Loud & Proud Orlando

In the first half, just two minutes in, RBNY pressed Orlando City very well and made the lions' backline sloppy with the ball. Red Bulls dominated the possession of the ball. Orlando City was determined to go on the counterattack play. 15 minutes in, and Lewis Morgan was, as always, being dangerous in attack for the Red Bulls. Orlando had a hard time containing New York in transition. The Lions were able to go on the counter on several occasions, exploiting New York's left flank with Ivan Angulo. 19 minutes in, a great cross by Mikey Halliday, Martin Ojeda was close to scoring. Orlando was again very good at exploiting New York's flanks. Halliday, Angulo, Facundo Torres, and Ojeda were very influential for the lions in the attack. 22 minutes in, and we talked about it yesterday in LPO's predictions show, YELLOW CARD for Jansson. His first yellow card of the 2023 MLS season was awarded for the Swedish International. The Red Bulls missed a clear chance and a free-kick opportunity. 30 minutes in, and Orlando City created the most chances in attack. RBNY left Mikey Halliday wide open on their right flank, but Orlando looked to pass the ball in the middle to create a connection between Torres and Ojeda. 40' minutes in, and Orlando City remained defensively solid. Great game by both Petrasso and Halliday. Halliday's first-half performance was nothing short of impressive. He had the stamina to go on the attack and retreat back into position quickly, not giving enough time for the Red Bulls to counter effectively. Orlando City was clearly the better team at the half. Sloppy first few minutes defensively for the Lions, but then they were able to regain confidence and create attacking plays. Ercan Kara had a couple of chances but was not able to capitalize. It was a great first half from Halliday, Petrasso, Angulo, and Facundo Torres.

In the second half, Orlando came out for the kill, a total attacking onslaught. In the 55th minute, Facundo Torres scored off a PK. 70 minutes in, Orlando City controlled the tempo of the game. But chances in the attack were not apparent after Facu’s goal. In the first half, the lions had zero shots on goal. But in the second half, Ramiro Enrique linked up with Angulo and caused trouble for RBNY’s defense. It was great second half for the former Banfield player. 77 minutes in, Dagur Dan subbed in for Martin Ojeda. 80 minutes in, Orlando City had this W on the bag. Great performance by Ramiro Enrique, which was nothing short of spectacular compared to Kara in the first half. Dagur Dan also gave Orlando’s mid more balance when pressing against transition attacking plays. In the 85th minute, Red Bulls were able to get past Orlando’s backline, and Pedro Gallese saved Orlando City yet again from impending doom. Orlando City won their 2023 MLS season opener with a 1-0 result. There is much to improve defensively, but the lions won in front of 24,088 screaming fans. Offensively, the lions can cause some damage; they just need to do a better job finishing the attacking play. Orlando City will return to Exploria Stadium on March 4th, to face FC Cincinnati.

#VamosOrlando