Welcome to your match thread for tonight’s U.S. Open Cup round of 16 match-up between Orlando City and D.C. United at the Maryland SoccerPlex. And welcome back to the Bobby Murphy era. This will be the first match since Jason Kreis was fired and it’s anyone’s guess what the lineup will look like but the previous and current interim coach hinted at a strong lineup for tonight. This will be the first ever meeting between the two sides in U.S. Open Cup play and the second of three overall meetings this season, with one league match at D.C. remaining later this summer, on Sunday, Aug. 12. The Lions have met MLS competition just twice previously since joining the league in 2015, going 1-1 in those matches, with a 2-0 home win over the Columbus Crew and a 3-1 road loss against the Chicago Fire — both in the club’s inaugural MLS season. Orlando City is 3-5 overall against MLS sides in the Open Cup since 2011, and is 11-7-1 in all-time U.S. Open Cup match-ups, with the lone draw coming in 2015 when the Lions advanced past the Charleston Battery on penalties. History The Lions are 4-3-1 against D.C. in the all-time series since the club joined MLS. Orlando is 1-2-0 on the road against United but this will be the first ever meeting at the Maryland SoccerPlex. The two teams met on opening day and the Lions posted a dramatic late 1-1 draw on Stefano Pinho’s 93rd-minute goal after going down to 10 men 41 minutes into the match. Orlando swept the two meetings in 2017, starting with a 2-0 win over United at Orlando City Stadium on May 31. Cyle Larin and Giles Barnes provided the offense to help the Lions snap what was then a six-game winless skid. City also snapped an eight-game skid (0-6-2) when the teams met again on Sept. 9, when the Lions had two men sent off but still won, 2-1. Larin and Barnes did the damage again, so United fans will not mind seeing that neither player is on the 2018 OCSC roster. Kofi Opare gave his team a lifeline in the 89th minute but D.C. couldn’t find an equalizer. The teams split two lopsided games in 2016, with each team winning at home. United grabbed a 4-1 win at RFK Stadium and the Lions avenged that loss with a 4-2 win to close their tenure at Camping World Stadium. The Black & Red won the first meeting back on April 3, 2015, with Luis Silva scoring on a 91st-minute free kick, breaking Orlando hearts, 1-0. On May 13 of that inaugural season, Orlando led 1-0 on Larin’s goal, but D.C. scored twice to win, 2-1. Orlando finally got on the board in the series on June 14 that year with Kaká scoring off the rebound of his own missed penalty to provide the Lions’ 1-0 winning margin. Match Overview This is a difficult section to write. The Lions have seen Bobby Murphy assume coaching duties in the wake of Jason Kreis’ departure on Friday. Murphy went 0-1-3 in four matches in charge of Orlando City in 2016, but all were league matches. It’s his first time in charge in the U.S. Open Cup and against a fellow MLS side and playing on the road, it’s likely he’ll go with a strong lineup despite a looming rematch with the Montreal Impact on Saturday. Look for a mixture of starters and the more experienced backups to start in this one, with a few starters on the bench as well. Guys like Dom Dwyer and Jonathan Spector may play a half to keep them relatively fresh for Saturday while giving the Lions a chance to advance in the tournament. I doubt we’ll see a big departure shape-wise. Murphy went with a 4-2-3-1 formation in all four of his games at the helm in 2016. Beyond that, we just don’t know. We also don’t know how strong of a lineup Ben Olsen will use tonight, but it’s probably wise to expect a full lineup of starters since United doesn’t play again in MLS until June 30, so they’ll be looking to improve upon a 39-16 all-time record in the competition. Orlando City is finally getting healthy again. Aside from Yoshimar Yotún (international duty), most of the squad will be available. Scott Sutter has returned to full training although he is not nearly match fit at this point. Lamine Sané is inching closer to a return. Will Johnson could return from a hamstring that kept him out last Wednesday. Meanwhile, the MLS site lists the following