Orlando City
Orlando City at San Jose Earthquakes: Player Grades and Man of the Match
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
| Player | Votes |
| Will Johnson | 4 |
| Scott Sutter | 8 |
| PC | 77 |
| Carlos Rivas | 40 |
| Other | 6 |
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. St. Louis City: Final Score 4-2 as Enrique, Pasalic Power Lions to Victory
The attack was spectacular on the road, as the Lions scored four times to stay unbeaten against St. Louis City.
Orlando City’s attack scored four goals and could have at least doubled that with a little better luck and decision making in a 4-2 win over St. Louis City at Energizer Park. Ramiro Enrique and Marco Pasalic each bagged a brace, and the Lions (9-4-6, 33 points) needed each of those goals after a pair of defensive errors allowed the hosts to climb back into a game they were seemingly out of just 22 minutes after kickoff.
Simon Becher and Joao Klauss pulled St. Louis City (3-10-6, 15 points) to within 3-2 just before halftime, but Orlando City weathered the heat and the pressure and put the game away late.
“First, I want to recognize to the players, the effort. Incredible, incredible heat today on the pitch and the humidity,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I think everybody noticed it at the end. But the effort was constant and I want to remark (on) that.”
With Rodrigo Schlegel suspended and Alex Freeman away on international duty, Pareja’s lineup featured Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta were the central midfielders between wingers Ivan Angulo and Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Enrique up top.
The opening half was a shooting gallery, with the Lions jumping on St. Louis early, then threatening to blow the hosts out, only to start wasting some of the best chances they’ve had all season and returning to the kind of awful defensive lapses that plagued the team early in the year. That turned a comfortable 3-0 lead into a 3-2 nervy finish to the first half.
The Lions created the game’s first scoring chance off a corner kick won by Atuesta. The service found Araujo in the box, and the Uruguayan put his header on target but it was an easy one-hop save for Roman Burki in the fourth minute. Two minutes later, Pasalic sent a good ball from the right to the back post, but there were not teammates making a run there.
No matter, because Orlando City struck first anyway a minute later. The Lions worked the ball through the St. Louis midfield, moving it right to left to Angulo. The Colombian slipped Ojeda down the left, and the Argentine sent a crisp ball across the top of the six. Enrique ran onto it and redirected it past Burki to make it 1-0 in the seventh minute.
“That was a transition goal, something we worked on a lot this week in training,” Enrique said. “It was a great transition by the team. We brought it forward well, and once Tincho (Ojeda) arrived in the spot that he did, I know that he’s always going to move it towards the center, and then open up spaces. So, as soon as he did that, I was able to get in the right spot and push it towards goal and pushed us ahead.”
The lead grew just moments later. Orlando broke in transition and Pasalic made a nice move to slow down and buy himself some space in the middle. The Croatian fired from distance and picked out the inside of the right post to make it 2-0 in the ninth minute.
Pasalic had an open header on a Smith cross in the 11th minute but this time the Croatian hit his shot right at Burki for an easy save.
After that miss, St. Louis had a good attacking spell as the Lions struggled with some poor touches and passes against the press. Klauss created the first chance out of nowhere, but Gallese made a partial save and the ball hit off of Smith and deflected away. In the 13th minute, a poor giveaway allowed Marcel Hartel a shot, but the effort went over the crossbar.
Jansson had a good chance to clear in a cross, as he was positioned well and no one was in front of him, but he scuffed the clearance out for a corner. Timo Baumgartl bundled the service forward but right to Gallese. Klauss then got another opportunity, but the defense blocked his shot out for a corner.
The Lions finally took the pressure off with a counterattack and created another scoring chance in the 18th minute. Enrique was set up at the top of the box, but he sent his curling effort just outside the right post near the top corner. That led to another good spell for Orlando City, and moments later, Pasalic found Ojeda in a good position on the left but the ball skipped over the Argentine’s foot and out for a goal kick.
The Lions’ lead bulged to 3-0 just after the restart. Orlando forced a giveaway and Atuesta knocked the ball quickly to Enrique, who slammed the ball past Burki to make it 3-0 in the 22nd minute. It was Enrique’s fourth of the season.
