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Orlando City

Orlando City v. Minnesota United: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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7 years ago

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That match definitely had its ups and downs. Congrats to Adrian Heath on picking up the victory in his first game back in his old stomping grounds. Also, prayers up to former Lion Kevin Molino who was injured in the second half and had an ice pack around his left knee, and to Stéfano Pinho of Orlando City, who went down earlier in the game. Both players were on crutches afterward.

Orlando scored its lone goal on a penalty kick from Yoshi Yotún. The defense was susceptible in transition, which led to the two goals from Minnesota’s Ethan Finlay. The Lions suffered their first loss of the season, and here is how I graded the starters and subs. Yours may vary, especially in a loss.

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 5.5 — Bendik, to be fair, saved Orlando from getting the brakes beat off of them, but regardless he still had a questionable night. Bendik’s goal given up in the 12th may have been to the lack of knowing Finlay was onside, but it also would’ve taken a very tough save to keep it out. Bendik could’ve done more as he was basically planted where he was on the 79th-minute goal, but again not much he could’ve done. A below average night for Bendik, who at the end of the game seemed to be the only player with any urgency.

D, Scott Sutter, 5.5 — Sutter sent in five crosses on the offensive side, but it seemed like he forgot he was a defensive player. His most notable debacle was being outrun and allowing the header that led to the Finlay goal in the 79th but he overall just had an off night on the pitch. He recorded two tackles and one interception while also only having one accurate long ball. Below average night for Sutter after a great game last Saturday.

D, Jonathan Spector, 7 — Spector was one of the better players on the pitch. He had five clearances out of the box, numerous blocked shots, and two interceptions. He completed three accurate long balls along with 86% passing, and he once again contributed to the offensive attack. He had a blocked shot on net in the 55th. Spector was one of the better players on the pitch, and I look for him to talk to his team and rebound with an even better game next week.

D, Amro Tarek, 6.5 — Tarek left Finlay onside on the first goal, but overall played a solid match. He had four clearances and numerous challenges that stopped Minnesota United attacks. He had a shaky second half, allowing Mason Toye to easily get past him in stoppage time in the second half, but he had an otherwise average performance. His clutch clearance in the 72nd minute led me to put him over a six point grade. He nearly opened his account with the tying goal but saw his effort cleared off the line by Ibson in stoppage time.

D, Mohamed El-Munir, 6 — El-Munir was everywhere on the pitch. He obtained a team leading seven interceptions and five tackles, while also sending in a team-high seven crosses. He had the second lowest passing accuracy on the team, posting a 76.9%, which is below par. El-Munir also got beat on the 79th-minute goal by Finlay, which ended up being the winner. He played solid defensively, but his poor passing and decision-making caused him to have a poor night.

M, Cam Lindley, 6.5 — Lindley played solid throughout the contest, and his passing was superb, creating numerous chances for Orlando City. Lindley posed an 81% passing rate, creating seven successful long ball passes, three of which kept Orlando attacks going. Lindley also had a tackle, an interception and a clearance, so I believe he played well on both sides of the ball by creating chances and stopping them from Minnesota with his accurate decision making. Good night for Lindley.

M, Will Johnson, 6.5 — Johnson’s crossing was amazing, creating chances for Spector and others. He only had 52 touches, but he did well when he did touch the ball. He was a physical force around the pitch, but it didn’t show in the stat line as he didn’t record any tackles. Johnson was a solid midfield player choice for Jason Kreis, and I believe he will be a reliable choice in the future as well.

M, Yoshimar Yotún, 8 — Yoshi had a great outing, scoring Orlando’s only goal on the penalty kick in the 42nd minute. He was roughed up a lot, being fouled five times. He contributed two interceptions on the defensive side. Yotún was the most physical player on the pitch, even ahead of Johnson, and he constantly made his presence felt on the Minnesota United midfield and strikers. Yotún once again proved his worth to the midfield, and he will continue to be a thorn in opposing sides for matches to come. Great night for Yotún.

