Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando, FL – Whew, the City faithful will be glad to have that last game behind us – a 4–2 drubbing at the hands of the Philadelphia Union. Here’s what’s top of mind as we preview Orlando City heading into week-2 against Toronto FC at home on Saturday.
Last game was not as bad as it looked. No, really…
I know, I know, the scoreboard is what counts, and what matters above all else, is wins (sorry, Ted Lasso). However, statistically speaking, the Lions did not take their (self-inflicted) lumps lying down. Orlando generated twice as many attempts on goal as their opponents, creating 22 total chances (to Philly’s 11), with 12 of those chances coming from open play and 10 from set pieces.
Upon second viewing, each of the goals allowed seemed entirely Orlando-induced, each in different ways, by a different player. This is actually the real reason the loss stings so much, because aside from those four errors that led to goals, City was very active in attacking the goal, even hitting the woodwork several times (at least 5 by my count), and always looked like they were in the mood to score.
Aside from Orlando having the advantage in shots (22/11), possession (54%/45%), successful passes (85%/80%) and tackles (17/14), we also had a very late injury to our team captain and beating heart of our locker room who normally is the one to clean up during each situation an Orlando player’s mistake led to a Union goal. That being said, we should show the guys some grace because it was a weird game. Plus, it’s so early in the season.
We shouldn’t panic or throw our club legends under the bus because of one bad game.
The Philadelphia Union spoiled #OrlandoCity’s home opener with a 4-2 victory to kick off the Lions' 2025 #MLS campaign. 💥 Despite the loss, new Croatian signee Marco Pasalic shined bright, scoring a brace in his debut. 🇭🇷🦁 #VamosOrlando pic.twitter.com/Wn9aF736M4
— Lemon City Live (@LemonCityLive) February 24, 2025
Marco Pašalić seems like the real deal, and we should feed the beast
The crafty Croatian from Germany opened his account in historic fashion with 2 goals from 7 shots (4 on target). Just as important as the eye candy on the scoresheet was the ways in which he scored. It was impressive how Marco seemed to take over the game at moments, and in a way that could (maybe) start to put many Lions fans at ease who have wondered how we’ll ever replace the production gap left by the departure of Facundo Torres.
Despite being on the losing side, WhoScored.com rated Marco Pašalić as the highest-performing player in his first-ever game for a team he joined only a month ago. You’d have trouble finding anyone who watched the game to disagree with that assessment because he also passes the eye test. It was clear that this guy was wildly talented from the very start of the game. He just seemed so… hungry. An attacker with a killer instinct for willing goals into existence is exactly what this club needs. Now they need to get him the ball even more.
But even if Marco can’t find as much space as he was able to last game (he put the league on notice with two goals in his debut like a boss), Orlando should force teams to plan for him, which is hard to do because of his trademark unpredictability.
A lot of the game plan for taking advantage of Facu’s gifts was allowing him to roam and find the action, and often switching sides if things weren’t immediately clicking or to take advantage of a mismatch. Hopefully, Óscar Pareja is already scheming something up to take advantage of Marco’s gifts, in a similar way, to give this new star everything he needs to shine.
This week’s opponent: Toronto FC (0-1-0, 9th)
- Recent results: 2–2 draw on the road at D.C. United, rallying twice from deficits. This game was as much about Toronto feeling like they had to scrap a bit to get a point, eventually getting bailed out by a penalty call.
- Who to watch out for: Federico Bernardeschi was the man of the match, as he scored one goal on three shots (all on goal) and nine crosses. Toronto funnels their attack through the Italian talisman. Although recent new signings will likely mean some changes in the look of their lineup from the last game, it’s a solid bet that no matter who the new manager, Robin Fraser, puts out there, Federico will demand the most attention from the Orlando City defense.
- UCF’s own Sean Johnson returns home between the posts for Toronto and represents another real test for the Lions as he’s considered one of the best shot-stopping goalkeepers in the MLS.
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