Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Final Score 4-2 as Lions Get Pounded in Philly
The Lions are in free fall as the defense has reverted back to the horror show it was early in the season.
Orlando City seems a longshot to hold onto a playoff spot if the Lions continue playing on the road. Once again, the Lions (10-13-4, 34 points) leaked goals at an alarming rate in a 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Union (11-10-6, 39 points) at Subaru Park in Chester, PA. Milan Iloski scored three goals and could have had more. Indiana Vassilev also scored for the Union, who built a 4-0 lead before Ivan Angulo and Martin Ojeda scored late to spoil the shutout and make the final score more respectable.
Orlando City has conceded 18 goals in the last six road matches as the team continues to struggle defensively on the road. The Lions have lost their last three games in all competitions and have given up 10 goals in those three matches.
“We found ourselves losing the first half. I think we didn’t perform well, and then we concede that early goal in the second half, and mistakes that happen, and the game became a little far away for us,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the game. “And then again, I think we we couldn’t perform as we wanted. We pushed in the second half, scored twice, not good enough, not enough in general. That’s it.”
Perelman’s lineup during this international window featured Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, Iago, and Zakaria Taifi. Joran Gerbet and Eduard Atuesta lined up in central midfield between wingers Angulo and Ojeda with Daryl Dike and Antoine Griezmann — returning from a thigh injury — up top.
The script seemed to be written for a Union victory right from the start. Bernardo Rhein’s early shot came off Japhet Sery Larsen’s arm with the game barely five minutes old. The long review by the video assistant referee went Philadelphia’s way with the broadcast team stating incredulously that the ball came off Sery Larsen’s chest first.
The Union were awarded a penalty a few minutes later. The Lions cleared a set piece and the recycled ball found Iloski on the left. Atuesta tried to defend him as he entered the box and Iloski went down easily. What contact there was between the two players’ feet took place outside the box but video assistant referee upheld the call on the pitch again, which went the hosts’ way. Iloski fired home the penalty to make it 1-0 in the 11th minute.
Crepeau kept the Union’s lead at a goal in the 16th minute with a save on Vassilev’s shot from the top of the box. However, that reprieve lasted just a minute as the Lions set up Philadelphia’s second goal moments later.
Taifi got down the right flank and had a clear opportunity to put Dike in behind the defense, but the Homegrown defender sent his pass straight at Nathan Harriel with seemingly acres of space into which to play the ball. Wagner quickly knocked it forward to Vassilev. One more pass put Iloski behind a spectating Iago and Iloski had only Crepeau to beat, which he did.
Iloski had a golden opportunity to complete his hat trick just two minutes later. Angulo’s wayward soft back pass was nowhere near a teammate and the Union quickly pounced and countered. Philadelphia cycled the ball from right to left to Iloski, who fired just wide of the left post in the 21st minute. The Union then won a couple of corners but could do nothing with them.
Ojeda set up the Union counterattack in the 29th minute trying to send a pass quickly back to Griezmann, who had not expected to get the ball right back. Philadelphia’s attack ended up with Quinn Sullivan, but Jansson blocked his shot and Crepeau caught the cross on the ensuing corner.
Sullivan sent a one-hop shot to Crepeau in the 32nd minute on the Union’s next look at goal.
Orlando went the other way and finally looked to have something brewing in the attack, but a hard cross through the box was just out of Griezmann’s and Dike’s reach.
Jovan Lukic fired wide of Crepeau’s goal a minute later after being left alone in space just outside the area.
Down the final stretch of minutes, the Lions survived giveaways by Iago and Jansson in their own end and the halftime whistle mercifully came at last for Orlando City.
At the break, Orlando City held the advantage in possession (57.4%-42.6%) and passing accuracy (81%-78%). Philadelphia held important lopsided advantages in shots (12-2) and shots on target (4-0), in addition to winning more corners (5-3).
The Lions wasted no time digging their hole even deeper after the restart. Orlando looked like it would break three on three but Andrew Rick came off his line to cut off Ojeda’s diagonal ball intended for Angulo. The Union went the other way and scored a third.
Ojeda’s turnover set up a Union break in the defensive third and Iago failed his clearance attempt, allowing the Union to keep the ball. The hosts sent the ball left for Vassilev who had no Lions anywhere near him. His shot deflected past Crepeau to make it 3-0 and put any comeback hopes to bed in the 47th minute.
