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Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Final Score 2-2 as Lions Come Back Twice to Draw 10-Man Charlotte

Lions score twice but the defense flops badly despite being up a man.

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5 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City finally scored more than one goal in a game, but at the expense of dreadful defending in a 2-2 road draw against 10-man Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The hosts took the lead early through Kerwin Vargas and withstood a player being sent off late in the first half and a tying goal from Duncan McGuire, before taking a second-half lead in transition. That Brandt Bronico goal was canceled out by Facundo Torres as the Lions (4-8-6, 18 points) split the points with Charlotte (8-6-5, 29 points) despite being a man up throughout the second half and having the ball for what seemed like almost all of that time.

Orlando’s winless streak grew to five games (0-3-2) on another wasteful night in front of goal and a defensive evening to forget. The Lions had clear opportunities to prevent both goals but failed to clear a loose ball on the first and teed up the second ball trying to clear it through the leg of the opposing forward.

“Too early we go (up) with one extra player and Charlotte found a way to score a second goal in the moment that we pushed the most,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “Those circumstances made us feel that getting this result at some point it’s going to help us. I think the team made a lot of efforts to win the game, but Charlotte found that second goal and it could have been worse. Humbly today we take the point. We wanted more, but we have some positive things.”

Pareja’s lineup had only one change from the group that lost 3-1 to LAFC Saturday, as Mason Stajduhar started in net behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Felipe took Cesar Araujo’s spot in the central midfield along with fellow midfielders Ivan Angulo, Nico Lodeiro, and Torres, with Luis Muriel and McGuire up top.

Orlando City made Charlotte’s offense look like Miami’s at times in the first half, letting inferior numbers get good looks at goal. Still, the first chance of the match fell Orlando’s way. Muriel did well to nick the ball in the attacking half and he played McGuire down the right channel. The big striker was at an angle, but had plenty of net to shoot at, yet he missed a few yards wide of the right post in the eight minute.

The hosts scored four minutes later on a play that should never have resulted in a goal. The Lions had plenty of numbers back as Liel Abada took a heavy touch past Jansson down the right channel. Jansson couldn’t handle Abada’s pace and the Charlotte attacker got to the ball first. The Swede tried to block the cutback cross, but it got through. Two Lions were converging on the ball and Angulo swung and completely missed the ball, allowing it to get through. Thorhallsson initially had good coverage on Vargas but got caught ball watching when the winger peeled back to the ball. Angulo’s whiff — possibly thrown off by Felipe’s sliding arrival — and the open space gave Vargas an easy finish to make it 1-0 in the 12th minute. It was Charlotte’s first goal inside the first half hour of a game all season.

On a play indicative of the form Orlando City has been in, Torres took a pass at the top of the 18 in the 15th minute and it just…rolled off his foot. Whether he was caught between passing and shooting, only he knows for sure, but it was a weird play.

Jere Uronen then cut inside from his fullback spot and nearly doubled the lead. Left completely alone, the Finn smashed a shot off the crossbar from long range.

Orlando finally got a shot on frame in the 19th minute when Torres got his head to a high cross and nodded toward goal. It was an accurate shot, but there was little pace on the ball, allowing Kristijan Kahlina to make the save.

Seconds later, Scott Arfield blasted a shot wide from distance with Orlando outnumbering the Charlotte attackers, 6-3 in the final third.

Torres got another look in the 33rd minute but his shot was partially deflected and went straight at Kahlina.

The Lions went up a man moments later. Arfield slid in from behind and caught Felipe on a rough challenge and was initially booked. Allen Chapman went to the monitor while Felipe received treatment and the referee changed the yellow to red, putting the hosts down a player. Felipe was struggling and had to be replaced by Araujo.

The sending off didn’t immediately help the offense, which moved the ball too deliberately over the remainder of the half. Muriel tried a couple of long-range shots. The first was saved by Kahlina at the near post. Adilson Malanda blocked the second with his face and needed treatment, staying off the pitch for the final seconds of the half.

Up two men and with time winding down, Orlando sat on the ball out wide and Chapman blew the halftime whistle.

Orlando City held the halftime advantage in possession (53.9%-46.1%), shots (8-5), corners (1-0), and passing accuracy (93.4%-84.5%), with each team getting three shots on frame.

Martin Ojeda entered for Thorhallsson at halftime and the Lions changed shape to a 3-5-2. For a couple of minutes, the shape change helped.

Torres forced Kahlina to make a good save seconds after the restart. Santos then sent a shot from outside the box high over the bar moments later.

