Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Final Score 3-1 as Lions’ Home Futility Continues

Level at the break, the Lions gave up two goals early in the second half and continue to struggle both at home and in all games against D.C.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City simply cannot figure out D.C. United. The Lions (3-3-2, 11 points) fell behind early but leveled the game before halftime, only to fall flat in the second half in a 3-1 loss to D.C. (3-4-2, 11 points) at Exploria Stadium. Duncan McGuire scored again, to offset a strike by Taxiarchis Fountas in the first half, but Donovan Pines and Christian Benteke scored in the second period to lift the visitors to the win.

Orlando dropped its third consecutive home match and hasn’t won at Exploria Stadium since opening night, going 0-3-1 sincethe end of February.

“Certainly a very disappointing night, not getting the results at home after the big effort that the team (had) in the games away,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “The development of the game, I thought it was very clogged. The game did not flow and we did not find that rhythm. We couldn’t find a way to hurt them. And they did it in those key moments. There’s no excuse. They took advantage of it and that’s why they get the points tonight.”

Pareja’s lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal — tying Joe Bendik for the most appearances in goal in club history, with 92 — behind a three-man back line of Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and Antonio Carlos. The midfield was made up of Gaston Gonzalez and Ivan Angulo outside of Cesar Araujo and Mauricio Pereyra. Facundo Torres and Martin Ojeda flanked rookie Duncan McGuire up top.

The teams played an uneventful first 10 minutes as they struggled to settle into the match. Each team got an early set piece but did nothing with it.

The Lions were particularly poor connecting passes and gave the ball away cheaply, in the early stages of the game and it cost them in the 15th minute. Angulo gave the ball away in the middle of the pitch and the ball quickly found its way from Mateusz Klich to former Lion Ruan on the right side. He played Fountas in behind the defense and the Greek forward scored his fifth goal in three matches against Orlando. In just three games, Fountas has become D.C.’s all-time goal-scoring leader against Orlando City.

After a few minutes of playing in the middle of the pitch, the Lions leveled things out of nowhere. Carlos started the play with a great tackle in the middle of the pitch, knocking the ball to Ojeda. The Argentine turned and played a through ball for McGuire to run onto and he beat Tyler Miller to equalize in the 23rd minute. It was the rookie’s third goal of the season.

“We executed a perfect press the way that we like to do the majority of the time in the way that we like to press,” Ojeda said about the tying goal. “Antonio was able to recover (the ball) very quickly, and I saw Duncan using his space well. So, I just tried to hit him on the counterattack to put him in one on one with the keeper. With luck, it happened and he was able to score the goal.”

A couple of Orlando long balls nearly sent Ojeda and Torres in behind the defense but the delivery was a little long on both and Miller was aggressive in coming off his line.

Angulo got down the right and put in a good centering pass to Ojeda in at the half hour mark. The Designated Player tried to flick it to himself to work past a defender but his touch was a little heavy and the ball rolled in to Miller.

The mixed night for Angulo continues moments later when he made a poor cross out of play and then got another blocked after being sent down the wing by a good flick by Torres.

The half saw a couple of good chances for Gonzalez to make something happen in the final minutes. His header across the box hit Victor Palsson in front of goal and required Miller to save it by knocking it over the net in the 40th minute. Gonzalez then forced Miller to make a save in stoppage time when Torres’ blocked cross reached him and he headed toward goal. The shot, however, was right at the goalkeeper.

Orlando City held a slight edge in possession (52.4%-47.6%) at the break, with both clubs firing three shots, but the Lions edging the visitors in shots on target (2-1) and corners (3-1). Orlando was slightly more accurate in the passing game (75.9%-70.9%), but neither team was spectacular.

Orlando came out of the locker room strong, sending a few crosses through the box but nothing came of them. But it was the visitors who took the lead. It started wtih an inattentive moment from Angulo, who drifted from Pedro Santos and by the time he recovered he could only knock a cross out for a corner. Behind the play, McGuire was down with what appeared to be a hamstring issue. Ramiro Enrique subbed on prior to the corner kick.

On D.C.’s corner kick, Pines ran through Araujo, knocking him to the ground and easily towered over Enrique to give the visitors the lead on a header in the 52nd minute, literally adding insult to the McGuire injury. The Lions appealed for a foul on Pines but none was given and there didn’t appear to be much of a delay to account for the play being reviewed.

