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Orlando City vs. Minnesota United: Final Score 3-2 as Lions Not Sharp Enough at Either End in Loss

The Lions wasted chances galore and allowed three poor goals at the other end to remain winless in MLS play.

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9 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Bongokuhle Hlongwane’s goal off a routine goal kick deep in stoppage time snapped a 2-2 deadlock and lifted Minnesota United to a 3-2 win over a wasteful Orlando City side in front of an announced crowd of 23,025 at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions (0-1-2, 1 point) got a brace from Duncan McGuire but conceded twice to Teemu Pukki on goalkeeping errors and despite pulling level, allowed the Loons (2-0-1, 7 points) to escape with all of the points.

City created a ton of clear-cut chances throughout the match but repeatedly blew them by either firing them straight at the goalkeeper or missing the target entirely. Even McGuire who scored a goal for the ages to tie the match late, missed a wide-open net on a sitter of a chance.

“(I’m) trying to calm down this point with a game that brought us a lot of emotions, and obviously just dealing with the disappointment of not getting the result,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “The volume (of chances) that we had during the game deserved much more than that (result).”

Pareja rotated his lineup a bit from the squad that drew Tigres on Tuesday night. Pedro Gallese started in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo was paired with Felipe in central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Ramiro Enrique with Duncan McGuire up top. Facundo Torres did not make the matchday squad, as he was questionable with what the club is calling an upper extremity injury.

The Lions wasted no time getting on the scoreboard after being shut out in two straight matches to start the MLS season for the first time. Santos intercepted a pass and carried it up the field before releasing a pass that put McGuire in behind. The big striker slotted home just inside the left post to make it 1-0 just 14 seconds after kickoff, beating Tesho Akindele’s club record of 31 seconds. It also equaled the fifth-fastest goal in MLS history.

Gallese gave the goal back just a few minutes later. Taking a back pass from Santos, the goalkeeper knew Pukki was was charging at him but opted to take a touch before trying to get rid of it. That extra touch allowed Pukki to get close enough to put a foot to it, knocking it down. With Gallese out of his goal, it was an easy play for Pukki to tie the match in the fourth minute.

McGuire nearly scored a second in the 18th minute. Enrique laid off a pass for the striker just in front of foal. McGuire tried to poke it past Dayne St. Clair but didn’t get much on his shot, allowing the Minnesota goalkeeper to make the save.

Two minutes later, Gallese had to be alert to catch a shot from distance by Jeong Sang-Bin.

In the 23rd minute, McGuire got into the box again and St. Clair charged off his line, trying to reach the ball first. McGuire appeared to chip the ball up and the goalkeeper’s foot caught the forward on the follow-through. The ball deflected weakly toward goal, allowing the defense to collect it. Orlando players called for a penalty, and it did look like St. Clair caught McGuire pretty good, but there was no call and at the next stoppage there wasn’t even a delay for a look.

Enrique had a chance to get in on goal in the 26th minute but took too many touches trying to free himself from the defense and lost control of the ball. St. Clair was able to beat him to the loose ball.

Angulo should have had a breakaway three minutes later off a Minnesota corner that was cleared by the defense. With a step on the defense, the speedy Colombian took a wayward touch and that allowed the Loons to dispossess him and prevent a scoring opportunity.

Moments later, Araujo won a free kick and nearly benefitted from it when Ojeda’s cross cleared the goalkeeper on the fly. The midfielder couldn’t get his head on it and bundled it off the ground in front of goal. It popped up and onto the roof of the net.

Two minutes later, Araujo went down without any contact and the trainers came out to look at his knee. The Uruguayan could not continue and was replaced by Wilder Cartagena.

However, while the team was playing with 10 men, Pukki scored again. Picking the ball up near the top left corner of the box, he sent a shot inside the near post and Gallese was too slow to cover it, giving the Loons a 2-1 lead in the 38th minute.

Pukki nearly got his hat trick in the 43rd minute, volleying a cross over the crossbar.

