Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Player Grades and Man of the Match

On Saturday night both Orlando City and FC Cincinnati looked like teams playing on a hot summer night after having just played a game a few days earlier on another hot summer night. Unfortunately for the Lions, it was their opponents who were more clinical with their tired legs, defeating the Lions 2-1 in a slow, sluggish game at Inter&Co Stadium. Orlando City has now lost three of its last four games at home, so perhaps it is a good thing that its next game is on the road.

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 home matchup against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — We must start with the game’s opening goal because it changed the complexion of the game, not only because of the score but also because it happened right at the stroke of halftime, altering the halftime talks and game plan adjustments for both coaches just seconds before heading into the locker room. Any time a shot is taken from a location on the field when a goal is scored on one out of every 20-25 shots (the xG on the first goal was 0.04 or 0.05, depending on the tracking system), the goalkeeper probably should have done better, and on this one it definitely looked like Gallese was completely fooled and out of position. He looked like he was exclusively anticipating a cross into the box, and that mindset, combined with the precision and power of Evander’s free kick, gave the Peruvian no chance of making the save. Aside from that goal, Gallese played well, making two saves on difficult shots, particularly the one against Kei Kamara, which I thought for sure would be a goal, and the other goal he gave up was a shot that few, if any, goalkeepers could have saved off the foot of Evander from the middle of the box. Gallese will likely have that first goal stuck in his head for a while, though. Given the location of the ball for the free kick, few goalkeepers would have really given credence to the idea that Evander would shoot from there, but his positioning ensured he couldn’t stop it.

D, David Brekalo, 6.5 — It is hard to fault a defender, even one in a great scoring position, for failing to score with his weaker foot but oh my gosh how did that ball in second half stoppage time not find the net, David Brekalo!? That moment at the end of the game was disappointing, but for the rest of the match, the Slovenian defender was solid in the back, winning a team-leading five tackles and adding two interceptions, one clearance, and one block, while also completing 89.4% of his passes. Additionally, he drew two yellow card tackles on Cincinnati. Brekalo also switched from left back to center back during this game and it should not be forgotten how different those two positions are, especially against a team like Cincinnati with Evander, one of the league’s most dynamic offensive players, playing all over the field. Brekalo was in the area for what turned out to be the game-winning goal, and while he did get beat off the dribble on that play, he had busted his lungs to even get back into a position to force Evander to make that move, and he was just a half-step too slow to block it (he was also the only defender not caught behind the ball on that counterattack). Soccer is often a game of inches, and Brekalo’s foot position was slightly off on his missed shot, and Evander’s feint put him slightly off balance on defense before the second goal, but aside from those two plays, I thought he was Orlando City’s best defender on the night. Alas, that will be small consolation after a 2-1 defeat.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — Jansson did not have a great game Saturday night, and while he and his central defensive partners did not allow any goals from Cincinnati’s two strikers, he did not seem to have the influence over the game that he often does when in full Beefy Swede mode. He had one tackle, one interception, and one clearance and completed 87% of his passes, but for most of the game he was there but rarely heard from. He was involved in the second goal Orlando City allowed, as he was caught way up the field tracking Kamara near the sideline. He seemingly did not realize how much open space there was behind him with Rafael Santos still in the attacking third. Kamara received the pass and dropped the ball backwards to Pavel Bucha, and then suddenly the next pass was played through to Kevin Denkey, and Cincinnati was on a three-on-one counterattack for 60 yards, with Jansson caught chasing from behind. That goal was by no means the sole fault of Jansson, as teams chasing games leave space behind out of necessity, but he was involved in it, and it left the Lions with a two-goal deficit and a feeling that this was not going to be their night.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — After sitting out Wednesday’s match due to yellow card accumulation, the Argentinean defender returned to the starting lineup and was solid in his return, preventing Cincinnati from creating many chances while he was on the field and staying engaged throughout his shift. He was active defensively, with one tackle, two interceptions, two clearances, and several pushes during the little brouhaha towards the end of the first half. At the time he departed, he had completed the second-most passes in the game with an even 50, at a 90.9% completion rate. Schlegel’s return allowed the Lions to go back to their usual positional alignment on the back line, and they looked good through his 70 minutes on the field, but down a goal, Óscar Pareja decided to go with a more offensive presence out at left back and subbed in Santos, shifting Brekalo into the middle and ending Schlegel’s night.

D, Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, 6 — Thórhallsson had about as non-descript a game as I can ever remember him having, as even though Cincinnati attacked primarily on his side of the field, he only registered one tackle and did not have any other defensive actions. He made his way forward often and even got one shot off, but he did not put it on goal, and it did not worry Cincinnati’s defense. He completed 93% of his passes, including one key pass, but he had no major standout moments in this game and made way for Kyle Smith in a like-for-like substitution in 80th minute.

MF, Iván Angulo, 5.5 — The short leash for Angulo continued in this game, as after an up-and-down first half he was removed for Luis Muriel. Angulo struggled with his passing, only completing 79% of his passes and giving the ball away rather easily multiple times, including one pass attempt into triple coverage in the defensive third of the field that forced the defense into scramble mode after the turnover. While he was not credited with any tackles, Angulo was active on defense, and his recovery speed came into play when Brekalo missed a tackle but the speedy Colombian was able to track back and take the ball away before any danger occurred. Had Orlando City not fallen behind, Angulo may have gone longer than only 45 minutes, but with the Lions chasing a goal, they went offense for defense and pulled him at halftime. 

