Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Final Score 4-0 as Lions Rough Up Reds
For the second straight year, the Lions dominated Toronto FC at home, winning 4-0.
Orlando City scored twice in each half and ran Toronto FC out of Exploria Stadium with a 4-0 win on Independence Day in front of an announced crowd of 17,604. Cesar Araujo, Duncan McGuire, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, and Ercan Kara did the damage on the scoreboard for Orlando (9-5-7, 34 points), and the Reds (3-9-10, 19 points) finished with 10 men after Federico Bernardeschi was shown his second yellow card just past the hour mark.
The win extended the Lions’ home unbeaten streak to seven games (4-0-3) and was Orlando City’s first on Independence Day in four tries (1-2-1). City improved to 7-8-3 in the all-time series against Toronto and the Lions are unbeaten in their last seven meetings with the Reds (5-0-2).
“I think it was one of our most responsible performances and the respect of the game that they showed today was very good. I’m very pleased with it,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “And even when the game turns into a game that it was much dominated, they were very, very respectful, and that’s why they scored goals.”
It was Pareja’s 150th MLS win as a head coach, making him the sixth to reach that mark.
Pareja’s lineup featured Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith. Araujo returned from suspension to partner with Wilder Cartagena in the central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres, with McGuire up top.
Orlando City controlled play throughout the first half and should have taken the lead just seven minutes in. A nice passing attack ended up with a cross that Toronto goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh got a hand on and knocked it out in front. Pereyra ran onto it and — for the second time in just a couple of games — the captain skied his shot over a gaping, empty net.
Two minutes later, Pereyra again missed the net, but this time from a more difficult position out near the left side of the box. He sent his shot toward the far post well wide.
Orlando opened the scoring in the 16th minute. Angulo had the ball on the left side and drew defenders toward him before sending Santos down the left channel. Santos curled in a perfect cross at the back post for Araujo to head home to make it 1-0. It was the Uruguayan midfielder’s first goal in MLS play.
“That first goal gave us a lot of confidence,” Pareja said.
Six minutes later, the Lions doubled the lead. Santos found himself on the left again and tried to send in another cross. This time, the pass attempt was deflected by the defense toward goal. As Ranjitsingh waited for the ball to come to him, McGuire flashed in front of him and flicked it inside the near post to make it 2-0 in the 22nd minute.
The Lions kept coming. Torres curled a back-post shot wide of the left upright just two minutes after McGuire’s goal. McGuire then took a fantastic through ball and smashed a shot off the left post in the 27th minute that bounced straight to Ranjitsingh.
The Lions switched off a bit after that miss. Just a minute after McGuire rattled the woodwork, Bernardeschi was given far too much space outside the area and he fired a shot off of the left post at the other end.
“It was quite hard to maintain the whole rhythm today,” said Pareja. “In that moment I noticed that we were getting caught a little bit in the energy, but we responded well, and the boys came back into the game.”
The hydration break seemed to wake the Lions back up. Pereyra unlocked the defense with a beautiful through ball in the 36th minute for Angulo’s diagonal run. Unfortunately, the speedy winger couldn’t handle the pass and it was knocked away.
That was it for the good looks, although Orlando had a few late set pieces. Santos got his head to a corner kick cross but a defender blocked it out for another corner.
Orlando City had the statistical advantage as well as the two-goal lead at the break, finishing the half with more possession (55.8%-44.2%), shots (6-2), shots on goal (2-0), corners (4-2), and passing accuracy (89.5%-85%).
Toronto interim manager Terry Dunfield made three changes at halftime to bring on fresher and younger legs, but it didn’t help. It took a few minutes after the restart for Orlando to settle in, but once the Lions got going, the game always seemed to have only one possible outcome.
Bernardeschi picked up an early yellow in the second half for a late challenge on Smith.
Angulo won a corner in the 53rd minute that Toronto cleared but Araujo fired on target on the recycle. It was on target but a comfortable save for Ranjitsingh. Two minutes later, Torres cut into the middle and sent a rocket on frame, but he left it too close to the middle and Ranjitsingh made a good reaction save.
With the heat and the quick turnaround, Pareja sent some fresh troops on in the 57th minute, sacrificing McGuire and Pereyra for Ramiro Enrique and Martin Ojeda.
Shortly after the subsitutions, Bernardeschi saw red. After a turnover, Cartagena had some words for the Italian and he knocked Wilder down. There was definitely some embellishment by the Peruvian to ensure the referee saw it. It worked. Bernardeschi was given his second yellow and sent off. Gallese was also booked in the aftermath.
