidence entering the new season?

Nic Josey: Bringing back Pedro Gallese is what gives me the most confidence entering the start of the season for Orlando City. Having El Pulpo in net means that Orlando will always have a chance to wind up with a result at the end of the day.

Ben Miller: Easy one here, it has to be the attack. While the Lions only got one goal on Saturday against the Revolution, the first half was full of free flowing soccer that resulted in a number of chances, and if not for some stellar saves from Djorjde Petrovic, Orlando surely would have had more than one. This team is not short of attacking firepower, and it should make for some entertaining games.

David Rohe: For the first time in a long time, the attack. With the addition of Martin Ojeda, Gaston Gonzalez being healthy, and Ercan Kara and Facundo Torres having a season under their belts, I think the Lions should increase their goal total significantly in 2023.

Sean Rollins: I think the Orlando City attack will improve with the addition of Ojeda. Additionally, Jack Lynn and Duncan McGuire have both looked good during the preseason, so I expect more goals this year.

Ryan Smith: I’m confident in the direction ownership and Luiz Muzzi have taken the club. I believe in the player investments and acquisitions made this past off-season.

Marcus Mitchell: Goalkeeping. I have plenty of confidence in Pedro Gallese and the Peruvian shouldn’t miss too much time for international duty.

Joshua Taylor: I would have to say the Lions did a great job adding depth to their roster during the off-season, especially at midfield. Hopefully, Gonzalez can stay healthy this time, and we get to see what he can do in purple.

My Take: I’m with Nic and Marcus. I expect Gallese will do what he always does, while I’m concerned with new faces at both fullback positions and physical breakdowns that the center backs have had both last year and in preseason (in Antonio Carlos’ case) without adding any veteran depth behind them. Up front and in the midfield, the club has done well on paper, but until those new guys start performing in games that matter, it’s a question mark, especially at forward, where everyone behind Kara is young. Gallese is the known quantity.


2. What is your biggest concern with Orlando City entering 2023?

Joshua: The area I would be most concerned about is the back line. Robin Jansson and Carlos both had their fair share of injuries to deal with last season. If that trend continues this year, the Lions will have to rely on some young defenders with little experience.

Nic: My biggest concern is center back depth and the lack of addressing it during the off-season. When healthy, Jansson and Carlos make a top duo in MLS but last year showed how vulnerable the back line can be if either or both miss an extended period of time.

Ben: Depth in defense. Carlos and Jansson remain the rocks, and Rodrigo Schlegel is as good a backup as any in the league. Things fall off sharply after him at center back though, and we don’t really know what to expect out of either Luca Petrasso or Rafael Santos at left back. After years of stability in the back line, there are definitely some questions in 2023.

David: I’m most worried about the back line. Yes, Carlos and Jansson are as good a pairing as any in the league, and Schlegel is one of the best backups in the league. But after that, experience falls off a bit. The same can be said for right back. It looks as if Michael Halliday will be the starter, and I’m all for the youngster getting the opportunity. Behind him is Oscar Pareja’s Swiss Army knife, Kyle Smith. The depth simply isn’t where I want it to feel comfortable. 

Sean: The outside backs are my biggest concern about this team because the starters will be new and probably young. They’ll also be asked to take an attacking role, which can leave the center backs vulnerable to a counterattack.

Ryan: My biggest concern is lack of CB depth. Schlegel has proven to be more than capable of stepping up should Jansson or Carlos go down. However, if both go down, I’m not confident in whoever might be Orlando’s No. 4 choice on the depth chart at this point.

Marcus: I’m not overly confident of any of the new fullbacks and the depth at center back is worrying. Orlando can’t afford injuries and frequent suspensions to its center backs during a busy 2023.

