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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Union?

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1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City started its 2025 MLS campaign with a disappointing 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Union. The game started well but got out of hand when the Lions fell behind by two and then three goals. The blame can be shared by some terrible defending, poor finishing, and fantastic goalkeeping by Andre Blake. The loss continues a run of poor results stemming from a winless preseason.

Let’s take a look at the individual performances in this troubling loss.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 5 β€” The Union didn’t have many chances in this game, but they scored plenty. They put four of their 10 shots on target and all beat Gallese, who didn’t make a single save. Much of the blame goes to the poor back line, but giving up four goals without a save is a bad night. In addition to his lack of shot-stopping, Gallese completed 70.8% of his 24 passes, including five of his 11 long balls.

D, Rafael Santos, 4.5 β€” Santos led the team with 108 touches on the night. He completed 82.4% of his 68 passes, including a key pass. However, he only completed two of his 10 crosses and four of his 11 long balls. He also took one off-target shot. Defensively, Santos recorded two tackles, an interception, two clearances, a blocked shot, and won two aerial duels. The left back’s most impactful moment came in the 47th minute when he let Daniel Gazdag get behind him and volley in the go-ahead goal.

D, David Brekalo, 5 β€” Brekalo’s 95 touches were second on the team behind Santos. He completed 91.6% of his team-high 83 passes, including four of his eight long balls. The center back took two shots but both were off target. Defensively, Brekalo had one tackle, two interceptions, four clearances, and won three aerial duels. Unfortunately, he was at fault for the equalizing goal in the 23rd when he failed to pick up the run by Tai Baribo, allowing the attacker to tap in a Kai Wagner pass. 

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 4.5 β€” Schlegel had 75 touches in this game while completing 91.9% of his 62 passes and two of his four long balls. Defensively, he had two tackles, four clearances, and a blocked shot. The whole defense was bad in this game, but Schlegel made the worst mistake. In the 51st minute, he misplayed a pass by Brekalo, allowing Mikael Uhre to get in on goal and make it 3-1.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallason, 5.5 β€” Thorhallsson had 44 touches on the night and completed 86.7% of his 30 passes. He didn’t attempt any crosses and his lone long ball was incomplete. Defensively he had a clearance and a blocked shot before being replaced by Alex Freeman in the 56th minute. I bumped him at least a half point above the other defenders despite a rather forgettable game because he was the only one on the back line not directly responsible for a goal.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 5.5 β€” Araujo had 71 touches in the game and completed 93% of his 57 passes, including five of his six long balls. He also drew a team-high seven fouls. Defensively, Araujo had one tackle, two clearances, and a blocked shot. However, he was partially at fault for not getting back to cover Baribo on Philadelphia’s fourth goal.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 5.5 β€” Atuesta had 39 touches in his debut and completed 63.3% of his 30 passes. He had one key pass in the eighth minute, playing Martin Ojeda forward in what turned out to be the opening goal, earning himself a secondary assist. The defensive midfielder also completed two of his four long balls. He took one shot in the game, but it was off-target. Defensively, Atuesta added two tackles and a clearance. He was replaced by Joran Gerbet in the 71st minute.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 4.5 β€” Angulo had 38 touches in this game, completing 88.9% of his 18 passes with a key pass. He only attempted one cross and it was incomplete. The left-sided midfielder was credited with both of his shots on target, but that’s generous. In the 77th minute, a good ball into the box by Freeman found a wide-open Angulo who just had to tap it in. But he scuffed his attempt, sending the ball wide. His turnover in his own defensive third allowed the Union to equalize in the first half. Defensively, Angulo had three tackles, one interception, and one clearance before being replaced by Nico Rodriguez in the 80th minute.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6 β€” Ojeda was one of the few bright spots for Orlando City in this game. He finished with 57 touches and completed 79.3% of his 29 passes with a team-high seven key passes, including one assist. It was his good turn and pass forward in the eighth minute that led to Marco Pasalic’s opening goal. He also completed five of his 13 crosses, both team highs. Two of four shots were on target. In the 60th minute, he forced Blake into a very good save and an excellent free kick nearly led to a goal in the 62nd minute, but Freeman hit the crossbar. Defensively, Ojeda recorded two tackles and an interception in what was a decent game by the number 10.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 6.5 (MotM) β€” Pasalic was without question the most dangerous attacker for Orlando City in this game. He made the most of his 40 touches, completing 84.2% of his 19 passes with two key passes and one of his three long balls. He put four of his seven shots on target, netting a brace, and he could’ve had a hat trick if not for excellent goalkeeping by Blake. He hit the post with an acrobatic attempt in the 79th minute and put in the rebound for his second goal of the night. He added two tackles defensively in a Man of the Match performance in his debut.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 5 β€” It was a pretty forgettable night for the striker, who only compiled 17 touches and didn’t take a shot. He completed 71.4% of his 14 passes and failed to complete his only cross. He had an interception defensively before being replaced by Luis Muriel in the 56th minute.

