Connect with us

Orlando City

International Duty Provides Mason Stajduhar with Opportunity for Growth

Orlando’s Homegrown goalkeeper has a chance to lead the Lions to their first league win of 2024.

Published

on

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City will look to earn the squad’s first victory of the 2024 season tonight against Austin FC after a hectic and congested start to the season. Tonight’s match lands smack dab in the middle of an international window, which will see Orlando without multiple familiar faces, including Facundo Torres, Duncan McGuire, and Pedro Gallese.

While the depth at the positions players like Torres and McGuire usually occupy has already been tested and given ample game time on the field to start the season, there is one substitute who has yet to see the field in the regular season.

Backup goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar, who originally was signed as a Homegrown Player back in 2015, is set to get the start against Austin FC with Gallese away representing Peru. While a few fans on social media have been soap boxing for this change to take place as the Lions have allowed 10 goals through the first four MLS matches of the season, it would be incredibly shortsighted and premature to put Gallese out to pasture just yet. There have been a few saves which El Pulpo would normally make which have gotten by him, but it would be irresponsible to ignore that a good number of the goals scored against OCSC this season have come not from poor goalkeeping, but rather total defensive breakdowns.

Nonetheless, there will now be a golden opportunity for Stajduhar to showcase his growth as a keeper and to demonstrate why he was signed to a contract extension back in June of 2022. Stajduhar was called upon once this season already against Cavalry FC at home on Feb. 27 in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup — a game that Orlando won 3-1, during which he faced three shots on target.

Stajduhar, 26, is capable of controlling the box and making athletic saves when needed. It has been almost a year to the day when Stajduhar started on the road for Orlando City against the Philadelphia Union in Chester, PA, amidst a then-rocky start to the 2023 campaign, and with multiple players gone on international duty. Sound familiar?

He helped Orlando to a 2-1 victory that night, which was a statement win at the time in an otherwise very early season. The hope now is that he can take to the starting 11 once again and help facilitate a positive result for the Lions.

While Gallese is likely to miss more time with Peru on international duty throughout the season, Orlando is no longer competing in the U.S. Open Cup this year, which in seasons past gave ample experience for Stajduhar, specifically in the early rounds of the tournament. Injuries notwithstanding, the exposure to the starting lineup for Mason will be less than it has been in years past, which is why an opportunity to work towards a victory, at minimum, and possibly even a clean sheet, stands so large for the keeper tonight.


I have a lot faith in the longest-tenured Lion on the roster, and Austin FC is as good a squad as any to face while missing the key cogs of the rotation. Orlando has to pick up a win eventually this season, and I see no reason why it can’t so so tonight with Stajduhar in goal. Do you share my sentiments? Let us know in the comments below, and as always, vamos Orlando!

Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/12/24

Examining Orlando City’s playoff path, what to watch in the Concacaf Nations League, Lily Yohannes declares for the U.S., and more.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City / Jeremy Reper

Happy Tuesday, everyone! The weekend couldn’t have gone much better for Orlando’s soccer teams, as both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride advanced after their respective playoff games, with the Pride dominating Chicago and the Lions getting a late, dramatic equalizer before winning the penalty shootout. The Pride will return to action Sunday against the Kansas City Current, while the Lions have a slightly longer layoff before they take on Atlanta United. As usual, we have plenty to discuss this morning, so let’s get into the links.

Orlando City’s Playoff Path

It was a wild weekend for the MLS playoffs as far as the Eastern Conference was concerned, and a slew of upsets suddenly means that the path to the MLS Cup final in the Eastern Conference goes through Orlando. The Lions are the highest remaining seed in the East, and not only will they host Atlanta Nov. 24, but they would also host the Eastern Conference final, should they come out victorious. Oscar Pareja spoke after the game about not wanting the victory over Charlotte FC to be the end of the playoff journey, and says the team intends to chase the MLS Cup. If Orlando does make it that far, the team wouldn’t be likely to host the match, as it would require Minnesota United to come out of the Western Conference in order for the final to be held in Orlando. Stranger things have happened though.