My Take: While it would be easy for me to continue to beat the drum about the inexperience behind Kara at striker, the defense is the obvious answer, as evidenced by my colleagues’ responses above. Unproven fullbacks and the continued refusal to add one more veteran center back have the potential to expose the team defensively, but I’m going to extend that out to the central midfield. Araujo is outstanding. However, with Mauricio Pereyra playing deeper last year, the team shipped more goals. The Lions kept only three clean sheets in the back half of the 2022 MLS regular season after notching six in the first half. There were other factors that were partly to blame (injuries on the back line, for example), but Mauri’s aging legs can be an issue in transition defense, especially in the second halves of games and during the grind of the late summer and early fall months.


3. Which new player are you most excited about seeing this year?

Marcus: I’m pretty excited to see what Shak Mohammed can do. He’s young, versatile, and surrounded by creative teammates who can bring out the best in his play.

Joshua: I’m excited to see what Ojeda can do for the Lions this season. Bringing that versatility to the Lions’ offense and playing alongside Torres could be a good one-two-punch combination that can give defenders a headache. If Ojeda can carry that form he had during his time with Godoy Cruz in Argentina, he can fit in well in the attack with Torres and Kara.

Nic: Ojeda is the player I am most excited to see debut this season, hands down!

Ben: Another easy one, it’s Ojeda. Not only was he the big Designated Player signing, but he looked like it on Saturday. Popping up all over the attacking half, and only denied a goal by a superb Petrovic stop, he looks like the real deal and should provide immense attacking firepower. If he lives up to what he showed against the Revs then he’s going to be very difficult to stop.

David: This will probably be the answer for many of my colleagues but it is Ojeda. I think he has the ability to not just score goals and assist goals, but also to be a leader on the field. The potential chaos he and Torres can create with their creativity is something that I think will be a pleasure to watch this season.

Sean: There’s only one answer to this question and it’s Ojeda. The newest DP was exciting to watch against the New England Revolution last Saturday night and his partnership with Torres should be fun.

Ryan: Ojeda! After initial looks against New England in the preseason, he seems to have more pace than I anticipated. He definitely isn’t afraid to rifle off a shot or two when he has a couple yards of space from his defender. I like the thought of seeing more players not afraid to test the keeper from outside of the box instead of trying to wait until they are just a few yards away for a tap-in.

My Take: Ojeda is pretty much unanimous here, and being a Designated Player, that’s to be expected, but with all due respect to Sean’s assertion that there is only one answer, I’m going with Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. He made an impact on the scoresheet in the preseason and brings something a little different to the team. I don’t know how he fits into the lineup or Oscar Pareja’s rotation, but when he’s on the field, I want to see him taking set pieces — something he did well while with his former team in Iceland. Hopefully he’ll have the confidence to take those instead of deferring to Pereyra or Torres. It would be a huge advantage if Orlando City could make opponents fear conceding fouls around the box.


4. Which 2022 newcomer will make the biggest leap in 2023?

Ryan: Ivan Angulo — Just wait until you see him with 10+ goal contributions this season.

Marcus: Excluding Gonzalez, for obvious reasons, I think it has to be Kara. He had a strong first year and could score 15 or more goals this season in an upgraded offense.

Joshua: I think Torres can have another solid year after scoring 13 goals last season across all competitions. Torres has proven to be a dynamic goal scorer, and I can see him becoming the top goal scorer for the club by the end of the season. 

Nic: I think Cesar Araujo is going to make the biggest leap in 2023. I expect him to be named to the MLS All-Star Game in his second year in the league and that we will see him contribute more on the offensive end of the field as well.

Ben: Araujo. He still eats up so much ground and does an immense amount of work in the middle of the field. With a full off-season and a year of MLS experience under his belt, I think he’ll be recognized as one of the very best defensive midfielders in the league by the end of the season. Frankly, I don’t think Orlando will be able to hold onto him for another season if he develops the way I think he will.

David: Kara will make the biggest leap. I know that sounds strange for a guy who scored 11 goals in 2022, but I’m expecting quite a bit more from him this season. One of the biggest issues he had was a lack of service, and I think that will improve thanks to Torres, Ojeda, Gonzalez, and others. I’m looking for the big guy to get closer to 17 or 18 goals this season.

