Orlando City
Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match
Can’t we just play New York City FC all the time? By beating our fellow 2015 MLS expansion club 2-1 tonight, the Lions got their first win since July 31, snapping a four-game winless streak (0-2-2) and a two-game home losing streak. It’ll definitely make Monday feel better, as Orlando City is improbably still in the playoff race in the Eastern Conference.
New York City entered as the fresher and much hotter team, but the visitors failed to get much of a toehold on the game until the waning minutes when the Lions parked the bus a bit down the stretch. Orlando finished 2-0-1 against NYCFC this season and is 3-1-2 against the soccer Yankees in the all-time series.
Now, let’s get on with the individual performances.
Starters
GK, Joe Bendik, 6.5 – New York didn’t trouble Joe much until the second half. Neither of NYCFC’s two first-half shots were on target, but the Baby Blues were sharper in the attack after the break. Bendik’s three saves in the second half were all quite good he had to be quick off his line to beat David Villa to a late through ball, and he made two vital punches and caught one cross. However, he put his team in a bad spot on the goal by Steven Mendoza by deflecting the ball out in front rather than out to the side.
D, Luke Boden, 5.5 – Bodz started a bit slowly but seemed to get stronger as the game wore on, despite this being the third game in nine days. His passing stat line looks a bit pedestrian, at 72.2% accuracy, with only one of four accurate crosses and one of four accurate long balls, but he played a sound defensive game and got forward when he could to win corners and trouble New York City’s wide players. He finished with two tackles, an interception, and a clearance. He had one key pass, created one chance, and took a shot, but it was off target. Limited New York City’s effectiveness down the right offensive channel.
D, David Mateos, 7 – I thought this was a strong game from the Spaniard, like his game at Colorado. Defensively, he finished with one tackle, three interceptions, a clearance, and a blocked shot, but he did commit three fouls. He broke up a developing two-on-one break in the box in the 78th minute to preserve Orlando’s lead. Offensively, he completed 92.1% of his passes and nine of his 12 long balls were accurate. He even made a heads-up play to get forward to create a three-on-two counter attack off a set piece, although it eventually broke down. He tied Boden for the team’s most touches on the night (67), and rarely put a foot wrong.
D, Jose Aja, 7 – In only his second MLS start, the Uruguayan put in a solid shift against an outstanding offensive team. He led the back line with 93.3% passing, four interceptions, and six clearances. He also won two aerials, had one tackle, and blocked a shot. Nine of his 11 long balls were accurate. Most importantly, he and Mateos did a good job of not only cutting off the first New York attacker – usually David Villa, Tommy McNamara, and Steven Mendoza, but the duo also seemed aware of guys like Frank Lampard, making secondary runs into the area.
D, Tommy Redding, 6 – In a bit of an experiment, Redding started at right back, spelling Kevin Alston, who has rarely got a minute off in months. Redding was solid, if unspectacular, offering very little going forward, but helping keep the New York attack quiet. He completed 92.6% of his passes and two of his long balls were accuate. Defensively, he finished with two tackles, two interceptions, and two clearances. After halftime, NYCFC made more of an effort to attack his side of the field and found a bit more success crossing in from their attacking left side, prompting Jason Kreis to bring Alston on.
MF, Servando Carrasco, 5 – In my opinion, Serva was a bit off in this game – not terribly, but a bit. He offered little moving forward and failed to join the attack as expected a few times, leading to errant passes into areas in which his teammates expected him to run. His 85.4% passing accuracy was decent, but only three of his seven long balls were accurate, he created no real chances, and took no shots. Defensively, he posted one clearance, one interception, and one tackle. He did make one fantastic play on a takeaway from Ronald Matarrita at the corner of the penalty area and jump-started an Orlando City counter. Maybe his most important contribution was getting to a corner kick first and drawing a foul to alleviate pressure on the Orlando goal. Aside from those two plays, I didn't see as much from Servando tonight as I'm used to.
