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Orlando City

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

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7 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

Lion Links: 2/11/26

New Orlando City kit drops, Orlando City and Orlando Pride preseasons, MLS club valuations, and more.

Published

22 hours ago

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February 11, 2026

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Image of Haley McCutcheon scoring the opening goal in Orlando's home playoff win over Seattle.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling a bit anxious about the upcoming season. I think it’s because we don’t know much of what is going on. We’re only a few weeks away from the first match for goodness sake. Hopefully, we’ll see some more signings for both clubs, but until then let’s get to the links.

Orlando City’s New Kit

Orlando City dropped the new Sunken Treasure secondary kit yesterday, and it is a stunner. This is the first time the club has used gold as the primary color on a jersey. It looks great with the purple shorts, and the purple stripes. There are some great details like the coin on the collar and sublimated lion head on the chest. This is truly one of the better kits that Orlando City has introduced. The club produced a great reveal video. Check it out.

Orlando Preseasons

There’s not a ton of information to convey regarding Orlando City’s and the Orlando Pride’s preseasons. That seems to be purposeful on the part of the club, but a little news did slip out via social media. New center back Iago is fully participating in practice.

We also learned that goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau is back in training after missing last week. Of course, the Pride got in the action as well with various players trying to run drills. I’ll let you judge how well they did.

MLS Club Valuations

MLS clubs are increasing in value, including Orlando City. Sportico released the list of all MLS club valuations (paywall). Unsurprisingly, the top five were all big market teams with Inter Miami leading the way. When the Wilf family purchased Orlando City, they paid between $400 and $450 million. Now it is estimated to be worth approximately $565 million. That’s pretty good growth.

Chris Mueller’s Lost Year

We missed this last November, but former Orlando City attacker Chris Mueller had a tough time of things in 2025. The player was diagnosed with pericarditis. It meant that he couldn’t sleep laying down, let alone play or practice. He is now on the other side of it and has a new contract. It was a year of lessons for Mueller, and in typical fashion he has bounced back stronger.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today, me hearties. I hope you have a wonderful day. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City Unveils 2026 ‘Sunken Treasure’ Kit

Orlando City unveils the first primarily gold kit in club history.

Published

2 days ago

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February 10, 2026

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Image of Marco Pasalic modeling the new Sunken Treasure Kit.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

The 2026 Lions will be golden. Orlando City unveiled the club’s new ‘Sunken Treasure’ kit ahead of the 2026 Major League Soccer season — to be worn through the 2027-2028 season.
Soccer season. For the first time, Orlando City has used its secondary color as the primary color of a jersey, going primarily gold.

According to the club, the new kit pays homage to the state’s famed Treasure Coast:

The Sunken Treasure Kit draws inspiration from the legend, mystery and enduring allure of Florida’s Treasure Coast, a region known for stories of lost gold and shipwrecked riches. Stretching along Florida’s east coast, the area takes its name from the legendary 1715 Treasure Fleet, a convoy carrying New World wealth back to Spain before a hurricane sank 11 of its 12
ships. Millions of dollars in gold, silver and jewels have been recovered from the wrecks since the 1960s, and coins still occasionally wash ashore today. That sense of history, discovery and lingering mystery anchors the Sunken Treasure Kit’s identity.

“We’re incredibly excited to unveil the first kit in club history to be predominantly Florida Gold, an iconic color inspired by a truly unique and authentic Florida story that reflects the rich history of our home state,” Orlando City Chief Marketing Officer Pedro Araujo said in a club press release. “This kit is a tribute to our fans and supporters, who are the true treasure of this club. It represents the memories we create together each season — moments that endure across time, much like the legends of Florida’s Treasure Coast. For us, real treasure isn’t found beneath the waves; it lives in the stands, in our community, and in the shared moments our players and fans bring to life every time we take the field.”

The gold kit’s accents are in the club’s traditional deep purple primary hue as well as white. Whereas the jersey is gold with the iconic three Adidas stripes in purple on the shoulders, the shorts are purple with gold Adidas stripes. While you need to be up close and personal with the kit to see it, a lion motif stretches across the kit, a touch inspired by old-time ship figureheads.

A coin on the back of the neck symbolizes Spanish doubloons, bearing the words “The treasure is the memories we make.” Another saying adorns the front hem jock tag around the outline of an ornate nautical compass bearing the year 2026: “Our anchors we will weigh, our sails we will set, 90 minutes with our City family we shall never forget.”

