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Orlando City at San Jose Earthquakes: Player Grades and Man of the Match

Published

8 years ago

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For the third time in three years Orlando City and the San Jose Earthquakes failed to produce a winner — this time in a 1-1 draw at Avaya Stadium in the wee hours East Coast time. Considering a huge rotation of the squad by Head Coach Jason Kreis, a point is not a bad result. But, considering the Lions led on a goal in the 81st minute, it still feels like a letdown.

Nevertheless, it’s another point in the standings and a chance to come home with several starters fresh for Sunday’s match with New York City FC.

Here are my individual ratings for Orlando City’s participants in the match.

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 6 — Joe made two saves on a night when the Quakes didn’t threaten the goal much, with 11 shots but only three on target. He perhaps could have gotten out to square up on Chris Wondolowski quicker but came in at an angle, allowing Wondo to poke in a floating cross off his arms for the equalizer. He got a hand to a free kick from Jahmir Hyka in the 26th minute on a ball that might have hit the bar or gone over but he did well to take no chances. Made a comfortable save on Marco Urena in the first half. His distribution wasn’t terrible but could have been a bit better. A solid if not spectacular game.

D, Victor “PC” Giro, 8 (MotM) — PC made his MLS debut and it was quite an introduction. His vision in setting up Rivas’ goal was extraordinary and he provided energy all night while maintaining integrity on defense for the most part. He started early, earning a free kick in the ninth minute with a nice overlap with Luis Gil. Nearly opened his account in the 32nd with a stunning strike that beat David Bingham but not the crossbar. He led Orlando in tackles (5) and interceptions (4) and his passing rate of 71.4% was pretty good. His game on this night was better than his previous appearances with OCB this year and he’s earned more minutes.

D, Leo Pereira, 6.5 — Like PC, the young Brazilian made his MLS debut at Avaya Stadium tonight and the moment certainly wasn’t too big for him. Leo played within himself throughout the game, winning balls in the air. He was forced to take a tactical yellow in the 25th minute after a midfield turnover by Servando Carrasco, conceding a dangerous free kick chance. His vital clearance of a cross by Marco Urena in the 43rd minute snuffed out a dangerous chance. In the 79th, he again bailed out Carrasco after a turnover. His passing rate of 67.7% could have been better but he led the team in pass attempts (65) and didn’t make any errors in tight spaces under pressure. He led the team in clearances (5), with two tackles, three interceptions and a blocked shot. Not a bad debut but he was the closest defender to Wondo on the corner kick and lost track of him.

D, Jose Aja, 6.5 — The young Uruguayan took a lot of abuse from the opponents and got very few calls out of it but he stayed focused, kept his anger in check, and played a sturdy game. His two interceptions and two clearances were OK, his passing rate of 73.1% was decent, and contributed a key pass and two shots on offense, one of which just missed a bit high. He paired up well on the right side with Scott Sutter to snuff out most of the danger that came from that side.  

D, Scott Sutter, 7 — Sutter may have been Orlando City’s best player in the first half. He was so cool and calm under pressure and in possession that you could chill your beer on his forehead. His long throw-in led to PC’s shot off the crossbar and he had an early cross for Luis Gil that was on target but a defender got there first. He recorded one tackle, two interceptions and three clearances, and connected well with Matias Perez Garcia up the right channel much of the game. His passing rate of 76.5% led the back four and he contributed one key pass while raining five crosses into the penalty area.

MF, Will Johnson, 7 — Will is probably going to take some heat from fans for keeping Wondo onside on the tying goal, but when the ball fell for Tommy Thompson, he retreated to guard the post and it was just unfortunate that the Earthquakes youngster mishit a shot attempt that somehow worked out for San Jose. His influence was noticeable throughout the game as he was often charged with starting possessions as Pereira and Aja fed him the ball deep to start the play. He passed at a solid 87.1% rate with the second most passes (62). In the 10th minute, he served in a free kick to Cyle Larin but the Canadian’s header was high. He finished with two key passes, four tackles, an interception, two clearances and generally ran his tail off all night.

MF, Servando Carrasco, 5.5 — I guess the word for Servando’s night is “workmanlike.” He finished with a passing accuracy of 89.7% — highest of all starters — but he also made the most glaring giveaways on the night. He had a terrible turnover in the 25th minute that started a San Jose break and forced Pereira to take a yellow and give up a dangerous free kick. He was dispossessed twice and both turned into scary moments for the defense as a result (the second came in the 79th minute). He finished with two interceptions, two clearances and one shot attempt. Overall he did a decent job of shielding the back line but will want to eliminate those giveaways.

