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Orlando City at New York Red Bulls (Round 3): Player Grades and Man of the Match

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Interim Head Coach Bobby Murphy rolled the dice with an unconventional lineup that featured 20-year-old defensive midfielder Harrison Heath as the No. 10, little-used left wing Carlos Rivas as a lone striker at the top of his 4-2-3-1, and a DM pairing of two that included Antonio Nocerino for the first time in a while.

It went about as you’d expect when you saw the team sheet. Forget about Cyle Larin’s four goals in two trips to Red Bull Arena, let’s have some fresh Canadian legs up top for that Western Conference opponent on Saturday!

And the match turned into a bigger nightmare than the 2-0 final score. Brek Shea, sitting on four yellow cards, earned another for dissent. Not something you want to see from your (acting) captain. And something you never want to see is Heath on crutches after the match after sustaining a nasty-looking injury to his right knee.

The Lions were never in position to make a game of it, and didn’t register a shot on goal until they were down 2-0 in the second half. As such, do not expect to see very high grades herein.

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik 7.5, (MOTM) – Started the game with a huge save on Chris Duvall in the sixth minute. Made a diving save on Bradley Wright-Phillips‘ free kick in the 55th minute and denied Gonzalo Veron one-on-one in the 68th. His heroics allowed the score line to stay somewhat more respectable than it could have been. Not much he could have done on the Connor Lade goal, as his defense failed to deal with a corner. Could perhaps have positioned his wall better for Felipe’s free kick goal, but certainly couldn’t have reached it from his starting position.

D, Luke Boden, 4.5 -€” Not the best night for Bodz, who struggled to provide good service on the offensive end, whether from open play or set pieces. Didn’t do enough to clear balls into the box and sometimes lost track of secondary runners. Seemed to work hard, but didn’t quite get much accomplished for his efforts.

D, Seb Hines, 6.5 – Made two extremely vital plays in the first half, blocking a Mike Grella shot with his face in the 32nd minute, and cut out a cross labeled for Bradley Wright-Phillips in first-half stoppage time. In addition to two blocked shots, Hines finished with a tackle, four interceptions and three clearances. If there was one thing he struggled with it was passing, at just 66.7%. Played safely all night, blasting balls up field rather than taking time on the ball against New York’s high pressure.

D, David Mateos, 6 -€” A bit more clumsy than Hines and also a tad less careful about conceding fouls or clearing aerial balls. The Spaniard did manage four interceptions and three clearances, like his partner. He did pass the ball better though, finishing with a 75.8% rate.

D, Kevin Alston, 5.5 -€” Might have covered the most ground of any Lion in the game. His passing accuracy of 87.5% led the back line and was one of the best on the team and he busted his rear end getting up and down the right flank, often to be ignored by his teammates who missed the switch. Finished with three tackles, four interceptions and two clearances and not a single foul. He was culpable on the first goal, being unaware of how much time he had, he conceded a corner unnecessarily that led to Connor Lade’s goal. Despite a good passing rate, neither of his crosses were very good, though he did have one key pass. A solid night for Kevin that he can hopefully build on.

MF, Antonio Nocerino, 4.5 -€” The best thing that can be said about the Italian’s performance is that it didn’t hurt the team, even if it wasn’t entirely helpful either. He did manage a tackle and three interceptions defensively, but his passing rate of 76.5% could have been better. Seems to be getting more comfortable after a decent showing in U.S. Open Cup and not having a nightmarish outing tonight, but there’s still a way to go.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 6.5 -€” Kind of a typical night for Cristian, who passed at a team high 88.1% (minimum 45 minutes played), completing all four of his long balls. He had two tackles and led the team with six interceptions. However, he was dispossessed three times — second only to Kevin Molino and sometimes stood still while waiting for a pass to arrive, allowing New York players to step in front and take it. That kind of lazy play doesn’t show up on the stat sheet unless you count the lopsided possession numbers. He also took yet another yellow card.

