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

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 3-0 victory over Nashville SC?

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2 weeks ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City rebounded from a bad loss a week ago, defeating Nashville SC 3-0 in a big home victory. The Lions scored twice in four minutes early in the first half to change the nature of the match. Orlando City weathered Nashville’s press to get back on the winning side of the ledger.

 Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in a home matchup against an Eastern Conference opponent.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — Gallese started the match with a huge one-on-one save in the eighth minute to deny Alex Muyl. He almost had a horrible giveaway when trying to chip ball past Surridge while next to the right post, but it rebounded into his arms. Fortunately, Nashville only got one shot on target, but Gallese did what was needed to keep the clean sheet.

D, Rafael Santos, 5.5 — Santos was not his worst, but he was far from his best on the night. He left Muyl alone on Nashville’s first corner. A little later he allowed Sam Surridge to beat him to the back post. Fortunately, the post made the save to keep Nashville off the scoreboard. He had a bad giveaway in 30th minute, and failed to settle an easy pass in 33rd minute ruining a promising attack. Santos also earned a yellow card to start the second half. The Brazilian led the team with 82 touches, completed 85.3% of his 61 passes, and was accurate on five of his 10 long balls, with one cross. Defensively, he made one tackle, one interception, and four clearances. He committed three fouls, including the aforementioned yellow card. He was subbed off for Kyle Smith in the 82nd minute.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — Jansson almost got a rare goal but missed his header, which was set up by a Facundo Torres header in the 26th minute. Like plenty of others on Orlando City, he earned a dumb yellow on a bad challenge. Jansson did make a good header to clear the ball on one of Hany Mukhtar’s many free kicks. The captain had 63 touches, completed 87.7% of his 57 passes, and was accurate on two of his seven long balls. Defensively, he had two clearances and one blocked shot. His one shot was not on target, he committed one foul, and he suffered one foul. Jansson did well after his yellow card to play smart down the stretch.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5 — Schlegel started the match with a good clearance in the fifth minute but got too high up the pitch, allowing Muyl a run at goal shortly after. He only had 22 touches, including 18 passes at a 72.2% rate, and was successful on one of his five long balls. Defensively, he made four clearances. Schlegel also earned his obligatory yellow card for kicking the ball after a foul was given against Nashville in the 17th minute. It was a bit of a forgettable night for the center back and he was subbed off at the half.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6 — Thorhallsson reverted to form following a poor performance in the last match, though it took a bit to settle in. He fouled Muyl in the sixth minute to give Nashville a free kick. He had a bad giveaway after a good interception in the 30th minute. I know it might not sound like he had a great night, but that was most of the bad, and he provided the assist on Torres’ first goal. Thorhallsson had 54 touches and completed 80.7% of his 31 passes and two of his five long balls. He made two crosses, with one key pass, and drew two fouls. Defensively, he recorded one interception, six clearances, and one foul committed. He was one of the few Lions who didn’t earn a yellow card.

MF, César Araujo, 6 — Araujo was his normal self in the defensive midfield. He finished with one tackle, two clearances, and one foul committed, which resulted in a yellow card. Normally, defensive midfielders earn fouls and sometimes yellow cards. They also earn fouls for their team, and Araujo earned five fouls for Orlando City. He had 57 touches and completed 84.4% of his 45 passes. He made two key passes and completed one of his two long balls.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6 — Cartagena was a bit undisciplined in this match, though he was active with 72 touches. He and Mukhtar battled all night, with Cartagena committing four fouls, and finally earning a yellow card after several warnings. Defensively, he made five tackles, one interception, and one clearance. He completed 91.1% of his 56 passes and was successful on his one long ball. He also drew two fouls. I’m a little surprised he got away with as much as he did, but ultimately he frustrated Nashville, which is his job.

MF, Iván Angulo, 6.5 — Angulo couldn’t have started things off any better than he did, being in the right place at the right time to take Martin Ojeda’s pass inside the box, turn, and put the ball in the back of the net. It was one of his two shots on the night. He roamed up and down the pitch like his normal self. Angulo had 52 touches, completed 75% of his 40 passes, including one key pass and one cross. He was subbed off in the 82nd minute.

MF, Martín Ojeda, 7 — Ojeda had a good night. He was elusive and proficient with the ball at his feet. He set up the first goal when he intercepted Joe Willis’ bad pass, and one-timed it to Angulo to put it in the goal. He also started the attack on the second goal when he nutmegged his defender to get the ball into the attack. He sent the ball into the box on a free kick that ultimately ended up on Jansson’s head, but not in the back of the goal. His one foul wasn’t really a foul though it resulted in a free kick for Nashville. Ojeda had 42 touches, completing 88% of his 25 passes, including one of his two long balls, and three key passes. He also took one shot that was on target, though he didn’t get the goal. He did get the assist on Angulo’s goal.

