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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Montreal Impact: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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9 years ago

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Orlando City finally got back into the win column with a 2-1 win over Montreal. Impact fans may feel a bit salty about not getting an offside call on Cyle Larin on the last goal and Mauro Biello certainly disagreed about the foul call that led to the first, but if all of the early season bad calls (and bad no-calls) that cost the Lions points are going to even out over the long haul, it’s got to start somewhere, and I’m certainly not going to feel bad for anyone over it.

The Lions started the match kind of a mess, and Montreal did grab a much deserved early lead. But as the game wore on, a funny thing happened — Orlando City started to play as a team. Adrian Heath promised lineup changes and we got them. He put Cristian Higuita and Servando Carrasco in the central midfield above his back line and went with an attacking midfield of Carlos Rivas, Kaká, and Adrian Winter, pushing Antonio Nocerino and Kevin Molino to the bench. Seb Hines returned to the starting lineup but his night ended early with another knock.

I had a lot of very low ratings running through my head for the first half hour of the match, but now some of these will probably be scoffed at as too high. That’s OK. These are my grades and disagreement isn’t a bad thing. Let’s get to those player ratings.

Starters

G, Joe Bendik, 9 (MOTM) -€” Another sparkling outing for the former Toronto FC man, who made some key saves in the second half, including somehow stopping a deflected shot one-handed while moving the other direction. He came off his line twice to prevent dangerous chances for Montreal and finished with six saves on the seven Montreal shots on goal, including a huge save in the 71st on Oduro. The only one he couldn’t keep out took a deflection and he could do nothing about it. Kept the game level long enough for the Lions to find a late winner.

D, Brek Shea, 5 -€” He spent much of the first half trying to get booked (and eventually succeeding in the 41st minute), getting a lecture in the 11th and 29th minutes from referee Mark Geiger. Venegas flopped in the 40th to try to get him booked, and succeeded, but the left back should never have gone after the Montreal player, after having already won the free kick. Should have scored off a cross in the 51st minute but the ball went between his legs as he attacked the net. Worked well with Rivas down the left, though, so it wasn’t all bad for Brek.

D, David Mateos, 7 -€” Solid if unspectacular night for the Spaniard. Headed away a free kick in the 24th minute. Worked well with both Seb Hines and Tommy Redding, teaming up to keep Oduro and Piatti from getting many quality looks. Completed 87.2% of his passes and completed five of his seven long balls.

D, Seb Hines, 7 -€” Was having a good night before leaving in the 40th minute with a knock. Completed 94.7% of his passes and all five long balls were accurate. Stopped Oduro in the open field just moments before Piatti opened the scoring. Dispossessed Lucas Ontivero in the 30th off a free kick to clear the danger.

D, Rafael Ramos, 3 -€” Before leaving with an apparent hamstring injury in the 34th minute, the Portuguese youth international was having somewhat of a nightmare game. He was beaten on Ignacio Piatti’s goal in the fourth minute, he allowed a free kick with an unnecessary foul in the corner, and Dominic Oduro also beat him in the 15th minute, before having his cross deflected. Speaking of deflected crosses, neither of his were accurate. Ramos had one blocked and mishit another. Just a tough night all around for the youngster.

MF, Servando Carrasco, 6.5 -€” Started the match a bit tough, deflecting the Piatti shot that beat Bendik and taking a couple rough challenges, but came into the game as it wore on. He completed 80% of his passes and two of his five long balls were accurate. He finished with two tackles, two clearances, three interceptions and a blocked shot and helped Higuita lock down the middle of the pitch just above the back line.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 7 -€” Led the team in tackles (6), interceptions (6) and clearances (5) and completed 86.2% of his passes. Tracked back in the 33rd off a Ramos turnover to thwart the counter attack. Was better in the air than usual, getting his head on a few of Montreal’s set piece crosses to clear the danger. I have to mark him down a bit for taking a silly yellow card for dissent when a call went against him in the 53rd after he thought he’d dispossessed Piatti cleanly.

MF, Carlos Rivas, 5.5 -€” It was a night of almosts for the Colombian, who may have been a tad rusty after not seeing the field much recently. Used his speed to get up the left wing and create havoc but only three of his team-high nine crosses were accurate. Nearly served up an easy goal for Baptista, but the pass was just off. Came close to an Olimpico on a corner kick but it was cleared by Montreal. Completed just 66.7% of his passes and took an unnecessary yellow card for kicking the ball away to keep Montreal from playing quickly. Made a bad play going for goal in the 89th from a bad angle rather than heading to the corner to waste some valuable seconds. He was an agent of chaos, but that’s not always a bad thing.

MF, Kaká, 8 -€” If not for some slight disappearances in the opening 20 or 25 minutes, this could have been an even better night for the captain. Assisted on both of Larin’s goals and took three shots, forcing a save on one. Got in alone on goal and Wandrille Lefevre had to be perfect on his tackle to avoid a penalty. Led the team with four key passes. Really asserted himself in the game starting late in the first half and willed his team to victory.

MF, Adrian Winter, 6 -€” Typical hustle game for Winter but he didn’t really get into dangerous spaces with the ball, had only one key pass, and didn’t get any attempts at goal. Earned an early yellow card with a couple of crunching tackles and settled down after that. Managed only 25 touches in his 74 minutes.

