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Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New England Revolution

Familiarize yourself with the New England Revolution, courtesy of someone who knows them best.

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1 year ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Another Orlando City matchday is almost upon us as the Lions look to make it seven games unbeaten and continue to climb up the Eastern Conference table. This week sees OCSC travel up north to take on the New England Revolution.

A visit to Gillette Stadium means that I spoke to Jake Catanese, one of the contributors over at The Blazing Musket. They’re another former SBNation site that’s gone independent and they’re continuing to do excellent work covering the Revs and other soccer in the New England area. As usual, Jake did an excellent job getting us up to speed on the Revolution, and I also took the time to answer some of his questions, which you can find over at their place.

Who were some of the big off-season arrivals for the Revolution, and how have those new faces looked so far?

Jake Catanese: The Revs added three main starters in the off-season, all from within MLS, trading for Latif Blessing and Dave Romney and adding Bobby Wood via the Re-Entry Draft. Romney has been tremendous for New England, who for the second year in a row have been hit hard with injuries in the back line. Andrew Farrell missed some games in the beginning of the season, Henry Kessler is out several months, and Brandon Bye missed a few games in May, so having an extra veteran presence in the back was necessary.

Blessing has been a solid partner with Matt Polster and Noel Buck in the midfield, and with the season-ending injury to Dylan Borrero has even had to operate as a wide midfielder. The surprise however is Wood, who has been a mainstay up top at striker ahead of DPs Giacomo Vrioni and Gustavo Bou (who was carrying a knock for a few weeks). The Revs already had a strong roster and have over the years been able to bolster it with solid league veterans and this off-season was no different.

Only three teams in the entire league have scored more than New England. What’s been the key to the team’s offensive success?

JC: I mean, Carles Gil has been on a heater the past few games, scoring three goals (including at least one from the spot) while totaling three assists (including a delightful, line-splitting pass to Matt Polster that drew the PK he converted against Miami). The Revs have been scoring goals in bunches this year, and while we lament the defense the past month or so that has been cobbled together due to injuries, Gil has stepped up in a major way to produce for his team when they really needed goals. But there are contributions all over the field for New England, with Noel Buck proving a capable long-range shooter, Ema Boateng filling in as a wing creator, and DeJuan Jones still being an outright menace.

Obviously Wood’s resurgence can’t be understated and I don’t want to know where this team could be with Borrero on offense right now. Wood doesn’t do anything flashy but he’s so darn consistent and always in the right areas that his runs either get him on the end of a dangerous ball or it opens up space for someone else. I don’t have the numbers on the Revs’ set piece chances, but I feel like they’ve converted on a few more set pieces then they were in the post-Adam Buksa era. Statistically, a lot of the Revs players are posting fairly high shots-on-target percentages in the 40-50% range, which feels much higher than in recent years when the Revs tended to be high volume/low percentage shooters. Whatever they’re doing, it’s working, and after surviving a brutal road stretch shorthanded to still be near the top of the East is a good thing. If this team figures out a good rotation or matchups to combine Wood/Bou/Vrioni up front, this is going to be an offense that can make a run in November.

On the other side of the coin, where are some areas that you believe the Revs can improve?

JC: Right now, it’s just the health of this team. Despite all the contributions from players deep on this roster so far this year, the bench is really thin in spots. Not having Tommy McNamara’s utility or Nacho Gil as a wide player really limits what this offense can do, despite Homegrowns Jack Panayotou and Esmir Bajraktarevic’s stellar minutes so far. Fullback depth is essentially non-existent on the MLS level with the Revs having to give Andrew Farrell his first start at right back since 2019 and Christian Makoun deputizing at left back so DeJuan Jones could cover the right side in Bye’s absence. I don’t know what kind of summer acquisitions the Revs could make that would be more beneficial than just getting the players they have out healthier. If the Revs can tighten up their issues at the back with the personnel they have — Djordje Petrovic seemingly faces a penalty every other week — I think the Revs will stay at worst right about where they are in the East.

Are there any players who will be unavailable due to injuries, suspensions, call-ups, etc? What is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?

JC: The injury list is quite ridiculous but Bou being back helps out a lot. Borrero is out for the year, McNamara and N. Gil have yet to play this year, Kessler is out until like September or so. Buck and Bye have been carrying knocks but could be back this week. Damian Rivera is with the Costa Rica U-23s, while Petrovic and Makoun are with Serbia and Venezuela, respectively, and are definitely missing this game. I think that’s everyone.