MF, Luis Gil, 6 — Much of the night for Gil was spent providing coverage for the young Brazilian defenders behind him. Whenever the Quakes came forward, Gil was there to provide a second pressure point on the ball with PC and/or Pereira. But he wasn’t all defense, though he had two tackles and an interception. He played a nice give-and-go with PC early to set up a free kick when the latter was taken down. He had one key pass and got his one shot on target, though he didn’t get all of it as he tried to use a defender to screen his attempt from Bingham. His passing rate (68.4%) could have been better, though many of his attempts were with guys he hasn’t played with yet.

MF, Gile Barnes, 5 — The Jamaican didn’t leave much of a mark on the game offensively, with only a 40% passing rate and one shot that was off target — although that was the result of taking Fatai Alashe’s studs to his shin and didn’t get him so much as a free kick. His main contribution seemed to be gumming up the the works whenever San Jose tried to play out of the back. He gutted out much of the game after taking that horror tackle from Alashe. 

MF, Matias Perez Garcia, 6.5 — It certainly looked like MPG was in the mood against his old team. The pocket-sized Argentine started the game with a great deal of energy, getting under the skin of his former teammates. He could have played Larin in on goal in the 24th but put too much on his through ball. Started a break in the 44th minute that forced Anibal Godoy to take a yellow card for a tactical foul. He was quick to the ball throughout the match, winning a team high six fouls on the night. He had three key passes, one shot, two tackles, and two interceptions. However, his score could have been much higher if not for a 39.3% passing accuracy. This was one performance where the stats don’t tell the story of the player’s impact on the game.

F, Cyle Larin, 6 — If the Canadian ever figures out how to face a defender out wide and beat him off the dribble, he’ll be an unstoppable force, but too often the Quakes comfortably defended Orlando attacks when Larin got the ball wide. He maybe should have done better in the 10th minute on a free header off a free kick, but headed over the bar. His header in the 18th minute forced a diving save from David Bingham to keep it out of the bottom corner. He earned a couple of early second-half corners — one on a shot blocked by Florian Jungwirth and the other on a dangerous-looking cross. He passed at a 68.4% rate, but there were too many of the unsuccessful ones that could have been a final through ball for a scoring chance. Still, he had one key pass and three shots (one on target).

Substitutions

MF, Kaká (63’), 6.5 — While it wasn’t the captain’s best performance since his return, he did make a big positive impact. He got the hockey assist on Orlando’s goal by drawing two defenders toward him at the top corner of the box and played PC down the left channel for the cross. He had a couple giveaways but did well to track back to defend afterward with a tackle and a blocked shot. It was only a 64% passing night for the Brazilian and he had the game on his foot in the 91st but his shot couldn’t beat Bingham and maybe he could have squared it to a wide-open MPG for the finish there.

F, Carlos Rivas (63’), 7 — In less than half an hour of work the Colombian led the team with five shots and scored what looked like the game winner in the 80th minute. His pace made an impact on the game over the last half hour as he always looked dangerous in space. As usual, he wasted a few shots in the stands, but overall it was a good shift. He passed at an 83% clip created a chance with a ball to Kaká in the 91st minute. Those maddening shots over the net were the only blemishes on Carlos’ night.

MF, Cristian Higuita (85’), N/A — The Colombian came on for Carrasco and he didn’t get booked, which is the most important thing he did (or didn’t do) because he’s sitting on four yellows. He completed all eight of his passes but surprisingly didn’t record any defensive statistics. Not enough time on for a fair grade.

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

PlayerVotes
Will Johnson4
Scott Sutter8
PC77
Carlos Rivas40
Other6

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Lion Links: 5/13/25

Martin Ojeda honored, Americans in midweek action, rivalry games on the horizon, and more.

Published

15 hours ago

on

May 13, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, everyone. I hope you’ve been on top of things to start the week, because there’s going to be no time to catch our breath with Orlando City taking on Charlotte FC Wednesday, before facing Inter Miami on Sunday. We’ve got plenty to discuss this morning, so let’s jump right into the links.