“We saw in St. Louis a group that they aggressively want to play it out of the back, and especially their goalkeeper,” Pareja said. “We were sure that with the pressure that we were doing, we may have a chance on that phase of the game.”
“It’s another thing that we trained on this week, and it was something that we told ourselves that we could score from, because they had a lot of confidence in the way that they were building out,” Enrique said. “We worked with the high press and the back press as well. And, you know, we were able to take advantage of that tonight and get it high up the field, and then thankfully, I was able to score on the chance that we were able to turn over in that situation.”
The game slowed down for a bit leading up to the hydration break in the 33rd minute. The Lions then got exceedingly wasteful with their chances and a couple of defensive lapses allowed the hosts to climb right back into a game they were completely out of at the time.
Enrique had his first opportunity to complete his hat trick in the 36th minute on a great ball over the top. He was able to bring it down with Burki charging out, and as he tried to cut inside and fire it into the empty net, Burki got the slightest of touches on the ball to knock it away. By the time he regathered, the chance was gone.
Two minutes later, Enrique got his second chance to complete the hat trick on a nice diagonal ball to send him in behind. This time, the Argentine took an extra touch instead of shooting first-time, and Burki came out to smother it. Ojeda then fired a right-footed shot in the 39th minute from the left. The shot was right at Burki, who made the save. The rebound found its way to Thorhallsson on the right, but the Icelandic fullback made a mess of the shot, sending it high into the stands.
Those wasted opportunities allowed the hosts to pull one back in the 40th minute and get into the game. Becher got in behind Smith on a ball over the top. Jansson overran it as he cut back inside and slotted past Gallese to make it 3-1.
“I thought we had two very clear chances to put the game even further away from St Louis,” Pareja said. “We missed it, and in that moment, they reacted well. They scored that first goal and it seems like we lost a little bit of control of the ball.”
The goal galvanized St. Louis City. Klauss had a chance from the top of the box moments later but his shot deflected out for a corner. The Brazilian then headed over on the ensuing corner kick.
The Lions’ biggest mistake in the attack came in the 44th minute. Orlando broke 2-v-0 behind the defense with Angulo taking the ball up the left. Enrique was on Angulo’s right, hanging back to stay onside. Inexplicably, Angulo dribbled the ball straight to Burki before trying to lay it off and the goalkeeper got his foot on it to break up what should have been the easiest goal of the night and Enrique’s first career hat trick. Instead, the chance evaporated.
St. Louis City pulled a second goal back in the third minute of first-half stoppage time. Atuesta had a chance to clear it but he muffed his attempt and his distraction kept Brekalo from being able to clear. The ball ended up with Klauss, who slammed it into the net to make it 3-2.
“They scored that second goal with that mistake that we made,” Pareja said.
Ojeda had one more decent opportunity late, but Burki saved it and the Lions went to the half nursing just a one-goal lead.
At the break, Orlando City had the advantage in possession (53%-47%), shots (12-11), shots on target (8-3), and passing accuracy (90.4%-87.1%). Both teams earned three corners.
“We scored three goals and we could have scored probably a couple more,” Pareja said. “But we ended up just conceding them two goals and made them believe in the game, so that became a challenge for the second half. We started the half more timid and they got some confidence, but at the same time, in that second half, we played very smart and we did what we needed. We moved the numerical superiority that they wanted to do, and in the moments that we arrived to the box, we were very dangerous.”
St. Louis City came out of the break as the much more confident team, keeping Orlando pinned deep for much of the first 10 minutes. Eventually, the Lions settled into the half and started generating chances, but not as clear-cut as in the first half.
Ojeda fired over the bar with his right foot off a deflected Atuesta cross that found him near the top of the area in the 48th minute.
St. Louis held possession for a spell but couldn’t create chances out of it. Orlando eventually went the other way and fashioned some promising attacks, but the Lions couldn’t pay them off. The first of those came in the 56th minute, when Pasalic laid the ball off for Atuesta outside the area, but the Colombian fired right at Burki. Seconds later, Angulo did well to cut in from left to right, but his shot was deflected out for a corner by Kyle Hiebert. The Lions couldn’t pay off the set piece.
