Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Final Score 3-0 as Lions Rout Rival Five Stripes

It took a while for Orlando City’s offense to get going on the heels of three consecutive scoreless draws, but the Lions found their scoring boots in a 3-0 win over rival Atlanta United in front of an announced crowd of 20,184 at Inter&Co Stadium. Orlando (4-2-4, 16 points) ran its unbeaten streak to seven games (3-0-4) while snapping a three-game winless skid (0-0-3) while beating one of its most bitter rivals in Atlanta (2-5-3, 9 points).

Luis Muriel, Alex Freeman, and Marco Pasalic scored the goals for the Lions, who beat Atlanta at home for just the third time in club history (3-6-3) in the regular season. The club set a new club record early in the game for most conseutive shutout minutes, and by the end of the match, the Lions had not conceded in 436 minutes, dating back to the LA Galaxy game and Christian Ramirez’s 14th-minute strike.

“It’s so nice to see that we kept our balance defensively and we improved something that has been costing us in our last three (games) on not scoring,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match, dedicating the three points to Cesar Araujo, who welcomed his daughter Isabella into the world today. “And getting back today to that mode just made us feel very good. A game well played. In the first half we had some difficulties to find our spaces, but we were patient until we scored the first one. We knew that they were coming in the second (half) and we would have those spaces naturally, organically open for us, and we saw that. And the boys understod the game. They were very responsible with their duties defensively, but offensively we looked like we can harm teams, and that made us feel good.”

Pareja’s lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel (who returned from suspension), and Freeman. With Joran Gerbet picking up a knock this week and Araujo on daddy duty, Kyle Smith started in central midfield alongside a returning Eduard Atuesta behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Muriel, and Pasalic, with Duncan McGuire up top. Martin Ojeda started on the bench.

The first half mostly saw both sides try to be meticulous defensively and take few chances in the attack. This made for a bit of a dull affair for spectators as the teams played a tense game of chess with the ball. Orlando seemed the likelier team to put it all together, but the Lions wasted several chances, with three attacks going through Angulo in the first 12 minutes resulting in turnovers instead of shots.

Pasalic sent McGuire down the right side of the box in the eighth minute, but the striker had no help with him. Rather than hold play up and waiting for help, McGuire tried a tough-angle shot and did not get his effort on target.

A good buildup in the 15th minute ended up with an Orlando chance in front but that chance fell for Smith, who missed the net entirely from about eight yards away.

Jamal Thiare headed over the bar on a cross from the right in the 26th minute.

Atuesta sent Angulo in behind on the left in the 31st minute. Brad Guzan came off his line aggressively to cut down the angle and the left winger’s shot was blocked behind for a corner.

Aleksey Miranchuk fired wide from outside the box for Atlanta in the 34th minute. The game changed moments later.

A good pass sent Muriel into the box in the 37th minute and he was taken down by Bartosz Slisz. Referee Marcos de Oliveira determined the challenge was legal and Pasalic followed with a shot that was blocked. Atlanta broke the other way and Gallese stopped a weak shot from distance, but then de Oliveira went to the monitor. After review, he saw that Slisz had made contact with Muriel’s foot prior to getting the ball and a penalty was awarded to Orlando.

Muriel sent Guzan the wrong way and calmly slotted home in the 42nd minute to open the scoring. It was Orlando City’s first goal in 312 minutes of game time and Muriel’s fourth of the season.

Neither side fashioned a clear-cut chance in the final moments or five minutes of stoppage time. Thiare sent a late header well off target on the final shot attempt of the opening period.

Orlando City finished the half with the advantage in possession (63.3%-36.7%), shots (5-3), shots on target (2-0), and passing accuracy (89.8%-87.7%), while Atlanta won more corners (2-1). The difference at the break was the penalty.

“I think the first half I can say congrats to Atlanta. They played really good defensively and also offense,” Pasalic said. “And they made the game really tough, especially for me, because I had (many) opponents around me, and maybe this was the tactic, to close the pockets, because that’s a style we played in the last games.”