Sean: Many of the returning players on this team had excellent seasons in 2022, so I expect to see the biggest jump by Mikey Halliday. The Homegrown defender hasn’t played much so far, but I expect he’ll get a lot more playing time this season and show what he can do.

My Take: Provided he stays healthy, I think Kara will add to his goal-scoring total in 2023 and serve up a big glass of shut-the-hell-up to some of the national guys who looked at his stats but didn’t take the time to analyze them or to, you know, actually watch the team play. I don’t know if he gets to 17 or 18 — that would be quite welcome — but 15 is a realistic number and I expect his assists to go up too. I think the scoring will be spread out better than it was last year, which is even more important to Orlando’s success than Kara’s goal total rising. If it happens, I think his metrics will be similar to last year but with the totals being higher, he’ll get more respect for the same rate of production, because that’s how these things usually go.


5. What position in the Eastern Conference will the Lions occupy at season’s end?

Sean: I think this team will be better than last year. Replacing Junior Urso with Ojeda is an upgrade offensively and most of the starters are returning. I don’t think they can compete with Philadelphia yet, but I think they can finish in third this year.

Ryan: Second in the East.

Marcus: Fourth. I think this team is going to have a slow start but finish strong as one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference.

Joshua: I think the Lions will improve on their seventh-place finish in the Eastern Conference last year and finish in second place in the East this year. 

Nic: I think the Lions will finish the season in the fourth spot, one point clear of fifth place.

Ben: Fourth. Goal scoring shouldn’t be an issue, but I do have some real worries about the defense, especially with the number of games the Lions are going to play this year. There are sufficient bodies to rotate things in the midfield and attack, but unless some young guys step up in a big way on the back line, I think OCSC is going to ship some goals from around August onward, and it’ll mean a fourth-place finish, which would still be respectable.

David: I’m going to be bullish and put Orlando City at third in the East. I think the playoffs are a given, but I’m hoping that once the team truly gels with the newcomers it will be something special. 

My Take: I think this is a team that may take some time to get its chemistry going and could hit some rough patches during fixture congestion because there aren’t enough viable bodies at the back. I think it’s likely the team will end the regular season in fourth or fifth place in the conference but could be peaking just as the postseason arrives.


6. Hit me with your bold prediction for Orlando City’s 2023 season. Make ‘em extra spicy!

David: The Lions win the MLS Cup, and Oscar Pareja wins Coach of the Year. The club accomplishes this because Orlando City goes from scoring 44 goals with a -9 goal differential in 2022 to scoring 65 goals with a +20 goal differential in 2023. 

Sean: My bold prediction is that McGuire will replace Kara as starting striker and lead the team in scoring. Kara is a DP, but will only score with service. I think McGuire is a better fit for the offense because he’ll drop back into the midfield and help create chances.

Ryan: McGuire, Torres, Ojeda, Angulo, and Kara each will have six or more goals in all competitions. Orlando will break its 2016 record of 55 goals scored in MLS regular-season play.

Marcus: The Lions repeat as U.S. Open Cup champions. Head Coach Oscar Pareja is one of the best in the business when it comes to balancing the regular season and tournaments.

Joshua: Winning the U.S. Open Cup last year was nice, but I expect these Lions to be hungry to add another cup to that trophy case. My bold prediction is the Lions will win MLS Cup this year. 

Nic: Orlando City will earn a repeat spot in the U.S. Open Cup final but will lose on the road in penalty kicks during a nail-biting final.

Ben: Angulo scores 10 goals. He got the start on Saturday, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see that be the case for a little bit, while Gonzalez continues to work back from tearing his ACL. Angulo has great control, is devilishly tricky with the ball at his feet, and has speed to boot. While I think he’ll be tasked with a lot of defensive duties to help cover for the roaming Ojeda and Torres, he absolutely has goals in him, and I think he’ll hit double digits after not finding the net at all in his first half-season with the club.

