Orlando City signed center back Rodrigo Schlegel on loan from Racing Club on Dec. 30, 2019. The Argentine defender signed him to a new permanent deal on Jan. 19, 2022 and then re-signed him again a year later on Jan. 25, 2023 on a deal through that season with option years for 2024 and 2025. The club picked up his 2024 option and the 27-year-old native of Remedios de Escalada, Argentina ended up a regular in the starting XI during the team’s strong playoff push in the second half of the season. He turned in his best season in a purple kit a year ago and Orlando City picked up his 2025 option year after the 2024 season.

At 28 years old, Schlegel is in his prime years as a center back, and a continuation of the progress he made the last two years would have been welcome. He again found himself as a regular starter almost from the jump, filling in for Robin Jansson on opening day against Philadelphia when the captain suffered a knock in pregame warmups, followed by David Brekalo suffering a shoulder injury. Brekalo then slotted in at left back to provide solidity there, and from then on, Schlegel was essentially the starting right center back for the rest of the season.

Let’s take a look back at the Argentine’s sixth season in Orlando.

Statistical Breakdown

Schlegel played in all four competitions with the Lions in 2025 — the regular season, playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, and Leagues Cup. He appeared in 31 of Orlando City’s 34 games during the regular season (all starts), playing 2,686 minutes. All of those were new career highs. He did not contribute to a goal in the regular season and still sits on two career goals and no assists. Schlegel attempted 17 shots, putting just five on frame. He passed at a strong 90% rate but provided only one key pass, no accurate crosses, and 35 successful long balls. In his own end, he contributed 45 tackles, 31 interceptions, 24 blocked shots, and a team-high 176 clearances. The defender committed 37 fouls, drew 27 on the opposition, and racked up 10 yellow cards while getting sent off once.

In the only Orlando City playoff game of 2025, Schlegel started and played 76 minutes without a goal contribution or a shot attempt. He completed 94% of his 45 passes without a key pass or a cross, connecting on two long balls. Schlegel contributed three tackles, two interceptions, a block, and five clearances against the Chicago Fire that night. He committed two fouls, drew three on the Fire, and of course was shown a yellow card.

Schlegel also participated in both of Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup matches in 2025 (both starts) and played 152 minutes in the competition. He did not tally a goal contribution or put his lone shot attempt on goal. Schlegel completed 115 of his 124 passes for a stellar 92.7% completion rate with one key pass, six complete long balls on 11 attempts (54.5%), and no cross attempts. The veteran defender logged six tackles, three interceptions, and three clearances in the tournament. He committed five fouls, suffered four, and was surprisingly not booked in either match.

In 2025 Leagues Cup play, Schlegel started and went the distance in all six of Orlando’s games, playing 540 minutes. He scored his only goal of the season in the tournament-opening 1-1 draw against Pumas on July 30, but did not register an assist, putting two of his five shots on target in the competition. The center back completed 239 of his 264 passes for a 90.5% success rate with 70.4% accuracy on long balls and one key pass, but he did not attempt a cross in the tournament. Defensively, Schlegel contributed 13 tackles, three interceptions, three blocks, and 26 clearances. He committed 11 fouls, drew eight on his opponents, and received three yellow cards but was not sent off.

Best Game

Schlegel’s highest rating in an individual game was 7 out of 10, which he accomplished six times in 2025, so there wasn’t a clear-cut top performance, although there were several solid ones. It’s tempting to take the game in which he scored his lone goal of the season — a powerful and perfectly placed header in Leagues Cup. I mean, check this out:

Instead, I’m going to focus on one of his best defensive performances of the season, and one of the aforementioned matches in which we rated him a 7 out of 10 — the 1-0 road win at Colorado on June 14, which our Sean Rollins said Schlegel “was a monster in this game.”

Schlegel started and went the distance at center back, leading the Lions with 86 touches. He did not contribute to Martin Ojeda’s winning goal in the 24th minute, but he managed to put his only shot attempt on target that night, forcing a good save from Nicholas Hansen. He also completed 88% of his passes that night, finishing second only to central defense partner Jansson (93%) among all players from both teams, although he did not contribute a key pass and connected on only one of his five long balls. Where the Argentine shone was in his own defensive third, where he did not record a tackle, but he did finish with one interception, two blocks, and an incredible 21 clearances, with 12 of those coming off his head. He committed two fouls and was booked in the match, but he one three of his six aerial duels and helped Orlando City earn a road shutout in one of the most difficult environments in MLS.

