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Orlando City vs. FC Dallas: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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10 years ago

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They say all good things must come to an end, and that’s exactly what happened to Orlando City’s seven-match home unbeaten streak tonight against FC Dallas in the Citrus Bowl.

With both teams missing a number of starters to injury, suspension, and Gold Cup action, it seemed destined to be an ugly game from the beginning. With Orlando missing their captain Kaká to manage the referee and control the action, FC Dallas seemed the more composed team throughout the first half, in addition to getting a few friendly calls.

Dallas came out in a 3-5-2 formation, and the five midfielders seemed to overwhelm an Orlando side missing Darwin Ceren and Kaká in the middle. The referee didn’t help either, and it was clear that some of the younger City players were getting a bit frustrated without Kaká there to calm things down.

Cristian Higuita tripped Fabian Castillo in the penalty area just before the halftime whistle to give Dallas a penalty kick, which Mauro Diaz buried to put them up 1-0. Orlando came out for the second half looking much better with Carlos Rivas back on the wing, but a defensive lapse allowed Dallas’ Victor Ulloa to set David Texiera up for an easy goal.

It was a rough night for Orlando City all around, and there weren’t a lot of positive to take out of it for anyone. Here are our player grades for the match.

Player Grades

G, Tally Hall, 6.5 — Absolutely nothing Hall could have done about either Dallas goal, so hard to place any blame on the keeper for this one. Made three saves, and wore the captain’s armband in Kaká’s absence.

D, Luke Boden, 5 — Earned a second yellow card and the first sending off of his professional career in the waning minutes of the match. Both fouls were questionable, but regardless, it wasn’t a great night for Boden. He had a couple fairly dangerous giveaways in the back, and he failed to really influence things in the attacking end.

D, Seb Hines, 6 — Seb was fairly solid for most of the night, but he and Okugo were both to blame for losing Texiera on Dallas’ second. Hines was right to move out to cover Ulloa, but he was too late to see the run, which opened up too much space for Texiera.

D, Sean St. Ledger, 6.5 — May have been Orlando City’s best player for the first half hour or so, but he left the match in the 42nd minute after sustaining an apparent shoulder injury. Looked to be in quite a bit of pain on the field, so it seems unlikely he’ll be fit for NYRB next week.

D, Rafael Ramos, 6 — Quiet night on the offensive end for Ramos, but that’s because he was busy dealing with Fabian Castillo on defense. Despite being on the field primarily for his attacking skill, he did a good job for the most part. Did give Castillo a little too much space in the run up to the second goal, and you could argue he also committed a foul on the penalty.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 5 — Higuita did not get any support from the referee on this night, but excuses don’t matter in the standings. Passing was far too inaccurate, and was completely overwhelmed by Dallas’ five-man midfield.

MF, Harrison Heath, 4 — Almost totally invisible in the first half, and was pulled at halftime in favor of Amobi Okugo. Head Coach Adrian Heath, Harrison’s father, said there were “6-7 players” that could have been pulled at the half, but it was telling that he went with H.

MF, Eric Avila, 5 — Orlando needed something more tonight from Avila, with Kaká and Larin out, but he wasn’t able to come through. Chose to run with the ball instead of finding a teammate far too often, and failed to even slightly threaten Dallas keeper Dan Kennedy.

MF, Pedro Ribeiro, 6 — He’s tall, Brazilian, and he plays soccer, but he’s no Kaká. On a night when Orlando City had nothing resembling an offense and managed zero shots on goal, Ribeiro was the attacking midfielder in charge of the action. To his credit, he did score a goal in the 56th minute, but it was wrongly called offside by the referee.

MF, Lewis Neal, 4 — Somehow managed to be even less of a factor than Avila on the other wing. Unbelievably, failed to complete one pass in the attacking third.

F, Carlos Rivas, 5.5 — It’s clear that coach Adrian Heath would like to take advantage of Rivas’ speed at forward on occasion, but it’s just not happening. Strayed offside far too often, when he didn’t really need to. Was much, much better once moved back to left wing in the second half, but it was too little too late at that point.

