Orlando City
Player Grades: Orlando City vs. D.C. United
It was a valiant effort from Orlando City, but in the end they weren’t able to hold off the second half comeback from D.C. United. Goals from Kofi Opare and Chris Rolfe were enough to top Cyle Larin’s first half blast and give the Black and Red three points at home.
The Lions played well enough in the first half, scoring early and then effectively stifling D.C. through the halftime whistle. Aurelien Collin and Rafael Ramos looked excellent on the back line, and Larin continued to show improvement up top.
Must Reads
Just as United was beginning to build momentum in the second half though, Collin had to be removed from the game with an apparent hamstring injury. Seb Hines‘ apparent lack of fitness meant that fullback Tyler Turner had to be thrust into emergency duty at CB, which seemed destined for failure from the outset.
When Opare managed to beat his marker and score off a set piece for D.C. in the 70th minute, the writing was on the wall for Orlando. It was only a matter of minutes until Rolfe was able to elude Turner and touch home a cross from Jairo Arrieta, who Orlando City selected and, then quickly dealt, in this off-season’s expansion draft.
Noticably absent from much of the night’s proceeding was Kaká, who had perhaps his least effective game of the season for Orlando City. Here are the player grades for the evening:
Player Grades
G, Donovan Ricketts, 6.5 — Doesn’t deserve blame for either goal, and did well enough when he was called upon. Made a huge save in the 69th minute on DeLeon to keep City in the lead a few moments longer.
D, Luke Boden, 6 — Was again passable, if not impressive, in his new starting role at left back. His corners and crossing are an improvement, but he was beaten badly defensively on a few occasions, including by Michael Farfan in the 62nd.
D, Sean St. Ledger, 5.5 — As they always say with center backs, a quiet night is generally a good one. Not involved on either DC goal, though he failed to really have much impact offensively either.
D, Aurelien Collin, 7.5 — The Frenchman was having a Team of the Week-caliber performance for Orlando, and then it all went wrong. After tracking back and clearing the ball on defense in the 65th minute, he fell to the pitch clutching his hamstring. With only rookie fullback Tyler Turner available to replace him, his unfortunate injury may have doomed Orlando City.
D, Rafael Ramos, 7 — Looked like the Lions’ most dangerous attacking threat for much of this match. Overall, another good performance, but he loses a point or so for losing track of Opare on D.C.’s first goal.
MF, Darwin Ceren, 6.5 — It seemed to me that the El Salvadoran National Team captain relished his leadership responsibilities in midfield without Okugo in the lineup. It may have been his best match so far in MLS, and it was his blocked shot that led to Larin’s goal.
MF, Harrison Heath, 5.5– Didn’t really do a whole lot, but didn’t make any major mistakes for the Lions either, which is all you could really ask from the 19-year-old. He was active enough, and showed he was clearly ready for the intensity by getting in 34-year-old Davy Arnaud’s face early on. Did earn a dangerous free kick in the 54th.
MF, Brek Shea, 5 — Doesn’t seem to have developed any chemistry with Kaká playing in his new midfield role. Active, but really never seemed particularly dangerous.
MF, Kaká, 4 — Easily the Brazilian’s worst game for the Lions. He was a total non-factor on offense, and actually hurt the team with a number of turnovers and bad passes. His giveaway in the 79th led directly to Rolfe’s goal.
MF, Eric Avila, 5 — More “blah” from Avila. An excellent piece to have on your roster as versatile depth, but is he really cut out to be an every-match starter for Orlando City?
F, Cyle Larin, 7 — Excellent work from the Canadian from the opening whistle in this one. Continues to show a great motor, and his goal was more impressive than he may get credit for. Showed some improvement in his holdup play, and flashed a bit more of the dribbling and speed that made him a star at UConn.
Substitutes
D, Tyler Turner, 4 — Replacing Aurelien Collin at center back was always going to be an impossible ask for Turner. He entered just as D.C. was gaining momentum, and crafty veteran Chris Rolfe easily lost him on United’s second goal.
MF, Bryan Rochez, 5 — Another fairly short substitute appearance for Rochez. He put in the effort, but failed to really have any impact on the game in 13 minutes.
MF, Carlos Rivas, 4.5 — Entered at 81′ and also failed to impact the match. Blasted one ill-advised shot well over the bar, and failed to react quickly enough inside the six yard box on what could have been a late equalizer.
