In 2024, Orlando City SC continue to be a team that leaves you craving much, much more – especially at home in front of our own supporters at Inter&Co Stadium. Just when you thought our season couldn’t get more painful, it just did on Saturday when Los Angeles FC defeated the Lions 1-3 in Central Florida.
You have to laugh, otherwise you’ll cry, such is the dramatic nature of our 2024 demise. With our hopes of reaching the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs fading fast, there are no crumbs of comfort at the minute – and it hurts. At the end of the day, when you’re struggling to score goals, it’s pretty darn hard to win games of soccer!
With nowhere to hide right now, our inability to score is hurting us over and over again. Now winless in six games at Inter&Co Stadium with LAFC’s 1-3 win marking our fifth defeat in nine at home, Saturday’s result was a miserable way to mark the midway point of our sorry Major League Soccer season.
We now officially share the joint-worst home record this 2024 MLS regular season, matching Philadelphia Union’s tally of one win, three draws, and five defeats.
Last time out
Despite having a bye week for reflection and recuperation, Orlando City SC couldn’t prevent another defeat, losing 1-3 to Los Angeles FC at home on Saturday.
A game that marked the midway point of our awful season so far, there was a feeling of apathy as City supporters trickled out of Inter&Co Stadium at full-time.
Despite the sweltering June humidity of Central Florida, City started the game brightly and energised against a formidable LAFC side buoyant after five straight shutout victories.
It certainly seemed like the fortnight of rest benefitted Orlando City SC.
However, we were still scared to shoot, often overplaying and making extra passes in the final third when it would’ve been better to test Hugo Lloris.
On the night, Oscar Pareja introduced yet another formation, reverting to a 4-4-2, partly due to the absences of David Brekalo (UEFA Euro 2024) and Wilder Cartagena (Peru friendly).
Mason Stajduhar also enjoyed a rare start too, deputising for Pedro Gallese (Peru friendly) who hasn’t been himself all season long.
The first major flashpoint took place on 32 minutes when Eduard Atuesta recklessly ran straight into the back of Facundo Torres inside the LAFC box.
With referee Rubiel Vazquez immediately calling a penalty, it was a great chance to forget our first half of 2024 and kick-start a successful second half.
However, fresh from missing out on Marcelo Bielsa’s 26-man Uruguay squad for the 2024 Copa América, Facundo Torres couldn’t lift his spirits.
Shockingly blasting his penalty high over Hugo Lloris’ bar, this miss really and truly summed up our pitiful 2024 campaign so far.
A bitter pill to swallow, not just for Facu but for City supporters too, El Cuervo had scored eight penalties from eight for the Lions prior to this miss.
Throughout his entire youth and senior career, Facundo Torres had never missed a penalty before.
But in keeping with this year’s fortunes, nothing seems to be going Orlando City SC’s way.
Ironically, Nani was in attendance for the game as well – a man who had a poor penalty record for City despite his illustrious spell in purple.
Heightened following Torres’ wild penalty miss, Orlando City SC conceded a penalty of their own on 45 minutes.
At a crucial stage in the game, the relentless Denis Bouanga danced and dribbled his way down the left wing in menacing trademark fashion.
While Robin Jansson did well to avoid diving in and fouling the speedy Gabon international in our box, the same can’t be said for César Araújo.
Desperately going to ground with a sliding challenge, Araújo mistimed it and brought Bouanga tumbling to the turf – albeit with minimal contact.
The way Bouanga drew the foul was strikingly similar to how he cleverly earned a penalty against LA Galaxy’s Miki Yamane in El Tráfico on April 6.
Stepping up to take the penalty himself, Denis Bouanga confidently demonstrated to The Wall exactly how a PK should be taken, making no mistake with his opportunity (0-1).
With Orlando City SC failing to register a single first-half shot on target, it was the same old story, just on another day.
In the second-half, the Lions rallied but Los Angeles FC remained unruffled, showcasing their ability to launch dangerous counter-attacks and threaten City at will.
As Orlando City SC fans desperately groaned for any kind of equaliser, no matter how ugly, it finally arrived in style on 68 minutes.
Substitute Martín Ojeda, who came on for Iván Angulo in the 61st minute, finally scored his first MLS goal of the season.
Starving to score, this was shockingly Orlando City SC’s first home goal since Duncan McGuire’s opener against Toronto FC (1-2) way back on April 27!
