Orlando City
Orlando City vs Charlotte FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match
How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 4-0 away loss against Charlotte FC?
Fittingly, on Halloween, the Lions gave the fans a very frightful performance. There was very little to compliment in Orlando City’s 4-0 away loss to Charlotte FC and it put the club in a very perilous position for any playoff berth, although Sunday’s results all went the Lions’ way and got them in anyway.
Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated in their matchup against Charlotte FC.
Starters
GK, Maxime Crepeau, 5.5 — The Canadian had no shot on any of the goals. He saved the penalty given up by Angulo but was let down by his defense on the rebound. At the end of the day, though, he only had two saves and four goals were scored, so he has to suffer in the grading column. His distribution was decent as he completed 95% of his passes and was two-for-three on long balls.
D, Vinicius Nogueira, 4.5 — It was a brutal first half for Nogueira – possibly his worst half since joining Orlando. In the 24th minute, he was beaten by Allan Saint-Maximin where only an Iago block saved him. Nine minutes later, he turned the ball over to set up a dangerous counter by Charlotte and, at the 37-minute mark, Liel Abada slipped by him and almost put a cross in the back of the net. He was subbed out at halftime for Adrian Marin and finished with 82% passing accuracy, two tackles, and a clearance.
D, Iago, 6 — The young center back had the above-mentioned block but picked up a yellow card shortly after, forcing him to play on a yellow the rest of the match and miss the next one due to suspension. However, that may have focused him, as he seemed in control of the back line from that point, or at least as much control can be granted in a four-goal game. He had the most defensive contributions on the team with two tackles, three blocks, and four clearances, and on top of that, he had the most touches (83) of any Lion and passed at a 96% rate.
D, Wilder Cartagena, 5 — It was a Jekyll and Hyde game for Cartagena, who filled in for the suspended David Brekalo. In the 33rd minute, he made a nice switch pass to an open Nogueira and mostly helped Iago command the back. He had a good steal and cross to Antoine Griezmann in the 77th minute. However, as the game wore on, he was the person marking Abdouleye Doucoure on the penalty rebound and, on the final goal, he didn’t cover the player running down the middle which forced Marin to choose. He finished with two tackles, three clearances, and 95% passing accuracy.
D, Zakaria Taifi, 5.5 — Taifi’s turnover in the 10th minute was the most egregious thing he did all game, but, outside of a nice one-two with Pasalic in the 31st minute, he was mostly invisible. He was subbed out in the 61st minute for Justin Ellis as Orlando City pushed for offense. He passed at a 75% rate and logged two tackles and three clearances.
MF, Ivan Angulo, 5 — Angulo was his usual self, always giving effort, always putting himself out there, but also loose when trying to control the ball at times. He was switched back to right back when Taifi was subbed out and performed adequately there but gave up a bad foul in the 82nd minute to concede a penalty. He had an 88% passing rate and contributed four tackles and a clearance, but also turned over the ball twice.
MF, Braian Ojeda, 5 — Braian Ojeda gave up an unnecessary free kick at the corner of box in the fifth minute that led to Charlotte’s early opening goal. He was also part of the missing central midfield that was not present as Saint-Maximin dribbled the ball through the gaping hole for the second goal. Before he was brought off in the 73rd minute for Daryl Dike, he contributed two interceptions, one shot on target on two attempts, and passed at an accuracy rate of just 78%.
MF, Luis Otavio, 5.5 — Sometimes there are games when a player just does not stand out one way or the other. That was Otavio’s game. The only time we saw him contribute was in the 41st minute, when he almost headed a Griezmann cross into the back of the net. I’d like to think he would have been in position on the second goal instead of having Eduard Atuesta run it down. He had one clearance and an 86% passing rate before being subbed out at the half.
MF, Marco Pasalic, 6 — Sometimes the grader’s curse shows up during games. I commented after the first half that we were starting to see glimpses of the old, useful Pasalic. He had a nice shot four minutes in, a well-worked one-two with Taifi in the 35th minute, and was in position to score a poacher’s goal in the 44th minute but missed the deflection wide. After the half, he showed the other side, as he let the attack build on the second goal and didn’t hustle to stop the ball and generally seemed half-speed until he was subbed out in the 68th minute for Harvey Sarajian. He put just one of his three shots on target and passed at an 86% rate including one key pass.
