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

Published

9 years ago

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Orlando City remains perfect at its new home after a 2-1 win over the Galaxy, and showed tremendous resolve to battle back from the LA Galaxy’s late equalizer. The team responded immediately after the visitors leveled the game and started creating chances to snatch all three points and that’s exactly what happened. This team simply has an entirely different demeanor in 2017 and there’s a real belief in games, rather than an impending dread that something bad will happen.

The Lions will head to New York City FC next weekend for only their second road match of the year, but before we start talking about that match, let’s rate the individual performances in what was a solid team victory.

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 7 – Joe couldn’t do much about Romain Alessandrini’s goal, which was a rocket off the inside of the right post. But he finished with five saves on the day and a few of them were not the easy kind. His best save came in the 77th off a Gio dos Santos attempt that he got his fingertips on to keep the Galaxy off the board to that point. He had another good save in the 70th off a Gyasi Zardes attempt. He came off his line to win a cross in front of Alessandrini by sheer force of will in the 93rd minute and showed the fire we saw after his late save against Philadelphia. All in all, Bendik commanded his box and stopped everything he could get a hand on and that’s all you can ask of your keeper, but I’m knocking half a point off for his 27.3% passing accuracy.

D, Donny Toia, 7.5 – Toia led Orlando City with seven tackles and tied Tommy Redding with a team-high five clearances as he did well to deny Alessandrini the space he likes to attack down the right side of LA’s offense. Alessandrini didn’t start to have true success until he started playing more centrally, as Toia mostly held the DP at bay. Toia also passed well (82.1%) but he did concede three fouls, but that includes a head-scratcher because he was run over in the corner on the play. His foul on Alessandrini led to a good chance for LA, though. Solid day for Donny.

D, Jonathan Spector, 7 – The only thing Spector really did wrong was to overcommit to a shot fake by Alessandrini, who then cut to his right and scored the LA goal. Aside from that he had a good day, again directing his teammates, reading plays to sniff out danger before it manifested itself, and finished with an impressive 91.4% passing accuracy. He had three clearances – one off the goal line on a Daniel Steres effort – two interceptions and blocked a shot

D, Tommy Redding, 6.5 – Tommy had another mostly strong game, including some balls in the air that he can sometimes struggle with (he didn’t technically win any aerials but he did enough to ensure his mark didn’t either). His passing was solid (85.2%), and he tied Toia with five clearances, with a tackle and a blocked shot. At times he was not able to quite cut off the movement of dos Santos, Alessandrini, and Zardes, but marking those players is a lot to ask of anyone.

D Scott Sutter, 7.5 – The Swiss international may have been Orlando’s man of the match in the first half, with two tackles, two chances created, the assist on Will Johnson’s opening goal, and creating much-needed width for the Lions’ attack. He cooled off a bit after the break and only passed at a 65.6% clip, but he combined with Johnson to make Emmanuel Boateng nearly invisible on the day. Boateng owned Orlando in last year’s meeting but he wasn’t able to do much (0 key passes). Sutter continues to settle into the lineup nicely.

MF, Antonio Nocerino, 6.5 – Noce was quite accurate in the first half (92.3%) with his passing and finished at 85.4%, so he didn’t fall off much after halftime. He created a chance for Carlos Rivas, conceded only one foul, with two interceptions and a clearance. Five of his six long balls were accurate, including a scrumptious pass to Rivas in the 35th minute, but the Colombian made a mess of his cross for Cyle Larin. For only training the last couple days of the week, it was a good outing for the Italian. Jason Kreis praised his leadership and work rate after the match.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 6 – Cristian’s passing rate was typically good (82.4%) but he seemed a bit heavy with his first touch at times and was perhaps a tad slow to the ball a few times, but he did manage to avoid a booking and finished with two tackles, committing only one foul (and that came in like the first minute). He had the most bad touches of the non-forwards, who each had one more than his four, and was dispossessed three times. But he put in his usual tough shift and is slowly working his way back to 90-minute fitness.  

MF, Will Johnson, 8 (MOTM) – Maybe Will should just keep that captain’s armband when Ricky returns, eh? Johnson had a monster game with a beautiful goal and another assist, and has been spectacular on set pieces defensively, clearing a few out of harm’s way on this day (three in total). On his goal, he worked hard to ensure he got back onside after taking a corner kick, then chested down Sutter’s long ball and hit a gorgeous chip shot into the back post side netting on the half-volley. His corner delivery on Cyle Larin’s winner was as good as the one he had against the Red Bulls. He finished with a team-high three shots (tied with Giles Barnes), two of which were on target, and created two chances. His passing rate of 76.3% could have been better but he did complete five of his six long balls. He tallied two tackles.

