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Orlando City vs. Houston Dynamo: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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7 years ago

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Orlando City may have failed to score for the third consecutive game, but at least the Lions got a point for this one. A good defensive effort went largely to waste due to a lack of attacking precision but at this point it’s at least better to draw than lose.

It wasn’t a match most people that the supporters will be singing about for years to come and now the Lions have only one win in 20 matches (1-16-3). However, the performance was actually pretty decent and miles better than last Sunday’s game at Chicago.

Let’s get to the grades.

Starters

GK, Adam Grinwis, 7.5 — Grinwis made his MLS debut and got a clean sheet, though truthfully he didn’t have to do a lot. But what he did have to do, he did well. Grinwis made a crucial 1-v-1 save in the 58th minute to stop Romell Quioto. That was easily the most difficult of his three saves on the night. It nearly turned into a nightmare just 15 minutes in. He took a ball played by Houston and tried to play it into the area to pick up. Quioto took it from him and scored into an empty net but video review ruled that the Houston attacker had kicked it out of Grinwis’ hands. He made his first MLS save on a Tomas Martinez shot in the closing minutes of the first half. Even his distribution was good, as he connected on eight of his 10 long balls and passed at an 84% rate.

D, Mohamed El-Munir, 5.5 — Mo had a tough first half in many ways, losing the ball out of bounds and over the end line a few times. It seemed he didn’t trust his speed and several of his attacks slowed down and allowed Houston to get behind the ball. He finished with a decent 87% pass percentage but a lot of the attacks up his side broke down as he couldn’t quite get on the same page with his attacking teammates. He created only one chance in the game. Defensively he was pretty good, making two tackles, leading the team with four interceptions, and adding a clearance.

D, Lamine Sané, 7.5 (MotM) — It was good to see Sané back in the lineup and he helped stabilize the defense. His five clearances were a team high and he did well to help provide cover for the few times El-Munir got caught up field or beaten down the wing. He added two tackles, three interceptions and a blocked shot, but, more importantly, he always seemed to pop up in the right spot with a crucial tackle to prevent Houston’s attack from getting into dangerous spots. He also passed well (94%), hitting three of his four long balls.

D, Jonathan Spector, 7 — Although Baldomero Toledo ruled it a foul, Specs made a vital challenge in the 24th to dispossess Quioto on the break. The play looked clean but there may have been contact in the follow-through. Toledo gave Houston a free kick but it could have been much worse. He made a vital clearance with his head after Grinwis stopped Quioto in the 58th, nodding away a shot by Martinez. His 93% passing rate was good and he connected on four of six long balls. Defensively, he put in a good shift, blocking two shots and notching two clearances. He didn’t register an interception or a tackle, but some of that is due to the overall team defense keeping Houston quiet and the tackle he made was ruled a foul. I vehemently disagree with the call.

D, Scott Sutter, 6.5 — His clearance late in the first half prevented a goal at the back post by Quioto and he overall did a good job of keeping Houston’s assist leader from getting dangerous crosses in, often forcing Quioto to play negative balls. He had a tackle, an interception, and two clearances, but his passing wasn’t quite as sharp (83%) as it could have been. He attempted one shot but it was no trouble for Joe Willis.

MF, Uri Rosell, 6.5 — Although his passing was pretty sharp in the first half (89%), he also put himself in jeopardy a few times by touching the ball into an area where he could be closed down and dispossessed. Uri did a solid job of helping funnel the Houston attacks wide and keeping the middle trouble free for the center backs. He created three scoring chances and finished with an 86% passing accuracy (on the most attempts, with 73). He connected on eight of his 12 long balls. After the match, James O’Connor and Spector each praised Rosell and our next player in the list for their efforts at helping keep a clean sheet.

MF, Carlos Ascues, 7 — The Peruvian international made a nifty drop pass to Sacha Kljestan in the 31st minute that led to Orlando’s first shot on target. His passing was spot on in the first half, finishing the first period at 97% and although there weren’t a lot of difficult ones, he always seemed to pick out the right one. Ascues attempted one shot and created two scoring chances, while passing at a 93% rate and finishing with one tackle, two interceptions, and three clearances. He definitely looks the part at defensive midfielder.

