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Orlando City

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

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5 years ago

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Orlando City was the better team in the first half and part of the second half against FC Dallas but a 69th-minute red card — on a second yellow — to Sebas Mendez changed the game. Fortunately, the Lions were strong defensively and came away with a well-earned point. It’s the team’s eighth straight game with at least a point and keeps Orlando in the top four of the Eastern Conference.

Here is how I viewed the individual performances in this game.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 7 (MotM) — As with many games this season, Pedro Gallese was great in this one. Especially in the first half, FC Dallas had some excellent chances but Gallese was up to the challenge. In the 10th minute, Gallese blocked a shot by Santiago Mosquera at point-blank range. In the 41st minute, Bryan Acosta flicked a ball that nearly found the top corner but Gallese was once again up for the task. Gallese ended the game with four saves and did well to manage the clock as the Lions looked to claim a point despite being a man down.

D, Ruan, 5.5 — It’s difficult to judge Ruan’s performance in this game as he only lasted 23 minutes before exiting with an injury. In the short time he was in action, Ruan caused trouble down the right. Nani and Mauricio Pereyra looked for him on multiple occasions. Defensively, he was strong, not giving anything to the FC Dallas attack.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — Rodrigo Schlegel came away with another strong performance filling in for Antonio Carlos. After Sebas Mendez was sent off with 20 minutes remaining, Orlando City was put under pressure and the central defenders did well to keep the opposition at bay. He ended the game with three tackles, two clearances, and a blocked shot.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Robin Jansson was already the leader of the Orlando City defense but has been even more so since Antonio Carlos has been out. The Swede was strong in the back and, along with Schlegel, was key in ensuring that the Lions claimed a point. His stats might not stand out, recording a tackle, four clearances, and a blocked shot, but the goose egg for FC Dallas is largely attributed to his performance.

D, Kyle Smith, 6 — This was a bounce-back performance by Kyle Smith, who struggled in the team’s last game against Sporting Kansas City. After providing opportunities for the opposition midweek, Smith was much better in Dallas. In addition to being strong defensively, Smith completed 84.5% of his 58 passes and was accurate with four of his six long balls.

MF, Junior Urso, 6 — It was another strong performance by Junior Urso in the defensive midfield. His distribution was solid once again, completing 90.9% of his 55 passes. He had fewer tackles than his counterpart, Mendez, but was much smarter when doing so. The result was assisting in an important clean sheet that earned the Lions a point.

MF, Sebas Mendez, 3.5 — It was a night to forget for Mendez. He didn’t play that poorly for most of the game, completing 90% of his 50 passes. However, two stupid mistakes in his final five minutes defined his night. In the 64th minute, Mendez was issued a yellow for time wasting when he kicked the ball away after a free kick was awarded. Just five minutes later, after having just been cautioned, Mendez went in with a dangerous challenge, resulting in a second booking. He put his team in a difficult situation, effectively undoing all the good work he had done previously in the game.

MF, Nani, 6 — Nani was once again at the point of the Orlando City attack most of the night. He completed 76% of his 50 passes and made four key passes in the game. He ended up with a total of nine shots, but only one of those shots was on target. The club captain was lucky not to give up a late free kick to FC Dallas just outside of the Orlando City box but it was a quality performance overall.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 — Pereyra was excellent for the Lions in this game. He was often involved in play and did well to find others while building an attack. Touching the ball 60 times, Pereyra completed 86.1 of his 43 passes and had five key passes. He came off for Andres Perea in the 73rd minute but it was because of the need for a defensive addition after Sebas Mendez was sent off. Oscar Pareja would’ve preferred to have the attacker on, especially with the type of game he was having.

MF, Chris Mueller, 5 — Chris Mueller is usually a key part of the Orlando City attack, but he was largely missing in this game. In 63 minutes on the field, he only touched the ball 36 times and took two shots, with one on target. Mueller completed 87% of his 23 passes and attempted two crosses, but neither reached their intended target.

F, Tesho Akindele, 5 — Tesho Akindele was looking for a strong performance against his old club but it wasn’t to be. Coming off a good performance in Kansas City, Akindele only managed to record one shot, which was blocked, and only completed 61.5% of his 13 passes. He nearly got on the end of a first half cross, which could’ve been the opening goal, but was unable to reach it and ran into the goal instead.

Substitutes

D, Kamal Miller (23’), 6 — Kamal Miller was thrown into the game well before he expected and did very well. He replaced Ruan in the 23rd minute and was solid, helping complete the clean sheet. He made two interceptions and two clearances on the night, while 68.8% of his 32 passes found their mark.

F, Daryl Dike (63’), 5 — Oscar Pareja brought Daryl Dike on in the 63rd minute hoping he could do more than Akindele had done to that point. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the best night for the rookie. He had a couple of chances with the ball inside the box but was unable to threaten FC Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer and drew a free kick in a dangerous spot after out-dueling Matt Hedges, but Nani’s set piece delivery hit the wall. In the end, Dike only ended up with one shot that hit the side netting.

F, Benji Michel (63’), 5 — Similar to Dike, it was an unremarkable performance by Benji Michel. Despite being on the field for 27 minutes, he only touched the ball seven times and took one shot, which was off target. He was brought in to add a spark to the attack but was unable to.

