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Orlando City SC making believers following brilliant season turnaround

• Orlando City SC finishes with best offensive effort
• Drills and mental preparation make the difference
• Team plans to go deep in playoffs

By Chuck Wharton

Oct 5, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; FC Cincinnati forward Yuya Kubo (7) looks to pass as Orlando City SC midfielder Wilder Cartagena (16) defends during the second half at TQL Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-Imagn Images
Oct 5, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; FC Cincinnati forward Yuya Kubo (7) looks to pass as Orlando City SC midfielder Wilder Cartagena (16) defends during the second half at TQL Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-Imagn Images / Kareem Elgazzar-Imagn Images
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After their slow start in the MLS 2024 season, Orlando City SC was unlikely to make the postseason. But they did.

Orlando City SC is ready for the MLS post-season. Just months ago, this moment was impossible to imagine.

Orlando started the season meekly through their first 10 games with a record of 2-5-3.  Then later in the season, the Lions have put together an effort that makes them the best offensive team ever in the franchise.  

They’ve beaten the record of 55 goals record set by last year’s team with a match yet to play. They’ve scored 33 goals in 13 matches. It took a lot of hard work, including drills, simulated games and giving players the training the needed to increase focus, develop concentration, and learn how teammates play under specific conditions and match situations.

The players had to learn each other completely and know where they’d be on the pitch.

It took until September. But then watchers and supporters started to see this wasn’t the Orlando City team that had frustrated and disappointed them early in the season.

The view and the talk started changing in early September when Orlando was in seventh place in the MLS Eastern Conference. Watchers with other teams like the New England Revolution described the brewing playoff picture as rotating around matches with Orlando City.

But even then they didn’t yet see how Orlando really fit there.

Luis Murie
Oct 5, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; FC Cincinnati midfielder Obinna Nwobodo (5) maintains possession away from Orlando City SC forward Luis Muriel (9) during the second half at TQL Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-Imagn Images / Kareem Elgazzar-Imagn Images

Yet agencies running mathematical probabilities for the MLS playoffs saw how strong the Orlando City team was as they moved toward the MLS post-season.

PlayoffStatus.com saw that Orlando City would not fall lower than seventh place. And now the group has Orlando finishing no lower than fourth place in the East, where they are now. The team not only has clinched a playoff spot but will host a home game early in the post-season.

Orlando City SC looks to go deep into the MLS post-season. It’s a brilliant turnaround.

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