F, Martin Ojeda, 6.5 (MotM) — While it’s difficult to name a Man of the Match in a four-goal defeat, Martin Ojeda continues to show that he’s building in this offense coming off injury. He had a great cross in the 11th minute with no runners and, overall, brought the energy on the attacking end. His fitness seemed to fall off in the final 20 minutes, which is understandable given it was his third game in eight days and he’d played most of the available minutes. He took five shots and put three on target, had 11 touches in the opposition box, and passed at an 82% rate with three key passes.
F, Antoine Griezmann, 6.5 — For the first time since Aug. 15, Griezmann did not have a goal contribution in an MLS game. That’s not for lack of trying, but nothing fell together and Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina was excellent all night. Griezmann had two crosses that easily could’ve led to goals but for stellar defending. He passed at a 95% rate, which is excellent for a forward, with two key passes, and he put all three of his shots on target. He also chipped in three tackles.
Substitutes
MF, Eduard Atuesta (46′), 5 — Atuesta was subbed in for Otavio but didn’t give us a reason to show that he should have been subbed in. He was part of the missing central midfield on the second goal. To be fair, he had four tackles and two clearances in his half of play but also turned over the ball three times and did not show the defensive instincts that an Otavio could have brought.
D, Adrian Marin (46′), 5 — I’m usually a big critic of Marin, but his first 20 minutes were decent. However, as the game wore on, his deficiencies started to show up. In the 67th minute, he left too much room for Pep Biel, whose shot beat Crepeau but was off the crossbar. In the fourth minute of added time, he left Aloko open with three teammates covering Biel and having no other immediate threats near him to close down. He had three clearances and an interception, but tellingly, no tackles.
F, Justin Ellis (61’), 6 — Ellis was not able to put his stamp on this game, but he definitely brought more offensive cohesion with his entry. In the 79th minute, he made a nice entry pass to Angulo that almost turned into a goal and otherwise helped the ball move in the offensive end. He was six for six on his passes and added an interception.
MF, Harvey Sarajian (68’), 5.5 — Adding a different facet to the game than Ellis, Sarajian was able to open himself up as the recipient of the ball multiple times but wasn’t a great distributor. He was five-for-nine on his passing but had three touches in the opposition box.
F, Daryl Dike (73’), 5 — Dike was very close to an N/A for me as his game is hard to take advantage of in just a handful of minutes. A target forward has to be able to be available to control the ball and control the game. We haven’t seen a lot of that from Dike when starting or when given more minutes, and he certainly didn’t show any of that on Saturday. He touched the ball five times, and that’s the most significant stat we have for him.
That’s what I’ve got for the players in a frightening display on Halloween. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.
Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I had a busy week at work, but spent Halloween weekend catching up with friends in Orlando at Walt Disney World. Let’s wish a happy belated birthday to Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira (at least according to past social media posts by the club), who completed another lap around the sun on Saturday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.
Lions Shut Out at Charlotte FC, Clinch Playoff Spot
Orlando City fell 4-0 to Charlotte FC on the road on Saturday at Bank of America Stadium. Henry Kessler scored Charlotte’s opening goal six minutes into the match. In the second half, Allan Saint-Maximin, Abdoulaye Doucoure, and Rodolfo Aloko all scored to seal back-to-back wins. Orlando City failed to capitalize on its chances up front, and its back line struggled to slow Charlotte’s attack throughout the match. That result dropped Orlando to ninth in the Eastern Conference table with 43 points, however, with Sunday’s losses by the New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC, Orlando City has clinched a playoff spot for the seventh straight year — the longest streak in MLS.
The Lions will return to action on Saturday for their regular-season finale at home against the New England Revolution.
Pride Fall at Seattle Reign on Decision Day
The Orlando Pride fell 1-0 to Seattle Reign FC in the season finale on Sunday at Lumen Field. After a scoreless first half, Jordyn Bugg scored the lone goal in the match for Seattle to win and clinch the final playoff spot. Orlando struggled on offense and finished the game with zero shots on goal. The Pride end their 2026 season with two consecutive losses, finishing 11th in the NWSL table with 36 points.
NWSL Decision Day Recap
In other NWSL results, one playoff spot remained up for grabs entering Decision Day on Sunday, but the Seattle Reign locked up the eighth and final playoff spot with their win over Orlando. That result eliminated both the North Carolina Courage and the Denver Summit from playoff contention despite the Courage beating Denver 1-0. The Washington Spirit defeated the Chicago Stars 2-0, the Kansas City Current beat Racing Louisville 2-0, and the Portland Thorns shut out the Houston Dash 2-0. Angel City cruised to a 4-1 win against Boston Legacy, the San Diego Wave shut out Bay FC 1-0, and Gotham FC beat the Utah Royals 2-0 to clinch the 2026 NWSL Shield. The 2026 NWSL playoff matches are set with Gotham FC facing the Seattle Reign. The San Diego Wave will host the Utah Royals, the Washington Spirit will take on the Portland Thorns, and the Kansas City Current will battle Angel City.
