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Orlando City

Orlando City at New York Red Bulls (Round 3): Player Grades and Man of the Match

Published

8 years ago

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Interim Head Coach Bobby Murphy rolled the dice with an unconventional lineup that featured 20-year-old defensive midfielder Harrison Heath as the No. 10, little-used left wing Carlos Rivas as a lone striker at the top of his 4-2-3-1, and a DM pairing of two that included Antonio Nocerino for the first time in a while.

It went about as you’d expect when you saw the team sheet. Forget about Cyle Larin’s four goals in two trips to Red Bull Arena, let’s have some fresh Canadian legs up top for that Western Conference opponent on Saturday!

And the match turned into a bigger nightmare than the 2-0 final score. Brek Shea, sitting on four yellow cards, earned another for dissent. Not something you want to see from your (acting) captain. And something you never want to see is Heath on crutches after the match after sustaining a nasty-looking injury to his right knee.

The Lions were never in position to make a game of it, and didn’t register a shot on goal until they were down 2-0 in the second half. As such, do not expect to see very high grades herein.

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik 7.5, (MOTM) – Started the game with a huge save on Chris Duvall in the sixth minute. Made a diving save on Bradley Wright-Phillips‘ free kick in the 55th minute and denied Gonzalo Veron one-on-one in the 68th. His heroics allowed the score line to stay somewhat more respectable than it could have been. Not much he could have done on the Connor Lade goal, as his defense failed to deal with a corner. Could perhaps have positioned his wall better for Felipe’s free kick goal, but certainly couldn’t have reached it from his starting position.

D, Luke Boden, 4.5 -€” Not the best night for Bodz, who struggled to provide good service on the offensive end, whether from open play or set pieces. Didn’t do enough to clear balls into the box and sometimes lost track of secondary runners. Seemed to work hard, but didn’t quite get much accomplished for his efforts.

D, Seb Hines, 6.5 – Made two extremely vital plays in the first half, blocking a Mike Grella shot with his face in the 32nd minute, and cut out a cross labeled for Bradley Wright-Phillips in first-half stoppage time. In addition to two blocked shots, Hines finished with a tackle, four interceptions and three clearances. If there was one thing he struggled with it was passing, at just 66.7%. Played safely all night, blasting balls up field rather than taking time on the ball against New York’s high pressure.

D, David Mateos, 6 -€” A bit more clumsy than Hines and also a tad less careful about conceding fouls or clearing aerial balls. The Spaniard did manage four interceptions and three clearances, like his partner. He did pass the ball better though, finishing with a 75.8% rate.

D, Kevin Alston, 5.5 -€” Might have covered the most ground of any Lion in the game. His passing accuracy of 87.5% led the back line and was one of the best on the team and he busted his rear end getting up and down the right flank, often to be ignored by his teammates who missed the switch. Finished with three tackles, four interceptions and two clearances and not a single foul. He was culpable on the first goal, being unaware of how much time he had, he conceded a corner unnecessarily that led to Connor Lade’s goal. Despite a good passing rate, neither of his crosses were very good, though he did have one key pass. A solid night for Kevin that he can hopefully build on.

MF, Antonio Nocerino, 4.5 -€” The best thing that can be said about the Italian’s performance is that it didn’t hurt the team, even if it wasn’t entirely helpful either. He did manage a tackle and three interceptions defensively, but his passing rate of 76.5% could have been better. Seems to be getting more comfortable after a decent showing in U.S. Open Cup and not having a nightmarish outing tonight, but there’s still a way to go.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 6.5 -€” Kind of a typical night for Cristian, who passed at a team high 88.1% (minimum 45 minutes played), completing all four of his long balls. He had two tackles and led the team with six interceptions. However, he was dispossessed three times — second only to Kevin Molino and sometimes stood still while waiting for a pass to arrive, allowing New York players to step in front and take it. That kind of lazy play doesn’t show up on the stat sheet unless you count the lopsided possession numbers. He also took yet another yellow card.

MF, Brek Shea, 4 – He was the only Lion to get a shot off in the first half, although both his efforts were blocked. Earned an early free kick and showed good hustle but he did lose Duvall to set up a great opportunity for the Red Bulls early. Took a silly yellow card for dissent in the 52nd that will keep him out of Saturday’s match at Vancouver. Turned the ball over in his own half in the 58th and then compounded the error by conceding a free kick just outside the box that New York scored on. Won two free kicks in decent spots but conceded four. Not the best night for Brek, who managed the fewest touches of any non-goalkeeper to play 90 minutes.

