Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Player Grades & Man of the Match
Winning is fun! It wasn’t necessarily the prettiest win (torrential rain will do that to a soccer game), but Orlando City grabbed a much-needed 1-0 victory over the Chicago Fire courtesy of a second-half Benji Michel goal. Let’s have a look at how I rated each player in the win.
Starters
GK, Mason Stajduhar, 8 (MotM) — The Homegrown goalkeeper takes the honors for this one as he earned his first MLS shutout with a great performance. Our own Sean Rollins mentioned that Mason looks to have much better command of his box than he did during his first few games with Orlando City, and I think that was on display Saturday night. Aside from one occasion where Joao Moutinho headed a ball away that Stajduhar was coming to claim, he was on the same page with his defenders for the duration of the match. He did a good job of judging when he needed to come and claim a ball, and then followed through well on making contact or catching each one of them. He also made two excellent saves, with one in second half stoppage time that preserved all three points for the Lions. Overall, a much deserved Man of the Match.
D, Joao Moutinho, 7 — Joao didn’t have as much influence on the offensive end as he sometimes does, and his shot that went wide of the post in the second half when he was in an advanced position was disappointing, considering that the Lions had numbers forward. With that being said, it’s been good to have him back in the lineup, and while his crossing wasn’t as much of a weapon in this game as it can be, he still put a few very dangerous balls into the box. He was also rock solid defensively and was particularly good at helping provide an outlet when Chicago pressed high. Statistically, he passed at an 89% rate, completed one dribble and won an aerial duel.
D, Robin Jansson, 7 — This was another in a long line of good showings for the Swede. He totalled three interceptions, two clearances and a block while being the physical presence in defense that we’ve come to expect of him. I can’t help but feel that a goal is coming for Jansson sooner rather than later, and he wasn’t far away with a fierce left-footed drive from outside the box in the second half that didn’t quite start dipping in time to sneak under the bar. His other numbers going forward included a 95% passing rate with a key pass thrown in for good measure.
D, Antonio Carlos, 7.5 — Like his partner in central defense Jansson, Carlos continues to barely put a foot wrong defensively. He had another great game vs. Chicago with three tackles, two interceptions, a whopping eight clearances and an equally impressive five blocks. One sliding interception/clearance in his own box with the second half winding down was particularly eye-catching but he continues to be a pillar of defensive solidity even when he isn’t making the flashy play. To cap things off he passed the ball at a respectable enough 85% rate. All-Star snub, thy name is Antonio.
D, Ruan, 7 — The thing that impressed me most about Ruan in this game was his crossing. His delivery from wide areas isn’t always the best, and if he can become more consistent in that area then look the hell out. Against Chicago he did just that, with one of his two crosses finding the head of Chris Mueller with the other being met by Benji Michel. Like Moutinho, he didn’t have quite as much of an offensive impact as he sometimes does, although again, like Moutinho he was very good defensively. His numbers of one tackle, five interceptions and three clearances back that up.
MF, Junior Urso, 7 — The Bear did a bit of everything in this game. Defensively he had three tackles, two interceptions and two clearances while putting in his typical shift of hard running and gritty play in the middle of the field. Offensively he had two key passes, a dribble, and a shot. The shot he maybe should have done better with, as it was a header from pretty close range that he could only direct right at Bobby Shuttleworth. It ended up being one of Orlando’s better chances on the night, but with all of the other contributions he made, it’s hard to hold it against him too much.
MF, Joey DeZart, 6.5 — This was definitely a better outing for DeZart than his midweek performance against Nashville. It may be that the 90 minutes he played on Wednesday helped him get up to the speed of the game and get his feet under him, because he did well in his defensive midfield role. The 23-year-old recorded two tackles and an interception while passing the ball at an 85% clip. He didn’t really impact the game offensively, but honestly that’s not exactly what he’s on the field to do and he did well to open up the defense a few times. This was a solid performance from DeZart, and hopefully its one that he can build on.
MF, Silvester van der Water, 7.5 — Van der Water carried the most threat for Orlando on the night and very nearly was involved in two goals. He was desperately unlucky to have his left-footed shot crash off the inside of the far post and stay out, but that chance was a definite sign that he was up for this one. Scarcely a minute later he chased a ball down the right hand side and put a cross into a fantastic area, but neither Tesho Akindele or Benji Michel could convert the chance. His influence waned a little after that, although to be fair it would have been quite a task of maintaining that degree of threat for the remainder of his time on the field. Still, he had three shots, two key passes, two successful dribbles, two interceptions and a tackle. Another impressive game from the Dutchman.