Kara and Thorhallsson entered the fray moments later, replacing Angulo and Smith.
Ojeda had a good chance to add the third goal in the 69th minute, sending a hard shot on goal that Ranjitsingh was able to save. Two minutes later, Ojeda switched the play beautifully from right to left for Enrique, who cut inside to about the spot he scored from on Saturday, only this time he sent the shot inches wide. Thorhallsson then tried his luck from a tight angle in the 72nd minute but missed the target.
The third goal came in the 77th minute. Araujo looked up and saw Thorhallsson making a run. The delivery over the top by the Uruguayan was perfect. Ranjitsingh tried to get to the ball first but couldn’t. Thorhallsson rounded the goalkeeper outside the box and fired into an empty net to open his Orlando City account and ice the match.
“It was an amazing feeling,” Thorhallsson said about scoring his first MLS goal. “It’s a sequence that we do a lot and we train a lot, so it’s nice to get a goal from that. I saw Cesar get the ball. I just pointed, I think. And the ball came and I saw the keeper a little bit. I thought, ‘ Well, I’ll just go, if he hits me, he hits me.’ But then I went past him and I scored. Finally.”
Toronto got a rare shot attempt in the 82nd minute when Brandon Servania tried to chip Gallese from long range but his effort landed on the roof of the net.
Two minutes later, things got worse for Toronto. Araujo sent a hard pass to Ojeda at the top of the box. The Argentine had trouble finding the handle on it, so he back-heeled it past two defenders for Kara to run onto. The Austrian fired immediately, blasting it past Ranjitsingh to make it 4-0 in the 84th minute. It was Kara’s fifth goal of the season.
Ojeda came within inches of making it five in the 86th minute. He took a pass from Araujo and smashed a shot toward the bottom right corner. Ranjitsingh got a slight touch on it to knock it off the outside of the post. Ojeda also had the final chance in the 91st minute. He sent a free kick on frame from about 30 yards out but it was a comfortable save for Ranjitsingh.
Moments later, the match was over.
The domination was not only on the scoreboard but also on the stat sheet. Orlando City finished with the advantage in possession (59.6%-40.4%), shots (18-6), shots on target (9-0), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (91%-84.8%).
The final score was, ironically, identical to this same fixture last year. Orlando City beat Toronto 4-0 at home last September.
“Scoring goals — that changed the whole picture,” Pareja said of the team’s turnaround in its home form. “It makes us all look better. It’s a consequence of the boys doing the right things and resisting or enduring the difficult moments that we had with games here at home, where they tied us in the last minute. The boys kept going. We’re doing the right things. We’re scoring goals. That makes a huge difference.”
“The work today is a reflection of all of the hard work that we’ve been doing,” Santos said through a club translator. “We’ve been working on all of this in training. It’s reflective of the work that Oscar is putting in.”
Orlando City heads out on the road for its next two matches, with the road trip starting at Real Salt Lake on Saturday. Game time is 9:30 p.m.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 11/6/24
Orlando City and Orlando Pride set for upcoming playoff games, Rafaelle out for the season, UEFA Champions League results, and more.
Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s win or go home time for both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride this weekend. As if this week wasn’t stressful enough, we have that to occupy our collective minds. I know that I often prefer to concentrate on soccer, so let’s let to the links.
Do or Die Time for the Lions
Thanks to a lackluster performance by Orlando City in the second match against Charlotte FC away from home, the Lions need a victory to advance in the playoffs. Fortunately, the next match will be back at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions will need Facundo Torres and Martin Ojeda to return to form if they are to win. Orlando City isn’t the only home squad looking to win this weekend.
The NWSL Playoffs Are Here
With the NWSL playoffs imminent, it is any club’s championship to win. Of course, we want the Orlando Pride to win a second trophy. Each club has a chance to win, though some are better positioned to do so than others. The argument against the Pride stems from the two road matches they recently lost, and the goals given up after winning the NWSL Shield. If the Pride can return to the defensive form from earlier in the season, their odds will be better.
Rafaelle’s Season is Over
Any hope we had of Rafaelle bolstering the Orlando Pride back line came to an end Tuesday, as did her season. The Brazilian has been placed on the Season Ending Injury list with a partial tear of her quadriceps tendon in her right leg. The club is working with Orlando Health on a recovery program for Rafaelle, in hopes she’ll be available for the 2025 season. We wish her a complete and speedy recovery.
