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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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5 years ago

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To put it kindly, that was not fun. Watching Orlando City play a sloppy, lazy match and waste opportunity after opportunity is never any fun. This 1-0 defeat to Wayne Rooney United — oops, make that D.C. United — feels especially miserable since it provided a very unwelcome flashback to the last time the Lions were at Audi Field. It’s hard to grade a squad of players who didn’t really seem interested in playing soccer tonight, but I’ll have a go at it.

Starters

GK, Brian Rowe, 6 — I believe Rowe to be the most difficult player to grade after this match. Had it not been for two times that the veteran goalkeeper made the incorrect choice to come way too far out of his box (the Rooney goal and the VAR-disallowed Ulises Segura goal), Rowe might have been my Man of the Match. His excellent back-to-back reaction saves in the 30th minute certainly kept Orlando City in the game, as did the two times he correctly came out of his box in the 56th and 60th.

D, Kyle Smith, 6.5 — Seeing Smith as the starting left back with Danilo Acosta on the bench was a bit odd to me. I have to say, however, that it wasn’t necessarily a bad call by Head Coach James O’Connor. Smith was the quiet, steady defender on the pitch tonight, starting as early as the third minute, when he fought to escort the ball out for a goal kick while under heavy pressure from D.C.’s attacker. He didn’t get into the attack in the same ways the injured Joao Moutinho, or perhaps Acosta, would have, but Smith’s five tackles led the team.

D, Robin Jansson, 5.5 — This was not Jansson’s best game as a Lion. It wasn’t his worst either. He definitely didn’t close down Rooney when he should’ve, such as the 41st minute when he allowed Rooney to rip a shot that sailed high and right of the goal. That was an issue shared by others below too. Jansson had two good chances to get on the score sheet and skied both of the headers from corners in the second and 84th minutes. No tackles, two interceptions, and one clearance illustrate that the viking defender had an uninspired night.

D, Lamine Sané, 5.5 — In the opposite conundrum I had with Rowe, I planned to give Sané a lower score until his brilliant goal-saving 68th-minute tackle on Luciano Acosta. That tackle alone could have won him MotM had he not decided to, much like Jansson, let Rooney have all the time and space he needed to make plays. See minutes 6 and 19 for two great examples. Sané also lost a ball to Rooney in the 73rd that a man of his stature should never have lost to a man of Rooney’s stature. That ball ended up in the back of the net as well, only to be called back by VAR because of an offside.

D, Ruan, 5 — This was an uncharacteristically off night for Orlando City’s newest golden boy. Ruan never looked particularly threatening making runs down the right, and was shut down by D.C.’s defenders the few times he got into potentially dangerous areas. His 26th-minute yellow card for a horrible sliding tackle on Joseph Mora was bad enough that a red card wouldn’t have been unwarranted. In the 82nd minute, Sacha Kljestan placed a perfect ball on Ruan’s head at the edge of the six yard box. Unfortunately, the right back chose to attempt heading it across the face of the goal instead of putting the header on frame.

MF, Carlos Ascues, 4.5 — I don’t think anyone complained when O’Connor subbed Ascues off for Uri Rosell in the 70th minute. Most fans were probably screaming for it to have happened sooner. I’ve been one to defend Ascues in the past. His performance in this match makes that very hard. Ascues was part of the Jansson and Sané trifecta that continually allowed Rooney tons of space. Surprisingly, the defensive midfielder did manage four tackles, an interception, and a clearance although those numbers certainly don’t make up for wasting a chance to shoot after rounding Bill Hamid, or his terrible shot in the 20th minute. The only redeeming play I saw from Ascues was in minute 58 when his cross went right to Tesho Akindele’s foot in front of goal.

MF, Sacha Kljestan, 6 — Old Mr. Mustache had himself a very subdued night. I actually didn’t have any notes written about him until his beautiful 82nd-minute cross to the head of Ruan. Kljestan played like a less passionate Will Johnson, doing what was asked of him and not really anything else. His 67 passes, with two of them being key passes, led the team and he also provided three tackles. The game’s second yellow card was given to Kljestan in the 89th for a needlessly bad tackle at the corner of Orlando City’s 18-yard box.

