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Orlando City Monthly Awards: March
We are one month into the 2015 Major League Soccer campaign, and Orlando City has already seen its share of ebbs and flows. Between the elation of OCSC’s first ever MLS goal against New York City FC, its first ever MLS win at Houston, a late-game gut punch against Vancouver and a come-from-behind draw at Montreal, March was an eventful month for the Lions.
March saw Orlando play four of its five MLS matches to date, and the Lions probably feel that they left some points on the table. However, losing only one of its first four outings was not bad at all for an expansion side dealing with injuries while transitioning to life in MLS.
As the calendar has now turned to April, we at The Mane Land take a look back at the superlatives from Orlando City’s first month of competition at America’s highest level of professional soccer. Be sure to vote and voice your opinions in the comments.
Best Goal
The Lions didn't exactly set the world ablaze last month offensively, failing to capitalize on a number of chances in the final third and being robbed of a few more thanks to excellent efforts from opposing goalkeepers. There were some highlights, though, and they are all represented below in the goal of the month nominations.
1. Kaká vs. NYCFC
It may have taken a sharp deflection off NYC defender Jeb Brovsky to get past keeper Josh Saunders, who made a pair of big saves earlier in the match, but Kaká’s free kick strike still sent the Citrus Bowl into frenzy as Orlando City’s first ever goal in MLS.
Playing a man down, following Aurélien Collin's dismissal, and running out of time, City looked to its Brazilian captain for a magical moment and he delivered, salvaging a point in a 1-1 draw, and making it feel almost like a win in the process. You'll always remember your first, right?
2. Pedro Ribeiro’s Would-be Score in Houston
So this one went down as an own goal against Houston keeper Tyler Deric, but it would have been credited to Pedro Ribeiro had it not been for the goalie’s last-ditch effort to punch the ball out for a corner that wound up in the back of the net.
Orlando's young Brazilian striker put in the effort to hound Deric on his attempt to clear a long ball, but a bad first touch, combined with Ribeiro's hustle, resulted in a goal and a 1-0 win for City. While it wasn't actually scored by a Lion, it was heavily influenced by one, and it was the only goal of the month to clinch three points for OCSC.
Ipso facto, it's a nominee.
3. Ribeiro Opens His Account in Montreal
Perhaps through Karmic force, Ribeiro saw his efforts rewarded in Montreal with a true goal after a nice bit of build-up play culminated in a left-footed strike between the sticks from the forward.
Kaká did well to set up his countryman, laying a ball off in traffic for Ribeiro to slice into the lower left corner. The goal was Orlando's first of the season from open play, and sparked a two-goal comeback on the road to steal a point from Montreal.
4. Kaká's Smooth Equalizer
Mere moments after Kaká assisted Ribeiro's opener, the striker returned the favor for OCSC's No. 10 to set up the equalizer.
Ribeiro intercepted for City and made a direct run at the box, drawing in a pair of defenders before playing Kaká into the center of the area. There was still some work to be done, however, as the former Ballon d'Or winner executed a silky first touch and coolly slotted home into the upper right corner to knot the game at 2-2 and secure a point for City.
A beautiful sequence for The City Beautiful.
The Mane Lane Staff Pick: Kaká's goal in Montreal.
Best Save
Donovan Ricketts was not under heavy fire for most of March, which is a promising sign for the OCSC defense. Ricketts was called upon to make five stops through City’s first four matches, and three of them are worthy of a nomination for save of the month.
1. Long-range Stop vs. Montreal's Marco Donadel
Donadel produced a stellar effort from about 30 yards out, firing a right-footed strike at goal while moving to his left. His blast would have found the top left netting had it not been for an athletic display from Ricketts to deny a wonder goal for Montreal.
Ricketts reacted quickly, leaping to his right and using his 6-foot-3 frame to get a paw on the ball and deflect it out for a corner. Quite an agile effort for a 37-year-old keeper.
2. One-v-One Denial of Octavio Rivero
Vancouver took advantage of an OCSC giveaway when Pedro Morales played an incisive through ball to set up a one-on-one situation for Octavio Rivero with Ricketts. The Jamaican keeper sprinted off his line and made a sliding save on Rivero’s effort, sending the ball wide left.
Unfortunately, Rivero had the last laugh in the 96th minute.
3. Save vs. Ignacio Piatti from distance
Ricketts turned in his second big stop against Montreal by denying Ignacio Piatti's shot from just outside the 18-yard box. The Italian – who bested Ricketts on a penalty earlier, despite the keeper guessing correctly – turned in a nice bit of work to free himself up, cutting inside past OCSC defenders and firing a strong, low effort.