MF, Giles Barnes, 6.5 – Taking over for Matias Perez Garcia at the top of Kreis’ diamond midfield, the Jamaican had a solid outing but it could have been so much more. Barnes could have had a brace but was denied twice on last-ditch blocks that may have been avoided had he been able to get his shots up under the bar. He got all three of his shots on frame, however, passed at an 85.7% clip, and won two fouls. Importantly, he moved the ball forward into space by dribbling right at defenders and forcing them to commit, which is a skill not all of his teammates have.

F, Carlos Rivas, 7 – Is there anyone in MLS more snake-bitten than Rivas is right now? He rattled the woodwork twice, made two beautiful passes that resulted in chances, created space down the left, proving to be a nightmare for right back Nathan Smith, and got a shot on frame that was stopped by Clement Diop. There were a few times he still hit the ball poorly and sent the ball into the seats, but this was a much better game than his last couple and he left with cramps in the 75th minute with no goals or assists to show for a good game. He deserved a goal on his 23rd birthday, but the posts took away his presents.

F, Cyle Larin, 5.5 – Until the winning goal, this was not a great night for the Canadian striker, but credit him for keeping his concentration and working hard on the game winner. I saw other sites that rated him high for scoring that goal, and he did put himself in good positions, but there were just too many times when he passed when he should shoot and shot when he should pass. His movement did bother Jelle Van Damme into fouling him repeatedly and taking a booking, but that movement didn’t result in much of an end product. He tried to field a high cross with his foot rather than head it on goal in the second half. He managed two shots, one on target, with the goal, and his passing rate of 80% was fairly high for him, but he did have five bad touches and was dispossessed a team-high five times.

Substitutes

MF, Luis Gil (72’), 6 – It took Luis a few minutes to get into the game but he settled in nicely, completing 92.9% of his 14 passes and helping hold onto the ball in the game’s late stages. He got himself into a good spot to get a header on target off Sutter’s cross in the 84th minute, but didn’t quite get all of it. Finished with a pair of tackles and generally harassed the right side players for the Galaxy over the game’s final stretch. He’s not yet integrated fully into the team, but it looks like Gil will fit in nicely when he finds his rhythm.

MF, Servando Carrasco (75’), 4.5 – Serva didn’t look like he got fully settled after coming on for Rivas. He made a mess of a couple of possessions and was more inaccurate than usual passing the ball (66.7%), managing nine touches in total. Finished with just one tackle despite a lot of Galaxy possession in the attacking third during his time on the pitch.

F, Hadji Barry (90’), N/A – The young striker wasn’t on long enough to do much, touching the ball only twice, but he did have a chance to be a hero. He was on only seconds when a ball fell for him in the box. His first touch was heavy but he gathered it in and had his shot blocked. That was about all for his contributions on the day.

That’s how I saw the individual performances from a solid 2-1 win over the Galaxy. What did you think? Vote for your Man of the Match in our poll.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Joe Bendik16
Jonathan Spector20
Carlos Rivas33
Donny Toia3
Scott Sutter10
Will Johnson174
Other (let us know who in the comments)3

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/12/26

Barbra Banda up for weekly honors, Johnny Cardoso to have surgery, Americans in midweek action, and more.

Published

14 hours ago

on

May 12, 2026

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Good morning, everyone. It was a mixed bag for Orlando’s soccer teams over the weekend, as the Orlando Pride and Orlando City B both picked up victories, while Orlando City lost. There’s no rest for the wicked though, because the Pride take on Boston Legacy on the road tonight, while the Lions will host the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday. We’ve got a lot to talk about this morning, so let’s get into the links.

Barbra Banda up for Weekly Honors

Barbra Banda’s game-winning strike over the North Carolina Courage has been nominated for the NWSL Goal of the Week. Banda cut across her marker in the 87th minute with the match tied 0-0 and curled a great strike inside the far post to give the Pride a lead that wouldn’t be relinquished. The victory got Orlando back on track after dropping two games in a row, and the goal was Banda’s league-leading eighth strike of the year. Make sure you go vote for her to win!

