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PRO Referees and Orlando City: Which Referees Were Kindest to the Lions in 2016?

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9 years ago

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Since joining MLS in 2015, Orlando City and the Professional Referee Organization (PRO) have had a strained relationship. 2016 was much better in certain respects, but there were still some calls from different referees that left fans scratching their heads.

Last year, I decided to figure out who did what by compiling all the ref performances that were head officials during the season. I dove into the games that they reffed, how many cards they gave out, and how they could have affected the Lions' games. This time around, I did the same thing, but I also combined the referees that have spanned both years in MLS and provided their combined stats over that time. The object here isn't to dump on the referees, so much as to draw some statistical data from their performances to see what, if anything, we can take away from the matches they've officiated so far.

Let's begin the fun, shall we?

Referees That Officiated Orlando City Games in 2016 and 2015

Alan Kelly (two games in 2016): Reffed the 4-1 drubbing of the Portland Timbers and the scoreless draw at Toronto FC. Gave out four yellow cards against Orlando. Kelly was named MLS Referee of the Year for the second consecutive year.

Through two seasons, Kelly has reffed five of City's games, from which Orlando has a 2-2-1 record. He has also given 10 yellow cards and one red card.

Chris Penso (two games): Reffed the crazy 2-2 home opener against Real Salt Lake and the 2-1 loss in the August match-up against Toronto FC. Gave out four yellow cards and a red card against Darwin Cerén in the opener.

Through two seasons, Penso has reffed five games, from which Orlando has a 1-3-1 record. He has also given a crazy 17 yellow cards and one straight red card.

Jorge Gonzalez (one game): Only reffed the wild 2-2 draw in the Bronx against New York City FC where Kevin Molino scored the equalizing goal in the 94th minute. Dished out five yellow cards in that game alone and awarded NYCFC a penalty, which David Villa missed in hilarious fashion.

Through two seasons, Gonzalez has reffed four games, from which Orlando has a 1-2-1 record. He has given nine yellow cards to Orlando players, while giving 13 to the opposition.

Ted Unkel (two games): Reffed the lame 1-1 draw against Chicago Fire in the second game of the season and the 1-1 draw against New York Red Bulls at home in May. Dished out seven yellow cards to Orlando players, including one straight red to Cristian Higuita against New York. He also gave out seven yellow cards to the opposing teams, including a straight red to Chicago’s Michael Harrington.

Through two seasons, Unkel has reffed four games, from which Orlando has a 0-0-4 record. He has given 14 yellow cards to Orlando players, while giving 15 to their opponents, as well as one red card.

Ricardo Salazar (one game): Only reffed the 2-0 win in Philadelphia in the penultimate game of the season. Only showed one yellow card to José Aja, while giving three yellow cards to the Union.

Through two seasons, Salazar has reffed three games, from which Orlando has a 2-1-0 record. He has given only three yellow cards to Orlando players as well as a straight red for Rafael Ramos in Columbus, while giving six yellow cards to their opponents.

Jair Marrufo (one game): Just reffed the 2-1 loss to the Union in April, in which Tranquillo Barnetta scored the game-winning free kick while his teammates were offside. No yellow cards issued to Orlando players in that game, while only giving one to the Union.

Through two seasons, Marrufo has reffed three games, from which Orlando has a 2-1-0 record. He has given only three yellow cards to Orlando players, one of them being against Kaká for putting on Molino’s jersey. Also sent off Dom Dwyer in the SKC match in 2015, which was later overturned. Marrufo finished second in MLS Referee of the Year voting this season, and was third last year.

Allen Chapman (two games): Reffed the 1-0 win against NYCFC in New York in March and the 3-1 loss to the Seattle Sounders in August. Gave out five yellow cards to Orlando players and gave out five to the opponents.

Through two seasons, Chapman has reffed five games, from which Orlando has a 2-1-2 record. He has given only nine yellow cards to Orlando players, as well as a straight red for Brek Shea in San Jose last year. He gave out six yellow cards to opponents, hardly ever going two per game.

Silviu Petrescu (three games): Reffed the 4-0 loss in Texas against FC Dallas, which was Adrian Heath’s last game. He also reffed the 3-1 win over New England in Jason Kreis’ first game and the 4-1 win in Montreal over the Impact. Only gave out six yellow cards to Orlando players, while giving out six yellow cards to the opponents, with a straight red to Evan Bush of Montreal for a denial of a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

Through two seasons, Petrescu has reffed six games, from which Orlando has a 3-2-1 record. He has given 11 yellow cards to Orlando players while giving out 14 yellow card to opponents, including two straight red cards to Bush and Michael Parkhurst of Columbus last year.

Juan Guzman (one game): Reffed the final game of the year, the 4-2 win over D.C. United. Did not hand out one disciplinary card in the match.

