OCSC vs. HOU: Prediction

I am glad someone else said it before I did--I never want to be that guy who gets too negative. But on last week's FS1 broadcast of the Orlando City match at Chicago, the TV analysts appraised the dismal performance on the pitch and pronounced that the players have given up on the season.

I understand the sentiment, and I think it would be more proper to say that a good portion of the players on the roster have given up on each other. I think they are all competitive and I think they all want to win. However, I believe that there is such a mish-mash of play styles and such a lack of consensus in the locker room on how they should be playing the game that a number of the players just don't believe they can be productive on the same roster with many of the other players. I don't think that will change until someone in the executive staff learns how to evaluate talent with an eye for matching symbiotic skills. Currently the back line doesn't play like they trust the midfield, the midfield plays like they don't trust the defense or the strikers, and the strikers play like they don't have any connection with the rest of the team. And... wait, do we even put a goalkeeper in our Starting XI? It seems like the frame of the goal makes more saves for our team than anyone else.

Orlando City has been scoreless in their last two outings, and I don't foresee that changing today against Houston. I don't know and I don't much care how many goals Houston will score--all I am pretty certain of is that our players won't be able to find a way to register a goal for the home fans.

Renewed for 2019

Some of my friends call me crazy but I have renewed my season tickets. And there's a very good reason in this city why I did. People have short memories and most of those forget that in 2015 there was a team that went winless in this town--the UCF American Football Knights. In 2017 that same team (with 51 of the players from the 0 - 12 season) achieved an undefeated season with a perfect 13 - 0 record. In the offseason they lost their entire coaching staff to Nebraska (it happens when you are a younger program like UCF and you don't have the deep pocket boosters like teams that have been playing football for a century or more). And in the new season the Knights are already 3 - 0 and appear to be on their way to having another good season.

So that gives me hope for Orlando City. As bad as this losing streak seems now, and as annoying as it feels to watch our team lose week after week, I am reminded of how much fun it is to go watch Josh Huepel's team led by McKenzie Milton throw the rock around the pitch and put up 40 or more points on their opponents every week. I'm a firm believer that Orlando City can make the same kind of dramatic turnaround in a short period of time and can become one of the best teams in MLS. So I'm willing to stay around and watch that develop.

But for now, my level of interest in putting in effort to write about this team week in and week out is about where the players level of effort for playing with each other seems to be... little to none. I'm ready for the off-season, when I have a fun change of pace planned for this blog space, and it could be something that continues going forward into future seasons and years as well.

CHI vs. OCSC: Preview and Prediction

Orlando City Fan Outreach

Orlando City is going out of their way to show their appreciation to at least some fans. I only hope they are making connections with the fans that have the most support and the most passion for the club--the die-hard members of the Supporters Groups. A couple of weeks ago they had an event at the stadium on a weeknight where season ticket holders and Society XXI members were invited to attend an open training session and then got autographs and photo opportunities with the players and Coach James O'Connor. That was a great event, and I talked to a number of people who all agreed with me that it felt like Coach O'Connor's fingerprints were all over that event.

Then on Friday, September 14, I was the recipient of another such outreach from the club. My phone rang shortly after 4 pm. It was Orlando City MLS rookie Chris Mueller calling to thank me for renewing my season tickets and for my season ticket support over the years. It was a nice touch, and I took the time to commend Chris for what I think has been a wonderful rookie season, especially his intuitive feel for the game and understanding of where to be and what to do to try to help the team whenever he's on the pitch.

The conversation only lasted a couple of minutes, as I was at the office and I was also conscious of not wanting to take up too much of the player's time. I could hear other conversations going on in the background, so I'm sure they had recruited a number of players to call renewing season ticket holders to thank them. And the entire time Chris was on the phone, I kept thinking this had to be a response to the myriad social media posts I've seen from fans saying they are not going to renew next season.

In the hours after the call and even this morning, I have to wonder if the club is asking players to reach out to the right part of the fan base. They already have my commitment to renew for next season, so they don't need to convince me. The real damage that the front office has done this year is in the relationship with their most ardent and vocal fans in the Supporters Groups. I can only hope that the club is making at least as much effort to show the members of The Ruckus and the Iron Lion Firm that they are appreciated. Gamedays would not be the same without the passion, the energy, and the noise that the Supporter Groups bring, and that smoke and those flags always make us all feel like there's a chance to get a victory when the ball kicks off, no matter how the team has played recently.

