Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Player Grades and Man of the Match

On a very damp evening in Orlando, the Lions survived. That’s the best word to use in this situation, after going down to nine men, weathering the 21-shot barrage and managing their second clean sheet in a row to the Chicago Fire.
It was a very good game up until the Rafa Ramos red card, then the game went from bad to worse after Antonio Nocerino received his marching orders. Through all that, however, the Lions managed to survive and come away with a very much earned draw.
Now, without further ado, let’s get into the grades.
Starters
GK, Joe Bendik, 8 — Forced to come up with a huge performance and had to save six of the Fire’s 21 shots in the game. Stonewalled David Accam on a 1-v-1 shot in the 14th minute. Managed a diving save in first-half stoppage time after a good combination of passes from the Fire. Had another play a minute later, stopping a follow-up shot from Nemanja Nikolic. Great save in the 56th minute on a Michael de Leeuw header in the box.
D, PC, 8 — A very good game for the Brazilian. Was forced all night to try and defend the wing and did a great job in doing so. Stopped a potential counter in the 15th minute on a dangerous challenge on Nikolic. Great clearance on a lofted ball into the box in the 44th minute. Foul in a dangerous area in the 62nd minute, leading to a free kick just outside the box for Chicago. Had a poor header in the 89th minute that almost gave Chicago a chance, but Pereira bailed him out.
D, Jonathan Spector, 8 — A great job not only defensively, but anchoring the back line and getting the team to play together, despite being down two men. Was second on the team in clearances. Good cut out of a cross in the fourth minute after the defense was stretched thin by the counter.
D, Leo Pereira, 8 — An incredible performance by the Brazilian. Met with a lot of pressure and for only his third ever game in MLS, he was excellent. Led the team in tackles and clearances and was second on the team in interceptions. Was fourth on the team in passing accuracy with 87% and led the team in blocked shots as well. Did a good job standing up David Accam in the 17th minute when he was inside the box and had great positioning on the turnover in the 88th minute by PC and knocked away a potential chance.
D, Rafael Ramos, 4 — Rafa Ramos is cursed. Honestly, the guy just can’t catch a break. Had a decent start to his evening, getting an early cross in the seventh minute, forcing Matt Lampson to come out to catch it. He was just starting to settle into the game and then in the 26th minute, he went in for a ball in the air, catching Brandon Vincent on his way down. He didn’t see Vincent as he went up for the ball, and after the foul was called, Ramos was shown a straight red card.
MF, Antonio Nocerino, 5 — Up until the sending off, Nocerino was having a solid game. Nothing too glaring in terms of offense or defense, but was just solid all around. Unfortunately, he had a poor challenge 68th minute as he put his cleat into Matt Polster’s back and earned him a straight red, ending his night.
MF, Cristian Higuita, 6 — A somewhat typical Higuita performance tonight. Had his usual defensive prowess and his usual passive backwards passing, but still provided a boost for the Lions. Had a 100% passing accuracy for the game and was the most fouled player on Orlando City, with three. Early on, he was a bit indecisive with passing, trying to get balls forward and passing them back and didn’t really improve as the game went on. Had a poor turnover in the 51st minute, giving the ball straight to Accam with space, but the Orlando defense provided depth and broke it up.
MF, Will Johnson (MOTM), 8.5 — Credit where credit is due. Johnson didn’t start out the game all that well, but after Ramos’ red card, he really took hold of the team defensively and did an excellent job in the back line and in the midfield. Forced to switch to fullback after the red card to Ramos for the remainder of the first half, and did great cutting out attacks and reading the game. Finished with the most tackles (3), interceptions (6), and third in clearances (4). Had a last-second defensive play in the 34th minute to knock away a back-post cross. Almost headed it into his own net in the 42nd minute trying to clear the ball away, but it went wide of goal. Great challenge in the midfield on Luis Solignac in the 53rd minute to break up a counter attack.
MF, Giles Barnes, 6.5 — Did a good job in the first half running at the defense and taking on players, but the end product just wasn’t there tonight. Good run into the box in the 40th minute, but couldn’t get the cross up in the air. Forced to come out for Scott Sutter after the first half due to the red card to Ramos.
F, Carlos Rivas, 6 — Still struggled with set pieces, like the free kick he had in the eighth minute. Had a bit of confusion in the 13th minute, when he got caught with the ball and didn't’ know what to do with it. Took a shot from way outside the box in the 24th minute that forced Lampson into a save. Had another effort a few seconds later he pulled wide right. Put in a long ball into the box in the 44th minute, but it was a bit too far for Larin. Had a chance in the 52nd minute to run with space, but his touch on the ball let him down. Came off for Kaká in the 59th minute.
