Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Minnesota United: Player Grades and Man of the Match
So close, and yet so far. If not for a wonky deflection from a long throw-in and an unfortunate (but correct) offside call, Orlando very well could have snuck out of Minnesota with three points in the bag.
Instead a point will have to do, and while I certainly would have taken a draw before the game if it had been offered to me (Minnesota has only lost once at home all year), the fact that Toronto, Montreal and New England all could only manage draws definitely made it feel like a missed opportunity. Anyway, on to my grades.
Starters
GK, Brian Rowe, 7.5 (MotM) — When it came to shot stopping, Rowe had about the best night he could have had. He saved five of the six shots he faced, and probably had no right to make two of them, parrying a close-range Darwin Quintero shot out of the danger area and getting a strong right glove to another close shot in the second half from Robin Lod. He was absolutely helpless on the goal, and while his distribution wasn’t the best on the night, without the two excellent saves he made Orlando wouldn’t have even sniffed the point it eventually brought home from Minnesota.
D, Kamal Miller, 6 — It was a solid if unspectacular night from Miller at left back. He grew into the game as the first half went on, even after getting nutmegged by Ethan Finlay. He played a particularly smart pass in the 34th minute to release Benji Michel down the wing, but lost his man at the back post just before halftime and was lucky that the Lions didn’t concede because of it. He’s done well deputizing out wide, but the team has missed the width that Joao Moutinho is usually capable of providing.
D, Robin Jansson, 7 — Jansson was his usual composed and steady self in the center of defense. In the opening minutes of the match he did exceptionally well to pull back and hold the defensive line, catching his man offside in the process. He also made a number of clearances on balls played into the box and was very unlucky to have the goal come as a result of a deflection off his body.
D, Lamine Sané, 7 — Sané too provided exactly what we’ve come to expect from him this year — a solid and steady presence at the center back position. He passed the ball particularly well with an 88% connection rate on his passes, won two aerial duels, and, like his partner Jansson, he cleared the ball on a number of occasions. He even had a successful dribble to top off his well-rounded night.
D, Kyle Smith, 5.5 — Perhaps I’m nitpicking but for me Smith didn’t have the best night. The thing is, he played pretty well defensively, making a pair of tackles and blocking several would-be balls into the box. The problem for me came on the offensive side of the ball. He generally did a good job of getting forward but there were a couple occasions where his final ball into the box was lacking and sloppy passes led to the dissolution of at least two Orlando City attacks/spells of possession in the offensive half. I thought he improved after halftime and maybe his grade being low is simply because of how dangerous Ruan typically is on the right side of defense.
MF, Will Johnson, 6.5 — It was a fairly quiet night for Johnson. He made several good tackles on the edge of the box and passed at a great 89% rate, while doing a good job of clogging things up in the middle of the field. He began to tire in the second half though, which is rather understandable considering he spent his time on the field running as hard as he always does. His influence waned with his legs though, and James O’Connor was probably smart not to keep him on the field for the full 90.
MF, Nani, 6.5 — To be honest, this is a grade that I struggled with. For a lot of the first half Nani was marked quite tightly and it showed. He only had a 73% passing rate and was dispossessed on three occasions, and while he won a duel in the air he didn’t look as sharp as many of us are accustomed to seeing. With that being said he was much better in the second half after moving to his more comfortable wing position. He was also clever to get his body in front of Ike Opara to win the penalty kick and was equally calm when it came to slotting it away in the bottom corner. Hopefully the introduction of Mauricio Pereyra will mean the burden of creative duties is lessened.
MF, Sebas Mendez, 7 — Mendez was his typical self in defensive midfield. He did an excellent job of breaking up Minnesota attacks, recording four tackles in the process. He also had a passing accuracy of 93% and even managed to win an aerial duel — no mean feat when you’re listed at 5-foot-7. In general it was a good night for him, despite some loose passes in his own end, and, while he didn’t necessarily do anything spectacular, when you play the position he does, the less your name is called the better.
F, Benji Michel, 7 —I quite like what I’ve seen out of Michel for most of his time on the field this year and tonight was no different. He was lively and eager to run at defenders every chance he got, with three successful dribbles to show for it. On one of those dribbles he probably should have passed the ball wide to Robinho rather than having a shot at goal, but that sort of decision making should come as he matures. It was by no means a perfect game but he looked the most dangerous of the starting front three.
