Martín Perelman's gamble comes up short... Now we pay the price on Tuesday | OneFootball

Wednesday night's near-collapse against Major League Soccer's bottom side Philadelphia Union did Martín Perelman no favours at all if he's set on convincing Ricardo Moreira and Orlando City's fanbase that he should be trusted as the man to take the club forward, and yesterday's poor 1-1 draw at home to an equally uninspiring Atlanta United did little to change that.

Opting for an almost full-strength starting line-up, Perelman's men came out of the traps pretty quickly and were well worth their lead when Griffin Dorsey poked home from Iván Angulo's low cross in the 17th minute.

That, though, was about as good as it got. The visitors grew into the encounter throughout the remainder of the first half and controlled much of the ball into the second, finally netting a richly deserved equaliser via Jay Fortune five minutes from time.

Quite remarkably, we were actually sitting as high as as eighth place in the Eastern Conference at one point last night. That can only be testament to how awful everyone else around us is this season, and with Antoine Griezmann's impending arrival we somehow have a very real chance of still making the play-offs.

But I couldn't care less about the play-offs. If by some miracle we make it, we are only going to be sent home again immediately. Instead, we should be prioritising Tuesday's night absolutely crucial Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup meeting with Atlanta, and that's why last night is troubling me so much.

Asking for trouble

Aside from David Brekalo being favoured over Iago, we were at full strength during that first half. Given the magnitude of Tuesday's quarter-final, that came as a bit of a surprise.

We certainly paid the price for it. Robin Jansson was withdrawn at half-time after picking up a knock, although the club haven't yet confirmed whether this is anything to worry about. Martín Ojeda and Justin Ellis, too, looked absolutely exhausted during that second half, even though we'll probably need them to be fully fit on Tuesday. If any of our key players aren't available, then I'm afraid Perelman is to blame.

The 40-year-old's opposite number, Tata Martino, made three changes from his side's previous fixture at home to LA Galaxy, however. Among those rested was Emmanuel Latte Lath, who is still looking to really spring into life this season. Only featuring for the final quarter, the 27-year-old will be raring to go from the off on Tuesday.

So too will likely be Miguel Almirón, who wasn't risked last night after returning from a short-term knee injury.

The truth is, if we had rested players and then only taken a point I wouldn't be so concerned. But instead we put all our eggs in one basket, banking on putting two or three past them early enough to then withdraw our best players in preparation for Tuesday. As it is, though, it's advantage Atlanta in a game that will almost certainly make or break our entire season.

Square pegs in round holes

If by some miracle Ojeda is not only fit enough to start on Tuesday but also on his very best form, then I'm still not convinced that Perelman knows how to get the best out of him.

The 27-year-old is just not a striker, yet Perelman seems hell bent on playing him there alongside Ellis until Griezmann gets here at least.

Ojeda may boast a lethal shot from distance or have a brilliant eye for a pass, but what he doesn't have is the composure to find the net when just a few short yards from goal. Not only missing two glorious opportunities during that second half, I'm fairly sure he would've been ruled onside when he was played through on goal once again earlier in the evening - not that it matters, though, since he dragged his effort wide of the post.

As his delightful reverse pass to Angulo in the build-up to Dorsey's opener shows, he is a playmaker and not a striker. But us supporters already knew that. It's now down to Perelman to play him in his best position.

Papi special? Someone said you was dead...

It certainly seems that it's going to take more than simply parting ways with Óscar Pareja for his old ways, good or bad, to fade away.

After a high-octane opening twenty minutes last night, there looked to only be one winner. But almost as soon as we scored, Atlanta started to control the game and didn't really let up until they found their equaliser late on.

If this happened against Inter Miami, then I can kind of understand. But we're talking about Atlanta here. If their league position and horrific form are to be believed, then they just aren't good enough to control games like they did last night on their own merit. Instead, it seemed like we were happy to let them.

This isn't a one-off, either. In Perelman's short two-month tenure so far we have already surrendered leads away to Columbus Crew and D.C. United, before doing the exact same against Philadelphia only to be rescued by a last-minute Ojeda winner.

If, like previous seasons, we boasted one of the meanest defences in the entire league, then I wouldn't be entirely against playing a more conservative brand of football. But this season, we are the very worst defence in the league. Playing the way we do will always come back to bite us, even if we got away with it on Wednesday night.