In any case, the personal outreach by the club to at least some fans shows that they recognize the relationship that the organization has had with their fans has been tested this season and that some healing is needed.

This Week's Match Setup

Two teams looking to salvage something from the 2018 season meet on Sunday afternoon at Toyota Park. Chicago (6) and Orlando City (7) have the two lowest win totals in the Eastern Conference this season, and both are desperate to give their fans some reason to hope that 2019 will be a better year. The Lions have seven matches left in the season coming into the weekend. At this point they could gain a maximum of 45 points, which is below the historic 47-point threshold required to guarantee a spot in the playoffs. At this point no team has been mathematically elimiated from the playoffs in the Eastern Conference (the San Jose Earthquakes cannot make the playoffs in the West), but this weekend's loser almost guarantees they can start their offseason before the Halloween parties get kicked off at the end of next month.

A win would lift the spirits of the Orlando City fans, and a loss will make many wonder why they skipped watching the late afternoon NFL games to find out how their fantasy RB2s, QB1s, and kickers perform. Who cares what Chicago Fire fans would think if their team wins or loses...

Injuries, Suspensions, and Players to Watch

The stats below are courtesy of MLS.com and WhoScored.com, and players listed have competed at least 1170 minutes in MLS play this season.

Chicago Fire

• Suspended: None

• Suspended after next caution: M - Jorge Corrales

• International duty: None

• Injury Report:

  • OUT: D - Matt Polster (MCL surgery), GK - Patrick McLain (hamstring injury), M/D - Diego Campos (left MCL injury)

  • QUESTIONABLE: D - Jonathan Campbell (left adductor injury), F - Luis Solignac (right adductor injury)

• Offensive Leaders:

  • Goals: Nemanja Nikolic (12), Alkesander Katai (9), Brandon Vincent (1)

  • Assists: Alkesander Katai (2), Brandon Vincent (1), Dax McCarty (2)

  • Shots Per Match: Alkesander Katai (3), Nemanja Nikolic (1.8), Dax McCarty (0.5)

  • Key Passes per Match: Alkesander Katai (1.2), Nemanja Nikolic (0.7), Dax McCarty (0.6)

  • Dribbles per Match: Alkesander Katai (1.2), Johan Kappelhof (0.9), Dax McCarty (0.7)

• Defensive Leaders:

  • Tackles per Match: Dax McCarty (2.4), Johan Kappelhof (1.6), Brandon Vincent (1)

  • Interceptions per Match: Johan Kappelhof (2.2), Dax McCarty (2.1), Brandon Vincent (1.5)

  • Clearances per Match: Johan Kappelhof (3.9), Brandon Vincent (3.8), Dax McCarty (1.7)

  • Blocks per Match: Johan Kappelhof (0.8), Brandon Vincent (0.6), Dax McCarty (0.2)

• Passing Leaders:

  • Average Passes per Match: Dax McCarty (64.9), Johan Kappelhof (49.7), Brandon Vincent (38.8)

  • Pass Completion Rate: Dax McCarty (87.3%), Johan Kappelhof (49.7%), Brandon Vincent (38.8%)

  • Crosses per Match: Alkesander Katai (0.9), Brandon Vincent (0.5), Johan Kappelhof (0.2)

  • Long Balls per Match: Richard Sanchez (6.3), Dax McCarty (4.2), Johan Kappelhof (3.4)

  • Through Balls per Match: Alkesander Katai (0.1), Dax McCarty (0.1), ***

Orlando City

• Suspended: None

• Suspended after next caution: M - Sacha Kljestan, F - Dom Dwyer

• International duty: None

• Injury Report:

  • OUT: GK - Mason Stajduhar (Localized Ewing Sarcoma), D - Chris Schuler (groin injury)

  • QUESTIONABLE: D - Lamine Sane (quad injury)

• Offensive Leaders:

  • Goals: Dom Dwyer (12), Sacha Kljestan (5), Cristian Higuita (4)