4-2-3-1: Earl Edwards Jr.; DeJuan Jones, Dave Romney, Andrew Farrell, Brandon Bye; Matt Polster, Latif Blessing; Emmanuel Boateng, Carles Gil, Noel Buck; Bobby Wood.

It wouldn’t shock me to see Bou start out wide and then give way to Buck or vice versa in this one. The bench options are going to be really thin with third-string keeper Jacob Jackson just returning from a longterm injury and getting some minutes with Revs II.

I think the Revs at home are feeling really good and have just enough to hang on in this one. I’ll go 2-1 Revs with Bou and Gil netting the goals.

Thanks to Jake for the excellent information on the Revs. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/11/24

Orlando Pride in Portland, U.S. men and women news, international upsets, and more.

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2 days ago

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October 11, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Milton has finally made its way out of Florida, though many of us will be dealing with the aftermath for a while. We hope that you and yours are safe and that the damage is minimal. I know that many are still without power — which is why I’m writing Lion Links today instead of Marcus Mitchell. Fortunately, the Orlando Pride play in Portland tonight, although it will be a late one. Let’s get to the links.

Pride in Portland

The Orlando Pride may be the NWSL Shield winners, but with three matches left in the regular season, the job is not done. Now, the club will take on the Portland Thorns. The Thorns haven’t been great as of late, but Providence Park is a tough place to play. While the club is focused on the upcoming playoffs, the Pride still want to finish undefeated in the regular season. Portland, like many clubs, are fighting for a playoff spot.

USWNT Players in the News

Lindsey Horan didn’t have the best Olympics in my opinion, but she is doing very well in her start to Lyon’s season. She’s scored five goals in four matches to help Lyon top the table. Back home, Crystal Dunn is being honored by Empowerment on the East River hosted by Black Players for Change.

USMNT in Action

The USMNT plays its first match under Mauricio Pochettino Saturday night against Panama, and you can watch it on multiple platforms. There are no conflicts of interest this go-around, but next year, some players will need to choose between playing in the Club World Cup or the Gold Cup.

International Results

Orlando City, and all the other teams and leagues, aren’t playing right now due to an international break. The matches have already begun. Perhaps the biggest news was Greece’s stunning 2-1 win over England. The victory puts Greece atop Group B2 in the UEFA Nations League competition.

Over in Group A2, Italy blew a two-goal lead to draw Belgium 2-2. There were plenty of other results, including Erling Haaland becoming his country’s all-time top scorer after scoring a brace in Norway’s 3-0 win over Slovenia. If you want to catch more matches, here’s where you can watch.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. Check back tonight for our Pride match recap, and follow The Mane Land on Twitter during the match. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/10/24

Orlando City’s potential as a playoff dark horse, the Orlando Pride’s rise to prominence, the USMNT prepares for Panama, and more.

Published

3 days ago

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October 10, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

I hope you’re all staying safe out there as Hurricane Milton tears across the state of Florida. While we endure the storm and wait for the Orlando Pride to play in Portland on Friday night, let’s distract ourselves with some links from around the soccer world.

Orlando City’s Dark Horse Potential

On the latest episode of the Offside with Taylor Twellman podcast, he spoke on how Orlando City will be a dark horse in the tournament. The Lions have been on an incredible run of form over the past few months and can host in the first round of the playoffs if they manage to hold onto the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference. Nearly all of the team’s attackers are hitting their stride and a recent win over FC Cincinnati is evidence that the Lions aren’t to be overlooked in this year’s playoffs.

“[Orlando City is] the best team in MLS since July 1 and they are scoring goals for fun while winning 10 of those 13 games,” Twellman said. “They will fight, they will claw, basically they will do anything to get under your skin.

“Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to play this version of Orlando City.”

How the Orlando Pride Made History

It still feels a bit surreal that the Orlando Pride lifted the NWSL Shield with three games left to play this season. Here’s a great feature by Henry Bushnell of Yahoo Sports that dives into some of the reasons behind the Pride’s dominance this season. Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter has helped build a culture of confidence, comfort, and resilience by investing in the players as humans and not just what they can do on the field.

Pro Soccer Wire‘s Jason Anderson detailed how the Pride were able to beat the Washington Spirit to deservedly lift the trophy and it’s also a great read. The Pride did well to adjust to the Spirit’s commitment to their formation and cranked up the tempo to create opportunities to win.

