Orlando City vs. Santos Laguna: Three Keys to Victory

Orlando City continues its Leagues Cup campaign Saturday night at Exploria Stadium against Liga MX side Santos Laguna. There are a few possible scenarios for the Lions to advance out of the group stage, but the most direct path is just to win.

What does Orlando City need to do to get its first ever win against a Liga MX side and advance to the Leagues Cup knockout stages?

Fullbacks Must Step Up

Orlando City has been vulnerable down the wings lately, and Rafael Santos will need to step his game back up. The youngster had started to play his way into better form a few weeks ago, but has been inconsistent of late. If he can find his form against Santos Laguna it will go a long way towards blunting the opposition’s attack

Santos isn’t the only fullback having some difficulties in recent games. Kyle Smith has been off his game. With Michael Halliday still unavailable, the Accountant has been starting. Of course, we have seen Dagur Dan Thorhallsson coming off the bench to spell Smith the past couple of matches. I think that it might be time for Dagur Dan to get the start to prove what he can do with more time. I feel that’s what his playing time at the position has been leading towards.

Finish Chances

In the first Leagues Cup match against Houston Dynamo FC, Orlando City took 16 shots, with five on target, and finished with only one goal to show for it. If the Lions want to win the group, one goal is most likely not going to cut it. I will not be surprised if Duncan McGuire is able to get a goal to get things started for the Lions, but it can’t stop there. In fact, if Orlando draws, and loses the extra point, they could still be out if they don’t score multiple goals during normal time.

Facundo Torres scored an excellent goal from the spot to help Orlando City get the extra point against Houston. Now, a goal in the run of play will be more valuable. Whenever Ercan Kara comes in, he needs to put it in the back of the net. These are just two examples, but the point is that the Lions have to do better than 20% finishing on their shots on target against Santos Laguna.

Control the Midfield

Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena continue to be vital to Orlando City’s defense. That will need to continue against the likes of Santos Laguna’s Harold Preciado. When the pair are on their game, there are few in either MLS or LigaMX who can beat them. I’m not concerned about Orlando’s defensive midfielders, I just want them to continue doing what they normally do.

Looking up the pitch just a bit, Torres, Martin Ojeda, and Ivan Angulo need to continue to create chances, control the tempo, and generally keep things calm throughout the match. Saturday’s opponents were able to create a little havoc against Houston, which helped them work their way back into the match. If Orlando City’s midfield maintains possession with purpose, the task of advancing will be much easier.

That is what I’ll be looking for this Saturday night as the Lions take on Santos Laguna. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.