2025 Final Grade

Schlegel received a composite rating of 6 out of 10 from The Mane Land staff for his season-long performance. This is the same score he received from us back in 2020, which was his first season with the club, and equals his lowest single-season rating in his six years with the Lions. His 6/10 rating is a full point lower than he received from us in 2024 and in 2023. It’s half a point lower than the 6.5 we gave him in 2022 and in 2021. Part of the reason for his drop was the overall dip in quality of the entire team defense. Everyone suffered a bit for that. But he also played inconsistently. He’d look the part of a top tier MLS starter one week, only to follow that with a couple of poor-to-meh performances. He was also part of a couple of maddeningly poor goals that deflected into Orlando’s own net.

Schlegel continued to have moments of madness, such as the penalty he gave up to Montreal, allowing the Canadian side to salvage a draw on what turned out to be its only shot on target of the match. He was also sent off against the Red Bulls and is nearly a guarantee of a yellow card in any given match. In six seasons, he still has not curbed his tendency to be overly aggressive, getting caught up the pitch to exacerbate transition opportunities and putting his teammates in a position to take a yellow card to make up for him not being in position. As such, his season rating is in line with his average grade in our player grade pieces for the individual matches (6.02), which was one of the lowest averages among Orlando City’s regular starters.

2026 Outlook

Unless there’s an automatically triggered option year we don’t know about, Schlegel is out of contract as of this writing. The 28-year-old is in his prime years and will have interested suitors, but it’s likely up to Orlando City whether he returns or not. Schlegel is well-liked by his teammates and coaching staff and seems to be a good fit for Oscar Pareja’s culture. He was previously one of the better bench center backs in the league, but as a long-term starter, the Lions are in flux with who to put next to Jansson — that is assuming Jansson’s contract option is picked up, which might not be a foregone conclusion after the Beefy Swede seemingly lost a step this year. Brekalo has picked up periodic knocks and has yet to claim the right center back position as his own on a permanent basis. One would have to think Brekalo isn’t the best solution at left back moving forward, so the Slovenian international will likely get a long look as Jansson’s partner again in preseason camp. And all of the center back decisions might hinge on whether Alex Freeman returns in 2026 or transfers out, because he gives the club a unique weapon at right back that essentially lets Pareja play a three-man back line.

Orlando City is at a crossroads and must decide whether to rebuild the center back position now entirely, continue with Jansson and Schlegel (or hope Brekalo rises to the challenge and takes the right CB spot), or split the difference by keeping one of Schlegel or Jansson and letting the other go, requiring a new signing before next season. Schlegel is still a solid backup center back choice, but he comes with a host of concerns as a regular starter. He made a base salary of $500,000 and total compensation of nearly $610,000 in 2025. That’s just under what Brekalo makes and well short of Jansson’s salary.

It will be interesting to see how the Lions approach central defense in the off-season and it might be the biggest area of concern in the buildup to 2026.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

• Colin Guske (10/25/25)
• Joan Gerbet (10/26/25)
• Zakaria Taifi (10/27/25)
• Gustavo Caraballo (10/28/25)
• Javier Otero (10/29/25)
• Shakur Mohammed (10/30/25)
• Thomas Williams (10/31/25)
• Adrian Marin (11/1/25)
• David Brekalo (11/2/25)
• Tyrese Spicer (11/3/25)
• Kyle Smith (11/4/25)
• Nico Rodriguez (11/5/25)
• Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (11/6/25)
• Ivan Angulo (11/6/25)
• Duncan McGuire (11/7/25)
• Luis Muriel (11/8/25)
• Cesar Araujo (11/9/25)
• Alex Freeman (11/10/25)

Good morning, everyone. It was a damn good weekend, as the Orlando Pride advanced to the semifinals of the NWSL playoffs and will actually host after Gotham FC pulled the upset against the Kansas City Current! That, combined with the international break, means we have lots to talk about today, so let’s jump right into the links.

