Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Houston Dynamo: Player Grades and Man of the Match

Published

on

In two meetings with Houston, no Orlando City player has scored a goal. That’s bad. But, no Dynamo player has scored against the Lions. That’s good.

It was a difficult game with all of the midweek distraction of Adrian Heath’s firing and a short turnaround on three days rest against a Houston team that has been much better in recent weeks. It would be easy for the Lions to simply roll over and get ready for the new coach that the club is searching for.

But, to Bobby Murphy’s credit, he had the lads in purple prepared to play. Despite a lack of precision in the final third, Orlando City played a pretty solid game from start to finish, ending the game with 62.8% of the possession and an 84.5% passing success rate. It was only in the final third where the field is most congested that things broke down a bit.

Houston was unable to mount much of an attack or keep the ball, but the Dynamo were occasionally dangerous on the counter. When they were, Joe Bendik was there, as was the post in the 88th minute. In the end, it was just another draw — the team’s ninth on the season.

Let’s get to tonight’s player grades.

Starters

G, Joe Bendik, 7.5 -€” He only finished with three saves but Bendik had to be sharp on all of them. From Alex’s 21st-minute effort to a pair of dangerous Will Bruin chances late in the first half, including a diving save that just brushed the ball a smidge wide. Second clean sheet of the season for Joe, and first since the third game of the year.

D, Luke Boden, 5.5 -€” Bodz got a bit better as the game wore on but he struggled with the quality of his set pieces, especially corner kicks. He completed a respectable 87.7% of his passes, but that can be misleading, as much of his distribution was across the back or short passes to Shea — many of which were immediately returned, which is illustrated by his game-high 96 touches. He was much better than Monday, however, so perhaps it’s something he can build on.

D, Seb Hines, 6 -€” With the exception of one horrendous giveaway that started a counter, and one long run by Boniek Garcia on which he and David Mateos didn’t communicate properly, it was a solid night for Seb. He completed 86.7% of his passes, got a head on a very difficult cross to at least get a shot attempt out of it, and made two tackles, while sticking to his mark on set pieces.

D, David Mateos, 7 -€” The Spaniard is a favorite punching bag for fans but it was a good night for David. He was second on the team with 90 touches, completed a game-high 94.7% of his passes (minimum 10 attempts), and played in several nice long balls that probably should have connected. He made three tackles to lead the defense.

D, Kevin Alston, 5 -€” Kevin had problems with his offensive delivery but he still managed a very solid 93.3% passing rate overall. He still has an issue or two per game with losing track of the weak side attacker although he did well to challenge players and force them to move laterally tonight, giving them a lower percentage shot.

MF, Harrison Heath, 7.5 -€” A very solid performance on what had to be an emotional night for H. He led all non-defenders in passing rate (88%), created a chance offensively, and made a few well-timed runs to try to get forward. He provided good coverage behind the attacking midfield and helped link the play in the middle of the pitch.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 7.5 (MOTM) -€” The Colombian led all Lions with five tackles and completed 81% of his passes. He was not only his usual effective presence in central midfield, but Higuita also did more of the heavy lifting in getting the ball forward into the attacking third. Although he usually struggles to complete passes on the offensive half of the field, tonight he was able to feed the ball in to Kevin Molino, Brek Shea, Cyle Larin and Darwin Ceren. Just slightly better defensively for me, so he edges H for my Man of the Match.

MF, Brek Shea, 7 -€” In the early going, Brek struggled to get going, but as the game wore on he got stronger. He made seven crosses on the night and several of those required timely and precise touches by the defense to keep them away from Larin running into the box. He struggled a bit with his passing (75%) but most of those were attacking attempts, as Brek seemed loathe to drop the ball backward.

MF, Kevin Molino, 6 -€” Provided a moment of magic that just about turned into the game-winning goal early in the second half, running through several defenders to get clear and attempt a chip shot on target. Unfortunately, Deric saved that shot. Aside from that, Molino completed 76.5% of his passes and could never quite find the final through ball for his teammates. He had two of Orlando’s six shots and the only one on target, but he lost the ball frequently in traffic and almost entirely disappeared after Julio Baptista came on, pushing the Trinidadian to the right side.

MF, Darwin Ceren, 5.5 -€” Darwin is a lot of things, but a right wing is not one of them. He lacked quality in the final third, though that is belied by his completing 83.3% of his passes. The main goal of having him play there was to put an additional difficult defender in front of Houston fullback DaMarcus Beasley, and that seemed to work, as the former U.S. international was fairly quiet all night on the attacking end.

