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Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions rate individually in a tough 2-0 loss to Nashville?

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1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Well, that wasn’t a very fun game. Orlando City had its chances, but was caught out twice and lost 2-0 to Nashville SC at home. It was another game that will sting for supporters as the Lions weren’t bad by any means, but failed to capitalize on the chances they created while the visitors were extremely ruthless. Here’s how I saw the individual performances in OCSC’s second straight home loss.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 5.5 — This maybe feels a little harsh on El Pulpo, but on a night when he didn’t face many shots, he wasn’t able to keep out the majority of the ones that he did see. He finished with one save on the three shots on target that Nashville produced on the night, with the other two finding a way past him. He was caught in no man’s land on the opening goal, and while a cruel deflection took Hany Mukhtar’s shot past him, it’s still not great to get beat from such an acute angle. His 59% passing accuracy left a bit to be desired, even as a goalkeeper, but it’s hard to hold that against him too much. In the end, it just wasn’t his night.

D, Luca Petrasso, 5.5 — Preferred to Rafael Santos in the starting left back role, Petrasso had a fairly quiet night. His passing was the highlight of his performance as he was extremely accurate, completing 93% of them, while also contributing two key passes. His cutback pass to Ramiro Enrique should have resulted in more than it did, but it was that kind of night across the board for the Lions. He also completed one dribble and committed two fouls before being withdrawn as OCSC was chasing the game.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — Jansson recorded one tackle, one interception, four clearances, and four long balls while passing with 92% accuracy. I particularly enjoyed the excellent curled ball he played up the sideline just two minutes into the game. While he wasn’t as culpable as Rodrigo Schlegel on Fafa Picault’s opening goal, he wasn’t blameless either, and neither player covered themselves in glory on the sequence. He did commit one foul but avoided picking up a yellow card, which isn’t exactly a foregone conclusion for him, so that was some silver lining.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5.5 — Schlegel partnered Jansson in defense as he has for most of the young season. He was busy on the stat sheet with two tackles, four clearances, and 84.6% passing accuracy with one long ball. Unfortunately, his most high profile contribution to the game came on Nashville’s opening goal when he fell asleep and allowed Picault to get in behind him to open the scoring. It was not good defending from him, and while he was mostly solid afterward — though it’s not clear how much his sliding challenge distracted Gallese on the second goal — his first lapse ended up costing the Lions dearly. He also picked up a yellow card shortly after the halftime break and had to play more carefully as a result.

D, Kyle Smith, 6 — Like Petrasso, it was a fairly anonymous performance from The Accountant. He passed with 86% accuracy and completed three key passes, and it was nice to see him making that contribution offensively, although he was only one-for-five on his crossing attempts. He won two aerial duels, and made one tackle, while being fouled once and picking up a yellow card for a shoving match with Picault in the second half.

MF, Felipe , 5.5 — Felipe was given the start and asked to play the double pivot in deep central midfield alongside Cesar Araujo, presumably in an effort to gum up the play of the always dangerous duo of Mukhtar and C.J. Sapong. It worked to a degree. He recorded a tackle, an interception, a shot and a completed dribble while passing at an 84% clip. With that being said, he was the one who committed the foul on Mukhtar which led to the Nashville goal. The foul in itself wasn’t a cardinal sin as it stopped a Nashville break, but he maybe should have tried to get in front of the German playmaker and tried to delay the set piece being taken as quickly as it was, though he was by no means the worst offender on that particular goal conceded.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — Araujo did plenty of dirty work in the match, but was able to flash an offensive side of his game as well. He passed with a whopping 99% accuracy, recorded two tackles, one clearance, two shots, a completed dribble and was fouled three times while committing three of his own. It was a shame he was unable to stay on his feet when the ball found him in the box in the first half, as he had a good opportunity to shoot, but his slip was fairly emblematic of Orlando’s night as a whole.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6 — Pererya was largely freed of defensive responsibilities with Felipe deployed as the eight, and that was reflected in his stat line. The captain took one shot, passed with 84% accuracy, had three key passes, two long balls, was fouled twice, and chipped in with two tackles defensively. Unfortunately, he and the rest of his offensive teammates couldn’t find the final ball to unlock Nashville defensively, especially once the first goal went in and the visitors started to bunker more heavily.  