MF, Benji Michel, 7 — Benji made up for failing to take the aforementioned first half chances in the best way possible, by putting away the next chance the fell his way. It wasn’t as easy as it might have looked either, and he did very well to take his time, pick his head up, and absolutely smash his shot low and into the corner where Shuttleworth couldn’t reach it. He also completed a dribble that was a pretty fantastic sequence where he picked up the ball on the left side of midfield, brought the ball past a couple defenders and out to the right side of the field, picked his head up and played a great diagonal ball over the top to Junior Urso. It was good to see him get back among the goals after having some difficulty in front of net in recent games.
F, Nani, 6.5 — The captain’s night was cut short by some muscle tightness that he’s been dealing with lately and all-in-all that was probably a smart move with the MLS All-Star Game right around the corner, followed by a match against Inter Miami just two days later. In his 29 minutes on the field Nani completed two dribbles and passed at a 83% clip, but rather understandably, wasn’t able to make a particularly big impact on the game. However, he showed well enough in the short time he was on the field, and personally I’m hoping that he isn’t given too much to do out at the All-Star festivities.
F, Tesho Akindele, 7.5 — Tesho had himself a damn good game in this one. For one thing, he created the turnover that led to Benji’s goal and also got his career high fifth assist on it. Besides that though, he had two shots, two key passes, two dribbles, was fouled three times, made one tackle and had four clearances. Outside of the numbers though, his hold-up play was excellent and if anyone claims otherwise I’ll happily take you to task on that point. He did a great job of not only winning the balls that were sent up to him, but also finding his teammates once he had done so and bringing them into the game. He also made smart runs and all-around worked hard for the whole game. If not for Mason’s heroics as the game wound down, he would have been my choice for MotM.
Substitutes
MF, Chris Mueller (29’), 6.5 — Cash was brought into the game for Nani and had a bit of a tough task since he didn’t look to get much, if any warmup time. He didn’t play his best game in purple, but by no means was he bad either. He had one shot, one key pass and was fouled once, but didn’t have a ton of impact in the game. He maybe should have done better with his header in the first half, although to be fair to him he had to generate most of the power himself and the ball was slightly behind him. Still, he filled in well enough after being brought on cold, and was effective at holding the ball in the corner and helping the Lions chip away at the clock some.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel (79’), N/A — The man with the golden hands was brought on for goal-scorer Benji Michel to help shore things up defensively. He did just that with a blocked shot. An odd statistical quirk is that he apparently did not attempt a pass during the 17 minutes that he was on the field, which seems super weird, but there you go.
D, Emmanuel Mas (85’), N/A — Like Schlegel, Mas was subbed on for van der Water to help lock down the game defensively. He contributed one tackle to the cause and passed the ball at a 75% rate. He’s sneakily a pretty crafty fullback, and I’ve enjoyed watching him play so far.
MF, Raul Aguilera Jr. (85’), N/A — An MLS debut for the Homegrown Player! Aguilera came on for DeZart to help get the game over the finish line and succeeded with two clearances and some hard running in midfield. He didn’t have a ton of time to show what he can do, so he’ll be one to keep an eye out for going forward.
That’s how I saw the grades during this one. Feel free to share your own thoughts in the comments and don’t forget to vote for who you think should have been the Man of the Match.
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Mason Stajduhar | 75 |
| Antonio Carlos | 12 |
| Benji Michel | 4 |
| Tesho Akindele | 4 |
| Other (shout them out in the comments) | 2 |
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Club Leon, Leagues Cup: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Blow Halftime Lead in Loss
Marco Pasalic gave the Lions a halftime lead, but the defense got leaky in the second half.
Marco Pasalic put Orlando City ahead in the first half, but two second-half mistakes and what appeared to be a clear foul in the penalty area late on Club Leon led to the Lions falling 2-1 at home tonight on the second matchday of Leagues Cup. Juan Guevara and Daniel Arcila pulled Leon back from a goal down in the second half, and an Orlando City (1-1) side that didn’t rotate much from Wednesday’s game looked a bit leggy in the second half against Leon (2-0).
