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Orlando City vs. Montreal Impact: Final Score 3-1 as Early Mistakes Doom Lions

Ignacio Piatti crushes his favorite punching bag team yet again.

Published

5 years ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The Lions are no longer unbeaten in 2019. The Montreal Impact (2-1-0, 6 points) capitalized on two quick errors in the first half and took control en route to a 3-1 win over Orlando City (0-1-2, 2 points) in front of an announced crowd of 22,352 at Orlando City Stadium.

The Lions were sloppy throughout what turned out to be a chippy and contentious match, and made numerous mistakes to give Montreal scoring opportunities.

Orlando fell to 3-6-2 against Montreal in the all-time series and 2-3-1 at home. The Impact are unbeaten in the last six meetings (5-0-1). The Lions at least finally scored against the Impact after getting shut out in both meetings last year.

“Our mentality needs to be way stronger,” said Head Coach James O’Connor after the match. “To play for this football club you need to have a really strong mentality. When you defend the way we did, you make it practically impossible to give yourself a chance of going and winning the game. You can’t defend like that and expect to get something out of the game.”

O’Connor dropped Alex De John from the starting XI in order to insert Carlos Ascues on the back line. Kamal Miller was dropped from the 18 as the coaching staff would like to manage the rookie’s minutes. As expected, Dom Dwyer stepped into the starting lineup for the injured Tesho Akindele, with rookie Santiago Patino making the game day 18 for the first time in his career.

Despite the graphic, the team played in what appeared to be a 4-3-3 with Nani, Dwyer, and Chris Mueller at the top above Will Johnson, Sebas Mendez, and Sacha Kljestan. The back four (left to right) were Danilo Acosta, Ascues, Shane O’Neill, and Ruan.

Orlando started the game by nearly conceding, which was a sign of things to come. Ascues had a giveaway that created an early chance for Montreal.

“I felt very positive going into the game. I felt very confident. And then we started the game in the worst possible way,” Kljestan said. “Nearly off the kickoff we almost gifted them a goal, off our possession, just passing it right to their forward almost. That kind of set the tone for the rest of the day and we never really got better from that point and we weren’t good enough in the attacking third.”

Despite the early gaffe, Orlando could have scored the first goal. Johnson stole a ball in the fourth minute and worked his way forward but got taken down from behind at the top of the box on what should have been a free kick. Three minutes later, Dwyer blasted a shot over the bar off a Nani feed.

Moments later, Ruan sent either a shot or a cross wide of the far post. But things unraveled quickly in the span of two minutes. Ascues was slow to close down Orji Okwonkwo after a partially blocked cross found the Montreal forward, and Mendez also didn’t do well enough in defense on the play. Okwonkwo turned quickly and fired off the inside of Brian Rowe’s far post to make it 1-0 in the 14th minute.

The Lions then gifted a second goal to the visitors moments later. O’Neill’s horrible back pass was halfway between Rowe and two Montreal attackers. Rowe came off his line to try to clear it but got only Maxi Urruti. That left Ignacio Piatti to deposit his ninth goal against Orlando into an empty net to make it 2-0 in the 15th. Rowe was booked for taking down Urruti.

“You cannot start games like that,” O’Connor said. “And then, if you are going to start the game like that you need to have to have a stronger mentality.”

Making matters worse was that Johnson was forced to the locker room for concussion protocol. He had returned from the early collision in which he was knocked down from behind by Samuel Piette and his head hit on Victor Cabrera as he fell. Despite returning to the match, Johnson must not have felt right, and he left the pitch with his team down, 2-0, eventually being replaced by Cristian Higuita.

“It looks like he’s suffering from a blow to the head, so I think the safest thing obviously was to take him off,” O’Connor said of Johnson’s injury. “It was a blow for us, because obviously he’s someone who has been playing very well. Even in the first couple of minutes, he steals the ball in the midfield, drives to the top of the box…it looked like a free kick, but it wasn’t given.”

