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Intelligence Report: Orlando City at Portland Timbers

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8 years ago

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Orlando City hits the Pacific Northwest for the second time this season (following the 1-1 draw at Seattle back in June), as the Lions head to Providence Park for the one and only meeting with the Portland Timbers on Sunday.

Cyle Larin will have fond memories of his last visit to Providence Park, where he scored his first professional goal in a 2-0 win back in April of 2015. The Lions kept Timber Joeyโ€™s chainsaw silent that day, but doing that again will not be easy.

Here to tell us more about the Timbers is Will Conwell from SB Nation Portland blog, Stumptown Footy. I’ve answered their questions as well,and you can check those out over at their place.

Itโ€™s been a long time since these teams have played. Whatโ€™s different about the 2017 Portland Timbers?

Will Conwell: The last time that the Portland Timbers faced off against Orlando City was the end of Caleb Porter’s 4-3-3, with Darlington Nagbe at holding midfield. Nagbe has since reprised his role as a No. 8, but it was that loss that truly convinced Timbers fans that the MLS Cup run was over and that 2016 was a new year.

In 2016, Lucas Melano was still the hope of the Timbers, a $5 million signing with speed to burn and the potential to be a star. Now Melano is out and Sebastian Blanco is in. Where Melano was an up and coming youngster, Blanco is a player in his prime; where Melano’s game was all-out attack, Blanco is a two-way player who gets stuck in on both sides of the ball; and where the enduring image of Melano is of him walking back behind the play (despite being instrumental in the Timbers’ 2015 cup run and win), the image of Blanco is always of a player getting stuck in.

In 2016, the Timbers had replaced the injured Liam Ridgewell with Jamaican mainstay and MLS journeyman Jermaine Taylor. This year, the Timbers brought in Congolese international Larrys Mabiala, a TAM signing, to shore up their back line. A strong, ball-winning center back, Mabiala has already proven his worth to the Timbers, helping to strengthen a back line that has had significant issues this year.

In 2016, the Timbers were still struggling to sort out a lineup that had been gutted by their cup run, losing left back Jorge Villafana and left winger Rodney Wallace to the ravages of the salary cap. Early 2016 was a downswing for the Timbers; now Orlando faces a Timbers side on the upswing.

Diego Valeri is always good but he seems to have found another gear in 2017. How has he evolved into a strong MVP candidate?

WC: Over the last two years following the Timbers’ MLS Cup win in 2015, Diego Valeri has transformed himself from a master playmaker (23 goals and 35 assists in 86 games from 2013-2015) into a scoring machine (32 goals and 16 assists in 58 games from 2016 to 2017). That transformation has come as a result of significant changes in both Valeri’s game and the game of the Timbers as a whole.

The changes in Valeri’s game can largely be traced back to the arrival of Fanendo Adi in 2014 and Valeri’s extended absence at the start of the 2015 season as he recovered from a torn ACL. With Valeri out, still recovering in the beginning of 2015, and Adi providing the focal point of the Timbers’ attack as he came into his own as a target forward, opening up space for those playing off him, the Timbersโ€™ shape changed dramatically. Rather than three forwards making runs for their No. 10 in the center of the pitch, the Timbers were now two wingers making runs off of their No. 9 and an attacking midfielder with space in which to work on the edge of the area, as Adi drew in two or three defenders at a time with his hold-up play.

With that sort of black hole for defenders at the top of the Timbers’ formation opening up space, it only made sense for Diego Valeri to shoot, rather than looking for the weighted pass with which he had prospered in his early days with the Timbers. Thankfully for Timbers fans, Valeri is very good at shooting.

Now focused on taking advantage of that space, rather than simply making space for others, Valeri changed his game up. And as the Timbers continued to mold their play around strong hold-up from their forwards, it paid off.

What tactics have been successful for teams who have taken points against Portland this season both on offense and defense?

WC: The Timbers have allowed a lot of goals this year, so narrowing it down is difficult on the defensive side of the ball, but even so there are three approaches that teams have taken this season that stick out.

First, the Timbers have struggled under high pressure at times this season. While the back line looks much improved from where it was in the middle of the season, the Timbers have still shown some significant cases of nerves when put under aggressive pressure from opposition forwards. (Hello, Dom Dwyer.)

Perhaps this is down to the team’s constantly rotating back six failing to gel โ€” injuries, call ups, and suspensions have wreaked havoc on the Timbers this year โ€” but that the sort of silly, errant passes under pressure are still happening this late in the season is a source of worry. Liam Ridgewell is certainly still in need of time to settle in after his most recent extended absence due to injury, but Timbers backups Roy Miller and Lawrence Olum have each seen plenty of minutes this year.