With the Argentine long overdue for a goal, Luis Muriel provided a moment of quality after ineffective attacks all evening.
Muriel bypassed the entire LAFC defence with a fantastic chipped assist, allowing Ojeda to tap home and breathe new life into what had been a melancholy Inter&Co Stadium all evening (1-1).
The first goal that Los Angeles FC had conceded since May 8, this equaliser sparked hope that we could turn the tide and secure a victory.
But it wasn’t to be, yet again.
Just when you thought LAFC were wobbling, they showcased why they are the most devastating Major League Soccer team in transition.
On 80 minutes, Jesús Murillo was on the verge of committing a foul in the centre of the park, but the ball instead found its way to Mateusz Bogusz, who embarked on a lung-busting solo run forward.
Despite it being late in the game, Bogusz sprinted the entire City half unchallenged before firing a deadly accurate strike past Mason Stajduhar (1-2).
A player who has been on fire this season, the Polish forward was ruthless, as was Denis Bouanga who added more gloss to the scoreline on 86 minutes.
With Orlando City SC out on their feet, it was César Araújo who made his second big error of the game.
Dangerously bearing down on City’s goal, Bouanga’s sheer presence caused Araújo to lose concentration inside our own box, tripping over his own feet in the process.
Despite not having much room to manoeuvre, Denis Bouanga still managed to skilfully round Mason Stajduhar before tucking home into an empty net (1-3).
Undoubtedly one of Major League Soccer’s best players, Bouanga demonstrated how he can punish you at any moment in a game.
A sickener for Orlando City SC, Steve Cherundolo’s LAFC ruthlessly took the game away from us late on, just when it looked like we could go on and win the game ourselves.
Last head-to-head
The last time that Orlando City SC faced Charlotte FC in MLS, the Lions rescued a 1-1 draw at Bank of America Stadium back in August 2023.
Truthfully speaking, the Lions were relieved to steal a point by full-time.
Coming into the game, CLTFC were confident after a morale-boosting 2-1 win over Los Angeles FC.
Their first victory in nine MLS fixtures, Orlando City SC had to contend with early pressure from the Queen City side.
On 11 minutes, Brecht Dejaegere blazed a golden chance over the bar before Pedro Gallese flexed his tentacles to deny a point-blank Derrick Jones header on 37 minutes.
An incredible save, this denied City villain Justin Meram any satisfaction as the man who provided the assist.
On 41 minutes, Ramiro Enrique – earning a rare start – smacked Kristijan Kahlina’s post with a fierce strike from range that skidded across the soaking wet turf.
Giving Orlando City SC genuine belief that they could hurt the home side, the Lions so nearly opened the scoring just three minutes later.
After Pedro Gallese caught Charlotte FC napping from a quick goal kick, it was suddenly Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire breaking on goal versus a single defender – Adilson Malanda.
Delaying his critical assist, El Cuervo laid in Duncan McGuire who duly found the net, only for the play to be ruled offside.
On further inspection from replays, the call was incredibly tight and honestly could’ve gone either way.
Nevertheless, referee Rosendo Mendoza called no-goal and the sides entered half-time at 0-0.
On 53 minutes, Ben Bender thought he’d opened the scoring with a point-blank volley – a play that was then correctly flagged offside.
From here, the game ebbed and flowed with Facundo Torres almost scoring a golazo from deep on 59 minutes.
The deadlock was finally broken by Enzo Copetti from the penalty spot on 81 minutes, however.
After Ashley Westwood sent a hopeful ball into Orlando City SC’s penalty area, Scott Arfield missed a header before Enzo Copetti nipped in front of fellow Argentine Rodrigo Schlegel.
Making the most of minimal contact, Schlegel’s sloppily dangled left leg saw referee Rosendo Mendoza point to the spot.
Grimacing, shaking his head, and wagging his finger in disagreement, Oscar Pareja wasn’t a fan of the call.
A really harsh penalty to concede, especially so late on, Copetti buried his PK past Pedro Gallese to make it two goals in two games against the Lions.
Orlando City SC sides of old may have buckled by this point, but Oscar Pareja’s Lions had really dug deep since spring.
Albeit fortuitous, substitute Martín Ojeda tied the game from improbable distance on 88 minutes.
Curling a left-footed free-kick from deep, the ball sailed over the entire Charlotte FC defence.