D.C. United players as out: Taylor Kemp (groin), Russell Canouse (knee), Chris Odoi-Atsem (calf), Ulises Segura (knee), Nick DeLeon (knee), and Kofi Opare (ankle). Mandatory Match #Content Official Lineups Orlando City (3-4-3) Goalkeeper: Earl Edwards, Jr. Defenders: Amro Tarek, Lamine Sané, Jonathan Spector. Wingbacks/Midfielders: Mohamed El-Munir, Sacha Kljestan, Cristian Higuita, RJ Allen. Forwards: Justin Meram, Stefano Pinho, Chris Mueller. Bench: Joe Bendik, Will Johnson, Richie Laryea, Tony Rocha, Josué Colmán, Scott Sutter, Jose Villareal. DC United (4-1-4-1) Goalkeeper: Steve Clark. Defenders: Joseph Mora, Steve Birnbaum, Frederic Brillant, Oniel Fisher. Defensive Midfielder: Chris Durkin. Attacking Midfielders: Yamil Asad. Luciano Acosta, Ian Harkes, Zoltan Stieber. Forward: Darren Mattocks. Bench: Travis Worra, Jared Jeffrey, Bruno Miranda, Jalen Robinson, Junior Moreno, Patrick Mullins, Dane Kelly. How to Watch Match Time: 7 p.m. (ET). Venue: Maryland SoccerPlex — Boyds, MD. TV: None. Streaming: ussoccer.com. Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City's official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC). Match Thread Rules This is your live thread for posting comments on the match. So use our comments section below to talk about the game in real time with other supporters. If you’re new, welcome to our happy home! While you’re here, please observe a few basic rules: Absolutely no links to illegal streams. They can get us in trouble, and no one wants that. Try not to be the person who spews nothing but venom and hate for the team.<doc-sep>D.C. United’s schedule has not been full of luxuries this year, but one of the few advantageous moments comes tonight against Orlando City. The Black-and-Red, in the midst of a long World Cup break and with no game to think about this weekend, should field their best eleven in pursuit of a 14th trophy. The Lions, meanwhile, are coming off of three straight three-goal losses and fired coach Jason Kreis just five days ago. Tonight is a major opportunity for United to show they can put in a complete performance from start to finish and see off a troubled foe. Key player: Joseph Mora Orlando has coughed up 11 goals in their last 3 games, and while a coaching change usually brings an emotional response and better focus, OCSC’s issues have been structural. Those are the ones that take a long time to fix, and as such they’re going to be present tonight, so United’s attack should create enough chances to win the game. The problem, as has so often been the case this season, is that the Black-and-Red might also give away enough chances to waste a high-scoring game. Mora is not solely responsible for this, but the start of his MLS career has been rocky. Orlando’s struggles have not been because of their wide attackers, and a good performance from Mora (along with right back Oniel Fisher) is critical in terms of shutting the Lions down. If we see Mora produce a solid 90 minutes without major individual errors or lost marks, United’s chances of a spot in the quarterfinals are very strong. Location: Maureen Hendricks Field at Maryland SoccerPlex (Boyds, MD) Kickoff time: 7:00pm Eastern Projected D.C. United starting 11: (4141) - David Ousted; Oniel Fisher, Frederic Brillant, Steve Birnbaum, Joseph Mora; Chris Durkin; Zoltan Stieber, Paul Arriola, Luciano Acosta, Yamil Asad; Darren Mattocks Bench: Steve Clark, Jalen Robinson, Jared Jeffrey, Ian Harkes, Bruno Miranda, Dane Kelly, Patrick Mullins With no game for another ten days, there are no good reasons to rotate beyond perhaps giving Steve Clark or Jalen Robinson a game to keep them sharp. Against a reeling opponent who is a) more than a little unknown right now due to Jason Kreis getting his walking papers and b) looking at a game this weekend, United ought to go all out to win this game. Why Jeffrey and not Junior Moreno? Open Cup rules restrict teams to five internationals, and I suspect Ben Olsen wants to keep Miranda involved as a versatile attacking sub. However, there’s a decent chance he goes the other way and leaves out the young Bolivian for Jeffrey instead. Projected Orlando starting 11: (4231) - Earl Edwards Jr; Will Johnson, Chris