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Orlando City

Orlando City at New York City FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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10 years ago

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Orlando City is starting to do this regularly and I’m not sure my heart can take it. The Lions are making a habit of rescuing points when there should be no points. It’s crazy, dramatic, and wonderful. We’d all have liked a win, but when it was 2-0 and David Villa was lining up a penalty, who wouldn’t have taken the point then?

I look at it this way: Orlando was the tired, depleted team, playing on the road. New York City FC was the angry, rested, home team with its star players on the pitch. They’re ahead of Orlando in the standings Who was supposed to win this match? The Lions showed the heart of some kind of animal that I can’t think of right now by coming from two goals behind to snatch a win away from their fellow 2015 expansion club. And it was amazing.

So, let’s get to the grades from those who took part.

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 7 – Couldn’t do much about the Brillant goal, as his defense on the back post let him down. Not much he could do on the chip by Villa either, as the play at Yankee Stadium can, and does, turn around in the blink of an eye. Not a lot of big saves for him this time, but he did a solid job all game. Distribution was spotty at times, but that is a product of the length and width of New York City’s field.

D, Luke Boden, 5.5 – Bodz struggled to get comfortable in the first half. His service on corners wasn’t great in the first half and his touch failed him a few times. In the second half, the poor service continued, as his crosses and free kicks continuously found their way in the air straight to Josh Saunders. His defense was fine but he didn’t provide much in the attack up the left side, losing his footing on his one good opportunity for a cross in the run of play.

D, Seb Hines, 6 – Was beat by the late runner Brillant on NYC’s first-half goal but was otherwise solid in defense on his return (again) from a knee injury. He put in a full shift trying to keep Villa, Shelton and McNamara at bay. Was unlucky to fall on the ball and concede a penalty, but the soccer gods were just and ball don’t lie, with Villa slipping and missing the spot kick badly.

D, Tommy Redding, 7 – Had a strong defensive first half against David Villa, blocking the Spaniard’s 41st-minute shot. In two matches at Yankee Stadium, Redding has done a great job of limiting Villa, who did get a goal on the break, but the 19-year-old had a good game, although I felt he kicked the ball wildly up field a couple of times when he had time and space to pass. That’ll come with more experience.

D, Kevin Alston, 6.5 – Provided long throws, which is something we haven’t seen this year, but the first two were too close to Saunders. Was solid if unspectacular in the first 45 minutes defending the right flank, but did allow a dangerous R.J. Allen cross that no one could get onto. Got revenge for that Allen cross by dispossessing the same player neatly in the 80th minute. A couple moments he’d like to have back in the 62nd and 64th minutes, taking a yellow for pulling down Villa, and heading out a wayward ball for a corner.

MF, Servando Carrasco, 6.5 – Took a silly booking eight minutes in blocking a quick free kick attempt. But he got under Villa’s skin and did a pretty good job breaking up play in the midfield, not having Ceren or Higuita with him. He took charge of the defensive midfield and despite a couple of shaky moments he had a solid all-around game.

MF, Harrison Heath, 6 – Joined his defensive midfield counterpart by taking an early booking for pulling down Mix Diskerud in the open field 10 minutes in. Had a pretty solid season debut although he conceded a dangerous free kick from just outside the box late in the match that could have changed the outcome. A promising first match of the season for young H.

MF, Brek Shea, 6 -€” A mixed bag for Brek, who started the match in the midfield and finished at left back. His poor defending on Allen, allowing too much space, led to the cross for Brillant’s goal late in the first half. He and Boden were the leakier side against the NYC attack in the first half, and he conceded multiple free kicks out on the wide left side. Sent Larin in with a great through ball in the 61st minute. He fizzed a few dangerous crosses into the box but none found a teammate. Took yet another unnecessary yellow card when he got into it with Villa in the 93rd minute when time was running out on the match.

MF, Kevin Molino 8 (MOTM), – He disappeared at times, but man did he show up when it counted most. His 94th-minute header rescued a point as he powered it off the underside of the bar. Set up Baptista’s first MLS goal with a nice ball in. Played a beautiful ball in for Larin in the 35th minute. Missed a shot wide late in the first half on a play-in from Larin.

MF, Adrian Winter, 6.5 – Put a brilliant cross on Larin’s head seven minutes in on the Lions’ best scoring chance of the first half. Worked his tail off yet again, which was embodied when he sprinted 30 yards to provide high pressure and forced an errant pass. Didn’t get himself into any dangerous areas, but was his normal, hard-working self for 59 minutes.

F, Cyle Larin, 7.5 – Made the mature decision to head Rivas’ 94th-minute cross back across the six-yard box rather than try to score from a bad angle and got an assist on the game-tying goal for his reward. Did everything right in the seventh minute, heading down Winter’s cross but Saunders was there to make the save. His opportunity in the 35th was blocked by the trailing defender after he moved around his marker. Made a great play on a long ball late in the first half to create a chance for Molino.

Substitutes

Julio Baptista (59′), 7.5 -€” Changed the dynamic by coming into the center and moving Molino to the right. Gave his team a lifeline with his first MLS goal, taking an extra touch in the box but that was OK because the NYCFC defense allowed it. Then he turned and powered a shot into the left corner that may have taken a slight deflection off the defender. Helped as a coach on the field, giving instructions to his defensive midfielders to come up and close space, and also worked well with both Molino and Rivas.

MF, Carlos Rivas (70′), 7 -€” In a reversal from his last outing, Rivas got himself in dangerous spots, didn’t take many bad touches and nearly earned his team a penalty in the 90th minute. Made a perfect back-post cross to Larin to start the tying goal sequence. A much-improved performance by the Colombian.

