Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Player Grades and Man of the Match
How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 4-3 loss to the Columbus Crew?
Despite the opposition making seven changes in preparation for their Campeones Cup game Wednesday night, Orlando City fell in a crucial match, 4-3. The Lions went down 3-0 in the 71st minute and made a valiant attempt to come back, but a late strike by Columbus was too much to get anything from the game.
Let’s have a look at how the team did individually in this disappointing performance.
Starters
GK, Pedro Gallese, 5 — While none of the goals were solely Gallese’s fault, the Lions’ number one faced five shots and conceded four goals, making only one save. He touched the ball 27 times and completed 57.1% of his 21 passes, including four of his 12 long balls. His poor grade comes down to getting beat on nearly every shot Columbus put on target. The first took a deflection after he committed and took an unfortunate angle just inside the far post and out of reach. The second was a powerful, point-blank header. The third was a blast from about eight yards out by a league MVP candidate, and the fourth was another wide-open shot inside from inside the box just inside the post. His save was a good one, as Columbus again got behind the defense late, but he did well to deny Andres Herrera in the 89th minute.
D, Rafael Santos, 4.5 — It was a tough night for Santos, who wasn’t very good offensively or defensively. He had 51 touches and completed 64.7% of his 34 passes, but neither of his two crosses or any of his eight long balls. He had a minor impact defensively, recording a tackle and a clearance, but his most impactful play was getting beat by Christian Ramirez to Max Arfsten’s cross for Columbus’ second goal.
D, Robin Jansson, 5.5 — Jansson was the best defender for the Lions in this game because he was the only one not at fault for a goal. The captain touched the ball a team-high 52 times and completed 86.4% of his 44 passes, including a key pass and three of his seven long balls. He was also active defensively with a tackle, two interceptions, and three clearances. He was unlucky on the first Crew goal, as his attempt to block Diego Rossi’s shot deflected off his leg and the redirection gave Gallese no chance to keep it out.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5 — Schlegel almost gave the Lions the lead in the 13th minute, but his header hit the post. That was the high point offensively for the center back, who had 31 touches and completed 95.2% of his 21 passes. He was strong defensively for most of the night, recording three tackles — all of them vital — and four clearances, but he let Cucho Hernandez get behind him for the third goal and he got caught cheating upfield on the play that resulted in Christian Hernandez’s goal.
D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 5 — Similar to Schlegel, Thorhallsson nearly had a great start to the game and ended up at fault on the defensive end in the loss. The right back had 41 touches and almost gave the Lions the lead in the eighth minute when his shot hit the left post. He went on to complete 88% of his 25 passes but not his cross or long ball attempt. He recorded two tackles, three interceptions, and a clearance that would’ve given him a good grade. However, he missed a tackle attempt on Aziel Jackson on the counter that ended with the Crew’s third goal and he was not ready for a soft layoff from Felipe on the fourth and decisive goal. He was put in a bad spot by Felipe, but it was a combined mistake.
MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6 — With Cesar Araujo suspended for this game, it wasn’t a surprise that Cartagena was the best defensive midfielder on the team. The Peruvian had a good game with 42 touches and completed 89.7% of his 29 passes. He also completed three of his five long balls. Defensively, he won a team-high five tackles before being replaced by Felipe in the 83rd minute, a questionable substitution for one of Orlando City’s best players on the field.
MF, Jeorgio Kocevski, 5 — This was Kocevski’s first start for Orlando City in a competitive game and it was ultimately one to forget, although it started brightly with some good early one-touch passing. The defensive midfielder faded however and had little impact on the game, touching the ball 20 times and completing 73.7% of his 19 passes. That would’ve been fine if he had a strong defensive effort, but he only had one interception. The rookie was replaced by Luis Muriel in the 58th minute.
MF, Ivan Angulo, 5 — Angulo started on the left side of the midfield and touched the ball 38 times in this game. He completed 80% of his 30 passes, but didn’t have a key pass. He was given a brilliant pass by Muriel to send him in alone on goal in the 71st minute, but he missed his shot off the post. Luckily for Orlando, the rebound resulted in a tap-in for Ramiro Enrique. He also drew the foul in the box in the 77th minute by being in the right place, giving the Lions a penalty that Muriel converted. However, he continues to spoil counterattacking opportunities with his heavy touches since league play restarted, doing so twice in this game.