Martin Ojeda Honored

After his starring role in Orlando City’s 3-3 draw with the New England Revolution on Saturday, Martin Ojeda has been named to the starting XI of the MLS Team of the Matchday. Ojeda was back in the starting lineup after spending the last few matches nursing a knock and he made the most of his return, scoring all three goals for just the third Orlando City hat trick in the club’s MLS existence and first since 2015. It was a shame that the defense couldn’t help him out on his historic night, but he was Sean Rollins’ clear choice for Man of the Match in his Player Grades piece, and it’s nice to see that he’s getting some much deserved wider recognition as well, even though he was snubbed for Player of the Matchday, which went to Emil Forsberg of the New York Red Bulls. Here’s hoping Ojeda’s success continues.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans who will be playing games during the working week, and we have some very high stakes at play. Things start today, when Haji Wright and Coventry City try to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit in the Championship promotion playoff semifinal against Sunderland. AC Milan takes on Bologna Wednesday in the Coppa Italia final, with Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah fighting for a chance to lift a trophy. Finally, Thursday has Johnny Cardoso and red-hot Real Betis visiting Rayo Vallecano in La Liga in a game that will have big ramifications on the race for European places.

Rivalry Games on the Horizon

Major League Soccer’s rivalry week is almost upon us, which means we have some heated matchups that we can start looking forward to. First and foremost, as far as we’re concerned, is Orlando City hitting the road to face Inter Miami in a series that is dead even across the board at 5-5-5 in 15 all-time meetings. There’s plenty more though, as El Trafico is the late game on Sunday, and we also get Hell is Real between FC Cincinnati and the Columbus Crew, as well as a Hudson River River Derby that features two teams in wildly different places. The New York Red Bulls hammered the LA Galaxy on Saturday and have won three of their last four in all competitions, while New York City FC was knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup last week, and has lost three of its last four in all competitions.

Carlo Ancelotti to Coach Brazil

Brazil has officially announced that Carlo Ancelotti will take over as the newest coach of the team. The Brazilian Football Confederation announced on Monday that he will leave Real Madrid after the last league game of the season, with his first day on the job for Brazil coming on May 26. Brazil wanted to have a new coach in place for June’s World Cup qualifiers, and Ancelotti will now become the Selecao’s first foreign head coach. As far as Real Madrid is concerned, the club is reportedly finalizing a deal for former player Xabi Alonso to become the new coach as soon as possible. Madrid would ideally like for him to be on the job before the start of this summer’s Club World Cup, and Alonso has already publicly announced that he will not manage Bayer Leverkusen past the end of this season.

Free Kicks

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

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 3-3 draw against the New England Revolution?

Published

1 day ago

on

May 12, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City saw a 2-0 lead wash away just before halftime and took the lead in the second half. It looked like the Lions were on their way to a big three points, but a late penalty and a disallowed goal resulted in a 3-3 draw. It’s a draw that feels like a loss for the Lions.

Let’s take a look at how the individual players did in this disappointing game.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — Gallese had a difficult night, though it wasn’t all his fault. He faced six shots and conceded three goals. However, two were primarily because of bad defending, and one was a penalty. He made three saves and blocked away a rocket late.  The Orlando City goalkeeper touched the ball 25 times and completed 77.8% of his 18 passes, including four of his eight long balls.

D, David Brekalo, 6 — Brekalo had a good game at left back, touching the ball 65 times, second most on the team. He completed 90.7% of his 43 passes, including a key pass. However, his lone cross and long ball were incomplete. The defender took two shots, putting one on target, and nearly had a goal in the 48th minute with a strong run into the box, but a defender deflected it off the woodwork. Defensively, he recorded two tackles, one interception, three clearances, and a blocked shot. He was a little late trying to deny Ignatius Ganago’s cross through the box to Ilay Feingold, and his sliding effort to do so took him out of position to deny Feingold’s centering pass for New England’s first goal. It was one of his few missteps of the match, and the effort was there if not the execution. He moved from left back to center back for the closing minutes.

D, Robin Jansson, 5 — Jansson is usually rock solid on the back line, but he was a liability in this game. He touched the ball 57 times and completed 86.3% of his 51 passes, including four of his seven long balls. He made three clearances and blocked two shots. His poor grade was due to his contribution to two New England goals. He allowed Matt Polster to get goal side in the 44th minute for the equalizer and stuck his foot out in an ill-advised challenge in the 85th minute, resulting in a game-tying penalty. It was a game the Orlando City captain would rather forget.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — Schlegel is usually the higher-risk player at center back, but he had a good game. He touched the ball 49 times and completed 91.4% of his 35 passes, including his lone long ball. He also recorded a tackle, a team-high six clearances, and two blocked shots. Most surprisingly, he managed to end the game without an unnecessary booking. Schlegel’s night ended in the 87th minute when he was replaced by Rafael Santos.

