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Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Final Score 1-0 as Orlando is Shut Out Again

Offense in 2024 is simply non-existent as the Lions again get shut out.

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2 weeks ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

John Tolkin scored on a free kick that should never have been given and Orlando City’s nonexistent attack continued to be toothless in a 1-0 loss at Red Bull Arena tonight. The Lions (4-7-5, 17 points) appear headed for an early off-season after yet another shutout loss, despite New York (8-3-5, 29 points) not producing much of an attack of its own.

“A hard night for our team offensively,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I thought that we did a lot of things that we planned towards the game, where we had control and our sequences were what we wanted but our last third is not being effective, so we paid the price.”

Pareja’s lineup switched back to the 4-2-3-1, featuring Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Rodrigo Schlegel (subbing for the suspended Robin Jansson), David Brekalo, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena took their places in the defensive midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Nico Lodeiro, and Facundo Torres, with Duncan McGuire returning to the lineup up top.

Orlando City was second best throughout the first half and spent most of the opening period defending. The offense was practically non-existent and Orlando lacked any confidence going forward. At the earliest sign of pressure, the Lions played the ball back into their own half. No one seemed interested in beating the man in front of them, and the attack had zero threat.

Gallese was forced into a save early in this one. After a bad turnover by Orlando led to the game’s first corner. The ball was served into the box to Noah Eile, who was well covered but placed his header well. The Peruvian did well to get his hand to the ball in the upper corner of the goal to keep it out in the fifth minute.

Much of the rest of the half consisted of Orlando City defending and New York trying to find a way through the defense.

A soft foul call on Araujo led to a free kick in the 28th minute, giving New York a free kick from about 30 yards out. Emil Forsberg sent the set piece well over the bar.

Orlando got its lone scoring chance of the first half two minutes later. A decent buildup ended up on Angulo’s foot at the top of the box. The Colombian fizzed his shot over the crossbar and that was it for the Lions’ offense in the first 45 minutes.

An extremely generous foul call on Cartagena led to New York opening the scoring. Lewis Morgan went to ground without seemingly much (if any) contact and Drew Fischer bought what Morgan was selling, giving the Red Bulls a free kick. Jon Tolkin took the set piece and smashed a shot toward the right top corner. Gallese had set his wall up on that side, but Tolkin beat the wall with pace and the Peruviani couldn’t get over to it. It went in, making it 1-0 in the 38th minute.

That was it for the offense in the match, as neither side created much after that.

Aside from a couple of unsuccessful corners for New York, that was it for the first half.

Although the Lions had the halftime advantage in possession (52.1%-47.9%) and (83.5%-81.6%), Orlando simply consisted of 11 guys on the pitch in purple uniforms. There was no threat going forward whatsoever. New York finished the half with more shots (7-1), shots on target (2-0), and corners (3-1). The Red Bulls were never threatened or made uncomfortable in any way.

Pareja sent on Luis Muriel and Ramiro Enrique to start the second half, sacrificing McGuire and Thorhallsson.

The Lions got forward early and a Muriel cross for Enrique was punched away by Carlos Coronel at the last second. Orlando could do nothing with a couple of early second-half corners.

The Lions then wasted a couple of attacks. A good ball into the area by Muriuel found Lodeiro in the box, but the Uruguayan crossed in front to the Red Bulls defense and it was knocked away. Moments later, Muriel was sent in behind and he opted not to shoot, cutting back onto his right and losing control, but he was offside anyway. Despite the flag going up, it was the second straight game Muriel has chosen not to shoot with his left foot and failed to even get an attempt on a promising attack.

Orlando finally got a shot on target in the 57th minute. After a Santos shot through traffic was blocked out for a corner, Torres’ sent a weak shot right at Coronel. It was Coronel’s only save of the match.

