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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Seattle Sounders: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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10 years ago

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Orlando City’s home unbeaten streak of more than a year came to an end in emphatic fashion, as the Lions fell 3-1 to Seattle on the strength of a Clint Dempsey hat trick. Missing starter Kevin Molino who tweaked his hamstring in training yesterday, according to Orlando Sentinel reporter Alicia Delgallo, Orlando’s midfield never was able to get much control of the game.

So, Jason Kreis won’t go undefeated as Orlando City’s head coach. Apparently.

It hurts the Lions, who were poised to go above the red line with a draw or better, knocking New England below. Playing a team with only one road win on the season would seem to favor the undefeated home side but after an early goal by Seb Hines it was all Seattle and the chance to move up went wanting.

Let’s get to the grades from tonight’s 3-1 loss.

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 7 -€” Not the busiest night for Joe but he was left all by himself far too often. He made a vital save on Jordan Morris at the top of the box in the 44th minute and stopped a Dempsey flick in the 20th, finishing with two saves on five shots on target. Had some help from his goal posts late against Nelson Valdez.

D, Luke Boden, 5 -€” Bodz really missed Molino on the night, trying to combine with Brek Shea and later with Carlos Rivas, and not really being all that successful. His passing accuracy was 82.5%, besting only Seb Hines among the team’s defenders. He took one curling shot from distance that missed wide and didn’t create any chances. His crosses didn’t find teammates.

D, David Mateos, 4.5 -€” Had a lot of trouble with Seattle’s runners throughout the evening and he and his back line mate Seb Hines struggled with trying to maintain their high line. Nicolas Lodeiro and others were able to pick the central defenders apart by playing passes between and over the pair to Morris and Dempsey.

D, Seb Hines, 5.5 -€” Hines did well to get onto crosses on the night, including his opening goal, however, he missed a golden opportunity to throw the Lions a lifeline in the 71st minute, heading the ball down (as you’re supposed to) but directly at goalkeeper Stefan Frei. The ball bounced off Frei and along the goal line only to hit the right post before it was cleared. He was only 75.5% accurate on passes, but he did try more long balls than his back line mates. He finished with a team high five shots. Nearly sent in Shea all alone in the 65th but put a tad too much weight on the through ball. Like Mateos, he got blistered by the Seattle runners.

D, Kevin Alston, 5.5 – Earned a corner with good hustle in the 12th minute to hound Joevin Jones into a mistake. Had a couple of crosses for Larin that were served just the slightest bit high, forcing the Canadian striker to only be able to get underneath them. Led the back line with an 83.6% passing percentage, creating three chances.

MF Servando Carrasco, 5.5 -€” An extremely quiet night for Servando, which is usually a good thing for a defensive midfielder. He completed a team-high 92.1% of his passes but he was at least partially culpable for allowing Nicolas Lodeiro too much room to operate.

MF, Antonio Nocerino, 5.5 -€” Although he continues to look more comfortable every week -€” completing 90.6% of his passes and getting a shot attempt off tonight -€” the Italian doesn’t look comfortable defending in this formation. Even so, with a midfield of Dempsey, Lodeiro, and Ivanschitz to contend with, he led the team with four tackles.

MF, Brek Shea, 5 -€” Just 33 touches for Shea on the evening in 66 minutes of work, as he struggled to find space to play in and was often forced back rather than take on defenders. A switch to the right side helped some, as he started to come into the game more, but unfortunately it was just before he was subbed off. He created one chance and was one of the lowest rated passers on the team.

MF, Kaká, 7 (MotM) -€” The captain had to fight through heavy traffic all night. Without Molino to work with, he had Shea and Hadji Barry instead, and wasn’t able to create as many good opportunities as usual. His cross on the goal was vintage Kaká for his seventh assist on the year. He created three chances and had one shot, which was on target, completing 88.9% of his passes. He just didn’t have enough help in the attacking third. This is one of those “Man of the Match by default” things. He didn’t have a great game by his usual standards but it was solid enough if he’d only had some help.

