Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Player Grades and Man of the Match

Orlando City gave up four consecutive goals after tying the game 2-2, turning a competitive game into a 6-2 blowout loss on the road against Cincinnati on Saturday night. The World Cup break may have arrived at the perfect time for the Lions, who clearly need to take a comprehensive look at the roster and the coaching staff and figure out a new plan for the back part of the season.

I have my purple pen out and am ready to issue some grades, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their matchup with an Eastern Conference rival.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crépeau, 6 — It may seem odd to see a grade of six when Orlando City allowed six goals, but Cincinnati tore apart the Orlando City defense during the last 60 minutes of the game and few goalkeepers would have kept out any of the six goals that went into the back of the net. Perhaps he could have gotten a hand on some, but Cincinnati shot the ball extremely well and I do not believe he should have saved any of the goals. The Canadian faced 11 shots on target, including nine from inside the box, and did well to make five saves and keep the team from becoming the first Orlando City team to allow seven goals in a single game. His distribution was solid, as he completed 88.9% of his passes, and once again he was one of the best players on the field for the Lions, despite the awful looking number of goals allowed.

D, Adrián Marin, 4 — The Spaniard made one great play, a sliding tackle from behind that robbed Kévin Denkey of a point-blank chance to score, but aside from that, he seemed to primarily be playing some kind of NBA-style drop coverage, where he just kept dropping and dropping as Cincinnati players attacked right at him, instead of stepping up to the ball. This allowed Marin to make three interceptions and to be in position to clear the ball twice, but it is telling that he had zero tackles in a game that was dominated by Cincinnati’s offense. Marin completed the second-most passes on the team (49, at an 87.5% completion rate), but most were of the very short variety and did not create anything offensively.

D, Robin Jansson, 4.5 — The Lions took an early lead thanks to a great ball over the top from Jansson to back line partner Griffin Dorsey, but after that play it was pretty much all downhill for the entire defense. The Beefy Swede put his body on the line, blocking three shots and heading the ball away for two clearances, but he made zero tackles or interceptions and was part of a Lions’ defense that allowed Cincinnati to repeatedly get open chances in the center of the box. He completed 90.4% of his passes, including a healthy amount of passes that moved the ball forward instead of just swinging it side to side, but the Jansson-led defense was far too soft on Saturday night and Cincinnati took full advantage.

D, David Brekalo, 4 — The one positive from Brekalo was that he stepped up and stepped in to make four tackles, but aside from that, it was a night to forget for the Slovenian. He was responsible for Kenji Mboma Dem on Cincinnati’s opening goal but he was beaten to the ball and allowed a free header, and then Evander just had his way repeatedly with the Orlando defense throughout the rest of the game, with the Slovenian often being isolated against the Cincinnati attacker and losing that battle. It is not a shame to be beaten by Evander, who is one the best attacking players in the league, but Brekalo’s name and number were repeatedly shown on the screen in the second half because he had turned his back and was chasing the Brazilian after getting beat. He completed 92.3% of his passes and hustled to get up into the attack more than fellow defenders Jansson and Marin, but he could not put either of his shots on target in what was a rough evening for the center back.

D, Griffin Dorsey, 4.5 — Dorsey’s three-game goal-scoring streak came to an end on Saturday night, though he nearly made it four with an acrobatic attempt to finish a cross with the outside of his right foot. He did not receive an assist, but he contributed directly to the game’s first goal, as it was his cross after a long run up the right sideline that led to a foul on Tiago and a penalty kick for the Lions. Orlando City probably should have looked to go up the right side more often than it did, as Dorsey only had 26 touches and was able to complete nine passes (64.3% completion rate). The man with the bun looked dangerous during the few times he had the ball, but those opportunities were few and far between. Like his other back line teammates, he bears responsibility for Cincinnati’s high-scoring output, as although he made two tackles, he did not have any other defensive contributions and was often caught too far up the field to help as Cincinnati went on the counterattack.

MF, Iván Angulo, 5 — It does not happen often but Angulo looked tired at points on Saturday night, the result of so many games in so few days, but he gamely pushed through it and went the full 90. The Colombian completed 81.5% of his passes but did not threaten often, though late in the game he shook loose and was able to put a shot on target that forced a diving stop from Cincinnati’s Roman Celentano. Angulo’s bigger contributions were, as they often are, on the defensive side of the field, as he made three tackles and intercepted two passes, with one of those interceptions snuffing out a Cincinnati counterattack on which Angulo was the last defender back. Overall, it was a middling game for Angulo, who probably needed a little more of a break in previous games or to come off the bench in this one.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 6 — Atuesta showed off the full range of his skills against Cincinnati, delivering on both sides of the ball. Defensively, he led the team with eight defensive contributions — a game-high six tackles and two interceptions — and he also led all field players with eight loose ball recoveries. On the offensive side of the ball, he completed a game-high 62 passes at an 86.1% completion rate with two key passes. He suffered four fouls, including the foul that led to the free kick goal that tied the game 2-2, and he showed off some nice dribbling moves to get free and hit a shot that just missed the far corner by inches, bouncing off the far post and back out onto the field of play. It was a solid all-around game for Atuesta, but his partnership with Braian Ojeda needs to improve as Cincinnati owned the center of the field for most of Saturday night.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 4.5 — The Orlando City coaching staff probably deserves responsibility for a portion of Ojeda’s grade, as the Lions played 10 games between April 18 and Saturday night, a period of 35 days, and Ojeda played in 96% of the possible minutes during those games. He did not have the burst to track back quickly enough to disrupt Cincinnati’s attacks, and with Dorsey pushed way up high, as usual, and Ojeda unable to get back, Cincinnati did pretty much whatever it wanted for the final two-thirds of the game. The effort was there but the legs were not, which helped lead to Ojeda committing four fouls as he was desperate to find any way to slow down the opposition’s attack. He made two tackles and added three interceptions and a clearance, and offensively he completed 86.8% of his passes, but only one Ojeda had a positive game on Saturday, and it was not Braian.

