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Orlando City

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

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6 years ago

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In a match that largely started off slowly and then picked up around the 60-minute mark, Orlando City looked largely content to search out the draw and one point until the match opened up after the first Toronto FC goal. A tough road match against a side that Orlando has always had issues against ended 2-1 after Orlando conceded a late goal in the 87th minute.

So, how did the Lions rate individually?

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 6 — Joe came out to claim through ball early, and made another fine save on Toronto’s first shot on goal. He came out quickly on the first goal and got enough pressure to have the shot go off the post, but there wasn’t much he could have done on the follow-up. Again on the second goal, there wasn’t much he could do on a half-volley from Ryan Telfer about 12 yards away.

D, Mohamed El-Munir, 5.5 — Very active in the attack and made some solid tackles. He did get beat again on a backside run —his Achilles heel — in the 32nd minute but it didn't come to any consequence. On the first goal he was found in no man’s land as the trailing attacker scored. It was his work going forward that did lead to the tying goal. But again he was involved in a conceded goal as he misplayed the winger and allowed the game winning cross.

D, Amro Tarek, 5 — Tarek had a quiet first half with some basic challenges. A quiet game from a center back isn't necessarily a bad thing but there was nothing memorable here. Just a solid match.

D, Lamine Sané, 5 — I feel as if he’s marking more space than man and it caused the first Toronto chance. He missed a header late in the first half that wasn't necessarily easy. But some good challenges and recovery at times. He was beat in that aforementioned manner for the 1-v-1 that led to the first goal.

D, Will Johnson, 4 — Defensively, Johnson seemed a bit off early in positioning and giving up some runs past him. Telfer pretty well abused him as he looked like Toronto’s best player. He was better in the second half but came in on an unnecessary challenge for his fourth yellow of the season. Telfer ultimately scored the winning goal as he was unmarked on the back side.

MF, Uri Rosell, 5.5 — Uri found the right ball to relieve pressure consistently. Had a nice 40-yard ball to Meuller in the 31st that was wasted. But in the second half he was largely quiet to the point he was subbed off in the 89th minute as he continues to build up to 90-minute fitness — his previous longest outing of the season was 45 minutes just five days ago.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 6.5 (MOTM) — Cristian made good challenges throughout the night but when he didn't play simple he got into trouble. A careless challenge, a typical Higuita move, in the 35th minute just outside the area could have been worse. He made a nice challenge in the 36th to take the ball from Michael Bradley, but he rushed the attack and made a poor shot. His goal was a great, low shot on a nice trailing run. A tough, physical game by him with a lot of quality, including one or two saving challenges in the penalty area.

MF, Justin Meram, 4.5 — Meram was very active early with a first-half chance down the wing and continually looking to drive forward. But whether due to no help or just on his own, he lost the ball frequently. Unforced errors plagued him continually in the second half, losing the ball in his feet and missing passes. He couldn't find a quality shot off a great ball from Colmán in the 85th minute.

MF, Sacha Kljestan, 5 — Nothing spectacular from Sacha on this night, but no memorable mistakes either. His first pass in the second half led to a decent Chris Mueller shot. But he often went backwards as he didn't seem to trust the attack. You can't have that from your No. 10 role.

MF, Chris Mueller, 6.5 — The rookie was active as usual. He found his way inside a bit more than normal and provided some good defensive work and counters late in the first half. He made some nice passes to Stefano Pinho that ended in nothing. He was arguably the team’s best player in the first half. His cross in the 68th minute led to one of the best chances in the second half but Alex Bono made a nice save on Meram’s header.

F, Stéfano Pinho, 3 — Pinho had a rough first half with nearly every touch being lost, losing physical battles, and not really being any factor. He was weak with his hold-up play, was easily knocked down or dispossessed, and failed to give his attacking teammates time to get into the final third to help out. He didn’t do much in the second half either before he was subbed out in the 64th minute, whiffing on a good opportunity in the penalty area.

