3.52 - That’s a paddlin’
The final score of Orlando City’s win over Chicago Fire FC last weekend was 1-0, but if you watched the game it seems almost unbelievable that the Lions didn’t end up with three or four on the day. Opta’s expected goals (xG) model, which shows the chance any given shot ends up becoming a goal, seems to agree. Orlando City racked up 3.52 xG in the game, the most any team has accrued in any individual game so far this season.
423 - Moving forward
Orlando City has put an emphasis on getting the ball from back to front quicker in 2022, and the stats bear out that effort. The Lions have 423 passes into the final third, second in MLS this season behind Sporting Kansas City. Mauricio Pereyra, playing slightly deeper as a No. 8 for much of the campaign so far, leads the team and ranks in the league’s top 10 with 69 passes into the final third. Pereyra leads MLS with 131 completed passes in the final third.
58.4% - We want the ball
This week, Orlando heads to Lower.com Field to battle the Columbus Crew, a team that loves to possess the ball. Despite playing half of their six games on the road, the Crew are third in MLS in possession, holding the ball 58.4% of the time. In their last home game against Nashville SC two weeks ago, Columbus ended the game with 66.8% possession.
6 - Fancy free kicks
Columbus star Lucas Zelarayán is one of the most electric players in MLS, and he has a signature – the direct free kick goal. Since the start of last season, Zelarayán has scored six goals directly from restarts, including one earlier this year against the San Jose Earthquakes. No other player has more than two direct free kick goals since the start of last year.
