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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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12 months 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

Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Three Keys to Victory

What does Orlando City need to do to ensure a victory over Toronto FC Saturday at home?

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1 hour ago

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April 25, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After a successful, four-point road trip, Orlando City returns from Montreal to the friendly confines of Inter&Co Stadium to face one of the other Canadian clubs, Toronto FC. The Lions are hoping to add to a four-match unbeaten streak. A win offers the opportunity to take another step up the standings.

What does Orlando City need to do to secure all three points at home against Toronto FC?

No Early Mistakes

In the last three matches, Orlando City has conceded the first goal of the match. Worse than that, each of those goals happened within the first 21 minutes. Yes, coming from behind for two draws and one win is good, but not giving up those early goals may have meant three wins instead.

Last season, Orlando City’s defense was good. We didn’t see nearly so many mental mistakes by the defense, especially so early in the match. What is frustrating is that these mistakes were seemingly preventable. The back line, the defensive midfielders, and Pedro Gallese need to tighten up in the early going so that the Lions are not chasing the match so early on.

Take Advantage of Tired Legs

Toronto FC played a match against Simcoe County Rovers in the Canadian Championship tournament on Wednesday. I’m in no way saying that Toronto trotted out their first choice lineup for the match, but even if only some of the players got a run out, that could create some tired legs for the match against Orlando. Add in the travel from Canada to Florida on short rest and it could be good news for the Lions.

If the Lions can possess the ball and make Toronto FC chase them, or if Orlando can get the first goal (see above) so that Toronto is chasing the match as well, it might pay dividends in the second half. Orlando City is good enough in the passing game to do so, though it will be interesting to see whether Martin Ojeda rejoins the starting lineup or if Nico Lodeiro gets the nod again.

One Down, Two to Go

Facundo Torres was the first of Orlando City’s three Designated Players to score a goal in the regular season. While it didn’t come in the run of play, it might still spark him to add some more since he usually starts slow and then catches fire at about this point in the season. Of course, both Luis Muriel and Ojeda contributed to the scoring against Montreal. Muriel drew the penalty that Torres took, and Ojeda provided the assist to Ivan Angulo.

Now it is time for either Muriel or Ojeda — or both — to join Torres on the scoreboard. Standing in their way will be a good keeper in Sean Johnson. So far this season, he has allowed seven goals and has 22 saves, with three clean sheets. Muriel seems to be getting closer to scoring with each shot taken, and Ojeda has missed some close ones. If all three of Orlando City’s Designated Players can start scoring regularly, this team will become dangerous quickly.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/25/24

Duncan McGuire is an Olympic frontrunner, Orlando Pride get ready for the Washington Spirit, Colin Guske signs with Orlando City B, and more.

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5 hours ago

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April 25, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope this work week hasn’t been too stressful for you as we get ready for another weekend packed with Orlando soccer. All of the European soccer this week has been enjoyable as well, as teams fight for silverware and survival. It should be a fun next few days, although most of my match following will be digital. I’m hoping to get out to the stadium for a game or two over the next couple of months as well. But for now, let’s dive into today’s links!

Duncan McGuire Likely to Play in Olympics

Orlando City forward Duncan McGuire was listed as one of the frontrunners to join the U.S. for this year’s Olympics. It won’t be much of a shock if McGuire is in Paris this summer, as he’s been impressive in the time since being drafted sixth overall in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft by the Lions. The 23-year-old has followed up a strong rookie year with three goals and an assist so far this season. It will be interesting to see who McGuire could compete with for minutes in the Olympics, with Ricardo Pepi noted as another possible option up top for the U.S. Overall, it’s nice to see McGuire is doing what’s needed to stay in the contention for Paris. I think that staying in Orlando rather than going to England has definitely helped his case.

Orlando Pride Prepare for the Washington Spirit

The Orlando Pride are riding a five-game unbeaten streak and will take it to the nation’s capital for a difficult road match against the Washington Spirit Friday night. The Pride have won their past two games and will face a Spirit side that has won four of its five games this season. Both teams have been defensively sound, each conceding just four goals, so it may come down to moments of individual brilliance to make the difference. Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke about the difficulty of the matchup, Orlando’s grit this season, and the impact Barbra Banda had in her debut last weekend.

Orlando City B Signs Colin Guske

Midfielder Colin Guske, who joined Orlando City’s academy back in 2020, signed an MLS NEXT Pro contract with Orlando City B through this 2024 season. The 17-year-old made his OCB debut in the team’s season opener this year and scored the game-winning goal. He’s carved out a spot in OCB’s midfield this season, starting in four of the team’s five games. Guske has two brothers who have also gone through the club’s academy and played with OCB. A solid year with the Young Lions from Guske could result in a Homegrown Player contract for the senior team.

