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Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Final Score 3-1 as Lions Finally Win at Gillette Stadium

Lions erase halftime deficit with three second-half goals to pick up their first-ever win at Gillette Stadium.

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2 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

It’s been a long time coming. Despite a poor start and a halftime deficit, Orlando City dominated the second half and defeated the New England Revolution 3-1 to pick up the franchise’s first win at Gillette Stadium.

Since Orlando City joined Major League Soccer in 2015, home games against the Lions (8-9-6, 30 points) have been the Revolution’s (7-13-1, 22 points) free space on their Bingo card, but that was not the case tonight, as Facundo Torres sandwiched two brilliant left-footed goals around a set-piece strike by Ramiro Enrique to more than cancel out Giacomo Vrioni’s first-half goal.

It was Orlando’s third consecutive win and its fourth in five matches, with the Lions scoring 18 times over the course of their last six games overall.

“Very excited with the three points. Very proud of the character of the team and the players that brought us back after an irregular first half,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “The second half was what we wanted, and the reaction was outstanding from the players. It seems like our confidence keeps raising, and finding the net is helping us to believe that this is a team who can keep that rhythm and just get into the playoffs.”

Pareja’s lineup included only one change from the side that beat D.C. United 5-0 a week ago. Pedro Gallese started in goal behind a back line of Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena made up the central midfield partnership behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Torres, with Enrique starting up top in place of Duncan McGuire, who is on international duty.

As is typically the case when the Lions visit Gillette Stadium, they were sloppy with the ball, weighting passes improperly and often losing the ball in their feet to ruin promising attacks. Whether it’s the trip to the Boston area, the artificial surface, something else, or a combination of all of that, the first half looked like so many other trips to play New England. Orlando City wasted multiple opportunities to take an early lead and eventually coughed up the first goal.

Ojeda took the first shot of the match just four minutes in but he hit his shot over the bar. It was an omen of things to come. Angulo tried to play in Enrique in the 11th minute with Ojeda to his left. Enrique was a few yards offside but the Colombian didn’t seem to notice when weighing his options.

Orlando was fortunate not to concede at the other ends seconds later. Smith and Jansson were turned inside out by Vrioni and he slid the ball in for Jack Panayatou, who seemed poised to score but Jansson deflected it behind for a corner.

Esmir Bajraktarevic fired a shot right at Gallese in the 13th minute and then the Lions wasted a number of attacks that could have led to an opener. The first came in the 15th minute when Enrique couldn’t get to a dangerous cross by Angulo, who was easily the best attacking player of the opening period.

Ojeda gave the ball away cheaply on a pair of good transition opportunities in the 19th and 21st minutes when the Lions had numbers in the attack but didn’t so much as get a shot attempt off. That allowed the Revs to break the scoreless deadlock.

Thorhallsson drifted too far inside away from DeJuan Jones on the initial cross, so that the heavy touch by the Revs fullback didn’t cost the hosts possession. The ball cycled around to the attacking right and a routine back-post ball from Bajraktarevic found Thorhallsson in perfect position to deal with it, but he was far too passive on the play, allowing an easy cross from Jones in front to Vrioni for a tap-in while Schlegel was caught marking no one.

“I thought in the first half we conceded a lot of freedom for New England players and that first goal is something that we need to correct,” Pareja said.

The Icelandic fullback had a chance to immediately make up for his mistake on the attacking end, making a nice move to get to the end line, but he sent his cross right at the goalkeeper as the wasteful first half continued. Moments later, it was Smith getting dispossessed in the offensive end.

Angulo did well to steal the ball and jumpstart the attack in the 34th minute and the Lions poured forward with numbers. However, Enrique got impatient while approaching the box and sent a weak, long-range shot toward goal that gave Aljaz Ivacic no trouble. Seconds later, Orlando took possession again and Araujo attempted a long-range shot that missed badly to the left of goal.

