Don’t look at the Goal Differential. That’s because, otherwise on paper, Orlando City SC matched closely against the Columbus Crew. So they drew 1-1.
Coming into their match with the Columbus Crew, Orlando City SC looked close in execution statistics. They were almost equal in shots, 12.2-12, and shots on goal, 4.5-4.7. They were superior in aerial duels won, 63-62.
But then their success falls off the table. Their total passes number 392-543.3 against the Crew. Their total crosses are 5.2 per game compared to 10 for Columbus.
Columbus presented a squad in even more of a struggle than Orlando. They held possession for 60.6% of the game. They got off 20 shots to the Lions’ five, with seven of their shots on target. Yet Orlando’s only shot on target found the back of the Crew’s net.
That was a score in the 14th minute by Marco Pasalic with assists by Tiago Souza and Ivan Angulo. Rescuing a point for the Crew was Diego Rossi in the 80th minute, assisted by Taha Habroune.
There aren’t many more disorganized teams like the Crew for Orlando to face in MLS. So they’ll have to continue fighting some harsh statistics to gain a competitive stance.
The most brutal statistic: Their Goal Differential remains a brutal minus-18 – the lowest in the league – after trading scores with Columbus.
That has necessitated 10.3 clearances per game, compared to 5.2 for Columbus, and 4.3-2.8 saves.
As Columbus peppered the Lions with many more shots, that means Orlando goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau had to execute his best game. And the backline had to play strongly and flawlessly.
The 6-0 shutout loss by Orlando proved that, even if they play a five-defender formation, they can’t prevent a strong team playing their best from winning. The Lions solved the back-five formation only last season, exploiting its weaknesses when used by opponents and even using it themselves.
But it isn’t working this season. Without the right personnel, practitioners of the back-five might park the bus and keep an opponent from scoring. But if they don’t have the right personnel, they still might not score themselves. That leaves them with a draw at best and a loss at worst.
In their contest with LAFC, Orlando got on the pitch with neither the right personnel to keep Los Angeles from scoring, nor players who scored for themselves.
So Orlando City must keep drilling and honing its players' skills. The matches won't get any easier as the season moves on.
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