My Take: Some of the above takes are pretty darn spicy. Warn a guy to get his oven mitts, guys! I’m going to go even further and get really nuts. I’m going to make my bold prediction as such: The Lions finally break the Wayne Rooney curse and sweep D.C. United in 2023. If not now, when? Oh, and Orlando somehow gets past Tigres in the Concacaf Champions League before bowing out later to another Mexican side.


If you made it to the end of this roundtable discussion, wow. Good job! We can be a verbose bunch sometimes, but we tried to keep them more concise this year.

Let us know in the comments where you agree and disagree, and give us your own bold predictions.

Orlando City

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

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw/4-1 shootout win in Game 3 against Charlotte FC?

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The Cardiac Cats were back again as Orlando City conceded its first goal of the postseason in the 81st minute, equalized on a rebound from a saved penalty with almost the last kick of the game, and won on penalties. Before we begin to look forward to the Eastern Conference semifinal against Atlanta United, we’ll look back at how the team played in its 1-1 draw and 4-1 shootout victory against Charlotte FC.

Let’s take a look at the individual performances in this memorable playoff battle.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 7 — The Lions dominated the chances in this game, so there wasn’t a lot for Gallese to do in the 90 minutes. He saved two of the three shots on target, and the goal he conceded took a deflection that sent the goalkeeper the wrong way. Gallese’s moment came in the penalty shootout with everything on the line. He saved the first two penalties to give his team a commanding lead, helping the Lions advance. He also guessed correctly on the third penalty, although he couldn’t quite get to Ashley Westwood’s shot. In addition to his shot stopping, Gallese completed 80% of his 10 passes but neither of his two long balls. He also recorded two clearances. Although he had a quiet game in regulation, he did what was needed in the shootout.

D, Rafael Santos, 6 — Santos had a team-high 86 touches, completed 87.7% of his 57 passes and two of his three long balls, and had two key passes. While he only completed one of his seven crosses, he should have had an assist when Kyle Smith failed to convert right in front of the goal in the 90th minute. Defensively, the left back recorded two tackles, two interceptions, and four clearances, leading the team in all three statistics. He also converted his penalty, sending the Lions through to the conference semifinals.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — Jansson touched the ball 69 times in this game while completing 92.1% of his 63 passes. He had one key pass, completing five of his 10 long balls, and put his lone shot on target. Defensively, Jansson was less active than usual, recording three clearances and a blocked shot. He got caught on a high bounce on the attack that ultimately led to Charlotte’s only goal, which was his lone mistake of the night.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Schlegel had 42 touches in the game and completed 87.5% of his 32 passes, including two of his three long balls. Like Jansson, Schlegel took one shot and put it on target. The center back recorded one tackle, two interceptions, and three clearances. He was replaced by David Brekalo in the 89th minute.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6 — Touching the ball 49 times in this game, Thorhallsson completed 87.9% of his 33 passes, including two key passes, one of his three crosses, and his lone long ball. He didn’t take any shots in the game and didn’t record any defensive statistics before being replaced by Kyle Smith in the 79th minute.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 — Cartagena came into this game with two yellow cards, leaving him one short of a suspension. However, the defensive midfielder did well to stay out of the book while touching the ball 84 times and retaining his grit in the middle of the pitch. He completed 88% of his team-high 75 passes, including four of his six long balls. He recorded two interceptions and a clearance, but his biggest impact was a good ball into the box that contributed to Djibril Diani pulling down Duncan McGuire, resulting in the penalty that set up the equalizer.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — Araujo took 70 touches and was back to his stellar passing, completing 93% of his 57 attempts, including one of his two crosses and six of his seven long balls. He was also credited with a key pass in the game. His two shots were off target, but he added three clearances defensively.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo’s 37 touches were the fewest of Orlando City’s midfielders. However, he completed 93.3% of his 30 passes, the highest pass completion percentage of his position group. His only shot was off target and he didn’t record any defensive statistics before being replaced by Luis Muriel in the 65th minute.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6.5 — Ojeda touched the ball 62 times and completed 83.8% of his 37 passes, including four of his five long balls and a team-high four key passes. However, he only completed three of his team-high 14 crosses. One of the midfielder’s two shots was on target and he didn’t have a defensive impact before coming off for Nico Lodeiro in the 79th minute. For much of the first hour of the game, most of Orlando’s offensive chances and most dangerous attacks came via Ojeda’s forays up the left and interplay with Santos.

