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Orlando City vs. Sporting Kansas City: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 3-0 loss against Sporting Kansas City?

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3 weeks ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Well, that was simply altogether unpleasant. With a chance to extend its unbeaten streak to six MLS matches and nine games in all competitions, Orlando City simply failed to show up to compete on Saturday night, and was dominated 3-0 by a Sporting Kansas City team that came into the match ranked 26th in the MLS standings. Yuck.

I usually like to grade with my purple pen, but after that performance I am going to have to dishonor the original Orlando City colors by getting the red pen out of storage, and I may run out of ink. I am ready to issue some grades, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their road matchup against a Western Conference opponent.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 5.5 — Saturday night’s match started brightly for El Pulpo, with a few big saves in the first half, but in the end, three goals did go by him into the net. He will likely feel that he could have saved all three, but I do not fault Gallese directly for any of the three goals. The first and third were in the corners out of reach, and the second goal was well struck with power from inside the box on a fast break. He passed at an 83.3% rate and connected on two of his five long balls.

D, Kyle Smith, 5 — The back-and-forth battle for the starting left back spot between Kyle Smith and Rafael Santos went to Smith for this match, but that win was short-lived, because Smith only played the first 45 minutes before coming off at halftime. He completed the most passes of any player on the field during the first half and he was active on both sides of the field. Smith created a great chance for the Lions with a header across the box that was almost tapped in, but also could (should?) have gone for goal from that position. However, he was burned by Erik Thommy, allowing a good scoring chance in the 27th minute that required a good save by Gallese. He also had a chance to stop the attack that led to the opening goal for Sporting but was unable to win the ball, even with help from Cesar Araujo. In the end, it was a middling night for Smith, and the left back battle will surely continue during practice throughout the upcoming week . 

D, Robin Jansson, 5.5 — None of the goals scored by Sporting KC were scored on or around Jansson. On the cross that led to the third goal, he was the primary defender, but he forced the cross to go all the way back to about 20-25 yards away from the goal, so I do not think that the goal was on him so much as it was the rest of the defensive grouping for not being able to stop that shot from happening while playing a man up. Despite being second on the team in touches (67) and completed passes (57), I felt like Jansson was mostly invisible in this game. He did not have any interceptions or blocked shots and he only won one aerial duel. He completed 85.1% of those 57 passes and gave his trademark effort, but Saturday night’s match was not one he will look back fondly on in the future.

D, David Brekalo, 5 — The Slovenian international got his first MLS start since June 1 but he did not play well enough to show that the decision to switch from Rodrigo Schlegel to him in MLS matches was the right call. All three goals happened around Brekalo, with the first goal happening after his lunge attempt did not thwart Jake Davis. The second goal happened after he slowed down Thommy but the Kansas City attacker was able to pass the ball into space for Salloi to finish, although that was more of a numbers game for the hosts. The third goal happened because Brekalo (and the other players in the middle for Orlando City) did not come out to close down Remi Walter and allowed him to tee up a blast into the net. Brekalo definitely deserves some of the responsibility for all three of these goals, but on none of them do I think he was singularly the reason why the goal happened. On the attacking side of the ball, Brekalo was third on the team in completed passes (at just a 79.7% rate) but contributed little else, and though he did work hard during his 90 minutes, with five recoveries, three tackles, two clearances, one interception, and one blocked shot.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 4 — Thorhallsson struggled to get into the attack on the right for much of the game, leading to a quiet night for Facundo Torres, who didn’t have his usual attacking flank partner to team up with, as Tim Liebold had a strong game. When the attack went up the left, Thorhallsson tried to push up and help on the back side, but then he was caught upfield as a result. This was particularly evident on the second goal, which started with a good cross in from Orlando’s attacking left that Torres couldn’t get a touch to. Thorhallsson attempted to get to the loose ball but was beaten to it by the defense, and the resulting clearance ended up with Salloi scoring from exactly where a right back should have been. Thorhallsson also had an uncharacteristically poor passing performance in this game at just a 64.3% completion rate, and he did not provide any offensive threat aside from one key pass. Not a game to look fondly back on for the Icelandic defender,