Substitutes 

MF, Josué Colmán (64’), 5.5 — He came in as a false nine and made an impact. One of his first touches was a cross to Kljestan for a shot on goal. He collected a deflection off Mueller and made a great layoff to Higuita for the Orlando goal. Josué gave a nice ball in the 85th minute to Meram on the counter attack that wasn't converted. Against a physical Toronto defense, he still found space to create opportunities.

MF, Richie Laryea (83’), N/A — The Toronto native came on for Chris Mueller late but ultimately had no effect on the match except a missed opportunity to find the right space in stoppage time on a pass from Colmán.

MF, Dillon Powers, (89’), N/A — In his first appearance of 2018, Powers didn’t have time to impact the match.

Vote for your Man of the Match or comment your thoughts on these game grades below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Cristian Higuita48
Chris Mueller11
Mohamed El-Munir8
Other10

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Orlando City

Orlando City Unveils New Perfect Storm Kit Ahead of 2025 MLS Season

The Lions’ new kits are meant to represent the uniqueness and intensity of the Central Florida weather.

Published

18 hours ago

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February 12, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City unveiled the club’s new home “Perfect Storm” kit today. The new home purple kit is meant to evoke the intensity of the Central Florida weather, and features a lightning bolt (called a “thunderbolt” by the club) made out of the Orlando area code, 407, on the back of the neck and a jocktag with a doppler radar storm icon. Per the club, no two kits will have the exact same pattern.

The Perfect Storm kit will be available on MLSStore.com and on OCMobileShop.com, with pick-up at The Den at Inter&Co Stadium starting Thursday during regular business hours.

“This kit is a tribute to our fans who have supported us day in and day out, through everything, rain or shine,” said Orlando City Chief Marketing Officer Pedro Araujo in a club press release. “It is also inspired by our players’ ability to thrive in adverse weather conditions, and a reminder that Inter&Co Stadium is one of the toughest environments in Major League Soccer for visiting teams to compete in.”

The Perfect Storm Kit will be first available to fans at the club’s official jersey launch tonight at 6 p.m. at Canvas (1401 Florida Mall Ave.). Fans can purchase the new shirt and have it customized. The first 200 fans in attendance to purchase the new kit will receive an exclusive CITYiD patch

The Lions will first wear the new kit at their home opener against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, Feb. 22.

Here are some shots of the new kit:

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 2/12/25

Leagues Cup Schedule released, Sams and Moorhouse called up, Champions League results, and more.

Published

21 hours ago

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February 12, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers! It’s new home kit reveal day, so get ready to potentially spend some money. I may end up getting one regardless of how it looks. I’ve lost some weight, and while that is good, none of my jerseys fit anymore. I hope it’s a good one.

We want to wish a very happy birthday to Orlando City B midfielder Jhon Solis. Additionally, I want to wish my son Chris a very happy birthday. Now, let’s get to the links.

Orlando City’s Leagues Cup Fixtures Revealed

The official Leagues Cup 2025 Phase One schedule dropped Tuesday, meaning we now know Orlando City’s first three matches of the competition. All three matches will be played at Inter&Co Stadium against Liga MX squads. The Lions will face Pumas UNAM in the first match on July 30, followed by Atlas FC on Aug. 2, and then Necaxa on Aug. 6. Phase One of the competition is effectively a group stage. If Orlando City can advance out of Phase One, the Lions will head to the knockout rounds.

Pride International Call Ups

The Orlando Pride’s Emily Sams and Anna Moorhouse received call-ups for the USWNT and the England Women’s National Team, respectively. USWNT Coach Emma Hayes included Sams on her 23-player roster for the 2025 SheBelieves Cup later this month. The U.S. will play matches against Japan, Australia, and Colombia.

Moorhouse was selected by Lioness coach Sarina Wiegman for the UEFA Women’s Nations League. England’s first two matches are against Portugal on Feb. 21 and against Spain on Feb. 26. After that, the competition continues in April.

MLS Transfer Round Up

With Orlando City finally signing some new players, other MLS clubs continue to make moves in the off-season. Former Orlando City midfielder Junior Urso signed with the Houston Dynamo through 2025 with an option for 2026. Houston is the Bear’s third MLS club.