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6 — As has become customary for him, Ojeda took the most shots out of anyone in an Orlando City shirt, with six. Two went on target, one was blocked and the other three were off target, but he isn’t shy about having a pop when the opportunity presents itself. He also passed with 88% accuracy, had one key pass and one interception while committing one foul. For the most part, the final ball just wouldn’t present itself for anyone in a purple shirt, and he was no exception.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6.5 (MotM) — Angulo was his usual active self in this one. He had Orlando’s best chance of the game in the 17th minute when he turned on a ball in the box and fired a low shot towards the far corner that forced Joe Willis into an excellent kick save. He took three shots on the night, putting one on target, one off, and having the final one blocked. He also passed with 89% accuracy and had a key pass, and he won a lone aerial duel and made one clearance. On the disciplinary side of things he was fouled once and committed one foul of his own.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 5.5 — Enrique was given the start up top and was not shy about running and using his high energy levels. Defensively he contributed one clearance and committed a foul. On the offensive end of things he took two shots, putting one on target and had the other one blocked, while also passing with 88% accuracy and notching a key pass. He had a great chance to get Orlando level when Petrasso’s cutback found him in the second half, but he could only fire low into Joe Willis’ body with a shot he really should have done better with.

Substitutes

MF, Facundo Torres (45′), 6 — Deployed only as a second half substitute, Torres still managed to get involved. He finished his night with two shots, one on target and one off target, and also had a key pass and drew a foul on the offensive end. He passed with 89% accuracy, completed two long balls, and contributed one tackle and one interception on the defensive end. His introduction gave the Lions a spark, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to get them on the scoresheet.

MF, Gaston Gonzalez (78′), N/A — Gonzalez came in with under a quarter of an hour to play as Oscar Pareja threw the kitchen sink at Nashville to try to get a result. He didn’t record any defensive statistics but passed with 78% accuracy, was fouled once, and completed one dribble.

MF, Duncan McGuire (81′), N/A — Like Gonzalez, McGuire entered the fray late to try to help chase a result. He completed all three of his passes, one of which was a key one, won one aerial duel, and took one headed shot, which he put on target.

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (82′), N/A — Thorhallsson was another sub late with OCSC chasing the game. He completed all three of his passes and committed two fouls, but was otherwise unable to impact proceedings.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in the tough home loss to Nashville SC. Let me know how you saw things in the comments, and be sure to vote in the Man of the Match poll below.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/7/24

Barbra Banda up for NWSL Goal of the Week, Americans in midweek action, Champions League preview, and more.

Published

13 hours ago

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May 7, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Tuesday, everyone. It was a mixed bag for Orlando’s teams over the weekend, as Orlando City B drew 1-1 with Chattanooga FC and lost the subsequent shootout, Orlando City lost 1-0 to FC Cincinnati, and the Orlando Pride won 1-0 over Racing Louisville. As usual, we have a lot to talk through this morning, so let’s dig into the links.

Barbra Banda Up for Goal of the Week

Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda has been nominated for the NWSL Goal of the Week for her strike in the 77th minute against the North Carolina Courage last Wednesday. Banda controlled the ball off a throw-in, turned, and drove across the box before slotting a low shot past Casey Murphy for the Pride’s fourth and final goal of the game. She scored twice in that game and scored again in Sunday’s win over Racing Louisville. Banda now has four goals in four games — including at least one in each of her three starts since appearing off the bench in her debut — and shows no sign of slowing down. Make sure you go vote for her to win this week’s award!

Americans in Midweek Action

As usual, there are a number of Americans playing games this week, so make sure you mark down any that you want to tune in for. Wednesday has Brandon Vazquez and Monterrey traveling to El Volcan to take on Tigres in the quarterfinals of the Clausura. Moving to Friday, Tanner Tessmann, Gianluca Busio, and Venezia have a chance to gain promotion to Serie A if they beat Spezia and Como loses. On the other side of things, former Lion Nicholas Gioacchini and Como play Cosenza, and will secure automatic promotion as long as they don’t have a worse result than Venezia.