Surgery for Johnny Cardoso

Atletico Madrid announced on Monday that midfielder Johnny Cardoso will have surgery to repair an injury to his right ankle. Cardoso was hurt during a training session, with Atletico classifying the injury as a “high-grade sprain involving joint damage.” The club’s statement did not specify a timeline for his return to the field and U.S. Soccer has not made any statement besides wishing Cardoso a speedy recovery. That said, with this summer’s World Cup less than a month away, its tough to imagine that he’ll be healed up and ready to be part of the United States Men’s National Team roster. If that’s the case, it’ll be a bitter blow for both the USMNT and a midfielder that looked like a sure bet to be on the squad.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans who will be taking part in games during the working week, so let’s make sure we’ve got everything on the schedule. Things got started on Monday when Brenden Aaronson played 63 minutes in Leeds United’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham. Action continues today when Aidan Morris and Middlesborough face Southampton in the second leg of an EFL Championship playoff promotion semifinal. Wednesday sees Auston Trusty and Celtic take on Motherwell in a game with massive ramifications on the title race in the Scottish Premier League. Wednesday also has Alex Freeman and Villarreal hosting Sevilla in La Liga play, while Chris Richards and Crystal Palace will try to play spoiler against Manchester City.

MLS Matchday 12 Lessons

Matchday 12 is officially in the books for Major League Soccer, so what did we learn from the weekend’s action? For one thing, Jack McGlynn was imperious in his second game back from injury, as his brace helped the Houston Dynamo knock off LAFC on the road while USMNT assistant Jesus Perez was watching from the stands. The New England Revolution are now unbeaten in the club’s last seven league games, and Carles Gil was a big reason why, as he nabbed a goal and an assist in the Revs’ 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Union. He’s got four goals and four assists so far, and the Revs are sitting pretty at second in the Eastern Conference.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

European seasons aren’t quite wrapped up yet, but that isn’t stopping transfer rumors from flying thick and fast. We start with the Premier League, where Manchester City is reportedly prepared to trigger the release clause of 16-year-old Hertha Berlin midfielder Kennet Eichhorn, before immediately sending the player on loan to continue his development. Elsewhere in England, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal are all said to be interested in signing Juventus fullback Andrea Cambiaso. Switching lanes to the managerial side of things, Chelsea has reportedly identified Xabi Alonso as the leading candidate to become the next manager of the team, with the Spaniard said to be open to taking the job. Finally, Jose Mourinho is said to be open to taking the Real Madrid job, although he reportedly has a couple conditions that he wants met first.

Free Kicks

  • Kickoff times have been set for Orlando City’s three group stages matches in this year’s Leagues Cup.
  • The Lions will be launching a new merch collection Friday at The Final Whistle.

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Player Grades and Man of the Match

Here’s how your favorite Lions performed in Orlando City’s 2-0 loss to CF Montreal.

Published

1 day ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

Image of Griffin Dorsey trying to send the ball upfield against a Montreal defender.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

If you play Football Manager enough, you play plenty of games where the after-match comment is “a bore draw.” That appeared to be where Orlando City’s road game at CF Montreal was headed until a mistake by Robin Jansson in added time led to a penalty which opened the scoring for the hosts. They tacked on another late in stoppage time and the Lions will return home for a three-game set (one of them in the U.S. Open Cup) sore from Saturday’s 2-0 loss to CF Montreal.

Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their matchup with the Quebecois.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crépeau, 5.5 — With 25 shots by Montreal, one would’ve figured Crepeau was busy. Not really — he finished with three saves. A goalkeeper is almost never responsible for being scored on from the penalty spot, but Dagur Dan Thorallsson’s goal at the death is one Crepeau will want back, although in fairness it was perfectly placed. The Canadian goalkeeper finished with a 72.7% passing rate and was helped out after being rounded by Prince Owusu in a 1-v-1 opportunity that his teammates should never have allwoed for what would have been a goal if not for Iago’s sliding block to clear it off the line.

D, Adrián Marin, 5.5 — Marin got caught ball-watching in the 34th minute to allow a Wiki Carmona rocket that just went wide. Otherwise, he just didn’t impact the game one way or the other. Marin completed 87.8% of his passes and added one tackle, one block, and three clearances.

