Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Three Keys to Victory

Orlando City heads into the playoffs for the fifth time in five years under Oscar Pareja this weekend, squaring off against Charlotte FC. Despite losing to Atlanta United in the final match of the MLS regular season, the Lions maintained their fourth-place position in the standings, and thus the home field advantage in their first round matchup against Charlotte. Orlando City will host the first match in the best-of-three bout at Inter&Co Stadium Sunday night. 

What does Orlando City need to do to get the first of two needed wins in the first round of the playoffs?

Break Down The Defense

I know it might sound obvious, but scoring goals is necessary to win a match. Accomplishing that against Charlotte FC is easier said than done. Charlotte has only allowed 37 goals during the regular season. That’s good enough for second best behind only Seattle at 35 goals allowed. 

From the start of the season, Charlotte has fielded an elite defense. Then, over the summer, the club added USMNT defender Tim Ream from Fulham. Ream might be getting up there in years, but he is still a top level defender in MLS. Behind the back line you have Kristijan Khalina in goal. Khalina is ranked third in saves this season with 119. 

The Charlotte defense wants to push teams out wide and then defend the crosses that come into the box. That is why I think getting Duncan McGuire into the starting lineup is a good strategy. His size is needed in the box, assuming Orlando City can get some service from the wings. I will also say that I expect Ramiro Enrique to get the start because Pareja sticks with a lineup once he finds it. 

Let’s Get Wild(er)

Wilder Cartagena was missing from Orlando City’s lineup against Atlanta United due to a yellow card suspension and it showed. It really illustrated how much better Pareja’s defensive midfield double pivot works when Cartagena and Cesar Araujo are on the field. Fortunately, he will be back in the lineup this weekend.

Cartagena’s absence wasn’t the only issue with the defense against Atlanta. Obviously, his initial replacement — Felipe Martins — was not good enough on the night. It was also Dagur Dan Thorhallsson’s first match back from injury, and you could see the rust in his play. The defense needs to find the cohesion it had during the previous seven matches. It starts with Cartagena’s return, but all the other pieces need to step up as well.

Don’t Allow the Team to Get PRO’d

Occasionally, some referees think that the match is all about them, rather than about the two teams on the field. It’s something that Orlando City has seen all too often over the years. The Lions were one (arguably bad) video review decision from a draw against Atlanta United. That can’t happen in the playoffs.

The Lions need to made sure that match officials aren’t able to determine the outcome of the match. That means playing clean, limiting mistakes, and having a big enough lead so one bad decision doesn’t swing the match against Orlando City. I bring this up because, while I don’t know who will be officiating the match, you can almost bet that it won’t be a ref with whom we’re comfortable.

That is what I will be looking for Sunday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!