MF, Martin Ojeda, 5 — Ojeda got the start again at the 10 for the Lions and the attacking midfielder had 26 touches. He completed 89.5% of his 19 passes, including a key pass, one of his two crosses, and his lone long ball. Unfortunately, his biggest impact on the game was a giveaway in the back in the 30th minute on an unnecessary no-look pass attempt that resulted in Columbus’ first goal. He was replaced by Nico Lodeiro in the 58th minute.
MF, Facundo Torres, 6 — Torres was the best attacking starter in this game, making 35 touches and completing 83.3% of his 24 passes with one key pass. His lone cross was incomplete, but his ball into the box in the 77th minute enabled Angulo to draw a penalty when Yaw Yeboah shoved the Colombian to prevent a header opportunity. He also recorded an assist on Muriel’s second goal, though the goal was mostly an individual effort by the Colombian. Additionally, he had one shot that was too close to Patrick Schulte. The main blemish on Torres’ performance came in the opening minutes when the ball landed at his feet with an open net. Since Torres rarely shoots with his right foot, he allowed defenders and Schulte to get back into position rather than scoring the opening goal. He was also offside on a set piece that would have resulted in an Orlando penalty while the game was still scoreless. Being offside negated a handball seconds later on Malte Amundsen that blocked a Duncan McGuire shot.
F, Duncan McGuire, 5 — McGuire got the start over Enrique after scoring in each of the last two games off the bench. However, he was less effective in this one, only touching the ball 12 times and taking one off-target shot. He completed 55.6% of his nine passes and won an aerial duel before being replaced by Ramiro Enrique in the 58th minute. As mentioned above, he would have drawn a penalty on Amundsen had Torres remained onside.
Substitutes
F, Ramiro Enrique (58’), 7 — Enrique was one of the substitutions in the 58th minute that completely changed the game. Replacing McGuire, the forward touched the ball 14 times and completed 71.4% of his seven passes. He put himself in a great position to get on the end of Angulo’s shot off the post in the 74th minute, getting the Lions on the board. He also had a steal in the attacking third set up Nico Lodeiro for what would have been a tying goal at 3-3, but the Uruguayan’s shot was blocked just wide. He also had another shot in the box blocked late in the match.
F, Luis Muriel (58’), 7.5 (MotM) — Despite only being on the field for 32 minutes, Muriel was the best player for the Lions. He came on for Kocevski in the 58th minute and had arguably his best game in purple. The forward touched the ball 23 times and completed 69.2% of his 13 passes with one key pass. However, he was involved in all three Orlando goals. In the 71st minute, it was his beautiful pass forward for Angulo that set up the first goal. He converted a penalty in the 77th minute to make it 3-2 and scored from long distance in the final minute of stoppage time to make it 4-3. It likely would’ve been a blowout without the attacker, making him my Man of the Match.
MF, Nico Lodeiro (58’), 6 — Lodeiro came on for Ojeda in the 58th minute and did well with his 26 touches. The midfielder completed 95.7% of his 23 passes, including a key pass. His only shot was blocked, so it wasn’t officially on target, although it came off a leg and ended up skipping just wide on what would have been a tying goal, and he had a successful tackle to win the ball back.
D, Kyle Smith (81’), 5 — Smith came on as a defensive change in the 81st minute but wasn’t as impactful as the three previous subs. His first involvement was being too slow when first to a ball, losing it, and then conceding a set piece and drawing a yellow card for it after being on the field for only a few seconds. The defender touched the ball 16 times and completed 72.7% of his 11 passes, including his only long ball. Defensively, he only had one tackle and was otherwise invisible while on the field.
MF, Felipe (83’), 4.5 — Felipe came on for Cartagena in the 83rd minute and had a poor outing. He touched the ball 10 times and completed all eight of his passes, but one of those was a weak ball back to Thorhallsson. While the pass was technically complete, it was too soft and put the fullback in a bad spot, allowing Hernandez to take the ball off the right back and set up the fourth and, ultimately, decisive goal.
That’s how I saw Orlando City’s individual performances against the Columbus Crew. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 9/23/24
Lions fall on the road in Columbus, Orlando Pride extend unbeaten run, U.S. takes bronze at FIFA U-20 World Cup, and more.
Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been working at Wrigley Field all week for Chicago Cubs baseball games and Under Armour. Today marks 10 years since The Mane Land was first created on WordPress back in 2014! Let’s also all wish Orlando City midfielder Wilder Cartagena a happy birthday before we dive into today’s links.
