Know They Enemy: Revolution at Orlando Super Shutout Streak Edition
Orlando hasn't given up a league goal since late March, the Revs haven't conceded since a loss to Cincy in early April...so do we forecast for boredom or chaos?
Tonight, the New England Revolution square off against Orlando City SC from Inter&Co Stadium (730 PM EDT, MLS Season Pass/Apple TV+) with a potentially historic streak on the line. If we could confirm it that is…
Both the Revs and Lions are on significant shutout streaks, with Orlando unbeaten in five games and the Revs winners of four in a row all via shutout. OCSC hasn’t conceded since the last week of March against LA Galaxy earning a 526-minute league play streak, while the Revs have yet to concede since a second-half tally in a 1-0 loss at Cincy in the first week of April, a still impressive 385 minutes ago in MLS play.
That is a grand total of 911 minutes for anyone wondering if the soccer gods and work number are conspiring to try and ruin my first day off…cause they’re jerks.
Yes, Rhode Island scored on the Revs midweek and also yes, Orlando shut out the Tampa Bay Rowdies in U.S. Open Cup action but we’re sticking to league play only here. Mostly because I went on a cursory deep dive to figure out if there is such a record for the longest combined shutout streak entering an MLS game.
If it exists, I can’t find it and I am not about to sit here and cross-reference the longest shutout streaks against each other though I doubt it’s as time-consuming as I think it is. Either way, a combined nine-game shutout streak between two teams seems unheard of, and with another shutout Orlando’s Pedro Gallese can join a very exclusive 6-shutout GK club featuring Tony Meola (SKC 2000), Donovan Ricketts (LAG 09/10), and Sean Johnson (NYC 2022).
Another fun wrinkle for this matchup? If the season ended last week, this would be the literal play-in game. Ninth-place Revs at eighth-place Orlando. Not that we care about such things in May, but considering the hole the Revs have dug themselves out of already on this recent run of form, another win could vault New England over multiple teams in the Eastern Conference standings. They’re currently three points back of Charlotte with a game in hand.
As always, we talk to our good friend Ben Miller of The Mane Land about all things Purple and Lions related, because despite that massive shutout streak…Orlando has only scored and won a single game (3-0 win vs Atlanta two weeks ago) in that stretch. Despite the scoring swoon, Orlando still has twice the number of goals as New England (18 to nine GF) so clearly something had been clicking for the Lions attack.
Be sure to head over to The Mane Land for my answers to Ben’s questions and for the Orlando half of tonight’s game coverage.
TBM: Okay the eight match unbeaten streak is good, the five match shutout streak is absolutely tremendous...but four of those games being goalless draws has to be very infuriating. First, talk about your defense over the last month or so then get a game or two that maybe Orlando should've won (or lost) during this stretch.
BM: You've hit the nail on the head here, eight matches unbeaten and five straight clean sheets is awesome, but the offense's sudden proclivity for goalless draws has been incredibly frustrating. The overarching theme in all four of those goalless draws is that they're games when Orlando didn't have Eduard Atuesta healthy and in the lineup. In the one match he was available, the Lions promptly banged in three goals against an admittedly woeful Atlanta United team. He is so incredibly important at both linking defense to attack, and functioning as a deep-lying playmaker for this team. His presence has been sorely missed, although the Lions going down to 10 men in two of those scoreless draws (against the New York Red Bulls and CF Montreal) certainly didn't help matters either.
The most frustrating performance came last week against Chicago when Orlando played for over a half with a man advantage but couldn't score and didn't exactly create a ton of chances. The Lions have always seemed to struggle when going up a man and being forced to break down a team sitting in a low block, and that was the case once again. Its possible that having Atuesta would have made the difference but regardless, the Lions need to find ways to be effective going forward without relying so heavily on one player, because whether its due to injury, suspension, or fixture congestion, the dude can't play every single game.
TBM: All three of your DP's (Pasalic, Ojeda, and Muriel) have a combined goals and assists mark of seven so far this year, how underrated is this trio compared to the rest of the league and what makes them so balanced and effective?
BM: Yeah the DP production has been a pleasant surprise, especially with how well things were flowing before the last 5 game stretch in the league. Ojeda had a great second half of last season, but Luis Muriel struggled when he arrived in the offseason after having already played half a European season with Atalanta, and there were real concerns about how one-footed Pasalic is. But they seem to complement each other really well; Pasalic prefers a direct approach with taking players on, Ojeda sits in the middle of the field as the 10 while also drifting out to combine with the wide players, and Muriel plays through the middle but does a little bit of everything, and is excellent both dribbling and passing the ball. Things have obviously fallen off in recent weeks so I'm not sure I'd necessarily say that they're underrated, but if they can start banging in goals again like we saw at the start of the season then they'll definitely deserve some more respect.
TBM: Give us a newer signing and/or younger player that has impressed so far this year and/or a player that if they stepped up a bit more could really help Orlando get over the hump and out of the midtable.
BM: For the players that's impressed it has to be Alex Freeman. He has three goals and an assist in 11 games (10 starts) from the right back position, and at just 20 he theoretically has another few levels that he can hit. He's been a huge weapon for this team and is dangerous both with the ball at his feet and as an aerial threat. If he has the time and space to get forward then this team carries significantly more danger, and he and Pasalic have formed a nice partnership on the right side of the field.
As far as someone the Lions could do with more from, it has to be Ivan Angulo. He's got some extremely good qualities, namely his blazing speed and dribbling ability, and Oscar Pareja really values his stamina and ability to track back and help the defense, which is certainly a good attribute. But his distribution, decision-making, and finishing in the final third leave anywhere from a little to a lot to be desired depending on the game, and that makes him a frustrating player. He had five goals and 10 assists in 34 starts at left wing last year which aren't horrible numbers, but he finds himself with the ball in dangerous areas so often that they really should be higher. He turned 26 this year so it's unlikely he's going to turn the corner and hit another level, but man if he somehow turns out to be a late bloomer then it would unlock a whole different sort of danger for OCSC.
Lineup/Injuries/Predictions/Etc.
BM: Wilder Cartagena and Yutaro Tsukada are both done for the year with injuries, while Joran Gerbet is out with a leg injury. Eduard Atuesta was listed as questionable with a neck issue against Chicago and ultimately didn't play, but I haven't heard anything about his status since then.
My guess at a lineup is: Pedro Gallese; David Brekalo, Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, Alex Freeman; Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Cesar Araujo, Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, Marco Pasalic; Luis Muriel.
As for a score prediction, I'll go with a 1-1 draw.