Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Five Takeaways

Orlando City had by far its best performance away from home this season, despite leaving Columbus with only a 1-1 draw. It’s tough to only come away with a point after leading for most of the night, but after losing their first three road games and being outscored 16-0, it’s a big improvement from the Lions over recent performances. There were positives and negatives to take from this game on both the offensive and defensive sides of the field. But overall the Lions will be happy to return home with a goal and a point.

Here’s what I took from Orlando City’s surprising point in Ohio.

Lions Haven’t Let Recent Struggles Weigh on Them

To say Orlando City has struggled on the road this season would be a massive understatement. The Lions gave up at least five goals in each of their first three away matches, losing by a combined score of 16-0. It would be easy for them to crumble under that weight and continue those struggles, but they didn’t. Instead, they came into this game with aggression, playing the first 25 minutes on the front foot. That positive mentality led to the team scoring its first goal away from home this year just 14 minutes in. It’s a mentality the team can use to transform the season before it’s too late.

The Captain Is Back

Orlando City’s back line has looked lost without its leader. Interim head Coach Martin Perelman shocked everyone by including Robin Jansson — who’s returning from foot surgery — in the starting lineup for this game. With the club’s captain back on the field, the back line looked much more stable. It also allowed David Brekalo to go to left back, his most frequent position since joining the club. The Lions have always looked a little lost when Jansson hasn’t been in the lineup, and they certainly had so far this year. The way they looked Sunday night proved his importance in this team and how he can influence the rest of the back line.

Defenders Can Stay Out Of Their Own Way After All

One of the biggest problems for Orlando City this year — especially on the road — has been defensive players getting in their own way. Own goals, mental lapses, and a lack of communication has been their undoing. The back line looked much more in sync during this game. While Columbus was able to get into the final third at times, they didn’t really challenge Maxime Crepeau often. Whether that’s due to Jansson’s return, the tough conversations this week that Marco Pasalic mentioned postgame, or something else, it was great to see the back line players not shooting themselves in the foot several times as they have in recent weeks.

Lions Need To Convert Chances — Especially On The Road

Orlando City scored early, but that wasn’t the team’s only chance. While the Lions conceded the majority of possession, Tiago had multiple opportunities in the second half to double the advantage. It included a last-ditch block and not converting when being sent behind the Crew back line. The team paid for those misses in the 80th minute when Diego Rossi scored Columbus’ first home goal this season. Instead of cutting the deficit to one, Rossi’s goal equalized and the Lions watched two points slip away.

Maxime Crepeau To The Rescue

Crepeau gave up 11 goals in the two most recent games — five in Nashville and six in Los Angeles. This caused some to question whether he was capable of leading this team from the back. Fortunately, he showed up when his team needed him in Columbus. In the 76th minute, Jansson gave up the ball and Adrian Marin was caught out of position, allowing Max Arfsten to get a free shot on goal. But Crepeau came up big with the stop. The Canadian was called into action again in the 88th minute when Daniel Gazdag had an open chance. This time Crepeau blocked the shot with his foot. The goal was difficult to save and it would’ve been a loss without Crepeau’s second-half heroics.

These were the five things that caught my eye in Orlando City’s draw with the Crew. Let us know what stood out to you in the comments below.