  • Assists: Yoshi Yotun (7), Sacha Kljestan (5), Chris Mueller (4)

  • Shots Per Match: Dom Dwyer (3.1), Yoshi Yotun (1.6), Sacha Kljestan (1.5)

  • Key Passes per Match: Sacha Kljestan (2.9), Yoshi Yotun (2.8), Chris Mueller (0.7)

  • Dribbles per Match: Mohamed El-Munir (3.2), Yoshi Yotun (1.9), Chris Mueller (0.9)

• Defensive Leaders:

  • Tackles per Match: Mohamed El-Munir (3.2), Cristian Higuita (4), Will Johnson (2.3)

  • Interceptions per Match: Mohamed El-Munir (2.6), Amro Tarek (2.6), Oriol Rosell (1.7)

  • Clearances per Match: Amro Tarek (5.14), Will Johnson (1.8), Oriol Rosell (1.5)

  • Blocks per Match: Amro Tarek (1.1), Mohamed El-Munir (0.4), Dom Dwyer (0.2)

• Passing Leaders:

  • Average Passes per Match: Yoshi Yotun (64.1), Oriol Rosell (53.6), Sacha Kljestan (50.8)

  • Pass Completion Rate: Oriol Rosell (88.9%), Cristian Higuita (88.6%), Will Johnson (85.1%)

  • Crosses per Match: Yoshi Yotun (1.4), Sacha Kljestan (0.9), Chris Mueller (0.4)

  • Long Balls per Match: Yoshi Yotun (6.4), Joe Bendik (5.7), Oriol Rosell (4.6)

  • Through Balls per Match: Yoshi Yotun (0.3), Sacha Kljestan (0.2), Oriol Rosell (0.1)

Score Prediction

Both of these teams are really bad. When looking at the season records by location, there's not a lot of difference between them. Orlando City has won only two of 13 matches (15.4%) on the road, and Chicago has only defended home turf four of 14 times (28.6%) to come away with all three points. And both teams have a fairly porous defense of late. Chicago has surrendered nine goals in their last five matches, while the Lions have given up 11 goals in their last five. The real difference of late, and the one stat that should give Lions fans a bit of a reason for hope, is the scoring. In their last five matches Chicago has scored only three goals, while Orlando City has put the ball in the net eight times over the same stretch. It feels unusual to be doing this, but I have to honestly pick the Lions to win on the road this weekend. I'm calling for a 2 - 1 victory.

Sporting KC vs. OCSC: Preview and Predictions

If it weren't for James O'Connor bringing some life back into the offense, I might honestly have no interest in this Orlando City team until the start of next season anymore. College football is back and I have a very exciting and entertaining alma mater to watch. I don't expect them to finish this season with a 27-game undefeated streak to add to the perfect season last year, but I think they could put up close to 40 points every game, win or lose, and be a lot of fun to watch this season.

But last week Orlando City managed a draw in a game where they scored first and then fell behind late before equalizing at the end of the match. I no longer feel like this team is going to fall apart as soon as they get the first taste of adversity. It's taken a few matches for Coach O'Connor to instill that competitive attitude back into the locker room after they spent the first half of the season watching it waste away. But I have little to no confidence in the defense to stop anyone until there are some major changes involving off-season transactions or a complete reset of the defensive philosophy to better match the skills of the players.

This evening Orlando City will face off against Sporting KC, who hold the 3rd spot on the West table and have won four of their last five matches. The Lions will be without Yoshimar Yotun, who is out for International Duty. But Sporting KC is missing three players for the International Break (Johnny Russell, Diego Rubio, and Daniel Sallio) and Ike Opara is suspended for the match. Aside from Yotun, the usual roster will be available for Orlando City, with only Chris Schuler and Lamine Sane listed as out or questionable with injuries.

Injuries, Suspensions, and Players to Watch

Statistics are from MLS.com and WhoScored.com. Statistics are provided for players who have accumulated more than 1080 minutes on the season.

