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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Los Angeles FC: Final Score 2-2 as Lions Earn Point Against League Leaders

Diego Rossi spoiled a potential Orlando win as the Lions scored more than one goal in a game for the first time in a month.

Published

5 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City led much of the game but couldn’t hold off LAFC’s dynamic attack toward the end as the teams played to a 2-2 draw in front of a crowd of 22,371 at Exploria Stadium. The visitors grabbed the lead early, but Nani responded immediately afterwards and Benji Michel gave City (9-13-8, 35 points) a lead that lasted until the 78th minute in a game that had its share of controversy. Diego Rossi nabbed the late equalizer for LAFC (19-4-6, 63 points).

It was Orlando’s first point in the series, albeit only in two meetings.

The Lions felt hard done by a disallowed goal by Uri Rosell due to a foul given after contact between Michel and goalkeeper Tyler Miller for a 50/50 aerial ball and it appeared the LAFC stopper initiated the contact. There was also a potential handling call not given when Miller came out of his area, but referee Alan Kelly and the assistant referee both felt that the entire ball did not leave the box. Regardless, the Lions had a chance to put the game away late but hit the post just one minute before the tying goal was scored.

“I’m very proud of the players. I thought the effort they gave tonight was excellent,” Head Coach James O’Connor said after the match. “I thought the commitment was fantastic. When you look at how good LAFC are, you look at how we managed the game, and you look at all the problems we caused them, on another night we would have won the game.”

With several players out with injury or international duty, Orlando City was happy to welcome right back Ruan back to the starting lineup, with Kyle Smith moving to the left side of the central defense pairing of Robin Jansson and Lamine Sané. The midfield consisted of Rosell, Cristian Higuita, and Dillon Powers. Nani, Dom Dwyer, and Michel made up the forward line. Brian Rowe took his customary position in goal.

Orlando got the game’s first scoring opportunity as Michel won a corner kick in the second minute. Nani’s cross on the ground found Sané, who shot wide. Adama Diomande fired wide from the right two minutes later as the game went back and forth.

In the 10th minute a momentary lapse by the Lions led to essentially a 3-on-the-keeper break for LAFC. Adrien Perez rounded Rowe but the ball ended up out wide on the left. When Perez tried to drop a pass back to Diomande, Rowe was still there and pounced on it.

But the visitors took the lead in the 12th minute anyway. Off a short corner, a ball was played into the box. Sané stuck out a foot to deflect the pass but it unfortunately ended up with Perez, who shot the ball off Dwyer, off Rowe, and into the net to make it 1-0.

The lead didn’t last long. Off the ensuing kickoff, Higuita sent a pass through the back line off the heel of a defender that fell perfectly for Nani, who chipped Miller to make it 1-1 in the 13th minute.

“I think when you look at the reaction to the goal, an early goal like that, it’s a testament to the players,” O’Connor said. “I think there was no period where you felt as if we were intimidated. I felt as if we had a right good go at them tonight. I think the reaction was excellent.”

LAFC tried to regain the lead through Diomande in the 18th minute, as he fired a shot in from outside the area but it was a comfortable save for Rowe. Two minutes later, the Lions struck again.

On the best buildup of the first half, Nani fed Higuita a pass and the Colombian slipped a ball through for Ruan running down the right channel. The fullback sent in a low cross and Michel pounced on it and slammed it into the back of the net, giving the Lions a 2-1 lead in the 20th minute.

Most of the rest of the first half was uneventful. LAFC controlled most of the possession but Orlando didn’t allow many chances. Diomande and Perez each fired wide but the chances were few and far between after the Michel goal.

The Lions took their 2-1 advantage into the locker room. LAFC led in shots, 7-3 (2-2 on target), possession (70%-30%), and passing accuracy (91%-73%) but Orlando held the advantage.

LAFC pushed for the equalizer after the break and nearly had it in the 51st minute. Perez put the ball in the net after slipping in behind but he was just a fraction offside. The play was reviewed by the VAR but no clear error was made and the call stood.

Five minutes later it was Rosell’s turn to see a goal disallowed. Michel went up for an aerial 50/50 ball moving parallel to the end line around the top of the six. Miller came off his line and made contact, then went to ground as Rosell fired the ball into the net for what would have been his first goal with Orlando.

Kelly blew the play dead for a foul and O’Connor was visibly upset on the sideline after the call.

“It looked like a goal to me,” O’Connor said. “I think probably the safest thing for me to do would point you toward the league and the referees and ask them. From my standpoint it looked a goal.”

