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Orlando City

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

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8 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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Lion Links: 7/20/26

Pride fall to Utah Royals, OCB draws Chattanooga FC, Orlando City signs Clovis Archange, and more.

Published

23 hours ago

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July 20, 2026

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Image of Pedro Leao taking a penalty against Carolina Core FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at work, but I checked out a Noah Kahan concert and watched the World Cup final while catching up with friends over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando Pride Fall at Utah Royals

The Orlando Pride fell 1-0 to the Utah Royals at America First Field Saturday night. Narumi Miura scored the lone goal for Utah to secure the win, while the Pride have lost back-to-back matches after losing to Boston Legacy Wednesday. That result also dropped Orlando below the playoff line, as the club sits ninth in the NWSL table with 20 points. The Pride will return home for their next match against the Chicago Stars Friday at Inter&Co Stadium.

OCB Wins Penalty Shootout After 1-1 Draw vs. Chattanooga FC

Orlando City B drew Chattanooga FC 1-1 on the road at Finley Stadium Saturday. Pedro Leao scored the opener for the Young Lions in the first half. However, in the second half, Chattanooga FC scored the equalizer. The Young Lions won the penalty shootout 4-3 to earn a second point. OCB will be back in action at home Sunday, facing Huntsville City FC at Osceola County Stadium.

Orlando City Signs Clovis Archange to Homegrown Player Contract

Orlando City announced Friday that the club has signed defender Clovis Archange to a Homegrown Player contract with the first team. The deal is a three-year contract lasting through the 2027 calendar year, with club options in 2028 and 2029. Archange has made six appearances across all competitions for OCB during the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro season.

Latest MLS Transfer Roundup

According to Tom Bogert of The Athletic, there is no movement on the rumored Orlando City forward Marco Pasalic’s potential transfer to Hull City, but the English Premier League side has reportedly inquired about a loan deal.

The Columbus Crew have signed former Manchester United and Real Oviedo center back Eric Bailly. The contract runs through June 2027, with club options for the 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 seasons. Liga MX side CF Monterrey is reportedly finalizing a deal to sign Chicago Fire forward Hugo Cuypers.

LAFC has reportedly reached an agreement with Hammarby on a transfer fee to move midfielder Amin Boudri to the Swedish club. Lastly, San Diego FC is reportedly finalizing a deal to sign winger Elias Achouri from FC Copenhagen.

🇹🇳 Sources: San Diego FC is finalizing a deal to sign Tunisia int'l winger Elias Achouri from FC Copenhagen.Achouri, 27, joins San Diego as a Designated Player. He had 5g/7a in 2,368 mins (37 apps) last year & played in all 3 games for Tunisia at the World Cup

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-18T16:37:04.314Z

Spain Wins World Cup

Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, Sunday to win the World Cup for the second time since 2010. Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez was sent off in stoppage time after committing a foul on Spain defender Pau Cubarsi. The match went to extra time, and Ferran Torres scored the winning goal for Spain in the 106th minute. Argentina was unable to find a late equalizer to send the match to penalties. Argentina was looking to repeat as champions but had only two shots in the game (both in extra time) and failed to record a shot on goal. As for the FIFA World Cup awards, Spain midfielder Rodri took the Best Player Award, while France striker Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot Award with 10 goals, the Golden Glove Award went to Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon, and Cubarsi won the Young Player Award.

Free Kicks

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

Daryl Dike Returns to Orlando City, Signs Deal Through 2027

Daryl Dike is back with the Lions after being out of contract with West Bromwich Albion.

Published

3 days ago

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July 17, 2026

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Image of Daryl Dike posing in his Orlando City kit after re-signing with the club on July 17, 2026.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Striker Daryl Dike has returned to the club that gave him his professional start. Orlando City announced today that it has signed Dike as a free agent through the 2027 MLS “sprint season” with an option for 2027-2028. The club also had to send $75,000 in 2027 General Allocation Money (GAM) to the Seattle Sounders in exchange for Dike’s Discovery Priority and could owe the Western Conference side another $75,000 in GAM if Dike meets undisclosed performance metrics.

