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Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Open Road Schedule with a Draw

The Lions finally got a goal in open play through Duncan McGuire but couldn’t hold the lead, settling for a draw at D.C. United.

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1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

The good news is that Orlando City finally scored a goal from open play. The bad news is that the Lions finally conceded a goal on the season as they left Audi Field with a 1-1 draw against D.C. United. Rookie Duncan McGuire put Orlando City (1-0-2, 5 points) on the board in the second half, but an inch-perfect shot by Chris Durkin enabled United (1-1-1, 4 points) to claim a point.

“In the first half today, we didn’t look like us,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I don’t blame the players. I just think that they did great trying to adjust. The intensity was good. We would like to play much better, obviously, but they’re always good (in terms of intensity and discipline).”

Pareja rotated his squad from Tuesday night’s match in Mexico. Pedro Gallese again started in goal but his defense was a three/five depending on whether Orlando had the ball or not. Rookie Abdi Salim, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Kyle Smith got the start, with Rafael Santos getting his first start at left wingback and Ivan Angulo playing wide right, with Wilder Cartagena and Mauricio Pereyra in central midfield. The attacking line featured Dagur Dan Thorhallsson and Facundo Torres on the wings underneath McGuire, who got his first start up top.

As has been the case throughout this young season, the Lions provided little to no danger in the attack in the opening half, while Gallese bailed the team out multiple times to keep the game scoreless through the first 45 minutes.

The hosts started to cause trouble early when former Orlando fullback Ruan sent in a good cross (I know!) in the sixth minute. Gallese came off his line to get a hand to it. The ball fell to Theodore Ku-Dipietro, who had his shot blocked in front.

Orlando City’s first shot attempt came from Wilder Cartagena in the 17th minute. He was way outside the box and obviously not in as much space as he thought because he got his shot blocked and it didn’t even make it inside the penalty area.

Gallese made a couple of tame stops early but in the 28th minute, the ball ended up with Christian Benteke all alone in front of goal when Salim missed getting his head to a cross. Benteke’s shot was good but Gallese’s save was better.

In the 34th minute, Gallese robbed Ku-Dipietro with a big stop and then Benteke nodded off target on the recyle attempt.

The Lions nearly got their first quality look of the game in the 41st when Pereyra sent a ball in for Torres. The younger Uruguayan’s first touch was a bit heavy though, and Tyler Miller scrambled off his line to smother it. It was practically Miller’s only activity in the opening 45.

Gallese had no trouble collecting Pedro Santos’ shot from distance in the 42nd minute, taking it on the first hop. Benteke fired wide of goal off Miller’s long free kick deep in first-half stoppage time as D.C. continued to present threats to the Orlando City goal.

The Lions had maybe their best attacking movement of the half deep in stoppage time when Torres sent a headed pass in behind down the left. McGuire ran onto it but could only win a corner kick.

D.C. held wide margins in possession (57.2%-42.8%), passing accuracy (85.2%-77.1%), shots (8-3), and shots on target (4-0). Orlando City had the first half’s only corner kick attempt deep in stoppage time but provided no threat from it.

If not for Gallese, the score could have been much different at the break.

Pareja changed shape and personnel at the break, sending Robin Jansson on for Salim and Martin Ojeda on for Torres. The Lions went to a four-man back line with Smith on the right, pushing Angulo up to the wing.

The move opened the game up a bit and the Lions were able to get on the ball more but also allowed D.C. to advance more easily as well, at times.

“We did expect the game in the second half we could have more volume and more actions up front,” Pareja said. “We knew the defensive five in the first half would probably reduce our possibilties because we were playing with one more defender and one less attacker. But we wanted to have solidness and try to see if we can create some more sequences around, in the flanks, and I think we did but not with so much consistency. Second half when we made the change of the model and the change of the personnel, we knew that this was going to surprise D.C. at some point and that we would add one more forward, and that happened.”

Thorhallsson finally gave the Lions a shot on goal in the 48th minute, sending his attempt from distance directly in at Miller, who had no trouble catching it. In the 52nd minute, Ojeda sent a ball straight to Miller that may have been a weak shot or an attempted through ball for McGuire that didn’t work out.

But a minute later, the Lions found their breakthrough.

