Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Player Grades and Man of the Match

Published

8 years ago

on

Orlando City’s win streak was snapped at six after a frustrating and emotional match against Atlanta. They out-possessed (55%-45%), passed (433-364), and shot (11-8) Atlanta United but the Lions could not overcome an early deficit. This loss ends the Lions’ win streak at six.

Here’s how the Lions did individually:

Starters:

GK, Joe Bendik, 6— There was nothing Bendik really could have done on either goal, and he did not have much of an effect on the game otherwise. The first goal was a penalty kick and the second was a combination of being partially shielded by Lamine Sané and Ezequiel Barco being wide open inside the 18. He did pick up a bad yellow card in the 32nd minute for yelling at referee Alan Kelly about what he thought was a foul but otherwise he made one save off a Héctor Villalba shot in the 77th minute.

D, Mohamed El-Munir, 7 (MOTM)— In the 32nd minute, El-Munir hustled back and recovered nicely to make a sliding challenge that slowed down the Atlanta attack and prevented a goal. About five minutes into the second half he was too fancy and lost the ball but Orlando’s goal started from his hard work and hustle. His tackle in the 56th minute stopped the visitors in their tracks and transitioned the Orlando play into the attacking end, ending with a goal. He also had one shot on target, created two chances, and was on the ball the second most on the field, behind only Yoshi. On the defensive end he made a total of two tackles.

D, Amro Tarek, 6.5 — Tarek made multiple stops in the middle of the first half. In the 25th minute, his sliding tackle pickpocketed Josef Marinez. Seven minutes later, Tarek got back defensively and was in the perfect position after Bendik was beat to block what would have been a goal. In the 55th minute his sliding tackle stopped the Atlanta attack and then he got up and dribbled down the field but no one on Orlando was there to help him and he eventually lost room to move forward. Overall, a solid night from the center back.

D, Lamine Sané, 6.5 — Similar to Tarek, an overall solid game from the center back. The first goal he could not do much about as it was a penalty, but on the second goal he was covering space instead of a man. This led to Ezequiel Barco wide open on the top of the box. Sané might have also shielded Bendik from seeing the shot. He did have many positives, though. On the very last play of the first half Atlanta had a two-on-one. Sané was the lone defender and stopped the entire attack by himself. While he did not get a shot off, he was a force on the attacking end when he got forward, even playing up top in the dying minutes, and the Atlanta defense struggled to defend the 6-foot-4 defender.

D, Will Johnson, 6 — Johnson was the best passer on the team, connecting on 91% of his 43 passes. He got beat on speed a couple of times throughout the game but he played solid and did not get beat often. He finished with two tackles, but conceded four fouls. The highlight of his night was his long distance shot in the 57th minute that was too powerful for Kann to hold onto. Kann pushed away the ball and it led to Orlando’s lone goal on the night.

MF, Yoshimar Yotún, 5 — An overall poor night by Yoshi. Statistically, he finished with the most touches on the ball and most passes among anyone on the field, but he did not provide a great deal going forward. He turned the ball over often and finished with a 84% passing accuracy. On Atlanta’s second goal, Yotún was caught ball watching on the top of the box. If he had kept running, he would have been in the way of Greg Garza’s assist and Orlando would have only been down one at half. He made a bad pass in 77th minute that led to an Atlanta counter attack that it should have scored on.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 4.5 — Atlanta’s first goal came off a penalty kick. Higuita was called for the foul but it was an extremely soft call and there was not much else that he could have done on the play. In the 28th minute he was too slow in transition and ended up with a poor pass that stopped the attack. Towards the end first half he could have put the Lions on the board but his header went directly at Kann. He picked up a yellow card in the 43rd minute and only lasted through the first half. He did have an impressive 90% passing accuracy and helped out moving the ball forward.

MF, Justin Meram, 6.5 — The best part of his night was clearly getting his first goal of the season. Johnson took a shot from distance and Meram was in the right place at the right time, and all he had to do was pass the ball into the back of the net. He ended the game as the only Lion to have multiple shots on goal, with the other coming in the 52nd minute when he cut inside and nearly caught Kann on the near post. He played 74 minutes, and finished with a 77% passing accuracy. He was hustling more than most players and earns some hustle stats, as well.

MF, Sacha Kljestan, 4.5 — Disappointing night for Kljestan. Most of the attack tried to go through him but he was not sharp and often passed the ball into pressure. As Jason Kreis pointed out after the game, Orlando City was too quick on the attacking end. Kljestan was a big culprit of this and often tried too play way too quickly. He created the most chances among Orlando City players (3), but that number should have been higher. In the 41st minute he made a poor pass that went out for a throw and killed the Orlando attack. Emotions were definitely getting to him as in the second half he and El-Munir got into an argument near the Orlando City bench that had to be broken up by Stefano Pinho. While many players on Orlando City did not do particularly well, Kljestan could have turned the game around but did not have a big enough effect.