The Lions had a couple of half chances to pull the goal right back but as has been a problem this season so far, both Ojeda and Torres had shot opportunities blocked by the defense. That proved costly, as D.C. added to its lead shortly after those chances.

Benteke got his goal in the 63rd minute and it was a preventable one. The Lions had ample opportunity to clear an aerial ball but couldn’t knock it away from the penalty area. It eventually found its way back in to Benteke who played it to himself, held off Schlegel, and then turned on a dime and fired past Gallese to make it 3-1.

D.C. United Head Coach Wayne Rooney said preparing for Orlando was difficult because of the varied formations the Lions have used in recent weeks, but he added that he felt his team had the size and strength to take advantage on set pieces.

Pareja inserted Ercan Kara and Rafael Santos for Ojeda and Schlegel to try to change the game and Kara nearly scored on his first touch off a corner, forcing Miller to knock it ofout for another in the 69th minute.

Orlando came frustratingly close to pulling one back a couple of times with Carlos and Angulo sending crosses through the six that just needed a touch but no one could provide one. The Lions should have had a second goal in the 77th minute on a counterattack with Torres laying off to give Araujo a wide-open look but the midfielder hit his shot right at Miller.

Benteke had two good chances to make the score even more lopsided. The first came on a free header that he missed well wide of goal and the second was stopped by a diving Gallese.

The Lions have now gone four straight without a win against D.C. — all four since Rooney became United’s head coach.

Orlando finished with more possession (55.2%-44.8%), shots (13-9), corners (9-3), and passing accuracy (82%-77.3%), but both teams got five shots on target and D.C. won the only stat that matters.

“We thought we got into that final part of the field more than a few times where we needed to be more pointed in our finishing and taking those opportunities at the end,” Ojeda said. “We had some good chances. Gaston had a header. We had a couple of opportunities where we came through. Obviously, we had the goal. But it’s just got to be more pointed and we’ve got to finish when we get into the box and into the final portion. It just has to be better.”

Pareja said after the match that it was too soon to tell the severity of injuries sustained by McGuire and Pereyra in the match, but those would be big losses for City to shoulder.

Gonzalez said the players aren’t feeling any pressure building with the lack of home results.

“I’d say we’re all calm right now. We know that there’s things that we need to fix to be able to take these results at home,” he said. “We’re faulting on the details here at home. That’s costing us some of these points. To the fans, I’d say, we know that we’ve got work to do to be able to bring those victories at home and to give them the results they deserve,” Gonzalez said.


The Lions will get another shot to right the ship at home next weekend, with the LA Galaxy visiting Exploria Stadium on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/29/23

Pareja disappointed with draw, Julie Doyle returns from injury, OCB hosts Red Bulls II, and more.

Published

on

Happy Memorial Day, Mane Landers! There is a whole lot of soccer to cover today, following a weekend full of news, including your local teams in purple having matches, although not the results we wanted with the Lions allowing a late goal to draw 1-1 and the Pride falling in Chicago. The English Premier League came to an exciting close Sunday. The Young Lions have a match of their own tonight. So, while Mondays can often bring the work week blues (for those who don’t have today off, anyway), at least you have a whole lot of soccer reading to get you up and at it this week.

But before we dive all the way in, please join me in wishing former Orlando City defender and current Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines a happy birthday. Now, let’s get down to it in the links!

Oscar Pareja Disappointed for Fans

Following the Lions late draw on Saturday night, Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja showed some strong feelings towards the disappointing result. He said the team has to do better for its supporters and grind out wins after good performances.

“I have to say that we played well today and I want to congratulate that group of players that pushed that match and that energy. That’s the team that we want to see. The other part is the frustration of giving up another goal at the end and not walking away with the three points. At that part, the equation gets through things, soccer, fútbol, concentration, many things. But we want to see that team more often and we want to see that energy more often. We want to see that Orlando City. And to our fans, that support deserves much, much more.”

Check out the full post game press conference, which also featured interviews with goal scorer Kyle Smith and Orlando City defensive midfielder Wilder Cartagena.