Four minutes later, Iloski made it 4-0 and completed his hat trick, likely sewing up MLS Player of the Matchday in the process. The Lions were caught completely out of shape, leaving Iloski in acres of space just outside the area. The Union forward had plenty of time to pick out his spot and blast it past Crepeau in the 51st minute.
“We conceded eight goals in the last two games, which is not the average, of course, that we have been conceding during this semester,” Perelman said. “And when you analyze the goals and the situations, there is the information, and we will do the review and and we will work on it like we did in the past and like we are going to always do, because we always need to improve.”
With the game out of reach, Orlando finally got a couple of looks at goal on a wild scramble in the Philadelphia box. Ojeda and Dike each had a shot blocked in the melee, and the ball eventually cycled to Griezmann on the right, but the Frenchman fired just wide of the far post in the 53rd minute. Griezmann sent Dike down the right two minutes later but Harriel blocked his shot and then beat the big striker to the loose ball in the box.
Crepeau kept Sullivan from making things worse in the 61st minute off a terrible Iago giveaway in his defensive third. Sullivan was all alone on the goalkeeper, but the Canadian deflected it just wide.
The Lions again failed to connect in the box a few minutes later when Atuesta’s searching ball through the six found no teammates making the back-post run. Second-half sub Vinicius Nogueira, who made his Orlando City debut, fired over the bar on the half volley in the 70th minute.
Iloski attempted an audacious shot from 30 yards out moments later, looking for a fourth goal, but he sent the attempt off target.
Ojeda found space outside the box in the 76th minute, but he mishit his shot after spinning around, sending it well wide of the right post, grabbing his head in frustration after the miss.
The Lions spoiled the shutout just a couple of minutes later. The play started with one of Orlando’s best attacking moves in the night, which ended with Griezmann’s flick sending it to Dike in the middle. The big striker turned inside Sery Larsen, who fouled him and picked up a yellow card for it. Griezmann stood over the set piece but he sent it short to Angulo on the right rather than going for goal. Angulo blasted a shot past Rick to make it 4-1 in the 78th minute, giving the Colombian a goal in each of his last four MLS games and extending his career high in that category.
Griezmann sent second-half sub Harvey Sarajian down the left just after the goal, but the rookie tried crossing through the box without a clear path to a teammate and the Union intercepted.
Crepeau made some big saves down the stretch to keep the final score from becoming more embarrassing. Ezekiel Alladoh got free behind Iago in the 86th minute, only to see the Canadian deny his breakaway shot. Two minutes later, Crepeau again stopped Alladoh — this time from close range — as Orlando’s struggles to defend in space continued.
Ojeda capped the scoring in the 90th minute when Sarajian got to the end line on the right and squared it back across the box. Ojeda was there to pounce on it, tying the club’s career record for goals in all competitions (47) and making it 4-2. It was Ojeda’s third consecutive game with a goal.
The Lions had a couple of half chances in the seven added minutes, with Griezmann having a shot blocked out for a corner and a nice ball over the top from the Frenchman to Atuesta was just out of the Colombian’s reach. That was about it, and the final whistle brought Orlando’s third straight loss to an end.
At full time, Orlando City held the edge in possession (58.1%-41.9%) and passing accuracy (83.2%-76%). Philadelphia generated more shots (19-10) and shots on target (9-2). Corners were even at seven apiece.
“In summary, a tough game,” Perelman said. “Bad performance, yes. That’s it. But the effort of the players is there.”
“I think in the last, I’d say 30 minutes, the the squad did very well,” Nogueira said. “I think now we have to work these (upcoming) days and work for the next game. We have to to see what we have to do better.”
The Lions won’t play again until Oct. 10, when they’ll host the Columbus Crew.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Final Score 4-1 as Griezmann Leads Lions to Win
Antoine Griezmann scored two goals and assisted on another as the Lions picked up three valuable points at home.
Antoine Griezmann was transcendant scoring two goals and setting up a goal-of-the-year candidate for Martin Ojeda as Orlando City defeated D.C. United 4-1 tonight at Inter.co Stadium. Marco Pasalic added a late insurance goal as the Lions (12-13-5, 41 points) responded well to conceding late in Wednesday’s 3-3 draw at Toronto by avenging their loss earlier in the year to D.C. (7-10-12, 33 points).
