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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United FC (Round 2): Player Grades and Man of the Match

Published

9 years ago

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With all the people on both sides trying to play down talk of a rivalry, Hector Villalba just tried his best to make it one. After Villalba’s 87th-minute goal which beat Orlando City at home last week, revenge was on the agenda for tonight’s game.

For a lot of the match, it seemed as if Orlando was going to get that revenge, and that would put the rivalry talk to rest at least a bit (or potentially heat it up, one of the two). The two teams would have simply traded three points in a two-leg affair. Yet, when Villalba scored in the 92nd minute, it made every true Lion in the world feel at least a tingle of hatred for Atlanta — as if they needed a reason.

Although the game will be defined by two great goals, there was plenty action in between, so let’s take a look at the grades.

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 6.5 — The stats say five saves, but that doesn’t really tell the story of Bendik’s game. We didn’t really get to see any of the spectacular saves that are normally witnessed anytime he steps on the field, but he did play a part in the Lions’ goal by sending a near perfect long ball to Larin who laid it off for Kaká to strike home. He made a couple routine saves, a couple difficult ones, a mistake that could of tied it up in the 62nd minute — luckily it rolled out for a goal kick after it slipped under him — and just wasn’t able to do anything about the goal.

One of the more difficult saves came in the 74th minute when Greg Garza charged down the left off a quick free kick. Bendik came running out of his goal and blocked the shot confidently with his body. He will likely be criticized for getting beat near post by Villalba but it was a close range shot, so he should get a pass on that one. As for his passing, it wasn’t the best today as he averaged 54% compared to Brad Guzan’s 79% — it also factors in that Guzan had 16 less passes.

D, Donny Toia, 7 (MOTM) — Toia played very well on the defensive left side, getting the better of Julian Gressel, Anton Walkes, and, later on, Brandon Vázquez on almost every occasion they went toe to toe. This was shown by his team-leading eight tackles on the night. He didn’t get forward much in the game, although he had a shot blocked in the offensive box two minutes in, but that seemed to just be part of Kreis’ game plan and no fault of his, as the Lions were very comfortable to let Atlanta possess the ball. In the 12th minute, Toia had his first of many good defensive moments when he ran back after getting beat to block a cross in a dangerous position.

D, Jonathan Spector, 7 — I was going to give Spector MOTM and an 8, until the goal. Spector played great the whole game, but he had to do better on the last-minute goal. After Aja stepped, Spector didn’t realize that was his cue to mark Villalba who ended up putting it in the back of the net. Although he led both teams in clearances, with eight, what really set him apart in terms of his good play were two crucial moments in the game. The first came in the ninth minute when it looked like Villalba had beat him for pace and was in on goal, but then after a bad touch Spector recovered and made a fantastic tackle which would make Paulo Maldini proud. His second moment came in the 74th minute when he fouled Villalba running into space. This foul was crucial because if Villalba was able to play a through ball to the right then Atlanta’s pacey attack would have been off to the races.

D, Jose Aja, 6.5 — Aja didn’t do anything of too much importance, but overall he had a pretty solid game with four tackles and three clearances. In the 86th minute, he committed a foul right in front of the 18-yard box which could have been the equalizer. On the goal, there’s nothing he really could do because he had to step when Yamil Asad burst into that gap between the midfield and defense, but that left the passing lane open for Asad to hit Villalba. The midfield should have been tighter to both Almiron and Asad — two of Atlanta’s most dangerous players — on the play.

D, Scott Sutter, 7 — If for some reason, Toia was ineligible for MOTM, I’d give it to Sutter. He made an impact early in the game, getting forward and hitting the crossbar on a shot just outside the box. He also registered a team-leading five interceptions and four clearances which is not too shabby. He was caught sleeping at one point but it was at the half line and didn’t lead to anything. It seems like almost every player on the field could be blamed for Atlanta’s goal, and Sutter is certainly one of those, but if you look at where Asad picked up the ball you’ll realize that he was too far inside for Sutter to be responsible for picking him up.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 6 — Another day, another yellow card for Cristian Higuita. It seems there’s two things he just can’t do: stay out of trouble and not turn over the ball. Today he was his usual self, racking up turnovers and tackles, the worst coming in the 64th minute, where Atlanta came rushing on the counter. Higuita picked up his yellow card in the 56th minute, after supposedly hitting a player in the face, in a scuffle after a light foul on Cyle Larin. He came off in the 76th for Richie Laryea and I’d say it was actually an improvement for the team. All negatives aside, you can’t neglect his five tackles, four interceptions, and 81% passing accuracy.

