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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Final Score 3-2 as Lions Clinch Second in East with Win

Duncan McGuire, Facundo Torres, and Ivan Angulo provided plenty of offense in the first half to offset two odd Carles Gil goals.

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1 year ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City’s offense exploded for three first-half goals and the Lions controlled most of the second half, holding on for a 3-2 win over the New England Revolution in front of an announced crowd of 24,440 tonight at Exploria Stadium. The Lions (17-7-9, 60 points) closed the home portion of the 2023 MLS regular schedule with another win, splitting the season series with New England (14-8-10, 52 points).

Duncan McGuire, Facundo Torres, and Ivan Angulo scored for Orlando City to offset two odd Carles Gil goals as the Lions end the regular season 9-3-5 at home in league play.

With the win, Orlando City clinched home-field advantage in the playoffs and a spot in Champions Cup.

“Very difficult game against New England. That first half was difficult but we responded very well. We scored goals,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “In the second half we may have better finishing and increase our goals and be more efficient and lethal. But I thought we were playing with probably too much responsibility of just get the job done and get the game done, and that probably tired us a little bit and (we) conceded that second goal.”

Pareja’s lineup reverted back to the one that’s been getting most of the starts in recent weeks, with Pedro Gallese in net behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres, with Duncan McGuire up top.

The Revolution was the sharper team in the early going, connecting passes well and holding the ball in the attacking half. The Lions looked sloppy early with some heavy touches and passes that either weren’t on line or weren’t weighted properly to find their target.

That isn’t to say the Lions didn’t have any early chances. Pereyra fired a shot from the top of the box in the fifth minute that was blocked in front by the defense. Santos gathered the rebound and fizzed a shot just over the bar.

Five minutes later, the Revs got a good chance with a free kick straight out from goal. Gil sent the set piece just wide. Two minutes later, Tomas Chancalay fired just over the bar from the left. New England won a corner shortly after that and Orlando cleared, but a shot from the top of the box on the recycle again cleared the crossbar.

“The first 20 minutes their possessions were longer and we found difficulties to get the ball back,” Pareja said. “And we couldn’t find the chemistry when we got it back. And it felt like we were uncomfortable. The plan that I had in the first 15 minutes was not working and then we let Rafa go and we changed our structure in the back when we had the ball, and immediately the boys felt much (more) comfortable and they started creating dangerous crosses and plays. And I felt that they felt themselves again and we readapted the game in that moment and the last 25 minutes of the first half were very good for us. “

Orlando’s first real opportunity came in the 17th minute. Torres got into the box on the right, cut onto his left foot and fired. However, his shot effort was a weak one and right at former Orlando City goalkeeper Earl Edwards, Jr. for the easy scoop. Six minutes later, Angulo had an opportunity to shoot but took too long on the ball, getting it blocked.

In the 24th minute, the visitors nearly scored when Chancalay sent a shot off the crossbar, as New England continued to look dangerous on the counter.

The Lions started to settle down and control more of the game over the next several minutes, especially in the midfield. That paid off in the 31st minute when a good attacking movement set up the game’s first goal.

Pereyra sprayed the ball out right to Thorhallsson. The Icelandic fullback sent in a great cross and McGuire flicked it inside the left post to make it 1-0 with his 11th goal of the season.

“It was definitely good buildup play,” McGuire said of the scoring attack. “We had possession for a little bit, stretching out the defense. Dagur got his head up. We talked before the game on the kind of delivery I wanted from him and he gave me exactly that. So, great ball in from Dagur. He made it easy for me.”

Six minutes later, the Lions doubled the lead on their next good look. Cartagena sent Santos down the left. The Brazilian found Angulo, who sent a cross to the far side of the box. Torres circled back to track it down and smashed a shot that beat Edwards, making it 2-0.

Orlando City couldn’t enjoy the two-goal lead long. Gil smashed a shot from extreme distance that had a lot of heat and a lot of movement on it. Gallese was slow to react to it and played it off to his side, which allowed the ball to squirt through him and into the net, making it 2-1 in the 42nd minute. It was an uncharacteristic mistake from the Peruvian.

However, the Lions hit right back after the Gil goal. Pereyra again was the catalyst, sending Santos down the left. The fullback cut a pass back for Angulo, who took an extra touch and then fired a shot that deflected off a defender and past Edwards, making it 3-1 in the 45th minute.

“On the goal, I’m just happy that my teammates found me,” Angulo said through a club interpreter. “And obviously happy for the assist (on the Torres goal) but now we have to continue working to push to enter playoffs in a good moment as well.”

The Lions saw out the one minute of stoppage time quickly and took their lead to the break.

