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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Final Score 1-0 as Lions Claim Game 1 on Wilder Cartagena’s Wondergoal

The Lions take Game 1 thanks to a worldie by Wilder Cartagena and a stout defense.

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1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Alex Corrie

Midfielder Wilder Cartagena scored the goal of his life and the defense made it hold up as Orlando City defeated Nashville SC 1-0 at Exploria Stadium in Game 1 of the Lions’ first-round, best-of-three series in front of a raucous crowd of 19,744. Pedro Gallese came up big when needed but the defense did well to stifle the Nashville counterattack and the Lions officially won their first MLS playoff game (the 2020 match against New York City FC technically counts as a draw, advancing on penalties).

“I thought we had a good game, especially that first half where we we connected much more in the final third and then we created many options,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We could probably have been more precise and opened the game earlier, and they may have a couple goals too. The game is tight, especially against Nashville. They place a lot of players in their final third and it was difficult for us to break it up and it is a test for us to accomplish and just be more precise in that last part of the field so we don’t need to suffer that much.”

Pareja’s lineup was the same as what he mostly used down the final stretch of the regular season. Pedro Gallese started in net behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Cartagena started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres, with Duncan McGuire up top.

The Lions started brightly, getting an early flurry in the third minute. Torres and Angulo both saw scoring chances saved by Joe Willis. Torres cut inside in the sixth minute and curled a shot wide. Then, a minute later, Angulo passed up a shooting opportunity and laid off to Torres, who was double-teamed. The ball popped out to Cartagena outside the area but his long-range effort went just wide.

McGuire’s first chance came in the 17th minute but he was on the left and his left-footed effort was well off target.

Nashville should have scored in the 19th minute. A ball in from Jacob Shaffelburg found Sam Surridge all alone in front but the forward hit his point-blank shot over Gallese’s crossbar in a stunning miss.

Two minutes after the Nashville chance, Thorhallsson picked out McGuire in front but the redirection was partially blocked by Walker Zimmerman, allowing Willis to collect. McGuire tried a header off a menacing cross from Santos in the 26th minute but couldn’t direct it on frame.

Hany Mukhtar got a look in the 28th minute but his header was challenged well by Cartagena and he couldn’t put much power on it, allowing Gallese to pick it up.

Thorhallsson sent a curling effort over the bar from long range off a short corner play in the 30th minute as the Lions kept hunting for the opener. Five minutes later, Angulo had a shot blocked by the defense that may have found the corner had it not been deflected. Torres likewise had a shot blocked by Zimmerman in the 38th minute.

Cartagena put the Lions ahead on an absolute banger of a goal. Picking up a ball from Araujo in the middle, the Peruvian drove toward the top of the box. When nobody closed him down, Cartagena smashed a curling shot toward the right that caught the underside of the crossbar and went in, making it 1-0 in the 41st minute.

“It was a great goal. It was a beautiful goal,” Cartagena said through a club translator. “I think it was Cesar that headed it over to me and I found myself in a lot of space, and I decided to just hit it with a lot of confidence. And thankfully I hit it in a spot that was really difficult for the goalkeeper. I’ve been trying to do that the last couple of games and this one finally came off, and it was a great one.”

“I can tell you for me (Cartagena is) one of the most important players in our team defensively,” Thorhallson said. “He does all the dirty work, wins the first and the second ball, and makes other players shine. So, today he scored an amazing goal and I’m just really, really happy for him.”

Nashville nearly pulled the goal back three minutes later. Left alone from about 40 yards out, Mukhtar sent a rocket that got to Gallese before he was ready. The Peruvian international got a touch to it and knocked it off the crossbar to preserve the lead.

The Lions had the last chance on a corner kick that was knocked around the box in stoppage time. The ball deflected toward the back post, but Araujo did not expect it to get through and didn’t make a run for it, watching helplessly as it went out of play.

Orlando City finished the half with more possession (66.1%-33.9%), shots (16-3), shots on goal (3-2), corners (4-2), and passing accuracy (87.2%-76.6%).

