Orlando City
Chicago Fire vs. Orlando City: Player Grades and Man of the Match

James O’Connor decided to keep his 3-5-2 formation and make just the one change to the lineup for Orlando City’s first road game of the season, swapping last week’s Man of the Match Chris Mueller for latest Designated Player signing Nani.
In a game that lacked quality, the Lions nearly earned their first road win since April 29, 2018. Indeed that was the last time the team had picked up any points away from home so it was a blow when 10-men Chicago rescued a draw at the death.
Starters
GK, Brian Rowe, 5.5 — Largely untested by way of Chicago’s ineptitude over Orlando’s solidity, Rowe saw the defense in front of him carved open twice in the opening exchanges and looked helpless to do anything. After that he was only forced into a couple of routine saves, collected a couple of crosses confidently, and was seconds away from banking a first clean sheet in purple until a close-range stoppage-time header caught him flat footed and nestled in the bottom corner. He’s not at fault, but it wasn’t an inspiring dive either. Also a note on his distribution which was wayward from his feet although he did well trying to spring a counter when throwing it out.
D, Kamal Miller, 5 — Orlando set up with a very wide back three to the extent that rookie Miller spent a lot of the game hugging the sideline. Despite the distance and bizarre shape, he kept his line well enough to help catch a couple of offside calls but struggled one on one, only making one tackle and regularly getting burned for pace. His clearances seemed wild and skittish, his 54% pass success rate was only better than an isolated Dwyer and even playing with a man advantage he looked far more unsettled than he did on his professional debut last week as the Lions tried, and ultimately failed, to see the game out.
D, Alex De John, 6 — De John imposed himself on Nemanja Nikolic to keep the Hungarian quiet after an opening few minutes that could have (and should have) seen him score twice, helping clean up after his fellow defenders’ mistakes by playing the sweeper role as the central man in a back three. It wasn’t pretty at times but he did his own job well with a dominant aerial performance and he also made a team-high 10 clearances.
D, Shane O’Neill, 5 — O’Neill went quietly about his job for the most part. His 25% tackle success was disappointing but not costly as he played high and to the right in Orlando’s wide defensive shape. He wasn’t as busy as De John, nor did he struggle as much as Miller…that was until Przemyslaw Frankowski’s cross was fired towards the head of CJ Sapong. At this point O’Neill should have either attacked the ball or at the very least not given Sapong the room to jump, but instead his feet froze, he got caught ball watching a solid foot away from Sapong, and let the forward head in the equalizer unchallenged.
WB, Danilo Acosta, 6 — Acosta had a better day than his right-sided counterpart Kyle Smith, not that that is much of a compliment in itself. He led the team in touches, with 59, and had twice as many crosses as the next highest (four), but none of them connected. Defensively he registered two interceptions and made several good recoveries but the game-tying assist came from his flank, as he didn’t close down, which is disappointing mark on an otherwise promising but unproductive performance.
MF, Sebas Méndez, 7.5 — The Ecuadorian was an effective anchor, doing well off the ball to cut out the passing lanes and making several interceptions from his midfield station that in the first half was all too often merging with the defensive line. He looked more confident, decisive, and expressive in the second half and finished the game leading the team with 45 passes. It’s hard to know where the 21-year-old’s ceiling is, having not really seen much of his playmaking abilities from deep, but I feel O’Connor will just be content to use him in the defensive role he shined in today on the road.
MF, Will Johnson, 7.5 — Johnson had plenty of energy as part of a midfield tandem with Mendez, with whom he shared a near identical average playing position, owing to the fluid nature with which they changed sides and covered for the other when they went to close down the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, who was given license to roam freely into the Orlando half. He spent a lot of the first half dropping deep into the back line to lend a much-needed hand and level head as Orlando struggled to get a foothold in the game but the early goal in the second half seemed to loosen the team up and they played with more confidence in the middle of the park, as seen in Johnson’s 39 passes at a success rate of 87% — the best in the team.
