Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Finish Road Trip with a Result

Benji Michel’s goal was canceled out by Randall Leal as the teams split the points in Tennessee.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Benji Michel scored a stunning goal-of-the-year candidate in the first half, but another early goal conceded in the second half cost Orlando City two points in a 1-1 draw against Nashville SC at Nissan Stadium. The Lions (4-2-3, 15 points) had a two-game winning streak snapped by Nashville (2-4-2, 8 points) but are now unbeaten in three, finishing a two-game road swing with four out of six possible points.

“The first half was very good,” Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “The second half, when we started the first 10-15 minutes I think they were more aggressive. That was a mistake that kept us out of getting the three points but we’ll take it. This is a long journey, I’ve said many times, and the boys are proud and they will keep going and prepare for the next one.”

Pareja’s starting lineup surprisingly included several players who have played every match or nearly each one. Pedro Gallese took his usual spot in goal behind the usual center back pairing of Robin Jansson and Antonio Carlos, with Ruan at right back and Kamal Miller stepping in for Joao Moutinho. Junior Urso joined Uri Rosell in central midfield, with an attacking midfield of Robinho, Mauricio Pereyra, and Michel. Daryl Dike started his fourth consecutive game — all in a 12-day stretch — up top. Tesho Akindele returned to the game day lineup on the bench, while Nani was left off the team sheet completely.

The first half hour was dominated by Orlando City in terms of possession, but Nashville controlled the ball for most of the first half’s final 15 minutes. The Lions didn’t allow many good looks at goal and Carlos and Jansson did a good job of vacuuming up balls that were intended for striker Dominique Badji.

On the other end, the absence of Moutinho was noticeable as the bulk of the dangerous play came from Ruan and Michel on the right side. Robinho did what he could on the left but he didn’t have the fullback support on his side that Orlando City is used to. Still, the Lions looked like they were getting closer and closer to creating something and finally broke through in the 17th minute.

The play started with Ruan throwing it in from the right. Pereyra got a foot on the throw-in and popped it up over Dax McCarty, playing it forward. Michel muscled Anibal Godoy out of his way. He took possession, found himself in space, then unleashed a blast from outside the box that Joe Willis had no chance of stopping.

“I received the ball and I turned in the pocket,” Michel said of the buildup to his goal. “I tried to look for a pass but I saw no one, so, might as well just shoot it and see what happens. Finally I was able to score my first goal this year, so you know that takes a lot of pressure off my shoulders.”

“Benji has energy, desire, commitment. Benji’s willing to learn a new position where he’s feeling more comfortable playing between the lines in tight spaces,” Pareja said.

Pereyra nearly sent Michel into the area in the 24th minute, but his first touch was heavy and Nashville’s defense was able to clear. Urso then sent a great seeing-eye ball through for Ruan racing into the area, but the Brazilian fullback couldn’t control the pass.

The hosts finally got some possession time late in the half but didn’t generate too much, sending in a few crosses and winning a couple of set pieces. Gallese stopped Randall Leal’s shot in the 42nd minute and Carlos made a vital stop to deny a cross getting in a minute later, and the opening half faded to an end.

Nashville led in shots (4-2), with each team getting one on target. The Lions held 56% of the possession in the opening half and out-passed Nashville, 88%-85%.

The hosts knotted the game at 1-1 just after the break. Miller strayed inside and then got beat for pace on a quick one-two, with Leal getting in behind the Canadian, taking a pass from Hany Mukhtar, and beating Gallese from point-blank range.

“I think Nashville had a good energy in those first 10 minutes or so,” Pareja said.

“I think as a team we were caught off guard a little bit and they just took advantage,” Miller said. “I was there. I felt like I could have done better to have my man on that one-two there. We’ll go back to training and look at the video and fix that next week.”

Nashville kept coming, earning a couple of quick corners and a free kick in succession, and Pareja went to his bench for some fresh troops, bringing on Chris Mueller, Andres Perea, and Akindele. Although the subs helped to even out the possession a bit, it took a few minutes for them to settle in and Badji forced Gallese to make a save in the 57th minute.

Orlando started getting back on the ball and in the attacking third after that, winning a series of corners. But Nashville’s tall center backs cleaned up anything dangerous. The Lions nearly got a fortuitous bounce for all their hard work in the 65th minute, when McCarty blocked a cross, sending it toward goal. However, the ball hit off the outside of the post and skipped out for a corner.

Akindele got to a long ball over the top in the 70th and sent a back-heel to a wide open Michel but the second-year player had a moment of indecision instead of firing a shot and the Nashville defense closed him down and dispossessed him.

Second-half sub Kyle Smith got in down the left side in the 74th minute and fired a shot but it was right at Willis. David Accam followed by sending a shot right at Gallese in the 76th minute.