MF, Dillon Powers, 7.5 (MotM) — The formerly headbanded one continued his great form with another outing worthy of the MotM title. Powers was the only midfielder who seemed to play with heart and drive throughout the match. With 77 touches, he trailed only Nani on the night. Both of his shots weren’t on goal, though at least he actually attempted them unlike some of the Orlando City attackers. The midfielder put in a super cross that landed right on Chris Mueller’s head at minute 67. Powers was also the only Lion that wanted to shut down Rooney, providing two interceptions in the 72nd and 92nd minutes on passes destined for the D.C. star. He capped off his game with a gorgeous steal from Rooney in the 93rd that firmly cemented Powers as my MotM.

F, Nani, 7 — Nani did Nani things for the majority of the match. I’m sure many will have him as their MotM. Had he been a bit more selfish at times, I may have had him as mine as well. The Portuguese world beater had seven insane dribbles that were the best soccer on the pitch for either squad tonight. Nani took four shots, with one on goal, but I fully believe he should have taken more himself instead of consistently looking for the cross. A few additional shots along the lines of the 17th-minute laser from outside the 18, and I’m certain that the captain would have added his name to the score sheet.

F, Tesho Akindele, 5.5 — Add Akindele to the list of players who didn’t appear to want to go all out this match. The striker was invisible for large portions of the first half. A curling shot from the top of the 18 in the 40th minute forced a save from Bill Hamid. It was Akindele’s only shot on goal for the match, and 50% of his total shots. On Ascues’ lone decent play, he put a cross right on Akindele’s right foot as he stood directly in front of goal in the 58th minute. Somehow, Akindele couldn’t connect and ended up falling down next to Hamid almost on the goal line with the ball still tangled up in his feet. Those of us watching simply had to shake our heads since it was another one of those nights for the Lions.

F, Chris Mueller, 6.5 — Unlike a lot of his teammates, Cash was his typical energetic self. Sadly, he reverted back to some old bad habits that didn’t do him or the team any favors. Mueller was way too hesitant to shoot again and it may have cost a goal or two. In the 20th minute, he was alone just to the left of the penalty area and took too many touches before deciding to lay the ball off for Ascues’ awful shot. Someone — maybe Nani or O’Connor — might have told Mueller to be more selfish late in the first half. After making a good run down the right in the 45th, he took a shot from the edge of the 18 and sent it into the stands. Mueller also put shots over the crossbar in minutes 67 and 77 before being subbed off in the 79th.

Substitutes

MF, Uri Rosell (70’), 5 — Getting Ascues off the pitch was a complete necessity. Trailing 1-0, I’m not convinced that Rosell was the right sub here. He didn’t provide any offensive help and did the minimum on defense, putting up big fat goose eggs in the interception, clearance, and tackle columns.

F, Benji Michel (79’), 4.5 — Michel may have wanted to follow up his first professional goal with another, but his performance tonight didn’t do anything to show that. The only thing the rookie did of any note was get called for a handball after getting an over-the-top ball right outside the 18.

F, Santiago Patino (83’), 5.5 — The best of the subs on the night. In my opinion, Patino should have been the first sub on at the 70th minute (or earlier). As soon as he came on, he took a shot that was blocked inside the box. Patino was motivated and might have made a bigger difference if given more minutes.

So that’s how I saw in the 1-0 road defeat to D.C. United. Make sure to vote for your Man of the Match in the poll below and tell us all why in the comments section.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Brian Rowe5
Sacha Kljestan2
Dillon Powers13
Nani15
Chris Mueller10
Other11

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-0 win over Atlanta United?

Published

7 hours ago

on

November 25, 2024

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

It was a historic day at Inter&Co Stadium as Orlando City defeated Atlanta United 1-0 to advance to the Eastern Conference final of the MLS Cup playoffs for the first time in club history. A 39th-minute goal by Ramiro Enrique held up while the Lions defended several opposing chances in the second half. Upsets earlier in the playoffs and Minnesota United’s elimination Sunday night mean the Lions will play at home one more time this season.