MF, Antonio Nocerino, 6.5 – The Italian continues to blossom under Jason Kreis, leading the club with a passing accuracy of 94.9% (OK, Brek Shea had 100% accuracy but he only passed it twice). Nocerino did a good job of jumping into passing lanes, forcing attackers back or to the sideline, and linking the back line with the attacking midfield. He had one key pass to create a chance, played a pivotal role in the first Orlando City goal, and racked up four interceptions, a clearance, and a tackle. He even took one for the team when he was booked for standing over the ball to prevent a quick restart on a free kick.
MF, Kaká, 7.5 (MOTM) – I’ll be honest. Without the two goals, the captain’s score wouldn’t be this high. He started the game slowly, dribbling into trouble a few times and giving the ball away with poorly weighted passes. But his determination on the first goal was vintage Kaká. He wouldn’t be denied in rounding Jefferson Mena and firing on goal from a tight angle, following his shot to score on his own rebound. He led Orlando City in shots (4) and shots on target (3), and not only scored the penalty kick, but also drew the foul that set it up. His passing (84.1%) was a bit better than it’s been in recent games. He had no accurate crosses on two attempts, registered no defensive stats whatsoever, and had no key passes. Still, he put the ball in the back of the net, and that’s what wins games.
MF, Matias Perez Garcia, 7.5 – MPG was the best man on the pitch most of the night. Without his defensive play and his pass wide to Kaká, the first goal would never have happened. He was superb at winning back possession on the night, with a team-high three tackles and an interception. He created two chances, completed 83.9% of his passes, took one shot, and drew two fouls. Moreover, his hustle and tenacity was contagious and he continues to combine better and better with his teammates.
MF, Kevin Molino, 5.5 – It pains me not to be able to put a higher score here. The Original had chances for heroics and to put the game out of reach. At 75.6%, he had the lowest midfield passing accuracy and had no accurate crosses on the night. He muffed a chance to get onto a Boden cross and the deflection took the ball out of reach for Cyle Larin as well. Later, he worked his way past goalkeeper Josh Saunders, then sent a soft shot at the empty net that allowed Ronald Matarrita to make a sliding save on. He was dispossessed three times but he also made three tackles to tie MPG for the most on the team.
F, Cyle Larin, 4.5 – I’ll take the heat for this grade again. The Canadian international is showing signs of fatigue after all the minutes he’s racking up, but to his credit, he worked hard to get into dangerous spots. Things just aren’t falling for him and his teammates seem unable to get him the ball, either through poor crossing or expecting the wrong run. Larin failed to register a shot and was dispossessed a game-high seven times, managing only 31 touches. He had the ball taken off his foot by Matarrita on a clear breakaway in the 86th minute. His passing accuracy was just 64.3%. Defensively, he chipped in two clearances and an interception.
Substitutes
D, Kevin Alston (56’), 6.5 – Kevin got a rest tonight and man did he look fresh in the second half . He earned his team a corner in the 60th minute with a hustle play on a nice forward run. His passing accuracy (60%) looks ba until you consider he only had five attempts. Finished with two tackles and blocked a Jack Harrison cross in the 92nd minute.
MF, Tony Rocha (68’), 5.5 – Tony came on to provide more defensive help for the final 22 minutes and didn’t get too much accomplished. He had one interception and completed four of his five passes with 11 total touches. It may have been confusing to come on for an offensive player, entering the game for Matias Perez Garcia.
MF, Brek Shea (74’), 3.5 – It’s very difficult to grade Brek for this game. He came on early enough that I can’t give him an N/A score, yet he managed only two touches of the ball in his 16 minutes. He completed both of his passes, which is good, I guess. But he registered zero stats of any kind, aside from one foul committed. He came on for Kaká, which may be one of the more bizarre substitutions we’ve seen in the team’s first two years, but Orlando City held on, so I guess you’d say it was more successful than not. Still, two touches in 16 minutes? Woof.
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
| Player | Votes |
| Antonio Nocerino | 19 |
| David Mateos | 7 |
| Jose Aja | 18 |
| Matias Perez Garcia | 91 |
| Kaká | 130 |
| Other | 5 |
Orlando City
Orlando City Showing Signs of Adjusting to Eduard Atuesta’s Absence
The Lions have looked much better on offense the last two games, and there’s a couple of reasons why.
