Orlando City vs. LA Galaxy, Leagues Cup: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Crash Out in Fourth Place

Orlando City was down two starting defenders for its Leagues Cup third-place match at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA, and the Lions played like it. The LA Galaxy ripped open Orlando’s makeshift back line early to score on their only shot attempt of the first half, then took advantage of substandard defending just seven minutes after Martin Ojeda’s equalizer as the Lions crashed out of the final four in Leagues Cup with a fourth-place finish, ending up without a coveted spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup and adding thousands of miles and hundreds of minutes to a team that has precious little depth behind the starting lineup.

Marco Reus and Joseph Paintsil scored two of the easiest goals of their careers in a game the Lions spent all but 16 minutes chasing. Orlando rang the post on either side of the goal, but the Lions once again lacked sharpness as they did Wednesday at Inter Miami in a loss that was frustratingly unwatchable at times.

“Difficult challenges on following this schedule, and today, probably in the first half, we felt that low energy in the start of the game,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “But the boys found their way to bounce back and then get that energy back and their willingness. And I thought we were that team that we used to to be, and we tied the game, and we have a couple actions that we could have scored. What happened is that we get wide open as well in the transition and Galaxy as well had a few chances. So the game was open for both.”

Pareja had to change his starting back line because of the suspensions to Robin Jansson and David Brekalo. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese started behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Rodrigo Schlegel, Kyle Smith, and Alex Freeman. Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Luis Muriel up top. Ramiro Enrique, linked to a move overseas in recent days, was a notable absentee from the squad.

Reus scored on the first shot attempt of the game on a play that started in LA’s defensive end. Araujo gambled on the press and was late, and the Galaxy moved the ball quickly to the right channel, where Smith was easily beaten by Gabriel Pec, who squared it for Reus. Atuesta was late tracking back and Schlegel was watching the far side, so Reus had tons of space to touch it home and make it 1-0 in the ninth minute.

Muriel tried to answer moments later, firing from long distance in the 12th minute but hardly bothering LA goalkeeper Novak Micovic. A minute later, the Colombian did beat Micovic, but he was offside and the flag came up immediately after the ball hit the back of the net.

The next dozen minutes were a boring mixture of the Galaxy working the ball around until Orlando won it back and then immediately turned it right back over. Both Angulo and Pasalic were loose with the ball during that spell.

Marin’s sliding emergency deflection prevented Pec from making it 2-0 in the 25th minute off a centering pass from Paintsil, who beat Freeman down the flank.

Freeman then got involved in the offensive end in the 27th minute, making a great run past Diego Fagundez and getting into the box before finding Muriel in front. The Colombian hesitated and then sent a weak, flat-footed shot off the shin of recovering defender John Nelson, wasting the opportunity.

Marin fired off the rebound of his own blocked cross attempt in the 32nd minute. His attempt from the left corner of the box squarely came off the right post and Angulo couldn’t react quickly enough to it to get his rebounded header attempt on frame.

Muriel stole the ball again in the 33rd minute, but then sent a long-range shot at Micovic that the goalkeeper saved on the first hop. A minute later, Angulo stole the ball and tried to send Ojeda down the left channel, but Emiro Garces intervened and knocked it out for a corner. The Lions’ set piece was easily cleared and Atuesta picked up a yellow card trying to slow down Pec on the break.

Ojeda took a pass from Pasalic in the 43rd minute, spun, and tried a shot, but he left his effort well wide of the right post on the last look at goal of the first half.

At the break, the Galaxy had a huge advantage in possession (67.6%-32.4%) and passed more accurately (89.2%-81.3%). Orlando held the edge in shots (5-1), shots on target (2-1), and corners (1-0), but the hosts made their only shot attempt pay off and that was the difference at halftime.

The Lions nearly gave up a breakaway to Paintsil in the first minute of the second half. Gallese came out to force him wide and the Galaxy forward lost the ball over the end line.

