An unexpected journey Lions carry confidence into MLS tournament final against Timbers
Nobody saw Orlando City coming.
At least that’s been the narrative since the MLS is Back Tournament began. The Lions weren’t a favorite to win Group A. Some analysts didn’t think they’d advance to the knockout round. In every elimination game, they were pegged as the underdog.
And as the team enters the tournament final against the Portland Timbers, the “Cinderella story” narrative continues to follow.
Nobody believed Orlando City could win the tournament except for the Lions themselves. Through comeback victories and last-minute equalizers, players and coaches have displayed a calm confidence.
It’s a new energy for a club that hasn’t earned an MLS postseason bid or played in a final match in six seasons. But with each victory, the Lions’ belief in themselves began to seep into supporters and doubters alike.
On Tuesday night, the Lions see the MLS is Back Tournament finale as another 90 minutes to prove their point — that they’re one of the best teams in the league.
“I don’t feel it’s any luck,” midfielder Uri Rosell said. “It’s not one game or two games and then you’re in the final. We played six games and we showed consistency. … For the people who said that [we couldn’t] or any of the other things, I really don’t care at the end. When you show it to the people in the field, that’s the only response you can do.”
The match is scheduled to kick off at 8:30 p.m. and will air nationally on ESPN. Supporters can’t join the Lions at ESPN Wide World of Sports due to coronavirus safety measures, but they plan to gather next to Camping World Stadium and line up their cars as if they were at a drivein watching the match on big screens.
Since the start of the 2020 season, new Orlando City coach Oscar Pareja has been the driving force behind Orlando City’s renovation. He entered the season prepared to dig in for the dirty work of slowly molding a team to his vision. But that process came much more quickly under the unexpected conditions of the coronavirus shutdown of league play and the MLS is Back tournament.
The night before the Lions’ semifinal match against Minnesota United, Pareja took his notebook down to the field at ESPN Wide World of Sports to scout Portland. Watching film is a core part of Pareja’s game preparation, but he likes to get the in-person view of opponents as well, listening to their conversations on the field and noting the minutia that might be missed by cameras.
Pareja’s preparation for matches is relentless and rigorously detailed. But the coach isn’t looking to change too much about his team’s game plan. Throughout the short span of the tournament, Orlando City has thrived by stamping its style of play onto each match, regardless of opponent.
As Orlando City faces its highest stakes match of the Pareja era — and of the team’s MLS tenure — the new coach wants his team to hold true to its new identity.
“It’s important for us to face the game with the same importance the way we have done,” Pareja said. “I think we have to be very natural and then not create any other feelings around the team other than just assume that responsibility that we have with the game, with the club, with our fans in each game.”
While Pareja has forged the team’s confidence from the sidelines, it’s been captain Nani who led the Lions on the pitch. He coined the team’s mantra for the tournament — “confident but not arrogant” — and then led the way with an aggressive swagger that he backed up on the pitch.
With three goals and four assists in the past six games, Nani is a top candidate for the tournament’s Best Player award alongside LAFC’s Diego Rossi and Portland’s Sebastian Blanco.
Beyond his goals and assists, Nani serves as the engine for the Lions’ intensity.
For young players such as João Moutinho, Nani has been a touchstone, a source of calm and leadership during intense matches. For the veterans on the team, the captain has added an extra edge on both sides of the ball.
“It brings us confidence on the field knowing that we have someone like that leading us and and out on the front of the battlefield with us as well,” forward Chris Mueller said. “You can’t say enough good things about him right now. I think that he’s got a different mentality and a different hunger about him this year than I’ve seen in previous years.”
Perhaps the strongest aspect of the Lions’ game, however, has been the consistency of the team’s defensive effort.
Orlando City hasn’t allowed more than one goal per game in the tournament, allowing only five during six games. As a result, four of the five Orlando defensive starters are candidates for the tournament Best XI — goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, centerback Antonio Carlos and outside backs Ruan and Moutinho.
The Lions’ defense has been aggressive, pressing high up the field and shutting down top-level attackers such as Rossi. To take home the tournament trophy, the backline will need to provide one more lockdown performance.
“Defenders, sometimes they don’t get the credit when you’re winning games,” Pareja said. “Normally we focus on the spectacular part of the game and that’s great because that’s why we play, to give joy and and plays and goals. … But if the team keeps defending in this manner, I think we have a bigger chance to win.”
To beat Portland, the Lions will
When: need to establish themselves quickly. The Timbers have trailed for less than an hour total throughout the tournament, and they smashed in early goals against NYCFC and Philadelphia to earn decisive wins in the last two elimination rounds.
For the Lions, it all comes back to maintaining their style.
Orlando City has accomplished much during the tournament. Regardless of the results Tuesday night, the team will emerge from the Disney bubble with newfound respect and expectations.
For Pareja, the most important part of this match will be showing the team’s new identity one more time on the highest stage.
“Winning is the most important, I know that, but the way they are doing it is what is going to last,” Pareja said. “It is what’s going to make Orlando a protagonist and it’s going to be a team who is going to be noticeable in the league.”