Orlando City
2018 Orlando City Season in Review: RJ Allen

Defender RJ Allen joined Orlando City in mid-December of 2017, ostensibly to provide depth behind right back Scott Sutter. Allen ended up playing all over the place in a season filled with injuries and other absences across the Lions’ back line, filling in on the left and even at center back.
He showed versatility over the 2018 campaign, but while he was serviceable just about everywhere he lined up — left back, right back, wingback, and center back — he was a master of none of those positions. Still, just his presence alone to back up those various positions was helpful to the overall cause this season.
But just how did that first season in purple go for Allen?
Statistical Breakdown
RJ played in 18 of Orlando City’s 34 matches this season, starting 10 and playing 966 minutes. In his 10 starts, he lined up at right back eight times, and left back and center back once each, though he did sub in at various spots plus wingback throughout his eight substitute appearances. He did not score a goal but did provide two assists. Allen attempted only three shots all year and none of them were on target. He tied for seventh on the club in key passes per game, averaging just under one per match — equal to Mohamed El-Munir on the other side. Allen’s 80.8% passing accuracy is behind Sutter by almost four percent, but ahead of left backs El-Munir (77.6%) and Donny Toia (79.8%).
On the defensive end, he averaged 1.6 tackles, 0.9 interceptions, one clearance and just 0.2 blocked shots per game — numbers that virtually echo Sutter’s averages in those categories, except clearances, in which he lags behind the starting right back.
Discipline-wise, Allen committed 19 fouls and drew only two, but he only received two yellow cards all season and was not sent off.
Allen also appeared in two of Orlando’s three U.S. Open Cup matches, playing right back against Miami United FC and wingback against D.C. United for a total of 210 minutes. He had an assist against Miami and attempted two shots (neither on goal). In the two games, he committed seven fouls, drawing four the other way.
Best Game
There were a few games that stood out in RJ’s season but perhaps the best was his appearance in relief of an injured Sutter in Orlando City’s 3-2 comeback win over the Portland Timbers on April 8. Here’s what our Sean Rollins said of his performance in our player grades piece that day:
Coming on for Scott Sutter in the 57th minute, RJ Allen played his best game since joining Orlando City this past off-season. He was strong in the back and was dangerous going forward, working well with Chris Mueller to create crosses into the box late. His late run into the box and vision to find Dom Dwyer for the winning goal was exquisite, and deserves recognition.
Allen’s pass helped the Lions complete a three-goal rally that turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead in just a seven-minute span. RJ’s long, perfectly timed ball set up Dom Dwyer’s winner in what was one of the most memorable goals in Orlando City’s history, let alone season.
It was only 33 minutes, but it was one of the best half hour performances of the season. He attempted one shot, had three key passes as part of a 95% passing day, averaged nearly a touch per minute, made one tackle and had one interception.
An honorable mention goes to Allen for his Man of the Match effort for Orlando in an otherwise dismal 2-0 loss to New York City FC on July 26.
2018 Final Grade
The Mane Land staff landed on a final composite grade of 5 for Allen. He had an inconsistent season and as I mentioned above, while he was anywhere from serviceable to solid regardless of what he was asked to do, he rarely mastered any one spot. He showed glimpses of what he could do in the two matches mentioned above in the “Best Game” section and a few others, but he hardly made anyone forget the injured Sutter for a good chunk of the season. Given the season the Lions had, a final grade like Allen’s certainly isn’t an indictment.
2019 Outlook
According to Transfermarkt, Orlando City isn’t on the hook for Allen beyond 2018. However, at just $90,000 in guaranteed money, the 28-year-old actually gave good value during the season. It isn’t bad to have players on the bench who can serve as Swiss Army knives and fill in at multiple positions for little money in a salary cap league. Provided it wouldn’t cost the club a lot to have Allen return, there could be room on the roster for him in 2019. Also, if the club continues to trend toward a three-man back line next season, Allen could play a bit further up the field where he can pick out passes for runners and work with the midfielders to maintain possession. It seems to be a better fit for him than as a standard right back on a four-man back line.
Previous Orlando City Season in Review Posts (Date Posted)
- Cam Lindley (10/31)
- Tony Rocha (11/1)
- Cristian Higuita (11/2)
- Joe Bendik (11/3)
- Jose Villareal (11/3)
- Dillon Powers (11/4)
- Chris Mueller (11/5)
- Mohamed El-Munir (11/6)
- PC (11/6)
- Jonathan Spector (11/7)
- Will Johnson (11/8)
- Chris Schuler (11/9)
- Earl Edwards, Jr. (11/9)
- Josué Colmán (11/10)
- Donny Toia (11/10)
- Lamine Sané (11/11)
- Stéfano Pinho (11/12)
- Oriol Rosell (11/13)
- Amro Tarek (11/14)
- Adam Grinwis (11/15)
- Sacha Kljestan (11/16)
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Photo Gallery
An album of images from Orlando City’s hard-fought draw at home against the Herons.

