Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Player Grades and Man of the Match

Published

3 years ago

July 23, 2021

Winning is fun. Orlando City got back on track yesterday with a big 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union in Exploria Stadium. After three disappointing results on the bounce, getting a win over another top side in the standings is a massive confidence boost. Orlando did a much better job controlling and using possession to attack the Union and held off a handful of quality chances to secure all three points.

How did each Lion fare in one of Orlando’s biggest wins of the season?

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 8 — It’s great having an elite goalkeeper back between the sticks. Gallese wasn’t asked to do a lot for most of the game, but when Philadelphia got its chances, El Pulpo was there. Gallese made four saves in the game, including multiple huge stops in tight towards the end of the match to secure all three points. His reaction time is ridiculous and He did concede a goal, but that’s not on the goalkeeper.

D, Joao Moutinho, 7 — Good performance for Moutinho as he continues his run of consistent game time. He continues to be a solid asset in possession, completing 50 passes in this game, and pushed a little more forward with a completed cross and a successful dribble. At times, he showed flashes of the technical quality and attacking instincts that made him such a weapon for Orlando in seasons past. Defensively, it was a bit of a mixed bag. Moutinho had a pretty solid night with three successful tackles, three interceptions, four ball recoveries, and two clearances, but there were quite a few times, particularly in the second half, when he would be caught out and give too much space in behind. Also, Philadelphia’s goal came from a missed clearance by Moutinho, so that’s a negative as well.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — Somewhat quiet — except for a smashed nose — but quality performance for Jansson on Thursday night. He was good on the ball again, completing 95% of his 37 passes, and his defensive stats continue to impress, with another seven clearances and four ball recoveries in this game. I don’t know of a time Jansson was out of position or got beat by his man in this game as he continues to be an elite MLS center back. Let’s hope his nose is all right after that collision with Rodrigo Schlegel late in this game.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — Schlegel always gives a strong performance when he’s called upon, and Thursday was no exception. He was good defensively in this game and made eight clearances and a tackle. While he’s not a great on-ball presence, he did complete 22 passes at 85% and cycled possession well. Towards the latter stages of the game, he did have some shaky defensive moments, including getting beat to a ball in the box for Philadelphia’s goal and getting caught high stepping to the ball opening space in behind, but in general Schlegel had a tidy game in this one.

D, Kyle Smith, 7.5 — Kyle Smith played hero at the end in this game after a good overall performance. His goal line clearance at the end, while not incredibly acrobatic or spectacular, showed good defensive instincts and the type of gritty play that makes Smith such a beloved player on this team. It’s not always pretty with El Soldado, but it’s usually pretty effective. His defensive work, including another clearance and five ball recoveries, was business as usual for Smith. What was surprising was some of his offensive play including two successful dribbles, one of which was a great bit of skill. His crossing remains a blight on his resume, with none of his three crosses finding a target. Smith also completed 28 of 37 passes (76%), including a key pass.

MF, Andres Perea, 8 — The young midfielder continues to impress this season. His moment of the match came in the 59th minute when he got his head on an excellent Nani cross and perfectly placed it in the far corner. I did not know Perea had that in his locker and it was a treat to see. Perea continues to be solid on the ball, completing a lot of efficient short passes and clean half-turns into space on the dribble. In this game he completed 41 passes at 87%, including a key pass, and he also cleaned up with solid defensive work, including a clearance, an interception, and nine ball recoveries. There were times he was sloppy in possession or put a foot wrong defensively, but it was a great overall performance in the center of the park for Perea.

