Lack of pressure could be advantage for Impact against Orlando City SC

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The games no longer count toward the regular-season standings. There’s no more concern about goal differential or requiring assistance from other clubs.

The Impact has reached the Round of 16 in the MLS is Back Tournament and will meet Orlando City SC Saturday night (8 p.m., TSN1, TSN4, TVA Sports, TSN Radio-690) at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida. Win, and the Impact advances to the quarter-finals. Lose, and the Impact returns home, awaiting news from the league on when, where — and if — the regular season resumes.

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Lack of pressure could be advantage for Impact against Orlando City SC Back to video

“For sure, I think the pressure’s more on Orlando than us, but we have to be careful,” Impact defender Rod Fanni said during a video conference Thursday afternoon. “They’re a dangerous team. We can’t hide behind the situation of being an outsider. I prefer this position. If we win and something happens good for us, it’s like a miracle. For us, there’s no pressure.”

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Despite a slow start to the tournament, the Impact finished third in Group C, advancing to the knockout stage despite a 1-2 record along with a goal differential of minus-1. The Impact is coming off a 1-0 victory against D.C. United Tuesday night — a match it had to win.

Orlando City captured Group A with a 2-0-1 record, but its victories came against New York City FC and Inter Miami, teams that collectively lost five of six games. Orlando City entered MLS in 2015 and has never had a winning season, finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference in 2019 with a 9-15-10 record.

There are no fans in attendance at the tournament, but Orlando City might have a home advantage for the game in Reunion, Fla., just outside Orlando, since its players are more accustomed to playing and training in the hot and humid conditions.

“Naturally, they’re on a run and doing well,” Impact manager Thierry Henry said. “We played them in preseason, so we know what type of team they have. It’s going to be a tough one for us. They’re home. They understand that humidity and heat. They’re used to training late or early. They’re a team we respect a lot, but anything can happen in one game.”

The Impact has yet to find its groove since returning from a four-month layoff caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The team was lacklustre in a 1-0 loss to New England, then terrible defensively while being outscored 4-3 by Toronto FC.

With four at the back against D.C. United, the Impact rebounded defensively. But the team has struggled offensively in two of its three matches. The Impact has scored a modest four goals, but three have come from midfielder Saphir Taïder. Two of those resulted from penalties.

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While Maxi Urruti hit the post against D.C. United, he and Bojan — both of whom are counted on to produce — have been largely invisible and non-effective.

“Strikers, we need goals,” Bojan said. “It will be good if we can score more goals. We scored four goals, two on penalties, but we needed to create those penalties. I think we’re creating chances. We’re progressing and we’re improving. For sure we want to score goals and I’m sure we will. I know what I’m doing, what I need to do better. I’m confident about that.

“You concede goals as a team,” he added. “You score goals as a team. It’s not only about the strikers. We work together, defend together and attack together. We create chances together. For sure, we can do better.”

Right-wing back Zachary Brault-Guillard, who started for the first time against D.C. United, departed late with a hamstring injury, but Henry said he has recovered and remains eligible. The manager said he’s still seeking the right balance among his potential starting roster.

“When guys are not creating a lot, it’s because at the back we’re not opening stuff well enough to give time to the guys at the top,” Henry explained. “It’s a unit thing. If the guys at the back are brave enough to pass that ball and create space for the guys at the top, it becomes a tiny bit easier for them.”

Striker Chris Mueller leads Orlando City with three goals. Tesho Akindele, Nani and Mauricio Pereyra have one goal each, providing the club with options.

“We’ve been controlling good portions of games,” Mueller said. “I think it’s really a bright spot for us and something to build on.”

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com

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