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Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Final Score 4-0 as Lions Rough Up Reds

For the second straight year, the Lions dominated Toronto FC at home, winning 4-0.

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11 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City scored twice in each half and ran Toronto FC out of Exploria Stadium with a 4-0 win on Independence Day in front of an announced crowd of 17,604. Cesar Araujo, Duncan McGuire, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, and Ercan Kara did the damage on the scoreboard for Orlando (9-5-7, 34 points), and the Reds (3-9-10, 19 points) finished with 10 men after Federico Bernardeschi was shown his second yellow card just past the hour mark.

The win extended the Lions’ home unbeaten streak to seven games (4-0-3) and was Orlando City’s first on Independence Day in four tries (1-2-1). City improved to 7-8-3 in the all-time series against Toronto and the Lions are unbeaten in their last seven meetings with the Reds (5-0-2).

“I think it was one of our most responsible performances and the respect of the game that they showed today was very good. I’m very pleased with it,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “And even when the game turns into a game that it was much dominated, they were very, very respectful, and that’s why they scored goals.”

It was Pareja’s 150th MLS win as a head coach, making him the sixth to reach that mark.

Pareja’s lineup featured Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith. Araujo returned from suspension to partner with Wilder Cartagena in the central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres, with McGuire up top.

Orlando City controlled play throughout the first half and should have taken the lead just seven minutes in. A nice passing attack ended up with a cross that Toronto goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh got a hand on and knocked it out in front. Pereyra ran onto it and — for the second time in just a couple of games — the captain skied his shot over a gaping, empty net.

Two minutes later, Pereyra again missed the net, but this time from a more difficult position out near the left side of the box. He sent his shot toward the far post well wide.

Orlando opened the scoring in the 16th minute. Angulo had the ball on the left side and drew defenders toward him before sending Santos down the left channel. Santos curled in a perfect cross at the back post for Araujo to head home to make it 1-0. It was the Uruguayan midfielder’s first goal in MLS play.

“That first goal gave us a lot of confidence,” Pareja said.

Six minutes later, the Lions doubled the lead. Santos found himself on the left again and tried to send in another cross. This time, the pass attempt was deflected by the defense toward goal. As Ranjitsingh waited for the ball to come to him, McGuire flashed in front of him and flicked it inside the near post to make it 2-0 in the 22nd minute.

The Lions kept coming. Torres curled a back-post shot wide of the left upright just two minutes after McGuire’s goal. McGuire then took a fantastic through ball and smashed a shot off the left post in the 27th minute that bounced straight to Ranjitsingh.

The Lions switched off a bit after that miss. Just a minute after McGuire rattled the woodwork, Bernardeschi was given far too much space outside the area and he fired a shot off of the left post at the other end.

“It was quite hard to maintain the whole rhythm today,” said Pareja. “In that moment I noticed that we were getting caught a little bit in the energy, but we responded well, and the boys came back into the game.”

The hydration break seemed to wake the Lions back up. Pereyra unlocked the defense with a beautiful through ball in the 36th minute for Angulo’s diagonal run. Unfortunately, the speedy winger couldn’t handle the pass and it was knocked away.

That was it for the good looks, although Orlando had a few late set pieces. Santos got his head to a corner kick cross but a defender blocked it out for another corner.

Orlando City had the statistical advantage as well as the two-goal lead at the break, finishing the half with more possession (55.8%-44.2%), shots (6-2), shots on goal (2-0), corners (4-2), and passing accuracy (89.5%-85%).

Toronto interim manager Terry Dunfield made three changes at halftime to bring on fresher and younger legs, but it didn’t help. It took a few minutes after the restart for Orlando to settle in, but once the Lions got going, the game always seemed to have only one possible outcome.

Bernardeschi picked up an early yellow in the second half for a late challenge on Smith.

Angulo won a corner in the 53rd minute that Toronto cleared but Araujo fired on target on the recycle. It was on target but a comfortable save for Ranjitsingh. Two minutes later, Torres cut into the middle and sent a rocket on frame, but he left it too close to the middle and Ranjitsingh made a good reaction save.

With the heat and the quick turnaround, Pareja sent some fresh troops on in the 57th minute, sacrificing McGuire and Pereyra for Ramiro Enrique and Martin Ojeda.

Shortly after the subsitutions, Bernardeschi saw red. After a turnover, Cartagena had some words for the Italian and he knocked Wilder down. There was definitely some embellishment by the Peruvian to ensure the referee saw it. It worked. Bernardeschi was given his second yellow and sent off. Gallese was also booked in the aftermath.