Designated Players scored all four goals in the match. It was the first time all three Orlando City DPs scored in the same game since Orlando’s home win over Inter Miami on Aug. 10, 2025 — also a 4-1 victory. Tai Baribo scored from the spot late in the first half for D.C. United’s only goal.
“Today was a tough game,” Orlando City interim coach Martin Perelman said after the game. “We had to to battle, to fight, and play when we could. Fortunately, we won, which is very important at home. And now thinking (about) the next one.”
Perelman started Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Zakaria Taifi, Iago, David Brekalo, and Ivan Angulo. Wilder Cartagena and Luis Otavio started in central midfield between Martin Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta, with Daryl Dike and Antoine Griezmann up top.
The Lions looked to get into the flow early and created a shot for Ojeda outside the area just 30 seconds in. Ojeda had a good look and hit his shot hard, but it fizzed over the crossbar. Three minutes later, Angulo got an open look on the right from the top of the box but hit it right at D.C. goalkeeper Sean Johnson.
D.C. started to settle into the match a bit after that, beating Iago over the top with a long ball in the seventh minute. Tai Baribo tried to shoot on the half volley but couldn’t direct his shot near the target. A minute later, Crepeau was called on to make a pair of huge saves to deny Joao Peglow from point-blank range and Silvan Hefti’s follow-up from near the top of the box on a play that started with a long throw-in by United. D.C. coudn’t pay off a couple of corner kicks in quick succession, with Kye Rowles sending a header wide on the second.
Orlando won a free kick from long range in the 12th minute and tried something off the training ground but it didn’t come off as Brekalo tried an overhead kick that came off his own arm.
Griezmann put the Lions ahead in the 15th minute, finishing a brilliant team goal that started with Cartagena heading down an aerial ball on a D.C. clearance attempt. Griezmann got there first and knocked it to Dike, who gave it right back to the Frenchman, who sent it toward Ojeda in the middle. Ojeda knocked it right back into Griezmann’s path and he slotted home to make it 1-0 in the 15th minute.
D.C. tried to get right back in the game by attacking immediately and winning a set piece, but Rowles again headed off target in the 19th minute.
If Orlando’s first team goal was beautiful, the second put it to shame. The play started on Orlando City’s attacking right and found Atuesta in the middle. Atuesta picked out Ojeda, who found Taifi near the right corner of the box. Taifi sent it to Griezmann, who sent a first-touch cross into the middle. It was behind Ojeda, so he backheeled it just inside the left post to make it 2-0 in the 22nd minute.
“I think Grizi, Martín, they have a big talent, and they make everybody better,” Perelman said. “So, I think for us it’s about help them, work to support them, and they do what they do because they are top players. My reaction (to Ojeda’s goal) was ‘Que golazo!'”
“”It was a crazy goal,” Pasalic added. “I have to say to Tincho congratulations, it was nice. But yeah, these goals you don’t see every weekend or every game, so I think this is something you have to watch like 100 times, maybe not like 10 times like my goal. (laughs)”
D.C. again tried to come right back down to pull the goal back, moving quickly and winning a corner off an Iago turnover. Moments later, a cross into the area found Baribo, but his header skipped wide.
Otavio picked up a yellow card in the 38th minute and will miss the next game due to accumulation.
The Lions got sloppy down the final stretch of the first half and it was costly. The warning shot came in the 40th minute when Baribo was left alone in front, but he mistimed his volley attempt and missed the ball completely as the cross came in.
Four minutes later, Atuesta blocked a cross but conceded a corner and it threw D.C. a lifeline. Cartagena wrapped up his man as the cross came in and was immediately called for a foul in the box, conceding a D.C. penalty. Baribo took the kick and fired toward the left post. Crepeau guessed correctly and had a shot of stopping it but couldn’t keep it out. He was visibly frustrated with it after the shot.
That was it for the scoring chances in the first half and the Lions took a one-goal edge into halftime.
At the break, Orlando City held the advantage in possession (58.7%-41.3%), and passing accuracy (85.7%-80.4%). D.C. led in shots (10-5) and corners (5-0), with both teams putting three shots on target.
D.C. put the ball in the net moments after the restart but the play was obviously offside. Despite that, there was a lengthy video review before the call was confirmed and play resumed.
Three minutes later, Orlando nearly scored in transition, but Dike hit his shot poorly, sending it wide. Ojeda started the play with a gorgeous curling long ball to send Griezmann down the left. He sent it into the area, where Angulo got a flicked touch that may have thrown Dike off. Regardless, the Lions added a goal seconds later.
Rowles sent a poor ball out of the back straight at Griezmann, who slotted it just inside the right post to make it 3-1 in the 50th minute with his third goal contribution of the night.
United kept coming, and when no one closed down Jackson Hopkins in transition in the 54th minute, he fired from distance but hit his shot badly wide to the right.
Two minutes later, Dike got down the right channel but couldn’t get around his cross attempt and hit it into the outside nettting. The Lions could have put it to bed in the 59th minute when a great Atuesta ball across set up Angulo, but his shot was blocked. The ensuing corner was sent between Iago and Brekalo who came together and sent it wide off one of them.
Griezmann’s best attempt to complete a hat trick came in the 77th minute. Second-half sub Justin Ellis picked out the Frenchman, who inside-outed his shot, which was heading toward the top left corner, but it didn’t have enough power on it to beat Johnson from the top of the area.
United threw numbers into the attack to try to climb back into the game, while Orlando looked dangerous on the counter but struggled to create a clear-cut chance. Angulo was pulled back in transition, leading to Kimito Nono picking up a yellow card. Ojeda was a bit too selfless in the final third and tried to set up a teammate on another opportunity. Ellis got his shirt pulled for a good 10 yards after a D.C. corner in the 81st minute, and just as he released a pass that would have sent sub Braian Ojeda in alone on goal, the referee blew the whistle and booked Hopkins for the foul, despite Orlando having a clear advantage.
United kept creating set pieces in the final minutes, but the Lions continued to defend them. D.C.’s best chance came on a Baribo shot from the top of the area after Joran Gerbet’s clearance attempt hit a D.C. player out top. The striker sent his effort over the crossbar in the third minute of stoppage.
Moments later, Pasalic put the game away. Brekalo knocked the ball forward to Ellis, who sent a great diagonal ball to put the Croatian behind the defense on the left. Pasalic approached the net in the clear and blasted a shot past Johnson and in to make it 4-1 with nearly the last kick of the game.
“I’m happy that the guys did well today, and even happier that I could help the team and did my part when I came in and scored the goal,” Pasalic said. “And I think it’s really important for the team now. It’s a nice feeling.”
At full time, Orlando City held the edge in possession (58.6%-41.4%), passing accuracy (87.7%-83.1%), and shots on target (7-4). D.C. attempted more total shots (16-14) and won more corners (8-1).
“It was important,” Pasalic said about the result. “We saw that we struggled in the last game with the draw, and it was unfortunate that we don’t win the game (Wednesday). And the game before, the Columbus game, was important, so I think every win now is important in this period of time in the qualification for the playoffs. So, I think we can be happy about the three points.”
The Lions have a week to prepare for New York City FC, which visits Orlando a week from tonight.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Lions find themselves shorthanded at the back again as D.C. United visits in a critical home match for Orlando.
Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (11-13-5, 38 points) and D.C. United (7-9-12, 33 points) at Inter.co Stadium (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the second of the two scheduled MLS matches this season between the Lions and the Black and Red.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.
History
The Lions are 9-10-3 against D.C. in the all-time league series since the club joined MLS, and 9-10-4 in all competitions. Orlando is 6-4-1 at home in MLS games against D.C. and 3-5-3 away in all competitions against United.
The most recent meeting between the sides took place on D.C. United’s home grounds back on April 25, when the hosts beat the Lions 3-2. Jackson Hopkins’ early goal put D.C. up 1-0 at the break, but Justin Ellis and Tyrese Spicer scored after halftime to put the Lions out front. However, the team’s leaky defense couldn’t hold the advantage, giving up goals to Louis Munteanu and Kye Rowles in the final six minutes of normal time to hand D.C. the win.