F, Cyle Larin, 6 — Had a few chances early on in the game, but after the red card, was almost invisible offensively. Did well to cover defensively and helped on the wings before he came off in the 71st minute to make way for Carrasco and a more defensive shape. His best opportunity came in the 33rd minute when he caught Lampson off his line but he hit his shot right at the keeper.
Substitutes
D, Scott Sutter (45’), 8 — Forced to come in after the halftime break to provide cover defensively. Occasionally got forward into the attack, but after the second red card, he bunkered down and defended the wing well.
MF, Kaká (59’), 6.5 — Came on for Carlos Rivas in the 59th minute to get a bit more attacking variety, but after Nocerino’s sending off and Larin coming out, he was put alone on an island up top. He did have a chance in the 69th minute after he got the ball in the box, but his cross was right at Lampson in goal.
MF, Servando Carrasco (71’), 6.5 — Came in with a sliding challenge to knock the ball away in the 86th minute. Only managed nine touches on the ball and completed only two of five passes but he helped the team park the bus and got into passing lanes late.
That is what the individual performances looked like to me. What did you think? Be sure to vote below for your OCSC Man of the Match.
Polling Closed
Player | Votes |
Joe Bendik | 79 |
Will Johnson | 117 |
Jonathan Spector | 43 |
Leo Pereira | 18 |
Other | 14 |
Orlando City
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New England Revolution
Get to know this year’s New England Revolution team courtesy of someone who knows them best.

Orlando City remembered how to score on Wednesday night, as the Lions put five goals past the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the U.S. Open Cup. OCSC will try to carry that sort of offensive performance over to league play Saturday, when the New England Revolution come to town.
A match against the Revs means I caught up with Jake Catanese, one of the writers over at The Blazing Musket. As always, he was extremely helpful in bringing us up to speed on what this year’s version of the Revolution looks like.
Talk me through the Revolution’s off-season transfer business. Who are some of the new names to know?
Jake Catanese: Okay, so some of the new faces are from the end of last year: winger Luca Langoni and midfielder Alhassan Yusuf were both acquired back in August. Yusuf is a Nigerian international and has cemented himself in the lineup as one of the holding midfielders, and Langoni had a great spell at the end of the last year but was dropped to make room for the Revs’ newfangled 5-3-2 wingback setup — more on that in a bit. Also, Tomas Chancalay isn’t a new face but is fresh off the season-ending injury list from an ACL injury last May and is working his way back up to full fitness, and both he and Langoni started the USOC win against Rhode Island (Wednesday) along with MLS veterans Maxi Urruti and Jackson Yueill, who were picked up this off-season.
The big off-season stuff happened up front, with the Revs making a record GAM trade with Miami for Leo Campana and making an interesting short-term loan for Ligue 1’s Ignatius Ganago out of Nantes. In the Revs’ 4-2-3-1 setup to start the year, it was Campana as a lone striker and Ganago in what I’ll call the “Gustavo Bou” winger/striker role, but both have moved up top with the formation change and it’s been fairly successful. Campana did miss a month with a hamstring injury, which did not help the Revs early on, but the strike partnership is starting to blossom with productivity.
The Revs have been the best defensive team in the entire league, with just seven goals conceded in 10 games. What’s been the secret sauce there?
JC: To finish the rest of the question above, the Revs absolutely hit a massive home run with two new center backs in the off-season. Malian international Mamadou Fofana (age 27) and Colombian Brayan Ceballos (age 23) entered the starting lineup together and basically have been there ever since, and they’ve been tremendous. Ceballos got a Team of the Week nod on debut in Week 1 against Nashville and has been a solid aerial presence, which is something the Revs have struggled with in recent years. Fofana is tremendous on the ball and he’s passing at a 90% clip with an over 50% clip on long balls, as well with several deeper, line-breaking passes that have opened up the defense.
League veteran Tanner Beason was added as the third center back to go with Homegrown Peyton Miller and Israeli youngster Ilay Feingold as the wingbacks/fullbacks, and the Revs have pulled off effectively changing over their entire back line in one off-season, which, given the success this group is having, is rather unheard of. Combine that with keeper Aljaz Ivacic having a top season and his back line blocking a lot of shots for him as well, the Revs have a foundation that looks set for many years to come unless some big transfer offers come in.
The opposite side of that coin is the fact that New England has scored the third-fewest goals in the league with nine in 10 games. The Revs have come on stronger in recent weeks though, with six tallies in their last five matches. What’s changed for the Revs that has allowed the goals to start going in a little easier?