The signing gives Dike a new start after an injury-plagued career at West Bromwich Albion.

“Daryl is a player our club and our fans know well, and we’re very excited to welcome him back to Orlando,” Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “He brings a powerful combination of strength, speed, and physical presence, and his ability to hold up play, bring teammates into the attack, and finish chances gives us another important option up front. Daryl has already shown what he can do in our league and in this city, and we look forward to helping him make an impact again in purple.” 

Dike, who will wear No. 9 for the Lions, returns nearly five years since Orlando City sold him to West Brom on Jan. 3, 2022, for a fee reported by The Athletic to be around $10 million.

The Edmond, OK native was Orlando City’s first-round selection with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. As a rookie, he started to see minutes on the pitch during the MLS is Back Tournament, making his professional debut against the Montreal Impact in the competition’s round of 16. From there, the striker out of the University of Virginia blossomed, playing in 35 regular-season matches with Orlando, including 30 starts, for a total of 2,547 minutes. He contributed 18 goals and seven assists on 63 shots, getting 27 on target. He passed well (71.1% in 2020 and 72.1% in 2021), providing 14 key passes. Dike drew 71 fouls while committing 40 and was never booked during the regular season in his time in MLS.

He also played in all three of Orlando City’s playoff games during his first stint with the club, starting all three and scoring one goal on five total shots (two on target). He suffered seven fouls and committed four, and picked up one yellow card in the 2020 postseason.

Following his rookie season, Dike went on loan to Barnsley, where he scored nine goals in 22 matches from February to May of 2021.

Dike’s play with the Lions in his first two professional seasons quickly put him on the USMNT radar and before he was sold to West Brom he made eight appearances and scored three goals for the United States at the senior level. He has added two more caps since for a total of 10.

After his sale to West Brom in the EFL Championship, Dike struggled to stay on the pitch, dealing with Achilles injuries that kept him off the pitch for long stretches. Dike managed to score 11 goals in 68 matches when healthy. He scored twice and added an assist in 24 matches in 2025-2026, starting six times, as he was finally able to get a stretch of games in.

“I’m thrilled to be back where it all started,” Dike said in the club’s press release. “Orlando is where I first got the opportunity to play professionally, and returning here feels like coming home. From the moment I arrived the first time, I felt welcomed, and that same feeling has only grown since I’ve come back. Everyone has been incredibly supportive, and I’m grateful to be back in Orlando.” 

What It Means for Orlando City

Dike fills a hole vacated by the trade of Duncan McGuire to the Houston Dynamo a week ago. It will be interesting to see where his salary slots in when the MLS Players’ Association reveals its next salary information. McGuire, who had his own injury struggles in recent years, made a base salary of $600,000 and a total guaranteed annual compensation of over $920,000.

The hope will be that Dike can both stay healthy and contribute at a higher level than McGuire was prior to his trade to Houston. The new scenery may do McGuire good and a return to familiar surroundings may similarly help Dike regain his footing. At just 26 years old, Dike is still in his prime years and there are plenty of miles left in Dike’s legs if he can stay on the pitch. Fans will remember how he tossed center backs around like rag dolls during his two previous seasons in Orlando. That kind of physicality will open a lot of room underneath for Antoine Griezmann and Martin Ojeda.

With just a year and a half on the base deal, this is a low-risk and potentially very high-reward signing for the Lions.

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Orlando City

Flashback Friday: July 15, 2023 at Atlanta United

Let’s rewind to a tense battle up in Atlanta that took place a little over three years ago.

Published

4 days ago

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July 17, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Well everyone, Major League Soccer is officially back. The league returned from its summer hiatus with three games Thursday night (four were scheduled but air quality from the Canadian wildfires caused Chicago vs. Vancouver to be postponed), and two more games are set to be played later today. Orlando City won’t take the field until Wednesday night against the San Jose Earthquakes though, so that means we have time for one more trip down memory lane. Last week, we went four years into the past and reminisced on a weird 1-0 win over Inter Miami that came courtesy of a Damion Lowe own goal. Today, we go back to mid-July 2023 and a road trip against Atlanta United.