Columbus Crew SC Wins First Leg Against Monterrey

The Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals are here and the Columbus Crew are the only MLS team still in the tournament. They came up with a big 2-1 home win in the first leg of their matchup against Monterrey. Cucho Hernandez gave the Crew the lead in the first half and 21-year-old Jacen Russell-Rowe scored the winner in the second. An away goal by Monterrey could prove crucial though due to the tiebreakers, and the second leg will take place on May 1. The winner of this matchup will take on either Club America or Pachuca in the final on June 2.

Free Kicks

  • Former Lion Dom Dwyer is reportedly headed out west to sign with Oakland Roots SC in the USL Championship.
  • Toronto FC traded away $200,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM) to Atlanta United in exchange for winger Derrick Etienne Jr. The 27-year-old has not received much playing time this season, and Atlanta could earn another $175,000 in GAM if performance-based metrics are met.
  • The San Jose Earthquakes have reportedly signed Hernan Lopez from Godoy Cruz. It would give a-needed boost to the team, which has just three points from nine games this season.
  • St. Louis City winger Celio Pompeu won MLS Goal of the Matchday for his great strike from outside the box in his team’s 3-3 draw with Sporting Kansas City.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/24/24

Orlando City and Orlando Pride power rankings, USMNT player news, USWNT will host Costa Rica, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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April 24, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s that time of the week for some tasty links. Two seven-point weekends for Orlando’s soccer teams is nothing to sneeze at, unlike the pollen that coats my hometown of Tallahassee. It’s the time of the year that I make my money back with the unlimited car wash next to my work. Enough with my weather-related car issues, let’s get to the links.

Lions Move Up (and Down) in Power Rankings

There’s nothing that shows the value of “power rankings” better than when you can compare two different ranking lists for the same week for any given club. We all know Orlando City is undefeated in its last four matches thanks to the late heroics of Ivan Angulo to draw CF Montreal over the weekend. But, did you know that was both good and bad?

In ESPN‘s MLS power rankings, Orlando City dropped a spot from 16th to 17th despite “treading water” with a point on the road in Montreal. Meanwhile, the Lions roared ahead three spots from 21st to 18th in MLSsoccer.com’s power rankings. So, do you like that Orlando is 17th in the ESPN piece despite the drop? Or do you prefer the positivity of a three-spot jump to 18th in the MLSSoccer.com rankings?

Orlando Pride Rise in Power Rankings

Forget everything I wrote up there regarding power rankings — at least as far as the Orlando Pride are concerned. After starting the season with three draws, the Pride now have two wins in a row. As such, ESPN moved the Pride up three spots from eighth to fifth in its NWSL power rankings. Their move up the list is entirely deserved and the writer was correct in their assessment. Of course, I’m kidding but it’s still nice to see the Pride get recognized for their results. Now, we just need the Pride to continue the winning streak.

Keeping Up With USMNT Players Abroad

As we shared yesterday, Sergino Dest will likely miss this summer’s Copa America thanks to a knee injury suffered during PSV Eindhoven training. That means the USMNT has a right back situation to address and there are quite a few well known candidates to step in for Dest.

Meanwhile, Weston McKennie has reportedly rejected Juventus’ latest extension offer. I can understand his decision given it doesn’t include any additional salary. McKennie has been very good for Juve, with 10 assists on the season. He’s not the only American making a difference, as Tim Weah provided the assist on Arkadiusz Milik’s goal to send Juventus to the Coppa Italia final.

USWNT Olympic Send-Off Match

The United States Women’s National Team will play a match against Costa Rica at Audi Field on July 16. It will be the final match for the USWNT prior to the Olympics that start nine days later against Zambia. New coach Emma Hayes will join the team on June 1, which isn’t a ton of time before the Olympics start, but she has been a part of the process for months.

Free Kicks

  • The New England Revolution have acquired veteran defender Xavier Arreaga from the Seattle Sounders for a 2025 international roster slot, and up to $75,000 in General Allocation Money depending on performance.
  • Inter Miami’s Jordi Alba will be out for several weeks due to a hamstring injury. Fortunately, he is expected to be back in time for the match against Orlando City on May 15. Where did I put the sarcasm font?

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Pride’s match against the Washington Spirit this Friday, and Orlando City’s match against Toronto FC on Saturday. Vamos Orlando!

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