Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Final Score 2-2 as Lions Come Back Twice to Draw 10-Man Charlotte

Lions score twice but the defense flops badly despite being up a man.

Published

6 months ago

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City finally scored more than one goal in a game, but at the expense of dreadful defending in a 2-2 road draw against 10-man Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The hosts took the lead early through Kerwin Vargas and withstood a player being sent off late in the first half and a tying goal from Duncan McGuire, before taking a second-half lead in transition. That Brandt Bronico goal was canceled out by Facundo Torres as the Lions (4-8-6, 18 points) split the points with Charlotte (8-6-5, 29 points) despite being a man up throughout the second half and having the ball for what seemed like almost all of that time.

Orlando’s winless streak grew to five games (0-3-2) on another wasteful night in front of goal and a defensive evening to forget. The Lions had clear opportunities to prevent both goals but failed to clear a loose ball on the first and teed up the second ball trying to clear it through the leg of the opposing forward.

“Too early we go (up) with one extra player and Charlotte found a way to score a second goal in the moment that we pushed the most,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “Those circumstances made us feel that getting this result at some point it’s going to help us. I think the team made a lot of efforts to win the game, but Charlotte found that second goal and it could have been worse. Humbly today we take the point. We wanted more, but we have some positive things.”

Pareja’s lineup had only one change from the group that lost 3-1 to LAFC Saturday, as Mason Stajduhar started in net behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Felipe took Cesar Araujo’s spot in the central midfield along with fellow midfielders Ivan Angulo, Nico Lodeiro, and Torres, with Luis Muriel and McGuire up top.

Orlando City made Charlotte’s offense look like Miami’s at times in the first half, letting inferior numbers get good looks at goal. Still, the first chance of the match fell Orlando’s way. Muriel did well to nick the ball in the attacking half and he played McGuire down the right channel. The big striker was at an angle, but had plenty of net to shoot at, yet he missed a few yards wide of the right post in the eight minute.

The hosts scored four minutes later on a play that should never have resulted in a goal. The Lions had plenty of numbers back as Liel Abada took a heavy touch past Jansson down the right channel. Jansson couldn’t handle Abada’s pace and the Charlotte attacker got to the ball first. The Swede tried to block the cutback cross, but it got through. Two Lions were converging on the ball and Angulo swung and completely missed the ball, allowing it to get through. Thorhallsson initially had good coverage on Vargas but got caught ball watching when the winger peeled back to the ball. Angulo’s whiff — possibly thrown off by Felipe’s sliding arrival — and the open space gave Vargas an easy finish to make it 1-0 in the 12th minute. It was Charlotte’s first goal inside the first half hour of a game all season.

On a play indicative of the form Orlando City has been in, Torres took a pass at the top of the 18 in the 15th minute and it just…rolled off his foot. Whether he was caught between passing and shooting, only he knows for sure, but it was a weird play.

Jere Uronen then cut inside from his fullback spot and nearly doubled the lead. Left completely alone, the Finn smashed a shot off the crossbar from long range.

Orlando finally got a shot on frame in the 19th minute when Torres got his head to a high cross and nodded toward goal. It was an accurate shot, but there was little pace on the ball, allowing Kristijan Kahlina to make the save.

Seconds later, Scott Arfield blasted a shot wide from distance with Orlando outnumbering the Charlotte attackers, 6-3 in the final third.

Torres got another look in the 33rd minute but his shot was partially deflected and went straight at Kahlina.

The Lions went up a man moments later. Arfield slid in from behind and caught Felipe on a rough challenge and was initially booked. Allen Chapman went to the monitor while Felipe received treatment and the referee changed the yellow to red, putting the hosts down a player. Felipe was struggling and had to be replaced by Araujo.

The sending off didn’t immediately help the offense, which moved the ball too deliberately over the remainder of the half. Muriel tried a couple of long-range shots. The first was saved by Kahlina at the near post. Adilson Malanda blocked the second with his face and needed treatment, staying off the pitch for the final seconds of the half.

Up two men and with time winding down, Orlando sat on the ball out wide and Chapman blew the halftime whistle.

Orlando City held the halftime advantage in possession (53.9%-46.1%), shots (8-5), corners (1-0), and passing accuracy (93.4%-84.5%), with each team getting three shots on frame.

Martin Ojeda entered for Thorhallsson at halftime and the Lions changed shape to a 3-5-2. For a couple of minutes, the shape change helped.

Torres forced Kahlina to make a good save seconds after the restart. Santos then sent a shot from outside the box high over the bar moments later.