Lions Fall On the Road to the Columbus Crew
Orlando City’s attempt at a late comeback fell short in a 4-3 loss on the road to the Columbus Crew on Saturday. The Crew were leading 3-0 late in the second half before Ramiro Enrique and Luis Muriel scored for Orlando to make it 3-2. Columbus added another goal to extend its lead to 4-2 before Muriel scored again for the Lions in stoppage time. Orlando’s three-match winning streak ends, and the Lions will have to wait another week to try to punch their ticket to the MLS playoffs. They’re fifth in the Eastern Conference with 43 points, and their next match will be on the road on Saturday against FC Dallas.
Pride Extend Unbeaten Run With Win Over Bay FC
The Orlando Pride went to PayPal Park and left with a 1-0 win over Bay FC on Friday. Barbra Banda scored the lone goal in the match to seal the victory for Orlando to stay undefeated this season. It was also the club’s fifth consecutive shutout. The win extends the Pride’s unbeaten streak to 21 matches in the regular season, clinching a top-four finish in the NWSL to host a home playoff match for the first time in club history in the process. Orlando remains atop the NWSL table with 51 points and is seven points above the Washington Spirit in second with 44 points. The Pride will return to Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday to take on the Houston Dash.
U.S. Wins Bronze Medal in Women’s U-20 World Cup
Orlando Pride midfielder Ally Lemos came off the bench in the second half for the United States U-20 Women’s National Team in the third-place match against the Netherlands in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. The U.S. defeated the Netherlands 2-1 after extra time to win the bronze medal. Ally Sentnor scored the opening goal for the U.S. before the Netherlands equalized in the first half. After a scoreless second half, the Netherlands gave up an own goal in extra time, and the U.S. claimed third place in the tournament.
Orlando Reportedly a Host City for 2025 FIFA Club World Cup
Inter&Co Stadium will reportedly be chosen to host matches for the upcoming 2025 FIFA Club World Cup next summer. The tournament is scheduled to kick off in June and last through July, and it will feature 32 clubs from around the world. Other cities and stadiums linked with hosting include the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Lumen Field in Seattle, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Free Kicks
- Orlando Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse has set a new NWSL record for the most shutouts in a single season.
- USWNT and Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman exited in the second half of Friday’s match against the Kansas City Current due to a back injury, and there is currently no update on her return.
- Christian Pulisic’s stellar form continued over the weekend, as he scored the opening goal for AC Milan in its 2-1 win over rival Inter Milan and has now scored in five consecutive matches.
- Manchester City’s John Stones scored an equalizer in stoppage time against Arsenal in a thrilling 2-2 draw. Both teams remain undefeated this season and Manchester City remains atop the English Premier League table.
- Lina Souloukou has stepped down from her role as AS Roma’s chief executive officer after receiving backlash from fans due to the club parting ways with manager Daniele De Rossi last week.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday and I’ll see you next time.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Five Takeaways
Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 4-3 defeat at Columbus.
Orlando City went on the road to play one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, fell way behind, battled back, and ultimately lost an entertaining but also frustrating match against the Crew in Columbus. Here are my five takeaways from a 4-3 loss that could have been worse, but also could have been so much better.
Good Teams Punish Your Mistakes
Three of the Crew’s four goals came as a direct result of poor play by Orlando City: Martín Ojeda’s blind and poorly struck pass was intercepted and turned into a counterattack for the Crew’s first goal, Dagur Dan Þórhallsson missed a tackle, Rodrigo Schlegel had cheated up so he was out of position and Rafael Santos was yards away from a therefore wide-open Christian Ramirez for the second goal, and Felipe scuffed a simple pass to Thórhallsson that turned into another counterattack for the the deciding fourth goal. Columbus is already difficult to beat in its home stadium, gifting the Crew three golden opportunities was costly (understatement of the night) in this matchup.
Luis Muriel Looked Like a Designated Player
Muriel injected energy into what had been, frankly, a flatlined Orlando City offense since the first 15 minutes of the game. Orlando City went 50 minutes without a shot after Schlegel’s header in the 13th minute, and it was not until Muriel’s shot in the 63rd minute that the Lions finally emerged from their malaise. Muriel looked potent and powerful with the ball throughout his 32 minutes on the field, and I know this may sound a little hyperbolic, but his gorgeous pass to Iván Angulo that turned into Orlando City’s first goal reminded me of the passes from another Lion who once played in Serie A in Italy, the one and only Kaká. Muriel also slotted home a penalty kick and powered in a long range shot in the dying moments of the match, and looked to be the best player on the field for much of his shift. More of this, please and thank you!
