Orlando City lost 3-1 to the Montreal Impact in front of an announced crowd of 22,352 at Orlando City Stadium. Here are three takeaways from the match.
1. Mistakes pile up
Orlando City’s lapses are costing this team early in the season and it’s not just about the defensive miscues.
Orlando City coach James O’Connor has bemoaned a lack of awareness both in the attack and while the team is defending. The Chicago Fire match ended with a defensive miscue, but that mistake wouldn’t have been an issue if Orlando City didn’t give the ball back to the Fire via an offside call.
O’Connor questioned the decision-making against the Fire, and did so again after Saturday’s loss to the Impact. He made a double substitution in the 75th minute, bringing on Josué Colmán and Santiago Patiño for some extra firepower with the Lions trailing 2-0 and didn’t get the kind of play he wanted.
“Some the decision-making, especially at the end, we’ve got two strikers on the field and we’re rolling balls along the top of the 18 and we’re 2-nil down. I think at one point we’re 3-1 down and we’re still rolling balls across the 18-yard box. There’s maybe eight, seven minutes left. Get the ball forward. Make them defend.
“The decision-making at times, this is what I’m speaking about with the mentality, we have to be way stronger, make better decisions and be way tougher, mentally.”
Against the Impact, the Lions were punished more mistakes. There were defensive issues – Shane O’Neill’s bad back pass and the general rusty play of Carlos Ascues, for starters – and O’Connor said the three goals the Lions conceded were “really poor goals.”
Orlando City is learning this the hard way and has been for some time: “Poor” goals are still goals that count against you.
“You can’t defend and give goals away like we give away,” O’Connor said. “The three goals are so poor. It’s really, really poor defending.”
2. Early test
Everything O’Connor – as well as the team’s players – spoke about in preseason training will be tested early. The Lions (0-1-2, 2 points) are winless through three matches. It’s early, but this is a rough patch that the team’s new culture is supposed to help it survive.
Orlando City next two matches are against the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena and D.C. United at Orlando City Stadium. The Red Bulls are the Red Bulls, so it’ll be a tough match, and D.C. United drubbed a nine-man Real Salt Lake side 5-0 at home on Saturday.
Things aren’t going to get any easier for the Lions, who need a response early in the season. O’Connor said the team’s performance Saturday was “way off” the standard set in the first two matches.
O’Connor said the performance came out of left field and midfielder Sacha Kljestan agreed.
“That remains to be seen, but I expect us to come back stronger,” Kljestan said about what the team’s reaction will be this week. “I expect that we’ll come back and have a good week in training because we know we have a big game against Red Bull next week. We’ve got to react in a positive way. Bad performance tonight, but hopefully we learn our lesson and do better next time.”
O’Connor said the team’s mentality needs to be stronger. That’s been the message for a while now.
3. Patiño’s debut
Orlando City rookie Santiago Patiño got his first MLS minutes Saturday and he helped the Lions score their only goal against the Impact.
It was a good play from Patiño. He made a solid run, received the ball from Chris Mueller, held off Impact midfielder Samuel Piette and played the ball to Dwyer, who provided the finish. It was unselfish play from the rookie, and he showed good poise with the ball at his feet and Montreal goalkeeper Evan Bush off his line.
Patiño came on in the 75th minute and only got seven touches, but he showed why he was Orlando City’s first round draft pick and the No. 3 overall selection.
“I got my debut, that’s what I wanted, unfortunately we didn’t get the result,” Patiño said after the match. “We’re going to learn from this, keep moving forward and this is going to help us to continue the season.”