Ricketts made the stop look routine, however, fading to his right and securing a two-handed catch to keep the match tied at 2-2 in the 77th minute.
Staff Vote: Long-range stop on Donadel in Montreal. While Ricketts' performance in Montreal was his worst overall outing of the month, he turned in a pair of solid stops, the first of which was spectacular.
Player of the Month
1. Kaká
The obvious candidate for the honor – he was nominated for MLS Player of the Month, after all – is the face of the franchise, Ricardo Kaká. Orlando City knew the quality of the player it was getting when it signed Kaká in July of 2014, as his accomplishments in Europe are well publicized.
The return on the field in March was exactly what we expected, with the Brazilian providing a pair of goals along with an assist. He was lethal against Montreal and has barely missed out on scoring on a number of other occasions. Although the OCSC attack has not yet fully hit its stride, Kaká has been instrumental in the central midfield, creating by himself and by linking up with his teammates, most notably Kevin Molino and Ribeiro.
2. Pedro Ribeiro
The other Brazilian in the running for player of the month is the 24-year-old Ribeiro. After forcing Deric's own goal at Houston, Ribeiro has been a mainstay in the OCSC lineup (until his unfortunate injury last night, just as he was about to have a scoring chance, no less), and he is improving as he acquires game experience.
Like Kaká, he notched a goal and an assist in Montreal, and he has displayed appreciable technical ability for a 6-foot-4, 208-pound player. Orlando Head Coach Adrian Heath stated before the international break that unproven players would have the opportunity to prove themselves, and Ribeiro has taken that opportunity by the horns.
3. Rafael Ramos
Brek Shea was the big-name signing at fullback, but Ramos was arguably the best player in OCSC’s defensive four in the first month of the season. His defending has been steadfast and he has also shown an ability to get forward up the right flank and contribute in attack.
Ramos was a breakout performer of sorts in March, and it will be interesting to see him continue to settle in opposite Shea at the back now that both have returned from international duty.
4. Aurélien Collin
Collin was sent off against NYCFC in the opener, but was largely solid before that moment in the second half, and has been very good since returning against Vancouver. His veteran presence in the center of defense helped the OCSC back line keep Ricketts largely unbothered in March.
Collin was already a proven commodity in MLS when Orlando City brought him aboard, and when he was on the pitch in March he looked every bit as good as expected.
5. Amobi Okugo
A quiet contender for the POM honor, Okugo has been reliable in the middle of the pitch for Orlando City throughout the early season. The defensive midfielder has provided stability in shielding the Lions' back line, providing cover when the fullbacks have gotten forward and passing with composure.
Okugo's sound presence in the midfield does not always get recognition, but he's a key piece in the Orlando starting XI and his consistency thus far has been fantastic.
Staff Selection: Kaká. Predictable? Perhaps. But justified nonetheless.
Let us know who you believe was Orlando City's standout performer in March in the poll below, and weigh in with thoughts and opinions regarding any of the categories in the comments section.
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Kaká | 25 |
| Pedro Ribeiro | 4 |
| Rafael Ramos | 1 |
| Aurélien Collin | 5 |
| Amobi Okugo | 1 |
| Other | 0 |
Podcasts
SkoPurp Soccer Episode 140: Bay FC Rewind, San Diego Preview, and More
The Pride keep their playoff hopes alive by eliminating Bay FC but things get tougher with San Diego visiting Friday.
The Orlando Pride remained perfect on the road against Bay FC with a 3-1 win on Sunday. Deuces were wild, as Haley McCutcheon, who wears jersey No. 2, scored in the second minute of both halves, and her two goals in California gave the midfielder her second brace of both the 2026 NWSL season and her career. Barbra Banda figured heavily in pulling defenders out of position on two of the three Orlando goals and assisted on Jacquie Ovalle’s right-footed thunderbolt in stoppage time to put the game away. But make no mistake, it’s not as if the Pride played well, turning the ball over often and conceding 28 shot attempts to the hosts.
We break down a road win that may have been more exhausting to watch than to play in (although I wouldn’t bet on it), check back on our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.
This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Haley McCutcheon, where to most strongly place the blame for the Pride’s disappointing season, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.
Finally, we looked ahead to Friday, when Orlando will host San Diego Wave FC, looking to both complete a season sweep and to keep its faint playoff hopes alive. We look at the series history, provide our key matchups for the contest, and make our predictions for the final score.
Here’s how Episode 140 went down:
0:15 – The Pride improved to 2-1-1 under Yolanda Thomas, but a lot of good Cosette Morche saves were required to get that second win.
20:00- The mailbagbox asks us to play the blame game.
33:36 – The Pride continue to face California-based competition, but Friday’s opponent is much higher in the table than Sunday’s was.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. San Jose Earthquakes: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
Orlando City restarts its 2026 MLS campaign late tonight out west at San Jose.