UEFA Champions League Preview

The UEFA Champions League continues this week with the second legs of the two semifinal matchups. In this afternoon’s game, Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique has said that even Kylian Mbappe will have to work hard defensively if his team is going to progress to the final. Borussia Dortmund leads that tie 1-0, and will need to rely on a defense that has kept five clean sheets in this year’s tournament. However, the German club has a concerning record away from home, where it has lost nine of its last 11 games. In tomorrow’s game between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, this season’s La Liga winner will hope its finishing prowess continues from the first leg, when it turned two chances into two goals.

European Transfer Rumor Roundup

With European seasons drawing to a close, the transfer rumor mill is starting to heat up, which means there are several items worth discussing today. First, Manchester United will reportedly face competition to sign Crystal Palace star Michael Olise. Chelsea and PSG are said to also be interested in signing the Frenchman, who was instrumental in his side’s 4-0 drubbing of the Red Devils yesterday. Staying in the Premier League, Virgil van Dijk has said he intends to be part of the transition following Jurgen Klopp’s departure from Liverpool, confirming that he does not intend to leave in the summer. Elsewhere, Bayern Munich is said to have agreed to personal terms with AC Milan’s Theo Hernandez. David Moyes has confirmed he will leave West Ham at the end of the season, with reports suggesting that the Hammers have reached an agreement with Julen Lopetegui to be the team’s new manager.

Free Kicks

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

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Orlando City

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

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s home loss to FC Cincinnati?

Published

1 day ago

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May 6, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City dropped yet another match at home, this time to FC Cincinnati. Despite the 1-0 loss, a couple of red card, and the all-too-familiar lack of finishing, the Lions played pretty well. Orlando City continues to give up early goals and to not be able to find the back of the net. However, the Lions do create opportunities and are usually in the match despite recent results.

Here’s how I saw the individual performances for the Lions in this injury-riddled and heartbreaking loss.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — Gallese didn’t have much chance on the goal and otherwise had a decent night, making the saves on Cincinnati’s other two shots on goal. There were some scary moments when he found himself outside of the box on occasion, but he acquitted himself well. Apart from his goalkeeping, Gallese completed 70.6% of his 17 passes, including four of his nine long balls.

D, Rafael Santos, 6 — Santos was active in his time on the field. He had 44 touches, completing 75.9% of his 29 passes, including one of his two long balls. Santos completed one of his five crosses, and made a key pass. He took one shot but it was not on target as it was blocked. Defensively, Santos recorded two tackles and one interception. He made an extremely good recovery run to stop the counter attack in the 49th minute but dislocated his right shoulder in the process. That ended his night as he came off for Nico Lodeiro in the 51st minute.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 4 — Schlegel had a short night due to a red card in the 23rd minute on a foul committed in the 20th minute. Originally, the referee ruled it a fair challenge, but after looking again, Ismail Elfath gave the red card for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity, which was fair. He misplayed the pass that allowed Yuya Kubo to steal it at full speed and go one-on-one with Gallese, leading to the foul. He may have kept Acosta onside on the Cincinnati goal and was also beaten by Acosta in the box. He only had 14 touches in the game and completed all of his 13 passes, including both long ball attempts. Schlegel did not record a defensive stat.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — Jansson was mostly his usual good self this game. There was some fun to watch gamesmanship with Matt Miazga during Orlando City’s early corner kick attempts. He tied Cesar Araujo with a team-high 61 touches and completed 80% of his team-high 50 passes, including three of nine long balls. Defensively, he matched Dagur Dan Thorhallsson’s team-leading four tackles, while also adding an interception, a clearance, and a yellow card. He did get caught flat-footed on the goal by Acosta, but he wasn’t the only one.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6.5 — Thorhallsson once again got the start at right back and had a really good night up until he had to leave the match with a concussion in first-half stoppage time. He picked up the knock when he blocked the free kick Schlegel allowed in the 24th minute with his noggin. Thorhallsson was good at being in the right place at the right time to keep Cincinnati from going forward on his side of the pitch. He recorded 23 touches, completing 69.2% of his 13 passes, but didn’t connect on either his one attempted long ball or his one attempted cross. Defensively, he made four tackles, and blocked one shot. It’s a shame that he had to go off.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — Araujo had a solid performance against FC Cincinnati, recording 61 touches. He completed 87.2% of his 39 passes, including three of his five long balls, and took two shots. Defensively, he added two tackles, and an interception. Araujo was his usual frustrating self for the opposition, drawing nine fouls. His free kick attempt — which he earned — went into the wall, but he did recover it as well. His second shot was well taken but deflected wide.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 — Cartagena was almost the hero of the match. His shot in the fifth minute off of Martin Ojeda’s corner kick went off the crossbar, and his rocket of a shot in the 67th minute went in, but was waved off because Facundo Torres was offside. He tracked back to try to prevent Acosta’s goal in the first minute, but the Cincinnati star did well to cut back inside when Cartagena committed to blocking the shot or cross. Otherwise, Cartagena had a pretty good match. He had the fourth most touches with 54. He matched Araujo, completing 87.2% of his 39 passes, including six of his nine long balls. He also had two key passes and the aforementioned shot. Defensively, he added one tackle, two clearances, and one interception. He also earned one yellow card.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 7 (MotM) — Angulo was active in the match, roaming where he was needed, hounding Cincinnati defensively, and being an integral part of the attack. He had 60 touches and completed 82.4% of his 34 passes, including two key passes. He completed one of his three cross attempts, had three dribbles and drew four fouls. His lone shot was on target but it was blocked by the defense after he rounded the keeper. Defensively, he made three tackles. He made the necessary switch to a more defensive posture after Schlegel’s red card, but was still a good attacking threat from the left wingback position.

