Orlando City Stock Watch: Returning Midfielders Lead Orlando City to Win Over Toronto FC

MLS officiating giveth, and MLS officiating taketh away. This week, we’re finding ourselves squarely focused on the former, as the Orlando City Lions eked out a 3-2 win by way of the latest goal in MLS history over Toronto FC.

The returns of Kaká, Cristian Higuita and Darwin Cerén highlighted the back-and-forth affair, which saw the Lions climb to sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. How does the stock watch judge your favorite Lions’ performances?

Rising

Kevin Molino – #MolinoMania refuses to slow down, truly embodying the sort of efforts we’ve come to expect from the Trinidadian. After setting Kid Fantastic up for the first goal of the game in the fifth minute, Molino spent the rest of the night looking to follow it up. With four key passes, two completed crosses, a couple of shots and another assist in the 83rd minute, The Original continues to make his case for the MLS All-Star team.

He even tied for the team lead in tackles with four. What can't this man do?

Adrian Winter – For all we talk about the way Winter seems to energize the club when he’s on the field, April 9 was the last time we saw him find the back of the net until his positioning and quick reactions led to this gem.

He completed 80% of his passes, all three of his long attempts, three key passes, and set up The Original's assist in the fifth minute. A marquee performance for the tireless midfielder.

Falling

Kevin Alston – Notably out of position for Jordan Hamilton’s goal, the right back position continues to be a problem for Inchy’s boys. Just 1-for-7 on long passes and finishing with a 72.3% overall passing rate, Alston struggled to get it going on the offensive end as well.

Rafael Ramos has been nearing a return, one wonders if he will soon have his chance to reclaim the starting job.

Our Intolerance for MLS Officiating – It often, often feels as though when MLS officiating toes the absurd, it does so at our expense. In this one, we get to be on the positive side of things, featuring 10 minutes of stoppage time and a controversial penalty kick call for Julio Baptista.

Considering the 16 months we've experienced in MLS, we've earned a call or two.

Polling Closed