The Lions who hadn’t played much in recent weeks — mainly Higuita and Powers — started to visibly tire near the 70-minute mark and Higuita said he needed to be subbed off after experiencing cramping in his legs. Higuita came out for Chris Mueller in the 73rd and LAFC began to find more space in the attacking third.

The Lions had a chance to put the game away in the 77th minute. Nani sent a gorgeous cross into the area and substitute striker Santiago Patino knocked it off the right post.

Seconds later, Mueller fizzed a cross through the six but nobody was making a back-post run and it turned into a goal kick. LAFC scored on its next foray down the field. Rossi, who had largely been held in check all night, slipped behind Jansson just as Diomande fed a ball through. It was perfectly weighted and Rossi found the net to level things up in the 78th minute.

The Lions had some half chances to grab a late winner. Jansson and Mueller both had shots blocked after a corner kick in the 86th minute. Moments later, Miller appeared to take the ball out of the box, which could have given Orlando a dangerous free kick, but it wasn’t called. Screencaps can be deceiving but this is the best look of it:

A few minutes later, Lee Nguyen baited Kelly into giving LAFC a free kick by making contact with Mueller just as Orlando was breaking in on goal.

“I think when the officials maybe go back and have a look at it, I think they’ll perhaps be a little bit disappointed with their performance,” O’Connor said.”

After five minutes of stoppage the match was over and Orlando had either gained a point in the playoff race or dropped two against the league leaders, depending on how you look at it.

LAFC had more shots (13-7), shots on target (4-2), and possession (63%-37%), and was the better passing side (88%-74%). Orlando did what it needed to do, getting into open areas and creating in transition on offense and keeping the middle locked down defensively until a momentary lapse let Rossi get in.

“Obviously we’re sad with the result but we’re also very happy because of the way we played against one of the best teams in the league,” Higuita said.

The Lions are four points in back of New England for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot and just two behind the Montreal Impact. Orlando will finish with New England at home, Houston and Cincinnati on the road, and Chicago at home.

The Lions are back in action next Saturday at home against the New England Revolution in a critical match-up.

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Orlando City

Orlando City Can Build Valuable Momentum in April

The last two games of April present a good chance for the Lions to keep building momentum ahead of a challenging May.

Published

12 hours ago

on

April 19, 2024

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City got back to winning ways last Saturday and started a mini-undefeated streak in the process, as the Lions have now gone three games on the bounce without tasting defeat. OCSC has two more games to play during the month of April, and the scheduling gods have given the men in purple a chance to keep building on the recent run of good form, as a tricky and packed May schedule looms on the horizon. The last two April fixtures won’t be easy by any stretch, but an opportunity has presented itself if the Lions can play well and take advantage of it.

First, let’s turn our attention to Saturday’s game against CF Montreal up in Canada. Montreal currently has a record of 3-3-1 which is good for 10 points and eighth place in the Eastern Conference. These two teams faced each other in the very first game of the season, and it ended as a 0-0 draw, thanks largely in part to some shaky finishing on Orlando’s part and a couple excellent Pedro Gallese saves. Since then, Montreal has defeated a struggling FC Dallas team, an Inter Miami team that has looked equal parts unbeatable and extremely vulnerable at the back, and an FC Cincinnati side that so far has struggled to replace the goals of Brandon Vazquez. In other words, the wins haven’t come over bad teams, (aside from maybe Dallas) but rather teams that have had flawed, uneven starts to the season.

To be fair, many of the same criticisms could be leveled at Orlando City’s record. OCSC’s wins have come against Austin FC and D.C. United — two teams with leaky defenses that have each had uneven starts to the season — and the Lions have suffered losses that have ranged from uninspiring against Atlanta, to abhorrent against Miami. Where the two teams differ is that Orlando started the year battling on two fronts and then had key players missing through a combination of injury and international call-ups afterward. The Lions now have a nearly clean bill of health and looked much more cohesive with Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo partnered in midfield once more — a welcome sight after some of the struggles that were endured when one or both were missing at various times.

The Canadian side also hasn’t kept a clean sheet since that opening game of the season against the Lions, a fact that could bode well for an Orlando side which has scored six goals in its last three games. As long as the defense can tighten up and not make the sorts of mental errors that led to goals against D.C. and the New York Red Bulls, there will be opportunities at the other end of the field for an attacking corps that has done a better job at putting the ball in the net than we saw during the first game of the season. In short, the game is a winnable one, and while getting road results in MLS is never easy, OCSC should feel reasonably confident about its chances to get points on its trip north of the border.