MF, Uri Rosell, 7 — Solid if unspectacular performance from Rosell. He’s the type of player whose impact isn’t super noticeable, as he mostly retains possession or closes off space defensively — all things he did pretty well! He completed 35 passes, mostly short passes in Orlando’s half, but also helped hold possession when the Lions pushed forward. Rosell also made five ball recoveries and an interception defensively. A good, complementary game for him as he too works back into consistent MLS minutes.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 8 (MotM) — Just a few days after I criticized his largely lackluster season, El Maestro put on a show against the Union. His assist was absolutely spectacular, with an inch-perfect pass through the teeth of the Philadelphia back line to the foot of Benji Michel. Pereyra was much more involved in the game, controlling the tempo and the attack. He completed 37 passes at an efficient 90% rate and most of them were in the opposition half. He even had a solid chance on goal in the first half, the one real weakness to his game. If there was any real problem with Pereyra’s performance it was the second half. He ran out of steam toward the end and wasn’t as dynamic. And of course we have to mention the yellow card which will see him suspended for Sunday’s match, though to blame Pereyra for that would be harsh, as it was barely any contact and extreme embellishment on the part of Jose Martinez.

MF, Benji Michel, 7.5 — It starts with his well-taken goal in the 10th minute. Michel made a great darting run in behind the Philadelphia defense and after a fantastic ball from Pereyra, he coolly slotted it home to the far post. Michel was also impressive in other aspects of the attack as well, providing a creative spark from the left wing, even registering a key pass. He completed 29 passes at a solid 83% and completed a dribble. Michel also got back and did his defensive duties with two tackles and four ball recoveries. This was yet another good performance for Michel, who is increasingly looking like a regular starter for this team. He did pick up a yellow card for taking off his shin guards as he came off the pitch.

F, Chris Mueller, 6 — Quiet night for Mueller in his first game following news of an impending transfer to Scottish side Hibernian and in a rare appearance up top. In 70-plus minutes of action, Cash failed to register a shot or key pass. He was also fairly sloppy, being dispossessed once and losing most of his duels. To his credit, he did create a half-chance with an aggressive run into the box before sliding it across to Nani who had the ball knocked away. Mueller also completed 15 of 21 passes (71%), drew a foul, and made a ball recovery.

F, Nani, 7.5 — This did not start as a particularly great game for Nani. He was sloppy and largely unproductive for most of the early going, but a player like Nani only needs a few moments to make his impact felt. His assist to Perea off a recycled set piece was the little bit of brilliance we’ve come to expect from the captain. There was a run in the second half where he was clearly the best player on the field and exploited an overmatched Philly defense. Nani was also heavily involved in possession, completing 41 passes and five dribbles. He also chipped in a little defensively with a clearance and two ball recoveries. Far from perfect, but still another magical night for Nani.

Substitutes

F, Silvester van der Water (73’), 6 — Nothing much to say for van der Water. Since his early breakout, he’s regressed hard to the mean and has been pretty much a non-presence, including in this game. Granted, he wasn’t asked to do much and the team played a rather defensive shape most of the time he was out there. In total he completed a dribble plus all five of his passes and made an interception. Not terrible, but far from impactful.

D, Antonio Carlos (73’), 6.5 — Welcome back! Antonio Carlos has been out of the lineup since a scary looking injury against the New York Red Bulls back on July 3, and he got about 20 minutes of action under his belt in his return to the field. He made an excellent play to put the ball out of play at the end of the match, ending any chance at another last-gasp attack from the Union. Outside of that, he wasn’t asked to do all that much but looked good. Carlos completed nine passes, made two clearances, one interception, and a ball recovery.

F, Tesho Akindele (78’), 6.5 — Much like Carlos, Tesho had little to do in this game, but helped seal the deal with his excellent defensive work rate. While he only completed four passes and didn’t create anything offensively, he also made a clearance and ball recovery.

MF, Joey DeZart (78’), 6.5 — DeZart isn’t a particularly dynamic player, but he’s a solid young option. In one of his longer Orlando City appearances, the second-year midfielder was good with the ball, completing five of six passes and helping the Lions see out the lead.

F, Alexander Alvarado (83’), N/A — Alvarado made a late cameo to give Nani a much-needed rest. The Ecuadorian completed three passes in his short time on the field.

