Orlando City emerge from the shadows to challenge for MLS Cup

As we head into the MLS Cup conference finals the trophy could be heading to Florida for the very first time. But after the shock exit of Inter Miami, it’s Orlando City who carry the torch for the Sunshine State.

Back in June that prospect seemed unthinkable. Orlando had won just three of their first 17 MLS Games, leaving them second-from-bottom in the Eastern Conference at the halfway stage. But what followed was a remarkable turnaround as Oscar Pareja’s side won 12 of the remaining 17 fixtures to soar up the table.

In the postseason there have been hard-fought victories over Charlotte FC and Atlanta United, leaving a resurgent Orlando in the club’s first-ever Eastern Conference Final. It’s been a remarkable turnaround and, with home advantage for Saturday’s meeting with the New York Red Bulls, they will be narrow favourites to make it all the way to MLS Cup.

So, how did this happen?

Orlando’s rock-steady defence

It’s often said that defences win championships, and that will certainly be the case if the Lions lift MLS Cup on Saturday, December 7. Orlando have built their late-season turnaround on a resolute defensive base, with seven near-constants on the team sheet.

Pareja has invariably lined up with Pedro Gallesse in goal, with a backline of Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson and Rafael Santos. Just in front, the midfield duo of Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena provide industry and invention in the heart of the pitch.

in fact, those seven players have started all four postseason games and conceded just a single goal in that time. That sole concession actually came two minutes after Thorhallsson had been substituted late on against Charlotte, meaning that the Icelandic defender remains unbeaten in the playoffs.

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The defensive midfield partnership between Araujo and Cartagena has been a key pillar in Orlando’s success, the solid base on which the attacking players can build. In ‘The League of the No. 10′ their ability to negate and frustrate opponents' star players has been invaluable, as head coach Pareja said recently.

“Well, it is not a secret. Just to see how the connection that César [Araújo] and Wilder [Cartagena] have had during the year, and both of them have grown tremendously on the way they help the group. Both of them understand the role and they are very important,“ Pareja explained. ”I’m happy for them and I think is it’s something that is very noticeable, how they both help us in that contention and also in creating some spaces to play forward too.”

Have Orlando found a solution in attack?

In 2023 Orlando upset the preseason predictions with a stunning run to finish runners-up in the Supporters' Shield rankings. They were the second-best team in the league across the regular season, aided by the aforementioned defence, but lacked the firepower to go deep in the postseason. They were knocked out by eventual champions Columbus Crew, who boasted a number of offensive match-winners.

Over the off-season they made a conscious effort to address this absence. Two-time MLS Cup winner Nicolás Lodeiro arrived from Seattle Sounders, while Champions League striker Luis Muriel was brought in from Serie A side Atalanta. The club has had to fight to keep hold of 2023 top scorer Duncan McGuire admit interest from England and it looked like Orlando finally had an attacking roster to compete.

In reality, none of those three have been regular starters in recent months. Instead, a fluid trio of Facundo Torres, Martín Ojeda and Iván Angulo has featured behind the livewire Ramiro Enrique up front. The solidity of that defensive base affords those attacking players greater freedom to roam, more license to improvise.

This new set-up has resulted in more goals, too. Orlando managed three goals in a game just twice in the first half of the regular season. In the subsequent 17 games they hit that mark nine times. Enrique has been instrumental in that change, scoring 11 goals in 20 games since being given the nod up front. Speaking after scoring in the win over Atlanta he insisted that he wants more from a breakthrough season.

“As a forward, you want to score goals in every game you play, which just isn’t realistic, but you still have to have the intention to go out there to score those goals, to get yourselves in those opportunities, to be able to help your team in in any way that you can.”

After spending 2024 in the shadows of their Florida neighbours, Orlando have outlasted the star-studded Inter Miami in the all-important postseason. That will be a source of real pride for the city of Orlando but there is a sense that there is still more to come. In the club’s tenth season in MLS, supporters' could soon be celebrating a decade of progress with the biggest prize of all: MLS Cup.

“We are obviously very excited and proud, but first from our players and our staff, we want to honor the fans that came today with such energy and helped us,” Pareja said. “It’s beautiful to see the stadium that way, see the culture and how this club has become one of the best in Major League Soccer.”

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