Orlando City vs D.C. United: Player Grades and Man of the Match

The heart attack cats lived up to their nickname tonight, going all the way to the 101st minute to take three points — three road points — from the match versus D.C. United. It was a starting lineup for Orlando City that caught a few of us off guard, so let’s see how they did individually tonight.

Starting XI

GK, Joe Bendik, 6.5 — Joe was solid tonight. Good stop on Patrick Mullins in the 10th minute, and another clutch stop in the 46th. Can’t really fault Joe on the Kofi Opare goal from point-blank range in the 89th. All in all, a very solid night for Joe, who finished with four saves on five shots on goal.

D, Donny Toia, 6 — Toia was all over the left, and did a decent job considering that side of the field was under attack heavily for the entirety of the second half. He had some key clearances, but unfortunately, he had a multitude of passes that led to turnovers.

D, Seb Hines, 7 — That’s right, Seb had a great night. He had seven key clearances, two key tackles, and five duels won. He did a good job working with Tommy Redding and rarely was out of position. Honestly, for me, he just missed out on MotM. The red card will be discussed after grades, below.

D, Tommy Redding, 6 — A somewhat quiet night from Tommy, although he had a few track backs that led to key tackles, recoveries, and clearances. He did his job, and even worked hard to build from the back a few times, which almost appeared to catch the midfield off guard. Solid night.

D, Scott Sutter, 6 — Mr. Consistency was again, you guessed it, consistent tonight. Nothing stellar, but nothing lacking. As he does every week, he just does his job. The only critique I have is that his passing when he got to final third seemed a little off tonight, but still a consistent night for Scott, whose cross pinged around and led to the Giles Barnes goal.

M, Yoshimar Yotun, 8 (MOTM) — Yoshi was on fire tonight. He was dangerous in the first minute, then again in the second, and then had some epic hustle in the fifth defensively. And do we need to discuss the shot in the 34th from long range, or the pressure on Bill Hamid in the 37th? Yoshi was the fuse for so much on both sides if the ball for Orlando tonight. He is tonight’s Man of the Match.

M, Cristian Higuita, 5.5 — Rough night for Higuita, and I am not just talking about the 24th minute elbow to the face. Although he had some solid defensive plays, he had a few errant passes that led to some very dangerous giveaways that set up D.C. United shots. He picked up a knock very early in the second half, so let’s hope that it is nothing serious.

M, Antonio Nocerino, 6.5 — Wearing the Captain’s armband for the match, Noce had a good night on the right side if the diamond midfield. Should have had a goal in the 27th, but sent the shot high. An overall solid night for Noce.

M, Giles Barnes, 7 — Giles, playing at the top of the diamond, was a force to be reckoned with. He was all over the pitch tonight, with key passes in the offensive third, and key clearances in the defensive third. And let’s not forget the second goal for the Lions in the 29th minute. Had to take a hard look at Giles performance tonight when considering MotM, but he wasn’t able to defend Opare on the D.C. goal.

F, Dom Dwyer, 6.5 — He assists when he wants! Dom finally opened his account with OCSC — his assist account — although he is still looking for that elusive goal. The cross to Larin in the 19th was beautiful. It was obvious the D.C. United center backs were worried about him, as they all but bear hugged him every time he was in the box. It’s coming, Dom, it’s coming (it nearly did tonight), and we will sing it loud and proud when it does.

F, Cyle Larin, 6.5 — Cyle had a productive night. He got himself into perfect position for the cross from Dwyer for the first goal of the match. He somewhat disappeared for a bit after the match, but came back to life towards the end and had a number of key interceptions and clearances in the defensive third and helped waste time in the corner.

Substitutes

M, Servando Carrasco (48’), 3 — Carrasco came on for the injured Higuita and the timing of the team seemed to shift. He had a couple good recoveries, and a couple nice clearances, but then two very poor decisions led to Carrasco taking the long walk to the locker room after only 31 minutes on the pitch. The first yellow was given for time wasting in the 76th, and then a late tackle in the 79th left the lions a man down.

M, Kaká (77’), 5 — The captain came on for Yoshi, and two minutes later had to completely shift roles on the field after the Carrasco red card. Considering the dynamics of the match had changed, Kaká had a couple key interceptions and clearances. He also made a nice run against five defenders and nearly played Larin in for a golden scoring chance. Also, Kaká will not be available for our next match due to yellow card accumulation.

M, Dillon Powers (82’), N/A — Came on for Dom, to get another body in the midfield and defensive third. Wasn’t on the pitch long enough to honestly grade, and hope to see him get some more minutes soon — likely next week due to suspensions.

Extra Thoughts

Seb Hines’ red card was completely unwarranted. I certainly hope that the MLS Disciplinary Committee takes a thorough look at this match, especially the Hines incident. I cannot wrap my head around an on-pitch incident where the two players involved are both carded, but given different cards. Also, cards this match mean that Seb Hines, Servando Carrasco, and Kaká are not available next week, and we will wait to see the extent of Higuita’s injury. Although, we may be getting Jonathan Spector back, so there’s that.

That is how I see it. I would love to hear how you saw it. Let me know by voting below for your Man of the Match, and feel free to leave comments about anything else.

Polling Closed