The Lions had chances to pull one back before halftime but couldn’t execute. Ruan got loose in the box in the 31st minute and sent a cross through traffic, but none of his teammates made a back post run, and the ball fizzed harmlessly through the area. Four minutes later, Ruan found Dwyer with a cross, but Dom headed down and right at Evan Bush from point-blank range.

Mueller cut from left to right and fired just inches over the bar at the back post in the 42nd minute.

Montreal got the last decent chance of the half when Okwonkwo got down the right channel and fired, but Rowe made the save.

First-half shots were 10-3 in favor of Montreal (5-1 on target), with the Impact holding a 56%-44% edge in possession. Montreal was also the more accurate passing team, completing 80% of all passes, compared to Orlando’s 75%.

Rowe came up big on an Okwonkwo shot in the 47th minute after another Orlando turnover, as the Lions continued to be much looser with the ball all day than in the first two games.

The game started to get more physical and heated after that, with Mendez and Saphir Taider both staying down after a challenge and then Acosta getting booked after a hard aerial challenge against Bacary Sagna, in which it looked like he was simply playing the ball. Montreal took exception and Okwonkwo was booked for retaliating on Acosta moments later.

Orlando should have been back in the game in the 58th minute. Mueller blocked a Cabrera pass and it fell at Dwyer’s feet. With a gaping wide net and only Bush to beat, Dwyer got his shot around the keeper but missed the target completely.

Orlando kept pressing numbers forward to try to claw back into the game and it allowed Montreal to pile up chances. Rowe had to come off his line to thwart Taider on the rush in the 59th minute and Ascues had to clear the ball out after it trickled in behind.

A minute later, Okwonkwo got a shot off while well covered that hit Ascues’ shin and blooped just over the crossbar.

In the 68th, Okwonkwo again got in down the right after a soft pass out of the back never reached Kljestan, but Rowe came out and made a crucial save. Two minutes later, Rowe came out again to beat Piatti to a ball to prevent a scoring chance.

Dwyer had his third excellent scoring chance in the 74th. Nani made a nice play on the left and sent a cross into the 6-yard box. Dwyer got a toe onto it but it trickled just wide of the far post.

After that, O’Connor sent on rookie Santiago Patino — making his MLS debut — and Josué Colmán to try to add something to the attack. Instead, the Montreal lead grew to 3-0 in the 80th minute. Piatti scored his 10th career goal against the Lions. Kljestan tried to turn and clear the ball forward but second-half sub Harry Novillo closed him down and deflected the ball in behind, where it became a Montreal 2-v-1. Piatti doesn’t miss those, especially when there’s only one defender back — Ascues, in this case. With Acosta and Ruan both pressing forward, Piatti easily dispatched Kljestan and slotted home.

“Towards the end we’ve made changes and we’ve got Ruan playing right center back and Sebas playing left center back,” O’Connor said. “So, over the last 15-20 minutes or whatever it is, we’ve made changes to try and get ourselves back into the game because we’re two-nil down. I think when you do that you leave yourself wide open.”

The Impact should have made it 4-0 in the 89th, when Zakaria Diallo got a free header right in front of goal, but he got under it and sent it well over the bar.

Two minutes later, Orlando, and Dwyer, finally finished a chance.

City won the ball in midfield and worked out wide right to Mueller. The second-year Lion put a perfect ball onto Patino’s foot and the rookie drew Bush out off his line and slid a pass over for Dwyer to swipe into the empty net for his second goal of the season.

“Chris played me a great ball,” Patino said of his first MLS assist. “I took a touch. I saw Dom making a run and I just gave it to him.”

As it got late into stoppage time, the Impact took exception to a through ball played on what was a drop ball situation. O’Connor apologized to Montreal after the game, saying “that’s not a good representation of this football club.”

Diallo was sent off during the fracas after grabbing Dwyer’s head and shoving him to the ground. Higuita was booked on the play.

That was about it. The whistle blew and Orlando City had its first loss of 2019.

