Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Player Grades and Man of the Match

Orlando City fell 4-2 to the Philadelphia Union on Saturday night at Subaru Park, as a Milan Iloski hat trick powered the hosts to a 4-0 lead by the six-minute mark of the second half. Late goals from Ivan Angulo and Martin Ojeda trimmed the margin, but the Lions have now conceded 18 goals in their last six road matches and slipped further behind the Union in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Let’s take a look at how the Lions fared in their lopsided loss in Philadelphia.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crepeau, 6 — Crepeau had to face a penalty, and he was left badly exposed on Indiana Vassilev’s finish and on Iloski’s long-range strike into the top corner. The second Iloski goal is the one he would want back, as the forward got in behind the back line and beat him from the left side of the box in a spot where a stop was possible. Still, it was a good finish, so it’s not like he did anything wrong; he simply got beat. Outside of that, Crepeau was the reason the final score wasn’t far worse. He turned away Quinn Sullivan on a breakaway that was created by an Orlando turnover, stopped Ezekiel Alladoh twice in the closing minutes, and handled a steady diet of Union set pieces, including claiming one corner while under pressure. He finished with five saves, three clearances, 90.9% passing accuracy, and nine of 11 long balls completed.

D, Bernardo Rhein, 4.5 — Rhein produced Orlando’s first look at goal, cutting in from the left and having his shot blocked by Japhet Sery Larsen. The Lions appealed for a handball, and although the play was checked, no penalty was awarded, as officials judged the ball hit Larsen’s chest first. From there, his night was defined by loose touches that fed into the constant turnovers across Orlando’s back line, and he was one of three players withdrawn in the 54th minute. He completed 87.9% of his passes and two of three long balls, with two tackles and one shot.

D, Robin Jansson, 5 — Jansson was not the primary culprit on any of the goals, and he blocked two shots — one from Sullivan in the first half and one from Alladoh deep in stoppage time. But as the veteran leader of a defense that looked disorganized for long stretches, particularly on the third and fourth goals, he couldn’t get the group sorted out either. He was bailed out on a bad giveaway in his own third in the 45th minute when the Union made one pass too many and Ojeda intercepted it. Jansson completed 90.5% of his 84 passes and five of 10 long balls, adding two tackles, one interception, and four clearances.

D, Iago, 3.5 — With David Brekalo away on international duty, this was a chance for Iago to make his case. It went the other way. Just before halftime, a poor pass went straight to a Union player and sprang a counterattack. Early in the second half, another pass under pressure gave Philadelphia the ball at the top of the box, and the Union quickly turned it into Vassilev’s goal to make it 3-0. Midway through the half, he lost control in front of his own penalty area and handed Sullivan a clear run at goal that only Crepeau’s save kept out. He was also shown a yellow card in the first half for throwing Bruno Damiani to the ground. He finished with 94.1% passing accuracy, completed all four of his long balls, and logged eight clearances and one blocked shot. The stat sheet can’t capture how costly his two biggest mistakes were, and those weren’t the only giveaways from the Brazilian on the night.

D, Zakaria Taifi, 4.5 — Taifi had a hand in the sequence that produced Philadelphia’s second goal, trying to thread a pass to Daryl Dike through a Union defender. Dike would have been in with a good pass, and there was ample space to play it into, but the ball was cut out, and two passes later Iloski was in alone on Crepeau. He had a couple of other loose touches, but he also got forward well enough to be the target of a dangerous Antoine Griezmann ball into the box, which Nathan Harriel had to put out for a corner. He was withdrawn in the 54th minute after completing just 66.7% of his passes and two of four long balls, missing on his one cross. He added one key pass, one interception, and four clearances.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6.5 (MotM) — Angulo’s night started poorly, as a careless back pass set up a Union counter that ended in an Iloski shot just wide. He recovered well. He tracked back consistently, helped Orlando play out of pressure, and contributed to several of the Lions’ better second-half attacks. He also played some right back in the second half. His goal came off a short free kick from Griezmann, which he hammered past Andrew Rick from the right inside the box to make it 4-1. That gives him a goal in four straight MLS matches, the one lasting positive for Orlando to carry out of Chester. He was booked late for a foul on Kai Wagner. He completed 77.8% of his passes, one of two crosses, and two of three long balls, adding three tackles and one key pass, and his goal was his only shot. Angulo was one of Orlando’s better performers on a rough night. Angulo’s defensive work put him over the top for Man of the Match honors, with Ojeda possibly the only other Lion in the running.

