Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Five Takeaways

In its first game since the international break, Orlando City looked more rusty than rested in a disappointing 1-1 draw on the road against D.C. United. While not an outright disaster, it was a match to forget for an Orlando side aiming for hosting rights in the playoffs going up against a team that’s only won five games this year and was a man down for nearly half the match.

Here are my five takeaways from a frustrating result on the road.

Orlando Got Filibustered in Nation’s Capital

The Lions dominated in every stat except for the one that matters most. They had the ball for a majority of the match and racked up a staggering 26 shots, putting 11 of them on target. And yet, all they have to show for it is one goal and a single point to take back to Orlando. Goalkeeper Luis Barraza deserves credit for making 10 saves against the Lions, including some solid stops early on while Orlando got off to a hot start. Martin Ojeda’s goal contribution streak was snapped, the Lions have not had a clean sheet in league play since June, and much tougher teams await in the coming weeks.

Defense Crumbled Under Pressure

D.C. United didn’t wreak too much havoc offensively, but did manage to best the Lions to score the game’s first goal. Many eyes will pop out at Ivan Angulo being put in a spin cycle by Conner Antley’s cutback, but Jackson Hopkins being allowed to set up shop in the middle of Orlando’s box is truly hard to watch. While Rodrigo Schlegel was playing a round of “Where’s Christian Benteke?” and David Brekalo wasn’t in place to intercept the pass, Robin Jansson, Eduard Atuesta, and Joran Gerbet weren’t able to close down on Hopkins quickly enough to stop him from scoring. While Orlando did well keeping Benteke from making much noise in the match, there were shaky moments when defending in transition, and the defense was a bit erratic at times. Gerbet was a bright spot and Angulo actually had five tackles, but there were some warning signs along the back line in this one.

Alex Freeman Closed the Gap

American defender Alex Freeman gave the Lions their only goal of the night thanks to a daring header. Barraza couldn’t handle a venomous strike from Marco Pasalic and Freeman was there to pounce on the high rebound, his head colliding with a flying kick from Lukas MacNaughton in the process. It was great work from the right back, as he had a nice pass in the buildup to kickstart the attack and never stopped making his run from the half line towards goal until he scored. Freeman lurked in good areas on the right wing for a majority of Orlando’s attacks, and the offense flowed through him often. While he provided a desperately needed flash of competent finishing, Freeman didn’t punish D.C. for leaving him isolated nearly as much as he could have.

The Red Card Did Not Change Much

The hosts were reduced to 10 men due to MacNaughton’s high kick in the 57th minute, but Orlando failed to take advantage. The Lions were unable to unlock a D.C. defense that’s been broken into all year long, settling for shots from distance with bodies in the way and crosses that didn’t pose much of a threat in the box. Scoring against a team that’s comfortably hunkered down isn’t easy, but Orlando didn’t make particularly dangerous runs and beat itself at times. There were a few unlucky moments, but the Lions ultimately lacked the creativity to capitalize on outnumbering their opponent.

Orlando Walks On Duncan, For Now

Forward Duncan McGuire returned to the starting lineup for Orlando but wasn’t able to replicate the success he’s had at Audi Field in the past. It nearly all came together for him in the second half after scoring while surrounded by defenders, but the handball rule disallowed the goal. He had 19 touches and two shots, which isn’t too awful for a striker, but still not great, considering how often Orlando had the ball. It was difficult not to wonder how the transferred Ramiro Enrique or the suspended Luis Muriel would’ve done in McGuire’s place. Regardless, these are the kinds of rusty performances that must be endured as he works his way back into the swing of things.

Those are my biggest takeaways from a match I believe Orlando should have squeezed much more than a point out of. The season rolls on though, with massive games against some of the best teams in the league on the horizon. The Lions are back in action on Saturday for an Eastern Conference showdown against Nashville SC in Orlando.

Make sure to let us know your thoughts about the match in the comments below!