Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Five Takeaways

Orlando City gave up two goals in the second half to draw the Chicago Fire 2-2 on Wednesday night at Soldier Field. That is three blown leads in four matches, and with the Lions trying to lock in a playoff spot, those lost points really hurt. Now, Orlando City will hope to secure that playoff spot on Saturday in Charlotte. Here are my five takeaways from the match.

A Fast Start

In the past, Ivan Angulo has been known to miss the goal on breakaways, fall down if touched in the box, or simply run into the defense. This year, things are different. Antoine Griezmann sent a great pass to the feet of a sprinting Ivan Angulo up the left side. The speedy attacker was able to stay ahead of Leonardo Barroso, turn toward goal in the box, and shoot past Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady and into the net. Did I mention it was the sixth minute when all of this happened? It was a great start for the Lions.

Good Grief, Griezmann!

If you haven’t figured it out yet, Antoine Griezmann is very good at soccer. The ease with which he scored Orlando City’s second goal speaks to his quality. Griezmann floated behind the center backs, drifted onside, received the ball from Vinicius Nogueira, turned, and calmly went top bins from distance. The beautiful goal was his 14th of the season and his 22nd goal contribution of the season. Griezmann now has a goal contribution in 12 straight matches and goals in the last five, adding his wonderstrike to his earlier assist on Angulo’s goal.

Max’s Magical Mitts

Maxime Crepeau was only credited with four saves in the match, but he made more saves than that. Offside calls took away a few from the official stats, but he still made them. The two goals were not his fault. If wasn’t as good as he was in the early going, Chicago would have scored early and then had the momentum, perhaps letting the game get out of hand. The Fire took 21 shots with six on target. The post also had one save. The point is that Chicago had opportunities, but Crepeau made it so the Lions were able to play with a lead for much of the game and at least earn a point.

Beware the Back Post

Orlando City was able to keep the Chicago Fire off the scoreboard for 56 minutes. Given the state of the defense, I found this surprising, despite Crepeau’s excellent efforts. When Chicago’s Jonathan Bamba scored in the 57th minute I wasn’t surprised that it came off a header at the back post. Crepeau made a valiant effort, but given there were at least two Fire players unmarked, there wasn’t really much he could do. Chicago’s second goal also came off a back-post play. The cross from Chicago’s attacking right came in to an open Bamba on the back post, it was headed out to Maren Haile-Selassie, who buried it to even the score. That side of the goal was the responsibility of the right side of the defense, but the left side of the defense did little to close down crossers on the other side. There was something the defensive players could have done, but they simply did not, and it’s a pattern that team after team is exploiting.

Another Lost Opportunity

I know I shouldn’t be surprised by this club’s ability to give up goals and give up points — especially on the road — and I’m not, but I am disappointed. There were dumb mistakes like Justin Ellis’ yellow card, David Brekalo being forced to take a yellow card to prevent a transition chance, and several of Iago’s supposed clearances. To be fair, I predicted a loss on The Mane Land PawedCast, but if the team jumps out to a 2-0 lead, three points are there for the taking, but the Lions said no thank you.

Those are my takeaways from Orlando City’s draw against the Fire. The Lions play again Saturday at Charlotte FC. Let us know your thoughts about the Chicago match in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!