Champions League Doesn’t Disappoint
It was quite a day in the UEFA Champions League Tuesday. Liverpool dispatched Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 on the back of a Luis Diaz hat trick, with all four goals coming after the 60th minute. Another high-scoring match saw Sporting CP down Manchester City 4-1 thanks to a hat trick from Victor Gyokeres.
Christian Pulisic helped AC Milan defeat Real Madrid 3-1 with the American providing an assist off a corner. It really was quite a beauty with a finish by Malick Thiaw.
The USMNT’s Malik Tillman scored a goal and added two assists in PSV’s 4-0 victory over Girona. Of course, Girona played a man down after Arnau Martinez received a second yellow card 10 minutes into the second half.
Free Kicks
- Atlanta United’s Brooks Lennon is expected to be out four to six months due to shoulder surgery. Lennon suffered a dislocated shoulder in Game 1 of the series with Inter Miami.
- Austin FC announced its roster decisions after missing out on the playoffs.
- In absolutely horrendous news, Jose de la Cruz, a defender for Familia Chocca was killed by a bolt of lightning as the players were exiting the pitch because of lightning in the area. Our thoughts are with his family, teammates, and friends.
- Evidently, a pig’s head was thrown onto the pitch during a match between Corinthians and Palmeiras in the Brazilian championship. Seriously, people. This is the type of thing that gives soccer supporters a bad name.
- Not going to lie. The quality of this tifo is exceptional.
- This Atalanta supporter will have a story to tell that few, if any, could ever dream of when talking about his club.
- If you were wondering what a day in the life of Felipe looks like, wonder no more.
- If you’re looking for something to do tonight perhaps you’d like to meet Simone Charley and Grace Chanda? The info is in the post below from Tuesday.
That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for both matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 11/5/24
Orlando City announces preseason match, how the Orlando Pride turned things around, Americans in midweek action, and more.
Happy Tuesday, everyone. We have a massive week ahead of us, as the Orlando Pride take on the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL playoffs on Friday. That will be followed up by a pivotal Game 3 for Orlando City against Charlotte FC on Saturday. Both matches will be at home, so suffice it to say we have a lot going on around these parts. As usual, we have lots to talk through today, so let’s get into the links.
Orlando City Announces Friendly
Orlando City has announced that the club will play a preseason match against Inter Miami in Tampa on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. The game will take place at Raymond James Stadium at 7:30 p.m., with tickets going on sale to the general public on Nov. 14. There will also be a pregame fan festival set up outside the stadium, which is free if you have a ticket. The decision to play Miami in a preseason game isn’t a surprising one, as it involves minimal travel for both clubs, and a chance to capitalize on the box office draw of Lionel Messi. It is a little surprising that the decision was made to host the game at Raymond James Stadium rather than Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, but it’s possible that the latter wasn’t available, or that there was a desire to capitalize on the additional gate money from the extra 15,000 seats at Raymond James.
How the Pride Escaped the Cellar
In a season that featured several teams who played outstanding campaigns, the Orlando Pride still managed to finish first in the National Women’s Soccer League. It’s a feat made even more impressive when considering how the club has historically struggled, but the change didn’t happen overnight. The rebuild really got underway in 2021, which was when a series of high profile exits and trades began to take place, which would eventually allow the Pride to do a lot of maneuvering in the transfer market. It was a long process though, and it took the arrival of Haley Carter in the front office and Seb Hines as the head coach for things to really start coming together. It’s been an all-around effort, but one that paid off with a first-place finish this season.
Americans in Midweek Action
There are a number of Americans playing this week, so make sure you’ve got everything marked down on your calendar. UEFA Champions League action returns tomorrow, as Malik Tillman, Ricardo Pepi, and Richie Ledezma will take on Girona with PSV Eindhoven. Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan face Real Madrid, and Tim Weah, Weston McKennie, and Juventus hit the road to take on Weah’s former club, Lille. European action then continues on Thursday as Tanner Tessmann and Lyon face Hoffenheim on the road in the Europa League, and Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis host Celje in the Conference League.
