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Orlando City

Orlando City at New England Revolution: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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9 years ago

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It took late game heroics to secure a point (I’m noticing a theme there), but Orlando City drew 2-2 with New England Revolution thanks to a stoppage time goal from substitute Carlos Rivas.

All three of Adrian Heath’s subs influenced the game positively, and a hard fought 95 minutes is rewarded with a well earned point in hand.

And, if you ask me, the ref didn’t suck. So that was nice. Now how about some grades?

Starters

G, Joe Bendik, 7 – Cut off a good cross in 13th, cleaned up the mess again following an immediate turnover. Bendik was very assertive in the first half hour, taking command of the box and getting out to reach every ball possible. Great job disrupting a strong chance in the 31st. Saved the point in stoppage with a fantastic save when the Revs had a clear look just feet in front of goal.

D, Brek Shea, 6 – Was destroyed off the dribble by Diego Fagundez leading to the first goal allowed. Consistently attacked by the defense, did a solid job recovering but the Revs made his side of the pitch a target throughout the first half. Was chewed up on the Revs’ second goal, allowing two passes to beat him and leave Bendik exposed.

D, Seb Hines, 6 – Failed to block the first goal and really should have been able to get in the way. Struggled with Fagundez early, but did show good effort in clearing out in the first half. Beaten to the ball by Juan Aguedelo in the 72nd, leading to New England’s second goal. Just missed heading in Nocerino’s free kick in the 79th.

D, David Mateos, 7.5 – Solid first half, disruptive defensively and passed deep with confidence. Was active clearing New England chances all night, although was just a half step too slow in covering for an over extended left side of the back line when a glancing deflection still found the goal. Cleaned up a frenzied late attack by the Revs, who nearly took the lead back in the 92nd before Mateos cleared out.

D, Rafael Ramos, 6.5 – Got forward well to play a strong cross to Nocerino in the 9th. Worked well with Winter early, springing him forward to threaten. Pestered the Revs throughout the match offensively, putting together his second consecutive positive effort in that facet of the game. Earned a solid yellow card disrupting Agudelo in the 93rd.

MF, Antonio Nocerino, 6 – Poor try at a corner in the 6th, finding nothing but blue shirts. Blew a shot on net in the 9th following a solid cross from Ramos that he should have been able to convert. Still seems to be a bit off, though he did flash signs of solid two-man play with Molino.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 6.5 – Good job tracking back in the 57th to prevent a scoring chance for Fagundez, earning a goal kick when disrupting the play. Passed crisply and efficiently, linking up with the attack as well as you could ask for. Not quite as active as usual defensively — the ref was letting both sides be physical, you’d think of all people Higuita would be the one to take advantage attacking the ball.

MF, Darwin Ceren, 6 – Worked well with Higuita and Ramos, boasting the highest passing percentage on the club. His goal saving block in the 20th minute proved huge, though received a yellow card shortly afterwards in the 24th.

MF, Kevin Molino, 8 (MotM) – Played very well off Brek and Nocerino early, showing the confidence on the ball and in his teammates that was missing last week. His hard work eventually paid off when he found himself in prime position to play Larin’s missed header into the back of the net to equalize in the 29th.

MF, Adrian Winter, 6 – Sprung Ramos with a good lead ball for cross in the 9th that ultimately amounted to nothing. Hustled to be in position, but was tangled up in the box on a chance in the 14th. Showed his skill on the ball when he beat two off the dribble to play the cross that led to Molino’s equalizing goal. Seemed to pace himself better, as he was still pressing forward deep into the match, but failed to influence any big plays.

F, Cyle Larin, 7 – Just missed a header in the 18th off a Nocerino pass. Consistently worked hard to win headers throughout the match, in fact, but couldn’t quite seem to get his head on the ball. The defense was clearly focused on Kid Fantastic, which did turn into great scoring chances for both Molino and Nocerino at the back post, though only The Original was able to convert. Completed just six of ten passes on the match, but he did manage to get the ball to Rivas for the equalizing goal.

Substitutes

MF, Servando Carrasco (62′), 7 – Active defensively, leading the team with four tackles despite playing just half an hour. Carrasco played his usual style — aggressively chasing the ball on defense, and looking to spring the speedsters with long passes after gaining possession.