D, Alex Freeman, 6.5  — Freeman started at his usual right back position, touching the ball a team-high 66 times. He completed 76.7% of his 43 passes and his lone cross but not his long ball. His lone shot was on target and he had three key passes. The 20-year-old was also active defensively, recording two tackles, two interceptions, and four clearances.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo only touched the ball 28 times in this game, but his speed caused problems for the New England back line as he pushed into the attack. The left-sided midfielder completed 82.6% of his 23 passes, including two key passes. He didn’t take any shots, because he was mainly on the wing, but he helped defensively with a tackle and two interceptions. Angulo was replaced by Ramiro Enrique in the 74th minute.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — Araujo had 57 touches in this game while completing 91.7% of his 36 passes. He had a key pass but failed to complete either of his two long balls. The defensive midfielder took four shots, putting one on target that forced Aljaz Ivacic into a good save. He nearly scored off a corner kick in the 24th minute, but hit the post. Defensively, Araujo had two tackles and a clearance.

MF, Joran Gerbet, 5.5 — Gerbet had an up and down night, making him difficult to grade. He let Alhassan Yusuf get goal side of him in the 38th minute to score New England’s first goal. But his excellent first touch sent Ojeda on a partial breakaway in the 33rd minute for the Lions’ second goal, and his fearlessness earned a penalty for Orlando City’s third goal. The rookie touched the ball 43 times and completed 88.9% of his 36 passes, including a key pass and one of his two long balls. He didn’t take any shots but added an interception defensively. He probably should get a higher grade for participating in two goals, but I can’t get over the defensive midfielder’s error that might’ve cost the Lions two points. Gerbet was replaced in the 69th minute by Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 6.5 — Pasalic had a solid night, touching the ball 39 times and completing 73.9% of his 23 passes. He had two key passes and completed one of his three long balls. He put one of his three shots on target, but his offensive performance will be remembered for his 20th minute shot, when Luis Muriel headed the ball down perfectly for him and the midfielder sent it over the open goal. Despite the miss, it was a good game for the attacking midfielder, who also had an interception on the defensive side.

F, Luis Muriel, 6.5 — Muriel started up top but dropped behind Ojeda as the game progressed. He had 36 touches and completed 73.3% of his 15 passes, including four key passes and three of his four crosses. He should’ve had an assist on Pasalic’s miss, and he should’ve scored, especially in the 68th minute, when he made multiple defenders miss before dribbling the ball into the arms of Ivacic instead of shooting. He added two tackles and would’ve had a higher grade if he had any desire to score.

F, Martin Ojeda, 8.5 (MotM) — There can’t be a question about who the Man of the Match was for this game. In his first league start since April 19, Ojeda led the way. He touched the ball 43 times, completing 84% of his 25 passes with two key passes. He completed two of his five crosses but didn’t connect on his long ball. However, the attacker converted on three of his team-high seven shots, scoring the club’s first hat trick since 2015. His first goal was a thing of beauty, as he rocketed a shot off the bottom of the cross bar, creating no chance for the goalkeeper. The midfielder also took his second goal well and converted the penalty that gave his team the lead in the 55th minute. Defensively, Ojeda added an interception in a clear Man of the Match performance.

Substitutes

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (69’), 5.5 — Thorhallsson came on in the 69th minute for Gerbet in the defensive midfield. He touched the ball 13 times, completing all of his 10 passes, though they were all of the shorter variety. He picked up a yellow card late in the match.

F, Duncan McGuire (73’), 5.5 — McGuire came on for Muriel in the 73rd minute with his team up a goal. He touched the ball only five times, completing all three of his passes with a key pass and his lone cross. His only shot was off target and he didn’t add any defensive stats. He should have had an assist with a good ball into the box for Enrique, who made a mess of the shot, firing it high over the goal. Unfortunately, his game will be remembered for the 90th minute, when Enrique’s shot hit his back while the striker was in an offside position. The ball went in, and the flag went up to disallow the goal that would’ve been the game winner.

F, Ramiro Enrique (74’), 5.5 — Enrique entered the game in the 74th minute for Angulo. He touched the ball 14 times and completed 45.5% of his 11 passes without any key passes or crosses. He took one off-target shot (officially) but had a great chance to score in the 90th minute when he received a pass from Pasalic at the top of the box with no one on him. His shot hit the back of an offside McGuire, spoiling a potential late winner.