A minute later, Tolkin was left alone from distance and had a go, but Gallese made the save. Frankie Amaya sent a shot well over the bar in the 63rd minute from long range and then Dante Vanzeir sent a shot wide after an Orlando turnover on the ensuing goal kick. Dennis Gjengaar sent a shot wide in the 66th minute on a New York counterattack.

Santos tried to pick out Enrique in front in the 68th minute but overshot the target, and then he was sent in behind the defense and had a shot blocked, but the flag came up anyway.

New York thought it had doubled the lead in the 71st minute when Elias Manoel put the ball in the net from distance, but Tolkin was called for holding Angulo on the play. The New York defender was injured on the play and had to come off.

Lodeiro found himself in the box with the ball in the 78th minute, but the midfielder tried to pass instead of shooting and had no teammates making a run in the area, wasting a promising attack.

Pareja sent on offensive players Jack Lynn and Martin Ojeda in the 81st minute, and the Lions held more possession late, but they couldn’t produce any final product. Angulo broke free at the corner of the box in the 83rd minute and tried to pick out a teammate at the top of the box, but he succeeded only in passing the ball to the New York defense. Angulo then won a corner in the 86th minute but was called for a soft foul and was booked for dissent.

A through ball nearly found Enrique in the 89th minute but the Argentine couldn’t catch up to it and Coronel smothered it. Orlando then sent a corner kick straight to Coronel in the 91st minute on what was effectively the team’s final chance to score in the match.

Gallese did well to tip Lewis Morgan’s shot wide on a late counterattack, and that was that. The Lions are now winless in three (0-2-1) and are falling further adrift of the playoff places in a season that appears headed to an early conclusion. It’s simply hard to imagine this team figuring its way forward in the same manner it did last season.

Although the Lions held more possession (57.4%-42.6%), passed more accurately (85.2%-75.7%), and won more corners (5-4), but weren’t threatening at all. New York finished with more shots (13-4) and shots on target (4-1) in what may be the weakest attacking effort in a season of nonexistent offense.

“We have to keep going,” Enrique said. “We’re a very united group and we know that we have to pick our heads up and continue working to find our way back. It was a very tough and hard-working game because of the way that both teams like to play. They were able to score a goal just before halftime, and I think throughout the game we didn’t have the clarity to be able to finish, or in a lot of cases to be able to shoot on goal, but we know that there’s a lot of games left and that this group is incredibly hard-working and united, and we know that we’re going to continue to work to find our way back.”

“I think it’s a point in our analysis that we’re trying to see if we can help with the structure and trying to glue the player in a situation that they can feel more precise and closer to their best level and performances,” Pareja said. “That job belongs to the coach and you know that I assume that responsibility 100%. At this point we have to keep on searching to see if what we tried in the last five games, trying to change the structure, if it’s necessary to keep doing it. We have to find some other roads to get better in that regard. We are aware. We’re very disappoitned in not being that team that can be heavy in that last third of the field. When we arrive in the box, it seems like we don’t have that punch.”

Things won’t get any easier, as Orlando City will try to turn things around at home on June 15 against LAFC after a week off for the international break.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/18/24

Euro 2024 roundup, MLS transfer happenings, U.S. stars on Copa America prep, and more.

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2 hours ago

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June 18, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, everyone. It was a mixed bag for Orlando’s soccer teams over the weekend, as none of Orlando City, the Orlando Pride, or Orlando City B managed to win. The only way out is through though, and there are plenty of chances to get back to winning ways this week. Before we get to today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Pride defender Rafaelle!

Euro Results Roundup

It was another pulsating day of action at Euro 2024, with the theme of early goals and exciting contests continuing. The early contest saw Romania beat Ukraine 3-0 with a trio of very well-taken goals. Nicolae Stanciu opened the scoring in the 29th minute and a pair of second-half goals just four minutes apart sealed Romania’s first win at the Euros in 24 years. In the second game of the day, Slovakia grabbed a goal in the seventh minute courtesy of an ill-advised Belgian attempt to play out of the back, and managed to hang on for a 1-0 win. The game wasn’t without controversy, as Romelu Lukaku missed several excellent chances, and also had two goals correctly ruled out by video review. The last game of the day saw France beat Austria 1-0 courtesy of an own goal in the first half, but the biggest talking point was Kylian Mbappe’s broken nose that will reportedly require surgery.

