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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Portland Timbers: Player Grades And Man of the Match

Published

9 years ago

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Defending champ domination.

In the return of Kaká to the starting lineup, Orlando put on a performance to remember, dominating the reigning MLS champs, 4-1. Brek Shea and Kevin Molino scored their first goals in MLS for Orlando City and Hines got another set piece goal (first of the regular season). Definitely lots to like from this game going forward.

Let’s get right into the grades from this fun match.

Starters:

GK, Joe Bendik, 8 — For the second week in a row, Bendik came up big. Huge penalty stop in the 43rd minute against Adi and a great save in the 66th against Valeri. He also stopped Valeri’s free kick in the 68th. I was going to give him a higher grade, but I knocked off half a point for being caught out on Portland’s goal.

D, Rafael Ramos, 6.5 — In one of the better games for the team, Ramos had his most disappointing performance on the year. Had a bad giveaway in the 25th minute that gave Portland a good chance on goal, but, just in general, Ramos had times where he was okay, but just hasn’t been himself lately.

D, Tommy Redding, 7 — Had to battle with Fanendo Adi for the first 45 minutes and did a good job of it, but ended up coming out for Collin after sustaining a head injury and feeling dizzy. Although Adrian Heath made sure to mention his performance in the press conference and said that he wouldn’t have subbed him off if he didn’t have to.

D, Seb Hines, 8 — Seb and his magical forehead struck again. With Kaká back in the lineup and on set pieces, it was only a matter of time before he knocked in a header. Besides scoring the first goal, Hines was impressive on the defensive end. He came up with multiple attack-stopping tackles and held Adi, Asprilla and Melano quiet up top. Would have been my MOTM, but came in a close second.

D, Brek Shea — 7.5: Arguably the best game from Shea so far this season. Had a goal to remember in the first half, his first with Orlando in MLS play, and seemed to completely control the left side of the field. Shea was not only able to get forward often, but his ability to track back and shut down counter attacks was crucial in containing the Timbers attack. Adrian Heath also commented on his play and mentioned his “mind blowing” athleticism and how he hoped USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann was watching the fullback’s performance.

M, Cristian Higuita, 7.5 — Another great performance from the young Colombian. He and Darwin Ceren controlled the midfield as usual and Higuita made some key tackles. He also helped out in the attack getting forward a few times, including helping to start the counter attack that led to Kaká’s goal.

M, Darwin Cerén, 7 — Much like Higuita, Cerén had a successful run about in the midfield. Didn’t stamp his presence on the game with challenges or memorable moments, but did what needed to be done and kept Portland in check. Importantly, he and Higuita both kept their heads and didn’t pick up a yellow.

M, Adrian Winter, 7.5 — Winter was an absolute workhorse on both sides of the pitch and helped Kaká create chances in the final third. Had a hand in setting up Kaká’s goal in the 48th minute, holding off Portland defender Nat Borchers, and brought some creativity and pace to the game.

M, Kevin Molino, 7 — Yes, Molino drew and scored a penalty, but he was mostly quiet on the offensive end. The reason his grade is what it is is due to his defensive plays that he made throughout the game. He tirelessly tracked back from his forward position and made some key interceptions on the right side of the pitch. Even if he hadn’t scored a goal, his effort around the pitch definitely didn’t go unnoticed. He still needs to pull the trigger more often though.

M, Kaká, 8.5 (MOTM) — In his first game back from injury, the captain didn’t disappoint. He was fully involved in Orlando’s attack, grabbing two assists — on Hines’ set piece and Shea’s bullet of a goal — while also scoring one of his own. What put him over the top for MOTM was the fourth goal of the night. After Molino drew the penalty, the captain selflessly gave the ball to him and told him to trust in himself. That goal could go a long way for Molino’s confidence, so props to Ricky for the gesture.

F, Cyle Larin, 5 — Used his body and pace as he usually did, before he pulled his hamstring and had to be subbed off in the 24th minute.

Substitutes

M, Servando Carrasco (24′), 6.5 — Came in for Larin and shifted back into a defensive role, which he played up to standard. Played a role in Adi’s penalty when his header hit Shea’s arm through no fault of his own. Had a bad giveaway that led to a couple Portland scoring chances. Connected on 80.6% of his passes. Got involved quickly, finishing with more touches than Ceren, despite not starting.