Welcome to your match thread for a late night midweek matchup tonight between Orlando City (4-9-2, 14 points) and the San Jose Earthquakes (10-3-2, 32 points) at PayPal Park (10:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the only scheduled meeting between the teams in 2026 and the first time the teams have met since 2024.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of tonight’s match.
History
Orlando City is 3-1-3 in the previous seven MLS meetings with the Quakes since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2015. The Lions got their only away win in the series in the last meeting and enter tonight 1-1-2 on the road against San Jose.
The teams last met on May 18, 2024, with Jack Lynn coming off the bench to score the game’s only goal. Lynn’s strike in the 89th minute broke the scoreless deadlock and lifted the Lions to a 1-0 victory.
The teams met in Orlando most recently way back on June 22, 2021, with the Lions beating the Quakes down, 5-0. Orlando got things started with an early penalty kick goal by Nani, followed by braces from Benji Michel and Daryl Dike to easily put the game away. The lasting memory from the game is Michel’s celebratory dance wearing a cowboy hat that came out of the stands.
Prior to that Orlando City romp, the last time the teams met was on Aug. 31, 2019 when the Lions got freight trained 3-0 at Avaya Stadium, giving the Quakes their first win in the series. San Jose’s offense came via a Chris Wondolowski brace and an early opening goal by Magnus Eriksson. Orlando looked flat and weary out of the gate.
The Lions were victorious in Exploria Stadium in the 2018 meeting on April 21, a 3-2 Orlando win. It was the first win in the series for either side after three straight draws. Chris Mueller, Sacha Kljestan, and Dom Dwyer gave the Lions a 3-0 lead before Florian Jungwirth pulled two back in the game’s late stages.
The Lions led all of the first three matches in the second half only to see San Jose pull level, with two of those tying goals coming late. In the 2017 meeting, Carlos Rivas finally broke the scoreless tie and gave Orlando City the lead in the 81st minute, but Wondolowski spoiled the Lions’ night with an equalizer two minutes later as the teams drew at Avaya Stadium, 1-1.
In 2016, the Lions were gut-punched in the 94th minute in an emotional match that ended in a 2-2 draw. It was the first home match following the Pulse nightclub tragedy and what appeared to be a storybook ending to a cathartic win turned sour on a last-gasp equalizer by Shea Salinas. Seb Hines — now the Orlando Pride’s head coach — opened the scoring for Orlando, only to see Chad Barrett tie it up. Julio Baptista restored the lead in stoppage time, but Salinas ruined everything.
The two teams also drew in the first meeting, a 1-1 affair at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, with the Lions down to 10 men after Brek Shea was sent off in the first half. Kaká and Wondolowski each scored from the penalty spot four minutes apart in that initial meeting.
Overview
The teams meet tonight to get their post-World Cup portion of the season started. Orlando City has been terrible on the road all season long, keeping only one MLS opponent under two goals all year away from home and allowing five goals twice (at New York City FC and Nashville) and six goals twice (at LAFC and in the team’s most recent match away at FC Cincinnati just before the break).
Orlando City is a putrid 1-6-1 on the road this season, and now the Lions must face the Western Conference co-leaders tonight before coming home to face Supporters’ Shield-leading Nashville SC at home on Saturday. They’ll have to play at least tonight’s game without Martin Ojeda, who is out with a thigh injury sustained some time between his first-half goal a week ago in a friendly against FC Dallas and the time the availability report dropped on Tuesday.
But it isn’t all bad news for the Lions, who should have both Antoine Griezmann and Dike in the lineup. Griezmann was the club’s highly prized and widely publicized summer Designated Player signing, while Dike’s return to Orlando came together more recently, following his departure from West Bromwich Albion. They’ll help the club’s offense, but the attack hasn’t been the issue in 2026 — it’s been the historically porous defense, which is on pace to shatter the MLS record for goals conceded.
Meanwhile, San Jose is one of the first half of the season’s biggest surprises, as the Quakes have been outstanding in 2026. Scoring 34 goals while conceding just 15, San Jose is among the league leaders in goals scored (tied for third), goals conceded (third), and goal differential (+19, third).
The Earthquakes are 4-2-1 at home and are coming off a 3-1 road win at Portland in their last game prior to the World Cup break. San Jose boasts Golden Boot challenger Preston Judd, who leads the Quakes with 11 goals, adding two assists in his 15 appearances. Ousseni Bouda has chipped in five goals and three assists. Niko Tsakiris leads the team with seven assists to go along with his two goals, but he’s still recovering from a lower body injury and is not available tonight. However, the arrival of Timo Werner (four goals and five assists in just seven games) has truly elevated Bruce Arena’s Quakes, and he’ll need to be one of the main focal points for the Orlando defense.
