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Orlando City at CF Montreal: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in a 2-0 loss to CF Montreal while north of the border?

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2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City traveled north of the border to take on CF Montreal in Stade Saputo, but came away with a 2-0 road loss. The Lions were unable to replicate the performance from last week, reverting to the team that wastes shots despite taking the match to the opposition early.  Let’s look at how each individual Lion did in the defeat in Montreal.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 —In the early going, Gallese was sharp. He made a diving save in the 21st minute on a shot by Ariel Lassiter. He also made an easy save on a header off a corner in the 32nd minute. Orlando City did concede two goals,but neither was Gallese’s fault. The first came off a deflection off Jansson, and the other from an unmarked Romell Quioto in the box. You simply can’t leave him open like that and expect your keeper to stop the shot from that close. 

D, Kyle Smith, 5.5 — Smith had a decent night for a right back playing left back. Early on he made a good recovery to shut down an attack on his side.Unfortunately, he was the first of many Lions to earn a yellow card in the 23rd minute, when he was a little late and caught the opponent’s foot with his. In the 26th minute he blocked a cross out for a corner which amounted to nothing. He also made it into the attack and managed two crosses, though neither made a difference. He passed at a 77.3% rate on 44 passes, with three tackles, two interceptions, one clearance, and one foul. He came off in the 68th minute for Rafael Santos.

D, Robin Jansson, 4.5 — If not for giving up an own goal, Jansson didn’t have a horrible night. Of course, scoring a goal for the opposition is never good. Jansson was given the captain’s armband for the match, and mostly kept his cool — at least compared to usual. He did the things he normally does like completing three of six long balls, and making runs into the midfield to break lines. He completed 86.8% of his 38 passes, made two interceptions, and had one clearance.

D, Antonio Carlos, 6 — Last match Carlos seemed to be channeling his center back partner Jansson’s penchant for accurate long balls. This week, he completed a solid eight of 14, but none were as impactful. Defensively, he wasn’t culpable on either of the goals conceded, as he was rightly marking Chinonso Offor on Quioto’s goal, and couldn’t do anything on the own goal. That battle with Offor was a constant all match. He completed 86.4% of his 44 passes. Defensively, he made one tackle, two interceptions, and two clearances, committed two fouls,and also suffered two fouls.

D, Michael Halliday, 5.5 — Halliday was on the front foot with the rest of Orlando City in the early going. He didn’t manage as many crosses as he has in other matches — only one in this match and it was off target — but he did complete both of his long balls. In the 13th minute, he earned a foul by taking an elbow to the face, though there was no card given. He did earn a yellow card himself in the 41st minute. Halliday was one of the three defenders surrounding Quioto on his goal, though his assignment was the back post, not the middle. He completed 85% of his 20 passes, made one clearance, and committed two fouls. He attempted one shot but didn’t get it close to on target, but it was an ambitious half-volley effort.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — Araujo drew four fouls, made a tackle, had two interceptions, and recorded one clearance. He passed for a team-high 89.1% rate on a team-high 46 passes. I started with his stats because despite all of that, he seemed a little off. His numbers aren’t bad, but I felt he wasn’t as sharp. His frustration boiled over in the 74th minute when he committed an off-the-ball foul that resulted in a yellow card.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 5.5 — Cartagena started out pretty well, getting good pressure in the midfield alongside Araujo. He then had a couple of giveaways, one of which earned him a foul and the other that led to a breakaway which resulted in a yellow for Halliday. It was a mixed bag for the defensive midfielder on the night. Cartagena made three key passes, four tackles, committed two fouls, and completed 85% of 40 passes. He subbed off for Felipe Martins in the 68th minute.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo was his normal, pacey, willing-to-take-on-multiple-defenders, self. Once again he made some good runs into the opposition’s box, and in the 25th minute he dumped the ball back to Kara for a golden opportunity to score, but Kara wasn’t able to get the ball out cleanly. All three of his own shots were off target — a problem for most of the club. He completed 69.6% of his 23 passes, including one successful long ball and had one interception. He lost track of Herrera on the second Montreal goal. 

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6 — One of these days, Ojeda will bury a goal from outside the box on either a free kick, or during the run of play. His shot from outside the box in the 15th minute — his only attempt in the match — went wide right of the goal. Ojeda made three key passes in the match, completing 81.3% of his 32 passes. He completed all three of his long balls, and put in four crosses, with three of them accurate. Despite that, he wasn’t as sharp as he has more recently been. Orlando City’s newest DP is so close to breaking through with a goal, but it wasn’t to be against Montreal.

MF, Facundo Torres, 5.5 — In the early going Torres and the midfield were connecting passes and bothering the Montreal defense. Torres took two shots in the match, neither of which were on target. Whatever sharpness he had left over from the previous match melted away pretty quickly. He managed one key pass on the night, passing at an 86.2% rate on 29 passes. Like Ojeda he was successful on his long balls — completing five of six — but the more clinical quick pass connections in the attack were missing.

F, Ercan Kara, 6.5 (MOTM) — Kara was the only Orlando City player to put the ball on target — two of his four shots. He wasn’t able to get a good angle on the ball in the 14th minute, and sent his header straight into the ground. His free kick in the 38th minute was easily saved. He made a nice pass with his head to Torres in the 54th but Torres’ shot was blocked. His hold-up play when available was decent and he suffered three fouls. He made two key passes on the night, completing 72.7% of his 11 passes. He was only called offside once on the night.

Substitutes

MF, Felipe (68′), 5.5 — Felipe came on for Cartagena and despite only managing 19 touches, he took a shot — a free kick that sailed very high — earned a yellow card, and passed at an 86.7% rate on 15 passes. He certainly made his presence felt, but not in a good enough way for a better grade.

D, Rafael Santos (68′), 5 — Santos managed 13 touches after coming on for Smith. He added one tackle, and one interception defensively. He passed at an 87.5% rate on eight passes and managed one cross.

F, Duncan McGuire (68′), 5 — McGuire only touched the ball four times in 22 minutes and did not have a shot attempt, but did manage to suffer three fouls for his hold-up play effort. He only made one pass, which he completed. He just couldn’t impact the match.

MF, Ramiro Enrique (76′), 4.5 — Enrique was on the pitch for less than a minute after subbing in for Ojeda when he received a yellow card for a late challenge. He only managed four touches, though one of those was a shot that was nowhere near the goal. He attempted no passes. He managed an interception and committed two fouls.

MF, Gaston Gonzalez (79′), N/A — After coming on for Angulo, Gonzalez managed six touches. He didn’t play long enough to properly grade him, but he didn’t commit any needless fouls or make any other kind of mistakes.

That’s how I saw each performance from the Lions in their 2-0 loss at Stade Saputo against CF Montreal. The Lions finally got a home win, and immediately followed that up with a road loss. Who was your Man of the Match? Make sure to vote in our poll and let us know what you think in the comments!

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Orlando City

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

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

Published

8 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Three Keys to Victory

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

Published

10 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

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

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

Beat Guzan

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

Cartagena is Essential

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

Overcome the Past

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

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/21/24

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

Published

13 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

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

Spotlight Falls On Marta in NWSL Championship

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

Ann-Katrin Berger Named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year

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

Wilfried Nancy Named MLS Coach of the Year

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

2025 SheBelieves Cup Details Unveiled

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

Eric Quill Named FC Dallas Head Coach

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

Free Kicks

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

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

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