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Orlando City

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

Published

9 years ago

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Orlando City went to Toronto in need of points, but could not find the go-ahead goal after gaining the man advantage in the second half. Jason Kreis tried a version of the 4-4-2 diamond formation that was heavily speculated about upon his hiring, but quickly reverted back to the 4-2-3-1 after Toronto began dominating the midfield.

The Lions find themselves running out of time in a playoff race that currently has them on the outside looking in. With this point earned towards the effort, let’s see how your favorite Lions grade out.

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 7.5 (MOTM) – Did well to punch away a threatening free kick entry pass in the 25th minute. Pair of big saves in the 31st after the defense sprung a leak. His save in the 65th minute was really indicative of his good positioning throughout the match.

D, Luke Boden, 6 – Went a little too forward in the sixth and was caught out by the counter. Did well getting forward, but consistently has the worst clearances on the team, leading to opposing scoring opportunities more than once, including a near devastating one in the 92nd, putting the ball right on the foot of the onrushing Will Johnson.

D, David Mateos, 6 – His poor clearance in the fifth minute led to a chance and nearly a goal on the ensuing corner. Played the ball well to slow down Toronto’s attack in the 18th minute, forcing the the man on the ball sideways and allowing the defense to recover.

D, Jose Aja, 6.5 – Very strong in the air, but struggled with Toronto’s runs frequently for the first 30 minutes. Showed good awareness in keeping possession for Orlando late in the first half by intercepting outlet passes. Ate Tosaint Ricketts’ boot while making a clearance in the 70th minute that was Ricketts’ second booking of the match, putting the Lions a man ahead for the final 20 minutes. He got way forward late, but didn’t threaten the defense in a meaningful way.

D, Kevin Alston, 5 – Eaten alive by Morrow in the seventh minute, conceding a corner kick. Lost his man on a cross in the eighth that Toronto couldn’t quite finish. Seemed to find himself in good positions throughout the night, but couldn’t capitalize on them and was reluctant to get forward at times when the opportunities were there.

MF, Servando Carrasco, 6 – Was his usual pain in the ass self at the bottom of the midfield diamond, playing physically and stalling Toronto’s building attacks, but really struggled doing anything about Michael Bradley in general, leading Kreis to change the formation in the 40th minute with a substitution to get Carrasco a partner in the midfield.

MF, Brek Shea, 5.5 – Played a great ball to Molino in the 11th that The Original barely missed his touch on. Linked up well with midfielders in building a threatening attack throughout the first half. Another victim of the referee’s missing whistle when he ate Drew Moor’s shoulder and didn’t get the call, though the official found it in time to give Brek a yellow card after Shea let his thoughts on the no-call be known. He’ll miss the next match. He looked confident on the ball and was part of a handful of threatening sequences, but he has to be more poised than he was in dealing with the officials tonight.

MF, Kaká, 5.5 – Showed his quality on the ball in the 16th minute to get into the box, but his service was behind Kid Fantastic and left him with no chance at net. Was badly dispossessed by Michael Bradley, leading to Toronto’s pair of chances in the 31st minute. Showed his elite talent in the 73rd minute to get a shot at point blank range, but fired it straight at the goalkeeper causing no trouble. His effort throughout was admirable, but one has to wonder if his work rate at this fitness level tonight brought about diminishing returns.

MF, Kevin Molino, 6 – Missed a real chance on net from Brek’s service early in the match. Went down in the box in the 38th in what was Orlando’s best attack to that point in the match but did not get the call. His shiftiness on the ball was a big help towards the Lions retaining possession entering the final third, earning the positioning he wanted and creating chances once he had it. Molino had another chance late, but was caught up in traffic after Kaká worked tirelessly to create a threat with his dribbling in the 83rd minute. Subbed off for Baptista in the 86th.

F, Carlos Rivas, 4.5 – Not afraid to pressure high, stifling Toronto’s initiation early, but was not particularly threatening despite his speed putting him in advantageous positions. Was pulled in the 40th minute when Kreis went back to the 4-2-3-1 formation.

F, Cyle Larin, 5.5 – Was mauled on a breakaway in the 24th minute but the referee couldn’t find his whistle. Horribly mistouched Boden’s service in the 63rd after Orlando swung the ball from the right to the left side of the pitch with sound one touch passing under pressure.

Substitutes

MF, Cristian Higuita (40′), 5 – Helped facilitate the midfield and win the 50/50 balls in the middle of the pitch as soon as he came on, but didn’t swing the momentum of the match in any impactful way despite 50 minutes of action.

MF, Matias Perez Garcia (75′), 5 – Wasn’t particularly effective. Didn’t seem to be on the same page as Kaká, who was running in overdrive all night.