“I think, of course, very very sad for the result for us, for our people, for everyone,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “We were trying to compete in the best way as possible and trying to win, and we couldn’t. Congrats to them; they did a really good job. We were there, trying to to compete. At the end, we were short.”
Perelman’s lineup featured Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, Iago, and Zakaria Taifi. Luis Otavio and Wilder Cartagena started in central midfielders with Ivan Angulo and Tyrese Spicer in the attack and Marco Pasalic and Antoine Griezmann up top.
The start of the game was bereft of action as the teams tried to figure one another out. The Lions nearly created something magical five minutes after kickoff when Pasalic sent in a great ball over the top for Griezmann, who brought it down, but it bounced a bit wide, and when he went to ground to try to shoot, the defender caught up and blocked the effort.
Neither team could do much with a corner kick opportunity over the next 15 minutes and much of the action was played between the boxes. Pasalic earned a free kick in a dangerous spot when he blew past Juan Guevara, who brought him down and picked up a yellow card. Griezmann took the free kick from just outside the area but his delivery hit the wall and came back to him. He got under his second effort and put it out of play.
The first real danger from Club Leon came on a ball over the top in the 28th minute. Crepeau came off his line but couldn’t get there before Arcila, who tried to chip the goalkeeper but he sent it wide left. Sebastian Santos got to it before it went over the end line and tried to shoot from a tight angle with Iago defending but he got under his shot and put it over the bar.
Just moments after the ensuing hydration break, Leon nearly scored on another ball over the top that was just out of Iago’s reach. Arcila got to it first and fired a shot that Crepeau saved. Fernando Beltran picked up the rebound and tried to chip the Canadian, but Crepeau was able to go up and catch the shot to keep the game scoreless.
Orlando tried a ball over the top for itself in the 36th minute. Spicer was first to it but as he swung his foot to shoot the bouncing ball, the defense arrived and bodied him, causing him to whiff on his effort. But the Lions scored anyway two minutes later.
Pasalic and Griezmann worked a nice give-and-go in the attacking half and the Frenchman sent Spicer down the left. Spicer fed Pasalic at the top of the area and the Croatian’s shot took a slight deflection and beat Oscar Garcia to make it 1-0.
“Happy to help in the first half with the goal,” Pasalic said.
After the goal, Leon showed more determination in keeping the ball and building up play. The guests couldn’t do much with a couple of corners over the next several minutes.
Leon created another chance in first-half stoppage time, when Iago was beaten and Jansson couldn’t quite get over in time to intervene. Arcila got there first and fired toward the near post but Crepeau knocked it out for a corner.
Griezmann headed away the ensuing set piece to end the first period.
The late spell of possession after Pasalic’s goal helped Leon lead in that category at the break (54.1%-45.9%). The Liga MX side also led in shots (8-6), shots on target (5-2), and corners (4-2). Orlando City passed slightly more accurately in the opening half (92.7%-91.8%)
Griffin Dorsey entered the game at halftime for Taifi, but it was Club Leon who brought the energy to the start of the second half. In the opening minutes, Crepeau was forced into two great saves. Rhein turned it over in his defensive third, and Arcila’s cheeky backheel of a cross in from the right forced the Canadian international to make a a diving stop. Leon sent the ball back in from the left to a wide-open Jordi Cortizo in front but sent it right at Crepeau for another save.
Orlando’s first chance of the second half came on a Griezmann corner kick. Dorsey headed it across the box and Iago made a flying attempt at a bicycle kick, but he missed the ball and committed a foul in the process.
Leon got back on the front foot after that, with Jansson doing well to block an Arcila shot at the top of the area in the 51st minute. Arcila then got to a cross and stabbed it wide a minute later, but the initial play was offside.
The visitors tied the game in the 54th minute off a long-range set piece near the left sideline. The cross appeared to go in off of Dorsey, who was trying to mark Juan Guevara. Crepeau got to it just after it crossed the line. Dorsey said something to Crepeau after the play, but Guevara was ultimately credited with the goal.