Much has been made of Orlando City’s difficulties in creating chances and scoring goals when Eduard Atuesta has been unavailable due to injury. It’s not hard to understand why either. The Colombian was unavailable for three of Orlando’s four scoreless draws this year, and he only played nine minutes as a substitute in the stalemate against the New York Red Bulls on April 12.
When he was healthy and got the start against Atlanta United two games later, the Lions won 3-0 and he created the most chances of anyone in the game with three. Orlando then promptly reverted to being offensively stunted in the following game against the Chicago Fire, and was only able to manage its fourth scoreless draw of the year, despite playing over a half the game with a man advantage.
There certainly seemed to be plenty of evidence pointing towards Atuesta being the missing cog in Orlando City’s offense. While he only has two assists in eight games, he does a ton of work in linking the defense to the attack and is great at finding attacking players in dangerous areas, as evidenced by his 17 key passes. In the 0-0 draws with the Philadelphia Union, CF Montreal, and the Fire, Orlando just didn’t look right without him, although the Red Bulls game was a much better performance that was ultimately derailed by Rodrigo Schlegel’s sending off.
While he hasn’t played in either of Orlando’s last two league matches, a 3-3 draw against the New England Revolution, and a 3-1 win against Charlotte FC, the offense clearly hasn’t had any problem creating chances. If anything, the Lions should have scored more goals if not for a couple instances of less-than-crisp finishing in each match.
So, why the sudden change?
Well for one thing, the Designated Players are firing on all cylinders again. Martin Ojeda scored a hat trick against New England, and he and Luis Muriel scored Orlando’s first two goals against Charlotte. Ojeda didn’t start either of the two games against Atlanta and Chicago because he was dealing with a minor injury, but now that it’s in the rearview mirror, he’s been a man possessed. Muriel probably should have had at least one goal of his own against the Revs but seemed oddly reluctant to shoot, although he still completed three dribbles and delivered three key passes. The Charlotte game was then his turn to come out of the gate swinging, as he narrowly had a goal ruled out for offside just two minutes in, before hammering a venomous shot from distance just six minutes later that gave Kristijan Kahlina all sorts of trouble and opened the scoring.
It isn’t just getting contributions from the big guns though, because we need to acknowledge the play of rookie Joran Gerbet in these last two games. He’s the man who’s been asked to fill in for Atuesta next to Cesar Araujo, and he’s getting more and more comfortable in that role. Against the Revs he had an interception, a key pass and an assist, and completed a long ball and a through ball while recording a passing accuracy of 86.5%. Against Charlotte, he recorded an interception, three clearances, a completed dribble, and two successful long balls, and he had an outstanding passing accuracy of 98%. They weren’t all simply backwards or sideways passes either. There were plenty of times when he progressed the ball upfield to an attacking player and helped keep the Lions moving forward, and that’s exactly what you want out of the guy playing that position.
He still has a way to go before reaching Atuesta’s level, but that’s to be expected for a guy that’s playing the first professional season of his career. What’s most important is that he’s getting more comfortable, contributing, and proving that he can be a legitimate option to rotate into the starting XI when Atuesta is unavailable or when fixture congestion dictates changes to the lineup.
It’s worth mentioning the caveat that the last two games haven’t been against the strongest opposition the league has to offer. The Revs were on a four-game winning streak before playing Orlando, but three of those four wins were against weak or shaky teams in Atlanta, Toronto FC, and Charlotte, while the fourth team (NYCFC) has been difficult to get a read on. I’m not saying the Revs are a paper tiger, but it’s tough to know how good they really are despite a good run of recent form. Then you have Charlotte, which was above the playoff line but also on a three-game losing streak coming into the match that has now been convincingly extended to four.
At the end of the day, you can only beat who’s in front of you, but I’d encourage us all to not get too carried away until we see the same results against sterner opposition. For better or worse, that’s exactly what we’ll get in the Lions’ next three matches, which will be against a capable, albeit flawed, Inter Miami side on the road, at home in the U.S. Open Cup against a Nashville SC team that’s fourth in the East, and at home against the Portland Timbers, who are currently fourth in the West.