Substitutes

F, Luis Muriel (56’), 5.5 β€” Muriel was more effective than Enrique in a straight swap in the 56th minute. He also had 17 touches and completed 57.1% of his seven passes, including a key pass. One of his three shots was on target and he nearly scored twice. In the 69th minute, a strong header forced Blake into a diving one-handed save. He was wide open 10 minutes later right in front of the goal, but his shot was off the crossbar. On the defensive end, he had two clearances.

D, Alex Freeman (56’), 6 β€” Freeman replaced Thorhallsson in the 56th minute and was better than the starter. The teenager touched the ball 35 times and completed 86.4% of his 22 passes, including three key passes and his lone long ball. He nearly scored in the 62nd minute when he got his head to an Ojeda free kick, but he hit the crossbar. He was also active defensively, recording a tackle, an interception, and four clearances.

MF, Joran Gerbet (71’), 5.5 β€” Gerbet came on in the 71st minute for Atuesta and had 25 touches in his first professional game. He completed 89.5% of his 19 passes, including all three long balls. He also had a clearance defensively.

MF, Nico Rodriguez (80’), N/A β€” Rodriguez was the final substitution for the Lions, replacing Angulo in the 80th minute. He only had 10 touches and completed 88.9% of his nine passes. He didn’t take any shots nor record any defensive stats in his first 10 minutes as a Lion.

That’s how I saw the performances in Orlando City’s opening night loss to the Union. Let us know how you saw the game and don’t’ forget to vote on your Man of the Match below.

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Orlando City

Flashback Friday: July 4, 2023 vs. Toronto FC

Let’s rewind to an Independence Day affair that had plenty of offensive fireworks.

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3 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The United States Men’s National Team picked up a gritty, resilient 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, and will now face Belgium in a rematch of the 2014 World Cup Round of 16 next Monday. While we patiently wait for that game, it’s time to continue our Friday tradition of revisiting some classic Orlando City games from years past.

Last week, we rewound to a high octane affair against the Chicago Fire in late June 2022, that saw the Lions douse Chicago’s flames and pick up a much-needed 4-2 victory. Today, let’s hop in the time machine and travel back to Independence Day 2023, when Toronto FC came to town.

At the time of Toronto’s visit, things were going relatively smoothly for OCSC. The team was riding a three-match unbeaten streak and had scored five goals across those three games. Oscar Pareja lined up his team in its customary 4-2-3-1, with Pedro Gallese in goal; a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith; Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo in the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres in the attacking midfield; and Duncan McGuire up top.

Orlando very nearly got a goal a little under 10 minutes into the game. Former OCSC goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh knocked down a cross in front of the net, and while Pereyra was first to the ball, he could only blast it over the bar with the goal at his mercy. Fortunately, that miss would not come back to haunt the Lions, who bagged the game’s first goal in the 16th minute. Angulo sucked defenders toward him on the left edge of the box before releasing Santos out wide. The fullback played a peach of a first-time, curling cross to the back post, where Araujo was waiting to power a diving header into the side netting at the far post for his first league goal.

That goal broke the game open, and Orlando got another goal six minutes later to double the advantage. It initially looked like a carbon copy of the first goal, with Santos out in space on the left side of the box, sending in a curled cross. The ball deflected off a defender and came in low toward the goal. Ranjitsingh waited for the ball instead of going to claim it, and that allowed McGuire to nip in front of him and get a touch on the ball to sneak it in at the near post.

Orlando nearly got even more goals inside the half hour, with Torres and McGuire both going close in quick succession. Federico Bernardeschi smashed a shot off the post in the 28th minute, and the Lions seemed to be losing focus a little bit, with the hydration break a welcome pause in play when it came. OCSC came out of the pause well, and Pereyra put Angulo through in the 36th minute, but the Colombian couldn’t bring the ball under control and fashion a shooting chance.

Orlando led in every meaningful statistical category at halftime. The Lions had more possession (55.8%-44.2%), shots (6-2), shots on goal (2-0), corners (4-2), and passing accuracy (89.5%-85%). Most importantly, they led 2-0 on the scoreboard.

Toronto tried to change things at halftime by introducing three substitutes, but Orlando settled back into the game quickly and negated the efforts of interim TFC manager Terry Dunfield. Angulo and Torres forced Ranjitsingh into a pair of saves in the 53rd and 55th minutes, and the Lions tried to press their advantage by sending on Ramiro Enrique and Martin Ojeda in the 57th minute for McGuire and Pereyra.