What to Watch For With the USMNT

It seems like we just had an international break, but here we are again with two more United States Men’s National Team games on the docket. These are two important games, as the USMNT squares off against Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. Besides the obvious chance to advance to the semifinals, there are plenty of other storylines to keep an eye on. With Josh Sargent and Folarin Balogun both absent due to injury, can Ricardo Pepi seize an opportunity to lay claim to the starting striker role? What sort of impacts can Brendan Aaronson and Weston McKennie have in the midst of good starts to the season for their clubs? Last, but certainly not least, is Christian Pulisic, who has had a fantastic start to the season and will have many eyes on him in the first competitive matches under Mauricio Pochettino.

Lily Yohannes Chooses the United States

The United States Women’s National Team has landed a great young talent, as Lily Yohannes announced on Monday that she has chosen to represent the U.S. over the Netherlands. While she was born in Virginia, Yohannes has lived abroad since the age of 10, making her eligible to play for either country. However, she stated that with the United States being her country of birth, as well as where her extended family lives, she decided to commit to representing Emma Hayes’ team. Yohannes made her debut for Ajax’s senior side in November of last year, and has seven goals in 40 appearances for the Dutch team.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

As always, the transfer rumor mill continues to turn, which means we have plenty of things to catch up on. We start with Major League Soccer itself, where FC Cincinnati’s Luciano Acosta has said he may have played his final game for the club. He cited frustration with falling short of silverware as a possible reason for wanting to move on, so he may change his mind once the sting has faded more. Moving to Spain, Barcelona is reportedly monitoring Eintracht Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush as an option to replace the aging Robert Lewandowski. Arsenal and Manchester United are said to be interested in Leroy Sane, and will pursue him hard if contract talks with Bayern Munich don’t progress well.

Free Kicks

  • NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman had some friendly words for the Orlando Pride.

That does it for me today. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Orlando City

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

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw/4-1 shootout win in Game 3 against Charlotte FC?

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The Cardiac Cats were back again as Orlando City conceded its first goal of the postseason in the 81st minute, equalized on a rebound from a saved penalty with almost the last kick of the game, and won on penalties. Before we begin to look forward to the Eastern Conference semifinal against Atlanta United, we’ll look back at how the team played in its 1-1 draw and 4-1 shootout victory against Charlotte FC.

Let’s take a look at the individual performances in this memorable playoff battle.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 7 — The Lions dominated the chances in this game, so there wasn’t a lot for Gallese to do in the 90 minutes. He saved two of the three shots on target, and the goal he conceded took a deflection that sent the goalkeeper the wrong way. Gallese’s moment came in the penalty shootout with everything on the line. He saved the first two penalties to give his team a commanding lead, helping the Lions advance. He also guessed correctly on the third penalty, although he couldn’t quite get to Ashley Westwood’s shot. In addition to his shot stopping, Gallese completed 80% of his 10 passes but neither of his two long balls. He also recorded two clearances. Although he had a quiet game in regulation, he did what was needed in the shootout.