Ultimately, we can only judge this team on what we’ve seen from it, and over the last two games we’ve seen a side that’s had no trouble creating chances. Despite the continued absence of the important Atuesta, the Lions are adjusting thanks to contributions from their heavy hitters and the improving play of the rookie Gerbet. Only time will tell if those improvements are sustainable, but for now its a hell of a lot of fun to enjoy.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 5/16/25
Orlando City players make MLS Team of the Matchday, Luis Muriel focused, Orlando Pride plays tonight, and more.
Happy Friday! I’ve had a pretty good week so far and am looking forward to three straight days of Orlando soccer. The Orlando Pride will get us started tonight and then we have Orlando City B on Saturday before Orlando City plays on Sunday. It should be a fun next few days, and hopefully one filled with celebrations too. Let’s dive into today’s links!
Lions Make MLS Team of the Matchday
There’s plenty of purple in the latest MLS Team of the Matchday following Orlando City’s 3-1 win over Charlotte FC. Martin Ojeda and David Brekalo were both selected, while Oscar Pareja was chosen as the top coach from the midweek slate. Ojeda’s strike in the first half is also up for Goal of the Matchday as his strong run of form continues. The only outfield player on this Team of the Matchday that didn’t score is Brekalo, who had two assists, so it’s nice to see him receive deserved recognition for an excellent performance that included a great setup on Orlando’s third goal. Pareja has the Lions on an 11-game unbeaten streak across all competitions and is managing things well so far during this busy May.
Luis Muriel Staying Focused in Sophomore Season
With five goals so far this season, Orlando City forward Luis Muriel has already mirrored his scoring total from all of last season. Staying mentally prepared has been key for the 34-year-old in his second year with Orlando, and he spoke about what’s changed for him after not quite reaching expectations in his first year.
“Coming to a league like this isn’t easy. A lot of times from the outside, you aren’t able to measure up or really see what the league is. Sometimes you can underestimate things, thinking it’s easy,” Muriel said. “That leads you to take things on in a different way, the work, the matches.
“When you go into ‘MLS Mode’ you realize how good the league is, how competitive it is, how demanding the league is to be able to do things well. That’s when things start to flow, to go well. I think that’s the difference between this year and last.”
He’s finding his footing in the league now and was a force to be reckoned with against Charlotte on Wednesday. Muriel is aware that the Lions will need him to be at his best when they travel to take on Inter Miami on Sunday for an important rivalry clash.
Diving Into Justin Ellis’s Ascent
Victor Olorunfemi of Top Drawer Soccer gave a great profile on Orlando City B forward Justin Ellis and his growth with the club. Ellis, who just celebrated his 18th birthday on Wednesday with his MLS debut, is having a great year after a solid season with OCB last year. The high school senior was the top scorer at this year’s Generation Adidas Cup with six goals to help Orlando’s U-18 team win the tournament. He can create chances just as well as he can convert them and is quick to give credit to the coaches and staff that have helped him develop. The U.S. youth pool is deep, but Ellis could be a name to keep an eye out for ahead of the U-20 World Cup in September.
Orlando Pride Match Headlines NWSL Weekend
The Orlando Pride’s match tonight against the Kansas City Current is the premier matchup this week in the NWSL. While I wouldn’t call it a rivalry just yet, these two teams had great games last year. The Current are still out for revenge after Orlando beat them while shorthanded last summer and won again in the NWSL playoffs in Orlando before winning the NWSL Championship in Kansas City. First place in the league is on the line and it should be a thrilling match featuring the league’s top two defenses and attacking threats like Barbra Banda, Temwa Chawinga, Marta, and Debinha.
NWSL Contenders and Underperformers
We’re about a third of the way into the NWSL season and ESPN‘s Jeff Kassouf dove into how each team is meeting its expectations so far. Despite their stumbles in recent weeks, the Pride are near the top of the table and have plenty of time to get things firing on all cylinders. Two of the California teams are enjoying surprising success so far, with the San Diego Wave up in fourth while Angel City FC is in fifth and could become a real contender once Alexander Straus takes over as head coach. NJ/NY Gotham FC and the North Carolina Courage are sleeping giants of sorts, so it will be interesting to see when they start climbing up the table.