MF, Hadji Barry, 4.5 – A relatively ineffective night for the rookie, who wasn’t able to use his speed much. A microcosm of his first half was standing and waiting for a pass, allowing Joevin Jones to run around him to reach it first and ignite a dangerous counter attack down the left flank. Had a team-low 15 first-half touches, showing an inability to find space where his teammates could give him the ball. He finished with the fewest touches of any starter. The rookie will have better nights.

F, Cyle Larin, 5.5 –€” The Canadian had trouble getting touches, as the Sounders paid particular attention to him, with both Chad Marshall and Brad Evans marking his every move. His passing percentage of 73.9% wasn’t particularly high and he often failed to read what his teammates were about to do in the final third. Got his head onto a few crosses but they were a tad above the height where he could get on top of them and drive them on goal. His runs were good despite the service lacking a bit and he did manage to win four fouls.

Substitutes

MF, Matias Perez Garcia (55′), 6.5 -€” Making his debut, the Lions’ diminutive new midfielder did make an impact in his time on the pitch after coming on for Barry and finishing with two more touches than the rookie. He made an impact, drawing three free kicks in good spots and creating two chances in his 35 minutes. For only having been with his new team for two days of training, he completed 87.5% of his passes, showing good awareness of space and movement.

F, Julio Baptista (67′), 6 -€” Although The Beast didn’t get a lot of touches in his 23 minutes (just 12), he made them count. His header in the 71st hit the crossbar, which led to Hines’ chance on the rebound. He drew a free kick in a dangerous spot and two free kicks overall in the attacking third down the stretch. He finished with two shots, which was second only to Hines. His passing rate was a tad low (75%) but he was involved.

MF, Carlos Rivas (78′), N/A -€” Wasn’t really able to get involved much after being introduced. He completed both of his passes, but the fact that he attempted only two passes and had only 12 touches says a lot about how little involvement he had. He created no chances and took no shots and really didn’t have much time to make an impression on the game.

That’s the way I saw the match. Let me know what you thought and vote for your Orlando City Man of the Match below.

Polling Closed

Player Votes
Joe Bendik 12
Seb Hines 9
Kaká 73
Matias Perez Garcia 31
Other 46
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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/5/26

Pride fall to San Diego Wave, Tyrese Spicer has successful foot surgery, USMNT beats Mexico, and more.

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3 hours ago

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October 5, 2026

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Image of Haley McCutcheon wearing a protective mask on her face playing against San Diego.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at work covering high school soccer and flag football throughout the week. We only had the Pride in action over the weekend, but we’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Pride Fall to San Diego Wave at Home

The Orlando Pride fell 2-1 to the San Diego Wave on Friday at Inter.co Stadium in the latest in a series of games that they had to have. Orlando trailed 2-0 in the first half, conceding twice on defensive errors. In the second half, Barbra Banda pulled the Pride within one after she buried a penalty kick that she won herself. However, it wasn’t enough, as Orlando couldn’t find a late equalizer and San Diego took all three points. The Pride are off this weekend due to the international break but will return to action on Oct. 18 to face the Houston Dash on the road.

Tyrese Spicer Has Successful Foot Surgery

Orlando City forward Tyrese Spicer underwent successful foot surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his right foot, the club announced on Friday. Spicer had suffered the injury while away on international duty with Trinidad & Tobago in a Concacaf Nations League match against Haiti on Sept. 24. We at The Mane Land wish Spicer a speedy recovery, but his 2026 MLS season is likely over.

USMNT Shuts Out Mexico in Friendly

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Mexico 3-0 on Saturday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ. Orlando City forward Justin Ellis came off the bench to make his second USMNT appearance in the second half, playing 25 minutes. Former Lion Alex Freeman started and played 90 minutes. Julian Hall scored the opener in the first half for the Yanks. In the second half, Cavan Sullivan doubled the Americans’ lead to become the USMNT’s youngest scorer in team history just four days after Mathis Albert set that mark with his goal against Chile on Tuesday. Malik Tillman added the final goal as the Yanks have won three consecutive matches during the international break. The USMNT will close out this round of friendlies on Tuesday, taking on Canada at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, MN.