The best chance for Orlando in the opening half came in the 42nd minute. Angulo did well to lose his defender and get to the end line, sending in a cross to Thorhallsson in front, but the fullback sent his shot right at Ivacic, who made the save. Angulo got another good cross in two minutes later, but the defense was there to clear it and after a minute of injury time, the half came to an end with the Lions again looking up at a deficit on the Gillette Stadium scoreboard.

The Revs had the halftime advantage in possession (52.5%-47.5%) and corners (2-1), while the Lions fired more shots (7-2) and passed more accurately (93.3%-89.7%). Each side put two shots on target.

“In the break, we decided just to push our lines way higher and just bring more stamina for those actions and dueling, passing, landing in the box,” Pareja said. “And I saw that team that we have seen the last two games, with more chemistry, but at the same time with more passion and energy. That allowed us to dominate the game and score our goals.”

Pareja sent Rafael Santos on for the second half, withdrawing Smith, who had an ineffective first half. His first involvement was a good cross in for Enrique, who lost sight of it and couldn’t make good contact, allowing the ball to bounce harmlessly to Ivacic.

Torres equalized moments later, however. A foray into the penalty area looked to have been snuffed out by the defense, but the ball bounced back to Angulo, who sent it to Torres near the top of the area. The Uruguayan fired it just inside the left post to level the match at 1-1 in the 51st minute.

Ojeda tried to give Orlando the lead two minutes later but Ivacic did well to make the save and the flag came up anyway. Torres then sent a blast from outside the box that sent Ivacic diving to his left to save. However, seconds later, the Lions took the lead on the ensuing corner kick.

From the right corner, Ojeda sent in a back-post ball and Araujo rose to head it back in front of goal. Enrique swooped in and touched it home with center back Henry Kessler on the line, keeping the play onside. The Lions led 2-1 in the 59th minute on Enrique’s second goal of the season and his sixth career MLS goal.

“The play developed as we had been working on together,” Enrique said. “But as a forward, knowing that the ball was going to the far post, you always have to stay active in the area to be able to get onto the end of it. And it fell right in the perfect spot where I was staying moving and active. That’s just how we want to run those plays.”

Enrique had a shot at a brace four minutes later. Santos sent in a good cross and the Argentine made a diving effort at the near post but Dave Romney did well to get his head in front to nod it behind for another corner. The set piece cross came straight to Araujo, who volleyed it toward goal but hit it just over in the 62nd minute.

New England started throwing numbers forward in an effort to get back on level terms and had some longer spells of possession as a result. Panayotou sent a screamer just wide of the left post from distance in the 64th minute, although Gallese appeared to have it covered, pulling out of his dive.

A minute later, a ball got through to Vrioni at the top of the area but Jansson blocked the shot. The rebound fell for Ian Harkes, who volleyed the follow-up effort over the bar. Panayotou then danced his way past Araujo and Thorhallsson to get to the top of the area but Schlegel blocked the New England attacker’s shot in the 67th minute. After the teams exchanged unsuccessful corners, Panayotou sent a shot at Gallese in the 73rd minute.

Orlando then started to look dangerous on the counter. Substitute Luis Muriel tried to curl a shot around Ivacic from the left in the 75th minute, but the New England goalkeeper made a good diving save. The Lions then won a free kick that came to Jansson. The Swede’s header was blocked and Schlegel was subsequently booked for a tactical foul to break up the counter.

The Lions used the counterattack to put the game away in the 81st minute. After taking the ball away in the attacking half, the ball found Muriel, who dribbled toward the box. With two defenders between him and the goal, the Colombian sent a pass to Torres on the right. With his first touch, Torres sent a gorgeous, curling shot around Ivacic and inside the left post to make it 3-1.

The Uruguayan is on fire, scoring his sixth goal — to go along with four assists — in his last six matches.

From that point, Orlando City did its best to stay organized and look for more opportunities to counter. David Brekalo subbed on late to give the Lions five defenders on the back line. Jeorgio Kocevski also spelled Araujo early in stoppage time, but there weren’t any real chances for either side after Torres’ second goal.