Orlando won an early corner, but LA cleared the initial service and Angulo’s volley attempt came closer to hitting the corner flag than the goal frame.

Atuesta found himself in space off a giveaway moments later but the midfielder blasted his shot off the inside of the left post and the rebound deflected straight into into Micovic’s arms.

Pec was left in far too much space outside the box in the 52nd minute, so he had a hit but sent his shot wide of the right post. Two minutes later, Paintsil had a go from a similar spot and the ball took a deflection for a corner. Orlando cleared to end the threat.

Pasalic popped up on the left side in the 56th minute and looked to get onto a through ball from Angulo, but the Colombian put too much on it and the chance never materialized.

Orlando tied the match in the 60th minute on a good spell in the final third. Angulo found himself with time and space on the left. He sent a cross into the box to Muriel, who knocked it down for Ojeda. The Argentine turned and smashed it past Micovic to make it 1-1.

With the goal involvement, Ojeda tied Facundo Torres for the club’s career lead in all competitions (72).

The match didn’t stay level long. Pec took the ball across the top of the area and four different Lions failed to dispossess him. Orlando got it back, lost it, and then got it back again, but Araujo gave it away just in front of his box to Paintsil, who just smashed it past Gallese to restore LA’s lead in the 67th minute.

Freeman had a couple of opportunities to have a go at goal but turned them down shortly after the Paintsil goal. He managed to set up a shot for Pasalic on the second of those but the first was blocked and the second was badly off target. The Lions won a couple of corners but did nothing with them except ignite the Galaxy counter.

One of those led to an incredible save in the 82nd minute. Paintsil’s chipped shot came off the crossbar and the rebound fell for Miki Yamane, who blasted a shot on target. Gallese dove out of his net and punched it away at the last second to keep it a one-goal game.

Substitute Tyrese Spicer tried to get involved, but tended to make things worse by trying to dribble too many defenders or floating crosses in straight to the goalkeeper. However, he did make one brilliant play that gave Orlando its best chance to equalize for a second time. Spicer found a lane in the 88th minute to put in a pass to Ojeda. The ball was midway between headeand foot level, so the Argentine made a diving header attempt, catching it squarely but sending it inches wide of the right post.

Both Ojeda and defender Julian Aude stayed down for several minutes as the fourth official showed six minutes of injury time. The best save in that added time was Gallese parrying away a wide-open look from Miguel Berry from the top of the box off a short corner play.

The Lions had one more chance on a corner kick that Ojeda won in the fifth minute of stoppage time. His cross found Freeman for a rare free header, but the young fullback muffed his opportunity, sending a weak effort straight to Micovic. After the Lions regained possession and looked to come forward, referee Pierre-Luc Lauziere blew the whistle to end the match after adding only 45 seconds on top of the original six minutes, despite the lengthy delay for treatment to Aude and Ojeda. That level of officiating was very much on brand for the final four of this tournament.

At the final whistle, Orlando held the advantage in shots (17-11), shots on target (5-4), and corners (7-5). LA held more possession (56.8%-43.2%) and passed more accurately (86.8%-85.5%). The difference in the match was that Orlando paid for its mistakes but did not punish the Galaxy for theirs, particularly the giveaway to Muriel and leaving Atuesta with so much room just outside the box.

The Lions have now gone four matches without a win in all competitions, losing the last three of those. It is no coincidence that Orlando has scored just three total goals in those matches.

“Like we do when we win, there is no other way, just try to rest first, and just let the boys recover their energy and settle in a place that they can feel again our best version,” Pareja said about how the club will move forward. “It has been very proud to take this team to this competition. We’re going to move on and try to prepare (for) the next challenge and finalize for six games and winning the league.”

With Leagues Cup out of the way, the Lions will get back to MLS play, but they’ve got a week off for the international break before visiting D.C. United on Saturday, Sept. 13. It remains to be seen if the extra matches and the falling off of form during the last few will ultimately take their toll on a team that was in good form heading into the knockout rounds.