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Orlando City vs. Sporting Kansas City: Final Score 3-0 as Lions’ Unbeaten Run Crashes to a Halt

The Lions made Sporting Kansas City look like the team riding an unbeaten streak in a poor road performance.

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3 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Legendary Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes once said, “There’s nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you.” If that’s true, Orlando City’s soul should be clean as a whistle after tonight’s match at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City.

Orlando City’s eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions came to an abrupt stop in a lackluster 3-0 loss to Sporting Kansas City. Even after the hosts went down a man with 23 minutes remaining — a figure that doesn’t include 12 added minutes of stoppage time — the Lions (9-10-7, 34 points) couldn’t muster any attack whatsoever, and a golden opportunity to pick up points against a team low in the Western Conference table was squandered. Jake Davis, Daniel Salloi, and Remi Walter provided the offense for Sporting Kansas City (7-14-6, 27 points).

There weren’t even any positives to take away from the performance, which was substandard across the board.

“Obviously very disappointed (with the) result,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “A great opportunity for us to escalate on the standings and obviously continue with what we had in the last few games, but today was not a good day for us.”

Pareja’s lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Facundo Torres, with Ramiro Enrique up top.

Sporting went for goal on the opening kickoff, with Erik Thommy trying a shot from the center circle, trying to catch Gallese off his line. The effort wasn’t bad, just clearing the crossbar, but Gallese had it covered anyway had it managed to dip.

After the Lions snuffed out another foray into the attacking third by the hosts, they wasted a few good early opportunities to take the lead. The first of those happened in the second minute when Torres sent a long ball for Enrique to track down in the right corner. Enrique cut inside and found Angulo at the top of the box and the Colombian found Torres on his left. The shot from Torres was a poor one, with little pace on it and well wide of the right post.

A minute later, a turnover by the hosts gifted Enrique a chance inside the box, but the Argentine fired his shot straight at goalkeeper Tim Melia. Cartagena fired wide from the top of the box in the fifth minute as Orlando’s bright start continued. A minute later, Ojeda sent a good free kick from distance to Smith making a run at the far post. Smith’s header was off line and went back across the six. Enrique tried to get to it at the left post but it was just beyond his reach with an empty net in front of him.

Ojeda got down the left in the eighth minute and made a great cutback pass into the area for Torres, but it was blocked by defender Tim Liebold and went out for a corner. The service on the ensuing set piece was overhit, ending the threat. Those missed opportunities were costly, eventually allowing the hosts to take a lead into halftime, but the most badly squandered chance came late in the half.

“We started the game sharp,” Pareja said. “Had a few options to score, but after that, I thought we didn’t have a good game. We were low in energy. I didn’t think we had the intensity that has characterized this group all the time.”

“After those first 10 minutes, they started to press us. We weren’t able to to really come out of that pressure clean as much,” Torres said. “And then, once they started to do that, they added more and more. And then at that point, we had trouble kind of finding ourselves back into the game and and they took over from there.”

After all the open play in the game’s first 10 minutes, things settled down a bit. Neither team was able to create a chance for the nesxt 15 minutes. Eventually, the Lions fashioned a chance from the right with Araujo smashing a shot from outside the box in the 26th minute. However, Andreu Fontas blocked it in front.

The Lions got loose with the ball after that, giving up multiple chances. Thommy beat Smith and worked his way for a clear shot from the right, but Gallese made a terrific reaction save in the 27th minute to keep the game scoreless. Angulo then gave the ball away cheaply in the 30th minute, leading to a good long-distance try from Salloi that Gallese parried away.

It looked like the Lions had something going in the 34th minute when an outstanding ball from Cartagena found Torres over the top, but before the winger could gain control, Liebold recovered and knocked the ball off of him and out for a goal kick.

Orlando City caught a break a minute later on another turnover by Angulo — this time deep in his own end. The quick counter ended up with Stephen Afrifa on the right but he fired badly wide of the near post in the 35th minute. Five minuts later, Angulo made another ill-advised pass in his own half. This time he got it to a teammate, but he led Enrique into traffic, where he was easily dispossessed. The ball ended up with Thommy outside the box but he sent his shot just inches wide of the far post, although Gallese may have had it covered anyway.

If all of those warning signs weren’t enough, Angulo turned the ball over yet again in the 43rd minute to ignite a quick counter, that ended up with a good ball to the back post for William Agada, who missed just over the net.