MF, Brek Shea, 4 – He was the only Lion to get a shot off in the first half, although both his efforts were blocked. Earned an early free kick and showed good hustle but he did lose Duvall to set up a great opportunity for the Red Bulls early. Took a silly yellow card for dissent in the 52nd that will keep him out of Saturday’s match at Vancouver. Turned the ball over in his own half in the 58th and then compounded the error by conceding a free kick just outside the box that New York scored on. Won two free kicks in decent spots but conceded four. Not the best night for Brek, who managed the fewest touches of any non-goalkeeper to play 90 minutes.

MF, Harrison Heath, 4 -€” Not a great night for H, who left the game with an apparent right knee injury at halftime. At the time, he was completing only 55.6% of his passes and had touched the ball only 15 times. One of those was a nightmarish bad touch that started a counter attack in the 21st minute. He did manage to earn a free kick in a good spot in the 30th, but overall just not as much quality as on Friday from H. Hopefully his injury isn’t too serious.

MF, Kevin Molino, 4 -€” Yeah, longtime Lions fans will hate this score, but I don’t think this was a very good night for the Trinidadian, who often disappeared in this game. He completed a good amount of his passes (81.6%) and had four key passes, but a lot of his movement was backward or sideways and not challenging defenders. In addition, he was dispossessed a team-high four times and not only led the team in bad touches (8), but had more than twice as many as anyone else on the team. Passed up at least one decent look at goal to make an extra pass and registered no shots. That can’t happen when you’re being counted on for offense. His best contribution was sending Larin in on a 1-v-1, but it wasn’t enough from The Original.

F, Carlos Rivas, 2.5 – The Colombian is simply not wired to play an isolated striker role in MLS. He was useless on balls in the air due to his height disadvantage, so everything above his waist was a turnover either by the defender winning it or from Rivas fouling to try to win it. He was also continually offside by either mistiming his runs or being lazy about getting back on. (Officially he was offside twice but that’s only because he let the ball go a couple other times to avoid the whistle.) It was a wasted start for Rivas, who may have been able to offer more from the left wing. He had a terrible heavy touch on a 30th-minute free kick pass attempt for Boden. In 59 minutes he had just 15 touches and even though he completed 80% of his passes, that was only on five attempts. When he was subbed off in the second half, I’m not even sure he’d touched the ball after the break.

Substitutes

MF, Darwin Ceren, (45′) 5 -€” Came on for Heath at the break and managed to temporarily inject some life into the match for Orlando. He put the Lions’ first shot on goal with a long distance try in the 61st minute and had his typical good passing rate (83.9%) with four of five accurate long balls, but conceded several free kicks seemingly without needing to do so.

F, Cyle Larin (60′) 4.5 -€” In 30+ minutes, Larin got only 13 touches but he did attempt two shots, getting one on frame. For the first time, he failed to score a goal at Red Bull Arena, but he didn’t really get many opportunities coming on as late as he did. He made his runs and battled in the box, but often the play broke down before anyone could get him the ball. He might have done better to shoot high when in alone on Luis Robles in the 76th minute, but in fairness it did take a great save to deny the Canadian a goal.

MF/F, Julio Baptista (65′), 5.5 -€” Put on in an effort to chase the game, The Beast put in a solid 25 minutes. He had one shot on target, completed 93.3% of his passes and played one long ball, which was accurate. He managed 18 touches in his 25 minutes, which is more than Rivas or Heath managed, staying involved in the game.

Well, that’s the way I saw the game. Tell us how you rated the Lions tonight and vote for your Man of the Match below.

Polling Closed

Player Votes
Seb Hines 25
Joe Bendik 88
Cristian Higuita 12
Other 11

Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/2/25

Orlando Pride players on International duty, NWSL power rankings, USWNT friendlies, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. There is plenty of Orlando Pride news today, which is good considering we’re heading into an international break. That means we can look forward to some women’s international matches in addition to Orlando City’s next bout against the Philadelphia Union. Before we jump into today’s news, please join us in wishing Orlando City midfielder Cesar Araujo a happy 24th birthday. Let’s get to the links.