Sporting Kansas City

• Suspended: D - Ike Opara
• Suspended after next caution: None
• International duty: F - Johnny Russell, F - Diego Rubio, F - Daniel Salloi,
• Injury Report: 
  •     OUT: D - Jimmy Medranda (knee surgery), F - Kharlton Belmar (knee sprain), M - Cristian Lobato (quad injury)
  •     QUESTIONABLE: F - Khiry Shelton (right MCL tear, lateral meniscus tear)
• Offensive Leaders:
  •     Goals: Johnny Russell (8), Daniel Salloi (8), Ilie Sanchez (4)
  •     Assists: Daniel Salloi (7), Roger Espinoza (6), Johnny Russell (5)
  •     Shots per Match: Daniel Salloi (2.8), Johnny Russell (2.3), Khiry Shelton (2.2)
  •     Key Passes per Match: Graham Zusi (2), Roger Espinoza (1.8), Ilie Sanchez (1.7)
  •     Dribbles per Match: Johnny Russell (2.1), Yohan Croizet (1.4), Khiry Shelton (0.9)
• Defensive Leaders:
  •     Tackles per Match: Roger Espinoza (2.5), Ike Opara (2), Graham Zusi (1.9)
  •     Interceptions per Match: Ike Opara (2.1), Graham Zusi (2), Ilie Sanchez (1.8)
  •     Clearances per Match: Matt Besler (4.6), Ike Opara (4.1), Graham Zusi (1.6)
  •     Blocks per Match: Matt Besler (0.7), Ike Opara (0.7), Ilie Sanchez (0.4)
• Possession Leaders:
  •     Average Passes per Match: Ilie Sanchez (72.2), Matt Besler (71.4), Graham Zusi (59.4)
  •     Pass Completion Rate: Matt Besler (87.9%), Ike Opara (86.5%), Ilie Sanchez (85.9%)
  •     Crosses per Match: Graham Zusi (1.6), Johnny Russell (0.7), Gerso Fernandes (0.5)
  •     Long Balls per Match: Matt Besler (7), Roger Espinoza (6.2), Ilie Sanchez (5.6)
  •     Through Balls per Match: Ilie Sanchez (0.1), Yohan Croizet (0.1), Graham Zusi (0.1)

Orlando City SC

• Suspended: None
• Suspended after next caution: M - Sacha Kljestan, F - Dom Dwyer
• International duty: M - Yoshi Yotun
• Injury Report: 
  •     OUT: GK - Mason Stajduhar (Localized Ewing Sarcoma), D - Chris Schuler (groin injury); 
  •     QUESTIONABLE: D - Lamine Sane (quad injury)
• Offensive Leaders:
  •     Goals: Dom Dwyer (12), Sacha Kljestan (5), Cristian Higuita (4)
  •     Assists: Yoshi Yotun (7), Sacha Kljestan (5), Chris Mueller (4)
  •     Shots per Match: Dom Dwyer (3.1), Yoshi Yotun (1.6), Sacha Kljestan (1.6)
  •     Key Passes per Match: Yoshi Yotun (2.8), Sacha Kljestan (2.8), Chris Mueller (0.7)
  •     Dribbles per Match: Mohamed El-Munir (3.2), Chris Mueller (1.9), Chris Mueller (1)
• Defensive Leaders:
  •     Tackles per Match: Mohamed El-Munir (3.9), Cristian Higuita (2.4), Will Johnson (2.3)
  •     Interceptions per Match: Mohamed El-Munir (2.6), Amro Tarek (2.6), Oriol Rosell (1.8)
  •     Clearances per Match: Amro Tarek (4.3), Will Johnson (1.7), Mohamed El-Munir (1.4)
  •     Blocks per Match: Amro Tarek (1.1), Mohamed El-Munir (0.4), Dom Dwyer (0.2)
• Possession Leaders:
  •     Average Passes per Match: Yoshi Yotun (64.1), Oriol Rosell (52.7), Sacha Kljestan (50.5)
  •     Pass Completion Rate: Cristian Higuita (88.9%), Oriol Rosell (88.6%), Will Johnson (85.1%)
  •     Crosses per Match: Yoshi Yotun (1.4), Sacha Kljestan (0.9), Chris Mueller (0.4)
  •     Long Balls per Match: Yoshi Yotun (6.4), Joe Bendik (5.6), Oriol Rosell (4.3)
  •     Through Balls per Match: Yoshi Yotun (0.3), Sacha Kljestan (0.2), Oriol Rosell (0.1)

