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Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

Here’s how your favorite Lions rated during a waterlogged draw on the road up in Charlotte.

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1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

It wasn’t pretty, but Orlando City nabbed a point on the road against a Charlotte FC team that’s had the Lions’ number this season. Martin Ojeda scored the kind of goal that OCSC usually finds itself on the wrong end of, and Orlando managed to squeak out the result.

Here are my thoughts on the individual performances from a soggy night up in North Carolina.

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — Gallese only made one save on the night but it was an absolute beauty. Ten minutes before halftime, Derrick Jones found himself unmarked in the six-yard box but was stonewalled by El Pulpo to keep the game scoreless. At 50%, his distribution wasn’t the best, but he did have a key pass, which led to Duncan McGuire’s overturned goal. He made a good effort on Copetti’s penalty but couldn’t quite get over fast enough as he dove the right way. Overall, a good night’s work from him.

D, Rafael Santos, 6 — Santos didn’t get involved going forward as much as Oscar Pareja typically likes from his fullbacks, and seeing him only attempt 11 passes with 73% accuracy was indicative of that. He was impressive on defense though, finishing with two tackles, one interception, five clearances, and two aerial duels won. He drew one foul and was withdrawn with a little under 15 minutes left to play, possibly with an eye towards trying to keep his legs fresh for Saturday’s match.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 (MotM) — Jansson was excellent in this one, and it perhaps isn’t an accident that Charlotte’s breakthrough came mere moments after he left the field. He made one tackle, one interception, and a whopping five clearances on defense. He also blocked a shot in the first half, saving what almost certainly would have been a goal, and generally spent his time on the field shutting down dangerous moments left and right. At 65%, his passing accuracy left a bit to be desired, but he did chip in a key pass and two accurate long balls on five attempts. If Orlando has to spend any stretch of time without both him and Antonio Carlos, then things could get ugly, especially when looking at the upcoming fixture list. He’s the choice for Man of the Match in this one.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Schlegel had a busy night on defense. He had a team-high six clearances to go along with one tackle and two aerial duels won. He was heavily involved in the physical side of the game, committing two fouls, while drawing three on Charlotte players, and he committed the foul on Enzo Copetti in the box that gave Charlotte its penalty kick. He passed the ball at an 81% clip and had three completed long balls. The foul in the box wasn’t great, but he didn’t know too much about it, and it’s hard to hold it against him too much. Overall, a steady night of work for him.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6.5 — Dagur Dan has settled in nicely at right back while Mikey Halliday works his way back to fitness, and he had a good game in this one. He had more success getting forward than Santos did, and completed 81% of the passes he attempted, with two complete long balls on three attempts thrown in for good measure. Defensively he had two interceptions and two clearances while committing a foul, and was largely steady out on the right side of the back line. He also completed a dribble, and Thorhallsson’s versatility has quietly been one of the reasons for Orlando’s good run of recent results.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — As we’ve grown accustomed to, Araujo was plenty involved in this game. He had two tackles, three clearances and drew a whopping seven fouls, none of which resulted in a yellow card. He did pick up a yellow of his own for a needlessly hard foul, which was the lone black mark against his play. He completed 74% of his passes and delivered four long balls successfully on eight attempts. He churns out performances that range from solid to spectacular game after game, and I’m struggling to recall the last time he had a truly poor game. Aside from Jansson and Carlos, he might very well be the most consistent player on the team.

MF, Junior Urso, 5.5 — The Bear got the first start of his second stint with the Lions. Like most of Orlando’s midfield, he had trouble settling into a good rhythm and wasn’t able to impact the game going forward, as demonstrated by the seven passes he played with 71% success. He did contribute a long ball on his only attempt, as well as an interception and a clearance on defense, but other than that it was a quiet night for him.

MF, Ramiro Enrique, 6.5 — Ramiro went the full 90 and was very involved in the match. He took a team-high three shots and was desperately unlucky to see an excellent strike rattle off the post in the first half, while the other two were blocked. He drew two fouls while committing two of his own, and had an interception and three clearances on defense. He delivered 73% of his passes to their intended target and completed a successful long ball on two attempts. His decision-making still needs to improve at times, but he works hard and makes plenty of good runs. With a little more luck he could have had the opening goal, but it wasn’t quite his night.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 5.5 — It wasn’t a bad night for Pereyra, but it was a fairly quiet one. He found it a little difficult to get involved and seemed to have trouble finding his rhythm, something that was reflected in the two times he was dispossessed. He chipped in well defensively with two tackles and an interception, and contributed a key pass while completing his passes with 77% accuracy. He only attempted 13 passes in his half of play though, and that sums up his problems getting involved in the game.

