A short-handed Orlando City falls to New England 3-1 at a rainy Gillette Stadium.
Before a rain-soaked crowd of 21,492, Orlando City, without starters Pedro Gallese, Facundo Torres, Wilder Cartagena (international duty), and Antonio Carlos (red card suspension), had chances to again come away with points on the road, only to succumb to the Revolution's impressive counter-attack and finishing. Here are the player ratings from last night's match:
GK Mason Stajduhar - 6. Standing in for Pedro Gallese, none of NE's three goals were his fault, including the first goal where Stajduhar stopped a low cross from Gustavo Bou, playing the ball out to the eighteen, where Emmanuel Boateng one-timed the bouncing ball into the bottom right corner.
D Mikey Halliday - 7. Yes, sometimes the opposing left flank is a bit exposed, but that is only because Halliday's pace allows him to get forward and play in a good service. His assist to Duncan McGuire was his second of the year.
D Rodrigo Schlegel - 5. Forced into the starting role due to Antonio Carlos' red card suspension, Schlegel played with his physicality and athletic ability to help hold New England scoreless in the first half. Schlegel could always have a bit more tactical awareness and better distribution, but no one can fault his tremendous effort and work rate.
D Robin Jansson - 6. A tough assignment without his usual center back mate, Antonio Carlos, and having to deal with NE's trio of Carles Gil, Gustavo Bou, and Bobby Wood, Jansson put in a solid performance.
D Rafael Santos - 5. With Halliday consistently getting forward from the right flank, Santos 'stayed home' more often than not. His distribution needs to improve, as I counted five giveaways in the defensive or middle third in the first half, but Santos does seem to be melding well with his new teammates and club.
M Ivan Angulo - 6. Becoming Orlando City's most dangerous player, Angulo again used his pace to put himself in dangerous positions most of the night. His technical finishing could be better.
M Felipe Martins - 4. Having to take Wilder Cartagena's midfield spot, Martins put in ninety minutes of hard work, but he will need many more minutes to shake off the rust. Too many giveaways forced Orlando City into some difficult transition. Martins is a veteran and I would expect him to play much better the next time he gets time with the Lions.
M Cesar Araujo - 6. He put in another well-played seventy-eight minutes without his pivot mate Wilder Cartagena. One of the MLS' best box-to-box midfielders, Araujo did what he could on a tough night at Gillette Stadium.
M Mauricio Pereyra - 6. Steady and with the unique ability to create space with the ball, Pereyra also put in seventy-eight minutes and hopefully has something left in his tank for Wednesday night against Philadelphia.
M Martin Ojeda - 5. Conundrum, bewilderment, enigma, question mark. Those are my words to describe the designated player from Argentina. At this point of his first season, and given a start due to international duty for Facundo Torres, we would expect Ojeda to advantage of playing a full ninety-minute match. Maybe the issue is his right flank, inverted positioning, but Ojeda must impose his will on a game and put the opposing team on their heels. He does not. Yes, he got into a few goal-scoring positions, but at this point, results matter and as designated player, Ojeda is not yet making an impact.
F Ercan Kara - 4. Always a great effort, Kara could not get the service and through balls he counts on for his chances. The upside: he only put in forty-five minutes and should be ready for Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Substitutes:
Ramiro Enrique - no rating as he played one minute.
Juninho - making his MLS debut, no rating as he played one minute.
Dagur Dan Thorhallsson - 5. Dagur Dan put in his usual workmanlike effort.
Luca Petrasso - 5. Coming off an injury, it will take Petrasso a few games to feel comfortable and make an impact.
Duncan McGuire - 7. Coming on for Kara at halftime, McGuire again made an instant impact, scoring off a great service from Halliday. I know it changes Oscar Pareja's system, but I would really like to see a McGuire - Kara tandem against the right opponent.
After seventeen games, Orlando City remains in seventh place on 26 points. Wednesday night's game at Exploria Stadium should be a great matchup, with Jim Curtain's side sitting in 4th place in the eastern conference. Antonio Carlos should be rested and ready to go - but will the other three starters get any minutes after coming back from international duty?
Gary Levitt @gl1123 justmytake.net
photo credit: Orlando City Soccer Club
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