F, Aurélien Collin (45′), 6.5 — In the 50th minute, he overplayed a challenge that turned into an opportunity for Nagbe, but Hines was able to bail him out. Also gave the ball away which led to Portland’s only goal. Still, he had a few good tackles. His 57.9% passing accuracy is simply not good enough.

M, Carlos Rivas — (80′), N/A — Rivas came in and did exactly what you would need him to do in that situation. Brought speed into the Orlando attack and stretched the defense a bit, but he’s still looking for that first goal in MLS play. I won’t give him a grade since he only managed four touches and one pass.

* * *

Well, those are my grades for the match. What do you think? Let me know in the comment section below and don’t forget to vote for your Orlando City Man of the Match.

Polling Closed

Player Votes
Kaka 362
Brek Shea 23
Joe Bendik 30
Seb Hines 4
Other 9
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Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/25/24

Orlando Pride make everyone’s ‘nice’ list, the USMNT’s new attitude, Boxing Day matches, and more.

Published

23 hours ago

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December 25, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah, Mane Landers! One of the great things about soccer is that unlike other sports, there are matches being played somewhere nearly every day of the year. It truly is something for which I’m grateful. That also means there’s soccer news even on a big holiday, making my job here a bit easier. As such, let’s get to the links.

Orlando Pride Still Tops

It doesn’t matter what list you mention when it comes to women’s soccer, the Orlando Pride will be on it. If you follow women’s soccer — and I don’t know why you wouldn’t — 2024 brought plenty of gifts. Obviously, Marta lifting a pair of trophies was big news in the world of women’s soccer. The arrival of Barbra Banda and Temwa Chawinga to the NWSL was also pretty significant. Enjoy all of this as long as you can. I know I will.

USMNT Savageness

Weston McKennie is loving the attitude that Mauricio Pochettino is bringing to the USMNT. Some have felt that the U.S. has played too timidly before his arrival. Now, McKennie feels he’s bringing a savageness and a bit of South American attitude to the team. Previously, the USMNT was known for being physical if not technical. Perhaps McKennie and his generation can bring both to the table.

Premier League Holiday Cheer

Thursday is a big matchday in the English Premier League. If you’re lucky enough to not have to go to work, there will be plenty of Boxing Day matches to enjoy. Liverpool is top of the table this Christmas, in large part to the efforts of Mo Salah, who became the first player in Premier League history to reach double figures for goals and assists before Christmas.

Given it’s the holiday season, I’m certain that all the EPL clubs want something in their stockings. Of course, if you’re not adding pieces you might fall behind. There are players that each club could add to help in the pursuit of glory.

Rioters Sentenced

Five of the 60 people detained after riots outside the UEFA Europa League match between the Dutch side Ajax and Israel’s Maccabi Tel-Aviv in November have been sentenced by an Amsterdam District Court. The perpetrators’ punishment ran from community service to six months in prison. The altercation took place between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli football fans. Five people were sent to the hospital and 20 others sustained minor injuries. I truly wish this type of thing would stop at soccer matches — or anywhere for that matter.

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That will do it for today. If you celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a wonderful time giving and receiving gifts this morning. If Hanukkah is your thing, enjoy all eight days and nights. Kwanzaa? Enjoy every day from Thursday through Jan. 1. Festivus celebrators, you should already have done your feats of strength and airing of grievances. If you don’t celebrate any particular holidays, I hope you had a peaceful, relaxing morning. Just know that we here at The Mane Land are grateful for the gift of your readership.

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Orlando City

Top 10 Moments of 2024: Facundo Torres Breaks Lions’ All-Time Goal Record

In our No. 8 moment of the year, Facundo Torres sets a new Orlando City career record for goals scored.

Published

2 days ago

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December 24, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

As we count down to the new year of 2025 — which will be Orlando City’s 11th in MLS, the Orlando Pride’s 10th in the NWSL, and OCB’s third in MLS NEXT Pro — and say goodbye to 2024, it’s time to look back at the club’s 10 best moments of the year as selected by The Mane Land staff via vote.