Schuler, Amro Tarek, Mohamed El-Munir; Cristian Higuita, Dillon Powers; Chris Mueller, Jose Villarreal, PC; Stefano Pinho This is a guess, since interim coach Bobby Murphy is something of an unknown quantity. The 4231 is probably going to stay in place given the lack of time Orlando has had to convert to something else. On top of that, the importance Orlando is putting on this game is not clear; will they emphasize Saturday’s game against Montreal over this one? I suspect they will, but that still means players like Dom Dwyer and Sacha Kljestan will probably be part of a very strong bench, though. Available TV: None Available streaming: USsoccer.com (this is a link right to it, which is easier than hunting through their site) What do we have to say about it? : Ben favors more rotation than I do in tonight’s lineup, and we spent plenty of time talking about what to expect in this one on Filibuster. I’ll have more details on the Orlando lineup later today. What are you drinking? : I’ll be covering this game in the press box, so just whatever bottled water is on hand. Have one for me at the beer tent. This is the place for all your pre-game, in-game, and post-game discussion. Vamos cup run!<doc-sep>After 120 minutes, Orlando City and D.C. United played to a 1-1 draw in U.S. Open Cup round of 16 action at the Maryland SoccerPlex. But the Lions advanced on penalties, winning the shootout 4-2 after Josué Colmán’s spot kick clinched it for Orlando. Justin Meram canceled out Luciano Acosta’s early goal and both teams came within inches of finding a second but neither could quite do it and so the lightning-delayed match went deep into the night before City came through in penalties. Earl Edwards Jr. set the tone by saving Yamil Asad’s first attempt after Will Johnson had started the Lions with a penalty kick goal in the shootout. Edwards is no stranger to U.S. Open Cup shootouts, having outlasted the Charleston Battery deep into spot kicks back in 2015. That was the last time the Lions reached the quarterfinals, which they have done now for the third time in club history. Orlando will face the Philadelphia Union next. Sacha Kljestan and Chris Mueller also hit their penalties for Orlando. Bobby Murphy used his first ever lineup that wasn’t a 4-2-3-1 to start an MLS match, getting weird by playing a 3-4-3. Lamine Sané returned to the starting lineup for the first time in a few weeks, with Amro Tarek to his left and Jonathan Spector to his right. This was surprising given that the team has a match Saturday against Montreal. Mohamed El-Munir and RJ Allen lined up as the wingbacks outside of midfielders Kljestan and Cristian Higuita, with a forward line of Meram, Stefano Pinho, and Mueller from left to right. Dom Dwyer did not dress, but right back Scott Sutter was in the 18 just days after returning to full training. The game was just over five minutes old when the Maryland SoccerPlex’s obnoxious lightning alarm sounded, sending the game into a delay that lasted just over an hour and a half. Once the game restarted, D.C. United came out flying and it didn’t take the hosts long to score. Darren Mattocks crossed in for Luciano Acosta in the 10th minute and no one tracked his run — Kljestan was busy pointing out the danger of Ian Harkes to his teammates while Acosta slipped by — allowing him to easily smash home the pass into the top of the net to make it 1-0. United nearly doubled the lead a couple of times. In the 13th minute, Zoltan Stieber smashed a shot just wide of the post. Then, in the 14th minute El-Munir misplayed the wet ball and allowed Stieber to get in behind but his shot was blocked on a fine save by Earl Edwards Jr. The Lions struck back three minutes later. RJ Allen played the ball into the middle for Kljestan. Sacha laid a pass off for Meram, who blasted one toward net. It was right at Steve Clark, but the goalkeeper couldn’t handle the wet ball and it squirted in behind to tie the score at 1-1. In the 19th minute, Kljestan played a superb through ball to Pinho, but the Brazilian hit his shot poorly and it went well wide of the target. A minute later, Mueller had a shot blocked by Steve Birnbaum at the top of the penalty area. El-Munir