Pride’s Loss Mars Doyle’s Return to the Pitch

The Orlando Pride dominated play but could not score on Saturday night, and that led to the end of the club’s four-game unbeaten run. With her start, Marta tied former teammates Ashlyn Harris and Toni Pressley for most regular-season appearances in Pride history with her 81st league match. Meanwhile, forward Julie Doyle also made her return to the field as a second-half substitute. Doyle had not played since the beginning of April due to an ankle injury. Head Coach Seb Hines said he was disappointed with the result but glad to see Doyle return to the lineup. Here’s what Hines had to say about Doyle:

“She’s an exciting player, she’s always active. We felt like it was the right time to bring her in, chasing the goal. She’s always on the move, making defenders defend and it’s nice to have another attacking option come off the bench, along with Ally Watt and Summer Yates. It just shows that we were being more aggressive towards the end again to try and get ourselves back in it. We felt that with the likes of Julie and Ally, Adriana, Marta, and Summer, we had an opportunity to get back in the game and ultimately win the game at the end, but we fell a little bit short. I can’t fault the players’ efforts. They put a lot into it, they’re working extremely hard and we have to just keep going and look forward to the next game away at Houston.”

Orlando City B Hosts New York Red Bulls II

The Young Lions of OCB are ready to host the Young Red Bulls tonight at Osceola Heritage Park. Leading the way for the team is forward Jack Lynn in red-hot form. Lynn has found the back of the net three times in the last two matches, with a game winner against intrastate rivals Inter Miami CF II on Thursday night. Lynn now leads the Young Lions in goals scored this campaign, with five in 2023, and has 20 goals total in his MLS NEXT Pro career. OCB will look to maintain its unbeaten record at home this season tonight, entering the match with a 3-0-2 record at Osceola County Stadium.

Premier League Relegation Battle

Heading into Matchday 38 of the English Premier League campaign, one team was already sure of its fate regarding relegation. Southampton was a good distance behind Leicester City and Leeds United, but both of those clubs had a chance to jump Everton in the standings. Southampton didn’t go quietly into the night though, as the team played to a 4-4 draw against Liverpool. Ultimately, Leicester City and Leeds United were relegated from the EPL on the final day of the season after Everton ensured its own survival with a narrow victory on Sunday. Leicester City fought to a 2-1 victory over West Ham United, while Leeds suffered a 4-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. Everton extended its unbroken 69-year tenure in the English top flight as midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure’s stunning strike earned the Toffees a 1-0 victory over Bournemouth as they avoided relegation on the final day of the season.

Free Kicks


I hope you have a great week, Mane Landers. Do something special for someone today. And, best of luck to the Young Lions tonight. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions individually perform in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw against Atlanta United?

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City closed out a busy May with a frustrating 1-1 draw against Atlanta United at Exploria Stadium. The Lions played well throughout the match, but couldn’t double their lead and paid the price yet again, as Atlanta scored a late equalizer to leave Orlando with a point. Here’s how each Lion individually performed in this rivalry match.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5  — Gallese didn’t have much to do until the 86th minute, when he pushed a deflected shot out for a corner. El Pulpo made a superb save on Matheus Rossetto’s low shot from the corner kick, but couldn’t get a hand on Tyler Wolff’s strike after the rebound fell to him. His distribution was good, as he was accurate on four of his seven long balls and 81.6% of his 16 passes.

D, Rafael Santos, 6 — His passing needed to be a bit better. Completing 78.3% of his 46 passes isn’t bad, but there were a few turnovers from him that mirrored his mistake last week. Only two of his seven crosses were accurate, but the misses weren’t egregious and many were still delivered into good areas that were difficult to defend. Santos was accurate on three of his seven long balls as well. Atlanta wasn’t able to get too much going when attacking his side of the field, and he finished with two tackles and a blocked shot.

D, Robin Jansson, 7.5 (MotM) — The Beefy Swede was extra beefy in this one. Jansson was tasked with keeping Giorgos Giakoumakis quiet and did well marking him to prevent him from taking a shot for just the second match this season. Jansson had two tackles, two clearances, an interception, and blocked a shot from Thiago Almada. On the attacking side of things, Jansson was accurate on seven of his 11 long balls and had 35 passes at an 82.9% success rate. The center back was a major reason why the league-leading offense didn’t manage a shot on target until late in the match.

D, Antonio Carlos, 7 — Carlos was a force to be reckoned with in the air, as he won three of his four aerial duels and led the Lions with six clearances. While an early yellow card limited how physically he played, it didn’t stop his effectiveness when dealing with Atlanta’s attack. He had an opportunity to score early on off of a free kick, with Mauricio Pereyra finding him crashing the far post. Carlos got to it with clean contact, but the header was directly at Brad Guzan. His other shot was a header from a corner kick, but it was sent off target. The Brazilian center back was successful on 88.9% of his 36 passes and was accurate on four of his eight long balls. His next yellow card will result in a suspension for accumulation.