Smith got the ball on the right side from Angulo and sent a cross to the back post. Thorhallsson was there and nodded it back across the front of goal. McGuire arrived to bundle the ball in despite a challenge from Steve Birnbaum and the ball finally found the inside of the net for Orlando. A check for offside confirmed the goal — McGuire’s first as a professional and on Thorhallsson’s first MLS assist.

The rookie celebrated his goal with a celebratory flip.

“It was a great team buildup. Great cross,” McGuire said. “I thought I could get my head onto (the initial cross from Smith). I turned, and Dagur played a great ball across the face of goal — made the goalie out of the play — and then it was a simple tap-in. Dagur could not have made it easier for me.”

“It’s a dream for him,” Pareja said of his rookie’s goal. “I’m very pleased because he’s a young kid and very committed with the group, and an American player that came from the college system, which is fantastic. And he’s proven already in his first game that he belongs. We’re very happy for him.”

The game had hardly restarted when it seemed D.C. would equalize. A shot that was blocked riccocheted off the arm of Wilder Cartagena and the referee immediately pointed to the spot. But Cartagena’s arm was not only tucked in, but his entire forearm was behind his back. That, added to the close proximity and sudden change of direction made the decision a harsh one, and the video assistant referee, Jorge Gonzalez, suggested that referee Jon Freemon have another look. Freemon went to the monitor and quickly overturned his initial call.

Pereyra turned down an opportunity to shoot from the top of the box in the 61st minute, and instead tried to thread a ball through the defense to Ojeda, who appeared to be offside anyway. Ojeda re-established himself and Pereyra played it to his left. Ojeda tried to turn and shoot in a single motion but couldn’t get squared all the way around and left his shot wide.

Seconds later, at the other end, Smith did well to erase a good cross from his former teammate, Ruan.

The Lions dealt with a series of corner kicks shortly after that but D.C. couldn’t pay them off. The best look for the hosts was a shot through traffic by fullback Mohanad Jeahze, but it was well wide of the goal in the 73rd minute.

Ojeda put a shot on target in the 79th but it was from distance and right at Miller.

A minute later, Durkin equalized. Smith and Schlegel were unable to gain control in the corner and the ball was sent to Durkin at the top of the area. He faked a shot on his right and pulled the ball back onto his left as second-half sub Cesar Araujo went for the block. Durkin then fired an unstoppable shot just inside the far post that Gallese somehow almost got to.

It was Durkin’s third career MLS goal and his second against Orlando City. Both cost the Lions points at Audi Field.

Ruan fired a shot well up into the crowd in the 86th after an initial clearance of a D.C. corner kick.

The final seconds of stoppage time produced a set piece for the Lions near the left corner, won by substitute Gaston Gonzalez. Ojeda played the ball to the penalty spot for Jansson, who had peeled away from goal. The Beefy Swede was open for the shot but mishit it badly and it went nowhere near the goal frame.

Orlando survived a quick D.C. push up the pitch and the final whistle brought the proceedings to an end.

D.C.’s advantage in possession dipped a little in the second half, but the hosts still finished with a comfortable advantage in that stat (56.7%-43.3%). United also led in passing accuracy (81.1%-75.5%), shots (16-9), shots on target (5-4), and corners (5-2).

“I thought we looked much, much better,” Pareja said of the second half. “I think we had a couple actions. I think we had a goal. And we accomplished that objective.”

Orlando City has made it through three of the five matches in 15 days and will return home to face Tigres in the second leg of Concacaf Champions league play in the Round of 16 Wednesday night at Exploria Stadium. The next league game for the Lions is set for next Saturday night at home against Charlotte.

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Lion Links: 5/7/24

Barbra Banda up for NWSL Goal of the Week, Americans in midweek action, Champions League preview, and more.

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2 hours ago

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May 7, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Tuesday, everyone. It was a mixed bag for Orlando’s teams over the weekend, as Orlando City B drew 1-1 with Chattanooga FC and lost the subsequent shootout, Orlando City lost 1-0 to FC Cincinnati, and the Orlando Pride won 1-0 over Racing Louisville. As usual, we have a lot to talk through this morning, so let’s dig into the links.

Barbra Banda Up for Goal of the Week

Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda has been nominated for the NWSL Goal of the Week for her strike in the 77th minute against the North Carolina Courage last Wednesday. Banda controlled the ball off a throw-in, turned, and drove across the box before slotting a low shot past Casey Murphy for the Pride’s fourth and final goal of the game. She scored twice in that game and scored again in Sunday’s win over Racing Louisville. Banda now has four goals in four games, and shows no sign of slowing down. Make sure you go vote for her to win this week’s award!

