How Orlando City SC overcame speed traps in the second half | OneFootball

The Orlando City SC game preparation for the rest of the 2025 season will largely be mental.

Orlando City SC is now 1-1-0 for this season. In goals scored, they are 6-6 – a 4-2 loss against Philadelphia Union and a 4-2 win over Toronto FC. As Head Coach Oscar Pareja noted, scoring goals isn’t a problem in the first two matches, even counting that one was lost.

He said if the Lions continue to score goals, Orlando City will win. He counts as a positive that from the beginning of the season, Orlando players are creating space, chances and using a variety of methods to attack and finish.

Yet, the team must get better by the time they face more formidable opponents as Toronto poses this season. They got through for two scores in the second half. That is a problem the Lions had during the first half of the past MLS season.

By mid-season, they had fixed it. They carried what they learned deep into the post-season. Fixing second-half lapses early this season will give them greater momentum that will drive them further into this post-season.

Feb 22, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando City head coach Oscar Pareja looks on before the match against the Philadelphia Union at Inter&Co Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

As late as August, Orlando worked to fix the lapses that bedeviled them. As late as the fixes took hold, the preparation was enough to turn their season around. A significant part of their drills worked on the mental part of their game, honing skills such as focus and concentration.

Pareja refers to such mental preparation as discipline. He began reminding players of their mental drills before the second half of matches. The way to add points in the league is to increase chances while decreasing the opponents’ chances – by controlling space.

The chance creation comes from focus, and that is the result of their discipline or mental preparation.

Opposing scouts also alerted their teams that Orlando City was vulnerable to speed in the second half. The Lions would become disorganized and confused.

Orlando fixed the speed trap in the second half by recognizing when opponents punched the accelerator and matching their speed. This solution worked consistently. Orlando City SC rose well over the MLS Eastern Conference playoff line.