MLS Transfer Happenings

We have several important MLS transfers to catch up on this morning. First, the Houston Dynamo have broken the club’s transfer record to sign Argentine striker Ezequiel Ponce from Greek club AEK Athens. The 27-year-old will be a Designated Player, and although he can’t play for Houston until the secondary transfer window opens on July 18, he should help a Dynamo team that’s scored the fewest goals in the Western Conference. Moving to the Eastern Conference, the Columbus Crew are reportedly closing in on a trade to acquire Aziel Jackson from St. Louis City in exchange for $650,000 of General Allocation Money, in addition to other incentives.

Finally, Tom Bogert has identified Brighton and Hove Albion’s Marc Leonard as a player who could move stateside this summer. His loan spell at Northampton Town last season saw him named the club’s player of the year.

U.S. Players Speak About Copa America Prep

The Copa America kicks off on Friday, and Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams recently spoke about how they, and the rest of the United States Men’s National Team, have been preparing for the tournament. McKennie spoke on how this team has never been in camp for this long before, and that the extra time is helping them iron out little issues. He also talked about his willingness to fill in wherever needed on the field, something that could be relevant for both him and Adams given the injury to Sergino Dest. For his part, Adams discussed how a bright spot to missing so much time last year due to injury was that it allowed him to spend plenty of time with his newborn son.

UEFA Investigating Racism at Euro Match

UEFA is probing an alleged incident of racial abuse that took place in the match between England and Serbia. While the complaint did not come from the English Football Association, UEFA released a statement that it was investigating Serbia for objects that were thrown and the “transmission of a provocative message.” If the charges are proven, then Serbia could face sanctions from UEFA.

Free Kicks

  • The sensor placed inside the ball was instrumental in overturning what would have been an equalizing goal for Belgium.
  • Polish television is doing some very cool things with its soccer coverage.
  • An English fan woke up still in the stadium well after his team’s win over Serbia.

That does it for me this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

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

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

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22 hours ago

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June 17, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Despite dominating most of the game and nearly all of the second half, Orlando City fell 3-1 to LAFC Saturday night. The Lions continue their troubles at home, with the last win in front of their home fans coming on March 23. It’s more frustration for a team and fanbase that has had plenty this season.

Let’s take a look at how the players performed individually in the loss.

Starters

GK, Mason Stajduhar, 5.5 — With regular starting goalkeeper Pedro Gallese on international duty with Peru, Stajduhar got the nod for the second time this season. Conceding three goals is a bad night for any goalkeeper, though he wasn’t the only one at fault for any of them. The first was a penalty and the other two were breakaway counterattacks. The goalkeeper made four saves on the night but wasn’t challenged much. He completed all of his 14 passes, which included six long balls, and had to clear the ball once.