JC: Let me explain…no, there is too much, let me sum up. The Revs in a 4-2-3-1 to start the year were horrific. Campana’s injury didn’t help, but they weren’t moving the ball effectively up field to the attacking group, and turnovers often caught the fullbacks too high as well — almost a carbon copy of 2024, when the Revs were second to last in the East and more or less were to start this year as well. The solution was to drop the struggling Langoni and add a third center back and put Ganago into a second striker role, which on paper I had a lot of doubts about. However, Carles Gil is still a magician and the Revs did solve a major problem with the formation switch.
Having the wingbacks allows one of them to get forward without exposing the defense, so New England is able to switch the point of attack easier and not compromise their center back duo, because Beason is there to help put out any fires. Now the Revs get their width and deep support from the wingback spot and are able to use Miller and Feingold more effectively and confidently going forward, because they have enough strength in the back of the formation. It also helps that the two wingbacks have been really good with high passing numbers despite not registering any official assists yet. Feingold essentially had the assist on the Revs’ opener in Toronto last weekend, but his very dangerous initial cross into the box was half-cleared only to have Gil volley it top bins from the top of the box. Feingold isn’t the pure speedster Miller is, but as a duo they complement each other very well and bring back a 1-v-1 element the Revs really haven’t had since Tajon Buchanan.
Now, do I still think that Caleb Porter’s possession system is too slow and hampers the offense? Yes. Do I think the Revs should counterattack a lot more than they do currently? Also yes. Their two goals against Toronto were very direct — a turnover sent out wide to Feingold set up Gil and then a semi-broken play leading to a long through ball to Campana. I think this is when the Revs are at their most dangerous, because they generally have opponents on their back foot and not in an established and/or set back line. But they are improving and against Toronto were generating better chances and doing so more frequently. And despite their win streak, big chances have been a rarity so far this year. If New England is able to consistently counter and create chances inside the box, the defense is going to carry them very far and you will see this team protecting a lot of leads.
Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting XI and score prediction?
JC: No suspensions to talk about, and most of the longterm injuries are off the board as well with Chancalay and Campana back in action. Andrew Farrell and Wyatt Omsberg were listed as questionable last week, but Farrell started in the midweek Open Cup game and Omsberg was on the bench and subbed on for the final 15 minutes. Youngster Malcolm Fry is likely the only person that will still be listed as out come gameday.
5-3-2: Aljaz Ivacic; Peyton Miller, Mamadou Fofana, Brayan Ceballos, Tanner Beason, Ilay Feingold; Alhassan Yusuf, Matt Polster, Carles Gil; Ignatius Ganago, Leonardo Campana.
Same lineup as last week in Toronto — the midfield triangle sees Carles Gil work his magic as the roaming No. 10, so you might see the wingbacks listed with the holding mids in a 3-4-1-2 looking thing. The running joke with the PawedCast demands I predict a 2-2 draw, but given the defensive stinginess of these two teams in the last month or so, I find it highly unlikely this game will have four goals in it…which is exactly why it will happen. We’ll add another to Carles’ tally and I think Mr. Ganago is due for another one. He’s been robbed a few too many times this year.
Thank you to Jake for the excellent primer on this year’s Revolution team. Vamos Orlando!

Lion Links
Lion Links: 5/9/25
Orlando City’s next U.S. Open Cup match date revealed, MLS matches to watch, top soccer club valuations, and more.

Welcome to Friday! I hope the week has treated you well as we get ready for a Mother’s Day weekend packed with soccer. Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are both in action at the same time on Saturday, so make sure to plan accordingly depending on how you want to enjoy the action. Let’s dive into today’s links!
Orlando City Will Face Nashville in USOC on May 21
Orlando City will officially host Nashville SC on May 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the U.S. Open Cup’s Round of 16. That match is sandwiched between a road game against Inter Miami on May 18 and a home game against the Portland Timbers May 24, so at least there won’t be much travel during that week during an already jam-packed month. The Lions reached this stage of the tournament after beating the Tampa Bay Rowdies 5-0 Wednesday, while Nashville won 1-0 against the Chattanooga Red Wolves on Tuesday.
What to Watch In MLS This Weekend
We’ll all be tuned in for Orlando City’s match on Saturday against the New England Revolution, but there’s plenty more MLS action to look forward to as well. Before Orlando’s match, Inter Miami will head to St. Paul to take on a Minnesota United team that leads the league with six clean sheets this season. Another notable match this weekend is a clash between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings when the Philadelphia Union host the Columbus Crew. That game has Daniel Gazdag written all over it. Sunday night’s match should be a doozy between two heavyweight Western Conference teams, as LAFC will hit the road to take on the league-leading Vancouver Whitecaps.
