By Ian Lamberson (@ahandleforian)

It was the worst of times. 2018 is a year that Orlando City fans could forget if it didn’t make up 25% of the team’s MLS existence. No, the dull scab of mediocrity that Orlando had become finally broke sometime in April of last year and the rest of the league was there to season aggressively with rock salt. Jason Kreis was dismissed, and while that was indeed understandable, James O’Connor’s task of righting a sinking ship has now unfortunately shifted into excavating a wreck. In a league that has had no shortage of underachievers in its youth and adolescence, Orlando’s 2018 was a special kind of dark comedy. They stepped on every conceivable rake, went out, purchased several new rakes at great expense, and then stepped on all of those as well.

So what went wrong?

Everything. Trigger warning for Orlando City fans: Talking about Orlando City.

So just how bad was Orlando City? So so bad. 28 points weren’t the very worst in the league but if “better than San Jose” is the only bar you can clear you’re probably better off not jumping. Going back through our dataset (since 2011) The Lions posted the third worst xGA (59.9) and the very worst actual goals allowed (72). Their xGD of -17.8 is the fourth lowest in our dataset, and their actual goal difference (-31) is the fifth worst.

Now, I can only assume at this point that you’re no doubt saying “Ok Ian, but you’re just talking about the defense. Surely the offense wasn’t that bad.”

Well, while the offense wasn’t as historically bad as the defense, it was by no means good. An xGF of 42.1 was the fourth worst in the league, and a tally of 41 actual goals scored was tied for the league’s second-lowest mark.

So with an abysmal defense and an impotent offense, it should come as no surprise that Orlando City did not have too many games where they were better than another team. The eight wins they managed were equal to the second lowest in the league and six of those came before May 7th. What followed was a six month run of form that would have made Chivas USA blush, taking just seven points from the final 72 on offer.

Ok, you get it. Orlando City was terrible, but was there anything good? Anything that can be built on? Well. Yoshi Yotun was actually excellent. That's the kind of midfield rock on which you can erect the foundation of a team, and (checks notes) he’s gone.

Chris Mueller looked promising in his rookie season, with a 0.32 xG+xAp96 comparing favorably to some of his peers like Yamil Asad, Paul Arriola, and Cristian Roldan. Logging 2000 minutes in your rookie season is a solid return no matter for whom you play, and he deservedly finished runner-up in the annual Rookie of the Year vote (in an admittedly underwhelming rookie class).

Ah, and who can forget those heady days of March 31st through May 6th when Orlando was unbeatable. Six matches in a row. Eighteen points. For those six weeks, Orlando simply would not drop points. Last gasp comebacks and late match drama had fans enthralled and prompted the club to give themselves the horrible moniker of "Cardiac Cats." This nickname was terrible, somewhat nonsensical, and in my opinion at least 80% to blame for the tragic fall that occurred shortly thereafter. You know what? I'm not even joking. I JUST now realized that they went with "Cats" because they're the lions. This somehow makes the nickname even worse.

Anyhow, while those six wins were thrilling to be sure, the manner in which they came should have set off alarm bells instead of popping champagne bottles. Whether we knew it or not the wheels were already coming off the wagon, and while that breakneck downhill plunge certainly got the heart thumping, it's a good reminder that winning matches in a not so thrilling fashion is probably a safer indicator of future success.

So what can be expected in 2019? Let's look at our offseason moves thus far (information from mlssoccer.com).

INCOMING: