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Orlando City vs. FC Dallas: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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8 years ago

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Shockingly, when two teams play in the afternoon Florida sun after playing Wednesday night, the game is not played as crisply as you’d like. Both Orlando City and FC Dallas came into a Saturday afternoon match at Orlando City Stadium on short rest and both coaches opted to play basically the same side as the midweek team. The result was sloppy and final balls were hard to come by — impossible, in fact — as the Lions have still never scored a goal against FC Dallas and the only goal Orlando has against any Texas MLS team is a Tyler Deric own-goal in 2015 against Houston. Weird.

Tired legs make for poor soccer, and both teams were guilty of it, but let’s get to the player grades from a less-than-satisfying 0-0 draw:

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 7.5 — He wasn’t called on often but Bendik played well in making five saves and controlling his area throughout the game. It took only four minutes for Joe to make a play, as he got a hand to a Carlos Gruezo shot to knock it over the bar. He made a good save on Tesho Akindele in the 12th minute. Joe was quick off his line to beat Dallas players to entry balls throughout the first half. Made a diving stop in the 30th on a Mauro Diaz free kick. He did spill a Gruezo shot in the 46th but it was nearby and he was able to re-gather. His last big save was probably in the 53rd, when a cross found Diaz at point-blank range and Bendik made himself big to make a sprawling save. His service was even good, connecting on seven of 11 long balls and 81% of his passes.

D, Donny Toia, 7 — It was a good game for Toia, who ran more of the attacking play than usual, playing on Yoshimar Yotun’s side. He led the defense in touches (69) and his 73% passing rate was good considering how many were in the offensive half. He finished with three clearances, one tackle, one interception, and a blocked shot, and committed only one foul. If there was a weakness in his game it was service but everyone’s passing seemed off in this game.

D, Jonathan Spector, 7.5 — With Specs being one of the more rested players on the pitch, he looked a little sharper than many of his teammates. He led the back line with an 85% passing percentage and seven clearances. He also finished with two tackles, two interceptions, and attempted a shot that was deflected in the box. His best moment was knocking the ball away from Maxi Urruti in the 72nd minute on a dangerous cross. Good return for Jonathan.

D, Seb Hines, 7 — Did just enough against Akindele in the 12th minute to keep him from getting in behind. He led the back line and tied for the team lead in shots (3), getting one dangerously on target on a set piece and forcing a good save from Jesse Gonzalez in the 76th minute. He made a vital tackle in the box in the first half to snuff out a chance and defensively he finished with two tackles, an interception, two clearances, and two blocked shots. He could have been called for a handball in the box at 74’ on a Kellyn Acosta shot but the ball was blasted hard and Hines was close to the shooter. The arm was a bit out from the body but not in an unnatural position. It didn’t warrant a review, per VAR Sorin Stoica and later Matt Hedges got away with one from further away and with his arm in a less natural position, so maybe those evened out in the end.

D, Scott Sutter, 6.5 — Of all the players who started three times in seven days, Sutter showed maybe the most wear and tear. His game wasn’t as sharp as we’re used to seeing. He mishit his cross in the 38th minute after Carrasco sent him down the right flank. He made two tackles and three clearances but no interceptions and the more dangerous Dallas crosses seemed to come from his side. He managed only 46 touches and 72% passing accuracy, going 1-for-3 on long-ball accuracy and 1-for-3 on cross accuracy. Worked his way into the box late in the first half and went down with some contact but no foul was awarded.

DM, Servando Carrasco, 6 — After a good match Wednesday, Servando struggled to make a mark in this match. He passed well (94% on 17 attempts) but managed only 19 total touches before being subbed out for Richie Laryea in the 55th minute. He gave up a free kick in a dangerous spot in the 29th minute with a clumsy challenge on Diaz, sweeping the FC Dallas star’s legs. Hit a nice ball over the defense to send Sutter down the right at the 38-minute mark. His lone defensive stat was a single interception. It wasn’t necessarily a bad effort, but Serva just didn’t find much success linking up with his teammates.

