Orlando City at Columbus Crew: Three Keys to Victory

I have to be honest with you, dear readers, I wonder why I bother with coming up with these keys when it sometimes seems like even if Orlando City was to follow them it wouldn’t matter. Then I remember how long I’ve been doing this and that there are always ups and down. As Ted Lasso told us, we have to go through the dark forest to get to the happy ending.

As such, Orlando City heads north to take on Columbus Crew in an Eastern Conference matchup. The Crew are only a few spots above the Lions in the standings so maybe — just maybe — there’s a chance at a victory. What must Orlando City do to earn all three points against Columbus Sunday night?

Oh Captain, My Captain,

Robin Jansson was training fully with the team this week. That is the best news the team has gotten since the signing of Antoine Griezmann. If the Beefy Swede is able to play this weekend it should make a big difference in how good the defense is. I’m not saying the problems all go away, but he is undoubtedly the best center back on the team, and of course the captain.

The good news doesn’t stop there, as Griffin Dorsey was also training fully with the team. Having an actual fullback in the right fullback position should make a world of difference. These two — and probably Adrian Marin and David Brekalo — will need to deal with the Crew’s trio of Designated Players, Daniel Gazdag, Wessam Abou Ali, and Diego Rossi. Abou Ali and Rossi have scored seven of the Crew’s eight goals. If Jansson and Dorsey don’t play then I’m quite a bit more pessimistic.

Muck Up the Midfield

I know that the defense hasn’t been good this year, but the midfield hasn’t put up much of a fight either. Braian Ojeda has been mostly invisible. While that’s not always a bad thing for a defensive midfielder, I’d like for him to assert himself more. Colin Guske has been pretty good but is still young, and the good Eduard Atuesta hasn’t really showed up yet.

I want the midfield to make things difficult for Gazdag and Max Arfsten. They need to help shield the back line, but also take up some space to keep the Crew from running rampant throughout the midfield. That means that the passing needs to get better. This is going to sound crazy but pass the ball to the players with the same color jersey as you. I just hope that they don’t get confused and think the Crew are wearing the Sunken Treasure kit.

Any Sort of Offensive Production

Orlando City has an opportunity to bounce back after a humiliating loss to LAFC because they are not playing one of the top teams in the league. To do so, they will need to score goals. Martin Ojeda had some great shots against LAFC, now he needs to put them in the goal, and that means beating a pretty good keeper in Patrick Schulte.

I don’t expect Marco Pasalic to play, but I won’t rule it out. This would be a great time for “good” Ivan Angulo to show up. I was hoping that once Duncan McGuire scored that first goal things would open up for him. It hasn’t, but it also hasn’t been entirely his fault. I know that “score more goals” is obvious, but since the team hasn’t really tried it much I’ll keep suggesting it.

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