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.

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.

• FC Cincinnati is reportedly close to a club-record deal to sign forward Kevin Denkey from Cercle Brugge.
• Bayern Munich has reportedly signed U.S. youth international forward Bajung Darboe from LAFC.
• With Manchester City’s 2-1 loss to Brighton over the weekend, the club has now lost four consecutive matches across all competitions, which is the first time this has happened since 2006.

• Ruben Amorim is reportedly facing a delay in starting work as manager of Manchester United because the club is awaiting confirmation of his work visa.
• AS Roma has fired its second manager of the season, Ivan Juric, following its 3-2 loss to Bologna on Sunday.

• North Texas SC won the MLS NEXT Pro Cup after trailing 2-0 and completing the comeback to defeat Philadelphia Union II 3-2 and claim its first league title.

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

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!