There may have been a chance for Torres to pick up a hat trick late on an Orlando takeaway, but Kocevski’s pass for the Uruguayan near the top of the area was offline as the two players weren’t on the same page. Moments later, the game was over.

Due to Orlando staying organized with the lead, New England racked up a huge advantage in possession (73.5%-26.5%) by the end of the match. However, Orlando City finished with the edge in shots (15-8), shots on target (7-3), corners (4-3), and passing accuracy (90.7%-87.9%).

“The connections were much better, sharper, the way we moved the ball,” Pareja said about the second half. “I think the way Rafa came up in that second half helped us a lot just to have more freedom, more connections, and be more dangerous there. I think that left leg that he provided us definitely changed the game, and then we found the net again with the players.”

“I’m very happy right now, especially because it was a really tough and complicated game for us,” Enrique said. “The first half cost us a bit, but thankfully in the second half we were really start playing together. And thankfully we were able to complete the comeback, and obviously I’m very happy to score tonight in the win.”

“This is the first time that the team wins here in New England, and that means a lot of respect for the players too that achieved that,” Pareja said.”
“This is the first time that the team wins here in New England, and that means a lot of respect for the players too that achieved that,” Pareja said.

The Lions have a quick turnaround with another road match coming up Wednesday at Nashville SC.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 9/10/24

Marta nominated for NWSL Goal of the Week, Orlando Pride happy to clinch playoff spot, Lions on international duty, and more.

Published

17 hours ago

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September 10, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It was another good weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams, as the Orlando Pride and Orlando City B combined to pick up all six points on offer. Hopefully that trend can continue and get even better once Orlando City resumes play this Saturday. We’ve got a lot to talk through this morning, so let’s get after it.

Marta Nominated for Goal of the Week

The Pride took down the Chicago Red Stars 1-0 on Sunday, with Marta singlehandedly winning the game for the Pride courtesy of an absolutely outstanding strike from outside the box. Unsurprisingly, that effort has earned her a nomination for NWSL Goal of the Week. While she’s facing some stiff competition, I think it’s safe to say that her goal is comfortably the best of the bunch. Go make sure everyone else knows it, and vote for her to win this week’s award!

Pride Speak On Clinched Playoff Spot

The Pride discussed the team’s mentality after clinching a playoff spot following this weekend’s results. Head Coach Seb Hines highlighted the heartbreak of narrowly missing the postseason in 2023 and how that was a motivator this season. That sentiment was echoed by both Marta and Haley McCutcheon, with both players speaking on making the postseason and the team’s bigger goals this year.

Lions on International Duty

David Brekalo is on international duty with Slovenia, and was part of his team’s victory in UEFA Nations League play on Monday. Brekalo started at right back and spent 87 minutes on the field, as Slovenia beat Kazakhstan 3-0 courtesy of a hat trick by star man Benjamin Sesko. The result leaves Slovenia atop League B Group 3 with four points after a 1-1 draw with Austria on Friday as well. Meanwhile, Facundo Torres and Uruguay face Venezuela at 6 p.m. tonight in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying. Torres came on as a sub with 10 minutes to go in Uruguay’s 0-0 draw with Paraguay on Friday, so we’ll see if he’s involved two matches in a row. Best of luck, Facu!

USMNT Takes On New Zealand Tonight

The United States Men’s National Team will try to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Canada when it takes on New Zealand today at 7 p.m. in Cincinnati. The All Whites are ranked 94th in the world and have won four of their last five games. The USMNT midfield will need to have a much better showing than it did against the Canadians, as Johnny Cardoso, Yunus Musah, and Malik Tillman were collectively outgunned by the opposition. It’ll also be worth keeping an eye on the goalkeeper situation, as Patrick Schulte played well in the 2-1 loss, and has probably earned another start. There’s plenty to watch for, so make sure you tune in and see if the team can get back on the right track.

