Jack Lynn's First Goal For Orlando City Leads the Lions to a 2-0 Shutout Over Austin F.C.
On a beautiful central Florida evening, playing at home to uninspired Austin F.C., Orlando City, behind goals from Jack Lynn and Nico Lodeiro, earn their first win of the season. Here are a few observations from last night's game:
With Major League Soccer (MLS) playing through the FIFA international break, Orlando City, similar to other MLS clubs, found itself down a number of players. Fortunately, the schedule did not have the Lions playing a midweek match, and their opponent for last night's match was the perfect foe. Over 20,000 fans saw Orlando run over a lethargic Austin F.C. side, even with three changes from last week's starting lineup.
Orlando's central midfield duo of goal scorer Nico Lodeiro and Kyle Smith dominated, dictating play and breaking up any opportunities for Austin to build up in the attack. Both Lodeiro and Smith showed their tremendous work rate, with relentless box-to-box coverage for ninety minutes.
Dagur Dan Thórhallsson owned the right flank last night, with Orlando manager Oscar Pareja giving the versatile Icelander free reign to run both the outside and interior channels. Dagur Dan got forward often, and in the forty-second minute combined with Lodeiro to provide Jack Lynn the first goal.
Robin Jansson and Rodrigo Schlegel did not have a lot to deal with last night, but their physicality and 'first-to-the-ball' mentality kept Austin's attack at bay. It was good to see Schlegel play a steady and smart match, staying compact with Jansson and distributing the ball without mistakes.
Orlando's attack, again led by newcomer Luis Muriel, looked dangerous most of the night. Muriel may have tried to do a bit too much, but his quality showed off his ability to collect, turn, and take on defenders. Muriel did not score but it is inevitable that he will get on the scoresheet very soon. Jack Lynn, making his first start for the Lions, collected his first goal of his MLS career off a header - a goal in the run of play that was a welcome relief to Pareja and his staff.
Orlando City again sees no midweek match, another welcome period of downtime before the New York Red Bulls (NYRB) visit Inter&Co. stadium this Saturday night. NYRB dominated Inter Miami on Saturday with dangerous forward Lewis Morgan earning a hat trick. Players not available due to international duty, including Facundo Torres and Pedro Gallese, should be back for the NYRB game. Another week of rest may give stalwart midfielder Cesar Araujo time to recover from an ankle injury.
Gary Levitt @gary1123 justmytake.net
photo credit: Orlando City Soccer Club