MF, Yoshimar Yotún, 6 — I thought it was a mixed bag for Yoshi on the evening. He once again led the team in touches and his three chances created tied Rosell for the team lead. However, he seemed a bit off in the attacking third, seeing many of his final balls into the area cut out or not be on the same page as his runner. His 82% passing rate could have been better and only two of his 12 crosses were accurate. He made one tackle on defense. After the game, he picked up an unnecessary yellow card. Still, if anything was going to happen offensively on the evening, it looked like it was going to come through Yotún. He just lacked the final quality. Neither of his two shots were on target, although his inside-out attempt didn’t miss by much in the 56th.

MF, Sacha Kljestan, 5 — Kljestan hasn’t quite seemed himself since returning from injury, but he did have two shot attempts and got both on target, forcing a couple decent saves. His passing was decent overall (88%) but he created only one scoring chance. His shot in the 31st forced Joe Willis into into a diving save. Defensively, he had a clearance on a Houston corner. He didn’t get credit for for a shot but he did get his foot on a cross in the 47th minute that skipped just wide of the far post.

MF, Will Johnson, 5 — It was Johnson’s 50th appearance with Orlando and it was a solid, if unspectacular, outing. Will tried for the spectacular in the 32nd with a long-range effort that didn’t miss the near post by much. A minute later, he made a nice midfield steal and then drew a yellow card foul on Andrew Wenger. He sent in a dangerous shot in the 41st that forced save. Johnson led the team in shot attempts (3), getting one on target. Defensively, he had a clearance and a blocked shot. He was accurate on 91% of his passes and he drew five fouls, although he also committed three himself.

F, Dom Dwyer, 5 — Dom has seemed a bit off of late, missing three 1-v-1 opportunities in the last two matches. Tonight he had one such chance and again saw his shot saved although it didn’t matter since he was offside anyway. He was fouled a lot and he allowed the ones that didn’t get called to get into his head a bit and took a yellow card as a result. He attempted two shots, got one on target, and only attempted seven passes, connecting at just a 71% rate. Defensively he registered a clearance.

Substitutes

F, Stefano Pinho (79’), N/A — The Brazilian was the only substitute on the night but he didn’t do much and I’m not sure he had an opportunity to really make an impact so I’m not giving him a grade. He did attempt one shot that got blocked. He was three of five on his passes (60%), was dispossessed once and had two unstable touches. Not much impact, really.

That’s the way I saw it. Tell me what you thought and vote in our poll below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Adam Grinwis41
Lamine Sané20
Jonathan Spector7
Carlos Ascues24
Uri Rosell1
Yoshimar Yotún2
Other3

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/14/26

The Orlando Pride hire a new GM, Luis Muriel departure rumors heat up, USMNT news, and more.

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5 hours ago

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January 14, 2026

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Image of Luis Muriel bringing the ball forward against the LA Galaxy.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It has felt like the off-season has been in slow motion despite several signings. Recent developments make it feel like things are going to start speeding up. So keep your head up as the preseason is underway, and the season is just around the corner. For now, let’s get to the links.

Orlando Pride Name Caitlin Carducci VP & GM

The Orlando Pride hired Caitlin Carducci as the club’s new vice president of soccer operations and general manager. Carducci was most recently the general manager for the Kansas City Current. Like the recently departed Haley Carter, Carducci is proven commodity, having built trophy-winning teams. She has an impressive resume, having worked at multiple levels of soccer including with U.S. Soccer, the NWSL, and as an attorney and former compliance officer. This is a move that proves the commitment of the Wilf family regarding the Orlando Pride.

Muriel Exit Rumors Heat Up

It’s one of those things where everyone knows something is coming, but we still have to wait for it to actually happen (see Carlos Coronel). It’s a known secret that Orlando City and Luis Muriel want to mutually move on from each other, and now it looks like it might be happening. Of course, we don’t have anything confirmed by the club yet, but when Tom Bogert posts something like this, it’s usually a good indication.