MF, Julio Baptista (86′), 5.5 – Did well to beat his man in the 88th, but the following touch was way too strong and led to a clearance.

Explain why I’m wrong and sound off on your man of the match below. And don’t forget to vote in our poll.

Polling Closed

Player Votes
Joe Bendik 34
Jose Aja 11
Kevin Molino 3
Kaká 20
Other 18
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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Nashville SC, U.S. Open Cup: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions host Nashville in the Round of 16 as a busy May schedule continues.

Published

5 minutes ago

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May 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Wednesday night U.S. Open Cup matchup between Orlando City and Nashville SC at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., Paramount+) in the Round of 16. It’s the second match for both clubs in the competition.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

The Lions are 4-2-4 against Nashville in MLS regular-season matches and 6-3-5 in all competitions. Orlando is 2-2-1 at home in the series in league play and 3-2-2 at home in all competitions. That includes a draw in the only previous U.S. Open Cup matchup between the sides in 2022. The Lions won the postgame penalty shootout to advance, ultimately winning the tournament that year.

The two teams last met on Aug. 31 of last season, with the Lions blasting Nashville 3-0. Facundo Torres’ brace and an opening goal by Ivan Angulo led Orlando City to the season sweep.

Orlando City visited Nashville SC at Geodis Park on July 17, with the Lions cruising to a 3-0 road win. Goals by Cesar Araujo and Ramiro Enrique sandwiched an Alex Muyl own goal as Orlando City got its fourth consecutive shutout victory over Nashville.

The teams met at the end of the previous season on Nov. 7, 2023 in the best-of-three, first-round playoff series. The Lions got an early goal from Angulo in a 1-0 win to sweep the series. Orlando City drew first blood in the series by beating Nashville 1-0 on Oct. 30, 2023 at Exploria Stadium. Wilder Cartagena’s blast from outside the area hit the underside of the crossbar near the right corner and bounced in for the game’s only score.

The teams met in the regular season on Oct. 4, 2023 with Orlando City stealing a 1-0 win in Music City on Duncan McGuire’s goal just before halftime. That was one of only two shot attempts by the Lions all night and the only one on target. Orlando played well defensively and Pedro Gallese didn’t have to make a save as the hosts didn’t put any shots on frame.

Nashville visited Orlando back on April 1 of 2023 at Exploria Stadium and it was the visitors who made fools of the Lions, as Nashville won, 2-0. Fafa Picault and Hany Mukhtar did the damage for Nashville.

The teams did not face each other in regular-season play the year before, meeting only in the U.S. Open Cup in Orlando on June 29, 2022. Mukhtar scored in the second half, and that looked like it would be enough until Rodrigo Schlegel equalized deep in stoppage time. After a scoreless 30 minutes of extra time, the Lions won the ensuing penalty shootout, 6-4.

These sides met in the 2021 postseason in Tennessee, with Orlando scoring first through Daryl Dike’s early goal, but Nashville won 3-1 on Nov. 23, 2021 to knock the Lions out of the playoffs. Mukhtar tied it up before halftime on a fluky deflected goal off of Antonio Carlos and then put his team up in the 74th minute on a counterattack. Jhonder Cadiz put things away deep in stoppage time.

The teams met in Orlando on Oct. 31, 2021 and ended in a 1-1 draw after referee Allen Chapman’s Halloween Heist chalked off Andres Perea’s apparent stoppage-time winner. The referee’s excuse for overturning the goal was an imagined foul on Dike, who, if anything, was the fouled party. The decision cost the Lions a valuable home playoff match, which instead sent Orlando to Nashville. Mukhtar scored for Nashville to equalize in the second half after Dike’s first-half goal.

The teams met in Nashville on Sept. 29, 2021 with a late rally by the Lions earning the team a 2-2 road draw at Nissan Stadium. The hosts had taken a 2-0 lead on goals by Mukhtar — scoring off the rebound of his own saved penalty — and Randall Leal, but a penalty by Dike and a stoppage-time own goal by Brian Anunga turned the game around. On Aug. 18 of that season, the teams finished in another 1-1 draw. C.J. Sapong put the hosts ahead in the first half and Carlos leveled the score in the second half. The Lions, who played poorly in the opening 45, were the better team throughout the second half and Tesho Akindele’s shot off the crossbar was inches from providing a winner for Orlando.

The teams met on Decision Day of 2020 at Exploria Stadium, with Orlando melting down late, allowing two goals from the 88th minute on, and falling 3-2 at home on Nov. 8, 2020 — the team’s only home loss on the season. Dike and Nani goals sandwiched a strike by Daniel Lovitz, giving the Lions a lead until late. Headers by Mukhtar (in the 88th minute) and Cadiz (in the 93rd minute) turned the game on its head.