The final meeting of last season also took place at Audi Field on Sept. 13, 2025. Hopkins and Alex Freeman exchanged goals on either side of halftime but the Lions could not take advantage of 33 minutes with a man advantage after Lukas MacNaughton was sent off and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
The other meeting last season took place in Orlando on March 22. All three of Orlando City’s Designated Players — Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda, and Marco Pasalic — scored goals, as did Freeman, and Javier Otero won 4-1 in his first MLS start. However, a MacNaughton goal in stoppage time spoiled Otero’s shutout bid.
Orlando City swept the season series in 2024. The teams met on July 6 in Orlando, with the Lions running roughshod over visiting United in a 5-0 win on the night when Kaká became the first player inducted into the Legends Terrace at Inter&Co Stadium. Ojeda, Robin Jansson, Ivan Angulo, Facundo Torres, and Ramiro Enrique all got on the scoresheet, with three of those goals coming before United center back Lucas Bartlett was sent off for denying Angulo a goal-scoring opportunity late in the first half.
The Lions visited Audi Field on April 13, 2024. United went ahead twice in the match on goals by Christian Benteke and Gabriel Pirani and led the game late. Dagur Dan Thorhallsson equalized in the first half, and David Brekalo made it 2-2. Duncan McGuire’s well-timed breakaway goal in stoppage time lifted Orlando to a 3-2 road win.
Prior to Orlando’s 2024 sweep, the Black and Red had managed four consecutive results in the series (3-0-1). The last meeting in 2023 took place in Orlando on April 22, 2023, with D.C. scoring twice in the second half to snap a 1-1 deadlock and win, 3-1. Taxiarchis Fountas, Donovan Pines, and Benteke scored for D.C. to more than offset McGuire’s strike.
These teams squared off just a few weeks before that in D.C., splitting the points in a 1-1 draw on March 11. McGuire scored his first MLS goal but Chis Durkin leveled things late in a match that was sandwiched between Orlando City’s two legs of Concacaf Champions League play against Tigres UANL.
D.C. swept the season series in 2022, despite being a terrible team that “won” the league’s Wooden Spoon by no small margin. The meeting in D.C. that year took place July 31 and saw Orlando City dominate the first half but miss multiple chances to put the game away early. The Lions were wasteful, taking only a 1-0 lead into stoppage time thanks to Junior Urso’s first-half goal, only to fall 2-1 on stoppage-time strikes by Durkin and Fountas.
The teams also met on Independence Day at Exploria Stadium that season, with D.C. putting together a performance out of nowhere in a 5-3 road win. Fountas netted his first MLS hat trick and Kimarni Smith and Nigel Robertha added their first goals. Torres, Ercan Kara, and Alexandre Pato scored for Orlando, threatening to bring the Lions back, but Orlando could never get on level terms.
The teams met twice in 2021, including Oct. 2 at Exploria Stadium. Daryl Dike scored deep in stoppage to lift the Lions to a 2-1 home victory. Jansson scored a first-half goal off a corner kick scramble to offset an early Julian Gressel strike. The first match of 2021 took place on May 16 in D.C., with the Lions winning 1-0 on an early Mauricio Pereyra goal. That win snapped United’s 3-0-1 streak in the series in league play and 3-0-2 in all competitions dating back to City’s previous most recent win over D.C. back in 2017.
The teams did not meet in what was an odd 2020 season.
D.C. United swept the season series in 2019, winning 1-0 at Audi Field back on June 26, 2019. Wayne Rooney’s wondergoal from his own half of the pitch caught Brian Rowe napping. The Lions fell 2-1 at home on March 31, 2019, with set pieces ruining the night for Orlando. You might recall the controversy that surrounded the winning goal, with then-coach James O’Connor visibly upset after the match. Steve Birnbaum scored the first on a set piece and Rooney scored the second on a free kick that he took from wherever the hell he wanted rather than where the foul occurred. Frederic Brillant bulldozed Rowe on the play as the ball sailed into the net.
D.C. was 1-0-2 in three total meetings (two in league play) in 2018. Orlando swept the two league meetings in 2017, the teams split two lopsided games in 2016 — with each team winning at home — and the Black and Red went 2-1-0 in the first three meetings back in 2015.
