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

Can you believe that? Returning home tonight became a purple smoke party as Orlando City notched a number of firsts — most goals in a match in MLS play, first goals for players, first assists for players, and a massive statement made as the Lions beat the New England Revolution, 6-1, in a match that saw less than 22 players finish the match. Luck was our side though, as it was the Revs that had to play a man down. There’s so much to cover from that match, so let’s just jump right in and see how the players scored.

Starting XI:

G, Joe Bendik, 6.5 — Solid match for Joe, even though he really didn’t have to do much in the second half. Lee Nguyen’s free kick got by him in the 46th minute, but some good clears prior. The back line did its job well, which meant Joe had a fairly quiet night.

D, Donny Toia, 6 — Mixed reviews for Toia this evening. He did a great job standing Teal Bunbury up at 8’. Captured a rebound of a corner and ripped it towards goal and gets another corner. Main complaint is that he was caught a number of times out of position, and his passes and touches forward looked heavy. A good night, regardless.

D, Leo Pereira, 7 — Had to hustle to cover for Toia on numerous occasions. Leo communicated really well with Seb. He picked up a yellow on a challenge on Kei Kamara that was a questionable card at 34’. Sent a great ball over the top that just missed Barnes on a run between the center backs in the 49th minute. A very solid outing for Leo.

D, Seb Hines, 8.5 — Warning. Seb Hines was an absolute candidate for MOTM. Seb played what I believe was his best match yet for the first team. Great reads, great reactions, and excellent communication with teammates. Xavier Kouassi’s slide tackle of Seb was VAR’d in the 11th, leading to a red card. Had a good look at a ball from a corner in the 27th, and then buried the ball in the back of the net with his head in the 32nd. Did very well against Kamara and stood him up or tackled balls away from him numerous times late in the match, especially in the 53rd on what would have been a one-on-one with Joe if he had not. Fantastic match for Seb.

D, Scott Sutter, 7 — Solid first half with good runs. Missed a touch in the 46th on a big switch from Yoshi that caught the Revolution off guard. Had a great opportunity to put a clean shot on frame in the 58th, but sent it high into the stands. He pulled up in the 84th minute with something that originally scared us all, as he was grabbing his hamstring, and started a wild string of events from one end of the pitch to the other, leading to Dom’s first goal at home. Jason Kreis said it was only cramping, nothing wrong with the hamstring. Good night for Scott, a.k.a. Mr. Consistent.

M, Yoshimar Yotun (MOTM), 9 — Yoshi is by far my Man of the Match. His spot kicks were dangerous all night long. He had a few errant passes, but hustled to win balls back every opportunity he could. Dragged a Revolution defender on his back, a CB, still dribbling the ball in the 29th. He played box to box, and did well working with the entire midfield to possess, distribute, find lanes, take on defenders, and eventually in the 90th, get his first goal as a Lion. There was no stopping Yoshi tonight, so let the memes fly. And lets not forget about his two assists.

M, Servando Carrasco, 7 — The quiet man on the pitch tonight. I do not mean quiet as in he did not do much, I mean quiet in the sense that he held shape and just did his job tonight. He had almost as many touches tonight as Yoshi, with a better passing accuracy. Couldn’t tell, could you? I certainly could.

M, Antonio Nocerino, 8.5 — Noce was on fire tonight, and seems to adapting very well to this slightly new role of a two-way player. His give and go with Kaká to get Kaká the shot in the 17th was brilliant. And the moment we have all been waiting for happened in the 22nd, when he recorded his first goal. His fire was all over the pitch this evening, and he ended the night with the highest passing accuracy on the team (93.5%).

M, Giles Barnes, 7.5 — Giles worked really in the number 10 spot this evening. He helped keep the Lions’ attack moving all night. He had two good looks, putting one on frame, and missed what should have been another goal in the 51nd.

F, Kaká, 8.9 — In his first start in three matches, Kaká came back with a vengeance, paired up top with Dom. Had a great little pass to Noce in the sixth minute and a great look on goal in the 17th. Only ding to his match was picking up a yellow for simulation in the 28th that I will need to watch again. Brutal shot (in a good way) in the 43rd to score his first, and picked up his brace in the 77th off a rebound from Dom. Was a menace to the Revs all night long.

F, Dom Dwyer, 7.5 — He assists when he wants, oh, and he scores when he wants. Dom was Dom again tonight, and finally got his first goal at home. He also created some absolute magic for some camera folks with that flying volley attempt only to miss, have the ball bounce around and fall to Kaká, who put it in the back of the net. Dom got his goal in the 84th on that odd run of play while Sutter was dealing with a cramp.

Substitutes:

D, Tommy Redding (54’), 7 — Came in fairly early for Leo, and did well with Seb for the rest of the night. Was a little shaky at first, but warmed up to the task very quickly and was solid for the match. Part of the defense that kept Kamara from getting any shots off in the second half.

M, Richie Laryea (71’), 7 — Great hustle from Laryea for the short time he was on the pitch. He came into the left side of the diamond while Yoshi shifted up to the top. Had numerous, and some very dangerous, give-and-goes with his midfield partners and notched his first career MLS assist tonight on Yoshi’s goal in the 90th.

F, Cyle Larin (79’), 7 — In the short time he was on the pitch, Cyle kept the pressure on New England. Let’s not forget he also logged an assist on Dom’s goal in the 84th.

That’s all I’ve got, as I am exhausted from watching that. Who was your Orlando City Man of the Match? Vote below, and let me know why in the comments.

Polling Closed