D, Rafael Santos, 6 — Santos had a team-high 86 touches, completed 87.7% of his 57 passes and two of his three long balls, and had two key passes. While he only completed one of his seven crosses, he should have had an assist when Kyle Smith failed to convert right in front of the goal in the 90th minute. Defensively, the left back recorded two tackles, two interceptions, and four clearances, leading the team in all three statistics. He also converted his penalty, sending the Lions through to the conference semifinals.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — Jansson touched the ball 69 times in this game while completing 92.1% of his 63 passes. He had one key pass, completing five of his 10 long balls, and put his lone shot on target. Defensively, Jansson was less active than usual, recording three clearances and a blocked shot. He got caught on a high bounce on the attack that ultimately led to Charlotte’s only goal, which was his lone mistake of the night.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Schlegel had 42 touches in the game and completed 87.5% of his 32 passes, including two of his three long balls. Like Jansson, Schlegel took one shot and put it on target. The center back recorded one tackle, two interceptions, and three clearances. He was replaced by David Brekalo in the 89th minute.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6 — Touching the ball 49 times in this game, Thorhallsson completed 87.9% of his 33 passes, including two key passes, one of his three crosses, and his lone long ball. He didn’t take any shots in the game and didn’t record any defensive statistics before being replaced by Kyle Smith in the 79th minute.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 — Cartagena came into this game with two yellow cards, leaving him one short of a suspension. However, the defensive midfielder did well to stay out of the book while touching the ball 84 times and retaining his grit in the middle of the pitch. He completed 88% of his team-high 75 passes, including four of his six long balls. He recorded two interceptions and a clearance, but his biggest impact was a good ball into the box that contributed to Djibril Diani pulling down Duncan McGuire, resulting in the penalty that set up the equalizer.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — Araujo took 70 touches and was back to his stellar passing, completing 93% of his 57 attempts, including one of his two crosses and six of his seven long balls. He was also credited with a key pass in the game. His two shots were off target, but he added three clearances defensively.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo’s 37 touches were the fewest of Orlando City’s midfielders. However, he completed 93.3% of his 30 passes, the highest pass completion percentage of his position group. His only shot was off target and he didn’t record any defensive statistics before being replaced by Luis Muriel in the 65th minute.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6.5 — Ojeda touched the ball 62 times and completed 83.8% of his 37 passes, including four of his five long balls and a team-high four key passes. However, he only completed three of his team-high 14 crosses. One of the midfielder’s two shots was on target and he didn’t have a defensive impact before coming off for Nico Lodeiro in the 79th minute. For much of the first hour of the game, most of Orlando’s offensive chances and most dangerous attacks came via Ojeda’s forays up the left and interplay with Santos.

MF, Facundo Torres, 7 (MotM) — Torres had 68 touches and completed 88% of his 50 passes, including two key passes. He didn’t complete any of his seven crosses but all of his three long balls. While only two of his six shots were on target, he hit the post and crossbar in the first half. More importantly, he converted on the rebound after Kristijan Kahlina saved his penalty for the equalizing goal. He made up for the penalty save by converting his spot kick in the shootout.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 5.5 — Enrique wasn’t very involved in this game, touching the ball 20 times and completing 90.9% of his 11 passes. While he completed his lone cross, none of four shots were on target, including a free running header on a corner kick when he was left completely uncovered. The forward was replaced by Duncan McGuire in the 65th minute.

Substitutes

F, Duncan McGuire (65’), 6 — McGuire came on for Enrique in the 65th minute, but only touched the ball five times. He completed all four of his passes and didn’t take any shots, but had the most impactful play of the night. In the final seconds of the game, he went down after a tug on the back of his jersey by Diani, drawing the penalty that resulted in the equalizing goal. Unfortunately, he injured his shoulder on the play and didn’t take part in the shootout.

F, Luis Muriel (65’), 6.5 — Muriel replaced Angulo in the 65th minute and touched the ball 28 times. He completed 76.5% of his 17 passes, including a key pass, one of his two long balls, and one of his two through balls.  Only one of his three shots were on target, with his free kick effort deflected by the defense, but he converted the first penalty in the shootout, getting the Lions off to a good start. His introduction allowed the Lions to maintain possession and create chances as time wound down.

MF, Nico Lodeiro (79’), 6 — Lodeiro came on for Ojeda in the 79th minute, touching the ball 19 times in his short appearance. He completed 83.3% of his 12 passes, including a key pass and two of his seven crosses.

D, Kyle Smith (79’), 5.5 — Smith came on for Thorhallsson in the 79th minute, touching the ball seven times and completing one of his three passes. Santos found him for a tap-in at the back post in the 90th minute, but the defender completely messed up the golden opportunity stepping over/onto the ball and going to ground. However, he made up for it with the best penalty of the shootout, in my opinion. He didn’t end up with any defensive statistics in the game.

D, David Brekalo (89’), N/A — Brekalo replaced Schlegel in the 89th minute, as Oscar Pareja wanted his aerial presence on the field for the final push. He touched the ball seven times and completed all of his five passes. He didn’t record any defensive statistics in his short appearance.


