Orlando City
Orlando City vs. FC Dallas: Player Grades and Man of the Match
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
| Player | Votes |
| Joe Bendik | 12 |
| Jonathan Spector | 5 |
| Seb Hines | 3 |
| Donny Toia | 0 |
| Yoshimar Yotun | 21 |
| Other | 1 |
Lion Links
Lion Links: 1/23/25
Orlando City signs Thomas Williams to new contract, Orlando Pride schedule revealed, USMNT wins against Costa Rica, and more.
I hope you all are staying warm as we deal with cold weather across Florida. It’s at least been nice to break out some of my heavier blankets and forgotten hot cocoa packets I’ve had stored away. My cat has also been curling up next to me more, which is always a plus. Still, not shivering while waiting for my car to warm up would be great. Let’s dive into today’s links!
Thomas Williams Signs New Orlando City Contract
Orlando City center back Thomas Williams signed a new contract with the club that lasts through 2026, with an option for 2027 as well. Williams joined the club’s academy back in 2015 and became the youngest Homegrown Player in club history when he signed a first-team contract at 16 years old in 2021. The 20-year-old hasn’t featured much for the first team, and he’ll likely spend most of this year with Orlando City B for consistent playing time. Hopefully Williams can take a step forward in his development and provide the Lions some helpful depth at center back in the event of injuries.
Orlando Pride 2025 Season Schedule Unveiled
The NWSL announced its 2025 season schedule Wednesday, and the Orlando Pride will start their title defense season at home against the Chicago Red Stars on March 14. Their first road game will be the following weekend on March 23 against NJ/NY Gotham FC. Decision Day returns to the schedule this year, with all 14 clubs in action on Nov. 2. The Pride will close out their regular season at home that day against the Seattle Reign, with the postseason set to begin on Nov. 7. There’s also a break in the schedule in July, with no regular-season games scheduled due to international tournaments like the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and Copa America Femenina.
USMNT Shuts Out Costa Rica in Orlando
The United States Men’s National Team beat Costa Rica 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando Wednesday night to stay perfect at the home of the Lions and Pride at 7-0-0. Goalkeeper Zack Steffen truly earned his clean sheet, coming up with some great saves to deny Costa Rica. It was also a solid attacking performance from the Yanks, and Patrick Agyemang put a bow on what’s been a great month for him with his second goal in as many games. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has some time to assess things before the USMNT plays Panama in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals on March 20
Keeping Up With MLS Transfer News
San Diego FC added another Designated Player ahead of its inaugural season, signing Danish winger Anders Dreyer from Anderlecht for a transfer fee reportedly near $5 million. He recorded 31 goals and 23 assists in 87 appearances across all competitions for Anderlecht and joins San Diego on a three-year deal. Charlotte FC officially added Wilfried Zaha on loan from Galatasaray. He’ll occupy a DP spot and the loan lasts through Jan. 16, 2026, with an option to extend it through June of that year as well.
LAFC made a trade with its rival to strengthen its midfield, acquiring Mark Delgado from the LA Galaxy in exchange for $400,000 in General Allocation Money. The Portland Timbers signed Venezuelan forward Kevin Kelsy from Shakhtar Donetsk as an MLS U22 Initiative player, with FC Cincinnati receiving GAM for his discovery rights. Real Salt Lake, which signed Mason Stajduhar from Orlando City earlier this month, continued to make changes to its goalkeeping group. The club signed veteran goalkeeper Rafael Cabral as a free agent and transferred 19-year-old American Gavin Beavers to Brondby IF in Denmark.
UEFA Champions League Roundup
The penultimate round of the UEFA Champions League’s league phase wrapped up this week. Paris Saint-Germain beat Manchester City 4-2 in the heavyweight matchup of the round, with all six goals coming in the second half. Joao Neves gave PSG the lead in the 78th minute before Goncalo Ramos put the game on ice in stoppage time. City now needs to win its final game against Club Brugge on Wednesday in order to advance.
Real Madrid cruised to a 5-1 win against RB Salzburg to advance, with both Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. scoring braces. Celtic also booked its spot in the next round after a 1-0 win against Young Boys. Feyenoord pulled off an upset by winning 3-0 against Bayern Munich as well. Elsewhere in the tournament, AC Milan won 1-0 at home against Girona, Arsenal beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0, and RB Leipzig did well in a 2-1 victory over Sporting CP.
Free Kicks
- American goalkeeper Michelle Betos announced her retirement from professional soccer after a career that included winning the 2016 NWSL Shield with the Portland Thorns and the 2023 NWSL Championship with Gotham. Betos was also named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year with the Thorns in 2015.
- Arsenal and Chelsea are among the multiple clubs reportedly keeping an eye on American forward Trinity Rodman, whose contract with the Washington Spirit ends after this year.
- Borussia Dortmund fired Nuri Sahin following the club’s 2-1 defeat to Bologna in the Champions League. Dortmund has lost all four of its matches so far in 2025 and is 10th in the Bundesliga standings.
- Some of the notable matches in today’s Europa League action include Manchester United hosting Rangers, Tottenham taking on Hoffenheim, and AS Roma traveling to face AZ Alkmaar.
- Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas has joined Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina. The 38-year-old hasn’t been with a club since departing PSG in May of 2024.
That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a great Thursday and rest of your week!
