Match Thread: CONCACAF Champions Cup - Round 1 - Leg 2: Orlando City (USA) v Cavalry - February 27, 2024

[narduch]

Game is at 6pm ET (4pm MT, 3pm PT) on One Soccer.

Orlando won the first leg 3-0.

Referee:

Referee: Fernando Guerrero (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Espinoza (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Michel Espinoza (MEX)
Fourth Official: Cesar Ramos (MEX)
VAR: Adonai Escobedo (MEX)
AVAR: Benjamin Whitty (CAY)

Edited February 27 by narduch

[Kent]

Why is this game at 6 o'clock local time? I checked the OneSoccer schedule which had it from 5pm to 8pm and I assumed it was a mistake. Very weird start time, I feel bad for the fans in the mountain time zone.

[narduch]

Just now, Kent said:

Why is this game at 6 o'clock local time? I checked the OneSoccer schedule which had it from 5pm to 8pm and I assumed it was a mistake. Very weird start time, I feel bad for the fans in the mountain time zone.

Blame Concacaf. 

It's to fit in 3 matches

[Kingston]

I don't expect much from this game but I hope Cavalry can score a goal and get something to cheer about.

[Watchmen]

Any Cavalry fans travel for this one?

[shermanator]

Foot Soldiers are set up in Orlando.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C33XlUwyI_a/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

[narduch]

[narduch]

[narduch]

Scoreless at the half

[Cheeta]

Woof!

Just get home from work to catch goal #3.

[narduch]

Cavalry 1st ever CCC goal.

 

 

[narduch]

Cavalry lose 3-1

[JamboAl]

Just saw the highlights and you can tell the difference in class between Orlando City and Cavalry.  I believe in the CPL and the improvement from year to year can be seen but it is still a few steps below MLS.  This is where the CONCACAF League is missed. 

[shermanator]

 

[Kent]

In some games it's such a mismatch that it seems like the lesser of the 2 teams just can't get the ball. When they do they have nowhere to go with it. This wasn't like that at all. Cavalry looked like they belonged I thought, despite the scorelines. The difference was in the final 3rd of each end of the field. Orlando was better at carving out quality scoring chances, and on the flip side, were better about defending to prevent those scoring chances. But Cavalry wasn't completely stopped from getting chances to score. Not bad at all for a team that is still a month and a half away from the start of their season, and playing with a fraction of the player salary of their opponents.

I'm glad Cavalry got a goal. Hopefully next season a CPL team can steal a result, even if just for 1 leg. Canadian teams this year had 0 wins, 1 draw, and 5 losses.

[Unnamed Trialist]

6 hours ago, JamboAl said:

Just saw the highlights and you can tell the difference in class between Orlando City and Cavalry.  I believe in the CPL and the improvement from year to year can be seen but it is still a few steps below MLS.  This is where the CONCACAF League is missed. 

Just saw the highlights too, but they were pushed deep into their own box, there seemed to be no DMs challenging, defenders were frozen; the rival could dance and move easily in attacking positions, and then the pure laziness on their third goal, leaving the RB all alone with 2-3 attackers and no one going to help. Time to make the passes, take the shots. So that is a difference in level, where you can't keep up at all. Carducci, also have to say, does not look like a keeper who could take that step up, after thinking he was most likely candidate in CPL in the early years of the league. 

I appreciate they maybe played with less verve and intensity being down and already out, but it looked like a huge difference to me. And then there is maybe that Orlando really played hard and intense both matches, results notwithstanding.

[Big_M]

camargo and trafford are way too slow or have trouble keeping up physically and we saw it in these two games...they easily beat the central midfield then created something...first goal last night camargo acts so slow on the ball and easily gets picked off then trafford is not able to make a simple acceleration to close the gap and only jogs back...cpl teams gotta watch this and plan to exploit when they face them

[Unnamed Trialist]

21 hours ago, Big_M said:

camargo and trafford are way too slow or have trouble keeping up physically and we saw it in these two games...they easily beat the central midfield then created something...first goal last night camargo acts so slow on the ball and easily gets picked off then trafford is not able to make a simple acceleration to close the gap and only jogs back...cpl teams gotta watch this and plan to exploit when they face them

But that is the level of CPL, few if no teams can exploit those kinds of weaknesses. The teams know each other extremely way, it's a small league where scouting is easy, but rarely do you see a team tear a superior rival down tactically in a big match (Pacific in the final they won at Hamilton). How many times have you seen Trafford exposed in CPL, almost never. He's an excellent CPL player, poised, calm, with that slower pace as you say, and he's fine. 

Related to this, it is what I'd love to see: a coach outsmarting everyone else with squad that is not superior; a guy going off and scoring 20+ goals; a midfield wizard no one can stop. In all the years of CPL we are missing, imo, some of these sort of stand-out narratives, it has all been rather comfortable and within the same parameters.

[Watchmen]

5 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

But that is the level of CPL, few if no teams can exploit those kinds of weaknesses. The teams know each other extremely way, it's a small league where scouting is easy, but rarely do you see a team tear a superior rival down tactically in a big match (Pacific in the final they won at Hamilton). How many times have you seen Trafford exposed in CPL, almost never. He's an excellent CPL player, poised, calm, with that slower pace as you say, and he's fine. 

Related to this, it is what I'd love to see: a coach outsmarting everyone else with squad that is not superior; a guy going off and scoring 20+ goals; a midfield wizard no one can stop. In all the years of CPL we are missing, imo, some of these sort of stand-out narratives, it has all been rather comfortable and within the same parameters.

I realize the 20 goal total is a bit arbitrary and a standard measurement for most leagues, but that would be tough to do in CPL with a 28 game season.

But I also think the number of players you describe is going to be very limited in the CPL. I'm not sure Canada produces a lot of them to start with (the US doesn't either) and those with that talent are likely off to MLS or Europe early. I look at the CPL as a place for players with good (but not great) talent to keep playing as part of a journeymen career. And there's nothing wrong with that.

[Kingston]

6 minutes ago, Watchmen said:

But I also think the number of players you describe is going to be very limited in the CPL. I'm not sure Canada produces a lot of them to start with (the US doesn't either) and those with that talent are likely off to MLS or Europe early. I look at the CPL as a place for players with good (but not great) talent to keep playing as part of a journeymen career. And there's nothing wrong with that.

I think the actual role of the CPL is to give those rare talents a place to play for that critical year or so before they move up to MLS or (or followed by) Europe.  It's nice for the journeymen, too, and nothing wrong with that but the main role of those journeymen is to help the young guys along.

[Watchmen]

28 minutes ago, Kingston said:

I think the actual role of the CPL is to give those rare talents a place to play for that critical year or so before they move up to MLS or (or followed by) Europe.  It's nice for the journeymen, too, and nothing wrong with that but the main role of those journeymen is to help the young guys along.

I think that's the hope, certainly. But as you say, it's for "a year or so".  So it involves a player either being missed/passed over by MLS/Europe initially or their decision to start in the CPL over other options. And if they perform, they'll move on quickly before achieving the "20+ goals/midfield wizardry" they might be able to achieve. Which means you're ending up with a league mostly of journeymen. Which is fine.