Enrique again came close to his hat trick in the 59th minute, getting forward and trying an inside-out shot from near the top of the area. Burki made another diving save to keep it a one-goal game. On the ensuing corner, Atuesta did well to pick out Araujo near the left corner of the box. The Uruguayan again got his header on target but Burki fought it off at the near post in the 62nd minute. A minute later, Pasalic had his shot blocked out front by Hartel. Atuesta’s shot was blocked out front two minutes later. Pasalic then drew a foul just outside the area in the 67th minute, but Ojeda fired his free kick over the goal frame.
Klauss had a good opportunity to equalize off an attacking-third turnover by Atuesta in the 76th minute. A quick ball over the top found the Brazilian, who discarded Brekalo and then fired just wide.
Enrique’s final chance to complete his hat trick came in the 80th minute, when he made a great move to put himself in behind the defense at midfield. The Argentine had a long run with the ball from left to right to get himself clear to shoot and sent a shot toward the left post that beat Burki but slipped just inches wide of finding the net.
Two minutes later, it was Pasalic who put the game away. Jansson sent a ball forward to Atuesta near midfield. The Colombian chested it down and dished to Pasalic on the right. The Croatian cut inside, got his defender to open up, and fired a clinical incision of a shot through Jayden Reid’s legs, freezing Burki in place and making it 4-2 in the 82nd minute with his eighth goal of the season.
“The surprise is that the way (Pasalic) adjusted to the league, to the group, has been so fast, and I may say that he even improved our position in there,” Pareja said of the Croatian filling the hole left behind by the sale of Facundo Torres to Palmeiras. “So, with all what Facu has given us, too, and the love that we have for him, I think Marco is taking that position to the next level. His scoring talent, the way he grew with the group, socially he’s an incredible kid, too. So we’re so blessed to have him.”
The hosts kept coming in an effort to get something from the game. Klauss fired a header wide in the 89th minute as the Orlando defense did just enough to pressure him into the misfire. Gallese then made two big saves in stoppage time to preserve the lead. The first came off a flicked header on a long-range set piece in the third extra minute. Michael Wentzel got his head to the entry ball and flicked it into Gallese’s belly, but the Peruvian was able to catch it cleanly with St. Louis attackers closing on him. Shortly thereafter, substitute Brendan McSorley was left in too much space and sent a 25-yard shot just wide of the left post.
The last chance ended with Gallese’s biggest save of the match. McSorley did well to turn Smith and then beat him to the outside, smashing a shot on target. Gallese reacted quickly to knock the ball over the net with a good save.
That was the last good look and the Lions hung onto the two-goal lead to win their second straight on the road.
Orlando City finished with the advantage in possession (50.2%-49.8%), shots (24-16), shots on target (12-5), corners (6-5), and passing accuracy (88.3%-85%).
“Very happy tonight for the team, especially to get this win out here on the road and in the heat,” Enrique said. “You know, it’s a good three points for the team tonight, so I’m really happy and ready to go.”
Due to other results around the league, Orlando City remains fifth in the Eastern Conference, just a point behind the Columbus Crew.
Hopefully the Lions got a good, long rest after the Colorado match, because they have a short turnaround with FC Cincinnati visiting Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday.
Orlando City
Orlando City Fullback Alex Freeman Selected to Participate in 2025 MLS All-Star Game
The 20-year-old, currently with the USMNT, was selected via fan vote to his first MLS All-Star Game.
Fullback Alex Freeman has been selected to the 2025 MLS All-Star Team to compete in Austin, TX on July 23, the club announced today. Freeman, 20, who is currently away on international duty with the United States Men’s National Team in the Concacaf Gold Cup, was selected via fan vote and is the youngest player on this year’s All-Star squad. The 2025 MLS All-Star Game will pit the MLS All-Star Team against the Liga MX All-Star Team at Q2 Stadium.