Orlando City not only led at the break, but also held more possession (51.2%-48.8%), passed more accurately (90.5%-88.4%), finishing the first half with more shots on target (4-2). New England attempted more shots (9-8) and won the only corner of the first period.

New England sent Gustavo Bou and Emmanuel Boateng on at halftime to bolster the attack and moved to three at the back by bringing in Henry Kessler as well.

Orlando came close to a fourth goal in the 49th, when Torres sent a good cross in front but it was just slightly ahead of a sliding McGuire. A minute later, Cartagena sent a good shot on target that Edwards had to palm over the crossbar. Araujo headed over the bar on the ensuing corner. Santos then fired over the bar in the 53rd.

Gallese made up for his earlier mistake in the 60th but stopping Gil from point-blank range on a well-worked attack by New England.

Pareja made a triple substitution after that, sending on Martin Ojeda, Ramiro Enrique, and Junior Urso for Torres, McGuire, and Pereyra. A minute later, Enrique got loose at the top of the area but he pulled his shot wide to the left in the 67th minute.

In the 71st minute, Ojeda and urso both got shots blocked near the top of the box.

New England’s next decent chance came in the 77th minute off a dangerous free kick, but the wall blocked the initial delivery and Urso cleared it.

Much of the rest of the match consisted of Orlando City playing keep-away the way the Lions did Wednesday night at Nashville. By taking the air out of the ball, the Lions were able to prevent New England from building dangerous attacks and the visitors struggled to get touches on the ball.

Thorhallsson had a go from the top of the area early in stoppage time but got under it and hit the facing of the Heineken sign at the bottom of the upper deck.

The Revs pulled one back moments later on another fluky goal. Gil fired a shot that took a deflection in front and changed directions. Gallese had committed to stopping the original shot and could do nothing but watch it roll into the other side of the net, giving the Revs life late.

“That was something that we were not very good at,” Pareja said of his team’s ability to pass the ball around and keep it away from the opposition. “We normally finish the games with a lot of stress. Today they are disappointed too, because they conceded that second goal. But today I saw a team that was comfortable with the ball. We wanted to find the right moment to get in there, but we were not desperate. I think we can get that better.”

Orlando City had to snuff out one last Revolution attack and the game was over.

The Lions finished with the advantage in possession (54.2%-45.8%), shots (22-15), shots on target (5-4), corners (7-3), and passing accuracy (90.2%-87%).

“We are very proud of belonging to the city, belonging to the community, and just taking this team to second place and to the Concacaf Champions (Cup) again,” Pareja said. “We have a long journey still to go. The players know and the game today was a reflection of where we are.”

Most of the Lions have some time off between now and the season finale, as we enter the FIFA international window. Orlando City will visit Toronto FC to close out the season on Saturday, Oct. 21.

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Orlando City

Previewing Luis Muriel’s Second Year in Purple

Orlando City needs more production from its Colombian striker in 2025, so what’s the best way to get it?

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17 hours ago

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January 10, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The 2025 season will be Luis Muriel’s second as an Orlando City player following a 2024 campaign that wasn’t bad but was uneven and marked by potential that ultimately went unfulfilled. With the Colombian striker still occupying a Designated Player slot, there’s a lot of questions about how he’s going to fit into the team.

With him occupying a precious DP slot and commanding the highest salary on the team by a comfortable margin, it’s essential that the Lions get maximum output from him on the field. What’s the best way to do that, though? With the departure of Facundo Torres and Muriel getting a full off-season and preseason under his belt, there are a few different ways to achieve that goal.

Striker

The obvious answer is the reason that he was brought to the City Beautiful in the first place — to play him at striker. Duncan McGuire likely won’t be available until sometime in April, meaning that Muriel will be duking it out in preseason with Ramrio Enrique (and to a lesser extent, Jack Lynn) for the right to start as the tip of Orlando City’s proverbial spear. He got some time there last year in the first few months of the season, but ultimately his production, or lack thereof, opened the door for McGuire, and later Enrique, to supplant him.

The most straightforward way to get him in the team is to get him scoring in the volume that he’s shown himself to be capable of. It wouldn’t require any alterations to the formation or moving players around to areas where they might not be comfortable. Orlando could try to go big for a winger with proven goal-scoring threat to help replace the Facundo Torres-sized hole on the right wing, Ivan Angulo can stay out left, Martin Ojeda retains his place at the 10, and things keep ticking along.

The big question is whether he can find the back of the net consistently enough to justify going this route, particularly when McGuire and Enrique have proven themselves to be capable of providing solid scoring output. However, if he shows better than Enrique and Lynn in preseason, this is probably the most likely route.