Free Kicks
- You’ll need a paid subscription for the full details, but Orlando City right back Alex Freeman continues to impress this season. Freeman is finding success in a way different from his father Antonio Freeman, who led the NFL in receiving yards for the Green Bay Packers in 1998.
- This year’s MLS pre-match jerseys to celebrate Pride month are out and they’re a vibrant and funky design.
- Esther Gonzalez leads the NWSL with seven goals this season and has agreed to a contract extension with Gotham FC that will last through 2027.
- FIFA representatives, including FA Chair Debbie Hewitt and UEFA President Alexander Ceferin, walked out of FIFA’s annual congress in protest of FIFA President Gianni Infantino arriving three hours late. Infantino has spent this week in the Middle East visiting leaders in Saudi Arabia and Qatar with Donald Trump.
- FC Barcelona officially won this year’s La Liga title after a 2-0 win over Espanyol. Phenom Lamine Yamal scored a sensational goal in the match, which is fitting considering how crucial he was to Barcelona winning the league this year.
- Predictable names like Luis Enrique and Antonio Conte are on the list of top European coaches this year, but this article also shines a light on coaches who navigated tough waters in small boats. Alexander Blessin has St. Pauli on the verge of survival in the Bundesliga and Filippo Inzaghi improved Pisa by 30 points in Serie B to secure promotion.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Three Keys to Victory
What do the Lions need to do to secure a victory in Sunday’s edition of Tropic Thunder?
The first Tropic Thunder match of the season is here. As I recently said on The Mane Land PawedCast, I am both looking forward to and dreading this match. I think that is an appropriate feeling. Orlando City is in the midst of a congested May schedule, but every match matters.
Inter Miami tops my list of hated teams at this point. As such, I very much want the Lions to win and for Florida to be purple. What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points on the road against their in-state rivals?
Pocket Messi
Orlando City must keep Lionel Messi from having too big of an impact on the match. There are plenty of other players that the defense will need to worry about, and I’ll get to them. What I’m looking for is a frustrated Messi — Messi that feels he should be getting calls on the lightest of touches but is not.
The pair of players that I’m expecting to keep an eye on Messi are Cesar Araujo and Rodrigo Schlegel. The lion’s share of that burden will fall to Araujo. I want him to be hounding Messi every time he gets the ball. If Messi is able to get past Araujo, I want Schlegel to be right in his face. We’re all sick of MLS and Apple TV putting his smug mug in our faces at every opportunity. It’s time for two of Orlando’s defenders to take the shine off of Messi.
Deal with the Rest
Assuming Araujo can limit Messi, Orlando City still has to deal with Miami’s talented attacking players not named Messi. Miami and Orlando entered Wednesday night’s game with the same number of goals scored (21) and allowed (15) this season, although the Herons conceded more at San Jose (3) than the Lions (1) did at home against Charlotte. Each scored three times on Wednesday. However, the memory of the last time the Lions faced Miami at Chase Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale is a 5-0 loss. That isn’t something we want to see again.
Theoretically, no match is more important than another, although an argument could be made that Tropic Thunder is no mere match. I fully expect a starting back line of Alex Freeman, Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and David Brekalo in front of Pedro Gallese to stop Miami’s attack. A clean sheet is the objective.
Alex vs. Alba
As you can tell, this is a very defensive heavy Three Keys, but given what happened in this fixture last year, I don’t think it’s out of line. Alex Freeman has been good this season. He has secured the starting spot at right back and seems unlikely to give it back. One of the things he is good at is getting into the attack with Marco Pasalic. That isn’t what I’m looking for from him this weekend.
Miami’s Jordi Alba is a dangerous player that Freeman will be expected to help contain. Alba has five assists, seven successful crosses, and 13 key passes so far this season. If Freeman is still getting up the pitch to assist in the attack, he will need to make sure he isn’t allowing Alba free rein to get behind him and serve as a provider in Orlando’s half of the field.
That is what I will be looking for Sunday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Final Score 1-0 as Pride Drop Second Home Game This Season
Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
Orlando City Showing Signs of Adjusting to Eduard Atuesta’s Absence
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