Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Struggle on the Road

In an ugly road game, the Lions endured another controversy that went against them but ultimately accomplished little against the Fire.

Published

7 months ago

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

In perhaps the most frustrating match of the season, Orlando City threw away a one-goal lead on the road and drew an abysmal Chicago Fire team 1-1 at Soldier Field. The Lions (4-6-5, 17 points) got an early goal by Facundo Torres but were cut open repeatedly throughout the night and ultimately gave up a soft goal to Hugo Cuypers of the Fire (2-8-6, 12 points) in the second half to split the points.

Orlando City will feel hard done by the officiating crew again after what appeared to be a clear foul on an Ivan Angulo breakaway in the penalty area late in the first half, but the Lions simply didn’t play well enough outside of that to deserve three points.

“A game that we should have won,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I thought we had our opportunities. I thought we had our actions to define the game. We felt that we should have won it.”

Pareja rolled with his 3-5-2 with Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Robin Jansson, Wilder Cartagena, and David Brekalo. Torres and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson played the wingback positions outside a midfield of Nico Lodeiro, Cesar Araujo, and Angulo, with Luis Muriel and Martin Ojeda up top.

Orlando City struggled all night to connect passes, seemingly baffled by the Chicago defense. Passes were often straight at Fire opponents, whether a no-look, one-touch effort or with plenty of time and space and a good view of the field. The striker partnership of Muriel and Ojeda was disjointed, and Ojeda struggled mightily in about every phase of the game on this night.

Still, the Lions took the lead just four minutes in. A good ball into the area by Angulo found Torres in front. The winger didn’t shoot with his first touch and he had a couple of attempts blocked by the defense just above the top of the six. Angulo had a go and his shot was blocked and it shook loose for Torres to take a swipe at. The Uruguayan made contact with the ball and it somehow squirted through the bodies in front and just inside the left post to make it 1-0.

“It was a ball that kind of fell to my right foot, and I was trying to control and finish with my right foot, but it escaped me a little bit,” Torres said. “And then there were about a thousand different situations in which we were trying to get it in, and it didn’t end up falling that way. But then it fell to my left foot in a situation where I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to finish, but thankfully it went in. At the end of the day, it doesn’t help us too much, because we were only able to get the draw, but (I’m) happy to be able to put the ball in the back of the net.”

The hosts were dealt a blow when fullback Andrew Gutman picked up a knock and was replaced in the 12th minute by Arnaud Souquet.

Each team blew a scoring chance over the next few minutes, only to see the flag come up anyway as this match was anything but the beautiful game.

Chicago couldn’t take advantage of Araujo and Cartagena both failing to clear their lines in the 21st minute when Cuypers sent a shot just inches wide of the left post. After Orlando did little more than get a blocked Angulo shot on a pair of consecutive corner kicks, Chicago got forward again and Brian Gutierrez shot from outside the area. Lodeiro got a foot on the attempt and it made for an easy scoop for Gallese.

Angulo blazed by the entire Fire defense in the 31st minute and with two teammates to his left, only he’ll know for sure if his final ball was a terrible shot or a bad pass. It ended up serving as neither.

Orlando’s defense had shaky moments throughout the match. Tom Barlow had a free header at the near post on a corner kick in the 32nd minute but missed the target badly. Five minutes later, Souquet got in on goal but fired his shot over the net.

The defense was cut open in the 42nd minute, allowing Federico Navarro to get into the box, but Gallese was there to make a vital save.

For the second straight game, an inexplicable call denied Orlando City a penalty, and this time there wasn’t even a potential foul on the other end to offer up any way to justify it. In fact, nothing could explain it away. Angulo was played in behind the defense by Lodeiro in stoppage time and was alone on goalkeeper Chris Brady. As he rounded Brady and prepared to slot the ball into an empty net, Angulo was clipped from behind in his trailing leg by Navarro and couldn’t maintain his balance after that contact and one additional bundle from behind. It seemed like a clear and obvious denial of a goal-scoring opportunity.