Let’s take a look at how the players did individually in this memorable win.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — Atlanta didn’t put any of its eight shots on target in this game, so there wasn’t any shot stopping for Gallese. However, he made a crucial play in the 75th minute when Saba Lobjanidze played the ball into the box for a wide open Xande Silva, who had beaten Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Gallese came off his line to intercept the pass, saving an almost certain equalizer. In addition to that key interception, Gallese completed 63.2% of his 19 passes, including seven of his 14 long balls on the way to his third clean sheet of the playoffs.

D, Rafael Santos, 7 (MotM) — Santos had a team-high 83 touches in this game and completed 90% of his team-high 60 passes with two key passes. He completed two of his four crosses and six of his seven long balls. Defensively, the left back recorded a tackle, an interception, and four clearances. It was one of Santos’ best performances before he was replaced by David Brekalo in the 90th minute, and he gets my Man of the Match.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — Making his 200th appearance for Orlando City, the club captain had 59 touches and completed 88.5% of his 52 passes, including four of his five long balls. He had a team-high three interceptions, three clearances, one block, and an aerial duel won. The center back was a major reason why Gallese didn’t have to make any saves.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 7 — Schlegel was also terrific in this game, touching the ball 64 times while completing 92.6% of his 54 passes and four of his five long balls. He recorded a team-high six clearances, blocked a shot, and won two aerial duels.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 5.5 — Thorhallsson was the least involved of the four defenders, touching the ball 38 times and completing 81% of his 21 passes. He didn’t convert either of his two crosses and only one of his four long balls. The right back recorded two tackles, an interception, and two clearances, while his only shot missed the target. He was lucky not to be at fault for an equalizer when he was beaten into the box by Silva in the 75th minute. Fortunately, Gallese made an excellent play. It was the last play by Thorhallsson, as Kyle Smith replaced him in the 79th minute.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 — It was a little surprising that Cartagena stayed out of the book in the final game against Charlotte, making him eligible for this one. The defensive midfielder didn’t disappoint, touching the ball 55 times and completing 91.1% of his 45 passes, including three of his four long balls. His one shot forced Brad Guzan into a save and he was active defensively, recording a tackle and five clearances.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — The other half of the defensive midfield was also solid in this game, touching the ball 66 times and completing 92.3% of his 52 passes, including six of his eight long balls. His only shot was off target, but he won three tackles.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo touched the ball 40 times on the left wing and completed 83.3% of his 24 passes including a key pass. However, he didn’t connect on either of his two crosses. He put one of his two shots on target, and he helped defensively with two tackles and a clearance. The midfielder was replaced by Nico Lodeiro in a 79th-minute defensive change. 

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6 — Ojeda also touched the ball 40 times, but only completed 76.9% of his 26 passes. However, he had three key passes, connecting on three of his seven crosses and three of his five long balls. His only shot was off target and he didn’t record any defensive statistics before being replaced by Duncan McGuire in the 69th minute.

MF, Facundo Torres, 6.5 — Torres was the most involved of the attacking midfielders, touching the ball 66 times. He completed 87.3% of his 55 passes, including three key passes. While he didn’t connect on either of his two crosses, he completed five of his six long balls. His only shot was off target and he recorded a clearance.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 6.5 — Enrique touched the ball 22 times while completing 88.9% of his nine passes, including a key pass. His shining moment came in the 39th minute, when a corner kick was knocked down and he was the first to react, putting it past Guzan for the winning goal. He took five shots in the game and put two on target before being replaced by Luis Muriel in the 69th minute.

Substitutes

F, Duncan McGuire (69’), 5.5 — McGuire came on for Ojeda in the 69th minute and struggled in his appearance. He touched the ball 17 times, completing 75% of his 12 passes, including a key pass. He was dispossessed once and had two unsuccessful touches in his 21 minutes, though he did win an aerial duel.

F, Luis Muriel (69’), 6 — Muriel was the better of the two attacking substitutions in the 69th minute, coming on for Enrique. The Colombian touched the ball 28 times and completed 76.2% of his 21 touches, including three of his four long balls, recording one key pass. His lone shot was off target (blocked), and he won a pair of aerial duels.

