In this edition of Oppo Research, Hudson River Blue asked Ben Miller of the Mane Land to tell us what’s going on with Orlando City, New York City FC’s opponent in Matchday 13, the midweek game that will be played tomorrow night in Florida: Here is your NYCFC vs Orlando game preview
Orlando aren’t having the strongest year. They sit in 11th place, one spot behind NYCFC. Both have 15 points, but while New York City are ahead on goal differential, Orlando have a game in hand.
Read on to see what Miller has to say about the most purple team in MLS.
Hudson River Blue: Orlando are coming off a 2022 when they won their first piece of silverware in the US Open Cup, but they quickly crashed out of the CONCACAF Champions League at the start of the season, and they have a not-great record of two wins, one draw, and three losses at home. What’s the mood at Exploria Stadium these days?
Ben Miller: It’s a fractured one. No one is happy with the team’s form but there are differing opinions on what should be done to fix it. There’s a contingent that wants Oscar Pareja gone, people who want to give him more time and place more of the blame at the feet of the players, and then the people who just want it all burned down regardless. The general consensus though, is that the performances haven’t been good enough, and improvement is needed.
HRB: What major additions did Orlando make in the offseason? How are they working out?
BM: Martin Ojeda was the big Designated Player signing, but Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Ramiro Enrique, and Duncan McGuire also arrived to varying levels of fanfare. Ojeda frankly hasn’t been good enough. It’s looked at times like he and Facundo Torres have been occupying the same spaces and the offense isn’t quite humming yet. He’s shown flashes, but there needs to be more. Thorhallsson isn’t starting but he’s looked good off the bench, Enrique looks to be a work in progress, and McGuire has been the best of the bunch with four goals and an assist in just 284 minutes.
HRB: Who is Orlando’s dangerman, the one who should make NYCFC worry?
BM: In theory, that honor goes to Facundo Torres but he’s had a down year so far. Teams seem to have figured out that he’s VERY left-footed, and at times he’s seemed to hold onto the ball too long before making a decision. Still, he got a goal against the LA Galaxy on April 29 and an assist in the draw with Columbus on Saturday, so he’s showing some positive signs. Ercan Kara had a great game against Columbus, so I’ll give it to the pair of them. If those guys are rolling then it usually bodes well for the Lions.
HRB: Both Orlando and NYCFC joined the league in 2015, and navigated the transition from MLS 2.0 and 3.0. The head-to-head between the two clubs is dead even, with 7 wins and 8 draws each. Is there a rivalry between Orlando and NYCFC?
BM: I don’t think it’s quite there. There have certainly been some memorable matches between the two teams, but on our side of things, the fans circle the games against Atlanta and Miami the second the schedule drops. Part of that is due to the proximity of those teams, and the fanbases have really embraced the back-and-forth between the clubs. NYCFC just isn’t seen that way down here at the moment.
HRB: Prediction time: Starting XI? Final score?
BM: I’m going to go with 1-0, and Orlando City getting a feel-good win at home.
>> Ben Miller: It’s a fractured one. No one is happy with the team’s form but there are differing opinions on what should be done to fix it. There’s a contingent that wants ##Oscar Pareja## gone, people who want to give him more time and place more of the blame at the feet of the players, and then the people who just want it all burned down regardless. The general consensus though, is that the performances haven’t been good enough, and improvement is needed.
##yourcoachnamehere##
BM: ##Martin Ojeda## was the big Designated Player signing, but ##Dagur Dan Thorhallsson##, ##Ramiro Enrique##, and ##Duncan McGuire## also arrived to varying levels of fanfare. ##Ojeda## frankly hasn’t been good enough. It’s looked at times like he and ##Facundo Torres## have been occupying the same spaces and the offense isn’t quite humming yet. <<<He’s shown flashes, but there needs to be more. ##Thorhallsson## isn’t starting but he’s looked good off the bench, ##Enrique## looks to be a work in progress, and ##McGuire## has been the best of the bunch with four goals and an assist in just 284 minutes.
##yourplayernameshere##
LOL
FWIW. by far the most bothering things to myself is that NYCFC gave wins away to every 'struggling' bottom dwellers in the standing just to kindly join them.