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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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4 years ago

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Orlando City played to a goalless draw in its 2020 season opener. There seemed to be a different energy around the team than in the previous season, with lots of attacking. However, it was the same old story as chances went to waste and the Lions struggled in the final third.

The team looked sound defensively, and the midfield controlled the game for the most part. Real Salt Lake never threatened nor looked like it was going to score. Here is how everyone performed:

Starters:

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — It is impossible for a goalkeeper to have a poor game when they are not involved. Gallese only had to make one save, and that was a slow roller that he could have made with his eyes closed. He had a total of 11 touches, seven passes, and a passing accuracy of 57%.

D, João Moutinho, 8 (MotM) — Moutinho had one of his best games as a Lion. He was rock solid defensively and finished with two tackles, five interceptions, and five clearances. The latter two were both team highs. On the attacking side, he had the second-most touches (97) and passes (59) and was accurate 76% of the time. He attempted three crosses, but only one found the target. He beat players on the dribble a few times as well and looked like the best player on the field all night long.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — The entire defense did well and limited Real Salt Lake to practically no chances. Jansson did his part, and, while he did nothing spectacular, the 28-year-old did what needed to be done. He missed one header off a corner late in the match, mistiming his jump. Jansson was tied with Moutinho with five clearances, and also had a block and two interceptions to go with an 89% passing rate.

D, Antonio Carlos, 6.5 – Similar to Jansson, Carlos did nothing spectacular but did everything asked of him. He showed in his first outing that he will fit in nicely with Orlando, and he already has impressive chemistry with Jansson. Carlos had a little less to do defensively than his center back partner though, finishing with four clearances and one block but he did tie Moutinho for the team lead in aerials won, with four. He had 47 passes and was successful on 72% of them. That is a number he will want to increase to reach at least 80% as a center back.

D, Ruan, 6.5 — It was not the best game for the Brazilian, but he certainly did not play poorly. His speed was not used as much as it was at times last season, but he was still able to get into the final third several times. He sent in four crosses, but only one was successful. He also had a key pass, four tackles, and two clearances in the game.

MF, Junior Urso, 7 — In his first game in Orlando, Urso was very good in his role. He did not provide fireworks, but did well distributing the ball and keeping RSL’s attack at bay. He had 42 passes and was accurate on 74% of them. He also finished with two tackles, an interception, and a clearance, firing two of Orlando’s nine shots.

MF, Sebas Méndez, 8 — There could be arguments made that Méndez was the best player, and it would be hard to deny them. He had a few dangerous turnovers late in the game, but he was involved in almost every Orlando City attack. He led all players with 72 passes, three shots, and one shot on target. He was also dispossessed four times — a game-high, tied with Chris Mueller. He had a team-high six tackles, an interception, a clearance, and a block.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 — Pereyra was the worst of the three midfielders, but still had a solid game. His 71% passing accuracy was the lowest of all Orlando City field players, although he had a lot more attempts in the final third, where space is scarce. He had five crosses, but none found their intended target. While those numbers are not encouraging, he didn’t get much help from his teammates up front. He easily could have had two assists on the night. In the last 20 minutes, Pereyra played two balls perfectly over the top of the defense, but Mueller and Robinho botched both attempts.

F, Chris Mueller, 5 — Mueller might have been the most frustrating player to watch during the game. He seemed to have an abundance of chances, but was unable to do anything with them. The 23-year-old had a few opportunities to get on the board but lacked that final touch. His best chance came in the 83rd minute, and it was a golden opportunity to score the game-winner. After Robinho lost the ball just inside the box, Mueller tried a first-time shot at the top of the 18. He should have done better with the left-footed effort, but the ball sailed into the stands.

F, Tesho Akindele, 4.5 — Akindele played striker for 83 minutes and finished with no attacking stats. He had just 26 touches and 18 passes. Of those passes, only three were in the box, and two of those three were intercepted. He was also offside twice. His best chance was in the first five minutes of the match. Nedum Onuoha went to take him down in the box, but there was no call and no review.

F, Benji Michel, 4 — Michel had a poor night and was not involved very often. Playing out wide, he found himself one-on-one with RSL’s full back quite often, but he struggled to use that to his advantage. He officially had four unsuccessful dribbles and only one successful one. The only time he had success was on the right side after switching with Mueller after half time. Michel had no shots and just 11 passes.

Substitutes

F, Robinho (64’), 6 — Robinho might have done enough to earn himself a start next week, although he was not great. He didn’t have any shots and should have done much better with that perfect ball from Pereyra late in the match. His first touch was poor, and that forced him to take any touch to control it. By that time, two defenders closed him down, and the Brazilian couldn’t get a shot off.

