Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Sporting Kansas City: Player Grades and Man of the Match
Orlando City threw a homecoming party, and it was fun, but it wasn’t quite as fun as it could have been (or maybe should have been). The Lions drew Western Conference foe Sporting Kansas City, 2-2, at Orlando City Stadium on a night that could have seen the hosts take more, or fewer, points.
In the end, maybe a draw was fair.
Jason Kreis’ team certainly wanted to wash away the memories of a two-game road swing without taking a point. But instead of taking all three — which has been the norm at the club’s new stadium — the Lions got only one before they head to San Jose for a midweek meeting with the Earthquakes.
Here are my individual ratings for Orlando City’s participants in the match.
Starters
GK, Joe Bendik, 7 — There wasn’t much Joe could do about either of the goals, which simply pinged to the wrong person at the wrong moment. He finished the match with six saves. He found himself in a tangle of bodies on both and couldn’t do much other than get a touch. In the 32nd, he made a diving punch on an effort from Fernandes. made another big save in the 51st and punched a Feilhaber effort over the crossbar three minutes later. In the 90th, he stopped another Gerso effort.
D, Donny Toia, 5.5 — Although he mostly played well, Toia can be partly culpable on both goals, as they originated on his side of the field. But his man appeared to come back from an offside position on the first and he was a bit unlucky to stumble on the second while tracking Gerso Fernandes. He finished with three tackles, two interceptions and three clearances, and passed at a 73.3% rate, but he didn’t have a single cross in a more defensive posture than we’ve seen in recent games.
D, Jonathan Spector, 7 — His highlights started early when he made a saving tackle to break up an attack in the third minute. He conceded a free kick in a dangerous area in the eighth minute that led to the first SKC goal but it wasn’t a great call as he went shoulder to shoulder and we saw the first of many instances of a Sporting player going down easily. Prevented Feilhaber from getting onto a Fernandes cross on the goal but the ricochet fell perfectly for Latif Blessing. He recovered defensively after a Cristian Higuita turnover in the 36th to put out the fire. Spector led the team with six clearances, and tallied one tackle, a blocked shot, and two interceptions. His passing was good (86.7%) and seven of his 10 long balls were accurate.
D, Jose Aja, 6.5 — It was an eventful night for Aja, who was booked just 11 minutes in although it merely looked like he got tangled up with his man. If Ricardo Salazar was sending a message that he would put up with no nonsense on this night, well…he put up with a lot of nonsense after showing Jose yellow. He struggled to get back to help deny the first goal (more on this below). He lost his man on the second goal but thought he’d made up for it by scoring on a beautiful header two minutes later, but the play was whistled dead and a goal kick awarded. He passed well (95% with 5/6 accurate long balls), and finished with two interceptions, a clearance, and a blocked shot and was pretty good in the air.
D, Scott Sutter, 6.5 — He couldn’t have made a more accurate cross than the one he served in to Kaká in the 26th minute. He had zero other options in the box but picked out the captain, who had three men on him, from way out on the right wing. It was a deserved assist. He got caught watching a bit on the first goal but got fooled by the deflection momentarily. He rightly tried to point out that just before the goal, this happened without a call:
Just a few seconds before the 1st Sporting KC goal, José Aja was held back by Roger Espinoza, but nothing called. pic.twitter.com/XGtJPBeOMh
— Austin David (@AustinDavid22) May 14, 2017
Sutter had one interception and three clearances defensively, and passed at an 85.7% clip. Unlike his assist to Kaká, the accuracy on his long balls was off, only hitting one of five.
MF, Antonio Nocerino, 6.5 — It was a fairly quiet night for the Italian, which is what you want from your defensive midfielder. His passing rate was good (90.3%), He was dispossessed in his own end once but overall played a much safer game than he did last Saturday. He stepped in front of a shot in the 64th minute to block it and he finished with three tackles and a clearance. He even made a nice run into the box early but Cristian Higuita didn’t see him.
MF, Will Johnson, 7 — Will’s service was good but came with an asterisk on this night. His 29th-minute corner found Spector at the back post but the whistle blew for an infraction. His late cross was perfectly placed for Aja but curled out before cutting back in for Jose…apparently. His shot in the 60th minute didn’t miss by much and would have been a great goal. His 93.2% passing rate was top notch for his team-high 44 passes, and he completed two key passes on the night, with 6/7 accurate long balls. He made one tackle, two interceptions and three clearances on defense, was not dispossessed and had no bad touches. A solid night for Will.