Winger

Another solution, and probably the one that would be second easiest, would be to deploy him at the winger spot vacated by the now-departed Torres. This would allow Enrique and McGuire to compete for the no.9 slot, while filling Torres’ place with someone who is capable of creating and producing goals for others at the same, if not higher, level, and it wouldn’t require any formation or positional shifts.

A downside is that the right-footed Muriel wouldn’t be inverting the way that Torres did, which would tweak some of the team’s tactics and patterns of play in the final third. Additionally, it would be gambling on Muriel improving his goal-scoring numbers despite being shifted out wide and presumably not having as many looks at goal.

In this scenario, the Lions likely aren’t going out and adding a third Designated Player, or if they are, it’s probably an attempt to upgrade over Angulo — something which just doesn’t seem super likely to me, given how ever-present he’s been in the lineup since joining the team. I also don’t know if I can see Luiz Muzzi and Co. standing pat with the current state of a roster that couldn’t win it all and then lost its best player.

No. 10

A different route would be to trot him out at the no.10 position, where he often found himself deployed when coming on as a substitute during the second half of the year. The advantages of this solution are that it would allow the Colombian to utilize his considerable passing range and ability on the ball while minimizing his need to contribute large amounts of goals. On the downside, it would require shifting Ojeda out of the central position that he occupied to such great effect during the second half of the 2024 season. While Muriel has played well in this position, I can’t see the decision-makers being willing to gamble on Ojeda regressing if moved out wide again.

Shadow Striker/Roving Playmaker

The final, and most intriguing (and complex) of the options would be to deploy him as a shadow striker/roaming playmaker as part of a front two. Muriel drops into the hole behind the striker and moves around, finding space just behind his fellow forward, popping up wherever the spaces are and making it difficult for teams to zero in on patterns of play.

Again, it would allow him to use his excellent passing and dribbling ability to create scoring chances for McGuire/Enrique, while still getting him some looks at goal. It’s also a position that he’s played at various times throughout his career, including last year, when we saw him partnered with McGuire in either a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2. The two played well together during those games, and showed signs of a flourishing partnership that ultimately wasn’t pursued further as the team got more bodies healthy and Ojeda began to shine as the central player in the three-man attacking midfield.

The biggest problem would be finding a formation that gets Orlando’s best players on the field in their best positions. A 4-4-2 would allow a midfield of Ojeda, Angulo, Wilder Cartagena, and Cesar Araujo, but Ojeda would need to be out wide and we’ve already covered why that’s an issue. A 3-5-2 would also allow for those guys to be on the field, but then Dagur Dan Thorhallsson and Rafael Santos would likely be sacrificed, and Cartagena would move to center back while Nico Lodeiro slotted into the midfield in his place. OCSC is better when Cartagena and Araujo are partnering in the midfield, and I love having Santos’ crossing ability and DDT’s versatility on the field. For me, it would be cutting off your nose to spite your face.

An interesting solution could be trying a 4-2-2-2, with Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel/David Brekalo, and Thorhallson at the back, Araujo and Cartagena as the defensive midfielders, Angulo and Ojeda as the attacking midfielders, and Enrique/McGuire and Muriel up top, with Muriel operating as the shadow striker. To get the necessary width in attack, one of the fullbacks (presumably DDT) could invert into the midfield when in possession, and one of the defensive mids (likely Cartagena) would drift out wide while Ojeda plays centrally, where he operates best. The biggest issues here are that it would necessitate a lot of tactical variation from what the team is accustomed to, requires Thorhallsson to run his guts out, and is susceptible to getting torched on the counterattack. There’s a world where it could work, but I wouldn’t expect to see it.

At the end of the day, everyone’s lives are made easier if having a full off-season and preseason under his belt helps the Colombian DP find his shooting boots and he hits the ground running as the striker in Oscar Pareja’s preferred 4-2-3-1. Orlando adds firepower at right wing, Ojeda stays in the middle, and Muriel does what he was primarily signed to do — score goals. If that doesn’t happen, there are still ways to try to get him involved, but each solution comes with its own unique set of advantages and disadvantages to navigate. Either way, Muriel’s fit during the 2025 season is an intriguing storyline to watch as we build towards the start of the new campaign. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 1/10/25

Orlando City reportedly nears signing Nicolas Rodriguez, Orlando Pride re-sign Marta, Americans abroad this weekend, and more.

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20 hours ago

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January 10, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Happy Friday! I’m already pretty much over this cold weather. While it was a nice change of pace, I’ve never been a huge fan of shivering in my car while waiting for the heat to get going. Thankfully, it looks like some warmer weather is coming this weekend before temperatures dip again next week. But enough about the weather, let’s get to today’s links!

Orlando City Linked With Nicolas Rodriguez

According to Fabrizio Romano, Orlando City is close to signing Colombian winger Nicolas Rodriguez from Fortaleza in Colombia’s top flight.

