Orlando City Soccer
FNN Playoff Primer: Orlando City SC to Host NYCFC in Audi MLS Cup Playoff Debut
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – With MLS Decision Day officially in the history books, Orlando City SC have found their opponent for their first playoff game in club history. Last week, Benji Michel’s late game strike against Columbus Crew assured that the Lions would enjoy home field advantage for the single elimination decider against New York City FC. Orlando City will take on NYCFC at Exploria Stadium. The date hasn’t yet been announced.
More Than Just a Fluke
Since the MLS is Back Tournament in the summer, Orlando City has been on an upward trajectory. Unlike other promising sports teams that have returned to reality with the reintroduction of crowds, Orlando continues to find ways to score and keep games enticing. Oscar ‘Papi’ Pareja has made it clear that this blooming of tactic and mentality with Orlando is no fluke.
Orlando City SC midfielder Luis Nani celebrates after his free kick finds the back of the net in the 61st minute against Nashville SC at Exploria Stadium Sunday, November 8, 2020. Photo: Mellissa Thomas/Florida National News.
Pareja has done a great job at managing the minutes of high-impact players late into the season. Orlando City is one of the few teams in the MLS with a perfect mixture of veteran poise and rookie talent. From the old guard, European favorites like Nani and Mauricio Pereyra have shown the way with flashy football and magical moments that have paved the way for success at OCSC.
Inversely, this season wouldn’t have been as successful without the contributions of promising talent that buoyed Orlando City when injuries accumulated. The rise of Daryl Dike is undoubtedly the biggest revelation for Orlando since drafting him 5th overall in the 2020 Superdraft.
Dike’s domineering physical presence has given Orlando City a new identity in offense. Because of the space he demands, players like Mueller, Michel and even Academy prospects like Jordan Bender have been able to see more minutes as wingers that play off Dike’s intuitive runs across the defense. In the first half, Orlando City is one of the most active teams in the attacking half as Ruan often propels runs forward that are followed on the wing.
The theme of this season for Orlando City has revolved around finding their identity on the pitch. In spite of losses, injuries, disputed red cards and the like, Orlando has trudged forward and triumphed. After his game winner against Columbus Crew, Benji Michel mentioned that the team mentality on Orlando City remains rock solid. Every player from the starting keeper to third string striker is committed to getting the victory, and that shows with each celebration after a goal.
.@DarylDike has now scored in FOUR straight appearances. Mans on 🔥 #VamosOrlando pic.twitter.com/dj17kpShWc
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) November 8, 2020
Each triumph is celebrated as a team and each loss is a shared endeavor. The camaraderie amongst peers in the locker room is a driving element that has made OCSC so great this season. Many of these aspects of teamwork are intangible on the field, but the results have spoken for themselves with the highest league table finish ever in their club’s history at No. 4.
Match Preview: Orlando City SC vs. NYCFC
In single elimination playoff soccer, anything is on the table. Even in a home game, safety should never be felt too frequently as that can often lead to complacency. Orlando City has won and drawn against NYC this season, with their last result coming as a 1-1 draw at home. When looking at keys to victory, the best form of defense is a good offense. Orlando City has that in spades with the amount of options they have in attacking midfield and on the wing.
Mauricio Pereyra is slated to return to the lineup following a match suspension due to yellow card accumulation. Pereyra has been the tactician for Orlando this season. Although traditionally played more center-mid during his career, Pereyra has assumed the No. 10 role elegantly in the purple outfit. With eight assists so far this season, there is no doubting Pereyra’s propensity for creativity.
When propelling forward, the trident of Nani, Dike and Mueller have proved formidable to secure goals. As Nani has often swapped around into the midfield role in the middle of games, the level of give-and-go between players at Orlando has been unrelenting. Of course, a playoff-securing MLS team wouldn’t be complete without a defense, and Orlando City has developed solid answers to NYCFC’s threats.
Antônio Carlos has quietly been one of the MLS’ most consistent center backs all season. Due to his performances, he’s on track to receive MLS 2020 all-XI honors for his effort at the back. While Ruan and Kyle Smith have often made runs forward to propel the attack, Carlos and Robin Jansson (along with Pedro Gallese) have been the great purple wall that has kept Orlando City on the playoff track.
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Nicolas Vera is a Florida National News contributing writer. | info@floridanationalnews.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) — Orlando City commanded a triumphant shutout over Chicago Fire at home this weekend.
The 1-0 victory was Orlando’s second encounter this season, where Chicago Fire hosted the Lions to a 0-0 draw at Soldier Field. Both teams had depleted starting XI’s with Shaqiri out of the main lineup for Chicago, as Orlando missed Antonio Carlos due to a high hamstring injury. Orlando dominated the game on both ends of the ball and put in a mature home performance after their 4-2 loss to LAFC.
Engine, Engine Number Nine
After a few games of shambolic results influenced by small mistakes, Orlando City went back to basics for their win against Chicago. In the past few games, the Lions had seemingly been frustrated by aggressive opponents who in turn forced Orlando to make under-pressure mistakes. Ruan was once again under fire on social media outlets as his attacking presence wound up giving way to defensive mishaps on the other end of the field.
Photo: Rafael Crisostomo / Florida National News.
This game followed a much different formula. For starters, Chicago Fire’s Brian Rodriguez’s early double yellow tilted the game in Orlando’s favor as they were just starting to build their stride offensively. Shortly after, it seemed like every possession Orlando had was a shot on goal or at the very least an attempt. After winning the ball in the attacking half, Facundo Torres lobbed a ball to the far post that found Alexandre Pato. Pato then bounced the ball off his head to connect with Ercan Kara in the penalty box.
That goal not only gave Orlando City the victory, but it opened Kara’s accounts for goals this season. The Austrian striker has adjusted to MLS well in just a few short months he’s spent in Orlando. However, the finished product across the board for Orlando City is still lacking. Orlando City took 21 shots this game, which easily could’ve converted the scoreline into 3-0 or 4-0. It seems like it’s only a matter of time before the cogs begin to turn for Orlando City and hopefully they can turn good football moments into chants of goal, especially in crucial home games.
Defense Wins Championships
There was another spotlight on Rodrigo Schlegel as well. The Argentine defender had his number called after Antonio Carlos’ injury and lived up to the pressure. Schlegel’s first start of the 2022 season went off without a hitch as he dominated all one-on-one exchanges. The purple wall of defense seemed impenetrable with Schlegel and Jansson in top form. With that said, the hidden gem of Orlando’s 2022 season thus far has to be Joao Moutinho.
Photo: Rafael Crisostomo / Florida National News.
After starting every game this season post-ankle injury, the young Portuguese left-back has found his stride. Moutinho continues to be rock solid in defense, often using his ball-winning abilities to create offense on the other side of the field with quick passes to Araujo or Facundo Torres.
Little by little, the blueprint for success is being established for Orlando City as Oscar Pareja continues to implement his system. Within a few short weeks, Orlando City should start establishing itself as a front-runner in the Eastern Conference with more commanding displays as we saw on Saturday.
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Nicolas Vera is a sports reporter for Florida National News. | sports@floridanationalnews.com
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