Nestling beautifully to Kristijan Kahlina’s right, the equaliser left the home side shell-shocked, and probably Ojeda himself too!
This timely equaliser extended Orlando City SC’s unbeaten record on the road to three games.
With emotions running high from the prior penalty incident, Rodrigo Schlegel and Enzo Copetti clashed again in stoppage time.
However, Copetti only received yellow, not red, with Schlegel hitting the deck after a violent conduct call.
With the 1-1 draw giving Orlando City SC their 22nd road point last year, this sealed our most in single season club history, surpassing City’s previous high of 21 from 2022.
What’s at stake this time?
Having just passed the midway point of the 2024 MLS regular season, Orlando City SC have only scored a measly 17 goals in 17 MLS games.
Shockingly, this is the second fewest in all of Major League Soccer!
Despite having had two full weeks of rest, everything is continuing to break down in the final third for Orlando City SC.
Honestly, there’s no real conviction that we’re going to score.
All season long, our build-up play has been far too slow and one-dimensional.
Can you remember the last time Robin Jansson mixed it up with one of his trademark diagonal passes forward?
I can’t.
If you ask me, so many Lions aren’t on the same page on the field, especially Duncan McGuire and Luis Muriel whose partnership isn’t working out.
With no cohesion and no apparent camaraderie between the pair, the plan was never for this duo to play together anyway, right?
I mean, we’re only persisting with this unplanned partnership because of Blackburn Rovers’ infamous administrative error back in February.
When you watch our games, Duncan McGuire continues to run off the back of opposition defenders but nobody opts to play the longer ball forward.
McGuire thrives in open play, not in tight situations, and we simply aren’t playing to his strengths right now.
Against Los Angeles FC and in his performances prior, Luis Muriel is losing possession all too easily, and this is really hurting Orlando City SC’s attacking build-up play.
Overplaying and attempting to take on entire opposition defences on his own, it seems like Muriel doesn’t trust his City team-mates with the ball.
This is something Nani was guilty of too before eventually snapping out of it.
We know that Muriel likes to drop deep to make plays but in the first few minutes of the second-half against LAFC, he and Nicolás Lodeiro got in each other’s way on the left wing.
It was actually comical.
With Nicolás Lodeiro, Facundo Torres, and Luis Muriel often seen occupying the same spaces on the pitch, there doesn’t seem to be any positional discipline whatsoever.
They say you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone and that’s certainly true when it comes to Mauricio Pereyra.
In 2024, City seem deeply deficient without Pereyra’s ability to pass between the lines, connecting the midfield and attack with his immaculate vision and attacking ingenuity.
Because Muriel is dropping deep into the spaces that Facu occupied so well last season, maybe this is the root of El Cuervo’s low mood?
Whatever funk Facundo Torres and the rest of his City team-mates are in, they just seem incapable of clicking and finding solutions out on the field.
With Torres reportedly being courted by Ajax and Real Betis this MLS mid-season, his future may need resolving, let alone Duncan McGuire’s immediate future too.
Despite Orlando City SC’s struggles this year, our top talents are still attracting interest from afar and you wonder what the next couple of months may hold.
But right now, Orlando City SC have depressingly slipped to fourteenth in the Eastern Conference.
This is just one point above a resurgent New England Revolution (16 points) who have now won their last three consecutive MLS games after Caleb Porter’s nightmare start to the year.
If we aren’t careful, we could soon be rock bottom of the East!
Ultimately, even the most optimistic Orlando City SC supporters must be deeply concerned about the current direction of the team.
Opposition danger men
Compared to most Major League Soccer rosters, Charlotte FC don’t have a single player that truly strikes fear into the hearts of Orlando City SC players and supporters.
Considering that Liel Abada is their only current Designated Player, Charlotte FC’s squad is primarily made up of good quality MLS professionals.
If you had to pick one standout threat, it is probably young forward Patrick Agyemang who is currently enjoying a solid breakout season in MLS.
While he was on the fringes of Charlotte FC’s first team roster last year, 6 ft 4 in Agyemang has certainly made 2024 his own.
Still raw, he’s certainly taken veteran MLS defenders by surprise with his brute strength and direct attacking style.
Scoring three goals and tallying two assists so far this MLS season, Patrick Agyemang’s rise is part of the reason that CLTFC decided to sell former Designated Player Enzo Copetti to Rosario Central in May.
