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Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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6 years ago

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It was another loss, another shutout, and another game that was absolute torture to watch, as Orlando City fell 2-0 at Gillette Stadium to the New England Revolution. The Revs were dominant all night and City was hemmed into its own end throughout the match. Orlando hasn’t scored in five matches and seem unlikely to see a win the rest of the year, if I’m being honest.

However, I’m still responsible for grading the individual performances, so I’ll do my best to do so. A disjointed team isn’t going to see a lot of the ball, which makes it more difficult. Here we go.

Starters

GK, Adam Grinwis, (MotM) 7.5 — It was a pretty good night for the young goalkeeper. I don’t think he could have done much with either goal. The first took a deflection and went just inside the far post and the second was a free runner who volleyed it out of the air into the corner. He finished with four good saves on six shots. Adam got involved early coming out of his area to barely beat Teal Bunbury to a long pass and break it up. He made a good save on Diego Fagundez in the seventh minute on a shot through traffic, getting down and keeping his hand strong. He made a howler of a bad pass in the ninth minute on a goal kick to hand Fagundez an opportunity but the shot was blocked. He made another big save in the 11th minute on Penilla after an initial block by Sutter came back to the Revs’ forward. He made two more vital saves in the 75th and 84th minutes to keep the score respectable.

D, RJ Allen, 6 — It was a fairly quiet return to the lineup for Allen through the first half. He did make one nice play to head a ball away from Teal Bunbury back to Grinwis in the 38th minute. With five tackles, three clearances and an interception it was a busy night on the defensive end but Allen wasn’t able to get forward often and wasn’t effective when he did. He hit 72% of his passes but only attempted one cross.

D, Lamine Sané, 5 — Sané had a busy first half with six clearances as the Lions’ defense was constantly under pressure from the Revs. He seemed too reluctant to come out and challenge Cristian Penilla on the first New England goal even though he was the closest man. His passing was off, at just 60% and 1/6 on long balls, He had three interceptions after the half and two more clearances but I think he just wore down under the relentless New England pressure.

D, Shane O’Neill, 5.5 — Like his central defense partner he was busy throughout the first half, making two recoveries with two interceptions and a blocked shot and a tackle through the opening 45 minutes. He added an interception and four clearances after halftime and led the center backs in passing accuracy (74%). Surprisingly, he created one scoring opportunity while up for a set piece.

D, Scott Sutter, 6 — The Swiss-English fullback did well to block a shot in the 11th minute on a dangerous attack by Cristian Penilla. He had one cross in the first half but he popped it up trying a chip pass but it was easily cut out. He may have been able to cut back a pass to Chris Mueller on the play. At 76% he was the best passer on the back line but he was only 1/5 on long balls and 0/1 on cross attempts. Sutter finished with four tackles, an interception, two clearances and two blocked shots.

MF, Carlos Ascues, 5.5 — The Peruvian slotted into the left side of a three-man back line and had a mixed night. He nearly opened his account in the 16th minute when his thundering header flew toward goal on a corner kick but it was saved off the line by a Revs defender. He also had three blocks, two clearances, an interception and a recovery in the first half. He should have done better with a scoring chance in the 78th minute but fired wide after he was slipped in behind the defense. He blocked another shot and had three tackles in the second half. His passing was poor (60%) and he didn’t produce a key pass. But his two shot attempts tied Mueller for tops on the team.

MF, Tony Rocha, 5.5 — Tony had some good moments in the match and others in which he looked a bit overmatched. He did well to throw his body in the way of a shot by Luis Caicedo in the 17th minute to block a shot. Rocha produced a good corner kick service that nearly led to a goal, picking out Ascues early. He created two chances got a curling shot on target in the second half that forced a good save, and passed at a 79% rate which was good enough to lead the team on this night. Defensively he chipped in four tackles and a blocked shot. He was dispossessed twice and at times disappeared from the game but it’s a performance he can build off of.

MF, Chris Mueller, 5 — Once again the rookie put in a night of work but not much came of it. He had two shots in the first half but one was blocked and the other was a weak dribbler right at the keeper. He gets into good spots but often frustratingly slows play down and allows defenders to get into position and it can wreck the attack. He did well to win a free kick from distance in the 45th minute with a strong run. He had no shots in the second half but did create a scoring chance. His passing rate was only 50% and on just 16 attempts. He had one interception.

