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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Minnesota United: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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4 years ago

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Led by a brace from Nani, Orlando City won 3-1 over Minnesota United to advance to the MLS is Back Tournament final against the Portland Timbers. It was the Lions’ first win over Adrian Heath and the Loons and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Needing late-game heroics to advance against LAFC, Orlando had to prevent such antics to see out the win and substitute Benji Michel sealed the victory with a late goal.

How did your favorite Lions do in the big semifinal win? Here are our player grades and Man of the Match.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 —  The Peruvian didn’t have to face a shot on target until the 75th minute, when he was forced to make an impressive palm save after a free kick. On Minnesota’s goal, he was put in a tough spot by a great ball from Kevin Molino and just couldn’t get enough on Mason Toye’s shot to keep it out from goal. The late goal ruins his clean sheet, but Gallese still looked comfortable and dealt with 10 corners and plenty of free kicks from a Minnesota team that makes opponents pay on set pieces.

D, João Moutinho, 7 — The left back was tested early and often in the match, but held his own against Ethan Finlay, who had a quiet night. It was yet another solid performance from the 22-year-old as Finlay was effectively neutralized, although Robin Jansson helped in that regard. Still, Moutinho had a very strong defensive outing with a team-high six tackles to stop dangerous balls from causing too much trouble.

D, Antonio Carlos, 6.5 — It’s hard to tell that this is only Carlos’ eighth game with the Lions, considering just how well he plays alongside Jansson and under Pareja. He’s played every minute for Orlando this tournament and last night was a great example why. Carlos had five clearances, two interceptions, two blocks, and a tackle, and was a force in the air, preventing Minnesota from taking advantage of set pieces. A strong center back pairing is the backbone that allows Orlando’s talented fullbacks to really work their magic and Carlos is proving his value this tournament.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — The other half of the center back duo had a strong game as well. Toye’s goal was the only real blip in his performance as he just couldn’t stop Toye from getting one past them. For most of the night though, Jansson led the team with six clearances and shut down anything that came his way. But he had a role on offense as well, picking out one heck of a 65-yard long ball to find Nani behind the defense for Orlando’s first goal and his first assist in MLS.

D, Ruan, 6 —  Most of Orlando’s offensive chances came from the right side of the field and Ruan was a big reason. He created plenty of chances in the first half and would’ve had an assist if Tesho Akindele connected better on a low cross. In the second half, he should have scored with a header in front of goal to put the game on ice. He struggled late in the match, but remained a menace for Minnesota defenders.

MF, Sebas Mendez, 7 — Orlando’s engine was at full steam in this game as Mendez led the team with 59 passes and had 68 touches — behind only Nani and Moutinho. Yes, Nani deserves the bulk of the credit for the second goal, but it was Mendez who reacted quickly to find Nani across the field, and deliver a ball fast enough and accurate enough to really earn that assist. He almost had a second assist but Ruan couldn’t convert his drilled cross. If he continues to do well with the ball at his feet like last night, then the game will really open up for the Lions.

MF, Oriol Rosell, 6.5 — With four tackles, 52 passes, and 61 touches, Rosell was on the ball often and had the kind of quiet game expected from a defensive midfielder. Rosell wasn’t too present in the offensive side of things like Mendez, but didn’t really need to be as he shut down passing lanes and smothered Minnesota’s options. Or at least until Molino’s assist that breezed past him and gave Minnesota life, so he loses a bit of praise there.

MF, Chris Mueller, 4 — Mueller lacked his usual bite in the match and there may be some lingering issues with his shoulder. Mueller certainly didn’t look like the energetic midfielder that had the league buzzing in the group stage, even though he had the benefit of Ruan opening up space on his side of the field. He was uncharacteristically sluggish and tended to pass laterally or back rather than pushing the envelope offensively. The American made some nice tackles to disrupt play when tracking back, but was beaten on occasion as well during his 66 minutes on the field.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6 — Although he didn’t play a role in any of the goals or have any key passes in this one, Pereyra directed the flow of play and did well in the midfield. Pereyra finished with 54 passes and a strong 85% success rate on those passes. Whether he was surrounded by defenders or sitting deep in the midfield to pick out a pass, Pereyra was a key part of Orlando’s offensive possessions.

MF, Nani, 8.5 (MotM) — He did exactly what he was brought in to do as a Designated Player. Nani created chance after chance and scored the team’s first two goals with mostly solo efforts. With a perfect first touch and understated strength, he beat his defender to squeak a goal past goalkeeper Tyler Miller. His second goal was a thing of beauty. Nani created space and curled one into the right corner from distance. His two goals in seven minutes shouldn’t overshadow the rest of his Man of the Match performance which included a secondary assist on Michel’s goal to see out the game.

F, Tesho Akindele, 5 — It was another quiet night for Akindele, with his best chance to score coming in the 15th minute. Ruan whipped a low cross in front of goal for him, but he just couldn’t keep his shot from going over the crossbar. He was substituted for some fresher legs in the 66th minute and just didn’t see much action beyond drawing defender’s attention.

Substitutes

F, Benji Michel (66’) 6 — The forward was brought on with a two-goal lead and did fairly well holding possession on offense and keeping Minnesota honest with the threat of a counter. His goal sealed the win for the Lions in the last moments of the match, weaving around Miller to score on an empty net. You have to appreciate his effort to sprint and make sure that Orlando advanced.

MF, Junior Urso (66’) 5.5 — Urso made his return to the field after an injury in the group stage to help the Lions see out the game. He committed some debatable fouls and gave away possession a few times but hopefully it was just some rust. He does deserve credit for the assist in Michel’s late goal and making runs and for helping see out the clock by finding teammates in space.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel (85’), N/A — The center back came on later for Jansson and had a clearance to do his part in Orlando’s defense against a surging Minnesota team but wasn’t on long enough to earn a grade.

MF, Andrés Perea (85’), N/A — The midfielder brought fresh legs to help back up a fading Ruan on the right side of the field. His biggest moment came when Ruan got twisted around and Perea rushed to jump and intercept a cross from going into the box.

D, Kyle Smith (89’), N/A — Smith came in to relieve Pereyra and gave Orlando some more presence on defense to successfully secure the win.

It was a good game both offensively and defensively from Orlando City, which wasn’t something that happened too often in the past. But with Head Coach Oscar Pareja providing leadership and the team practically oozing confidence, the Lions have proven they can hang with the big dogs in the league. Nani’s brace in just six minutes will certainly grab attention, but it was a team effort for Orlando to make it this far in the tournament.

How do you feel about the individual performances and the grades? Were we too low or too high on some players? Tell us by commenting and voting on the Man of the Match below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Nani114
Robin Jansson5
João Moutinho101
Sebas Mendez46
Other2

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Lion Links: 1/21/25

Orlando Pride release preseason camp roster, scouting Costa Rica, women’s soccer transfer grades, and more.

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21 hours ago

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January 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone! If you had yesterday off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, then I hope you enjoyed some restful time off. If not, then I hope you got your week started off on a good and productive note. There’s a lot going on around here this week as the United States Men’s National Team is in town, and Orlando City will play its first preseason match on Saturday. That means we have plenty to discuss, so let’s dig into today’s links.

Orlando Pride Drop Preseason Roster

Monday might have been a holiday but the Orlando Pride were busy, as they announced the roster for their upcoming preseason camp. Almost all of the usual suspects from the 2024 season are back, as the Pride return 98% of the player-minutes from last season and every single scorer. Mariana Larroquette is on the list although she’s currently on loan in Argentina, and Amanda Allen is likewise included after her loan at Lexington Sporting Club was terminated due to a torn labrum. The biggest intrigue comes from the trio of non-roster invitees: goalkeeper DeAira Jackson, midfielder Aryssa Mahrt, and forward Simone Jackson.

Scouting Costa Rica

The USMNT takes on Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium to wrap up the team’s annual January camp. Like the U.S., Costa Rica is bringing a roster devoid of the majority of its important players. Costa Rica also has a new manager at the helm in Miguel Herrera, who will take charge of the team for the very first time on Wednesday. Herrera typically lines his teams up in a 5-3-2 where the wingbacks take on a very important role and the team looks to hit on the counter while staying compact at the back. This will be the last time we see the USMNT in action until the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in early March.

