LAFC uses one less pass to defeat Orlando City FC 3-1
• One pass too many dooms Orlando City
• No shutout, but still a loss
If a team can’t defeat an opponent on strength or skill, the players can still beat them with their heads.
Orlando City SC needed skill and strength to outscore Los Angeles FC. But they couldn’t muster enough of those qualities, losing 3-1 at home to LAFC. And Los Angeles outthought them in the final minutes.
Orlando’s two strikers, Luis Muriel and Duncan McGwire, only got off seven combined shots.
Although as a team City got off 19 shots, only one of them was on target against LAFC’s seven.
That’s because Los Angeles brought more skill to the pitch for this match. So Orlando’s 55.7% possession and 618 passes didn’t overcome the opponent enough to prevent the loss.
The team was missing some skilled players. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, midfielder Wilder Cartagena, and defender David Brekalo were still out on international duty. But that wasn't the greatest part of the problem.
More telling is that LAFC created more chances for their shots than home team Orlando. And they made good on more of them.
In the second half, head coach Oscar Pareja told the players they needed to coordinate a push against LAFC’s late counterattacks. Orlando had enough numbers and people to execute that plan. And in fact, in the 69th minute midfielder Martin Ojeda brought them 1-1 on a Luis Muriel assist.
The first LAFC goal was on forward Denis Bouanga’s 45th minute penalty kick.
Then LAFC brought the speed. They maintained focus and concentration throughout the game and maintained those qualities even at a fast pace. Orlando could keep up with Los Angeles physically – energy as Pareja put It – and even in skill. But Pareja acknowledged that in this match, that wasn’t enough.
After the Ojeda/Muriel equalizer, they eliminated some of the passes necessary for the chances that created the next two scores, putting the match out of reach.
Pareja saw that they needed an extra pass for their chances, compared with LAFC’s execution. And that did them in.
Orlando City SC players and coaches must use their heads to defeat upcoming opponents who pour on the gas and speed up the attack. They didn’t have the speed or the time for an extra pass in this match.
So that condition will dominate the drills this week.