D, Kyle Smith, 7 — The right back scored his first goal of the year and fourth in MLS by being in a great position to bury a rebound from Facundo Torres’ shot. Smith was all alone at the far post after a series of passes and a blocked shot and smashed the ball between Brad Guzan’s legs before the goalkeeper could close them. He had another shot after Torres laid the ball off to him in the box, but his strike was blocked. Derrick Etienne beat him a couple of times and he wasn’t able to get a body on Tyler Wolff on the equalizer, but he was defensively sound for most of the match. Smith came up with four clearances, an interception, and a huge tackle against Almada late in the match. He also won both of his aerial duels. The 31-year-old completed all but two of his 30 passes for a great 93.3% success rate as well. Although his only cross of the match didn’t find its target, both of his long balls did.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — The 22-year-old was composed in this rivalry match and did well to connect Orlando’s attack and defense. He was fairly active on offense, particularly on the right wing alongside Torres in the second half. Araujo recorded a pair of key passes and didn’t miss by much with a swerving shot from range. Defensively, he chipped in with two tackles and blocked a shot. The Uruguayan had 42 passes at an 83.3% success rate and one of his two long balls found its mark. It was another solid outing from Araujo in his 11th consecutive match playing all 90 minutes.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 — The Peruvian midfielder led the Lions with five tackles, taking advantage of the pressure his teammates applied to win the ball and get it to Orlando’s playmakers. Cartagena also only committed one foul while doing so. He led the Lions with 54 passes, completing them at a great 92.6% success rate, and was accurate on two of his three long balls. Both of his shots were from outside the box, with one blocked and the other sent high and wide of goal. Cartagena made a few great passes, but a few disappointing ones that could have spelled danger as well.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6.5 — The winger did well to help create Orlando’s first goal, beating his man and making the cutback pass to kickstart the pinballing in the box that led to Smith’s goal. It was nice to see some fruit from Angulo’s efforts on the left wing, as he used his speed and skill to surge into the box and earn set pieces. He wasn’t as clinical as he should be in the attack, taking no shots, making no key passes, and sending his only cross out of bounds. Although he was successful on all four of his dribbles, he also had six unstable touches and 28 passes at an 82.1% success rate. While he didn’t have any defensive stats, he was quick to collect loose balls or put a body on Atlanta players. He did well in this match for the most part, but made some mistakes and couldn’t capitalize on some of the chances he created.

MF, Facundo Torres, 7 — He wasn’t credited with an assist, but his shot in the box was deflected and fell for Smith to put away. It was his second shot of the match, with his other effort sent just over the crossbar. Torres also had two key passes and was successful on 83% of his 53 passes. Neither of his two crosses were successful, but both of his long balls were. His preference for his left foot continues to limit him, as defenders know he will cut back towards the middle. Still, Torres did well creating space for his teammates and was at his best when he had a fellow Lion making a run to his right or behind him. He led the Lions with 79 touches, completed six of his 12 attempted dribbles, and was fouled three times. Torres helped fuel Orlando’s press and he had a tackle and an interception in this one.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 7 — Orlando’s captain didn’t show many signs of rust in his first start since April 22. Although he finished with 27 passes at just a 74.1% success rate and was accurate on just one of his four crosses, Pereyra was sharp and daring throughout the match. He was successful on six of his seven long balls to really stretch Atlanta’s defense. He did the dirty work in Orlando’s first goal, springing Angulo forward and then finding a good position for the return pass so he could slip the ball in for Kara. The 33-year-old also won a crucial race against Almada, snuffing out a counter attack and quickly turning the tables with a pinpoint long ball. His lone shot of the match had to be taken quickly right in front of goal and Guzan made the save. Defensively, he helped apply pressure and made a pair of tackles.

F, Ercan Kara, 6 — He wasn’t able to score, but still did well spearheading Orlando’s attack. The Austrian forward had two shots, putting one on target that required a good save from Guzan and having the other blocked. Kara contributed two key passes as well. He had 17 touches in 72 minutes of action and completed all but one of his seven passes. Atlanta had him in its sights, marking him well and fouling him three times in a physical match. On Orlando’s goal, he cycled the ball into the path of Torres for him to get a shot off.