D, Kyle Smith (79’), 6 — Smith came on for Thorhallsson in the 79th minute in a defensive change. He touched the ball nine times while completing 87.5% of his eight passes, including one of his two long balls. He came on for his defensive skills and recorded a clearance in the late moments of the game.

MF, Nico Lodeiro (79’), 6 — Entering with Smith, Lodeiro replaced Angulo in another defensive change. The veteran touched the ball 12 times and completed eight of his 10 passes (80%), including his only long ball. His purpose on the field was to help the team see out the game and he recorded a tackle in that effort.

D, David Brekalo (90’), N/A — Brekalo came on in the 90th minute for Santos to add some more defense in the team. He touched the ball four times and completed two of his three passes (66.7%) while recording a clearance defensively.

That’s how I saw Orlando City’s 1-0 win over Atlanta United in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote on the Man of the Match.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s Eastern Conference semifinal win over Atlanta United.

Published

9 hours ago

on

November 25, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City exorcised its Decision Day demons on Sunday by beating Atlanta United 1-0 to advance to the Eastern Conference final. The promise of a rivalry match in an Eastern Conference semifinal fully lived up to the billing, as the atmosphere in the stadium was top-notch, and my vocal chords are a ragged shell of their normal selves. What follows are my five big thoughts on OCSC’s victory over Atlanta.

A Defensive Affair

Sometimes a scoreline can be deceiving, and a game that finishes 1-0 might have had a boatload of golden chances that one or both teams simply refused to take. That wasn’t the case Sunday, as there were probably only two really good chances aside from Ramiro Enrique’s goal — Dagur Dan Thorhallsson hitting the post (which may have proven to be offside anyway), and Duncan McGuire’s near-post flick that went just wide. Other than that, both teams did a pretty good job of muting each other in attack, although had the Lions been just a bit tidier with the ball they almost certainly could have bagged another as the game wound down and spaces opened up while Atlanta poured numbers forward.

Set Piece Supremacy

In the end it took a set piece for OCSC to find the game’s only goal. The Five Stripes got this far in part by being solid defensively, but set pieces were a problem all year as they gave up 13 goals from them during the regular season. So it was again on Sunday, as Martin Ojeda’s corner pinballed around, Ramiro Enrique was the first to react, and he slotted the ball underneath an onrushing Brad Guzan. The Lions have been less wasteful from dead ball situations this season than in years past, and Enrique’s goal was another example of making set pieces count. With Atlanta coming out happy to bunker and play for a smash-and-grab result, it was even more important to make the most of set piece opportunities, and that’s exactly what Orlando did.

A Timely Goal

As nice as it would have been for Facundo Torres or Thorhallsson to score just minutes into the game, the timing of Enrique’s goal wasn’t half bad either. The longer the match went on tied, the more likely the visitors were to pose a threat. Going into halftime with things level certainly wouldn’t have been the end of the world, but taking a lead into the break gave the Lions a tiny bit of breathing room, while forcing Atlanta to come out and open things up in the second half. Ultimately, OCSC couldn’t take advantage of the opportunities that were available on the counterattack, but the Lions’ lives were made much easier by being able to play with a lead. We saw how difficult a bunkered Atlanta team can be to deal with on Decision Day, but the 39th-minute goal turned the game into a completely different affair.

Cartagena Makes His Mark

In his Three Keys to Victory piece, David Rohe identified Wilder Cartagena having a good match as an essential ingredient to Orlando’s success. After all, he’d missed both regular-season matches against the Five Stripes, and Orlando City had lost both games. Sometimes correlation does equal causation, and so it was on Sunday, as the Peruvian midfielder put in a typically assured showing, and the Lions came away with the win. He contributed one tackle, five clearances, one shot (on target), three long balls, and 91% passing accuracy. He and Cesar Araujo helped lock down Aleksey Miranchuk, and Oscar Pareja specifically praised his efforts after the game. OCSC is simply a different team when he’s on the field, and that absolutely proved to be the case here.