Transfer Rumor Roundup
As always seems to be the case, there are a number of transfer rumors floating around. First up, Spanish outlet Marca says that if Vinicius Jr. becomes available then Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain would be interested in signing him. This comes amid reports that the Brazilian is considering a move to Saudi Arabia. Speaking of Chelsea, Enzo Fernandez could seek an exit from the Blues reportedly due to not being favored by boss Enzo Maresca, with Barcelona and Inter Milan as possible destinations. Finally, Eintracht Frankfurt star Omar Marmoush is reportedly attracting interest from some of Europe’s big clubs, with Bayern Munich and Liverpool both interested in signing him.
Free Kicks
- The Orlando Pride slipped a spot to third in ESPN’s NWSL power rankings.
- Josh Sargent will be sidelined for at least two months after having surgery for a groin injury.
- Fellow United State’s Men’s National Team player Antonee Robinson assisted on Fulham’s late winner on Monday afternoon.
- Neymar went off injured in his second appearance for Al Hilal since suffering an ACL tear last October.
- Edu has resigned from his position as Arsenal’s sporting director.
That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 11/4/24
Orlando City falls to Charlotte FC in penalty shootout, Orlando Pride defeat the Seattle Reign, Megan Montefusco retires and more.
Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I covered high school cross country state semifinals over the weekend, and I’m getting ready to cover a high school soccer playoff match later this week. We have plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.
Lions Lose Penalty Shootout to Charlotte FC
Orlando City fell 3-1 on penalties to Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium on Friday night after playing to a scoreless draw in Game 2 of the MLS Cup playoffs. Orlando’s offense struggled to create anything throughout the match in the attack. The best chance came late in the second half when Facundo Torres thought he had scored the game-winner for Orlando, but the assistant referee deemed him to be offside. In the penalty shootout, Luis Muriel was the only Lion to find the back of the net. Nico Lodeiro and Duncan McGuire had their penalty kicks saved by Charlotte FC goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, while Robin Jansson’s kick sailed over the net. The Lions will host Charlotte FC in Game 3 at Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday with a spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals on the line.
Orlando Pride Defeat the Seattle Reign in Regular Season Finale
The Orlando Pride snapped their two-match losing streak and defeated the Seattle Reign 3-2 to close out the 2024 NWSL regular season. Ally Watt, Kerry Abello, and Marta all scored for the Pride. Even though the Reign fought back to keep it close, Orlando held on for the win. The Pride finished the regular season first in the NWSL standings with 60 points. The Pride will take on the Chicago Red Stars in the quarterfinals of the 2024 NWSL playoffs on Friday in their first home playoff match ever. The match will kick off at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on Amazon Prime Video.
Megan Montefusco Announces Retirement
Orlando Pride defender Megan Montefusco will retire from professional soccer following the 2024 season. She’s played in the NWSL since 2015 and joined the Pride prior to the 2022 season. In her time in Orlando, Montefusco made 45 appearances for Orlando and scored in a 2023 Challenge Cup match against NJ/NY Gotham FC. She did not play in any matches in the 2024 season after undergoing foot surgery during the off-season and was placed on the season-ending injury list. Montefusco finishes her career with 179 appearances, scoring three goals and adding four assists across all competitions.
MLS Playoff Roundup
The first round of the MLS Cup playoffs continued over the weekend, with a few teams booking their spot in the next round. The Columbus Crew’s title defense ended after they lost 5-4 on penalties to the New York Red Bulls after a 2-2 draw. The LA Galaxy dominated the Colorado Rapids 4-1 on the road to advance to the Western Conference semifinals. Minnesota United also moved on, defeating Real Salt Lake in a shootout after a 1-1 draw and the Loons will face the Galaxy. The Seattle Sounders edged past the Houston Dynamo 7-6 on penalties after a 1-1 draw to advance to the Western Conference semifinals as well.
New York City FC bounced back with a 3-1 win over FC Cincinnati, while Atlanta United did the same with a 2-1 victory over Inter Miami as both teams stayed alive to force a third game in their series. LAFC fell 3-0 on the road to the Vancouver Whitecaps in a match that included two own goals.
Free Kicks
- The U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team defeated England 3-0 to claim third place at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
- The MLS NEXT Pro Cup is set, as North Texas SC will host Philadelphia Union II on Saturday. Both clubs shut out their opponents over the weekend to advance.
- Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah posted a message on social media hinting at his future at the club after he scored the winning goal against Brighton on Saturday.
- Wrexham was eliminated from the FA Cup after a 1-0 defeat against Harrogate Town in the first round.
- In its first league match since firing former manager Erik ten Hag, Manchester United drew 1-1 against Chelsea on Sunday.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday and I’ll see you next time.
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