Orlando City Stock Watch: Júlio Baptista Strikes Again

In what was an emotional night for fans and players alike, the Lions of Orlando City fought the San Jose Earthquakes to a 2-2 draw Saturday night, using up every last second of play to throw their best shots at each other.

There were highlights all around, from banners to tifos to chants and songs, it was truly a special evening for Orlando City soccer.

Now, the stock watch judges the performances inside the lines.

Rising

Júlio Baptista – With just 13 touches, Baptista came on as a late substitution for Adrian Heath and immediately changed the tide of the game, scoring a beautiful goal for the Lions in stoppage that wound up securing the point. He does a great job accepting service, and is seemingly becoming an automatic goal off the bench.

He didn't pass particularly well, at just 42.9%, but there's not a human being in purple that will take that away from this match.

Seb Hines – A brace just escaped Seb, who was instrumental both on set pieces and on defense. He put two shots on target and just missed a third over the bar, and found himself tucking a beauty inside the far post to break the ice.

Defensively, he led the team in clearances, with five, and was active both on the ball and in the passing lanes, with two tackles and two interceptions.

Falling

Tommy Redding – After a great start to the season that saw Redding’s stock soar, he’s been steadily coming back to Earth since May. Saturday night, we may have seen his least impressive performance yet. I say “least impressive,” rather than “worst,” because he hasn’t really had what you’d call a bad performance. Tommy seems to either play great, or disappear. He disappeared in this one.

Kevin Alston – Alston was active defensively, with two tackles, two interceptions, four clearances and a block, but faded badly down the stretch, culminating in San Jose finding its way on the scoreboard. He was 0-for-3 with his crosses, and seemed ready for a few days off after playing two games this past week.

That'll do it for this week's edition of the Stock Watch. Who impressed/failed to impress you? Be sure to vote in our poll below for the player you think will shine in the next match, this Saturday vs. Toronto FC.

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