MLS 2024 22 Under 22 List Unveiled

Although Michael Halliday and Heine Gikling Bruseth were eligible, no Lions made this year’s MLS 22 Under 22. Inter Miami midfielder Diego Gomez tops the list, with Real Salt Lake’s Diego Luna and the Philadelphia Union’s Jack McGlynn rounding out the top three. The youngest player on the list is 15-year-old midfielder Cavan Sullivan, while the Chicago Fire’s Chris Brady is the only goalkeeper to make the cut. Of the 22 players listed, 16 play in the Eastern Conference. As for notable players who weren’t listed, CF Montreal’s Caden Clark has thrived since being traded by Minnesota United and Matai Akinmboni deserves some recognition for his role in D.C. United’s defense at 17 years old.

USMNT Prepares for Panama

The United States Men’s National Team will play its first match under Mauricio Pochettino on Saturday when it takes on Panama in a friendly in Austin. This will be a rematch of when the two nations squared off in Copa America on June 27, with the U.S. falling 2-1. The Yanks failed to make it out of the group stage of that tournament and Gregg Berhalter was fired as head coach in July. A statement win against a Panamanian side that’s currently 37th in the FIFA rankings would be a great start to Pochettino’s tenure as head coach.

Free Kicks

That’ll do it for me today, as my power has just gone out, so it’s the perfect time to wrap things up. Stay safe out there!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/9/24

Orlando City’s on fire, OCB to face the Fire (2), the USMNT’s upcoming friendly, and more.

Published

4 days ago

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October 9, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. I made the trip down to Inter&Co Stadium to see the Orlando Pride win the 2024 NWSL Shield over the weekend. I know it was raining — fortunately, I remembered my rain jacket — but if you weren’t there, you really missed an amazing night. You can read about it in our recap, but seeing the team raise that shield was unforgettable. Hopefully, it won’t be the only hardware the Pride raise this year. Let’s get to the links.

Red Hot Lions

Orlando City has won 10 of its last 13 matches to climb into position to potentially begin the playoffs with home-field advantage. The run of good form has the Lions sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The latest 3-1 victory over FC Cincinnati moved the team from eighth to sixth in the MLS Power Rankings, and up to fifth in the Goal.com Power Rankings. Orlando City’s last match of the season will be at home against Atlanta United on October 19.

Pride’s Success No Accident

Marta had a great match Sunday and more than earned her moment in the sun when she lifted the NWSL Shield. Of course, none of that happens if the people working behind the scenes aren’t doing everything possible to help the Pride in this incredible turnaround. The players will likely tell you that the club’s success is in part thanks to the organization that has been built.

Of course, not every women’s club gets the amount of support that the Orlando Pride receive. Many clubs do not have the infrastructure from staff to facilities to truly grow the women’s game. It’s an issue for many clubs in various leagues across the world. Coaches end up having to pick up the slack, and that isn’t sustainable. While I’m grateful that the Wilf family and Haley Carter are providing the necessary tools for the Pride to succeed, I would like to see other organizations step up as well.

OCB to Face Chicago Fire II in Playoffs

Orlando City B will square off against Chicago Fire II away from home to start the playoffs. OCB finished the MLS NEXT Pro regular season in fifth place — which isn’t too bad when you look back a few weeks. Unfortunately for OCB, the top four clubs get to choose their first-round opponent in the playoffs (well, the top three do…the fourth-place club doesn’t really have a choice). It’s one of the weird things that MLS NEXT Pro does. No one above the fourth-place Chicago Fire II opted to play the Young Lions. The match between the Young Lions and Chicago Fire II will take place Sunday, Oct. 20, at 3 p.m.

USMNT Ready for Poche

The Mauricio Pochettino era for the USMNT kicks off Saturday with a friendly against Panama at Q2 Stadium in Austin, TX. Three days later, the new U.S. boss will face rival Mexico in Guadalajara. Big-name players like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie are on the roster. One player who won’t be there is the injured Folarin Balogun. That might open a window of opportunity for Josh Sargent to make a splash with the new coach. Sargent’s more rounded style of play is something that forwards have demonstrated under Pochettino at the club level. A friendly is exactly the sort of place for Sargent to show his stuff.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. Check back this week as we get you ready for the Pride’s upcoming match in Portland. Most importantly, stay safe as this hurricane makes its way towards Florida. Vamos Orlando!

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