Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Three Keys to Victory

Decision Day is almost here, and even though Orlando City is already in the playoffs, where the club finishes is still up for grabs. The Lions are currently sitting in ninth place but could climb back out of the play-in match with a win over New England and some help from the teams above them. With that in mind, what must the Lions do to get a victory over New England on Saturday?

Oodles of Offense

Orlando City has scored 62 goals this season, thanks to a good cadre of attackers, including Martin Ojeda, Antoine Griezmann, Justin Ellis, Marco Pasalic, and even Ivan Angulo. When the offense is in sync there are few defenses that can stop the Lions. That is especially true at Inter.co Stadium.

Scoring multiple goals won’t be easy against New England, as the Revs have only allowed 46 goals so far this season. A big reason for that is USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner is minding the net for New England. Orlando City’s attack needs to be clinical in finishing to get the ball past Turner. The Lions will need to score multiple goals, given Orlando City’s defensive woes. Speaking of…

Seal Off Gil

If you’re not familiar with New England’s Carles Gil, welcome to Major League Soccer. He has been a royal pain in Orlando City’s collective rear for years. Keeping him from scoring a goal or providing an assist is always a challenge. So far this season, Gil has scored 13 goals and provided 13 assists in 33 matches. Granted, those are not Griezmann-level per-match numbers but they are still good.

The problem with stopping Gil is that it will fall to Orlando City’s broken back line to do it. The Lions have allowed 78 goals so far this season. It’s historically bad and will likely get worse on Saturday. Orlando City will almost certainly start Zakaria Taifi, David Brekalo, Wilder Cartagena (Iago is suspended), and Vinicius Nogueira. You may have noticed that those players on the back line have not exactly been a brick wall. If they can at least slow down Gil, there will be a better chance at victory.

Home Field Advantage

Orlando City has a chance at winning this match because it is taking place at home. The Lions have been much better in Orlando than on the road. I know that’s generally true for most clubs, but for Orlando City it’s not even close, given the Lions have a home record of 9-4-3 and an away record of 3-10-4. It’s the final regular-season match, and if the supporters show up and show out, the noise can be a big advantage for Orlando City. If the players can jump out to a quick start and the supporters keep the momentum going, the Lions have a chance to get all three points. If not, the play-in match looms. I’d much rather that Orlando City skips all of that.

That is what I will be looking for on Saturday afternoon. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!