Score Prediction

If there's any doubt that Orlando City's offense has turned a corner, we should put that to bed right away. Over the last five matches, the Lions are actually outscoring Sporting KC by the count of 11 goals to nine. The defense, however, doesn't seem to be getting any better. In the same span, Sporting KC has surrendered only three goals, while Orlando City has coughed up 14 goals to the opposing side. And the road has not been kind to the Lions this season. They have won only 2 of 12 matches (16.7%) on the road, while Sporting KC has won 8 of 13 matches (61.5%) at Children's Mercy Park. I wish I could predict an Orlando City victory, but I have to go with a prediction of 3 - 1 in favor of Sporting KC. Hopefully, James O'Connor can convince the front office to help him sign some better defensive players next season. If he can keep the offense energized and get a good defensive roster, we should see Orlando City have a pretty successful season in 2019 with Coach O'Connor at the helm.

Sky Blue vs. Pride... Season in Review

I think there's a nice quote from 20th Century poet T.S. Eliot that pretty much sums up the Orlando Pride's 2018 season:

Excerpt from The Hollow Men (1925)

Between the conception
And the creation
Between the emotion
And the response
Falls the Shadow

Life is very long

Between the desire
And the spasm
Between the potency
And the existence
Between the essence
And the descent
Falls the Shadow

For Thine is the Kingdom

For Thine is
Life is
For Thine is the

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but with a whimper.

T.S. Eliot's poetry is filled with a lot of semi-lucid, fragmentary images and fleeting thoughts. And that's pretty much how it's felt to be an Orlando Pride fan this season. There were a lot of semi-lucid fragments of... something out on the pitch, but it wasn't great football. I ought to go back and research to be sure, but it feels like in 24 matches this season we've seen 24 different starting lineups, and not all of them dictated by injury, suspension, international duty, or other excused absence. In other words, there was a lot of "shadow" going on behind the scenes. Lineups changed for no good reason that fans could tell, performances by the players that reflected a fragmented and non-cohesive roster. I wonder if the same brain trust that was responsible for assembling the dysfunctional MLS side for Orlando City has also had a hand in selecting the roster for the Pride.

Players to Love

But not all was doom and gloom. In what is likely to be her last season as a professional, the incomparable Marta played with hustle and heart in every game that she appeared for the Pride. The same can be said for a player whose tenacity as much as her smile made me fall in love with her from the moment I first saw her on our pitch--Dani Weatherholt. If you have a daughter that could use a sports role model that plays in this town, you could do a lot worse than Dani Weatherholt. For two seasons in a row she has returned from the offseason to lead the team in fitness drills, and in discussions with her at fan events, I have learned that she trains during the offseason with the men's soccer team from her college alma mater. Testing herself against the slightly stronger, slightly faster, and slightly younger players every year brings her back to camp mentally and physically honed and hungry to drive her team to success.

Don't Be a Player Hater

And of course, by all objective measures, superstar USWNT player Alex Morgan has had a great year--just not for the Orlando Pride. A lot of people want to blame her, but honestly, this club team has looked less organized and more lost on the pitch than the national team who only get to go to camp a few times every year. I wouldn't be totally surprised if Alex had soured a bit on playing in Orlando after the club simply cut her husband, Servando Carrasco, during the last MLS off-season. For months I've been expecting one of the two MLS franchises in Los Angeles would officially announce they are forming an NWSL team, and I expect Morgan to be off to join her husband and both of their families on the West Coast when that happens. I, for one, will miss her as a player, and I wouldn't blame her for a heartbeat for leaving.

Coach!?@#!

I've liked Coach Tom Sermanni since the first time I met him after an MLS match at the old Citrus Bowl. We chatted for a few minutes in the early season, even before the Pride had played their inaugural match. He's a knowledgeable and personable coach, and the players seem to enjoy his grandfatherly demeanor. But this year the constant lineup changes have puzzled me--some fellow social media folks have told me they think that the coach is looking for the best matchups from his cupboard full of talent on this roster. I'm amazed at the number of first-team International players that the Orlando Pride had in their 20-player roster this year--but this year has almost seemed like too much of a good thing.