A minute later, the hosts got the goal that had been coming for so long, and it should never have happened. Somehow both Smith and Araujo failed to take the ball from a prone Afrifa and the referee kept his whistle in his pocket while he played the ball on the ground. It squirted beyond both defenders for Davis, who took it to his left and scored into the upper right corner to make it 1-0 in the 44th minute.

“Tonight was just another one of those games where, once they took that first goal, it kind of got into our heads a little bit, and we had difficulty coming back from that,” Torres said.

Orlando City should have pulled the goal right back two minutes into stoppage time, when Cartagena took the ball into the area and was bundled over. Enrique set a pick so Ojeda could get a free shot at the ball, but the Argentine missed badly over the bar from point-blank range. With that much time and space, and from that position, it was an egregious miss by Ojeda.

Agada missed just off target in the dying seconds of stoppage time and Sporting Kansas City took its 1-0 lead into the break. The hosts held the halftime advantage in possession (54.6%-45.4%), shots (9-8), shots on target (3-1), and passing accuracy (80.5%-75.3%). The Lions won more corners (3-2).

Pareja brought on Rafael Santos at the break for Smith, who had a difficult first half.

Orlando City got forward a couple of times early in the half but the second of those ended up biting them. A good ball down the left set up a cross into the box for Torres. The Uruguayan missed the ball going for a volley and the defense arrived before Thorhallsson could get there. The clearance ignited the break and it ended up with Salloi on the left, who scored to make it 2-0 in the 52nd minute with a powerful shot inside the near post that left Gallese no chance.

Pareja injected Duncan McGuire and Luis Muriel into the game, withdrawing Angulo and Ojeda, who both were well below their usual levels, but they weren’t the only ones by any means. McGuire had a chance to get Orlando back into the game moments after coming on, as the Lions got forward in transition with a 3-v-1 situation. However, he played the ball for an obviously offside Torres, who must have known he was off but never checked his run to re-establish himself, rather than sending it Enrique. Torres laid it off for Enrique, who scored with a great finish in the 65th minute, but the flag came up immediately.

Gallese kept it at 2-0 with a good save on Alan Pulido in the 67th minute, as the hosts continued to outplay Orlando, creating the only real scoring chances.

The Lions should have gotten a lifeline two minutes later when a horror tackle by Agada on Torres saw him initially pick up a second yellow card but Tim Ford changed his mind after reviewing the play and gave a straight red instead in the 67th minute. That gave Orlando City a man advantage for the final 23 minutes and stoppage time. However, Orlando struggled to generate a shot or even maintain possession in the attacking third after going up a man.

“We had time enough to equalize the game, especially when they ended up playing with 10 players,” Pareja said. “We didn’t have that resolution, that eagerness in the last 20 meters. We were moving the ball but we didn’t find spaces just to hurt them. It looks like we could have played longer without succeeding in the last part of the field.”

“Even when they went down to 10 men, and we had a one-man advantage, we still weren’t able to find that space,” Torres added. “We were tight. We were having issues finding each other.”

Kansas City was content to make defensive subs, stay compact and force the Lions to break them down, which Orlando could not do.

The night got more embarrassing in the second minute of stoppage time when Walter scored Sporting’s third. The Lions were badly out of position and several stopped playing completely. Walter’s blast from outside the box was a good one and picked out the upper left corner to put the game to bed.

Muriel had a poor free kick and an even worse shot from distance down the final moments of the 12 minutes of stoppage time and the whistle finally blew on one of the worst performances of Orlando City’s 2024 season.

Despite being up a man for 35 minutes, the Lions barely turned around the possession advantage in their favor (53.1%-46.9%), could only equal Sporting’s 13 shot attempts, and could not put a single effort on target against a team that had given up 52 goals on the season and was playing with 10 men. They managed to win more corners (6-3) and pass more accurately (81.7%-77.3%). Sporting ended the game with more shots on goal (6-1).

“The second half was heartless. I didn’t see us with that willingness that we all have,” Pareja said. “I take responsibility for us, of course, the preparation of the group and the reactions after these two weeks. Today we didn’t look the majority of the time like we are. So, (we’re) disappointed. We’re going to review, but we have to move on.”

“Obviously we’ve got a lot of negative thoughts right now. We leave today’s game with a with a sour taste in our mouths,” Torres said. “You know, the team thinks that that wasn’t us out there tonight. That’s not the the team that we are. That’s not the way that we like to play. We’re a team that has a lot of ambition and a lot of goals and drive together, and we just didn’t show that out there tonight. And so yeah, obviously, leaving this one with with some bad feelings.”

