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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Final Score 1-0 as a Facundo Torres Penalty Lifts Lions to Opening Day Victory

After a subpar first half, the Lions grabbed their second straight home-opening win.

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2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Facundo Torres scored from the penalty spot in the second half providing all the offense on opening night at Exploria Stadium, as Orlando City defeated the New York Red Bulls 1-0. The Lions (1-0-0, 3 points) got some big saves from goalkeeper Pedro Gallese down the stretch and survived a couple of late free kicks in stoppage time to hold on against the Red Bulls (0-1-0, 0 points).

The team raised a U.S. Open Cup championship banner to the rafters over The Wall prior to the match on an electric night in front of a crowd of 24,088 fans. Red Bulls Head Coach Gerhard Struber called the amosphere “brilliant” and despite that it was a tough slog for the hosts but the Lions ultimately prevailed on Torres’ penalty.

Orlando City remains unbeaten on opening day (3-0-6) and has now won two straight openers. The Lions have not conceded a goal on opening day in four seasons under Oscar Pareja.

“A very intense game against a rival that doesn’t give up in any minute,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said of the match. “And certainly New York, with their pressing and the way they structure their defensive zones in the middle and up front, is very difficult to break. For us, it was a big challenge to find the spaces that we normally do. I think the best part of the game for us was that we kept intensity all the time and in our heart was great today.”

Pareja’s starting lineup included Gallese in net behind a back line of Luca Petrasso, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Michael Halliday. Cesar Araujo and Mauricio Pereyra played in the central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Facundo Torres, with Ercan Kara up top.

Throughout the first half, New York’s pressure gave Orlando City trouble and the few times the Lions had something going in possession, players split their teammates with passes and sent them straight to the opposition.

Frankie Amaya sent a shot wide in the 10th minute from outside the box and Lewis Morgan followed suit a minute later as Orlando continually lost control of the ball.

The game was 15 minutes old before the Lions got the ball into the opposing penalty area when Petrasso sent in a low cross that Andres Reyes cut out for a throw-in. The Lions then won a corner kick in the 19th minute and played it short. The set play was so poorly executed that the Red Bulls were about a foot away from being able to catch Gallese off his line from midfield, but Angulo poked the ball away at the last moment to deny the visitors the chance.

Morgan blasted a shot right at Gallese in the 22nd minute and that should have served as a warning sign but instead the Lions just kept playing the ball into danger. A turnover in the defensive third just seconds after the save on Morgan’s shot fizzed just wide of the right post.

A minute later, Jansson gave the ball away and then took a yellow card keeping Elias Manoel from breaking in behind the defense. The ensuing free kick was blocked by the wall.

The game settled down a bit after that but Orlando struggled to get the ball past the midway line and once there, could not put an accurate pass on a teammate’s foot. The first half mercifully came to an end without the team conceding but the Lions were completely dominated in the opening 45 minutes.

Orlando City ended up with more possession (60.2%-39.8%), and was slightly more accurate in passing (74.6%-72.5%) but the visitors dominated in shots (7-1). There were no shots on the halftime stats but one was later credited to Torres. Thankfully, of New York’s seven, only Morgan’s effort was on target. Each team won one corner kick.

Pareja said he liked his team’s demeanor even though they were struggling to break through the Red Bulls’ press.

“I went in the locker room and I asked, ‘(assistant coach) Diego (Torres) we haven’t taken a shot, now, have we?’ ‘No.’ And I said, ‘And you know what? I like the game. But we haven’t taken a shot.’ And he said, ‘But we have heart. These guys are a good team and it’s going to be tight. It’s going to be very tight.’”

Not much changed in the opening minutes of the second half, but Orlando did eventually get more control in the match. The Lions continued to be sloppy in possession at times, though.

Araujo gave the ball away in his defensive third in the 47th minute and scrambled back to block the ensuing shot after the giveaway. Five minutes later, Torres sent a poor pass across in the attacking third and New York countered. Morgan ended up firing wide at the end of the play.

Orlando finally fashioned a chance in the 54th minute when Halliday shook free on the right and sent a dangerous cross that skipped just out of Kara’s reach in front. The ensuing corner, however, led to the opener. The cross into the box found Araujo’s head. The midfielder nodded a shot toward goal that bounced up and caught the outstretched arm of Sean Nealis. Referee Guido Gonzales Jr. pointed to the spot immediately. Struber called the penalty a “wrong decision” by the referee in his postgame press conference, but the play was reviewed and the call upheld by the video assistant referee, Jose Carlos Rivero.

Torres stepped to the spot and Coronel dove to his left. The shot went slightly the other direction to open the scoring in the 56th minute.

Prior to taking the shot, Torres was standing at the spot having a discussion with Kara and Ojeda.