That leaves Toronto FC’s visit to the Purple Palace on Saturday, April 27. The Reds currently sit one spot below CF Montreal, in ninth place, with a record of 3-4-1 and 10 points. TFC’s victories have been over a New England team that has been struggling mightily, a Charlotte FC side that has had a decent but slightly inconsistent start to the year, and an Atlanta United outfit that can have the same said of it as Charlotte. The wins have all been solid ones, and the team looked pretty good in those three games.

On the flip side of things, the last of those wins came on March 23, with Toronto dropping its last three games in a row and conceding 10 goals in the process. They’ve got the second leakiest defense of any of the nine teams in the playoff places, while being tied with Cincinnati for scoring the fewest goals.

Then there’s the issue of player availability. The Reds’ injury list is a long one, with six players currently listed as out and an additional one as questionable. Among those listed out are Lorenzo Insigne, Richie Laryea, Brandon Servania, and Shane O’Neill. In other words, they’re likely to be missing guys that are key contributors for the team when healthy, and part of the recent losing streak can be attributed to dealing with the injury bug that’s bit the team with a vengeance. Playing on the road without a number of important key players is rarely a recipe for success, and Orlando City should have another good chance to pick up three points.

Now, this isn’t to say that taking all six points from these games is a foregone conclusion. MLS is a tricky league to get results in, and we have no way of knowing how the fortunes of Orlando, Montreal, and Toronto will change in the next eight days. But given the leaky defenses of the two Canadian sides, TFC’s injury situation, and Orlando City seemingly starting to find a better patch of form, the Lions have an opportunity to keep picking up points and climbing the Eastern Conference standings. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 4/19/24

Orlando Pride host the San Diego Wave, Orlando City B faces Crown Legacy FC, Europa League action, and more.

Published

16 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Happy Friday! Make sure to get your night plans in order as both the Orlando Pride and Orlando City B have games tonight. Figure out your drink of choice, charge those devices if you don’t plan on heading to the stadium for the Pride game, and knock out any chores before things get rolling. It should be a fun day, so let’s get it started with some links!

Orlando Pride Host the San Diego Wave Tonight

After earning their first win last week in Utah, the Orlando Pride are back in the City Beautiful for tonight’s game against the San Diego Wave at 8 p.m. The Pride’s four-game unbeaten run is on the line and will be put to the test against a Wave team that has four points from three games. San Diego has only scored two goals this season, but it has also secured a pair of clean sheets so far. The biggest storyline heading into the match is whether or not Barbra Banda will make her Pride debut. Hopefully Orlando can light it up at home and keep former Pride forward Alex Morgan and the rest of the Wave’s offense in check.

Orlando City B Takes On Crown Legacy FC

The Young Lions are also in action tonight at 7:30 p.m., with a match against Crown Legacy FC in North Carolina. Crown Legacy is only a point behind OCB, but is still searching for its first win of this MLS NEXT Pro season. OCB has played every game away from the Orlando area so far and ground out a 1-1 draw against Philadelphia Union II last weekend. Orlando hasn’t won a game since its season opener on March 16, but has been proven capable of getting points on the road. Wilfredo Rivera and Yutaro Tsukada linked up for the equalizer in that match, so hopefully they can keep that momentum rolling into tonight’s game.

Americans to Watch This Weekend

European soccer seasons and tournaments are nearing their ends and there are many Americans in important games this weekend. Haji Wright’s heroics put Coventry City into the FA Cup semifinals, and he will have a chance to impress again on Sunday against Manchester United. Elsewhere in England, Fulham duo Antonee Robinson and Tim Ream could put a dent in Liverpool’s title hopes, while Nottingham Forest’s Matt Turner and Giovanni Reyna will square off against Everton, as both sides aim to avoid relegation. Over in Italy, AC Milan duo Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah will try to stop Inter Milan from claiming the Serie A title in a rivalry match at San Siro. There’s also a showdown between Americans in the Scottish Cup semifinals, with Celtic’s Cameron Carter-Vickers going up against Aberdeen and Dante Polvara.

Europa League Quarterfinals Come to a Close

The Europa League quarterfinals are done and dusted and only four teams remain in contention for some silverware. West Ham United took the lead against Bayer Leverkusen, but couldn’t overcome the aggregate deficit and the German club advanced. Leverkusen also scored a late equalizer to make it a 1-1 draw and extend its unbeaten streak to 44 games. Marseille scored at home against Benfica to send the game to extra time and then won the eventual penalty shootout. Atalanta did enough in a 1-0 loss to Liverpool to advance on aggregate, with Liverpool’s lone goal coming from an early Mohamed Salah penalty kick. AS Roma is also through to the semifinals after a 2-1 win against AC Milan, despite a red card in the first half. In the semifinals, Marseille will face Atalanta and Leverkusen will take on Roma.

