Tag: Orlando City

Messi-less Inter Miami keeps playoff dreams alive — for now

A draw at Orlando City is a great result in a vacuum, but it may not be enough

Time is running out for Inter Miami’s hopes of an unlikely MLS playoff berth, but the Herons put forth a valiant effort in a 1-1 draw at Orlando City on Sunday.

Without star trio Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, an away match against second-place Orlando was a daunting proposition for Inter Miami.

Thanks to an awful start to the season, Miami has had virtually no margin for error since the arrival of the former Barcelona stars. Earning a point at Orlando is a solid result in a vacuum, but wins will be desperately needed from here on out for a side still 14th in the 15-team Eastern Conference.

David Ruiz gave Inter Miami the lead just after halftime against Orlando, which earned a share of the points through a 66th-minute equalizer from Duncan McGuire.

With five games to play, Miami is five points back of NYCFC in the ninth and final playoff position in the East. Though Miami has two games in hand over NYCFC, it still has to leapfrog five teams to move into playoff position.

Speaking to reporters after the game, head coach Tata Martino said he was happy with the result under the circumstances — even though he admitted it may not have been enough.

“We played with three kids from the academy and one of them scored,” Martino said. “We were able to get a draw; I think at some point we could’ve lost the game, but in another moment it was there for us. Taking all of this into consideration, we’ll see if this point matters for what we’re ultimately trying to accomplish. But if you think about it solely for what the game was, truly I’m leaving very satisfied, because a great effort was made today.”

The big question now surrounds the health of Messi, Busquets and Alba — all nursing various levels of minor injuries and fatigue — ahead of Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup final against Houston.

Martino wouldn’t give much away on Messi’s status, but was clear that he wouldn’t take an unnecessary risk in a game that could see Miami complete a double after winning the Leagues Cup last month.

“It’s very difficult to give him a percentage because we have to take it day by day,” Martino said. “We’ll continue to evaluate him and, as I always say, I will listen to him first and see how he’s feeling. Then we’ll also need to evaluate future risks. It’s not an easy decision, but we’re going to take the right amount of time to try to not make a mistake.”

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MLS Madness takes hold as Orlando City stages miracle late comeback to beat Columbus Crew

MLS: It’s not just Messi!

It’s been overshadowed for a while due to Messi Mania, but MLS Madness™ is back in a big way.

On a night where Lionel Messi didn’t play and most of the rest of the Eastern Conference only seemed able to muster a series of drab scoreless draws, Orlando City and the Columbus Crew seemed to bottle up all of the madness in a bonkers 4-3 win for the Lions.

MLS Madness™ rarely makes itself apparent at first, and that was the case in Orlando on Saturday. The Crew nosed in front after Julian Gressel stabbed home following inspired lobs from both Alexandru Mățan and Cucho Hernández.

Columbus took that 1-0 lead into halftime, only to see Orlando equalize on a sharp 48th minute finish from Martin Ojeda.

However, things devolved for the Lions, who watched the Crew march to a 3-1 lead over the next 20 minutes. First, some shockingly hesitant defending from just about everyone in purple allowed Diego Rossi to fire his side back ahead.

Then, Orlando’s attempts to catch Columbus offside at midfield backfired, with Mățan running 50 yards after taking a diagonal out to the wing before unselfishly feeding Hernández on the doorstep.

However, this is not any particular sort of wild nonsense. Honestly, it’s some pretty normal stuff, especially for the Crew. What pushed us into MLS Madness™ is what followed from here that allowed Orlando to go from 3-1 down with 16 minutes to play to the victors on the night.

The comeback really started with Facundo Torres finishing off some very slick work from Ramiro Enrique and Ojeda.

While the crowd at Exploria Stadium was amped up, the Lions weren’t exactly piling up huge chances. In fact, from the moment Orlando fell behind by two, the home side produced just six shots.

However, when you get gifts like the one Crew defender Yevhen Cheberko produced in completely misdirecting a clearing header towards Enrique, maybe it’s just your night.