Substitutes

D, Aurelien Collin, 7 (MOTM) — Considering Collin wasn’t expecting to play at all tonight, he put in a pretty impressive 50′ performance for the Lions. He made a number of last ditch tackles to stop counter attacks, and wasn’t really culpable on either goal. In fact, he was there to stop Castillo had Higuita not fouled him on the first.

MF, Amobi Okugo, 4.5 — What is wrong with Amobi Okugo? There’s no question he was brought in this off-season to be a difference maker for City, but at this point he’s basically a bench warmer. Got a shot to start the second half tonight, and was again disappointing. Almost gave up a goal in the 55th minute with a pass to no one in particular in the defensive half, and then got lost on Dallas’ second.

MF, Danny Mwanga, N/A — A late, desperation sub to try to provide an offensive spark for Orlando City. Failed to impact the game much either way.

* * *

With both teams missing a number of starters, Orlando City was unable to continue its seven match home unbeaten streak. Let us know what you think of our grades in the comment section.

The Lions have a friendly against English Premier League side West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday, July 15, at 7:30 p.m. They return to MLS action the following Saturday, July 18, against the New York Red Bulls in the Citrus Bowl.

Polling Closed

Player Votes
Cristian Higuita 10
Aurelien Collin 60
Carlos Rivas 2
Seb Hines 9
Pedro Ribeiro 11
Other 19
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Orlando City

Orlando City at CF Montreal: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to earn all three points on the road against Montreal?

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3 hours ago

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April 17, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City heads to the Great White North to take on CF Montreal. The Canadian squad sits in last place in not just the Eastern Conference but also the entire MLS, with only two points from a pair of draws. To say it’s not been a good start to the season is an understatement. Of course, it’s exactly that type of situation that makes it feel like a trap. What does Orlando City need to do to take all three points against CF Montreal?

Designated Goal Scorers

What do you do if you haven’t scored a goal in the last two matches? You play a team that has given up 13 goals in eight matches with a -9 goal differential. Montreal doesn’t have the worst defense in the league — I’m looking at you, D.C. United — but it’s not far off. That presents an opportunity for Orlando City to get back on track when it comes to scoring goals.

Through the first six matches of the season, Orlando City was leading the league in scoring with 15 goals. Over the last two matches, the spigot has dried up. The Lions must seize on this opportunity to create and finish their chances. Much like earlier in the season, I want to see Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda, and Marco Pasalic lead the way. If anyone can get the first goal, then I’m hopeful the dam will break and the scoring drought will be over.

Keep it Clean

There is some good news of late when it comes to the Orlando City defense. The club has two clean sheets over the last two matches, and that is without Cesar Araujo. There is also some bad news, given Rodrigo Schlegel will be serving his red card suspension this match. That means David Brekalo will move back to center back with Robin Jansson, and Oscar Pareja will have to employ either Rafael Santos or Kyle Smith at left back. Santos has been less than good so far this season.

Montreal has scored a paltry four goals so far in 2025, but two of them have come from striker Prince Owusu. The defense will also need to deal with Caden Clark facilitating in the midfield. I get that this isn’t a prolific attack. Montreal has not looked very good this season and is looking for both its first win and its first points of any sort at home. That means the hosts may be desperate for a result, and desperate is often dangerous. How well the defense does — in particular, how well Santos does if he plays — may determine if Montreal is able to break out of its slump. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.

Give the Midfield Time

Before the last match, I was a little worried about the midfield. Having both Araujo and Eduard Atuesta out at the same time seemed to be a concern. Now, after seeing how well Joran Gerbet and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson worked together against the New York Red Bulls, I’m way less worried. If Araujo and Atuesta need a little more time to get fully healthy, then let them. The Franco/Icelandic combo seems to be a potent one.