International Duty, Pride Edition

Four players from the Orlando Pride have been called up for international duty. Anna Moorhouse (England), Angelina (Brazil), Emily Sams (U.S.), and Zara Chavoshi (U.S. U-23 training camp) will all head to their respective national teams. Moorhouse’s England will compete in the UEFA Women’s Nations League, while Angelina and Sams will face off in a pair of friendlies between the USWNT and the Brazil Women’s National Team.

Pride Still on Top

It seems that there are more outlets providing NWSL power rankings every week, but as long as they keep the Pride on top, I’ll keep letting you know about it. Given that the Pride are undefeated, with the most goals scored and the best goal differential, it isn’t surprising that the club is sitting atop the official standings along with these “highly scientific” power rankings. Goal.com, Sports Illustrated, and All For IX all rank the Pride in first place just above the Kansas City Current. I suppose even power rankings are occasionally correct.

Orlando’s Various World Cup Ties

You probably know that Orlando wasn’t selected to be one of the host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. As disappointing as that was, there’s still a chance that the city, and Orlando City SC’s training grounds at Osceola Heritage Park will host team training during the event. The top notch facilities, plus the relatively close proximity to host cities Miami and Atlanta, make Orlando a good option.

On a more positive note, Orlando was chosen as a host city for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Camping World Stadium will see Club León vs. CR Flamengo, and Juventus vs. Manchester City. The Group H runner-up vs. Group G winner match and one of the quarterfinal round matches will also be in Orlando. There’s plenty to see and do in the City Beautiful, including some great soccer.

USWNT Youth Movement

Sams won’t be the only younger player in Emma Hayes’ lineup for the friendlies against Brazil. Hayes wants to deepen the player pool, which means bringing in players with an average age of just over 25 years old, and the average number of appearances is less than 35. Hayes also believes this is a chance for the younger players who appeared in the loss to Japan in the SheBelieves Cup. The first of the two matches is this Saturday at 5 p.m., with the second coming up Tuesday at 10:30 p.m.

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That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Orlando City and OCB matches this weekend. Hopefully, you have two screens since the match start times overlap. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/1/25

Barbra Banda’s continued importance, Americans in midweek action, USWNT announces friendly, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Good morning everyone! It was a great weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams as Orlando City and the Orlando Pride both won, meaning that we got treated to a six-point weekend (OCB was off). As always we have plenty to talk through this morning, so let’s get into today’s links.

Barbra Banda Keeps Rolling in 2025

After a wildly successful debut season with the Orlando Pride in 2024, Barbra Banda has showed no signs of slowing down this year. A brace in the season opener meant that she picked up right where she left off last year, and the team has continued to be successful too. The Pride have made it three wins from three to start the 2025 season, and while Banda hasn’t scored since the opener, her blend of pace, power, dribbling, passing, and movement have continuously helped open things up for her teammates, and she drew a penalty that led to the Pride’s game-winning goal Saturday. She isn’t the Pride’s only offensive weapon, but the team clicks into a different gear when she’s at her best.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans who will be playing in games during the working week, and there are some very important clashes on hand. Things get going later today when Antonee Robinson and Fulham visit Arsenal in Premier League play as the Cottagers are in hot pursuit of a coveted European place. Wednesday has Chris Richards, Matt Turner and Crystal Palace facing Southampton, while Tyler Adams and Bournemouth take on Manchester City. Also on Wednesday, Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan will face Inter Milan in a Coppa Italia semifinal. Things finish up on Friday as Aidan Morris and Middlesborough travel to Blackburn Rovers in the EFL Championship.