F, Cyle Larin, 8.5 -€” Scored one with his head and one with his foot, and got into dangerous spaces all night. He earned the free kick that led to his first goal, sprinting up the left sideline. Lefevre got the ball cleanly on the slide tackle but raised his boots and took down the Canadian. Three of his game-high five shots were on target, including a header at Evan Bush in the 75th minute and the two goals. It wasn’t a perfect night, as he took a heavy touch in the clear in the 55th and shot just wide from a poor angle instead of squaring the ball to an open teammate for the easy goal. Still, a good night for Kid Fantastic, who got his first multi-goal game of the season.

Substitutes

D, Kevin Alston (34′), 7 -€” Subbing in for the injured Ramos in the first half, Alston showed well in the game. Adrian Heath called his efforts “smashing” after the match. He missed on a few passes and long balls, and he took a yellow after getting beat by Piatti in the 66th, but defended well overall and was an attacking presence. His wicked cross in the 87th had to be punched away by Bush.

D, Tommy Redding (40′), 7.5 -€” Spelled Hines and picked up where the starter left off with a fantastic performance. His vital tackle on Piatti in the box in the 73rd minute had to be perfect and it was. In the 80th, he shut down Michael Salazar’s bid to get past and into the box with a neat tackle. Finished with only three tackles but all were 1-v-1 and kept Montreal from generating a dangerous chance. He also completed 86.7% of his passes and both of his long balls were accurate. His positioning wasn’t always perfect but the youngster played well.

MF, Julio Baptista (75′), 6 -€” It wasn’t the best outing for The Beast until his gorgeous chip to Kaká set the winning goal in motion, although he did complete 85.7% of his passes. Fell in the box on a Rivas cross while trying to reset his feet to get a shot off. Attempted one shot but it was off target.

* * *

Those are my grades for the Lions’ skid-snapping win over Montreal. Please vote for your Orlando City Man of the Match in the poll below and let me know what your ratings were.

Polling Closed

Player Votes
Kaká 118
Cyle Larin 43
Joe Bendik 149
Cristian Higuita 34
Tommy Redding 12
Other 12
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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/22/25

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

Published

18 hours 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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/21/25

Another scoreless draw for Orlando City, a home loss for the Pride, a championship for the OCSC U-18 squad, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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April 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope you all had a great holiday weekend with family and friends. I managed to watch a few soccer games while work kept me busy. Our Lions picked up another draw for the third week in a row, the Pride lost, and OCB was off this weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Draw CF Montreal on the Road

Orlando City and CF Montreal split the points in a scoreless draw at Stade Saputo on Saturday. It’s the third consecutive week that the Lions could not get a win with another scoreless draw. It’s the second straight match that Orlando had to play down a man as Rafael Santos was sent off in the second half after receiving a second yellow card. Still, the Lions extended their unbeaten run to six matches and are seventh in the Eastern Conference table with 13 points. After the match, Major League Soccer issued a statement after being informed a fan used discriminatory language towards a player during the match.

Orlando City will return to Inter&Co Stadium Saturday to take on Atlanta United.

Orlando City Signs Two Players to Short-Term Deals

Before Saturday’s match against CF Montreal, Orlando City announced the club had signed defender Zakaria Taifi and midfielder Riyon Tori to short-term contracts. Both players were on the bench for Saturday’s match. Tori did not play, but Taifi came off the bench late in the second half to make his MLS debut. Tori has played with OCB and has made three appearances. Taifi has made 42 appearances, starting 21 matches for OCB, scoring one goal and adding three assists.

Orlando City Signs Four Assistant Coaches to New Contracts

Orlando City announced on Friday that the club has renewed the contracts of First Assistant Coach Diego Torres, Second Assistant Coach Martin Perelman, Goalkeeper Coach Cesar Baena, and Fitness & Performance Coach Fabian Bazan. This news comes just days after the club announced that Head Coach Oscar Pareja will remain with the Lions under a new three-year contract through the 2028 MLS season. Together, the coaching staff has played a key part in the recent success of the Lions over the last five seasons, making five consecutive MLS Playoff appearances, two appearances in the Concacaf Champions Cup, and winning the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Lions also set club records for wins and points, scoring 308 goals across all competitions with a plus-44 goal differential in 202 competitive matches.

Pride Fall to Washington Spirit at Home

The Orlando Pride fell to the Washington Spirit 1-0 at Inter&Co Stadium Saturday to suffer their first loss of the season. The Pride dominated most of the match, but in the 63rd minute, Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse gave the ball away in front of the goal, and Gift Monday capitalized to score the winning goal for the Spirit. Late in the second half, it looked like the Pride had scored the equalizer; however, after video review, it was determined that Kylie Nadaner backed into Aubrey Kingsbury on the play, impeding the goalkeeper from catching the ball, and the tying goal was waved off. With the Kansas City Current’s win over the Houston Dash over the weekend, Orlando drops to second in the NWSL table. The Pride will return to action Friday at Inter&Co Stadium to face Angel City FC.

Orlando City U-18 Team Wins Generation Adidas Cup Championship

The Orlando City U-18 and U-16 squads played over the weekend in playoff matches in the Generation Adidas Cup at IMG Academy. In the quarterfinals on Friday, Omar Robbana scored the lone goal in the U-18 squad’s 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake.

The U-18 squad followed that up by defeating Santos Laguna 3-0 in the semifinals. Justin Ellis scored twice and Gustavo Caraballo added a goal.

On Sunday, Caraballo scored the winning goal in extra time to seal a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids in the U-18 Championship final.

On Friday, the U-16 team defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 in the quarterfinals.

The U-16 squad defeated the New England Revolution 4-3 on penalties after a scoreless draw in the semifinals on Saturday.

The U-16 squad’s run for a championship trophy came to an end with a 3-1 loss to Inter Miami in the U-16 Championship final on Sunday.

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That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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