The Lions will look to bounce back when they home to face Nashville SC next Saturday night.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions look to avenge two regular-season losses against Atlanta and advance to the Eastern Conference final.

Published

7 hours ago

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November 24, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Sunday Eastern Conference semifinal playoff matchup between Orlando City and Atlanta United at Inter&Co Stadium (6 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). It’ll be the third meeting of the year between the two teams, after Atlanta claimed both of the regular-season clashes.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of tonight’s match.

History

The Lions are 4-10-7 in the all-time series against Atlanta in league play and 2-6-3 at home. Those numbers drop to 4-11-7 and 2-7-3 in all competitions.

The teams last met on Decision Day, with Atlanta scoring two early goals and holding on for a 2-1 win on Oct. 9. Saba Lobjanidze and Jamal Thiare gave the visitors an early lead. Martin Ojeda pulled one back and Duncan McGuire appeared to tie the game late, but the latter goal was overturned on video review for a handball. The teams also met at Mercedes-Benz Stadium back on March 17, when Orlando City fell 2-0 on goals by Lobjanidze and Giorgos Giakoumakis.

The last meeting of 2023 took place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with Orlando City capturing a 2-1 away win. Atlanta took the lead through Caleb Wiley, but Antonio Carlos and McGuire scored to lead the Lions’ comeback.

The southeast rivals also met in Orlando on May 27, 2023, at then-Exploria Stadium and played to a 1-1 draw. It was a heartbreaking dropped two points for the Lions, who took the lead through Kyle Smith at the half-hour mark and held that advantage until four minutes from full time, when Tyler Wolff pounced on a fortunate rebound in the box and equalized.

Atlanta went 1-0-1 in the season series in 2022. On Sept. 14 at Exploria Stadium the Five Stripes won 1-0 on a Thiago Almada goal despite the Lions out-shooting Atlanta 20-10. The sides played to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting of that year on July 22 in Atlanta. Mauricio Pereyra staked the Lions to an early 1-0 lead on a beautiful free kick. Juan Jose Purata equalized in the second half, but Atlanta bombarded Orlando the majority of the game and completely controlled the midfield, out-shooting the Lions 18-3 in the match.

Orlando had a six-match unbeaten streak in the series (3-0-3) snapped on Sept. 10, 2021, as the Five Stripes won 3-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. George Campbell and Ezequiel Barco scored for Atlanta, sandwiched around a Daryl Dike own goal to hand Gonzalo Pineda his first win as manager for United.

The second of three 2021 meetings took place July 30 at Exploria Stadium, with the Five Stripes taking the lead twice on goals by Josef Martinez and Marcelino Moreno, but the Lions not only fought back twice on strikes by Smith and Silvester van der Water, but Nani scored a late game winner by heading in VDW’s cross in Orlando City’s 3-2 win. The first meeting of that season between the two rivals came on opening day — April 17 — and they played to a 0-0 draw. It was an evenly matched game, with each team firing 11 shots and getting three on frame.

The final meeting of 2020 came on Oct. 28, when Orlando City ran away with a 4-1 win over Atlanta at Exploria Stadium. Dike, Chris Mueller, Tesho Akindele, and Matheus Aias — his first in MLS — scored the goals for the Lions, with Cubo Torres preventing a shutout with a late goal for the visitors. Prior to that, the teams met in Atlanta on Oct. 7, 2020 and played to a 0-0 draw. Robinho and Nani each hit the woodwork and Brad Guzan stood on his head to prevent Orlando from taking a deserved three points in that one, while Brian Rowe held down the fort at the other end to earn a shutout in Pedro Gallese’s absence.

Back on Sept. 5, 2020, a late, unforced turnover by Kamal Miller led to Adam Jahn’s 92nd-minute tying goal that offset a Benji Michel goal in a 1-1 draw at Exploria Stadium. Orlando City finally got on the board in the series against Atlanta United with a 3-1 win on the road on Aug. 29, 2020. Junior Urso, Mueller, and Nani supplied the offense to more than counter a Brooks Lennon headed goal. That three-goal explosion snapped a three-match scoreless streak against the Five Stripes for Orlando.

Orlando City created an incredible 17 scoring chances on Aug. 23, 2019, yet finished none of them in a 1-0 home loss. Martinez scored the game’s only goal in the second half. Only 17 days earlier at Exploria Stadium, Orlando also failed to score and lost 2-0 to Atlanta, getting bounced from the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. On Mother’s Day of 2019, Atlanta United claimed a 1-0 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Pity Martinez scored the goal.