MF, Facundo Torres, 6.5 — The wet turf and ball seemed to give Torres trouble controlling the ball in the first half, and the little delay meant he didn’t release his pass in time to play McGuire onside. Still, he looked dangerous on offense and his wicked dipping shot was very close to going in and breaking the deadlock. He also completed a dribble, drew a foul, and passed at an 83% clip while providing two key passes. He continues to be in good form this summer, and while he couldn’t make the difference in this one, his play is still reminiscent of the heater he went on from last summer to the end of the season.

F, Duncan McGuire, 6 — Duncan did his best work during the occasions that Orlando was coming forward on the break. He put his one shot of the night in the back of the net but was denied a goal due to not being able to stay onside when Facu had trouble bringing the ball under control to play him in. He contributed a clearance, won an aerial duel, completed the one dribble he attempted and passed with 67% accuracy while committing one foul.

Substitutes

MF, Ivan Angulo (46′), 6 — Angulo got the entirety of the second half to work with after a rocky first 45 from Pereyra. He had a great flash of danger in the 64th minute when he drove a low shot to the far corner, but Kristijan Kahlina did well to get down and parry it away from goal. He completed a dribble, drew a foul, and generally looked lively on offense, although his 63% passing accuracy left something to be desired, as did his pass behind Enrique on a promising attack late in the game. Defensively, he made a tackle and an interception, and ran hard on several instances to track back as the game opened up.

MF, Martin Ojeda (61′), 6.5 — I’m not sure how much he knew about it, but a goal is a goal and Ojeda got one when the Lions desperately needed one — and didn’t look likely to get it. He put a great ball into a dangerous area and sometimes that’s half the battle. His other shot was one of his typical efforts from…shall we say, preposterous range, but he at least put it on target. He recorded an interception, a clearance, and a foul drawn while passing with 75% accuracy and completing one key pass and one of his two crosses. It hasn’t been the easiest first season for him in MLS, but he’s quietly putting up decent numbers, and if he can find a way to contribute more on a regular basis then OCSC could pick up some serious steam down the stretch.

MF, Felipe (61′), 5 — Felipe had an exceedingly quiet performance in his 30 minutes on the field. He completed 50% of his four passes and accurately delivered a long ball (on three attempts), but didn’t record any other stats aside from picking up the game’s first yellow card. His most notable contribution may have been getting caught offside on a fierce Rodrigo Schlegel header from a set piece. Suffice it to say, it wasn’t quite his night.

D, Kyle Smith (77′), N/A — Smith came on in relief of Santos and had a solid, if unspectacular outing. He passed with 50% accuracy and made two clearances while helping limit any dangerous chances for Charlotte as the game wound down.

D, Abdi Salim (78′), N/A — Salim made his third appearance of the season and the first since mid-March. He was solid at the back and made a tackle, two clearances, and two aerial duels won while passing with 83% accuracy.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in a game where Orlando got an important point on the road to keep pace in the crowded Eastern Conference. What did you think of the performances during this game? Be sure to vote in our Man of the Match poll, and let us know your thoughts down in the comments. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s win at home against the New England Revolution?

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4 hours ago

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September 16, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City hosted the New England Revolution and won 3-0 to claim its 11th victory of the season. Rafael Santos, Facundo Torres, and Duncan McGuire all found the back of the net, and the defense did its part to secure a shutout in front of the home fans.

It was definitely a team effort, but let’s take a look at how each Lion individually performed in another dominant win at home.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — The Peruvian goalkeeper didn’t have to come up with a save until Carles Gil tested him in the 60th minute from a free kick. Gallese was up to the task and made a phenomenal save to his right after Gil bent his shot around the wall. He also made a big stop late on Emmanuel Boateng, who got behind the defense. It was otherwise a pretty quiet night for Gallese, as he finished the match with 26 touches and just two saves, albeit very good ones. As for his distribution, he completed 89.5% of his 19 passes and two of his four long balls were successful. A clean sheet was a nice cherry on top for El Pulpo’s night.

