CF Montréal vs Orlando City: Scouting Intel with The Mane Land

Welcome to your scouting report. CF Montréal host Orlando City in playoff round one match up. Le CFM will look to advance after a strong regular season.

Today, we welcome in Ben Miller from The Mane Land an Orlando City SC blog, to give us the lowdown on all things Lions..

Check out the report here:

MRS 1: Orlando suffered to enter these playoffs, how do you expect he team to respond after a hard fought game?

Frankly, it’s anyone’s guess. The team might use the momentum from Decision Day and come out strong, or it could be another performance that lacks in intensity and cutting edge. Personally, I think it’ll be a mix between the two. I expect the Lions to fight hard north of the border, but with Robin Jansson missing, I think there will be some troubling vulnerabilities at the back. Between that and Orlando struggling a bit on the offensive end in the last few games of the season, I think Orlando will fight but ultimately lack the necessary quality to advance.

MRS 2: Other than goal keeping, what area would you say is Orlando’s strength?

Defensive midfield. Cesar Araujo was a U-22 Initiative signing in the offseason and he’s been an absolute revelation. From day one he displaced former starter and full Ecuadorian international Sebas Mendez, who was eventually traded to LAFC. The club also brought in Wilder Cartagena to back up Araujo in the summer and he’s been getting into a nice groove as well. Araujo’s proficiency in patrolling the midfield allows guys like Junior Urso and the center backs to venture farther forward and join the attack, and gives OCSC a little more flexibility.

MRS 3: What are the fanbases expectations for these playoffs considering the team already has won the Open Cup?

If you’d asked that question a month ago, expectations would be high. Orlando’s victory in the Open Cup put the cap on a 5 game winning streak that had the team in prime position to host a home playoff game. Following the Open Cup though, the Lions lost four of their last six, and needed a Decision Day win over Columbus to squeak into the postseason. Given how the team’s form has been recently, I think most fans are simply happy that the team is in the playoffs at all. For my part, I think the Lions are playing with house money from here on out, and as long as they show up and put in a good performance on Sunday, I’ll find it hard to complain too much.