MF, Sacha Kljestan, 6.5 — I’m struggling to assess Kljestan’s performance in Chicago. It wasn’t good but it certainly wasn’t bad. It just happened. His passing was elegant at times and wayward at others but with 78% successful, increasing to 82% in the final third he was making things tick over even if he wasn’t making things happen. He put himself about defensively, making some good reads but if he didn’t win the first ball he seemed a little too lethargic to continue battling and pressing didn’t seem to be part of O’Connor’s game plan, so he struggled to get into the game at times, ending up being simply passed around. His heat map shows no pattern, with him pretty much floating everywhere as he struggled to find a way into the game and I’ll forgive you if you forgot he was on set pieces as his deliveries looked fine at best but produced nothing by way of chances.
WB, Kyle Smith, 4 — Smith played incredibly high up the right wing and took every invitation to carry the ball forward. On the sole occasion he managed to beat his man, his service was poor. Defensively he looked rattled and pretty much got beat every time, allowing Aleksandar Katai to provide some easy service to Nikolic, who you’d expect to bury such chances. Add to that a first half booking and it wasn’t a surprise to see him hooked off by his former Louisville City boss before the hour mark in a like-for-like switch with Ruan.
F, Nani, 8 (MOTM) — The game’s two big talking points and positives from an Orlando standpoint both came as a product of the Portuguese international. First, he got the assist on Dwyer’s goal, taking the initiative and having the nous to lift the ball over the Chicago back line after a bit of aimless back and forth in midfield. Panic ensued and Dom capitalized. Later, he threaded a beautifully weighted through ball to Ruan, which drew the red card, an event that should’ve confirmed all three points for Orlando and hailed Nani as a hero on his full debut. But, alas, it wasn’t to be. There were promising signs though of what happens when you put actual quality in your side. The one down side is he didn’t have a shot.
F, Tesho Akindele, 6 — Tesho was forced off last week after he scored the equalizer, later citing cramp, so some may have been surprised to see him thrown straight back in to starting lineup against the Fire, with Dwyer once again on the bench and instead Mueller having the make way for Nani. But he must have looked fit enough through the week’s training and he got the nod. Unfortunately, the Canadian lasted 20 minutes before being forced off. In the cameo he flashed his strength with some holdup play and had a good passing exchange with Nani but did little to trouble the Chicago back line, registering six passes and no shots.
Substitutes
F, Dom Dwyer (21’), 8 – Dwyer once again started the game on the bench but was called upon earlier than expected as a replacement for the hobbling Akindele. He immediately made his presence known in the box in true Dwyer fashion, chasing down every ball, but his only chance in the first half was from outside the box. Early in the second half he pounced on some indecisive defending to calmly poke Nani’s testing dink over an onrushing David Ousted. He continued to chase lost causes, hound defenders much more effectively than Akindele, and could have found the net again if he hadn’t hesitated and got the ball stuck under his feet — albeit for a belated offside flag to save his blushes.
WB, Ruan (58’), 7 – Ruan made his Orlando City debut from off the bench, with the Brazilian tagging in for the struggling Smith near the hour mark, and looked a vast improvement. He showed a lightning burst of pace to catch up to Nani’s through ball which invited a last ditch red card challenge from Jorge Corrales and he also made good on his defensive duties, registering two tackles and two interceptions in his 30 minute shift.
F, Chris Mueller (89’), 6 – Last week’s Man of the Match, Mueller surprisingly started on the bench as Nani was drafted into the lineup, but he was called upon on in the final minute of normal time to help see the game out. He didn’t get a chance to get up to game speed but still managed to link up with Dwyer and help drive towards goal, only for the duo to get in each other’s way, ending the chance to put the game away. He did track back and attempt to block the cross for the assist but appeared to hesitate before dangling a futile leg as it whipped past him.
On paper a draw away at Chicago doesn’t seem like such a bad result but when you consider Orlando had a man advantage and came within seconds of walking away with a W, it’s an absolute disaster. I struggled at times to see the game plan: Orlando had a stretched back three that literally spanned the entire width of the pitch but the wingbacks had an average position at the halfway line in a game the Lions struggled to get out of their own half. How does that work? Answers on a postcard!