Through two seasons, Guzman has reffed three games, from which Orlando has a 2-1-0 record. He has given seven yellow cards to Orlando players, including a second yellow send-off to Luke Boden at the end of last year’s FC Dallas game.

Sorin Stoica (four games): Reffed the 2-2 draw against the Union in May, the 2-0 loss at Red Bull Arena in July, the scoreless draw in Colorado, and the 4-1 loss at D.C United in September. Gave out a whopping 12 yellow cards to Orlando players, with straight reds to David Mateos against the Union and Antonio Nocerino against D.C. Also gave out seven yellow cards to the opponents.

Through two seasons, Stoica has reffed five games, from which Orlando has a 0-2-3 record. He has given 14 yellow cards to Orlando players, and three red cards (Mateos, Nocerino and Kaká, his only career straight red card). Only gave eight yellow cards to opponents.

Baldomero Toledo (one game): Reffed the 2-2 draw against New England and called the very controversial total crap handball on Servando Carrasco in the 96th minute, which led to the game-tying penalty kick. Only gave one yellow card to each team in that game.

Through two seasons, Toledo has reffed only two games, from which Orlando has a 0-0-2 record. He has given three yellow cards to Orlando players, and three yellow cards to opponents. Toledo finished third in MLS Referee of the Year voting and second last year.

Mark Geiger (two games): Reffed the 2-1 win over Montreal in May and the 2-2 draw in Chicago in August. Gave out seven yellow cards to Orlando players and only two to opponents.

Through two seasons, Geiger has reffed three games, from which Orlando has a 1-1-1 record. He has given 10 yellow cards to Orlando players, and three yellow cards to opponents.

Fotis Bazakos (one game): Reffed the scoreless draw against Houston in the first game after Adrian Heath was fired. Bazakos showed no cards to either team.

Through two seasons, Bazakos has reffed only two games, from which Orlando has a 0-1-1 record. He has given only one yellow card to Orlando players, but red carded Larin (with the help of fourth official Ted Unkel) in the game against the Red Bulls last year, but that was eventually rescinded — not that it helped City retroactively against New York.

Officiated Orlando City Games for the First Time in 2016

Hilario Grajeda (two games): Reffed the 3-2 loss at Red Bull Arena in April and the 2-2 draw in Vancouver. Gave out four yellow cards to Orlando players and only one each to the Red Bulls and Whitecaps.

Robert Sibiga (three games): Reffed the 2-2 comeback draw at New England in April, the 2-2 emotional draw against San Jose after the Pulse shooting, and the 2-1 win over NYCFC at the end of August. Gave out seven yellow cards to Orlando players and six to the opposition.

Ismail Elfath (three games): Reffed the 2-1 loss at Sporting Kansas City, the dramatic 3-2 win over Toronto FC with Kaká’s 100th-minute penalty, and the 4-2 loss out in LA against the Galaxy. Gave out three yellows to Orlando players and six yellows to opponents, with a straight red to Toronto’s Josh Williams.

Drew Fischer (two games): Reffed both Columbus home and away games, finishing with a 4-1 defeat and 2-2 draw, respectively. Handed out six yellow cards to Orlando players and only one for Columbus' Gaston Sauro.

Armando Villarreal (one game): Reffed the 1-0 loss at home against Montreal that officially eliminated the Lions from playoff contention. Only gave out one card to each team.

Did Not Officiate an Orlando City Game in 2016

Kevin Stott (two games last year): Reffed the 2-0 win at the Portland Timbers and the 0-4 loss at the Seattle Sounders. A tale of two games for Stott. The Portland match was favored for Orlando City, but the Seattle game was very much against the Lions. A total of six yellow cards were given to Orlando, including a second yellow send-off to Tyler Turner in the Sounders game.

José Carlos Rivero (three games last year): Reffed two out of three games against Toronto FC (0-2 loss at home and 0-5 loss in Toronto) as well as the 1-0 victory at home against D.C. United. Gave out nine yellow cards, with two red cards (a straight red to Ramos and a second yellow send-off to Adrian Winter, both in Toronto).

Edvin Jurisevic (two games last year): Reffed two games against the Montreal Impact. The 0-2 loss in Montreal and the 2-1 win in Orlando. Gave five yellow cards in those two games, two of them resulting in yellow card accumulation suspensions for Kaká and Brek Shea. Also missed the controversial goal scored by Dominic Oduro in the game in Orlando but that’s more on the assistant ref than the head ref, although his positioning could have been better.

* * *

The three finalists for MLS Referee of the Year officiated four OCSC games combined, with Kelly doing the most (two).