“We talked and trained penalties yesterday and today. I just felt like I had a ton of confidence,” Torres said. “And so I told that to my teammates, and thankfully they agreed, and let me take the PK, and thankfully I scored.”

After his goal, Torres celebrated by putting the ball under his shirt to indicate that he and his partner are expecting a child.

“I’m going through a very happy time in my life right now — not just with my football, but off the field as well,” he said after the match. “So, thankfully we were able to get three points as well against a Red Bull team that’s very difficult and in a game that was incredibly difficult. They’re always running, they all press, and they give you absolutely no space. So to take three points tonight was fantastic.”

Shortly after the goal, Ramiro Enrique replaced Kara, making his MLS/Orlando City debut. His relentless energy helped Orlando win some 50/50 balls as the visitors’ legs grew heavier.

But the Red Bulls kept coming after the equalizer. In the 72nd minute, John Tolkin sent a floating, hopeful ball into the area. Gallese came off his line to punch it away but a shot was immediately sent back toward his goal. From his knees, the Peruvian parried it away and the Lions were able to clear and counter attack, with Enrique winning a free kick on the other end.

In the 80th minute, Enrique was on the end of a good passing sequence up the right and he danced past two defenders before unleashing a shot that was deflected wide.

Orlando seemed to be about to get a free kick just outside the area when Torres was taken down in the 86th minute but the ref allowed play to continue. The Red Bulls countered and Casseres smashed what appeared like an equalizer toward goal but Gallese got his shoulder on the shot and it caromed off the side of his face, but he made the stop.

After shaking off the cobwebs, Gallese was able to continue. He was interfered with on the ensuing corner kick and Orlando was able to take a breath.

Pareja went to a five-man back line down the stretch and Orlando City had eight minutes of stoppage time to survive. The Red Bulls won two dangerous free kicks in injury time but Morgan sent the first of those well over the net and Casseres fired his effort straight to Gallese. That was the last action of the match.

Orlando held slightly more possession (50.6%-49.4%) and earned more corners (4-3), but the rest of the statistics favored the visitors. New York passed more accurately (75.7%-71.7%) and finished with more shots (14-6) and more shots on target (4-1).

“In the second half, we kind of got our groove and once we got that penalty and Facundo Torres put it in the back of the net, we kind of calmed down and settled into the game a bit more,” Petrasso said.

Orlando City improved to 7-9-2 in the all-time series in league matches (8-9-2 in all competitions). The Lions have won three straight against the Red Bulls in all competitions, including consecutive 1-0 decisions in the regular season, and improved to 4-4-1 at home against New York in MLS play — 5-4-1 in all competitions.

Orlando City will be back in action at home again next Saturday when FC Cincinnati visits Exploria Stadium.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/26/24

Joran Gerbet earns recognition, Pierre Da Silva’s new club, Gaston Gimenez leaves the Chicago Fire, and more.

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2 hours ago

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December 26, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope all who celebrate it had a nice Christmas without any major incidents and plenty of fun with friends and family. If you’re celebrating other holidays, hopefully your Hannukah is off to a great start or you’ve been waiting for Kwanzaa, it’s finally here, so enjoy! There’s officially less than a week left in the year, and I, for one, can’t wait to bid farewell to 2024. Let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City’s Joran Gerbet Included Among Top College Players

Top Drawer Soccer handed out accolades following the college soccer season and Orlando City draft pick Joran Gerbet was named to its Best XI second team. The Lions selected him in the first round of the draft and it’s nice to see him earn some recognition after a solid senior season with Clemson. Gerbet also ranked 17th in Top Drawer Soccer‘s top 100 players from the past season. Denver midfielder Sam Bassett, who was not eligible for the MLS SuperDraft, claimed the top spot and was named Player of the Year as well. Freshman of the Year went to Ransford Gyan, who was Gerbet’s teammate in Clemson’s midfield.

Pierre Da Silva Signs With Cusco FC

Former Lion Pierre Da Silva is plying his trade in Peru these days and has signed with Cusco FC in the country’s top flight. Da Silva, who was primarily an OCB player but made three first-team appearances, hasn’t been with Orlando City since 2019, when he and the club agreed to part ways that summer. The winger then went on to join Memphis 901, Miami FC, and Forward Madison before heading to Peru to join Universidad César Vallejo this year. His club was relegated, but he will remain in Liga 1 with a Cusco team that qualified for the Copa Sudamericana. It’s always nice to get an update on what a former Lion is up to these days, and hopefully his second year in Peru goes better than his first.

Chicago Fire Terminate Gaston Gimenez’s Contract

Midfielder Gaston Gimenez is no longer with the Chicago Fire after he and the club mutually agreed to terminate his contract. Gimenez has been with the Fire since joining the club in 2020, and this move opens up a Designated Player spot for the Fire as well. It will be a needed fresh start of sorts for the Fire, as they hired Gregg Berhalter as head coach this off-season. The Fire finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and only scored 40 goals in 2024, so being able to add some firepower is useful for Chicago to prepare for 2025.