Americans Abroad
Christian Pulisic scored the opener for AC Milan in a 3-1 victory against Inter Milan over the weekend, ending their rivals nine-match unbeaten run in Serie A. Two Americans faced off in the English Premier League as Tyler Adams and AFC Bournemouth took on Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United. Adams played a full 90 minutes while Aaronson came off the bench late in the second half as AFC Bournemouth defeated Leeds United 2-0. In Ligue 1, Folarin Balogun scored for AS Monaco but his side fell 3-1 to Paris FC. In the EFL Championship, Sebastian Berhalter scored his third goal of the season and added an assist for Middlesbrough in a 3-0 win against Charlton Athletic. Jack McGlynn scored his third goal of the season for Stoke City in a 2-0 win over Preston North End.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City forward Yutaro Tsukada, who is on loan at Rhode Island FC, scored a penalty kick, but his side lost 5-4 on penalties to the Charleston Battery after a 1-1 draw in the USL Championship playoff quarterfinals on Saturday.
- The NWSL announced on Friday its roster-building mechanisms for its next expansion teams, Atlanta City FC and Columbus, as both clubs prepare to build their inaugural rosters and begin league play in 2028.
- The MLS NEXT Pro Cup final is set as LAFC 2 defeated Ventura County FC 1-0 on Friday and will face Chattanooga FC, which edged Columbus Crew 2 3-2 on Sunday.
- On Sunday, in the third round of qualifying for the 2027 U.S. Open Cup, two Florida teams clashed as UPSL side Harbor City FC, based in Melbourne, defeated USL League 2 side Shark Coast FC 1-0 to advance to the final round of qualifying later this month.
- Kai Havertz’s first-half goal lifted Arsenal to a 1-0 win over Liverpool and to the top of the English Premier League table.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Five Takeaways
Here’s what we learned from yet another rough watch on the road.
Orlando City got smacked around in North Carolina in its second-to-last game of the regular season in a 4-0 loss to Charlotte FC. The loss puts the team’s playoff hopes in serious jeopardy, although it does still control its own destiny heading into Decision Day on Saturday. What follows are my five big observations from a thoroughly unenjoyable viewing experience.
Early Goals Overwhelm Orlando
Outside of the opening five minutes of each half, the game was a relatively even affair, with both teams having plenty of possession and chances to go along with it. Unfortunately, OCSC was positively awful in the first five minutes of each half. The Lions gave up a bad free kick on the edge of the area after five minutes had been played, and then displayed a shocking lack of defending on the back post (yet again) to giftwrap the game’s opening goal to Charlotte. In the 49th minute, Orlando allowed Allan Saint-Maximin to waltz through the heart of the midfield practically unchallenged and power a shot low and hard past Maxime Crepeau to double the lead and all but doom the Lions’ chances of taking anything from the contest. Charlotte’s two late goals made the score even uglier, but the early strikes in each half were the ones that truly changed things.
More Yellow Card Accumulation
A recurring theme for Orlando in recent games has been missing players due to yellow card accumulation, as David Brekalo was unavailable for this one, Eduard Atuesta was out against Chicago on Wednesday, and Marco Pasalic missed out on the trip to play Toronto FC. Iago made sure the pattern will continue on Decision Day when he picked up a wholly needless yellow card in the 25th minute — for either an unnecessary foul or for dissent afterward — in a home stretch that has seen Orlando without Robin Jansson, Tyrese Spicer, and Griffin Dorsey. In addition to other myriad absences through injury, players getting themselves suspended for no reason certainly hasn’t made the end of the season any easier. Brekalo will be back from suspension for the final game of the season, but the Lions will have another makeshift defense when they welcome one of the best teams in the East to Central Florida.
Possession Without Product
Orlando finished the game with slightly more possession than the home side (51.3% to 48.7%) and actually outshot Charlotte 17-14, but the Lions were far less effective with the ball than the winning side. OCSC put eight shots on target while Charlotte only managed six, and while Kristijan Kahlina made some sharp saves, Orlando had trouble carving out any truly clean looks at goal. Charlotte’s early lead enabled the hosts to be more cautious opening themselves up, so the Lions were often shooting through traffic, from the edge of the box, or from a tight angle. It isn’t often that this team doesn’t get at least one goal on the board, but it was hard to say it deserved to get on the scoresheet in this one.