So, now comes the fun part, which I will leave up to you, the reader. Just like last year, which of the aforementioned referees were the best or worst for Orlando City? Let me know in the comments and, before you mention it, you cannot say that all of them were terrible. That wouldn't be any fun.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/14/26

The Orlando Pride hire a new GM, Luis Muriel departure rumors heat up, USMNT news, and more.

Published

23 hours ago

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January 14, 2026

By

Image of Luis Muriel bringing the ball forward against the LA Galaxy.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It has felt like the off-season has been in slow motion despite several signings. Recent developments make it feel like things are going to start speeding up. So keep your head up as the preseason is underway, and the season is just around the corner. For now, let’s get to the links.

Orlando Pride Name Caitlin Carducci VP & GM

The Orlando Pride hired Caitlin Carducci as the club’s new vice president of soccer operations and general manager. Carducci was most recently the general manager for the Kansas City Current. Like the recently departed Haley Carter, Carducci is proven commodity, having built trophy-winning teams. She has an impressive resume, having worked at multiple levels of soccer including with U.S. Soccer, the NWSL, and as an attorney and former compliance officer. This is a move that proves the commitment of the Wilf family regarding the Orlando Pride.

Muriel Exit Rumors Heat Up

It’s one of those things where everyone knows something is coming, but we still have to wait for it to actually happen (see Carlos Coronel). It’s a known secret that Orlando City and Luis Muriel want to mutually move on from each other, and now it looks like it might be happening. Of course, we don’t have anything confirmed by the club yet, but when Tom Bogert posts something like this, it’s usually a good indication.

USMNT News

Josh Sargent has been doing very well with Norwich City scoring 13, 16, and 15 goals for the Canaries in the last few seasons. Now, he may be on his way to MLS as Toronto FC is trying to bring him to North America for an $18 million fee. In other news, Timothy Weah spoke out about the costs of World Cup tickets being too high. It’s not exactly a hot take, but good on him for addressing the issue.

NWSL Notes

Now that the Orlando Pride have a new general manager, we eagerly await the new player signings. Until then, let’s check out other NWSL happenings. Seattle Reign FC signed head coach Laura Harvey to a new contract through the 2028 season. Angel City decided that having Emily Sams wasn’t enough, so the club signed rookie forward Riley Tiernan to a contract extension through the 2028 season. The disturbing trend of Brazilian players signing with clubs other than Orlando City continued, as Ludmila was traded by Chicago to the San Diego Wave for $800,000 in transfer fee funds and up to an additional $200,000 in conditional transfer fee. She signed a three-year contract with the club.

Free Kicks

  • I think we may get the 2026 NWSL season schedule on Thursday, but I’m just speculating.
  • It’s called the City Beautiful for a reason.
  • Orlando City had a special guest at training, as Brazilian legend Zico stopped by to visit.

That will do it for today. Check back with The Mane Land as there’s going to be plenty of news as the new seasons for Orlando City and the Orlando Pride get closer. Vamos Orlando!

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Opinion

An Orlando City 2026 Preseason Wishlist

Here are three things that I’m hoping to see during Orlando City’s preseason preparations.

Published

2 days ago

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January 13, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The preseason has begun, and we know about Orlando City’s four tuneup matches during the 2026 training camp. The season opener is just over six weeks away on Feb. 21. This seems like a good time to discuss a few things that I’m hoping for from this edition of the Lions’ preseason.

A Clean Bill of Health

I would trade every other item on this list if it means getting through the preseason without any injury setbacks like the one the Lions experienced last year. When Wilder Cartagena tore his left Achilles tendon against Atletico Mineiro on Jan. 25, it broke up the previously established and successful duo of himself and Cesar Araujo and had a big impact on the start of the season. Of course, OCSC pivoted magnificently as Eduard Atuesta was signed just a little over two weeks later on Feb. 10, but the timing of Cartagena’s injury and Atuesta’s subsequent arrival meant that he was playing catch-up when it came to integrating with his new teammates. The Colombian still put together a solid season with seven assists (good for third-best on the team), but not having Cartagena in 2025 was a blow, particularly when considering his versatility in being able to play at midfield or center back. If the Lions can get to opening day this year with no repeats of that incident or Yutaro Tuskada’s 2025 season-ending knee injury, then I’ll be a very happy man.

Timely Reinforcements

It’s been pretty well established that more additions need to be made to the roster before it’s ready for opening day. Luis Muriel is likely about to be moved and at least one striker will be needed to replace him, while convincing arguments can be made for signing a left back, a couple of center backs, and a right back. Not only would I love those signings to be made, but there’s also a lot to be said for any new arrivals to join up with the team sooner rather than later. Some of that is out of the Lions’ hands, particularly in the case of using the Designated Player spot if/when Muriel exits, but the more time any new faces have to begin integrating with their new teammates, the better. Of course, there’s also something to be said for Orlando doing its homework and ensuring that it makes the correct call when pulling the trigger on a new signing, but with how tough the Eastern Conference was last year, a fine balance is going to need to be struck between patience and urgency to ensure OCSC isn’t playing catchup in the standings.