That’s how I saw Thursday’s match, but what did you see? Comment your ratings below and make sure to vote for your Man of the Match.

Polling Closed

Player	Votes
Mauricio Pereyra	10
Pedro Gallese	31
Nani	4
Andres Perea	12
Other (Comment Below)	10

Related Topics:Player Grades SBN_migrated

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Orlando City

Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati

Get all the inside information you need ahead of Orlando’s match with FC Cincinnati.

Published

11 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Ben Miller

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Another Orlando City matchday looms large this weekend, as the Lions will try to put Saturday’s thoroughly dispiriting loss behind them. They’ll have a tough task ahead of them though, as they welcome an FC Cincinnati team to town that currently sits second in the Eastern Conference.

A match against FCC means I spoke with Justin Blair of the always excellent Cincinnati Soccer Talk. As always, Justin was very helpful in getting us all caught up on Cincy before tomorrow’s match.

The nine goals conceded by FC Cincinnati are tied for the fewest given up by any team in the league. What’s been working so well for FCC defensively so far?

Justin Blair: In 2023, FC Cincinnati was tied for fourth in goals conceded with 39 allowed (Orlando, NYCFC, and RBNY). This season is continuing that impressive trajectory. The addition of Miles Robinson, arguably the best MLS center back, was a home run signing for FCC. Robinson joins 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Matt Miazga as the feature center back duo. But Pat Noonan’s system asks for three in the back and has been plugged with a rotation of players that have kept the defense stout. I have to mention that central defensive midfielder Obinna Nwobodo is arguably the most underrated player in all of MLS. He is an extremely skilled player that flies around and acts as a catch-all in front of the back line.

Brandon Vazquez departed in the off-season for Monterrey. In his absence, who has Cincy turned to for goal scoring?

JB: Brandon Vazquez is a tremendous striker for FCC and has been solid for Rayados with 10 goals in 22 appearances. But his form never hit stride in 2023. He had nine goals across all MLS competitions, which was down from a career high of 18 goals in 2022. FCC had to find goals in other places last season, so they aren’t exactly in uncharted waters. So far in 2024, reigning MLS MVP Lucho Acosta has been carrying the load with four goals and five assists. Yuya Kubo, who I affectionately call FCC’s Swiss Army knife, has seen recent minutes at the forward position. Kubo’s confidence on the ball and chemistry with Acosta has seen him score three goals in a short amount of time. Surprisingly, FCC’s star Designated Player striker Aaron Boupendza has fallen in the graces of the squad and hasn’t hit consistent minutes this season.

Run me through some of the other arrivals and departures that took place during the off-season. Who are a few names to watch out for?

JB: Well FCC’s off-season was a doozy to say the least. Several departures include the previously mentioned Vazquez, along with Sanitago Arias, Yerson Mosquera (loan), Alvaro Barreal, Dominique Badji, Junior Moreno, and Ray Gaddis — all of whom played significant minutes for the orange and blue during their 2023 Supporters’ Shield season. For incoming players, GM Chris Albright brought in Robinson, Pavel Bucha, Luca Orellano, Kipp Keller, and Corey Baird during the off-season. The additions of DeAndre Yedlin and Yamil Asad have also worked their way into the matchday rotation. Every piece added has felt like an upgrade or at least a comparable replacement. This is, of course, with the exception of replacing Vazquez.

FCC (recently) announced the loan signing of target striker Kevin Kelsy from Shakhtar Donetsk. The young loanee is sure to see considerable minutes with FCC but will likely not feature in the match versus Orlando City. I would keep an eye on Orellano for FCC. The left wingback is the heir apparent to Barreal that is so critical for Cincinnati’s ability to progress the ball from the midfield into the attacking third. Orellano is clean with his touches and can serve up line-splitting through balls that are perfectly weighted.

Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting XI and score prediction?