Overview
Orlando City is coming off a disappointing 3-3 road draw at Toronto FC on Wednesday. A win was moments away after the Lions came back from two deficits on goals by Martin Ojeda (from the spot) and Antoine Griezmann, and a late goal by Dike seemed like it might lift the Lions to a rare road win. However, Orlando conceded late, as it has done so many times, allowing Matheus Pereira an easy rebound goal on the cusp of stoppage time. It was a costly two dropped points, as the Lions had a chance to further distance themselves from the teams below the line and didn’t use all available subs despite playing the second of three games in eight days.
Orlando is 8-4-2 at home, having won its last four in the purple palace, and the Lions will need the home crowd support tonight as they try to go eight points clear of 12th-place D.C. and keep pace with the teams chasing them for the last spot in the top seven — the playoff places that avoid the MLS Wild Card play-in game.
D.C. enters tonight off a 2-1 home win over the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday despite playing the final 22 minutes down a man after Lucas Bartlett picked up his second yellow card. Tai Baribo scored early from the spot and Silvan Hefti struck deep in first-half stoppage time to snap D.C.’s four-game winless skid (0-2-2). United enters just 2-4-7 on the road and 0-3-4 in the last seven matches away from home. However, the lack of wins on the road draws attention away from the fact that teams have often been held to a single point in their own building against tonight’s opponent.
Baribo is by far D.C.’s biggest weapon with 15 goals and an assist on the season, and he’s had success previously against Orlando while with the Philadelphia Union. Orlando will have to do a better job of tracking runners than it has in several recent games or Baribo will eat alive a back line that will be missing Jansson (foot surgery), Griffin Dorsey (back), and Vinicius Nogueira (shoulder). Whoever plays at the back will need to be calm and decisive on the ball and pass accurately against D.C.’s press and must transition to defensive responsibilities quickly if the ball turns over.
The Lions will be without the aforementioned Jansson (foot), Dorsey (back), and Nogueira (shoulder) in addition to Spicer (foot). D.C. will be without Bartlett (suspension), Munteanu (lower body), Hosei Kijima (lower body), and Gabe Segal (lower body).
Match Content
- Our most recent episode of The Mane Land PawedCast includes our match preview, key matchups, and predictions for the game.
Official Lineups
Orlando City (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.
Defenders: Zakaria Taifi, Iago, David Brekalo, Ivan Angulo.
Midfielders: Martin Ojeda, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Eduard Atuesta.
Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Daryl Dike.
Bench: Javier Otero, Adrian Marin, Nolan Miller, Braian Ojeda, Joran Gerbet, Tiago, Harvey Sarajian, Marco Pasalic, Justin Ellis.
D.C. United (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Sean Johnson.
Defenders: Keisuke Kurokawa, Kye Rowles, Sean Nealis, Silvan Hefti.
Midfielders: Joao Peglow, Andre Dozzell, Kimito Nono, Jared Stroud.
Forwards: Tai Baribo, Brandon Servania.
Bench: Alex Bono, Matti Peltola, Nikola Markovic, Kamil Castillo, Gavin Turner, Conner Antley, Nathan Ordaz, Jackson Hopkins, Oscar Avilez.
Referees
REF: Pierre-Luc Lauziere.
AR1: Jeremy Kieso.
AR2: Justin Howard.
4TH: Chris Penso.
VAR: Younes Marrakchi.
AVAR: Kathryn Nesbitt.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.
TV/Streaming: Apple TV.
Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).
Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at our Bluesky Social account (@themaneland.bsky.social), as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).
Enjoy the match. Go City!
Opinion
Wednesday’s Decisions May Haunt Orlando City During Season’s Home Stretch
In-game decisions proved costly during Wednesday’s loss and may have an effect as the season winds down.
Orlando City sits seventh in the Eastern Conference, and while five points separate the Lions and the three teams immediately outside the playoff picture, things are far from comfortable. OCSC just battled one of those teams, Toronto FC, to a draw, and will welcome the other two, D.C. United and New York City FC, to Inter.co Stadium on back-to-back Saturdays.
There are six teams within six points of Orlando, and while OCSC has five more games to play, two of its opponents (FC Cincinnati and D.C. United) have a game in hand. All this is to say that at this stage of the season, small moments, decisions, and mistakes can have a huge effect on the outcome of the campaign. Wednesday’s 3-3 draw with Toronto FC provided an ample reminder of that fact.
