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

It was a true rollercoaster of a game on Saturday night, as Orlando looked insipid during the first half, imperious to start the second, and wobbly when it mattered most, as it conceded two goals after the 80th minute to blow a 2-1 lead and lose 3-2 to D.C. United on the road. What follows are my five big thoughts from an odious outing in the nation’s capitol.

Sticking With What Worked

Martin Perelman seemingly (and understandably) liked what he saw in Orlando’s 4-1 victory over Charlotte FC on Wednesday, as he deployed the exact same starting XI as he did in that game. It was a risk, given that important players like Martin and Braian Ojeda had played the full 90 minutes just a few days ago, but the desire to not mess with a good thing was an understandable one in a vacuum. Another midweek match against the New England Revolution is looming on the horizon, but the Lions need to pick up points against bad teams to avoid being left behind in the table, so I understand hoping for a repeat performance from Wednesday. The problem is that we didn’t get one.

A Difficult First 45

The first half made for an extremely difficult watch. Despite Orlando having a whopping 65% of the ball, the Lions were outshot 7-4 by D.C., put one shot on target (officially), and managed a paltry 0.15 expected goals (xG). While none of D.C.’s chances were dripping with extreme danger, the home team did get the game’s opening goal, which then allowed the hosts to sit deeper and force the Lions to try to break down a compact side, which isn’t something this club has ever really excelled at in my memory. Things as a whole looked a little slow, a little disjointed, and a little tired, which perhaps isn’t surprising given the team’s midweek exertions. When the halftime whistle blew, it was a welcome respite for Orlando fans, and it was clear something needed to change.

Subs Provide a Spark

Change came immediately after halftime in the form of Griffin Dorsey, who entered the game at right back in place of Zakaria Taifi. Dorsey immediately started getting further up the field and involved in attacks, and his presence paid off in the 57th minute when he dove and got his head to a wonderful Ivan Angulo cross. Sean Johnson was able to make the initial save, but Justin Ellis was first to the loose ball and put it into the roof of the net for his first MLS goal. Tyrese Spicer entered the fray in the 61st minute for Tiago, and he too immediately provided danger with his speed and ability to stretch the defense. That alone would have been enough, but he smashed a shot in off the far post from an absurd angle in the 67th minute to (temporarily) put Orlando up 2-1 and in the driver’s seat. Spicer, Angulo, and Dorsey were causing all sorts of problems down the wings, and getting a third goal to kill the game off didn’t feel out of the question at all.

Little Things Loom Large

Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. As the game ticked into the 84th minute, Braian Ojeda and Luis Otavio took turns being slow and a little lackluster in closing down Louis Munteanu on the edge of the box. The striker got a shot away that deflected off Otavio and into the net, with Maxime Crepeau seeing the ball a little late as it came through traffic. If that wasn’t bad enough, D.C. then won the game from a corner kick in the 90th minute. Keisuke Kurakawa sent in a deep ball to the back post, and while Spicer was well positioned while marking Jacob Murell, he just didn’t really jump and challenge for the ball, and the midfielder was easily able to rise from behind him and head the ball back into the middle of the box, where Kye Rowles nodded it home. Orlando didn’t have its worst defensive outing of the year, but a few bad moments were all it took to leave the nation’s capitol with zero points instead of three.

The Calvary is (Slowly) Coming

Aside from the returns of Dorsey and Spicer from injury and illness, this match also featured Wilder Cartagena’s first minutes since going off injured in the season opener. I dislike ragging on him, given that it’s nice to see him healthy again, but it’s fair to say he didn’t quite look up to the speed of play, and he picked up a yellow card despite entering the match in the 88th minute. Still, with Spicer and Dorsey likely in line for more minutes and Cartagena just a little bit behind them, this team is slowly but surely starting to get healthier. Duncan McGuire, Eduard Atuesta, David Brekalo, and Marco Pasalic are still out for undetermined periods of time, but simply having the former three available for selection again already gives the Lions a lot more options than they’ve had to work with in the last few games. Chemistry and consistency will still take time to build, but getting guys back is a step in the right direction, and Dorsey and Spicer showed what they can bring to the team in this game.

There’s no two ways about it, this game hurt. While the subs tilted the game in Orlando’s favor, the Lions couldn’t close the door, and not getting at least a point from this game is rough considering the energy and effort expended in the second half. There are positives to take away, like some of the injured contingent coming back, while Justin Ellis is making the most of his playing time and giving the coaching staff something to think about. At the end of the day, good teams take care of the little details, and OCSC’s failure to do so cost it some valuable road points. Hopefully, it’ll be a good learning experience as attention turns to the midweek U.S. Open Cup match against the Revs. Vamos Orlando.