As usual, Orlando Health is the jersey sponsor, continuing a partnership dating back to 2011, the club’s first year in the USL.

The Sunken Treasure Kit is available at the Major League Soccer online store (MLSStore.com) and at OCMobileShop.com, with in‐person pickup at The Den at Inter&Co Stadium beginning Wednesday. Fans will have their first opportunity to purchase the kit at the club’s official jersey launch at The Final Whistle at Thornton Park Pub tonight, with the festivities starting at 6 p.m. There will also be live music, giveaways, player appearances, and a visit from club mascot Kingston. Attendees who purchase the jersey at tonight’s event will receive an exclusive CITYiD patch (while supplies last), along with a limited-edition coin (also while supplies last). The coin is inspired by the new kit. It will be a big year for coin collectors, as today’s is one of five exclusive coins the club is giving away as part of a campaign throughout 2026.

You can check out the kit in all its glory in the gallery of images below:

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 2/10/26

Harvey Sarajian interview, checking in on former Lions, Americans in midweek action, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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February 10, 2026

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Image of Harvey Sarajian and Ricardo Moreira posing with an Orlando City jersey.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone. It’s hard to believe that we’re under two weeks away from the start of the Major League Soccer season, but time shows absolutely no sign of slowing down anytime soon. We’ve got a whole lot of things to discuss this morning, so let’s get right into the links.

Getting to Know Harvey Sarajian

Harvey Sarajian was born in Naples, and the first professional soccer game that he ever went to was when Orlando City took on the Chicago Fire all the way back in 2015. After becoming Orlando’s first pick in this year’s MLS SuperDraft, he’s now earned a contract with the team he watched 11 years ago, and he did so just four days after starting to train with the Lions. He spent a lot of time as a left winger in college, and spoke about his desire to beat defenders out wide and either get service into the box or cut onto his right foot and try to score. He also highlighted Duncan McGuire and Tyrese Spicer as two individuals who have helped him as he settles into his new surroundings.

Monitoring Former Lions Abroad

It’s been a busy few days for some of Orlando City’s former players who have taken their talents overseas. Cyle Larin got his debut for Southampton started with a bang on Saturday, as he entered the game as a substitute in the 67th minute and promptly scored the game’s only goal just three minutes later to lift the team to victory over Watford. The more recently departed Alex Freeman made his debut for Villareal on Monday, when he entered the game in the 73rd minute of a 4-1 win over Espanyol in La Liga action. Finally, Benji Michel has seemingly concluded his time with Finnish side HJK Helsinki, as he posted a farewell to the club on his Instagram page.

Americans in Midweek Action

As is usually the case, there are a number of American players taking part in games during the working week. Things will get started today when Brenden Aaronson and Leeds face Chelsea in the Premier League. Action in England rolls on Wednesday when Antonee Robinson and Fulham face Manchester United, while Chris Richards and Crystal Palace take on Burnley. The Wednesday action concludes when Alejandro Zendejas and Club America attempt to maintain their 2-1 first leg advantage over CD Olimpia, and advance to the next round of the Concacaf Champions Cup. Things then finish up on Friday when Folarin Balogun and Monaco host Nantes in Ligue 1 action.

MLS Transfer Roundup

Monday brought a fresh wave of movement in the transfer market for Major League Soccer, so let’s catch up on what happened. CF Montreal has signed forward Noah Streit from FC Basel on a deal that runs through the 2028-2029 season, with an option for 2029-2030. Moving to the Western Conference, Real Salt Lake signed defender Juan Jose Arias on loan from Atletico Nacional as an MLS U22 Initiative signing. The center back’s loan runs until July 13 and contains a purchase option. San Diego FC has signed free agent midfielder Bryce Duke on a contract that runs through June of 2027 and contains options for the 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 seasons. Finally, Nashville SC has signed center back Jeisson Palacios to a contract extension through the 2027-2028 season, with an option for the 2028-2029 campaign.

Free Kicks

  • Take a look at the Orlando Pride’s continuing preseason preparations.
  • We got another teaser from OCSC ahead of today’s jersey release.
  • The Young Lions have been getting in some preseason preparations of their own.
  • Orlando City youth player Lennox Alvarado got a callup to the U-16 National Team training camp.

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

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