Toeing the Line

It was important for OCSC to play with intensity and physicality, but not cross the line and take things too far, which is something that we’ve seen in the past. Last year’s eliminations from Leagues Cup and the MLS Cup playoffs came in part due to red cards that left the 10 men remaining on the field with an almost impossible task. Lessons from those games seemed to have been learned well on Sunday afternoon though, because while the Lions weren’t afraid to put in physical challenges and throw their bodies around a bit, they kept their heads cool and never went past the point of no return. They committed two more fouls than Atlanta (seven to five), but didn’t receive any bookings. It was exactly the sort of intense-yet-professional display that the playoffs require, and it was nice to see the team looking right at home.

There you have it folks. It may not have been the prettiest win we’ve ever seen, but sometimes a team has to be able to win ugly and Orlando City was able to do just that. The Lions will now advance to the Eastern Conference final for the first time, and it’ll be played right here at home on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Be there, be loud, and let’s ride this thing as far as we can. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/25/24

Orlando City advances to Eastern Conference final, Orlando Pride win NWSL Championship, MLS playoff roundup, and more.

Published

13 hours ago

on

November 25, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy this weekend at Under Armour, but I tried to catch some soccer when possible. Besides that, I’ll be working at Wrigley Field this Saturday for Northwestern’s college football game against Illinois. What an excellent weekend it was for Orlando’s soccer teams! We saw the Orlando Pride complete the double with an NWSL Championship title, and the Lions took out Atlanta United in the MLS playoffs. We have plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Advance to the Eastern Conference Final

Orlando City defeated Atlanta United 1-0 on Sunday at Inter&Co Stadium to advance to the Eastern Conference final of the MLS playoffs for the first time in club history. Ramiro Enrique was the only scorer in the match, with Orlando’s defense doing well to secure the shutout against Atlanta. The Lions will host the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference final on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with a spot in the MLS Cup final on the line.

Orlando Pride Win First NWSL Championship Title

On Saturday, the Orlando Pride defeated the Washington Spirit 1-0 at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City to win their first NWSL Championship title. Barbra Banda scored the lone goal in the first half for the Pride. Orlando defended its lead throughout the second half, with the Spirit creating plenty of scoring opportunities but never breaking through. It was a stellar 2024 NWSL season for the Pride, as they became the first club since 2021 to complete the double by winning both the NWSL Championship and the NWSL Shield. Banda was named MVP of the game, while Marta finally got her first NWSL Championship title since joining the Pride in 2017. It was a historic season for the Pride and this match featured plenty of other milestones as well. Orlando will hold a parade for the Pride later today at 4:30 p.m. that will start on Orange Avenue and end at city hall for the celebration ceremony.

Insight Into the Prides Historic Title Run

Yahoo Sports shared an article on how the Orlando Pride went from missing the playoffs for several seasons to becoming the best team in the NWSL this year. It all started with a players meeting last winter to discuss the club’s values and goals for the 2024 season, with the team’s predictions for the season hung up in the locker room as a reminder. Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter spoke on the team’s past struggles. The club did not make the NWSL playoffs since 2017 until this season, which was the longest playoff drought in the league. The Pride broke plenty of records this season, going on a 23-match unbeaten streak and claiming both the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship. Many factors turned out to be the difference for Orlando’s success this season, including keeping many players from previous seasons like Marta, Kylie Strom, and Haley McCutcheon instead of completely overhauling the roster. That helped set the culture within the squad, with the club showing grit and resilience all season long to conclude a historic season for the Pride.

MLS Playoff Semifinal Round Recap

Over the weekend, three more teams punched their tickets to the conference finals in the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs. Let’s start with the Hudson River Derby, as the Red Bulls defeated New York City FC 2-0 at Citi Field to advance to the Eastern Conference final. The Seattle Sounders defeated LAFC 2-1 after extra time, with Jordan Morris scoring to seal the win at BMO Stadium and put Seattle into the Western Conference final. The LA Galaxy cruised past Minnesota United 6-2 as Gabriel Pec, Joseph Paintsil, and Dejan Joveljic each scored twice. The Galaxy will take on the Seattle Sounders on Saturday in the Western Conference final.

Free Kicks

  • The Orlando Pride received a shoutout on their NWSL Championship victory by some notable people, including tennis legend Billie Jean King and President Joe Biden.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday and I’ll see you next time.

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