Young talent dominates for Lions
When Orlando City finally toppled Atlanta United for the first time, the victory Saturday was delivered by one of the youngest lineups the team has fielded this season.
The average age on the pitch for the Lions was 25, with the attack helmed by rookie Daryl Dike, second-year player Benji Michel and third-year player Chris Mueller.
The young group didn’t just pull off the club’s first victory in hostile territory, they executed a change in tactics the Lions had yet to show this season.
Coach Oscar Pareja entered the season with a clear-cut goal for his team — enter every matchup with the goal of dominating as the protagonist of the game. This meant setting a high line of pressure to pin teams back into their own defensive third, an aggressive style of play that paid off throughout the MLS is Back Tournament.
But Saturday’s match was the Lions’ third in seven days and their 10th in eight weeks. With tired legs across the starting lineup, roster rotation became a necessity.
So Pareja set a different expectation for his young players to preserve their legs and avoid exhaustion.
“Today was probably too much to ask the boys to go and press all the time,” Pareja said Saturday. “So we considered just giving them the ball sometimes and that will help us to save some energy.”
As a result, Atlanta held the ball for 62% of the match, only the fourth time Orlando City has been out-possessed this season. But the Lions were content to hold a lower center-field block to clog up the midfield and prevent Atlanta from effectively attacking.
The young attacking core executed this game plan efficiently, maintaining a disciplined shape that allowed Orlando City to control the pace of the game without holding on-ball possession.
Atlanta showed flashes of its typical attacking form rather than maintaining an offensive pressure to match the team’s time with the ball.
“We were really compact and I don’t think that we gave them much going forward throughout the whole game obviously other than the goal,” Mueller said. “In terms of them playing through the lines, I think that they didn’t have much and that’s a tribute to our discipline, our ability to shift and shape and cover one another. That defensive effort is what leads to that success.”
In the shape, the Lions were able to play over the top to Dike, Mueller and Michel, giving the young trio opportunities to probe the backline without wearing out their legs. This style of attack also required a higher level of discipline and communication between the attack and the defense.
More veteran players such as Júnior Urso and Uri Rosell similarly stepped up, weaving the connections between the attacking and defending lines to keep the Lions in sync.
“Oscar tells us to be intelligent on the field,” Urso said. “We and Atlanta have young players, strong and fast players, so he just asked for us to be intelligent on the field. We had to be careful about the transfer from behind, … so we had good communication on the field. We didn’t stop talking.”
Dike continued to showcase his versatility as the youngest players on the roster stepped into the spotlight on Saturday.
Following designated player Dom Dwyer’s season-ending knee injury, the Lions needed a scoring punch from a true No. 9. During the past three matches, Dike has proven he can consistently step into that role for Orlando City.
The rookie impressed by netting three goals and assisting on another during his first two starts against Inter Miami and Nashville. But against Atlanta, it was his ability to operate as a holdup striker that stood out.
Dike consistently collected overthe-top passes, possessing with his feet and connecting with Michel and Mueller along the wings. It’s easy to notice Dike’s physicality and powerful shooting, but he also remained calm when defenders double-teamed him to prevent him from taking shots, showing a heady intention with his possession.
That awareness allowed him to pivot and split two defenders to send the ball to Michel in the box in the 35th minute. Michel then cut back a pass to Mueller for his goal.
“I think it’s great that we had that where we can all play together,” Mueller said. “The way we played where we were able to create that one goal was beautiful. [That’s] one of the best goals that we’ve scored this season so far.”
Ultimately, the Lions’ success in Atlanta hinged on a simple visible fact — the kids were having fun.
Michel was fluid and creative as he wove in and out of the Atlanta defense. Dike kept up his buoyant, energetic pace until he was subbed out for Nani in the 62nd minute.
And Mueller embodied the Lions’ joy in their second consecutive win, beaming as he spun around the field and pretended to blow out candles after scoring on his birthday.
For Pareja, this energy reflected the promise of Orlando City’s future.
“They have that character to come out and play that game that we just did,” Pareja said. “The young boys today showed us that the future is bright here.”