MF, Joran Gerbet, 4.5 — Gerbet blocked a Jesús Bueno shot in the opening minute and drew several fouls in the first half, with Damiani repeatedly bringing him down. His evening soured just before halftime when a heavy first touch on a pass from Eduard Atuesta forced him into a tactical foul and a yellow card. But he was part of a central midfield that allowed far too much space to the Union, especially on Iloski’s third goal. He came off at the 54th-minute mark as Martin Perelman tried to change the game, having completed 88.6% of his passes and all three of his long balls, with one tackle, two clearances, and one blocked shot.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 4.5 — Atuesta’s first 10 minutes set the tone for Orlando’s night. He was dispossessed in midfield, then beaten by Iloski and called for the foul in the box that produced the opening penalty. The decision was debatable, as the contact appeared to come at the edge of the area, perhaps just outside the left side of the box, but he put himself in a position where the referee could make that call. He was booked moments later for dissent. He was better after the break, playing a part in several of Orlando’s attacking moves, including the buildup to Ojeda’s late goal. He was busy, finishing with 98 touches, 87.7% passing accuracy on 73 passes, going four of eight on long balls with one cross that didn’t find a teammate, one key pass, six tackles, three interceptions, and one clearance. The tackles and interceptions were real contributions, but they don’t outweigh a conceded penalty and a first half full of giveaways.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6.5 — Ojeda was one of the few Lions who looked comfortable on the ball, escaping pressure to launch attacks and hitting a terrific ball over the top for Harvey Sarajian in the second half. But he wasn’t immune to the turnover bug that bit the Lions all night. His finishing was uneven, as he mishit a shot well wide and had two other attempts blocked, but he got his reward late, collecting a feed from Sarajian after a Griezmann dummy and finishing left-footed into the bottom right corner to make it 4-2. He finished with four shots, with one on target, made two key passes, had a 76.9% passing accuracy, and connected on two of three crosses and six of seven long balls.

F, Daryl Dike, 4.5 — Dike got a rare start, and for most of the night he struggled to hold onto the ball. Several poor touches in the first half ended Orlando possessions, and when he got into the box, he forced the play into a defender instead of shooting early or finding Griezmann. In the second half, he lost control in the Union box and was slow to react as Philadelphia cleared. He improved late, holding the ball up more effectively and spinning onto Griezmann’s one-touch pass before being fouled by Sery Larsen just outside the box, which earned the free kick that led to Angulo’s goal. He was replaced by Tiago in the 89th minute after completing 53.3% of his passes and his one long ball, with one shot taken and one blocked shot at the other end.

F, Antoine Griezmann, 6 — Back in the lineup after missing time with a thigh injury, Griezmann was quiet in the first half, and his corner deliveries didn’t trouble Rick. He grew into the match after halftime. He set up Dike’s shot, combined with him on the move that drew a free kick, and then played the short free kick to Angulo for the assist. His clever dummy also let the ball run through to Ojeda for Orlando’s second goal. He finished with three shots, but put none on target, with three key passes, three tackles, and 74.5% passing accuracy, though none of his five crosses or three long balls found a teammate. Griezmann’s influence late is a reminder of how much the Lions have missed him, but even he looked a little off for a significant portion of the match. That’s not too surprising, given that he’s coming off a thigh injury, but he did have a bit of a mixed night.

Substitutes

D, Vinicius (54′), 5 — Vinicius made his MLS debut in place of Taifi — with Angulo dropping to right back — and did well defensively for most of his time on the field. He made some efforts at offense as well, sending a half-volley shot over the bar and doing well in the latter stages to win the ball and carry it forward. His worst moment came late, when a careless play out of the back handed possession to Philadelphia and led to one of Alladoh’s chances. He completed 80.6% of his passes and one of three long balls, didn’t connect on any of his three crosses, and added one tackle, one interception, and one off-target shot. It was a reasonable first outing in a difficult spot.

F, Harvey Sarajian (54′), 5.5 — Sarajian went in for Rhein and had a good chance to create something when Ojeda found him over the top, but his first touch got away from him and the defense recovered. He made up for it at the end, laying the ball off for Ojeda’s goal and picking up the assist. He completed 75% of his 12 passes with two key passes and one cross that did not connect.

MF, Luis Otavio (54′), 5 — Otavio entered for Gerbet and drew a pair of fouls in the second half, helping Orlando keep the ball in midfield once the game had been decided. He was also involved in the sloppy sequence out of the back that gave Philadelphia a late chance, which Crepeau saved. He completed 80% of his passes and two of three long balls, with three tackles.

F, Tiago (89′), N/A — Tiago came on for Dike in the final minutes of regulation and stoppage time and was involved in a move that won Orlando a late corner. That was not enough time to grade him fairly, so he doesn’t get one for this match.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in the match. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.