Kara and Thorhallsson entered the fray moments later, replacing Angulo and Smith.

Ojeda had a good chance to add the third goal in the 69th minute, sending a hard shot on goal that Ranjitsingh was able to save. Two minutes later, Ojeda switched the play beautifully from right to left for Enrique, who cut inside to about the spot he scored from on Saturday, only this time he sent the shot inches wide. Thorhallsson then tried his luck from a tight angle in the 72nd minute but missed the target.

The third goal came in the 77th minute. Araujo looked up and saw Thorhallsson making a run. The delivery over the top by the Uruguayan was perfect. Ranjitsingh tried to get to the ball first but couldn’t. Thorhallsson rounded the goalkeeper outside the box and fired into an empty net to open his Orlando City account and ice the match.

“It was an amazing feeling,” Thorhallsson said about scoring his first MLS goal. “It’s a sequence that we do a lot and we train a lot, so it’s nice to get a goal from that. I saw Cesar get the ball. I just pointed, I think. And the ball came and I saw the keeper a little bit. I thought, ‘ Well, I’ll just go, if he hits me, he hits me.’ But then I went past him and I scored. Finally.”

Toronto got a rare shot attempt in the 82nd minute when Brandon Servania tried to chip Gallese from long range but his effort landed on the roof of the net.

Two minutes later, things got worse for Toronto. Araujo sent a hard pass to Ojeda at the top of the box. The Argentine had trouble finding the handle on it, so he back-heeled it past two defenders for Kara to run onto. The Austrian fired immediately, blasting it past Ranjitsingh to make it 4-0 in the 84th minute. It was Kara’s fifth goal of the season.

Ojeda came within inches of making it five in the 86th minute. He took a pass from Araujo and smashed a shot toward the bottom right corner. Ranjitsingh got a slight touch on it to knock it off the outside of the post. Ojeda also had the final chance in the 91st minute. He sent a free kick on frame from about 30 yards out but it was a comfortable save for Ranjitsingh.

Moments later, the match was over.

The domination was not only on the scoreboard but also on the stat sheet. Orlando City finished with the advantage in possession (59.6%-40.4%), shots (18-6), shots on target (9-0), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (91%-84.8%).

The final score was, ironically, identical to this same fixture last year. Orlando City beat Toronto 4-0 at home last September.

“Scoring goals — that changed the whole picture,” Pareja said of the team’s turnaround in its home form. “It makes us all look better. It’s a consequence of the boys doing the right things and resisting or enduring the difficult moments that we had with games here at home, where they tied us in the last minute. The boys kept going. We’re doing the right things. We’re scoring goals. That makes a huge difference.”

“The work today is a reflection of all of the hard work that we’ve been doing,” Santos said through a club translator. “We’ve been working on all of this in training. It’s reflective of the work that Oscar is putting in.”

Orlando City heads out on the road for its next two matches, with the road trip starting at Real Salt Lake on Saturday. Game time is 9:30 p.m.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/21/24

Two Lions recognized, Pride player up for weekly honors, United States releases training camp roster, and more.

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2 hours ago

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May 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It was a damn good weekend for Orlando’s teams, as Orlando City beat San Jose 1-0, and the Orlando Pride took down the Seattle Reign 3-2, which meant that the two teams picked up all six points on offer, and out on the west coast, no less! We’ve got plenty of news to talk over today, so let’s jump straight into the links.

Lions Included in Team of the Matchday

A pair of Lions have been rewarded for their efforts in Saturday’s win with a place in the latest edition of the MLS Team of the Matchday. Wilder Cartagena was given a spot in the starting XI as a center back after yet another commanding performance in a three-man back line for Orlando City. The Peruvian was superb and finished with five tackles, four clearances, and two interceptions, as OCSC kept a second clean sheet in a row. Jack Lynn was given a spot on the bench, after grabbing a late winner in an extended substitute appearance. Lynn entered the fray for an injured Duncan McGuire in the 16th minute, and was the difference maker as he latched onto a scuffed Martin Ojeda shot to win the game for Orlando in the 89th minute.

Pride Player up for Weekly Honors

Emily Sams’ strike against the Seattle Reign has been nominated for the NWSL Goal of the Week. On a night that had plenty of goals, Sams opened the scoring in the ninth minute. The ball found its way to her at the top of the box, and the defender didn’t even bother taking a touch as she hit the ball first time and curled it past the despairing dive of Laurel Ivory. Sams isn’t exactly a prolific goal scorer, so that makes the sweetly hit goal that much better. Be sure you go and drop a vote for her to win!

