Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Player Grades and Man of the Match

One game is a random event, but two games is the beginnings of the trend, and I am hopeful that Orlando City nips this trend in the bud, because the Lions once again failed to score a goal, drawing the New York Red Bulls 0-0 at home. It was a tale of two halves, with Orlando City dominating the first half but squandering chances before needing to defend for nearly the entirety of the final 35 minutes after going down to 10 players because of a second yellow to Rodrigo Schlegel, which equals a red card.

After a blistering start to the season offensively, it is now the defense that looks strong while the offense is searching for answers, and the Lions did not find those answers in this match. Hopefully a trip to CF Montréal and the chilly northern climate next week will provide a little shock to the system, and the Lions will warm themselves up with some goal celebrations.

I have my purple pen out and I am ready to issue some grades, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their Eastern Conference matchup.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — Even though the Red Bulls were up a man for nearly one-third of the game, they really did not generate on-target opportunities, and so while El Pulpo was under duress for most of the second half, he actually did not have to do very much. I do not mean to discount the communication and presence he provided, but New York was only able to force him into making one save, and that one shot was not struck very well and was right at him. Credit to him for being in position, but it was not a save that will go on any highlight reels. Gallese was able to successfully milk a lot of clock in the late minutes of the game without receiving a yellow card, and he almost was able to put Duncan McGuire in with a well-placed long ball on a quick counter.

D, David Brekalo, 6— The Slovenian looks to have taken over as the first choice left back, but because of Schlegel’s sending off, he shifted to right center back in the second half on Saturday, and he will likely be in that same role Saturday. Then we’ll see what happens when Schlegel returns in the match after that. Brekalo continues to impress in a position he is still learning, and New York could not really muster any significant attacks during the minutes while Brekalo was out on the left. With Schlegel’s exit he moved over to the middle, playing in the right center back spot, and continued his solid play for the final minutes. He completed 73.3% of his passes on the afternoon and had one shot attempt on a header, but his more critical contributions were his four tackles, four clearances, and one interception on defense.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — The Beefy Swede looks back to himself, as he was excellent in the center of the defense, keeping the Red Bulls from generating any significant opportunities throughout the match. I expect he will replay his one major foray into the offensive area over and over in his head though, as he stayed forward after a corner kick and placed himself perfectly to receive a whipped in cross from Martín Ojeda, only to send the well-struck header directly at New York goalkeeper Carlos Coronel. Jansson did not have any tackles, but he finished with one interception, two clearances, and one block, and completed a team-high 46 passes at a 95.8% completion rate.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 4.5 — There is no way around the fact that Schegel’s dismissal for a second yellow card changed the game, and it is frustrating because both of his fouls were unnecessary. The first half yellow card was perhaps a bit harsh from a referee who was letting players be physical for most of the match, but the second one was deserved and was not a good decision by a player who should have known better since he was already on a yellow card. Schlegel had been playing well, with a 92.3% completion rate on his passes and not many defensive statistics since the Lions had dominated most of the game, but his departure changed everything and turned a very winnable game into one in which Orlando City had to grind out to get a draw.

D, Alex Freeman, 6.5 — Freeman is a right back, but when a right back’s average position on the pitch (according to our friends at whoscored.com) is in the opposing half of the field, is he still a right back? I thought the Homegrown Player was outstanding again, marauding forward in partnership with Marco Pašalić and creating several chances that Orlando City just could not finish. Freeman had some chances himself as well but just could not get everything lined up, however, he remains an absolute threat on the right side of the field and one that I am very glad plays for Orlando City and not another team. He completed 77.1% of his passes, including going five for five on long balls, and had one interception, three clearances, and one blocked shot on defense.

MF, Joran Gerbet, 7 (MotM) — The rookie midfielder started his second consecutive game for the Lions, but in this match he did not look like a rookie at all. Gerbet looked confident and poised in partnering with Dagur Dan Thórhallsson to boss the center of the midfield, and I thought it was telling that it was Thórhallsson and not Gerbet that came off the field when Eduard Atuesta came on in the 79th minute, although it was a like-for-like swap at the No. 8 position. The French midfielder also snuffed out a great opportunity late in the match when a through ball got in behind Rafael Santos, and a ball was crossed right in front of the goal. Gerbet was positioned perfectly and intercepted the ball and immediately got it on a highway right out of the danger zone. Gerbet was second on the team with 42 completed passes at a strong 93.3% completion rate, and he also led the team with five tackles.

MF, Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, 6.5 — Thórhallsson is a huge asset to have on this roster, as he once again started as a defensive midfielder and played perhaps his best game of the season in this match against New York. The Icelandic Army knife showed off his versatility by seamlessly switching to left back for a few minutes right after Schlegel departed and then casually returned right back to the middle of the field like he had never been gone when Santos entered to take over on the left side of the back line. His partnership with Gerbet looked like one of two players who had been playing together for months, and not one that is only days in the making since right before last week’s game against Philadelphia. Thórhallsson gave his trademark maximum effort while on the field and made way for Atuesta for the final minutes when Óscar Pareja wanted to get some fresh legs on the field to close out the game. He completed 92.3% of his passes and had two clearances on defense, but his major contribution was in keeping New York from generating much of a threat at all down the middle.

