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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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8 years ago

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After more than a year without a home loss, Orlando City has dropped two straight at Camping World Stadium after a crushing 2-1 loss to Toronto FC. The Lions probably deserved something from a game in which they missed a few early opportunities, fell behind on a play that perhaps should have been their free kick instead of Toronto’s throw, and then drew level early in the second half.

But that’s not how the 2016 script has gone so far and once again it was Jozy Altidore scoring on Orlando off a Sebastian Giovinco assist. This one came late enough for Toronto to hold the lead.

Let’s just get to the grades before I throw up in my mouth (again).

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 7.5 (MOTM) — Could Joe have done anything more to have kept either Toronto goal off the board? I don’t know. Being left one-on-one as a keeper in soccer is asking a lot. Conversely, he made plenty of saves he had no business making but made them anyway. He finished with five saves and all five were difficult. He was decisive in coming off his line to thwart several through balls and punched every cross he could get to. He kept Orlando in this game.

D, Luke Boden, 6 — Bodz got lots of help tonight defensively as Orlando shifted left to crowd the right side of Toronto’s attack – something Greg Vanney talked about after the game. His 82.5% passing was decent, his five interceptions quite good, and his cross on Cyle Larin’s goal was superb. He led the game with 115 touches, but a lot of that was short back-and-forth passing with Kaká in non-threatening spots. However, he overcooked a number of other crosses – one so badly that I swore it had to have been deflected – and his lack of pace continues to put Orlando in dangerous situations.

D, Seb Hines, 6.5 — Seb may have been the best player for Orlando the first half. He wasn’t quite as sharp the second half and it showed in the team-high four fouls conceded, as well as a booking. He took charge of the defense, finishing with two blocked shots, four interceptions, two tackles and two clearances, and passed at an 86.2% clip. Toronto looked more dangerous after Seb’s knee flared up and he was substituted off for David Mateos.

D, Tommy Redding, 5.5 — Three interceptions, three clearances and a tackle don’t tell the full story for Tommy, nor does his 90.2% passing accuracy, although they all helped. He seemed the easier defender to pick on all night, and got caught up field on the first goal. I will say that I took nothing off his grade for that because he cleared the ball out for a throw and then was taken out. A foul should have been given instead of a Toronto throw, in my opinion. Still, it wasn’t called and he not only got beat back, but tripped himself up in the process of trying to keep up with Tosaint Ricketts. Redding has a bright future but still must get better in the air (he won no aerials in the match) and in reading the play.

D, Kevin Alston, 6 — Kevin didn’t always accomplish what he set out to do, but he worked hard throughout the night, finishing with a blocked shot, three clearances and three interceptions. After completing all 11 of his first-half passes he finished with just a 78.9% overall accuracy, with too many careless attempts after halftime. He didn’t have a single cross attempt and was accurate on only three of eight long balls. You definitely can’t fault his work rate though, as exemplified on a play where he not only prevented a Toronto corner, but also earned a free kick through sheer hustle.

MF, Tony Rocha, 7 — Despite what seemed like a quiet night (which is usually a really good thing for a defensive midfielder), the youngster created a game-high four chances and a game-high 93.8% passing accuracy. That’s right. He created more chances than Giovinco, Kaká, or Michael Bradley. In fact Orlando as a team created eight chances and he had half of them. Seven of his eight long balls were accurate. Defensively he had three tackles and an interception against one of the best midfields in MLS.

MF, Antonio Nocerino, 6.5 — It was another nice night for the Italian, who is stringing together some good performances now, although not quite as good as he was at Colorado. Nocerino completed 885% of his passes, tracked back well, made two tackles, an interception, and a clearance, and five of his six long balls were accurate. I thought he did well linking play between the back line and the attacking midfield and moving the ball from side to side before coming off in the second half.

MF, Kaká, 5 — I thought the captain was better at Colorado and I didn’t think he was very sharp that night. His pass completion of 77.5% is still low for him. He took four shots and three were on target but all of them were directly at the goalkeeper. He didn’t register a single chance created or accurate cross. His set pieces were short, he had trouble beating defenders and there were at least two occasions where I thought he switched off and was late getting to a ball he might otherwise have won.

MF, Matias Perez Garcia, 6 — MPG showed flashes but it wasn’t a complete game by any means. He won a game-high five fouls, passed at an 85.4% accuracy, and created one of Orlando’s eight chances. He pitched in defensively with two tackles, three interceptions and a clearance. However, he wasn’t always sharp around the box, overcooking an early ball for Larin and another for Kevin Molino.

MF, Kevin Molino, 4.5 — He nearly scored a goal on his return but The Original pushed it just wide of the far post. Aside from that, Molino wasn’t his usual threatening self, registering the fewest touches of any of Orlando’s starting midfielders. His passing accuracy was low (74.2%) and seemed to get caught in between two possible runs a few times. He was somewhat active defensively, with three interceptions and a tackle. He created one of Orlando’s eight chances. Still the Trinidadian led all players in bad touches (4) and didn’t look his usual, confident self.

