Defensive skills on display in shutout
When Orlando City lost Sebas Méndez to a red card in the 69th minute of Sunday’s match against FC Dallas, the result could have been disastrous.
Instead, the Lions earned a scoreless draw. It was Orlando City’s second shutout of the regular season. Lions coach Oscar Pareja called the team’s defensive performance “one of the best” of the season.
The match offered a look at the Lions’ depth and potential as they enter the home stretch of the regular season.
“I thought that was going to create some problems there, but it did not,” Pareja said. “Even with 10, we had the possession, we had the options and we continued with the ambition of winning it, and that says a lot about the character of these guys.”
The backline already was thinned out entering the FC Dallas match. Starting left back João Moutinho remained unavailable as he recovers from a groin injury and centerback Antonio Carlos was sidelined for the second consecutive match with an undisclosed injury.
When Ruan went down in the opening minutes with an apparent hamstring injury, the only remaining starter was centerback Robin Jansson. The young trio of Rodrigo Schlegel, Kamal Miller and Kyle Smith assumed the responsibility of holding off one of the
strongest teams in the West.
In the past, Miller and Smith have struggled at times to fill Moutinho’s boots up the left flank. But during one of the Lions’ most important matches of MLS’ Phase Two, the three players filled in seamlessly to hold FC Dallas scoreless.
Miller intercepted three passes up the left flank and the trio combined for seven clearances in the box. Schlegel made a key block at the top of the box to deflect a screeching long-range shot off frame and out of bounds.
Dallas still took 14 shots during a high-volume offensive night for both teams, but only four of those were placed on frame. Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese snapped up all four of those shots, including a point-blank kick save in the
first half, to book his second clean sheet with the Lions.
Gallese makes these types of highlight-reel saves almost every match. Despite constant praise, his game-changing impact on the backline is still almost understated.
He’s ninth in the league in saves this season, but the keeper has quickly established himself as the backbone of the Lions’ defense with a 71.2 save percentage.
“He’s in the right place at the right time almost every single time,” Jansson said.
Jansson’s presence has been equally unshakeable at the heart of the Lions’ backline. Despite missing one match due to injury, the defender has logged 1,170 minutes so far this season, playing every minute of his 13 starts.
At centerback, Jansson delivers and receives the hardest blows for the Lions, sliding through attackers to smother counterattacks and crashing into opponents in the air during set pieces.
His physical toughness was on display Sunday when Jansson took a hit to the temple while battling for a header, crumpling to the ground. Minutes later, the defender was grinning as he talked to trainers, waving off their concerns as he trotted back into the box.
The Swedish defender credits his physical consistency to constant training. He admits he doesn’t do much outside of training, spending hours each day at the team’s facility receiving treatment and focusing on recovery.
“I feel so good body-wise and physically,” Jansson said. “These stretches with three games in a week, I really like it, I enjoy it. I want to play every minute.”
Going down to 10 players for the final half hour of the match turned defense into a full-team responsibility.
The backline locked down the defensive third, but the Lions succeeded due to the whole team’s ability to compact itself and close aggressively each time FC Dallas earned possession.
Benji Michel and Júnior Urso blocked shots in the box; Mauricio Pereyra made six recoveries; Nani and Chris Mueller won tackles and interceptions in the defensive third; and four different attackers made clearances in the box.
“When we try to defend, we start to defend up front,” Urso said. “Tesho Akindele, Chris, Nani, Mauricio, they have to run a lot to make our job easier. Talking about the midfielders and defenders, if Tesho runs in front, or Mauricio or Nani, for us it’s easier to take the ball back.”
The shutout proved what the Lions can do with a depleted roster, which will be critical for the team during upcoming matches.
Méndez will serve his red-card suspension during Saturday’s match against the New York Red Bulls. Pareja is uncertain whether Carlos or Uri Rosell will be healthy enough to play during the match. Ruan’s recovery timeline is unclear and Moutinho will need time to get back up to speed after a length injury absence. Meanwhile, Gallese could leave the team for most of October after getting called up by the Peruvian national team.
These are the typical challenges during the final third of any season and Pareja said Sunday’s performance eased his worries about his team’s ability to handle them.
“We decided from the first day that we have no excuses and this is part of the journey,” Pareja said. “There are some players that sometimes can’t go for some reason, but there are others waiting for that opportunity.”