Anna Moorhouse Earns Recognition

Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse has been rewarded for her performance in the Orlando Pride’s 2-0 quarterfinal win over the Seattle Reign with a nomination for the NWSL Player of the Week. Moorhouse was instrumental in the Pride advancing to the semifinals, as she stood tall with eight saves in the match and kept a clean sheet in a closely fought game. Congratulations to the Pride’s shot-stopper and here’s hoping that the good work continues in the semifinal.

Tyrese Spicer Called Up

Continuing a recent trend of Lions getting called up by their national teams, Tyrese Spicer is on Trinidad & Tobago’s roster for its upcoming World Cup qualifying matches. T&T will face Jamaica at home on Nov. 13 and Bermuda at home on Nov. 18. With two matches remaining in the current stage, T&T is third in Group B with five points, while Jamaica sits at the top with nine. Two wins would give T&T 11 points and a real chance of winning Group B and qualifying directly for the World Cup, while finishing on eight or nine points would give it a decent shot at being one of the three best second-place finishers and advancing to an intercontinental playoff. Spicer has been in fine form for his country lately, as he scored a goal in each of T&T’s two October qualifying matches.

United States Men’s National Team Roster Adjustments

Speaking of national teams, the USMNT has announced some adjustments to its roster for the team’s two upcoming friendlies. Midfielders Tyler Adams and Sean Zawadzki have both been removed from the roster after the suffered injuries with Bournemouth and the Columbus Crew, respectively, over the weekend. In their place, LAFC midfielder Timmy Tillman has been added to the roster and joined up with the squad in Philadelphia on Monday. Tillman changed from representing Germany to suiting up for the U.S. in 2023 and has earned one cap with the USMNT since then. The team is set to play Paraguay in Philadelphia on Nov. 15, and Uruguay in Tampa on Nov. 18.

Mexico’s World Cup Updates on Schedule

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum says that the country’s infrastructure projects for the 2026 World Cup are on track to be completed in time for the start of the tournament. Among the construction projects are the renovation of a pair of terminals at Mexico City International Airport and the building of a train line connecting Mexico City with another airport about 30 miles away. Additional government-sponsored projects will take place in Monterrey and Guadalajara, although details have not yet been made public. Meanwhile, Azteca Stadium has been closed for renovations that are being carried out by a private company.

Free Kicks

• Gustavo Caraballo and Venezeula are on to the next round of the U-17 World Cup.

• Have a look at Alex Freeman and the rest of the USMNT getting ready for the upcoming match against Paraguay.

• A U.S.-based investment firm has become a majority shareholder of Atletico Madrid.
• Some people believe that the UEFA Champions League final will eventually be hosted outside of Europe, whether its for commercial reasons or due to a lack of European cities bidding for the hosting duties.
• Atalanta has fired head coach Ivan Juric with the team sitting just 13th in Serie A after 11 games played.

That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

Orlando City signed Alex Freeman to a Homegrown Player contract on Feb. 15, 2022. He played primarily with OCB and saw few minutes for the first team the last few seasons. However, the right back won the starting position over Dagur Dan Thorhallsson early this season and had a breakout year for the Lions.

The 2025 campaign saw the 21-year-old defender make his debut for the U.S. Men’s National Team, compete in the MLS All-Star Game, win MLS Young Player of the Year, and be named to the MLS Best XI. It was a season to remember and hopefully just the start to a fabulous career.

Let’s take a look back at the incredible season for the young player.

Statistical Breakdown

Freeman was a substitute in the first game of the season and was the regular starter for the rest of the year. He was out of the team while competing with the USMNT in the Concacaf Gold Cup but returned to his starting position after the final.

The right back made 29 appearances this year (26 starts) and played 2,451 minutes. He scored six goals and added three assists while putting 15 of his 43 shots on target. Freeman completed 934 of his 1,130 passes (82%), including 42 key passes. Defensively, he added 42 tackles, 26 interceptions, 86 clearances, and nine blocks, and he won 58.2% of his 110 aerial duels. He committed 20 fouls, drew 36 from the opposition, and picked up four yellow cards.

