For the last time this season, the Impact takes on Orlando City SC, this Sunday at 1pm at Camping World Stadium in Florida (TVA Sports, ESPN & TSN Radio 690). Here are 10 things to know on the Lions.
Context
The Lions’ playoff hopes are dwindling. After a stunning win in Montreal in early September, the team lost three straight, conceding 12 (not a typo) goals in the process. A 0-0 draw in Toronto on Wednesday may have comforted the Lions’ defence, but they sit eighth in the Eastern Conference, five points behind sixth-placed D.C. United with three games left. And Brek Shea, who has played 27 of Orlando’s 31 games, will be suspended on Sunday.
Current form
W-W-L-L-L-D
Head coach
Jason Kreis (3-5-3 as Orlando City SC head coach, 103-93-68 all-time) became Lions head coach on July 19, 2016, and took on his role six days later. A Dallas Burn draft pick from Duke University at the 1996 MLS College Draft, Kreis lifted a U.S. Open Cup and an MLS MVP award with the Burn. He moved to Real Salt Lake in 2005 after nine seasons in Dallas, where he remains the all-time leader in games played and started, minutes played, goals and assists. In Salt Lake, he became the first MLS player to score 100 career goals – he currently ranks sixth in the all-time scoring charts with 108 tallies. Appointed Real Salt Lake head coach on May 3, 2007, Kreis established a well-defined style based on proactive play and widely associated to a diamond midfield. He led the team to an MLS Cup in 2009. Hired by NYCFC for the 2015 season, Kreis departed in November. He joined the Lions after a six-month stint as United States national team assistant coach.
Current top scorer
Cyle Larin (14)
Players to watch
1. Kaká (#10) – He scored a brace against the Impact on September 7. Even at 34, Kaká makes the difference.
2. Luke Boden (#14) – He’s the boss on the left. Boden has the heart and lungs required to charge up his flank, which he happily does.
3. Matías Pérez García (#30) – With Brek Shea suspended, it looks like Pérez García, who also contributed greatly to the win in Montreal, is set to play this one, too.
Team profile
Jason Kreis is still just starting to put his stamp onto his new team. While he has attempted not to change too much, too soon – his famous midfield diamond has only featured for some 40 minutes in Toronto for now –, Kreis seems to trust that the Lions can play more into the opposition’s half. Orlando City has done better to take the game to the opponent since Kreis took over but still wields its usual weapons: Cyle Larin’s versatility – he can score in several different ways –, sequences of passing down the middle before widening the play to combine down the flanks or cross the ball, and efficiency on set plays – including an abnormally high goal-scoring rate on throw-ins. Top scorer of the team with 14 tallies, Larin provides a great range of movement to the Lions. Although opponents mark them tightly, Larin and his partner Kaká are determined to get close to goal and regularly find a way to the six-yard box – on the flip side, Orlando’s shots from outside the box haven’t done much for them. Defensively, the Lions tend to get caught by balls played behind their backline, especially down the middle and on Boden’s side, as the left back runs forward aggressively. Right back Alston, for his part, has been doing great from open play. Other issues have to be addressed on set plays, as the Lions have been conceding all sorts of set-piece goals.
Tactical formation
The 4-4-2 with a midfield diamond didn’t last one half in Toronto before Kreis returned to the usual 4-2-3-1, withdrawing Carlos Rivas to send Cristian Higuita on. Lineup v. Toronto (September 28): Bendik; Alston, Aja, Mateos, Boden; Carrasco, Molino, Shea, Kaká; Larin, Rivas.
Most recent games against the Impact
The first game in Orlando earlier this season isn’t a great memory for the Bleu-blanc-noir as Cyle Larin’s second goal confirmed a 2-1 win late on. This result called October 3, 2015, to mind: that night, the Impact could have clinched an MLS Cup Playoffs spot, but Orlando won 2-1 on its home turf instead. Still, Montreal ended up making it to the postseason, unlike the Lions. A similar story looks set to take place despite the last meeting between the two teams, a 4-1 home loss for the Impact on September 7.
Injuries, absences and call-ups (as of September 3)
M Brek Shea (suspended)
Next games
Philadelphia Union v. Orlando City SC (MLS, October 16)
Orlando City SC v. D.C. United (MLS, October 23)