* * *
Orlando City looked good at times, but the injury to Collin was too much to overcome on the road against a strong D.C. side. Thoughts on our player grades? Let us know in the comment section.
The Lions are on short rest this week, playing their third match in eight days against the L.A. Galaxy on Sunday, May 17, at 5 p.m. in Orlando.
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Rafael Ramos | 10 |
| Darwin Ceren | 32 |
| Aurelien Collin | 61 |
| Sean St. Ledger | 1 |
| Cyle Larin | 46 |
| Other | 4 |
Orlando City
Orlando City Fullback Alex Freeman Selected to Participate in 2025 MLS All-Star Game
The 20-year-old, currently with the USMNT, was selected via fan vote to his first MLS All-Star Game.
Fullback Alex Freeman has been selected to the 2025 MLS All-Star Team to compete in Austin, TX on July 23, the club announced today. Freeman, 20, who is currently away on international duty with the United States Men’s National Team in the Concacaf Gold Cup, was selected via fan vote and is the youngest player on this year’s All-Star squad. The 2025 MLS All-Star Game will pit the MLS All-Star Team against the Liga MX All-Star Team at Q2 Stadium.
Freeman was selected through the league’s fan, media and player voting process, receiving
the highest vote total among MLS right backs. The young fullback has had a breakout season in 2025, appearing in 17 matches (16 starts) with Orlando City, playing 1,474 minutes and scoring four goals with one assist. His four goals are the most by a defender in MLS play this season.
Prior to this season, Freeman had made just three MLS appearances — all off the bench — for a total of nine minutes, putting just one shot on target. He picked up his first goal contribution last year with an assist against D.C. United on July 6, 2024.
Freeman’s play has been head-turning, and he’s earned his first USMNT call-up and appearance at the senior level this season. A member of the U.S. Gold Cup team, Freeman started all three group stage games, becoming just the second USMNT player aged 20 or younger to do so. He helped the United States win all three matches, keeping clean sheets against Trinidad & Tobago and Saudi Arabia.
Freeman is the first Orlando City player selected to the MLS All-Star Team since Pedro Gallese and Nani represented the Lions in Los Angeles in 2021. He is also the first OCSC defender to be selected to the MLS All-Star Team. Freeman becomes the seventh different player and eighth different representative of the club overall in the midseason exhibition (James O’Connor was head coach of the 2019 event held in Orlando).
Orlando City SC All-Stars
| Year | Player | Position |
| 2025 | Alex Freeman | Defender |
| 2021 | Pedro Gallese | Goalkeeper |
| 2021 | Nani | Forward |
| 2019 | Nani | Forward |
| 2019 | James O’Connor | Manager |
| 2018 | Yoshimar Yotun | Midfielder |
| 2017 | Dom Dwyer | Forward |
| 2017 | Kaká | Midfielder |
| 2016 | Cyle Larin | Forward |
| 2016 | Kaká | Midfielder |
| 2015 | Kaká | Midfielder |
2025 MLS All-Star Team
Goalkeepers (3)
- Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota United FC / Voted In)
- Brad Stuver (Austin FC / Coach’s Selection)
- Yohei Takaoka (Vancouver Whitecaps FC / Coach’s Selection)
Defenders (8)
- Jordi Alba (Inter Miami CF / Voted In)
- Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew / Coach’s Selection)
- Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps FC / Voted In)
- Michael Boxall (Minnesota United FC / Voted In)
- Alex Freeman (Orlando City SC / Voted In)
- Jakob Glesnes (Philadelphia Union / Coach’s Selection)
- Andy Najar (Nashville SC / Coach’s Selection)
- Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati / Coach’s Selection)
Midfielders (6)
- Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps FC / Voted In)
- David Da Costa (Portland Timbers / Coach’s Selection)
- Evander (FC Cincinnati / Voted In)
- Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake / Voted In)
- Jeppe Tverskov (San Diego FC / Coach’s Selection)
- Philip Zinckernagel (Chicago Fire FC / Coach’s Selection)
Forwards / Wingers (9)
- Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC / Commissioner’s Pick)
- Tai Baribo (Philadelphia Union / Voted In)
- Denis Bouanga (LAFC / Voted In)
- Anders Dreyer (San Diego FC / Coach’s Selection)
- Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano (San Diego FC / Commissioner’s Pick)
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF / Voted In)
- Diego Rossi (Columbus Crew / Coach’s Selection)
- Brandon Vazquez (Austin FC / Coach’s Selection)
- Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps FC / Voted In)
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. St. Louis City: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Lions make their first trip to St. Louis looking to build on their win at Colorado.