MF, César Araújo, 6 — The Uruguayan midfielder usually destroys the opposition and helps Orlando City to own the middle third of the field, but in this game he did not claim victory over the Cincinnati midfield. He only had two tackles and added no other defensive actions, and while on offense he led the team in touches and completed 89.9% of his passes. However, he did not seem to be much of a threat or a force multiplier in the attacking area, as most of his passes were of the short variety and did not unlock much of the Cincinnati defense. The two goals Orlando City allowed were on a long free kick and a quick counterattack, so it was not that the midfield duo of Araújo and Eduard Atuesta were outplayed, but they did not dominate the middle of the field and create counterattacks or much other offense during this game.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 6 — Atuesta is usually the more offensive of the two central midfield players but in this game, he and Araújo were basically the same players, completing a lot of passes and a high completion rate (65 for Atuesta at 92.9% and 62 for Araújo at 89.9%) but only one key pass each and very little threatening play between them. Atuesta was a little more active on defense, with one tackle, one clearance, and one block, but he seemed to tire late and could not contribute much as Orlando City desperately tried to claw back a point from their two goal deficit. In fairness to him, he played all 90 minutes on Wednesday and did so once again in this game, so he surely had heavy legs in the final minutes. But his absence in the offense was glaring to me, as he just did not have his normal burst and incisive passes.

MF, Marco Pašalić, 7 (MotM) — The Croatian winger was one of only two Orlando City players to put a shot on target in this game and the only one to put multiple shots on target. With his shooting ability, that usually leads to good results as it did late in the second half when he scorched a low bullet into the corner to cut Cincinnati’s lead in half. Prior to that, his previous four shots had all been blocked, as defenders were well prepared for him to cut to his left and shoot, but on this goal he was well positioned and too quick for the defense and there are few goalkeepers in the world who can stop Pašalić from scoring when he gets a clean shot on goal from inside the box. Outside of the goal, he completed 85% of his passes, including two key passes, and added two tackles on defense.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 6 — Enrique came up with deuces again against Cincinnati, but while his deuces on Wednesday were goals scored, on Saturday they were good opportunities missed, with a header and a right-footed shot that he put well off target. He was lively throughout the game, showing no sign of tired legs from the game Wednesday night, but the quality did not match the energy and he could not make it two games in a row with a goal. However, he provided a secondary assist when he hustled to save a ball from going out and headed it back towards Martin Ojeda, who played it to Pašalić for Orlando City’s only goal. He completed 81.8% of his passes and did not put any of his three shots on target, but even though his performance was missing the same quality it had on Wednesday, I think his confidence is growing, as is his comfortability playing alongside Ojeda, and he will be better for it as the second half of the season continues.

F, Martín Ojeda, 7 — Orlando City’s talisman added another assist on Pašalić’s goal, though it was not the prettiest, as he leaped at full extension with his weaker right foot to redirect Enrique’s header into the middle for his teammate to slot home. That goal was an example of how random soccer can sometimes be, as it was that awkward-looking play that garnered him an assist and not any of the other more traditional looking passes. There were plenty more of those, as Ojeda had five key passes in the game — three more than any other player. Ojeda also came about one foot away from putting Orlando City on the scoreboard first, as he loaded up and hit a low rocket in the 19th minute that Roman Celentano was just able to save at full extension. Ojeda completed 86% of his passes on the night and added three tackles before coming off in the final minutes for Nico Rodríguez and his fresh legs.

Substitutes

MF, Luis Muriel, (46′), 6.5 — Muriel looked a completely different player on Saturday than he did Wednesday, engaging in the game immediately and showing off his full bag of dribbling, passing, and shooting skills. His darting run at the end of the game produced the pass to Brekalo that could have tied the game, and he also missed just inches wide towards the end of regulation after beating his defender and lining up a shot from 25 yards. I thought the Colombian was excellent, partnering well with both Brekalo and Santos on the left side during the second half, and on a different night he could have had one or perhaps multiple goal contributions. Muriel completed 79.3% of his passes, with two key passes, and he added two tackles and two interceptions on defense.

D, Rafael Santos (70′), 6 — The Brazilian got his longest stint in weeks and played well off the bench, putting dangerous crosses into the box and showing a good partnership with Muriel on the left side. Cincinnati’s second goal came just minutes after Santos came onto the field, but he was not involved in the play and it is hard to fault him, even though it happened to Orlando City’s defense right after he entered for Schlegel. Santos completed 24 passes at a 92.3% completion rate, including two successful crosses and added two tackles on the defensive side of the ball.

D, Kyle Smith, (80’), N/A — Smith replaced Thórhallsson at right back and looked the more lively player, though in fairness he could play all out knowing that there were only 10 minutes and stoppage time remaining once he entered the game. He completed seven of his eight pass attempts and nearly got to a cross from Santos that could have tied the game had he been able to get his head onto it.

MF, Nico Rodríguez (90′), N/A — The young midfielder came on in the final minutes and was far more engaged than in recent appearances, getting 10 touches and completing eight of his nine pass attempts.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 2-1 loss against FC Cincinnati. 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.