M, Richie Laryea, 8.5 (MOTM) — I feel like this will spur some controversy, but this was the easiest decision I made on anything about this match. Laryea was the best player on the pitch for both sides, and him getting subbed off in the 66th for Tony Rocha upset me on a major level. Laryea had as many passes as Bendik — 21 — but he was 90% accurate on those passes. He earned the penalty kick that led to Orlando City’s only goal, and earned four fouls. He had a beautiful pass to Justin Meram in the 52nd minute that almost resulted in a goal, and he picked up a yellow card for time wasting. Laryea played with the most heart, passion, and resilience of any player on either side, and I believe if he would’ve stayed on the pitch, the outcome may have been different. Great match for Laryea.

F, Stéfano Pinho, 6 — Pinho suffered a weird injury in the 23rd minute after heading a shot wide after taking a shove from Francisco Calvo in the box. He had to be taken off the field on a stretcher and was replaced by Chris Mueller. Pinho didn’t do much that impressed, nor did he do anything drastically wrong. Let’s hope the injury isn’t as serious as it looked, but an average 23 minutes of play for Stéfano Pinho.

F, Justin Meram, 6 — Meram was just not on it, only getting one shot on target on his seven attempts (though one was deflected wide for a corner kick). He had a near miss in the 52nd minute on a great pass from Laryea, but his other chances just weren’t the usual that we see from him. He lost the ball seven times, which did cause some Orlando City attacks to halt quickly. Meram had an off night, but even the best players have an off night every once in a while.

Substitutes

F, Chris Mueller (28’), 5.5 — Mueller passed horribly on his 11 passes, so I won’t hound him too much on it. He was very physical and involved as he jawed with a few Minnesota players throughout the game, and came to teammate El-Munir’s defense when the fullback took a slide tackle that forced a corner. I personally believe Mueller was thrown off after having to come onto the pitch so early due to the Pinho injury, and he never really found a groove. Rough outing in the loss for Mueller.

M, Tony Rocha (66’), 6 — Rocha completed 100% of his passes, albeit only on nine of them. Rocha came on for Laryea and didn’t make nearly the same impact, but he didn’t make any major mistakes either. This was Rocha’s first appearance on the pitch this season, and he played average in his role and only had one shot that was way off target.

D, RJ Allen (83’), N/A — Allen came on for the struggling Sutter late, once again in the final 10 minutes. Allen only had six touches on the ball throughout his time on the pitch, and he did have a good ball placed in the 93rd minute that led to nothing. Allen once again didn’t have much time to do anything, but he once again made no major mistakes and arguably played better than Sutter. Due to coming on so late it would be a bit unfair to give him a grade.

Vote for your Man of the Match below! Also, we love to hear your comments on the team and individuals. Let’s hope the Lions bounce back vs. New York City FC.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Richie Laryea18
Yoshimar Yotún85
Jonathan Spector46
Will Johnson 0
Other (comment below!)14

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Orlando City

Striker Suddenly a Position of Need for Orlando City

Departures and a key injury mean Orlando City needs a striker heading into the 2025 MLS season.

Published

6 hours ago

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January 20, 2025

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Image Courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City reached the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in 2024, a milestone for the club. The core of the team was locked up through the 2025 season, so there was no reason to believe it needed to add much this off-season. Unfortunately, injuries and departures have created a serious problem for the team.

The group of forwards last year consisted of Duncan McGuire, Ramiro Enrique, and Jack Lynn. McGuire scored 15 goals in 2023 and was expected to depart for Blackburn Rovers before a clerical error allowed the Lions to keep their target man. The team’s primary striker scored 11 goals in 37 games — the same number as the previous season — but split time starting with Enrique. The Argentinian improved greatly in 2024, increasing his total goal tally from four to 12. Even Lynn showed tremendous improvement last year, playing a greater role in the team and scoring his first two MLS goals.

The future also seemed bright for the Orlando City forwards because of their ages. Lynn is the oldest of the trio at just 25 years old. Meanwhile, McGuire and Enrique are only 23, so there was no reason to believe this group couldn’t produce this coming season.

The problem at striker began in the postseason when McGuire was pulled down by Charlotte FC midfielder Djibril Diani in the final first round game of the playoffs. McGuire suffered a shoulder injury during the challenge that required surgery on Dec. 13. It’s expected that the striker could take four to five months to return to action, possibly leaving him out until May or June.

Another blow to Orlando’s attack occurred Saturday when Lynn surprisingly announced his retirement from professional soccer. In just over a month, Orlando City went from having three strikers to having just one as preseason training starts.