Columbus would end up winning the expected goals battle by a wide margin, putting up 3.9 to Orlando’s 1.4. But in a huge victory for the Lions and the “the only stat that matters is the score” crowd, Orlando got one last set piece beyond the initially given six minutes of stoppage time.

Let’s roll that MLS Madness™ footage.

Enrique, seemingly the only calm person in the building, fired home a second to give Orlando a wildly dramatic win, as well as a five-point edge over the Crew in the standings. Both teams are seemingly sure of going to the playoffs, but a Columbus win on the night could have been decisive in terms of home-field advantage later in the postseason.

Instead, the Madness™ took hold, leaving Orlando with a night to remember.

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Lionel Messi has formed an instant bond with Robert Taylor, just like everyone expected

With Messi in Miami, Taylor can’t be stopped

Lionel Messi came to MLS and found someone who understands exactly what he’s thinking.

Sergio Busquets? Inter Miami debutant Jordi Alba? Be serious, folks. We’re of course talking about Robert Taylor.

Messi and his favorite Finn of all time did it again, linking up to open the scoring as Miami ran out 3-1 winners in a Leagues Cup battle with Orlando City.

After an hour-long delay for weather, it took just seven minutes for Messi to link up with the man that is apparently his favorite new target.

Taylor was previously seen as a tricky winger in MLS circles, but hardly a player to specifically game-plan for. He posted three goals and three assists on the left flank in 2022, a completely respectable haul on a middling side.

However, with Messi in the fold, the Finland winger is unstoppable. Taylor’s newfound confidence is resulting in him appearing in highlight clips the world over.

Just take Wednesday’s goal as an example: the expectation would be that Messi would be producing all the highlight-reel moments, and his Miami teammates just had to kick the ball into the goal. Not so for Taylor, who danced inside Kyle Smith before surprising Orlando with a clipped-in ball, setting an unmarked Messi up for an emphatic volley.

Since Messi’s arrival with the Herons, Taylor has been prolific, with this being his second assist to go with three goals in just three matches.

Messi and Taylor have connected on three goals, with each setting the other up to get on the scoreboard in a 4-0 rout of Atlanta United on July 25. Taylor hasn’t just been reliant on his connection with the Argentine legend, either. The winger scored with Messi still on the bench against Cruz Azul, and struck a second against Atlanta that was teed up by Benjamin Cremaschi instead.

Messi would bag another goal in the 72nd minute, and while Taylor didn’t get the direct assist, you’d have to say they connected again. Messi picked Taylor out on the break, and while the Finn’s cross from the left was over Messi, Josef Martínez was there to knock the ball down and set the global icon up for a point-blank finish.

Watch the Messi-Taylor connection do it again

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Kara bicycle kick equalizer not enough for Orlando City as Tigres advance in CCL

Orlando nearly stole it at the end, but Tigres is moving on

ORLANDO – André-Pierre Gignac stayed home for the second leg of Tigres’ CONCACAF Champions League round of 16 tie with Orlando City. His substitute, on the other hand, netted the vital goal for the Liga MX side to progress.

Sebastián Córdova controlled a cross with his chest and fired a 21st minute strike past the seemingly impenetrable Pedro Gallese as Tigres advanced via away-goals tiebreaker with a 1-1 draw at Exploria Stadium.

Tigres will face either Honduran side Motagua or Liga MX’s Pachuca, who after a scoreless first leg will settle their clash Thursday in Mexico.

Attacking woes continue to plague Orlando, which made its first CCL appearance in club history. The Lions have scored just three goals in five matches across all competitions this season.

Gallese, however, once again kept Orlando in contention. He made three crucial saves in the opening 15 minutes, including one to deny Nicolás Ibáñez on a header from point-blank range. Across the two legs, the Peruvian international stopped 15 Tigres shots.

“Obviously, he represents a lot of security for us, especially in the second half as we pushed. The lines were higher, and we left spaces in behind,” Orlando manager Oscar Pareja said. “It’s very, very good to see him in good form.”

Gignac, the 37-year-old Frenchman who has five goals and two assists in eight Liga MX Clausura matches, was unavailable due to his unvaccinated status. Current U.S. government rules state all air travelers who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 before entering the country.