Freeman was selected through the league’s fan, media and player voting process, receiving
the highest vote total among MLS right backs. The young fullback has had a breakout season in 2025, appearing in 17 matches (16 starts) with Orlando City, playing 1,474 minutes and scoring four goals with one assist. His four goals are the most by a defender in MLS play this season.
Prior to this season, Freeman had made just three MLS appearances — all off the bench — for a total of nine minutes, putting just one shot on target. He picked up his first goal contribution last year with an assist against D.C. United on July 6, 2024.
Freeman’s play has been head-turning, and he’s earned his first USMNT call-up and appearance at the senior level this season. A member of the U.S. Gold Cup team, Freeman started all three group stage games, becoming just the second USMNT player aged 20 or younger to do so. He helped the United States win all three matches, keeping clean sheets against Trinidad & Tobago and Saudi Arabia.
Freeman is the first Orlando City player selected to the MLS All-Star Team since Pedro Gallese and Nani represented the Lions in Los Angeles in 2021. He is also the first OCSC defender to be selected to the MLS All-Star Team. Freeman becomes the seventh different player and eighth different representative of the club overall in the midseason exhibition (James O’Connor was head coach of the 2019 event held in Orlando).
Orlando City SC All-Stars
| Year | Player | Position |
| 2025 | Alex Freeman | Defender |
| 2021 | Pedro Gallese | Goalkeeper |
| 2021 | Nani | Forward |
| 2019 | Nani | Forward |
| 2019 | James O’Connor | Manager |
| 2018 | Yoshimar Yotun | Midfielder |
| 2017 | Dom Dwyer | Forward |
| 2017 | Kaká | Midfielder |
| 2016 | Cyle Larin | Forward |
| 2016 | Kaká | Midfielder |
| 2015 | Kaká | Midfielder |
2025 MLS All-Star Team
Goalkeepers (3)
- Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota United FC / Voted In)
- Brad Stuver (Austin FC / Coach’s Selection)
- Yohei Takaoka (Vancouver Whitecaps FC / Coach’s Selection)
Defenders (8)
- Jordi Alba (Inter Miami CF / Voted In)
- Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew / Coach’s Selection)
- Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps FC / Voted In)
- Michael Boxall (Minnesota United FC / Voted In)
- Alex Freeman (Orlando City SC / Voted In)
- Jakob Glesnes (Philadelphia Union / Coach’s Selection)
- Andy Najar (Nashville SC / Coach’s Selection)
- Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati / Coach’s Selection)
Midfielders (6)
- Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps FC / Voted In)
- David Da Costa (Portland Timbers / Coach’s Selection)
- Evander (FC Cincinnati / Voted In)
- Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake / Voted In)
- Jeppe Tverskov (San Diego FC / Coach’s Selection)
- Philip Zinckernagel (Chicago Fire FC / Coach’s Selection)
Forwards / Wingers (9)
- Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC / Commissioner’s Pick)
- Tai Baribo (Philadelphia Union / Voted In)
- Denis Bouanga (LAFC / Voted In)
- Anders Dreyer (San Diego FC / Coach’s Selection)
- Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano (San Diego FC / Commissioner’s Pick)
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF / Voted In)
- Diego Rossi (Columbus Crew / Coach’s Selection)
- Brandon Vazquez (Austin FC / Coach’s Selection)
- Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps FC / Voted In)
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. St. Louis City: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Lions make their first trip to St. Louis looking to build on their win at Colorado.
Welcome to your match thread and preview for a Wednesday night matchup between Orlando City (8-4-6, 30 points) and St. Louis City SC (3-9-6, 15 points) at Energizer Park in St. Louis, MO (8:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). This is the second meeting ever between the two sides, the first in St. Louis, and the only one on the 2025 regular-season schedule.
Here’s what you need to know about the match.