JB: Unavailable players might include Yedlin (hip), goalkeeper Roman Celentano (ankle), forward Sergio Santos (leg), and center back Nick Hagglund (knee). It seems uncertain if either or all will miss minutes in the match versus Orlando but most likely to participate would be Celentano, who was a late scratch versus Colorado on Saturday.

Starting XI (3-5-2): Roman Celentano (Alec Kann); Bret Halsey (DeAndre Yedlin), Miles Robinson, Matt Miazga, Ian Murphy, Luca Orellano; Obinna Nwobodo, Pavel Bucha, Lucho Acosta; Yuya Kubo, Corey Baird.

Score Prediction: Oscar Pareja seems to have Pat Noonan’s system figured out. FCC also struggles to find wins against Orlando City. I’m going to go with a 1-1 draw when the final whistle sounds.

Thanks again to Justin for the great info on FCC. Vamos Orlando!

Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/3/24

MLS roster profiles revealed, Marta’s best moments, Kelley O’Hara announces her retirement, and more.

Published

15 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Marcus Mitchell

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Happy Friday! We’ve reached the homestretch of the week and I couldn’t be happier. A busy weekend awaits me, but I’m hoping for some quiet, nice moments to offset some of the hustle and bustle. It’s also another weekend packed with Orlando soccer to enjoy, so make sure to plan your next couple of days accordingly. But for now, let’s get to the links!

MLS Unveils Club Roster Details

There’s a little more transparency in Major League Soccer after the league released helpful snapshots of each club that detail the composition of each roster. From Designated Players and MLS U22 Initiative Players to international roster slots and contract lengths, the graphics are easy to comprehend and give a nice look behind the curtain on each team. Using this, we can see that Orlando City midfielder Cesar Araujo no longer takes up a U22 Initiative slot and that the team also has an open international roster slot. It should be a fairly nice reference guide for fans moving forward, as well as a way to check out how other MLS teams are building their rosters.

Emily Sams Earns Recognition as Potential USWNT Player

Orlando Pride defender Emily Sams was mentioned as one of the top 20 eligible Americans who have yet to make an appearance with the United States Women’s National Team according to Pro Soccer Wire. The shout out is well deserved, as Sams has helped anchor a Pride defense that’s only given up seven goals this season. Only time will tell if Sams will earn a call-up once Emma Hayes is at the helm of the USWNT, but it does feel inevitable given how she’s been playing. Other notable players on the list include Ajax’s Lily Yohannes, Washington Spirit rookie Croix Bethune, and Angel City FC defender Sarah Gorden.

Marta’s Top Moments

All For XI compiled some of the best moments from Marta’s career into a tidy top five. Considering how prolific she has been for Brazil over the years, it was nice to see a pair of goals from her time with the Pride receive some recognition. Both of those moments were from 2018, with her free kick to equalize against the Seattle Reign placing fifth and her solo effort to stun the Spirit taking third. It’s fitting though that the top moment on the list showcases the impact she’s had off the field, as it’s Marta’s emotional speech after Brazil’s exit in the 2019 World Cup.

Kelley O’Hara Will Retire After 2024 Season

USWNT defender Kelley O’Hara announced that she will retire from professional soccer following the 2024 season. Over the course of her international career, she’s played in four World Cups, three Olympic Games, and was named to the FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2019. O’Hara has played in every NWSL season since the league’s inception, winning the title with the Spirit in 2021 and again with NJ/NY Gotham FC last year. She joined Gotham as the first free agent signing in NWSL history and she is set to close out her illustrious career there.