El Pulpo Needed More Limbs
Anytime a team gives up four goals it is a natural reaction to think that perhaps the goalkeeper was not on his best form, but I do not think Pedro Gallese had a chance to stop any of the four goals by the Crew. Three of the four goals were from the center of the box, with two from point-blank range with no defenders in front of the attacker, and the other goal took a deflection off of Robin Jansson and went just beyond Gallese’s fingers into the side netting. Gallese did make a huge save in the 89th minute to keep the score 4-2, and as the season comes to a close, every plus or minus one in goal differential could be huge for seeding purposes.
One Foot Made All the Difference
Usually when we write about Facundo Torres and one foot it is about his preference to use his left foot nearly all of the time, but in Saturday night’s match, Facundo was about one foot offside on a free kick played in by Ojeda in the 24th minute, and during that play Orlando City would have received a penalty kick, because Duncan McGuire’s shot attempt hit a Crew arm that was in an unnatural position. Unfortunately, Torres was slightly offside, which negated the opportunity for the Lions to receive a penalty kick and possibly take a 1-0 lead. Five minutes later, the Crew pounced on an Orlando City mistake to take a 1-0 lead themselves, and oh what could have been had the Lions gone up 1-0 instead of going down 1-0 in the first third of the game.
No César Araújo, Yes Problem
Araújo’s yellow card during Wednesday’s match against Charlotte FC meant he was suspended for Saturday night’s match, and he was clearly missed by Orlando City. Jeorgio Kocevski got his first-ever MLS start in Araújo’s absence, and there is just a clear gap between he and Araújo and what they bring to the team. Kocevski was fine, especially for a rookie in his first ever start, but as (shameless plug alert) I wrote about this week the combination of Araújo’ and Wilder Cartagena is elite, and the Lions could have used elite instead of fine on the road against a difficult opponent. Araújo’s absence also hurt Orlando City in terms of their available substitutes, and Óscar Pareja ended up choosing to sub out both holding midfielders during this match — something that rarely happens when Araújo and Cartagena start. Had Araújo played, we likely would have seen only one of Kocevski or Felipe come off the bench if a holding midfielder needed to come out, which would have allowed one more sub who could have been more offensive in nature with Orlando City chasing the game late.
Those are my takeaways from a game that broke Orlando City’s winning streak and shutout streak, but also may have given the Lions confidence that they can compete with the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Confidence does not put points in the league table though, and in the end, the Lions lost and now face a tough road trip next week against FC Dallas. Let us know your thoughts about the match in the comments below.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Final Score 4-3 as Lions See Three-Game Winning Streak Snapped
Orlando City dug a deep hole and tried to climb out of it twice without quite succeeding in a high-scoring road loss.
Two teams that rarely concede gave up a combined seven goals as the Columbus Crew swept the season series against Orlando City with a 4-3 win at Lower.com Field. The Lions (12-11-7, 43 points) were their own worst enemies in this match. They handed the defending MLS champion Crew (16-5-8, 56 points) great scoring chances before improbably making a game of it and then ultimately capitulating a fourth and decisive goal through sheer miscommunication in their own end.
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Orlando and prevented a chance to clinch a fourth consecutive playoff spot.
Diego Rossi, Christian Ramirez, Cucho Hernandez, and Aziel Jackson scored for the hosts. Down 3-0, Ramiro Enrique’s second-half goal spoiled the Crew’s bid for a third straight shutout, and Luis Muriel added a penalty to make things interesting. But rather than scoring an equalizer, Orlando made a mistake with a giveaway that handed the Crew a fourth goal to ice the game. Muriel added a second goal in the final minute of stoppage time, but there were not heroics at the death this time.
“Very intense match,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the game. “I have to give credit to our players that showed all the time our heart and our willingness to bounce back from adversity that the game put us on, since we couldn’t finalize our chances, especially in the first half. Second half we could have tied the game as well.”
Pareja’s starting lineup saw a couple of changes. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese lined up behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Rookie Jeorgio Kocevski started in place of the suspended Cesar Araujo next to Wilder Cartagena in central midfield behind the usual attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Facundo Torres. Duncan McGuire started instead of Enrique.