Orlando’s struggles throughout the game came in the attacking third, and it was magnified in the second half. One such play was a nice buildup in the 69th minute that ended up with Rhein on the left, but the youngster made a mess of his cross, sending it out of play. Two minutes later, substitute Justin Ellis headed a pass to Dorsey that he perhaps should have shot. Ellis got it to Dorsey, who didn’t make good contact and sent a weak shot for Garcia to collect.
It was a costly missed opportunity, as Leon scored the winning goal a minute later. Rhein got caught too far upfield after heading the ball forward, and Leon broke in transition down the right side in behind him. Ivan Moreno found Arcila at the top of the area and the striker found space in front of Iago and sent an inch-perfect shot inside the left post to make it 2-1 in the 72nd minute.
Perelman sent Daryl Dike into the game as Orlando chased the match, and the Lions should have gone to the spot in the 84th minute. Ellis sent a fantastic ball to send Harvey Sarajian into the area on the right. Guevara caught up from behind, threw an arm across the rookie forward’s face, and bundled him over from behind, but referee Jose Camacho Espinoza incredibly saw nothing wrong with what the Leon defender did. There did not even seem to be a stoppage for video review, although media were informed that the play was checked.
“Ellis played the ball through. I’m through. I felt contact to the back, and in my opinion, I thought it was a foul,” Sarajian said. “But the referee didn’t agree. So it is what it is. I felt the contact (to the head and neck area).”
“I saw it,” Perelman said of the play. “I think the same thing as (the media).”
Leon was content to put numbers behind the ball and use the dark arts as much as possible to slow things down. The Lions won a lot of set pieces but could not pay them off. Crepeau came up to join the last few, but in the end, the Lions couldn’t find a way through the mass of Leon defenders down the stretch.
With Leon ceding possession and staying compact late, Orlando City finished with more possession (51.7%-48.3%), while also having the advantage in corners (7-5) and passing accuracy (90%-88.2%). Leon attempted far more shots (18-10) and put more on target (10-3). It was the inability to threaten goal that ultimately prevented Orlando from building on its lead or clawing back into the match.
Pasalic spoke to the referee after the game. He had been taken out in the middle of the pitch in first-half stoppage time that not only didn’t earn Leon a yellow card, but it wasn’t even deemed a foul. He came out to try to play through it in the second half, but the earlier contact forced him off before the hour mark and appeared to be one of the more egregious fouls in the match, despite the no-call.
“Suddenly, I get the hit in my knee, so my knee was getting a lump,” Pasalic said. “And I spoke with them in the halftime. I tried it to go out in the second half, but I felt that my knee is not going to help the team. It’s nothing serious, but I just want to be sure that the team has 10 players on the pitch who can play fully. I mean, I don’t want to get fined. No, just I want to speak in a respectful way about (the referee). For me, it’s unacceptable that he don’t give even the foul when I get fouled, and because of this, I was not able to play again in the second half, fully. This was not even a yellow card.”
The Lions will close out the first phase of Leagues Cup Wednesday at home against Atletico de San Luis.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Club León, Leagues Cup: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Lions look to keep pace with the other MLS sides that won in the first round when León visits Orlando tonight.
Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Saturday night Leagues Cup matchup between Orlando City (1-0) and Liga MX side Club León (1-0) at the building formerly known as Orlando City Stadium (6:30 p.m., Apple TV). Tonight’s meeting is the first between these two sides.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.
History
As this is the first-ever clash between these two clubs, there is no history between them. Orlando City is 4-2-7 in competitive matches against Liga MX teams.
Match Overview
Orlando City is coming off Wednesday’s 2-1 win over CF Monterrey in its 2026 Leagues Cup opener. Antoine Griezmann and Tyrese Spicer (penalty) scored on either side of halftime, but Hugo Cuypers pulled one back deep in stoppage time, which could be a problem for the Lions in the tiebreakers if they can find success tonight and Wednesday.
León enters tonight off a 1-0 win against a heavily rotated Nashville SC side that played without Hany Mukhtar and didn’t have Sam Surridge in the match until after the hour mark. Daniel Arcila scored in the 79th minute as León snatched a late win in the competition. León is the competition’s No. 28-ranked team (Orlando is No. 19) and is 14th in the Liga MX table after three rounds, with a 1-2-0 record. Los Panzas Verdes have won two straight in all competitions, however, having beaten Nashville a few days ago on the heels of Saturday’s 1-0 home win over 10-man Pachuca. León lost its first two league matches of the season — 3-2 at home to Atlas and 1-0 at Club Tijuana.