F, Dom Dwyer, 6 — It wasn’t the best night for Dom. While he won four aerial duels, much of what he was asked to do involved going up against center backs with a height advantage to try and win balls lofted out from the back. Still, he found himself in good positions on several occasions but was unable to get off a shot on the night. His passing accuracy of 60% also left quite a bit to be desired, and while he fought hard, it wasn’t a surprise to see his name come up on the substitutes board when it did.
F, Robinho, 6.5 — Perhaps y’all will disagree but I thought Robinho played rather well for the half that he was on the field. He completed two dribbles, made two tackles, passed at an 84% clip, and did exceptionally well to intercept a ball in the 37th minute, run at the defense and play a dangerous ball into the area. However, the Lions were in need of a formation change after halftime and him coming off for Mauricio Pereyra meant that Nani was able to play out wide where he’s more comfortable. It hurt my heart to see him being consoled on the sideline and he clearly still wanted to be out on the field trying to bring home three points.
Substitutes
MF, Mauricio Pereyra (46’), 6.5 — Pereyra came on for his Orlando City debut after halftime, replacing Robinho and slotting into the midfield. While he didn’t do anything especially spectacular, he did vital work pressing the ball and marking well through the center of the field. In addition he made a great tackle on the edge of the Loons’ box to keep the ball with Orlando, and completed a nifty little dribble out wide in the 88th minute to keep possession near midfield. He worked a nice give-and-go with Tesho Akindele deep in stoppage time that initially won a penalty until video review showed the Canadian was just offside.
F, Tesho Akindele (63’), 6.5 — Tesho had a much easier time of it when it came to hold-up play simply because he’s a bigger guy than Dwyer is, and he provided a better outlet that was sorely needed as the game wore on. He also showed absolutely fantastic awareness to play a first-time ball for Nani at midfield that sent him in behind the Minnesota defense and eventually resulted in him winning the penalty. He was disgustingly unlucky to be offside in the 94th minute, which negated a handball in the Loons’ box. He had a positive impact on the game overall though, and looks more and more like an extremely astute purchase.
MF, Carlos Ascues (78’), 6 — Ascues came on for Will Johnson to provide fresh legs in the middle of the field and help shut up shop for the remainder of the game. For the most part he did just that, clearing the ball several times and hassling Minnesota as the Loons tried to start attacks through the middle of the field. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to get up high enough to prevent Ike Opara from flicking on the long throw on which Orlando conceded. Still, it was a solid cameo from the Peruvian.
That’s how I saw things from the match. Please let us know your vote for the Man of the Match in the poll below.
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Nani | 3 |
| Brian Rowe | 90 |
| Lamine Sane | 2 |
| Robin Jansson | 6 |
| Sebas Mendez | 1 |
| Someone else | 1 |
Orlando City
Orlando City’s Playoff Offense Needs to Match Its Prolific Defense
A comparison of Orlando City’s offensive and defensive performances in the regular season and playoffs, and a conference final prediction.
A few weeks ago I wrote about the final four NWSL teams and what the Pride would need to do to be the last team standing, and two weeks later the Pride won the NWSL Championship. I am not saying that there is a direct explicit cause-and-effect connection between the two, and that the sole reason the Pride won was because of me and what I wrote, but I am not not saying it either.
I am absolutely not saying that. Out loud.
Seriously though, congratulations to the Pride. What an amazing season they had and they thoroughly deserve to call themselves champions. As my colleague Sam Denker wrote, they have built something special and sustainable.
Staying in the same stadium and color, but moving to MLS, Orlando City has reached the same place the Pride were two weekends ago — the final four of its league playoffs. In contrast to the NWSL, where the top four teams during the regular season made the final four, on the MLS side, it is the teams ranked fourth (LA Galaxy), seventh (Seattle), ninth (Orlando City) and 14th (the New York Red Bulls). There is a Wicked joke in here somewhere about Inter Miami getting splashed with cold water in the first round of the playoffs and melting away, but I will leave it at that and move on to focusing on the best MLS team in Florida, a team that actually advanced not once, but twice in the playoffs.
Orlando City has technically won three of its four games in these playoffs, as MLS counts penalty kick shootout wins as full game wins in the best-of-three, first-round matchups, but it has not been pretty. The offense that was averaging nearly 2.5 goals scored per game from July through the end of the regular season is averaging a paltry 1.0 goals per game in the playoffs, and while that has been enough for the Lions to squeeze through and advance to the conference finals, it would be a whole lot nicer if Orlando City’s offense was performing more like, say, the LA Galaxy, who are averaging a cool 5.0 goals per game in the playoffs (yes, you read that correctly).