Freeman played all 90 minutes of the Lions’ 3-1 loss to the Chicago Fire in the Eastern Conference Wild Card game. He didn’t contribute to Orlando’s lone goal or attempt any shots in the match. The young fullback completed 26 of his 36 passes (71%) with no key passes. Defensively, he recorded a clearance and won his two aerial duels. He suffered one foul, did not commit any, and was not booked.

Freeman started both U.S. Open Cup games, playing 45 minutes against the Tampa Bay Rowdies and 90 minutes against Nashville SC for a total of 135 minutes. He didn’t score a goal or assist on one, but he attempted one shot (off target) and completed 51 of his 59 passes (86.4%). He helped defensively with one tackle, four interceptions, and two clearances. He suffered three fouls without committing one, but he was booked against Nashville.

The defender played in all six Leagues Cup games, starting five and coming off the bench in the 54th minute against Atlas for a total of 487 minutes in the competition. He did not score in the tournament but chipped in two assists, attempting four shots and putting two on target. He completed 166 of his 194 passes (85.6%) in those games, with seven key passes. Additionally, he completed 10 of his 17 long balls (58.8%) and two of his six crosses (33.3%). Defensively, Freeman added 12 tackles, six interceptions, four blocks, and 15 clearances, andhe won 10 of his 14 aerial duels (71.4%). Freeman committed just two fouls while drawing 11 from his opponents and was booked once in the competition.

Best Game

For a player who was named to the league’s Best XI team, you can point to a number of high-quality performances. However, I believe Freeman’s best game came early in the year in a 4-1 win over D.C. United on March 22. The right back started and played all 90 minutes, recording a goal and an assist — the only time he’s had two goal contributions in a game.

His biggest impact came in the 50th minute, when a foul on Cesar Araujo gave the Lions a free kick near the D.C. box. Martin Ojeda sent a curling ball towards the back post where Freeman jumped over Boris Enow to give his team a 3-0 lead.

In the attack, the right back completed 38 of his 44 passes (86%), including two key passes and his only cross attempt. His only shot was his goal, and he was strong defensively with seven clearances and winning four aerial duels — a team high.

2025 Final Grade

Freeman received a composite rating of 8 out of 10 from The Mane Land staff for the 2025 season. While he had an average rating of 6.4 for the season — fourth best on the team — in our individual game player grades, he was truly one of the bright spots in the Orlando City team this year. There were times when he was fantastic, and he even earned his spot in Mauricio Pochettino’s U.S. setup. If Freeman remains with the Lions next season, it will be hard for him to top this grade, his first as a Lion. While he’s been on the first team roster since 2022, this is the first season that he’s played the minimum required minutes (450) to earn a grade.

2026 Outlook

Freeman’s contract ends at the end of the year, though the club holds an option for the 2026 season. The question isn’t whether the club will want to bring him back, but whether he’ll want to move to Europe and try his hand at a higher league. Reports earlier this season indicated the club was attempting to offer him an MLS U22 Initiative deal and ensure he can get regular minutes at the club level while the U.S. prepares for the World Cup. If sold to a European side, Freeman would not be assured of getting regular minutes and it could prove costly to a player looking to earn a spot on the U.S. squad.

Should the right back return to Orlando next year, there’s no question he’ll continue in his starting role and be a key player in the side. The club will undoubtedly pick up his option while working on a new deal, ensuring Orlando City gets a fee for a sale if he does move on. However, that fee will likely have to be high for the Lions to part ways with the young playmaker.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

• Colin Guske (10/25/25)
• Joan Gerbet (10/26/25)
• Zakaria Taifi (10/27/25)
• Gustavo Caraballo (10/28/25)
• Javier Otero (10/29/25)
• Shakur Mohammed (10/30/25)
• Thomas Williams (10/31/25)
• Adrian Marin (11/1/25)
• David Brekalo (11/2/25)
• Tyrese Spicer (11/3/25)
• Kyle Smith (11/4/25)
• Nico Rodriguez (11/5/25)
• Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (11/6/25)
• Ivan Angulo (11/6/25)
• Duncan McGuire (11/7/25)
• Luis Muriel (11/8/25)
• Cesar Araujo (11/9/25)