Orlando City SC and Atlanta United FC look at each other over a barrier. It’s the day after Independence Day.
What is that barrier? And what can separate the two teams? After all, these two teams in the MLS East Conference have the same number of points with 24. They have the same number of games played and average points per game with 1.14.
These two teams have the same 12-6-9 record. Yet they look at each other on that July 5 date across a barrier: the playoff line. That’s because the simplest statistic in MLS is the most important if nearly everything two teams have produced is the same.
That statistic discussed in a previous post here is Goals Differential. Atlanta’s is positive, 2. Orlando’s is negative, -9.
In the East Conference, a negative Goals Differential doesn’t keep a team below the playoff line, even though that’s the difference on July 5 for Orlando City. Nashville SC has got a differential of -3. And Toronto FC has got a -9.
Early this season, Orlando City had a problem with Toronto, losing 2-1. But this week, the Lions brought a living, organic game to FC’s home pitch and beat them by the same score, 2-1.
What’s more, Head Coach Oscar Pareja said he saw ways the squad could have made it a 3-1 win at Toronto. Rest assured, the players are drilling on these situations now.
But it was necessary to take Toronto FC down a peg while getting the Orlando negative differential closer to positive. It’s the same goal with Nashville.
Orlando has yet to play Nashville, with two matches with the team remaining on the schedule. SC has to drag that team down further, while climbing up the standings ladder toward their place on it.
Then, there’s Atlanta United. That team is closest to Orlando in the standings. Yet that squad presented City with more problems than nearly any other winning opponent.
Atlanta shut Orlando out 2-0 back in March. They doubled the Lions up on shots on target, 6-3. And they won 17 aerial duels to Orlando’s 7. Orlando had its best available players on the pitch. Yet, this was mastery by Atlanta of the Orlando team.
Yet, City has proved the coaches and players can turn the tables on capable opponents, as they’ve done with squads including Philadelphia Union and more recently Toronto FC.
Orlando finishes the season at home on Oct. 19. The visiting opponent is Atlanta United FC. The Lions must continue to drill, focus, and play hard.
Then, the teams can still look at each other in the standings list. But Orlando City SC must be looking on from the north side of the playoff line.