However, after a lengthy delay, video assistant referee Edvin Jurisevic determined that referee Malik Badawi did not make a clear and obvious error. Badawi did not go look at the play himself.

“We should have scored that one,” Pareja said. “I can’t understand why it’s not a PK. Surely if I go with all that I should say today I will be fined or something, but it’s inexcusable for the referee not to give us that PK. The guy came from behind him and pushed him. It was a clear PK.

“First and foremost, I think it was a penalty, and I said that (on the field), but at the end of the day you have to live with the decisions of the referee. Some referees would think that that was an error and go back and fix it. This referee didn’t think that there was an error, so we just continued to play, and that’s how it goes.”

The Lions instead had a corner and were called for a foul on the play.

Chicago finished the first half with the advantage in possession (51.4%-48.6%), shots (11-6), and passing accuracy (84.7%-84.6%), while the Lions had more shots on target (2-1), and corners (3-2).

The Lions looked a bit more lively in the opening minutes of the second half, but after about 15 minutes, Chicago looked in control of the match. Orlando won some set pieces early in the half but did nothing with them.

Brekalo bailed Angulo out in the 68th minute after the latter turned the ball over in his own half, leading to a transition chance. The Slovenian defender made a good play to take it away from Cuypers and end the threat.

Muriel got down the left a minute later but instead of shooting with his left foot, he tried to cut back to his right and was dispossessed. It was a costly blown chance because the Fire tied the game on its ensuing possession.

Chicago’s equalizer started at midfield and quickly cycled to the left. Brekalo came out to challenge the ball with plenty of help behind him, but both Cartagena and Thorhallsson reacted too slowly and Souquet got in behind. The substitute centered the ball to Cuypers who got across the front of Jansson and hit a weak shot toward goal that was back toward the direction from which Gallese came. The Peruvian wasn’t able to stop his motion cleanly and the ball dribbled under his outstretched arm and into the net.

The Lions were fortunate not to go behind off their own set piece in the 75th minute. Ojeda left the free kick cross too close to Brady, who punched it well out of his box. It fell kindly to a Fire teammate and the break was on. Orlando was completely disorganized, leaving two opponents wide open on the right. Chicago reacted too slowly, but eventually worked the ball to Jonathan Dean at the top of the area but the right back shot just wide.

Two minutes after that miss, Orlando should have taken the lead. Torres got down the left and put in an inch-perfect cross to Muriel at the back post. The Colombian had a free header but drove it straight at Brady for a comfortable save in the 77th minute.

In the late going, Orlando appeared content with one point on the road against one of the league’s worst teams. Chicago nearly made the Lions pay for that, creating several chances down the stretch. Gutierrez sent a curling shot from the left just wide of Gallese’s far post in the 79th minute. Fabian Herbers shanked a shot from a dangerous spot in the 85th minute and Carlos Teran’s free header was wide on the recycled ball.

Orlando’s last look at goal came in the 91st minute, when substitute Ramiro Enrique made a great play to poke the ball past his opponent and into space for him to run onto. Enrique blazed into the attacking third, cut to his right to clear himself a path to goal, and then fizzed a shot just over the bar.

That was the last decent sight of goal for either side and the game ended in a stalemate.

Chicago finished with the advantage in possession (52.2%-47.8%), shots (18-8), and corners (6-4). The Lions passed slightly more accurately (83.6%-83%), and both teams put two shots on target.

“There’s no excuses,” Torres said. “It was the responsibility of ourselves, especially given the way that we started to maintain control the ball and to play within our game, and when we weren’t doing that, that’s when Chicago was able to really grow into the game and believe in themselves. And this team takes nothing but responsibility for the result tonight.”

“Like always, we’re trying to recover, trying to get feedback from the game, and trying to prepare for the next rival,” Pareja said. “For us it’s important that we can keep our mind calm and see the things we need to get better. Obviously today we wanted the three points, but we’ll take this one. It’s what we should do and then prepare for New York.”