USWNT Announces Canada Match

The United States Women’s National Team has announced another friendly taking place this summer, as the team will face Canada on July 2 in Washington, D.C. The match will be the third that the USWNT will play during the window, following a pair of friendlies against Ireland in late June. The neighboring countries will meet at Audi Field with the match designated as the Allstate Continental Clasico, with this being the first time that the match will feature the USWNT. The U.S. faced Canada twice in 2024, with both matches ending in 2-2 draws and the USWNT emerging victorious in shootouts.

Concacaf Champions Cup Preview

The Concacaf Champions Cup returns this week, with the first legs of the four quarterfinal matches set to be played today and tomorrow. Things get started tonight with what should be an exciting match between Club America and Cruz Azul, with the crosstown rivals two of the winningest teams in the competition. Cruz Azul’s Angel Sepulveda leads the CCC’s golden boot race with four tallies. The late game sees the LA Galaxy taking on Tigres as the Galaxy will try to distract themselves from a difficult start to their MLS Cup title defense. Wednesday’s slate has the Vancouver Whitecaps taking on Pumas UNAM in Canada in what will be the second-ever meeting between the two teams. The late game will be an all-MLS affair as LAFC hosts Inter Miami in the first meeting between the two sides in CCC play.

Sporting Kansas City Fires Peter Vermes

The longest-tenured coach in Major League Soccer is out of work, as Sporting Kansas City announced the firing of Peter Vermes on Monday morning. It’s an end of an era in Kansas City, as Vermes was the head coach since 2009, back when the team was still called the Kansas City Wizards, and he had been named the club’s technical director three years earlier in 2006. He guided the team to an MLS Cup win in 2013; claimed U.S. Open Cup titles in 2012, 2015, and 2017; and helped the team be consistently competitive for a majority of his tenure. Despite all of that, SKC missed the playoffs in two of the last three seasons and was mired in the midst of a 13-game winless streak in all competitions that stretched back to Sept. 18 of last year. After being an assistant on Vermes’ staff, Kerry Zavagnin will take over as interim head coach.

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That’s all I have for this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. LA Galaxy: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 2-1 victory over the LA Galaxy?

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City capped off its March slate of matches with a cross-country bout against the 2024 MLS Cup champions, the LA Galaxy. In what was the longest commute that the Lions will register in the 2025 season, Orlando looked out of sync for much of the match, especially when contrasted with the squad that stomped D.C. United at home last week. Miraculously for the fans that stayed up past their bedtimes back on the East Coast, the Lions shocked the reigning champions and stole all three points with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the final quarter hour of the match.

Let’s look at the Lions’ individual performances to see who made the grade and who can improve as the calendar turns to April.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — Gallese returned for Orlando after missing time while representing Peru during World Cup qualifiers. For the most part, he did well against the pressure of an agressive attack from the Galaxy. In the end, he was credited with just one save, which was a massive righthanded block of a shot by Gabriel Pec that could have put the game away for the home side. It isn’t worth entertaining a discussion about Gallese “letting another one in,” as the goal that the Galaxy scored was off a point-blank redirection back against his momentum, and it should have at the bare minimum warranted a second look for a potential offside ruling. His distribution was mostly solid, and he had an 81.8% passing rate on his 11 attempts while completing three of his five long balls. He was booked in the waining moments of the match for time wasting — although it was Rodrigo Schlegel who kicked the ball away without being spotted, and Gallese was merely retrieving it.

