Style is everything in Major League Soccer with some of the best teams focusing on fast, flashy attacking play to overwhelm their opponents. Sometimes, however, taking a more pragmatic approach is the right way to go, even if it isn’t the prettiest.
Orlando City showed in its 1-0 road victory against Nashville SC late Tuesday night that it is fully capable of adjusting to the opponent. This substance-over-style approach will bode well for the Lions as they advance to the conference semifinals, which begin Nov. 25 or 26.
The Lions came out flying after the kickoff, pressing Nashville’s defense into some costly early mistakes. One of these, in the sixth minute, led to Ivan Angulo’s goal that ultimately made the difference.
“We came out with the intention to run and to really press them high and try to pin them back, so I just kind of pressed into that area between the center backs and the holding midfielders that I really like to get in-between and force them to make a bad pass,” Angulo said. “I was able to take the ball off their foot and find myself in a nice spot in their box and just figured I would have a hit and see where it goes and thankfully it went into the back of the net.”
Despite the early goal, it was Orlando’s defensive effort that really made the difference against Nashville’s potent attack that was held scoreless over two games in the best-of-3 series.
Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese made four impressive saves to keep the clean sheet while defenders Robin Jannson and Rodrigo Schlegel showcased Orlando’s defensive solidity.
In a chippy game that had nine combined yellow cards and 23 fouls, Orlando’s defense kept control of the match from the start. Schlegel’s 11 clearances were six clear of the next-best player and highlighted the Argentinian’s involvement. He has done an impeccable job filling in for Antonio Carlos, who is still working his way back to full fitness after Injury.
Nashville threw everything it had at Orlando in the second half, but coach Oscar Pareja’s tactical move to five at the back made a key difference, too. Where most teams would have gone for a second goal, Pareja wanted to see out the clean sheet on the back of his impressive defense.
“We defended all those crosses, and when they were throwing bodies in front we still controlled the game and we are happy because we looked more mature today,” the coach said. “We continue with our journey thinking that we can do it. We are very proud and, again, I want to congratulate the players on the tremendous effort that they have done.”
Still, a major concern remains because Orlando’s high-flying offense has scored just two goals in as many games and none came from forwards Facundo Torres or Duncan McGuire. The Lions will need to get better up front if they want to make a push for the MLS Cup, but having a solid defense should take the pressure off and allow them the freedom to get back on the scoresheet in the later rounds.
