Orlando City SC may have clinched their MLS playoff spot. But every opponent for the rest of this season will play them hard.
Philadelphia Union was no exception. Like every opponent Orlando City SC faces for the rest of this season, they played the team hard.
That was why the statistics at the end of the first half powerfully favored Orlando City. Yet the score remained a 0-0 draw. This was an accurate measure of how effectively the Lions played. But the Union wouldn’t give way.
At halftime, Orlando had six blocked shots to Philadelphia’s three. They had 290 passes with just over 91% accuracy compared to the Union’s 164 and just under 79%. The Lions showed just under 64% possession to the Union’s 36% and 11 shots to Philadelphia’s seven.
But this is a case where the statistics didn’t help. So Head Coach Oscar Pareja joined players and coaches at the half and helped them organize a strategy for simply winning the match.
Pareja said they came out in the second half planning for a tight game – one not expected to get any easier. But he said the players continued to work on their goal of controlling all 90 minutes of each match.
He also said the game strategy for the rest of the season is to recognize chances that opponents are creating for a goal. Once recognized, the players will work to get out of that pressure from opponents – when they feel a goal is coming.
Prompting the development of a strategy like that means all this hard play is a good thing. The Lions will face the very best that the MLS Eastern Conference has when the post-season begins.
Orlando responded to Union's pressure by scoring first in the second half. That was in the 57th minute when Facundo Torres found the net, assisted by Luis Muriel and Martin Ojeda.
That is his 45th goal for the club, giving him the all-time lead.
Shortly after striker Duncan McGuire got on the pitch, he scored in the 67th minute, assisted by Muriel.
That means Muriel has contributed to goals in four of his last five matches. And Torres has scored or assisted in seven of his last 10 games.
With those two scores in their pocket, plus solid defense, Philadelphia’s only answer with a goal in the 72nd minute didn’t rain very hard on the Orlando parade. That was a score by Union midfielder Quinn Sullivan, assisted by Daniel Gazdag.
The Orlando City SC effort has to keep getting sharper. That’s because the path deep into the MLS playoffs won’t get any easier.