MF, Carlos Rivas (80′), 7.5 – Immediately worked to make his presence felt, pressing forward and looking to create chances. Raced to catch up to a Baptista through ball, Rivas was yellow carded for leaving a foot in when colliding with New England goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth. Great job sticking with the play late to make a run across the front of net, leading to him scoring the equalizer in the first minute of stoppage and get the Lions a point.

MF/F, Julio Baptista (80′), 6.5 – Tried getting a little too cute in the box late, costing the Lions an opportunity to attack the net in the 88th. Started the sequence that led to Rivas’ equalizer by playing over the top to Cyle Larin. Showed flashes of creativity and a flair for playmaking, Baptista is an exciting player to watch.

Be sure to vote for your man of the match and head to the comments section to sound off on my worst grades.

Polling Closed

Player Votes
Joe Bendik 96
Kevin Molino 50
Carlos Rivas 37
Other 31
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Orlando City

Orlando City Signs Defender Thomas Williams Through 2026

Orlando City signs Homegrown center back Thomas Williams to a new contract through 2026 with a club option for 2027.

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3 hours ago

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January 22, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Orlando City announced this morning that the club has signed defender Thomas Williams through the 2026 season with a club option for 2027. The Homegrown Player has been with the first team since 2021 and will continue for at least two more years.

“Thomas is someone whose future we’re still very excited about and we’re happy to get him locked in with us for a couple more years,” Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi said in a club press release. “He’s shown a lot of growth these last few seasons, continuing to get game action with Orlando City B and proving the importance of our development pathway, and we’re looking forward to having him with us for the foreseeable future.”

The Titusville native joined the Orlando City Academy in 2015 and made his professional debut for the club on Aug. 7, 2020 against New England Revolution II. He played in 13 games that year with 10 starts and recorded 844 minutes. His play on the Young Lions’ back line earned him a first-team contract on June 15, 2021, at just 16 years old, making him the youngest player in club history to sign a Homegrown contract.

The 20-year-old center back made his MLS debut on April 16, 2022 in a 2-0 win over the Columbus Crew in Ohio. He made five appearances with three starts in all competitions that season, recording 271 minutes. To date, those are the only appearances he’s made with the first team.

Since joining OCB in 2021, Williams has made 69 appearances with 61 starts and recorded 5,132 minutes. He’s been booked 19 times and sent off twice, both times after receiving second yellow cards.

What It Means for Orlando City

Williams is the fourth natural center back for Orlando City on the current squad behind Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Rodrigo Schlegel. He played well early in his OCB and MLS career, but has struggled recently. Last year, he played exclusively with the second team, partnering with Nabi Kibunguchy.

While Williams hasn’t made much of an impact on the first team so far, he’s only 20 years old and still has plenty of time to develop. Extending his contact shows that the club still has faith that he can turn into a key player for the MLS side.

It’s unlikely that Williams will see any time with the first team in 2025 (barring injuries and/or suspensions), considering that he’s also been behind versatile defender Kyle Smith at the center back position. He’ll likely spend the upcoming season with OCB, continuing to develop and earn his spot with the first team. As a Homegrown Player, there isn’t much risk in signing Williams to a new contract, especially if the club’s technical staff thinks he can develop into a quality defender.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/22/25

Orlando City transfer rumors, Orlando Pride preseason begins, USMNT at Inter&Co, and more.

Published

7 hours ago

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January 22, 2025

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Dan MacDonald, The ManeLand

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Up here in Tallahassee, I’m waking up to snow/sleet, closed schools, closed government offices, and potentially icy roads. Many people will get an extra day off of work, however, I still get to go to work. I’m sure you can imagine how happy I am about that. Enough of my winter grumbling. Let’s get to the links but not until after we wish Orlando City fullback Michael Halliday a happy 22nd birthday.

Orlando City Reportedly Targeting Croatian International

While I can no longer say that Orlando City hasn’t signed any new players, the club is still moving at its traditionally slow speed as compared to other MLS clubs. We had the signing of Nicolas Rodriguez last week. Now, we have Tom Bogert report of yet another winger prospect for the club in Croatian Marco Pasalic from HNK Rijeka, though it is not a done deal. Hopefully the other targets Bogert mentions are of the striker variety.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881755961125449765?s=46&t=pMoq7Wulqfb35D7C8ydroA

Pride Preseason Begins

The 2024 NWSL champions are back to defend their title. The Orlando Pride returned to training on Tuesday. The club hasn’t needed to add many pieces, though some of the players already here, like Simone Charley and Grace Chanda, haven’t actually played any minutes for the Pride yet. Most of the chemistry is in place for Seb Hines, but reinforcing those bonds will be the challenge as the Pride look to repeat.

