Orlando City Must Emphasize Discipline vs. Columbus Crew

Somehow, we’re now in the month of October, and that means that the business end of the Major League Soccer season has arrived. For Orlando City, the games have had massive importance for a long time now due to the compact and competitive nature of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. The Lions are guaranteed to make the playoffs once again under Oscar Pareja, but with three games left to play, our heroes could mathematically finish as high as second or as low as ninth.

The three remaining games aren’t easy ones either. The Columbus Crew visit Inter&Co Stadium Saturday, followed by the Vancouver Whitecaps coming to town Oct. 11, and then a trip to Toronto FC on Decision Day. For those of you keeping track at home, that’s two playoff teams and an away day north of the border to close things out. That would be a tricky enough slate of games, but there’s more.

We need to talk about three things when properly framing OCSC’s run-in: injuries, suspensions, and international call-ups. Let’s start with injuries. As of last week’s availability report, Cesar Araujo, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Adrian Marin, and Joran Gerbet were all questionable with various injuries. Gerbet and Marin made their returns as substitutes in the 1-1 draw against FC Cincinnati, but the others were absent from the bench.

Further complicating matters for Saturday’s match was the yellow card Rodrigo Schlegel picked up in the second half, which means he’ll be suspended for the Columbus game due to yellow card accumulation. Assuming Araujo and DDT are still absent tomorrow, that leaves Pareja with some difficult selection decisions. He can use Kyle Smith at either left back or center back, with David Brekalo filling Schlegel’s spot, and then start Gerbet in midfield next to Eduard Atuesta. Expect an interesting looking lineup.

It also doesn’t end there, because we need to talk about the guys Orlando will be missing against Vancouver next week because of international call-ups. Javier Otero, Gustavo Caraballo, Brekalo, Alex Freeman, and Marco Pasalic are all confirmed to be joining their countries already, and the list will probably grow to include Tyrese Spicer. That’s truly excellent news for those individuals, but it means a nightmarish scene is starting to take shape for Orlando with three starters missing through international duty, another (Araujo) possibly still out injured, and two key backups possibly on the shelf as well.

That puts extra importance on playing smart and disciplined against Columbus. Smith will presumably start in some capacity against the Crew, and he’s one yellow card away from being suspended, as is Robin Jansson who is sure to start. That’s to say nothing of the doomsday scenario of someone picking up a red and not just hurting the Lions Saturday but next week as well. Atuesta and Gallese also need to be careful, as yellow cards in the next two matches would see them suspended for Decision Day (Araujo is in the same boat, if he’s healthy enough to play).

With 65 yellow cards on the year, OCSC is tied for 10th most in the league, while the club’s four red cards ties it for the fourth most. Suffice it to say that Orlando has had (maybe more than) its fair share of disciplinary issues this season, but it absolutely can’t afford to continue that trend. In all likelihood, Saturday’s match will be a heated one. You have one team in Columbus that’s only won once in its last seven attempts, and another in Orlando that is trying to make up for recent poor results and make a last, desperate bid for home field advantage in the playoffs. Tempers will undoubtedly flare, but the Lions can’t lose their heads as they have at crucial moments in the past. At least one of the most likely players — Schlegel — won’t pick up a card.

The combination of injuries, call-ups, and suspensions means that Orlando’s roster is already looking perilously thin as we move into these three crucial games to end the season, and the Lions simply can’t let it get even thinner. Two of those three factors are outside of OCSC’s control, but the one thing that can be controlled (to some degree), is whether it plays with enough discipline to avoid further suspensions.

It’s a huge game and intensity will absolutely be necessary to come away with all three points, but if the line isn’t toed, then those points could come at the cost of additional absences next week at a time when the team can least afford them. Play hard, play smart, and set things up as best as possible for the end of the season. Vamos Orlando!