Americans in Midweek Action

As usual, there are a number of Americans playing games this week, so make sure you mark down any that you want to tune in for. Wednesday has Brandon Vazquez and Monterrey traveling to El Volcan to take on Tigres in the quarterfinals of the Clausura. Moving to Friday, Tanner Tessmann, Gianluca Busio and Venezia have a chance to gain promotion to Serie A if they beat Spezia and Como loses. On the other side of things, former Lion Nicholas Gioacchini and Como play Cosenza, and will secure automatic promotion as long as they don’t have a worse result than Venezia.

UEFA Champions League Preview

The UEFA Champions League continues this week with the second legs of the two semifinal matchups. In this afternoon’s game, Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique has said that even Kylian Mbappe will have to work hard defensively if his team is going to progress to the final. Borussia Dortmund leads that tie 1-0, and will need to rely on a defense that has kept five clean sheets in this year’s tournament. However, the German club has a concerning record away from home, where it has lost nine of its last 11 games. In tomorrow’s game between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, this season’s La Liga winner will hope its finishing prowess continues from the first leg, when it turned two chances into two goals.

European Transfer Rumor Roundup

With European seasons drawing to a close, the transfer rumor mill is starting to heat up, which means there are several items worth discussing today. First, Manchester United will reportedly face competition to sign Crystal Palace star Michael Olise. Chelsea and PSG are said to also be interested in signing the Frenchman, who was instrumental in his side’s 4-0 drubbing of the Red Devils yesterday. Staying in the Premier League, Virgil van Dijk has said he intends to be part of the transition following Jurgen Klopp’s departure from Liverpool, confirming that he does not intend to leave in the summer. Elsewhere, Bayern Munich is said to have agreed to personal terms with AC Milan’s Theo Hernandez. David Moyes has confirmed he will leave West Ham at the end of the season, with reports suggesting that the Hammers have reached an agreement with Julen Lopetegui to be the team’s new manager.

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That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s home loss to FC Cincinnati?

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22 hours ago

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May 6, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City dropped yet another match at home, this time to FC Cincinnati. Despite the 1-0 loss, a couple of red card, and the all-too-familiar lack of finishing, the Lions played pretty well. Orlando City continues to give up early goals and to not be able to find the back of the net. However, the Lions do create opportunities and are usually in the match despite recent results.

Here’s how I saw the individual performances for the Lions in this injury-riddled and heartbreaking loss.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — Gallese didn’t have much chance on the goal and otherwise had a decent night, making the saves on Cincinnati’s other two shots on goal. There were some scary moments when he found himself outside of the box on occasion, but he acquitted himself well. Apart from his goalkeeping, Gallese completed 70.6% of his 17 passes, including four of his nine long balls.