Substitutes

MF, Martin Ojeda (63′), 6.5 — Ojeda came on for Pereyra in the second half and helped keep Orlando’s offense moving. He had a key pass and his only shot of the match was a venomous strike from outside the box that forced a save from Guzan for a corner. Ojeda completed seven of his 10 passes and one of his three crosses. Defensively, he helped out with two tackles. Ultimately, he wasn’t able to find that insurance goal for Orlando, but looked dangerous with the ball at his feet.

F, Duncan McGuire (72′), 6  — The rookie subbed in for Kara and had good vision to set up a nice shot for Araujo. It was his only key pass and his best chance to score came a few minutes earlier with a cross into the box he couldn’t get on the end of before Atlanta cleared it. McGuire had six touches, completed all three of his passes, and had a clearance.

F, Ramiro Enrique (87′), N/A  — The forward made another brief appearance, coming on late to give the Lions another attacker to chase a winning goal. Enrique only had two touches, completed his one pass, and was successful on a dribble.


That’s how I saw each performance from the Lions in their 1-1 draw at home to Atlanta United. It was a frustrating result, but many Lions had positive performances. Who was your Man of the Match? Make sure to vote in our poll and let us know what you think in the comments!

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 1-1 draw vs. Atlanta United.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando faced off against local rival Atlanta United in the friendly confines of Exploria Stadium on Saturday night but a late goal conceded for the second time in as many home games led to two dropped points in a 1-1 draw. What can we takeaway from sharing points at home against a bitter rival?

Playing with Purpose

For a good majority of the first half and even into the second, the Lions’ tactics and drive seemed to connect from the back line to the forwards in an aggressive attacking style. In the first 15 minutes, Orlando dominated the ball and possession, but the Lions didn’t start to generate chances until after the first 20 minutes had gone. And while they ultimately did not come away with results to show for their aggression, the effort to come out on the front foot was not in vain and eventually led to Orlando’s first goal of the match. It also continued a coaching trend over the last several matches that demonstrated the team’s ability to dictate the pace of play as opposed to being forced to be reactionary.

Defense Delivers Again

For the second week in a row, Orlando City benefited from a goal from the back line. Instead of a screamer from Rafael Santos, as was the case last week against Miami, this week, Orlando City found its first goal from defender Kyle Smith. It was Smith’s first goal of the year and came in the 30th minute at the end of a team wide effort to put pressure on the goal. Finding the back of the net for defensive players has become a welcome trend over the last two weekends and spreading out the goals and getting them from less likely sources can only help the club moving forward.

Smith’s Travels

Although he played fullback according to the lineup sheet, Smith essentially played in the midfield against Atlanta. His work helped Orlando boss the middle of the pitch throughout the first half and much of the second, preventing Atlanta from building momentum in its attack. Smith’s position on the pitch was often inverted, playing where one might normally expect to see Facundo Torres. He did an excellent job of helping win the ball back and getting into spaces that Atlanta wanted to play into. It also helped create space down the right for Torres. It was an unusual game plan but it worked well and Smith did a fine job in playing his role.

Captain Back in the Fray

Orlando City captain Mauricio Pereyra rejoined the starting 11 for the first time in several weeks and he contributed one shot that was unfortunately deflected right into Brad Guzan’s hands. He passed well and even helped defensively with two successful tackles — one of which was a vital one to dispossess Thiago Almada in transition. While it may take a few matches to fully reintegrate the maestro back into the attack, it’s apparent that Pereyra’s ability to pull the strings helps drive the attack. The team needs its captain to be on the field as he unlocks more options in the attack, but more importantly, it will need to see a defensive effort throughout the remainder of the year like the captain registered on Saturday.

Failure to Launch

For the third time in three matches, Orlando City has taken an early lead. In two out of those three matches, the Lions only have two points to show for their efforts. To make matters worse, two of those three results came at home. In their last three matches, the Lions have mustered five points from a potential nine that they held in hand before coughing up late results against New York City FC and Atlanta United. Despite continuing to climb the standings with a draw, Orlando City is dangerously close to creating a habit which its season may not recover from…good teams cover at home, and great teams secure all three points. While a draw against a team who is ahead in the table isn’t the worst result in the world, being able to score a win against both main rivals one week apart would have been so…so…so much sweeter.


Those were my big takeaways from a match that felt like it slipped through the Lions’ fingers. What were your most important moments of the match? Let us know in the comments below.

Continue Reading

Trending