That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s playoff win over Charlotte. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/11/24

Orlando City and Orlando Pride advance in the playoffs, MLS and NWSL playoff roundups, USMNT roster announced, and more.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Alex Corrie

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you in Florida. Happy Veteran’s Day to all those who have served or are currently serving in the military. I’ve been busy working at Under Armour during the holiday weekend. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Advance to Eastern Conference Semifinals

Orlando City defeated Charlotte FC 4-1 in penalties after a thrilling 1-1 draw Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second straight year. The Lions were down 1-0 late in the match, with their run in the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs about to end. However, Duncan McGuire was pulled down in the box and Orlando was awarded a penalty kick deep in stoppage time. Facundo Torres had his penalty kick saved but scored on the rebound to tie the game at 1-1. In the penalty shootout, Pedro Gallese came up with big saves, and every Lion converted their kick to book Orlando’s ticket into the next round. It took three matches, but the Lions are through and will face Atlanta United at home Nov. 24.

Pride Secure First Playoff Win Against the Chicago Red Stars

The Orlando Pride defeated the Chicago Red Stars 4-1 on Friday at Inter&Co Stadium to secure their first-ever NWSL playoff win. Barbra Banda scored twice, and Haley McCutcheon and Marta each added one for Orlando. The Red Stars pulled one back with a goal from Jameese Joseph, but the Pride dominated the match from start to finish and advanced to the semifinals. The Pride will face the Kansas City Current at home Sunday with a spot in the NWSL Championship on the line.

First Round of MLS Playoffs Wraps Up

It was a wild weekend to conclude the first round of the 2024 MLS playoffs, with plenty of Game 3 drama. Let’s start with a big upset in South Florida, as Atlanta United got two goals from Jamal Thiare and won 3-2 win against Supporters’ Shield winners Inter Miami. New York City FC defeated FC Cincinnati 6-5 in penalties after a scoreless draw and will move on to face the New York Red Bulls in a playoff edition of the Hudson River Derby in the next round. Inter Miami, Columbus Crew, and FC Cincinnati were the three highest seeds in the Eastern Conference and all three were eliminated after the first round. Out west, LAFC secured a 1-0 over the Vancouver Whitecaps with Mateusz Bogusz scoring the lone goal to advance. LAFC will take on the Seattle Sounders, while the LA Galaxy will face Minnesota United in the Western Conference semifinals.

NWSL Playoff Quarterfinals Roundup

The first round of the 2024 NWSL playoffs is also in the books. The Kansas City Current defeated the North Carolina Courage 1-0 Saturday. Temwa Chawinga scored for the Current and extended their unbeaten run to 10 matches. There were two more matches on Sunday, and the Washington Spirit fought back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat Bay FC 2-1 to advance. NJ/NY Gotham FC edged the Portland Thorns 2-1 with Rose Lavelle scoring the winning goal late in stoppage time. Gotham and the Spirit will square off on Saturday at Audi Field.

USMNT Roster Announced for Nations League

United States Men’s National Team Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino announced the 25-man roster for the upcoming Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal matches against Jamaica. Antonee Robinson, Miles Robinson, Tim Ream, and Chris Richards are a few of the defenders called up, while the midfield includes Brenden Aaronson, Weston McKennie, and Yunus Musah. Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi, Tim Weah, and Brandon Vazquez are some of the attackers to keep an eye on. Goalkeepers Matt Turner and Zack Steffen were called up alongside Patrick Schulte and Diego Kochen. Orlando City’s Duncan McGuire was not called up, and Real Salt Lake forward Diego Luna is another notable player who wasn’t selected. The USMNT will face Jamaica in a two-legged series this week, with the first match in Kingston Thursday followed by the second leg Monday at City Park in St. Louis.

Free Kicks

  • In case you missed it, check out this video of Facundo Torres’ equalizer on Orlando City’s social media page to secure his 20th goal of the year.
  • The Orlando Pride honored Brazilian midfielder Luana before their playoff win on Friday.

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

Continue Reading

Trending