Orlando very nearly struck against the run of play shortly after that stop on Ibáñez, building up an attack down the left flank. Iván Angulo took a delicate touch in the box, but his curling shot drifted just wide of the far post.

Tigres cashed in its very next opportunity as Córdova evaded Luca Petrasso with the ball in the air. Córdova took it down with his chest and lashed it past the diving Gallese.

Córdova was one of two players inserted into Marco Antonio Ruiz’s starting 11, along with midfielder and captain Guido Pizarro replacing Juan Pablo Vigón.

Orlando nearly staged a miraculous comeback in the final minutes. Ercan Kara equalized on a 90th minute bicycle kick from a corner. Tigres defender Samir was then sent off for a second yellow in the 95th minute, while Orlando rookie Duncan McGuire blazed one last chance over the bar at the final whistle.

“We gave it our all and played to the end,” McGuire said. “From now on, in the games that we play, we have to play the way we finished that game.

“It’s definitely tough to lose a game like that, definitely thought that there maybe should have been more [stoppage] time. … We’ll keep our heads high and move on to the next one.”

Pareja was shown a red card following the match’s conclusion. In the post-game press conference, he argued that Orlando should have been given more stoppage time due to Tigres’ numerous delay tactics.

“Between the 89th and 96th minutes, there were four minutes and 50 seconds that they did not play. They did not allow us to play the game,” Pareja said. “We saw it in the World Cup, guys. If you give five minutes, and they are wasting time, you need to add more time.

“We are respectful, but we are not stupid. We are competing, and they need to realize that.”

Asked about the late stages of the match, Tigres boss Ruiz said, “It’s things that happen in soccer. Logically, a team doesn’t advance, and they get bothered. I don’t know what exactly happened or what the motive was, but people know those things happen in soccer and it’s the passion of the players.”

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Orlando City’s CCL shot boosted by Gignac’s refusal to get one

The Tigres star is not permitted to enter the United States

Orlando City earned a massive 0-0 away draw against Tigres in the CONCACAF Champions League round of 16 first leg on Tuesday night.

Facing the heavily favored Liga MX side, Orlando conceded plenty of possession and allowed 22 total shots, but a strong defensive performance and some key saves from Pedro Gallese allowed the MLS side to secure a huge result.

The Lions will return home for the second leg full of confidence, not just because of the result but because star Tigres striker André-Pierre Gignac won’t be traveling to Florida for the game.

Gignac isn’t injured and he won’t be suspended — though he nearly was after being shown a first-half red card only for it to be changed to yellow after a VAR review.

Instead, the French striker won’t travel because he is unvaccinated against Covid-19. Current U.S. government rules state all air travelers who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents must be fully vaccinated before they enter the country.

Gignac also missed the 2022 MLS All-Star Game for the same reason — though this game, of course, counts.

Explaining his decision last year, Gignac said: “I want to clarify that I spoke with the board and asked them to respect this issue, which for me is a point of belief, education and something that comes from my childhood and my origin.

“I appreciate the support and respect for my decision on this issue, which is 100 percent personal.”

Gignac is joined by another high-profile anti-vax athlete who is set to miss out on competing in Florida this month: tennis star Novak Djokovic won’t be able to play in the Miami Open due to the same rule that will keep Gignac out.

Whether Gignac plans to petition Ron DeSantis remains to be seen.

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Ismael Kone’s star continues to rise with playoff winner vs. Orlando City

The 20-year-old’s stock continues to skyrocket

Ismaël Koné scored the winner midway through the second half, sending CF Montréal to the Eastern Conference semifinal with a 2-0 victory over Orlando City in an MLS playoff match on Sunday.

The 20-year-old Canada international has had a breakthrough campaign and his star continued to rise after a well-worked goal assisted by Djordje Mihailovic.

Mihailovic would add a penalty deep into stoppage time to lock up the win.

Montréal controlled most of the possession on the night but it was the visitors who had the better of the chances, squandering several good looks in the first half.