United States Releases Pre-Copa Roster

The United States Men’s National Team has announced its 27-player roster that will take part in a pre-Copa America training camp. The final tournament roster needs to have at least 23 players and a maximum of 26, so Gregg Berhalter won’t need to make a ton of cuts if he doesn’t want to. The roster features Josh Sargent making his return to a training camp for the first time since the 2022 World Cup, as well as Cameron-Carter Vickers, Luca de la Torre, and Sean Johnson making their first appearances in 2024. LAFC youngster Timmy Tillman is the least experienced player in the mix with just one appearance to his name, while Christian Pulisic’s 66 appearances leads the team. The USMNT will play Colombia and Brazil in tune-up friendlies on June 8 and June 12, with the latter match taking place in Orlando at Camping World Stadium.

MLS Stock Watch

With another MLS matchday in the close, we can reflect on which teams are on the rise, and which ones seem to be headed in the wrong direction. FC Cincinnati has now won six straight games, and is hot on Inter Miami’s heels at the top of the Eastern Conference table. New York City FC has now won three in a row after beating the New York Red Bulls 2-1 in the Hudson River Derby, a result which saw the Pigeons leapfrog NYRB into third place in the East. At the other end of things, the Chicago Fire have lost four straight and only scored two goals in their last seven matches, while CF Montreal got hammered 5-1 by Toronto FC and has matched Chicago with a fourth-straight loss.

European Transfer Rumor Roundup

Several European club seasons may have ended, but that just means that the off-season transfer rumor mill is starting to kick into gear. Premier League champion Manchester City has reportedly agreed to personal terms with West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta, but is still negotiating with the Hammers about a sale price. Runners-up Arsenal wants to bolster its team to get over the line and win the title next year and is said to have Alexander Isak, Brian Brobbey, and Viktor Gyokeres on a short list of strikers, although the Gunners expect to face competition from Chelsea for Gyokeres. Despite chatter concerning a possible move away during the summer, Mohamed Salah has said he will “fight like hell” to win trophies with Liverpool next season. Finally, Bayern Munich is said to have had internal talks about appointing Vincent Kompany as the club’s next manager, and the board has even reached out to the Belgian directly to discuss his current situation.

Free Kicks

That’s all I have for this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Jose Earthquakes: Five Takeaways

What did we learn from Orlando City beating the Earthquakes on the West Coast?

Published

23 hours ago

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May 20, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City wrapped up three matches in eight days with a trip out west on short rest for a late night matchup against the San Jose Earthquakes. Playing level throughout much of the match, it appeared as though both teams would split the points until the Cardiac Cats found some late magic. What follows are my immediate takeaways from an unexpected, yet satisfying, three points.

3-5-2 For the Win

The 3-5-2 lineup returned once again and proved to be quite a versatile team shape for the Lions. Against San Jose, the Lions were without captain Robin Jansson due to injury and defensive midfielder Cesar Araujo was suspended due to yellow card accumulation. Dagur Dan Thorhallsson returned to the starting lineup and slotted in as a wingback in the formation. Wilder Cartagena excelled once again as a center back, and Felipe did well filling in for Araujo in the midfield. The shape has allowed the coaching staff to more easily fill gaps with different players as needed, and I think we may see it as the default formation for the foreseeable future.

Duncan McGuire Injured Early On

Jack Lynn was substituted on in the 15th minute for an injured Duncan McGuire, who landed awkwardly on his right arm after being sandwiched between two Quakes players in an aerial duel. It was an early exit for McGuire, who tried to stop his fall by sticking out his forearm. Given the injuries the team has dealt with over the last several matches, one can only hope this does not lead to a prolonged absence for Orlando’s leading scorer.

Ivan Angulo Defies Tired Legs

No one would have faulted the Lions for sitting back as the match neared its end given that this was their third match in eight days, and second on the road during that stretch. It makes the effort Ivan Angulo gave to help create the winning goal even more impressive. After running up and down the field all game, Angulo chased down a clearance after a San Jose corner kick and beat defenders down the length of the field on a lung-busting run. The fitness staff and trainers deserve some credit for ensuring that the Lions had their legs under them that late into a match considering the travel and schedule congestion of the week.

Jack Lynn After Dark

Jack Lynn, who was selected in the first round of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft, found the back of the net for the second time this season. In what was likely an unexpected 75 minutes of game action for him, Lynn scored late to give Orlando all three points. The goal was a combination of being in the right place at the right time, as Martin Ojeda mishit his shot after the cross from Angulo, and impressive body control from Lynn, who contorted his body to redirect the ball into the back of the net. It was an impressive finish for Lynn, who had another great chance to put the game away that was saved just minutes prior to his goal. Lynn ultimately would not be denied and made sure the Orlando City fans back on the East Coast woke up to good news.