D, Rafael Santos, 5.5 — Santos had a few bright moments throughout the match, with an emphasis on the word few. I did think that he was better at getting into the attack and sent several balls across the net that had the potential to be dangerous. On the defensive end, there were just too many mistakes for my liking, whether that be careless turnovers, poor positioning, or falling asleep on the back side of the play. He and Ivan Angulo were both at fault on LA’s goal, as neither picked up Miki Yamane’s run. Santos was also overpowered twice by Pec. The Brazilian touched the ball 48 times, provided two key passes, one successful cross (on five attempts), and a passing rate of 76.9%. Defensively, he provided two tackles and three clearances. Offensively, Santos recorded a shot that was not on target. The left back currently benefits from a lack of depth pushing him for his starting minutes but will need to improve if Orlando is to continue its winning ways. He was replaced by David Brekalo in the 66th minute.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 7 — Schlegel had a productive and technically sound evening for the Lions. Defensively, he contributed one interception, a team-high seven clearances, and two blocked shots. He passed at a 93.6% rate, while touching the ball a team-high 88 times, and completed five long balls (on eight attempts). He didn’t register an offensive statistic during the match, but he played well and I thought that he had solid positioning throughout the night when the Galaxy sent balls into the box.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — Something just seems off right now with Jansson, as the output from the captain simply feels less than what we have come to expect. Nonetheless, Jansson went the full 90 and recorded 65 touches. He completed 94.8% of his passes which included a team-best seven accurate long balls on nine attempts. Defensively, he contributed one tackle, one interception, and three clearances. Christian Ramirez beat Jansson on the lone goal for the Galaxy.

D, Alex Freeman, 6.5 — Freeman continues to put in the work for Orlando City. While his first West Coast trip was not fruitful in terms of goal-scoring contributions, the young Lion still managed to affect the game in a myriad of ways. He recorded 69 touches and completed 93.3% of his passes, which included two key passes and one accurate cross. Defensively, he added a team-high four tackles and two clearances. Offensively, Freeman tied Martin Ojeda for the most shots taken on the night (three) but was only able to put one on target. Freeman continues to showcase a solid motor that is helping to drive the offense, and he has shown strong chemistry with Marco Pasalic as well, but the most impressive aspect of his game against the Galaxy for me was the job he did in space defensively against Joseph Paintsil when the speedster entered the match in the second half.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — This felt like a classic Araujo performance and the Uruguayan was seemingly everywhere on the pitch. He logged 63 touches and completed 90% of his passes but was only successful on one of his five long-ball attempts. Defensively, he contirbuted two tackles, one interception, and two clearances. Offensively, Araujo did not record a stat but did suffer a team-high three fouls. Araujo was able to defend without being booked against the Galaxy, and he has shown signficant improvement this season so far in not picking up careless yellow cards.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 7.5 (MotM) — The former member of LAFC became the catalyst for the late offensive turnaround against what used to be his crosstown rival by earning a penalty in the 77th minute. He recorded 75 touches and completed 89.8% of his passes, which inlcuded two key passes, four accurate long balls on five attempts, and two succesful crosses on two attempts. Offensively, he attempted two shots, one which nearly put Orlando City in the lead when it hit the right post. Defensively, he contributed one tackle and two clearances. Atuesta benefitted from the insertion of Brekalo and Duncan McGuire, pushing forward into the attack, and without his effort, Orlando City likely would not have earned all three points. He was replaced by Joran Gerbet in stoppage time as part of a time-wasting, like-for-like substitution to see out the match.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 5.5 — To put it bluntly, Angulo is not in great form right now. The speedy Colombian is failing to challenge opposing back lines in the attack and has become a liability on the defensive side of the ball. The pairing of Angulo with Santos on the left has become a favorite area for the opposition to attack, and he was partly culpable in letting Yamane sneak in toward the back post on LA’s goal. He recorded 37 touches and completed 90.5% of his passes, which included one key pass. Defensively, he chipped in one tackle and one interception. Offensively, Angulo was dispossessed a team-high four times, as the careless giveaways — often in Orlando’s defensive half — continue to pile up. Orlando clearly needs more from the left wing, who was replaced in the 66th minute by McGuire, with Oscar Pareja pushing Ojeda to the left and playing Luis Muriel as the No. 10.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 7 — Ojeda did not allow another Lion to even remotely consider taking the penalty as he quickly stood over the spot, ball in hand, and then calmly converted the PK to pull Orlando level. Ojeda has now tied his goals total (four) from the 2024 season in only the sixth game of the year. Ojeda touched the ball 56 times and passed at a 90.5% rate while providing one key pass and four accurate long balls out of five attempts. Ojeda could have stood to improve his crossing, as he was only accurate on one of his five attempts. Offensively, Ojeda took three shots (tied with Freeman for the most on the team) but put just one on target (the penalty that he converted). He badly scuffed his first shot and his second was just off target in the first half. Defensively, he didn’t contribute a meaningful statistic, which was surprising, and it kept him just a rung below Atuesta when it came to Man of the Match honors.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 6.5 — Pasalic showcased several individual moments of brillance in the first half when the game was moving quickly end to end. Unfortunately for the Croatian winger, those moments failed to result in a change to the scoreboard. He touched the ball 39 times and completed 81.5% of his passes, including all four of his long balls. Defensively, like Ojeda, Pasalic did not record a meaningful statistic. Despite not scoring against the Galaxy, Pasalic continues to flash his skill with the ball and has been one of the main driving forces behind the strong offensive start to the season. He was replaced by Dagur Dan Thorhallsson in the 82nd minute.