Orlando must stay focused defensively for the entirety of the game, as with any Liga MX side, and the priorities should be taking care of the ball while being quick to transition back defensively if the attack turns it over. If the Lions can keep scoring goals at home as they have, that would help.
“We did the recovery process in this short window between one game and the other, and getting ready the team to be able to perform and win, because this is what we want every time we jump on the field, especially at home,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “We enjoyed the victory (Wednesday) but it’s over and now we need to think on the next game and this is the mode we’re in now.”
Official Lineups:
Orlando City (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.
Defenders: Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, Iago, Zakaria Taifi.
Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Luis Otavio, Wilder Cartagena, Tyrese Spicer.
Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Marco Pasalic.
Bench: Javier Otero, Tristan Himes, Adrian Marin, Griffin Dorsey, David Brekalo, Joran Gerbet, Issah Haruna, Gustavo Caraballo, Tiago, Harvey Sarajian, Justin Ellis, Daryl Dike.
León (4-1-4-1)
Goalkeeper: Oscar Garcia.
Defenders: Sebastian Vegas, Juan Guevara, Jhohan Romana, Ivan Moreno .
Defensive Midfielder: Ivan Rodriguez.
Midfielders: Sebastian Santos, Rodrigo Echeverria, Fernando Beltran, Jordi Cortizo.
Forward: Daniel Arcila.
Bench: Irving Martinez, Julio Gonzalez, Bryan Colula, Juan Dominguez, Sebastian Fierro, Jose Alvarado, Paul Bellon, Salvador Reyes, Luis Valadez, Christopher Mora, Gael Camarena, Jesus Lara.
Referees:
REF: Jose Camacho Espinoza..
AR1: Jeriel Valverde Diaz.
AR2: David Moran Santos.
4TH: Hector Said Martinez.
VAR: Yasith Monge.
How to Watch
Match Time: 6:30 p.m.
Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.
TV/Live Stream: Apple TV.
Radio: None.
Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.
Enjoy the match. Go City!
Opinion
Three Unlikely Players Who Could Shape the Second Half of Orlando City’s Season
Three Lions who are in position to affect Orlando’s fortunes as they start the back half of the 2026 season.
With 18 matches under its belt in Major League Soccer, Orlando City is just past the midway point of its season. Despite a horrific first few months, there’s been reason for optimism lately with improved play and some better results to go along with it. There’s still a lot of improvement that can be made, and with MLS play, Leagues Cup, and a U.S. Open Cup semifinal all on the table, there will be plenty of time to do so.
When it comes to key players for the rest of the season, there are a few usual suspects that spring to mind. Antoine Griezmann, Justin Ellis, Martin Ojeda (once he’s back from injury), Robin Jansson, and Maxime Crepeau are probably chief among those names. Rather than focus on them, I’d like to discuss a few less prominent names that could have large impacts on the remainder of the Lions’ season.
Bernardo Rhein
We start with a player who has emerged at a rapid pace in Orlando’s first four games back from the World Cup break. The 18-year-old Rhein has started two of them, and for my money he’ done enough to firmly displace Adrian Marin as the starting left back. He helped keep a clean sheet in his first start against Nashville, contributing a tackle, a clearance, an interception, and six recoveries while also providing a key pass. He then came on at halftime against the New York Red Bulls and had two interceptions, a tackle, and two key passes, while providing both an offensive and defensive upgrade over Marin after a rough outing for the Spaniard. Against Monterrey, his three completed dribbles were tied for the most in the match, and he also recorded three tackles, two interceptions, a clearance, and seven recoveries.
It hasn’t been flawless, as he can get caught out of position or have balls played over him at times, but by and large he’s looked like he’s belonged. That’s good too, because while Marin’s technical ability isn’t an issue, his physical traits are. He simply doesn’t look like he can move well enough or quickly enough to play fullback in MLS, and shy of him taking over for David Brekalo while the Slovenian reprises the left back role he’s so often held for this team, Marin should be backing up Rhein. The youngster has flashed good defending in 1-v-1 situations, and has shown himself to be capable of contributing at the other end of the field as well.
