The 2021 Orlando City SC season is the club's 11th season of existence in Orlando and seventh season as a Major League Soccer franchise, the top-flight league in the United States soccer league system. It is not yet clear whether the club will contest the U.S. Open Cup following the USSF's decision to indefinitely suspend the competition amid the COVID-19 pandemic but it will take part in the Leagues Cup for the first time.[1]
Season review
Pre-season
Unlike previous seasons, Orlando had relatively little player turnover and instead focused on retaining the core of the squad following the club's first playoff appearance in 2020. Four permanent transfers were made in December 2020, all purchase options of players previously on loan with Orlando: Antônio Carlos, Rodrigo Schlegel, Andrés Perea and Alexander Alvarado. Six players did not have their options exercised and were released.[2] Most notable of these was Designated Player Dom Dwyer who had been limited to two appearances in 2020 due to a knee injury. He had returned to Orlando in July 2017 for a then MLS-record $1.6 million in allocation money.[3] The club also acquired two loan players to provide depth in key positions: goalkeeper Brandon Austin on loan from Tottenham Hotspur and left-back Jonathan Suárez from Querétaro although the latter was arrested and had his loan terminated prior to the start of preseason.[4] Having released Dwyer and allowed Daryl Dike to join Barnsley initially on a short-term loan in January,[5] Orlando reinforced their forward options by announcing the free agent signing of former Golden Boy winner and Brazil international Alexandre Pato on February 13,[6] before also securing the signing of Dutch winger Silvester van der Water from Heracles Almelo, having unsuccessfully pursued him the previous September.[7][8]
With the addition of Austin FC in 2021, MLS held an Expansion Draft on December 15, 2020.[9] Orlando had 13 players exposed.[10]Kamal Miller was selected by Austin who immediately traded him to the Montreal Impact in exchange for $225,000 in General Allocation Money and a first round pick (11th) in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft.[11] It was the second time an Orlando player had been taken in an expansion draft after Mikey Ambrose was selected in 2016.
On January 21, Orlando made four selections in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft including three in the first round.[12]
On February 5, MLS and the MLS Players Association agreed to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) through 2027 after extending the deadline by a day to avoid a lockout. The primary issues negotiated were increased player spending, expanded free agency, and more charter travel.[13] The league had invoked a force majeure clause in late December 2020 to reopen negotiations over the current CBA, citing ongoing uncertainty because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[14][15] Following the CBA's ratifcation, MLS announced it had pushed back the start of the regular season to April 17 due to the extended labor negotiations.[16]
On March 23, Orlando were selected as one of four MLS teams to compete in the 2021 Leagues Cup as one of the top two teams from each conference not scheduled to take part in the Champions League. It will be the club's first time in the competition.[17]
On April 5, U.S. Soccer and MLS announced it would be trialing the new IFAB approved concussion substitutes rule allowing for two additional substitutions in each match to be used for players with suspected concussions.[18] The new rule was implemented on top of the increase from three to five "normal" substitutes carried over from the 2020 season.[19]
April
Orlando opened the season on April 17 at home to Atlanta United, notably missing starters Mauricio Pereyra through suspension, Robin Jansson and João Moutinho due to injury, and Daryl Dike still on loan. Marque offseason signing Alexandre Pato made his debut starting in the opener but was forced off injured in the 80th minute with Silvester van der Water debuting as a substitute in his place. A goalless draw preserved Orlando's unbeaten record on matchday one since joining MLS in 2015.[20][21] Orlando's opening road game of the season was against Sporting Kansas City, one of only two scheduled Western Conference opponents of the regular season, on April 23. Having conceded first when Dániel Sallói caught Pedro Gallese playing out from the back before setting up Gianluca Busio to score on the stroke of halftime, the Lions battled back in the second half to tie courtesy of a Nani backheel goal. The game also saw both teams have goals correctly ruled out for offside following VAR reviews.[22]
May