MF, Facundo Torres, 7.5 (MotM) — Scoring a brace was more than enough for Torres to earn Man of the Match honors. On his first goal, he took the pass from Ojeda, sent it forward to Thorhallsson, and then made his way to the other side of the box to receive the cross for the second goal of the match. It was Torres who gave Jansson a chance to score off the free kick with a header. He was wide open on his second goal, but he couldn’t have taken it better, putting the ball over Willis and just under the crossbar for the goal. Torres had 52 touches, completed 90.2% of his 42 passes, one of his two long balls, and two key passes. He took five shots, with three on target, and put two in the back of the net. It was an excellent night from the Designated Player.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 6 — You could tell that Enrique wanted to score in this match. He managed one shot, which was on target. Unfortunately, Willis got enough of the ball to have the shot hit the post. His tenacity resulted in a dumb yellow foul in 20th minute when he was trying to get the ball back. Enrique had 23 touches, and completed 80% of his 15 passes. Defensively, he made one tackle, had one blocked shot, and committed one foul, resulting in a yellow card. It was a good night for the youngster despite not getting a goal. He subbed off in the 68th minute.

Substitutes

D, David Brekalo (46′), 6.5 — Brekalo came on as a halftime substitute for Schlegel, who was on a yellow card. He had two chances on goal, including one on a set piece in the 61st minute, but he couldn’t direct his back heel attempt on frame. He also made a good clearance in the 67th minute. He actually didn’t commit any fouls or receive a yellow card. Brekalo had 27 touches, and completed 80% of his 15 passes. Defensively, he made two tackles, one clearance, and one interception, and he blocked two shots. He did enough to get the start in Orlando City’s next match.

F, Duncan McGuire, (68’), 6.5 — McGuire didn’t get the start, but he put in the effort once he came on. He made a good run in the 73rd minute, but couldn’t get past the defenders to get a shot, though he did win a corner kick. McGuire provided the assist on Torres’ second goal. He had 17 touches and completed 44.4% of his nine passes with one key pass.

MF, Nico Lodeiro, (69’), 6 — Lodeiro helped Orlando City see out the match after coming on for Ojeda. He had 20 touches, completing 88.2% of his 17 passes, including three key passes, including a secondary assist on the third goal. He attempted one shot, though it wasn’t on target.

MF, Luis Muriel (82′), N/A — Despite only managing 16 touches, Muriel got a shot off. The shot was from outside the box, and it sailed over the crossbar. He completed 88.1% of his 11 passes. Muriel made one tackle, committed one foul, and suffered one foul. He wasn’t on long enough to earn a grade.

D, Kyle Smith (82′), N/A — Smith finished with 18 touches in his short time on the pitch. He completed 78.6% of his 14 passes, including one successful long ball. Defensively, he made one tackle. As with Muriel, Smith’s time on the pitch was too short to warrant a grade.

That’s how I saw the individual performances on Saturday night. What did you think? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and vote in the poll below for your Orlando City Man of the Match.

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Orlando City

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

The Lions look for a third straight win at home before heading back on the road when Charlotte FC visits.

Published

34 mins ago

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September 18, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Wednesday night matchup between Orlando City (11-10-7, 40 points) and Charlotte FC (10-10-8, 38 points) at Inter&Co Stadium (8:15 p.m., FS1, Apple TV). This is the second of the two scheduled meetings between the southeastern teams in the regular season.

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

History

The Lions are 2-1-2 in the all-time, regular-season series and 2-2-2 in all competitions. Orlando City is 1-1-0 at home in the regular season. Every game between the two teams (aside from the draws) has been decided by a single goal.

Tonight’s hosts have gotten the better of Orlando City recently, including a 2-0-2 mark in four meetings across all competitions since the start of last season. The teams most recently met on June 19 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and played to a 2-2 draw. The hosts struck first with an early Kerwin Vargas goal and the Lions pulled one back through Duncan McGuire in the second half. But despite Charlotte going down a man on Scott Arfield’s red card, Brandt Bronico restored the hosts’ lead shortly after McGuire’s strike. Facundo Torres struck back moments later but the Lions could not find a winner on the road.

The previous match was also a draw at Bank of America Stadium, finishing in a 1-1 draw on Aug. 30, 2023. Enzo Copetti’s late penalty appeared to wrap things up for the hosts on a rainy night in Charlotte, but Martin Ojeda’s seeing-eye set piece equalized just before stoppage time as the teams split the points.

