Midfield chemistry clicking in return
Orlando City notched a resounding 3-1 win over New York City FC on Tuesday, earning a spot in the knockout stage of the MLS is Back Tournament. Here are three things we learned from the win:
1. Midfield is starting to click
The midfield saw the most change in the offseason, both in personnel turnover and in coach Oscar Pareja’s expectations for the unit. Coming off a long break, the midfield needed minutes on the pitch together to begin rebuilding chemistry.
The group showed significant progress Tuesday night. Midfielder Júnior Urso noted the team’s ability to dominate NYCFC
through the middle of the pitch, both on the attacking side and in breaking up attempted transitions. The Lions’ midfield looked particularly strong in the opening and closing thirds of the match.
The dynamic among Urso, Mauricio Pereyra and Nani also continued to improve, with the trio stringing together clever possessions that reflected a shared vision and style of attacking. It will take time to consistently play at an elite level, but the unit’s ball distribution showed growth from the Inter Miami match.
“I think we played well in the middle,” Urso said. “We had good control. In [the] second half, they played more than in [the] first half and we had to try to keep the control and sometimes we missed, but I think we played well.” 2. Akindele shines as second-half striker
Striker Tesho Akindele has seen fewer minutes than usual this tournament, but he’s been efficient.
Despite playing less than half an hour in both matches of the tournament, Akindele has played a vital role in two of the three goals scored while he was on the pitch. The striker’s purposeful movement off the ball has been the key to his impact.
In the first match against Miami, Akindele timed a counter run to drag a defender wide across the box, allowing Chris Mueller to open up on the back side to score the equalizing goal. Although this won’t get logged on the stat sheet, it’s the