Women’s Soccer January Transfer Grades

January has been a busy time for transfers in the women’s soccer world, so which teams have done the best business? Well, the Orlando Pride received an A grade for signing Marta to a new two-year deal, retaining a player who helped the team win its first ever trophies. Liverpool got an A for signing Julia Bartel on loan from Chelsea. Leicester City made an interesting call by transferring goalkeeper Lize Kop to Tottenham despite just being a point above the relegation zone. The Foxes get a C for the move, while Spurs get a B+ for adding a capable netminder.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans taking part in some very important games over the course of this week. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus face Club Brugge today in the UEFA Champions League, while Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Esmir Bajraktarević, Malik Tillman and PSV Eindhoven take on Crvena Zvezda in the same competition. Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan will play Girona in the UCL on Wednesday, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic take on Young Boys. On Friday, John Tolkin could make his Bundesliga debut when his new team, Holstein Kiel, travels to face Wolfsburg.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride players reported for their preseason physicals on Monday.
  • Meanwhile, Orlando City took on the dreaded beep test during Monday’s training session.

That’s all I have for you today. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Striker Suddenly a Position of Need for Orlando City

Departures and a key injury mean Orlando City needs a striker heading into the 2025 MLS season.

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2 days ago

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January 20, 2025

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Image Courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City reached the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in 2024, a milestone for the club. The core of the team was locked up through the 2025 season, so there was no reason to believe it needed to add much this off-season. Unfortunately, injuries and departures have created a serious problem for the team.

The group of forwards last year consisted of Duncan McGuire, Ramiro Enrique, and Jack Lynn. McGuire scored 15 goals in 2023 and was expected to depart for Blackburn Rovers before a clerical error allowed the Lions to keep their target man. The team’s primary striker scored 11 goals in 37 games — the same number as the previous season — but split time starting with Enrique. The Argentinian improved greatly in 2024, increasing his total goal tally from four to 12. Even Lynn showed tremendous improvement last year, playing a greater role in the team and scoring his first two MLS goals.

The future also seemed bright for the Orlando City forwards because of their ages. Lynn is the oldest of the trio at just 25 years old. Meanwhile, McGuire and Enrique are only 23, so there was no reason to believe this group couldn’t produce this coming season.

The problem at striker began in the postseason when McGuire was pulled down by Charlotte FC midfielder Djibril Diani in the final first round game of the playoffs. McGuire suffered a shoulder injury during the challenge that required surgery on Dec. 13. It’s expected that the striker could take four to five months to return to action, possibly leaving him out until May or June.

Another blow to Orlando’s attack occurred Saturday when Lynn surprisingly announced his retirement from professional soccer. In just over a month, Orlando City went from having three strikers to having just one as preseason training starts.

With McGuire injured and Lynn gone, one option would be to have Designated Player Luis Muriel play up top. However, the Colombian prefers to play a more withdrawn position and proved to be effective in that role last year. Since Head Coach Oscar Pareja prefers to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, the Lions need someone up top to control the ball and involve the midfielders in the attack. That’s not Muriel’s game.

The result of these issues is that nobody is currently behind Enrique when the season begins. If the Argentinian gets tired, hurt, or simply needs rest, Pareja is limited in his options. 

Whether there was a lack of strikers or a lack of goals from the position previously, that problem was resolved by the club’s all-time leading goal scorer. Facundo Torres scored 20 goals in 2024, becoming the first player in Orlando City’s MLS history and the second player in club history to do so. He went on to set a new club record for total goals of 47.

However, Orlando City sold its best player to Brazilian side Palmeiras on Dec. 20. It was a gut punch to fans as Torres had signed a new contract on Jan. 10, 2024 that ran through the 2026 season. There had been talk for the last couple of years that the attacker would look for a move to Europe and rumors of a move to South America arose this off-season. Still, it created a huge gap the club has to fill.