* * *

That’s the way I saw the game. Your mileage may vary. Please vote in our poll below for your Orlando City Man of the Match and tell me how wrong I am in the comments section below.

Polling Closed

Player Votes
Cyle Larin 9
Julio Baptista 74
Tommy Redding 27
Kevin Molino 203
Carlos Rivas 11
Other 0
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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 hours ago

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July 22, 2026

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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

Projected Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Wilder Cartagena, Eduard Atuesta.

Forwards: Justin Ellis, Antoine Griezmann.

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.

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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/22/26

Orlando City match day, Barbra Banda heads to WAFCON, OCB ranked, and more.

Published

8 hours ago

on

July 22, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It is match day as Orlando City heads to California to take on the San Jose Earthquakes. It’s going to be a late one, so I hope you got your beauty sleep last night. There’s a lot of excitement with the arrival of Antoine Griezmann and the return of Daryl Dike heading into the second part of the season. Let’s get to the links.

Lions Head West

Orlando City resumes the season tonight with a late night match against the San Jose Earthquakes. This will likely be Griezmann’s first official appearance for the Lions. Thanks to the World Cup break, Orlando City enjoyed the equivalent of a second preseason. This will be the first opportunity to see if the extra time and the presence of Griezmann can turn the season around. It won’t be an easy task as San Jose sits in second place in the Western Conference.

Banda to WAFCON

As much as the Orlando Pride need Barbra Banda — and they really do — she is headed off to play for Zambia at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. She won’t be alone, as several NWSL players will also be playing in the competition. You’ll be familiar with Temwa Chawinga, Rosemonde Kouassi, and Racheal Kundananji, among others. Zambia’s first match is against Egypt on Tuesday, July 28. The matches will be available on beIN Sports Connect.

Orlando City B Ranked

If you aren’t watching Orlando City B, I think you should give the team a chance. No matter the result, it’s usually interesting to watch. MLS NEXT Pro has the Young Lions sitting in seventh place in the current power rankings. It’s even more impressive since you never know who will be on the pitch any given match. OCB will be back in action Sunday against Huntsville City.

Red Card Rescinded

In my opinion, Leandro Paredes earned a post-match red card for his actions against several Spanish players. The official match tracker showed Paredes with a red card, but it was later deleted, and now FIFA says he didn’t receive the red card. FIFA also says that multiple Argentina players and coaching staff members will be subject to investigation around the incidents in the match against Spain and the political sign held up after the match against England.

Free Kicks

  • Premier League referee Anthony Taylor is retiring.
  • I’m just going to leave this here as the butt of the joke.

That will do it for today. Check back with us tonight for coverage of Orlando City’s match. You can also follow The Mane Land on Bluesky for updates during the match. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/21/26

Catching up with Daryl Dike, Antoine Griezmann’s impact, Giles Barnes leaves Orlando Pride, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

July 21, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Good morning, everyone, and happy Orlando City matchday eve. It seems like an eternity since the Lions played way back in late May, but a competitive OCSC game is finally almost upon us, and we’ll have our first chance to see both a new face and a familiar one. We’ve got a lot to talk about this morning, so let’s get into the links.

Catching Up with Daryl Dike

Daryl Dike is wearing Orlando City purple for the second time in his career, and he took some time to express his thoughts and feelings about returning to the club where he got his start. He emphasized how much fun he had during his first stint with the Lions and said the happy memories from his time with OCSC were a big factor in wanting to come back. Despite Robin Jansson being the only teammate left from his first spell with the team, Dike spoke about things feeling very familiar and welcoming. Dike was part of the first Orlando team to ever make the playoffs, and he’s focused on keeping that streak alive for the club now that he’s a Lion once more.

Antoine Griezmann’s Impact

Antoine Griezmann has yet to play an official game for Orlando City,but he’s already making an impact on the team. Interim head coach Martin Perelman praised his presence in the locker room and highlighted the Frenchman’s humility and energy. He certainly brings a lot of experience at the highest level and has the trophy cabinet to prove it, so the club is hoping some of that rubs off on the Lions. After all, the club isn’t that far away from the playoff line, has a U.S. Open Cup semifinal looming in mid-September, and will begin Leagues Cup play in just over two weeks. Here’s hoping his off-field impact carries over onto the field too.

Giles Barnes Leaves Orlando Pride

Giles Barnes has departed from his position as an assistant coach for the Orlando Pride. The former OCSC forward has agreed to become the new head coach of Al Qadsiah FC, a team in the Saudi Women’s Premier League. Barnes had been an assistant with the Pride since the 2022 season, when he joined on an interim basis with then-interim head coach Seb Hines. He helped lead the team to the 2024 NWSL Championship and 2024 NWSL Shield. As a player, Barnes spent the 2017 season with Orlando City as a Designated Player. This will be Barnes’ first head coaching gig, and we wish him the best of luck!

FIFA Will Investigate Post-Final Clashes

FIFA has begun a disciplinary investigation into the clashes that took place at the end of the World Cup final, which saw several Argentine coaches and players involved in physical altercations with Spanish players. Argentina’s Nahuel Molina and Leandro Paredes were seen hitting Spain’s Eric Garcia and Rodri, while Argentine assistant coach Roberto Ayala appears to have hit Dani Olmo. Lionel Scaloni and multiple players attempted to defuse the situations that were playing out, one of which included a verbal confrontation between Nicolas Otamendi and former Manchester City teammate Rodri. FIFA has opened a review of the postgame scenes, and suspensions could well be on the way for the worst offenders.

Free Kicks

  • Barbra Banda has been called up to represent Zambia at WAFCON.
  • Marco Pasalic was still absent from training as of Monday morning, amidst rumors surrounding a possible summer departure. Perelman said he will be back soon, however.

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

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