Ojeda had a go with his right foot from the left side but he couldn’t get his shot to curl enough to hit the top right corner in the first minute of first-half stoppage time.

The Lions closed the half with two horrible misses from point-blank range. On the first, Thorhallsson sizzled a cross through the six that just needed a touch. Felipe got to it but somehow couldn’t direct it into the gaping net.

A minute later, McGuire laid off a pass for Ojeda near the penalty spot. The Argentine had time to pick out his spot but sent his shot straight at St. Clair, wasting the opportunity.

The whistle blew shortly after the Ojeda miss on a half that should have seen the Lions put about four on the scoreboard.

Orlando City held the halftime edge in possession (51.3%-48.7%), shots (7-6), and passing accuracy (80.2%-79%). Minnesota earne more first-half corners (2-1), while each team put three shots on target. The difference at the break was the two mistakes by Gallese and a few egregious missed chances by Orlando.

Nico Lodeiro replaced Felipe at halftime with the Lions chasing the game.

Moments after the restart, it was Angulo’s turn to fire right at St. Clair from a good position. The Colombian winger took a pass with his back to goal inside the area, turned and fired his shot straight at the goalkeeper. Lodeiro then sent a one-hopper at St. Clair moments later. Enrique finished the hat trick of missed opportunities early in the half when he got to a ball in the box and sent a shot five yards wide of goal in the 54th minute.

Gallese got away with another mistake just before the hour mark. A corner kick cross came straight to him, but the Peruvian opted to punch it away instead of making what appeared to be an easily catchable ball. The Loons were offside on the recycle, nullifying a secondary attack.

Pareja sent Michael Halliday and Luis Muriel into the match for Thorhallsson and Angulo.

The moves came close to paying off immediately. A back-post ball nearly found Halliday in the 60th minute but was just inches out of the fullback’s reach. In the 64th minute, Muriel made a slick move to beat a pair of defenders and sent a cross in for McGuire, who only had to turn it on goal to even the score. Instead, he redirected it inches wide of the left post.

Muriel went for goal on a free kick won by Enrique near the top left corner of the box in the 71st minute, but he couldn’t get any dip on his shot and it sailed well over the bar. Two minutes later, Santos smashed a near-post effort that St. Clair fought off. The ball was gathered by Orlando and sent in for Lodeiro in the box. The Uruguayan redirected the pass but again it skipped wide of goal as the wasted chances continued.

Minnesota nearly put the game to bed in the 80th minute. Halliday stepped up on a ball that he couldn’t get close enough to win in the air and the ball was headed onward. Schlegel tried to shepherd it out of play but Hlongwane abused the Argentine defender, keeping the ball in play, beating Schlegel to it, and then getting in alone on goal. Gallese made the save, knocking it behind for a goal kick.

Three minutes later, McGuire tied the match. Ojeda won a 50/50 ball in the midfield and sprayed it out right to McGuire. With a defender in front of him, McGuire stopped, found a hole, and smashed it inside the far post to tie the game in the 83rd minute. It was McGuire’s second career brace.

“It was a great interchange from Martin and I, switching positions,” McGuire said. “He had his head up and put the ball right where I needed it. I saw the goalie cheating a little bit too hard to the near post, so I saw the back post wide open and let it fly. Luckily, it worked out.”

As the game wound down, Orlando appeared the more likely team to find a winner. Halliday fired off target off a corner kick play in stoppage time, and Cartagena had a half chance moments later. But then the roof caved in on Orlando on a routine play.

St. Clair took a goal kick and Jansson was beaten in the air near midfield. The ball was flicked forward to Tani Oluwaseyi, who then pushed it ahead to Hlongwane, who got in behind Halliday and Schlegel and beat Gallese to make it 3-2 in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

It was a stunning moment in a game that seemed like it would only go the other way or end in a draw at the time.

“We did not match well the first ball,” Pareja said. “And our covering was incorrect. I understand that at that point when you still have a few minutes and you feel the energy and you know that you can win the game, you still have to do your duty and we did not coordinate well. We lost the first ball and the ball got into our right back and center back. We have to have the tools to control that.”