MF, Will Johnson, 5 — We saw the normal work rate from Johnson, hanging back and playing a defensive role in what appeared to be mostly a 3-5-2. In the 48th minute he did well to bust his hump tracking back to break up a New England attack. He was late getting out on Penilla on the first Revs goal and probably should have been closer to Fagundez on the second. He finished with two interceptions, three clearances, and a blocked shot but offered nothing going forward and passed at a pedestrian 62% accuracy.

MF, Richie Laryea, 4.5 — The young Canadian was largely invisible in the first half except for a failed clearance in the 24th minute and a poor free kick conceded in the 35th. His six tackles were good and his 73% passing rate certainly wasn’t the worst on the team, but he disappeared for long periods, attempted one shot (off target), and seemed to lack ideas in the final third.

F, Josué Colmán, 4.5 — The Paraguayan was sloppy with the ball early, giving the ball away. He made some of the same mistakes we’ve seen earlier this season, holding the ball too long in traffic and losing it. He did finish with three key passes and was 2/2 on crosses, firing one shot (on target), but there were too many times he lost the ball needlessly or seemed hesitant to take on individual defenders and ended up between several instead. He also didn’t defend much despite the amount of possession New England had, finishing with one tackle.

Substitutes

MF, Sacha Kljestan (68’), 4.5 — His 78% passing wasn’t bad but it didn’t seem like Sacha ever got into rhythm after coming on for Mueller. He attempted no shots, made one tackle, and drew one foul, but he didn’t have much impact on the match.

MF, Cristian Higuita (69’), 5 — Cristian sent in a terrific ball to spring Ascues in the 78th minute. Aside from his one key pass he didn’t do a lot. He finished without any defensive stats, which is rare for the Colombian, and his 73% passing rate is poor for him as well.

Welp, that’s the way the game looked to me. It would be easy to give everyone really low scores because it was another poor effort without much possession or many opportunities, but I can’t blame individuals for team defending, which is the main reason the Revs had so much of the ball. I tried to weigh how well the players held up not having much of the ball against their poor passing and what I came up with was a lot of average except for Grinwis, who was good. Here’s the poll. Have at it.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Carlos Ascues2
Scott Sutter2
Tony Rocha6
Adam Grinwis34
RJ Allen0
Other7

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Opinion

Orlando City’s Lack of Off-Season Signings Starting to Become a Concern

The Lions’ roster hasn’t gotten any bigger in the last few weeks, so it’s understandable if fans are getting a bit antsy.

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2 hours ago

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January 30, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Three weeks ago I wrote that there was no reason to panic about Orlando City’s lack of off-season signings. It was early in January, and the club typically does a lot of its business throughout the first month of the year. Since then, the club signed Nicolas Rodriguez, but the Lions also traded Mason Stajduhar, and forward Jack Lynn retired. That is more subtraction than addition for a team looking to make it to the next level. Is it now time to panic?

The departure of Stajduhar hits Orlando City supporters in the feels given how long he was with the club, but one may assume the coaches have seen enough from Javier Otero to be confident in his ability to back up Pedro Gallese. The club still needs to bring in another keeper [Editor’s note: this story was written prior to the club signing Carlos Mercado this morning], but Stajduhar’s departure isn’t as big of a problem as it might first seem.

We don’t know how long Duncan McGuire will be unavailable once the season starts. Even if he’s back sooner than expected, Orlando City will still be lacking at the striker position. Ramiro Enrique has proven he can be a starter, but with Jack Lynn’s departure, there isn’t anyone behind him. While Luis Muriel is technically a striker, he tends to play further back in a facilitator role rather than as an actual No. 9. We haven’t seen any transfer moves for a new striker.

The Lions got a big influx of cash, thanks to the Facundo Torres deal. Replacing the goal production of Orlando City’s all-time leading goal scorer is a priority. So far, the club has brought in Rodriguez as an MLS U22 Initiative player. Despite the similarities between the two, Rodriguez is not a replacement for Torres. It is unrealistic to expect the young man to score double-digit goals his first year in MLS.