MF, Facundo Torres, 7 (MotM) — Torres had 68 touches and completed 88% of his 50 passes, including two key passes. He didn’t complete any of his seven crosses but all of his three long balls. While only two of his six shots were on target, he hit the post and crossbar in the first half. More importantly, he converted on the rebound after Kristijan Kahlina saved his penalty for the equalizing goal. He made up for the penalty save by converting his spot kick in the shootout.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 5.5 — Enrique wasn’t very involved in this game, touching the ball 20 times and completing 90.9% of his 11 passes. While he completed his lone cross, none of four shots were on target, including a free running header on a corner kick when he was left completely uncovered. The forward was replaced by Duncan McGuire in the 65th minute.

Substitutes

F, Duncan McGuire (65’), 6 — McGuire came on for Enrique in the 65th minute, but only touched the ball five times. He completed all four of his passes and didn’t take any shots, but had the most impactful play of the night. In the final seconds of the game, he went down after a tug on the back of his jersey by Diani, drawing the penalty that resulted in the equalizing goal. Unfortunately, he injured his shoulder on the play and didn’t take part in the shootout.

F, Luis Muriel (65’), 6.5 — Muriel replaced Angulo in the 65th minute and touched the ball 28 times. He completed 76.5% of his 17 passes, including a key pass, one of his two long balls, and one of his two through balls.  Only one of his three shots were on target, with his free kick effort deflected by the defense, but he converted the first penalty in the shootout, getting the Lions off to a good start. His introduction allowed the Lions to maintain possession and create chances as time wound down.

MF, Nico Lodeiro (79’), 6 — Lodeiro came on for Ojeda in the 79th minute, touching the ball 19 times in his short appearance. He completed 83.3% of his 12 passes, including a key pass and two of his seven crosses.

D, Kyle Smith (79’), 5.5 — Smith came on for Thorhallsson in the 79th minute, touching the ball seven times and completing one of his three passes. Santos found him for a tap-in at the back post in the 90th minute, but the defender completely messed up the golden opportunity stepping over/onto the ball and going to ground. However, he made up for it with the best penalty of the shootout, in my opinion. He didn’t end up with any defensive statistics in the game.

D, David Brekalo (89’), N/A — Brekalo replaced Schlegel in the 89th minute, as Oscar Pareja wanted his aerial presence on the field for the final push. He touched the ball seven times and completed all of his five passes. He didn’t record any defensive statistics in his short appearance.


That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s playoff win over Charlotte. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/11/24

Orlando City and Orlando Pride advance in playoffs, MLS and NWSL playoff roundups, USMNT roster announced, and more.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Alex Corrie

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you in Florida. Happy Veteran’s Day to all those who have served or are currently serving in the military. I’ve been busy working at Under Armour during the holiday weekend. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Advance to Eastern Conference Semifinals

Orlando City defeated Charlotte FC 4-1 on penalties after a thrilling 1-1 draw on Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second straight year. The Lions were down 1-0 late in the match, with their run in the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs about to end. However, Duncan McGuire was pulled down in the box and Orlando was awarded a penalty kick deep into stoppage time. Facundo Torres had his penalty kick saved but scored on the rebound to tie the game at 1-1. In the penalty shootout, Pedro Gallese came up with big saves and every Lion converted their kick to book Orlando’s ticket into the next round. It took three matches, but the Lions are through and will face Atlanta United at home on Nov. 24.