“There was a general nervousness to our play,” O’Connor. “The start certainly didn’t help. We seemed to be edgy. Honestly it’s not good enough. The first two games we feel we were able to set a standard and we were way off today. We were nowhere near the level of what we want.”

“I expect us to come back stronger,” Kljestan said after the game. “We’ve got to react in a positive way. Bad performance tonight but hopefully we learn our lesson and do better next time.”

The Lions go back on the road next Saturday but getting their first win won’t be easy, as they visit the New York Red Bulls at 7:30 p.m.

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Orlando City

Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati

Get all the inside information you need ahead of Orlando’s match with FC Cincinnati.

Published

9 hours ago

on

May 3, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Another Orlando City matchday looms large this weekend, as the Lions will try to put Saturday’s thoroughly dispiriting loss behind them. They’ll have a tough task ahead of them though, as they welcome an FC Cincinnati team to town that currently sits second in the Eastern Conference.

A match against FCC means I spoke with Justin Blair of the always excellent Cincinnati Soccer Talk. As always, Justin was very helpful in getting us all caught up on Cincy before tomorrow’s match.

The nine goals conceded by FC Cincinnati are tied for the fewest given up by any team in the league. What’s been working so well for FCC defensively so far?

Justin Blair:  In 2023, FC Cincinnati was tied for fourth in goals conceded with 39 allowed (Orlando, NYCFC, and RBNY). This season is continuing that impressive trajectory. The addition of Miles Robinson, arguably the best MLS center back, was a home run signing for FCC. Robinson joins 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Matt Miazga as the feature center back duo. But Pat Noonan’s system asks for three in the back and has been plugged with a rotation of players that have kept the defense stout. I have to mention that central defensive midfielder Obinna Nwobodo is arguably the most underrated player in all of MLS. He is an extremely skilled player that flies around and acts as a catch-all in front of the back line. 

Brandon Vazquez departed in the off-season for Monterrey. In his absence, who has Cincy turned to for goal scoring?

JB: Brandon Vazquez is a tremendous striker for FCC and has been solid for Rayados with 10 goals in 22 appearances. But his form never hit stride in 2023. He had nine goals across all MLS competitions, which was down from a career high of 18 goals in 2022. FCC had to find goals in other places last season, so they aren’t exactly in uncharted waters. So far in 2024, reigning MLS MVP Lucho Acosta has been carrying the load with four goals and five assists. Yuya Kubo, who I affectionately call FCC’s Swiss Army knife, has seen recent minutes at the forward position. Kubo’s confidence on the ball and chemistry with Acosta has seen him score three goals in a short amount of time. Surprisingly, FCC’s star Designated Player striker Aaron Boupendza has fallen in the graces of the squad and hasn’t hit consistent minutes this season.

Run me through some of the other arrivals and departures that took place during the off-season. Who are a few names to watch out for?

JB: Well FCC’s off-season was a doozy to say the least. Several departures include the previously mentioned Vazquez, along with Sanitago Arias, Yerson Mosquera (loan), Alvaro Barreal, Dominique Badji, Junior Moreno, and Ray Gaddis — all of whom played significant minutes for the orange and blue during their 2023 Supporters’ Shield season. For incoming players, GM Chris Albright brought in Robinson, Pavel Bucha, Luca Orellano, Kipp Keller, and Corey Baird during the off-season. The additions of DeAndre Yedlin and Yamil Asad have also worked their way into the matchday rotation. Every piece added has felt like an upgrade or at least a comparable replacement. This is, of course, with the exception of replacing Vazquez.

FCC (recently) announced the loan signing of target striker Kevin Kelsy from Shakhtar Donetsk. The young loanee is sure to see considerable minutes with FCC but will likely not feature in the match versus Orlando City. I would keep an eye on Orellano for FCC. The left wingback is the heir apparent to Barreal that is so critical for Cincinnati’s ability to progress the ball from the midfield into the attacking third. Orellano is clean with his touches and can serve up line-splitting through balls that are perfectly weighted.

Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting XI and score prediction?

JB: Unavailable players might include Yedlin (hip), goalkeeper Roman Celentano (ankle), forward Sergio Santos (leg), and center back Nick Hagglund (knee). It seems uncertain if either or all will miss minutes in the match versus Orlando but most likely to participate would be Celentano, who was a late scratch versus Colorado on Saturday. 

Starting XI (3-5-2): Roman Celentano (Alec Kann); Bret Halsey (DeAndre Yedlin), Miles Robinson, Matt Miazga, Ian Murphy, Luca Orellano; Obinna Nwobodo, Pavel Bucha, Lucho Acosta; Yuya Kubo, Corey Baird.

Score Prediction: Oscar Pareja seems to have Pat Noonan’s system figured out. FCC also struggles to find wins against Orlando City. I’m going to go with a 1-1 draw when the final whistle sounds. 

Thanks again to Justin for the great info on FCC. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 5/3/24

MLS roster profiles revealed, Marta’s best moments, Kelley O’Hara announces her retirement, and more.

Published

13 hours ago

on

May 3, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Happy Friday! We’ve reached the homestretch of the week and I couldn’t be happier. A busy weekend awaits me, but I’m hoping for some quiet, nice moments to offset some of the hustle and bustle. It’s also another weekend packed with Orlando soccer to enjoy, so make sure to plan your next couple of days accordingly. But for now, let’s get to the links!

MLS Unveils Club Roster Details

There’s a little more transparency in Major League Soccer after the league released helpful snapshots of each club that detail the composition of each roster. From Designated Players and MLS U22 Initiative Players to international roster slots and contract lengths, the graphics are easy to comprehend and give a nice look behind the curtain on each team. Using this, we can see that Orlando City midfielder Cesar Araujo no longer takes up a U22 Initiative slot and that the team also has an open international roster slot. It should be a fairly nice reference guide for fans moving forward, as well as a way to check out how other MLS teams are building their rosters.

Emily Sams Earns Recognition as Potential USWNT Player

Orlando Pride defender Emily Sams was mentioned as one of the top 20 eligible Americans who have yet to make an appearance with the United States Women’s National Team according to Pro Soccer Wire. The shout out is well deserved, as Sams has helped anchor a Pride defense that’s only given up seven goals this season. Only time will tell if Sams will earn a call-up once Emma Hayes is at the helm of the USWNT, but it does feel inevitable given how she’s been playing. Other notable players on the list include Ajax’s Lily Yohannes, Washington Spirit rookie Croix Bethune, and Angel City FC defender Sarah Gorden.

Marta’s Top Moments

All For XI compiled some of the best moments from Marta’s career into a tidy top five. Considering how prolific she has been for Brazil over the years, it was nice to see a pair of goals from her time with the Pride receive some recognition. Both of those moments were from 2018, with her free kick to equalize against the Seattle Reign placing fifth and her solo effort to stun the Spirit taking third. It’s fitting though that the top moment on the list showcases the impact she’s had off the field, as it’s Marta’s emotional speech after Brazil’s exit in the 2019 World Cup.

Kelley O’Hara Will Retire After 2024 Season

USWNT defender Kelley O’Hara announced that she will retire from professional soccer following the 2024 season. Over the course of her international career, she’s played in four World Cups, three Olympic Games, and was named to the FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2019. O’Hara has played in every NWSL season since the league’s inception, winning the title with the Spirit in 2021 and again with NJ/NY Gotham FC last year. She joined Gotham as the first free agent signing in NWSL history and she is set to close out her illustrious career there.