Those misses would prove costly as Montréal took full advantage of its first big chance of the evening, which was put away by one of the rising stars in CONCACAF.

Koné only joined Montréal in August 2021 from local semi-pro club CS Saint-Laurent. One year later, Montréal turned down a seven-figure bid from Sheffield United on transfer deadline day. They may not be able to hold on to him much longer.

The midfielder has also rocketed up the depth chart for Canada and has just about locked up a place on the team’s World Cup roster. Now the question is how much he’ll play in Qatar.

Before the World Cup though, there is the matter of trying to bring an MLS title to Canada. Koné and his teammates will face the winner of Monday’s game between Inter Miami and New York City FC in the conference semifinal.

Watch Koné’s winner vs. Orlando City

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The MLS playoffs begin with three days of potential upsets and chaos

Thoughts and predictions from every opening-round playoff match

After the obligatory long, strange trip, the MLS playoffs are here.

The first round will feature six one-off games, with the higher seeds all hosting. While LAFC and the Philadelphia Union kick their feet up and watch, the remaining playoff sides will try to navigate a first round that is typically volatile. If your playoff predictions are looking pretty chalky, you’re probably off base.

Pro Soccer Wire is ready for the kind of drama MLS virtually always manages to conjure up at this time of the year, and we’re diving into each and every first round match-up with analysis, broadcast information, and predictions.

MLS playoff brackets are set after Decision Day drama

Thoughts on every playoff pairing after Decision Day’s drama

It’s officially playoff time in MLS.

Sunday afternoon saw some high tension in the Eastern Conference that ended with Orlando City coming back to secure the final playoff spot over the Columbus Crew. For the Crew, a season of lost leads ended with Facundo Torres netting an 84th minute penalty kick, giving the 2022 US Open Cup champions a win they had to have to get into the playoff spot.

Fans then watched Minnesota United and Real Salt Lake win the race for the last two spots in the West, defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers in what turned out to be effectively an appetizer for the actual postseason. Minnesota largely held Vancouver to little en route to a 2-0 win in St. Paul, while the Timbers controversially dropped midfielder Eryk Williamson and were run over by RSL, falling behind by three goals before a very late goal gave them a more respectable-sounding 3-1 loss.

While the playoff dates and times are yet to be announced, we now know all 14 playoff teams, and what the first round looks like.

Orlando City defeats Sacramento in Open Cup final amid spying controversy

Orlando City put pre-game controversy aside to deliver the club’s first trophy

ORLANDO, Fla. — Their raucous capacity crowd of 25,527 fans chanted “We want the cup” before a ball was kicked, and Orlando City delivered Wednesday night, capturing the first major piece of silverware since the club joined Major League Soccer seven years ago.

Facundo Torres hammered the go-ahead goal in the 75th minute, and slotted home an insurance penalty five minutes later as the host Lions defeated second-tier Sacramento Republic 3-0 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final.

Orlando’s win, however, could be clouded in a bit of controversy after Sacramento — as first reported by ESPN — filed a complaint with the U.S. Soccer Federation alleging that an Orlando City staffer was spying on the team’s training session on Tuesday.

Sacramento head coach Mark Briggs didn’t want to talk about the controversy after the game, saying in his press conference: “That’s for other people to decide and other people to talk about. Congratulations to Oscar [Pareja, Orlando City head coach] and the organization for winning the Open Cup.”

Prior to this year, Orlando had never advanced beyond the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. The club has won just one MLS playoff game since its expansion campaign in 2015.

And yet, Orlando was far from the biggest underdog on the pitch Wednesday night — let alone in America’s premier multi-tier tournament.

Sacramento Republic embarked on a magical run to become the first non-MLS side to qualify for the championship game since 2008.

Republic took down MLS opposition in three consecutive round — San Jose Earthquakes in the round of 16, LA Galaxy in the quarterfinals and Sporting KC in a memorable semifinal that required penalties after 120 scoreless minutes.

Sacramento’s sturdy defense, the backbone throughout the cup competition, withstood Orlando’s attack and a steady downpour in the first half. The Lions maintained 55.7% possession and outshot Republic 6-1, but never truly threatened Sacramento goalkeeper Danny Vitiello.

