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

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8 years ago

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Orlando City finally snapped a summer-long losing streak with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Toronto FC — just the club’s second victory over the Reds in 10 meetings. The Lions got on the board first and were able to double the lead before hanging on late to capture the win.

It was a good team win and one we’ve all been waiting for for quite a while. But how did the players rate individually? Let’s get to the evaluations.

Starters

GK, Earl Edwards Jr., 6.5 — “The Landlord” picked up his first ever MLS win and although his teammates helped him keep most of Toronto’s chances from less dangerous spots, he was still forced into a point-blank 1-v-1 save against the ever-dangerous Sebastian Giovinco in the 59th minute. His distribution could have been better — his throws were great but his kicks were sometimes a bit off — but there was little he could do about Hagglund’s late goal, as the Toronto defender came out of nowhere and tucked it in the far corner. Earl made three saves on Toronto’s four shots and probably gets a higher score here if he sees more shots. Great game to build on for Edwards.

D, Mohamed El-Munir, 6 — We saw a bit of a new side of El-Munir in this game. The left back played solidly on the defensive end and still gave us flashes of the attacking play he’s known for — but only flashes. He finished with two tackles, two interceptions, and three clearances, but more importantly he was better positionally than we’ve seen most of the season. The caveat here is that he failed to see the danger of Nick Hagglund on Toronto’s late stoppage-time goal and allowed the Reds’ defender to get inside of him. His 74% passing rate will need to be improved upon, but he was 2/2 on long balls and created a scoring chance.

D, Amro Tarek, 6 — The Egyptian played a mostly solid match but he did concede an unnecessary late foul that allowed Toronto to spoil the clean sheet. He finished with one tackle, two interceptions, and four clearances. His 84.6% passing rate was good but he wasn’t great on his long ball accuracy (3/9).

D, Chris Schuler, 7 — Schuler may never score an easier goal in his life but it was an important one, as the Lions got on the board first for the first time since April 21 and it allowed the team to settle into the game. His passing rate was 91.7% to lead the back line and his five clearances led Orlando. He also had two tackles and hit seven of his 10 long balls. He got abused by a Justin Morrow spin move in the first half but it was a mostly solid night for Chris and he’ll surely cherish his first goal as a Lion.

D, RJ Allen, 6.5 — RJ didn’t stuff the stat sheet, with one tackle, one interception, one clearance, and one block, but he kept a lot of the Toronto attack at bay and forced the Reds to play the ball backward a lot. He did a good job on Ryan Telfer, who had abused the Lions in Toronto, including fighting him to a stalemate in the 27th minute. He was 2/2 in cross accuracy and created a scoring chance, while completing 85.4% of his passes on the night. He came within a few feet of his first Orlando City goal in the 44th minute.

MF, Yoshimar Yotún, 7 — Yoshi probably would have a higher grade but he kind of faded from the game for about a 20-minute period of the second half. He created two chances, fired a shot on goal in the 20th minute — a screamer of a hopeful attempt from midfield that Alex Bono could only fight off for a corner — and drew five fouls on Toronto. He tied for the team lead in tackles (4) and made two interceptions. He completed 86% of his passes but his crosses (1/6) and long balls (6/12) weren’t up to his usual standards.

MF, Will Johnson, 7 — As usually happens with defensive midfielders, you barely notice them unless they do something wrong. Johnson did very little wrong on this night, completing 97.3% of his passes (2/2 on long balls) with a tackle and a clearance. He didn’t contribute a lot offensively, getting none of his three shots on frame, but his role was to stay home while Yotún roamed forward and he did a good job following Giovinco around the middle of the pitch and limiting the Italian’s influence on the game (as much as anyone realistically can).

MF, Tony Rocha, 7 — A surprise starter in the attacking midfield in JOC’s 4-2-3-1, Rocha had a solid match. He got an early shot blocked in the ninth minute and should have scored in the 42nd when his header sailed high after a terrific pass in from Sacha Kljestan, but he was influential all night on both ends. His terrific pass in the 44th found Dom Dwyer on a break and nearly led to a goal but Chris Mueller had his shot blocked and the follow-up from Allen was just wide. His four tackles matched Yotún’s total and he completed a solid 81% of his passes.