D, Rafael Santos, 5.5 — Santos had 101 touches in this game, second on the team. The left back completed 94.8% of his 77 passes, but only two of his 13 crosses. One of his passes was a key pass, but his poor crossing haunted the Lions in this game. Defensively, Santos recorded one tackle and one clearance.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — Jansson was terrific for the first 85 minutes of this game, recording 88 touches. He completed 89.9% of his 79 passes, including four of his six long balls. Defensively, he added four tackles and a clearance. Unfortunately, he got caught up field in no-man’s land on LAFC’s second goal and got beat by Nathan Ordaz, resulting in a counterattack on the third. He was my Man of the Match until the final few minutes.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Schlegel was on the ball less than Jansson, recording 60 touches. He completed 96.4% of his 56 passes and two of his three long balls. Defensively, he only had a tackle. Overall, it was a solid night by the center back. While he didn’t have a part in the first two goals, he was unable to clear the ball on a tackle in the box on the third, allowing LAFC to take a 3-1 advantage.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 5.5 — Thorhallsson started in his usual right back position, recording 66 touches. He completed 89.4% of his 47 passes, including a key pass, one of his five crosses, and none of his three long balls. He was among the most active players defensively with four tackles and interceptions. Additionally, he recorded one shot and had one successful dribble. Like other players in the team, his crossing struggles impacted the final result.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 5.5 — The Lions’ attack mainly went through the opposite side of Angulo, so the midfielder only had 47 touches, second-fewest of the 11 starters. He completed 87.6% of his 30 passes, including one of his four crosses and two key passes, but was plagued by some heavy touches in the final third. The attacker also helped out defensively with two successful tackles before being replaced by Martin Ojeda in the 61st minute.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 5 — Araujo was the only natural defensive midfielder in the starting lineup for Orlando City. He recorded 84 touches and completed 95.5% of his 67 passes. However, he only completed one of his two long balls, neither of his crosses, and didn’t record any key passes. He took two long distance shots but both were off target. Defensively, he recorded three tackles and one interception. It was a tough night for Araujo as he had a part in all three LAFC goals. He conceded the penalty, failed to keep up with Mateusz Bogusz on the second, and allowed Denis Bouanga to dribble around him on the third, although it’s perhaps harsh to fault a player for not being as fast as another or handle a player like Bouanga in space.

MF, Nico Lodeiro, 6 (MotM) — Lodeiro was unquestionably the most active player in this game, recording a team-high 132 touches. He completed 93% of his team-high 114 passes, but none of the seven crosses. The midfielder took three off-target shots and contributed defensively with two tackles and a clearance. He would’ve had a higher grade if he had completed some of his crosses, but his inability to do so hurt his team. Despite those missed crosses, Lodeiro gets my Man of the Match.

MF, Facundo Torres, 6 — Torres was often involved in the Lions’ buildup play, recording 89 touches. He completed 89.7% of his 68 passes, including a team-high five key passes. Two of his eight crosses failed to find teammates and his one long ball was incomplete. He took three shots, tied for second on the team, but none hit the target. Like some other players in this game, his grade would’ve been higher but he completely missed the target with his penalty in the 33rd minute. It was the first missed penalty of his professional career, but it had a major impact after LAFC converted one of its own 11 minutes later.

F, Luis Muriel, 5.5 — As usual, Muriel played a deeper role than Duncan McGuire, recording 69 touches. He completed 88.7% of his 53 passes, including three key passes. He failed to connect on his one cross and one of his two long balls. Additionally all five of his shots were off target. Muriel’s biggest problem in this game was attempting to dribble through multiple players, which resulted in him losing possession in dangerous positions. However, his perfectly weighted ball for Ojeda set up the game-tying goal in the 69th minute. While his assist was beautiful, it wasn’t enough to overcome his constant turnovers in the LAFC third of the field.

F, Duncan McGuire, 5 — McGuire played the target position in this game, recording 28 touches. He completed 81.8% of his 22 passes, but failed to connect on his lone long ball. Strikers are judged by goals and McGuire didn’t participate in any in this game, failing to hit the target on his only two shots. It was a forgettable performance that came to an end in the 78th minute when he was replaced by Jack Lynn.

Substitutes

MF, Martin Ojeda (61’), 6 — Ojeda came on in the 61st minute for Angulo and made an immediate impact. He provided a burst of energy for the team and the Lions quickly began creating dangerous chances. The attacking midfielder had 31 touches and completed 85% of his 20 passes. While he didn’t complete any of his four crosses, he scored the equalizing goal in the 69th minute. In addition to his goal, he had a late chance that hit the side netting. While I gave Lodeiro my Man of the Match, there’s an argument for Ojeda because of the impact he made.