LM, Yoshimar Yotun, 8 (MotM) — Like most of the team, Yoshi didn’t seem to have a lot of jump in his legs and it kept him from being dangerous throughout the first half, although he came on strong at the end of the game. He had a shot attempt seven minutes in but it was nowhere near the goal. In the second half he found more freedom and dialed in his passing more. In the 62nd minute he picked out Giles Barnes’ run up the middle and would have sent him in alone on goal had Atiba Harris not been holding the Jamaican’s left arm with both hands (it wasn’t called). Great free kick service in the 77th minute led to a good chance. His 90th-minute corner delivery found Kaká but the captain’s flick on was inches out of Cyle Larin’s reach. Yoshi’s shot in the 93rd went off Gonzalez and hit the post, and three minutes later he crushed one that Gonzalez saved with his face. He finished with three shots (two on target) and a game-high four key passes, drew three fouls, passed at an 84% clip, three tackles, one clearance, and had a game-high 94 touches.

RM, Antonio Nocerino, 6 — The Italian’s game was similar to Carrasco’s in that link-up play was lacking and passing wasn’t always sharp (79%). His 32 touches were more than Serva’s but he also was on the pitch 12 more minutes. Like Carrasco, Noce finished with one interception and had no shot attempts. His work rate was fine but he didn’t accomplish a lot.

AM, Giles Barnes, 5 — The Jamaican had a tough game, especially in the first half, losing the ball repeatedly in traffic and impatiently firing straight at Jesse Gonzalez from distance in the 36th minute as the Lions broke on a 4-on-4, rather than holding up play for his teammates to make runs into the area. His shot in the 77th minute was nowhere near the target. His passing was 76% on only 21 attempts and he had only 35 touches, but just lacked some of the quality he’s shown over the past few matches.

F, Kaká, 5 — Like others, the captain was a bit sloppy. Had a chance to serve up a cross for Dom in the 41st minute but left his pass too close to Gonzalez. His cross in the 71st was over the near-post runner and nowhere near the back-post run. Neither of his two shots were on target, though he did have a nice flicked header on a corner that Larin couldn’t quite reach. His passing accuracy was just 75% on just 35 touches and defensively he made one interception.

F, Dom Dwyer, 6 — While he was active and his work rate was high, as usual, Dom didn’t make too much of a mark on the game and many of his passes to try to send in teammates didn’t quite come off as the defender would often get just the slightest touch to send it off target. He finished with one shot (off target) and one key pass, no defensive stats, and just 60% passing on 20 touches. He wasn’t getting great service regardless of how much pressure he put on the back four for Dallas.

Substitutes

MF, Richie Laryea (55’), 6.5 — The Canadian came on for Carrasco to provide fresh legs in the midfield, taking the right side of the diamond and sending Nocerino back to defensive mid. He was active, getting 25 touches in his appearance, with a shot and a key pass, but had trouble linking up with teammates, passing at a 71% clip. He finished with a tackle, a clearance, and an interception, slotting into the middle of the midfield in a 4-3-3 after Carlos Rivas came on late.

F, Cyle Larin (67’), 4.5 — I was surprised Cyle started on the bench after he did the same in the midweek, considering the short rest. He made little mark on the game with nine touches, although he completed all four of his passes. He was just offside on a promising build-up where he could have played Kaká in on goal. He didn’t register a shot or a key pass and no defensive stats, drawing one free kick. Larin theoretically could have made more of his fresher legs but it just never happened.

F, Carlos Rivas (84’), 5.5 — If the Lions ever needed Rivas’ speed, it was today, but the Colombian didn’t get much of a chance to use it. He made one key pass and sent in the great cross to Larin on the offside play, but he was also dispossessed three times in a short outing and couldn’t do much with the ball in his 12 touches.

That’s how I saw the individual performances. How did you see it? Leave your thoughts below and vote for your Man of the Match in our poll.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Joe Bendik12
Jonathan Spector5
Seb Hines3
Donny Toia0
Yoshimar Yotun21
Other1

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Orlando City

Orlando City Showing Signs of Adjusting to Eduard Atuesta’s Absence

The Lions have looked much better on offense the last two games, and there’s a couple of reasons why.

