What the fuck. I’ve got all ten fingers pointed at Perea and I don’t give a shit. What kind of challenge was that? You'resubbed into a game where you’re ten minutes away from 6 points on the road with this West Coast swing, and you go do something like that to take the win anyway from everyone… That’s what my mind sounded like but then I calmed down a bit. Getting 4 points on the West Coast grind is a good accomplishment, I promise, despite how mad you are. We did it without Torres too, and you could see the difference without him.
Playing away is always harsh and things won’t always go the way you want them to. There was the game against Chicago and now losing those last two points in the crucial minutes over a really dumb, boneheaded play. It is what it is. There are a lot of positives to be taken from this still.
The team’s defense has bounced back strong. Carlos and Jannson were back to their usual ways, being really strong in the central defense for the Lions. Jansson became the Lions' all-time leader in minutes played and Carlos led the team in clearances (7) and interceptions (5). Stajduhar did well in his moment to fill in for Gallese who was also off on international duty. If the pen didn’t happen, we’d be singing his praises. I really thought Pato was excellent as well. The one-two punch between him and Kara is great, meaning one will probably start based on the specific matchup. Pato is a much more technical player and you could see it on Sunday.
Match Facts
Goal - 52’ - Urso
Yellow Card - 65’ - Bravo
Yellow Card - 71’ - Van Rankin
Red Card (Second Yellow) - 76’ - Van Rankin
Goal - 80’ - Paredes
Yellow Card - 81’ - Paredes
Yellow Card - 90’+ 4’ - Bodily
Yellow Card - 90’ + 4’ - Michel
Yellow Card - 90’ + 5’ - Jansson
3 Things
1. How Fucking Good is Urso, Lmao
Urso may have a case for being the Lions' best player so far this season, despite the fact that he’s a bear. Not funny? My bad. He got his second goal on the season this Sunday and hasn’t really had a bad game yet. He had 3 shots, with 2 of them on target which was good enough to lead the team. Adding on to that, he had 70 touches, four tackles, one interception, and one clearance in an extremely solid performance on the defensive side of the ball. 45 passes were sprayed from his feet with 88.9% accuracy. A strong start to his season will hopefully win the Lions some more games.
2. Gotta Play The Full 90
The Cincinnati game was frustrating enough, but this one takes the cake. Giving up a foul like that in that kinda moment means Perea should not see the field for two weeks. I’m not kidding. Get a kid from the academy to take his place cause while I’m adding lots of positive talk to this, Orlando still should have won. The Timbers were down to 10 men literally right before this and showed no signs of getting back into the game and 1 point was basically gift wrapped and brought to their doorstep. The fact the pen went right down the middle made me even more angry. Additionally, the Lions need to relax with fouls and yellow cards late in the game, I swear they have the most in the 2nd half. Cleaning up these mistakes and playing full games is going to be a test for them this year.
3. The Lions Got Some Dog In Them
I feel as though traveling for the MLS blows. Long West/East coast trips with time zone changes and missing players for the international break. This is exactly what happened on Sunday for the Lions. The fact we got a draw out of this (I know we all wanted the win) is an excellent sign and a step moving forward. The Lions will not back down from a fight, and that makes them a difficult test for anybody.
Final Word
In complete opposition to my take on LA, I feel Orlando deserved this. It’s a tough pill to swallow. And I only joke about Perea. He will learn from his mistakes and so will this group. Being back in Florida will be a great homecoming and it’s time to get ready for Saturday.
Up Next
The Lions will be back at Exploria Stadium in Orlando to host LAFC on Saturday, April 2nd. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 EST.