MF, Harrison Heath, 4 -€” Not a great night for H, who left the game with an apparent right knee injury at halftime. At the time, he was completing only 55.6% of his passes and had touched the ball only 15 times. One of those was a nightmarish bad touch that started a counter attack in the 21st minute. He did manage to earn a free kick in a good spot in the 30th, but overall just not as much quality as on Friday from H. Hopefully his injury isn’t too serious.

MF, Kevin Molino, 4 -€” Yeah, longtime Lions fans will hate this score, but I don’t think this was a very good night for the Trinidadian, who often disappeared in this game. He completed a good amount of his passes (81.6%) and had four key passes, but a lot of his movement was backward or sideways and not challenging defenders. In addition, he was dispossessed a team-high four times and not only led the team in bad touches (8), but had more than twice as many as anyone else on the team. Passed up at least one decent look at goal to make an extra pass and registered no shots. That can’t happen when you’re being counted on for offense. His best contribution was sending Larin in on a 1-v-1, but it wasn’t enough from The Original.

F, Carlos Rivas, 2.5 – The Colombian is simply not wired to play an isolated striker role in MLS. He was useless on balls in the air due to his height disadvantage, so everything above his waist was a turnover either by the defender winning it or from Rivas fouling to try to win it. He was also continually offside by either mistiming his runs or being lazy about getting back on. (Officially he was offside twice but that’s only because he let the ball go a couple other times to avoid the whistle.) It was a wasted start for Rivas, who may have been able to offer more from the left wing. He had a terrible heavy touch on a 30th-minute free kick pass attempt for Boden. In 59 minutes he had just 15 touches and even though he completed 80% of his passes, that was only on five attempts. When he was subbed off in the second half, I’m not even sure he’d touched the ball after the break.

Substitutes

MF, Darwin Ceren, (45′) 5 -€” Came on for Heath at the break and managed to temporarily inject some life into the match for Orlando. He put the Lions’ first shot on goal with a long distance try in the 61st minute and had his typical good passing rate (83.9%) with four of five accurate long balls, but conceded several free kicks seemingly without needing to do so.

F, Cyle Larin (60′) 4.5 -€” In 30+ minutes, Larin got only 13 touches but he did attempt two shots, getting one on frame. For the first time, he failed to score a goal at Red Bull Arena, but he didn’t really get many opportunities coming on as late as he did. He made his runs and battled in the box, but often the play broke down before anyone could get him the ball. He might have done better to shoot high when in alone on Luis Robles in the 76th minute, but in fairness it did take a great save to deny the Canadian a goal.

MF/F, Julio Baptista (65′), 5.5 -€” Put on in an effort to chase the game, The Beast put in a solid 25 minutes. He had one shot on target, completed 93.3% of his passes and played one long ball, which was accurate. He managed 18 touches in his 25 minutes, which is more than Rivas or Heath managed, staying involved in the game.

Well, that’s the way I saw the game. Tell us how you rated the Lions tonight and vote for your Man of the Match below.

Polling Closed

Player Votes
Seb Hines 25
Joe Bendik 88
Cristian Higuita 12
Other 11
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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

15 hours ago

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May 2, 2024

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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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/2/24

The Pride win big, OCSC celebrates Mental Health Awareness Month, USMNT news, and more.

Published

19 hours ago

on

May 2, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

It’s Thursday, Mane Landers. Of course, the name Thursday comes from Thor’s day, and as such, it isn’t a big leap for us to consider it Thorhallsson’s day. Though I suppose that is a bit of a mouthful, so we’ll just keep things the way they are, but do hold Dagur Dan close to your heart today. Also, let us wish a happy birthday to the Orlando Pride’s Luana. Despite the devastating news that dropped about her health earlier this week, we hope that her spirits are high and we wish her nothing but happiness today. It’s also Dagur Dan Thorhallsson’s birthday today, so we’re celebrating him as well. Let’s get to the links.

The Pride Dominate the Courage

The Orlando Pride defeated the North Carolina Courage 4-1 in a midweek match at Inter&Co Stadium. The Pride did indeed dominate the Courage as much as the score line indicates. It was once again the Barbra Banda show, with the Pride’s newest player contributing a brace and an assist on the night. It is the Pride’s fourth straight victory and the undefeated run continues.

OCSC Celebrates Mental Health Awareness Month

Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are doing their part this May to observe Mental Health Awareness Month. The club is sponsoring and attending events and forums available to the general public, as well as holding club staff workshops around promoting mental health. I have to say my favorite is the therapy dogs visits that will be available to the staff. There’s nothing as good for my personal mental health as the joy and unconditional love a dog can bring. If I didn’t have dogs of my own, I’d be really jealous.