Published

2 days ago

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May 16, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Much has been made of Orlando City’s difficulties in creating chances and scoring goals when Eduard Atuesta has been unavailable due to injury. It’s not hard to understand why either. The Colombian was unavailable for three of Orlando’s four scoreless draws this year, and he only played nine minutes as a substitute in the stalemate against the New York Red Bulls on April 12.

When he was healthy and got the start against Atlanta United two games later, the Lions won 3-0 and he created the most chances of anyone in the game with three. Orlando then promptly reverted to being offensively stunted in the following game against the Chicago Fire, and was only able to manage its fourth scoreless draw of the year, despite playing over a half the game with a man advantage.

There certainly seemed to be plenty of evidence pointing towards Atuesta being the missing cog in Orlando City’s offense. While he only has two assists in eight games, he does a ton of work in linking the defense to the attack and is great at finding attacking players in dangerous areas, as evidenced by his 17 key passes. In the 0-0 draws with the Philadelphia Union, CF Montreal, and the Fire, Orlando just didn’t look right without him, although the Red Bulls game was a much better performance that was ultimately derailed by Rodrigo Schlegel’s sending off.

While he hasn’t played in either of Orlando’s last two league matches, a 3-3 draw against the New England Revolution, and a 3-1 win against Charlotte FC, the offense clearly hasn’t had any problem creating chances. If anything, the Lions should have scored more goals if not for a couple instances of less-than-crisp finishing in each match.

So, why the sudden change?

Well for one thing, the Designated Players are firing on all cylinders again. Martin Ojeda scored a hat trick against New England, and he and Luis Muriel scored Orlando’s first two goals against Charlotte. Ojeda didn’t start either of the two games against Atlanta and Chicago because he was dealing with a minor injury, but now that it’s in the rearview mirror, he’s been a man possessed. Muriel probably should have had at least one goal of his own against the Revs but seemed oddly reluctant to shoot, although he still completed three dribbles and delivered three key passes. The Charlotte game was then his turn to come out of the gate swinging, as he narrowly had a goal ruled out for offside just two minutes in, before hammering a venomous shot from distance just six minutes later that gave Kristijan Kahlina all sorts of trouble and opened the scoring.

It isn’t just getting contributions from the big guns though, because we need to acknowledge the play of rookie Joran Gerbet in these last two games. He’s the man who’s been asked to fill in for Atuesta next to Cesar Araujo, and he’s getting more and more comfortable in that role. Against the Revs he had an interception, a key pass and an assist, and completed a long ball and a through ball while recording a passing accuracy of 86.5%. Against Charlotte, he recorded an interception, three clearances, a completed dribble, and two successful long balls, and he had an outstanding passing accuracy of 98%. They weren’t all simply backwards or sideways passes either. There were plenty of times when he progressed the ball upfield to an attacking player and helped keep the Lions moving forward, and that’s exactly what you want out of the guy playing that position.

He still has a way to go before reaching Atuesta’s level, but that’s to be expected for a guy that’s playing the first professional season of his career. What’s most important is that he’s getting more comfortable, contributing, and proving that he can be a legitimate option to rotate into the starting XI when Atuesta is unavailable or when fixture congestion dictates changes to the lineup.

It’s worth mentioning the caveat that the last two games haven’t been against the strongest opposition the league has to offer. The Revs were on a four-game winning streak before playing Orlando, but three of those four wins were against weak or shaky teams in Atlanta, Toronto FC, and Charlotte, while the fourth team (NYCFC) has been difficult to get a read on. I’m not saying the Revs are a paper tiger, but it’s tough to know how good they really are despite a good run of recent form. Then you have Charlotte, which was above the playoff line but also on a three-game losing streak coming into the match that has now been convincingly extended to four.

At the end of the day, you can only beat who’s in front of you, but I’d encourage us all to not get too carried away until we see the same results against sterner opposition. For better or worse, that’s exactly what we’ll get in the Lions’ next three matches, which will be against a capable, albeit flawed, Inter Miami side on the road, at home in the U.S. Open Cup against a Nashville SC team that’s fourth in the East, and at home against the Portland Timbers, who are currently fourth in the West.

