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Orlando City at Chicago Fire: Five Takeaways

What did we learn from Orlando City’s disappointing draw with the Chicago Fire?

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1 month ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City traveled to the Windy City with a good chance to take home all three points. That wasn’t the case, as the Lions allowed a second-half goal and drew the Chicago Fire 1-1 at Soldier Field. It wouldn’t be an Orlando City match if there wasn’t controversy involving the referee and video review, but we’ll get to that soon enough. What follows are my immediate takeaways from a sloppy and frustrating draw on the road.

Ugly Goals Still Count

It’s been a hot minute since Facundo Torres has scored a goal, but he didn’t have to wait too long in this match to get back on the board. Ivan Angulo and Luis Muriel combined in the attacking midfield to get into the final third with the ball finding Torres in the box. At that point he took too many touches, got closed down, and it became a scrum in front of goal. After the ball pinged in, out, and all around, Torres found himself climbing off the pitch, only to take squib of a shot while falling down that somehow got through the tangle of legs and went into the bottom left corner of the goal. It was ugly, but exactly what Orlando City needed to get things started.

Defensive Holes Evident

I will admit that my prediction was wrong. I thought that the return of Robin Jansson would mean that Oscar Pareja would go back to the 4-2-3-1 formation he usually deployed. Instead, he stayed with the 3-5-2 he’s used the last several matches, with Jansson playing on the left of the three-man back line. Chicago is not a very good attacking team, but the Fire consistently found space in the box, and made Orlando City pay for it in the 70th minute. Good thing there wasn’t a video review decision that impacted the match. Oh wait.

Another Brick in the Wall

Orlando City was once again the victim of poor officiating and inconsistent application of video review in calling penalties. Angulo took a nice pass from Nico Lodeiro, slipped between two Chicago defenders, made his way into the box, made a move around the keeper, and then was fouled…twice. The keeper clipped him, and then the defender fouled him from behind. I thought it was a penalty, the commentators on Apple TV+ thought it was a penalty, and everyone except Fire fans, PRO referees, video assistant referee Edvin Jurisevic, and Don Garber thought it was a penalty. Unfortunately, it’s just another example of the “if it helps Orlando City, it’s not a foul/penalty” that we have seen so many times this season. Not only should it have been a penalty, it should have been a sending off for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity.

Poor Passing

Much of the match, Orlando City looked like a team not on the same page. Too many times players tried to be too clever when making a pass. Too many times the ball was played into spaces allowing a turnover. Too many explicit turnovers. Too many heavy passes, too many light passes — none of it what we expect from this team. Don’t let the 83% team passing percentage fool you. This was a disorganized team when in possession playing against Chicago.

Tired Legs or Tired Minds?

This match was Orlando City’s sixth match of the month. That is a lot of games. I’m not certain that the team looked tired when running, but as I noted above, the passing wasn’t good and that can come from your brain being tired. A tired player will try to do something they shouldn’t, thinking they can, or take too long to do what they should do. How many times did a player take way too much time to even think about taking a shot? Orlando City usually generates plenty of chances on goal. Against Chicago, the Lions only managed eight shots with two on goal. It was all just not crisp enough.

Those are the things I observed in the once-again frustrating draw against the Fire. Let us know in the comments below what stood out to you. As always, vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions are back on the road up north as they look to rebound in Toronto.

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5 hours ago

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July 3, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a midweek matchup between Orlando City (5-9-6, 21 points) and Toronto FC (7-11-3, 24 points) at BMO Field (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+). It’s the second and final scheduled meeting between the Eastern Conference rivals this season.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

Orlando is 8-9-3 in the evenly split all-time, regular-season series. The Lions had a four-game winning streak and an eight-match unbeaten run (6-0-2) in the series snapped back in April (more on that below). Orlando is 3-4-3 on the road in the series, however, one of those “road” wins came in the Lions’ home stadium while Toronto was living a nomadic existence during COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions.

The teams met in Orlando on April 27 and the Lions led most of the match on a Duncan McGuire goal. However, the Reds flipped the game on its head late, scoring twice in the final three minutes of normal time. Tyrese Spicer and Prince Owusu scored to lift Toronto to a 2-1 win.

The most recent meeting in Toronto came on Decision Day of last season on Oct. 21, when McGuire came off the bench and scored twice to beat Toronto 2-0. The teams met in Orlando on July 4, 2023, with Orlando City putting the Reds to the sword on Independence Day, beating the Canadian side, 4-0. Cesar Araujo, McGuire, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, and Ercan Kara scored for the Lions, and Toronto finished with 10 men after Federico Bernardeschi was shown his second yellow card just past the hour mark.