MF, Facundo Torres, 5.5 — Torres wasn’t as much of a factor as he needs to be for Orlando City. He recorded 51 touches while completing 75.9% of his 29 passes. He did not connect on any of his five crosses, nor his three long balls. He had one dribble and one tackle. He made way for Luis Muriel in the 70th minute.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6 — Ojeda was sacrificed for defense in the 27th minute after Schlegel’s departure. He only had 13 touches in his limited minutes but completed 83.3% of his six passes, including a successful long ball. Despite the limited minutes, Ojeda completed two of his five crosses and contributed a key pass.

F, Duncan McGuire, 6 — McGuire continues to show that despite all the botched trade shenanigans before the season, he wants to prove he’s a team player and a quality striker. He touched the ball 25 times and completed 77.8% of his 18 passes. Unfortunately, his one shot was not on target. Defensively, he made a clearance, and while he was the outlet player when the team went down to 10 men, he still came back to help on defense.

Substitutes

D, David Brekalo (28’), 6 — Brekalo came on in the 28th minute for Ojeda, but he really came on to replace Schlegel. He had 33 touches and completed 80.8% of his 26 passes, though he did not complete either of his two long balls. Defensively, he had one interception, one clearance, and one blocked shot. He had one decent run into the attack, although ultimately it came to nothing.

D, Michael Halliday (45’+ 4), 5.5 — Initially, it looked like Oscar Pareja would bring on Kyle Smith for the injured Thorhallsson, but instead it was Halliday. The youngster hasn’t had many minutes this season and defensively the rust showed. Halliday recorded 33 touches, completing 80% of his 15 passes, including both of his long balls. He attempted a cross but it didn’t connect. He also had a shot on goal, but it was deflected. Defensively, he had one tackle, one interception, and committed two fouls. One of those resulted in a yellow card for his foul on Kevin Kelsey. He put himself in dangerous positions repeatedly but simply couldn’t finish the play.

MF, Nico Lodeiro (52’), 6 — When Santos went off injured, Pareja brought on Lodeiro to bolster the midfield and, hopefully, the attack. He touched the ball 26 times and completed 78.6% of his 14 passes and his only long ball. The veteran also connected on two of his four crosses, and his late header nearly leveled the match, but keeper Roman Celentano got a paw on it to keep it out. Defensively, Lodeiro contributed a tackle.

F, Luis Muriel (70’), 5.5 — Muriel came on for Torres, playing under McGuire as Orlando City pushed for the equalizer. He only managed 12 touches and completed 44.4% of his nine passes, with one unsuccessful long ball attempt. He did have one dribble and drew a foul in a dangerous area but didn’t take any shots in the match.