Quiet Night for Crepeau
Maxime Crepeau wasn’t able to have much of an impact on proceedings, but I don’t hold him at fault for any of the goals. His defense left him completely exposed on the first, the second from Saint-Maximin was a well-placed rocket through traffic, he did exceedingly well to then save a penalty on the third only to be let down by slow-reacting teammates when Abdoulaye Doucoure slammed home the rebound, and Rodolfo Aloko was left completely unmarked in the box on the fourth. I can’t help but feel bad for the Canadian international this year. He had a rocky start to the year, but has often kept Orlando in games once the season resumed post-World Cup, and the team wouldn’t still be in the hunt for a playoff spot without him. Lately it seems like the Lions get tuned up if he isn’t able to make at least several outstanding saves that he has no right to make, and that’s how it proved to be in this game.
Road Struggles Continue With a Vengeance
At the end of the day, the Lions once again looked outclassed on the road. It’s difficult to get results away from home in MLS, that’s no secret, but Orlando’s form has been truly horrible. Orlando finishes the year with three wins, 10 losses, and four draws on the road during the 2026 regular season, and has scored 30 goals while giving up a league-worst 56. The team has averaged 1.88 points per game at home, and a paltry 0.76 when it has to leave the safety of the nest. Having a high-octane offense doesn’t matter if you can’t consistently keep the ball out of the back of your own net, and the Lions have struggled to do that on the road. There are a lot of things that this team needs to fix in the off-season, and becoming even marginally better away from home is just one item on a very long list.
That’s how I saw an ugly penultimate match of the regular season. What did you think of this one? Be sure to have your say down in the comments.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Final Score 4-0 as Lions End Road Trip with Blowout Loss
The Lions’ playoff hopes are in trouble after another poor road performance.
Orlando City was wasteful in front of goal and terrible in the defensive end once again in a costly 4-0 loss to Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium this afternoon. The Lions (12-14-7, 43 points) will rue the missed opportunities that could have helped them stay in the game, but two unnecessarily conceded set pieces, an early second-half goal, and another late strike gave Charlotte (15-10-8, 53 points) a comfortable home win.
It was a result reminiscent of the 0-3-0 start to the season that saw Oscar Pareja depart as head coach.
Henry Kessler, Allan Saint-Maximin, Abdoulaye Doucouré, and Rodolfo Aloko did the damage on the scoreboard for the hosts, who finished a man down after a late red card for a brainless obscene gesture toward Wilder Cartagena. Charlotte FC got its first-ever home win against the Lions in the regular season in emphatic fashion.
“Very disappointed in the result in this moment,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the game. “We do the best that we can. Sometimes it is not enough. It’s not good enough. Like today, we are the first ones aware of that.”
Perelman rotated little from the squad that blew a 2-0 lead and drew 2-2 at Chicago in the midweek, despite most of that starting XI playing either all 90 minutes or the vast majority of those minutes. Maxime Crepeau started in goal behind a back line of Vinicius Nogueira, Cartagena — deputizing for the suspended David Brekalo — Iago, and Zakaria Taifi. Braian Ojeda and Luis Otavio played in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Antoine Griezmann up top.
Each team got an early spell of possession in the opening minutes, with the best opportunity being a blast from Pasalic on the right that forced a good diving save from Kristijan Kahlina.
But then the Lions handed Charlotte an easy opening goal. Braian Ojeda committed a foul he had no reason to commit against Saint-Maximin near the left corner of the box. Ashley Westwood sent in a good cross to a completely unmarked Kessler, who simply nodded his free header down and past Crepeau for a simple goal and a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute.
“I think today they were ready on 90 minutes, and we lacked focus those moments of execution and mental focus on the set piece,” Crepeau said. “Free header, where we knew that they were going to play those sorts of balls between me and the defenders. It’s a free header when nobody is around. It’s unacceptable, because it’s just mental focus at that point.”
“It’s a mistake that we shouldn’t commit when you play this type of game at this stage on the road. Against these opponents, it’s hard.”
That was the 75th goal conceded by Orlando City in 2026, which set a new club single-season record — not a mark the Lions wanted to set, but nothing has changed in the way the team has defended all year. They went on to concede goals nos. 76, 77, and 78 before the final whistle.