The Lions tried to strike quickly for a second after the restart. Pasalic fired wide of the right post from distance just seconds into the second half. A minute later, Muriel made a great pass to slip the ball to McGuire in the box but the ball was knocked away to Angulo. The winger could have shot with his first touch but instead took the ball wide and recycled for Muriel, who fired wide from a bad angle on the left.

Freeman doubled the lead in the 51st minute. Pasalic chested down an aerial ball and made a good pass to send it to Freeman breaking down the right into the box. The fullback was at a tight angle but sized up Guzan’s positioning and blasted a shot through the defender’s legs and just off the inside of the left post and in to make it 2-0.

“When Marco got the ball, he controlled it, and I was eager to run in behind. And when Marco passed me that beautiful pass, it was more like to see what the defender was going to do — if he was going to really step or if he was just going to delay, delay,” Freeman said. “And I didn’t see anyone in the box, and I saw the defender’s legs open. I wanted to put it bottom left corner, and with his legs open, I just put it right through, and then I scored and I got to celebrate with Duncan.”

Freeman and McGuire did a celebration they’d worked on with Gerbet, but it was just the two of them out there for the choreographed celly with Gerbet unable to play.

After Freeman’s goal, Atlanta saw a lot more of the ball. The entire next five minutes were spent in Orlando’s half.

The Lions subbed on Martin Ojeda for McGuire and got back in the attack quickly, winning a pair of corners. The service on the first sailed over everyone and was picked up by Muriel outside the box. Muriel’s blast was tipped just wide by Guzan’s diving save, setting up a second corner. Ojeda’s second entry ball found Smith, but his header in the 64th minute was meekly right at Guzan for an easy save.

Atlanta then made a couple of critical turnovers in its own end and paid for the second. The first turnover ended up on Angulo’s foot out on the left with Guzan well out of his goal. Angulo’s curling shot not only missed, but would have gone out for a throw-in on the other side had Atlanta’s defense not picked it up. However, seconds later, Atlanta turned it over again, with Pasalic picking up the ball in the attacking half, dribbling toward goal, and blasting his fifth goal of the season just inside the right post to make it 3-0 in the 67th minute.

“To be honest I feel that we did good pressure, and when the ball came to me, I feel that the ball is going to come to me because the goalkeeper had no other chance to shoot the ball anywhere, and it came right to my feet,” Pasalic said. “I stopped the ball not so good, and then I turned around and see that nobody’s there, and take the ball and I see no pressure. Then I was not so far away from the goal and then I shoot.”

Pasalic should have notched his second assist of the game just a few minutes after his goal, when he slipped Atuesta into the area in the 71st minute. The midfielder fired for the left post but his shot fizzed just inches wide.

Orlando pushed some younger legs out onto the field over the final minutes of the game, subbing on Nico Rodriguez, Gustavo Caraballo, and Colin Guske. Atlanta created some half chances from range but could do little with a few late corners. Edwin Mosquera and Miguel Almiron sent some shots well over the bar down the stretch.

Rodriguez missed well off the mark in the fourth minute of stoppage time in the game’s final opportunity for either side and the final whistle brought the Lions’ fourth consecutive shutout to an end.

Orlando finished the match with the advantage in possession (54.9%-45.1%), shots (16-12), shots on target (6-0), and passing accuracy (89.2%-87.7%). Atlanta won more corners (5-3).

“The second half we looked more us,” Pareja said. “We spoke during the week with our players about this drought moment of not scoring. (The coaching staff) tried not to tense the team or not to stress them too much. Instead we wanted them to get back to their natural mode of play, creating options. The goals are coming. And we felt today that that was happening. I think they bounced back and they found the timing.”

“I’m happy that we won this game today,” Pasalic said. “After those draw games and difficult creation of chances and scoring goals, I think today was really important. I think it was the training this week. We worked more on the creation of the chances and more on the shooting practice, because this is what gives you the most confidence in front of the goal. We worked like a team. We kept the heads together. Now we are really solid and played the defense really good, and maybe thi sis a process and needs time. So, we had this game to prove that we are defensively really good and today we showed both.”

Orlando City is back on the road next Saturday as the Lions visit the Chicago Fire.