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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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7 years ago

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Well, that was quite the game now wasn’t it? Orlando City picked up its first win of the young season and did so in rather exciting fashion. And, while it was by no means perfect, a win is a win. Let’s see how the players fared in what will hopefully be the first of many.

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 5 — It was another tough day at the office for Bendik. While he couldn’t do very much about the first goal, he won’t be happy getting beaten five hole on the second one. Meanwhile, he didn’t contest the set piece ball played across his box to Aaron Long, and paid the price for his indecisiveness. He did well to come out of the box on a couple occasions in the first half when there were balls played over the top, but this was not a good day for Joe, including some poor goal kicks.

D, Mohamed El-Munir, 7 — It was a mixed bag from El-Mo today. He wasn’t marked nearly tightly enough to Florian Valot on New York’s opening goal, again struggling to defend at the back post. The rest of his day was better though, as he made a potentially goal saving tackle in the 18th minute, and showed excellent awareness from a throw-in to assist on Dom’s second goal of the day. He got forward often, usually to good effect, but he needs to improve on that pesky back post.

D, Amro Tarek, 6 — Tarek started the game well enough, but didn’t step in to stop the pass that Derrick Etienne scored from. Like his partner in defense, he struggled at times dealing with balls played over the top. On one such occasion in the 18th minute, only a timely intervention from El-Mo prevented a good opportunity for the Red Bulls. The rest of his game was solid enough, but neither center back was completely convincing in the first half. Hopefully the injury that saw him subbed off for RJ Allen wasn’t too bad.

D, Lamine Sané, 6 — Sané losing Etienne resulted in the Red Bulls second goal. He made plenty of good tackles, and was assured on the ball in the face of the high press. He was part of the offside trap that caught the Red Bulls a number of times, and though he wasn’t able to prevent Long’s goal, it looked like he was fouled. He did well for the rest of the game but won’t enjoy watching that second Red Bulls goal. Not a bad performance, but not a particularly good one either in his first MLS start.

D, Scott Sutter, 6 — Sutter was quiet for most of the game. He didn’t close down his man quickly enough on the opening goal, allowing Kaku plenty of time to pick out Valot at the far post. He also didn’t get forward nearly as much as fans have become accustomed to, although that was perhaps by design to help provide extra cover for the center backs. One of the few occasions he did however, his shot deflected in off Josué Colmán for the winner, so bonus points are certainly in order for that.

MF, Yoshimar Yotún, 7.5 — As usual Yoshi was heavily involved in the game. He assisted Dom’s first goal from a corner kick, and popped up all over the field. Some of his passes weren’t as accurate as they could have been, but the ones that were successful were usually part of a good piece of build-up play towards the Red Bulls’ goal. Overall, a good game from him.

MF, Cam Lindley, 5.5 — Cam struggled against the Red Bulls’ pressure. He had a positively dreadful giveaway that led to Etienne’s goal, and his passing accuracy on the day was only 58%. He often had less time on the ball than he expected and he finished with just one tackle. He did manage to connect on three of his five long balls, but his withdrawal at halftime for Colmán was certainly the correct decision, although whether it was for his play or for being hacked down by Kaku behind the play is anyone’s guess.

MF, Will Johnson, 7.5 — For much of the game Johnson was in the running for my Man of the Match. Not only did he score, (even if it was a tap in) but he also completed 91% of his passes, made several great tackles, and was involved in many of the team’s good moments in the first half. But a needless and quite frankly stupid foul gave the Red Bulls the set piece that they would eventually equalize from. That mistake aside though, if Johnson continues to play the way he did today it might be difficult to dislodge him from the starting XI.

MF, Sacha Kljestan, 8 — Another player who I seriously considered giving MOTM to, Kljestan impressed on his home debut. He made Johnson’s goal happen, playing a great pass through for Justin Meram, who in turn supplied Johnson. He also played a fantastic ball over the top of the defense in the second half that Chris Mueller was desperately unlucky not to score from. His vision and passing was at the heart of a lot of what Orlando did well, including finding Sutter on the other side of the field to set up the winning goal, and he certainly gave fans reason for encouragement going forward.