MF, Iván Angulo, 6 — Angulo had one of his better games of the season against New York, but he had the opportunity to make it his best game and just could not close the deal. He had a great opportunity in the first half but pushed his shot wide right, and in the second half he just could not control a seeing-eye pass from Ojeda that could have put him in on goal. In the end, he only got off a deflected shot that turned out to be harmless at the end of the latter play. I thought he looked a lot better than previous weeks though, and in a game when Orlando City was down a player, Angulo’s ability to track back and defend made a big difference in keeping the Red Bulls off the scoreboard. The Colombian completed 72% of his passes, including one key pass, and added one tackle on the defensive side before making way for fresh legs for the final minutes of the game.

MF, Martín Ojeda, 7 — Schlegel’s red card held back Ojeda from being my Man of the Match, because up until that moment the Argentinean Designated Player was clearly the best player on the field and creating opportunities all across the pitch for everyone. Ojeda still ended up with an incredible six key passes, and I am certain that he would have had even more had Orlando City played 11 on 11 for the full game. As it was, Ojeda was outstanding, and even though his passing completion rate (54.3%) was ugly, the offense he created with those completed passes and four successful take-ons should have netted the Lions at least one goal. He came off the field in a defense-for-offense substitution in the final minutes, and it is a shame he did not leave the field with a goal contribution to his name.

MF, Marco Pašalić, 6 — The Croatian is a great match with right side partner Freeman, and had they had more time together on the field, there is a good chance they would have created at least one goal in this game. Unfortunately, Pašalić had to make way for Santos due to the red card and the need for a defensive focus, because up until that point he was getting shots off and looking dangerous. Only one of his shots was on target, but another was just wide and it felt to me that he was the player on the field most likely to break on through and put a ball on the other side of Coronel in net. Pašalić completed 79.3% of his passes and also added two tackles and one interception before departing for Santos in the 61st minute.

F, Luis Muriel, 6 — One of the first articles I wrote for The Mane Land was about how Muriel is more of a playmaker than a finisher, and unfortunately that was on full display against New York. Muriel had several great chances in the box, and all of them ended up either shot right at Coronel or no shot was taken at all. The Colombian is one of the most talented and skilled players to ever wear the purple of Orlando City, but I was left wondering if we will see McGuire in a starting role sooner rather than later, with Muriel dropping back into a role behind him, because Orlando City needs a finisher up top and Muriel is a better provider than finisher. Muriel contributed four key passes against New York, showing off his incredible vision and playmaking touch, but when the Lions needed him most, he could not convert his chances into a goal.

Substitutes

D, Rafael Santos (62′), 5.5 — Santos entered the game a few minutes after Schlegel’s red card, assuming his preferred left back role and pushing Brekalo to center back next to Jansson. With Orlando City down a man, he did not have any chances to run forward and contribute his normal output of crosses whipped into the box, and he spent most of his time in a defensive stance and working to get the ball out of dangerous areas. He got beat on dangerous through ball in the 87th minute and was lucky that the ensuing ball into the middle was intercepted by Gerbet. On the day, he completed two of his five pass attempts and contributed two tackles, and he helped Orlando City successfully close out the final minutes without giving up a goal. However, much of New York’s attack notably shifted to Santos’ side until the late insertion of Kyle Smith stabilized Orlando’s defensive left.

F, Duncan McGuire (68′), 5.5 — McGuire was a man on an island for most of his minutes on the field, as even though he played more than 20 minutes, he only was able to touch the ball six times. As always, he worked extremely hard all across the field, making runs and trying to find space, but with Orlando City down a man and focused nearly exclusively on being compact defensively, there just was not a lot for him in this game. The MLS website did not give him credit for any completed passes, but he did complete one of his three attempts, and his main contribution was keeping New York’s defenders busy and not letting them advance up the field to press their man advantage.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, (79’), N/A — The Colombian entered the game for Ojeda, but he really came in for Thórhallsson, taking over his role as a defensive midfielder. Atuesta did not have an opportunity to do very much, as the Red Bulls had the ball for most of his time on the field, but he did make one mistake, conceding an unnecessary free kick late from a good position. He completed three of his four passes and had one interception on defense.

MF, Ramiro Enrique, (79’), N/A — Enrique came on for Thórhallsson but played as more of an attacking midfielder, as Orlando City went to what almost looked like a 5-2-2 or a 5-2-1-1 formation in the final minutes, with Enrique and McGuire as the two players who played most forward. His main contribution was his hustle, as he only had five touches and did not complete any passes.

D, Kyle Smith, (79′), N/A — The Accountant entered the game for Angulo, but dropped back into a role as a center back playing in between Santos and Jansson, as Orlando City went to five in the back to try to keep New York off the score sheet in the final minutes. He contributed one tackle and two clearances, and completed one of his two passes.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 0-0 draw at home against the Red Bulls. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.