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Orlando City at Mid-Season: Our TML Staff Roundtable Discussion

Published

11 years ago

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As Orlando City prepares to embark on the second half of its inaugural Major League Soccer season tomorrow night at Real Salt Lake, it’s time to gather up the lads and discuss the first half. I posed some questions to our staff to get their individual takes on what we’ve seen so far through 17 MLS matches from our Lions.

Chiming in with their hot takes are Mane Land writers Kevin Mercer, Kyle Foley, Brent Petkus and Gavin Ewbank. It seems like these guys are often on the same page, although not always unanimous in their answers. See if you agree with their takes:

Who is your Orlando City Player of the Season so far, and why?

Kevin: Kaká. While there are a number of exceptional candidates — Cyle Larin, Aurélien Collin, and Darwin Cerén to name a few. The difference between these players and Kaká has been his ability to have a positive effect on every game he's played in, even on an off night. Injuries and numerous international call-ups have challenged other players to jump into the season as solidly as Kaká has. With that said, I still think we haven't seen the best from him.

Kyle: For me, the player of the season so far is Kaká. I know that may be the cliché answer, but despite a few lackluster performances, the way he has led the team through it all has been fantastic. On and off the field, Orlando City could not have a better captain.

Brent: This is a tough one because there were a lot of deserving players. The player of the season at the halfway point is Aurélien Collin. Collin has been an anchor on the back line and he has kept the back four organized. I think we all knew going into the season Kaká was going to be a focal point of the team, but our defense was something of a question mark. Collin has stepped in and given the team a leadership presence on the back line. During matches you can see him talking to his midfielders and making sure their positioning is correct. There were many games during the first half of the season that Collin was the Man of the Match because of his timely tackles and leadership.

Gavin: This is a tough one because no one player really stood out miles above the rest, but if I had to pick one I'd say it's Cyle Larin. This kid didn't get his first chance to start until more than a month into the season, and he hasn't yet shown me why he shouldn't be the team's starting forward. He's scoring for his club and he's scoring for his country. I'm excited to see how he continues to grow as a player.

What's your defining game of the season's first half?

Kyle: Easily the thrashing of the defending champions, LA Galaxy. For a team that many said wouldn’t belong in MLS, this game showed that we do belong and can contend (and demolish) the best. The nice streak it put us on was good, too.

Brent: The defining game for me was home against the New England Revolution on May 8. New England had a seven-game unbeaten streak coming into Orlando. Orlando was down 2-0 after a dismal pass back by Rafael Ramos. The young Portuguese defender didn’t have a meltdown like he did few weeks prior against Columbus. He came back served an excellent ball to Cyle Larin and the Orlando comeback was on. The Citrus Bowl was electric and Orlando pushed the play for the last 20 minutes, finally setting up Collin’s equalizer. That game for me eased Orlando City’s nerves at home and set up the LA Galaxy 4-0 win.

Gavin: My defining game of the first half has to be the 2-2 draw at home against the New England Revolution in May — that was the game that really jump-started the team's great run of form over the past two months. Down 2-0 at home, where they hadn't won a game all season, they showed a lot of fight to come back in the game and get the draw. Of course the very next week they beat the LA Galaxy 4-0 at home.

Kevin: May 8, the 2-2 tie with the New England Revolution. It was the first game the Lions showed teeth and fought for something when the game seemed out of reach. Down two goals to the defending Eastern Conference champs, who came into the Citrus Bowl in fantastic form. After going down two with 73 minutes to go, nobody would have faulted the Lions for declaring it wasn't their night and enduring another loss. The club showed both the character the supporters expect from them and their willingness to play every minute of the game. It set up the club to continue fighting for success and put them into the playoff hunt that they are in now.

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Orlando City: Swapping Louisville for Local USL Team “Important for Player Development”

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Lions Vice President of Development Tim Holt spoke to reporters about the recent announcement that the club is ending its affiliation agreement with Louisville City FC and planning to field its own locally operated USL club in 2016.

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Orlando City: Swapping Louisville for Local USL Team “Important for Player Development”

One position Orlando has to upgrade in the July transfer window is…?