F, Justin Meram. 8 — Meram benefited immensely from having the physical presence of Dom Dwyer up front with him. Free to drift out wide where he’s most comfortable, Meram assisted on the team’s first goal, and nearly got a goal himself in the last minute of stoppage time only to be denied by a last-ditch challenge after waltzing through half the Red Bulls’ defense. He did put the ball in the net, but it was flagged offside. He was unable to do anything after being released down the wing in the 70th minute, but wasn’t helped very much by Mueller’s run.

F, Dom Dwyer, 8.5 (MOTM) — While he almost certainly fouled Robles while scoring his first goal, he certainly won’t care and neither do I. A goal is a goal. No such questions surrounded his second though, as he showed wonderful awareness in making an intelligent run behind the defense on a throw-in to lash the ball in from a difficult angle. His hold-up play was excellent for the entire game, and he was fouled on more than one occasion as he brought the ball down. An excellent season debut for one of the fan favorites, and hopefully the goals continue to flow.

Substitutes

MF, Josué Colmán (45’), 7 — Coming on for Lindley after halftime, Colmán instantly added another dimension to the Lions’ game. With his intelligent movement, good passing, and dribbling ability he helped create more than one chance for Orlando. He was involved in lots of delicate interplay that typically resulted in a player being released into space with the ball, and his work was rewarded with a completely unintentional goal when Sutter’s shot deflected in off his back. He perhaps tried to do too much at times but his possession play late helped the team kill off the game.

F, Chris Mueller (64’), 6.5 — Mueller came on for Dwyer and did a decent job of deputizing for him. While his failure to make a more intelligent run in the 70th minute resulted in Meram being left with few options, he nearly made up for it a few minutes later. The rookie timed his run to perfection and must have surely thought he scored, only to be denied by a fantastic save from Luis Robles.

D, RJ Allen (73’), 6.5 — Allen subbed on for the injured Tarek, and simply didn’t have a ton to do. However, his passing was accurate and he didn’t any egregious errors, so it was a solid enough 20 or so minutes from him.

Do you agree with my ratings, or am I nuttier than a port a potty at a peanut festival? Vote for your Man of the Match below, and let me know in the comments about your opinions on the players’ performances.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Will Johnson18
Justin Meram3
Dom Dwyer240
Sacha Kljestan27
Other (Comment Below)5

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/23/25

The Orlando Pride drop, OCSC Academy awards, USMNT characters, and more.

Published

20 hours ago

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April 23, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. This weekend we have the most convenient schedule, with the Orlando Pride playing Friday night, Orlando City on Saturday night, and Orlando City B on Sunday night. It’s nice knowing what I’ll be doing each night. Now, I just need all three teams to get back on the winning side of things. Until then, let’s get to the links.

Bad Pride, Good Pride

It might have been the dumbest way to lose a match against the Washington Spirit, but — actually nevermind, there is no “but” about it. We can, however, decide to move forward rather than dwell on it after today. Unsurprisingly, the Pride dropped in the all-knowing power rankings. All for XI only dropped the Pride one spot to No. 2 since everyone has a bad day now and again. The CBS power ranking dropped the team to No. 3. That was the “bad.” The “good” is that we can revisit the puppies that showed up at Inter&Co Stadium. The loss still hurts, but it’s hard to stay mad after looking at the puppies.

The (OCSC) Academy Awards

Assuming you read Lion Links on Monday morning (or listened to The Mane Land PawedCast this week) you know that the Orlando City SC Academy U-18 team won the Generation Adidas Cup. Now we know that three of the very young Lions — Gustavo Caraballo, Jackson Platts, and Justin Ellis — were named to the U18 Best XI. Additionally, Caraballo and Ellis earned MVP and Top Scorer awards, respectively. It was truly the bright spot of an otherwise forgettable weekend.