Of course, if the normal starters are ready, then by all means bring them back, but maybe not until the 60th minute. Perhaps Pareja could even mix and match. One never knows how yellow card suspensions or minor injuries will affect player availability. This is a good match for Gerbet and Thorhallsson to work their magic.

That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/17/25

Oscar Pareja signs new contract with Orlando City, Orlando Pride prepare for the Washington Spirit, Orlando’s youth teams win, and more.

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7 hours ago

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April 17, 2025

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I can’t believe we’re already into the back half of April and Easter is right around the corner. There’s plenty of soccer to enjoy between now and then and we also have the draw for the U.S. Open Cup’s round of 32 this morning at 9:15. MLS teams are finally joining the fray, so we’ll see where the chips fall for Orlando City. Let’s get to the links!

Oscar Pareja Signs New Contract

Orlando City and Head Coach Oscar Pareja have agreed to a new three-year contract that will keep him in the City Beautiful through 2028. Pareja was hired as Orlando’s fourth head coach in its MLS era back in December of 2019 and he’s led the Lions to the playoffs in all five seasons he’s been at the helm.  Under Pareja, the Lions won the U.S. Open Cup in 2022, set club records in points and wins in 2023, and reached the Eastern Conference final for the first time last year. This year was the final one on the contract he signed in December of 2023, so it’s nice to know Pareja will be sticking around in the future.

Orlando Pride Prepare for the Washington Spirit

The Orlando Pride will look to make it five wins in a row when they host the Washington Spirit on Saturday in another rematch of last year’s final. While this is the first match between Orlando and Washington this season, the two clashed in the NWSL Challenge Cup on March 7 and the Spirit lifted the trophy after a penalty shootout. Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke on how the team has grown since that game and has benefitted from depth and consistency carried over from last year.

Orlando City Youth Teams Win in Bradenton

Orlando City’s U-18 team won in the Generation Adidas Cup’s round of 16, beating St. Louis City 1-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. The Young Lions remain unbeaten in that age group and will take on a Real Salt Lake team that also won its group and just beat Toronto FC in a penalty shootout following a scoreless draw.

Orlando’s U-16 squad didn’t qualify for the Championship bracket, but still advanced in the Premier bracket. After a 1-1 draw with Toronto, Orlando prevailed in the ensuing penalty shootout and will play Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals.

UEFA Champions League Semifinals Are Set

The quarterfinals for this year’s UEFA Champions League are over and only four teams remain in the tournament. Arsenal secured its spot in the semifinals after an impressive 2-1 road win against Real Madrid that included two assists from Mikel Merino. The Spanish club couldn’t muster its usual magic in the tournament and forward Kylian Mbappe exited in the second half due to injury. In Italy, Inter Milan held on for a 2-2 draw against Bayern to advance on aggregate, with defender Benjamin Pavard scoring a crucial goal for Inter against his old team. The semifinals will take place at the end of the month and will feature Arsenal taking on Paris Saint-Germain and Inter going up against Barcelona.

Free Kicks

  • Our thoughts go out to the friends and family of former FC Cincinnati player Aaron Boupendza, who died after falling from the 11th floor of a building in China.
  • The Chicago Fire are reportedly strongly interested in signing star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne on a free transfer. If any Western Conference teams could join the hunt for him, that would be great.

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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Orlando City

Orlando City Extends Oscar Pareja’s Contract through 2028

The most successful coach in Orlando City’s MLS history has signed on for another three seasons.

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17 hours ago

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April 16, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City SC announced today that the club and Head Coach Oscar Pareja have come to terms on a new three-year contract through 2028. The winningest head coach in club history, Pareja’s previous two-year contract was scheduled to expire after the 2025 season. With the Lions off to a 3-2-3 start, and coming off the deepest MLS Cup playoff run in the organization’s history — the 2024 Eastern Conference final — the club locked down the veteran coach

“Throughout his career, Oscar has proven to be a coach deeply committed not only to winning and competing for championships, but also to building teams that fans can proudly rally behind,” Orlando City Owner and Chairman Mark Wilf said in a club press release. “Here in Orlando, he’s shown that same passion and dedication — taking immense pride in representing our club with integrity and driving us closer each year to our ultimate goal of winning it all. His unwavering positivity and focus have helped shape a culture grounded in respect and ambition. We’re thrilled to have Oscar continue leading us forward in the City Beautiful.” 