USMNT at Inter&Co Tonight

Hopefully you have tickets to the USMNT friendly match versus Costa Rica at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. The match starts at 7 p.m. and there are television and streaming options if you’re not going in person. Despite the squad having 14 players with three or fewer caps, Mauricio Pochettino does not consider this an “alternative” squad, nor does he want the players to think of themselves like that.

Girma Reportedly Nearing Completion of Chelsea Move

USWNT defender Naomi Girma is reportedly headed to Chelsea FC Women for a record $1.1 million transfer fee. That is a very big chunk of change for San Diego FC to use to try to replace one of the best defenders in the world. The deal is not complete as of Tuesday evening, but according to the original report from The Athletic, it is close to being done. Girma would be the first women’s soccer player to earn a transfer fee of over $1 million.

MLS Transfer Updates

Other MLS clubs keep on putting pen to paper when it comes to new players. The Chicago Fire are bringing in Jonathan Bamba on a Designated Player deal from La Liga side Celta de Vigo. The Luca de la Torre loan from Spain’s RC Celta de Vigo to San Diego FC is also official.

https://twitter.com/sandiegofc/status/1881741042904350864

Cucho Hernandez evidently wants to stay with the Columbus Crew, though he is still waiting on a new offer.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881786193693823104

Free Kicks

https://twitter.com/weareangelcity/status/1881749040863588770?s=12&t=_WZBNG4ILAyRLdwBeB4mpQ
  • Keep your eyes peeled later today for the NWSL schedule drop.
https://twitter.com/nwsl/status/1881749035218042954?s=46&t=pN-YJp3s7ZQlCXqnTAgSfw

That will do it for today. Stay warm out there, my friends. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/21/25

Orlando Pride release preseason camp roster, scouting Costa Rica, women’s soccer transfer grades, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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January 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone! If you had yesterday off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, then I hope you enjoyed some restful time off. If not, then I hope you got your week started off on a good and productive note. There’s a lot going on around here this week as the United States Men’s National Team is in town, and Orlando City will play its first preseason match on Saturday. That means we have plenty to discuss, so let’s dig into today’s links.

Orlando Pride Drop Preseason Roster

Monday might have been a holiday but the Orlando Pride were busy, as they announced the roster for their upcoming preseason camp. Almost all of the usual suspects from the 2024 season are back, as the Pride return 98% of the player-minutes from last season and every single scorer. Mariana Larroquette is on the list although she’s currently on loan in Argentina, and Amanda Allen is likewise included after her loan at Lexington Sporting Club was terminated due to a torn labrum. The biggest intrigue comes from the trio of non-roster invitees: goalkeeper DeAira Jackson, midfielder Aryssa Mahrt, and forward Simone Jackson.

Scouting Costa Rica

The USMNT takes on Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium to wrap up the team’s annual January camp. Like the U.S., Costa Rica is bringing a roster devoid of the majority of its important players. Costa Rica also has a new manager at the helm in Miguel Herrera, who will take charge of the team for the very first time on Wednesday. Herrera typically lines his teams up in a 5-3-2 where the wingbacks take on a very important role and the team looks to hit on the counter while staying compact at the back. This will be the last time we see the USMNT in action until the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in early March.

Women’s Soccer January Transfer Grades

January has been a busy time for transfers in the women’s soccer world, so which teams have done the best business? Well, the Orlando Pride received an A grade for signing Marta to a new two-year deal, retaining a player who helped the team win its first ever trophies. Liverpool got an A for signing Julia Bartel on loan from Chelsea. Leicester City made an interesting call by transferring goalkeeper Lize Kop to Tottenham despite just being a point above the relegation zone. The Foxes get a C for the move, while Spurs get a B+ for adding a capable netminder.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans taking part in some very important games over the course of this week. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus face Club Brugge today in the UEFA Champions League, while Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Esmir Bajraktarević, Malik Tillman and PSV Eindhoven take on Crvena Zvezda in the same competition. Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan will play Girona in the UCL on Wednesday, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic take on Young Boys. On Friday, John Tolkin could make his Bundesliga debut when his new team, Holstein Kiel, travels to face Wolfsburg.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride players reported for their preseason physicals on Monday.
  • Meanwhile, Orlando City took on the dreaded beep test during Monday’s training session.

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

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