D, Rafael Santos, 6 — Santos was active in his time on the field. He had 44 touches, completing 75.9% of his 29 passes, including one of his two long balls. Santos completed one of his five crosses, and made a key pass. He took one shot but it was not on target as it was blocked. Defensively, Santos recorded two tackles and one interception. He made an extremely good recovery run to stop the counter attack in the 49th minute but dislocated his right shoulder in the process. That ended his night as he came off for Nico Lodeiro in the 51st minute.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 4 — Schlegel had a short night due to a red card in the 23rd minute on a foul committed in the 20th minute. Originally, the referee ruled it a fair challenge, but after looking again, Ismail Elfath gave the red card for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity, which was fair. He misplayed the pass that allowed Yuya Kubo to steal it at full speed and go one-on-one with Gallese, leading to the foul. He may have kept Acosta onside on the Cincinnati goal and was also beaten by Acosta in the box. He only had 14 touches in the game and completed all of his 13 passes, including both long ball attempts. Schlegel did not record a defensive stat.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — Jansson was mostly his usual good self this game. There was some fun to watch gamesmanship with Matt Miazga during Orlando City’s early corner kick attempts. He tied Cesar Araujo with a team-high 61 touches and completed 80% of his team-high 50 passes, including three of nine long balls. Defensively, he matched Dagur Dan Thorhallsson’s team-leading four tackles, while also adding an interception, a clearance, and a yellow card. He did get caught flat-footed on the goal by Acosta, but he wasn’t the only one.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6.5 — Thorhallsson once again got the start at right back and had a really good night up until he had to leave the match with a concussion in first-half stoppage time. He picked up the knock when he blocked the free kick Schlegel allowed in the 24th minute with his noggin. Thorhallsson was good at being in the right place at the right time to keep Cincinnati from going forward on his side of the pitch. He recorded 23 touches, completing 69.2% of his 13 passes, but didn’t connect on either his one attempted long ball or his one attempted cross. Defensively, he made four tackles, and blocked one shot. It’s a shame that he had to go off.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — Araujo had a solid performance against FC Cincinnati, recording 61 touches. He completed 87.2% of his 39 passes, including three of his five long balls, and took two shots. Defensively, he added two tackles, and an interception. Araujo was his usual frustrating self for the opposition, drawing nine fouls. His free kick attempt — which he earned — went into the wall, but he did recover it as well. His second shot was well taken but deflected wide.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 — Cartagena was almost the hero of the match. His shot in the fifth minute off of Martin Ojeda’s corner kick went off the crossbar, and his rocket of a shot in the 67th minute went in, but was waved off because Facundo Torres was offside. He tracked back to try to prevent Acosta’s goal in the first minute, but the Cincinnati star did well to cut back inside when Cartagena committed to blocking the shot or cross. Otherwise, Cartagena had a pretty good match. He had the fourth most touches with 54. He matched Araujo, completing 87.2% of his 39 passes, including six of his nine long balls. He also had two key passes and the aforementioned shot. Defensively, he added one tackle, two clearances, and one interception. He also earned one yellow card.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 7 (MotM) — Angulo was active in the match, roaming where he was needed, hounding Cincinnati defensively, and being an integral part of the attack. He had 60 touches and completed 82.4% of his 34 passes, including two key passes. He completed one of his three cross attempts, had three dribbles and drew four fouls. His lone shot was on target but it was blocked by the defense after he rounded the keeper. Defensively, he made three tackles. He made the necessary switch to a more defensive posture after Schlegel’s red card, but was still a good attacking threat from the left wingback position.

MF, Facundo Torres, 5.5 — Torres wasn’t as much of a factor as he needs to be for Orlando City. He recorded 51 touches while completing 75.9% of his 29 passes. He did not connect on any of his five crosses, nor his three long balls. He had one dribble and one tackle. He made way for Luis Muriel in the 70th minute.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6 — Ojeda was sacrificed for defense in the 27th minute after Schlegel’s departure. He only had 13 touches in his limited minutes but completed 83.3% of his six passes, including a successful long ball. Despite the limited minutes, Ojeda completed two of his five crosses and contributed a key pass.

F, Duncan McGuire, 6 — McGuire continues to show that despite all the botched trade shenanigans before the season, he wants to prove he’s a team player and a quality striker. He touched the ball 25 times and completed 77.8% of his 18 passes. Unfortunately, his one shot was not on target. Defensively, he made a clearance, and while he was the outlet player when the team went down to 10 men, he still came back to help on defense.

Substitutes

D, David Brekalo (28’), 6 — Brekalo came on in the 28th minute for Ojeda, but he really came on to replace Schlegel. He had 33 touches and completed 80.8% of his 26 passes, though he did not complete either of his two long balls. Defensively, he had one interception, one clearance, and one blocked shot. He had one decent run into the attack, although ultimately it came to nothing.

D, Michael Halliday (45’+ 4), 5.5 — Initially, it looked like Oscar Pareja would bring on Kyle Smith for the injured Thorhallsson, but instead it was Halliday. The youngster hasn’t had many minutes this season and defensively the rust showed. Halliday recorded 33 touches, completing 80% of his 15 passes, including both of his long balls. He attempted a cross but it didn’t connect. He also had a shot on goal, but it was deflected. Defensively, he had one tackle, one interception, and committed two fouls. One of those resulted in a yellow card for his foul on Kevin Kelsey. He put himself in dangerous positions repeatedly but simply couldn’t finish the play.

MF, Nico Lodeiro (52’), 6 — When Santos went off injured, Pareja brought on Lodeiro to bolster the midfield and, hopefully, the attack. He touched the ball 26 times and completed 78.6% of his 14 passes and his only long ball. The veteran also connected on two of his four crosses, and his late header nearly leveled the match, but keeper Roman Celentano got a paw on it to keep it out. Defensively, Lodeiro contributed a tackle.