MF, Cristian Higuita, 5.5 — The Colombian did a good job of recovering the ball, but he also had moments of sloppiness that were costly. He coughed up the ball in his own half in the 36th minute but Spector bailed him out. Four minutes later he was booked for a chop to the ankles. He made a fantastic — and utterly unexpected — run in the 48th minute and forced Graham Zusi to pull him back and take a yellow card, or he’d have been in on goal. He teamed up with Sutter to foil Jimmy Medranda’s attack in the 63rd. Higuita was dispossessed three times and had two bad touches, and recorded an uncharacteristically low one tackle. He added two clearances and completed 83.3% of his passes.
MF, Kaká, 7.5 (MotM) — The secondary goal scorer everyone was looking for during the first month of the season has arrived. The Brazilian calmly chested down Sutter’s cross in traffic in the 26th minute, took a dribble toward center, and stroked home a beautiful back-post goal to put the Lions ahead. His free kick in the 50th from just above the box didn’t sail high by much and his nifty moves earned a corner a minute later. His silky move in the 79th minute forced Ilie Sanchez to grab him and take a yellow card. He hustled back after taking a free kick in the 89th minute to break up a counter attack with a nice defensive play in space. His 81.3% passing rate was OK but not stellar, but he was two for two with long ball accuracy. He contributed a tackle and an interception, with one key pass.
F, Carlos Rivas, 7 — Carlitos made an early impact with a tremendous defensive play off a short SKC corner to force a goal kick. Nearly got onto a long ball in the fifth minute but Tim Melia just got there first. His scrumptious cross in the 16th minute gave Cyle Larin little to do but stick out a toe to score. In the 28th minute, Rivas stole the ball right off the foot of Ike Opara, one of the best center backs in MLS, but his cross for Larin was deflected away. As usual, the stat sheet doesn’t show how much he influenced the game. He took a lot of attention of Opara on the night and was always a threat on the counter. He was dispossessed three times and had three bad touches, and completed only half his six (!) passes. He sent his lone shot high over the bar. His main contribution was the space he created for Larin and Kaká and the attack seemed to go nowhere after he was lifted for Giles Barnes, which kind of gives him a case for Man of the Match. Two of his three crosses were accurate.
F, Cyle Larin, 6.5 — The Canadian returned to the score sheet in the 16th minute, doing what he couldn’t do in Toronto by finishing a nifty cross from Rivas. Stole the ball with some good defensive work in the 21st minute and got into the box before being dispossessed by Roger Espinoza, who may have gone through his back before getting a foot to the ball. He nearly got a second goal in the 71st but couldn’t get his shot over Melia, and the two collided, which ended up requiring treatment for Larin. Both his shots were on target, he contributed a clearance, and completed 75% of his passes. He showed a good work rate but couldn’t consistently worry SKC’s back line.
Substitutions
F, Giles Barnes (64’), 4.5 — After relieving a beat-up Rivas, Barnes came on but didn’t have much chance to get involved in the match. His 83.3% passing rate seems pretty good but he only attempted six passes. He didn’t attempt any shots or create any chances, and recorded no defensive statistics at all. Quiet night for the Jamaican, who just couldn’t leave his mark on the game.
F, Luis Gil (65’), 6 — It was a steady performance in relief for Gil, who came on for Higuita, who was on a yellow. His passing rate wasn’t stellar (55.6%) but it was a small sample size. He finished with a tackle and a couple of crosses on the night. He sent a ball that put Larin in on goal for a scoring chance in the 71st and he fired on target off a corner in the 95th.
That’s how I saw it. What did you think? Vote for your Orlando City MotM below and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Jonathan Spector | 23 |
| Joe Bendik | 10 |
| Will Johnson | 0 |
| Kaká | 84 |
| Cyle Larin | 2 |
| Carlos Rivas | 21 |
| Other (tell us who in the comments) | 1 |
Orlando City
Orlando City Season in Review: Shakur Mohammed
The Ghanaian forward spent most of his second pro season with OCB but made his first-team debut.