F, Cyle Larin, 4.5 — Although he managed to get on the score sheet with his 13th goal of the season, it wasn’t the best night for Kid Fantastic. After the match, Jason Kreis chalked it up to a day in the life of a striker, saying on another night he might have put four in. The problem was, he didn’t. Larin tied Kaká for the most shots on the team (4) but only two were on frame and one of those was straight at Alex Bono. His second golden chance was launched well wide of the goal frame and he had another great opportunity he didn’t even get a shot off as it flicked off his heel. He could have been a hero with a powerful late drive in stoppage time but he hit the outside of the right post. He completed just 69.2% of his passes and touched the ball just 30 times in 93 minutes. Hey, that goal was awesome, though. You‘ve got to give him that.

Substitutes

MF, Servando Carrasco (69’), 5 — Serva came on to spell Nocerino as Kreis wanted fresh legs on as he shifted to a single defensive midfielder to move Rocha into the attack. He put in his usual hard night’s work and completed a good percentage of his passes (88.9%) but only touched the ball 12 times. He posted one tackle and one clearance. Still, he didn’t leave much of a mark on the game.

MF, Brek Shea (75’), 5 — Brek came on for a gassed and largely ineffective Molino. He worked hard, making two vital defensive clearances in his own box, and completed all six of his passes. Still, he accomplished little in his 11 touches.

D, David Mateos (82’), 4.5 — It certainly wasn’t planned to bring the Spaniard on for Seb Hines. Kreis said after the match that changing a center back either means someone played poorly or there was an injury. In this case, it was the latter. Mateos’ introduction, or rather Hines’ departure, tilted the field in Toronto’s favor a bit. He quickly picked up a yellow card shortly after being introduced, although I question that decision. David touched the ball only six times and completed just four passes. He didn’t register a defensive statistic.

That’s how I saw tonight’s performances. Let us know what you thought below and be sure to vote for your Orlando City Man of the Match.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Tony Rocha9
Seb Hines3
Joe Bendik113
Antonio Nocerino11
Luke Boden4
Other3

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Orlando City

Orlando City Signs Defender Thomas Williams Through 2026

Orlando City signs Homegrown center back Thomas Williams to a new contract through 2026 with a club option for 2027.

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3 hours ago

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January 22, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Orlando City announced this morning that the club has signed defender Thomas Williams through the 2026 season with a club option for 2027. The Homegrown Player has been with the first team since 2021 and will continue for at least two more years.

“Thomas is someone whose future we’re still very excited about and we’re happy to get him locked in with us for a couple more years,” Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi said in a club press release. “He’s shown a lot of growth these last few seasons, continuing to get game action with Orlando City B and proving the importance of our development pathway, and we’re looking forward to having him with us for the foreseeable future.”

The Titusville native joined the Orlando City Academy in 2015 and made his professional debut for the club on Aug. 7, 2020 against New England Revolution II. He played in 13 games that year with 10 starts and recorded 844 minutes. His play on the Young Lions’ back line earned him a first-team contract on June 15, 2021, at just 16 years old, making him the youngest player in club history to sign a Homegrown contract.

The 20-year-old center back made his MLS debut on April 16, 2022 in a 2-0 win over the Columbus Crew in Ohio. He made five appearances with three starts in all competitions that season, recording 271 minutes. To date, those are the only appearances he’s made with the first team.

Since joining OCB in 2021, Williams has made 69 appearances with 61 starts and recorded 5,132 minutes. He’s been booked 19 times and sent off twice, both times after receiving second yellow cards.

What It Means for Orlando City

Williams is the fourth natural center back for Orlando City on the current squad behind Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Rodrigo Schlegel. He played well early in his OCB and MLS career, but has struggled recently. Last year, he played exclusively with the second team, partnering with Nabi Kibunguchy.

While Williams hasn’t made much of an impact on the first team so far, he’s only 20 years old and still has plenty of time to develop. Extending his contact shows that the club still has faith that he can turn into a key player for the MLS side.

It’s unlikely that Williams will see any time with the first team in 2025 (barring injuries and/or suspensions), considering that he’s also been behind versatile defender Kyle Smith at the center back position. He’ll likely spend the upcoming season with OCB, continuing to develop and earn his spot with the first team. As a Homegrown Player, there isn’t much risk in signing Williams to a new contract, especially if the club’s technical staff thinks he can develop into a quality defender.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/22/25

Orlando City transfer rumors, Orlando Pride preseason begins, USMNT at Inter&Co, and more.

Published

7 hours ago

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January 22, 2025

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Dan MacDonald, The ManeLand

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Up here in Tallahassee, I’m waking up to snow/sleet, closed schools, closed government offices, and potentially icy roads. Many people will get an extra day off of work, however, I still get to go to work. I’m sure you can imagine how happy I am about that. Enough of my winter grumbling. Let’s get to the links but not until after we wish Orlando City fullback Michael Halliday a happy 22nd birthday.