D, Rafael Santos, 7 — The left back scored one of the best goals of Orlando’s season, curling a shot into the top left corner from distance. The opportunity came from a short corner, with Angulo teeing him up in a well-worked set piece that left him with time and space to pick out his target and beat Aljaz Ivacic. Defensively, he had two tackles and two clearances to limit New England’s attack on his side of the field for the most part. His only cross was inaccurate, two of his six long balls found their mark, and he had 46 passes at a 73.9% success rate. His goal was a game changer and future opponents will have to take him into account moving forward.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — The Beefy Swede put out fires when needed to help secure Orlando’s clean sheet, contributing a clearance and blocking a shot. He only had 32 touches in the match, anchoring the defense while his teammates built momentum through possession. His presence kept New England from developing anything in terms of transition. Jansson attempted six long balls, completing three of them, and he was successful on 85.7% of his 28 passes overall. It wasn’t the busiest night for Jansson, but he excelled when called upon and stayed home when Orlando was on the attack, allowing his central defense partner to join in the possession higher up the pitch.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Schlegel had two clearances in this one and often cleanly got the ball out of danger without allowing rebound opportunities. There were a couple of instances in which he didn’t close down Giacomo Vrioni quickly enough, but Schlegel helped manage to keep the Italian-Albanian forward from causing too much trouble. The Argentine center back also allowed Boateng to get in behind on goal late, so it wasn’t a perfect night by any means. However, he led the Lions with eight long balls and five of them were successful, sparking some opportunities for the offense. Schlegel’s 52 passes were also the most on the team and he completed a strong 90.4% of them. It was a good overall outing for the center back, but there were a couple of lapses.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 7 — Thorhallsson was a force up and down the wing, coming up with important stops on defense and giving the Revolution headaches when he went on the attack. He provided three key passes, including a nice lob into the box in the first half that Ramiro Enrique couldn’t bury. Defensively, he had two tackles, an interception, and a clearance. While none of his three crosses found their target, he attempted 43 passes at an excellent 95.4% success rate and one of his two long balls was accurate as well. Thorhallsson also won a foul from a good position late in the match. Neither of his two shots were on target, but it was still a dynamic performance from the right back.

MF, César Araujo, 6.5 — Araujo also had three key passes in this match, doing his part to set up opportunities for the team’s attackers to work their magic. The Uruguayan midfielder’s only attempted cross was successful, three of his six long balls found their mark, and he was successful on 87.2% of his 47 passes. His only shot in the match was deflected, but went out for a corner kick. Araujo also helped out on the defensive side of things with a pair of tackles and helped keep Gil quiet. It’s worth noting that Araujo avoided a yellow card that would have suspended him for Orlando’s next match as well.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 — Returning from international duty with Peru, Cartagena had a strong defensive performance and rotated well to provide coverage when the team’s fullbacks joined the attack. The 29-year-old led the Lions with five tackles and had an interception as well. Cartagena had four shots, but only one of them ended up on target and it didn’t trouble Ivacic. All four of his long balls were successful and he completed 85.1% of his 47 passes. He also had a lovely key pass to slip the ball past defenders and give Torres a great opportunity in the box. Although he picked up a yellow card, it was a professional foul to cut off a potentially dangerous counterattack.

MF, Iván Angulo, 6 — Angulo earned his ninth assist of the season by setting up Santos in space off of a corner kick. He didn’t attempt any crosses or shots, but he did have two key passes in the match. His speed was most useful at stretching New England’s defense and then chasing down opposing players to win the ball back. Before coming off in the 74th minute, he had three tackles and 26 passes, but at just a 69.2% success rate. It wasn’t his best performance, but he played his role in the designed set piece and kept the Revolution on their toes with his threat on the counter.

MF, Martín Ojeda, 6.5 — Ojeda was credited with a secondary assist for his minor role in the short corner that led to Orlando’s first goal. The Designated Player played a part in Orlando’s second goal as well, with Gil committing a handball in the box while trying to defend Ojeda. He had a phenomenal switch in play that ignited the break on which Torres hit the post. He had three shots in the match, putting one of them on target and forcing a good save by Ivacic at the near post, and he also had a key pass. Ojeda led the team with six crosses, but only one of them was successful. He was accurate on two of his three long balls though, and attempted 29 passes at an 82.8% success rate. Ojeda was better in the second half and forced both attention and quick decisions from the Revolution’s defense before being subbed out in the 68th minute.