Orlando City selected forward Shakur Mohammed with the No. 2 overall selection out of Duke in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. The Kumasi, Ghana native signed a Generation Adidas deal with Major League Soccer prior to the draft, meaning the club selecting him would receive salary cap relief during the early part of his career while he developed.
Mohammed spent the 2023 season with Orlando City B in MLS NEXT Pro, where he scored six goals and added three assists in 24 appearances, helping the Young Lions reach the postseason. In his second pro season, Shak spent pretty much the entire year with OCB again, taking a step forward and providing a team-high 11 goals and two assists and helping the Young Lions return to the playoffs. However, he also saw some minutes with the first team, making his debut in the Concacaf Champions Cup and also getting his first few minutes of MLS action.
Let’s take a look at Mohammed’s limited minutes in his second season.
Statistical Breakdown
The 21-year-old Duke product appeared in two consecutive MLS regular-season matches — both off the bench. They were his only appearances of the regular season. He made his MLS debut March 17 off the bench in a 2-0 loss at Atlanta and came on late again March 23 in a 2-0 home win over Austin FC. He tallied just four minutes in total. As such, he did not record a goal contribution or a shot attempt, but he completed all four of his passes without a key pass, cross, or long ball among them. Defensively, he won an aerial duel. He did not commit a foul, but drew one on the opposition, and he wasn’t booked.
Mohammed’s first appearance ever for the senior side — and his only start so far — came in Concacaf Champions Cup action in a 3-1 home victory over Cavalry FC Feb. 27, playing the first 45 minutes of the match. He did not record a goal contribution or attempt a shot, but he completed 85.7% of his 21 passes, including his only cross attempt, but he did not provide a key pass. Mohammed didn’t register a defensive statistic in his 27 touches, nor did he commit or draw a foul or receive a card.
The second-year pro did not appear in the MLS Cup playoffs or Leagues Cup.
Best Game
With such a small sample size, let’s go with his start against Cavalry FC in Concacaf Champions Cup action. While Mohammed wasn’t able to leave a mark on the game, and he didn’t show enough to stay on the pitch past halftime, the young forward played his first 45 minutes with the senior team, made himself available with some good runs, and used his speed to help push back the visitors’ attack. Ultimately, he helped the Lions advance in the competition for the first time. Just 20 years old at the time, Mohammed made his first start with the first team, a moment he’s sure to remember forever.
2024 Final Grade
With just a combined 49 minutes played with the first team this year, Mohammed receives an incomplete grade in 2024 from The Mane Land staff. But that’s an improvement over last year, when he didn’t play first-team minutes, meaning he didn’t get a Season in Review piece. Perhaps next season he’ll qualify for a grade if he continues to develop.
2025 Outlook
Mohammed just turned 21 in late August, so he’s still a young player and at times his game is still quite raw. However, he improved from OCB sidekick to Jack Lynn in 2023 to the Young Lions’ main attacking threat in 2024, showing he is learning the professional game. With his pace and shifty moves, Mohammed has a lot of upside. He is still under contract for the 2025 season, but I expect he’ll spend most of 2025 with OCB again due to the makeup of the current roster. If he can continue to develop his game, he may get more than just a few token appearances late in the game as a reward for his hard work next season.
Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)
Lion Links
Lion Links: 12/12/24
Orlando City loses Heine Gikling Bruseth, Facundo Torres now linked with Cruz Azul, Orlando Pride sign goalkeeper Kat Asman, and more.
How’s it going, Mane Landers? December is flying by and the clock is ticking to get things squared away before the holidays are fully upon us. I still have some shopping I need to knock out and then need to decide what I’m baking for when I visit my family in a couple of weeks. Let’s dive into today’s links.
Lions Lose Heine Gikling Bruseth in Expansion Draft
Midfielder Heine Gikling Bruseth is no longer a Lion after San Diego FC selected him in the 2024 MLS Expansion Draft. Orlando City signed the 20-year-old from Norwegian side Kristiansund BK in August as a U22 Initiative player, and he has yet to play in an MLS game. We won’t get a chance to see what impact Bruseth can have here in Orlando and he’s now part of San Diego’s plans on the other side of the country. Bruseth joins Kamal Miller, Nicholas Gioacchini, and Mikey Ambrose on the list of Lions taken in the MLS Expansion Draft, as Orlando just can’t seem to catch a break in these events.