I’m not even worried about the attacking midfield. As I mentioned above, Muriel is best as a facilitator, Martin Ojeda is now wearing the No. 10 jersey, and Ivan Angulo can play on either side. It’s Torres’ goal contributions I’m worried about missing. Orlando City needs to replace that production sooner rather than later or another slow start seems certain.

I’m not going to address the Wilder Cartagena injury until we know more, but that is also potentially very bad news. That brings us to today. The team is already deep into its preseason trip to Mexico. This is the trip that in the past has been the time when the team truly bonds. Any players brought in at this point will obviously miss that valuable time.

Additionally, unless a signing is someone who has already played in MLS — which is incredibly rare for this front office — it is going to take them time to adapt to the league as well as the club and their new teammates. That brings us back to the real potential for another slow start to the season.

When you have roster turnover, the idea is to bring in players that are better than the players that departed. We know that the ownership is serious about winning. The 2022 Open Cup victory and the Orlando Pride’s two 2024 trophies are a testament to that. Now, it’s time to see that commitment with some substantial signings for City. In some ways, I feel the club has left it a little late, but I’ll take what I can get at this point.

I’m not saying it’s time to panic — though I won’t tell you not to do so — but I’m definitely getting a bit concerned. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/30/25

Orlando City reveals kickoff events, women’s transfer market grows, Tanner Tessmann named U.S. Young Male Player of the Year, and more.

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6 hours ago

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January 30, 2025

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

We’re all another day closer to the return of Orlando soccer and I can’t wait. I’ve been whittling the days away with reading, writing, and taking far too many photos of my cat. This month has flown by for me, and I’m not complaining too much about it. Let’s dive right into today’s links from around the soccer world.

Orlando City Announces Kickoff Events

In preparation for Orlando City’s 2025 season, the club announced various events before the season opener at home against the Philadelphia Union on Feb. 22. The launch for the team’s new primary kit will take place on Feb. 12 at the Canvas Event Venue, with fans in attendance able to get the jersey and meet players. Other events throughout February include a chalk talk, musical bingo night, and plenty of ways to get merch ahead of the season. However, the Purple Pride 5K is not listed, which is a bit disappointing considering it would have been the 10th annual edition of the event.

Analyzing the Women’s Soccer Transfer Market

American defender Naomi Girma’s move from San Diego Wave FC to Chelsea was the first to break the $1 million threshold for transfer fees in women’s soccer and The Athletic ($) dove into which players could warrant similar spending from clubs in the future. Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda was one such player noted. Banda did fantastic in her first season in the league last year, starred in the past two Olympics, and is still only 24 years old. Only time will tell if Europe can entice her before her contract in Orlando is up, but clubs would likely pay seven figures for her services. Americans Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman could also surpass that $1 million mark, along with NWSL MVP Temwa Chawinga and Paris FC’s Clara Mateo.

Tanner Tessmann Named U.S. Young Male Player of the Year

U.S. Soccer announced that midfielder Tanner Tessmann was voted 2024 U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year after a solid year for both club and country. The 23-year-old captained the U.S. at the Olympics last summer and started for the senior team in both Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal games against Jamaica. A regular starter for Venezia last year, Tessmann scored in the promotion playoffs to help the team earn a spot in Serie A. He was then transferred to Olympique Lyon in August and has taken part in the Europa League. Tessmann received 70% of the vote, winning the award over Gianluca Busio and Niko Tsakiris.

Champions League First Stage Wraps Up

The UEFA Champions League’s league phase is finally over, with eight clubs already through to the round of 16 and 16 set to take part in a knockout round. Manchester City escaped elimination after a 3-1 win over Club Brugge that resulted in both teams advancing to the knockout stage. A hat trick from Ousmane Dembele lifted Paris Saint-Germain to a 4-1 win against Stuttgart and secure 15th in the standings. Aston Villa, Lille, and Bayer Leverkusen all won to clinch a spot in the round of 16, all three benefiting from Atalanta coming up short in a 2-2 draw with Barcelona. AC Milan lost 2-1 to Dinamo Zagreb in a match that included Christian Pulisic scoring and Yunus Musah being sent off. Liverpool’s perfect run came to an end following a 3-2 loss to PSV Eindhoven, but it still topped the standings.