There are players on the roster that can make up for the injury and departures. Martin Ojeda had a strong season in 2024, finishing with seven goals and 13 assists. His seven goals ranked fourth on the team and his 13 assists topped the squad alongside Nico Lodeiro. Muriel came on strong later in the season, finishing with five goals and eight assists. But those numbers are a long way from the 20 goals that Torres tallied last year.

Even if you consider all goal contributions, Ojeda and Muriel fall well short of Torres. Ojeda had a total of 20 goal contributions in 2024 while Muriel had 13. In addition to Torres’s 20 goals, he added nine assists for a team-leading 29 goal contributions.

All of this information leads to one undeniable fact — Orlando City needs to sign a striker prior to the season. And there’s not much time for Luiz Muzzi to act. The European transfer window closes on Feb. 3 and many MLS teams have already been filling similar needs. With the season starting in just over a month, the options will be limited if the Lions don’t do something soon.

After the best postseason finish in Orlando City’s MLS history, things were looking good heading into 2025. While the back line and most of the midfield is returning, McGuire’s injury and the departure of Torres and Lynn have left the Lions in a tough spot offensively. If they don’t do something in the next couple of weeks, it could be a long 2025.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/20/25

Orlando City signs Nicolas Rodriguez, Jack Lynn announces retirement, USMNT defeats Venezuela in friendly, and more.

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2 days ago

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January 20, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope you’re all having a good holiday weekend as we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Over the past week, I’ve been working and covering high school ice hockey. It will be a busy week in Orlando, with the United States Men’s National Team’s match against Costa Rica on Wednesday and Orlando City’s first preseason match against Atletico Mineiro on Saturday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Signs Nicolas Rodriguez

Orlando City announced on Friday that the club has signed forward Nicolas Rodriguez from Fortaleza CEIF in Colombia’s top flight. The deal is through the 2027 season, with a club option for 2028, and Rodriguez will occupy a MLS U22 Initiative slot. Rodriguez made 19 appearances for Fortaleza, recording 1,607 minutes, five goals, and three assists during the 2024 Primera A Clausura season. The Lions add a young attacking player the club can develop and Rodriguez can play on the right wing, the right side of a three-man midfield, or in the No. 10 spot.

Jack Lynn Announces Retirement

Orlando City forward Jack Lynn announced his retirement from professional soccer on Saturday. Lynn was drafted by Orlando in the first round of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. He became a regular starter for Orlando City B, scoring a team-record 38 goals in over three seasons with the MLS NEXT Pro side. Lynn also won the Golden Boot with 19 goals during the 2023 season and became the first OCB player to be named MLS NEXT Pro MVP. He played sparingly with the first team, but he scored twice last season as his role increased. The Lions will likely look to add another striker for more depth up top.

Orlando Pride Acquire Allocation Money in Trade

On Friday, the Orlando Pride announced that the club has acquired $50,000 in Allocation Money from the Washington Spirit. In exchange, the Pride sent the Spirit a 2025 international roster spot. The Pride will face the Spirit in the NWSL Challenge Cup final on March 7 at Inter&Co Stadium.

USMNT Defeats Venezuela in Friendly

The USMNT defeated Venezuela 3-1 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday in a friendly. Jack McGlynn and Patrick Agyemang scored in the first half to give the USMNT a 2-0 lead just before halftime. Matko Milijevic scored the third goal for the Americans in the second half, with Venezuela pulling one back thanks to a goal from Jorge Yriarte. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has led the USMNT to winning four out of its first five matches since he took charge last September. The USMNT’s next match will be against Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium.

Alyssa Naeher Named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year

On Saturday, goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was voted 2024 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year. Naeher won 40% of the vote, while defender Naomi Girma finished in second with 32%. In her final year with the USWNT, Naeher ended 2024 with 18 starts, playing 1,170 minutes and only conceding 11 goals. She played a crucial role with clutch saves to help the USWNT win the 2024 SheBelieves Cup, 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup, and gold at the Olympics in Paris. Naeher is the second goalkeeper to win the award since Hope Solo won it in 2009.

Free Kicks

  • Manchester City forward Erling Haaland has reached an agreement with the club on a record-breaking contract that extends his deal through 2034.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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