Orlando City Reportedly Targeting Croatian International

While I can no longer say that Orlando City hasn’t signed any new players, the club is still moving at its traditionally slow speed as compared to other MLS clubs. We had the signing of Nicolas Rodriguez last week. Now, we have Tom Bogert report of yet another winger prospect for the club in Croatian Marco Pasalic from HNK Rijeka, though it is not a done deal. Hopefully the other targets Bogert mentions are of the striker variety.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881755961125449765?s=46&t=pMoq7Wulqfb35D7C8ydroA

Pride Preseason Begins

The 2024 NWSL champions are back to defend their title. The Orlando Pride returned to training on Tuesday. The club hasn’t needed to add many pieces, though some of the players already here, like Simone Charley and Grace Chanda, haven’t actually played any minutes for the Pride yet. Most of the chemistry is in place for Seb Hines, but reinforcing those bonds will be the challenge as the Pride look to repeat.

USMNT at Inter&Co Tonight

Hopefully you have tickets to the USMNT friendly match versus Costa Rica at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. The match starts at 7 p.m. and there are television and streaming options if you’re not going in person. Despite the squad having 14 players with three or fewer caps, Mauricio Pochettino does not consider this an “alternative” squad, nor does he want the players to think of themselves like that.

Girma Reportedly Nearing Completion of Chelsea Move

USWNT defender Naomi Girma is reportedly headed to Chelsea FC Women for a record $1.1 million transfer fee. That is a very big chunk of change for San Diego FC to use to try to replace one of the best defenders in the world. The deal is not complete as of Tuesday evening, but according to the original report from The Athletic, it is close to being done. Girma would be the first women’s soccer player to earn a transfer fee of over $1 million.

MLS Transfer Updates

Other MLS clubs keep on putting pen to paper when it comes to new players. The Chicago Fire are bringing in Jonathan Bamba on a Designated Player deal from La Liga side Celta de Vigo. The Luca de la Torre loan from Spain’s RC Celta de Vigo to San Diego FC is also official.

https://twitter.com/sandiegofc/status/1881741042904350864

Cucho Hernandez evidently wants to stay with the Columbus Crew, though he is still waiting on a new offer.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881786193693823104

Free Kicks

https://twitter.com/weareangelcity/status/1881749040863588770?s=12&t=_WZBNG4ILAyRLdwBeB4mpQ
  • Keep your eyes peeled later today for the NWSL schedule drop.
https://twitter.com/nwsl/status/1881749035218042954?s=46&t=pN-YJp3s7ZQlCXqnTAgSfw

That will do it for today. Stay warm out there, my friends. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/21/25

Orlando Pride release preseason camp roster, scouting Costa Rica, women’s soccer transfer grades, and more.

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1 day ago

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January 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone! If you had yesterday off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, then I hope you enjoyed some restful time off. If not, then I hope you got your week started off on a good and productive note. There’s a lot going on around here this week as the United States Men’s National Team is in town, and Orlando City will play its first preseason match on Saturday. That means we have plenty to discuss, so let’s dig into today’s links.

Orlando Pride Drop Preseason Roster

Monday might have been a holiday but the Orlando Pride were busy, as they announced the roster for their upcoming preseason camp. Almost all of the usual suspects from the 2024 season are back, as the Pride return 98% of the player-minutes from last season and every single scorer. Mariana Larroquette is on the list although she’s currently on loan in Argentina, and Amanda Allen is likewise included after her loan at Lexington Sporting Club was terminated due to a torn labrum. The biggest intrigue comes from the trio of non-roster invitees: goalkeeper DeAira Jackson, midfielder Aryssa Mahrt, and forward Simone Jackson.

Scouting Costa Rica

The USMNT takes on Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium to wrap up the team’s annual January camp. Like the U.S., Costa Rica is bringing a roster devoid of the majority of its important players. Costa Rica also has a new manager at the helm in Miguel Herrera, who will take charge of the team for the very first time on Wednesday. Herrera typically lines his teams up in a 5-3-2 where the wingbacks take on a very important role and the team looks to hit on the counter while staying compact at the back. This will be the last time we see the USMNT in action until the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in early March.

Women’s Soccer January Transfer Grades

January has been a busy time for transfers in the women’s soccer world, so which teams have done the best business? Well, the Orlando Pride received an A grade for signing Marta to a new two-year deal, retaining a player who helped the team win its first ever trophies. Liverpool got an A for signing Julia Bartel on loan from Chelsea. Leicester City made an interesting call by transferring goalkeeper Lize Kop to Tottenham despite just being a point above the relegation zone. The Foxes get a C for the move, while Spurs get a B+ for adding a capable netminder.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans taking part in some very important games over the course of this week. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus face Club Brugge today in the UEFA Champions League, while Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Esmir Bajraktarević, Malik Tillman and PSV Eindhoven take on Crvena Zvezda in the same competition. Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan will play Girona in the UCL on Wednesday, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic take on Young Boys. On Friday, John Tolkin could make his Bundesliga debut when his new team, Holstein Kiel, travels to face Wolfsburg.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride players reported for their preseason physicals on Monday.
  • Meanwhile, Orlando City took on the dreaded beep test during Monday’s training session.

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

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