Orlando City are through to the knockout rounds of the MLS is Back Tournament after handily dispatching long-time rivals New York City FC 3-1 on Tuesday night. It was an impressive performance, one that saw the Lions race out to a 2-0 lead before the ten minute mark and never relinquish their advantage. Here’s a data-based look at how they did it.
Dominance in central midfield
Orlando’s central midfield trio of Junior Urso, Uri Rosell, and Mauricio Pereyra were everywhere in this game, controlling the tempo from the get-go and dominating NYCFC’s duo of Alexander Ring and Gudmundur Thorarinsson, who were out-numbered due to Ronny Deila’s opening 3-4-3 formation.