There were positives, however, namely that the defensive side of the midfield looked good and Nani and Dwyer’s individual talents have shined now in both games. On first glance Ruan looks like a must-start over Smith and I guess it’s also a comfort knowing that Orlando still has the likes of Carlos Ascues and Lamine Sané to fit back into this defense.
Polling Closed
Player | Votes |
Dom Dwyer | 20 |
Nani | 81 |
Sebas Méndez | 25 |
Will Johnson | 6 |
Other | 5 |
Lion Links
Lion Links: 6/24/25
Orlando City’s upward aspirations, Tim Weah reportedly set for transfer, Club World Cup roundup, and more.

Happy Tuesday, everyone. We’ve got a busy week ahead of us with the Club World Cup approaching the end of the group stage, OCB at home on Wednesday, and Orlando City back in action with a pair of games. That means we have plenty to talk about, so let’s get straight into today’s links.
Orlando City’s Lofty Goals
Kyle Smith took some time after training on Monday to speak to the media and shed some light on where OCSC is at right now. The utility player was candid in saying he believes this year’s team is the best one he’s seen since he’s been with the club, and that’s saying something considering he’s the longest-tenured player on the team. Smith said the team is focused on climbing higher in the standings and that the two recent breaks will help the team do just that. He emphasized the importance of handling extra time off between games the right way by making sure the players are taking care of their bodies, getting in the gym, and recovering afterwards. That sort of professionalism paid off in the 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids, so hopefully the same is true of Wednesday’s game against St. Louis City.
Tim Weah Reportedly on the Move
Nottingham Forest has reportedly agreed a deal with Juventus to sign Tim Weah and fellow Juve player Samuel Mbangula for roughly €22 million. That being said, personal terms have not yet been agreed upon with Weah, and that will likely take some time, since he’s playing for them at the Club World Cup, and the Italian side is probably keen to minimize outside distractions. Weah broke out with Lille during a four-season spell with the French side, earning a move to Juventus in 2023 as a result.
Club World Cup Roundup
The Club World Cup continues to roll on, as the tournament entered its final round of group stage games on Monday. Atletico Madrid became the first big name to exit the competition, as it beat Botafogo 1-0 to finish level with the Brazilians on six points but will be going home due to having worse goal difference. Atletico needed to win by at least three in order to overtake Botafogo in the standings and might have managed it if not for some poor finishing. In Group B’s other game, Paris Saint-Germain took down the Seattle Sounders 2-0 to finish top of the group. Seattle was given a brutal draw and accounted itself as well as can be expected, but ultimately, the Sounders exit the competition without picking up a point.
Club World Cup Takeaways
Speaking of the Club World Cup, what are some of the impressions so far of the expanded tournament? There have been plenty of good things, as teams have been taking it seriously with strong lineups, and barring the outlier that is Auckland City, no one team has been consistently getting shelled. On the other hand, making the jump from six teams to 32 simply feels like too much too soon, and that’s probably contributed to fluctuating levels of interest from local fans. High ticket prices and games starting in the heat of the day haven’t helped much either, as weather conditions have been a recurring concern among both fans and players. The competition is still a net positive overall, but there are certainly some things to learn from and improve upon next time around.
Free Kicks
- Check out some of the scenes from the Lions’ training session on Monday.
- The Orlando Pride slid down to fifth in ESPN.com’s NWSL power rankings.
- Three people are dead while a further 81 have been injured following the collapse of a stand at an Algerian soccer match.
- Manchester United has reportedly submitted an improved offer for Bryan Mbuemo.
- Manchester City’s Rico Lewis has had his Club World Cup ban extended for two additional matches.
That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 6/23/25
Pride fall to Racing Louisville, Seb Hines and Giles Barnes share insight on path to success in Orlando, USMNT defeats Haiti, and more.

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy working and catching up with friends over the past week. Before we get started, let’s wish a belated happy birthday to Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter, who turned 41 on Saturday. The Pride was the lone team in action over the weekend, while the Lions and OCB were off. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.