The Lions brought much more roar on Sunday night to face their southern rivals but had trouble finding the net, allowing the Herons to nick a point even while short staffed. None of Miami’s high-priced talent traveled for the match after facing Toronto midweek, and physicality ensued, firing up the sold-out crowd at Exploria Stadium.
Talking with some of the other photographers on the sideline who had flown in for this match, they rated the Orlando atmosphere top-notch; in their experience, other cities don’t compare to the in-stadium fan enthusiasm.
The Lions were in “the net is lava” mode, with Duncan McGuire and Iván Angulo each missing prime one-on-one chances with Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender in each half, McGuire leaving it straight at Callendar, and Angulo badly missing the net after a missed first touch. So of course Miami struck first, with David Ruíz scoring early in the second half.
This fired the Lions up even more and Martín Ojeda pinballed McGuire in behind the Miami back line, allowing Duncan to do what Duncan does to draw the score level. The Lions generally looked the more dangerous team for most (but not all) of the night. However, it is scoring goals that actually counts, leaving both teams unchanged in their respective Eastern Conference standings. Orlando remains second at 14-7-9, while Miami stays in 14th at 9-15-5.
The Lions continue to control their own destiny in terms of getting a top-four finish as they look to lock up home field advantage for a best-of-three matchup in the MLS Cup playoffs.
With home dates left against Montreal and a sputtering-but-dangerous New England remaining, there’s still plenty of time to be part of that world-class gameday atmosphere by going out to support the team as they push for a strong finish.
We hope that you enjoy these images from a hard-fought, come-from-behind draw against Inter Miami at Exploria Stadium.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Five Takeaways
Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 1-1 draw at home against Inter Miami.

Orlando City returned to Exploria Stadium after a midweek loss to New York City FC and had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Inter Miami. The Lions did well to equalize after conceding first, but will likely feel that they left opportunity knocking as the Eastern Conference remains tight near the top. Here are my five takeaways from the third Tropic Thunder clash this year.
Lack of Execution Plagues the Lions
Orlando’s offense struggled to put the ball in the back of the net in this match. That’s not to say they didn’t create quality chances, as the Lions served up good crosses and dangerous long balls throughout the match. Only three of Orlando’s 16 crosses found their mark in the end. The execution just wasn’t there when it came to finishing attacks, whether it be poor decision-making when the time came to play the final ball or just missing the target completely. Of Orlando’s 13 shots, six were on target and only a couple of those gave Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender much difficulty. Ivan Angulo missing the goal entirely after Dagur Dan Thorhallsson picked out a perfect pass for him stands out. Expecting every promising attack to end with a goal is unfair, but weak finishing cost the Lions from claiming a big win at home.
Corner Kicks Gave the Lions Headaches
While the Lions didn’t have any corner kicks in the match, Inter Miami had seven and created some of its best chances with them. In the 61st minute, a corner kick taken by Robert Taylor found Leonardo Campana all alone in the center of the box. The Ecuadorian forward’s header mercifully went wide, but it was indicative of how Orlando had its hands full on set pieces. Pedro Gallese had to come up with a remarkable save in the first half as well after Campana barreled through Cartagena to head the ball at goal. Even though the Lions didn’t concede from a set piece, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s something focused on this week just to ensure the team is organized enough to overcome uncalled fouls without needing its star goalkeeper or some luck.
Plenty of Physicality in Rivalry Match
It was easy to tell these two teams didn’t care much for each other, as they both fought hard on and off the ball. There were 27 fouls and seven yellow cards handed out by referee Armando Villarreal. Miami committed 16 of those fouls and received five of the yellow cards as they did whatever it took to slow down Orlando’s progress. Facundo Torres suffered the brunt of it and was fouled four times so that he couldn’t work his magic against Miami’s defense. It was the kind of physical match that can be expected of two rivals and made for an intense match that will likely have players from both sides seeking an ice bath. The Lions did well to stay composed for a majority of a very chippy match.
Duncan McGuire Shakes Off the Rust
Forward Duncan McGuire got back to his scoring ways with a crucial equalizer for his ninth goal of the MLS season. It was an important goal for reasons beyond the scoreline as well, as McGuire had squandered a golden opportunity to score earlier in the match by not being able to get his shot past Callender. He was also kicking himself for not getting on the end of a few other chances as well. His 84 minutes on the field were the most from him in one game this season, and the Lions will need him more often now that Ercan Kara is in Turkey. It was the rookie’s first goal since July and, although not perfect, the kind of performance to build upon moving forward.