While I found the new league phase to be a bit underwhelming, the knockout stage should provide some intriguing matchups. The draw will take place on Friday, but we already know that Manchester City will play either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich and Juventus will face either AC Milan or PSV Eindhoven.

Free Kicks

  • MLS Season Pass will broadcast a featured game with enhanced production on Sunday nights. It’s a solid strategy and hopefully it can catch on and become something fans across the country look forward to each week.
  • The Chicago Fire are set for a nice payday if Jhon Duran completes his move from Aston Villa to Al-Nassr.
  • Giovanni Reyna earned some style points for this assist in Borussia Dortmund’s 3-1 win against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/29/25

Orlando City’s cup competitions, Orlando Pride’s new home kit leak, NWSL’s top 2025 matches, and more.

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1 day ago

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January 29, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Orlando City’s preseason continues in Mexico, where the Lions played a closed door match against Canadian Premier League club Forge FC in Cancun on Tuesday. The club didn’t release any details on the match (more on that below), but the feature image is from the scrimmage. For now, let’s get to today’s links!

Orlando City Cup Competitions

Orlando City will compete in two of the four North American cup competitions in 2025. After a year away, the Lions return to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup along with 15 other MLS clubs and 10 MLS Next Pro participants. Orlando City will also take part in the Leagues Cup with 17 other MLS clubs and 18 Liga MX clubs. The Lions did not qualify for the Concacaf Champions Cup, nor will they compete in the Canadian Championship for obvious geographical reasons.

Lions Remain Scoreless in Preseason

While Orlando City didn’t release any details from Tuesday’s scrimmage, the folks at TrueNorthFoot reported that the Lions and Forge FC played to a 0-0 draw in Cancun Tuesday. The photos released by the club mostly featured younger players, and it’s not surprising that the offense isn’t sharp at this stage, but at least the defense is doing well through two matches. The next scrimmage will take place Feb. 5 against Atlanta United.

Pride Home Kit Leak?

From now on, all Orlando Pride kits will have a star above the crest (or more, pending future results). Like many of you, I’ve eagerly awaited what the next home kit will look like. We now have a glimpse, if a leak from Footy Headlines is accurate.

ohwww.footyheadlines.com/2025/01/mass…

— andré (@838carlisle.bsky.social) 2025-01-28T15:14:13.357Z

I really hope that picture doesn’t convey how purple the kit is supposed to be. I’m also not a big fan of the crest in the center thing, but they don’t let me make those decisions. If the new kit doesn’t float your boat, you can pick up some previous Pride kits from the club’s official shop at a nice discount.

The Orlando Pride are Must-Watch TV

As the defending NWSL Shield and NWSL Cup winners, it’s not a surprise that the Orlando Pride earned three spots on All for XI’s Top 10 Must-Watch NWSL Games in 2025 list, including the top spot. The matches against NJ/NY Gotham FC, the Kansas City Current, and of course, a rematch against the Washington Spirit will certainly draw big viewership numbers.

NWSL Expansion Update

An official announcement adding Denver to the cities with an NWSL club is expected in the near future. Prior to that commissioner Jessica Berman hinted that there are plans to further expand the league. If Denver joins as planned, the team’s ownership will pay a record $110 million franchise fee. You can expect those fees to continue to grow as the league does the same.

Free Kicks

  • Remember Amro Tarek? He made 20 appearances for Orlando City back in 2018. If you don’t remember him, that’s all right since Austin FC supporters will almost certainly remember him for this fun fact.
  • Some pretty big names have left the NWSL for other shores. While the story includes the Pride’s Mariana Larroquette, she’s not quite the biggest name on the list, and she’s also only on loan until July 1.
  • The U.S. Open Cup has tweaked the competition rules so that teams must use primary venues when possible. If they cannot, the team will be on the hook for any differences in the cost to broadcast the match.

That will do it for today. Have a great rest of the week. Vamos Orlando!

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