San Diego also selected Colorado Rapids midfielder Jasper Loffelsend and Charlotte FC defender Hamady Diop as well. New York City FC forward Thiago Andrade was selected and promptly traded to Toronto FC. St. Louis City midfielder Hosei Kijima is on the move as well after being selected and traded to D.C. United.
Cruz Azul Joins Hunt for Facundo Torres
Orlando City forward Facundo Torres, who was linked with a move to Palmeiras earlier this week, is reportedly being courted by Cruz Azul of Liga MX as well. While Orlando and Palmeiras have reportedly agreed to terms on what would be a club-record deal, Cruz Azul has not yet submitted a bid to Orlando. If Torres does leave the club this winter, I’d personally rather see him head to Palmeiras in Brazil instead of Cruz Azul. The idea of the Lions going up against Torres in the Leagues Cup or another competition makes me sick to my stomach.
Orlando Pride Sign Kat Asman
The Orlando Pride are already making moves this off-season, signing goalkeeper Kat Asman to a two-year contract. Asman was drafted with the 39th overall pick by the Portland Thorns last year but didn’t make any appearances as a rookie. She now joins a Pride goalkeeping group that currently includes Anna Moorhouse, McKinley Crone, and Sofia Manner. While Asman may not make much of an impact next year, she’ll have the opportunity to grow her game and push the players ahead of her on the depth chart.
MLS Free Agency Opens Today
The MLS off-season is in full swing and the free agency officially kicks off today. There is plenty of talent across all positions available, which should make for an exciting flurry of wheeling and dealing as clubs prepare for 2025. It will also be interesting to see where former Lions wind up, as Ruan, Junior Urso, and Benji Michel are all free agents. As for other notable players to keep an eye out for, forwards like Josef Martinez and Jeremy Ebobisse could give clubs some additional firepower. Goalkeeper Tim Melia, center back Jack Elliot, and journeyman striker Kei Kamara are a few of the other interesting players out there.
Champions League Roundup
The latest round of Champions League matches wrapped up, but the standings remain a murky mess where only three points separate the team in third and team in 19th. The heavyweight match of the day Wednesday was between Juventus and Manchester City in Italy, with Juventus putting in a great defensive performance to win 2-0. Americans Weston McKennie and Tim Weah linked up for Juventus’ second goal after coming off the bench.
Atletico Madrid won its third straight Champions League match, beating Slovan Bratislava 3-1, thanks to a brace from Antoine Griezmann. Arsenal cruised past Monaco 3-0 to stay near the top of the standings, Ferran Torres scored twice in Barcelona’s 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund, and Benfica and Bologna battled to a scoreless draw in Portugal.
Free Kicks
- Curt Johnson has resigned as the North Carolina Courage’s chief soccer officer after 14 years with the club in order to pursue other opportunities.
- San Diego FC sent up to $100,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to D.C. United in order to sign defender Christopher McVey, inking him to a contract through 2026. San Diego is also reportedly set to sign New York Red Bulls center back Andres Reyes for a hefty amount of GAM.
- Speaking of the Red Bulls, they announced a 13-year partnership with Sports Illustrated Tickets and their stadium will now be named Sports Illustrated Stadium. Starting in 2026, Sports Illustrated Tickets will also be the official ticketing partner for events at the stadium, including Red Bull and NJ/NY Gotham FC home matches.
- MLS announced the 44 players invited to take part in this year’s MLS College Showcase. The closed-door scouting event will take place over the next few days, with the MLS SuperDraft set for 3 p.m. Dec. 20.
- There will be two matches between MLS teams in the first round of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, with Sporting Kansas City facing Inter Miami and LAFC taking on the Colorado Rapids. The Columbus Crew and LA Galaxy won’t join the fun until the round of 16 after earning byes.
- 2024 MLS NEXT Pro MVP David Poreba will be joining the big leagues, with the Chicago Fire signing the 22-year-old to a contract that will run through 2025, with options for 2026, 2027, and 2028.
- Wolfsburg forward Sveindís Jónsdóttir came off the bench and put on a show, scoring four goals to help her team beat AS Roma in the Women’s Champions League.
- It’s official, Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. FIFA also confirmed that the 2030 edition of the tournament will have matches in six different countries.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!
Orlando City
2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Jack Lynn
The young striker played a career high in minutes for Orlando City and played in all four
competitions.