I don't know if Coach was trying to be fair and hand out minutes to every player he could by letting 16 or 17 of his players have started during the year, even when there was no real reason given to leave a particular "regular" starter out of the lineup for a game. I don't know if the front office was whispering in the coach's ear that certain players needed more minutes and his job would be on the line if he didn't follow orders. I don't know if some players were in the coach's office complaining they weren't receiving the minutes "they deserve" because of what they've done at other teams or in previous seasons. But clearly, it didn't work. I'm a fan of having regular starters, no matter what the sport.

Consider that in most years it's NFL teams who maintain a consistent offensive line the entire 16-game season that go deep in the playoffs. And that's in a sport where the coach can literally tell everyone exactly what play to run every 40 seconds. In soccer where so much of the game is the ebb and flow of momentum and developing a "sixth sense" between players, having the same Starting XI on the pitch every match (except when injuries, suspensions, or absences dictate) necessarily builds cohesion and confidence and better results. Look--I'm a guy with a blog, and I'm not a professional coach. I just find it very frustrating to see a coach making decisions that seem contrary to what should work and seeing those decisions fail time after time. Tactics need to change, regardless of what the coaching staff thinks they should do.

The Bottom Line

We've reached the end of this season, and I feel a little bit like I do when I reach the end of a T.S. Eliot poem: I know I've just experienced something but I'm not quite sure what it is. But I can tell you what this season wasn't. It wasn't quality football.

And that's just not acceptable. 

OCSC vs. PHI: Preview and Prediction

Thursday night gave fans in Orlando something we've been missing for months--a reason to get excited about a local sports team. With their third new coach since 2015 (oddly enough, exactly the same number of head coaches as Orlando City), the UCF Knights put on an offensive clinic on the road as they dismantled UConn 56 - 17 in tackle football, extending the longest winning streak in their sport to 14 games. In soccer terms that's like an 8 - 2 win, with the losing team also rattling one off the goalpost. I said it before; I'll say it again--there's no excuse for Orlando City not identifying and signing the same kind of talent to field the same kind of team. I think in James O'Connor we have a coach that is capable of developing players into winners; now we just need a front office that works with O'Connor the same way that the recruiting coordinators at UCF have worked with George O'Leary, Scott Frost, and Josh Heupel to bring the right players at the right positions to the club at the right time to build a winning side.

Unfortunately, on Saturday night the only team playing in Orlando that will be worth getting excited about is the 2018 College Football invitational Playoff champion Alabama Crimson Tide, who kick off their 2018 season a few blocks away from Orlando City Stadium at the Citrus Bowl. And the rest of us will have to hope that somehow the Orlando City defense finds a way to slow down a red-hot Philadelphia Union, coming in looking to notch their fifth win in a row and make it six wins in their last seven matches. At least Orlando City has been pretty consistent in putting a goal or two on the scoreboard recently, so there should be purple smoke rising over the stadium at some point between kickoff and the final whistle.

Injuries, Suspensions, and Players to Watch

Statistics below are courtesy of MLS.com and WhoScored.com. Statistics reflect players who have contributed at least 1080 minutes for the season.