stole a pass in the 23rd minute and was nearly off to the races but he was brought down from behind by Oniel Fisher, who was booked for the foul. Nothing came of the set piece or an ensuing corner, however. In the 28th minute, D.C. United won a corner and then the world went dark as the game stream died for everyone. It returned in the 43rd minute with the game still tied at 1-1. During the stoppage, Mattocks was played in behind the defense but the offside flag was up. Late in the half United was forced to make a change when Joseph Mora went down with an injury. Jalen Robinson came on and played right back, with Fisher moving to left back. No further damage was done by either side and the teams went to the break all even. The Lions led in shots, 5-3 (1-2 on target, however), with D.C. owning 52% of the possession and an advantage in passing accuracy (84%-79%). Neither team could find the net in a cagey second half, although both teams had excellent chances to do so. Kljestan sent a shot from above the area over the bar in the 61st on a powerful strike that he couldn’t keep down. Pinho nodded a header just inches wide in the 69th minute off a cross from Allen. Two minutes later Allen had a go himself after cutting inside and again the attempt fizzed just wide of the post. If Orlando was the more dangerous side from minutes 60 through 75, it was almost all D.C. United in the final 15 minutes of normal time. Acosta sent one shot just wide and hit the post with another attempt. He also forced a save in the 80th. Yamil Asad was in on goal after a terrible giveaway by Sane in the 83rd but Edwards made the save. Three minutes later, Fisher nearly got in on the back side but he was offside. That was the last good opportunity of the second half and the teams went into extra time. Orlando had several scoring opportunities in extra time but just couldn’t get it done. Mueller sent a high, arching header on frame but Clark scrambled back to catch it just two minutes into the extra period. D.C.’s best opportunity in extra time came in the 98th minute off a corner kick when Brillant’s header deflected off Meram and nearly squirted through Edwards’ legs but he stopped it right on the line. Substitute Colmán had a great opportunity in the 99th when he rounded Clark and shot from a tight angle but he missed the net by inches. D.C. midfielder Chris Durkin was booked for the second time for a foul behind the play and United were down to 10 men for the remainder of the match. That allowed City to control the rest of extra time.<doc-sep>Though MLS is on a break right now, D.C. United are not. This Wednesday, the U.S. Open Cup continues, and D.C. United are taking on Orlando City SC at the Maryland SoccerPlex. With MLS not resuming until 10 days after this game, Ben Olsen will likely use this matchup to keep his starters fresh and to try and get into a winning groove as the long homestand approaches. The main question is on the back line, where most of the players have had shaky moments. However, until the window opens or Kofi Opare gets healthy, there isn’t much to be done other than subbing in Jalen Robinson for Frederic Brillant. Robinson and Steve Birnbaum have only played a few professional matches together, and the Open Cup gives Robinson an opportunity to make his case for minutes in MLS. The fullbacks, Oniel Fisher and Joseph Mora, will start because they are the only options right now, with Nick DeLeon, Chris Odoi-Atsem, and Taylor Kemp all still hurt. In the midfield, Chris Durkin will rotate back in to give Junior Moreno a rest, and Paul Arriola will start as the number 8 in front of him. Just like in the game against North Carolina FC, Luciano Acosta will get a break in favor of Ian Harkes; unlike against NCFC, Yamil Asad will get a desperately needed break, yielding to Bruno Miranda. Zoltan Stieber will start on the other wing, behind Patrick Mullins. The team is in somewhat of a holding pattern until the window opens or people get healthy, so this seems like the most likely starting lineup. One possibility is Dane Kelly spelling Zoltan Stieber, but with Kelly seemingly not in the first team’s current plans, that doesn’t look likely. What do you want to see Ben Olsen do tomorrow night?<doc-sep>