D, Robin Jansson, 5 — Jansson played his normal emergency role all game. Unfortunately, he got put off-balance in the first minute of added time in the second half and fell into the legs of Luca Petrasso, giving a penalty. It was a rough ending for the captain, but Orlando left the door open for Montreal and the hosts took it. The Swede also couldn’t close down Thorhallsson to prevent the second late Montreal goal. Jansson completed 78.7% of his passes, with one tackle, 10(!) clearances, and one block.

D, Iago, 6 — We saw both sides of Iago. He had a really nice pass in the 17th minute to free up Eduard Atuesta on goal but the Colombian missed the target to waste Orlando’s best chance of the game. The Brazilian’s biggest highlight moment was in the 76th minute, when Owusu dribbled past Crepeau for an open look at goal but Iago was there to clear it off the line. On the flip side, he also had a dangerous header defending a corner that almost created an own goal, instead hitting the left post. He got pulled wide in the first minute of the second half, allowing a dangerous shot by Owusu. On the offensive end, he got on the end of a corner but headed it right at Thomas Gillier. He was all over the place, which you can expect from a young player. He would’ve gotten a higher grade had the game finished scoreless because of his goal-line clearance and a couple of sparkling long balls that should have led to more. Alas. He finished with zero interceptions or tackles, three blocks, six clearances, and a 92.3% passing rate. He also picked up a yellow card in the sixth minute of added time in the second half preventing a counter on one of his attacking teammates’ many turnovers.

D, Griffin Dorsey, 5.5— While Orlando City was heavily weighted to the left side all game, when the Lions went down the right, it was through Dorsey. He led the break down that side multiple times but had trouble connecting. Dorsey finished with one tackle, three clearances, and one cross while passing at a 79% rate.

MF, Iván Angulo, 4.5 — When Angulo whiffed on a ball in the second minute which caused a Montreal counter, it was an indicator of the night to come. He was sloppy all game long and, by The Mane Land’s unofficial tally, turned the ball over eight times, with the majority of those coming in his own defensive half. It was an ugly night that looked a touch better when Tyrese Spicer departed, changing Angulo’s duties, but it didn’t wipe out a forgettable match. He finished with 90.2% passing, despite being loose with the ball. He was two out of six for successful dribbles and two out of seven in winning ground duels.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 5.5 — A major part of the toothlessness of the Lions in the match was the midfield play. While Atuesta had a 95% passing rate, the only real impact he had was in the 17th minute, when Iago broke him free with a great pass. Atuesta made a well-timed run, but he ended up doing nothing with it when he sent his shot wide of goal. He had a turnover in the fourth minute to leave Montreal with a 3-on-2 break, leaving me to wonder if it was going to be one of those nights for him. Luckily no, but there was no real contribution either. He picked up a yellow card in the 62nd, was dispossessed once, and committed four fouls.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 5.5— Atuesta’s midfield partner also had trouble linking the play but contributed a touch more defensively. His sloppy handling in the 41st minute allowed Montreal to keep possession and created a corner. In the end, he finished with one tackle, one block, one clearance, and a 90% passing rate.

MF, Tyrese Spicer, 6— Unfortunately, most of Spicer’s contributions came on the defensive end this game because he could never get himself in the flow offensively. While he was 10-for-11 passing, he attempted two shots, one right at the goalkeeper and the other that missed so badly it almost went behind the net without hitting anything. He had just two touches in the opposition box. His biggest highlight was a tackle in the 23rd minute to end a dangerous Montreal possession. He was replaced in the 67th minute by Duncan McGuire. Spicer finished with a 91% passing success rate, led the team in tackles with four, and added two interceptions.

F, Martín Ojeda, 5 — This grade may be a bit harsh. However, when you are a Designated Player, you have to contribute, and Martin Ojeda was invisible at best. With 44 total passes, he was the one having to compensate for the lack of midfield control and it showed by his lack of offensive contribution. He had zero touches in the opposition box, which is not going to be a recipe for Orlando City success. Martin took one shot that was on target and passed at a 91% rate.

F, Justin Ellis, 6.5 (MotM)— Someone has to win Man of the Match. Ellis almost wins it by default as his overall play was the only positive thing all game. While his stats were mediocre, and there was not one moment you can pick to point to, he was the most talented when on the ball, tracked back to collect the ball occasionally, did more to link play than the midfield did, and just didn’t have a negative impact. He was replaced in the 80th by David Brekalo and finished with a 94% passing rate, was four-for-four on successful dribbles, and went five-for-six on ground duels won.