Orlando City has another quick turnaround with a match looming Saturday night at the New York Red Bulls.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Jack Lynn

The young striker played a career high in minutes for Orlando City and played in all four
competitions.

Published

10 hours ago

on

December 11, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Jack Lynn joined Orlando City through the 2022 MLS SuperDraft, when he was selected in the first round by the Lions with the No. 18 overall pick out of Notre Dame. He primarily played with OCB during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, scoring 15 goals in 2022 and 19 in 2023 while earning the MLS NEXT Pro MVP for that season. He was a depth player for most of the 2024 season with Orlando City, but late in the season he returned to playing more frequently with OCB, and quickly found his goal-scoring form once again with the Young Lions.

Let’s take a look back at Lynn’s 2024 season.

Statistical Breakdown

After two seasons of double-digit goal scoring in MLS NEXT Pro, the young forward looked to be a leading candidate to serve as the backup to Duncan McGuire, and in the opening few months he was frequently in the game day squad. However, the signing of Luis Muriel meant that he often was an unused substitute as the Lions used McGuire and Muriel as their strikers. Ramiro Enrique then returned from a prolonged absence and took over the starting spot with McGuire as the primary sub off the bench, and in the second half of the season, Lynn did not dress for Orlando City as frequently. He got some starts for OCB and scored four goals and had one assist in his eight games played with the Young Lions.

For Orlando City, Lynn appeared primarily in MLS regular-season games, making 11 appearances with two starts, playing 253 minutes. He took six shots, putting three on target and scoring two goals. He passed at a 66.7% completion percentage but did not have any key passes or assists. On the defensive side deuces were wild, as he won two tackles, made two blocks and had two clearances. He committed five fouls, drew two on the opposition, and was not booked.

Lynn also made one appearance late in the Lions’ final MLS playoff match, coming in for two minutes and recording just one touch of the ball, with no shots, passes attempted or defensive actions, and he did not receive a booking.

During Concacaf Champions Cup play, the Notre Dame product came off the bench in both games against Cavalry FC, playing 21 total minutes without a goal contribution, recording one shot that was off target, completing all three of his passes, and suffering one foul. He did not contribute any defensive actions or get booked.

Lynn participated in one Leagues Cup match, subbing in against CF Montréal. He played 12 minutes and did not have a goal contribution or take any shots, but he completed both of his passes, with one being a key pass. On the defensive side, he made two recoveries and committed one foul, but he wasn’t booked.

Best Game

The 24-year-old striker earned his first-ever starting nod for Orlando City on March 23 against Austin FC, and in the 42nd minute, he scored his first MLS goal. He timed his run perfectly to get wide open at the back post and finished with a powerful header off a cross from Dagur Dan Thórhallsson to give the Lions a 1-0 lead.

Lynn went on to play 73 minutes, completing 10 of his 13 passes (76.9%) and adding one additional off-target shot. He contributed a tackle and a clearance on defense. Orlando City won the game 2-0, making Lynn’s goal in the opening half the game-winner. Head Coach Óscar Pareja said he was pleased with Lynn’s performance, praising him in the post-game press conference:

“(Jack) is a player who patiently has been waiting (for) his opportunity,” Pareja said. “I could say that maybe he should have more games at this point with the way he has performed in the second group and what he has achieved as an individual. He’s very lethal and he has goals. Today, he opened the game. Jack’s discipline and constant effort has paid off and we’re happy.”

2024 Final Grade

With only 288 minutes on the field across all competitions in 2024, Lynn did not play enough minutes to get a grade for the season, receiving an incomplete from The Mane Land staff. Still, he showed that he was capable of contributing when called upon to play first-team minutes.