Diving Into Club Color Origins

If you’ve ever wanted to know the soccer equivalent to “How the Leopard Got Its Spots,” ESPN provided a cool guide that explores the origins behind club colors from around the world. It’s filled with fun tidbits ranging from theories on why Corinthians swapped from beige to white to how Juventus was set to wear red jerseys with white trim, but a wrong order delivered the iconic black-and-white stripes instead. The interactive article lets you check out jerseys from each club over the years to see how they evolved. Maybe it’s the latent Christmas consumerism still in my veins, but I would love a coffee table book of this kind of content.

Free Kicks

  • Valencia has hired Carlos Corberan from West Brom as its next head coach after firing Ruben Baraja earlier this week. The Spanish club is fighting to avoid relegation in La Liga with only 12 points from 17 matches this season.
  • Sporting CP has reportedly fired Joao Pereira, with Rui Borges set to become the next head coach.
  • We have plenty of Boxing Day action to enjoy today, but a few players spoke on the difficulties of training on Christmas or traveling with their teams rather than spending the holiday with their families.
  • Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou bemoaned how the expanded UEFA Champions League is complicating the transfer window as he aims to bring in reinforcements.
  • Oscar, who has spent the past eight seasons with Shanghai Port, is returning to Sao Paulo on a three-year contract. The 33-year-old started his professional career with Sao Paulo in 2008.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/25/24

Orlando Pride make everyone’s ‘nice’ list, the USMNT’s new attitude, Boxing Day matches, and more.

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1 day ago

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December 25, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah, Mane Landers! One of the great things about soccer is that unlike other sports, there are matches being played somewhere nearly every day of the year. It truly is something for which I’m grateful. That also means there’s soccer news even on a big holiday, making my job here a bit easier. As such, let’s get to the links.

Orlando Pride Still Tops

It doesn’t matter what list you mention when it comes to women’s soccer, the Orlando Pride will be on it. If you follow women’s soccer — and I don’t know why you wouldn’t — 2024 brought plenty of gifts. Obviously, Marta lifting a pair of trophies was big news in the world of women’s soccer. The arrival of Barbra Banda and Temwa Chawinga to the NWSL was also pretty significant. Enjoy all of this as long as you can. I know I will.

USMNT Savageness

Weston McKennie is loving the attitude that Mauricio Pochettino is bringing to the USMNT. Some have felt that the U.S. has played too timidly before his arrival. Now, McKennie feels he’s bringing a savageness and a bit of South American attitude to the team. Previously, the USMNT was known for being physical if not technical. Perhaps McKennie and his generation can bring both to the table.

Premier League Holiday Cheer

Thursday is a big matchday in the English Premier League. If you’re lucky enough to not have to go to work, there will be plenty of Boxing Day matches to enjoy. Liverpool is top of the table this Christmas, in large part to the efforts of Mo Salah, who became the first player in Premier League history to reach double figures for goals and assists before Christmas.

Given it’s the holiday season, I’m certain that all the EPL clubs want something in their stockings. Of course, if you’re not adding pieces you might fall behind. There are players that each club could add to help in the pursuit of glory.

Rioters Sentenced

Five of the 60 people detained after riots outside the UEFA Europa League match between the Dutch side Ajax and Israel’s Maccabi Tel-Aviv in November have been sentenced by an Amsterdam District Court. The perpetrators’ punishment ran from community service to six months in prison. The altercation took place between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli football fans. Five people were sent to the hospital and 20 others sustained minor injuries. I truly wish this type of thing would stop at soccer matches — or anywhere for that matter.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. If you celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a wonderful time giving and receiving gifts this morning. If Hanukkah is your thing, enjoy all eight days and nights. Kwanzaa? Enjoy every day from Thursday through Jan. 1. Festivus celebrators, you should already have done your feats of strength and airing of grievances. If you don’t celebrate any particular holidays, I hope you had a peaceful, relaxing morning. Just know that we here at The Mane Land are grateful for the gift of your readership.

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Orlando City

Top 10 Moments of 2024: Facundo Torres Breaks Lions’ All-Time Goal Record

In our No. 8 moment of the year, Facundo Torres sets a new Orlando City career record for goals scored.

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2 days ago

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December 24, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

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.

The 2024 season will always be a bittersweet one when it comes to remembering the contributions of Uruguayan winger Facundo Torres. He once again started the season slowly before locking in over the summer and dazzling crowds, befuddling opponents, and doing impressive things with a soccer ball on behalf of Orlando City SC.

