Orlando City Stock Watch: Lions Lose to Toronto FC; Earn 3 Points vs. NYCFC

Orlando City pulled three points out of two matches this week, falling 2-1 against Toronto FC before earning the victory over Jason Kreis’ former team. It’s time we sort out who sees their stock rising or falling following the results.

Rising

Matías Pérez García – While he didn’t put forth an awe-inspiring performance against Toronto FC, there really wasn’t a Lion that did. If this match was the middle-of-the-road form we can expect from MPG, we shouldn’t consider it a bad thing. He completed 83% of his passes and recorded one key pass, though he likely missed opportunities for at least two more.

His greatest impact may have been drawing a game-high five fouls, a unique trait that is proving to be a positive for the roster.

Against New York City, MPG was the engine behind this team. While Kaká gets the credit for the goals, MPG created one of his chances and was as menacing as such a diminutive man can be in the midfield, registering three tackles and generally being a pest to New York's attack.

Antonio Nocerino – It is obvious Nocerino is getting more and more comfortable as a Lion, evidenced by his 86.5% passing rate against Toronto FC. He’s linking up with teammates in ways we were not sure possible just two months ago.

He was even better facing NYCFC, completing 92.5% of his passing and creating a chance with one of them. He was defensively sound, flaunting his IQ in the form of a game-high five interceptions. Nocerino is becoming the kind of midfielder he was expected to be upon arrival.

Falling

Brek Shea – One of the club’s hardest players to peg, Shea was used a substitute in both matches this week, coming on at 75 minutes against Toronto and 74 against NYCFC. He completed all eight of his passes, but didn’t influence a threatening sequence in either match.

Cyle Larin – Kid Fantastic scored a goal against Toronto, but spent the other 89 minutes of the match underwhelming. He never looked particularly comfortable out there, sending balls wide on chances the entire world expects him to convert.

There was less to like about the performance against New York City, as the striker failed to take a shot. The service hasn't been great, so the blame shouldn't fall squarely on his shoulders, but if you want to be considered one of the league's best strikers, you'll need to be better than Larin was this week.

Polling Closed