USMNT News

Josh Sargent has been doing very well with Norwich City scoring 13, 16, and 15 goals for the Canaries in the last few seasons. Now, he may be on his way to MLS as Toronto FC is trying to bring him to North America for an $18 million fee. In other news, Timothy Weah spoke out about the costs of World Cup tickets being too high. It’s not exactly a hot take, but good on him for addressing the issue.

NWSL Notes

Now that the Orlando Pride have a new general manager, we eagerly await the new player signings. Until then, let’s check out other NWSL happenings. Seattle Reign FC signed head coach Laura Harvey to a new contract through the 2028 season. Angel City decided that having Emily Sams wasn’t enough, so the club signed rookie forward Riley Tiernan to a contract extension through the 2028 season. The disturbing trend of Brazilian players signing with clubs other than Orlando City continued, as Ludmila was traded by Chicago to the San Diego Wave for $800,000 in transfer fee funds and up to an additional $200,000 in conditional transfer fee. She signed a three-year contract with the club.

Free Kicks

  • I think we may get the 2026 NWSL season schedule on Thursday, but I’m just speculating.
  • It’s called the City Beautiful for a reason.
  • Orlando City had a special guest at training, as Brazilian legend Zico stopped by to visit.

That will do it for today. Check back with The Mane Land as there’s going to be plenty of news as the new seasons for Orlando City and the Orlando Pride get closer. Vamos Orlando!

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Opinion

An Orlando City 2026 Preseason Wishlist

Here are three things that I’m hoping to see during Orlando City’s preseason preparations.

Published

24 hours ago

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January 13, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The preseason has begun, and we know about Orlando City’s four tuneup matches during the 2026 training camp. The season opener is just over six weeks away on Feb. 21. This seems like a good time to discuss a few things that I’m hoping for from this edition of the Lions’ preseason.

A Clean Bill of Health

I would trade every other item on this list if it means getting through the preseason without any injury setbacks like the one the Lions experienced last year. When Wilder Cartagena tore his left Achilles tendon against Atletico Mineiro on Jan. 25, it broke up the previously established and successful duo of himself and Cesar Araujo and had a big impact on the start of the season. Of course, OCSC pivoted magnificently as Eduard Atuesta was signed just a little over two weeks later on Feb. 10, but the timing of Cartagena’s injury and Atuesta’s subsequent arrival meant that he was playing catch-up when it came to integrating with his new teammates. The Colombian still put together a solid season with seven assists (good for third-best on the team), but not having Cartagena in 2025 was a blow, particularly when considering his versatility in being able to play at midfield or center back. If the Lions can get to opening day this year with no repeats of that incident or Yutaro Tuskada’s 2025 season-ending knee injury, then I’ll be a very happy man.

Timely Reinforcements

It’s been pretty well established that more additions need to be made to the roster before it’s ready for opening day. Luis Muriel is likely about to be moved and at least one striker will be needed to replace him, while convincing arguments can be made for signing a left back, a couple of center backs, and a right back. Not only would I love those signings to be made, but there’s also a lot to be said for any new arrivals to join up with the team sooner rather than later. Some of that is out of the Lions’ hands, particularly in the case of using the Designated Player spot if/when Muriel exits, but the more time any new faces have to begin integrating with their new teammates, the better. Of course, there’s also something to be said for Orlando doing its homework and ensuring that it makes the correct call when pulling the trigger on a new signing, but with how tough the Eastern Conference was last year, a fine balance is going to need to be struck between patience and urgency to ensure OCSC isn’t playing catchup in the standings.