Other Lions on International Duty

Multiple Orlando City players represented their national teams over the weekend during the international break. Forward Marco Pasalic was on the bench but did not play for Croatia in a 7-0 defeat to England in a UEFA Nations League match on Saturday. Croatia will face Spain on Tuesday. Lions defender David Brekalo was on the bench but came on after halftime and played 45 minutes for Slovenia in a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League. Slovenia will take on Scotland on Tuesday. Midfielder Wilder Cartagena started and played 45 minutes for Peru, while former Lion Yoshimar Yotun was also in action in a 2-0 loss to Canada in a friendly. Peru will play Colombia on Tuesday in another friendly match.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City forward Yutaro Tsukada, who is on loan at Rhode Island FC, notched another assist over the weekend in a 3-1 win against Brooklyn FC in the USL Championship.
  • Check out this piece on the Orlando City website featuring Head of Player Care Pedro Cox and Team Administrator Danny Quesada, who help welcome new players and their families, get acquainted with the club, ensure their needs are met, and thrive off the field.
  • The Lions were at Osceola Heritage Park on Saturday and spent time with the Orlando City U-12 squad during training.

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

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Orlando City

Flashback Friday: Oct. 2, 2021 vs. D.C. United

Take a trip down memory lane and relive a game that took place five years ago today.

Published

3 days ago

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October 2, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Having suffered three losses in a row in all competitions, Orlando City’s recent results haven’t exactly made for pretty viewing. Fortunately for us, the Lions don’t return to action until Oct. 10, meaning that we have a brief reprieve from the torment that has been visited upon us for the last 270 minutes. Even more fortunately, we have the ability to reminisce on much happier footballing times in the City Beautiful, and all we have to do is hop into our time machine and rewind to four years ago.

The day was Oct. 2, 2021, and with the Lions sitting seventh in a jam-packed Eastern Conference, the men in purple badly needed points in order to keep pace in the race for the playoffs. The good guys were in the midst of a five-game winless streak, and the season was starting to get dangerously close to going off the rails. Enter D.C. United, a team that Orlando had already beaten earlier in the year but was in the thick of the fight for a postseason place right alongside the Lions.

Oscar Pareja ran out a lineup that featured Pedro Gallese in goal; a back line of Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan; Sebas Mendez and Junior Urso in defensive midfield; Nani, Mauricio Pereyra, and Benji Michel ahead of them; and Daryl Dike leading the line.

Things did not get off to a good start for Orlando. D.C. won the ball in OCSC’s half and got it forward quickly to Julian Gressel in the half-space on the right. He took a shot from distance that Gallese might not have been expecting, and it flew past the Peruvian to open the scoring after just six minutes had been played.

Orlando responded well, with Nani having a shot blocked and Dike putting a decent look over the bar in the 14th minute. Ruan nearly forced an own goal just a couple minutes later, but the corner kick that was awarded when a deflected ball skittered just wide of D.C.’s post proved to be the Lions’ salvation. Pereyra put a high, looping ball into the area that Urso headed toward goal, and Bill Hamid did well to get down and keep the ball out. The rebound was a juicy one though, and Jansson was well placed to pounce and thwack the ball high into the net to level the score with 17 minutes gone.

The rest of the first half was a mostly quiet affair, aside from the 35th minute, when OCSC probably should have gone ahead. Nani played a great ball that put Michel through on the left side of the box, but he curled his shot just wide of the far post after cutting back onto his right foot. The Lions dominated every statistical category but the scoreline at the break, with edges in possession (64.7%-35.3%), shots (7-4), shots on goal (2-1), and passing accuracy (87.1%-76.7%).

Emmanuel Mas came on for Moutinho at the half, and it’s possible that the switch unsettled Orlando slightly, because the team was on the back foot to start the second half thanks to a combination of some bad giveaways and difficulty dealing with the high tempo that D.C. brought out of the break. Paul Arriola put a shot just over the bar three minutes after the restart, and there were some hairy moments after that which forced Urso into a goal-line clearance to keep the game level.

The game evened out after the shaky start to the second half, but both teams found dangerous chances difficult to come by until the late stages. D.C. made a goal-line clearance of its own in the 88th minute. Silvester van der Water and Dike combined, and while Dike couldn’t get a shot off, he did find Tesho Akindele, only for Hamid to save the Canadian’s effort, which was cleared before van der Water could pounce and put it home.