Orlando City also romped 4-0 over the Reds in the previous meeting, Sept. 17, 2022 at Exploria Stadium. Facundo Torres, Kara, and Tesho Akindele scored for the Lions to go along with a Lukas MacNaughton own goal. The Lions won on May 14, 2022 at BMO Field, 1-0, thanks to a 92nd-minute goal from Kyle Smith, who flicked a header from a corner kick cross inside the far post to lift the Lions to victory.

The Lions went 2-0-1 in three meetings with Toronto FC in 2021. The teams played to a 1-1 draw at BMO Field on July 17, 2021. Jozy Altidore came off the bench to score the opener but Nani equalized from the penalty spot minutes later. Benji Michel drew the penalty, which was originally ruled a foul on the Orlando winger but was overturned after video review by referee Marcos de Oliveira.

The other Toronto “home match” in the 2021 season series came on June 19 at Exploria Stadium. The Reds were dealing with pandemic restrictions in Canada that forced the team to play home games in the United States. Orlando City built a 2-0 early lead on goals by Akindele and Nani, only to see Toronto tie the match by halftime on goals by Ayo Akinola and Jonathan Osorio. Junior Urso scored late to lift the Lions to a 3-2 victory. The teams first met that year on May 22, with Orlando City claiming a 1-0 win on Akindele’s goal.

The teams did not play in 2020 due to the pandemic. Prior to the MLS stoppage for the pandemic, the teams met most recently in Toronto on Aug. 10, 2019, with the Lions grabbing a point at BMO Field in a 1-1 draw. Michel opened the scoring in the 69th minute but the Reds equalized off a scramble following a set piece in the 77th. The other matchup between the sides that season came on May 4, 2019, when the Reds walked out of Orlando with a 2-0 win on goals by Osorio and Jay Chapman.

The teams split their season series in 2018. Orlando City captured a 2-1 win at home in James O’Connor’s first home game as head coach of the Lions on July 14, 2018. Chris Schuler and Dom Dwyer staked City to a 2-0 lead and Nick Hagglund ruined the shutout in the 94th minute off a Sebastian Giovinco free kick delivery. The 2018 meeting in Toronto saw the Reds get a 2-1 win at BMO Field on Ryan Telfer’s 87th-minute goal.

Toronto shredded Orlando in a 3-1 win on July 5, 2017. Altidore and Giovinco combined to score Toronto’s three goals. Carlos Rivas gave Orlando a consolation goal. In the first meeting of 2017, Orlando out-possessed, out-shot, and out-passed the hosts, and played like the better team on the night. However, the Lions could not overcome a two-goal deficit and Giovinco’s first-half brace led Toronto to a 2-1 win.

The Lions got their first victory in the series on June 25, 2016, winning 3-2 at Camping World Stadium. Kaká scored from the spot in the 10th minute of stoppage time to win it. Cyle Larin and Adrian Winter each gave OCSC leads in the game, only to see Jordan Hamilton and Justin Morrow equalize until the captain’s late winner. The Reds took the second 2016 matchup in Orlando with a 2-1 victory, scoring late through Altidore. Tosaint Ricketts gave Toronto an early lead but the Lions fought back on a Larin goal. The teams also drew 0-0 on Sept. 28 of that year, with Toronto able to fend off the Lions with 10 men over the final 20 minutes of the match.

In 2015, Toronto took home all nine points in the three meetings, beating Orlando by a combined score of 11-1.

Overview

Orlando City enters on the heels of a brutal 4-2 loss at New York City FC on Saturday, with goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar leaving the match on a stretcher after a collision with Malachi Jones early in the game. Both players had surgery for broken tibias and fibulas and both are out for the season. The Lions fell behind early, collapsed in first-half stoppage time to concede twice more, then pulled two goals back before giving up a fourth at the death. It snapped a modest two-game unbeaten run and dropped Orlando to a losing record on the road (3-4-3).

The Lions have struggled to score in 2024, but have managed to find eight goals in the last three games. The problem is that Orlando City has also conceded eight times in that span, going 1-1-1 in the last three.

Toronto FC has shown tremendous improvement under John Herdman early in the season despite missing several key players with injuries. The Reds, however, have lost four straight matches and are winless in their last seven (0-5-2). Then again, NYCFC had lost three straight and hadn’t scored a goal in its previous two games until the Lions came to town Saturday, as Orlando continues to be a team that struggles against ailing teams. Toronto FC is 5-5-0 at home this season.