The 2024 season will always be a bittersweet one when it comes to remembering the contributions of Uruguayan winger Facundo Torres. He once again started the season slowly before locking in over the summer and dazzling crowds, befuddling opponents, and doing impressive things with a soccer ball on behalf of Orlando City SC.

He helped the team get to the second round of the Concacaf Champions League/Cup and to the Eastern Conference final — the first time the club accomplished either achievement. Then he left, transferring to Palmeiras just days before Christmas. He may be gone, but the transfer funds and open Designated Player slot the sale brought the club may yet make for even more success on the field in the seasons to come.

Torres put together another brilliant season, starting by scoring a brace in the team’s Champions Cup opener against Cavalry FC on Feb. 21. Here’s the first of those goals:

He added a nice header later to put the game away. The brace had many fans dreaming that he wouldn’t take until the summer to get into a groove during his third year in Orlando like he did in his first two seasons. But then he didn’t score again in the run of play until the fourth minute of a May 29 road game against the Chicago Fire. That isn’t to say he didn’t find the net in March or April. He scored from the penalty spot once in each of those months — at Tigres March 12 and at Montreal April 20 — but it wasn’t the hot start fans were hoping for.

Torres did, however, settle in eventually and had himself a season. In fact, he broke Cyle Larin’s club record for most goals in a season across all competitions, by hitting the net 20 times in 2024. He scored 14 times in the regular season, twice in the MLS Cup playoffs, three times in Champions Cup play, and once in Leagues Cup. That doesn’t even count his made penalties in the postgame shootouts against Cruz Azul or Charlotte FC (in Game 3).

As usual, he did most of his damage in the second half of the year, when he helped the club put together a remarkable run of form that lifted the Lions from near the bottom of the conference to fourth place by season’s end. During the team’s final 17 games, Torres scored 11 of his 14 regular-season goals and posted three braces. The light switch seemed to be flipped in the first game of the second half of Orlando City’s 2024 season. After just three goals in the first 17 games — one in the run of play and two from the penalty spot (he also missed a penalty for the first time in his career in Game 17 against LAFC) — Torres scored three goals in the next two matches, helping the Lions to a comeback draw at Charlotte and a 4-2 home win over the Chicago Fire, setting the tone for an 11-4-2 run in the second half.

His torrid run of form had him climbing the club’s scoring list all summer and that culminated in reaching the pinnacle of the team’s MLS era on Oct. 2, when he did this in the 57th minute at home against the Philadelphia Union:

As Torres goals go, it wasn’t one of his prettiest or most impressive, but it was his 45th as a Lion across all competitions, passing Larin’s career mark for Orlando City’s MLS era. It also helped propel the Lions to a 2-1 win over the Union, putting the team on the cusp of clinching home field in the first round of the playoffs. It was also Torres’ last regular-season goal with Orlando City. Bittersweet.

However, the Las Piedras, Uruguay, native wasn’t finished scoring in 2024. He notched the first goal of Orlando’s postseason run in the 32nd minute against Charlotte FC at home on Oct. 27 in a 2-0 win. Torres placed himself in the right spot at the right time, taking advantage of a deflected Rafael Santos cross that fell in front of him in the box. The winger blasted it off the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net to open the scoring.

The goal drew him level with Dom Dwyer for the club’s all-time career goals mark when combining Orlando City’s USL and MLS eras.

He should have claimed that record for himself in Game 2 of the Charlotte series when he fired home in stoppage time on the road, but the flag came up for Nico Lodeiro being offside in the buildup — incorrectly, per the offside modeling Twitter account.

While the offside modeling site is hardly official, it illustrates how close the play was. Many teams tend to get the benefit of those types of calls and the flags stay down, but Orlando is generally not one of those teams.

However, he took sole possession of the record one match later, breaking the tie with Dwyer in the 12th minute of stoppage time of Game 3. The Lions trailed 1-0 and the season was on the brink when Duncan McGuire was pulled down in the box on a late set piece, injuring himself to the point he had off-season surgery to repair the labrum and rotator cuff in his shoulder. Torres took the ball and stepped to the spot to face one of the best goalkeepers in MLS, Kristijan Kahlina. The Croatian read Torres well and made the stop, but he couldn’t control the rebound. Torres got to it quickly, kept his composure, and fired it home to level the match.