MF, Sacha Kljestan, 7 — It was another solid night for Sacha, who completed an impressive 89.6% of his passes, went 3/3 on long balls and 1/2 on crosses, with three key passes — a team high. He chipped in two tackles on defense and nearly scored on a late free kick that just missed the target but caught Bono flat-footed.

MF, Chris Mueller, 7 — If there’s a criticism for Mueller’s game it’s that he was probably a bit too unselfish. We got his typical hustle and work rate and he assisted on Dwyer’s second-half goal. He fired four shots, getting one on target, a 90th-minute effort that forced a good save from Bono. Defensively, he registered one clearance.

F, Dom Dwyer, 7.5 (MotM) — Dom was a menace all night, firing a team-high five shots and getting four of them on frame. He also created with two key passes on the night. His 60% passing rate isn’t much to write home about but with nearly all those passes coming in the final third, the degree of difficulty is higher. He essentially gifted Schuler a goal with his smash on target that Bono could only fight off and he doubled the Lions’ lead just three minutes after the restart on an unstoppable shot. Then he energized the crowd with his trademark back flip. It was a difficult decision to make him MotM, but so many players were fairly even and he was heavily involved in both goals, giving him the slightest edge for me.

Substitutes

MF, Dillon Powers (55’), 5.5 — The head-banded one subbed on for Rocha and was mostly solid if unspectacular. He completed 93% of his passes and created a scoring chance, while blocking one shot. He wasn’t terribly active, touching the ball only 16 times in his 35 minutes of work but he was mostly asked to gum up passing lanes, defend, and keep it simple.

D, Donny Toia (76’), 5.5 — Toia came on for Johnson but took up his customary left back spot as El-Munir pushed forward into the midfield. He completed all seven of his passes and won the team a late corner but was otherwise not involved much overall. He registered one clearance on defense.

F, Stefano Pinho (86’), N/A — Pinho came on for Dwyer and didn’t have a lot of time to influence the proceedings. He completed three of his four passes and didn’t register a shot.

Well, that’s the way I saw it. What did you see? Be sure to vote for your Man of the Match in our poll below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Earl Edwards Jr.27
Yoshimar Yotún34
Dom Dwyer60
Sacha Kljestan2
Will Johnson2
Chris Mueller13
Other (comment below)4

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Lion Links: 6/22/26

OCB falls to Philadelphia Union II, Orlando City linked to Santiago Gimenez, USMNT defeats Australia in World Cup, and more.

Published

2 hours ago

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June 22, 2026

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Image of Matthew Belgodere of OCB firing a shot against Philadelphia Union II.
Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Justin Glatt

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida, and belated happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there. I checked out a couple of World Cup watch parties with friends up here in Chicago over the past week while staying busy at work. Besides that, I’ve been watching plenty of World Cup matches over the last few days. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

OCB Falls to Philadelphia Union II

Orlando City B fell 2-1 to Philadelphia Union II at Osceola County Stadium Sunday, ending its four-match winning streak. After a scoreless first half, Philadelphia took a 1-0 lead in the second half. Theo Reed added another for Philadelphia, increasing the lead to 2-0 . Bernardo Rhein pulled one back for the Young Lions with a goal in stoppage time, but it was not enough as Philadelphia held on for the three points and snapped its three-match winless streak. OCB will be back in action against Columbus Crew 2 Sunday at Osceola County Stadium.

Orlando City Linked with AC Milan Forward Santiago Gimenez

The latest transfer rumor links Orlando City with AC Milan forward Santiago Gimenez for a potential move to the club this summer. No official offer from the club has been made, but according to reports in Italy, Orlando City is prepared to offer a $30 million transfer fee for Gimenez for AC Milan to consider. AC Milan would be open to letting Gimenez leave the club if an appropriate offer arrives, as the club is reportedly set to pursue Paris Saint-Germain forward Goncalo Ramos.