Pride Fall at Racing Louisville
The Orlando Pride fell to Racing Louisville 2-0 Friday at Lynn Family Stadium. Arin Wright scored the opening goal in the first half, and former Pride midfielder Taylor Flint converted a penalty kick for Racing Louisville. The Pride struggled offensively and failed to capitalize on their scoring chances. Orlando’s struggles in Louisville continue, as the club is winless in five matches at Lynn Family Stadium. The Pride will be on a long break, and their next match will be Aug. 3, taking on the Utah Royals at Inter&Co Stadium.
Seb Hines, Giles Barnes Share Insight on Path to Success in Orlando
Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines and Assistant Coach Giles Barnes were featured in an interview in The Guardian. Both Hines and Barnes shared insight into their longtime friendship, which began with playing in English youth international camps, their different paths to playing in Major League Soccer, and how they became involved in coaching. Hines discussed his time as interim manager of the Pride in 2022 and how he brought in Barnes to help change the club’s culture. Hines and Barnes helped change the perception of the club and led the Pride to winning both the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship last season.
USMNT Defeats Haiti to Win Group D in Gold Cup
The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Haiti 2-1 Sunday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, in their final match in the group stage of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. The USMNT finished atop its group with three wins and nine points. Orlando City defender Alex Freeman made his third consecutive start and played 90 minutes.
Malik Tillman scored the opening goal 10 minutes into the match to give the USMNT the early lead. Haiti tied the match not long after Tillman’s goal. In the second half, Patrick Agyemang pulled the USMNT back in front. The USMNT advances to the quarterfinals as the group winner and will play its next match Sunday against the Group A runner-up which was the late game Sunday night and had yet to conclude as of this writing.
Club World Cup Weekend Recap
Another weekend of matches from the FIFA Club World Cup is in the books. On Friday, Benfica crushed Auckland City FC 6-0, while Flamengo beat Chelsea 3-1. LAFC was eliminated from advancing to the knockout round after a 1-0 defeat to ES Tunis. Bayern Munich edged Boca Juniors 2-1. On Saturday, Borussia Dortmund defeated Mamelodi Sundowns 4-3. Inter Milan needed a late stoppage-time winning goal from Valentin Carboni to edge Urawa Red Diamonds 2-1. Fluminense beat Ulsan HD 4-2, and River Plate and Monterrey ended in a scoreless draw. On Sunday, Juventus cruised to a 4-1 win over Wydad Casablanca. Xabi Alonso secured his first win as manager of Real Madrid with a 3-1 victory against Pachuca. Red Bull Salzburg and Al-Hilal played to a scoreless draw, with Manchester City playing Al-Ain in the late match Sunday. Today’s matches feature Atletico Madrid facing Botafogo, the Seattle Sounders hosting Paris Saint-Germain, FC Porto vs. Al Ahly, and Inter Miami taking on Palmeiras.
Free Kicks
- Orlando Pride midfielder Ally Lemos and forward Simone Jackson have been called-up to the U-23 U.S. Women’s National Team. The U-23 camp will be led by Orlando Pride Assistant Coach Yolanda Thomas.
USL Championship side San Antonio FC has signed former Orlando City defender Abdi Salim to a 25-day contract.
San Diego Wave winger Maria Sanchez has reportedly reach an agreement to return to her former club, Tigres of Liga MX Femenil, on a four-year contract.
Paul Pogba is reportedly set to return to playing soccer and has signed a two-year contract with Ligue 1 side AS Monaco.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.
Opinion
Orlando City Has Been Better than Expected Halfway Through the Season
While there was plenty to worry about at the start of the season, Orlando has had a good first half of 2025.

With 18 matches in the books, we’ve moved just past the halfway point of the 2025 Major League Soccer season, and based off my feelings before Orlando City played its opening game of the season, the Lions have performed above expectations so far. There were plenty of valid reasons to be concerned heading into the year. Orlando had sold its all-time leading goal scorer, and there were questions about whether he’d been adequately replaced. There were worries about depth at multiple positions, and the defense was coming off an uncharacteristically poor year. Here we are though, with the Lions sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference, just three points out of second place and seven points out of first. So how did we get to this point?