Free Kicks

  • Houston Dynamo Head Coach Ben Olsen has agreed to a new contract that will keep him with the club through 2026. Olsen has quietly dragged the Dynamo out of the Western Conference’s basement and won last year’s U.S. Open Cup as well.
  • New York Red Bulls defender Andres Reyes was suspended an additional match for violent conduct in the team’s match against the Chicago Fire. This means Reyes will miss tomorrow’s match against LAFC and the home game against the Vancouver Whitecaps on April 27.
  • American left back Jorge Villafana is hanging up his cleats. He won the MLS Cup with the Portland Timbers back in 2015 and the Concacaf Gold Cup with the U.S. in 2017.
  • Replays won’t be a part of the FA Cup for the next six years. This will ease some of the schedule congestion for English Premier League teams, but it denies lower-division sides the chance at more revenue.
  • The folks over at Stars and Stripes FC shined a spotlight on forward Jubilo Iwata, who currently leads Japan’s J1 League in scoring after eight games. It’s always cool to learn more about some of the lesser-known players in the U.S. player pool.
  • An NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers will be played in Brazil at Corinthians Arena. However, there’s an unofficial rule at the stadium that green can’t be worn, as it is the color of Corinthians rival, so we’ll see if that’s adhered to come September.
  • Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird’s production company will adapt Cleat Cute, a romance novel by Meryl Wilsner about love between teammates on a women’s soccer team. As someone who’s read it and loved it, I’m pretty excited for the show to say the least.

That’s all I have for you today. Stay hydrated and enjoy the games today. Go Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City at CF Montreal: Three Keys to Victory

What does Orlando City need to do on the road against CF Montreal to take home all three points ?

Published

2 days ago

on

April 18, 2024

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City opened the season against CF Montreal, playing to a 0-0 draw at Inter&Co Stadium back in February. Now, the Lions head to the Great White North to play the pesky Canadian club again. There’s no Concacaf Champions Cup competition to worry about this time, so hopefully Orlando City can get a victory.

What does Orlando City need to do to follow up the D.C. United victory with another win?

Just Say No

Outscoring your opponents while giving up two goals is all well and good, but outscoring your opponents while also keeping a clean sheet is much better. Orlando City has given up 13 goals over seven matches. It’s actually worse than that considering that the club has two clean sheets meaning those 13 goals came in just five matches. The Lions need to do better at not conceding goals.

Of course, one of those clean sheets came against Montreal to start the season, and the entire defense is seemingly healthy and ready to go. Our old foe Josef Martinez is always a threat and Matias Coccaro has three goals for Montreal so far this season. Stopping them is crucial. If Orlando City can maintain the same defensive discipline it showed in the previous match against Montreal, it will make earning points on the road much easier.

Designated Player Goals

Orlando City has scored seven goals so far this season. Duncan McGuire leads the team with three goals, thanks to his goal last week. Do you know who hasn’t scored yet? If you said any of Orlando City’s Designated Players, you would be correct. I’m not going to ring any emergency bells just yet, but it’d be a lot cooler if Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda, or Facundo Torres scored a goal this week.

I think they are all close to breaking out. Torres has scored this year, just not in the MLS regular season. Muriel has been getting closer each match, and is still contributing in other ways. The same can be said of Ojeda. My point is that the goals are coming. Perhaps a trip to another country is exactly what they need to get off the mark.

The Battle on the Wings

Orlando City will be playing against former Lion Ruan. He lines up on the right for Montreal and will be a challenge for either Rafael Santos or Kyle Smith, depending on who gets the start. Of course, if Ivan Angulo is playing in his usual role on the left side of Orlando City’s attack, there could be some interesting races between the two speedy players.

I think that the other side of the field is where the match might be won or lost. Since Orlando City fell out of the Concacaf Champions Cup, the team has been on a more regular schedule. That has allowed Dagur Dan Thorhallsson to regain his form in the right fullback position for the Lions. He scored a goal last week, has an assist on the season, four crosses, and 10 key passes. He is an integral part of Orlando City’s attack and if he can win the battles against Raheem Edwards and Joaquin Sosa on the right side of Montreal’s lineup, he could have another big night.

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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