Hlongwane was booked for removing his shirt and stunting in front of The Wall.

Orlando City won a few late corners but couldn’t make them pay off and Mercado blew the full time whistle before the Lions could take a third.

Orlando City dominated the stat sheet, finishing with the advantage in possession (58.9%-41.1%), shots (22-9), shots on target (6-4), corners (9-4), and passing accuracy (80.6%-71.6%).

Cartagena and Minnesota’s Joseph Rosales were both shown red cards after full time following video review by match referee Wilmer Pino Mercado. That means the Lions will be without Cartagena in the next MLS match, and it may be a few days before we get an update on Araujo’s injury. It seems likely Orlando will head to Atlanta without either of its starting defensive midfielders.

“The word that comes to mind is sadness,” Ojeda said. “We created a lot of chances at goal. We scored goals. But at the end of the day, gootball is a game of details, and those details tonight were costly for us.”

Orlando City has another quick turnaround with a trip to Monterrey looming against Tigres on Tuesday night. The next league game is a week from Sunday at Atlanta United.

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Orlando City

How Orlando City’s Offense Stacks Up Against What Atlanta Does Defensively

How Orlando City has performed against teams playing with three or four defenders, and how that may influence the playoff game against Atlanta United.

Published

16 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The most famous quote about real estate is that “there are three things that matter in property: location, location, location.” Soccer coaches also like to think in threes, especially when it comes to points, but for a soccer coach, the three things that matter might be the rhyming triplet “formation, formation, formation,” as that is where they will have the biggest influence on every game that their team plays.

Throughout his tenure as head coach, Óscar Pareja has preferred to use a 4-2-3-1 as his formation (fbref.com’s lineup data shows that the Lions primarily played a 4-2-3-1 in 65% of their MLS matches this season, and 79% of their MLS matches during the last three seasons). The Lions have lined up in a 4-2-3-1 during each of their last 14 games, and my confidence level is strong to quite strong (can you believe Meet the Parents came out 24 years ago?) that they will do so once again on Sunday when they host Atlanta United.

Atlanta United also prefers to deploy a 4-2-3-1, but was less consistent than Orlando City this season during MLS play, as evidenced by the chart below that shows how Atlanta lined up this season:

The purpose of this image is a table to show how Atlanta United lined up in 2024 (mostly in a 4-2-3-1 but also in one of six other formations).

I am relying on the coders at Opta for their evaluation of the formation, as I do not watch a lot of Atlanta United matches (sounds terrible), but though Atlanta primarily played with four defenders in more than two-thirds of its matches, during the last two matches it played a 3-5-2, the only two matches all season in which interim coach Rob Valentino rolled out that formation. I suspect that the formation change was related partially to playing Inter Miami and trying to defend the Herons’ dynamic offense and partially due to an injury suffered by defender Brooks Lennon in the first game of that series. So, while Atlanta primarily played four in the back for most of the season, there is a good chance it will roll with what worked against Florida’s second-best MLS team when it plays Florida’s best MLS team this weekend.

Now, if you want to read more about Atlanta, then you can read our match preview, which will drop Sunday morning, but I want to look at how Orlando did against teams that play similar styles. Looking only at MLS games, the table below shows how Orlando City performed against different back line structures this season (the left side is how the Lions’ opponents lined up, the right side is how Orlando City performed against opponents in those formations):

Table embedded as an image showing Orlando City doing best in goal differential in 12 games against three-man back lines, second best against four-man back lines, and having played once against a five-man back line (a 1-1 draw).

Orlando City earned slightly more points per game — the stat that matters most — against teams that played four in the back, but the Lions had a better average goal differential when teams played three in the back. Atlanta will likely deploy one of those two formations. In both games against Orlando City this season, Sunday’s visitors went with a 4-2-3-1, but as mentioned earlier, they used three in the back in each of their last two matches, so it really could be either.