Pride Secure First Playoff Win Against the Chicago Red Stars

The Orlando Pride defeated the Chicago Red Stars 4-1 on Friday at Inter&Co Stadium to secure their first-ever NWSL playoff win. Barbra Banda scored twice, and Haley McCutcheon and Marta each added one as well for Orlando. The Red Stars pulled one back with a goal from Jameese Joseph, but the Pride dominated the match from start to finish and advanced to the semifinals. The Pride will face the Kansas City Current at home on Sunday with a spot in the NWSL Championship on the line.

First Round of MLS Playoffs Wraps Up

It was a wild weekend to conclude the first round of the 2024 MLS playoffs, with plenty of Game 3 drama. Let’s start with a big upset in South Florida, as Atlanta United got two goals from Jamal Thiare and held on for a 3-2 win against Supporters’ Shield winners Inter Miami. New York City FC defeated FC Cincinnati 6-5 on penalties after a scoreless draw and will move on to face the New York Red Bulls in a playoff edition of the Hudson River Derby in the next round. Inter Miami, Columbus Crew, and FC Cincinnati were the three highest seed teams in the Eastern Conference and all three were eliminated after the first round. Out west, LAFC secured a 1-0 over the Vancouver Whitecaps, with Mateusz Bogusz scoring the lone goal to advance. LAFC will take on the Seattle Sounders, while the LA Galaxy will face Minnesota United in the Western Conference semifinals.

NWSL Playoff Quarterfinals Roundup

The first round of the 2024 NWSL Playoffs is also in the books. The Current defeated the North Carolina Courage 1-0 on Saturday. Temwa Chawinga scored for the Current and extended their unbeaten run to 10 matches. There were two more matches on Sunday, and the Washington Spirit fought back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat Bay FC 2-1 to advance. NJ/NY Gotham FC edged past the Portland Thorns 2-1, with Rose Lavelle scoring the winning goal late into stoppage time. Gotham and the Spirit will square off on Saturday at Audi Field.

USMNT Roster Announced for Nations League

United States Men’s National Team Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino announced the 25-man roster for the upcoming Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal matches against Jamaica. Antonee Robinson, Miles Robinson, Tim Ream, and Chris Richards are a few of the defenders called up, while the midfield includes Brenden Aaronson, Weston McKennie, and Yunus Musah. Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi, Tim Weah, and Brandon Vazquez are some of the attackers to keep an eye on as well. Goalkeepers Matt Turner and Zack Steffen were called up alongside Patrick Schulte and Diego Kochen. Orlando City’s Duncan McGuire was not called up, and Real Salt Lake forward Diego Luna is another notable player who wasn’t selected. The USMNT will face Jamaica in a two-legged series this week, with the first match in Kingston on Thursday followed by the second leg on Monday at City Park in St. Louis.

Free Kicks

  • In case you missed it, check out this video of Facundo Torres’s equalizer on Orlando City’s social media page to secure his 20th goal of the year.
  • The Orlando Pride honored Brazilian midfielder Luana before their playoff win on Friday.

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

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s shootout victory over Charlotte FC.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City has advanced to the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference semifinals for the second year in a row. It took an instant classic performance from goalkeeper Pedro Gallese in penalty kicks for Orlando City to advance 1-1 (4-1), but the good guys ultimately prevailed in a match that was an emotional rollercoaster from the jump. What follows are our five takeaways from a joyous night at Inter&Co Stadium.

Oh So Close!

First, the good news: the version of Orlando City that started Game 3 more closely resembled the same squad that earned a resounding 2-0 victory in Game 1 rather than the lackluster road squad from Game 2. The bad news, however, is that the team was unable to finish the solid chances that it was creating. At the end of the first half, Orlando held strong statistical leads in possession (60.7%-39.3%) and shots (8-3) and at a minimum should have been in the lead by a goal. Orlando came close by rattling the woodwork twice and missing a few high-quality shots in the first half. These were misses, but they were near misses.