MF, Andres Perea (73’), 5.5 — Perea came on as a defensive replacement after Mendez was sent off in the 69th minute. He only touched the ball five times and didn’t make any defensive stops so it’s difficult to judge his performance. However, considering that FC Dallas didn’t cause too much trouble while attacking a man up in the final minutes, Perea was helpful in the clean sheet and point earned by Orlando City.

That’s how I think Orlando City’s players performed against FC Dallas. How did you see the game? Let us know what you thought of the performance in the comment section and don’t forget to vote on the Man of the Match below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Pedro Gallese33
Mauricio Pereyra2
Nani2
Robin Jansson8
Other10

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/23/25

The Orlando Pride drop, OCSC Academy awards, USMNT characters, and more.

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9 hours ago

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April 23, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. This weekend we have the most convenient schedule, with the Orlando Pride playing Friday night, Orlando City on Saturday night, and Orlando City B on Sunday night. It’s nice knowing what I’ll be doing each night. Now, I just need all three teams to get back on the winning side of things. Until then, let’s get to the links.

Bad Pride, Good Pride

It might have been the dumbest way to lose a match against the Washington Spirit, but — actually nevermind, there is no “but” about it. We can, however, decide to move forward rather than dwell on it after today. Unsurprisingly, the Pride dropped in the all-knowing power rankings. All for XI only dropped the Pride one spot to No. 2 since everyone has a bad day now and again. The CBS power ranking dropped the team to No. 3. That was the “bad.” The “good” is that we can revisit the puppies that showed up at Inter&Co Stadium. The loss still hurts, but it’s hard to stay mad after looking at the puppies.

The (OCSC) Academy Awards

Assuming you read Lion Links on Monday morning (or listened to The Mane Land PawedCast this week) you know that the Orlando City SC Academy U-18 team won the Generation Adidas Cup. Now we know that three of the very young Lions — Gustavo Caraballo, Jackson Platts, and Justin Ellis — were named to the U18 Best XI. Additionally, Caraballo and Ellis earned MVP and Top Scorer awards, respectively. It was truly the bright spot of an otherwise forgettable weekend.

Pochettino Prepares

The USMNT did not do well in the Concacaf Nations League, falling to Panama and then Canada in the third place match. Now, U.S. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has to prepare the team for the Gold Cup. Pochettino said that he needs the “right characters” on the squad, whether they are the most talented or not. He also spoke of the need for the players to fight for the badge and the flag. Former USMNT coach Bruce Arena said Pochettino may not be the right man for the job because he’s not an American. The USMNT’s next matches are friendlies against Turkiye and Switzerland on June 7 and June 10, respectively.

MLS Transfer News

The Columbus Crew are making moves. The club received $250,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) from the Houston Dynamo in exchange for a 2025 international roster slot. The club then sent DeJuan Jones to the San Jose Earthquakes for $425,000 in GAM and a 2025 international roster slot. Elsewhere, Sporting Kansas City acquired forward Santiago Muñoz on loan from Liga MX side Santos Laguna.

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That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the full slate of matches coming up.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/22/25

Pedro Gallese earns recognition, Americans in midweek action, English promotion update, and more.

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1 day ago

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April 22, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Well it wasn’t the worst weekend that Orlando soccer has ever had, but it certainly wasn’t the best either. Fortunately, all three of Orlando’s teams will be back in action soon, so there’s no need to dwell on the past too much. Let’s take a moment to wish a happy birthday to the Orlando Pride’s Brianna Martinez, as well as to Kaká! Now, it’s time to turn our attention to today’s links.

Pedro Gallese Earns Weekly Recognition

Pedro Gallese kept a third clean sheet in a row and Orlando City’s third clean sheet of the year in the team’s scoreless draw on the road against CF Montreal. In recognition of his efforts during the match, Gallese was named to the bench of the latest edition of the MLS Team of the Matchday. El Pulpo made six saves to blank a Montreal team that intently searched for a breakthrough, and made a couple of truly excellent second half stops that kept the score level. Congrats to Pedro and keep up the good work!

Americans in Midweek Action

A number of Americans will be playing games during the working week, and there are some big matches to keep an eye on. The main event is on Wednesday, when Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan face Inter Milan in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal, which is tied 1-1 after the first leg. Also on Wednesday, Chris Richards, Matt Turner, and Crystal Palace will play Arsenal in the Premier League. Thursday then has Malik Tillman, Richy Ledezma, and PSV Eindhoven playing FC Twente in the Eredivisie, while Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis play Valladolid in La Liga action.