That’s how I saw the performances for Orlando City in its 1-0 loss to FC Cincinnati Saturday night. Let us know how you saw the game and vote for your Man of the Match below.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/6/24

Lions lose at home, Orlando Pride win, OCB draws Chattanooga FC, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

May 6, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers. I hope all is well with you down in Florida. It was another mixed weekend for our teams as the Lions lost, the Pride won, and OCB drew. As for me, I’ve been busy managing the broadcast operations for the NISA league’s matches this weekend and also got a chance to cover high school soccer, softball, and badminton. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Lose at Home to FC Cincinnati

Orlando City lost at home for the second straight weekend with a 1-0 defeat to FC Cincinnati at Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday. Luciano Acosta scored the lone goal for Cincinnati just seconds into the match. Orlando City went down to 10 men when defender Rodrigo Schlegel received a red card in the first half. The Lions had some chances to get back in this one, including a free kick opportunity in the second half when Wilder Cartagena scored what would have been the equalizer, but Facundo Torres was ruled offside, and the goal was waved off. Cincinnati also dropped to 10 men late in the second half as defender Bret Halsey received his second yellow for a foul on Ivan Angulo and knocked the ball out to waste time. Still, FC Cincinnati found a way to hang on for the victory, securing its third win in a row. Orlando City will look to rebound on Saturday as it takes on the Philadelphia Union at Suburu Park.  

Orlando Pride Win at Home Against Racing Louisville FC

The Orlando Pride defeated Racing Louisville FC on Sunday, 1-0, at Inter&Co Stadium, winning their fifth straight game. Barbra Banda scored the lone goal of the match and now has four goals for the Pride this season. The Pride remain undefeated in league play, keeping their unbeaten streak alive at eight matches (5-0-3). Orlando also moved up to first in the NWSL table with 18 points. The Pride will be back home on Saturday to face Bay FC. 

OCB Draws Chattanooga FC

Orlando City B drew 1-1 on the road against Chattanooga FC on Saturday. The Young Lions trailed early in the first half as Mehdi Ouamri put Chattanooga FC in front 1-0. Later in the first half, OCB got an equalizer, with forward Shak Mohammed finding the back of the net to score his second goal of the season. The match went to penalties after 90 minutes of action, where Chattanooga FC won the extra point with a 5-4 win over OCB. Despite not getting the extra point in penalties, the Young Lions still keep their road unbeaten streak alive at five. OCB will have a quick turnaround with its next match at Osceola County Stadium on Wednesday against New York Red Bulls II.

European Soccer Roundup

Real Madrid clinched the La Liga title on Saturday, defeating Cadiz 3-0, while their rivals Barcelona dropped points in a 4-2 loss to Girona over the weekend. Madrid has now won La Liga for the 36th time and still has a shot of adding another trophy if it gets past Bayern Munich in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday to reach the final next month. Elsewhere, we had plenty of drama in England. Let’s start in the EFL Championship, where Ipswich Town joined Leicester City, getting promoted to the Premier League after a 2-0 victory against Huddersfield Town. Leeds United, Southhampton, West Brom, and Norwich City will go to the playoffs to determine the third club to secure promotion. Arsenal won 3-0 over Bournemouth, while Manchester City cruised to a 5-1 win over Wolves to keep the EPL title race tight. Arsenal is in first with 83 points, with two matches remaining, while Manchester City is just behind in second with 82 points and three matches left to play.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride midfielder Ally Lemos gave insight on her first NWSL start for the Pride after their match against Racing Louisville FC on Sunday.
  • PSV Eindhoven clinched the Eredivisie title on Sunday with a 4-2 win over Sparta Rotterdam. American Malik Tillman played for 90 minutes, while Ricardo Pepi came off the bench and added an assist. 
  • USMNT midfielder Christian Pulisic put on a solid performance and contributed an assist for AC Milan in a 3-3 draw against Genoa on Saturday.
  • USWNT forward Catarina Macario came off the bench for Chelsea in the second half and made WSL history by adding two assists in 10 minutes in an 8-0 win over Bristol City.

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

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