Free Kicks

  • Curve Fragrances was named the official fragrance partner of Orlando City. As part of the partnership, there will be giveaways and product sampling at select games this season.
  • Wrexham’s women’s squad for The Soccer Tournament this summer will include a trio of former Pride players, with Bridget Callahan, Danica Evans, and Nickolette Driesse all taking part. I can’t wait to see if Callahan will make SkoRed a rallying cry at the tournament.
  • Orlando City won’t have to contend with FC Cincinnati forward Aaron Boupendza tomorrow, as he will miss the next six to eight weeks due to a broken jaw suffered in an off-field incident.
  • The Europa League semifinals are underway and Bayer Leverkusen extended its unbeaten run to 47 games after a 2-0 road win against Roma. In the other matchup, Atalanta and Marseille drew 1-1 in France.
  • American midfielder Johnny Cardoso hasn’t been with Real Betis for long, but he’s doing well enough that Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, and Borussia Dortmund are among the clubs reportedly interested in signing the 22-year-old.
  • Lucas Hernandez suffered an ACL injury in Paris Saint-Germain’s loss to Borussia Dortmund and will miss out on this summer’s Euros with France.
  • Reims and Will Still have mutually agreed to part ways, with the coach leaving now despite just having three games left in the Ligue 1 season. It will be interesting to see where the 31-year-old coaches next, as he had a notable 19-game unbeaten stretch with Reims last season.
  • Here’s a detailed dive into the obstacles Everton has faced in recent years, as well as how the club has avoided relegation amid another difficult season.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Three Keys to Victory

What does Orlando City need to do to ensure a victory over FC Cincinnati Saturday at home?

Published

1 day ago

on

May 2, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City looks to bounce back from the disappointing 2-1 loss to Toronto FC Saturday night at Inter&Co Stadium. Cincinnati has twice as many points as Orlando City and more than twice as many wins. FCC has only scored one more goal than Orlando City, but with only nine goals conceded compared to Orlando City’s 17, it’s easy to see why Cincinnati is sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference.

What I’m trying to say is that the task doesn’t get any easier this weekend. What does Orlando City need to do to secure all three points at home against FC Cincinnati?

Accost Acosta

Cincinnati’s attack revolves around Luciano Acosta. The attacking midfielder has four goals and five assists so far this season. To put that into perspective, Duncan McGuire — Orlando City’s leading scorer — also has four goals but only one assist. If we look at the Lions’ attacking midfielders, Facundo Torres has one goal and one assist, Ivan Angulo and Nico Lodeiro both have one goal and two assists, and Martin Ojeda has zero goals and only one assist. Luis Muriel is still at double zeroes.

The defensive midfield and the back line must do everything possible to mark him out of the match. It’s not enough to keep him from scoring, they must also keep him from setting up chances for his teammates. Most importantly, the defense must do that for 90 minutes plus stoppage time. There is no room for the mental lapses we’ve seen throughout the first part of this season.

Break Through

Cincinnati is stingy on defense. As I mentioned above, the club has only allowed nine goals this season. The back line is formidable with the likes of Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson, and Ian Murphy. On the wings are DeAndre Yedlin and Luca Orellano. This is a tough defense, and whether it is McGuire or Muriel who gets the start, they must find the spaces in between.

Just as importantly, Torres, Angulo, Ojeda, and Lodeiro — depending on who is in at any given moment — must be able to thread the passes in for McGuire, Muriel, or each other to create quality chances. On top of that, the Lions must convert on those chances, which is not something that has been a strength so far this season. If the Orlando City defense continues to give up cheap goals, then the offense will need to one-up the competition when it comes to scoring.

Deal with an Unknown

FC Cincinnati recently signed Venezuelan forward Kevin Kelsy from Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk. Kelsy comes in as an MLS U22 Initiative player and is eligible to play against Orlando City. Even though Kelsy is only 19, he has 68 professional appearances, including UEFA Champions Leagues matches. At 6-foot-3, he can be a challenge for defenders, especially in the air.

Kelsy hasn’t had much time with the team, but he could be a second-half substitution for Cincinnati. Given that Orlando City just gave up two late headers against Toronto FC, the back line will need to be careful that Kelsy doesn’t hurt the Lions in the same manner — especially if he comes on late when legs and minds are tired.

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

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