The 20-year-old would bring the club some needed attacking power and Orlando has open U22 Initiative slots to make it happen. The Lions have yet to make much noise this off-season beyond transferring Facundo Torres to Palmeiras, so hopefully signing Rodriguez kicks off the excitement ahead of the 2025 season. Another report has the transfer fee coming in around $2 million, with Fortaleza keeping a 30% sell-on fee if he’s sold in the future.

Marta Re-Signs With the Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride have re-signed Marta to a new contract that will keep her in the City Beautiful through 2026. Whether or not Marta would return was the biggest question mark surrounding the club after her contract expired following a historic season that included winning both the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship. Marta is one of the best attacking midfielders in the league and was a finalist for both the NWSL MVP and NWSL Midfielder of the Year awards last year. Enjoy how Marta revealed the big news through the club’s social media. She definitely had me in the first half.

Keeping Up With the Americans Abroad

Goalkeeper Ethan Horvath had a stellar game in Cardiff City’s 1-0 win over Sheffield United in the FA Cup, making seven saves in the shutout. It was his first start for the club since August and he could get the nod in Cardiff’s next FA Cup match in February. Lindsey Horan had an assist in Lyon’s 2-0 road win over Dijon, while Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty started in Celtic’s 2-0 win against Dundee United.

As for upcoming action, Joe Scally will have a chance to impress when Borussia Mönchengladbach hosts Bayern Munich on Saturday. Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, Giovanni Reyna and Borussia Dortmund will take on Bayer Leverkusen today. Serie A should feature the usual suspects on Saturday, with Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan playing Cagliari and Tim Weah, Weston McKennie, and Juventus facing off against Torino. We also might get to see Matt Turner in goal when Crystal Palace plays Stockport County in the FA Cup.

FA Cup Third Round Storylines

There’s plenty of more FA Cup soccer all over England this weekend to check out. While we were robbed from seeing Ashley Young and his son Tyler Young play against each other in Everton’s 2-0 win against Peterborough United, there are still many storylines in the third round. The heavyweight matchup is between Arsenal and Manchester United on Sunday. While it may be too much to say some of the English Premier League’s bigger clubs are on upset alert this weekend, Tottenham’s road game against Tamworth and Liverpool’s match with Accrington Stanley could prove interesting. Manchester City is set to take on a Salford City side owned by several former Manchester United players as well.

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That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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Orlando City

Orlando City is Often Late to the Transfer Party

Why you shouldn’t worry that we’re still waiting on Orlando City’s off-season signings.

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2 days ago

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January 9, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Here we are yet again. It’s that time of the year when seemingly every MLS club is making moves, signing new players, and going about the business of getting better for the coming season. It’s also the time of the year when supporters of Orlando City are looking around like Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, wondering where the signings are for the Lions.

I’m here to tell you not to panic. As frustrating as it is, this is business as usual for Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi and Vice President of Soccer Operations and Technical Director Ricardo Moreira. In case you’ve forgotten, here are some late signings that the club has made over the years.

January Signings

Despite how it feels, Orlando City signs plenty of players in January. Some of those have been earlier than Jan. 9. Nicolas Lodeiro signed with the club on Jan. 4, 2024, Rafael Santos signed on Jan. 5, 2023, and Cesar Araujo signed Jan. 7, 2022. I understand if you think they shouldn’t count since it was before this exact time of the month, but some fans have been freaking out for a week.

Let’s look at those on this day of the month or later. That list includes Martin Ojeda, who became a Lion on this day in 2023. In addition, Pedro Gallese signed Jan. 17, 2020, Ramiro Enrique signed on Jan. 30, 2023, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson signed the very next day. All four of those players were consistent starters in 2024.

February/March Signings

Muzzi and Moreira aren’t afraid to wait to see if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow to sign new players. Just last year, the club signed David Brekalo on Feb. 8 and Luis Muriel on Feb. 15. Muriel really came on late in the season, and Brekalo will certainly be vying to get his starting spot back in 2025.

I’ve saved my most compelling example for last. Orlando City signed Robin Jansson on March 12, 2019. All he’s done is become Orlando City’s captain and all-time appearance leader. His contributions to the club are extensive. Not too bad for a very late signing.

Historically speaking, Orlando City isn’t doing things any slower than usual. That is why I’m saying not to panic…yet. The Lions made it to the Eastern Conference final for the first time in 2024. If they want to win MLS Cup, the club will need to continue to improve the team.

Given the departure of Facundo Torres, at least one major signing needs to happen. Like you, I hope that signing happens sooner than later. Indeed, I’d like to see several signings, as the club wisely uses the money from the Torres deal to bolster the club for the upcoming season.

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