Charlotte got a chance to make it 2-0 just moments later when Liel Abada got his shot blocked in the 10th minute. Djibril Diani collected the rebound and sent a soft shot skipping wide. Charlotte kept the ball for a spell and created a good opportunity in the 20th minute when a cross in from Orlando’s defensive left found Idan Toklomati in front alone, but he couldn’t get any power on the header, giving Crepeau some catching practice.
Martin Ojeda took a cutback pass from Angulo in the 22nd minute in good position on the left, but with Kessler closing fast, the Argentine had only enough time to toe poke it toward goal with his weaker right foot and Kahlina made a comfortable stop.
Saint-Maximin was permitted to run straight down the right channel with the ball in the 24th minute but Iago was able to block his shot.
Through the middle of the first half, the Lions looked discombobulated, not creating anything and often turning the ball over after crossing midfield. During that spell, Charlotte didn’t create a lot either, but that didn’t stop Iago from committing a clumsy challenge and then demonstrably disagree with the call to earn a yellow card in the 25th minute, suspending him for the season finale against New England with the Lions already short of bodies on the back line. Both the foul and the reaction were unnecessary and emblematic of the Brazilian’s lack of discipline during his first season in Orlando.
Toklomati was poorly marked on a corner in the 27th minute but couldn’t get his header down, sending it high over the bar.
With so few looks at goal to that point in the game, Braian Ojeda tried a hopeful shot from a long way out in the 34th minute but sent it wide of the right post. A minute later, Martin Ojeda took a pass in the center at the top of the box but Westwood blocked his shot and it hit the Argentine’s arm on the rebound, ending the threat.
A Saint-Maximin cross cleared Iago in the 37th minute but about a foot too far in front of Abada at a wide-open back post.
The Lions closed the half looking a bit better and with more urgency. Angulo won a set piece from distance in the closing minutes and Griezmann sent a good curling cross in front of goal. Otavio couldn’t make good contact with it in the air, knocking it off Iago’s chest and down in front of goal, where it hit the right post. The rebound came back to Iago, but he sent it wide of the same post.
The last good look of the half for either side fell to Orlando in the 44th minute. A ball across the box deflected through everyone in front and fell to Pasalic on the right. The Croatian had a defender closing, so he fired a hard shot with his weaker right foot and sent it just wide and into the outside netting.
At the break, the Lions held the edge in possession (51.5%-48.5%), shots (10-7), shots on target (3-2), and passing accuracy (89.9%-88.7%), with Charlotte winning more corners (3-2). The difference was that Orlando was punished for shoddy set piece defending on a free kick that shouldn’t have been conceded while lacking clinical finishing on two excellent chances.
Perelman sent Eduard Atuesta and Adrian Marin on for Otavio and Nogueira at the break.
The changes didn’t help, and Orlando allowed Charlotte an easy second goal right just moments after the restart. Saint-Maximim came right down the center. Orlando’s back line dropped back to stay with the passing options while Pasalic jogged behind. With no pressure on him, the forward blasted a shot just inside the left post to make it 2-0 in the 49th minute.
“We tried to adjust for the second half, and then the second half again it’s opened by I think a sequence very difficult, and then the game is is hard, and we couldn’t perform as we should,” Perelman said.
“He’s dribbling at our defense. He has a fake shot and we (commit) a bit fast, and then he has an open shot, I think right above the box, and he smashes it,” Crepeau said. “And those moments are difficult. When it’s right around a restart, it’s difficult for us to absorb that, and it hurt us.”
Orlando could have pulled that second goal right back two minutes later. A ball played centrally in front from the left was cleared only as far as Braian Ojeda in the box. The midfielder had time and space but sent a soft shot at the goalkeeper.
Martin Ojeda tried a volley effort in the 55th minute on the left side but he didn’t hit the shot well and it sliced wide of the left post. Five minutes later, it was Pasalic making a mess of a shot, sending a left-footed effort wide from the top of the box in the middle.
Perelman sent attacking subs on down the stretch to try to claw back into the game, but without having to go forward, Charlotte was content to stay organized and look for counterattacking opportunities. That made it difficult to find space for chance creation and made for some nervy defensive moments. Iago was caught cheating forward to maintain possession, allowing an odd-man break in the 66th minute but a heavy touch and an offside flag prevented further damage at that time. A minute later, Pep Biel cut in from the left and blasted a shot from distance that crashed off the crossbar behind Crepeau.