Second, the Timbers have shown a propensity for giving up free kicks, getting unsettled, and failing to clear the ball in a timely fashion. This is a far more erratic aspect of the Timbersโ€™ game and one that seems to surface at the most unseemly of times. While the back line’s struggles elsewhere can be blamed on familiarity, this seems more like an organizational issue. 

Neither Jake Gleeson nor Jeff Attinella have looked particularly impressive in goal this year and a large part of that has come in these sorts of situations, sometimes failing to punch or grab a free kick into the box, or getting caught up in the chaos of the scrum. This would be less of an issue if the Timbers had a more vocal presence on the back line, but the side’s captain, Ridgewell, has been in and out of availability all year.

Finally, when it comes to shutting down the Timbers attack โ€” particularly without Adi on the pitch โ€” nothing beats packing it in and daring the Timbers to cross the ball. While the Timbers do have the highest scoring attack in the Western Conference, without Adi to toss around opposing center backs like leaves on the wind everything becomes just a little bit harder for everyone else on the team.

Denying space to Valeri is difficult but doable, but denying Darlington Nagbe and Sebastian Blanco space to work the ball into the box is much easier. Both players are capable of uncorking a shot from distance, but Nagbe has been notoriously goal-averse in recent seasons and Blanco seems to still be finding his legs in MLS, although five goals and seven assists as a first-year winger is nothing to scoff at. Without Adi to draw players away and create space, even the energetic runs of Darren Mattocks are rarely able to open up a gap for the Timbers’ wide players to squeeze through.

Injuries?/Suspensions?/Projected Starting XI?/Score Prediction?

WC: Injuries โ€” Out: Gbenga Arokoyo, Chance Myers, Marco Farfan; Questionable: Jeff Attinella, Vytas Andriuลกkeviฤius, Fanendo Adi, David Guzman.

Suspensions โ€” None.

Projected starting XI โ€” Jake Gleeson; Vytas Andriuลกkeviฤius, Liam Ridgewell, Larrys Mabiala, Zarek Valentin; David Guzman, Diego Chara; Sebastian Blanco, Diego Valeri, Darlington Nagbe; Darren Mattocks.

Prediction โ€” 2-1, Portland.

Big thanks to Will from Stumptown Footy for taking time out to give us some background on the Timbers.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/11/25

Orlando City B plays tonight, the Orlando Pride want to enter the break strong, USMNT pounded by Switzerland, and more.

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16 hours ago

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June 11, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Hopefully, you decided to put your mental and emotional health first last night and skipped watching the USMNT match. I, unfortunately, did not. I’m going to take Ted Lasso’s advice to be a goldfish and move on. I think a great way to do that is to share today’s links with you, but not before we wish Orlando Pride forward Grace Chanda a happy birthday.

Pride Looking to Enter the Break on a High Note

The Orlando Pride are sitting in second place in the NWSL standings. The club is also sitting second in the SI.com power rankings and the goal.com power rankings. For some reason, All For XI has the team at number three in their power rankings, but nobody is perfect. Now, the Pride are looking to head into the NWSL break on a high note in their upcoming two road games. Next up is Bay FC on Friday night.

OCB Visits Carolina Core Tonight

Orlando City B is in action tonight against Carolina Core FC at Truist Point Stadium in North Carolina. The Young Lions look to continue their recent success following two late winners against Chattanooga and Huntsville City. The midweek matchup should mean that Manuel Goldberg will have everyone available for the match, except those who played for the U-18 USMNT in the 2025 UEFA Friendship Cup. We will have match coverage for you both here and on BlueSky.

USMNT Crumbles vs. Swiss

If you turned off the USMNT versus Switzerland match at halftime (or before), I don’t blame you. The Swiss scored four goals in a devastating first half for the USMNT. I’m not saying it happened because Orlando City’s Alex Freeman did not get the start, but I’m not, not saying it either. Things got nominally better in the second half, considering the U.S. did not give up any more goals, but the 4-0 final score was still very, very bad. It was not what fans were hoping to see in the send-off match heading into the Concacaf Gold Cup.

Club World Cup Struggles

I’m not certain if you know that the FIFA Club World Cup starts this weekend, including matches in Orlando at Inter&Co Stadium and Camping World Stadium in the coming weeks. What I do know is that across the various venues the response can best be described as…meh.

Fans are getting offers of literal free tickets to the Sounders-Botafogo game and TM has reduced prices by about 20% since yesterday.