F, Santiago Patino (83’), N/A — Patino played the last seven minutes, plus stoppage time, but had little effect on the match. He had three touches and one pass, which was completed.

D, Andrés Perea (93’), N/A — Perea was in the match for maybe 90 seconds. It seemed like a waste of time for him to even go into the game, but at least the 19-year-old got his debut, surprisingly taking over at right back for Ruan rather than playing in the midfield.

Polling Closed

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Three Keys to Victory

What does Orlando City need to do to ensure a victory over Toronto FC Saturday at home?

Published

15 hours ago

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April 25, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After a successful, four-point road trip, Orlando City returns from Montreal to the friendly confines of Inter&Co Stadium to face one of the other Canadian clubs, Toronto FC. The Lions are hoping to add to a four-match unbeaten streak. A win offers the opportunity to take another step up the standings.

What does Orlando City need to do to secure all three points at home against Toronto FC?

No Early Mistakes

In the last three matches, Orlando City has conceded the first goal of the match. Worse than that, each of those goals happened within the first 21 minutes. Yes, coming from behind for two draws and one win is good, but not giving up those early goals may have meant three wins instead.

Last season, Orlando City’s defense was good. We didn’t see nearly so many mental mistakes by the defense, especially so early in the match. What is frustrating is that these mistakes were seemingly preventable. The back line, the defensive midfielders, and Pedro Gallese need to tighten up in the early going so that the Lions are not chasing the match so early on.

Take Advantage of Tired Legs

Toronto FC played a match against Simcoe County Rovers in the Canadian Championship tournament on Wednesday. I’m in no way saying that Toronto trotted out their first choice lineup for the match, but even if only some of the players got a run out, that could create some tired legs for the match against Orlando. Add in the travel from Canada to Florida on short rest and it could be good news for the Lions.

If the Lions can possess the ball and make Toronto FC chase them, or if Orlando can get the first goal (see above) so that Toronto is chasing the match as well, it might pay dividends in the second half. Orlando City is good enough in the passing game to do so, though it will be interesting to see whether Martin Ojeda rejoins the starting lineup or if Nico Lodeiro gets the nod again.

One Down, Two to Go

Facundo Torres was the first of Orlando City’s three Designated Players to score a goal in the regular season. While it didn’t come in the run of play, it might still spark him to add some more since he usually starts slow and then catches fire at about this point in the season. Of course, both Luis Muriel and Ojeda contributed to the scoring against Montreal. Muriel drew the penalty that Torres took, and Ojeda provided the assist to Ivan Angulo.

Now it is time for either Muriel or Ojeda — or both — to join Torres on the scoreboard. Standing in their way will be a good keeper in Sean Johnson. So far this season, he has allowed seven goals and has 22 saves, with three clean sheets. Muriel seems to be getting closer to scoring with each shot taken, and Ojeda has missed some close ones. If all three of Orlando City’s Designated Players can start scoring regularly, this team will become dangerous quickly.

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: 4/25/24

Duncan McGuire is an Olympic frontrunner, Orlando Pride get ready for the Washington Spirit, Colin Guske signs with Orlando City B, and more.

Published

18 hours ago

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April 25, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope this work week hasn’t been too stressful for you as we get ready for another weekend packed with Orlando soccer. All of the European soccer this week has been enjoyable as well, as teams fight for silverware and survival. It should be a fun next few days, although most of my match following will be digital. I’m hoping to get out to the stadium for a game or two over the next couple of months as well. But for now, let’s dive into today’s links!

Duncan McGuire Likely to Play in Olympics

Orlando City forward Duncan McGuire was listed as one of the frontrunners to join the U.S. for this year’s Olympics. It won’t be much of a shock if McGuire is in Paris this summer, as he’s been impressive in the time since being drafted sixth overall in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft by the Lions. The 23-year-old has followed up a strong rookie year with three goals and an assist so far this season. It will be interesting to see who McGuire could compete with for minutes in the Olympics, with Ricardo Pepi noted as another possible option up top for the U.S. Overall, it’s nice to see McGuire is doing what’s needed to stay in the contention for Paris. I think that staying in Orlando rather than going to England has definitely helped his case.

Orlando Pride Prepare for the Washington Spirit

The Orlando Pride are riding a five-game unbeaten streak and will take it to the nation’s capital for a difficult road match against the Washington Spirit Friday night. The Pride have won their past two games and will face a Spirit side that has won four of its five games this season. Both teams have been defensively sound, each conceding just four goals, so it may come down to moments of individual brilliance to make the difference. Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke about the difficulty of the matchup, Orlando’s grit this season, and the impact Barbra Banda had in her debut last weekend.