Perhaps the Lions will score the required 21 goals against the Red Bulls to lift their playoff average from 1.0 to 5.0, but probably not, and at this point I would be happy with a two-goal game and would be extremely thankful (timely reference alert) for a three-goal game, especially considering how well the defense has been playing.
We will get to the defense, a positive story, in a moment, but before that I want to show a comparison between Orlando City’s performance during the full regular season, the regular season games from July on, and the four playoff games (own goals are excluded from these stats; all data is from fbref.com):
| Games | Goals/Game | Shots/Game | SoT% | Goal Conversion (Shots) | Goal Conversion (SoT) | npxG/Shot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Regular Season | 1.65 | 13.15 | 34% | 12.5% | 37.1% | .10 |
| July and After | 2.29 | 13.92 | 37% | 16.5% | 44.0% | .11 |
| Playoffs | 1.00 | 13.25 | 30% | 7.5% | 25.0% | .09 |
The Lions came into the playoffs extremely hot, but in their four playoff games they have looked like the Orlando City of the early season, which struggled to find the net with consistency. It is a small sample, and the competition is fiercer in the playoffs than the regular season, but what stands out to me is that the quality of the shot locations has decreased by nearly 20% (look at the decrease in npxG/Shot in the playoffs as compared to the games from July onward) and, probably unsurprisingly, the conversion rates have decreased as well. However, the Lions are not the only team experiencing a postseason decline, as evidenced by the chart showing the change in each statistic from the regular season to the playoffs:
| Games | Goals/Game | Shots/Game | SoT% | Goal Conversion (Shots) | Goal Conversion (SoT) | npxG/Shot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last Four Teams | +0.34 | -0.15 | -0.3% | +2.6% | +7.7% | Same |
| LA Galaxy | +3.00 | +1.29 | +17.5% | +18.0% | +20.7% | +.04 |
| Other Three | -0.45 | -0.56 | -6.7% | -2.9% | -2.6% | -.02 |
If you look broadly at the last four teams, there is more green than red (first row), but as you can see from the subsequent two rows, it is really that the Galaxy have been full of shooting stars (see what I did there?) and the other three teams have performed worse in the playoffs than in the regular season. The good news is that Orlando City is not alone in having playoff struggles. The bad news is that every game in the playoffs is a must-win game, so the Lions need to figure this out right now.
Or do they?
Soccer is the rare game where a team can hold its opponent scoreless and still get knocked out of the playoffs, but giving up zero goals guarantees at least a chance in a shootout, and when you have Pedro Gallese and Rodrigo Schlegel, your chances are good that you can win that shootout. Orlando City has posted shutouts in three of the four playoff games, and while the team’s offense has slipped in productivity, the defense has made up for it by giving up just one goal in 360 minutes of playoff action (plus stoppage time). If we look at the same type of stats for Orlando City’s opponents that we did for the Lions’ own attackers, we can see that while the offense slipped from scoring 1.65 goals per game during the regular season to a flat 1.00, a 39% decline, the defense has more than made up for it:
| Games | Goals/Game | Shots/Game | SoT% | Goal Conversion (Shots) | Goal Conversion (SoT) | npxG/Shot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Regular Season | 1.47 | 11.21 | 34% | 13.1% | 39.1% | .11 |
| Playoffs | 0.25 | 9.00 | 25% | 2.8% | 11.1% | .08 |
The comparative for Orlando City’s opponents is an 83% decrease in goals scored per game, an astounding decline and one that is a testament to the the whole team on how the Lions are limiting the opposing offenses. Atlanta United did not even get one shot on target all game, and while Charlotte did actually put the ball in the net, it only did so once in 270 minutes. Orlando City is limiting opponents to fewer shots per game, and the shots allowed are from locations that have historically produced fewer goals — an excellent combination.
As the Lions enter their first-ever MLS Eastern Conference final, the offense is chugging along while the defense is going full throttle, but I think a breakout is coming for the offense. This group has started nearly every game together for months, and I think the players will use their familiarity to break out of their mini slump and return to their high flying ways in the most important MLS game in the club’s history. Thus far this season, Orlando City has lost and drawn its two games with the Red Bulls, with both of those matches coming before the July turnaround, and I believe the Lions will complete the full results set and win the third one at Inter&Co Stadium this weekend.