In the Lions’ first trip to Nissan Stadium, the teams played to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 2, 2020. Benji Michel put the Lions ahead with a stunner of a goal, but Leal knotted things up and that’s the way the match ended.

That 1-1 draw came a week after a 3-1 Orlando City win on Aug. 26 at Exploria Stadium. Dave Romney had opened the scoring for Nashville with a header off a free kick but Orlando scored the last three. Dike took a star turn for Orlando City, scoring a brace, and Chris Mueller also scored for the Lions.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a 3-0 road win over Inter Miami on Sunday. Luis Muriel, Marco Pasalic, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson scored the goals and Pedro Gallese made four saves in the victory over Lionel Messi and company. Orlando is riding a streak of 12 straight matches in all competitions without a loss (6-0-6), which includes the Lions’ 5-0 road win against the Tampa Bay Rowdies to kick off their 2025 U.S. Open Cup campaign.

Tonight’s visitors are level on points with Orlando City in the Eastern Conference standings, but Nashville has more wins, so it currently occupies fourth place. Nashville had an extra day of rest after playing D.C. United to a scoreless draw at home on Saturday. The Tennessee-based club is also on a hot streak at the moment, entering tonight on a six-game unbeaten run ( 4-0-2). That includes the team’s 1-0 home win over Chattanooga Red Wolves SC in the U.S. Open Cup two weeks ago.

B.J. Callaghan is in his second season as Nashville’s head coach, and the former USMNT interim head coach has his team headed the right direction. He’s got Mukhtar producing again and Sam Surridge has also been productive for Nashville. But the team is also playing well defensively, having not conceded more than one goal in any of the last five games.

Expect a tightly contested game, as is common when these teams meet. The Lions must play defense at the level they have the past two games, while taking their chances against a stingy defense and standout goalkeeper in Joe Willis (although rotation isn’t out of the question).

“There are still things we need to do to get better. We’re not going to think that everything is rosy,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the game. “We know who we are, and we know where we’re going. This team is consciously understanding what we need to improve as well, so that makes me feel very optimistic. Now we have to be preparing for the next game that is around the corner [tonight] against Nashville SC and then Portland Timbers over the weekend.”

The Lions will be without Eduard Atuesta (neck), Nico Rodriguez (thigh), Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), and Yutaro Tsukada (knee), while Gustavo Caraballo (lower leg) is questionable.

Match Content

Projected Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Alex Freeman.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Cesar Araujo, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Marco Pasalic.

Forward: Ramiro Enrique, Duncan McGuire.

Nashville SC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Joe Willis.

Defenders: Daniel Lovitz, Jeisson Palacios, Jack Maher, Andy Najar.

Midfielders: Alex Muyl, Patrick Yazbek, Edvard Tagseth.

Forwards: Jacob Shaffelburg, Sam Surridge, Hany Mukhtar.

Referees

REF: Joshua Encarnacion.
AR1: Rhett Hammi.
AR2: Ben Rigel.
4TH: Alejo Calume.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: Paramount+.

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the game. Go City!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/21/25

The U.S. Open Cup journey resumes tonight, Javier Otero signs a new contract, Pride’s Sams and Abello called up, and more.

Published

4 hours ago

on

May 21, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It is match day with Orlando City hosting Nashville SC tonight in Inter&Co Stadium. I hope you are able to make it out to support the club, since I will have to watch it on television. If you listen to The Mane Land PawedCast you know how much I want Orlando City to focus on the U.S. Open Cup — even at the expense of the Leagues Cup. For now, let’s get to the links.

Nashville is Next

As I mentioned above, the Lions take on Nashville SC in a U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 match tonight. Orlando City is riding a 12-match unbeaten streak through all competitions and has scored 14 goals in the past four games going back to its 5-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The Lions will look to continue their goal scoring ways to advance to the quarterfinals.

Javier Otero Has a New Contract

Orlando City signed goalkeeper Javier Otero to a new contract through the 2026 season with options for 2027 and 2028. Otero joined the Orlando City Academy in 2017, moving his way up to Orlando City B and, eventually, the first team. The signing secures Orlando City’s backup keeper for the immediate future.

Pride USWNT Call-Ups

Emily Sams and Kerry Abello were both called up to the USWNT training camp. This is Abello’s first call-up to the U.S. Women’s National Team. Sams and Abello make up two of Emma Hayes’ 24-player roster for the upcoming friendlies against China and Jamaica. Other notable players include Naomi Girma, Lynn Biyendolo, and Lo’eau LaBonta.

