After Tuesday night's dramatic 3-1 win over Philadelphia Union in the US Open Cup semifinal, Nashville SC travel to Florida for another crucial match with Orlando City.
Nashville have beaten Orlando twice this year, 3-2 in the US Open Cup and 5-1 in MLS just a few weeks ago, but find themselves just two points ahead of the Lions as both sides battle for a Top 4 spot in the final table.
For the latest on Orlando City, we turned to Ben Miller, who covers Orlando City for The Mane Land.
Ben Wright
Ben Wright (SixOneFive Soccer): Orlando were one of the hottest teams in MLS this summer, but it seems like they've cooled off a bit recently. What's gone wrong with them, and do you have any concerns heading into the postseason?
Ben Miller (The Mane Land): I think the three match losing streak that kicked off with the 5-1 spanking by Nashville and concluded with the 2-1 loss to the LA Galaxy in Leagues Cup can be attributed to a couple different things.
For Nashville, heavy rotation, fixture congestion, short rest, and cross country travel combined to produce a truly ugly performance, and then the latter three all played a part in the next two losses. The Lions then had a man advantage against DC United for almost a whole half but couldn't find another goal and settled for a 1-1 draw against one of the worst teams in the league. Orlando was really hurt in that game by Luis Muriel's suspension for the red card he picked up against Nashville. The Lions have always struggled when up a man but Muriel has the best vision and passing range of anyone on the team, and OCSC ultimately just couldn't pick the DC lock.
For now I'm reserving judgement until after this game, but if the Lions can't get up for a game at home against a direct competitor for playoff position, especially considering how tight things are in the table, then alarm bells will be ringing loud and clear.
BW: Losing Ramiro Enrique in the summer was a surprise, at least on the outside. How has Orlando's attack adapted?
BM: It was a weird one for us too! Ultimately it was a case of receiving an offer that was simply too good to refuse. That being said, Duncan McGuire is finally fit again after missing lots of time this year due to shoulder surgery
If he hadn't been healthy and ready to go, I don't think selling Enrique happens. Since he is back though, it'll be him and Muriel sharing striker duties with whoever is putting the ball in the back of the net getting the starts.
BW: Orlando are infamous for being brutal to play against, especially at home during the dog days of summer. Do you think that's fair, and do you expect them to continue it on Saturday?
BM: I do think it's fair, and on paper it should continue. That being said, César Araújo is likely to still be unavailable with a back injury and his absence hurts the Lions in defensive midfield. Joran Gerbet has shown himself to be capable, but this time is absolutely better with Araujo in it. Still, the team should be up for this one considering what's at stake.
BW: What are you most concerned about with Orlando, and what are their biggest strengths right now?
BM: There are a few areas of concern, frankly.
I'm not sure that the team is getting enough out of the left back position. David Brekalo has been playing there after supplanting Rafael Santos earlier in the year (with the Brazilian being traded in the summer), but I'm not sure he's dynamic enough going forward. I'd prefer to see him and Robin Jansson partner at center back, but summer signing Adrián Marín hasn't done enough to wrest the job away from Brekalo, and Marín is now injured.
Then there's the aforementioned Araújo injury, as well as some concerns that if the Designated Players aren't scoring, then no one is. Martín Ojeda, Muriel, and Marco Pašalić lead the Lions with 14, 11, and nine goals respectively. Enrique was next with eight but he's gone, and then it's right back Alex Freeman with five. After him, no one has more than two. The Lions should really be getting help from left winger Ivan Angulo, who has a total of 2.5 xG on the year (which frankly seems low) but no goals to show for it. His speed is tremendous, he's a great dribbler, and does a lot of work tracking back to defend, but if he could put some balls in the back of the net it would really level this team's offense up a notch.
In terms of strengths, Orlando is getting the most from its DPs than it ever has. Muriel and Ojeda in particular have a great understanding with each other, and Eduard Atuesta is a great creator from deep in midfield with six assists. The team excels when forcing turnovers and playing in transition, that's how it really wants to attack rather than trying to break down a team that's bunkered and clogging up the middle of the field.
BW: Do you have a lineup/score prediction?
BM: I think this is going to be a shootout, and I'll say a 3-2 win for Orlando.
Thanks to Ben for his time! Make sure to check out his coverage of Orlando City at TheManeLand.com.
