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Orlando City vs. New York City FC, 2019 U.S. Open Cup: Final Score 1-1 with the Lions Advancing on Penalties

The Lions blew a 1-0 lead with just seconds remaining but advanced on penalties, 5-4.

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5 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

For much of the U.S. Open Cup match against New York City FC, the Lions looked every bit the team that spent an extra day traveling and was playing with just one day of preparation and recovery. But despite letting a lead slip away with just seconds remaining, Orlando City showed grit and determination in the penalty shootout after a 1-1, extra-time draw and advanced to the U.S. Open Cup semifinals for the first time in club history.

The Lions won a sudden-death penalty shootout, 5-4, at Exploria Stadium and advanced, despite not beating the Pigeons for the seventh consecutive competitive match (0-4-3). Orlando City fans and players won’t care about the game officially being a draw because the team is in the semifinals. The draw for the location will be Thursday at 2 p.m. ET.

Adam Grinwis was the big hero, stopping two New York City FC penalties in the shootout, after Chris Mueller and Maxi Moralez traded goals in the second half of normal time.

“Obviously exceptionally proud of the whole football club,” Head Coach James O’Connor said after the match. “I think when you look at tonight, we’ve created a little bit of history. Now we’ve won the biggest game in the club’s history. I think when you look at the fight and the mentality — I mean, granted in the last minute we would expect not to concede a goal like that — but I thought the composure then when it did go to penalties was excellent. I thought the mentality was very strong.”

O’Connor went with mostly a first-choice lineup for the quarterfinal matchup against fellow 2015 MLS expansion side NYCFC.

The first half wasn’t one that either team will frame and mount on their wall to look at. Orlando City started the game with a couple early chances, then fell into a lethargic 20-minute span.

Sebas Mendez fizzed a shot just a foot to the left of the far post off a corner kick in the second minute in what turned out to be Orlando’s best opportunity of the half.

The Lions spent much of the opening 45 minutes hemmed in their own half, passing out to midfield, then back to their own box. They struggled with New York City’s pressure and turned the ball over frequently or lumped it up the field. Ronald Mattarita was left all by himself on the Lions’ right side in the 10th minute and fired a shot wide of the back post with a couple of teammates lurking nearby.

The visitors nearly scored minutes later. Maxime Chanot got a free header on a corner kick, but Grinwis made a spectacular save to keep the game scoreless. The rebound was headed onto the top of the net.

Around the 25-minute mark Orlando started to get onto the ball more but couldn’t really generate anything dangerous. Nani shot a few attempts well over the bar but New York City FC’s defense kept turning the Lions back toward their own goal and nobody seemed particularly interested in beating their man one-on-one. Mueller’s deflected shot came close to catching the corner at the half-hour mark, but that was about it.

Orlando out-shot the visitors 7-5 in the scoreless opening half, but New York City FC registered the only shot on frame. NYCFC held 62.5% of the possession and was the more accurate passing team (84%-77%).

Orlando got more of the possession to start the second half but couldn’t do much with it other than rack up corner kick after corner kick. Very few of the chances were dangerous, but Will Johnson did manage the team’s first shot on target from a tough angle in the 49th minute.

The Lions finally broke the deadlock in the 61st minute on a gorgeous play. Mendez picked up the ball in midfield and found Nani down the left flank. The Portuguese star stormed down the wing and sent in a perfect cross for Mueller to head home to make it 1-0.

“The ball was kind of just floating up and giving me time to make a decision,” Mueller said. “I just headed it back across and I think Tesho was almost there to tap it in. I thought he was going to steal it (laughs).”

Akindele was wise not to touch it and risk an offside call, and the Lions held the lead.

New York had a lot more possession after the goal but the visitors got very few chances until late when they brought on Anton Tinnerholm, who helped the attack with dangerous crosses in from the wing.

Tinnerholm had a late header attempt that went just over the bar and it just about looked like Orlando had survived six minutes of stoppage time when disaster struck. A ball into the area deflected and fell perfectly for Moralez, who shot it from just in front of goal. Robin Jansson got a touch but could only get a piece of it and it found the corner of the net to make it 1-1 at the death, sending the match into extra time.

“Conceding in the (96th) minute was gutting for the boys,” Grinwis said. “To go into that extra 30 minutes was a grind. And (the supporters) fought with us all through that. The supporters were there and they kind of were that extra man and we needed their energy because it was hard to bring ourselves back up after such a gutting moment.”

The first 15 minutes of extra time were mostly uneventful, with New York City FC sending a few hopeful crosses into the area but neither team had any clear-cut opportunities. Orlando players looked to be running in mud, arriving second to every 50/50 ball.

Grinwis was forced to make a decent save on Castellanos in the second half of extra time.

However, the final 15 minutes mostly consisted of Orlando kicking the ball back to New York City FC. No one had any legs left and even the second half subs looked like they’d played all 120 minutes.