Kahlina made a brilliant save in the 70th minute that won’t count, after Griezmann’s free kick found Adrian Marin for a flicked header. Kahlina made the diving save but Marin was offside anyway.
Crepeau kept things from getting worse (for the moment) in the 74th minute, getting down to deflect a cross that would have given Charlotte an easy tap-in goal at the back post.
Martin Ojeda’s header went straight at Kahlina a minute later, and seconds after that, the Argentine, looking like he felt every one of the 256 minutes he played during the last eight days, fizzed a shot over the crossbar.
Griezmann fired an acrobatic volley shot in the 77th minute as Orlando kept trying to cut into the lead. Kahlina, who might become the latest Orlando City opponent to win Player of the Matchday honors in a season filled with such occurrences, made yet another diving stop. Griezmann sent a low shot a minute later off a cross into the box that bounced in front, but Kahlina squeezed his knees together and made the block. The ball popped high into the air, with Daryl Dike soaring over the defense to get to it, however, the big striker jumped too early and Charlotte survived the rebound.
Charlotte put the game to bed a few minutes later on a play that started with an Orlando corner kick. Griezmann sent a ball in that found its way to the top of the area. There were no Lions in a spot where you’d normally expect at least one attacker, but Eduard Atuesta had run from the middle to the left inviting a short corner to be played. Perhaps someone missed an assignment on the set play, but Charlotte broke with numbers the other way.
Angulo caught up with Aloko as the two men entered the box, but a heavy touch was taking the Charlotte forward wide on the right. Angulo applied pressure from behind and unnecessarily made contact from behind that referee Victor Rivas felt was too heavy (it was), awarding Charlotte a penalty. Saint-Maximin took the spot kick, sending it toward the left post. Crepeau made the save, but he couldn’t control the rebound.
Doucouré was easily the first to the ball, slotting home the hosts’ third goal in the 84th minute as three different Charlotte attackers were quick to get into the box while Orlando players were caught flat-footed.
“He has a lot of penalties under his belt throughout his career, so I knew I just needed to hold a bit longer to make him choose a side, basically,” Crepeau said. “And I was able to go to the right side, and we were not able to follow up on the rebound. And 3-0 was the goal that hurt us, because at 2-0 you still believe a little bit and the three, 10, maybe 15 minutes before the end hurts us a lot.”
With the outcome all but official at that point, things took a weird turn in the 89th minute, when Rivas went to the monitor to review something that happened off the ball. Saint-Maximin had been chirping with Cartagena and grabbed his crotch. Rivas sent the Charlotte attacker off for making an obscene gesture, though it was too late to impact the match. In fact, instead of Orlando spoiling Kahlina’s shutout, the Lions meekly failed to even threaten to get a shot away and the hosts added a goal in stoppage time. With three defenders tracking Biel’s run, no one bothered to even look at Aloko, who took a cross from Tyger Smalls and beat Crepeau while Marin bathed in all the space in which he was defending no one.
The final whistle was a mercy to an Orlando City side that has slipped into the play-in game positions.
At full time, Orlando held a deceptive statistical advantage. The Lions led in possession (51.1%-48.9%), shots (17-14), shots on target (7-6), and passing accuracy (87%-85.3%). Both teams finished with four corner kicks.
“We don’t like this result. We don’t like this way,” Perelman said. “This is not the way we want. But we will, for sure, like we did it in the past, we will recover ourselves, and we will prepare (for) the next one, because this team started the season in a really difficult situation, went through very difficult moments, and was very resilient. So, this is not going to be the exception for us, and we’re going to be ready for next one.”
“We know what’s happening at the moment,” Crepeau said. “We need a win against New England. That being said, today is not acceptable for every player that got rostered. It’s not good enough. A lot of people deserve better than what we have put out there today. That’s the reality of things.”
The Lions end the regular season with a terrible 3-10-4 road record, having not won away from home since Sept. 9, going 0-3-2 away and conceding 17 goals (3.4 goals against per match) in that span. If they squeak into the postseason, the road is where they’ll be, so that’s not a great sign. It was also the first time Orlando City has been shut out in a game since May and ended Griezmann’s five-game goal-scoring streak.
Orlando City dropped to ninth place and awaits results from the New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC on Sunday. If both teams lose, they would be unable to catch Orlando on points on Decision Day. The Red Bulls are at Nashville, which has already clinched the Supporters’ Shield, while Toronto visits lowly 14th-place Atlanta.
The Lions return home for their regular-season finale against the high-flying New England Revolution a week from today.
Orlando City vs Charlotte FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match
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