— Jeremiah Oshan (@jeremiah.sounderatheart.com) 2025-06-10T21:50:13.404Z

If you weren’t interested in going because the price was too high, you might want to check again. There are several former MLS players in the competition, including former Orlando City attacker Facundo Torres with Palmerias, though he won’t be playing in Orlando. There are several good matchups, including Manchester City versus Juventus at Camping World Stadium.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City B players Justin Ellis, Colin Guske, and Jackson Platts were members of the U-18 United States Men’s National Team that won the 2025 UEFA Friendship Cup in Nyon, Switzerland on Tuesday. The U.S. and Portugal drew 1-1 in the final before heading to penalties, where the Yanks won 3-2. Unfortunately, Guske had his attempt from the spot saved in the shootout, but his teammates bailed him out.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/10/25

Get to know an Orlando City Homegrown Player, Angelina and Marta called up, scouting Switzerland, and more.

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2 days ago

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June 10, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Happy Tuesday, gang. It was a good weekend for Orlando soccer, as Orlando City B and the Orlando Pride both picked up wins. The games will come thick and fast this week, as OCB, the Pride and Orlando City will all be in action over the course of the next few days. We have plenty to discuss today, so let’s get right into it.

Get to Know Zakaria Taifi

With Orlando City in the midst of a small break in between games, now is a good time to familiarize yourself with one of the Lions’ Homegrown players. Zakaria Taifi is the first player to advance through the full gamut of OCSC’s youth development pathway, as the 19-year-old started out at the U-9 Orlando City Soccer school before advancing to the club’s academy, then Orlando City B, and finally signing a Homegrown Contract with the first team. In my opinion, one of the highlights of his conversation with the club’s website is a picture of Taifi with all of his jerseys from each step in his pathway to the first team. He remembers standing outside Inter&Co Stadium when it was still being built, and spoke about how he wants to set a good example for other young players in the Lions’ youth teams.

Angelina and Marta Called Up

Angelina and Marta have both been called up to represent Brazil in this summer’s Copa America Femenina. The pair have been key performers for the Orlando Pride this year, with Marta playing in every game for the team while Angelina has appeared in all but one. Brazil is the defending champion of the tournament and will begin play on July 13 when it faces Venezuela. It will also have group games against Bolivia, Paraguay, and Colombia. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals, while the two third-place finishers will go to the fifth-place match.

Scouting Switzerland

The United States Men’s National Team will conclude its preparations for the Gold Cup by taking on Switzerland in Nashville tonight. The Swiss are currently ranked 20th in the world and made it to the quarterfinals of last summer’s European Championship. The team is littered with guys playing in Europe, and features familiar names like Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodriguez, and Granit Xhaka. Head Coach Murat Yakin has been setting his team up in a 3-4-2-1 or 4-2-3-1 and emphasizes both man marking and pressing. That’s something that could prove difficult for the USMNT, as both goals it conceded against Turkey came as a result of being unable to successfully play out of the back and break the opposition’s smothering press. If nothing else, the game should provide an opportunity to show what, if anything, was learned from Saturday’s 2-1 loss. The U.S. will be without Tyler Adams though, as he’s dealing with a foot problem and will potentially miss the start of the Gold Cup.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

There are plenty of transfer market whisperings bouncing about this time of year, so let’s take a minute to run through a few of them. Of chief interest to USMNT fans is a reported move to Lyon for Matt Turner, who is in desperate need of regular minutes. Bayer Leverkusen boss Erik ten Hag reportedly wants to sign Jack Grealish as a replacement for Florian Wirtz. Manchester United is reportedly interested in signing one of Marc-Andre ter Stegen or Lucas Chevalier to replace Andre Onana. Finally, Liverpool is said to have joined Chelsea in the race to sign Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike.

Free Kicks

  • Congratulations to a pair of Orlando City youth teams for winning some silverware!
  • We’re starting to get a clearer idea of who will be on the roster for the MLS All-Star Game.

That’s all I have for you today. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/9/25

Lions on international duty, Duncan McGuire undergoes shoulder surgery, Pride and OCB win, and more.

Published

3 days ago

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June 9, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve had a busy week covering sports around the Chicago area. Before we get started, let’s wish a happy belated birthday to Orlando Pride midfielder Prisca Chilufya, who turned 26 on Sunday. Our Lions were off this weekend, but the Pride and OCB picked up wins. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions on International Duty

Several Lions were in action over the weekend on international duty. Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese earned a clean sheet for Peru in a scoreless draw against Colombia Friday in a Conmebol World Cup qualifying match. Peru will face Ecuador on Tuesday.

