Lion Links: 11/25/23

The day has arrived, Mane Landers! The Lions are set to host an Eastern Conference semifinal match tonight at Exploria Stadium. I hope you have grabbed your tickets, but if not, there is still a bit of time to find your way into the stadium. Prior to the match, my wife and I are going to check out the new Hunger Games prequel at the movie theater. The original series released when I was in college, so there will be a bit of nostalgia watching the latest edition.

With such a big match upon us, there are plenty of links breaking it down today. So let’s get right to it.

Lions Host Columbus Crew

Orlando City hasn’t been to the conference semifinals since the 2020 season. The match against the Columbus Crew marks just the second time reaching this point in club history. Orlando enters as the No. 2 seed, but the two clubs often play to exciting scorelines no matter the potential talent gap through seeding purposes. The last time these teams played, Columbus took a 3-1 lead, only for the Lions to score three times from the 73rd minute and beyond to claim a wild 4-3 win.

A Clash of Strengths

Orlando City and the Columbus Crew offer contrasting styles and opposite strengths. The Crew play a pressure possession game that puts opposing defenses on their heels with quick attacks. Columbus led MLS with 67 goals in the regular season and scored eight during the three-game, opening-round series against Atlanta United. Orlando, on the other hand, was tied for the fifth-fewest goals allowed in the league, conceding only 39 in the regular season. The Lions were also the only team in the playoffs not to give up a goal, putting together consecutive 1-0 wins against Nashville in their first-round matchup. Head Coach Oscar Pareja knows that he needs more out of his Orlando attackers.

“In Columbus, you can see that initiative to be more aggressive,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said. “I guess that sometimes they need to defend too, and now our initiative is just to create a way where we can make them worry about defending too.”

Powering Through the Break

Orlando City has not played for 18 days. While the long layoff was partially due to the first-round sweep, it also backed up to the November FIFA international window. The Lions had five players away on international duty: goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and defensive midfielder Wilder Cartagena for Peru, winger Facundo Torres for Uruguay, forward Wilfredo Rivera for Puerto Rico, and defender Abdi Salim for Somalia. For the remaining players who stayed behind at home, they tried to make the most of the situation.

“We have been working,” Head Coach Oscar Pareja said. “After our game against Nashville, we had a couple of days off to refresh after our efforts there and the emotions the game brought us. We have kept a good pace and have worked on some details toward what is coming with Columbus. We are waiting for some players that are out on national team duty, but we are ready. This week, we have been a bit more intense in our preparations. The boys are good and healthy.” 

Mauricio Pereyra Set to Hit 10,000 Minutes

Should he start and play through the 38th minute today, captain Mauricio Pereyra will reach 10,000 minutes across all competitions as a Lion. Pereyra will be only the third Orlando City player to reach the milestone, joining defender Robin Jansson and goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. In his time with Orlando, the Uruguayan maestro has accumulated 134 appearances and holds the club assists record with 47. Pereyra will likely reach his milestone tonight, but the club has a chance at collectively reaching new heights as well. A win would advance the Lions to the Eastern Conference final for the first time in team history. The win would also make seven straight victories and 16 consecutive results at home. Each would be club records. 

Free Kicks

• Are Orlando City players really the villains of MLS?
• It is a split decision on our match, but check out who the experts think will be in the final four.
• The Columbus Crew have averaged only 1.5 goals per game on the road this season and have scored two or more goals in road matches just twice this season (once in Orlando).
• Harry Kane scored yet again, reaching 18 goals in the first 12 rounds of the Bundesliga, and became the first English player to reach 18 goals in a single Bundesliga season.
• Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has asked for patience before deciding whether his team is guilty of breaches of financial rules.
• Kylian Mbappé scored a penalty and his 14th league goal of the season as French leader Paris Saint-Germain beat third-place Monaco, but USMNT striker Florian Balogun didn’t leave empty-handed, bagging one of his own.

It’s about that time for our earlier-than-usual kickoff time. Be early, be loud, and be safe. Vamos Orlando!