With McGuire injured and Lynn gone, one option would be to have Designated Player Luis Muriel play up top. However, the Colombian prefers to play a more withdrawn position and proved to be effective in that role last year. Since Head Coach Oscar Pareja prefers to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, the Lions need someone up top to control the ball and involve the midfielders in the attack. That’s not Muriel’s game.

The result of these issues is that nobody is currently behind Enrique when the season begins. If the Argentinian gets tired, hurt, or simply needs rest, Pareja is limited in his options. 

Whether there was a lack of strikers or a lack of goals from the position previously, that problem was resolved by the club’s all-time leading goal scorer. Facundo Torres scored 20 goals in 2024, becoming the first player in Orlando City’s MLS history and the second player in club history to do so. He went on to set a new club record for total goals of 47.

However, Orlando City sold its best player to Brazilian side Palmeiras on Dec. 20. It was a gut punch to fans as Torres had signed a new contract on Jan. 10, 2024 that ran through the 2026 season. There had been talk for the last couple of years that the attacker would look for a move to Europe and rumors of a move to South America arose this off-season. Still, it created a huge gap the club has to fill.

There are players on the roster that can make up for the injury and departures. Martin Ojeda had a strong season in 2024, finishing with seven goals and 13 assists. His seven goals ranked fourth on the team and his 13 assists topped the squad alongside Nico Lodeiro. Muriel came on strong later in the season, finishing with five goals and eight assists. But those numbers are a long way from the 20 goals that Torres tallied last year.

Even if you consider all goal contributions, Ojeda and Muriel fall well short of Torres. Ojeda had a total of 20 goal contributions in 2024 while Muriel had 13. In addition to Torres’s 20 goals, he added nine assists for a team-leading 29 goal contributions.

All of this information leads to one undeniable fact — Orlando City needs to sign a striker prior to the season. And there’s not much time for Luiz Muzzi to act. The European transfer window closes on Feb. 3 and many MLS teams have already been filling similar needs. With the season starting in just over a month, the options will be limited if the Lions don’t do something soon.

After the best postseason finish in Orlando City’s MLS history, things were looking good heading into 2025. While the back line and most of the midfield is returning, McGuire’s injury and the departure of Torres and Lynn have left the Lions in a tough spot offensively. If they don’t do something in the next couple of weeks, it could be a long 2025.

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Lion Links: 1/20/25

Orlando City signs Nicolas Rodriguez, Jack Lynn announces retirement, USMNT defeats Venezuela in friendly, and more.

Published

9 hours ago

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January 20, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope you’re all having a good holiday weekend as we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Over the past week, I’ve been working and covering high school ice hockey. It will be a busy week in Orlando, with the United States Men’s National Team’s match against Costa Rica on Wednesday and Orlando City’s first preseason match against Atletico Mineiro on Saturday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Signs Nicolas Rodriguez

Orlando City announced on Friday that the club has signed forward Nicolas Rodriguez from Fortaleza CEIF in Colombia’s top flight. The deal is through the 2027 season, with a club option for 2028, and Rodriguez will occupy a MLS U22 Initiative slot. Rodriguez made 19 appearances for Fortaleza, recording 1,607 minutes, five goals, and three assists during the 2024 Primera A Clausura season. The Lions add a young attacking player the club can develop and Rodriguez can play on the right wing, the right side of a three-man midfield, or in the No. 10 spot.

Jack Lynn Announces Retirement

Orlando City forward Jack Lynn announced his retirement from professional soccer on Saturday. Lynn was drafted by Orlando in the first round of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. He became a regular starter for Orlando City B, scoring a team-record 38 goals in over three seasons with the MLS NEXT Pro side. Lynn also won the Golden Boot with 19 goals during the 2023 season and became the first OCB player to be named MLS NEXT Pro MVP. He played sparingly with the first team, but he scored twice last season as his role increased. The Lions will likely look to add another striker for more depth up top.

Orlando Pride Acquire Allocation Money in Trade

On Friday, the Orlando Pride announced that the club has acquired $50,000 in Allocation Money from the Washington Spirit. In exchange, the Pride sent the Spirit a 2025 international roster spot. The Pride will face the Spirit in the NWSL Challenge Cup final on March 7 at Inter&Co Stadium.