International Break Roundup

With the international break still in full swing, there were a number of big games yesterday that we need to catch up on. In the marquee match of the day, France rebounded from a 3-1 loss to Italy in UEFA Nations League play by comfortably dispatching Belgium 2-0, courtesy of goals from Randal Kolo-Muania and Ousmane Dembele. Italy made it two wins in two attempts by knocking off Israel 2-1, with a 90th minute goal from Mohammad Abu Fani not enough to get Israel its first point in the competition. In the Concacaf Nations League, Curacao posted an eye-popping score by beating St. Martin 4-0, only for Haiti to better that result by hammering Sint Maarten 6-0.

Free Kicks

  • In case you’ve been living under a rock, the Pride have been outstanding this year.

That does it for me this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 9/9/24

Orlando Pride win in Chicago, McKinley Crone signs new contract, Orlando City B defeats Crown Legacy FC, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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September 9, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. Under Armour has been keeping me busy, and I got to cover some high school tennis and swimming this past week. The Orlando Pride and Orlando City B were in action this weekend and both teams got a win. We have plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando Pride Shut Out Chicago Red Stars

On Sunday, the Orlando Pride got a 1-0 win on the road against the Chicago Red Stars to extend their unbeaten streak to 20 matches across all competitions. The run also ties the NWSL league record including playoff games, matching the Washington Spirit’s 20-match unbeaten run in 2021 and 2022. Marta scored the lone goal in the match to seal the win for Orlando. The Pride remain in first in the NWSL standings with 47 points, with the Washington Spirit in second with 41, and the Kansas City Current in third with 38. With a playoff spot already clinched, the Pride are aiming for the NWSL Shield as the top team in the league. The Pride will return home at Inter&Co Stadium on Friday to face the Kansas City Current.

Orlando Pride Sign McKinley Crone to New Contract

The Orlando Pride announced on Friday that the club reached an agreement with backup goalkeeper McKinley Crone on a new contract that runs through the 2026 NWSL season. Undrafted before joining Orlando as a non-roster invitee during the preseason in 2023, Crone progressed to being Orlando’s backup goalkeeper in 2024. Crone made her professional debut on July 20 in a 1-1 draw against the North Carolina Courage in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup. The 25-year-old made five saves on six shots to help the Pride stay unbeaten across all competitions. With this latest move, the club has secured Anna Moorhouse, Crone, and Sofia Manner as their goalkeepers for next season.

Orlando City B Defeats Crown Legacy FC

Orlando City B got a 4-1 victory on the road against Crown Legacy FC on Sunday. Alex Freeman scored twice in the first half to give the Young Lions a 2-0 lead going into halftime. Crown Legacy scored in the second half, but OCB continued to do well on both sides of the ball to take all three points. OCB is in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 40 points, and its next match will be back home on Sunday to take on New England Revolution II.

USMNT Falls to Canada in Friendly

On Saturday, the United States Men’s National Team lost 2-1 to Canada at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City in a friendly. It’s the USMNT’s first loss to Canada on home soil in 67 years, ending a 23-match unbeaten streak against Canada in the U.S. Jacob Shaffelburg and Jonathan David scored for Canada, while Luca de la Torre scored his first goal for the USMNT. The Yanks are on a three-match losing streak and will face New Zealand in Cincinnati on Tuesday at TQL Stadium.

Alex Morgan Plays Final Match

San Diego Wave forward Alex Morgan played in her final match as a professional soccer player on Sunday after a nearly 14-year career. Morgan had a penalty kick saved by Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy and was subbed off early in the first half, as the Wave lost 4-1 at Snapdragon Stadium. Morgan announced last week that she will retire from professional soccer after this match, while also announcing that she is pregnant with her second child. She played six seasons with the Pride and spent the last three seasons in San Diego, winning the NWSL Golden Boot in 2022 and helping the Wave win the NWSL Shield in 2023.

Free Kicks

  • Pride defenders Kerry Abello and Kylie Strom made the NWSL Best XI for August.
  • Orlando Pride midfielder Viviana Villacorta was removed from the season-ending injury list.
  • The U.S. Soccer Federation is reportedly close to officially naming Mauricio Pochettino as the new head coach for the USMNT.
  • Tampa Bay Sun FC secured its first win in the USL Super League with a 3-2 win on the road against Lexington SC on Sunday.