F, Cyle Larin, 5 -€” The Canadian had 34 touches, which is 22 more than he had Monday night. Larin worked hard to get into dangerous positions but ran afoul of the offside flag several times, although I have an issue with at least one or two of those. He managed to get two shot attempts with an early dangerous opportunity that he fired wide with his left foot. Was forced to battle both David Horst and Raul Rodriguez most of the night in isolation, which limited his effectiveness.

Substitutes

D, Julio Baptista (60′), 4.5 -€” The Beast wasn’t able to leave much of a mark on the game after coming in for Ceren, although he did have one shot attempt and earned a free kick in a dangerous area. He had only 18 touches in his 30+ minutes and completed 77.8% of his passes.

MF, Servando Carrasco (88′), N/A -€” Serva came on for Harrison Heath near the end and registered only six touches. Not much time to get involved.

That’s how I saw the Lions’ performances tonight. Don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match in our poll below.

Polling Closed

Player Votes
Joe Bendik 41
Harrison Heath 44
Brek Shea 22
Cristian Higuita 25
David Mateos 9
Other 10

Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/18/25

Scouting Saudi Arabia, Club World Cup summary, MLS midseason superlatives, and more.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Happy Wednesday, everyone. I’m pretty worn out after doing some traveling for most of the last two weeks, and I’m happy to be back home in Tampa for a bit before heading out on the road again. The soccer world has not paused during my time out on the road, and if anything its only picked up in intensity. That means we have a lot to talk about, but before we get into today’s links, let’s wish Orlando Pride defender Rafaelle a happy birthday.

Scouting Saudi Arabia

The United States Men’s National Team will continue its 2025 Gold Cup campaign on Thursday when it takes on Saudi Arabia in Austin, TX. That means this is a good time to familiarize ourselves with Arabian Falcons. They’re coached by Herve Renard, who deployed the team in a 4-2-3-1 in a 1-0 victory over Haiti in the team’s first game of the tournament. He isn’t married to that formation though, and will use a variety of tactical setups depending on the situation. Across all of them, Saudi Arabia plays with an emphasis on pressing in specific areas and quickly breaking in transition once winning the ball. Like the USMNT, the Saudis are missing a few first-choice players, and the midfield battle should be a particularly interesting area to keep an eye on.

Club World Cup Roundup

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup continued on Wednesday, so let’s take a look at the action. Fluminense and Borussia Dortmund got things started as they battled to a scoreless draw at MetLife Stadium. The Brazilian team had the better of the game overall, but Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel made five saves to preserve a point for his team. The second game of the day was much livelier, as River Plate dispatched Urawa Red Diamonds 3-1 in Seattle. The Argentinians scored after just 12 minutes and never looked back despite Urawa making it a 2-1 game with a 58th-minute penalty. The third match took place at Inter&Co Stadium, and saw Mamelodi Sundowns beat Ulsan HD 1-0. While the scoreline didn’t reflect it, the South African team mostly dominated proceedings and finished with 68% possession and 718 passes to 325 for the South Korean side. However, it was a free-flowing game that offered both sides to take more from the match. Our Michael Citro was there to recap it for you at the link above.

Midseason MLS Superlatives

As much as it seems like the 2025 Major League Soccer season just started, we’re actually just past the halfway point of the campaign, and that means it’s a good time to look at some league superlatives. In a category that will be music to the ears of Orlando City fans, Bradley Wright-Phillips named fullback the most overlooked position and specifically took some time to praise Alex Freeman. BWP previously coached against Freeman with New York Red Bulls II when Alex was still with Orlando City B, so it’s interesting to hear his input from that additional aspect. It’s no surprise that the Vancouver Whitecaps got a lot of love, as they were named biggest surprise, and Jesper Sorensen was named best coach.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

Transfer season is in full swing, so here are some of the big rumors currently flying around. Manchester United is reportedly interesting in signing Callum Hudson-Odoi from Nottingham Forest, but the Red Devils face competition from Roma and Napoli. Arsenal might hit a snag in searching for a striker, as the Gunners are balking at paying the asking prices for either Benjamin Sesko or Viktor Gyokeres, because they consider those numbers to be too high. Three different teams from the Saudi Pro League have reportedly shown interest in signing Son Heung-Min from Tottenham Hotspur, as he only has 12 months left on his current contract.

Free Kicks

  • Get a peek at the Orlando Pride putting in work on the training ground.