Pochettino Prepares

The USMNT did not do well in the Concacaf Nations League, falling to Panama and then Canada in the third place match. Now, U.S. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has to prepare the team for the Gold Cup. Pochettino said that he needs the “right characters” on the squad, whether they are the most talented or not. He also spoke of the need for the players to fight for the badge and the flag. Former USMNT coach Bruce Arena said Pochettino may not be the right man for the job because he’s not an American. The USMNT’s next matches are friendlies against Turkiye and Switzerland on June 7 and June 10, respectively.

MLS Transfer News

The Columbus Crew are making moves. The club received $250,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) from the Houston Dynamo in exchange for a 2025 international roster slot. The club then sent DeJuan Jones to the San Jose Earthquakes for $425,000 in GAM and a 2025 international roster slot. Elsewhere, Sporting Kansas City acquired forward Santiago Muñoz on loan from Liga MX side Santos Laguna.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the full slate of matches coming up.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/22/25

Pedro Gallese earns recognition, Americans in midweek action, English promotion update, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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April 22, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Well it wasn’t the worst weekend that Orlando soccer has ever had, but it certainly wasn’t the best either. Fortunately, all three of Orlando’s teams will be back in action soon, so there’s no need to dwell on the past too much. Let’s take a moment to wish a happy birthday to the Orlando Pride’s Brianna Martinez, as well as to Kaká! Now, it’s time to turn our attention to today’s links.

Pedro Gallese Earns Weekly Recognition

Pedro Gallese kept a third clean sheet in a row and Orlando City’s third clean sheet of the year in the team’s scoreless draw on the road against CF Montreal. In recognition of his efforts during the match, Gallese was named to the bench of the latest edition of the MLS Team of the Matchday. El Pulpo made six saves to blank a Montreal team that intently searched for a breakthrough, and made a couple of truly excellent second half stops that kept the score level. Congrats to Pedro and keep up the good work!

Americans in Midweek Action

A number of Americans will be playing games during the working week, and there are some big matches to keep an eye on. The main event is on Wednesday, when Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan face Inter Milan in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal, which is tied 1-1 after the first leg. Also on Wednesday, Chris Richards, Matt Turner, and Crystal Palace will play Arsenal in the Premier League. Thursday then has Malik Tillman, Richy Ledezma, and PSV Eindhoven playing FC Twente in the Eredivisie, while Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis play Valladolid in La Liga action.

English Promotion Update

Following results in the EFL Championship on Monday, Leeds United and Burnley have both secured promotion to the Premier League for next season. Both teams won their respective games and are each on 94 points, and with just two matches left, third-placed Sheffield United has no way to catch them. The other promoted side will be determined after the promotion playoffs, which would feature Sheffield United, Sunderland, Bristol City, and Coventry City if the season ended today. Meanwhile in League One, Wrexham’s 2-1 victory over Blackpool meant the Dragons retook second place and the automatic promotion spot that comes with it. If they beat Charlton on Sunday and Wycombe Wanderers drop points against Leyton Orient, then Wrexham would secure promotion to the Championship.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

Transfer rumors continue to fly thick and fast as we approach the business end of most European seasons, so let’s take a look at a few items worth catching up on. Manchester United is said to be keen on signing 17-year-old Argentine Franco Mastantuono from River Plate. Liverpool is reportedly interested in signing winger Ademola Lookman from Atalanta, although the Reds would likely face competition from several other Premier League teams. Finally, Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has revealed that he and Xabi Alonso have a gentleman’s agreement that if a team the Spaniard used to play for is interested in hiring him as its coach, then the club will not hinder the process. The statement has led to renewed speculation that Alonso will be named Real Madrid coach if Carlo Ancelotti leaves in the summer.

Free Kicks

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

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Orlando City

Orlando City’s Focus On Youth Development Showing In The First Team

Orlando City is seeing more and more players promoted from the academy, through OCB, and into the first team.

Published

3 days ago

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April 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City began its academy in the USL Pro days with the goal of developing players for the first team. It took nearly a decade to begin seeing youth development bear fruit, but it’s becoming apparent early in the 2025 season.