MLS Clubs Listed Among World’s Most Valuable
Sportico announced the valuations for the top 50 most valuable soccer clubs in the world, and a whopping 19 MLS teams made the list. The Lions aren’t included, but it’s still neat to see some clubs like Minnesota, Sporting Kansas City, and Charlotte FC listed. LAFC is the highest listed MLS side, coming in at 16th with a $1.28 billion valuation. Real Madrid tops the list at $6.53 billion, and six of the top 10 are from the English Premier League. While valuations aren’t exactly hard evidence of success or influence, I think this is a testament to the growth and parity of MLS through an international lens.
English Clubs Reach Europa League Final
This year’s Europa League final will feature a pair of EPL teams as Manchester United and Tottenham breezed through the semifinals. United overcame a shaky first half to beat Athletic Club 4-1 at Old Trafford, with Mason Mount scoring two of the team’s four goals in the second half. Tottenham avoided an upset in Norway by winning 2-0 against Bodo/Glimt. The final will take place on May 21 in Spain, and there’s both a trophy and Champions League qualification on the line. Both United and Tottenham struggled this season and are respectively 15th and 16th in the league standings, but winning the Europa League is all that matters now.
Free Kicks
- American midfielder Johnny Cardoso played every minute of Real Betis’ 2-2 result against Fiorentina to advance to the Europa Conference League final, where the Spanish club will face Chelsea on May 28. Enjoy this goal from Antony to help his side prevail.
- In honor of Mother’s Day, AC Milan players will wear their mothers’ last names on the back of their jerseys in today’s match against Bologna. I love this idea and hope more clubs follow suit moving forward.
- An ownership group led by David Beckham and Gary Neville acquired Salford City of England’s League Two.
- Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra’s MMA debut will have to wait, as the 43-year-old’s fight set for May 23 in Paris was postponed.
- We’ll end our links with what looks to be some unexpected Orlando Pride representation in Vatican City!
That’s all I have for you this time around. Have a fantastic Friday and enjoy the holiday weekend!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs New England: Three Keys to Victory
What do the Lions need to do to score some goals and secure a victory against New England?

Orlando City might have the scoring woes in MLS matches as of late, but the Lions broke out against the Tampa Bay Rowdies Wednesday night in the U.S. Open Cup match. Of course, the Rowdies are not a very good team this year and are not a top flight team, so take it all with a grain of salt. What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points at home against the Revolution?
Stop Gil/Campana
New England has scored eight goals this season. Seven of those goals have come from Carles Gil (5) and Leonardo Campana (2). Gil has also contributed one of New England’s four assists on the season. The vast majority of the Revolution’s offense goes through these two players, meaning stopping the duo is priority number one.
I fully expect Oscar Pareja to field his first-team defense, including a back line of Alex Freeman, Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and David Brekalo. Orlando City will also need whoever is playing in the defensive midfield to be the first line of defense. Pedro Gallese cannot be expected to have eight saves every match. The defense needs to step up.
Streak vs. Streak
Orlando City is on an eight-match unbeaten streak. New England is on a four-match winning streak in league play and five in all competitions. One of these streaks will end Saturday night. The Revolution have scored six goals in the last four MLS matches with at least one goal in each match without conceding a goal during the streak. The Lions have only scored three goals in the last five MLS matches with all three coming in one match against Atlanta United. Orlando City has shut out five straight MLS opponents and six consecutive in all competitions.
Orlando City has given away too many points during the unbeaten run. The Lions have missed Eduard Atuesta’s ability to create opportunities for his teammates to score. I’m hoping he will be available, but if not, Pareja will need to figure a better adjustment than he has in previous matches.
No More Nil
Orlando City may be on an eight-match unbeaten streak, but the offense has been absent in four of those matches. In those 0-0 draws, Orlando City took 53 shots with only 12 on target (23% rate). Contrast that with the four matches in which they scored, when Orlando City took 68 shots with 25 on target (37% rate). The Lions will need as many chances as possible given New England has only allowed seven goals so far this season. This is a defensively solid team.
Marco Pasalic did not play in the Open Cup victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies, meaning he will be well rested and ready to start scoring goals again. He seemed to be dialing in during the Chicago match but he was taken off before he could convert. I want him to pick up where he left off, so he and many others can score goals against the Revolution. Hopefully, the goals scored against the Rowdies will kickstart the offense.
That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
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