Over the next few minutes, Orlando was careless with the ball, allowing Charlotte to get forward on the counter. Torres was forced to take a tactical yellow card to break up a 2-v-1 created when Jansson gambled and lost in the attacking half in the 50th minute. Stajduhar made a huge save from point-blank range a minute later on the ensuing set piece when it deflected out to Abada. Djibril Diani then sent a header just wide of the top left corner on the corner kick.

Lodeiro put a cross in front for McGuire in the 53rd minute, but the striker sent it wide again. Muriel then had a shot blocked in the 56th as the Lions kept probing.

Orlando gave up another transition chance in the 59th minute after telegraphing a pass at the top of the penalty area. Charlotte broke with speed and Abada cut inside and shot. Jansson blocked it and it went just wide of the right post.

The Lions finally got on the board in the 63rd minute. The play started on the right side of the area with Angulo giving the ball to Muriel at the top of the 18. Muriel did well to spot Torres on the left and delivered a good aerial ball. Torres got under it and headed across the six for McGuire to run onto. The striker flicked it with a deft touch to guide it inside the right post, making it 1-1.

“I saw Facu was in a good spot to head it back and there was a little bit of space front post,” McGuire said about the play that led to his team-leading sixth goal of the year. “So, I had to make myself available and Facu put it right where I needed it to be, and luckily I got it across the goalie back post, so it was a good team goal.”

The Lions hunted for a go-ahead goal but couldn’t quite pull it off. Muriel’s shot was deflected onto the roof of the net for a corner in the 66th minute. Ojeda should have done better with a wide-open header on a good cross from Angulo in the 75th minute but steered his shot well over the bar.

The Lions paid for those near misses in the 77th minute. Orlando was in good position to thwart a counterattack when Jansson got caught on the wrong side of Patrick Agyemang. Santos was there to help but tried to clear the ball away but could only knock it back to Agyemang, allowing a sudden 2-v-1. Stajduhar came off his line but was a little late and Jansson couldn’t get back to the left in time either. Bronico chipped Stajduhar to make it 2-1. It was just the low-scoring midfielder’s seventh career goal in seven MLS seasons.

“In the 50-50 challenges, maybe they’d get the better of the challenges for the most part and they made the most of those opportunities,” McGuire said. “So, I think maybe we need to do a better job at winning the first balls, and being on the second balls, and maybe stopping the counterattack with a tactical foul a little bit more. But that’s what I think they did well.”

“We lost those two duels there, and then they found a way to hurt us,” Pareja said. “We should have been better on controlling (transitions) for sure.”

Orlando pushed forward again and created some looks in the 80th minute. McGuire’s flicked header wasn’t enough to steer a good cross on frame and on the recycle, Ojeda missed the net just wide on a partially deflected shot. On the ensuing corner, the ball fell to Torres on the left. Rather than shoot, Torres centered it for Jansson, who saw his point-blank effort saved by Kahlina, who knocked it over the goal.

Torres tied the game on the following corner kick. Lodeiro, who finished with a game-high 10 chances created, sent the ball into the box and it fell amid the bodies to Torres on the right. The Uruguayan took a touch to settle it and sent a shot through traffic and in to make it 2-2 in the 81st minute. For Torres, it was his third goal of the year and Lodeiro picked up his sixth assist.

Ojeda put a shot just over the bar and onto the roof of the net a minute after Torres equalized. Jack Lynn then subbed on for Muriel moments later. Torres sent a good cross in but Malanda knocked it behind for a corner. The set piece fell to Schlegel who sent a shot that Kahlina pushed off the post.

Two minutes later, a fantastic ball unlocked the defense and sent Lynn down the left channel behind the back line. The young striker, however, slowed up when he got the ball and Malanda caught up to him, forcing him wide, where he shot into the outside netting. Lodeiro then tried to pick out Lynn in the box in the 86th minute but may have been better off shooting from the top of the area without a defender near him.

Jansson’s flick on a set piece was wide of the back post in stoppage time and that was that.

Orlando finished with the advantage in possession (60.6%-39.4%), shots (24-11), shots on target (8-5), corners (11-3), and passing accuracy (92.8%-79.7%), but simply wasn’t sharp enough again offensively and added a leaky defense to the proceedings.

“I think we’re all disappointed with the tie, given that they were down to 10 men very early,” McGuire said. “We had our chances. I definitely had my chances. I missed two I think I should have scored. We were attacking a lot and we think we definitely should have won the game, and we’re very disappointed in ourselves, but we’re going to have to take that one point on the road and take it home to Chicago on Saturday.”

The Lions are back home with another quick turnaround when they host the Chicago Fire at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium.

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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

11 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 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

13 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: 11/21/24

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

Published

17 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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