Welcome to your match thread and preview for a Wednesday night matchup between Orlando City (8-4-6, 30 points) and St. Louis City SC (3-9-6, 15 points) at Energizer Park in St. Louis, MO (8:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). This is the second meeting ever between the two sides, the first in St. Louis, and the only one on the 2025 regular-season schedule.
Here’s what you need to know about the match.
History
These teams have met just once before. Orlando City won that match 2-1 on Aug. 26 at Exploria Stadium on Facundo Torres’ penalty in the first minute of stoppage time. Torres completed his brace after a handball in the box by Anthony Markanich stopped a shot by Rafael Santos. Torres opened the scoring in the second half, but Rasmus Alm equalized, with his goal being awarded after video review revealed the referee’s assistant should not have raised their flag for the ball going out of play prior to the critical pass that led to the goal. Jake Nerwinsky was sent off late in that game for a foul denying Ramiro Enrique a goal-scoring opportunity.
Overview
The Lions are 3-2-4 on the road this season after coming off a tightly contested 1-0 road win at Colorado on June 14, snapping a two-match losing streak that ended a busy May schedule. Orlando has been off since beating the Rapids but will try to continue building momentum as the month of June comes to a close. The Lions have six matches against Eastern Conference competition after visiting tonight’s Western Conference opponents in the leadup to the 2025 Leagues Cup at the end of July.
Orlando City center back Rodrigo Schlegel will serve his one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation tonight, and with Alex Freeman away with the USMNT, the Lions will be missing half of their starters on the back line for this match as the entire right half will be out. Look for David Brekalo to move to right center back. Dagur Dan Thorhallsson is the most likely candidate to take the right back spot, with either Kyle Smith or Santos slotting in at left back.
St. Louis City is 2-3-4 at home this season and is coming off a wild 3-3 home draw against the LA Galaxy on June 14. Joao Klauss scored a hat trick in the match, putting his third goal of the game in the net in the fifth minute of stoppage time to steal a point against the defending champions. Tonight’s hosts are 0-1-1 in their last two matches, but they’ve been playing better lately, with five consecutive games either decided by a single goal or finishing in a draw.
Klauss may have gotten three of his five goals this season in the last game, but he can be one of the league’s most lethal finishers. It’s not the best night for Orlando to be missing half of its back line with the Brazilian rounding into form. On the other end, Roman Burki is one of the best goalkeepers in the league, so Orlando City will need to be clinical to finish chances — something that the team has struggled with at times.
“St. Louis is a team we don’t regularly play, but we’ve followed them over the last three or four games,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “They’ve changed coaches, even though it’s someone who has been within the system. We try to capture what their current modes are — how they’re structured, how they’re playing — and then merge that into our game plan. We don’t have as much context of a rivalry as we usually do, since it’s a team we don’t know very well. But we keep preparing in our way and keep insisting that imposing our style on the game is what we’re looking for.”
In addition to Schlegel (suspension) and Freeman (international duty) the Lions will be without Duncan McGuire (shoulder), Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), and Yutaro Tsukada (knee), while Joran Gerbet (thigh) is listed as questionable. St. Louis City will be without Alm (hip), Chris Durkin (knee), Henry Kessler (hamstring), Eduard Löwen (hamstring), Joakim Nilsson (knee), and Tomáš Ostrák (lower body).
Match Content
- The most recent epsiode of the PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for tonight’s match.
Projected Lineups
Orlando City (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.
Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.
Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Cesar Araujo, Eduard Atuesta, Marco Pasalic.
Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Luis Muriel.
St. Louis City SC (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper: Roman Burki.
Defenders: Jayden Reid, Timo Baumgartl, Kyle Hiebert, Tomas Totland.
Midfielders: Alfredo Morales Simon Becher, Akil Watts.
Forwards: Celio Pompeu, Joao Klauss, Marcel Hartel.
Referees
REF: Guido Gonzales, Jr.
AR1: Ryan Graves.
AR2: Walt Heatherly.
4TH: Matt Thompson.
VAR: Kevin Terry, Jr.
AVAR: TBA.
How to Watch
Match Time: 8:30 p.m.