Continued Chances for Young Players

It’s no secret that a big storyline for Orlando City during 2025 was the eye-wateringly fast rise of Alex Freeman. He’s a shining example of what MLS teams want to get out of their academies — rising up through the youth systems, starring for the reserve side, earning a spot on the first team, and going even farther beyond that. The big question now is whether or not other young players can follow in his footsteps. It would be unreasonable to expect other Young Lions to hit the heights that Freeman did in 2025, but there’s no reason that guys like Gustavo Caraballo, Tahir Reid-Brown, and Colin Guske can’t earn some more minutes after making their debuts last season. Likewise, as Sean Rollins noted several days ago, there are some current Orlando City B players who could realistically make their senior debuts this year. That process begins during the preseason, when the coaching staff is trying to get a good sense of what it has to work with, and if any of the youngsters show well, then Oscar Pareja and his staff have shown themselves to be more than willing to hand them opportunities. Hopefully, some of the more promising young faces get plenty of chances to prove themselves.

There you have it. If Orlando City can keep everyone healthy, get new signings in the door sooner rather than later, and hand promising youngsters the chance to show what they can do, then I’ll be a happy man during this preseason. Keep your fingers crossed, people. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/13/26

Orlando City opens preseason training, Orlando City B signs a striker, MLS transfer news, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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January 13, 2026

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Good morning, everyone! As strange (and soon) as it seems, we’ve now got day one of Orlando City’s preseason in the rearview mirror. The season opener will be here before we know it, but for now we’ve got a lot of things to talk through today. Let’s wish a happy birthday to OCSC goalkeeping coach Cesar Baena, and get started on today’s links!

Orlando City Begins Preseason Training

Things looked a little different than they did the last few years when Orlando City opened preseason training on Monday. The new faces include Maxime Crepeau, Braian Ojeda, and Tiago, but the team is more than ready to get to work despite the off-season changes. Oscar Pareja says the club has high expectations for the year and took a moment to acknowledge all the people at the club who helped make the Lions into a playoff staple over the last six seasons, saying, “We’re ready to keep pushing with this journey, and it looks different, for sure, because we have had those players who have been here for many years and have brought a long, big, big history here. So again, our respect to them, and we promise that we will keep pushing together, because the most important thing is the team.” Of the new signings, Luis Otavio was the only one not present at Monday’s training, while several Orlando City B players were training with the first team, with Justin Ellis, Titus Sandy Jr., and Juan Rojas among them.

OCB Adds Brazilian Striker

Not to be outshone by the senior side, Orlando City B got the week started on a strong note by announcing the signing of striker Pedro Leao from Flamengo’s U-20 team. Leao came up through Flamengo’s academy before making his debut for the U-20 team in August of 2024. He then proceeded to score 20 goals and provide six assists in over 3,000 minutes for the U-20 side, and helped it win the 2024-2025 iteration of the U-20 Intercontinental Cup. The striker was also called up three times to represent Brazil’s U-16 side, logging three assists across those friendly matches. Welcome to Orlando!

MLS Transfer Moves

With the beginning of the Major League Soccer season creeping closer and closer, teams are completing transfer business in every direction you look. We start with FC Cincinnati, which has signed free agent forward Tom Barlow on a contract that runs through the end of 2027. Continuing the theme of free agent signings, the New York Red Bulls have signed defender Robert Voloder, with the former Sporting Kansas City player joining on a deal that runs through the end of 2028. The Houston Dynamo signed midfielder Agustin Bouzat from Velez Sarsfield on a deal that runs through June 2028 and has an option through June 2029. Up north, 38-year-old Maxi Moralez is back yet again for New York City FC, as he has signed a new contract that runs through the 2026 season. Finally, the San Jose Earthquakes are said to be closing in on a deal to sign Timo Werner as a Designated Player.

Americans in Midweek Action

As usual, a number of American players will be in action during the working week, so let’s take a look at some of the matchups. Things get going today when Malik Tillman and Bayer Leverkusen travel to Hamburger SV in Bundesliga action. Gio Reyna, Joe Scally, and Borussia Monchengladbach hit the road to take on Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Wednesday, while Kevin Paredes and Wolfsburg host James Sands’ St. Pauli side in the same competition. Thursday has Christian Pulisic and AC Milan in a road tilt against Como in Serie A play, and the week finishes up Friday with Folarin Balogun and Monaco squaring off against Lorient in Ligue 1.

Free Kicks

  • Check out some of the scenes from the first day of preseason training.

That’s all I’ve got for today. Vamos Orlando!

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