French second-division side Amiens SC is in a selling mood. The club sent defender Osaze Urhoghide to FC Dallas. Minnesota United FC signed midfielder Owen Gene from Amiens SC to an MLS U22 Initiative contract.

Elsewhere, the Philadelphia Union signed Homegrown forward Eddy Davis III, and D.C. United signed midfielder Brandon Servania. Out west, the San Jose Earthquakes have signed goalkeeper Daniel to a contract extension, and Nashville SC signed midfielder Matthew Corcoran from USL Championship side Birmingham Legion FC.

Champions League Results

UEFA Champions League continued Tuesday, with Paris Saint-Germain getting things going with a 3-0 win over Brest. Ousmane Dembélé scored a brace in the match to cement the victory. Borussia Dortmund also managed a 3-0 victory over Sporting Lisbon. All three goals came in the second half, including Serhou Guirassy’s 10th in the competition to equal Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski.

Real Madrid scored two goals to come from behind and defeat Manchester City 3-2. Jude Bellingham scored the winning goal in second-half stoppage time. Weston McKennie got things going for Juventus in its 2-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven. Samuel Mbangula scored the winning goal.

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That will do it for today. Check back later today for our coverage of the new kit. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 2/11/25

Orlando City signs Eduard Atuesta, MLS news roundup, Americans in midweek action, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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February 11, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, gang! It was a long weekend for me but an interesting one, as I attended an event at St. Louis City’s Energizer Stadium on Saturday night. It was a fun time, but personally I prefer Orlando City’s home digs. We have plenty of things to discuss this morning, so let’s get into the links.

Orlando City Signs Eduard Atuesta

Orlando City has found its replacement for the injured Wilder Cartagena, as the club announced the signing of Colombian midfielder Eduard Atuesta from Palmeiras on Monday. Atuesta’s deal runs through the end of the 2025 season and also contains a club option for 2026. While the Lions still have some depth issues that need to be addressed at various positions, Atuesta will pair alongside Cesar Araujo in midfield, and if his previous numbers in Major League Soccer are any indication, he may even provide more goal scoring and creation from the position than Cartagena usually did.

MLS News Roundup

With the start of the MLS season under two weeks away, the off-season news is still flying thick and fast. First up, the Colorado Rapids have signed midfielder Ted Ku-DiPietro from D.C. United in exchange for up to $1.4 million in cash, with United also maintaining a sell-on percentage in the player. The trade was executed using the league’s cash-based trade system, with Colorado becoming the latest team to make use of the new mechanism. Up next, San Diego FC has signed defender Willy Kumado from Lyngby Boldklub in the Danish Superliga. The right back joins on a two-year deal that also contains option years for 2027 and 2028. Finally, Tom Bogert is reporting that Joseph Paintsil is expected to be out of action for over a month after sustaining an injury to his quadriceps.

Americans in Midweek Action

As always, there are a number of Americans taking part in games during the working week, and there’s a heavy emphasis on UEFA Champions League play. Things get started later today, as Tim Weah, Weston McKennie, and Juventus face a PSV Eindhoven side that has all four of Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Sergino Dest, and Malik Tillman injured. Meanwhile, Gio Reyna, Cole Campbell, and Borussia Dortmund will travel to face Sporting CP. Wednesday has Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah traveling with AC Milan to take on Feyenoord, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic will be sorely tested at home against Bayern Munich. Thursday will wrap up European play with Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis squaring off against Gent in the Conference League.

Josh Sargent’s Opportunity

Josh Sargent had a difficult end to 2024, as he spent several months on the sideline while recovering from a groin injury that eventually required surgery. There were some natural moments of wondering what he’d be like when he made his return, but he’s hit the ground running since his first game back on Jan. 25, as he has four goals in three games for Norwich City. Not only is he getting his chance at the club level, but with Pepi and Folarin Balogun both currently injured, Sargent looks almost certain to lead the line for the United States Men’s National Team for March’s Concacaf Nations League semifinal matches. Sometimes timing is everything, and right now Sargent’s timing is pretty damn good.

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That does it for me this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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