To have any shot at taking something from this game, the Lions will need to play better road defense than they have all season. Orlando can score goals, but with Ojeda out, Griezmann will need to adapt quickly, and someone other than the team’s leading scorer will need to find the net.
The Lions will play without Ojeda (thigh), Joran Gerbet (knee), Nolan Miller (knee), Colin Guske (international duty), and Clovis Archage (international duty). In addition, Marco Pasalic may or may not have returned to the team after the World Cup. He was not in training Monday, although interim head coach Martin Perelman said he expected the Croatian back soon. The Earthquakes will be without Nonso Adimabua (lower body), former Lion Earl Edwards Jr. (lower body), DeJuan Jones (lower body), and Tsakiris (you guessed it, lower body…come on, San Jose).
Match Content
- Our most recent PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for tonight’s match.
Official Lineups:
Orlando City (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.
Defenders: Adrian Marin, David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Griffin Dorsey.
Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Tiago.
Forwards: Justin Ellis, Antoine Griezmann.
Bench: Javier Otero, Bernardo Rhein, Tahir Reid-Brown, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Harvey Sarajian, Tyrese Spicer
San Jose Earthquakes (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Angus Gunn.
Defenders: Jamar Ricketts, Reid Roberts, Daniel Munie, Benjamin Kikanovic.
Defensive Midfielders: Beau Lerouox, Ronaldo Vieira.
Attacking Midfielders: Timo Werner, Nick Fernandez, Ousseni Bouda.
Forwards: Preston Judd.
Bench: Jonathan Gonzalez, Dave Romney, Paul Marie, Jack Skahan, Jack Jasinski, Ian Harkes, Francesco Montali, Max Floriani, Darius Johnson.
Referees
REF: Elijio Arreguin.
AR1: Adam Wienckowski.
AR2: Mike Nickerson.
4TH: Timothy Ford.
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.
How to Watch
Match Time: 10:30 p.m.
Venue: PayPal Park — San Jose, CA.
TV/Live Stream: Apple TV.
Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).
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!
Podcasts
PawedCast Episode 542: Tampa Bay Friendly, McGuire Traded, OCB Beats Cincinnati, and More
Lions maul the Rowdies in friendly action, OCB wins on the road, and it’s transfer season.
Orlando City welcomed I-4 Derby rival Tampa Bay to Inter&Co Stadium for a friendly match on Wednesday and then proceeded to bludgeon the Rowdies with a couple of hammers named Antoine Griezmann and Justin Ellis. The two attackers combined for a goal and four assists in a 6-0 beatdown of the team from the Gulf Coast, with five different Lions scoring and Griffin Dorsey forcing an own goal. We discuss Griezmann’s first minutes with Orlando City, what the team showed in its formation, and how good Justin Ellis’ vision is.
Oh, and it’s also transfer season now. Duncan McGuire is on his way out and Marco Pasalic reportedly will follow soon, while a new left back may be headed from Spain to Orlando.
Following all of that, we discuss Maxime Crepeau being added to the MLS All-Star Team and the announcement that he’ll participate in the 2026 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge.
Our mailbagbox asked us about which World Cup semifinalist players we’d want to join Orlando this season (if we could only pick one), and more. Remember, if there’s anything — and we do mean anything — you want us to address on the show, just ask us by tweeting it to us at @TheManeLand with the hashtag #AskTMLPC, or hitting us up on Bluesky Social with that same hashtag.
After the mailbagbox, we dive into OCB’s 2-1 road win at FC Cincinnati 2. It wasn’t the prettiest game by the Young Lions, but they managed to do enough to earn three points on the road, where they’ll stay to face Chattanooga on Saturday. We briefly preview that game.
Finally, Orlando City will be in Dallas Wednesday for the second of two friendlies leading up to the restart of the MLS season. It’s unlikely we’ll get a lot of details about that one, but we’ll see what happens. Maybe the FC Dallas folks will help us out.
Be sure to rate and review our show wherever you get your podcasts. Remember, we’ll read any five-star reviews we get on Apple Podcasts on the next show.
If you’d like to support our independent writing and podcasting efforts, we’d love to have you as a subscriber or donor over at our Buy Me a Coffee site.
Here’s how No. 542 went down:
0:15 – Orlando City crushed the Rowdies, the transfer season is in full swing, plus: hey now, Crepeau’s an all-star.
28:50 – The mailbagbox is always good for a hypothetical scenario.
36:54 – The Young Lions slipped past Cincy and head to Chattanooga, while the senior Lions head to Dallas.
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