Over the next few minutes, Orlando was careless with the ball, allowing Charlotte to get forward on the counter. Torres was forced to take a tactical yellow card to break up a 2-v-1 created when Jansson gambled and lost in the attacking half in the 50th minute. Stajduhar made a huge save from point-blank range a minute later on the ensuing set piece when it deflected out to Abada. Djibril Diani then sent a header just wide of the top left corner on the corner kick.

Lodeiro put a cross in front for McGuire in the 53rd minute, but the striker sent it wide again. Muriel then had a shot blocked in the 56th as the Lions kept probing.

Orlando gave up another transition chance in the 59th minute after telegraphing a pass at the top of the penalty area. Charlotte broke with speed and Abada cut inside and shot. Jansson blocked it and it went just wide of the right post.

The Lions finally got on the board in the 63rd minute. The play started on the right side of the area with Angulo giving the ball to Muriel at the top of the 18. Muriel did well to spot Torres on the left and delivered a good aerial ball. Torres got under it and headed across the six for McGuire to run onto. The striker flicked it with a deft touch to guide it inside the right post, making it 1-1.

“I saw Facu was in a good spot to head it back and there was a little bit of space front post,” McGuire said about the play that led to his team-leading sixth goal of the year. “So, I had to make myself available and Facu put it right where I needed it to be, and luckily I got it across the goalie back post, so it was a good team goal.”

The Lions hunted for a go-ahead goal but couldn’t quite pull it off. Muriel’s shot was deflected onto the roof of the net for a corner in the 66th minute. Ojeda should have done better with a wide-open header on a good cross from Angulo in the 75th minute but steered his shot well over the bar.

The Lions paid for those near misses in the 77th minute. Orlando was in good position to thwart a counterattack when Jansson got caught on the wrong side of Patrick Agyemang. Santos was there to help but tried to clear the ball away but could only knock it back to Agyemang, allowing a sudden 2-v-1. Stajduhar came off his line but was a little late and Jansson couldn’t get back to the left in time either. Bronico chipped Stajduhar to make it 2-1. It was just the low-scoring midfielder’s seventh career goal in seven MLS seasons.

“In the 50-50 challenges, maybe they’d get the better of the challenges for the most part and they made the most of those opportunities,” McGuire said. “So, I think maybe we need to do a better job at winning the first balls, and being on the second balls, and maybe stopping the counterattack with a tactical foul a little bit more. But that’s what I think they did well.”

“We lost those two duels there, and then they found a way to hurt us,” Pareja said. “We should have been better on controlling (transitions) for sure.”

Orlando pushed forward again and created some looks in the 80th minute. McGuire’s flicked header wasn’t enough to steer a good cross on frame and on the recycle, Ojeda missed the net just wide on a partially deflected shot. On the ensuing corner, the ball fell to Torres on the left. Rather than shoot, Torres centered it for Jansson, who saw his point-blank effort saved by Kahlina, who knocked it over the goal.

Torres tied the game on the following corner kick. Lodeiro, who finished with a game-high 10 chances created, sent the ball into the box and it fell amid the bodies to Torres on the right. The Uruguayan took a touch to settle it and sent a shot through traffic and in to make it 2-2 in the 81st minute. For Torres, it was his third goal of the year and Lodeiro picked up his sixth assist.

Ojeda put a shot just over the bar and onto the roof of the net a minute after Torres equalized. Jack Lynn then subbed on for Muriel moments later. Torres sent a good cross in but Malanda knocked it behind for a corner. The set piece fell to Schlegel who sent a shot that Kahlina pushed off the post.

Two minutes later, a fantastic ball unlocked the defense and sent Lynn down the left channel behind the back line. The young striker, however, slowed up when he got the ball and Malanda caught up to him, forcing him wide, where he shot into the outside netting. Lodeiro then tried to pick out Lynn in the box in the 86th minute but may have been better off shooting from the top of the area without a defender near him.

Jansson’s flick on a set piece was wide of the back post in stoppage time and that was that.

Orlando finished with the advantage in possession (60.6%-39.4%), shots (24-11), shots on target (8-5), corners (11-3), and passing accuracy (92.8%-79.7%), but simply wasn’t sharp enough again offensively and added a leaky defense to the proceedings.

“I think we’re all disappointed with the tie, given that they were down to 10 men very early,” McGuire said. “We had our chances. I definitely had my chances. I missed two I think I should have scored. We were attacking a lot and we think we definitely should have won the game, and we’re very disappointed in ourselves, but we’re going to have to take that one point on the road and take it home to Chicago on Saturday.”

The Lions are back home with another quick turnaround when they host the Chicago Fire at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium.

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