MF, Antonio Nocerino, 5.5 — Nocerino didn’t have a particularly good game last week and he didn’t redeem himself in Atlanta. The Italian picked up three fouls and was lucky not to get a yellow for persistent infringement. His passing accuracy was also a low 64%, but it wasn’t all bad. He had a great chance at the 29-minute mark to put Orlando ahead, but his header was just wide. On the late goal, he takes a small amount of the blame for not stepping and pressuring Almirón, who delivered the pass to Asad.

MF, Will Johnson, 6 — Johnson seemed to take a page out of Higuita’s playbook as he didn’t contribute much to the attack but made up for it with his defensive prowess. In the 29th minute, Johnson actually played a part in a good attacking move when he whipped in a beautiful cross which provided Nocerino’s header just wide. Just like the team as a whole, the Canadian will not be remembered for a good defensive performance but rather for his part in Atlanta’s goal. Johnson, like Nocerino, could and should have stepped up to Almirón.

MF, Kaká, 6 — It’s always hard to assess a goal scorer’s performance, but its especially hard when the goal scorer plays poorly for most of the match, which is exactly what Kaká did. Before his 40th-minute wonder goal that rattled the top right corner of Guzan’s net, and was Orlando’s only shot on target in the entire match, Kaká was virtually nonexistent. Every good buildup play came on the right side, and the Brazilian was also pretty ineffective defensively. In the second half, he was a little more involved, but I stress a little. Overall, his performance would have been defined by his great goal, if he didn’t play such a large role in the equalizer. This may sound harsh, but I blame Kaká the most because he didn’t put out any effort to tackle Miguel Almirón, while he was actually the closest to him. Sure he’s the most expensive player in MLS, but he still has to work hard for the team.

F, Dom Dwyer, 5.5 — It was a pretty disappointing debut for the English-American though it wasn’t really his fault. Dwyer made good runs, but the service just wasn’t there with the limited time that Orlando possessed the ball. One weakness that really showed was that the team could really use a number 10 to help out with the chance creation department, but I’m sure Jason Kreis and Niki Budalic already knew that. Dwyer did have two mini chances, but both were blocked by Michael Parkhurst.

F, Cyle Larin, 6.5 — Larin also suffered from the lack of chances but he did show that even when he’s not scoring he can influence the match. In the 40th minute, the Canadian wunderkind received a long ball from Bendik and played a good lay off to Kaká which of course ended in a goal to remember. Larin was off and on in terms of hold-up play but he came through when it counted. In the 49th minute, Larin took the ball down the line and sent a low cross to Dwyer which was cut out.

Substitutes

MF, Giles Barnes (62’), 6 — Barnes did what he had to defensively. In attack, he had a shot and a pass across goal, but both were just a bit off.

F, Carlos Rivas (73’), 6 — Rivas didn’t have to do much as he came in at striker at a time where the Lions were pinned back and defending. He got off two shots which were both blocked and forced a corner in the 89th minute. Also blocked a dangerous free kick with a header late.

MF, Richie Laryea (76’), 6.5 — Laryea impressed again in another short cameo. He showed good control on the ball and registered two tackles and an interception in about 20 minutes. Perhaps if he stayed tighter to the to center mids then Asad couldn’t have received the ball, but you can’t really blame him for that because there were a lot of other things that went wrong.

That’s what I thought. Drop a comment voicing your opinion whether or not you agree or disagree with me and vote for your Orlando City Man of the Match below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Joe Bendik7
Jonathan Spector11
Donny Toia36
Scott Sutter16
Kaká18
Other9

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/12/26

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

Published

16 hours ago

on

May 12, 2026

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

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

Barbra Banda up for Weekly Honors

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

Surgery for Johnny Cardoso

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

Americans in Midweek Action

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

MLS Matchday 12 Lessons

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

Transfer Rumor Roundup

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

Free Kicks

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

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

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Orlando City

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

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

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

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

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

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

Starters

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Substitutes

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

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

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

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

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/11/26

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

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

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

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

Lions Fall to CF Montreal

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

Banda’s Late Goal Lifts Pride Over Courage

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

OCB Beats Atlanta United 2 on the Road

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

Americans Abroad

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

Free Kicks

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

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

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