The Billionaires Clubs

Orlando City and Orlando Pride owners, the Wilf family, are not the only billionaire owners in the NWSL. There are more and more owners and ownership groups that fall into that category. The influx of more money is a growth opportunity for the league and potentially for those owners. It’s a bit of a “rising tide lifts all boats” mentality for these owners as they do better when the league as a whole does better. It’s not just the owners who think so. The NWSL was ranked No. 5 on the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2024. I’m just glad the Pride are in the club.

USMNT News

I hate starting off a section with bad news, but Sergino Dest tore his ACL in training with PSV Eindhoven and will miss the Copa America. Dest will require surgery though there is no time frame yet for when he may return. The loss of Dest is a blow to the U.S. defense heading into the competition this coming June. The USMNT plays Bolivia on June 23.

In better news, Tim Weah provided the assist for Juventus on Arkadiusz Milik’s goal against Lazio. Juventus entered the second leg of the Copa Italia semifinal up 2-0, but Lazio drew level before Milik’s goal. Juventus advanced 3-2 on aggregate and will play in the final.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. There’s plenty more soccer to come this weekend with all three teams playing. Check back for more as we get you ready for those matches. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/1/24

Mason Stajduhar was arrested, Orlando Pride play at home tonight, Colin Guske discusses his signing, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

May 1, 2024

By

,
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday and welcome to May, Mane Landers. Don’t forget that the undefeated Orlando Pride are in action tonight, so check back for our match preview and the latest episode of SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast for additional pre-match coverage. In the meantime, let’s get to the links.

Mason Stajduhar Arrested Early Sunday

Orlando City goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar and his wife Tatiana Stajduhar were both arrested on disorderly conduct charges following an incident at a nightclub overnight Saturday in the early hours of Sunday morning. The couple were reportedly disrespectful to the club’s staff and got into an altercation with the security guards. Mason stated he was only resisting the security guards to re-enter the club because the bouncers allegedly hit his wife. Tatiana allegedly pushed the police officers after they arrived, and she was not charged with battery on a law enforcement officer. The couple were released Monday after posting a bond. Orlando City provided the following statement to WESH 2 News:

“The Club is aware that goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar was arrested early Sunday morning. We are currently gathering more information and will have no further comment at this time.”

Orlando Pride Host the North Carolina Courage Tonight

After a 3-2 win on the road last Friday against the Washington Spirit, the Orlando Pride are back in the City Beautiful and will take on the North Carolina Courage tonight. Unbeaten in their six games so far this season, the Pride have also won their past three games and sit fourth in the standings. They’re tied on points with a Courage team that beat the Seattle Reign Saturday. Orlando has scored at least one goal in every match this season. Forward Barbra Banda had a great performance in that win against the Spirit, so hopefully the scoring trend continues tonight for the Pride.

Orlando City/Pride Earn Golden Brick Awards

Have you enjoyed the new food options at the stadium? I know I have, and I’m looking forward to trying even more. The efforts made by Orlando City’s front office to feature more local food and beverage options did not go unnoticed, as the club won the Hospitality & Dining category in the Downtown Orlando Partnership’s 2023 Golden Brick Awards. The Orlando Pride’s 2023 Highway Woman Kit also won the award in the Arts & Culture category. The home jersey was inspired by the work of Mary Ann Carroll, the sole woman in the famed Highwaymen artists from decades ago.

Colin Guske Speaks On Signing First Pro Contract

Orlando City Development Academy player Colin Guske signed his first professional contract with the club last month and spoke on the importance of this moment in his career. The 17-year-old is now on an MLS NEXT Pro contract with Orlando City B, and he has started in nearly every game for the Young Lions this year. Both of Guske’s brothers have also played for Orlando City’s academy over the years, and he thanked his family for helping him reach this point.

“It’s awesome to represent the Guskes,” Colin said. “Thanks to my brothers for always pushing me through early mornings and late nights, always putting in the work, doing video sessions, everything. My sister as well, for always being there for me and my parents, too. They’re always helping me and what was the best for me.”

Free Kicks

  • Enjoy all of the sights and sounds from the Pride’s big win over the Spirit in the nation’s capital.
  • The Champions League semifinals are underway and Real Madrid and Bayern Munich played to a 2-2 draw in Germany. The second leg will take place on May 8 in Madrid.

That will do it for today. If you can make it out to the stadium tonight to catch the Pride in action, I strongly suggest you do so. Barbra Banda is about to take the NWSL by storm and you’ll want to see it in person. Vamos Orlando!

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