This situation is reminiscent of Orlando City SC parting ways with Ercan Kara midway through last season, prompted by Duncan McGuire’s meteoric rise as a rookie.
Besides Agyemang, club captain Ashley Westwood is another steady, if not spectacular member of Charlotte FC’s squad.
Taking free-kicks and corners for the Queen City side, former Aston Villa midfielder Westwood has enjoyed his time in MLS so far and definitely makes Charlotte FC tick in the centre of the park.
As for Designated Player Liel Abada, the Israel international winger arrived in North Carolina with considerable fanfare.
With Charlotte FC investing a reported £8 million to secure his signature from Celtic, Abada has endured an injury-hit first season in MLS.
Returning to first team action in May after a thigh strain, Liel Abada showcased his talent by scoring a brace in Charlotte FC’s 2-3 statement win at Atlanta United on June 2.
New opposition faces
Since the clubs’ last meeting in MLS, Charlotte FC have a new head coach in the dugout at Bank of America Stadium.
December 2023 saw Charlotte FC announce Dean Smith as the club’s third permanent manager in MLS following Miguel Ángel Ramírez and Christian Lattanzio.
The former Brentford and Aston Villa head coach has gone 8-4-6 in his debut MLS season in charge and has CLTFC placed fifth in the Eastern Conference right now.
Defeating D.C. United 1-0 at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday, this win took Charlotte FC to 28 points from 18 games played – an impressive return indeed.
With the Charlotte FC job being Smith’s first taste of Major League Soccer, the off-season saw the Englishman welcome 10 new faces to the club.
Signing Chituru Odunze, João Pedro, David Bingham, Djibril Diani, Tyger Smalls, Nikola Petković, Iuri Tavares, and Liel Abada, the North Carolina side also recruited two former Lions too.
In February, CLTFC signed former City favourite Júnior Urso to a contract through 2024 after the Lions declined his option at the end of 2023.
Strange seeing Urso in another MLS club’s colours, The Bear has made 12 MLS appearances for Charlotte FC so far with six of these being starts.
Before Urso’s arrival, the 2024 MLS SuperDraft saw Charlotte FC recruit Jahlane Forbes as the 38th overall pick after the defender spent time with Orlando City B in our inaugural USL League One season in 2019.
Injuries, international call-ups, and suspensions
Heading into this game, Michael Halliday (right knee) and young Homegrown Player Tahir Reid-Brown (left thigh) are both definitely out for the Lions.
Orlando City SC will also be missing these three players due to mid-season international call-ups.
| PLAYER | NATIONAL TEAM | REASON |
| David Brekalo | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | UEFA Euro 2024 |
| Pedro Gallese | 🇵🇪 Peru | 2024 Copa América |
| Wilder Cartagena | 🇵🇪 Peru | 2024 Copa América |
Duncan McGuire will soon be missing too because of his involvement with the USMNT U-23 team at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Elsewhere, Ramiro Enrique has been listed as questionable for this fixture after missing the Los Angeles FC game due to a “personal matter”.
As for Charlotte FC, former Lion Júnior Urso (lower leg) is definitely out while Brandon Cambridge (thigh) is questionable.
Dean Smith has no players absent due to international duty, however.
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Charlotte FC vs Orlando City SC
Last 3 head-to-heads
- March 18, 2023: Orlando City SC 1 Charlotte FC 2 (MLS)
- May 9, 2023: Charlotte FC 1 Orlando City SC 0 (2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup)
- August 30, 2023: Charlotte FC 1 Orlando City SC 1 (MLS)
2022/23 head-to-head stats
- It was 1-1 the last time the sides met (August 2023)
- Played Charlotte 4 times in MLS – Charlotte 1, Draws 1, Orlando 2
- Both sides have scored in all 4 MLS head-to-heads so far
- Charlotte currently have the best home record in the East, only losing ONE home game so far this MLS season (6-3-1)
- Orlando have only scored 3 goals in their last 540+ minutes of MLS action
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Watching the game
Charlotte FC vs Orlando City SC will be shown live on Apple TV at 00:30 (GMT) on Thursday, June 20.
Remember, UK supporters can watch all of Orlando City SC’s 2024 MLS regular season fixtures by subscribing to Apple TV’s “MLS Season Pass”.
Subscribe now by clicking here.
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