MF, César Araujo, 5 — It was a muted performance on the night for Araujo, as the midfield destroyer that we often see in the middle of the field for the Lions did not make an appearance in Kansas City. Araujo had fewer touches than every defender except Thorhallsson, and while he led the team in passing completion percentage (92.3%), few of his passes advanced the ball in any significant manner. Araujo also had zero tackles, a rarity for a player who came into the game averaging nearly three tackles per 90 minutes. He came off in the 72nd minute in an offense-for-defense swap for Nico Lodeiro.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6 — Cartagena had a few good moments in this game, but on the whole it was not one of his better games. It was, however, one of the better performances by any Orlando City player on Saturday night, which is indicative of the overall showing by the Lions. Cartagena made up for his midfield partner Araujo’s lack of tackles by leading Orlando City with four tackles, and he also added five recoveries, four aerial duel wins, four blocks, and two interceptions. He helped create one of the best chances on the night offensively as well, winning a ball in the box that then turned into a shot from Ojeda from close range, but unfortunately the left footed Carlos Rivas Ojeda put his shot high into the seats. The lasting image of Cartagena for me from this match though will be his slow walk during the sequence that led to the opening goal, as the action was happening right in front of him and he was just slowly walking and watching the play, and then shortly thereafter Sporting went up 1-0.

MF, Iván Angulo, 3.5 — This match will be one to forget for Angulo, as he struggled throughout, and I think he was lucky to not have been subbed off during the first half or at halftime. There were several uncharacteristically wayward passes from Angulo, including some deep in the defensive third of the field, and he did not seem to have his usual burst of speed available to him to create chances or win loose balls. He only completed 74% of his passes and did not contribute anything of note on offense. He will want time to fly to get to the next match, so he can put this one behind him. 

MF, Martín Ojeda, 5 — Ojeda was involved in several big chances during Saturday night’s match, but nothing came from any of them. He will particularly rue the shot he blasted over the net from close range in the first half, as a player of his caliber should at a minimum hit that on goal and he really should have put it away to give Orlando City an early lead. He also hit a wonderful free kick that Smith headed back across, just past the outstretched leg of Ramiro Enrique, inches away from garnering him a hockey assist from that free kick. Ojeda made way in the 60th minute as part of a double substitution that brought on Duncan McGuire and Luis Muriel, ending a night where the final product was just not good enough. 

MF, Facundo Torres, 5 — If you asked a random to fan to name the Designated Players on Orlando City’s roster just by watching this match, I do not think they would have selected Torres, as he struggled to demonstrate much of his skill. There were multiple chances for him to do so, but he failed on all of them, and his whiff on a cross in the second half led directly to to a counterattack and the second goal for Sporting. Torres also could not properly time his run on a 3-v-1 break, receiving a pass in an offside position that negated an Enrique goal that could have cut the lead to 2-1. He made an excellent pass to set up that goal, but it was for naught due to the offside call. I think a stat that tells you all you need to know about Torres’ night is that he had the same number of touches (49) as Smith, who only played during the first half. Torrs made way for Yutaro Tsukada in the 82nd minute and will probably wish that he could have had a few of those chances back when he watches the game film.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 6.5 (MotM) — The goal-scoring streaks for Enrique are now completely over, as he has not scored in his last two matches, so the all-competition and MLS-only streaks are both now done. Enrique was by far the most active Orlando City attacking player on Saturday though, but he was unable to finish any of his chances except one — the aforementioned offside play. It was a great shot, but if a shot happens after an offside situation, did it happen at all? Enrique led the team with five shot-creating actions and had the only shot on target (the team put only one of its 12 total shots on target, the math on that is bad). He was inches away from a sliding left footed finish on Smith’s header back across the box, but inches away does not show up in the stat line. I thought Enrique impressed in both his role as striker and then also when he shifted out the wing when McGuire came on, and I expect that we will continue to see him playing significant minutes here on out this season.

Substitutes

D, Rafael Santos (46′), 5 — Santos subbed in at halftime with the Lions trailing by one and he brought more of an offensive threat than Smith had in the left back position, but that threat was limited as opposed to major. Santos was third on the team in progressive passes attempted with 10, and he completed seven of those passes. He also had one key pass and one successful take-on where he beat his defender off the dribble. He had some culpability on the third goal as well, as the throw in that initiated the play went to the player he was marking and he allowed a pass that turned into the cross that was finished to put the game to bed at 3-0. I do not know who has the edge between Smith and Santos for the start next week. Neither seized the opportunity in Kansas City, but I thought Smith was slightly better. My prediction as of right now is…Luca Petrasso.