And that’s it for me today. Have a great rest of your week. Vamos, Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/17/25

Orlando City and Orlando Pride players on Team of the Week, USMNT Gold Cup continues, and more.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wedn…er…Tuesday, Mane Landers. That’s right, I’m here a day early and not a moment too late. Orlando is knee deep in soccer, thanks to the FIFA Club World Cup on top of our favorite Orlando City and Orlando Pride clubs. We will have coverage of the matches taking place in the City Beautiful. Before we get started today, join us in wishing a happy 25th birthday to Orlando Pride midfielder Summer Yates. Now, let’s get to the links.

Schlegel Honored

Rodrigo Schlegel had a pretty good match against the Colorado Rapids. Despite not being named Man of the Match in our Player Grades, he did make the MLS Team of the Week bench. Meanwhile, Orlando held steady at the ninth spot in ESPN’s MLS Power Rankings, while dropping two spots from seventh to ninth in SI.com’s Power Rankings despite winning on the road. It just shows how very accurate and scientific power rankings are, doesn’t it?

Quadruple Honors for the Pride

The Orlando Pride saw Schlegel’s TotW Bench honor and said we can do better. Barbra Banda, Cori Dyke, Emily Sams, and Anna Moorhouse all made the NWSL Team of the Week from the Attacking Third. Congratulations to the Pride for covering a third of the Attacking Third’s selections.

Moorhouse is also up for Player of the Week and Save of the Week. As of this morning, she is not leading either category so you know what to do.

The USMNT Gold Cup Journey Continues

The Concacaf Gold Cup group stage is underway, with the USMNT securing a 5-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago Sunday evening. I’m always for beating Trinidad & Tobago, but more talented teams and tougher matches lie ahead. Next up for the USMNT is Saudi Arabia. I know what you’re thinking, and you’re correct. Saudi Arabia isn’t a Concacaf nation, but the team is the invitee for this Gold Cup. The match is Thursday night at 9:15 p.m. at Q2 Stadium in Austin, TX. The U.S. will most likely need a win to secure the top spot in the group.

FIFA Club World Cup Results

The Club World Cup, which will visit Orlando’s Inter&Co Stadium later today (we’ll be on hand with the coverage, naturally), continued early this week with Bayern Munich obliterating Auckland City 10-0, PSG defeating Atletico Madrid 4-0, Botafogo beating the Seattle Sounders 2-1, and Facundo Torres and Palmeiras drawing Porto 0-0 on Sunday. In the Monday slate, Chelsea defeated LAFC 2-0, and Boca Juniors and Benfica drew 2-2. Overshadowing all of this is the poor attendance, despite FIFA spending millions to boost said attendance.

Free Kicks

  • One might think that a club sitting second in the official standings on a three-match winning streak would have matching ranks in all the various power rankings. However, one would be wrong, because although the Pride are in the second spot in the SI.com Power Rankings, the club sits at third in the ESPN.com Power Rankings. Do I need to say anything?
  • You don’t often see Barcelona get passed over for an MLS club, but that is exactly what happened despite Barcelona calling FIFA to get a spot in the Club World Cup. That MLS club was LAFC, and it had to earn its way in by beating Club America.
  • Liverpool has set a date for the medical for Florian Wirtz following the record transfer.
  • Congratulations to Orlando City’s Alex Freeman on his performance in his first cap for the USMNT in a competitive match.

Stacked the stat sheet 📈– 10 duels won (led team)– 3 tackles won (led team)– 54 passes completed– 95% passing accuracy– 90 minutes played– 2 clearances– 2 fouls drawn– Clean sheet ✅

Orlando City SC (@orlandocitysc.com) 2025-06-16T23:03:59.932Z

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the matches this week. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Colorado Rapids: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids?

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City used a professional performance to defeat the Colorado Rapids 1-0 near the Mile High City. It’s a big win for the Lions after two consecutive losses to Atlanta United and the Chicago Fire. It also gives the team some good vibes heading into next week’s international break.

Let’s take a look at the individual performances in this big win.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 8 (MotM) — Gallese had a massive game for his eighth clean sheet of the season. The shot stopper was credited with two saves and they were both quality. In the 50th minute, he made a one-handed save on a Rafael Navarro header and pushed Djordje Milhailovic’s shot wide while defending his near post in the 72nd minute. Apart from his goalkeeping, Gallese touched the ball 32 times, completing 38.5% of his 26 passes, including four of his 20 long balls. He was also credited with three clearances.