USMNT Defeats Australia, Clinches Group

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Australia 2-0 at Lumen Field in Seattle Friday to win its second match in the group stage and advance to the knockout round in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Former Lion Alex Freeman played a full 90 minutes and scored his first World Cup goal. The Yanks took the lead from an own goal by Australia defender Cameron Burgess to take a 1-0 lead. Later in the first half, Freeman delivered a fantastic header that was initially ruled offside, though replay showed he was able to remain onside. After video review, the goal counted, extending the USMNT’s lead to 2-0, and the Yanks saw it out from there. The Americans held on to secure two consecutive wins in a World Cup for the first time since 1930, have clinched the top of Group D, and will face a third-place team in the Round of 32. The USMNT will face Turkey Thursday in its final group stage match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. After Friday’s match, midfielder Tyler Adams offered his perspective on Freeman’s goal.

World Cup Roundup

On Friday, Paraguay beat Turkey 1-0 to stay alive while eliminating its opponents from advancing to the knockout round. Orlando City midfielder Braian Ojeda was on Paraguay’s bench but did not play for the second straight game. Morocco defeated Scotland 1-0, and Matheus Cunha scored twice for Brazil in a 3-0 win over Haiti. On Saturday, the Netherlands crushed Sweden 5-1, Germany overturned a 1-0 deficit to defeat Ivory Coast 2-1, and Japan beat Tunisia 4-0. Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room tied the modern FIFA World Cup saves record in regulation with former USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard, making 15 saves in a scoreless draw against Ecuador and securing his country’s first-ever point in a World Cup match. On Sunday, Lamine Yamal started and scored his first World Cup goal for Spain in a 4-0 win against Saudi Arabia. Belgium and Iran played to a scoreless draw, Uruguay and Cape Verde settled for a 2-2 draw, and Egypt came from behind to beat New Zealand 3-1 in the late game. Today’s matches will feature Argentina facing Austria, France taking on Iraq, Norway battling Senegal, and Jordan playing Algeria.

Latest MLS Transfer News

While Major League Soccer is on break for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a few clubs have been busy finalizing moves ahead of the summer transfer window opening next month. Inter Miami is reportedly finalizing a deal to sign Fricio Caicedo.

Miami reportedly has reached a verbal agreement with former Manchester United midfielder Casemiro, although it has reportedly not yet reached a deal with the Galaxy for his Discorvery Rights.

Lastly, Robert Lewandowski has reportedly reached an agreement to join the Chicago Fire, with an announcement confirming the move is expected soon following his departure from FC Barcelona last month.

Free Kicks

  • Check out this shoutout from Orlando City on its social media pages to all the dads on the team for Father’s Day.
  • The English Premier League released its full schedule for all its clubs for the upcoming 2026-2027 season. The new season will kick off Aug. 21, with league champions Arsenal hosting Coventry City.
  • Ipswich Town is reportedly close to finalizing an agreement with RC Strasbourg manager Gary O’Neil to become the club’s new manager.

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

Flashback Friday: June 18, 2022 vs. Houston Dynamo

Let’s relive a yellow-card filled match with the Dynamo that took place just over four years ago.

Published

3 days ago

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June 19, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The main event for today is, of course, the United States Men’s National Team’s second game of group play against Australia this afternoon. I’ll be fortunate enough to take that game in live, and I’ll probably report back on it during Monday’s subscriber newsletter, so keep an eye out for that if you’re signed up! If you’re not, you can do that here (the newsletter is a TAM or DP level perk).

In the meantime though, let’s continue our reminiscence on some memorable Orlando City games from years gone by. Last week we relived a shutout win over the Colorado Rapids that took place a little over two years ago, and today we’ll be going a little farther into the archives to June 18, 2022 and a home match against the Houston Dynamo.

The Lions were in slightly uneven form going into the match. They were on a three-game winless run (0-1-2) in league play, a four-game winless run in all competitions (0-1-3 with a shootout win after a U.S. Open Cup draw against Inter Miami), and hadn’t picked up three points in just over a month. Changing that wasn’t going to be the easiest task due to Rodrigo Schlegel being unavailable for selection due to a suspension for yellow card accumulation.