Atlanta won at the building then known as Orlando City Stadium on Aug. 24, 2018 by a 2-1 final score. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez bundled home a rebound off Joe Bendik, who misplayed Barco’s free kick to open the scoring just 21 minutes in. Scott Sutter tied the game just before the half, but Josef Martinez broke the deadlock in the second half, with only 16 minutes remaining in normal time.

Atlanta easily claimed the June 30, 2018 meeting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 4-0. Josef Martinez and Barco each scored a goal and Miguel Almiron added a brace. Orlando lost the first matchup of 2018, 2-1, on May 13. An early penalty on a Cristian Higuita foul gave the visitors a leg up on a Josef Martinez goal from the spot and Barco doubled the lead before halftime. Justin Meram scored his first goal as a Lion to pull one back, but Orlando could get no closer. The unfortunate ending included a shower of debris coming out of the stands due to dissatisfaction with referee Alan Kelly’s decisions that night.

Hector Villalba’s two late goals in the first two meetings turned what could have been an Orlando draw and a win into a loss and a draw. The two teams kicked off their series with Orlando suffering a late 1-0 loss at home on July 21, 2017. Villalba found the net late. Villalba then scored a stoppage-time tally to rescue a 1-1 draw for Atlanta in the second meeting on July 29, 2017. Kaká scored one of his best goals as a Lion in that match to provide Orlando’s lone score.

Orlando City became the first visiting team to take any points out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a 3-3 draw in Atlanta that September. Dom Dwyer scored his first brace as a Lion (in MLS, anyway) and also assisted on Cyle Larin’s goal. Josef Martinez’s hat trick spoiled Orlando’s bid to take all three points.

Overview

Orlando is coming off a nervy, best-of-three series win over Charlotte FC that required penalties to decide. The Lions won the opening game, appeared to score a late winner in the 0-0 second game, only to see the flag come up — perhaps erroneously, but too close to overturn — and lost the penalty shootout 3-1, and then came from behind to tie Game 3 at 1-1 and win the penalty shootout 4-1. Orlando City is 7-1-2 in its last 10 home matches in regular-season and playoff action, with that one loss coming to tonight’s visitors.

Atlanta United is coming off a three-game series win over Supporters’ Shield-winning Inter Miami, falling in Game 1 but claiming the next two. All three games in the series were decided by one goal.

Orlando City’s defense will have to keep tabs on Lobjanidze, who led Atlanta in goals (9) and was second in assists (7), as well as Daniel Rios, who has chipped in seven goals and four assists for an Atlanta team coached (in the interim) by former USL Lion Rob Valentino. Brooks Lennon, an important part of the offense, led Atlanta with eight assists on the year, but was injured in the Miami series.

The winner of today’s game moves on to the Eastern Conference final — a game the Lions have not yet reached.

“It’s an important week and we obviously are trying to prepare the team the best way that we can,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “The preparation has been good, the responsibility of the players and the dedication and attention to their responsibility to be ready for our game on Sunday is first class. The guys who came back from their national teams, everybody is healthy and we’re good. They’ve had the chance already to train with us, so we have the roster complete. So, we’re ready. We’re just getting the last few things and details for the next two days, but our mentality is there.”

Orlando City will be without Mason Stajduhar (lower leg). Atlanta will be without Lennon (shoulder), Edwin Mosquera (knee), and Quentin Westberg (concussion protocol). 

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Wilder Cartagena.

Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, Facundo Torres.

Forward: Ramiro Enrique.

Bench: Javier Otero, Luca Petrasso, Kyle Smith, David Brekalo, Felipe, Nico Lodeiro, Luis Muriel, Jack Lynn, Duncan McGuire.

Atlanta United (3-5-2)

Goalkeeper: Brad Guzan.

Defenders: Luis Abram, Derrick Williams, Stian Gregersen.

Wingbacks/Midfielders: Pedro Amador, Ajani Fortune, Dax McCarty, Bartosz Slisz, Saba Lobjanidze.

Forwards: Aleksey Miranchuk, Jamal Thiare.

Bench: Matt Edwards, Ronald Hernandez, Luke Brennan, Noah Cobb, Josh Cohen, Tristan Muyumba, Xande Silva, Daniel Rios, Tyler Wolff.

Referees

REF: Armando Villarreal.
AR1: Kathryn Nesbitt.
AR2: Chris Elliott.
4TH: Pierre-Luc Lauziere.
VAR: Greg Dopka.
AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert.

