Orlando City vs.CF Montreal: Three Keys to Victory

Orlando City returns to the friendly confines of Inter&Co Stadium to take on bottom of the Eastern Conference table CF Montreal. The Lions have been dropping too many points as of late, and Montreal is one of those teams that Orlando City should beat if the club is to make a run in the second half of the season like in recent years. What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points at home?

No to Owusu

I know this is a three keys piece, but there is definitely one key to rule all the other keys, and that is for the Orlando City defense to stop Prince Owusu. He has scored eight goals this season, which is nearly half of the 18 goals for the entire club. He has also added two assists, meaning that he is directly involved in over half of Montreal’s scoring. Stopping him is crucial.

Unfortunately, the Lions will be without both Robin Jansson and Pedro Gallese, who are serving yellow card suspensions. As such, it falls to Cesar Araujo, David Brekalo, and Rodrigo Schlegel to work the middle of the defense in front of backup keeper Javier Otero. If those three do their jobs well, Otero shouldn’t have to do too much to keep Owusu off the scoreboard.

Fullback Follies

With Jansson’s absence necessitating Brekalo’s move to center back, we can expect to see Rafael Santos starting at left back. Santos brings something to the Orlando City attack, but his defense has charitably been spotty this season. How well he plays defense against the likes of Caden Clark will be a big factor in the result.

The other side could be of less concern with the possible return of Alex Freeman from international duty. Even if Freeman doesn’t get the start, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson has been a more-than-adequate replacement.

Scoring Opportunity

Montreal has allowed 40 goals this season and enters this weekend with a -22 goal differential. Orlando City has an opportunity to pile on some goals to make up for the 0-0 draw when the teams last met. That means we need Orlando City’s Designated Players to score some goals. Marco Pasalic has been consistent, as has Martin Ojeda. Luis Muriel has been less productive as of late, so it’s about time for him to score again, although he notched two assists in Charlotte on Saturday.

I’m also not opposed to other players joining in the fun. Ivan Angulo didn’t start for the first time in more than 50 MLS matches against Charlotte FC. Perhaps he’s reset his scoring ability after riding the bench. Eduard Atuesta has been phenomenal for the Lions of late, so adding a goal sounds good. I’ll take a goal from anyone on Orlando City.

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