Ultimately though, OCSC got the late goal it was looking for. The Lions won a corner in front of The Wall deep in stoppage time, and Chris Mueller whipped in a dangerous ball for Dike, who made a run across the near post. The big striker flicked his head at it, and the ball nestled into the side netting at the far post with Hamid helpless. Cue the bedlam in the purple palace.

That proved to be the last action of the game, as the Lions ran out 2-1 winners to put an end to the winless streak and pick up a valuable three points. Similar to halftime, Orlando finished the game with more shots (12-11), shots on target (4-2), corners (9-5), possession (64.8%-35.2%), and passing accuracy (86%-75.3%). Marcus Mitchell was on hand for Player Grades, and he gave the Man of the Match honors to Jansson with a grade of 7.5 out of 10. Other high performers included fellow center back Carlos, who also graded as a 7.5 out of 10, while Mendez and Dike both received a 7 out of 10.

The three points proved to be valuable ones, as the Lions shot from seventh all the way up to third in the Eastern Conference, although they would ultimately finish sixth and exit the playoffs in the first round after a road loss against Nashville SC.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/2/26

Orlando Pride host the Wave, Orlando City’s kit room carousel, analyzing Mexico ahead of U.S. match, and more.

Published

3 days ago

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October 2, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! Sports are in full swing this time of year and we have plenty of soccer to look forward to over the next few days. Apart from working and enjoying the upcoming games, I plan on heading to the movie theater to check out the Primetime movie, as I’ve heard nothing but great things. Let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Take on San Diego Tonight

The Orlando Pride host the San Diego Wave tonight in a crucial home game as the season winds down. While the Pride are fighting to remain in the playoff hunt, the Wave will aim to close the gap with Gotham FC in the NWSL Shield race. Orlando enters this match on a short turnaround after traveling back from its 3-1 win against Bay FC on Sunday on the other side of the country. Interim head coach Yolanda Thomas spoke on the team’s preparations to deal with San Diego’s pressure and energy ahead of tonight’s home game.

Orlando City Director of Equipment Operations Heads to England

Charles Raycroft is leaving Orlando City as its director of equipment operations after 11 years with the club to become Liverpool’s Head of Kit Operations. He’s been with Orlando since 2016 and the club sent him off in style with a jersey and plenty of thanks for his time in the City Beautiful. With Raycroft heading across the pond, Chafik Tounzit was promoted to become the club’s new director of equipment operations. We wish both the best of luck in their new roles!

Analyzing Mexico Ahead of USMNT Match

The United States Men’s National Team will take on Mexico on Saturday in the first match between the two rivals since the World Cup. It will also be the first time Rafael Marquez will take on the U.S. as Mexico’s head coach rather than as a player. Many eyes will be on 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora, who has already scored once this window, but Luis Romo and Erik Lira are other players the Yanks will need to keep from creating too many chances. MLS players Chucky Lozano and Germán Berterame are attacking options at Mexico’s disposal as well.

Naomi Girma Will Miss U.S. Friendlies

Center back Naomi Girma will be unavailable for the United States Women’s National Team’s matches against Spain this month after sustaining a muscle injury with Chelsea. The injury bug continues to bite Girma, who has yet to play for Chelsea this season. Hopefully she’ll be able to get back to full fitness before the USWNT’s match against El Salvador in the Concacaf W Championship quarterfinals on Nov. 27. Girma’s replacement on the current roster will be named at a later time, so we’ll see if this opens the door for former Pride defender Emily Sams to join the team after not being initially called up.

Free Kicks

  • The Orlando Pride moved up a spot to 11th in All For XI‘s NWSL power rankings after winning 3-1 against Bay FC.
  • American defender Jordyn Bugg signed a new contract with the Seattle Reign that will last through the 2030 season.
  • Ashley Sanchez was named NWSL Player of the Month for the second month in a row after scoring five goals in four games for the North Carolina Courage in September. She now has 20 goals this season, tying the league record.
  • Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 in the UEFA Nations League without Cristiano Ronaldo and Head Coach Jorge Jesus spoke on how one player is not bigger than the national team.
  • We’ll end today’s links with an incredible goal from Detroit City’s Kobe Hernandez-Foster deep in his own half. While it was scored on an empty net, it’s no small feat to get that much accuracy and power on a shot from that far out.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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