Orlando City's first-half execution against Columbus Crew on Saturday night was, to put it lightly, substandard.
After heading into the locker room down 2-0 on the road, something had to change. And change it did.
The Lions scored just four minutes into the second half, with forward Ercan Kara getting in on goal thanks to a setup by Facundo Torres. The goal cut the deficit to a one-goal game and helped give Orlando confidence through the rest of the half.
“When we came in [the locker room, the mood] was not good," Kara said following the match. "Everybody was not in a good mood. But yeah, we leaders tried to wake up the players and say, 'We can do it; we do it often.' Then we woke up with the first goal, and then we played well and score the second.”
That second goal came two minutes into stoppage time when rookie forward Duncan McGuire, who subbed in for Kara, got on the end of a set piece and managed to fire it through traffic and tie the match up at 2-2. It was McGuire's fourth of the season, as he sits as the Lions' top goalscorer.
It was a good response from the Lions side in that second half, but as head coach Oscar Pareja explained, the general execution on the pitch was the biggest point of emphasis in the halftime break that led to the turnaround, rather than anything tactically that changed.
"That was the quality of our execution in the second half that brought us back into the game," he said. "In either half, I can't complain about energy, willingness, desire or discipline. It's just that we need to execute but much better. Second half, we came up and said 'Well, forget about the result right? Now and let's do the right things. Let's be ourselves and let's see.' And the game just gave us that.
"We scored two goals, we could've scored one more, and we start feeling that this is us. I think we have to keep that feeling and that emotion, approach, and execute the right things, because we have the quality to do it. It is the quality of our execution that needs to improve and let's see if we can keep this momentum of these 45-plus minutes."
Through the early parts of the season, Pareja has often talked about his team's consistency or lack thereof. It's been a constant struggle for the Lions' coaching staff to try to find the winning formula. Oftentimes, the squad will rotate and tactics will change, but thus far there hasn't been a true consistency with the team. Whether that be due to injuries or to other factors, it's something that is always on Pareja's mind, both on and off the field.
"Consistency is something that we look for all the time. In our life, our games, our jobs and just doing the right thing. But in a game, that is so complex. What you have in front of you is a team that has the same intentions and they prepare for that. The first thing that we need to do is bring the energy and bring the desire to do the right thing and after that, just bring the discipline to do it continuously so that will become a habit and the habits make the good teams look better.
"But it's not just energy. It's not just willingness, it's the execution of the task. We have to have the habit to do it right so we can score goals and avoid allowing them. I wish sometimes to take my shoes and put them in the field, but I'm 53. I cannot even do 1% of what the boys do in the field. But they understand as well that my demands are to try to level our quality and try to expose what we can do on the field.
"I don't complain about energy or commitment or anything. Discipline to execute better will bring us, as a habit, good results. The consistency is what we're looking for."
Next match: Orlando City (4-4-3, 15 points) vs. NYCFC (4-5-3, 15 points)
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Exploria Stadium, Orlando
TV: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (subscription required)
Radio: 96.9 The Game (English), Acción 97.9 FM (Spanish)
Tickets: View seats
Don't miss Kickoff -60, airing one hour before Orlando City's match against NYCFC on Wednesday, exclusively on the LionNation App. Join host Gabrielle Amado and Orlando City’s English-language radio talents Evan Weston and Paul Shaw as they break down the upcoming match, with special guests appearing regularly throughout the season.
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