My daughter is 3-0-0 in the three games she has ever attended , and she will be there in the stands, cheering on the Lions Saturday night. I am not saying that her attendance is the only reason that Orlando City will win, but I am not not saying it either.
Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 11/28/24
Orlando City prepares for Eastern Conference final, details revealed on Osceola Heritage Park changes, MLS roster changes, and more.
Happy Thanksgiving, Mane Landers! I don’t have too much preparation today beyond putting together some cranberry and brie bites for my family. The baking trials over the past week were more…trialing than expected, but I think I’ve figured out how to make them without giving myself too much stress today. My muffin tin was also a bit bigger than is probably optimal, so they come out more like muffins than anything. Before we dive into today’s links, here’s a picture of an imperfect batch before I realized they need a drizzle that I’ll make today.
Orlando City Prepares for the New York Red Bulls
For the first time in club history, Orlando City will take part in an Eastern Conference final when it hosts the New York Red Bulls on Saturday. It will be the third game between the two teams this year, and the Lions did not win either of the previous two meetings. The past hardly matters now though, as both teams are now just a game away from playing in the MLS Cup final. Head Coach Oscar Pareja spoke on the importance of Saturday’s game and how the Lions are preparing for their last home game of 2024.
Changes Planned For Osceola Heritage Park
Public documents revealed some of the major changes planned for Osceola Heritage Park following the Wilf family’s submitted proposal for parts of the land. The project is estimated to cost close to $1.3 billion and would include expansions for the team’s headquarters, academy, and 18 training fields. There are also plans for apartments, hotels, and restaurants and construction could begin next year. Orlando’s letter of interest in the land was the only one submitted and Osceola County Manager Don Fisher will reportedly recommend that county commissioners proceed with negotiations with the Wilf family.
Eliminated MLS Clubs Make Roster Moves
With only four contenders left in the MLS playoffs, the eliminated teams have turned their attention to getting their rosters ready for 2025. LAFC exercised the options on the contracts for goalkeepers Hugo Lloris and David Ochoa. It declined the option on MLS veteran Kei Kamara’s contract and is in discussions with forward Carlos Vela and defender Aaron Long as well. Former Lion Benji Michel’s contract option with Real Salt Lake was one of many declined by the club. Rubio Rubin, Maikel Chang, and Marcelo Silva won’t be in Salt Lake City next year either. Bongokuhle Hlongwane and Dayne St. Clair predictably had their contract options exercised by Minnesota United, while former Lion Derek Dodson had his declined.
The Columbus Crew will roll into 2025 without Yaw Yeboah or Alexandru Matan, but is keeping a decent amount of players around like Christian Ramirez, Jacen Russell-Rowe, and Patrick Schulte. Luis Suarez and Inter Miami have also agreed to a one-year contract extension that will keep him with the club through 2025.
UEFA Champions League Roundup
The most exciting match from the latest round of Champions League matches was in the Netherlands, with PSV Eindhoven coming back to beat Shakhtar Donetsk 3-2. The Americans shined, as Malik Tillman scored twice to tie things up, and then Ricardo Pepi provided the winner in stoppage time as a substitute. Benfica also had a thrilling 3-2 win thanks to a pair of late assists from Angel Di Maria to beat Monaco.
Real Madrid’s rough tournament continued with a 2-0 loss to Liverpool that included Kylian Mbappe having a penalty kick saved and an injury to Eduardo Camavinga. Borussia Dortmund cruised to a 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb, Aston Villa and Juventus battled to a scoreless draw in England, and Ngal’ayel Mukau had a brace in Lille’s 2-1 victory against Bologna. Cameron Carter-Vickers had a rough day after an own goal in Celtic’s 1-1 draw with Club Brugge.
Free Kicks
- Philadelphia Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner may have revealed that not every MLS team will take part in Leagues Cup next year, which would be a change from its past iterations.
- Ruud van Nistelrooy will reportedly become Leicester City’s next manager. This news comes after his solid and brief stint as Manchester United’s interim head coach.
- It may be Thanksgiving, but there’s still some soccer to check out today in the Europa League. The 18-match slate is highlighted by Tottenham’s clash with Roma and Manchester United’s home game with Bodø/Glimt.
- FIFA announced a $50 million legacy fund in collaboration with 2022 World Cup host Qatar and various groups like the World Health Organization, World Trade Organization, and UN Refugee Agency. Amnesty, a human rights group, noted how this legacy fund does not provide aid for the families of the migrant workers affected by the construction for the 2022 World Cup.