F, Jack Lynn (78’), N/A — Lynn came on with 12 minutes to go for McGuire, who clearly had no more energy. The Lions were looking for a game-winning goal, but Lynn was unable to help. He only touched the ball three times and completed two of three passes without taking any shots. It was easy to forget he was on the field as the minutes wound down.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s disappointing loss to LAFC. Let us know how you saw the game and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match below.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/17/24

Lions fall to LAFC, Pride draw on the road, Euro 2024 roundup, and more.

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1 day ago

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June 17, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida and had a great Father’s Day for all you dads out there. I was busy at Under Armour all weekend, but I try to catch some action from the Euros when possible. As for our teams, the Lions lost at home while the Pride drew on the road. Before we get started, let’s wish Orlando Pride midfielder Summer Yates a happy 24th birthday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links. 

Lions Fall at Home to LAFC

Orlando City lost 3-1 to LAFC on Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium, extending its winless streak to four matches. The Lions also remain winless against LAFC. Facundo Torres missed a penalty kick that would have put Orlando ahead before LAFC grabbed a goal late in the first half, converting a penalty of its own. Martin Ojeda scored an equalizer for the Lions in the second half, but LAFC countered with two more goals to put the match away. LAFC has won six straight league matches and is second in the Western Conference with 33 points. Meanwhile, Orlando dropped to 14th in the Eastern Conference with 17 points. It will be a quick turnaround for the Lions with a midweek matchup on the road Wednesday at Charlotte FC.

Pride, Courage Split Points in Scoreless Draw

The Orlando Pride played the Courage to a scoreless draw on the road Saturday in North Carolina at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Pride had chances throughout the match but could not score a goal for the first time this season. Still, Orlando remains unbeaten this season and is the first team this year to take any points away on the road against the Courage. After all the action across the NWSL over the weekend, Orlando and the Kansas City Current are still tied at the top with 29 points, but Kansas City is in first on goal differential. The Pride will return home Friday at Inter&Co Stadium to take on the Utah Royals.

Euro 2024 Roundup

The 2024 European Championship kicked off in Germany over the weekend with seven matches. We haven’t had any upsets yet, as Germany cruised past Scotland 5-1 in the opener on Friday. On Saturday, Switzerland beat Hungary 3-1, Spain shut out Croatia 3-0, and Italy bounced back after being down 1-0 to beat Albania 2-1. On Sunday, Slovenia and Denmark battled to a 1-1 draw. Orlando City defender David Brekalo came off the bench for a cameo appearance during stoppage time. The Netherlands overcame a 1-0 deficit to defeat Poland 2-1, and England defeated Serbia 1-0, with Jude Bellingham scoring the lone goal. In today’s matches, Romania takes on Ukraine, Belgium faces Slovakia, and Austria takes on France.

MLS Weekend Recap

It was another busy weekend of MLS action. The lone Friday matchup saw the Columbus Crew beat New York City FC 3-2. On Saturday, the New England Revolution defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-2. It was the Revs’ third straight win. Charlotte FC shut out D.C. United 1-0, Inter Miami escaped Subaru Park with a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union, and the Chicago Fire stunned Toronto FC with a 4-1 win on the road. Peter Luccin got his first win as interim head coach as FC Dallas defeated St. Louis City 2-0 and snapped a five-match winless streak. Atlanta United and the Houston Dynamo battled to a 2-2 draw, CF Montreal and Real Salt Lake ended in a scoreless draw, and the New York Red Bulls and Nashville SC also played to a scoreless draw. In the later matches, the Colorado Rapids and the Seattle Sounders defeated Austin FC and Minnesota United FC, respectively, by identical 2-0 scorelines. Finally, the LA Galaxy handed Sporting Kansas City a 4-2 defeat, while FC Cincinnati needed a a Yuya Kubo hat trick to defeat the San Jose Earthquakes 4-2 on the road.

Free Kicks

  • Major League Soccer has placed Sporting Kansas City midfielder Felipe Hernandez on administrative leave as the league investigates allegations that he violated the league’s gambling policy.

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

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