The starting lineup for that game was an interesting one to say the least. With Robin Jansson unavailable due to a knock, and Griffin Dorsey out with a lingering back issue, Iago started next to David Brekalo at center back, while Ivan Angulo got the start at right back. I have no issue with Iago getting the start, as this roster isn’t exactly overflowing with proven options at center back. Angulo playing right back was the much more curious of Martin Perelman’s decisions for me, and not because I have anything against Angulo. He has not so quietly taken over Kyle Smith’s role as a guy who has played just about every position this year, and for the most part has done anywhere from good to serviceable in the process.
Rather, why put Angulo in that position when you have Zakaria Taifi, a right back by trade, ready and available? The 21-year-old hasn’t been perfect with the senior team this year, but he’s actually used to playing the position, and that counts for something. Angulo is at his best when using his speed to chase guys down and recover the ball, but tends to struggle defending 1-v-1 and with his defensive positioning because, well, he’s a winger by trade. Playing Taifi at fullback and Angulo in the midfield would have freed up the Colombian to make more of an impact higher up the field. Plus, the man tasked with covering when the right back went forward, Eduard Atuesta, isn’t exactly known for his defensive prowess either. Putting Angulo and Atuesta on the same side and saddling them with a lot of defensive responsibilities created a vulnerability in the Orlando lineup, and it isn’t remotely surprising that all three of Toronto’s goals either started or were finished on the Lions’ right flank.
To be fair, it’s possible that playing Taifi at right back wouldn’t have made a difference. After all, the defense has been giving away goals at an alarming rate regardless of who’s back there this season. I just struggle to get on board with the decision to not deploy a natural right back, particularly one that’s played just under 850 league minutes this year.
The other thing that stuck out to me was the substitution patterns, particularly during the later stages of the game. While I liked the decision to bring on Daryl Dike with the team chasing the game, as well as throwing Braian Ojeda on after the Lions went ahead in an attempt to inject fresh legs into the midfield, I have questions about how things went the rest of the way. For one thing, while Taifi eventually entered the game in place of Atuesta after Toronto had equalized, why not make that change immediately after Orlando took the lead? I understand wanting to keep Atuesta on while chasing a winner, but with how shaky OCSC looked on its right flank, effectively closing down the game was probably going to take more than simply bringing on Ojeda.
Then there’s the fact that two substitutions went unused altogether, basically three if you account for the fact that Atuesta came off in the fourth of five minutes of stoppage time. Orlando is in the midst of playing three games in eight days and may not have Justin Ellis or Jansson available at the weekend after both missed out on the midweek game. With a massive game against D.C. United looming large on the horizon, you want to be as fresh as possible, but Harvey Sarajian is the only player who got any meaningful sort of rest after coming off in the 67th minute. The Lions didn’t have the strongest possible bench with Tyrese Spicer, Marco Pasalic, Ellis, Jansson, and Dorsey all unavailable for various reasons, but I wouldn’t have minded seeing the likes of Joran Gerbet, Bernardo Rhein, or Tiago make appearances to spell some of the starters—especially once Dike’s goal hit the back of the net.
At the end of the day, while a road draw perhaps isn’t the worst result in the world considering the team’s struggles away from home this season, the fact that Orlando dropped two points late is brutal, however you slice it. Those two extra points would have given the Lions four points of breathing room between the Lions and the chasing pack, and to keep the majority of the starters on for so long but still end up dropping points is an extra kick in the teeth. It’ll hurt even more if the team looks tired and flat on Saturday and can’t get the job at home against a D.C. United side that’s breathing down its neck.
Of course, it’s worth pointing out that in soccer, as in life, there are no guarantees. We have no way of knowing whether starting Taifi would have fixed Orlando’s issues on the right side, or if he and other defensive subs coming on immediately after Dike’s goal would have prevented Toronto’s winner. We should have a better idea Saturday night if leaving two subs in the chamber was a bad idea, but it’s also possible that if Orlando does use all of its changes that the team doesn’t claw itself out of the 2-1 hole it was in. Regardless, I think there’s something to be said for putting yourself in the best possible position to succeed at this point in the year. I don’t think OCSC did that during Wednesday’s game, and the decisions made during that contest could well hurt the Lions on Saturday as well. Here’s hoping that isn’t the case. Vamos Orlando!
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