Orlando City
Orlando City Signs Defender Thomas Williams Through 2026
Orlando City signs Homegrown center back Thomas Williams to a new contract through 2026 with a club option for 2027.
Orlando City announced this morning that the club has signed defender Thomas Williams through the 2026 season with a club option for 2027. The Homegrown Player has been with the first team since 2021 and will continue for at least two more years.
“Thomas is someone whose future we’re still very excited about and we’re happy to get him locked in with us for a couple more years,” Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi said in a club press release. “He’s shown a lot of growth these last few seasons, continuing to get game action with Orlando City B and proving the importance of our development pathway, and we’re looking forward to having him with us for the foreseeable future.”
The Titusville native joined the Orlando City Academy in 2015 and made his professional debut for the club on Aug. 7, 2020 against New England Revolution II. He played in 13 games that year with 10 starts and recorded 844 minutes. His play on the Young Lions’ back line earned him a first-team contract on June 15, 2021, at just 16 years old, making him the youngest player in club history to sign a Homegrown contract.
The 20-year-old center back made his MLS debut on April 16, 2022 in a 2-0 win over the Columbus Crew in Ohio. He made five appearances with three starts in all competitions that season, recording 271 minutes. To date, those are the only appearances he’s made with the first team.
Since joining OCB in 2021, Williams has made 69 appearances with 61 starts and recorded 5,132 minutes. He’s been booked 19 times and sent off twice, both times after receiving second yellow cards.
What It Means for Orlando City
Williams is the fourth natural center back for Orlando City on the current squad behind Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Rodrigo Schlegel. He played well early in his OCB and MLS career, but has struggled recently. Last year, he played exclusively with the second team, partnering with Nabi Kibunguchy.
While Williams hasn’t made much of an impact on the first team so far, he’s only 20 years old and still has plenty of time to develop. Extending his contact shows that the club still has faith that he can turn into a key player for the MLS side.
It’s unlikely that Williams will see any time with the first team in 2025 (barring injuries and/or suspensions), considering that he’s also been behind versatile defender Kyle Smith at the center back position. He’ll likely spend the upcoming season with OCB, continuing to develop and earn his spot with the first team. As a Homegrown Player, there isn’t much risk in signing Williams to a new contract, especially if the club’s technical staff thinks he can develop into a quality defender.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 1/22/25
Orlando City transfer rumors, Orlando Pride preseason begins, USMNT at Inter&Co, and more.
Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Up here in Tallahassee, I’m waking up to snow/sleet, closed schools, closed government offices, and potentially icy roads. Many people will get an extra day off of work, however, I still get to go to work. I’m sure you can imagine how happy I am about that. Enough of my winter grumbling. Let’s get to the links but not until after we wish Orlando City fullback Michael Halliday a happy 22nd birthday.
Orlando City Reportedly Targeting Croatian International
While I can no longer say that Orlando City hasn’t signed any new players, the club is still moving at its traditionally slow speed as compared to other MLS clubs. We had the signing of Nicolas Rodriguez last week. Now, we have Tom Bogert report of yet another winger prospect for the club in Croatian Marco Pasalic from HNK Rijeka, though it is not a done deal. Hopefully the other targets Bogert mentions are of the striker variety.
Pride Preseason Begins
The 2024 NWSL champions are back to defend their title. The Orlando Pride returned to training on Tuesday. The club hasn’t needed to add many pieces, though some of the players already here, like Simone Charley and Grace Chanda, haven’t actually played any minutes for the Pride yet. Most of the chemistry is in place for Seb Hines, but reinforcing those bonds will be the challenge as the Pride look to repeat.
USMNT at Inter&Co Tonight
Hopefully you have tickets to the USMNT friendly match versus Costa Rica at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. The match starts at 7 p.m. and there are television and streaming options if you’re not going in person. Despite the squad having 14 players with three or fewer caps, Mauricio Pochettino does not consider this an “alternative” squad, nor does he want the players to think of themselves like that.
Girma Reportedly Nearing Completion of Chelsea Move
USWNT defender Naomi Girma is reportedly headed to Chelsea FC Women for a record $1.1 million transfer fee. That is a very big chunk of change for San Diego FC to use to try to replace one of the best defenders in the world. The deal is not complete as of Tuesday evening, but according to the original report from The Athletic, it is close to being done. Girma would be the first women’s soccer player to earn a transfer fee of over $1 million.
MLS Transfer Updates
Other MLS clubs keep on putting pen to paper when it comes to new players. The Chicago Fire are bringing in Jonathan Bamba on a Designated Player deal from La Liga side Celta de Vigo. The Luca de la Torre loan from Spain’s RC Celta de Vigo to San Diego FC is also official.
Cucho Hernandez evidently wants to stay with the Columbus Crew, though he is still waiting on a new offer.
Free Kicks
- I know you might think that Orlando City has a lot to do personnel-wise as the preseason begins, but evidently, the Lions didn’t make the Top 5.
- EUFA Champions League is in full swing, with big names Liverpool and Barcelona winning yesterday. There’s also more to come today.
- Former Orlando Pride player Alanna Kennedy signed a one-year contract with Angel City FC.
- Keep your eyes peeled later today for the NWSL schedule drop.
That will do it for today. Stay warm out there, my friends. Vamos Orlando!
A 2025 Orlando Pride Wish List
Lion Links: 1/23/25
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