Soccer is not like baseball, where players primarily stay in the same spot throughout the game, so some of these stats have to be taken with a grain of salt, as players are not always rigidly in the same position throughout a match. A team may also primarily play with four in the back but switch to three when chasing a game, or five when trying to protect against a late goal.

That said, using the data around Orlando City’s opponents’ general formations, here are the attacking groups who played the most frequently against four defenders during the 24 MLS games where Opta coded the opponents as using a defensive group of four:

Table embedded as an image showing the most frequently used lineups against teams who deploy four defenders. The most frequently used attacking group has a plus eight goal differential for the season.

It is a little ominous that the main starting group, shown in row one, has played 666 MLS minutes against back lines of four this season, but do I like that green goal differential of +8 in those minutes, which is a strong +1.08 per 90 minutes. I like that goal differential more than I like all the things that Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin like on their song that is creatively named “I Like It.” Coincidentally, when people ask me what I think about that song, I say, “I like it.” I am very creative.

If we look at the lineups that Orlando City has used against back lines of three defenders then there are some pretty major differences in personnel groupings, but it must be noted that more than half of the games against teams playing three in the back came early in the season, when Ramiro Enrique was unavailable to play. Enrique, my presumed starter at striker, has played fewer than three games’ worth of minutes (265 total) against back lines of three this season, and only 28 minutes with the main starting group, which ranks 13th among all the attacking lineups for minutes played against three defenders. That group scored one goal in their 28 minutes together though, for a robust 3.21 goals-scored-per-90-minutes average.

While the team as a whole has been successful against three-man back lines, I do not expect any of the lineups shown in the table below to play more than a few minutes together this weekend, though the first row and the last row are strong groups and had a lot of success.

Table embedded as an image showing the most frequently used lineups against teams who deploy three defenders. The most frequently used attacking group has a plus three goal differential for the season.

I am sure that all week long the Orlando City coaching staff has been going back and forth on whether it is more likely that Atlanta reverts to its most commonly used four in the back, or if the Five Stripes try for three wins in a row with three in the back. I would prefer that Atlanta plays with zero defenders and goalkeeper Brad Guzan wears a blindfold, but I think that is unlikely to be the case.

Even though Atlanta defeated Orlando City both times while in a 4-2-3-1, based on available personnel and recent results, I believe that the team will come out in a 3-5-2 in Inter&Co Stadium in the conference semifinal. Good things come in threes, and Orlando City’s best offensive production this season has been against three defenders, so I am going to be hoping that this continues, and in the third game against Atlanta the Lions grab the three points. Three’s company!

Well, it is a playoff game, so there are no actual points at stake, but you know what I meant.

Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to get a victory to advance to the Eastern Conference final?

Published

18 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City continues its playoff journey against Atlanta United Sunday at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions are coming off an emotional penalty shootout win over Charlotte FC in their best-of-three, first-round series. Likewise, Atlanta United stunned everyone by taking out Inter Miami to advance in its own best-of-three matchup. Now, the rivals meet in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

What does Orlando City need to do to get past Atlanta United to advance to the Easter Conference final?

Beat Guzan

Brad Guzan made 16 saves over Atlanta’s three matches against Inter Miami, including seven in the 3-2 win on the road in Game 3. The 40-year-old former USMNT keeper is in excellent form and is a big reason why the Five Stripes are facing Orlando City. Converting chances against Guzan will be crucial to earning a result. There have been times this season when the Lions have struggled to convert their chances. Despite that, the team has done enough offensively to get to this point. Facundo Torres, Martin Ojeda, Duncan McGuire, Ramiro Enrique, and others have contributed and will need to do so this weekend.

Cartagena is Essential

Orlando City lost twice to Atlanta United during the regular season. What is interesting, and perhaps relevant, is that Wilder Cartagena was out for both of those matches. Cartagena was shown a straight red in the match against Minnesota United prior to the first match against Atlanta way back in March. He was shown a yellow card in the match against FC Cincinnati and then served a yellow card accumulation suspension for the final match of the season against Atlanta. Fortunately for Orlando City, Cartagena will be available for the match this weekend. I’ve mentioned before the importance of Cartagena to Orlando City’s success. When he and Cesar Araujo are on the field together, the defense is simply better. Cartagena is frankly one of the better defensive midfielders in MLS. Atlanta scored five goals in the series against Miami, and Orlando will need to keep the visitors from having that kind of offensive success.