The opening 15 minutes were played at a frantic pace, with both teams getting into scoring poition and finding the woodwork. The Crew worked an early ball into the box in the second minute to Jackson but Schlegel blocked his shot. Moments later, a ball pinged around the box and ended up with a soft shot by Jackson that Gallese was able to keep out but the flag came up for offside anyway.
Orlando tried playing over the top a lot early, and in the sixth minute, a great ball over the top found Torres, but his first touch let him down. Two minutes later, the Lions came within inches of opening the scoring. A ball into the area from the left fell to Thorhallsson, who fired off the left post. The rebound came to Torres, who fired a shot that squirted under Patrick Schulte, who spilled it but held it on the line and kept the ball from crossing. McGuire then tried to chip Schulte in the ninth minute off an Orlando takeaway in the attacking half but his shot stayed high and sailed just over the bar.
Mohamed Farsi got down the right behind the defense in the 11th minute as Thorhallsson kept him onside. The Icelandic fullback did well to recover and knock the centering pass behind for a corner. However, the Lions completely ignored Max Arfsten on the set piece. He got a free header as a result but it hit the left upright and rebounded out for a goal kick.
It was Orlando’s turn to get a chance in the 13th minute. McGuire fired a shot inside the box that deflected off a defender for a corner kick. The set piece found Schlegel, who nodded it toward goal but it again hit the left post and stayed out.
“When we proposed to be dense and to be organized, as we did in the first half, we had clear assumptions in behind of them that we couldn’t finalize and change the story of the game,” Pareja said.
Ojeda won a free kick in the 24th minute and the Lions nearly made it pay off. Torres got onto the end of the Argentine’s service but it took a high bounce. He was able to knock a half-volley chance on goal but it hit Schulte in the chest. The ball caromed to McGuire, whose shot hit the outstretched arm of Malte Amundsen and deflected over the bar. The play was reviewed and it was a handball on Amundsen, but Torres was half a yard offside on the delivery of the free kick.
The hosts scored a gift goal in the 30th minute to open the scoring. Tracking back into his own end, Ojeda took a pass from the defense and tried a no-look pass to his right for Santos. Instead, he passed the ball straight to Farsi and the ball was quickly sent forward to Rossi, who touched it to his right and fired a shot that deflected off Jansson’s leg and took the worst possible angle for Orlando.
Gallese had already committed to the original trajectory of the shot and the Peruvian had no chance of keeping it from sneaking just inside the left post to make it 1-0. The goal ended Orlando’s shutout streak at 300 minutes and was Rossi’s third against the Lions this season.
After taking the lead, the Crew held most of the possession and took the air out of the ball. Orlando didn’t get a single shot attempt off after falling behind for the final 15 minutes of the half, plus five minutes of stoppage time.
The Lions’ best opportunity to pull one back came off a quick takeaway and a brilliant pass by Ojeda to send Angulo down the left with numbers in the attack. The chance evaporated when the Colombian took a heavy touch and lost it to the defense in the 40th minute.
Columbus went fishing for a penalty in the 44th minute off a good stop in the box by Schlegel. Alexandru Matan went down easily and, rather than winning a penalty, received a yellow card for simulation. Schlegel had a terrific first half, putting out several fires when the Crew got forward.
Arfsten had the last look at goal in the half, cutting in from the left and trying to curl a shot inside the right post. He left the shot well wide and the hosts took their 1-0 lead into the break.
Columbus held the halftime advantage in possession (66.3%-33.6%), shots (5-4), corners (2-1), and passing accuracy (90.6%-84.8%). Each team put one shot on target. After Torres was ruled offside, his second shot off Schulte didn’t count.
The Lions made no halftime subs but the Crew brought on MLS MVP candidate Hernandez. Orlando’s first foray up the field ended with a Thorhallsson cross from the end line right at Schulte.
The Crew put the game to bed early in the second half on the counter. Schlegel cheated high to try to win the ball back but didn’t. Columbus broke with numbers and Thorhallsson tried to cut a pass to Jackson out but he didn’t make good contact and it fell favorably for the Crew attacker, who sent it wide into the space Dagur vacated on the defensive right to Arfsten. His cross was in to a wide-open Ramirez, as Santos was too slow to pick out a man to mark and Gallese could do nothing with the point-blank header in the 51st minute.