He helped the team get to the second round of the Concacaf Champions League/Cup and to the Eastern Conference final — the first time the club accomplished either achievement. Then he left, transferring to Palmeiras just days before Christmas. He may be gone, but the transfer funds and open Designated Player slot the sale brought the club may yet make for even more success on the field in the seasons to come.

Torres put together another brilliant season, starting by scoring a brace in the team’s Champions Cup opener against Cavalry FC on Feb. 21. Here’s the first of those goals:

He added a nice header later to put the game away. The brace had many fans dreaming that he wouldn’t take until the summer to get into a groove during his third year in Orlando like he did in his first two seasons. But then he didn’t score again in the run of play until the fourth minute of a May 29 road game against the Chicago Fire. That isn’t to say he didn’t find the net in March or April. He scored from the penalty spot once in each of those months — at Tigres March 12 and at Montreal April 20 — but it wasn’t the hot start fans were hoping for.

Torres did, however, settle in eventually and had himself a season. In fact, he broke Cyle Larin’s club record for most goals in a season across all competitions, by hitting the net 20 times in 2024. He scored 14 times in the regular season, twice in the MLS Cup playoffs, three times in Champions Cup play, and once in Leagues Cup. That doesn’t even count his made penalties in the postgame shootouts against Cruz Azul or Charlotte FC (in Game 3).

As usual, he did most of his damage in the second half of the year, when he helped the club put together a remarkable run of form that lifted the Lions from near the bottom of the conference to fourth place by season’s end. During the team’s final 17 games, Torres scored 11 of his 14 regular-season goals and posted three braces. The light switch seemed to be flipped in the first game of the second half of Orlando City’s 2024 season. After just three goals in the first 17 games — one in the run of play and two from the penalty spot (he also missed a penalty for the first time in his career in Game 17 against LAFC) — Torres scored three goals in the next two matches, helping the Lions to a comeback draw at Charlotte and a 4-2 home win over the Chicago Fire, setting the tone for an 11-4-2 run in the second half.

His torrid run of form had him climbing the club’s scoring list all summer and that culminated in reaching the pinnacle of the team’s MLS era on Oct. 2, when he did this in the 57th minute at home against the Philadelphia Union:

As Torres goals go, it wasn’t one of his prettiest or most impressive, but it was his 45th as a Lion across all competitions, passing Larin’s career mark for Orlando City’s MLS era. It also helped propel the Lions to a 2-1 win over the Union, putting the team on the cusp of clinching home field in the first round of the playoffs. It was also Torres’ last regular-season goal with Orlando City. Bittersweet.

However, the Las Piedras, Uruguay, native wasn’t finished scoring in 2024. He notched the first goal of Orlando’s postseason run in the 32nd minute against Charlotte FC at home on Oct. 27 in a 2-0 win. Torres placed himself in the right spot at the right time, taking advantage of a deflected Rafael Santos cross that fell in front of him in the box. The winger blasted it off the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net to open the scoring.

The goal drew him level with Dom Dwyer for the club’s all-time career goals mark when combining Orlando City’s USL and MLS eras.

He should have claimed that record for himself in Game 2 of the Charlotte series when he fired home in stoppage time on the road, but the flag came up for Nico Lodeiro being offside in the buildup — incorrectly, per the offside modeling Twitter account.

While the offside modeling site is hardly official, it illustrates how close the play was. Many teams tend to get the benefit of those types of calls and the flags stay down, but Orlando is generally not one of those teams.

However, he took sole possession of the record one match later, breaking the tie with Dwyer in the 12th minute of stoppage time of Game 3. The Lions trailed 1-0 and the season was on the brink when Duncan McGuire was pulled down in the box on a late set piece, injuring himself to the point he had off-season surgery to repair the labrum and rotator cuff in his shoulder. Torres took the ball and stepped to the spot to face one of the best goalkeepers in MLS, Kristijan Kahlina. The Croatian read Torres well and made the stop, but he couldn’t control the rebound. Torres got to it quickly, kept his composure, and fired it home to level the match.

It was not only an important strike, but it was also his 47th and final goal for Orlando City across all competitions, although he also calmly scored his penalty in the ensuing shootout to help send the Lions through to the conference semifinals against Atlanta United.

It’s fitting that Torres’ final Orlando City goal was such an important one, as he’s been such a big part of the team’s success over the past three seasons. He departed the club officially on Dec. 20 for a club-record transfer fee after scoring a total of 47 goals across all competitions. He added 25 assists in his time in purple, amassing a club-record 72 career goal contributions.

In a three-year Orlando career that was filled with highlight-reel plays, Torres brought a lot of joy to the club’s fans during his stay. His ascendance to the top of the club’s MLS and combined scoring lists is worthy of inclusion as one of our top moments of the season.

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.

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