MF, Chris Mueller, 4.5 — A very quiet night from the rookie. The best part of his night was a perfect cross that he put on a platter for Higuita, but the Colombian could not find the back of the net off of it. Other than that he did not do much. He only had 23 touches and connected on just nine passes.

F, Dom Dwyer, 5.5 — A poor rating for Dom but, in his defense, he did not have many opportunities on the ball. He only had 30 touches on the ball and his first shot did not come until the 46th minute. He finished the game with three total shots, of which just one was on target in the 92nd minute. He worked hard being the first line of defense but going forward he did not create enough.

Substitutes:

MF, Oriol Rosell (45’), 6 — The second half was much better by the Lions and a part of it has to be because of Rosell coming in. Much of the play in the second half went through him but the team could not get much going on the offensive end. By watching him, it is clear that he needs more playing time to gain chemistry and confidence. A solid outing for Uri, but nothing spectacular.

MF, Josué Colmán (66’), 5.5 — Much of the same story for Colmán as Uri — he needs more game time. Immediately, when he came in, he brought a spark to the team but his flashy footwork was easily defended by Atlanta. He looks impressive on the ball but does not get very far and this led to his 80% passing accuracy — one of the lowest on the team. Some more playing time will build confidence and help the 19-year-old learn when to take players on and when to pass it.

MF, Stefáno Pinho (74’), 5 — Pinho was, well, quiet. He played 16 minutes and touched the ball just nine times. He did not provide much of a spark that he should have when he was brought in and was overall disappointing. He did have an opportunity right when he came on but the Atlanta defense just had to step in front of him near the top of the 18-yard box and Pinho lost control. There was not much that he could have done as Orlando City struggled to transition into the attack.

Vote for your Man of the Match or comment your thoughts on these game grades.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Joe Bendik1
Mohamed El-Munir38
Lamine Sané5
Justin Meram31
Oriol Rosell25
Amro Tarek136
Other10

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Flashback Friday: June 10, 2023 vs. Colorado Rapids

Let’s take a trip down memory lane to a booking-laden match at home that took place a little less than three years ago.

Published

5 hours ago

on

June 12, 2026

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The World Cup is now officially underway, and while that means Orlando City is on break, we can’t have you forgetting about the Lions while all the international action is taking place. That means its time for another edition of Flashback Friday, where we hop in the trusty time machine and reminisce on OCSC matches of yesteryear.

Last week we relived a rousing road win over the New York Red Bulls from June, 3 2023, and this week, we actually pick up right where we left off, on June 10, 2023 as the Lions returned home to take on the Colorado Rapids.

Coming off a 3-0 win over the Red Bulls in the previous match, Oscar Pareja decided to not mess with a good thing, and kept Orlando City’s same starting XI from that victory. Pedro Gallese was in net behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith. Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo played the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres were the attacking midfielders, and Ercan Kara was deployed as the striker.

In typical June fashion for the City Beautiful, kickoff was delayed by just under an hour as the stadium was pounded by storms, and the delay did not look to have done any favors for Orlando’s sharpness. That said, OCSC did win a corner kick less than a minute into the game, and Torres had a tame shot saved in the eighth minute, but the Lions weren’t consistently sharp with their passing in the early moments of the contest.

The teams traded chances just before the 15-minute mark, with Kara sending a header too high before Cole Bassett sent a shot straight to Gallese. Carlos then picked up a yellow card in the 24th minute, which evened things out between the two teams after Lalas Abubakar was cautioned for the Rapids after just six minutes. Those two bookings proved to be a harbinger of things to come, because Colorado went down to 10 men in the 39th minute after midfielder Braian Galvan caught Angulo with a high boot while his studs were showing.

Pereyra had Orlando’s best chance of the opening 45 minutes in stoppage time but could only send his effort right at goalkeeper Marko Ilic, and that was the last significant action of the half. The Lions ended the half with an edge in possession (59.7%-40.3%), shots (7-2), shots on target (2-1), and passing accuracy (85.3%-79.4%), while both teams won two corners.

Pareja made two moves at halftime, bringing on Rodrigo Schlegel for the once-booked Carlos, and Martin Ojeda for Cartagena in an effort to go more offensive against a shorthanded Rapids side. The Lions certainly looked brighter going forward as the second half got underway and had a few dangerous moments before finally breaking the deadlock in the 55th minute.

Pereyra played a ball across the top of the box for Torres, who took a couple of touches before sending a ball to the net that took a wicked deflection off Andreas Maxsø that carried it past Ilic.