- Referee David Coote is under investigation for allegations that he exchanged messages with a fan about giving a yellow card to Leeds United defender Ezgjan Alioski.
That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving and enjoy plenty of great food and time with friends and family.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 11/27/24
MLS fines Orlando City, Barbra Banda wins another award, NWSL sets viewership record, and more.
Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers! I don’t know about you, but I’m still buzzing from the Orlando Pride winning the NWSL Championship, and Orlando City advancing to the Eastern Conference final. If you haven’t already make sure to listen to The Mane Land PawedCast that dropped yesterday, and keep an eye out for SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast dropping later today. For now, let’s get to the links, but first, it’s time to wish Orlando City midfielder Martin Ojeda a happy 26th birthday.
DisCo Strikes Again
The MLS Disciplinary Committee issued undisclosed fines against several players from both Orlando City and Atlanta United for violating the league’s Mass Confrontation Policy. As this was the third time Orlando City violated the policy, Head Coach Oscar Pareja was fined. This was the second time Atlanta United violated the policy, so interim coach Rob Valentino was also fined. In case you forgot the incident, you can watch the video here.
Banda Wins Another Award
Barbra Banda was named the MVP of the 2024 NWSL Championship on Saturday, and now she has also been named the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year 2024. Her trophy shelf certainly is getting crowded. Banda was one of five players up for the Footballer of the Year award, and won the award based on votes by the public. As you can tell from the following video, her Pride teammates are very proud of their striker.
Pride (Help) Achieve Another NWSL Record
The NWSL Championship match between the Orlando Pride and the Washington Spirit broke the NWSL viewership record for any NWSL match — regular season or postseason — in the league’s history. The match was watched by an average audience of 967,500 viewers on CBS, which doesn’t include those who watched on Paramount+. At its peak, the number of viewers rose to 1.1 million viewers. When you add in the Skills Challenge on Sunday, the total weekend viewership was over 2.5 million.
Champions League Results
Tuesday was a big day in the UEFA Champions League. Christian Pulisic kept up his good form in AC Milan’s 3-2 victory over ŠK Slovan Bratislava, scoring in the 21st minute.
In one of the most interesting matches, Feyenoord came back from a three-goal deficit to draw Manchester City 3-3. Robert Lewandowski became only the third player ever to score 100 Champions League goals. Lewandowski scored a brace for Barcelona in the Spanish side’s 3-0 victory over Brest. You can check out the rest of the results here.
Free Kicks
- Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser held up her end of the bargain after losing her wager with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, lighting up the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in purple.
- Former Pride winger Claire Emslie signed a new two-year contract through 2026 with Angel City FC.
- Inter Miami named Javier Mascherano as head coach of the club. Mascherano, who replaced Gerardo Martino, was most recently head coach of the Argentina U-20 and Olympic teams.
- Olof Mellberg has been named St. Louis City SC’s new head coach. The former Aston Villa and Swedish Men’s National Team captain has coached at several Scandinavian clubs.
- The head coaching carousel continued with New York City FC parting ways with Head Coach Nick Cushing.
- Finally, Orlando City and the Orlando Pride hosted their annual turkey giveaway for families in need. I love the fact that there have been trophies won over the last few years, but it’s also good knowing that the club does stuff like this for the Orlando community.
That will do it for today. I hope you enjoy the holiday tomorrow if you’re with family or friends. No matter what else you do, take care of yourself.
Orlando City’s Playoff Offense Needs to Match Its Prolific Defense
2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Amanda Allen
Lion Links: 11/28/24
Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Final Score 1-0 as Lions Advance to Eastern Conference Final
Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Five Takeaways
-
Orlando City5 days agoOrlando City vs. Atlanta United: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando City1 week agoOrlando City vs. Atlanta United: Three Keys to Victory
-
Orlando Pride2 weeks agoOrlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando City1 week agoHow Orlando City’s Offense Stacks Up Against What Atlanta Does Defensively
-
Orlando City4 days agoOrlando City vs. Atlanta United: Final Score 1-0 as Lions Advance to Eastern Conference Final
-
Orlando Pride2 weeks agoOrlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Final Score 3-2 as Pride Advance to NWSL Championship
-
Orlando Pride5 days agoOrlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit, NWSL Championship: Final Score 1-0 as Pride Win Club’s First League Title
-
Lion Links1 week agoLion Links: 11/20/24