Ultimately, we can only judge this team on what we’ve seen from it, and over the last two games we’ve seen a side that’s had no trouble creating chances. Despite the continued absence of the important Atuesta, the Lions are adjusting thanks to contributions from their heavy hitters and the improving play of the rookie Gerbet. Only time will tell if those improvements are sustainable, but for now its a hell of a lot of fun to enjoy.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/16/25

Orlando City players make MLS Team of the Matchday, Luis Muriel focused, Orlando Pride plays tonight, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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May 16, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Happy Friday! I’ve had a pretty good week so far and am looking forward to three straight days of Orlando soccer. The Orlando Pride will get us started tonight and then we have Orlando City B on Saturday before Orlando City plays on Sunday. It should be a fun next few days, and hopefully one filled with celebrations too. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Lions Make MLS Team of the Matchday

There’s plenty of purple in the latest MLS Team of the Matchday following Orlando City’s 3-1 win over Charlotte FC. Martin Ojeda and David Brekalo were both selected, while Oscar Pareja was chosen as the top coach from the midweek slate. Ojeda’s strike in the first half is also up for Goal of the Matchday as his strong run of form continues. The only outfield player on this Team of the Matchday that didn’t score is Brekalo, who had two assists, so it’s nice to see him receive deserved recognition for an excellent performance that included a great setup on Orlando’s third goal. Pareja has the Lions on an 11-game unbeaten streak across all competitions and is managing things well so far during this busy May.

Luis Muriel Staying Focused in Sophomore Season

With five goals so far this season, Orlando City forward Luis Muriel has already mirrored his scoring total from all of last season. Staying mentally prepared has been key for the 34-year-old in his second year with Orlando, and he spoke about what’s changed for him after not quite reaching expectations in his first year.

“Coming to a league like this isn’t easy. A lot of times from the outside, you aren’t able to measure up or really see what the league is. Sometimes you can underestimate things, thinking it’s easy,” Muriel said. “That leads you to take things on in a different way, the work, the matches.

“When you go into ‘MLS Mode’ you realize how good the league is, how competitive it is, how demanding the league is to be able to do things well. That’s when things start to flow, to go well. I think that’s the difference between this year and last.”

He’s finding his footing in the league now and was a force to be reckoned with against Charlotte on Wednesday. Muriel is aware that the Lions will need him to be at his best when they travel to take on Inter Miami on Sunday for an important rivalry clash.

Diving Into Justin Ellis’s Ascent

Victor Olorunfemi of Top Drawer Soccer gave a great profile on Orlando City B forward Justin Ellis and his growth with the club. Ellis, who just celebrated his 18th birthday on Wednesday with his MLS debut, is having a great year after a solid season with OCB last year. The high school senior was the top scorer at this year’s Generation Adidas Cup with six goals to help Orlando’s U-18 team win the tournament. He can create chances just as well as he can convert them and is quick to give credit to the coaches and staff that have helped him develop. The U.S. youth pool is deep, but Ellis could be a name to keep an eye out for ahead of the U-20 World Cup in September.

Orlando Pride Match Headlines NWSL Weekend

The Orlando Pride’s match tonight against the Kansas City Current is the premier matchup this week in the NWSL. While I wouldn’t call it a rivalry just yet, these two teams had great games last year. The Current are still out for revenge after Orlando beat them while shorthanded last summer and won again in the NWSL playoffs in Orlando before winning the NWSL Championship in Kansas City. First place in the league is on the line and it should be a thrilling match featuring the league’s top two defenses and attacking threats like Barbra Banda, Temwa Chawinga, Marta, and Debinha.

NWSL Contenders and Underperformers

We’re about a third of the way into the NWSL season and ESPN‘s Jeff Kassouf dove into how each team is meeting its expectations so far. Despite their stumbles in recent weeks, the Pride are near the top of the table and have plenty of time to get things firing on all cylinders. Two of the California teams are enjoying surprising success so far, with the San Diego Wave up in fourth while Angel City FC is in fifth and could become a real contender once Alexander Straus takes over as head coach. NJ/NY Gotham FC and the North Carolina Courage are sleeping giants of sorts, so it will be interesting to see when they start climbing up the table.