It wasn’t the prettiest goal the Lions have ever scored, but for a team that was guilty at times of passing up good shots in favor of the perfect look at goal, it was proof that sometimes you just need to take shots in dangerous areas.

Fortunately, Orlando seemed to take that lesson to heart. Kara went close in the 65th minute despite shooting through traffic, Angulo had a shot deflected by Abubakar three minutes later, and Torres had another deflected effort go just wide of the post four minutes after that.

The game changed again in the 75th minute, when the Rapids had another player sent off. Abubakar lasted for 69 minutes on a yellow card but got burned by Angulo in midfield and hauled him down in order to prevent the Lions from potentially working a transition opportunity. He had some teammates behind him, but the referee showed him a second yellow card. Pareja smelled blood in the water and just three minutes later he brought on Ramiro Enrique for Smith, who had been given a yellow card in the 52nd minute.

Ilic made a great save on Pereyra in the 81st minute to keep the score at 1-0 and keep the Rapids in the game, but Orlando got its second goal just two minutes later. Torres had the ball on the right side of the box with a Colorado player backing off him, and that gave him ample time to get his head up and pick out a man. He played a ball to Enrique at the top of the box, who had plenty of time to take a couple of touches and send a low shot into the bottom corner past a diving Ilic for his first goal as an Orlando City player.

Somewhat surprisingly, the game started to get a little stretched after the Lions doubled their advantage. Colorado had a shot blocked in the 81st minute, Kara sent a shot very close to the post six minutes after that, and Gallese saved a Darren Yapi attempt in the 88th minute to keep his clean sheet alive. Aside from Pareja handing Alejandro Granados his MLS debut, that was the last significant action of the match, which finished 2-0 to the good guys.

Unsurprisingly, considering Colorado’s deficit in players, the Lions dominated all of the game’s most important statistics. OCSC finished with the advantage in possession (65%-35%), shots (15-4), shots on goal (6-2), corners (5-3), and passing accuracy (89.4%-81.5%).

The victory made it back-to-back wins for the first time in 2023, stretched Orlando’s unbeaten run to six, and gave El Pulpo his 100th clean sheet for the team in all competitions.

Marcus Mitchell had the helm for Player Grades in this one, and Torres got his nod for Man of the Match with a goal, an assist, and a grade of 7.5 out of 10. Several other Lions graded out at 7 out of 10, with only one player grading below a 6.

While it was a weird win, it unfortunately was the final game of the unbeaten streak, as the Lions fell to a familiar defeat at Gillette Stadium the following week, although things got back on track soon afterward. I’ll see you back here in a week for another trip down memory lane. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/12/26

USMNT plays Paraguay tonight, red cards rain down in World Cup opener, Sporting Kansas City linked with Yann Gboho, and more.

Published

9 hours ago

on

June 12, 2026

By

Image of Alex Freeman sliding in celebration of a goal.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! The World Cup is in full swing and the U.S. will play today, so it’s a pretty exciting Friday to say the least. I’m a bit of a bundle of nerves about how the team will do, but I’m still looking forward to catching the game. If you have any gameday rituals, be sure to share, so that we can conjure up enough luck and support for the team tonight. Let’s get to the links!

USMNT’s World Cup Campaign Begins Today

The United States Men’s National Team will take on Paraguay at 9 p.m. tonight in its first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. There’s plenty of pressure on the U.S. to perform well as one of the host nations, and this will also be Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s first time coaching at a World Cup. Pochettino stated that all 26 players are available for selection, including center back Chris Richards, although he may not necessarily start. Former Orlando City defender Alex Freeman, who is the youngest player on the U.S. roster, could make his World Cup debut tonight, so be sure to root for our hometown hero should he take the field. Hopefully, the Yanks can start this tournament off on the right foot with a big win in California.

World Cup Opener Features Three Red Cards

This year’s World Cup began in Mexico City, with Mexico beating South Africa 2-0 in a match that included three red cards. All three were straight red cards given in the second half in separate incidents, as Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane were sent off for South Africa before Mexico’s Cesar Montes was shown red in stoppage time. There hasn’t been a World Cup match with that many red cards since the record of four was set in 2006 in a match between Portugal and the Netherlands. As for the game’s goals, Julian Quinones pounced on a mistake by South Africa to give Mexico an early lead and Raul Jimenez doubled that lead while South Africa was reduced to 10 men.