Making History On the Road

Orlando City and the San Jose Earthquakes do not exactly have a storied rivalry however, anytime the club can achieve a first in team history it should be mentioned. Last evening’s victory marked Orlando City’s first ever road victory against the Earthquakes. Heading into this match, I thought the Lions would opt for a heavily rotated lineup on the road, as the Lions were facing a club at the bottom of the Western Conference table on short rest. Instead, the club turned in a classic performance under Pareja, staying defensively sound to keep the game close and get a result on the road. The Lions were able to get the win on a counter attack and the result secured seven points from their last three matches.

Those are the things that stood out most to me from the 1-0 victory against the Earthquakes, let us know in the comments below what stood out to you. As always, vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/20/24

Lions and Pride win, MLS weekend recap, Manchester City wins Premier League title, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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May 20, 2024

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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. It was another good weekend for our teams, as Orlando City and the Pride both won their respective matches. I’ve been busy covering high school playoff action with soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, and softball. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Pull Out Late Win on the Road

Orlando City pulled out a late 1-0 win on the road against the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park on Saturday. Jack Lynn came off the bench and scored the lone goal in this match for Orlando to grab the three points. Duncan McGuire started the match but had to be substituted out early in the first half due to injury and was replaced by Lynn. The Lions are on a three-match unbeaten streak after a scoreless draw at home against Inter Miami on Wednesday. Orlando City moves up to 10th in the Eastern Conference with 16 points. The Lions return to action on Saturday to face the Columbus Crew at Inter&Co Stadium.

Orlando Pride Win Against Seattle Reign FC

The Orlando Pride won their seventh straight match after a 3-2 win against the Seattle Reign at Lumen Field on Sunday. There were plenty of goals in this one, with Barbra Banda lifting the Pride to their first ever win in Washington against the Reign. Orlando remains undefeated in league play after 10 matches and the Pride sit atop the NWSL table with 24 points. The Pride return home for a Friday night matchup against the Portland Thorns at Inter&Co Stadium.

MLS Weekend Recap

It was another busy weekend in MLS, with four rivalry matches taking place. Let’s start with the Hudson River Derby, as New York City FC edged past the New York Red Bulls 2-1. Real Salt Lake got a thrilling 5-3 win against the Colorado Rapids in the Rocky Mountain Cup. In Canada, Toronto FC cruised past CF Montreal with a 5-1 victory. The Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas battled to a 1-1 draw down in Texas. FC Cincinnati defeated St. Louis City SC 3-1, while the Columbus Crew beat the Chicago Fire 3-1 as well.

The Philadelphia Union shut out the New England Revolution 3-0 to snap its six-match winless streak. Austin FC won 3-2 over Sporting Kansas City, Minnesota United handed the Portland Timbers a 2-1 defeat, and Inter Miami got a late goal from Leonardo Campana for a 1-0 win over D.C. United.

Manchester City Wins English Premier League

Manchester City defeated West Ham 3-1 to win a historic fourth consecutive Premier League title on Sunday with 91 points on the final day of the season. Phil Foden scored twice in this match as Manchester City became the first club to win four straight Premier League trophies. Arsenal defeated Everton 2-1 but ended up short of the title, finishing second with 89 points. Liverpool won in Jurgen Klopp’s final match as manager, beating Wolves 2-0 to finish third. Aston Villa finished fourth despite a 5-0 loss to Crystal Palace, Tottenham finished fifth, and Chelsea finished sixth in the table. Luton Town lost 4-2 at home to Fulham to finish 18th, officially joining Burnley and Sheffield United in being relegated to the EFL Championship next season. 

Free Kicks

  • Former Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner has agreed to a one-year contract extension with Manchester United, with an option for another year. Manchester United won its first major trophy earlier this month, winning the Women’s FA Cup.
  • Former USMNT player Jonathan Bornstein has agreed to play for NPSL side Tallahassee SC in their summer season. He made his debut on Saturday as the Battle Lions won their opener 2-0 against the Miami Dutch Lions FC.
  • According to Tom Bogert, new MLS expansion side San Diego FC is reportedly closer to sealing a move to sign Chucky Lozano over from PSV Eindhoven.
  • Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi announced he will leave the club after its Premier League season ended in a 2-0 loss to Manchester United on Sunday. 
  • Bayer Leverkusen completed its Bundesliga season unbeaten with a 2-1 win over FC Augsburg. The club also made history as the first team in the history of the Bundesliga to complete a full season without a loss. 

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

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