Free Kicks

  • You’ll need a paid subscription for the full details, but Orlando City right back Alex Freeman continues to impress this season. Freeman is finding success in a way different from his father Antonio Freeman, who led the NFL in receiving yards for the Green Bay Packers in 1998.
  • This year’s MLS pre-match jerseys to celebrate Pride month are out and they’re a vibrant and funky design.

Love lifts us up 💜The new 2025 Pride Pre-Match Jerseys are here!🛒 orlsoccer.co/fbpri

— Orlando City SC (@orlandocitysc.com) 2025-05-15T18:56:08.764Z
  • Esther Gonzalez leads the NWSL with seven goals this season and has agreed to a contract extension with Gotham FC that will last through 2027.
  • FIFA representatives, including FA Chair Debbie Hewitt and UEFA President Alexander Ceferin, walked out of FIFA’s annual congress in protest of FIFA President Gianni Infantino arriving three hours late. Infantino has spent this week in the Middle East visiting leaders in Saudi Arabia and Qatar with Donald Trump.
  • FC Barcelona officially won this year’s La Liga title after a 2-0 win over Espanyol. Phenom Lamine Yamal scored a sensational goal in the match, which is fitting considering how crucial he was to Barcelona winning the league this year.
  • Predictable names like Luis Enrique and Antonio Conte are on the list of top European coaches this year, but this article also shines a light on coaches who navigated tough waters in small boats. Alexander Blessin has St. Pauli on the verge of survival in the Bundesliga and Filippo Inzaghi improved Pisa by 30 points in Serie B to secure promotion.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to secure a victory in Sunday’s edition of Tropic Thunder?

Published

3 days ago

on

May 15, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City / Mark Thor

The first Tropic Thunder match of the season is here. As I recently said on The Mane Land PawedCast, I am both looking forward to and dreading this match. I think that is an appropriate feeling. Orlando City is in the midst of a congested May schedule, but every match matters.

Inter Miami tops my list of hated teams at this point. As such, I very much want the Lions to win and for Florida to be purple. What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points on the road against their in-state rivals?

Pocket Messi

Orlando City must keep Lionel Messi from having too big of an impact on the match. There are plenty of other players that the defense will need to worry about, and I’ll get to them. What I’m looking for is a frustrated Messi — Messi that feels he should be getting calls on the lightest of touches but is not.

The pair of players that I’m expecting to keep an eye on Messi are Cesar Araujo and Rodrigo Schlegel. The lion’s share of that burden will fall to Araujo. I want him to be hounding Messi every time he gets the ball. If Messi is able to get past Araujo, I want Schlegel to be right in his face. We’re all sick of MLS and Apple TV putting his smug mug in our faces at every opportunity. It’s time for two of Orlando’s defenders to take the shine off of Messi.

Deal with the Rest

Assuming Araujo can limit Messi, Orlando City still has to deal with Miami’s talented attacking players not named Messi. Miami and Orlando entered Wednesday night’s game with the same number of goals scored (21) and allowed (15) this season, although the Herons conceded more at San Jose (3) than the Lions (1) did at home against Charlotte. Each scored three times on Wednesday. However, the memory of the last time the Lions faced Miami at Chase Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale is a 5-0 loss. That isn’t something we want to see again.

Theoretically, no match is more important than another, although an argument could be made that Tropic Thunder is no mere match. I fully expect a starting back line of Alex Freeman, Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and David Brekalo in front of Pedro Gallese to stop Miami’s attack. A clean sheet is the objective.

Alex vs. Alba

As you can tell, this is a very defensive heavy Three Keys, but given what happened in this fixture last year, I don’t think it’s out of line. Alex Freeman has been good this season. He has secured the starting spot at right back and seems unlikely to give it back. One of the things he is good at is getting into the attack with Marco Pasalic. That isn’t what I’m looking for from him this weekend.

Miami’s Jordi Alba is a dangerous player that Freeman will be expected to help contain. Alba has five assists, seven successful crosses, and 13 key passes so far this season. If Freeman is still getting up the pitch to assist in the attack, he will need to make sure he isn’t allowing Alba free rein to get behind him and serve as a provider in Orlando’s half of the field.

That is what I will be looking for Sunday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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