Orlando City SC

• Suspended: None
• Suspended after next caution: M - Sacha Kljestan, F - Dom Dwyer
• International duty: None
• Injury Report: 
  •     OUT: GK - Mason Stajduhar (Localized Ewing Sarcoma), D - Lamine Sane (quad injury)
• Offensive Leaders:
  •     Goals: Dom Dwyer (11), Sacha Kljestan (5), Cristian Higuita (4)
  •     Assists: Yoshimar Yotun (6), Sacha Kljestan (5), Chris Mueller (4)
  •     Shots/Match:  Dom Dwyer (3.1), Yoshimar Yotun (1.7), Sacha Kljestan (1.6)
  •     Key Passes/Match: Sacha Kljestan (3), Yoshimar Yotun (2.6), Chris Mueller (0.8)
  •     Dribbles/Match: Mohamed El-Munir (3.2), Yoshimar Yotun (1.9), Chris Mueller (1)
• Defensive Leaders:
  •     Tackles: Mohamed El-Munir (3.9), Cristian Higuita (2.5), Will Johnson (2.4)
  •     Interceptions: Mohamed El-Munir (2.6), Amro Tarek (2.6), Will Johnson (1.1)
  •     Clearances: Amro Tarek (4.3), Will Johnson (1.7), Mohamed El-Munir (1.4)
  •     Blocks: Amro Tarek (1.1), Mohamed El-Munir (0.4), Dom Dwyer (0.2)
• Passing/Possession Leaders:
  •     Average Passes/Match: Yoshimar Yotun (64.5), Sacha Kljestan (51.3), Cristian Higuita (42.9)
  •     Pass Completion Rate: Cristian Higuita (88.8%), Will Johnson (85.2%), Sacha Kljestan (83.2%)
  •     Crosses/Match: Yoshimar Yotun (1.2), Sacha Kljestan (1), Chris Mueller (0.4) 
  •     Long Balls/Match: Yoshimar Yotun (6.3), Joe Bendik (5.5), Will Johnson (3.3)
  •     Through Balls/Match: Yoshimar Yotun (0.3), Sacha Kljestan (0.2), ***

Philadelphia Union

• Suspended: None
• Suspended after next caution: D - Jack Elliott
• International duty: None
• Injury Report: 
  •     OUT: D - Matt Real (left knee sprain)
• Offensive Leaders:
  •     Goals: Fabrice-Jean Picault (6), Borek Dockal (5), C.J. Sapong (4)
  •     Assists: Borek Dockal (8), Alejandro Bedoya (3), Fabrice-Jean Picault (3)
  •     Shots/Match: Fabrice-Jean Picault (2.3), C.J. Sapong (1.8), Borek Dockal (1.7) 
  •     Key Passes/Match: Borek Dockal (2.7), Haris Medunjanin (1.9), Fabrice-Jean Picault (1.1)
  •     Dribbles/Match: Fabrice-Jean Picault (1.2), Borek Dockal (1.1), Haris Medunjanin (0.8)
• Defensive Leaders:
  •     Tackles: Keegan Rosenberry (2.6), Jack Elliott (2), Raymond Gaddis (2)
  •     Interceptions: Keegan Rosenberry (3.2), Auston Trusty (1.8), Mark McKenzie (1.3)
  •     Clearances: Jack Elliott (4.8), Auston Trusty (4.3), Mark McKenzie (2.8)
  •     Blocks: Auston Trusty (0.9), Jack Elliott (0.9), Mark McKenzie (0.5)
• Passing/Possession Leaders:
  •     Average Passes/Match: Haris Medunjanin (63.6), Borek Dockal (52.7), Keegan Rosenberry (51.8)
  •     Pass Completion Rate: Alejandro Bedoya (90.0%), Mark McKenzie (88.7%), Raymond Gaddis (86.0%)
  •     Crosses/Match: Borek Dockal (1.2), Haris Medunjanin (0.8), Fabrice-Jean Picault (0.7)
  •     Long Balls/Match: Andre Blake (7.9), Haris Medunjanin (5.5), Auston Trusty (4.3)
  •     Through Balls/Match: Borek Dockal (0.3), Jack Elliott (0.1), ***

Score Prediction

The two teams enter the match on opposing streaks. Orlando City has lost two in a row and is winless in their last six MLS matches, sitting dead last on the table. Meanwhile, Philadelphia has won four league matches in a row and is fighting to leapfrog Columbus for 4th place on the Eastern Conference table. A curious detail in the stats, however, shows that Orlando City is actually outscoring Philadelphia by the count of 9 goals to 8 in the last five matches for each side. The defensive difference is stark, however, with Philadelphia only conceding five goals in the same span, while Orlando City has coughed up 14 goals to their opponents in that time. And when it comes to wins on the season, Orlando City has won at home in five of 13 league matches, while Philadelphia has prevailed five of 13 times on the road in league play. Unfortunately I'm not seeing enough improvement by the Orlando City defense to predict a win; I think it will be a 3 - 2 loss for the Lions and one step closer to mathematical elimination from the playoffs.