The Crew then had a shooting gallery for a few minutes, with Jackson missing wide in the 55th minute and Hernandez fizzing one over the bar in the 59th, just after Pareja sent on substitutes Nico Lodeiro, Luis Muriel, and Ramiro Enrique. Ojeda, McGuire, and Kocevski were sacrificed.
Muriel fired a left-footed shot toward goal in the 63rd minute, snapping a lengthy drought. The shot deflected out for a corner off a defender. However, the Lions elected to play the corner short and got nothing out of the set piece.
Hernandez seemingly put the game out of reach in the 71st minute, blazing past Schlegel and blasting a one-time shot from Arfsten’s cross past Gallese to make it 3-0.
Orlando pulled the goal back quickly. Muriel made a fantastic pass to send Angulo in behind down the right, but the speedy winger fired his shot off the right post. The rebound came straight to Enrique, who blasted it into the empty net to make it 3-1.
Three minutes later, a good cross in from Torres on the left nearly found Angulo, but he was shoved from behind by Yaw Yeboah as the ball arrived. The referee awarded a penalty immediately. Muriel waited Schulte out and sent a soft shot into the net after the goalkeeper dove to his right. The Lions were suddenly within 3-2 in the 78th minute.
Just two minutes later, the Lions came within inches of tying the game. Enrique stole the ball off the Crew defense and took it into the right side of the penalty area, looking for trailing runners. He sent the ball to Lodeiro just to the right of goal and the midfielder shot. The attempt deflected off a knee in front and skipped just wide of the far post. Orlando played the corner short but couldn’t create anything off the set piece.
With time winding down, the Lions ended up costing themselves again. Felipe, who had come on moments earlier for Cartagena, tried to lay off a pass for Thorhallsson while under pressure from behind. There was an obvious miscommunication between the two, as Thorhallsson probably didn’t expect the soft return ball. Hernandez picked up the ball and fed Jackson, who fired home the Crew’s fourth goal in the 85th minute.
“Their fourth goal hurt us, especially with that short field and turning it over right there,” Muriel said. “But with the momentum that we had, with the inertia that we had, we really felt like we were in a position to equalize before that.”
Orlando City got into the box again moments later. Enrique got in against two defenders and cut back, looking for a shooting lane. He probably took too many touches and allowed a third defender to arrive before he turned and shot, but the effort was blocked in front. Felipe followed on the rebound but his shot was blocked as well and he was called for a foul on the follow-through.
Columbus nearly scored a fifth in the 89th when Herrera got in behind into the box, but Gallese made a big save.
Down two goals, it didn’t seem to matter that there were seven minutes of stoppage time added, but it did affect the final score. Although the Lions struggled to keep the ball and create in injury time, Muriel added a late goal with a shot from outside the area. The Colombian fired a curler that bounced in front of Schulte, who misjudged it. The goalkeeper got a touch but couldn’t keep it out and Orlando was back within a goal at 4-3 with about a minute remaining.
“Obviously happy for my goals, but we were really looking to tie it up or win the game tonight,” Muriel said.
Time ultimately ran out on Orlando City and the final whistle blew on a wild match in Columbus.
The Crew finished the match with the edge in possession (63.7%-36.3%), corners (5-3), and passing accuracy (88.8%-83.7%). Orlando City attempted more shots (13-12), and both teams put five shots on target.
Ultimately, the hole the Lions dug themselves was too deep to climb out of against the defending champs, but nearly climbed out of it anyway.
“It was a very complicated game against a really tough rival,” Muriel said. “I think they put us on the back foot and put us on the counter really quickly with with a lot of their pressure. But moving past that, looking at the end of the second half, we really showed that we’re a team that really likes to fight and wants to fight to be at the top of this league. I think we learned, especially in those last 15 or 20 minutes, the type of team that we can be and the strength that we can show together, especially against one of the best teams in the league. We were at the point where we were about to equalize from three goals down and put ourselves in a position to win the game.”
“In the second half, we chose to push much more and regardless of the spaces that we left in behind,” Pareja said. “We conceded two goals, but also we scored three. It’s that thing of the game that we have to balance. Today they scored one more than us and they take the result. But we had a good game. I thought that we were very competitive and we could have been leading (at) the half easily with the chances that we had.”
The Lions will be back on the road a week from tonight at FC Dallas, looking to bounce back.
Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Player Grades and Man of the Match
Lion Links: 9/23/24
Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Five Takeaways
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