The Lions continued to seem the more likely team to score as time wound down. A cross from Smith into the box in the 84th minute deflected and fell for Urso, who fired a shot at point-blank range but for the third time in two weeks, Willis robbed the Bear from in close.

That was the last good opportunity of the match and after three minutes of stoppage time, each team took home a point. The hosts led in shots (8-7) and shots on goal (4-3), but Orlando held more possession (58.4%) and passed better (90%-86%), winning more corners (10-5) as well.

“A point on the road is never easy and we got a point from it so you can’t complain,” Michel said. “We wanted three points but we were able to dig out one point.”

“We always talk about walking away from every game with a result, so we’re happy to get a result,” Miller said. “But overall, we feel like we had the better of the game and some points were probably left here. So, overall it’s mixed feelings after the game.”


Orlando City is right back in action Saturday night when the Lions host Atlanta United at 8 p.m. It will be Orlando’s fifth match in 15 days.

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

on

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!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/23/24

Ivan Angulo makes Team of the Matchday bench, Americans in action, Sergino Dest to miss Copa America, and more.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It was an excellent weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams, as the three sides took seven of the nine points on offer. There’s no rest for the wicked this week as the Orlando Pride travel to play the Washington Spirit on Friday, Orlando City hosts Toronto FC on Saturday, and Orlando City B finishes things up at home against Toronto FC II on Sunday. Let’s take a look at today’s links.

Ivan Angulo Earns Recognition

Ivan Angulo has been named to the bench of the latest edition of the MLS Team of the Matchday. The Colombian got the start on Saturday up in Montreal, and had a good game, going the distance and completing 82% of his passes and putting one of his two shots on target. That shot was an important one, as it gave the Lions a late equalizer and helped them salvage a valuable point on the road. Sean Rollins gave him a grade of 6 in his player grades from the match, a rating that likely would have been higher had Martin Ojeda’s pass been accurate enough to allow Angulo to grab a possible winner just a few minutes after he equalized. Here’s hoping he keeps up the good work!

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans taking part in big games this week, and the good people over at Stars and Stripes FC have you covered with the whole rundown. First up, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus will try to advance to the Coppa Italia final this afternoon, as they enter the second leg of the semifinal against Lazio with a 2-0 lead on aggregate. Tomorrow sees Monaco and Folarin Balogun meet Lille in Ligue 1 action, while Chris Richards and Crystal Palace host Newcastle United in the Premier League. Things wrap up on Friday in Serie B when Gianluca Busio, Tanner Tessman, and third-place Venezia face Cremonese as they try to overtake Como and finish in one of Serie B’s two guaranteed promotion places.

Sergino Dest Sidelined Long Term

Following up on a story from yesterday’s Lion Links, The Athletic is reporting that the knee injury suffered by Sergino Dest will keep him out of Copa America, and sideline him for the rest of the year. That would be a big blow for the United States Men’s National Team, as Dest has been the nailed-on starter at right back since winning a place in the team during the qualifying cycle for the 2022 World Cup. The Yanks aren’t without options at the position, as Joe Scally could step in for Dest, or Gregg Berhalter could try deploying Weah there, but neither of the two possesses Dest’s level of offensive threat.

Inter Milan Wins Serie A

Inter Milan dispatched rival AC Milan 2-1 guaranteed that Inter will win its 20th Serie A title in club history. Fikayo Tomori’s goal in the 80th minute was the closest Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah’s club could get to leveling the score, and Inter is now a whopping 17 points clear of AC Milan with five games left to play. Inter has been imperious on its way to a 20th Scudetto, scoring the most goals in the league while also conceding the fewest and losing only once this season.

Free Kicks

  • The Orlando Pride and Orlando City hosted a clean-up effort in honor of Earth Day on Monday.

That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 2-2 draw with CF Montreal?

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City / Mark Thor

Orlando City scored in second-half injury time for the second consecutive weekend to claim points. However, this time it was an equalizer as the Lions drew CF Montreal 2-2 north of the border. The Lions ended their two-game road trip with four points and extended their points streak to four games after dropping three straight. It’s an improvement as they look to climb up the Eastern Conference standings.

Here’s how I saw the individual performances in the draw.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 5.5 — Gallese conceded a pair of goals in this game, though neither were necessarily his fault. The first was a breakaway after Robin Jansson kept Mason Toye onside and the second was blocked wide, but Kyle Smith was caught flat-footed. However, he did concede twice while saving three of Montreal’s five shots on target. Additionally, the Lions’ goalkeeper completed 55.6% of his 27 passes, including eight of his 20 long balls.