The Lions will have to keep tabs on Bernardeschi, as the Italian paces the Toronto attack, leading the Reds in goals (8) and assists (5). He shares the club lead in the latter category with countryman Lorenzo Insigne, who has added four goals to Toronto’s attack this season. Owusu is another scoring threat and sits second on the team in goals (6), although he has scored just once since his winning goal against Orlando City in April.

“Toronto has a game mode we know already; we faced them at home already. We saw them play against Atlanta,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “Normally, they play with a defensive five. We know the challenges and the opportunities that these things can provide to us and affect the way we do things.” 

Orlando City will be without Stajduhar (lower leg), Michael Halliday (knee), and David Brekalo (international duty), while Homegrown fullback Tahir Reid-Brown (thigh) is listed as questionable. The good news is that Pedro Gallese, Wilder Cartagena, and Ramiro Enrique are off the availability report and were training with the Lions earlier this week. As of this writing, Toronto had not yet posted the club’s game notes, but as of the weekend listed Alonso Coello (thigh), Brandon Servania (knee), and Tyrese Spicer (back) as out and Matty Longstaff (knee) as questionable, although Longstaff started against Atlanta in the Reds’ 2-1 loss. In addition, Sean Johnson, Richie Laryea, and Jonathan Osorio are all away on international duty with Canada, which reached the knockout stage.

Match Content

Projected Lineups

Orlando City (3-5-2)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Robin Jansson, Wilder Cartagena, Rodrigo Schlegel.

Wingbacks/Midfielders: Facundo Torres, Nico Lodeiro, Cesar Araujo, Ivan Angulo, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Forwards: Luis Muriel, Duncan McGuire.

Toronto (3-4-3)

Goalkeeper: Luka Gavran.

Defenders: Nicksoen Gomis, Kevin Long, Raoul Petretta.

Wingbacks/Midfielders: Derrick Etienne Jr., Deybi Flores, Matty Longstaff, Federico Bernardeschi.

Forwards: Lorenzo Insigne, Prince Owusu, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty.

Referees

REF: Mark Allatin.
AR1: Chris Wattam.
AR2: Gianni Facchini.
4TH: Filip Dujic.
VAR: Jorge Gonzalez.
AVAR: Peter Balciunas.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: BMO Field — Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.

Radio: FM 96.9 The Game (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish).

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/3/24

Orlando City visits Toronto, Pride players called up, Orlando City MLS NEXT All-Stars, and more.

Published

9 hours ago

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July 3, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday and match day, Mane Landers. Orlando City is back in action on the road at Toronto FC. I know you might be feeling some anxiety about Orlando City right now, but you’re probably off on Thursday for Independence Day, so you may as well watch the match. While you wait, let’s get to today’s links.

Toronto Prepares for Orlando

Toronto is riding a three-match home losing streak, and will be hoping to turn that around against the Lions tonight. Take a look at the numbers behind the match, including which Toronto players are not expected to play. This is a winnable match for the Lions at a time that the club could really use three points. Check back later for our match preview.

Orlando Pride’s Brazilians Called Up

The Orlando Pride’s Marta, Rafaelle, Adriana, and Angelina have all been called up by Brazil for the 2024 Olympics. Marta, Rafaelle, and Adriana will all be in the 18-player roster, while Angelina will be one of the traveling alternates. This news is not unexpected, though missing Angelina as an alternate does sting a little. Marta will have the opportunity to make history if she scores in her sixth Olympics, which is a feat no male or female player has accomplished. Brazil opens the Olympics on July 25 against Nigeria.  

All-Star Young Lions

The MLS NEXT All-Star Game will take place at Crew Stadium in Columbus, OH on July 23. Of the 44 players attending, two of them — Colin Guske and Juan Rojas — will represent Orlando City SC. It’s been a big year for Guske, who has become a regular starter for OCB in 2024. It is an honor for Guske and Rojas to be recognized by MLS NEXT as two of the top young prospects throughout the country. Good luck to the lads at the game.

USMNT Falls Short of Expectations

In case you hadn’t noticed, the United States is hosting this year’s Copa America. As such, it was important for the USMNT to do well in this tournament on home soil. Instead, Gregg Berhalter’s squad crashed out of the group stages following losses to Panama and Uruguay. It is a big enough disappointment that normally calm U.S. supporters are now calling for Berhalter to be fired. I joke, of course, since they have been calling for his dismissal since well before the Copa America.

U.S. Soccer released a statement including the following:

“We will be conducting a comprehensive review of our performance in Copa America and how best to improve the team and results as we look towards the 2026 World Cup.”