Free Kicks

Curve Fragrances was named the official fragrance partner of Orlando City. As part of the partnership, there will be giveaways and product sampling at select games this season.
Wrexham’s women’s squad for The Soccer Tournament this summer will include a trio of former Pride players, with Bridget Callahan, Danica Evans, and Nickolette Driesse all taking part. I can’t wait to see if Callahan will make SkoRed a rallying cry at the tournament.
Orlando City won’t have to contend with FC Cincinnati forward Aaron Boupendza tomorrow, as he will miss the next six to eight weeks due to a broken jaw suffered in an off-field incident.
The Europa League semifinals are underway and Bayer Leverkusen extended its unbeaten run to 47 games after a 2-0 road win against Roma. In the other matchup, Atalanta and Marseille drew 1-1 in France.
American midfielder Johnny Cardoso hasn’t been with Real Betis for long, but he’s doing well enough that Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, and Borussia Dortmund are among the clubs reportedly interested in signing the 22-year-old.
Lucas Hernandez suffered an ACL injury in Paris Saint-Germain’s loss to Borussia Dortmund and will miss out on this summer’s Euros with France.
Reims and Will Still have mutually agreed to part ways, with the coach leaving now despite just having three games left in the Ligue 1 season. It will be interesting to see where the 31-year-old coaches next, as he had a notable 19-game unbeaten stretch with Reims last season.
Here’s a detailed dive into the obstacles Everton has faced in recent years, as well as how the club has avoided relegation amid another difficult season.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Three Keys to Victory

What does Orlando City need to do to ensure a victory over FC Cincinnati Saturday at home?

Published

1 day ago

May 2, 2024

David Rohe

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City looks to bounce back from the disappointing 2-1 loss to Toronto FC Saturday night at Inter&Co Stadium. Cincinnati has twice as many points as Orlando City and more than twice as many wins. FCC has only scored one more goal than Orlando City, but with only nine goals conceded compared to Orlando City’s 17, it’s easy to see why Cincinnati is sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference.

What I’m trying to say is that the task doesn’t get any easier this weekend. What does Orlando City need to do to secure all three points at home against FC Cincinnati?

Accost Acosta

Cincinnati’s attack revolves around Luciano Acosta. The attacking midfielder has four goals and five assists so far this season. To put that into perspective, Duncan McGuire — Orlando City’s leading scorer — also has four goals but only one assist. If we look at the Lions’ attacking midfielders, Facundo Torres has one goal and one assist, Ivan Angulo and Nico Lodeiro both have one goal and two assists, and Martin Ojeda has zero goals and only one assist. Luis Muriel is still at double zeroes.

The defensive midfield and the back line must do everything possible to mark him out of the match. It’s not enough to keep him from scoring, they must also keep him from setting up chances for his teammates. Most importantly, the defense must do that for 90 minutes plus stoppage time. There is no room for the mental lapses we’ve seen throughout the first part of this season.

Break Through

Cincinnati is stingy on defense. As I mentioned above, the club has only allowed nine goals this season. The back line is formidable with the likes of Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson, and Ian Murphy. On the wings are DeAndre Yedlin and Luca Orellano. This is a tough defense, and whether it is McGuire or Muriel who gets the start, they must find the spaces in between.

Just as importantly, Torres, Angulo, Ojeda, and Lodeiro — depending on who is in at any given moment — must be able to thread the passes in for McGuire, Muriel, or each other to create quality chances. On top of that, the Lions must convert on those chances, which is not something that has been a strength so far this season. If the Orlando City defense continues to give up cheap goals, then the offense will need to one-up the competition when it comes to scoring.

Deal with an Unknown

FC Cincinnati recently signed Venezuelan forward Kevin Kelsy from Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk. Kelsy comes in as an MLS U22 Initiative player and is eligible to play against Orlando City. Even though Kelsy is only 19, he has 68 professional appearances, including UEFA Champions Leagues matches. At 6-foot-3, he can be a challenge for defenders, especially in the air.

Kelsy hasn’t had much time with the team, but he could be a second-half substitution for Cincinnati. Given that Orlando City just gave up two late headers against Toronto FC, the back line will need to be careful that Kelsy doesn’t hurt the Lions in the same manner — especially if he comes on late when legs and minds are tired.

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