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

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Opinion

Martin Ojeda Can Further Build on an Improved 2024

Martin Ojeda has picked things up after a slow start to the season, but he has room to play even better.

Published

4 days ago

on

September 6, 2024

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Argentinian attacking midfielder Martin Ojeda finished his maiden season in an Orlando City uniform with six goals and 10 assists. While 16 goal contributions in his first year in a new league with unfamiliar surroundings isn’t a terrible return, there was a widespread sense that he didn’t perform at the level the Lions needed from a Designated Player. He improved the deeper Orlando got into the year though, and coming into the 2024 season, a lot of the projections involving OCSC being one of the best teams in the league were predicated on him taking the next step and becoming a true force in Major League Soccer. So, has that happened?

The broad numbers say that it hasn’t. Through 27 appearances and 1,582 minutes, Ojeda has three goals and eight assists, compared to six goals and 10 assists in 34 appearances and 1,751 minutes in 2023. The Argentine still has time to eclipse his totals from last year, but barring a positively explosive run of form, it’ll take him more minutes to do so. For my money, it isn’t quite that simple though.

For one thing, Ojeda has shown improvement in two key areas: passing accuracy and key passes. His accuracy is up to 84% in 2024, while it was 79% last season. He’s also already eclipsed his total for key passes in 2023, currently sitting on 45, compared to the 42 he finished with in his debut season in purple. That suggests that not only is he passing the ball better, but he’s also putting it in more dangerous areas than previously. Some of that is to be expected, considering his shift into the center of the field to play the no. 10, but he’s still had to adapt to the new position, and he’s looked more and more comfortable as the year has continued.

Let’s talk about that positional change a little. The first few months of the season were ugly for just about everyone wearing an Orlando City jersey. Guys were hurt, off on international duty, or suspended, and many of the ones who could play were forced to do so in positions that weren’t natural for them. At various points throughout the early months of 2024, he found himself playing in the hole behind two strikers, as a deep-lying playmaker, deputizing at striker himself, or dropped from the starting XI entirely.

It was hard to argue with him coming off the bench, as he had just three assists in the 16 games prior to the LAFC match on June 15. He got his first league goal of the year in that match though, and in the 11 games since then, he’s recorded two goals and four assists. While not a staggering return, he’s trending in the right direction. Outside of the numbers, he looks capable of being able to produce at a higher level.

Saturday’s match against Nashville SC provided two specific instances which I found encouraging. The first was his assist on Ivan Angulo’s opening goal, specifically the way in which Ojeda created the goal.

Everything about that is fantastic. The anticipation and work rate to get into a position to intercept the wayward pass, the vision to see Angulo’s position, the quick decision to play the one-touch pass, and the execution to deliver that pass squarely on the money. One of the knocks on Ojeda in an OCSC shirt has been his decision making and execution in the final third, as at times he’s settled for long potshots or held onto the ball too long before trying to find a teammate. None of that was on display here, and the speed of thought, coupled with the execution, meant that Orlando grabbed an early lead.

Let’s then talk about the turn he executed at midfield during the buildup to Facundo Torres’ first goal. Ojeda receives the ball, takes a touch, neatly slips it through a defender’s legs, and then immediately drives hard at the Nashville defense before releasing the ball and finding Torres in space. It’s one moment of skill, but it’s something that happens when you have a guy who’s playing with confidence, and the fact that he then made the right pass at the right time makes it even better.

Those are the moments that we’ve started to see more of from the Designated Player as the year has gone on, and we’ll need to continue seeing more of if Orlando City wants to keep pushing up the table.

Ojeda has a chance to improve on his debut season and really make an impact for the Lions down the stretch. If he keeps playing with confidence, making the correct decisions, and executing in the way that he’s shown this summer, it should bode well for OCSC. Vamos Orlando!

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