Orlando City forward Marco Pasalic delivered a nice assist to set up Ivan Perisic’s goal in his country’s 7-0 win over Gibraltar in UEFA World Cup qualifying Friday. Croatia will face the Czech Republic later today.

Orlando City B forward Justin Ellis scored the game-winning goal in stoppage time for the U-18 U.S. Men’s National Team to beat Australia 3-2 in the UEFA Friendship Cup and remain undefeated in the group stage.

Duncan McGuire Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

Orlando City announced Friday that striker Duncan McGuire had undergone arthroscopic surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder. McGuire will be out for a considerable amount of time, and the club has not provided a timeline for the striker’s recovery. He had played in 12 matches, started three, and scored one goal in the regular season, adding an assist. The striker position was already thin for Orlando, and with McGuire sidelined, Oscar Pareja will have to make adjustments. We’ll have to wait and see if Orlando City decides to add another striker when the MLS Secondary Transfer Window rolls around on July 24. We at The Mane Land wish McGuire a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on the pitch soon.

Pride Blank Houston Dash at Home on Late Goal

The Orlando Pride defeated the Houston Dash 1-0 Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. The match went down to the last second as Cori Dyke scored her first professional goal for the Pride at the death to seal the win. Orlando has won back-to-back matches and is second in the NWSL table with 22 points. The Pride will begin a two-match road trip starting Friday, taking on Bay FC.

OCB Stuns Huntsville City FC on the Road

Orlando City B defeated Huntsville City FC 3-2 Friday at Wicks Family Field at Joe Davis Stadium. After a scoreless first half, the Young Lions struck first as Hayden Sargis scored the opener. Huntsville City FC answered with two goals to take a 2-1 lead. OCB overcame a 2-1 deficit and scored two late goals from Jhon Solis and Dyson Clapier to take home the three points. The win lifted the Young Lions to third in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference standings with 20 points. OCB has won two straight and will be back on the road Wednesday to take on Carolina Core FC.

Despite Early Goal, USMNT Falls to Turkey in Friendly

The U.S. Men’s National Team fell 2-1 to Turkey Saturday at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT in a friendly. Orlando City defender Alex Freeman made his debut for the USMNT, starting the match and playing 90 minutes. Jack McGlynn scored the opening goal in 59 seconds to give the USMNT the early lead. However, Turkey scored back-to-back goals later in the first half to take a 2-1 lead โ€” the first on a howler of a mistake by Johnny Cardoso โ€” and held on for the win. It’s the third straight defeat for Mauricio Pochettino’s squad as we’re nearly a year away from kickoff of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The USMNT will look to bounce back with another friendly Tuesday against Switzerland in Nashville. The USMNT’s first match in the Concacaf Gold Cup is June 15 against Trinidad & Tobago.

Portugal Wins Second UEFA Nations League Title

Portugal beat Spain 5-3 on penalties after a thrilling 2-2 draw to win a second UEFA Nations League title. Portugal was down 2-1 in the second half before Cristiano Ronaldo scored the equalizer. It was Ronaldo’s 138th career international goal. After no goals in extra time, the match went to penalties. Tied 3-3 after three rounds, Nuno Mendes converted from the spot for Portugal, while Alvaro Morata of Spain saw his shot saved in the fourth round. Ruben Neves put it away in the final round of penalties to claim the UEFA Nations League trophy.

Free Kicks

  • Former Lion Nani and his Nani FC side fell 2-1 to Concafa SC in the quarterfinals of The Soccer Tournament Saturday. Another former Lion, Brek Shea, scored the winning goal for Concafa SC to book a spot in the semifinals.
  • The National Women’s Soccer League announced its Best XI for May and Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda was honored on the squad after scoring the Pride’s first-ever hat trick against the Utah Royals on May 23.
  • Chelsea forward Mia Fishel is reportedly in discussions with multiple NWSL clubs as she seeks a summer transfer move. Fishel was drafted by the Orlando Pride in 2022 but didn’t sign with the club at the time, instead signing with Tigres in Mexico.
  • Luciano Spalletti announced during a press conference Sunday that he has been fired as manager of the Italian National Team. Italy began its 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 3-0 loss to Norway over the weekend.
  • France defeated Germany 2-0 to win the third-place match in the UEFA Nations League.
  • Major League Soccer and its players union have been unable to come to an agreement as talks continue over the Club World Cup prize money and player compensation.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday and Iโ€™ll see you next time.

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