Brent: Outside back/outside midfielder. Orlando City’s depth can be exposed here if we get an injury to Ramos or Boden. Tyler Turner needs more time to develop and isn’t ready to be put in the lineup. Outside midfield is an issue as well. We will be seeing more Carlos Rivas but, who else? I might be a little apprehensive of signing Chicharito because it means less playing time for Larin or Pedro Ribeiro. However, Chicharito is a world class player and if he wants to play in MLS, I want him wearing purple and white.

Gavin: Well, I’ve pretty much gotten full on board with the whole “Chicharito-to-Orlando” rumors, but forward’s not really an area of need. I think they definitely need to add a defender at center back or, even more so, someone that can play both center and fullback. But going for an upgrade, I think they need to add a midfielder on the wing that can play over Lewis Neal and Eric Avila on the right side — someone that can step in and play the creative winger role left by Kevin Molino.

Kevin: As a team still on the build, this is tricky. We may have the parts we need still trying to find their way into the team. To pinpoint one position, I’d say right midfield. Rafael Ramos has been dangerous on that wing, but he needs a running mate — somebody who can work with him, Kaká, Cerén, and Larin to emulate the threats coming from the left side with Luke Boden and Brek Shea.

Kyle: It's easy to say the striker position, especially with the Chicharito rumors, but I actually think we need to add some quality to the wings. Without Kevin Molino, we are having a hard time getting anything done on the right side. Larin, Pedro, and Rochez (not to mention Mwanga and Pato for now) give us plenty of options up top.

One tactical change you'd like to see in the second half of the season?

Gavin: Tactically, I think the team has been pretty sound this season. I wanted to see Carlos Rivas start to get more involved and now that Brek Shea is going to be out for at least a few weeks with a groin injury, Rivas will get consistent starts.

Kevin: As good as Ramos and Boden have been on the offensive end, they both end up being exposed at times in the back. I think you have to keep them involved in the attack. The wrinkle they provide in the attack is a crucial part of Adrian Heath's plans. At the same time, we have to cover that vulnerability on the wings and learn the limits of pushing these players into the attack. Teams have not exploited those wings yet, but I feel it's only a matter of time that a few coaches watching our tapes will realize we have two players who, despite loads of talent and hustle, are still inexperienced at the MLS level.

Kyle: I want to see the younger players getting some more action. I cringe every time I see one of our defenders go down because as much as I love Turner and Redding and Con-Don, they just haven't played enough to convince me that they would be able to come in and contribute on the MLS level yet.

Brent: Tactically I love the style of play Orlando plays. It is extremely entertaining and sets up well for the team's roster. The 4-2-3-1 formation has been excellent on pushing teams to the outside and minimizing dangerous chances up the middle of the field. They have to get better at defending set pieces. These are small moments in the match they have to win. They were punished in games where they dictated the play for the majority of the game only to give up a set piece goal late.

What's your overall assessment of the transition from USL to MLS so far?

Kevin: It has been a bit of a roller coaster so far to be honest. MLS parity is nothing like being overpowered in the USL. At midseason, I see things leveling out and we are starting to have the season we all expected we'd be having. I think from a supporter's perspective, our USL success made dealing with the early realities of life in MLS a little harder than any of us expected.

Kyle: I would say it has been as smooth as it could have been. We had a few bumps in the road at the beginning but as of late the team has shown they are a definite contender in the league. I am only worried about how they will fare later in the season.

Brent: The MLS expansion draft helps set up teams to not be bottom table teams in their first year. Orlando was savvy with some moves for Hall and Collin but, as for the USL players, they have fared well. Boden, Ramos, and Cerén have been in the starting lineup for most of the season and have done an excellent job making the jump to the top league. Overall, I think USL teams in the future will use Orlando City as a blueprint on how to take their team to MLS.

Gavin: I know that being an Orlando City fan I should have expected them to come in and win every trophy they play for this year, but I've actually been pretty surprised with what the team has been able to accomplish this season. We figured coming in that the East would be weak enough for the Lions to contend in the conference, but it's turned out to be a lot closer than expected. That's going to make for a great final month or two of the season, but so far this team has #DefiedExpectations.

