Orlando City on Thursday lost its third consecutive match across all competitions, falling 2-0 to NYCFC at Orlando City Stadium. The Lions (7-13-1, 22 points) return to action Sunday against the L.A. Galaxy. Here are three thing we learned from Thursday’s match:
Another slow start
Orlando City’s first half against NYCFC was dismal.
Four shots, none of which were on target. Careless turnovers. Two goals for the Pigeons that were the result of mistakes along the back line. It was oddly reminiscent of matches earlier in the season during which the Lions couldn’t get out of their own way in the first half but turned things around as the match continued.
The second half was better. It included five shots on target, a more cohesive attack and the Lions were threatening enough that NYCFC coach Domenec Torrent said he was displeased with how deep his club was forced to defend over the final 45 minutes.
“I’m not happy tonight,” Torrent told reporters after the match. “We were able to win but I’m not happy with our performance because I can’t play that way. If you want to win the MLS, even when they [played] with 10 players, we [played] bad, really bad.”
So why was there such a difference between the two halves?
“When you look at the contrast, it’s almost as if the first half we’re playing and we’re waiting to see how the game’s going to play out,” O’Connor said.
“We’re waiting and anticipating to see if it’s going to go for us. Second half, we came out with a lot more courage, a lot more bravery. Not only in tackles but when we have the ball, people being brave to get on the ball and people playing quickly, some good movement, some good rotation.
“When you look at the contrast between the first and second half, it comes down to mentality. That shouldn’t be happening.”
Orlando City got off to great starts against the Columbus Crew and Toronto FC. If Orlando City wants to make the playoffs, that’s the model for success. Slow starts won’t cut it.
Middle third isn’t Orlando City’s biggest problem
Under O’Connor, what’s going on in the middle of the pitch isn’t Orlando City’s biggest issue anymore.
Against the Columbus Crew and NYCFC, Orlando City’s best chances came when the back line successfully passed into the middle third and one of Orlando City’s midfielders was able to play the ball forward to either a winger or an overlapping full back.
Passing out of the back was a massive problem. Finishing in the final third was a big problem. But the middle third isn’t the mess it once was this season. Orlando City’s shape has been somewhat fluid, but while the Lions are in the attack, there’s usually a three-man midfield.
“It’s pretty solid,” Lions midfielder Will Johnson said.
“We’re forcing teams to go wide and beat us, we’re not giving away goals in transition, we’re able to put out some fires in the middle. We’ve got a bunch of guys who like getting on the ball and playing in there, rotating, causing teams a problem.
“I think in the second half we went through them easily multiple times, but again, you get in the box and it always comes back to that so it’s an area we’ll continue to work on, continue to implement ways to stay strong in the middle and being a little bit more effective going forward.”
Critical matches coming up
This may seem redundant, but Orlando City has little room for error after dropping a home match against an Eastern Conference opponent.
The Lions are six points out of a spot in the playoffs with 13 regular season games remaining. Two of those matches are against the New England Revolution – the club currently in sixth place.
Such is the nature of MLS. Orlando City, despite dropping 11 of its past 12 matches and not managing a draw since its season opener, can squeak into the playoffs.
Of course, if Orlando City doesn’t string together some wins – or manage another draw at some point in the season – all the math in the world won’t matter.
The Lions’ upcoming match against the LA Galaxy represents a chance to snap a seven-match road losing streak. The Philadelphia Union and Chicago Fire, two clubs ahead of Orlando City and in the hunt for a playoff spot, have challenging matches coming up.
The Galaxy are next, followed by the Revolution on Aug. 4 and D.C. United on Aug. 12. The match against New England is more or less a must win. Sunday’s Galaxy match has turned into a “must-not-lose” affair and with D.C. United looking to ruin some opponents’ seasons in its new home, Orlando City likely will have to win to keep pace in the Eastern Conference.
The next three games could easily determine the remainder of Orlando City’s season.