Venue: Energizer Park — St. Louis, MO.
TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish).
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 game. Go City!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 6/25/25
Orlando City and OCB play tonight, the Club World Cup continues, and more.
Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It is a busy week here at The Mane Land. Orlando City and Orlando City B play tonight, there are FIFA Club World Cup matches, Concacaf Gold Cup, and USWNT friendlies. It’s a lot, but it also means there’s a ton of soccer to watch, which is a good thing. Let’s get to the links.
Go West, Orlando City
Orlando City heads to Missouri to take on St. Louis City FC tonight. The Lions will be without Alex Freeman (international duty) and Rodrigo Schlegel (yellow card accumulation). Orlando City will need to deal with St. Louis City striker Joao Klauss while finding goals on the road. This is a must-watch midweek match. We will have a preview later today, and you should also listen to The Mane Land PawedCast to prepare.
Orlando City B Returns Home vs. Toronto FC II
Orlando City B hosts Toronto FC II at Osceola County Stadium tonight. Like the first team, we will have coverage for you. The Young Lions are coming off a two-week break after a loss to Carolina Core FC. It will be interesting to see which OCB shows up for the match. You can watch the match on mlsnextpro.com.
Club World Cup, Orlando-Style
There might not be as many people in the seats at the Club World Cup as FIFA would like, but Orlando is still a big part of it. The group stage finishes this week as the competition heads into the Round of 16. There’s a ton of prize money up for all the competitors no matter where they are currently in the standings. Our Michael Citro was at Camping World Stadium last night to cover LAFC vs. Flamengo in Group D.
USMNT News
The USMNT will face Costa Rica Sunday in a Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinal match in Minneapolis. Malik Tillman has been a bright spot on the roster, though Orlando City fans will be watching Freeman. The perpetual search for a consistent striker continues for the USMNT, though Patrick Agyemang may be the answer — at least for now.
Free Kicks
- The Pride managed to maintain the Number 2 spot in SI.com’s Power Rankings despite the loss to Racing Louisville.
- So, the 2025 MLS All-Star jersey has arrived. Thoughts?
- There’s nothing quite like having your number retired after playing for a team for two whole years after playing for another club for six years. It is especially special when the new club has been in existence for a whole four years. Congratulations to former Orlando Pride forward Alex Morgan.
- Lyon has been relegated to Ligue 2 due to the club’s financial problems.
- Paul Mullin is headed to Wigan on a season long loan from the recently promoted Wrexham AFC. That’s probably a spoiler for a future episode of Welcome to Wrexham.
- Concacaf has cleared Jesse Marsh of allegations that he disregarded the competition’s rules regarding suspended match officials.
- After the Gold Cup, Agyemang may be making the move from Charlotte FC to Derby County.
- You may have seen that the USWNT is celebrating Pride month with rainbow numbers on the team jerseys. I am a supporter and ally, but it means even more to the players.
That will do it for today. Make sure you check back later for our match coverage. You can also follow our live coverage on Bluesky. Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City Fullback Alex Freeman Selected to Participate in 2025 MLS All-Star Game
Orlando Pride Sign Midfielder Haley McCutcheon to New Contract
Orlando City vs. St. Louis City: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville: Final Score 2-0 as Pride Still Can’t Win in Kentucky
PawedCast Episode 486: Alex Freeman in the Gold Cup, FIFA Club World Cup in Orlando, St. Louis City Preview, OCB-Toronto Preview, and More
Lion Links: 6/24/25
-
Local Soccer Events1 week agoUlsan HD FC vs. Mamelodi Sundowns FC: Final Score 1-0 as South African Side Wins First FIFA Club World Cup Match in Orlando
-
Orlando Pride2 weeks agoOrlando Pride vs. Bay FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando Pride5 days agoOrlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoOrlando City vs. Colorado Rapids: Final Score 1-0 as Ojeda’s Goal Snatches Road Win for Lions
-
Local Soccer Events5 days agoSL Benfica vs. Auckland City FC: Final Score 6-0 as Benfica Wears Down New Zealanders
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoOrlando City vs. Colorado Rapids: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando Pride2 weeks agoOrlando Pride vs. Bay FC: Final Score 1-0 as the Pride Hold On After Banda’s Goal
-
Podcasts2 weeks agoSkoPurp Soccer Episode 90: Houston Rewind, Pride Call-Ups, Bay FC Preview, and More