When extra time couldn’t decide the match, the penalty shootout was set to start at the south end of the stadium, where no one was seated. The supporters from The Wall sprinted down the concourse and pushed past security to fill the section behind the goal and lend their support — a gesture that didn’t go unnoticed by O’Connor or his players.

“I’m just immensely proud of the supporters as well,” O’Connor said. “I think when you look at the way they were tonight. They kept pushing and driving and singing and chanting, and then at the end, even when the penalties (were) on the far end for the supporters to just not accept it and to come all the way around and get behind the goal — what a special memory for the football club.”

Tesho Akindele fired home the first penalty and Grinwis kept out Alex Ring to push the Lions ahead. Kyle Smith — who had an excellent game at left back in place of the injured Joao Moutinho (quad) — scored on Orlando’s second kick and Valentin Castellanos answered for NYCFC. Dom Dwyer tried a cheeky stutter step as the third shot, and as often happens with such run-ups, he left his shot way too close to Brad Stuver, who saved easily. Anton Tinnerholm buried his shot, tying it at 2-2 after three rounds, putting the pressure on Orlando.

Will Johnson and Keaton Parks exchanged goals in the fourth round and Dillon Powers and Jesus Medina each converted in Round 5. Uri Rosell scored in the sixth round, and Maxime Chanot stepped to the spot to take New York City’s sixth. He fired and Grinwis dove to his right to make the save and send his team through to the semifinals.

“As a goalkeeper, these are the kinds of situations you dream of,” Grinwis said. “If I’m not noticed, that means the team had a good game. That means I didn’t have to do much, and that’s a good thing. I just wanted to help the boys however I could because they fought for me all 120 minutes. So, if I was able to dig a couple out and help them out, it’s the least I could do.”

New York City FC ended up with 64% of the possession and a 16-14 advantage in shots (4-3 on target). The Pigeons passed at an 82.7% clip to Orlando’s 69.6%. But in the end the Lions’ mental toughness led them past a good opponent and into the U.S. Open Cup semifinals.

The Lions return to league action on Saturday, playing their third match in a calendar week when the Columbus Crew come to Exploria Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

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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?

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4 hours 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

7 hours ago

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September 16, 2024

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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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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 3-0 home victory over the Revolution.

Published

1 day ago

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September 15, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City hosted the New England Revolution, though I doubt the Revs found the visit very hospitable. The Lions poured on the goals, earning a 3-0 win over their Eastern Conference foe. The victory is the second in a row for Orlando City. Here are my five takeaways from an important win at home.

Successful Short Corner

We here at The Mane Land are anti-short corners, but the Lions actually scored a goal on one against the Revolution. I’ll consider it the exception that proves the rule. Martin Ojeda played the corner to Ivan Angulo, who was about six feet away on the end line. Angulo took a touch and then passed the ball out to an unmarked Rafael Santos. The left back pushed the ball to the left and launched a missile into the upper left corner to put the Lions on top. I’m not sure it was exactly like they worked it up in training, but it was darn effective that time. Please return to normal corner kicks as it almost certainly won’t work again.

Gil Handball

It’s rare that Carles Gil provides a goal opportunity for Orlando City rather than against the Lions, but that is exactly what happened. Gil decided that it was a good idea to throw his right arm out while defending Ojeda inside the box. His hand then hit the ball and the penalty was given. Facundo Torres buried the ball in the upper right corner of the goal just before the break, giving Orlando City a commanding 2-0 lead heading into halftime.

Gil Denied

I was a bit worried when the Revolution won a free kick just outside the box in the second half. Gil set up to take it with a four-man wall in his way. It was just the right distance for someone of his skill to pull one back for New England, but Pedro Gallese said no. Gil put the ball into the upper left corner with Gallese cheating towards the right side of the goal. Fortunately, El Pulpo covered the distance and slapped the shot away to maintain the clean sheet.

Orlando Runs on Duncan

Duncan McGuire needed all of five minutes on the pitch after coming on as a sub to score his first goal since June 28 against New York City FC. McGuire timed his run perfectly as Nico Lodeiro sent the ball in to him near the top of the box. McGuire put enough power on his shot to put it through the keeper and into the back of the net. They say that a 2-0 lead is the most dangerous in soccer. I absolutely do not agree with that, but 3-0 is empirically better than 2-0. Having Big Dunc scoring again is exactly what Orlando City needs.

Offensive Production

Orlando City has now scored three goals in two consecutive matches. The Lions took 20 shots, putting five on target and scoring on three. That’s pretty good. The goals are also coming from across the lineup. We expect Torres and McGuire to score goals, because that is what they do. The goal from Santos was as unexpected as it was beautiful. This type of production is what can help the Lions make the playoffs for a fourth year in a row.

It was a good night for those of us who support Orlando City. Hopefully, the Lions can keep the momentum going next week. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and as always Vamos Orlando!

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