The 2026 World Cup will be hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. You may remember that U.S. Soccer said something similar after the last World Cup, yet here we are. Taylor Twellman sums it up nicely.

U.S. Soccer supporters are rarely happy, if we’re to be honest, but that doesn’t mean they are not correct about the current situation.

Free Kicks

  • The Orlando Pride’s Ally Lemos received another call-up to the U-20 USWNT’s training camp.
  • St. Louis City FC has signed midfielder Marcel Hartel to a Designated Player contract. Hartel was most recently with FC St. Pauli, where he helped the club get promoted to the Bundesliga.
  • To be fair, Christian Pulisic supposedly had some harsh words for referee Kevin Ortega following the USMNT’s loss to Uruguay, but Ortega almost certainly deserved a tongue-lashing. Pulisic at least made the effort to shake hands, though Ortega didn’t reciprocate.
  • You were probably missing Pedro Gallese during Orlando City’s last match, but no worries, he is back with the team after Peru failed to advance in the Copa America. Here is an example of why he is one of the best in MLS.
  • Speaking of great saves, check out this one from Turkey’s keeper, Mert Günok.

That will do it for today. Check back later today as we get you ready for the match tonight. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/2/24

Duncan McGuire contract update, USMNT eliminated from Copa America, St. Louis City fires manager, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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July 2, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Tuesday, everyone. Orlando City will have two chances to get back in the win column this week, with games on Wednesday and Saturday. The Orlando Pride have a huge game on Saturday against the Kansas City Current, and Orlando City B takes on Carolina Core FC on Sunday. There’s a ton that we need to discuss this morning, so let’s get after it.

Duncan McGuire Contract Update

Tom Bogert reported on Monday morning that Duncan McGuire has rejected Orlando City’s most recent contract proposal. Despite his failed move to Blackburn Rovers in the January window due to an administrative error, he still has his eyes on a move to Europe. McGuire is Orlando City’s top scorer this season, with seven goals in 17 games, and his resume may also be boosted by a likely stint with the Olympic team. OCSC maintains that McGuire is not on the market, according to Bogert, and his contract with the team runs through the end of the 2026 season. If Duncan keeps scoring in the league and shows well at the Olympics, the club’s tune may change for the right amount of money. This is going to be one to watch.

United States Flame out of Copa America

The United States Men’s National Team suffered a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay in Kansas City, which saw the Yanks exit Copa America in the group stage after Panama’s 3-1 win over Bolivia. Despite the game being one of the most poorly officiated affairs I’ve seen in quite some time, the USMNT only generated eight shots to Uruguay’s 12, and put three of them on target. Finishing a high-stakes game with a paltry .56 xG is nowhere near good enough, and abhorrent refereeing doesn’t change the fact that the Americans simply got outplayed on home turf. A reckoning can, and probably should, follow a disastrous Copa America campaign, and serious questions need to be asked about Gregg Berhalter’s job status. The fallout from this is going to be extremely interesting.

St. Louis City Fires Manager

St. Louis City announced on Monday that the team has fired manager Bradley Carnell. Carnell was in the big chair for the team’s maiden MLS season, which saw St. Louis finish top of the Western Conference as an expansion side. It’s had a much more difficult time of it this year though, and has a record of 3-7-10 and 19 points after 20 games. Despite that, the team is still within touching distance of the playoff line, and likely figures that the right person can turn things around and help lead a push for the postseason. Technical Director John Hackworth has been named interim manager while the club looks for a new coach.

Euro 2024 Round of 16 Roundup

Knockout play rolled onwards at Euro 2024, so let’s get caught up on the action. In the early game, France took 19 shots to Belgium’s five, but ultimately had to rely on a late own goal by Jan Vertonghen to secure a 1-0 win and book its passage through to the quarterfinals. A French player still has not scored a goal from open play at the tournament, but the 2022 World Cup runner-up finds itself two games from the final all the same.

The late match had plenty of twists and turns, as Cristiano Ronaldo missed an extra time penalty that would have given Portugal the lead. Diogo Costa then stonewalled Slovenia’s Benjamin Sesko with just minutes to play before a penalty shootout, and proceeded to save all three Slovenian attempts during the shootout. Portugal’s players made no such mistakes, and they advanced to the quarterfinals to face France.

Free Kicks

  • The Orlando Pride’s Anna Moorhouse was called up for England’s upcoming training camp.
  • Pedro Gallese, Wilder Cartagena, and Ramiro Enrique are all back with Orlando City ahead of the team’s match against Toronto FC on Wednesday.

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

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