2025 Outlook

After watching how prolific Lynn was in MLS NEXT Pro in 2023, and then once again this season when he returned to play a few matches with OCB, Lynn has clearly proven that he is above the level of play in that league. In limited minutes at the MLS level, he has shown flashes, but based on the substitution patterns as the season went along, it was clear that he was at best the third option at striker. Orlando City appears to be bringing back both Enrique and McGuire, so while they picked up Lynn’s option for 2025 season, I expect that it will be another season similar to 2024, where he is a depth player who primarily comes in off the bench, if he comes in at all.

I believe that Lynn is an MLS-caliber player, as he is an excellent finisher of the “fox in the box” ilk, but my projection is that 2025 will look similar to 2024 and he will be fighting for minutes off the bench at the MLS level.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/11/24

Orlando City’s protected players, Orlando Pride roster update, the USMNT is returning to Inter&Co Stadium, and more.

Published

13 hours ago

on

December 11, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. The season might be over, but there’s still plenty of news to be found. I’m glad that we have all the movies and specials to watch since there are no MLS or NWSL matches. There are quite a few that my family watch each year including Elf, Scrooged, and of course, Die Hard. Let me know your favorites in the comments below. Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Protected List Released

The addition of San Diego SC to MLS means another expansion draft this off-season. Yesterday, Orlando City released its protected players list. There are a total of 19 players on the list, though seven of those are automatically protected due to either Homegrown or Generation Adidas status. San Diego will be able to pick up to five players from across the league, but only one from any given club. There aren’t many surprises in which players Orlando City chose to protect.

Pride End-of-Season Roster Update

Following a historic season that saw the club win both the NWSL Shield and the 2024 NWSL Cup, the Pride have released their end of season roster update. We already knew that Celia, Carrie Lawrence, and Megan Montefusco retired. Given how the club works its contracts, often re-signing players during the season, there weren’t a lot of surprises. Marta and Evelina Duljan were the two players out of contract, and we now know that Duljan won’t be returning, while the club is negotiating a deal that would keep Marta in Orlando.

USMNT Returning to Inter&Co Stadium

The USMNT is heading back to the City Beautiful, as the team will play Costa Rica Jan. 22 at Inter&Co Stadium. Kickoff for the match will be 7 p.m., allowing fans in the Orlando area to make it after work. It will be the second match in Florida, as the Americans will take on Venezuela Jan. 18 at Chase Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale. Pre-sale tickets went on sale Tuesday, and ticket sales for the general public start Friday.

USWNT vs. Brazil

If you were hoping for a rematch of the 2024 Women’s World Cup final between the USWNT and the Brazilian Women’s National Team, you are in luck. The two teams will square off on April 5 and April 8, 2025 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and at PayPal Park in San Jose, respectively. The match at SoFi Stadium will be the first soccer match played in the venue, which will also host matches for the 2026 World Cup.

Free Kicks

  • It’s no surprise to those of us who work with the Pride regularly that Jackie Maynard, Lucas Medeiros, and the rest of Orlando’s comms staff was named the first-ever NWSL Communications Team of the Year winner. We congratulate Jackie and her team and look forward to continuing to work with a great group of professionals.
  • Take a trip down memory lane with this compilation of Facundo Torres’ goals from 2024.
  • Today, FIFA will award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia. The circumstances leading up to this “decision” are exactly as forthright, transparent, and without any hint of shenanigans as one expects from FIFA. Give me a minute, my eyes got stuck in the back of my head because of how hard I rolled them.
  • In related news, Norway plans to protest the decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia and will abstain on the basis that not enough has been done to protect human rights at the event.
  • Orlando City wasn’t the only team to drop its list of protected rosters. Here are the lists for every MLS club.
  • Plenty of teams were in action in the UEFA Champions League Tuesday. Liverpool won its sixth consecutive first round match 1-0 over Girona, and Mbappe scored and got injured in Real Madrid’s 3-2 victory over Atalanta.