Orlando City survived and advanced in the U.S. Open Cup after a lightning-delayed, rain-soaked night in Boyds, MD, at the Maryland SoccerPlex. A nervy 120 minutes in the round of 16 ended in a 1-1 draw and a place in the quarterfinals went to the coin flip of penalty kicks, which the Lions grabbed decisively, 4-2. What did we learn from the first night of the second Bobby Murphy era? New Shape Mostly Effective In four previous matches in charge of Orlando City, Murphy trotted out a 4-2-3-1 – a familiar shape the club has used most of this season. No matter. Murphy went with a 3-4-3, opting to use the team’s three top center backs across the back line; two fullbacks, a defensive midfielder, and an attacking midfielder in the middle; and two wings and forward Stefano Pinho up at the top of the formation. D.C. coach Ben Olsen said after the game that it was a change that United didn’t expect. For the most part, the experiment was a success. The three central defenders provided cover on a night when the wingbacks were a bit sloppy (more on that below) and when the midfield was a bit outnumbered. Murphy’s lineup was full of delightful surprises, starting with a missing starter’s return. Lamine Sané hadn’t played since May 18 at Toronto but there was no easing him back into the lineup. Murphy isn’t coddling anyone. He put the French-Senegalese defender right into the starting lineup on a rainy night that ended up lasting more than 120 minutes. Speaking of missing starters, Scott Sutter didn’t play, but he did make the 18. Again, Murphy isn’t coddling anyone. Oh, you can play? Get in there! While most of Murphy’s starters were regulars, there were exceptions in goal, where Earl Edwards Jr. was deployed, and up top, where Pinho replaced Dom Dwyer, who was rested in this match. It will be interesting to see how the team lines up on Saturday, particularly after riding defenders Sané, Amro Tarek, and Jonathan Spector, and midfielders Justin Meram, Sacha Kljestan, and Chris Mueller for 120 minutes on a heavy pitch. Lions Continue Wasteful Ways Orlando City peppered the D.C. goal with 21 shot attempts, but only three were on target. This continues a worrying trend of poor finishing from the Lions, who had ample opportunities to put the game away with several good looks. Pinho sent a shot badly wide in the 19th minute after Sacha Kljestan threaded a gorgeous through-ball to him that covered about 30 yards. Justin Meram and Kljestan fired over the bar on decent looks from just outside the area in the 53rd and 61st minutes, respectively. Pinho’s free header went just wide in the 69th minute and RJ Allen’s effort missed by even less two minutes later. Through normal time, only one shot was on frame and that was Meram’s shot right at Steve Clark, who let it slip through his grasp for Orlando’s only goal. In extra time, Mueller got a high, arcing header on frame but Clark scrambled back to catch it. Colmán missed an empty net — albeit from a tight angle — in the 99th minute. Will Johnson missed the net two minutes later from inside the area. At least Colmán forced a good save from Clark in the 105th, but Johnson’s header was off frame in the 107th and Colmán fired over the bar in the 120th. This lack of accuracy simply isn’t good enough and we’ve already seen it cost the Lions multiple games over the past month. Lions Locked in During PKs On the other hand, Orlando was locked in when the match went to penalties. Four of Orlando’s five shooters found the net and the only one who didn’t — Jose Villareal — fired his shot on target but Clark guessed correctly and the height was comfortable for him to make the save while diving to his right. If the Lions can translate the accuracy from the penalty shootout into the run of play, this will be a much better offense. Sure, there is less to worry about in terms of defenders and angles when it comes to penalties, but the key with the shootout was composure. Showing some in the run of play would allow the team to return to the win column on a regular basis. Wayward Wingbacks Mohamed El-Munir and RJ Allen should have been in a great position to contribute offensively in the 4-3-4.