Charlotte claimed a 1-0 “home” victory in U.S. Open Cup play on May 9 of last year. That game took place at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in Matthews, NC, rather than at the club’s regular stadium. The first matchup of the 2023 season didn’t go any better for Orlando City, finishing as a 2-1 Charlotte win at Exploria Stadium on March 18. Copetti and Vargas put Charlotte up 2-0 by halftime. Ojeda pulled one back, but the Lions were wasteful in front of goal and couldn’t pull level.

The teams met at Bank of America Stadium on Aug. 21, 2022. After a scoreless first half, Ercan Kara put the Lions ahead on the road, only to see McKinze Gaines equalize just four minutes later. Tesho Akindele’s late goal lifted Orlando to a 2-1 victory.

Orlando City won the first-ever meeting between the sides on April 30, 2022 at Exploria Stadium. Ruan scored the opening goal and set up Torres on the counter for the second as the Lions took a 2-0 lead into the locker room. Christian Fuchs scored from the spot after Rodrigo Schlegel was called for a foul in the box in the second half, but that was as close as Charlotte got in what was ultimately a 2-1 Orlando victory.

Overview

Orlando City enters tonight’s match on a two-game winning streak, with both victories coming at home by 3-0 scorelines. The most recent came Saturday against the New England Revolution, following a victory over Nashville two weeks ago. The Lions finally climbed above .500 with Saturday’s win against the Revs and pulled level at 5-5-4 at home on the season.

Charlotte enters with one of the best defensive records in Major League Soccer. Only Columbus (28) has given up fewer goals than the North Carolina side’s 31. Tonight’s visitors lost 2-1 at Montreal Saturday night and is 0-2-1 since returning from the Leagues Cup break. In an 0-2-1 road slump, Charlotte is 4-7-3 away from home in 2024.

Orlando City will need to be patient but also try to build a volume of shots against Charlotte’s stout defense, led by goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, who has posted 100 saves on the season. That’s nearly double Pedro Gallese’s 54 saves on the year, but El Pulpo has played in five fewer games due to international duty. Still, the key to beating Charlotte is to get some goals on the board, as the visitors’ offense has found the net just 32 times this season — third fewest in the Eastern Conference.

“Charlotte is a team that we’ve played not long ago, but they have three or four additions to their squad, and we are making reference to them too,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the game. “We also know those new players and inclusions in the group change their dynamics. We are aware of how we can play them or how we can contend with them. Like any other game, we’re going to try and do our best and get our points. It’s our normal routine.” 

The Lions will be without Mason Stajduhar (lower leg), who started the match in Charlotte in June, and David Brekalo (thigh). Charlotte will be without Jahlane Forbes (hip), while leading scorer Patrick Agyemang (foot) is questionable.

Match Content

Projected 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.

Forwards: Ramiro Enrique.

Charlotte FC (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Kristijan Kahlina.

Defenders: Jere Uronen, Tim Ream, Adilson Malanda, Nathan Byrne.

Defensive Midfielders: Djibril Diani, Ashley Westwood.

Attacking Midfielders: Kerwin Vargas, Pep Biel, Liel Abada.

Forward: Karol Swiderski.

Referees

REF: Marcos DeOliveira.
AR1: Logan Brown.
AR2: Ricardo Ocampo.
4TH: Lorenzo Hernandez.
VAR: Daniel Radford.
AVAR: Robert Schaap.

How to Watch

Match Time: 8:15 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium  — Orlando

TV/Live Stream: FS1, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Radio: FM 96.9 The Game (English), Mega 97.1 FM (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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 9/18/24

Duncan McGuire likes scoring goals, the Pride are impressive, Champions League results, and more.

Published

5 hours ago

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September 18, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s match day, so I hope you are hyped for a midweek showdown with Charlotte FC. So, put on your purple, and tell you boss you don’t care about the dress code. If you haven’t done so yet, there’s still time to listen to the latest episode of The Mane Land PawedCast to help get you ready after you check out today’s links. Let’s get to it.

McGuire Happy to Score

Duncan McGuire’s goal against the New England Revolution Saturday night was his first MLS strike since June. That kind of drought isn’t something he’s used to, and he was away at the Olympics for part of that time, but he said he’s just happy to contribute to the team winning. McGuire will look to continue his scoring in tonight’s match against Charlotte FC. The Lions will need McGuire and others to contribute in this crucial Eastern Conference match. If you’re unsure whether to attend in person, take a look at all the cool stuff the club is doing tonight. Check back later today for our match preview.