Continued Chances for Young Players

It’s no secret that a big storyline for Orlando City during 2025 was the eye-wateringly fast rise of Alex Freeman. He’s a shining example of what MLS teams want to get out of their academies — rising up through the youth systems, starring for the reserve side, earning a spot on the first team, and going even farther beyond that. The big question now is whether or not other young players can follow in his footsteps. It would be unreasonable to expect other Young Lions to hit the heights that Freeman did in 2025, but there’s no reason that guys like Gustavo Caraballo, Tahir Reid-Brown, and Colin Guske can’t earn some more minutes after making their debuts last season. Likewise, as Sean Rollins noted several days ago, there are some current Orlando City B players who could realistically make their senior debuts this year. That process begins during the preseason, when the coaching staff is trying to get a good sense of what it has to work with, and if any of the youngsters show well, then Oscar Pareja and his staff have shown themselves to be more than willing to hand them opportunities. Hopefully, some of the more promising young faces get plenty of chances to prove themselves.

There you have it. If Orlando City can keep everyone healthy, get new signings in the door sooner rather than later, and hand promising youngsters the chance to show what they can do, then I’ll be a happy man during this preseason. Keep your fingers crossed, people. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/13/26

Orlando City opens preseason training, Orlando City B signs a striker, MLS transfer news, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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January 13, 2026

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Good morning, everyone! As strange (and soon) as it seems, we’ve now got day one of Orlando City’s preseason in the rearview mirror. The season opener will be here before we know it, but for now we’ve got a lot of things to talk through today. Let’s wish a happy birthday to OCSC goalkeeping coach Cesar Baena, and get started on today’s links!

Orlando City Begins Preseason Training

Things looked a little different than they did the last few years when Orlando City opened preseason training on Monday. The new faces include Maxime Crepeau, Braian Ojeda, and Tiago, but the team is more than ready to get to work despite the off-season changes. Oscar Pareja says the club has high expectations for the year and took a moment to acknowledge all the people at the club who helped make the Lions into a playoff staple over the last six seasons, saying, “We’re ready to keep pushing with this journey, and it looks different, for sure, because we have had those players who have been here for many years and have brought a long, big, big history here. So again, our respect to them, and we promise that we will keep pushing together, because the most important thing is the team.” Of the new signings, Luis Otavio was the only one not present at Monday’s training, while several Orlando City B players were training with the first team, with Justin Ellis, Titus Sandy Jr., and Juan Rojas among them.

OCB Adds Brazilian Striker

Not to be outshone by the senior side, Orlando City B got the week started on a strong note by announcing the signing of striker Pedro Leao from Flamengo’s U-20 team. Leao came up through Flamengo’s academy before making his debut for the U-20 team in August of 2024. He then proceeded to score 20 goals and provide six assists in over 3,000 minutes for the U-20 side, and helped it win the 2024-2025 iteration of the U-20 Intercontinental Cup. The striker was also called up three times to represent Brazil’s U-16 side, logging three assists across those friendly matches. Welcome to Orlando!

MLS Transfer Moves

With the beginning of the Major League Soccer season creeping closer and closer, teams are completing transfer business in every direction you look. We start with FC Cincinnati, which has signed free agent forward Tom Barlow on a contract that runs through the end of 2027. Continuing the theme of free agent signings, the New York Red Bulls have signed defender Robert Voloder, with the former Sporting Kansas City player joining on a deal that runs through the end of 2028. The Houston Dynamo signed midfielder Agustin Bouzat from Velez Sarsfield on a deal that runs through June 2028 and has an option through June 2029. Up north, 38-year-old Maxi Moralez is back yet again for New York City FC, as he has signed a new contract that runs through the 2026 season. Finally, the San Jose Earthquakes are said to be closing in on a deal to sign Timo Werner as a Designated Player.

Americans in Midweek Action

As usual, a number of American players will be in action during the working week, so let’s take a look at some of the matchups. Things get going today when Malik Tillman and Bayer Leverkusen travel to Hamburger SV in Bundesliga action. Gio Reyna, Joe Scally, and Borussia Monchengladbach hit the road to take on Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Wednesday, while Kevin Paredes and Wolfsburg host James Sands’ St. Pauli side in the same competition. Thursday has Christian Pulisic and AC Milan in a road tilt against Como in Serie A play, and the week finishes up Friday with Folarin Balogun and Monaco squaring off against Lorient in Ligue 1.

Free Kicks

  • Check out some of the scenes from the first day of preseason training.

That’s all I’ve got for today. Vamos Orlando!

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