Orlando's first win of the season came in gameweek three as FC Cincinnati visited Exploria Stadium. Tesho Akindele opened the scoring of a dominant 3–0 victory in a franchise record 31 seconds. In total, the Lions recorded 23 shots.[23] On May 8, Nani scored for the third consecutive game as Orlando City took the lead at home to New York City FC before João Moutinho, who had been called on as a halftime subsitute to make his first appearance of the season following an injury to Ruan, conceded the game-tying penalty of a 1–1 draw.[24] The club set a new record on May 16 with a 1–0 victory away to D.C. United as the five game unbeaten streak was the Lions' longest such run to start a season.[25]Mauricio Pereyra scored the only goal of the game in the 7th minute. From then on Orlando defended deep, conceding shots but D.C. only registered one on target. Their frustrations eventually boiled over as home fans threw debris on to the field and players clashed in stoppage time. Hernán Losada was particularly embittered by Orlando's tactics stating: "The way where you dominate the whole game, the opponent doesn't know what else to do to neutralize the game, to waste time, to park the bus. They didn't want to play after they scored the goal."[26] The result left Orlando as one of three remaining unbeaten teams in the league. Nani retrospectively received a two-game suspension following a review by the MLS Disciplinary Committee that deemed he had made "unwanted physical contact" with the referee while trying to prevent further clashing between the two sets of players in stoppage time. The MLS Players Association issued a rebuke condemning the decision for "lacking integrity."[27] On May 17, it was announced Exploria Stadium would be open to full capacity in June 2021, the first time since the 2020 season opener on February 29.[28] February signing Silvester van der Water made his first start in place of the suspended Nani on 22 May 2021. He provided his first MLS assist for Akindele on the only goal of the game and was named player of the match as Orlando beat Toronto FC 1–0 to extend their unbeaten start to the season to six.[29] The unbeaten start to the season ended on May 29 with a 2–1 defeat on the road to New York Red Bulls. Despite the good form, Orlando struggled to hold possession and came under persistent pressure, conceding twice within an hour. The Lions looked a better goal threat following the introduction of van der Water who came off the bench to score his first goal in the 84th minute but missed a clear opportunity to equalize shortly after. The game was also notable for the senior debut of Michael Halliday who started the game, setting a new record as the youngest first-team player at 18 years, 127 days, beating Tommy Redding's record set in August 2015 by 70 days.[30]
June
Major League Soccer scheduled a three week break at the start of June during the FIFA international window which included the 2021 CONCACAF Nations League Finals.[31]
MLS required all players to report for preseason by March 1 in order to undergo a mandatory seven-day quarantine period and medical testing in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Players who volunteered to quarantine earlier were permitted to begin group workouts from March 1 prior to the official start of team training on March 8.[33]
Outside of the club, Austin FC joined the league as an expansion franchise, bringing the total number of MLS clubs to 27. However, Austin FC and Orlando City will not meet in the 2021 regular season. Sporting Kansas City and San Jose Earthquakes are the only Western Conference teams Orlando will face in the regular season in a bid to keep to a limited, regionalized schedule during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The top seven teams from each conference will qualify for the playoffs.
Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 11,525 Referee: Victor Rivas
Note: Due to travel restrictions, Toronto FC began the season using Exploria Stadium as their home field. Orlando was designated the home team for this fixture.
Note: Due to travel restrictions, Toronto FC began the season using Exploria Stadium as their home field. The venue for Toronto's designated home game against Orlando has not yet been determined.
Note: Due to travel restrictions, Toronto FC began the season using Exploria Stadium as their home field. The venue for Toronto's designated home game against Orlando has not yet been determined.
Note: Due to travel restrictions, CF Montréal will begin the season using Inter Miami CF Stadium as their home field. The venue for Montreal's designated home game against Orlando has not yet been determined.
On March 29, the USSF and Open Cup Committee confirmed plans for a shortened 16-team U.S. Open Cup including the cancellation of the opening stages. The competition was originally scheduled to begin at the Round of 16 stage with MLS holding eight berths given to the top eight US-based MLS clubs in the 2021 regular season standings based on average points per game as of the third weekend of play on May 3.[34] However, on April 16, the committee decided to not hold the competition in spring due to "logistical and financial challenges" but left open the possibility of holding it later in the year.[35]
Orlando City were one of four MLS teams qualified for the 2021 edition of the Leagues Cup as one of the top two teams from each conference based on the 2020 regular season standings not scheduled to participate in the Champions League. The single-elimination tournament will take place entirely in the United States and see each MLS team drawn against a Liga MX team for the opening round.[17]
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FC Krasnodar
Atlético Nacional
César Baena
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