As the match advanced, it’s understandable if fans started to fear that those early opportunities would come back to bite the team in the backside. Luckily for all Orlando City fans, the universe had other plans.  

Let’s Get Physical

In the days leading up to the match, our Mane Land staff writers spoke a lot regarding Orlando’s need to control its emotions throughout the match. Andrew DeSalvo wrote about how Wilder Cartagena had a line between aggressive and assertive that would be razor thin. Charlotte came out of the gate looking to muck up the match and played physical soccer as the visitors attempted to assert their dominance over Orlando City. That type of game plan may work for road teams who are on the ropes and are trying to get under their opponents’ skin, but in my opinion, Charlotte didn’t become one of the top defending teams in the league the whole year by specializing in extracurricular pushing and shoving.

The tough guy act resulted in six yellow cards for the opposition and seemed to have no real effect on Orlando’s disposition. I was pleased with how Orlando City players handled their emotions and played aggressively without significant eruptions which could have ended the season.

Defensive Breakdown or Lucky Break?

With a little under 10 minutes to play in regulation, Charlotte found its first goal in the series and looked to be in prime position to advance to the next round. In the 81st minute, a ball leaked over Robin Jansson, springing a Charlotte attack, and Liel Abada was able to send it to Karol Swiderski in front. The striker sent it in on net, and Gallese likely would have been in a solid position to stop the shot, but a slight deflection sent the ball into the goal. It would have been heartbreaking for the OCSC playoff run to end due to a play like that after being so sound throughout the first 260 minutes of game time between the two sides. It was the first goal the Lions had allowed in five best-of-three, first-round games since the league adopted the format.

Was it a lucky break for the opposition or a defensive lapse on the part of the hosts? Everyone will have their own opinion on it, but ultimately it did not matter due to our final two takeaways.

Cardiac Cats at the Death

Just when you think you know how a match is going to go, the soccer gods laugh. Were we foolish to doubt that with the season on the line, there would not be at least one final Cardiac Cats moment? In the waning moments of the match, Orlando turned a deflected free kick into a corner, and Luis Muriel sent the ball in toward the goal. Duncan McGuire was pulled down in the box and Orlando City was awarded the penalty. In true MLS fashion, after a lengthy delay, the referee reviewed the video of the play, and it was at that moment, that I was sure the season was over and the call would be overturned.

Again the soccer gods laughed, and the call was upheld, allowing Designated Player Facundo Torres a chance to level the match. Torres smashed a shot low and away but it was saved by Kristijan Kahlina — his third save in Orlando’s last five penalty attempts. The rebound caromed back to Orlando’s No. 10, and he calmly buried it into the net as the stadium erupted.

Penalty Kick Heroes

A week removed from a massive dud of a penalty-kick performance, Orlando City was once again faced with a chance to advance on penalty kicks. Personal feelings about the best-of-three series format aside (I hate it), Orlando would either be the team that actually won a match in the series but was eliminated, or Charlotte would be the team that didn’t win a game but advanced. Ultimately, this match came down to two amazing efforts.

The first came from Gallese, who easily earned Man of the Match and hero status for smothering each of the first two Charlotte PK attempts, diving left to deny Pep Biel and then right to stone Swiderski. That set the tone and provided much-needed breathing room. The second heroic effort came from Muriel, Kyle Smith, Torres, and Rafael Santos, who all stepped up and buried their attempts with conviction against perhaps the league’s best goalkeeper.

With McGuire not able to be selected as one of the PK takers due to the shoulder injury he sustained on the foul that helped Torres equalize, Oscar Pareja turned to two defenders in Smith and Santos, who stepped up massively and helped power Orlando City to a 1-1 (4-1) victory over the Crown.


Those are my takeaways from Orlando City’s electric and memorable Game 3 shootout victory over Charlotte FC. Thanks to the craziness that is MLS, the No. 1, 2, and 3 seeds in the Eastern Conference have all been eliminated, paving the road for Orlando City to host playoff games until the MLS Cup final for as long as the Lions stay alive. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Trending