F, Luis Muriel, 7 — Did Muriel score or did John McCarthy botch the play? Both, but who cares? Muriel’s long-distance free kick in the 90th minute found the back of the net, and the placement of the shot contributed to McCarthy’s mistake, as the Colombian sealed the victory and three important road points for Orlando City. A play reminisent of when fellow Designated Player Ojeda hit the equalizer from practically midfield against Charlotte FC back in 2023, Muriel stepped up to a free kick well outside the box and sent a shot towards the top left corner of the net. The goal capped a well-rounded performance for Muriel, who continues to play his best soccer in an Orlando City kit. Muriel finished with 37 touches and completed 88% of his passes, including a key pass. Offensively, he registered two shots with the one that mattered being on target. His other shot was a laser through traffic that barely missed just outside the left post on a set piece. Defensively, the striker contributed a tackle. Kyle Smith replaced him in the third minute of stoppage time.

Substitutes

D, David Brekalo (66’), 7 — I thought Brekalo put in some of his best minutes of the year as he entered in the 66th minute for Santos. It was an unexpected substitution, as Brekalo is a central defender. Regardless, the Slovenian played strong and sound defense, snuffing out multiple attacking runs by Pec. He racked up three tackles and three clearances on defense and put in several eye-opening efforts in the attack as well, as Orlando looked to get back into the match. He completed 90.9% of his passes, and while he did not record a shot, he was quite active around the box and made multiple runs off of his attacking counterparts. Brekalo at left back might be something to keep an eye on, as Pareja has been looking for someone to play consistently well there early in the season. Time will tell.

F, Duncan McGuire (66’), 6.5 — McGuire secured his longest stint since his off-season shoulder surgery and looked agressive over the final moments of the match. He opens up the field in a way Muriel is physically not able to at this point in his career, as the American got in behind the back line multiple times and pulled it out of shape for his teammates to exploit. He recorded three shots, which were all off target, but it is only a matter of time before the forward finds the back of the net. He completed 80% of his five passes and was credited with a key pass.

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (82′), N/A — Thorhallsson came on in relief of Pasalic and did well over the final moments of the match. The insertion of Brekalo, McGuire, and then Thorhallsson allowed Orlando to be the more dangerous side over the last 20 plus minutes of game time. He completed 83.3% of his passes and was credited with two key passes. Defensively, the product of Iceland added two clearances, and he did well to track back and help Freeman keep Paintsil bottled up.

D, Kyle Smith (93′), N/A — Smith came in following the long-distance goal by Muriel to help see out the victory.

MF, Joran Gerbet (93′), N/A — Like Smith, Gerbet was inserted to help see out the road win in stoppage time but also came into the match for Atuesta who was on a yellow card.


That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s come-from-behind win over the Galaxy. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

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