F, Duncan McGuire, (59’), 5 — Duncan was starved of service in this game, despite playing all of his minutes while Orlando City was trailing and most of his minutes with an extra man on the field. Duncan only had 11 touches during what amounted to approximately 42 minutes (including stoppage time) on the field, and with so few touches and no service he was unable to even get one shot off during his shift. He had a chance to change the game when he received a pass from Muriel and initiated a 3-v-1 counterattack, but he played the ball to an offside Torres instead of driving the ball himself or playing the onside Enrique. While I blame Torres more than McGuire for the offside call, that was a huge chance for Orlando City to get back in the game and the Lions squandered the opportunity. The ball was well played, but for all intents and purposes, it never happened. I do not think McGuire did enough in this game to supplant Enrique as the starter for next week’s match against Nashville, but Óscar Pareja did roll out a lineup that had both on the field at the same time for 30 minutes, so perhaps they will consider that for next week with Angulo, Ojeda, or Torres on the bench.

MF, Luis Muriel (60′), 5 — Muriel provided an excellent pass to McGuire that should have been a goal-initiating play, but he also had two needlessly launched 25+ yard shots that were well off target. That tells the story again for a player who simply has not consistently played well for Orlando City this season. There are moments of brilliance, and soccer is a game where it generally takes only a few moments of brilliance to determine a winner and loser, but it just has not been a good fit between his style and Orlando City’s style. Orlando City was up a player for most of his minutes on the field, and yet he could not unlock anything of real significance. He only completed 76.5% of his passes and had one shot-creating action. The expectations are high in MLS when you are a Designated Player, and the execution was not there on Saturday night.

MF, Nico Lodeiro (73′), 6 — Nico was one of the few bright spots for Orlando City during his limited minutes. From the moment he entered the match, he was completing passes and trying to initiate offense for the Lions. He completed 25 passes at an 86.2% completion rate, and though ultimately nothing came of it, he seemed more threatening during his minutes than some of the other starting attacking players were during theirs. It helped that he played all of his minutes in an 11 vs. 10 situation, but Lodeiro leads the team in assists in MLS play for a reason, and I thought he looked lively and effective on Saturday night.

MF, Yutaro Tsukada (82′), N/A — Tsukada came in for Facundo Torres and brought excellent energy to the field —so much so that he almost earned a grade from me rather than N/A, despite playing limited minutes. I thought he looked comfortable on the field, and he completed six of his seven passes and also beat one defender off the dribble.

That’s how I saw the individual performances on Saturday night. What did you think? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and vote in the poll below for your Orlando City Man of the Match.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 9/17/24

Rafael Santos up for Goal of the Matchday, Lions earn recognition, stories to watch around MLS, and more.

Published

16 hours ago

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September 17, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

It wasn’t a perfect weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams, but it was close. Orlando City, the Orlando Pride and Orlando City B went undefeated, and combined to take seven of the nine points available, which is hard to complain about. There’s no time to rest though, as the Lions will be back in action tomorrow at home against FC Dallas. As always, we have plenty to talk about today, so let’s get into the links.

Santos Strike Nominated for Goal of the Matchday

Rafael Santos opened the scoring in spectacular fashion during Orlando City’s 3-0 win over the New England Revolution, and his left-footed blast has been nominated for MLS Goal of the Matchday. With 22 minutes played, the Lions worked a short corner and Ivan Angulo found Santos free outside the box. The fullback took one touch to set the ball up before unleashing a dipping, curling effort that left a fully stretched Aljaz Ivacic with no chance. It was a special strike and a very worthy nomination. Make sure you go cast your vote for him to win it!

Lions Earn Weekly Recognition

In addition to his Goal of the Matchday nomination, Santos was also named to the starting lineup of the MLS Team of the Matchday as one of three defenders, while Facundo Torres was included on the bench. Outside of his goal, Santos also recorded two tackles and two clearances while helping the defense keep a clean sheet. Torres converted his penalty kick with venom, had 94% passing accuracy, and generally looked dangerous. Marcus Mitchell awarded Santos a 7 out of 10 and Torres a 7.5 out of 10 and Man of the Match honors in his player grades from the match, so it’s nice to see the pair get some recognition on a larger scale. Here’s hoping the good work continues!

Stories to Watch in MLS

Some of the flashier teams in the league might grab headlines on a consistent basis, but there are plenty of other intriguing stories happening around MLS. For one, the Lions are on a 6-1-1 run that has them up to fifth in the Eastern Conference with a game in hand on the Red Bulls in fourth. Martin Ojeda playing through the middle and moving Facu back out wide is a big reason why. Then there are the Colorado Rapids, a team that has the second-largest points-per-game increase from last season to this one. At the other end of things you have Charlotte FC, which has won just once in its last eight games and is in danger of missing out on the playoffs altogether.

