He didn’t have a ton of shooting opportunities but helped affect the game with his passing, which he did with 93.3% accuracy while connecting on a cross and a key pass. MF, Facundo Torres, 7 - Once Torres found his way into the game, he left his mark. His passing accuracy of 83% on the day wasn’t his best, but he did well to bring the ball back out to find Urso with a good pass to his outside foot in order to give the Bear the chance to turn his man and get off a shot. Once he did though, he was effective and finished with two key passes, an assist on Junior Urso’s goal, a cross, a long ball, a tackle, a clearance, and three fouls drawn. MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 7.5 - Like most of Orlando’s offensive players on the day, it took Pereyra time to get involved in the game. He also passed with 86.4% accuracy and did well to play over half an hour on a yellow card. He chipped in with a tackle, an interception, two clearances, a block, a key pass, and a long ball. He did a ton of running in the Lions’ midfield and provided cover for when Mauricio Pereyra and Joao Moutinho ventured further forward. MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 - Araujo was his usual industrious self in the win. Ruan couldn’t quite get going on the offensive side of things, and he’ll need to be more involved on that end if Orlando is going to advance past Montreal in the first round of the playoffs. He also left Etienne too much space on the flank early for a cross that nearly gave Hernandez an early headed goal. He should have been quicker to tuck in and protect the space Schlegel vacated on Columbus’ goal, failing to track Etienne’s run. He made three tackles and a clearance, and also won three fouls while passing at an 83.3% accuracy. Other than that, he was an immense figure in the back line in the most important league game of the season.ĭ, Ruan, 5.5- Ruan had a decent defensive showing in this one. The main black mark on his day was his positioning on Etienne’s goal, as he got sucked out too far from where he should have been by Lucas Zelarayan - leaving room behind him for Derrick Etienne to run into. His header back across the box late led to the Benji Michel shot that drew a penalty. He racked up three tackles, two interceptions, three clearances, a shot, a key pass, and drew a foul all while passing with 87.8% accuracy. It will be nice to have Antonio Carlos back next week, but Joao did what he needed to do when it counted.ĭ, Rodrigo Schlegel, 7 - Schlegel put in a great showing against Columbus. Moutinho didn’t have any defensive stats, but he did have a shot that was off target. His passing rate of 93.8% was excellent, and he also completed two long balls. As it turns out, I had no cause for concern, as he put in a steady performance in an unfamiliar role. He also played roughly the last 20 minutes on a yellow card and was smart to avoid picking up another.ĭ, Joao Moutinho, 6 - I was originally quite fearful when I saw Moutinho at center back, as I had doubts about his ability to deal with some of the more physical aspects the position demands. Despite the surprise, Smith had a solid game, notching two tackles, a clearance, a cross, and two accurate long balls while passing at a 77.8% clip. It was expected that Smith would partner with Rodrigo Schlegel in central defense, only for him to be deployed at left back while Joao Moutinho was slotted inside. He takes the plaudits in this one.ĭ, Kyle Smith, 6 - Orlando Head Coach Oscar Pareja pulled a fast one in this game. Gallese was successful on four of his seven long balls and completed 83.3% of his 18 passes. It didn’t stop there though, as he made two late, great saves on Lucas Zelarayan to preserve Orlando’s slim lead and help put the Lions through to the playoffs. His first-half stonewalling of Cucho Hernandez nearly defied belief, as the Peruvian international got down low to his right to tip the ball onto the post and preserve a draw that wouldn’t last. He made five saves on the day, several of which were seriously impressive. GK, Pedro Gallese, 8 (MotM) - El Pulpo rebounded from the midweek loss to Miami in style. Here’s how I graded Orlando’s players in Sunday’s heart-pounding win. Junior Urso and Facundo Torres nullified Derrick Etienne’s goal, and the Lions will now face CF Montreal in the first round of the playoffs. It’s never easy with this team, is it? Orlando City SC is back in the MLS Cup playoffs for the third straight year, but had to do it the hard way in a 2-1 win over the Columbus Crew at Exploria Stadium on Decision Day.
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