That meant that Oscar Pareja’s team consisted of Pedro Gallese in goal; Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Kyle Smith, and Ruan in defense; Cesar Araujo and Junior Urso in the double pivot; Jake Mulraney, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres in attacking midfield; and Ercan Kara leading the line.

OCSC got off to a lively start and created its first chance after just two minutes, when Moutinho sent in a cross for Mulraney, whose effort was blocked. Kara sent a header straight at Houston goalkeeper Steve Clark shortly afterward, before Corey Baird sent a shot of his own into Gallese’s chest four minutes later.

Jansson then picked up a yellow for dissent in the 14th minute, which meant he’d miss the next game due to yellow card accumulation. The Dynamo seemingly took inspiration from his booking, as Robert Avila, Adam Lundqvist, and Matias Vera all picked up yellows of their own in the space of the next seven minutes.

Orlando finally provided a non-discipline-related event in the 25th minute, when it broke the deadlock. Pereyra played a delightful stabbed ball over the top of the defense with his first touch, which fell perfectly into the path of an onrushing Torres. He then used his own first touch to play the ball hard and low across the top of the six-yard box, where Kara was on hand to put it home from close range.

The next notable moment came in the form of — you guessed it — another yellow card, as Zeca picked up Houston’s fourth of the game in just the 32nd minute. Orlando responded by Mulraney carving out a good chance for Torres four minutes later, but his effort was blocked by defender Tim Parker. Pereyra then cut Orlando’s yellow card deficit in half in the 39th minute, as he fouled Baird and paid the price.

The closing moments of the half saw a flurry of activity. Pereyra got behind the defense in the 44th minute but could only send his shot directly at Clark. Just as the clock struck 45 minutes, the Lions thought they had a penalty after the ball hit Avila on the arm, but video review rightfully changed the call to a free kick on the edge of the box. Kara nearly scored as he was somewhat surprisingly the man to take the ensuing set piece, but Clark once again made a save to keep his team in the game.

Oh, and Teenage Hadebe picked up a yellow card in the 45th minute.

At halftime, the Lions boasted more possession (52.9%-47.1%), shots (9-3), and shots on goal (4-1), but just had the 1-0 lead to show for it. The Dynamo had a vastly superior lead in yellow cards (5-2).

Houston made a couple of changes at halftime, with Darwin Quintero coming on for Avila, and Daniel Steres coming on for Parker, but Orlando started the second half as hot as it had finished the first.

Clark saved from Urso in the 48th minute after the midfielder was set up well by Torres, but the game then entered a bit of a lull as both teams tried to adjust to the Dynamo substitutions. Fortunately for Orlando, things sprang back into life in the 57th minute. Moutinho put a ball into the box that Mulraney flicked on, and while Hadebe tried to clear it, he could only get it as far as Pereyra. The captain lashed the ball on the half-volley with his left foot, and it took the slightest of deflections off Kara and ended up in the net for the Austrian’s second of the night.

It took Houston less than a minute to cut Orlando’s 2-0 lead in half, though. Zeca sent a dangerous ball into the box from the right wing, and Carlos Ferreira was able to beat Smith to it. He stuck a great header into the far corner beyond a fully stretched Gallese, and the Dynamo had life at 2-1.

The Lions nearly got their own response just a minute after conceding, but Kara’s snapshot attempt at the top of the six-yard box flashed just wide, denying the big striker a hat trick.

The 64th minute saw Gallese come off his line to try to clear the danger during a Dynamo break, but he got none of the ball and all of Ferreira. Fortunately, referee Rosendo Mendoza was content to give El Pulpo a yellow card and the Lions managed to keep all 11 men on the field.

Pareja made a series of changes to try to keep Orlando fresh and in control, but Houston kept carving out good chances. The Dynamo hit the post with the free kick that was awarded for Gallese’s foul, and substitute Tyler Pasher forced El Pulpo into saves in the 72nd and 76th minutes to preserve OCSC’s slim advantage.

The 87th minute had hearts in mouths for the Orlando City faithful, as Thorleifur Ulfarsson went down in the box under pressure from Smith, and there were immediately questions about a foul. The Accountant was proven innocent by the replays though, and when Mendoza went to his pocket it was to show Ulfarsson a yellow card for simulation.