That offensive ability gives Orlando the option to overload either side of the field and provides some balance and variance in the attack that will make the Lions tougher to play against. Care will be needed to not have Rhein and Griffin Dorsey pushing forward at the same time, leaving the defense exposed, but the next player on the list can help mitigate the danger that would come from those situations.
Luis Otavio
Orlando City announced on Thursday night that Braian Ojeda has had surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his right foot. He’ll likely be on the shelf at least six to eight weeks, and the club says it expects him to be back in the fall. With Ojeda out, 19-year-old Luis Otavio likely has the inside track to his starting role in central midfield. He’s the one who took Ojeda’s place in the lineup against Monterrey, and he’s played more than Wilder Cartagena, with 13 appearances and 547 league minutes to five and 47 for the Peruvian.
After some shaky performances earlier in the year, Otavio was excellent in his two recent starts against Nashville and Monterrey — going the full 90 against the Mexican side. Against the ‘Yotes, he filled in admirably for the suspended Eduard Atuesta with three tackles, two clearances, two recoveries, and a key pass. Wednesday night saw him take over for the injured Ojeda and record three tackles, two interceptions, one clearance, and three recoveries.
So far, he hasn’t offered what Ojeda does going forward, but frankly he doesn’t really need to. With the way Ivan Angulo, Tyrese Spicer, Ellis, and Griezmann have been playing, there are plenty of creative forces on the field, and that’s without the injured Martin Ojeda. All Otavio needs to do is provide a physical and energetic presence in the middle of the field, and he’s capable of doing that. The youngster can cover a lot of ground, isn’t shy about putting in a tackle, and is generally good at doing the sort of unheralded dirty work that made Cesar Araujo so vital during his time as a Lion. It’s too soon to say for sure that Otavio will follow in the Uruguayan’s mold, but he should certainly get plenty of opportunities to do so given (Braian) Ojeda’s injury.
Daryl Dike
That brings me to Orlando’s most recent signing. Dike made his first appearance in his second stint as a Lion on Wednesday, and he showed some encouraging signs during his 20 minutes on the field. His hold-play was as good, his movement was clever, and he completed two of the three dribbles he attempted while generally being the fast and physical handful that he was before going across the pond. He’ll rue the cross that he fluffed his lines on, as a goal on his return would have been a dream, but he got himself into good areas and was extremely difficult for the Monterrey defenders to deal with.
There’s probably some rust that needs to be shaken off — a few of his runs could have been timed a little better, and while he only attempted four passes, completing just two of them leaves a little to be desired. He should get plenty of chances to build sharpness though, as the Lions have at least six more matches to play during the month of August, and he’s got a unique profile when compared to the rest of the attacking options on the team. While it’ll be tough to displace Ellis, given how he’s been playing, Dike offers an option as a target forward and could be lethal when receiving service from Orlando’s creative players.
Sean Rollins recently wrote about Orlando’s need for a dependable, goal-scoring center forward, and if Dike can rediscover the form he showed during his first stint in purple, then it could push the Lions in the right direction up the table. While the defense has been better after the World Cup break, its still shown itself to be vulnerable, and OCSC will likely find itself in need of regular goals if it wants to keep picking up results. Once Martin Ojeda returns, he and Griezmann should be able to help with that, but if Dike can share the load, then it’ll add another dimension to the team.
On the flip side, if those three guys don’t play well, then it could make life much more difficult for Orlando. If Rhein struggles, then either Marin will need to reprise his role, swap with Brekalo, or the Lions might move to a three man defense that would risk disrupting the fluid offensive style they’ve been using. Otavio not playing well would put a lot of pressure on Wilder Cartagena, Joran Gerbet, and Colin Guske — all of whom are either mostly or completely untested this year for various reasons. If Dike can’t get going again it might not be the end of the world since OCSC’s offense largely hasn’t been the problem this season, but it would deprive the Lions of a unique, difficult-to-handle option and lessen Orlando’s ability to effectively rotate.
Personally though, I think all three players will come good to some degree. Otavio and Rhein have done good things in their extended time on the field lately, and Dike looked promising on Wednesday and should get plenty of great service while also having familiar surroundings and a proven track record to hold him in good stead. Here’s hoping I’m right. Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City vs. Club Leon, Leagues Cup: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Blow Halftime Lead in Loss
Orlando City vs. Club León, Leagues Cup: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
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