Orlando had been in mostly good form heading into the team’s trip up I-75 to take on the Five Stripes but had hit a sizable bump in the road in the previous match in the form of a 4-0 hammering out west against Real Salt Lake. Oscar Pareja went to his usual 4-2-3-1 in an effort to get back to winning ways, with Pedro Gallese in goal; Rafael Santos, Antonio Carlos, Robin Jansson, and Kyle Smith at the back; Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena at the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres in attacking midfield, and Duncan McGuire leading the line.

The Lions seemed determined to put the previous game’s woes behind them and fashioned a chance with not even a minute played. McGuire played a slick pass behind the defense for Pereyra, but a poor first touch let him down and Brad Guzan came off his line well to save from point-blank range. Torres, McGuire, and Araujo then tried shots in the fifth, sixth, and eighth minutes, respectively, but none of them troubled Atlanta’s goalkeeper.

Orlando then took its foot off the gas a bit after trying to come out of the gates and overwhelm the hosts, but some self-inflicted errors gave the Five Stripes some life and eventually led to them opening the scoring. The Lions took a poor throw-in during the 22nd minute which turned the ball over deep in their own defensive third. Miguel Berry drew four OCSC players to him before flicking a ball over the top for Machop Chol. Carlos saved Chol’s deflected shot off the line but Caleb Wiley was first to the loose ball and did well to lift his shot into the net over a recovering Gallese.

Fortunately, the good guys were able to find a quick response. Orlando had a dangerous free kick just three minutes after conceding, and Pereyra curled in a dangerous ball toward the penalty spot. Carlos rose highest and powered a vicious header into the far corner with Guzan left helpless.

Leveling the game gave Orlando a needed injection of belief. McGuire tried his luck at catching Guzan off his line in the 35th minute, and Angulo put a powerful shot just outside the post two minutes later. Smith even had a pop from distance in the 42nd minute, but it went high and that was the last meaningful action of the half.

Atlanta ended the opening 45 minutes with more of the ball (52.1%-47.9%) and more corners (2-0), while OCSC took more shots (7-5) put more shots on target (3-2), and passed more accurately (81.3%-78.2%).

The two teams traded chances after a slow start to the second half, with a deflected ball trickling just wide of the Atlanta net in the 51st minute, before Santiago Sosa put a ball onto the roof of Gallese’s goal four minutes later.

Orlando then went ahead in the 60th minute. Pereyra split Atlanta’s center backs with a great ball for McGuire, who held off Luis Abram’s recovery efforts, and put a low shot past Guzan and into the side netting.

The good guys really should have bagged an insurance goal in the 68th minute, but Ramiro Enrique’s diving header went off the post and out after a great cross from Torres. Pareja then switched to five at the back to try to see out the game, and Atlanta managed to generate some chances. Thiago Almada and Matheus Rossetto had chances in the 88th and 90th minutes, but nothing came of them. The most dangerous moment occurred deep in stoppage time. Atlanta had a dangerous free kick in the 98th minute, and Almada sent a wicked-looking effort on net, but Gallese got over well and put two strong hands on it to parry away.

Atlanta took the resulting corner, but the Lions cleared successfully and the final whistle blew to give the visitors a 2-1 win and all three points.

Atlanta finished with more possession (59.2%-40.8%), corners (7-1), and shot attempts (17-10), but each side put four shots on target. The hosts were also more accurate when it came to passing the ball (84%-76.3%).

Marcus Mitchell was on Player Grades for this one, and he gave Carlos the Man of the Match nod with a grade of 7.5 out of 10. Other high scorers on the evening were Pereyra and McGuire, who each earned grades of 7 out of 10.

Here’s hoping the Lions can pick up some road points in a similar fashion when they return to play next Wednesday. Vamos Orlando!

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