Substitutes

F, Duncan McGuire (67′), 5— McGuire started out playing out of position on the wing and while asked to pick up the offense, McGuire was unable to show anything of promise. Dorsey found him in the 88th minute with a cross, but McGuire turned down a quick shot and held the ball too long while deciding, and he ended up taking a low angle shot that had been there from the beginning that ended up harmless. He passed at a 75% rate and had three touches in the opposition box, turning those into a measly 0.05 expected goals. One of his touches on a promising attack was heavy and wasted the opportunity to get a shot off late in the game.

D, David Brekalo (80′), N/A — Brekalo came on for Ellis with a few minutes remaining, maybe a tactical choice to see out the draw. He completed all seven of his passes and had one clearance. He was not able to do anything to prevent Montreal’s two late goals, but he wasn’t the only one.

MF, Tiago (90′+5), N/A — Tiago entered right after the penalty to try to claw back a goal. Unfortunately, he whiffed on a 50/50 ball just moments before Thorhallsson ended up scoring the game’s second goal. He wasn’t on long enough to issue a grade, however.

D, Zakaria Taifi (90′+5), N/A — The best thing you can say about Taifi’s time is that he didn’t turn the ball over conceding a goal in the five minutes he was on the field.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s loss to CF Montreal. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/11/26

Lions fall to CF Montreal, Pride defeat North Carolina Courage, OCB beats Atlanta United 2, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

Image of Barbra Banda taking a shot against North Carolina.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida, and belated happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there. I spent the weekend in Texas catching up with friends and family. Let’s wish a happy birthday to Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who turns 32 today. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Fall to CF Montreal

Orlando City fell 2-0 to CF Montreal at Stade Saputo Saturday on a pair of late goals. After a scoreless first half, the Lions were minutes away from escaping with a point on the road but conceded twice in stoppage time, with former Lion Dagur Dan Thorhallsson adding the insurance goal for Montreal as Orlando City left Canada with zero points. The Lions could not capitalize on their few scoring chances throughout the match. Orlando City returns home for its next match on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Union at Inter&Co Stadium.

Banda’s Late Goal Lifts Pride Over Courage

The Orlando Pride defeated the North Carolina Courage 1-0 at Inter&Co Stadium Friday, as Barbra Banda scored the lone goal late in the second half to help the Pride secure a much-needed win, snapping their two-match losing streak. Banda scored her eighth goal of the season, and she has scored five goals in the last three matches. The Pride will be on the road this week, facing the Boston Legacy Tuesday at Gillette Stadium, followed by another match Saturday against the Denver Summit at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

OCB Beats Atlanta United 2 on the Road

Orlando City B defeated Atlanta United 2 with a goal in each half, winning 2-0 at Turner Soccer Complex in Athens, GA Sunday. Gustavo Caraballo scored the opening goal from the spot to give the Young Lions the early lead. In the second half, Issah Haruna added another goal for the Young Lions to put it away and take three points. OCB will be back on the road Sunday to face New England Revolution II at Beirne Stadium in Smithfield, RI.

Americans Abroad

Austin Trusty played a full 90 minutes as Celtic won its sixth consecutive match across all competitions 3-1 against Rangers. Gio Reyna scored his first goal of the season for Borussia Monchengladbach to snap his 16-month goal drought at the club level, but his side fell 3-1 to FC Augsburg. Weston McKennie played 86 minutes for Juventus in a 1-0 win against Lecce. In the Women’s FA Cup semifinals, Alyssa Thompson played 78 minutes for Chelsea, but her side fell 3-2 to Manchester City after extra time. Lindsey Heaps scored for OL Lyonnes while Lily Yohannes and Korbin Shrader were also in action in a 4-1 win against Paris Saint-Germain to lift the Coupe De France trophy. Later today, Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United will face Tottenham Hotspur.

Free Kicks

  • Check out this video on Orlando City’s social media pages featuring some players writing letters to their moms for Mother’s Day.
  • James Rodriguez will reportedly leave Minnesota United this week and will not return to the club after the World Cup concludes this summer.
  • Slavia Prague chairman Jaroslav Tvrdik stated that the club will impose a lifetime ban to fans who invaded the pitch as the club was minutes away from defeating rivals Sparta Prague Saturday to win the Czech First League title before the match was abandoned.
  • Leandro Trossard scored a late winner in the second half to help Arsenal beat West Ham United 1-0 to keep its five-point lead over Manchester City and pull a step closer to clinching the English Premier League title.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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