Dan Casey bravely defended Orlando’s best chance at one end, and created Sacramento’s at the other. He fairly tackled Mauricio Pereyra and sprung Maalique Foster in on goal, but Foster’s shot dragged just wide of the bottom right corner.

Republic showed some positivity in attack and a bit of confidence out of halftime, winning the match’s first corner in the 48th minute and forcing Orlando keeper Pedro Gallese into an uncomfortable punch to defend a dangerous free kick in the 72nd.

But Orlando’s well-timed, aggressive press sealed Sacramento’s fate.

Ivan Angulo and second-half substitute Benji Michel hounded Casey and forced a turnover inside the Sacramento box. Michel placed it on a tee for Torres, who lashed a left-footed strike past the diving Vitiello.

Five minutes later, Michel won a penalty as he headed a loose ball around Vitiello and was tripped up from behind by Casey. Torres took the spot kick, and buried it to effectively seal the outcome.

Michel added a third in stoppage time, splitting two defenders to track down Torres’ pass and slide it across the face of goal and into a yawning net.

Orlando City was a deserved winner on the night, but the spy controversy again came up in Pareja’s post-game press conference.

The Orlando City coach offered a full-throated defense.

“The only thing that I say in these times is, nobody’s spying [on] anybody,” he said. “[There] is a lot of knowledge about this team. Everybody knows the team. But I understand.

“I would cooperate with anything the [U.S. Soccer] Federation wants us to say, and anything they want to know. But, I want to recognize the way our players concentrated on the game and didn’t let anything of [the spying reports] filter through the group. That was fantastic. They just absorbed it.

They said, ‘we’ll just concentrate on our game,’ and I thought it was very fair play for both teams. Sacramento is a fantastic team, but we were the best team on the field, and there’s nothing else to say.”

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Orlando City avoids Sacramento Republic cupset to take 2022 U.S. Open Cup

Midnight struck for Sacramento’s Cinderella story, as Orlando won their first-ever trophy

Orlando City, it’s time to go get a trophy case for Exploria Stadium.

Orlando won the 2022 U.S. Open Cup final Wednesday night, as a quick-fire double from Facundo Torres and a late strike from Benji Michel gave the Lions a 3-0 win over an upstart Sacramento Republic FC side.

Fittingly for a cup final that played out amid accusations of spying, the atmosphere was tense. Hard challenges from both teams were frequent, while ESPN’s broadcast reported that coaches Mark Briggs and Oscar Pareja were exchanging words along the touchline.

In front of goal, however, there was little to report. Orlando’s Ercan Kara didn’t react fast enough in a scramble to tuck a great chance away, while Maalique Foster’s long-range effort for Sacramento flew a yard wide soon thereafter.

The second half carried on in that vein, with the Republic successfully slowing play down and frustrating an MLS opponent, just as they had against Sporting Kansas City, the LA Galaxy, and the San Jose Earthquakes on their path to the final. The first non-MLS club to make an Open Cup final since 2008 were dictating the terms, even as Orlando had most of the possession.

In the 75th minute, though, a disaster for Sacramento, and for neutrals everywhere. A giveaway deep in the Republic half from defender Dan Casey was blocked by Orlando forward Iván Angulo, and Michel—a game-changing substitute brought in just minutes earlier by Pareja—adroitly passed back for the Uruguayan international Torres to fizz a shot into the top corner.

Sacramento had not trailed at any point in the competition, and seemed rattled at the deficit. Minutes later, things went from bad to worse: a ball over the top drew goalkeeper Matt Vitiello, but Michel beat him to it. Michel nodded it over Vitiello, only to be wiped out from behind by Casey. Referee Ramy Touchan will rarely have as easy a penalty to call, and Torres suddenly had himself a brace after making no mistake from the spot.

Sacramento went direct trying to come up with one more miracle, but the goal came at the other end, as Michel raced onto a through ball, drew Vitiello to an angle, and then slipped a finish past him and into the bottom corner.

Watch the goals that gave Orlando the Open Cup

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