Reverse key passes foil Orlando City SC against Chicago Fire

Supporters and the Orlando City SC squad looked at the Chicago Fire before traveling. They knew this was a game to be won.

Afterward, leaving with a point, but not a win, it remains a game they should have won. But Orlando City SC didn’t.

Chicago Fire played one of their best games of this MLS season against Orlando. Yet the Fire stays sunk near the bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference.

With the 1-1 draw, Orlando remains just below 10th place in that same conference. So a lot of improvement remains to get this squad over the line and into the MLS post-season.

Statistically, Orlando matched Chicago for passing accuracy – 83.3%. But in reality, errant passing had as much to do with SC not winning the game as anything. A careful study of the video highlights will show how, in key moments, players passed the ball to a dangerous open space, if not to a Chicago Fire player.

Key passes are essential for a good team; City players executed five of them. But there were just enough reverse-key passes that Orlando squad members foiled their own attacks. They stopped their chances just as they started creating them.

To show how sharp the Fire played this match, their players got off 14 key passes.

Head coach Oscar Parejo expressed it the same way as all players, coaches and supporters, they should have won it. He acknowledged that they fell short. Then they unraveled and lost control late in the game, until Fire striker Hugo Cuypers scored in the 70th minute, assist to defender Arnaud Souquet and midfielder Maren Haile-Selassie.

One bright spot: That was merely the equalizer, since midfielder Facundo Torres came to life for the 2024 season. He scored in the fourth minute, moving in toward the far post while, just for a second, Chicago goalkeeper Chris Baker was distracted.

Still, there was another problem that badly prompted sour remarks from Pareja and needled squad members and supporters. It had to do with officiating.

Two minutes into first-half stoppage time, NIco Lodeiro passed to fellow midfielder Ivan Angulo. It wasn’t one of those reverse key passes, either. This was a return pass to Angulo. It looked wire-guided, and it looked like something that they’d drilled on 1,000 times. And then saved it just for this situation and moment.

As Angulo closed in on the net for what would become the winning score, Fire midfielder Federico Navarro ran over him in the penalty area. The run for the score ended with no penalty call. And the Fire recovered the ball.

A careful study of this game and as many as 13 passes might have become key passes. That would match the Fire’s 20 resulting in at least one more goal. And the one missed penalty call wouldn’t have prevented a win.

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