It was not only an important strike, but it was also his 47th and final goal for Orlando City across all competitions, although he also calmly scored his penalty in the ensuing shootout to help send the Lions through to the conference semifinals against Atlanta United.

It’s fitting that Torres’ final Orlando City goal was such an important one, as he’s been such a big part of the team’s success over the past three seasons. He departed the club officially on Dec. 20 for a club-record transfer fee after scoring a total of 47 goals across all competitions. He added 25 assists in his time in purple, amassing a club-record 72 career goal contributions.

In a three-year Orlando career that was filled with highlight-reel plays, Torres brought a lot of joy to the club’s fans during his stay. His ascendance to the top of the club’s MLS and combined scoring lists is worthy of inclusion as one of our top moments of the season.

Come back through New Year’s Eve as we count down the remainder of the top 10 moments of 2024 for Orlando City, the Orlando Pride, and OCB.

Previous Top Moments of 2024

10. Orlando City’s massive second-half surge clinches top-four spot in Eastern Conference.

9. The Orlando Pride sign Zambian international striker Barbra Banda ahead of the 2024 season.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/24/24

MLS transfer roundup, Americans in midweek action, NWSL news galore, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

December 24, 2024

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Happy Tuesday and merry Christmas Eve, everyone! I hope you’re all having a good start to your week and have some fun stuff planned for the upcoming holidays.

Before we get started with today’s links, we here at The Mane Land want to give a special shout out to Joe (a.k.a. fldatadude) for signing up for a Homegrown Player-level membership on our Buy Me a Coffee page. By signing up at one of our three levels of support, our readers and podcast listeners can enjoy added benefits in addition to keeping our bills paid so we can continue doing what we do.

Now we do have plenty of items to get to today, so let’s get into today’s news.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

Several MLS teams have been busy at work in the transfer market, so let’s break down the recent moves. LAFC signed free agent forward Jeremy Ebobisse to a three-year deal with an additional option year, adding more firepower to an already strong squad. The Portland Timbers also got some business done via free agency, as they signed winger Ariel Lassiter. FC Dallas acquired forward Anderson Julio from Real Salt Lake, with defender Sam Junqua and up to $500,000 in General Allocation Money going to RSL in exchange. Finally, Lorenzo Insigne has teased on his Instagram that he will play another season for Toronto FC in 2025.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans playing this week, so get everything marked down and enjoy some festive footy. Thursday’s Boxing Day slate features Americans heavily, with Chris Richards, Matt Turner, and Crystal Palace traveling to take on Tyler Adams and Bournemouth in Premier League play. Antonee Robinson and Fulham will play Chelsea that same day, while Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United face an unenviable trip to Stoke City to round things off on Thursday.

Keeping Up With NWSL Happenings

Let’s start our NWSL roundup with the San Diego Wave, which have reportedly hired Jonas Eidevall as their new head coach. The Swede most recently spent time coaching Arsenal and has reportedly been the Wave’s top choice for several weeks. We now move to the realm of fact, where Angel City FC has signed midfielder Macey Hodge to a two-year deal with an option for the 2027 season. Finally, expansion team BOS Nation FC agreed a lease with Boston Public Schools and the City of Boston that will allow the team to use White Stadium as its home ground starting in 2026.

European Transfer Rumor Mill

Europe’s club teams can’t do business quite yet, but rumors are flying thick and fast with January just around the corner. First up, Manchester United is said to be exploring a deal to sign Victor Osimhen in January, particularly with Marcus Rashford indicating that he wants out of the club. Staying in the Premier League, Christopher Nkunku’s agent has reportedly offered the forward’s services to Barcelona, as he hasn’t been starting for the Blues and wants a larger role. Finally, Bayern Munich is said to be closely monitoring Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, which would add him to a long list of Dortmund players snapped up by the Bundesliga giants.

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That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a very merry Christmas Eve!

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