For one thing, Marco Pasalic has been much better than I (and I think a lot of other people) expected him to be. The Croatian has six goals and four assists across 18 matches, and is second on the team in both categories. He scored 10 goals in 49 appearances in the Croatian first division before coming to Orlando and was extremely one-footed, which was enough evidence to sow real doubt about whether he could adequately replace the impact of Facundo Torres.
So far, it’s mostly been so good. His direct style of play is a good complement to the styles of Martin Ojeda and Luis Muriel, and he’s largely hit the ground running in a league that can be difficult to adapt to. It hasn’t been perfect, as he’s still very one-footed, and can sometimes disappear if he’s stringently man marked, but on the whole there’s been much more good than bad.
Speaking of Ojeda and Muriel, they’ve also had strong years. Ojeda in particular has continued his great second half of the 2024 season and has nine goals and five assists in 18 games to show for it. He looks fast, confident, and decisive and is a far cry from the player who struggled frequently during his first year as a Lion. Muriel has cooled off a little after a scorching start to 2025, but he still has six goals and three assists in 18 matches. He looks vastly improved from last year, when he looked a little off the pace of play and quickly lost the starting striker role. He still has a tendency to not be as selfish as he needs to be in front of goal, but he’s been much better than 2024.
I mentioned depth being a big concern, and not just at one position. At the beginning of the season Orlando City was, and arguably still is, thin at striker, center back, defensive midfield, and fullback. Duncan McGuire was injured to start the year and is now injured again, leaving Orlando with two true strikers in Muriel and Ramiro Enrique. There was no true backup left back, only one reliable backup center back, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson starting at right back meant that defensive midfield depth consisted of rookie Joran Gerbet and the Swiss army knife that is Kyle Smith.
Things have mostly worked out though. David Brekalo has supplanted Rafael Santos, meaning the Brazilian is now a proven backup option at the position, and Smith has filled in there as well. That means that in games in which Rodrigo Schlegel or Robin Jansson are unavailable, Brekalo fills in at center back, Santos starts at left back, and Smith is the backup for both positions, so it isn’t a flawless system. Gerbet has been playing better and better and got some valuable minutes when Eduard Atuesta and Cesar Araujo were unavailable. His emergence has been a crucial piece of the puzzle this year. So too has the rise of Alex Freeman, as his locking down the right back role has allowed Thorhallsson to fill in at defensive midfield, attacking midfield, and right back. The situation isn’t perfect, as a couple untimely injuries to the wrong guys would leave the Lions looking pretty threadbare, but so far it’s just about worked.
Another big concern was the defense. The Lions conceded 50 goals in the regular season last year, which was tied for the second-most of any Eastern Conference playoff team and fourth-most of any playoff team. With no defensive signings and the aforementioned depth concerns, there were plenty of reasons to worry about Orlando’s ability to keep the ball out of the back of the net.
Things have looked much better in 2025, though. The 22 goals OCSC has conceded are the fifth-fewest in the league, and Pedro Gallese’s eight clean sheets are tied for most in the league. Aside from a few egregious defensive performances against the Philadelphia Union, Atlanta United, and the Chicago Fire, things have mostly been tidy at the back, and when they haven’t been, El Pulpo has been around to pick up the slack. Again, things haven’t been perfect, as there have been moments where individual and collective errors have hurt the team, but it’s been better.
I thought the Lions would struggle this year. Going into the start of the season, we were talking about a team that lost Torres, arguably didn’t do enough to strengthen the team across the board, was facing depth issues, and was dealing with a leaky defense — all while pretty much every other contender in the East got stronger on paper. Instead, OCSC tied a club-best unbeaten streak and is just three points out of second place.
That being said, the East is so tight that Orlando is only five points above the playoff line, and injuries to the wrong guys could easily topple the fragile ecosystem that is the depth chart, but so far things are going better than I thought they would be. There are still a lot of matches to play, but this isn’t a bad position to be in at the halfway mark.
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