Orlando City vs. St. Louis City SC: Three Keys to Victory

Orlando City returns to Exploria Stadium this Saturday to host expansion side St. Louis City SC. This is the first ever meeting between the two clubs, but St. Louis comes in riding high at the top of the Western Conference with a 14-8-2 record. If there is a silver lining, it is that St. Louis is not quite as good on the road as it is at home, posting a 5-5-1 record away from City Park.

Orlando City is coming off an impressive 3-1 win over Chicago Fire FC, but will the Lions be able to keep up with the Gateway City club’s propensity for scoring goals en masse? What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points at home against a tough St. Louis squad?

Say No to Niko

Former Lion Nicholas Gioacchini was taken by St. Louis City SC in the 2022 MLS Expansion Draft. Despite his not getting many minutes in his time with Orlando City, most of us on The Mane Land staff were not particularly happy with losing the young striker. In fact, Michael Citro wrote the following in our article detailing Gioacchini’s move:

“At Gioacchini’s age, he’s got plenty of upside, and it’s a shame that Orlando City has lost him. The Lions will be able to apply his $350,000 salary elsewhere in search of attacking depth, but with the forward’s experience and room for growth, it will be tough to watch if he succeeds in St. Louis.”

So far this season, Gioacchini leads his club with 10 goals, including a brace in St. Louis’ 6-3 win over Austin FC last Sunday. It is tough to watch his success, but it will be even tougher if Gioacchini is able to score on his former club. Stopping Niko is one part of the defensive job facing Orlando City.

Big-Time Beefy Swede

Gioacchini is not the only attacker Orlando City will need to deal with. St. Louis has scored 49 goals this season, with 10 different players scoring more than one goal this season. St. Louis has also scored two or more goals in 12 matches this season. In fact, every time St Louis scores more than one goal, the club has won the match. As such, keeping St. Louis from scoring more than one goal is absolutely crucial to getting any points from this match.

Orlando City’s normally tough defense is dealing with some issues at the moment. Antonio Carlos’ status is unknown at this point in the week, meaning backup Rodrigo Schlegel will likely get another start. Michael Halliday returned to the pitch last Sunday, but he’s most likely not 90 minutes fit. That means we’ll probably see another start from Dagur Dan Thorhallsson instead of Kyle Smith. All of this means it is time for Robin Jansson to step up. 

I’m not saying the Beefy Swede doesn’t normally step up, but his leadership on the back line will be needed as St. Louis’ attack presses the Lion’s defense. He will need to keep his cool, while keeping his head on a swivel. That’s a lot of things for one head to do. Obviously, having Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena blunting the opponents before they get too deep is important, but it will be up to Jansson to pull it all together and limit St. Louis’ opportunities to score.

More Goals, Please

When St. Louis’ opponents have scored two or more goals, the club has a 2-6-0 record. Just as important, 10 of Orlando City’s 11 wins this season saw the Lions score more than one goal. It is of paramount importance that Orlando City score more than one goal against St. Louis — preferably a repeat of the Chicago match. 

Duncan McGuire didn’t score in the last match, and I feel like he’s due for another goal. Facundo Torres did score a penalty and provided an assist against Chicago, which is good, because Torres tends to be streaky, and having him go on a goal contribution run is needed. As for other goal contributors, it doesn’t really matter as long as Orlando City finishes whatever chances arise.

That is what I will be looking for this weekend as Orlando City looks for a third league win in a row. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.