Orlando Showcased Its Depth and Versatility
Head Coach Oscar Pareja switched things up at halftime, replacing Cesar Araujo with Martin Ojeda and having Mauricio Pereyra sit a bit deeper in the midfield to potentially create chances on the break a bit quicker using his service. Although Ojeda didn’t get a goal or an assist, his presence was notable on both sides of the ball and he played a key role in Orlando’s goal. Having a player of his caliber able to come off the bench has been a boon for Orlando this season, letting Pareja really kickstart the changes he wants to make to the team. Similar things could be said about Orlando’s other substitutes: Junior Urso, Ramiro Enrique, Gaston Gonzalez, and Michael Halliday. Their energy and skill kept Orlando pushing for more and gave the sense that a winner would have come had the game lasted a bit longer.
That’s what I took away from Orlando’s 1-1 draw with Inter Miami. Let me know what you gathered from the match in the comments below
Lion Links
Lion Links: 9/25/23
Orlando City draws with Inter Miami, Viviana Villacorta out for the season, OCB wins last game of the regular season, and more.

Last night’s Orlando City match wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t the worst either. It’s a pretty fitting feeling on a Monday, as we all get back into the swing of the work week after a nice weekend of soccer. There are plenty of ups and downs from a rollercoaster Sunday, so let’s dive right into today’s links!
Orlando City Draws With Inter Miami
In the latest edition of the Tropic Thunder rivalry, Orlando City and Inter Miami split the points at Exploria Stadium in a 1-1 result. Miami struck first, but the Lions did well to find an equalizer, even though they couldn’t find a winner in the end. It wasn’t Orlando’s best game by any means, but it was a decent response to a 2-0 loss on the road to New York City FC. Orlando now has 51 points, tying its club record for the most points in a season, set in 2021. The Lions will have a chance to break that record on Saturday when they host CF Montreal.
Viviana Villacorta Out for the Season
Orlando Pride midfielder Viviana Villacorta will miss the remainder of the NWSL season after suffering an ACL tear in her left knee during training. The 24-year-old was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, but was not able to make her debut until 2022 due to sustained an ACL tear in her right knee that kept her out for all of the 2021 season. This year, she has 21 appearances across all competitions for the Pride and notched the first assist of her career in a big road win against the San Diego Wave on April 29. This is a tough blow to the Pride’s midfield with just three games remaining as she has ended her season early due to injury for the third straight year. The Pride are only a point out of a playoff spot and are back in action on Oct. 2 against Angel City FC.
Orlando City B Wins On Decision Day
On the final day of the MLS NEXT Pro regular season, Orlando City B won 2-1 at home over FC Cincinnati 2. The Young Lions had already clinched a spot in the postseason heading into this match, but the win secured their spot as the fifth seed. Jack Lynn briefly held the Golden Boot lead after scoring, but ended up tied at 19 goals with New York City FC II’s Matt Myers and Colorado Rapids 2’s Remi Cabral. The trio ended in a three-way tie for the league’s Golden Boot honors. OCB will hit the road for its first MLS NEXT Pro playoff game, although the opponent is not yet known thanks to the new rule where higher seeds choose which team they want to face.
USWNT Wins in Megan Rapinoe’s Final Match
The United States Women’s National Team beat South Africa in a 2-0 win at Soldier Field. Trinity Rodman and Emily Sonnett scored and the defense did well to secure its second shutout against South Africa after a 3-0 win this past Thursday. This game also marked forward Megan Rapinoe’s final game with the USWNT, with the 38-year-old subbed off for the last time in the 54th minute. These were solid wins from the USWNT following the World Cup and it will aim to keep the momentum rolling next month in a pair of friendlies against Colombia.
Free Kicks
- Three Orlando City academy sides came up with shutout victories this weekend.
- Before the USWNT’s friendly with South Africa, U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker stated that plans remain in place for a new head coach to be at the helm in time for the training camp in December
- American midfielder Yunus Musah did well in his AC Milan debut, playing all 90 minutes in a 1-0 win over Verona.
- A match in the Netherlands between Ajax and Feyenoord had to be abandoned due to fans throwing fireworks onto the field while Feyenoord led 3-0. According to police, tear gas had to be used to stop unrest outside the stadium after the match, and Ajax later fired Sven Mislintat, its director of soccer.
- Newcastle became the first English Premier League team to have eight different players score in a match after crushing Sheffield United, 8-0.
- Atletico Madrid ended Real Madrid’s perfect start to the season by beating its rival 3-1, with Alvaro Morata bagging a brace.
That’s all I have for you today, Mane Landers. I hope you all have an easy Monday and rest of your week!
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