USMNT Defeats Venezuela in Friendly

The USMNT defeated Venezuela 3-1 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday in a friendly. Jack McGlynn and Patrick Agyemang scored in the first half to give the USMNT a 2-0 lead just before halftime. Matko Milijevic scored the third goal for the Americans in the second half, with Venezuela pulling one back thanks to a goal from Jorge Yriarte. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has led the USMNT to winning four out of its first five matches since he took charge last September. The USMNT’s next match will be against Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium.

Alyssa Naeher Named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year

On Saturday, goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was voted 2024 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year. Naeher won 40% of the vote, while defender Naomi Girma finished in second with 32%. In her final year with the USWNT, Naeher ended 2024 with 18 starts, playing 1,170 minutes and only conceding 11 goals. She played a crucial role with clutch saves to help the USWNT win the 2024 SheBelieves Cup, 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup, and gold at the Olympics in Paris. Naeher is the second goalkeeper to win the award since Hope Solo won it in 2009.

Free Kicks

  • Manchester City forward Erling Haaland has reached an agreement with the club on a record-breaking contract that extends his deal through 2034.

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

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Orlando City

Michael Halliday Looks to Establish Himself in 2025

Can the Orlando native challenge for minutes and starts during the upcoming season?

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1 day ago

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January 19, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City signed Homegrown defender Michael Halliday on July 15, 2020. At the time, Halliday was the club’s eighth Homegrown signing and was only 17 years old. A year ago almost to the day, on Jan. 16, 2024, Orlando City announced that the club had agreed to a new contract for the right back running through the 2025 season with club options for 2026 and 2027. After a somewhat lost season during 2024, the question now for Halliday is whether or not he will be able to establish himself as a viable part of the Orlando City rotation.

During the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Halliday saw sparse playing time, logging a total of six and five regular-season matches, respectively. Halliday failed to earn an end-of-the-season grade from The Mane Land staff during his first two seasons with the senior team due to not meeting the minimum requirement of minutes played in a season. The 2023 season demonstrated flashes of the potential that the coaching and technical staff saw from Halliday, as it was by far his best year in the purple and gold. He took part in 18 regular-season matches, playing a total of 847 minutes and providing two assists on the season, earning himself a 5.5 year-end grade from The Mane Land. The 2023 campaign also saw the young Lion called up to the United States’ FIFA U-20 World Cup squad, a sign that Halliday possesses the ability to log meaningful minutes.

As mentioned earlier, 2024 was a somewhat lost season for Mikey as he suffered several injuries, and his playing time was limited to just 102 minutes across six games in regular-season play. The larger current roadblock in front of Halliday, however, is Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. The Icelandic international usurped Halliday’s spot in the starting lineup in 2023 after the Homegrown went out with a knock he sustained during the summer months. After that point, Halliday has not been able to crack the starting 11 again while Thorhallsson has been healthy, and even at times during last season, Halliday found himself losing out on minutes to veteran Kyle Smith.

Head Coach Oscar Pareja likes his fullbacks to get up into the attack, and much of the success that Orlando has enjoyed over the last few seasons offensively has come from the likes of Ruan creating chaos with his speed and, now, the creativity and passing provided by Thorhallsson. Halliday’s lack of consistency in his defending and with his crossing attempts has been somewhat of an Achilles heel for the defender, and if he plans to fight for a starting position this season then he must show improved metrics in those areas.

The 2025 season is shaping up to be a potential make-or-break year for the soon-to-be 22-year-old and will likely determine whether or not he will continue his professional soccer career in the City Beautiful. The best-case scenario for Halliday will be to showcase meaningful development in his game this season on the offensive side of the pitch and to maintain a sound defensive presence. If that happens, then Orlando City will likely exercise the team’s option, as the defender is still considered a young product. It does not look for the time being as if he will swipe the starting role away from Thorhallsson, but as the latter is beginning to receive more recognition from his national team, there may be meaningful moments when Halliday will be called upon. He just needs to stay ready.

Do you think that Halliday will be able to play his way back into form with Orlando City? What are your expectations of the young Homegrown Player in 2025? Let us know in the comments below and as always, vamos Orlando!

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