Pareja has led Orlando City to a record of 89-59-55 across all competitions in 203 matches, reaching the playoffs in each of his seasons at the helm of OCSC. He also won the team’s first MLS-era trophy by leading the Lions to the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title, and he’s guided the club to its first two appearances in Concacaf Champions League/Cup and to the MLS is Back Tournament final in 2020.

With 176 MLS victories, Pareja is No. 5 on the league’s all-time wins list. He ranks second among all active coaches. Orlando City initially hired Pareja, 56, as head coach on Dec. 4, 2019. He succeeded James O’Connor, Jason Kreis, and Adrian Heath as OCSC head coaches in the club’s MLS era. Prior to joining the Lions, Pareja spent one season in Liga MX with Club Tijuana after five successful seasons as head coach at FC Dallas. Pareja started his MLS head coaching career with the Colorado Rapids in 2012, leading the ‘Pids for two seasons, including a playoff appearance in 2013. He also coached the U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team from 2007-2008. 

“First and foremost, I want to express my deepest gratitude to Mark Wilf, his family, the entire ownership group, and our executive board for their continued trust in the vision and culture we’ve built over the years,” Pareja said in the club’s release. “Their unwavering support is the foundation of everything we strive to achieve each day. Above all, I’m profoundly thankful to our incredible fans and the dedicated staff who pour their hearts into making Orlando City such a remarkable club. Together, we’ve grown stronger with each passing season, moving steadily closer to our shared ambition of bringing more trophies home to this great city. I remain deeply inspired by what lies ahead and look forward to continuing this journey in pursuit of more championships.” 

As a player, Pareja spent 1987-1995 with Independiente Medellin in his native Colombia as a midfielder, appearing in 263 matches and scoring 18 goals. He moved to Deportivo Cali, where he scored 11 more goals in 122 games from 1995-1998 and then joined the New England Revolution, appearing in 13 games that year. He finished his playing career with FC Dallas, scoring 13 goals in 170 appearances from 1998-2005. He also earned 11 caps from 1991 to 1996 with Colombia’s national team, scoring three goals.

What It Means for Orlando City

As I wrote when Pareja re-signed in December of 2023: quite simply, it means the Lions retain their most successful coach since joining Major League Soccer. Pareja has created a culture and an identity that was lacking at the club prior to his arrival. While it’s common for players to say the team feels like a family and a city feels like “home,” the Lions have walked that walk during Pareja’s tenure in the City Beautiful.

Pareja’s challenge for the upcoming season is to improve upon the club’s deepest run in the playoffs and perhaps the fourth-place finish the Lions enjoyed in 2024. That’s not an easy task, and it shouldn’t be held against him if he can’t reach those lofty heights.

In the short term, Pareja’s job is to get the team scoring goals again while maintaining the high defensive standards set over the last two matches.

Pareja’s tenure with Orlando City will ultimately be measured in trophies. So far, he’s won one of them. That’s more than everyone who came before him won with Orlando in the MLS era, but it’s understandable for fans and ownership to ask for more.

Oscar Pareja’s Coaching Record at Orlando City (W-L-D)

Major League Soccer Regular Season: 167 games, 74-48-45
MLS Playoffs: 12 games, 5-6-1 (Note: MLS considers draws losses if they happen in the best-of-three round but if it goes to penalties in a single-elimination game, it’s a draw.)
U.S. Open Cup: 7 games, 4-1-2
Concacaf Champions League/Cup: 6 games, 2-1-3
Leagues Cup: 7 games, 2-2-3
MLS is Back Knockout Stages: 4 games, 2-1-1

Total: 203 games coached, 89-59-55

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