How to Watch

Match Time: 3:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Live Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Radio:  Real Radio 104.1 FM (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish).

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Opinion

The Case for Starting Luis Muriel Against Atlanta

Muriel’s game is tailor made to help Orlando get the result in what will likely be a tight contest.

Published

2 days ago

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November 22, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

For the second season in a row, Orlando City finds itself hosting a match in the Eastern Conference semifinals. It was a scenario that was far less likely this year, with the Lions watching as all three seeds above them crashed out in the first round, leaving OCSC as the highest-seeded team still standing in the East. Last year’s semifinal match didn’t go so well, with 10-man Orlando falling to the eventual champion Columbus Crew in extra time. So, how do the Lions avoid that fate this year and advance to the Eastern Conference final for the first time?

For starters, they can succeed on each of Dave Rohe’s three keys to victory! I’d like to make an addition though, and campaign for Oscar Pareja to start Luis Muriel instead of Ivan Angulo. To be clear, it’s not that I have an axe to grind against Angulo, as he’s largely ranged from solid to good when starting out on the left wing. For my money though, this match is tailor made for Muriel and giving him the start could help Orlando get through to the next round without needing to resort to extra time or penalties.

It’s not unreasonable to expect Sunday’s game to play out in a similar manner to Orlando’s 2-1 Decision Day loss to Atlanta, in which the visitors had 34% of the ball to OCSC’s 66%. True, part of that disparity was down to Atlanta’s 2-0 lead after 16 minutes, which allowed the visitors to sit back, bunker, and protect what they had. Even if the game had remained scoreless for longer though, Atlanta probably would likely have ceded possession anyway and looked to play defensively and hit on the counter. They rolled out a compact 4-2-3-1 in that game, but deployed a 3-5-2 in their last two games against Miami, and they might do so again after its effectiveness.

With Orlando likely to have the lion’s share (hehe) of the ball, and Atlanta sitting deep, there figures to be less room for Angulo to deploy his electric pace. OCSC will probably need to make things happen in the “half-court,” with an emphasis on moving the ball quickly, making clever runs, and finding those runs with creative and accurate passes.

Enter Luis Muriel. The Colombian Designated Player had a slow start to life with Orlando City but has come on strong in recent months, excelling in a super sub role and frequently making an impact in games off the bench. In 56 minutes against Charlotte in Game 3, he completed two dribbles, played one key pass and one through ball, and took three shots, with one on target, one off target, and one blocked. He doesn’t offer Angulo’s speed, but he has maybe the best vision and range of passing of anyone on the team, he’s an outstanding dribbler, and he’s a calm and capable finisher.

He hasn’t been asked to do a ton of traditional striker work during his resurgence, but Muriel has excelled at setting up teammates and creating chances, as evidenced by the litany of key passes littering his stat sheet. Those attributes could be hugely important in breaking Atlanta down, and with two key passes and two completed dribbles against them in just 22 minutes on Decision Day, he’s already proven he can be effective against the Five Stripes.

Another thing that could help the Lions in starting Muriel, is that it would almost certainly take Atlanta by surprise. Oscar Pareja isn’t exactly known for tweaking his lineup on a game-to-game basis, vastly preferring to find an XI that works and stick with it religiously. As long as everyone’s healthy, that lineup has featured Angulo starting with Muriel coming off the bench, and flipping the script would certainly be an unexpected variation that Atlanta might not be expecting. At this level, teams are good enough to adjust on short notice, but you also take every possible edge that you can find, and a lineup shift could be exactly that.

In short, as much as I like Angulo, I think Muriel should get the call in his place on Sunday. The veteran’s combination of vision, passing ability, and dribbling makes him uniquely suited to help unlock defenses, which will be crucial in a game where Orlando City is likely to dominate possession. I don’t think it’s likely to happen given Papi’s consistency with his lineups, but the unexpected move could give the Lions the edge they’re looking for. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/22/24

Emily Sams wins Defender of the Year, Orlando City’s turnaround, Barbra Banda nominated for African Woman Player of the Year, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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November 22, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday! Beyond working and catching some soccer here and there, I don’t have many plans for the weekend. I’m also hoping to find some time to trial some cranberry and brie bites I’m trying to perfect before Thanksgiving next week. For now though, let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Emily Sams Awarded NWSL Defender of the Year

The Orlando Pride’s Emily Sams was named 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year after a fantastic season. The Pride only conceded 20 goals in a record-breaking season, and Sams played in all 13 of the team’s shutouts. Sams was one of the most impactful players for the Pride this year and had 163 recoveries, 76 clearances, and 16 blocks. She’s the first Pride player to win the award and it’s great to see her receive some deserved recognition in her second year in Orlando.