The Lions were a little more careless with the ball in the second half, turning the ball over cheaply a few times, but the visitors couldn’t make them pay for it. Nashville came out of the locker room looking to quickly get back in the game and controlling the first 10 minutes or so.

Schlegel conceded a corner early in the half and then moments later was forced to take a booking for a tactical foul to stop Mukhtar. The foul gave Nashville a dangerous free kick opportunity but Mukhtar’s shot hit the wall and Orlando escaped the danger.

The Lions appeared poised to double the lead in the 53rd minute but Angulo’s shot was deflected at the last second and went out for a corner. There were shouts for a handball on Zimmerman but play continued without Armando Villarreal going to the monitor.

Schlegel had a chance in the 57th minute off another corner kick but he couldn’t generate enough power on his shot and Willis made a sprawling save.

Two minutes later, Thorhallsson had a chance to pass the ball centrally to an open teammate but instead spun outside and was dispossessed. Mukhtar ended up with the ball and Gallese made a big kick save on the deflected shot to keep Nashville off the board in the 59th minute.

Cartagena went down after the play and the trainers came on to check on him. He was subbed off for Junior Urso after a spectacular hour of work. After the match, Cartagena said he felt some pain but he was able to walk without it and he will get further evaluation, but he indicated that he didn’t believe it’s a serious issue.

Pereyra could have doubled the lead in the 66th minute when he got onto the ball in front of Willis, but the midfielder took an extra touch in the box and that allowed Daniel Lovitz to close him down and block the shot.

Lovitz then served up a beautiful cross in the 75th minute to substitute Teal Bunbury, but the veteran striker couldn’t direct it on target.

Orlando began looking for more opportunities to counter with Nashville chasing the game and holding a bit more possession and it nearly worked. Angulo fired a shot in the 77th minute that was blocked in front of goal by the defense. A minute later, Thorhallsson got in close and fired a shot that deflected just wide of the top right corner off a deflection.

Pareja made a triple substitution that spanned the 78th and 79th minutes, with Antonio Carlos, Ramiro Enrique, and Kyle Smith coming on for Pereyra, McGuire, and Santos. The Lions went to a five-man back line to see out the final 10 minutes.

Gallese made a big stop on a deft Surridge flick in the 80th minute but the forward was offside anyway.

Three minutes later, a frustrated-looking Mukhtar fired well over the bar from outside the area.

Orlando had one more good chance to try to put the game away in the 85th minute. Torres sent Urso down the right side of the box, but the midfielder had a tough angle to shoot from and his sliding effort was blocked by Willis.

Nashville threw more subs on, including Fafa Picault, and the visitors started trying to take advantage of the winger’s pace against Smith on Orlando’s left side. It worked in the 89th minute when Picault blew past Smith and won a corner. However, Nashville could not do anything with the set piece.

From there, the Lions saw out the final seconds and seven minutes of stoppage time. Araujo had one final shot attempt deep in stoppage time but it was well off target.

The final stats didn’t change much from the halftime numbers. Orlando City led in possession (58.4%-41.6%), although Nashville closed the gap somewhat when the Lions took a more defensive posture over the last 20 minutes. The Lions also finished with the advantage in shots (25-7), shots on target (5-3), corners (9-4), and passing accuracy (85.9%-79.8%).

“I think today we were the more aggressive team,” Cartagena said. “We pressed a lot. We were very incisive with our passing. Obviously, they’re a great team that defends really well, and it’s really difficult to to enter the area against them. But I think we’ve got players that are really unbalancing in the way that we like to play the game, and so we were able to create a lot of opportunities and then finish one.”

“Second half I thought we controlled the game,” Pareja said. “We have a couple options too, a few options that could have given us more peace just to control the game and not finish with the game that tight. But we recognize that Nashville were throwing bodies up front. And that line of five in the end just gave us energy. So, happy for this first playoff (win) but we have to get ready for the next one.”

These same two teams will get after each other again in Nashville next Tuesday, Nov. 7, at 9 p.m.

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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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15 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

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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19 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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