Judging from what you've seen in the first 17 games, is this a playoff team? If so, how far do you think the Lions can push into the playoffs?

Kyle: Not only is this a playoff team, this is a team that can win the title. I know part of that is the fan in me but when the team comes together, nothing has been able to stop them. Either through the U.S. Open Cup or MLS Playoffs, Orlando City will be bringing a trophy back into town and we will see them in the CONCACAF Champions League. Big goals for an expansion team but they have been able to defy expectations so far.

Brent: Orlando is (tied in points for) third in the Eastern Conference and the way they are moving the ball and scoring this team is a playoff team. They can go as far as their defending will take them. If Collin can get healthy, the combination of him and St. Ledger bring experience to the back line. The true litmus test for Orlando is coming with two difficult games on the road against Real Salt Lake and the Seattle Sounders. This team has the ability to make a run in the MLS Cup and I see them hosting a playoff game and making it to the semifinals of the conference.

Gavin: Yes, this is definitely a playoff team. With the way D.C. United is pulling away I don’t see us having any chance at the Supporters’ Shield at this point, but best case I see them entering the playoffs as a third or fourth seed with the ability to reach at least the Eastern Conference semifinals if they come in playing well.

Kevin: Definitely. The club seem to be growing each week and learning from early season heartbreaks at a blistering pace. Kudos to the players and coaching staff for the hard work it must take to find chemistry and success so early in the season. I think we will land in the playoffs, right around the third, fourth, or fifth spot.

Once we hit the playoffs, it's anybody's game, of course. My prediction is we do well, but there is some heartbreak looming. Maybe a semifinal loss to one of the established clubs that knows how to win these types of playoff games. I think we will get enough of a taste to come back a really hungry team next season.

* * *

So there you have our staff takes. What are your responses to these questions? Let us know in the comments section below.

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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.

Published

4 days ago

on

July 22, 2026

By

Image of Braian Ojeda taking a shot in a friendly against FC Dallas.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

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

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!

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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.

Published

2 weeks ago

on

July 14, 2026

By

Image of Antoine Griezmann and Ivan Angulo celebrating a goal in a friendly against the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

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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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 119: International Break, USWNT, Louisville Preview, and More

The Pride return from a long international break looking to get their first-ever road win against Racing Louisville.

Published

3 months ago

on

April 22, 2026

By

Image of Haley McCutcheon scoring the opening goal in Orlando's home playoff win over Seattle.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

It feels like months since the Orlando Pride last took the field, but the calendar says otherwise. If you believe calendars, it’s only been a little less than three weeks, but time moves strangely in the post-pandemic apocalyptic world.

Anyway, we don’t have a match to recap, so we touched on a couple of Pride players putting the ball in the net during the international break and chat a bit about the United States Women’s National Team’s three-game friendly series against Japan. Emma Hayes used a lot of players, and the team looked solid for two of the three matches, but the rotated middle game seemed a bit disjointed. Hayes has greatly expanded the player pool and will have plenty of options when the World Cup approaches.

Our mailbagbox had questions about a potential change in the NWSL schedule, as the league explores adopting the fall-to-spring slate, and opposition own goals. 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.

After the mailbagbox, we turned our attention toward Friday’s late afternoon tussle with Racing Louisville in Kentucky. The Pride have never won on the road against Louisville, and it’s about high time they did. This match begins a congested push to the June World Cup break, and although Friday’s hosts aren’t high in the table, the Pride must be at their best to get a road result in this fixture. We look back at the series history, compare the two sides, provide our key matchups in the game, and make our final score predictions.

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 Episode 119 went down:

0:15 – We open the show with a little banter about the Pride in the international break and the USWNT’s series vs. Japan.

9:03 – The mailbagbox features questions via both eletronic mail and social media. We welcome all modes of delivery.

19:59 – The Pride travel to Louisville to face Racing. They’ve never won in Kentucky, but we inform them how to do so.

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