MF, Facundo Torres, 7.5 (MotM) — Torres scored his 11th goal of the season with a powerful penalty kick that Ivacic had little chance of stopping even if he didn’t guess the wrong way. He had a few other chances to score, but hit the post and just missed the target twice. Neither of his two crosses were successful. However, he still had two key passes, all three of his long balls were successful, and he completed 94.6% of his 37 passes. His role in Orlando’s third goal will be overshadowed by McGuire and Nico Lodeiro’s magic, but Torres deserves some recognition for his lobbed pass out wide for Lodeiro to get the ball in space away from the Revolution’s defense. He also made a lungbusting run on the play to provide McGuire a passing option and pull some of the defense’s attention away. Orlando looked dangerous whenever Torres was involved in the attack, but he also did well when pressing and made himself available all over the pitch for his teammates.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 6 — Enrique earned another start up top and did fairly well. He almost squeezed a ball in to Martin Ojeda at the near post early on after making a nice run on a break, but Ivacic snuffed it out. His first shot of the night was an audacious and acrobatic effort on the volley that went off target. Chesting the ball into the path of Facundo Torres was likely the smarter play, but it’s hard to put too much blame on a striker for trying his luck. His only other shot of the match was blocked. Although he didn’t win either of his two aerial duels, his hold-up play was decent and he completed 81.3% of his 16 passes. Enrique may not have scored, but he injected plenty of energy into the attack and had two key passes to go with a successful long ball.

Substitutes

F, Duncan McGuire (68’), 6.5 — McGuire scored his first goal since June in fantastic fashion. While his powerful strike that wound up in the net despite Ivacic getting contact on it was great, the most impressive part of his goal was his run from his own box that included staying onside and slipping between defenders for Lodeiro to find him. It was his only shot and he only had three touches, completing both of his attempted passes as well. He made some good runs here and there after his goal, but didn’t receive much service while the Lions enjoyed a three-goal lead.

MF, Nico Lodeiro (69’), 6.5 — Lodeiro put in a great shift off the bench, assisting on McGuire’s goal with a nice pass that slipped between defenders on a counter. His only shot was from a free kick and he sent it over the bar. The 35-year-old could have had another assist in the 85th minute, but his pass across the front of goal was deflected out for a corner before it could reach McGuire or Yutaro Tsukada. Lodeiro finished the match with 22 touches and 17 passes at an 88.2% success rate.

MF, Luis Muriel (75′), 6 — The Colombian forward’s only shot came in the final moment of the game, as he sent a free kick into the stands after he was fouled by the Revolution in what looked like a promising attack. He had a terrific switch of play to Thorhallsson that ended in Cartagena’s shot right at Ivacic in the second minute of stoppage time. Muriel had 14 touches and both of his attempted long balls found their target. He completed all but one of his 10 passes and did well carving out open space on offense.

MF, Felipe (79′) N/A — Felipe picked up where Cesar Araujo left off in the midfield, putting in a gritty performance to help see out the game. He had 21 touches in a short amount of time on the pitch and completed 94.7% of his 19 passes. The Brazilian also had a tackle to help out defensively and worked himself into good areas when the Lions went on the attack for more goals.

MF, Yutaro Tsukada (79′), N/A — The young winger only had six touches, but he completed all four of his passes and contributed on defense with a tackle. Tsukada didn’t have any shots or key passes, but found decent areas when the Lions went on the offensive. It was a bit disappointing that he wasn’t given a crack at one of the team’s late free kicks, though it was still nice to see the rookie get some valuable minutes with the first team.

That’s how I saw the individual performances on Saturday night. What did you think? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and vote in the poll below for your Orlando City Man of the Match.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 9/16/24

Orlando City beats the New England Revolution, Orlando Pride draw at home, Orlando City B wins third straight, and more.

Published

7 hours ago

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September 16, 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. This week, I’ll be busy working Chicago Cubs games at Wrigley Field while picking up some extra hours at Under Armour. There’s plenty to cover today after a busy weekend of Orlando soccer, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Shut Out the New England Revolution at Home

On Saturday, Orlando City defeated the New England Revolution 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium. This is the first time the Lions have swept a season series against the Revolution in the club’s history. Rafael Santos, Facundo Torres, and Duncan McGuire all scored for the Lions, and this is the second consecutive match that the Lions have won 3-0 after beating Nashville SC by the same score on Aug. 31. Orlando City is fifth in the Eastern Conference with 40 points. It will be a quick turnaround for the Lions, with another home match against Charlotte FC set for Wednesday before traveling to face the Columbus Crew on Saturday.

Pride Draw Against the Kansas City Current

The Orlando Pride played to a scoreless draw against the Kansas City Current on Friday at Inter&Co Stadium and saw their six-match winning streak end. However, the result extended their unbeaten streak to 20 matches this season. Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse put on a stellar performance in goal to earn her 11th clean sheet of the season and tie the NWSL record.