Prior to 2019, Orlando City signed four players to Homegrown Player contracts. Tommy Redding, Tyler Turner, and Harrison Heath never played in the academy and the other, Mason Stajduhar, developed primarily at Chargers Soccer Club in Tampa.

Orlando City signed arguably its first true Homegrown Player when the club inked Benji Michel to a first-team contract. The following off-season, the Lions added David Loera and Jordan Bender. Mikey Halliday signed in July 2020. All of the players came through the academy before signing first-team deals. 

So what changed?

Part of it was the growth of the academy. It takes several years to begin producing players. Another major factor was the hiring of Luiz Muzzi on Dec. 18, 2019. Muzzi came from FC Dallas, a club known for promoting from its academy. He brought in Ricardo Moreira, who shares his vision of developing young talent for the first team.

And it’s not only Muzzi and Moreira. Former Orlando City head coach Adrian Heath rarely attended OCB games. James O’Connor only went to one, and that was to see his former teammate, Dennis Chin, who was playing with the opposing Richmond Kickers. The Orlando City boss left when Chin came off.

Oscar Pareja and other first-team coaches have been at several games, far more than their predecessors. That’s largely to do with the games’ location at the training facility, which is another factor in OCB’s development. The 2019 team trained over 40 miles away from the first team. The move to Kissimmee has the first team, OCB, and the development academy under one roof. It’s another display of the club’s more recent commitment to youth development.

Undoubtedly, the transformation of OCB under Muzzi and Moreira has also impacted Homegrown talent coming through. The team’s 2016 and 2017 rosters were primarily made up of first-team reserves and USL lifers. The 2019 team had many players from the Soccer Institute at Montverde Academy (SIMA), many of which were young but ineligible for Homegrown status.

Things began to change in 2020. The roster shifted to include more academy players and that’s only grown. This year, 15 OCB players came out of the academy, two were drafted, and eight are outside signings on MLS NEXT Pro deals. Other than Jhon Solis and first-team goalkeeper Carlos Mercado, everyone to appear for the team is 23 years old or younger.

The focus on giving OCB spots to academy graduates is now seen in the first team. Players like Thomas Williams, Javier Otero, Alex Freeman, Colin Guske, and Gustavo Caraballo have been regulars on the MLS team sheet. Injuries to first-team regulars has seen them receiving regular playing time.

The poster boy for this change is Freeman. The right back came out of the academy and spent a couple of years at OCB before signing his first-team contract. He won the starting role early in the 2025 regular season.

Many players joined the club later in their development, but we’re seeing some come through having been nearly fully developed at the Orlando City Academy. Guske and Caraballo joined at 13 years old, the youngest age group of the development academy. Both signed first-team deals for this year.

The midfield duo continue to play with OCB most games but are also on the first-team roster almost weekly. The only reason they weren’t in Montreal Saturday night is because they were helping the club’s U-18 team reach (and then win) the Generation Adidas Cup final.

With Muzzi and Moreira at the helm, more players continue to come through. U-18 captain and OCB starter Jackson Platts appears to be well on his way to a first-team contract. So does fellow U-18 and OCB starting forward Justin Ellis.

This past weekend saw another academy product make his first-team debut. Zakaria Taifi took over at right back for OCB when Freeman moved up to the first team this year. Signing a short-term deal Saturday, he came on as a late substitute to help the 10-man Lions see out the scoreless draw.

First-team absences have provided opportunities for many young players. If several weren’t at the Generation Adidas Cup, it could be more. Regardless, the last few years have shown a big step forward for the club.

The shift in recent years is more than the pride of seeing local kids representing the hometown team. They’ve been an essential part of the 2025 campaign. The club hasn’t had to use a short bench or dip into outside emergency signings. Instead, the Lions call up kids they know, making it easier to seamlessly place them into the team.

There will be times where several injuries will occur to experienced players. Orlando City is prepared for this more now than ever before, and it’s because of the players coming through the academy and playing with OCB. We’re already seeing it early in this 2025 season.

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