ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando City SC’s 2-1 loss to Atlanta United FC on May 13 was clearly not the result the team and its fans wanted, but there were positives to take away from the Lions’ bout with the No. 1 team in Major League Soccer.
For one, head coach Jason Kreis uses the loss as “a measuring stick” to compare how his team rates against the top competition in the league.
“I think Atlanta, right now, has shown through the way that they finished last year and the way they’ve started off this year that they’re the top. That’s the apex,” Kreis said after the loss. “So they give us a measuring stick to see what we’re striving for… I think we’re close. I think we’re close.
“Again, I feel like if we had just handled things just a little bit differently…maybe the game, then, looks different. But I do think that we caused them some troubles, and I think that we’re headed in the right direction; I still think so.”
Orlando City proved to be stalwart on the defensive end against Atlanta and its MLS-leading offense. Through United’s first 11 games of the season, including the win over City, they’ve scored an average of 2.3 goals per game. The second-highest scoring team is Western Conference leader Sporting Kansas City and their 2.1 goals per game.
And though the Lions lost, both goals came in the former stages of the first half: a 10th-minute penalty kick by striker Josef Martínez and a 31st-minute strike by midfielder Ezequiel Barco. After United’s only run-of-play goal, then Lions’ defense virtually shut down Atlanta’s attack.
In the second half, Atlanta held just 41.1 percent of possession and managed only three shots (one on-goal) and no corners.
Midfielder Oriol “Uri” Rosell helped lead the Lions’ defense to a second-half shutout when he substituted on for midfielder Cristian Higuita at halftime, playing a season-high 45 minutes.
“I think [Atlanta has] a pretty good team. They know what they’re doing,” Rosell said after the match. “And we were aware of that. We couldn’t stop as good as we want, but we won six games in a row… This is football–this is soccer, sorry.
“Actually, it’s hard to win all of games, and we’re gonna take positive things about this because I think the second half we were much better, and we control little bit more, and we had our chances.”
While the Lions stumbled offensively, scoring their lowest since a shutout at New York City FC on March 17, one Lions attacker found the back of the net for the first time in 2018: forward Justin Meram.
Meram scored a career-high 13 goals last season for his former club, Columbus Crew SC, but had failed to open his account for City until the 57th minute of the Atlanta match. He has still proven to be effective in the final third, tallying the third-most assists for City, so far, with three.
Echoing Kreis’ sentiments, Meram believes his team is close to being one of the best in MLS.
“Yeah, we’re close. Like I said, we just need to figure out how to start off better collectively,” Meram said after the match. “On the defensive side, we can’t give up this first goal. And being an attacking player, it’s tough because you start to force things, and you’re trying to make the home-run play–myself included.
“I need to understand these moments and, you know, play a little bit more simple and find my moments when to attack.”
The Lions will look to pick up the pieces and start a new winning streak on Friday when they travel to face a Toronto FC side without forward Sebastian Giovinco. TFC has played to 10th place in the East, so far, in the early-season going, earning seven points with a 2-6-1 record.
For more on the Lions, as they prepare for a one-game road trip, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
To contact Victor, you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com.