Mikey Varas Will Coach San Diego FC

San Diego FC has found its first head coach, as it named former United States Men’s National Team interim head coach Mikey Varas to the top job. Varas spent several years with U.S. Soccer, and also was an assistant coach at FC Dallas under Luchi Gonzalez for three seasons. Aside from being the head coach of the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team from 2021 to 2023, this will be his only other gig as a full time head coach. Now that San Diego has that vacancy filled, it can do some serious work on building its roster ahead of its inaugural MLS season next year.

Free Kicks

  • The Orlando Pride held fast at the top spot of ESPN’s NWSL power rankings.
  • Orlando City had a big jump, as the Lions moved up six spots to ninth in ESPN’s MLS power rankings.
  • Former Orlando Pride coach Tom Sermanni has been named interim head coach of the Australian women’s national team.
  • NJ/NY Gotham FC has played on every day of the week at least once during this season.

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

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s win at home against the New England Revolution?

Published

2 days ago

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September 16, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City hosted the New England Revolution and won 3-0 to claim its 11th victory of the season. Rafael Santos, Facundo Torres, and Duncan McGuire all found the back of the net, and the defense did its part to secure a shutout in front of the home fans.

It was definitely a team effort, but let’s take a look at how each Lion individually performed in another dominant win at home.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — The Peruvian goalkeeper didn’t have to come up with a save until Carles Gil tested him in the 60th minute from a free kick. Gallese was up to the task and made a phenomenal save to his right after Gil bent his shot around the wall. He also made a big stop late on Emmanuel Boateng, who got behind the defense. It was otherwise a pretty quiet night for Gallese, as he finished the match with 26 touches and just two saves, albeit very good ones. As for his distribution, he completed 89.5% of his 19 passes and two of his four long balls were successful. A clean sheet was a nice cherry on top for El Pulpo’s night.

D, Rafael Santos, 7 — The left back scored one of the best goals of Orlando’s season, curling a shot into the top left corner from distance. The opportunity came from a short corner, with Angulo teeing him up in a well-worked set piece that left him with time and space to pick out his target and beat Aljaz Ivacic. Defensively, he had two tackles and two clearances to limit New England’s attack on his side of the field for the most part. His only cross was inaccurate, two of his six long balls found their mark, and he had 46 passes at a 73.9% success rate. His goal was a game changer and future opponents will have to take him into account moving forward.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — The Beefy Swede put out fires when needed to help secure Orlando’s clean sheet, contributing a clearance and blocking a shot. He only had 32 touches in the match, anchoring the defense while his teammates built momentum through possession. His presence kept New England from developing anything in terms of transition. Jansson attempted six long balls, completing three of them, and he was successful on 85.7% of his 28 passes overall. It wasn’t the busiest night for Jansson, but he excelled when called upon and stayed home when Orlando was on the attack, allowing his central defense partner to join in the possession higher up the pitch.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Schlegel had two clearances in this one and often cleanly got the ball out of danger without allowing rebound opportunities. There were a couple of instances in which he didn’t close down Giacomo Vrioni quickly enough, but Schlegel helped manage to keep the Italian-Albanian forward from causing too much trouble. The Argentine center back also allowed Boateng to get in behind on goal late, so it wasn’t a perfect night by any means. However, he led the Lions with eight long balls and five of them were successful, sparking some opportunities for the offense. Schlegel’s 52 passes were also the most on the team and he completed a strong 90.4% of them. It was a good overall outing for the center back, but there were a couple of lapses.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 7 — Thorhallsson was a force up and down the wing, coming up with important stops on defense and giving the Revolution headaches when he went on the attack. He provided three key passes, including a nice lob into the box in the first half that Ramiro Enrique couldn’t bury. Defensively, he had two tackles, an interception, and a clearance. While none of his three crosses found their target, he attempted 43 passes at an excellent 95.4% success rate and one of his two long balls was accurate as well. Thorhallsson also won a foul from a good position late in the match. Neither of his two shots were on target, but it was still a dynamic performance from the right back.