FIRST USWNT CALL UP FOR BELLO 🗣️

— Orlando Pride (@orlpride.com) 2025-05-20T15:06:37.081Z

USMNT Gold Cup News

Mauricio Pochettino has yet to name the final 26-player list for the Gold Cup. He has even put out there that he may give playing time to a goalkeeper other than Matt Turner. Pochettino sees the Gold Cup as a great opportunity for the team to bond during the last competition before the World Cup. Prior to the Gold Cup, the team has friendlies with Türkiye and Switzerland.

Free Kicks

  • The Kansas City Current may have defeated the Pride last match, but they paid dearly for it.
  • In sad news, former Sporting Kansas City player Gadi Kinda passed away. Kinda had been dealing with “a complex medical battle.”
  • In the “I’m not at all surprised” category, Lionel Messi was not fined by the league for any of his antics during or after the loss to Orlando City, including his criticism of officials, which is usually an automatic fine.

That will do it for today. Check back for our pre-match and post-match coverage tonight. You can also follow The Mane Land on Bluesky for match updates. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City Signs Homegrown Goalkeeper Javier Otero to New Deal

Homegrown goalkeeper Javier Otero has inked a new contract through 2026 with two option years.

Published

16 hours ago

on

May 20, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The Lions addressed the future of the goalkeeping position today with the club announcing that Orlando City has signed Homegrown Player Javier Otero to a new deal. Otero’s contract runs through the 2026 season and includes club options for 2027 and 2028. This contract eliminates the need for OCSC to pick up Otero’s 2026 option, as his original Homegrown contract was through 2024 with two option years, and the club exercised the 2025 option in December.

“We’re delighted to offer a new contract to Javi, who has been a prime example of our developmental pathway at work,” Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “We look forward to seeing Javi further his growth here with the club.” 

Otero, 22, originally signed as the club’s 14th Homegrown Player on July 10, 2023 out of the Orlando City Development Academy, becoming the backup to starter Pedro Gallese in 2024 after Mason Stajduhar suffered a season-ending lower leg injury. Stajduhar subsequently left Orlando City prior to the 2025 season, making Otero the primary backup.

Thus far, Otero has appeared in three matches for Orlando across all competitions (two starts), keeping one clean sheet. He made his Major League Soccer debut on June 28, 2024, when Stajduhar sustained his injury on the road against New York City FC. Otero entered the match in the 29th minute with the Lions already trailing and conceded three goals in a 4-1 loss, although he was largely hung out to dry by the team in front of him throughout the match, and one of those goals deflected off defender Robin Jansson and changed direction on him.

In MLS play, Otero has one start and one relief appearance, winning his only career regular-season start earlier this season in a 4-1 home victory over D.C. United on March 22. He also started and backstopped Orlando to a 5-0 U.S. Open Cup victory two weeks ago at the Tampa Bay Rowdies for his first shutout with the senior side.

Otero joined the Orlando City Academy in 2017, making his professional debut with Orlando City B in 2020, backing up second-round draft pick Austin Aviza that season. He became the OCB starter in 2022 after OCB took 2021 off in between changing leagues from USL League One to MLS NEXT Pro.

He led MLS NEXT Pro with 100 saves in the league’s inaugural season of 2022. His first-team contract in 2023 made him the second goalkeeper — behind Stajduhar — to earn a Homegrown Player deal.

On the international stage, Otero made his debut with the Venezuelan Men’s National Team in a friendly against Colombia on Dec. 10, 2023. He was recently called up for Venezuela’s friendly against the U.S. in January, along with La Vinotinto’s FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in March. 

What It Means for Orlando City

It is likely that Otero will remain the backup for a while longer, but Gallese’s contract option for 2025 was triggered by performance metrics after last season. So, Orlando’s No. 1 in the position is uncertain beyond the end of the current season. Gallese, however, has played well, despite a narrative that he could/should have done better at the beginning of the season, when individual mistakes in front of him were leaving him little chance to stop the vast majority of the goals that opponents scored. Orlando City may not be quite ready for Gallese to depart, but the Peruvian himself may have other thoughts.

If Gallese isn’t re-signed before the end of the season, it would make things interesting. Moreira may feel Otero is ready to take on the mantle of starter next season or at least to battle for it. But even if Gallese returns or a different player is signed to be the starter, Otero has impressed enough for the club to invest in him as the primary backup. That’s an important position at all times, because injuries and suspensions happen. But it’s especially vital to have a trustworthy backup to a goalkeeper who is representing his country during the MLS season at times, as Gallese has done with Peru over the years.

Of course, Otero could also be called up regularly by Venezuela if his development continues, taking him away for the same tournaments that currently call Gallese back home. If that becomes the case, Orlando City would have an interesting problem on its hands.

In the meantime, it’s a good sign for Orlando City that, in Otero, the academy has produced another player the club values.

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