The game then changed in a big way in the 62nd minute. Cartagena and Bernardeschi exchanged words after a turnover, and the Italian winger put Cartagena on the ground with the help of a little theatrics from the midfielder. Bernardeschi had already been yellow carded in the 47th minute for a foul on Smith, and the altercation with Wilder saw him receive a second yellow and his marching orders to go along with it.

With TFC down to 10 men, the Lions started to tee off at goal. Ojeda came close to getting the team’s third in the 69th minute, with Enrique doing the same in the 71st but missing just wide. When the goal finally came, it was from the unlikely foot of Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, who had been subbed into the game alongside Ercan Kara in the 68th minute.

Thorhallsson made a great run behind the defense in the 77th minute, and Araujo picked him out well. Ranjitsingh came out to try to play sweeper-keeper, but DDT beat him to the ball easily, touched it around the former Lion, and rolled it into the empty net to score his first MLS goal and make it 3-0.

Toronto had a halfway decent chance to pull one back in the 82nd minute, but Brandon Servania’s long-distance attempt at chipping Gallese ended up missing high and settling on the roof of the net. Kara then iced the game in the 84th minute. Araujo fired a pass to Ojeda at the top of the box, and even though he had trouble bringing it under control, he had the presence of mind to backheel it toward goal for the big Austrian to pounce on and fire a low, hard shot into the net for 4-0.

Ojeda nearly got a goal of his own two minutes later but had a great effort saved in what was the last truly dangerous moment of the game.

As was the case at halftime, when the final whistle blew, the Lions had created plenty of fireworks on both the scoreboard and the stat sheet. OCSC finished with more possession (59.6%-40.4%), shots (18-6), shots on target (9-0), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (91%-84.8%).

Marcus Mitchell had Player Grades for this one, and he named Araujo the Man of the Match with a grade of 8 out of 10 for his one-goal/one-assist effort. The other high performers on the night were Antonio Carlos, and Cartagena, who each graded out at 7.5 out of 10.

That’ll do it for this week’s trip down memory lane. We’ve been getting spoiled lately, with Orlando putting up four goals in back-to-back time machine games, and it’s made for an enjoyable glimpse into years gone by. With any luck, next week’s edition will be similarly entertaining. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/3/26

Orlando Pride visit Angel City tonight, NWSL free agents to watch, Portugal and Spain advance, and more.

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3 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! I don’t have many plans this holiday weekend beyond enjoying some soccer and indulging myself in a few hot dogs to celebrate. It should be a fun weekend, but make sure to stay safe out there if you plan on setting off any fireworks. For now though, let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Take On Angel City FC Tonight

The NWSL resumes today and the Orlando Pride will play against Angel City FC at 10 p.m. in their first match since a 3-1 win over Bay FC on May 29. That win capped off a six-game month for the Pride, including a stretch of three straight road games. Meanwhile, Angel City parted ways with Alex Straus over the break after only winning once in May, and tonight’s match will be Leif Gunnar Smerud’s first since being named interim head coach. It can be tough playing an opponent with a new coach, but hopefully the Pride can bring all three points back to Orlando.

Top NWSL Free Agents to Watch

Free agency is officially underway in the NWSL and the list of players with contracts expiring at the end of the year includes some of the league’s best players. Orlando Pride star Marta was listed as one of the top free agents to watch, though I would be pretty shocked if she plays for another NWSL club if she leaves Orlando after this season. Leicy Santos, Debinha, and Rose Lavelle are other skilled attackers who will become free agents, but Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger is sure to have plenty of clubs reaching out for her talents as well.

Portugal and Spain Advance in World Cup

This World Cup hasn’t been short on excitement and that continued with Portugal’s 2-1 win against Croatia. After a scoreless first half, Croatia took the lead thanks to a goal from Ivan Perisic, but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized from the penalty spot and the game was moments away from heading to extra time. Goncalo Ramos gave Portugal the goal it needed to advance deep in stoppage time, but Croatia nearly came back with a goal that was disallowed due to an offside call. Spain cruised to a 3-0 win against Austria to book its spot in the round of 16 as well. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice for his second brace of the tournament, with Marc Cucurella assisting on both of his goals. Spain and Portugal will square off in the next round in what should be a fantastic match. Switzerland and Algeria kicked off late.

The round of 32 wraps up today with a trio of matches, starting with Egypt’s game against Australia. Cape Verde will then look to shock the world when it plays Argentina, and the late game will be between Colombia and Ghana.

Columbus Crew Sign New Designated Player

The Columbus Crew have signed Spanish midfielder Brais Mendez to a Designated Player contract through the 2028-2029 season with a club option for the 2029-2030 season. Mendez has spent the past four La Liga seasons with Real Sociedad, recording 33 goals and 24 assists in 166 appearances. He gives the crew some additional firepower as reports swirl regarding Diego Rossi’s departure for CF Monterrey. While maybe not in the same headline-grabbing tier of MLS summer signings like Antoine Griezmann or Robert Lewandowski, Mendez is a big addition to the league as the Eastern Conference arms race continues.