Orlando City B Signs Colin Guske

Midfielder Colin Guske, who joined Orlando City’s academy back in 2020, signed an MLS NEXT Pro contract with Orlando City B through this 2024 season. The 17-year-old made his OCB debut in the team’s season opener this year and scored the game-winning goal. He’s carved out a spot in OCB’s midfield this season, starting in four of the team’s five games. Guske has two brothers who have also gone through the club’s academy and played with OCB. A solid year with the Young Lions from Guske could result in a Homegrown Player contract for the senior team.

Columbus Crew SC Wins First Leg Against Monterrey

The Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals are here and the Columbus Crew are the only MLS team still in the tournament. They came up with a big 2-1 home win in the first leg of their matchup against Monterrey. Cucho Hernandez gave the Crew the lead in the first half and 21-year-old Jacen Russell-Rowe scored the winner in the second. An away goal by Monterrey could prove crucial though due to the tiebreakers, and the second leg will take place on May 1. The winner of this matchup will take on either Club America or Pachuca in the final on June 2.

Free Kicks

  • Former Lion Dom Dwyer is reportedly headed out west to sign with Oakland Roots SC in the USL Championship.
  • Toronto FC traded away $200,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM) to Atlanta United in exchange for winger Derrick Etienne Jr. The 27-year-old has not received much playing time this season, and Atlanta could earn another $175,000 in GAM if performance-based metrics are met.
  • The San Jose Earthquakes have reportedly signed Hernan Lopez from Godoy Cruz. It would give a-needed boost to the team, which has just three points from nine games this season.
  • St. Louis City winger Celio Pompeu won MLS Goal of the Matchday for his great strike from outside the box in his team’s 3-3 draw with Sporting Kansas City.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/24/24

Orlando City and Orlando Pride power rankings, USMNT player news, USWNT will host Costa Rica, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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April 24, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s that time of the week for some tasty links. Two seven-point weekends for Orlando’s soccer teams is nothing to sneeze at, unlike the pollen that coats my hometown of Tallahassee. It’s the time of the year that I make my money back with the unlimited car wash next to my work. Enough with my weather-related car issues, let’s get to the links.

Lions Move Up (and Down) in Power Rankings

There’s nothing that shows the value of “power rankings” better than when you can compare two different ranking lists for the same week for any given club. We all know Orlando City is undefeated in its last four matches thanks to the late heroics of Ivan Angulo to draw CF Montreal over the weekend. But, did you know that was both good and bad?

In ESPN‘s MLS power rankings, Orlando City dropped a spot from 16th to 17th despite “treading water” with a point on the road in Montreal. Meanwhile, the Lions roared ahead three spots from 21st to 18th in MLSsoccer.com’s power rankings. So, do you like that Orlando is 17th in the ESPN piece despite the drop? Or do you prefer the positivity of a three-spot jump to 18th in the MLSSoccer.com rankings?

Orlando Pride Rise in Power Rankings

Forget everything I wrote up there regarding power rankings — at least as far as the Orlando Pride are concerned. After starting the season with three draws, the Pride now have two wins in a row. As such, ESPN moved the Pride up three spots from eighth to fifth in its NWSL power rankings. Their move up the list is entirely deserved and the writer was correct in their assessment. Of course, I’m kidding but it’s still nice to see the Pride get recognized for their results. Now, we just need the Pride to continue the winning streak.

Keeping Up With USMNT Players Abroad

As we shared yesterday, Sergino Dest will likely miss this summer’s Copa America thanks to a knee injury suffered during PSV Eindhoven training. That means the USMNT has a right back situation to address and there are quite a few well known candidates to step in for Dest.

Meanwhile, Weston McKennie has reportedly rejected Juventus’ latest extension offer. I can understand his decision given it doesn’t include any additional salary. McKennie has been very good for Juve, with 10 assists on the season. He’s not the only American making a difference, as Tim Weah provided the assist on Arkadiusz Milik’s goal to send Juventus to the Coppa Italia final.

USWNT Olympic Send-Off Match

The United States Women’s National Team will play a match against Costa Rica at Audi Field on July 16. It will be the final match for the USWNT prior to the Olympics that start nine days later against Zambia. New coach Emma Hayes will join the team on June 1, which isn’t a ton of time before the Olympics start, but she has been a part of the process for months.

Free Kicks

  • The New England Revolution have acquired veteran defender Xavier Arreaga from the Seattle Sounders for a 2025 international roster slot, and up to $75,000 in General Allocation Money depending on performance.
  • Inter Miami’s Jordi Alba will be out for several weeks due to a hamstring injury. Fortunately, he is expected to be back in time for the match against Orlando City on May 15. Where did I put the sarcasm font?

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Pride’s match against the Washington Spirit this Friday, and Orlando City’s match against Toronto FC on Saturday. Vamos Orlando!

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