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Orlando City

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

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7 years ago

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In a match that Orlando City held more possession against one of the best possession oriented teams in the league, New York City made the most of its chances and beat the Lions 3-0 in Yankee Stadium. Orlando is now 6-1-0 with Dom Dwyer on the field this year and a woeful 0-5-1 without him. It’s safe to say he needs to get back, or something needs to change.

Here’s how each of the Lions fared individually.

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 5 — There’s not much that he could have done on any of the goals. The second one he could have done a little more with but ultimately it was not his fault has he looked to have been shielded and there were multiple defenders in front of him that should have cleared the ball. The biggest flaw in his game was a 60% passing accuracy. In a small field like Yankee Stadium the passing has to be better that normal and Bendik gave it up way too often, especially on poor goal kicks.

D, Donny Toia, 4.5 — In the 10th minute Toia played a perfect pass to Josué Colmán that started an Orlando City attack. Nothing came of it in the end though. Toia could have used some help on the goal but ultimately should have done better. He had two players to mark and when Tinnerholm played the ball across to Tajouri-Shradi the left back overcommitted and Tajouri-Shradi cut the ball to the inside and easily powered the ball into the back of the net. 

D, Tony Rocha, 5.5 — Rocha was surprisingly one of the best players on the field, which is highlighted by his game-high five tackles and four clearances. He was confident on the ball and finished with an 87% passing accuracy. He made a few mistakes but overall did well. In the 32nd minute Rocha was caught ball watch and it nearly led to a New York goal. On New York’s second goal, Rocha should have attacked the ball. Instead he didn’t challenge it and the ball ended up in the back of the net. On the third New York City goal, Rocha, as was each of the back four, was caught ball watching as the ball hit the crossbar twice and NYCFC had three distinct chances.

D, RJ Allen, 5 — Allen was pretty quiet on the night and was overall solid. His grade was improved because of the fact that he was playing out of position at center back. A couple of his biggest moments came against his old teammate, David Villa, and he held his own. He finished with no attacking stats at all, but three tackles, two interceptions, and three clearances. On the third New York City goal, Allen, as was each of the back four, was caught ball watching as the ball hit the cross bar twice and NYCFC had three distinct chances.

D, Will Johnson, 4.5 — An overall solid night from Johnson. On the offensive side of the ball he did not do much but he added two tackles, one interception, and three clearances. His one big mistake on the night was ball watching on the final NYCFC goal. Had he run to help Bendik, he could have prevented it, and that drops his rating some.

MF, Oriol Rosell, 4.5 — Uri made a goal-saving tackle in the 32nd minute. His sliding challenge cleared the attack out for a corner after Johnson slipped. He earned a yellow card on a hard tackle in the 78th minute in which NYCFC ended up scoring on the set piece. All Uri had to do was kick it out of bounds but he tried to be too fancy on the ball as no other Lion was near him.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 4 — Higuita was surprisingly quiet tonight, not getting in on the attack at all. Defensively he finished with four tackles, two interceptions, and one clearance but the team needed some more from him on the attacking end. He was impressive on the ball, finishing with an 84% passing accuracy on 45 passes — which was the fourth most passes among Orlando City players.

MF, Chris Mueller, 4 — Yet another player that did not do enough. The rookie failed to take a single shot, which is unacceptable from an attacking player. The best part of his night came right after half time. He made a great run to catch the NYCFC defense sleeping in the beginning of the second half. Kljestan played the ball over the top from a throw-in and Mueller was the first player to the ball and won a penalty kick. This seemed to energize Mueller and he won a ball back almost immediately after the missed penalty and then got into the right position down the line, unfortunately though he didn’t get to the ball. He then had a great ball in the 60th minute to feed in Kljestan, that did not end in anything.

MF, Sacha Kljestan, 2.5 — Statistically, Kljestan was one of the best players on the field but his night will be remember by his missed penalty. Not only did he fail to tie the game but this was a turning point in the match that gave the hosts all the momentum. The first chance of the game came from a Kljestan turnover. He gave the ball up and NYCFC went on the counter and luckily Higuita was there to slow down the attack. Heads-up play in the beginning of the second half to quickly throw in the ball. He fed Mueller perfectly and won a penalty kick. He took the spot kick and hit the post. In the 60th minute Sacha had Colmán up top or he could have went to goal but he was too slow and ended up passing the ball to NYCFC instead, looking for Meram. The 32-year-old finished with three shots, none on target, and a game high 51 passes.

MF, Justin Meram, 3.5 — Not an awful night from Meram but definitely one in which he should have done more with. Meram was selfish in the 31st minute. He had Colmán making a run down the middle but instead of playing him he kept the ball and killed the attack. He started the second half off strong. He took on two players and got a shot off that went over the bar. Good vision and ball skills in the 55th minute. He beat two players and put a cross in but it was too short and easily defended. In the 67th minute, Meram had a great turn to get free. He then took too long on the ball looking to get closer and closer to goal and get a shot off and luckily he won a free kick but he then took the kick and hit the wall. 