Jack Lynn joined Orlando City through the 2022 MLS SuperDraft, when he was selected in the first round by the Lions with the No. 18 overall pick out of Notre Dame. He primarily played with OCB during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, scoring 15 goals in 2022 and 19 in 2023 while earning the MLS NEXT Pro MVP for that season. He was a depth player for most of the 2024 season with Orlando City, but late in the season he returned to playing more frequently with OCB, and quickly found his goal-scoring form once again with the Young Lions.
Let’s take a look back at Lynn’s 2024 season.
Statistical Breakdown
After two seasons of double-digit goal scoring in MLS NEXT Pro, the young forward looked to be a leading candidate to serve as the backup to Duncan McGuire, and in the opening few months he was frequently in the game day squad. However, the signing of Luis Muriel meant that he often was an unused substitute as the Lions used McGuire and Muriel as their strikers. Ramiro Enrique then returned from a prolonged absence and took over the starting spot with McGuire as the primary sub off the bench, and in the second half of the season, Lynn did not dress for Orlando City as frequently. He got some starts for OCB and scored four goals and had one assist in his eight games played with the Young Lions.
For Orlando City, Lynn appeared primarily in MLS regular-season games, making 11 appearances with two starts, playing 253 minutes. He took six shots, putting three on target and scoring two goals. He passed at a 66.7% completion percentage but did not have any key passes or assists. On the defensive side deuces were wild, as he won two tackles, made two blocks and had two clearances. He committed five fouls, drew two on the opposition, and was not booked.
Lynn also made one appearance late in the Lions’ final MLS playoff match, coming in for two minutes and recording just one touch of the ball, with no shots, passes attempted or defensive actions, and he did not receive a booking.
During Concacaf Champions Cup play, the Notre Dame product came off the bench in both games against Cavalry FC, playing 21 total minutes without a goal contribution, recording one shot that was off target, completing all three of his passes, and suffering one foul. He did not contribute any defensive actions or get booked.
Lynn participated in one Leagues Cup match, subbing in against CF Montréal. He played 12 minutes and did not have a goal contribution or take any shots, but he completed both of his passes, with one being a key pass. On the defensive side, he made two recoveries and committed one foul, but he wasn’t booked.
Best Game
The 24-year-old striker earned his first-ever starting nod for Orlando City on March 23 against Austin FC, and in the 42nd minute, he scored his first MLS goal. He timed his run perfectly to get wide open at the back post and finished with a powerful header off a cross from Dagur Dan Thórhallsson to give the Lions a 1-0 lead.
Lynn went on to play 73 minutes, completing 10 of his 13 passes (76.9%) and adding one additional off-target shot. He contributed a tackle and a clearance on defense. Orlando City won the game 2-0, making Lynn’s goal in the opening half the game-winner. Head Coach Óscar Pareja said he was pleased with Lynn’s performance, praising him in the post-game press conference:
“(Jack) is a player who patiently has been waiting (for) his opportunity,” Pareja said. “I could say that maybe he should have more games at this point with the way he has performed in the second group and what he has achieved as an individual. He’s very lethal and he has goals. Today, he opened the game. Jack’s discipline and constant effort has paid off and we’re happy.”
2024 Final Grade
With only 288 minutes on the field across all competitions in 2024, Lynn did not play enough minutes to get a grade for the season, receiving an incomplete from The Mane Land staff. Still, he showed that he was capable of contributing when called upon to play first-team minutes.
2025 Outlook
After watching how prolific Lynn was in MLS NEXT Pro in 2023, and then once again this season when he returned to play a few matches with OCB, Lynn has clearly proven that he is above the level of play in that league. In limited minutes at the MLS level, he has shown flashes, but based on the substitution patterns as the season went along, it was clear that he was at best the third option at striker. Orlando City appears to be bringing back both Enrique and McGuire, so while they picked up Lynn’s option for 2025 season, I expect that it will be another season similar to 2024, where he is a depth player who primarily comes in off the bench, if he comes in at all.
I believe that Lynn is an MLS-caliber player, as he is an excellent finisher of the “fox in the box” ilk, but my projection is that 2025 will look similar to 2024 and he will be fighting for minutes off the bench at the MLS level.
Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)
Orlando City Season in Review: Shakur Mohammed
2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Julie Doyle
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