Free Kicks

  • CF Montreal sent $2.1 million in General Allocation Money to Austin FC in exchange for midfielder Dani Pereira. Selected with the first overall pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, Pereira has contributed six goals and 23 assists in 165 appearances across all competitions for Austin.
  • Real Salt Lake reportedly rejected a transfer bid around $3.5 million from CF Monterrey for midfielder Diego Luna.
  • American winger Emma Sears reportedly requested a trade from Racing Louisville, although the club is not reportedly interested in a midseason transfer.
  • The United States Men’s National Team’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina had record viewership. Understandably so, too, as I spent most of the match pacing around my living room.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/2/26

USMNT shuts out Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kat Asman loaned to Denver Summit FC, MLS transfer news, and more.

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4 days ago

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July 2, 2026

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Image of Pride goalkeeper Kat Asman
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Wednesday nights are starting to feel magical. Orlando City has thrived this year when playing on Wednesdays, and now the United States Men’s National Team has provided us with a reason to tackle this Thursday at full force. Before we dive into that result and the rest of today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City defender Tahir Reid-Brown!

USMNT Survives Red Card to Advance

The U.S. won 2-0 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in an emotional rollercoaster of a match in the World Cup’s round of 32. Folarin Balogun got the U.S. on the board at a crucial time right before halftime by scoring his third goal of the tournament. But the game flipped on its head in the second half when Balogun was shown a harsh red card by the referee after video review for a foul when he accidentally came down on the back of an opponent’s foot. The Yanks fought hard to make up for the difference of being down a player and doubled their lead after earning a free kick right outside the box. Malik Tillman’s shot went up and over the wall and into the net for a goal U.S. fans will be replaying over and over again.

The U.S. did well to grind out the win after that second goal, with former Lion Alex Freeman doing his part on defense to help shut out Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a memorable win, and now the U.S. will turn its focus to its round-of-16 matchup against Belgium on Monday.

Pride Loan Goalkeeper Kat Asman to Denver Summit

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Kat Asman to the Denver Summit for the remainder of the 2026 NWSL season. Asman is coming off of a loan with Lexington SC in the Gainbridge Super League, where she played every minute of the season to help Lexington win the title. She posted 11 clean sheets with Lexington last season and won the league’s Golden Glove as well. Asman has yet to make an appearance for the Pride since joining prior to the 2025 season, and her contract expires at the end of the season. She now heads to Denver, where Abby Smith has done well in goal as the expansion team’s starter.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

Real Salt Lake sent $625,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to Atlanta United in exchange for winger Saba Lobjanidze and a third-round pick in the 2028 MLS SuperDraft, with another $100,000 in GAM going Atlanta’s way if he re-signs with Real Salt Lake. The Columbus Crew fully acquired defender Andres Herrera from River Plate after an extended loan, signing him to a contract through the 2028-2029 season. The LA Galaxy transferred defender Mauricio Cuevas to Santos Laguna, the New England Revolution added forward Wilson Harris, and Sporting Kansas City signed center back Moises Mosquera from FC Juarez. The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly close to signing Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn, with Daniel heading to FC Dallas in a trade if that happens. It’s somewhat surprising considering Daniel has done well to help San Jose only concede 15 goals this season.

🏴󠁧󠁒󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Sources: San Jose Earthquakes closing in on a deal to sign Scotland int'l GK Angus Gunn.πŸ‡§πŸ‡· Sources: FC Dallas has agreed to a deal to acquire GK Daniel from San Jose.βž• Daniel trade is contingent on Gunn signing being formalized.

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-01T16:34:02.297Z

European Nations Move On After Dramatic Comebacks

This World Cup continues to deliver thrilling games during this new round-of-32 phase. Senegal looked certain to go through to the next round until Belgium scored a pair of goals after the 85th minute to knot the game at 2-2 and send it into extra time. The game was decided by a penalty, but not in a shootout, as a foul in the box resulted in Youri Tielemans scoring from the spot to give Belgium the victory. In Atlanta, Harry Kane scored twice to rescue England in a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Brian Cipanga gave the Congo an early lead, but Kane struck twice in the second half, with his winner being one of the best goals of the tournament so far.

England is now set to face Mexico at the Azteca on Sunday in what should be a great game. As for today’s action, Orlando City winger Marco Pasalic and Croatia will take on Portugal in a matchup between European heavyweights. The winner of that match will face whoever prevails today between Spain and Austria, with Switzerland and Algeria squaring off in the late night match.

Free Kicks

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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