That will do it for today. Keep checking in for our Season in Review pieces for both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/10/24

Facundo Torres linked with move to Palmeiras, Pride players in FIFPRO Women’s World 11, Amanda Allen suffers injury, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

December 10, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, everyone. I hope your week is getting off to a good start and that you’re on top of any Christmas shopping that you still need to do, because I’m just now realizing that I’ve done exactly zero of mine. Alas, the only way out is through. As usual, we have a lot to talk through this morning, so let’s get into the links.

Facundo Torres Linked With Palmeiras

Tom Bogert reported on Monday evening that Orlando City has agreed to a deal with Brazilian club Palmeiras for the transfer of Facundo Torres. While Bogert says the two clubs have reached an agreement, the transfer is still pending as Torres and Palmeiras still need to agree on personal terms. While no price tag was given, the fee would reportedly eclipse the $9.5 million fee that West Bromwich Albion paid for Daryl Dike, which is OCSC’s current outbound transfer record. Torres is the club’s record signing, as he joined from Penarol for roughly $7.5 million, and has been central to the team’s success ever since. We will bring you more from this story as it develops.

Familiar Faces in FIFPRO Women’s World 11

FIFA announced the 2024 FIFPRO Women’s World 11 on Monday and there are two familiar faces in the lineup, as Marta and Barbra Banda were named to the team. This is the third time in Marta’s career that she has been chosen for the award, which is the only global player award decided exclusively by the players themselves. Banda is included in the team for the first time, with this also being the very first time that an African player has made the team. Both players had incredible seasons for the Orlando Pride and were instrumental in the team winning its first two pieces of silverware. Congratulations to both for all their hard work and justified recognition!

Amanda Allen Suffers Injury

The Orlando Pride announced on Monday that forward Amanda Allen has suffered a torn labrum in her right shoulder and will undergo surgery to repair it. As a result, Allen’s loan with USL Super League team Lexington Sporting Club has been terminated, and she has been placed on the season-ending injury list. It’s a tough break for Allen, who became the youngest player to debut for the team back during the 2023 season, as she was getting good minutes and experience on loan. We wish her all the best and hope to see her back on the field soon!

Christian Pulisic Injury News

AC Milan announced on Monday that United States Men’s National Team forward Christian Pulisic has torn a muscle in his right calf, and will spend time on the sideline. The winger went off injured during the team’s game on Friday, and Milan has said that he could be on the shelf until January. While the USMNT won’t play a competitive game until March’s Concacaf Nations League semifinals, the timing is a tough blow for Pulisic, who has had an excellent start to the season with eight goal contributions in Serie A and three UEFA Champions League goals. Here’s hoping that he makes a speedy recovery.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans who will take part in games this week, so make sure you get everything marked down on your calendar. Things get started later today as Auston Trusty, Cameron Carter-Vickers, and Celtic take on Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, while Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Malik Tillman, and PSV Eindhoven face Brest in the same competition. Tomorrow has Yunus Musah and AC Milan hosting Crvena Zvezda in the Champions League, while Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus welcome Manchester City to Allianz Stadium. Things then finish up on Friday as Mark McKenzie and Toulouse host St-Etienne in Ligue 1 play.

MLS Transfer Happenings

We have a lot of MLS transfer moves and roster changes to cover this morning. Cruzeiro has declined the purchase option on FC Cincinnati winger Alvaro Barreal, meaning he has returned to the club following the conclusion of his loan. Expansion side San Diego FC has acquired Tomas Angel and a second-round pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft from LAFC in exchange for $200,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM). Austin FC also bought out Gyasi Zardes’ contract, making the 10th-highest scorer in MLS history a free agent.

The Colorado Rapids signed center backs Ian Murphy and Chidozie Awaziem from FC Cincinnati in exchange for $1 million in General Allocation Money. Tom Bogert is also reporting that Bournemouth is finalizing a deal to sign American center back Matai Akinmboni from D.C. United in a deal worth up to $2.5 million. Finally, in the wildest piece of MLS transfer news I’ve seen in awhile, I simply present the following tweet.

Free Kicks

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

Continue Reading

Trending