The Pride are Scary Good

The still undefeated Orlando Pride are very, very good. This is obvious to anyone that looks at the standings or the records being broken on a weekly basis. Still, it’s one thing to know it and another to see it. SBNation’s Southern Sylvs got a firsthand look at the team and the experience watching the Pride at the last match against the Kansas City Current at Inter&Co Stadium. Sylvs was impressed with the atmosphere and the club, despite what I thought wasn’t their best outing.

Banda Still in Contention

The Orlando Pride’s Barbra Banda hasn’t scored as many goals as the Current’s Temwa Chawinga but that doesn’t mean she’s out of the NWSL MVP race. She has contributed quite a bit in her time with the club, and I expect that she will start putting in goals and providing assists again soon. How well the Pride do in the regular season will also likely impact the MVP selection.

Americans in the Champions League

Liverpool may have defeated AC Milan 3-1 in the first of eight UEFA Champions League matches for each club, but Christian Pulisic did score the first goal of the match.

Why pass the ball when it’s so much easier to simply score the goal yourself? That was pretty much it for AC Milan as Liverpool scored three unanswered goals to secure the victory.

Earlier in the day, Weston McKennie scored in Juventus’ 3-1 win over PSV. It was very much a right place, right time goal for the American.

lt was a good day for the Americans, and plenty of other USMNT players will be in action this week across different leagues and competitions.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. We will have your match recap after the game tonight. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 9/17/24

Rafael Santos up for Goal of the Matchday, Lions earn recognition, stories to watch around MLS, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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September 17, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

It wasn’t a perfect weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams, but it was close. Orlando City, the Orlando Pride and Orlando City B went undefeated, and combined to take seven of the nine points available, which is hard to complain about. There’s no time to rest though, as the Lions will be back in action tomorrow at home against FC Dallas. As always, we have plenty to talk about today, so let’s get into the links.

Santos Strike Nominated for Goal of the Matchday

Rafael Santos opened the scoring in spectacular fashion during Orlando City’s 3-0 win over the New England Revolution, and his left-footed blast has been nominated for MLS Goal of the Matchday. With 22 minutes played, the Lions worked a short corner and Ivan Angulo found Santos free outside the box. The fullback took one touch to set the ball up before unleashing a dipping, curling effort that left a fully stretched Aljaz Ivacic with no chance. It was a special strike and a very worthy nomination. Make sure you go cast your vote for him to win it!

Lions Earn Weekly Recognition

In addition to his Goal of the Matchday nomination, Santos was also named to the starting lineup of the MLS Team of the Matchday as one of three defenders, while Facundo Torres was included on the bench. Outside of his goal, Santos also recorded two tackles and two clearances while helping the defense keep a clean sheet. Torres converted his penalty kick with venom, had 94% passing accuracy, and generally looked dangerous. Marcus Mitchell awarded Santos a 7 out of 10 and Torres a 7.5 out of 10 and Man of the Match honors in his player grades from the match, so it’s nice to see the pair get some recognition on a larger scale. Here’s hoping the good work continues!

Stories to Watch in MLS

Some of the flashier teams in the league might grab headlines on a consistent basis, but there are plenty of other intriguing stories happening around MLS. For one, the Lions are on a 6-1-1 run that has them up to fifth in the Eastern Conference with a game in hand on the Red Bulls in fourth. Martin Ojeda playing through the middle and moving Facu back out wide is a big reason why. Then there are the Colorado Rapids, a team that has the second-largest points-per-game increase from last season to this one. At the other end of things you have Charlotte FC, which has won just once in its last eight games and is in danger of missing out on the playoffs altogether.

Mikey Varas Will Coach San Diego FC

San Diego FC has found its first head coach, as it named former United States Men’s National Team interim head coach Mikey Varas to the top job. Varas spent several years with U.S. Soccer, and also was an assistant coach at FC Dallas under Luchi Gonzalez for three seasons. Aside from being the head coach of the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team from 2021 to 2023, this will be his only other gig as a full time head coach. Now that San Diego has that vacancy filled, it can do some serious work on building its roster ahead of its inaugural MLS season next year.

Free Kicks

  • The Orlando Pride held fast at the top spot of ESPN’s NWSL power rankings.
  • Orlando City had a big jump, as the Lions moved up six spots to ninth in ESPN’s MLS power rankings.
  • Former Orlando Pride coach Tom Sermanni has been named interim head coach of the Australian women’s national team.
  • NJ/NY Gotham FC has played on every day of the week at least once during this season.

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

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