D, Rafael Santos (87’), 5.5 — Santos replaced Schlegel in the 87th minute as the Lions brought on a natural left back and moved Brekalo to his usual center back position. Despite coming on late, the 10 minutes of stoppage time gave him plenty of action. He touched the ball 12 times and completed 83.3% of his six passes, including one of his three crosses. He didn’t take any shots and didn’t record any defensive stats as the Lions pushed hard for the late winner that never came. On the defensive end, he got roasted by Luis Diaz Espinoza in the second minute of stoppage time, allowing a wicked shot on goal that Gallese was able to parry away awkwardly.

That’s how I saw Orlando City 3-3 draw against the New England Revolution. Let us know what you thought of the performance in the comment below and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/12/25

Lions and Pride each draw, Pride wins 2024 Golden Brick Award of Excellence, MLS weekend recap, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

May 12, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

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’ve been busy at work and catching up with friends all week. Our Lions and Pride both picked up draws over the weekend, while OCB was off.  We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Draw New England Revolution at Home

Orlando City blew a lead twice and ended up settling for a 3-3 draw against the New England Revolution on Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions got off to a great start as Martin Ojeda scored two goals in the first half. The Revolution replied with two goals to tie the match just before halftime. Ojeda added a penalty kick goal in the second half to secure his first hat trick of his career. It was also the first hat trick for Orlando in a decade, and he joins former Lion Cyle Larin as the only players in club history to score a regular-season hat trick.

However, late in the second half, the Lions conceded a penalty to New England, and Carles Gil converted from the spot to get the equalizer as the teams split the points. The Lions will have a quick turnaround with their next match on Wednesday at home against Charlotte FC.

Pride Draw North Carolina Courage on the Road

The Orlando Pride needed a late equalizer to escape WakeMed Soccer Park with a 1-1 draw against the North Carolina Courage on Saturday. The Courage struck first, but Prisca Chilufya scored her first goal of the NWSL season late in stoppage time to secure a draw and keep Orlando from losing two matches in a row. The Pride grabbed a crucial point on the road and are second in the NWSL standings. The next match for the Orlando Pride will be Friday as they face the Kansas City Current at Inter&Co Stadium.

Orlando Pride Wins 2024 Golden Brick Award of Excellence

The Orlando Pride were named winners of the Downtown Orlando Partnerships 2024 Golden Brick Award of Excellence on Friday for the club’s historic 2024 NWSL Championship season and downtown victory parade. The Pride broke the league record for the most points (60), most wins in a season (18), and most clean sheets (13), while finishing the 2024 season unbeaten at home. Orlando Pride President of Business Operations Jarrod Dillon expressed his thoughts on Pride winning this award.

“On behalf of our entire Club, I’d like to thank the Downtown Orlando Partnership and its Board of Directors for selecting our organization for this incredible award,” said Orlando Pride President of Business Operations, Jarrod Dillon. “We are incredibly honored to receive this award — a testament to the passion, dedication, and excellence that define our team. Our Club is proud to represent this city, and we hope every Orlando resident shares in this moment of pride. There’s no place we’d rather call home than downtown Orlando — the heart of our community and now the home of the best women’s soccer team in the United States.”

MLS Weekend Recap

The weekend’s slate of Major League Soccer matches ended with some notable results. Minnesota United cruised past Inter Miami with a 4-1 win. The Chicago Fire, FC Cincinnati, San Diego FC, and Nashville SC all won 2-1 matches over Atlanta United, Austin FC, St. Louis City, and Charlotte FC, respectively. Toronto FC defeated D.C. United 2-0 at home, while the San Jose Earthquakes beat the Colorado Rapids 2-0 on the road. Prince Osei Owusu scored the lone goal as CF Montreal beat New York City FC 1-0 and secured its first win of the season. Santiago Moreno scored a late goal in the second half as the Portland Timbers defeated Sporting Kansas City 1-0. Albert Rusnak scored twice as the Seattle Sounders beat the Houston Dynamo 3-1. FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake ended in a 1-1 draw, while the Philadelphia Union and Columbus Crew match ended in a 2-2 draw. The LA Galaxy remain winless through 12 matches this season after getting crushed 7-0 by the New York Red Bulls in a rematch of last year’s MLS Cup final. On Sunday, Brian White scored twice as the Vancouver Whitecaps and LAFC match ended in a 2-2 draw.

Free Kicks

  • Check out this video on Orlando City’s social media pages featuring some players giving their moms a surprise phone call on Mother’s Day.
  • Orlando Pride defender Kylie Nadaner completed 108 passes on Saturday in their match against the North Carolina Courage, which is the most in Pride history.

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

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