Orlando had a chance to put the game to bed as the clock ticked into the 90th minute, but Benji Michel put his shot over the bar from about seven yards away, and it looked to be a hugely consequential miss when Quintero put the ball into the net for Houston in the final minute of added time. The assistant referee rightfully pulled the play back for offside though, and the Lions managed to escape with a welcome three points.

The final stats saw Houston with the edge in possession (53.8%-46.2%) but the Lions with an edge in shots (18-13), shots on target (6-5), and duels won (52-45). Perhaps most crucially, the Dynamo finished with a whopping six yellow cards to Orlando’s pitiful (by comparison) three.

Ryan Smith handled our Player Grades for this one, and he gave Pereyra the Man of the Match nod with a grade of 8 out of 10. Other high earners were Kara with a 7.5, and Gallese and Torres, who each received a 7.

That’ll do it for today’s glimpse into the past. I’ll see you right back here next Friday for another trip down memory lane. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/19/26

USMNT takes on Australia today, Christian Pulisic’s availability still in question, Canada wins big, and more.

Published

3 days ago

on

June 19, 2026

By

Image of Maxime Crepeau taking a goal kick against Atlanta.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Happy Friday! Last Friday, we all got to enjoy the U.S. kicking off its World Cup campaign with an emphatic win. Hopefully, the Yanks can replicate that performance in today’s game. It should be a fun start to a weekend filled with soccer, including an Orlando City B home game on Sunday. If the soccer bug has bitten you this month, make sure to go out and support the Young Lions!

USMNT Hosts Australia Today in World Cup

The United States Men’s National Team returns to action this afternoon with a match against Australia in Seattle — the team’s second game of this year’s World Cup. Both teams won their first games of the tournament, with the U.S. dominating Paraguay 4-1 and Australia beating Turkiye 2-0. American forward Folarin Balogun scored a brace in that win and the U.S. will look to keep the attacking momentum flowing against a formidable Australian defense. A win tonight by either side would go a long way towards winning Group D, which would notably face one of the third-place teams to start the knockout stage.

Christian Pulisic’s Availability Up in the Air

It’s still unclear if American star Christian Pulisic will play for the USMNT today as he works his way back from injury. The 27-year-old notched an assist in the win against Paraguay but had to exit at halftime after aggravating a calf injury picked up in training. Sebastian Berhalter came on for him in that match, but it will be interesting to see if USMNT Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino opts for Giovanni Reyna or Tim Weah instead. Pochettino did state that he’ll be available for the game against Turkiye if he doesn’t play today, so that’s good at least.

Canada Cruises to Big Win Over Qatar

Orlando City goalkeeper Maxine Crepeau started in goal but had little to do in Canada’s 6-0 win over Qatar, which was its first-ever win at a World Cup. Former Lion Cyle Larin got the scoring started for Canada in the 16th minute with his second goal of the tournament and Jonathan David scored a hat trick. Qatar was reduced to 10 men when Homam Al-Amin was shown a straight red in the 32nd minute, and then Assim Madibo was sent off early in the second half for a tackle that resulted in a gruesome leg injury to Ismael Kone. The Canadian midfielder was stretchered off, and his replacement, Nathan Saliba, scored from a free kick and raised Kone’s shirt in celebration. Canada now sits atop Group B with a better goal differential than Switzerland, meaning it will win the group with a win or draw against the Swiss on Wednesday.

Keeping Up With the World Cup

As for the other Group B game, Switzerland beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1 by scoring four times in the second half after the hydration break. Substitute Johan Manzambi scored twice, but Bosnia’s consolation goal from Ermin Mahmic could play a role in goal-differential tiebreakers. In Group A, South Africa kept its hopes alive thanks to a late penalty that Teboho Mokoena converted in a 1-1 draw against Czechia.

Along with the U.S. game, today’s action includes Morocco taking on Scotland and Brazil playing against Haiti in Group C. We’ll also get to see if Orlando City midfielder Braian Ojeda takes the field when Paraguay faces Turkiye late tonight.

Free Kicks

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

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