Overcome the Past

That darn international break in the middle of the playoffs is something I don’t love. More precisely, I don’t like it because Orlando City often struggles after a break. It would have been nice if Orlando City could have ridden the momentum from the penalty kick victory into the Atlanta match, but that’s not to be. Now is the time for Orlando City to break some bad habits, including turning around its historical lack of success against Atlanta, and tendency to struggle in the first match after a break. Oscar Pareja needs to have the players in the right frame of mind, and the players need to execute the plan. A full house of supporters can also make a difference. Given it’s a Sunday afternoon match, there’s no reason not to pack the house.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/21/24

Marta’s chance to shine in NWSL Championship, NWSL and MLS award winners announced, 2025 SheBelieves Cup details, and more.

Published

21 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve been spending most of this week plotting out some holiday shopping to make things a little less stressful for myself over the next few weeks. A big weekend filled with Orlando soccer awaits us, so make sure to get any errands or obligations out of the way sooner rather than later. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Spotlight Falls On Marta in NWSL Championship

There are plenty of storylines heading into Saturday’s NWSL Championship between the Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit, including Marta’s opportunity to put an exclamation point on what has been an excellent season for the Pride. Orlando has been enjoying the fruits of its labor this season after a rebuild over the past few years that’s included plenty of change in the City Beautiful. Marta has been a constant, however, enduring some difficult seasons since joining the Pride and adapting her game She’s scored in both of the Pride’s playoff games so far and has a chance to author a storybook ending on Saturday.

Ann-Katrin Berger Named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year

NJ/NY Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was named 2024 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year, beating out the Pride’s Anna Moorhouse and Utah Royals FC’s Mandy Haught for the honor. It was Berger’s first year in the NWSL and she’s the first European player to win the award. She only conceded 16 goals across her 22 matches for Gotham this season and was a key reason behind her team’s success. I’m not too surprised that Moorhouse did not win, considering how solid the Pride’s defense was as a whole, but this won’t take anything away from a record-breaking season for her.

Wilfried Nancy Named MLS Coach of the Year

Columbus Crew Head Coach Wilfried Nancy was voted 2024 MLS Coach of the Year after a historic season in which the Crew set club records in both points and goals. The Crew also won the Leagues Cup this summer and their 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup campaign included advancing past Tigres and Monterrey en route to the final. This is Nancy’s first time being named Coach of the Year and he has been a finalist for the award every year since 2021. The Frenchman received 40.02% of the vote, winning the award over Inter Miami’s Gerardo Martino and Colorado Rapids Head Coach Chris Armas.

2025 SheBelieves Cup Details Unveiled

The 10th annual SheBelieves Cup will take place next year and the tournament will return to its usual format where each of the four teams plays each other once. The United States Women’s National Team will host Japan, Colombia, and Australia in February in what should be an exciting tournament. The U.S. will take on Colombia on Feb. 20 in Houston before facing Australia in Arizona on Feb. 23 and finishing the tournament on Feb. 26 against Japan at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. These games will also be the first domestic games of 2025 for the USWNT as it prepares to qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.

Eric Quill Named FC Dallas Head Coach

FC Dallas announced that Eric Quill will become the team’s next head coach. Quill joins Dallas after a great year with New Mexico United that included trips to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals and USL Championship Western Conference semifinals. It’s also a reunion of sorts for Quill, as he previously coached North Texas SC and was named USL League One Coach of the Year with the club in 2019. Dallas missed out on the playoffs this season, with Peter Luccin coaching the team on an interim basis after the firing of Nico Estevez in June.

Free Kicks

  • District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser challenged Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer to a bet involving this weekend’s NWSL Championship, with embarrassing lightshows on the line.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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