D, Kyle Smith, 5.5 — Smith had a solid game other than one specific play. The left back had a team-high 86 touches and completed 78.3% of his 60 passes, including five of his 12 long balls. Defensively, he recorded two tackles, two clearances, an interception, and a blocked shot. Unfortunately, his most impactful play was getting caught watching on a Gallese block while Ariel Lassiter beat him to the rebound to give the hosts a late lead. That play lowers his grade for this otherwise quality performance.

D, Robin Jansson, 5.5 — Similar to Smith, Jansson had a solid game apart from one play. He had 72 touches and completed 79.7% of his 59 passes, including a key pass and three of his 14 long balls. He added a tackle, an interception, a blocked shot, and a team-high seven clearances to his stat sheet. But his failure to step up in the 16th minute enabled Toye to get behind the back line and score the opening goal, lowering his grade.

D, David Brekalo, 6 — Brekalo has proven himself to be the first-choice partner for Jansson and he was arguably the better center back in Montreal. The Slovenian international had 53 touches and completed 85.1% of his 47 passes, including two of his five long balls. The defender recorded two tackles, an interception, and three clearances defensively in a strong performance.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6 — Thorhallsson was in his usual right back position for this game, playing 90 minutes and recording 44 touches. He completed 82.8% of his 29 passes, but only one of his four long balls and neither of his two crosses. He cleared the ball twice and didn’t really get into the attack, but was solid in his defensive duties.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 (MotM) — This was possibly Cartagena’s best performance of the season. His 85 touches were second-most on the team and he completed 76.5% of his team-high 68 passes, including a key pass and two of his six long balls. It was his shielding of Nathan Saliba and strong pass forward for Duncan McGuire that started the last goal, though he didn’t get an assist. The defensive midfielder was also active defensively with five tackles and three interceptions, and he won a pair of aerial duels. His overall performance earns him my Man of the Match.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — Araujo had a similar performance to Cartagena, but fewer touches and more accurate passing. He recorded 55 touches and completed 93.9% of his 49 passes, including a key pass. He was less active than his partner defensively, recording three tackles, and was booked in the 63rd minute.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo had one of his better performances in this one, recording 48 touches and completing 82.1% of his 39 passes. His biggest impact on the game came two minutes into second-half stoppage time, when he connected with an excellent Martin Ojeda cross to even the game at 2-2. He nearly scored a winner five minutes later, but the pass from Ojeda was just a bit too far for him. His goal was one of his two shots and the only one on target.

MF, Nico Lodeiro, 6 — Lodeiro’s 45 touches were the fewest of the Orlando City midfield, but he did the most with them. The playmaker completed 91.4% of his 35 passes, including a key pass, but couldn’t connect on his long ball or either of his two crosses. He was also caught offside and dispossessed twice before being replaced by Ojeda in the 77th minute.

MF, Facundo Torres, 6 — Torres’ 65 touches were the most in the Lions’ midfield and the fourth most on the team. He completed 83.7% of his 49 passes, but didn’t connect on his two crosses or four long balls. The attacker took three shots and put one on target. In the 22nd minute, the midfielder stepped up and buried his second penalty of the season and ninth as a Lion, continuing her perfect record from the spot.

F, Luis Muriel, 6 — While Oscar Pareja had previously been starting Muriel behind McGuire, the forward got the start alone up top for the second consecutive game. He had 34 touches and completed 68.4% of his 19 passes, including his lone long ball but neither of his two crosses. His biggest impact on the game came in the 20th minute, when he tipped the ball past Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois, drawing the penalty that resulted in the first equalizer. He also had a shot of his own, but it was off target.

Substitutes

F, Duncan McGuire (63’), 6 — McGuire came on in the 63rd minute for Muriel. He had 16 touches in 27 minutes, completing eight of his 10 passes (80%) with a key pass. His lone shot came in the 90th minute, when Jansson headed the ball over to him and he probably should’ve equalized, but his volley was just wide. The striker also won three aerial duels.

MF, Martin Ojeda (77’), 6.5 — Ojeda came on in the 77th minute for Lodeiro and, similar to Lodeiro last week, made a big difference. He had 15 touches and completed four of his six passes (66.7%), including a key pass. Two minutes into second-half injury time, his excellent cross found Angulo, who touched it in for the equalizer. Five minutes later, he had another great cross that nearly found Angulo for the winner, but was just out of his reach.

D, Rafael Santos (85’), 6 — Santos came on in the 85th minute for Torres as the Lions looked to see out a point. He had nine touches and completed two of his three passes (66.7%), but didn’t connect on his cross or long ball. Coming on to assure the defense, Santos did his job as he recorded a tackle, an interception, and two clearances.


This is how I saw Orlando City’s 2-2 draw with CF Montreal. Let us know how you saw the game and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

Continue Reading

Trending