MF, César Araujo, 6.5 — Araujo also had three key passes in this match, doing his part to set up opportunities for the team’s attackers to work their magic. The Uruguayan midfielder’s only attempted cross was successful, three of his six long balls found their mark, and he was successful on 87.2% of his 47 passes. His only shot in the match was deflected, but went out for a corner kick. Araujo also helped out on the defensive side of things with a pair of tackles and helped keep Gil quiet. It’s worth noting that Araujo avoided a yellow card that would have suspended him for Orlando’s next match as well.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 — Returning from international duty with Peru, Cartagena had a strong defensive performance and rotated well to provide coverage when the team’s fullbacks joined the attack. The 29-year-old led the Lions with five tackles and had an interception as well. Cartagena had four shots, but only one of them ended up on target and it didn’t trouble Ivacic. All four of his long balls were successful and he completed 85.1% of his 47 passes. He also had a lovely key pass to slip the ball past defenders and give Torres a great opportunity in the box. Although he picked up a yellow card, it was a professional foul to cut off a potentially dangerous counterattack.

MF, Iván Angulo, 6 — Angulo earned his ninth assist of the season by setting up Santos in space off of a corner kick. He didn’t attempt any crosses or shots, but he did have two key passes in the match. His speed was most useful at stretching New England’s defense and then chasing down opposing players to win the ball back. Before coming off in the 74th minute, he had three tackles and 26 passes, but at just a 69.2% success rate. It wasn’t his best performance, but he played his role in the designed set piece and kept the Revolution on their toes with his threat on the counter.

MF, Martín Ojeda, 6.5 — Ojeda was credited with a secondary assist for his minor role in the short corner that led to Orlando’s first goal. The Designated Player played a part in Orlando’s second goal as well, with Gil committing a handball in the box while trying to defend Ojeda. He had a phenomenal switch in play that ignited the break on which Torres hit the post. He had three shots in the match, putting one of them on target and forcing a good save by Ivacic at the near post, and he also had a key pass. Ojeda led the team with six crosses, but only one of them was successful. He was accurate on two of his three long balls though, and attempted 29 passes at an 82.8% success rate. Ojeda was better in the second half and forced both attention and quick decisions from the Revolution’s defense before being subbed out in the 68th minute.

MF, Facundo Torres, 7.5 (MotM) — Torres scored his 11th goal of the season with a powerful penalty kick that Ivacic had little chance of stopping even if he didn’t guess the wrong way. He had a few other chances to score, but hit the post and just missed the target twice. Neither of his two crosses were successful. However, he still had two key passes, all three of his long balls were successful, and he completed 94.6% of his 37 passes. His role in Orlando’s third goal will be overshadowed by McGuire and Nico Lodeiro’s magic, but Torres deserves some recognition for his lobbed pass out wide for Lodeiro to get the ball in space away from the Revolution’s defense. He also made a lungbusting run on the play to provide McGuire a passing option and pull some of the defense’s attention away. Orlando looked dangerous whenever Torres was involved in the attack, but he also did well when pressing and made himself available all over the pitch for his teammates.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 6 — Enrique earned another start up top and did fairly well. He almost squeezed a ball in to Martin Ojeda at the near post early on after making a nice run on a break, but Ivacic snuffed it out. His first shot of the night was an audacious and acrobatic effort on the volley that went off target. Chesting the ball into the path of Facundo Torres was likely the smarter play, but it’s hard to put too much blame on a striker for trying his luck. His only other shot of the match was blocked. Although he didn’t win either of his two aerial duels, his hold-up play was decent and he completed 81.3% of his 16 passes. Enrique may not have scored, but he injected plenty of energy into the attack and had two key passes to go with a successful long ball.

Substitutes

F, Duncan McGuire (68’), 6.5 — McGuire scored his first goal since June in fantastic fashion. While his powerful strike that wound up in the net despite Ivacic getting contact on it was great, the most impressive part of his goal was his run from his own box that included staying onside and slipping between defenders for Lodeiro to find him. It was his only shot and he only had three touches, completing both of his attempted passes as well. He made some good runs here and there after his goal, but didn’t receive much service while the Lions enjoyed a three-goal lead.

MF, Nico Lodeiro (69’), 6.5 — Lodeiro put in a great shift off the bench, assisting on McGuire’s goal with a nice pass that slipped between defenders on a counter. His only shot was from a free kick and he sent it over the bar. The 35-year-old could have had another assist in the 85th minute, but his pass across the front of goal was deflected out for a corner before it could reach McGuire or Yutaro Tsukada. Lodeiro finished the match with 22 touches and 17 passes at an 88.2% success rate.