MF, Tiago, 5 — After a two-goal performance against Atlanta on Tuesday, Tiago got the start again out on the wing, but Cincinnati bottled him up and he did not create a lot offensively. What he did create he did with his pressing efforts, as he made a great play early in the game to win the ball in the Cincinnati 18 and set up Martín Ojeda for a shot that went into the back of the net, but unfortunately was called back as Ojeda was offside. Tiago then made another great play to earn Orlando City a penalty kick, as he hustled to dispossess Kyle Smith of the ball after Smith stepped in front of a Dorsey cross, and Smith then fouled him to give the Lions a penalty kick. Tiago was active on defense throughout his 45 minutes, with three tackles and an interception, but he brought little else to the attack (he had 25 touches but completed only 57.1% of his passes) and came off at halftime for Tyrese Spicer.

F, Martín Ojeda, 8 (MotM) — There should be little debate as to who the man of the match was for Orlando City in this one, as Orlando’s attacking Ojeda put the ball into the net three times, with two of them accounting for both of Orlando City’s goals. His best finish might have been the tight angled shot that went through Celentano’s legs after Tiago made a great defensive play to get him the shot, but that was the one that did not count as he was offside when the ball was played. The Argentine made up for it with a well-placed penalty kick in the first half and an outrageous free kick in the second half, and he probably should have completed his hat trick after that free kick but for Celentano making a great save on one shot and Ojeda channeling his inner Carlos Rivas (read: skying the ball way over the net) on a close-range opportunity right at the end of the game. Tincho completed 85% of his passes with two key passes, and he was by far the most dangerous Lion on the field throughout the game.

F, Justin Ellis, 4.5 — The Homegrown player saw very little of the ball during his 57 minutes, recording only 20 touches and completing only seven passes at a 53.9% completion rate. Ellis is an adventurous attacker, so his passing completion rate is often low, but completing what amounts to every other pass is too low, especially against a team that can counterattack as well as Cincinnati. The young forward suffered four fouls but didn’t contribute much else, as he looked tired after so many games in a short amount of time and came off for Marco Pašalić with just over 30 minutes remaining.

Substitutes

MF, Tyrese Spicer (46′), 5.5 —Spicer came on at the half for Tiago and did not touch the ball for quite a while into the second half, before he finally got going and ended up leading the team with three key passes. He completed eight of his nine pass attempts and also ripped a shot from close range that forced Celentano to make a good save. Spicer is not the tenacious defender that Tiago is, but he generally creates chances when he is on the field, and although Orlando City did not finish those chances against Cincinnati, the team looked better offensively with him on the field during the second half.

MF, Marco Pašalić (57′), 4.5 — Pašalić was a passenger for the opening minutes of his shift, but he finally warmed up to the competition toward the end of the game, but it was far too little and far too late. He completed 75% of his passes, with eight of those advancing the ball and only one was a short pass, and he ripped a late shot from outside the box that reminded everyone of the lethality in his left foot. Unfortunately, his shot curled back just a little too far and was saved, but those are the shots Orlando City needs the Croatian to take to open up room for the rest of the offense. The team also needs him engaged throughout his time on the field, which he was not on Saturday night.

F, Duncan McGuire (72′), 5 — Big Dunc had very little opportunity to contribute, as he only had eight touches and spent most of his minutes chasing the ball as Cincinnati passed it around. He played in one dangerous cross but none of his teammates could get on the end of it, and he took one shot from outside the box but it did not threaten Celentano. He completed six of his eight pass attempts and hustled as he always does, but had nothing to show for it.

D, Wilder Cartagena (72′), 4 — Cartagena came on as a defender, but he still does not seem fully fit and ready to be back on the field at the MLS level. He got caught too far in front of Denkey and on the wrong side of the Togolese attacker, and Denkey just boxed him out and easily finished for a goal, and then late in the game he was not quick enough to get to Ender Echenique and prevent a cross, and Tom Barlow finished that cross to put a bow on Cincinnati’s dominance of the Lions. Cartagena completed 85.7% of his passes and made one tackle, but hopefully by the time the World Cup break is over he is able to get back the game speed he had before his injuries.

MF, Luís Otávio (85′), N/A — The Brazilian came on late and had a great chance to score but hit his shot right down the middle and Celentano made the simple save. He completed four of his six passes and added one tackle on defense.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s brutal 6-2 loss on the road at Cincinnati. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.