Orlando City
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union

Orlando City is unbeaten and untied after one whole match in 2017. But it’s not the Lions’ fault they’ve only played on game. Mother Nature decided to mess with Orlando’s early schedule and, as such, the Lions have a game in hand on everyone.
The second home match of the season will be a difficult one with the absence of Kaká, who is out for six weeks with a hamstring injury. The Lions will potentially also be without Carlos Rivas, who strained his own hammy early this week in practice.
The Union hold a 0-0-2 mark after two matches, drawing 0-0 at Vancouver and 2-2 at home to Toronto FC. Philadelphia has lost only once in five matches to Orlando, but at least it was in the most recent meeting, last October. At home, the Lions are 0-0-2 vs. the Union. This will be the first of two meetings this year, with the clubs closing the season against each other in Philadelphia Chester, PA, on Oct. 22.
Our old friend Eugene Rupinski from Brotherly Game has graciously agreed to give us the 411 on what’s going on with Philly. I also answered his questions, which you can catch over at their place.
It’s been two matches and two draws for the Philadelphia Union in 2017. For those who haven’t watched the team this season, were those fair results, flattering scores, or should the Union have taken more points from those matches?
Eugene Rupinski: For the match against Vancouver it was a fair result. To go out to the west coast on opening day and come up with a 0-0 draw against a team that had already been playing in the CONCACAF Champions League is a good result. I think most Union fans were pretty happy about that.
I think the reaction to the Toronto match was a bit different though. Personally I felt it was a match that they should have won, if not for a missed penalty kick and Mark Geiger being Mark Geiger. When you have a team down a goal in your building with your captain at the spot, a draw seems pretty bitter. That being said, they did manage to draw the team that was a couple missed penalty kicks from hoisting the MLS Cup a few months ago, so it’s not all negativity.
Who is pulling Philadelphia’s offensive strings in the post-Tranquillo Barnetta world?
ER: I think it’s a little more decentralized now, both literally and figuratively speaking. I think that last season, the Union’s offense ran through Tranquillo because he was a gifted playmaker and the kind of guy you want pulling those strings. Now that he’s returned to Switzerland, the plays are originating from Haris Medunjanin and Derrick Jones and then being pushed wide to either Chris Pontius or Fabian Herbers. Pontius especially is being used as a target winger who looks to lay a pass off to Jay Simpson or Alejandro Bedoya. But there isn’t really just one guy looking to be the playmaker — not yet at least.
Much has been made of Oguchi Onyewu’s comeback. How has the defender fared so far, and do you think teams are still trying to figure out how best to attack him?
ER: I think Gooch has performed above what most expectations were. At 34 and having been out of soccer for a bit, I think expectations were rather low but so far he’s proven the doubters wrong. Can he maintain this form long enough to allow Josh Yaro to recover from his shoulder surgery? That’s the big question and I think there’s a lot that’s kind of riding on his ability to hold his own for the next three to four months.
As for the best way to attack him, I think the answer to that is simple — but if you’re looking to unlock the Union’s defense it’s the wrong question to ask. You can very easily beat Gooch with a guy with significant pace — Vancouver had some measure of success against him with Kekuta Manneh and Alphonso Davies, although neither could convert on their chances.
The problem is that you very rarely find him alone and exposed against a pacey forward. Keegan Rosenberry pinches in often to help him deal with the speed guys if they’re attacking from their left (the Union’s right) side of the pitch, while Richie Marquez will also pinch in when things come more from the center. While neither Rosenberry nor Marquez are particularly fast, both are fast enough that when working in tandem with Onyewu they’re able to snuff out most attacks. The trick will be to spread the defense out wide and trying to isolate Onyewu against a much faster player. The Union were able to keep Sebastian Giovinco in check before his injury thanks in part to them forcing Gio off to Toronto FC’s right (the Union’s left) and out toward Richie Marquez and Fabinho, making Jozy Altidore match up against Onyewu — a much more favorable match-up for the Union as you’re putting guys who usually rely on strength and aerial presence up against one another and in effect cancelling one another out.
What is your predicted lineup for the Orlando City match and your final score prediction? Also, are there any injury absences or suspensions we should know about?
ER: Josh Yaro is out 3-4 months after having shoulder surgery. Maurice Edu is still out, rehabbing a broken leg. Charlie Davies, Ilsinho, and Ken Tribbett are all listed as questionable, however I wouldn’t be surprised to see any/all of them in the 18.
Projected lineup (4-2-3-1): Andre Blake; Keegan Rosenberry, Oguchi Onyewu, Richie Marquez, Fabinho; Derrick Jones, Haris Medunjanin; Chris Pontius, Alejandro Bedoya, Fabian Herbers; C.J. Sapong.
Score prediction: I’ll say 2-1 Union. I feel like Orlando is a bit vulnerable now having an unexpected week off and missing Kaká, and the Union have been playing well.
Big thanks to Eugene from Brotherly Game for giving us some insight on tomorrow’s opponents from Philadelphia.

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!
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