D, David Breaklo, 6 — The starting left back touched the ball 63 times and completed 91.8% of his 49 passes. He completed two of his three long balls, but his lone cross was incomplete. Brekalo also recorded one interception, won an aerial duel, and had eight clearances defensively. He didn’t have any attacking statistics, contributing to the clean sheet.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Jansson had 65 touches, completing 93.1% of his team-high 58 passes, including four of his seven long balls. He won one tackle and had four clearances defensively. The center back was a bright spot early, making a couple of huge challenges to keep Colorado from getting free chances on goal. Overall, it was a strong performance by the captain.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 7 — Schlegel got a first-half booking that sees him suspended for the next game, but the center back was a monster in this game. He had a team-high 86 touches and completed 87.5% of his 56 passes but only one of his five long balls. However, his strength was defensively, where Schlegel recorded an interception and two blocked shots, won three aerial duels, and had an astounding 21 clearances. Despite defending for most of the game, the center back put a shot on target as well.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 5.5 — Thorhallsson had 38 touches, completing 85.7% of his 21 passes without attempting any long balls or crosses. The right back added two clearances and a blocked shot defensively. He made some mistakes in his own half that created some issues and didn’t get into the attack at all in this game before being replaced by Kyle Smith in the 72nd minute.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 5.5 — Angulo touched the ball 39 times, completing 83.3% of his 30 passes but didn’t attempt any crosses. The midfielder didn’t attempt any shots either. Defensively, Angulo added a clearance and won an aerial duel, but it was largely an invisible night by the speedster.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 6 — Atuesta had 65 touches and completed 77.6% of his 49 passes, including a key pass and one of his two long balls. He didn’t take any shots, but the defensive midfielder’s focus was on defense. He recorded one tackle, two aerial duels won, three interceptions, and two clearances in a strong performance. He was replaced by Colin Guske in second-half stoppage time.

MF, Joran Gerbet, 6 — Gerbet got the start over Cesar Araujo in this game due to back spasms for Araujo, touching the ball 57 times. The rookie completed 88.4% of his 43 passes without attempting any long balls or crosses. Like Atuesta, his job was defensive as he had three interceptions, won two aerial duels, and logged five clearances in 90 minutes of action.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 7 — Pasalic was trouble for the Rapids defense. He touched the ball 31 times and completed 86.4% of his 22 passes, including three key passes and his lone long ball. The midfielder’s most significant moment came in the 24th minute, when great vision and a good pass found Martin Ojeda for the game’s long goal. Pasalic took two shots, putting one on target. The attacker left the game in the 72nd minute, replaced by Ramiro Enrique.

F, Luis Muriel, 5.5 — Muriel had 26 touches, completing 80% of his 15 passes with a key pass. The forward took two shots, putting neither on target. He also helped defensively, winning an aerial duel, recording a tackle, and adding a clearance before being replaced by Araujo in the 58th minute. Overall, it wasn’t an impressive performance by the Designated Player.

F, Martin Ojeda, 7 — Ojeda was a game-changer, touching the ball 52 times and completing 90.9% of his 44 passes with a key pass, and connecting on one of his two crosses and his lone long ball. He put one of his two shots on target, a hard attempt that went off the hands of Nico Hansen and in for the game’s only goal. It was a good performance for Ojeda, who came off in second-half stoppage time for Nico Rodriguez.

Substitutes

MF, Cesar Araujo (58’), 6 — Araujo replaced Muriel in the 58th minute as the Lions looked to defend their 1-0 lead. The defensive midfielder had 34 touches and completed 96.4% of his 28 passes, including one key pass. He added a tackle and blocked shot in 32 minutes of action, helping to secure the clean sheet.

D, Kyle Smith (72’), 6 — Smith came on for Thorhallsson in the 72nd minute, touching the ball 23 times at right back. He completed 55.6% of his nine passes with an incomplete long ball and through ball. However, Smith’s contribution came on defense, where he added a tackle, four clearances, and two successful aerial duels to help secure the three points.

F, Ramiro Enrique (72’), 6.5 — Enrique came on for Pasalic in the 72nd minute and was solid in his 18 minutes. He had 10 touches and completed 75% of his eight passes without taking any shots. However, he did precisely what his team needed, holding up the ball, winning an aerial duel, and keeping possession late. His wise decision-making is why he gets such a high grade.

MF, Colin Guske (90 + 1’), N/A — Guske came on for Atuesta in the dying minutes to kill some time. He got booked right after coming on, touching the ball only three times and adding a clearance.

MF, Nico Rodriguez (90 + 1’), N/A — Rodriguez came on with Guske for Ojeda and had nearly an identical performance minus the booking. He touched the ball three times, won an aerial duel, and had a clearance defensively.


That’s how I saw the individual performances in this crucial win for the Lions. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match.

Continue Reading

Trending