F, Josué Colmán, 6 (MOTM) — Colmán gets the player of the match for all of the work that he put in. He was not the best player statistically but when the rest of the Lions looked to have given up on the match he was still fighting hard to get a goal back. He had some fancy footwork in the 16th minute with three players closing in on him. He got free of them all and won a corner. In the 18th minute, Rocha cleared the ball all the way to the other end of the field and found Colmán wide open behind the New York defense. The Paraguayan cut inside and got his shot blocked but he should have went to goal with it and would have been one-on-one with Sean Johnson. The best chance in the first half for Orlando came from a shot from distance from Colmán that unfortunately hit the post. He hit the woodwork again in the 74th minute. It is questionable if he was shooting but his ball got deflected and he nearly got Orlando on the board from it. He finished with three shots, one on target, and an 88% passing accuracy.

Substitutes

D, Mohamed El-Munir (60’), 5 — El-Munir was one of the best players on the field and brought some much-needed energy to the field when he came in. He got down into the final third a few times and tried to start an attack but he was not given much help from his teammates. His passing could have been much better (69% accuracy) but he tried to create opportunities.

F, Stefano Pinho (67’), 2.5 — In the 23 minutes that Pinho was in, he got no shots off and touched the ball just four times. He had no attacking stats and just one interception on the defensive end. Being on the field for that long he needed to have done more, especially with the team being behind.

MF, José Villarreal (80’), N/A — He got his first action of the season and immediately provided a good ball looking for Pinho, who could not do anything with it. He touched the ball four times, and made three passes, of which just two were accurate. Overall there was not enough time for Villarreal to make much of an impact in his first appearance.

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

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Tony Rocha22
RJ Allen2
Josué Colmán47
Mohamed El-Munir3
Other11

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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

16 hours 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.

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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.

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2 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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/21/25

Another scoreless draw for Orlando City, a home loss for the Pride, a championship for the OCSC U-18 squad, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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April 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope you all had a great holiday weekend with family and friends. I managed to watch a few soccer games while work kept me busy. Our Lions picked up another draw for the third week in a row, the Pride lost, and OCB was off this weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Draw CF Montreal on the Road

Orlando City and CF Montreal split the points in a scoreless draw at Stade Saputo on Saturday. It’s the third consecutive week that the Lions could not get a win with another scoreless draw. It’s the second straight match that Orlando had to play down a man as Rafael Santos was sent off in the second half after receiving a second yellow card. Still, the Lions extended their unbeaten run to six matches and are seventh in the Eastern Conference table with 13 points. After the match, Major League Soccer issued a statement after being informed a fan used discriminatory language towards a player during the match.

Orlando City will return to Inter&Co Stadium Saturday to take on Atlanta United.

Orlando City Signs Two Players to Short-Term Deals

Before Saturday’s match against CF Montreal, Orlando City announced the club had signed defender Zakaria Taifi and midfielder Riyon Tori to short-term contracts. Both players were on the bench for Saturday’s match. Tori did not play, but Taifi came off the bench late in the second half to make his MLS debut. Tori has played with OCB and has made three appearances. Taifi has made 42 appearances, starting 21 matches for OCB, scoring one goal and adding three assists.

Orlando City Signs Four Assistant Coaches to New Contracts

Orlando City announced on Friday that the club has renewed the contracts of First Assistant Coach Diego Torres, Second Assistant Coach Martin Perelman, Goalkeeper Coach Cesar Baena, and Fitness & Performance Coach Fabian Bazan. This news comes just days after the club announced that Head Coach Oscar Pareja will remain with the Lions under a new three-year contract through the 2028 MLS season. Together, the coaching staff has played a key part in the recent success of the Lions over the last five seasons, making five consecutive MLS Playoff appearances, two appearances in the Concacaf Champions Cup, and winning the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Lions also set club records for wins and points, scoring 308 goals across all competitions with a plus-44 goal differential in 202 competitive matches.

Pride Fall to Washington Spirit at Home

The Orlando Pride fell to the Washington Spirit 1-0 at Inter&Co Stadium Saturday to suffer their first loss of the season. The Pride dominated most of the match, but in the 63rd minute, Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse gave the ball away in front of the goal, and Gift Monday capitalized to score the winning goal for the Spirit. Late in the second half, it looked like the Pride had scored the equalizer; however, after video review, it was determined that Kylie Nadaner backed into Aubrey Kingsbury on the play, impeding the goalkeeper from catching the ball, and the tying goal was waved off. With the Kansas City Current’s win over the Houston Dash over the weekend, Orlando drops to second in the NWSL table. The Pride will return to action Friday at Inter&Co Stadium to face Angel City FC.

Orlando City U-18 Team Wins Generation Adidas Cup Championship

The Orlando City U-18 and U-16 squads played over the weekend in playoff matches in the Generation Adidas Cup at IMG Academy. In the quarterfinals on Friday, Omar Robbana scored the lone goal in the U-18 squad’s 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake.

The U-18 squad followed that up by defeating Santos Laguna 3-0 in the semifinals. Justin Ellis scored twice and Gustavo Caraballo added a goal.

On Sunday, Caraballo scored the winning goal in extra time to seal a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids in the U-18 Championship final.

On Friday, the U-16 team defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 in the quarterfinals.

The U-16 squad defeated the New England Revolution 4-3 on penalties after a scoreless draw in the semifinals on Saturday.

The U-16 squad’s run for a championship trophy came to an end with a 3-1 loss to Inter Miami in the U-16 Championship final on Sunday.

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

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