Sporting Kansas City Linked With Yann Gboho

While the World Cup roars on, the rumor mill is in full force as clubs make plans for summer reinforcements. Sporting Kansas City is reportedly pushing to sign Toulouse winger Yann Gboho, who recorded 10 goals and three assists across all competitions this past season. The surprising aspect of this pursuit would be that Toulouse values Gboho at an eye-watering $20 million transfer fee, which would be a club record by a country mile. Kansas City needs all the help it can get on offense, as it has scored just 14 goals in 14 games so far this season.

Jose Mourinho Officially Returns to Real Madrid

It’s been a bit of an open secret over the past few weeks that Jose Mourinho would become Real Madrid’s next manager and it’s now official, with the 63-year-old signing a three-year contract with the Spanish club. Mourinho helped Real Madrid win a La Liga title and the Copa del Rey over a decade ago before his departure in 2013 after three seasons with the club. Now, he joins a Real Madrid side that has finished second in the league standings and been eliminated in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League the past two seasons. I, for one, can’t wait to see how one of the biggest personalities in soccer works alongside a locker room of star players that seemed in disarray this past season.

Free Kicks

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

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/11/26

Wilder Cartagena linked with move to Sporting Cristal, Orlando Pride hire Dr. Nicole Surdyka, Barbra Banda injury update, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

June 11, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jermey Reper

The World Cup is finally here! Today starts what should be an exciting month of international soccer featuring more teams than ever before. While I wasn’t able to part with the arm and leg necessary to afford a ticket to one of the games, I’m still looking forward to watching along when I can with the rest of the world. Let’s get to the links!

Wilder Cartagena Linked With Move to Peruvian Club

You’ll need a translation tool to check out the full details unless you are fluent in Spanish, but Sporting Cristal of Peru’s top flight is reportedly interested in signing Orlando City midfielder Wilder Cartagena. The 31-year-old is currently under contract with Orlando through 2026, with the contact also including a club option for 2027. He was a crucial part to Orlando’s success in 2024, but he missed all of last year and has only started one game so far this season due to injuries. It’s not much more than a rumor as of now, but it’ll be something to keep an eye on during this break in the league schedule.

Barbra Banda Sustained a Hamstring Injury

Zambia Head Coach Nora Hauptle stated that Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda is dealing with a hamstring strain. Banda didn’t play in either of Zambia’s matches during this international break, but Hauptle also noted that she should recover in the next week or two and will be fine for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations at the end of July. Banda was injured late in the Pride’s 3-1 win against Bay FC on May 29 and it was unclear how severe the injury was. Hopefully she’ll be good to go before the Pride’s match against Angel City FC on July 3.

Dr. Nicole Surdyka Named Orlando Pride Director of Medical & Performance

The Orlando Pride have hired Dr. Nicole Surdyka as their new director of medical and performance. She’ll oversee the Pride’s medical operations, nutrition, and more while also working with Orlando Health. Dr. Surdyka has over a decade of experience that included leadership roles with OL Reign and the LA Galaxy and has studied extensively into developing frameworks for health and performance in women’s soccer.

“Nicole is one of the most respected practitioners in our field, and her expertise in women’s football, return‑to‑play, and high‑performance systems will elevate every aspect of our medical and performance environment,” said Caitlin Carducci, Orlando Pride VP of Soccer Operations & General Manager. “Her leadership, her commitment to evidence‑based practice and her passion for supporting athletes make her an exceptional addition to the Pride.”

Analyzing Paraguay Ahead of USMNT World Cup Match

The United States Men’s National Team will play its World Cup opener on Friday when it hosts Paraguay at SoFi Stadium. It will be the 10th match between the two nations, with the USMNT most recently winning 2-1 against Paraguay in November of last year. There’s a familiar face on Paraguay’s roster in Orlando City midfielder Braian Ojeda, with Miguel Almiron and Andres Cubas as other MLS midfielders called up. Paraguay’s defense is anchored by center back Gustavo Gomez, who you may remember as the player who put former Lion Alex Freeman in a headlock during that aforementioned November friendly. As for Paraguay’s attack, the Yanks will need to keep Julio Enciso and Antonio Sanabria from wreaking havoc. Paraguay is a physical team that’s also strong in the air, so we’ll see how the USMNT deals with that on Friday.

England Beats Costa Rica 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium

Orlando City’s Inter&Co Stadium hosted a friendly between England and Costa Rica on Wednesday, with England winning 3-0. Declan Rice gave England an early lead, but Costa Rica kept the Three Lions off the scoresheet until the substitutes came on for England in the second half, with Anthony Gordon and Ollie Watkins both scoring. England got the full Orlando experience due to a heavy storm that delayed kickoff, but Inter&Co Stadium earned praise for its drainage system that had the pitch ready to roll in no time. Enjoy this satisfying time-lapse video of the transformation provided by the stadium.

Free Kicks

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

Continue Reading

Trending