F, Luis Muriel (70’), 5.5 — Muriel came on for Torres, playing under McGuire as Orlando City pushed for the equalizer. He only managed 12 touches and completed 44.4% of his nine passes, with one unsuccessful long ball attempt. He did have one dribble and drew a foul in a dangerous area but didn’t take any shots in the match.

That’s how I saw the performances for Orlando City in its 1-0 loss to FC Cincinnati Saturday night. Let us know how you saw the game and vote for your Man of the Match below.

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Lion Links: 5/6/24

Lions lose at home, Orlando Pride win, OCB draws Chattanooga FC, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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May 6, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers. I hope all is well with you down in Florida. It was another mixed weekend for our teams as the Lions lost, the Pride won, and OCB drew. As for me, I’ve been busy managing the broadcast operations for the NISA league’s matches this weekend and also got a chance to cover high school soccer, softball, and badminton. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Lose at Home to FC Cincinnati

Orlando City lost at home for the second straight weekend with a 1-0 defeat to FC Cincinnati at Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday. Luciano Acosta scored the lone goal for Cincinnati just seconds into the match. Orlando City went down to 10 men when defender Rodrigo Schlegel received a red card in the first half. The Lions had some chances to get back in this one, including a free kick opportunity in the second half when Wilder Cartagena scored what would have been the equalizer, but Facundo Torres was ruled offside, and the goal was waved off. Cincinnati also dropped to 10 men late in the second half as defender Bret Halsey received his second yellow for a foul on Ivan Angulo and knocked the ball out to waste time. Still, FC Cincinnati found a way to hang on for the victory, securing its third win in a row. Orlando City will look to rebound on Saturday as it takes on the Philadelphia Union at Suburu Park.  

Orlando Pride Win at Home Against Racing Louisville FC

The Orlando Pride defeated Racing Louisville FC on Sunday, 1-0, at Inter&Co Stadium, winning their fifth straight game. Barbra Banda scored the lone goal of the match and now has four goals for the Pride this season. The Pride remain undefeated in league play, keeping their unbeaten streak alive at eight matches (5-0-3). Orlando also moved up to first in the NWSL table with 18 points. The Pride will be back home on Saturday to face Bay FC. 

OCB Draws Chattanooga FC

Orlando City B drew 1-1 on the road against Chattanooga FC on Saturday. The Young Lions trailed early in the first half as Mehdi Ouamri put Chattanooga FC in front 1-0. Later in the first half, OCB got an equalizer, with forward Shak Mohammed finding the back of the net to score his second goal of the season. The match went to penalties after 90 minutes of action, where Chattanooga FC won the extra point with a 5-4 win over OCB. Despite not getting the extra point in penalties, the Young Lions still keep their road unbeaten streak alive at five. OCB will have a quick turnaround with its next match at Osceola County Stadium on Wednesday against New York Red Bulls II.

European Soccer Roundup

Real Madrid clinched the La Liga title on Saturday, defeating Cadiz 3-0, while their rivals Barcelona dropped points in a 4-2 loss to Girona over the weekend. Madrid has now won La Liga for the 36th time and still has a shot of adding another trophy if it gets past Bayern Munich in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday to reach the final next month. Elsewhere, we had plenty of drama in England. Let’s start in the EFL Championship, where Ipswich Town joined Leicester City, getting promoted to the Premier League after a 2-0 victory against Huddersfield Town. Leeds United, Southhampton, West Brom, and Norwich City will go to the playoffs to determine the third club to secure promotion. Arsenal won 3-0 over Bournemouth, while Manchester City cruised to a 5-1 win over Wolves to keep the EPL title race tight. Arsenal is in first with 83 points, with two matches remaining, while Manchester City is just behind in second with 82 points and three matches left to play.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride midfielder Ally Lemos gave insight on her first NWSL start for the Pride after their match against Racing Louisville FC on Sunday.
  • PSV Eindhoven clinched the Eredivisie title on Sunday with a 4-2 win over Sparta Rotterdam. American Malik Tillman played for 90 minutes, while Ricardo Pepi came off the bench and added an assist. 
  • USMNT midfielder Christian Pulisic put on a solid performance and contributed an assist for AC Milan in a 3-3 draw against Genoa on Saturday.
  • USWNT forward Catarina Macario came off the bench for Chelsea in the second half and made WSL history by adding two assists in 10 minutes in an 8-0 win over Bristol City.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday and I’ll see you next time.

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