History
These teams have met just once before. Orlando City won that match 2-1 on Aug. 26 at Exploria Stadium on Facundo Torres’ penalty in the first minute of stoppage time. Torres completed his brace after a handball in the box by Anthony Markanich stopped a shot by Rafael Santos. Torres opened the scoring in the second half, but Rasmus Alm equalized, with his goal being awarded after video review revealed the referee’s assistant should not have raised their flag for the ball going out of play prior to the critical pass that led to the goal. Jake Nerwinsky was sent off late in that game for a foul denying Ramiro Enrique a goal-scoring opportunity.
Overview
The Lions are 3-2-4 on the road this season after coming off a tightly contested 1-0 road win at Colorado on June 14, snapping a two-match losing streak that ended a busy May schedule. Orlando has been off since beating the Rapids but will try to continue building momentum as the month of June comes to a close. The Lions have six matches against Eastern Conference competition after visiting tonight’s Western Conference opponents in the leadup to the 2025 Leagues Cup at the end of July.
Orlando City center back Rodrigo Schlegel will serve his one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation tonight, and with Alex Freeman away with the USMNT, the Lions will be missing half of their starters on the back line for this match as the entire right half will be out. Look for David Brekalo to move to right center back. Dagur Dan Thorhallsson is the most likely candidate to take the right back spot, with either Kyle Smith or Santos slotting in at left back.
St. Louis City is 2-3-4 at home this season and is coming off a wild 3-3 home draw against the LA Galaxy on June 14. Joao Klauss scored a hat trick in the match, putting his third goal of the game in the net in the fifth minute of stoppage time to steal a point against the defending champions. Tonight’s hosts are 0-1-1 in their last two matches, but they’ve been playing better lately, with five consecutive games either decided by a single goal or finishing in a draw.
Klauss may have gotten three of his five goals this season in the last game, but he can be one of the league’s most lethal finishers. It’s not the best night for Orlando to be missing half of its back line with the Brazilian rounding into form. On the other end, Roman Burki is one of the best goalkeepers in the league, so Orlando City will need to be clinical to finish chances — something that the team has struggled with at times.
“St. Louis is a team we don’t regularly play, but we’ve followed them over the last three or four games,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “They’ve changed coaches, even though it’s someone who has been within the system. We try to capture what their current modes are — how they’re structured, how they’re playing — and then merge that into our game plan. We don’t have as much context of a rivalry as we usually do, since it’s a team we don’t know very well. But we keep preparing in our way and keep insisting that imposing our style on the game is what we’re looking for.”
In addition to Schlegel (suspension) and Freeman (international duty) the Lions will be without Duncan McGuire (shoulder), Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), and Yutaro Tsukada (knee), while Joran Gerbet (thigh) is listed as questionable. St. Louis City will be without Alm (hip), Chris Durkin (knee), Henry Kessler (hamstring), Eduard Löwen (hamstring), Joakim Nilsson (knee), and Tomáš Ostrák (lower body).
Match Content
- The most recent epsiode of the PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for tonight’s match.
Official Lineups
Orlando City (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.
Defenders: Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.
Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Cesar Araujo, Eduard Atuesta, Marco Pasalic.
Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Ramiro Enrique.
Bench: Javier Otero, Rafael Santos, Zakaria Taifi, Thomas Williams, Colin Guske, Gustavo Caraballo, Justin Ellis, Nico Rodriguez, Luis Muriel.
St. Louis City SC (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper: Roman Burki.
Defenders: Jayden Reid, Timo Baumgartl, Kyle Hiebert, Tomas Totland.
Midfielders: Marcel Hartel, Simon Becher, Akil Watts.
Forwards: Celio Pompeu, Joao Klauss, Cedric Teuchert.
Bench: Ben Lundt, Michael Wentzel, Joey Zalinsky, Josh Yaro, Jake Girdwood-Reich, Conrad Wallem, Alfredo Morales, Xande Silva, Brendan McSorely.
Referees
REF: Guido Gonzales, Jr.
AR1: Ryan Graves.
AR2: Walt Heatherly.
4TH: Matt Thompson.
VAR: Kevin Terry, Jr.
AVAR: TBA.
How to Watch
Match Time: 8:30 p.m.
Venue: Energizer Park — St. Louis, MO.
TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish).
Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.
Enjoy the game. Go City!
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