Orlando remains atop the NWSL table with 48 points, while the Washington Spirit are close behind in second with 44 points. The Pride will be on the road on Friday to face Bay FC at PayPal Park.

OCB Defeats New England Revolution II at Home

Orlando City B won 2-0 over the New England Revolution II at Osceola County Stadium on Sunday to move a step closer to clinching a playoff spot. After a scoreless first half, Alex Freeman and Jack Lynn scored for the Young Lions to seal the win at home. Orlando City B has now won three consecutive matches and Freeman has scored five goals in the last four games. OCB is third in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference table with 43 points, and its next match is Sept. 23 at home against Chicago Fire II.

Americans Abroad in Europe

There were some USMNT players in action in Europe over the weekend after the conclusion of the recent international break. Brenden Aaronson started and played 68 minutes for Leeds United but ended up losing 1-0 to Burnley in the EFL Championship. Christian Pulisic scored a penalty kick and added an assist for AC Milan in a 4-0 win over Venezia in Serie A action. It was Pulisic’s second goal in four matches for AC Milan this season. Teammate Yunus Musah came off the bench in the second half to see out the win. Fellow American Gianluca Busio returned for Venezia, starting and playing 79 minutes. Tanner Tessmann came off the bench to make his Ligue 1 debut for Lyon Sunday against Lens late in the second half, but the match ended in a scoreless draw.

Free Kicks

  • Pride midfielder Ally Lemos started for the U.S. Women’s U-20 National Team in the U-20 Women’s World Cup quarterfinal match against Germany. She assisted on the first of two late goals by the U.S. to help send the game to extra time in an incredible comeback. Lemos was subbed off before the penalty shootout, which the U.S. won to advance to the semifinals.
  • The Orlando Pride set another club record after their draw against the Current, securing their fourth consecutive clean sheet.
  • Carlos Vela and LAFC reportedly agreed to a new contract before the MLS roster freeze deadline on Friday.

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

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 3-0 home victory over the Revolution.

Published

1 day ago

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September 15, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City hosted the New England Revolution, though I doubt the Revs found the visit very hospitable. The Lions poured on the goals, earning a 3-0 win over their Eastern Conference foe. The victory is the second in a row for Orlando City. Here are my five takeaways from an important win at home.

Successful Short Corner

We here at The Mane Land are anti-short corners, but the Lions actually scored a goal on one against the Revolution. I’ll consider it the exception that proves the rule. Martin Ojeda played the corner to Ivan Angulo, who was about six feet away on the end line. Angulo took a touch and then passed the ball out to an unmarked Rafael Santos. The left back pushed the ball to the left and launched a missile into the upper left corner to put the Lions on top. I’m not sure it was exactly like they worked it up in training, but it was darn effective that time. Please return to normal corner kicks as it almost certainly won’t work again.

Gil Handball

It’s rare that Carles Gil provides a goal opportunity for Orlando City rather than against the Lions, but that is exactly what happened. Gil decided that it was a good idea to throw his right arm out while defending Ojeda inside the box. His hand then hit the ball and the penalty was given. Facundo Torres buried the ball in the upper right corner of the goal just before the break, giving Orlando City a commanding 2-0 lead heading into halftime.

Gil Denied

I was a bit worried when the Revolution won a free kick just outside the box in the second half. Gil set up to take it with a four-man wall in his way. It was just the right distance for someone of his skill to pull one back for New England, but Pedro Gallese said no. Gil put the ball into the upper left corner with Gallese cheating towards the right side of the goal. Fortunately, El Pulpo covered the distance and slapped the shot away to maintain the clean sheet.

Orlando Runs on Duncan

Duncan McGuire needed all of five minutes on the pitch after coming on as a sub to score his first goal since June 28 against New York City FC. McGuire timed his run perfectly as Nico Lodeiro sent the ball in to him near the top of the box. McGuire put enough power on his shot to put it through the keeper and into the back of the net. They say that a 2-0 lead is the most dangerous in soccer. I absolutely do not agree with that, but 3-0 is empirically better than 2-0. Having Big Dunc scoring again is exactly what Orlando City needs.

Offensive Production

Orlando City has now scored three goals in two consecutive matches. The Lions took 20 shots, putting five on target and scoring on three. That’s pretty good. The goals are also coming from across the lineup. We expect Torres and McGuire to score goals, because that is what they do. The goal from Santos was as unexpected as it was beautiful. This type of production is what can help the Lions make the playoffs for a fourth year in a row.

It was a good night for those of us who support Orlando City. Hopefully, the Lions can keep the momentum going next week. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and as always Vamos Orlando!

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