MF, Luis Muriel (75′), 6 — The Colombian forward’s only shot came in the final moment of the game, as he sent a free kick into the stands after he was fouled by the Revolution in what looked like a promising attack. He had a terrific switch of play to Thorhallsson that ended in Cartagena’s shot right at Ivacic in the second minute of stoppage time. Muriel had 14 touches and both of his attempted long balls found their target. He completed all but one of his 10 passes and did well carving out open space on offense.

MF, Felipe (79′) N/A — Felipe picked up where Cesar Araujo left off in the midfield, putting in a gritty performance to help see out the game. He had 21 touches in a short amount of time on the pitch and completed 94.7% of his 19 passes. The Brazilian also had a tackle to help out defensively and worked himself into good areas when the Lions went on the attack for more goals.

MF, Yutaro Tsukada (79′), N/A — The young winger only had six touches, but he completed all four of his passes and contributed on defense with a tackle. Tsukada didn’t have any shots or key passes, but found decent areas when the Lions went on the offensive. It was a bit disappointing that he wasn’t given a crack at one of the team’s late free kicks, though it was still nice to see the rookie get some valuable minutes with the first team.

That’s how I saw the individual performances on Saturday night. What did you think? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and vote in the poll below for your Orlando City Man of the Match.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 9/16/24

Orlando City beats the New England Revolution, Orlando Pride draw at home, Orlando City B wins third straight, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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September 16, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. This week, I’ll be busy working Chicago Cubs games at Wrigley Field while picking up some extra hours at Under Armour. There’s plenty to cover today after a busy weekend of Orlando soccer, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Shut Out the New England Revolution at Home

On Saturday, Orlando City defeated the New England Revolution 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium. This is the first time the Lions have swept a season series against the Revolution in the club’s history. Rafael Santos, Facundo Torres, and Duncan McGuire all scored for the Lions, and this is the second consecutive match that the Lions have won 3-0 after beating Nashville SC by the same score on Aug. 31. Orlando City is fifth in the Eastern Conference with 40 points. It will be a quick turnaround for the Lions, with another home match against Charlotte FC set for Wednesday before traveling to face the Columbus Crew on Saturday.

Pride Draw Against the Kansas City Current

The Orlando Pride played to a scoreless draw against the Kansas City Current on Friday at Inter&Co Stadium and saw their six-match winning streak end. However, the result extended their unbeaten streak to 20 matches this season. Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse put on a stellar performance in goal to earn her 11th clean sheet of the season and tie the NWSL record.

Orlando remains atop the NWSL table with 48 points, while the Washington Spirit are close behind in second with 44 points. The Pride will be on the road on Friday to face Bay FC at PayPal Park.

OCB Defeats New England Revolution II at Home

Orlando City B won 2-0 over the New England Revolution II at Osceola County Stadium on Sunday to move a step closer to clinching a playoff spot. After a scoreless first half, Alex Freeman and Jack Lynn scored for the Young Lions to seal the win at home. Orlando City B has now won three consecutive matches and Freeman has scored five goals in the last four games. OCB is third in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference table with 43 points, and its next match is Sept. 23 at home against Chicago Fire II.

Americans Abroad in Europe

There were some USMNT players in action in Europe over the weekend after the conclusion of the recent international break. Brenden Aaronson started and played 68 minutes for Leeds United but ended up losing 1-0 to Burnley in the EFL Championship. Christian Pulisic scored a penalty kick and added an assist for AC Milan in a 4-0 win over Venezia in Serie A action. It was Pulisic’s second goal in four matches for AC Milan this season. Teammate Yunus Musah came off the bench in the second half to see out the win. Fellow American Gianluca Busio returned for Venezia, starting and playing 79 minutes. Tanner Tessmann came off the bench to make his Ligue 1 debut for Lyon Sunday against Lens late in the second half, but the match ended in a scoreless draw.

Free Kicks

  • Pride midfielder Ally Lemos started for the U.S. Women’s U-20 National Team in the U-20 Women’s World Cup quarterfinal match against Germany. She assisted on the first of two late goals by the U.S. to help send the game to extra time in an incredible comeback. Lemos was subbed off before the penalty shootout, which the U.S. won to advance to the semifinals.
  • The Orlando Pride set another club record after their draw against the Current, securing their fourth consecutive clean sheet.
  • Carlos Vela and LAFC reportedly agreed to a new contract before the MLS roster freeze deadline on Friday.

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

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