Analyzing Orlando City’s Revitalization

It’s been a rollercoaster of a season for the Lions to say the least. There were serious concerns over whether or not the Lions would even make the playoffs back in June and now they find themselves as the highest remaining seed in the Eastern Conference this postseason. Facundo Torres’ excellent run of play is a major reason behind the club’s turnaround, but the buy-in from all of Orlando’s attackers has helped create a dynamic and unselfish offense. Although expectations are rising once more for the Lions, Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi spoke on how the team is focused on Sunday’s playoff match.

“There’s only one team that matters: Atlanta United,” Muzzi said. “The easiest way to lose a game is to look ahead. I’ll say we didn’t expect to be playing at home, but it’s welcomed. We’re focused on Atlanta, they’re playing great. They have a lot of confidence and momentum. It doesn’t matter they’re the No. 9 seed because they’re not playing like the No. 9 seed.”

Barbra Banda Up For African Woman Player of the Year

Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda was one of 10 players nominated for this year’s African Woman Player of the Year award. The 24-year-old has done well for both club and country this year. She scored 13 goals in her first regular season with the Pride and has three goals so far in the playoffs. Banda also had a hat trick for Zambia in the Summer Olympics. She’s joined by fellow NWSL players Temwa Chawinga and Racheal Kundananji on the list of nominees. Bay FC striker Asisat Oshoala, who has won the award in five of the past six years, was not nominated for the first time in a decade. The nomination list will be trimmed to a three-player shortlist before the winner is announced on Dec. 16 in Morocco.

Croix Bethune Named NWSL Midfielder of the Year

Washington Spirit rookie Croix Bethune won NWSL Midfielder of the Year after recording 10 assists and five goals in 17 matches this season. A knee injury cut her season short in September, but she still tied Tobin Heath’s record for the most assists in a season. Bethune gave plenty of NWSL teams headaches this year and also won Rookie of the Year earlier this week. She’s the first player to ever receive NWSL Midfielder of the Year and she beat out the Pride’s Marta, the North Carolina Courage’s Ashley Sanchez, and Kansas City Current duo Lo’eau LaBonta and Vanessa DiBernardo.

Eastern Conference Clubs Making Moves

FC Cincinnati officially signed striker Kevin Denkey from Cercle Brugge on a deal that will last through 2028. The 23-year-old joins as a Designated Player on a reported $16.2 million transfer, which would be a league record. He won the Golden Boot in Belgium last year after scoring 27 goals and should give Cincinnati some considerable firepower next year.

Elsewhere in the league, CF Montreal declined the option on Josef Martinez’s contract, meaning the Venezuelan forward will be a free agent once again. The 31-year-old led Montreal with 11 goals this season and we’ll see where he winds up next. Charlotte FC did not trigger the purchase option on Pep Biel’s loan, opening up a Designated Player spot. Former Lion Junior Urso’s contract option was also declined by Charlotte. The Philadelphia Union signed defender Olivier Mbaizo to a contract extension that will keep him with the club through 2026, with options for 2027 and 2028 as well.

Free Kicks

  • In preparation for the 2026 World Cup, FIFA named 26 new options across the country as “base camps” for participating teams to train and rest. Orlando was included, with OCSC’s training grounds at Osceola Heritage Park pitched alongside the Lake Nona Wave Hotel.
  • ESPN‘s Jeff Kassouf dove into how the NWSL stacks up to the biggest sports leagues in the U.S. Saturday’s NWSL Championship between the Pride and Spirit should showcase just how entertaining the league is to plenty of viewers.
  • Pep Guardiola will stick around as Manchester City’s manager for a couple more years after signing a two-year contract extension with the club. His contract was set to expire at the end of this season.
  • Here’s a cool breakdown of the seven amateur teams that have qualified for the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup so far. None are from Florida, but there are some great logos to check out if you’re looking for a team to root for in the early rounds next year. Debutants Southern Indiana FC and the Virginia Dream are my personal favorites of the bunch.
  • The draw for the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will take place today. Zambia is in the second pot, meaning it will be put in a group of four that will include one of Nigeria, South Africa, or Morocco. The tournament itself will be in July of next year.
  • Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City all clinched a spot in the Women’s Champions League quarterfinals with two games still left to play.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend. Go Orlando!

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