English Promotion Update

Following results in the EFL Championship on Monday, Leeds United and Burnley have both secured promotion to the Premier League for next season. Both teams won their respective games and are each on 94 points, and with just two matches left, third-placed Sheffield United has no way to catch them. The other promoted side will be determined after the promotion playoffs, which would feature Sheffield United, Sunderland, Bristol City, and Coventry City if the season ended today. Meanwhile in League One, Wrexham’s 2-1 victory over Blackpool meant the Dragons retook second place and the automatic promotion spot that comes with it. If they beat Charlton on Sunday and Wycombe Wanderers drop points against Leyton Orient, then Wrexham would secure promotion to the Championship.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

Transfer rumors continue to fly thick and fast as we approach the business end of most European seasons, so let’s take a look at a few items worth catching up on. Manchester United is said to be keen on signing 17-year-old Argentine Franco Mastantuono from River Plate. Liverpool is reportedly interested in signing winger Ademola Lookman from Atalanta, although the Reds would likely face competition from several other Premier League teams. Finally, Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has revealed that he and Xabi Alonso have a gentleman’s agreement that if a team the Spaniard used to play for is interested in hiring him as its coach, then the club will not hinder the process. The statement has led to renewed speculation that Alonso will be named Real Madrid coach if Carlo Ancelotti leaves in the summer.

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That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City’s Focus On Youth Development Showing In The First Team

Orlando City is seeing more and more players promoted from the academy, through OCB, and into the first team.

Published

2 days ago

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April 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City began its academy in the USL Pro days with the goal of developing players for the first team. It took nearly a decade to begin seeing youth development bear fruit, but it’s becoming apparent early in the 2025 season.

Prior to 2019, Orlando City signed four players to Homegrown Player contracts. Tommy Redding, Tyler Turner, and Harrison Heath never played in the academy and the other, Mason Stajduhar, developed primarily at Chargers Soccer Club in Tampa.

Orlando City signed arguably its first true Homegrown Player when the club inked Benji Michel to a first-team contract. The following off-season, the Lions added David Loera and Jordan Bender. Mikey Halliday signed in July 2020. All of the players came through the academy before signing first-team deals. 

So what changed?

Part of it was the growth of the academy. It takes several years to begin producing players. Another major factor was the hiring of Luiz Muzzi on Dec. 18, 2019. Muzzi came from FC Dallas, a club known for promoting from its academy. He brought in Ricardo Moreira, who shares his vision of developing young talent for the first team.

And it’s not only Muzzi and Moreira. Former Orlando City head coach Adrian Heath rarely attended OCB games. James O’Connor only went to one, and that was to see his former teammate, Dennis Chin, who was playing with the opposing Richmond Kickers. The Orlando City boss left when Chin came off.

Oscar Pareja and other first-team coaches have been at several games, far more than their predecessors. That’s largely to do with the games’ location at the training facility, which is another factor in OCB’s development. The 2019 team trained over 40 miles away from the first team. The move to Kissimmee has the first team, OCB, and the development academy under one roof. It’s another display of the club’s more recent commitment to youth development.

Undoubtedly, the transformation of OCB under Muzzi and Moreira has also impacted Homegrown talent coming through. The team’s 2016 and 2017 rosters were primarily made up of first-team reserves and USL lifers. The 2019 team had many players from the Soccer Institute at Montverde Academy (SIMA), many of which were young but ineligible for Homegrown status.

Things began to change in 2020. The roster shifted to include more academy players and that’s only grown. This year, 15 OCB players came out of the academy, two were drafted, and eight are outside signings on MLS NEXT Pro deals. Other than Jhon Solis and first-team goalkeeper Carlos Mercado, everyone to appear for the team is 23 years old or younger.

The focus on giving OCB spots to academy graduates is now seen in the first team. Players like Thomas Williams, Javier Otero, Alex Freeman, Colin Guske, and Gustavo Caraballo have been regulars on the MLS team sheet. Injuries to first-team regulars has seen them receiving regular playing time.

The poster boy for this change is Freeman. The right back came out of the academy and spent a couple of years at OCB before signing his first-team contract. He won the starting role early in the 2025 regular season.

Many players joined the club later in their development, but we’re seeing some come through having been nearly fully developed at the Orlando City Academy. Guske and Caraballo joined at 13 years old, the youngest age group of the development academy. Both signed first-team deals for this year.

The midfield duo continue to play with OCB most games but are also on the first-team roster almost weekly. The only reason they weren’t in Montreal Saturday night is because they were helping the club’s U-18 team reach (and then win) the Generation Adidas Cup final.

With Muzzi and Moreira at the helm, more players continue to come through. U-18 captain and OCB starter Jackson Platts appears to be well on his way to a first-team contract. So does fellow U-18 and OCB starting forward Justin Ellis.

This past weekend saw another academy product make his first-team debut. Zakaria Taifi took over at right back for OCB when Freeman moved up to the first team this year. Signing a short-term deal Saturday, he came on as a late substitute to help the 10-man Lions see out the scoreless draw.

First-team absences have provided opportunities for many young players. If several weren’t at the Generation Adidas Cup, it could be more. Regardless, the last few years have shown a big step forward for the club.

The shift in recent years is more than the pride of seeing local kids representing the hometown team. They’ve been an essential part of the 2025 campaign. The club hasn’t had to use a short bench or dip into outside emergency signings. Instead, the Lions call up kids they know, making it easier to seamlessly place them into the team.

There will be times where several injuries will occur to experienced players. Orlando City is prepared for this more now than ever before, and it’s because of the players coming through the academy and playing with OCB. We’re already seeing it early in this 2025 season.

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