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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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Grading the guys after a 2-0 loss isn’t quite as exciting as when they win or draw. I know my whole thing is “silver linings” and all, but this is going to be tough. What is the black cloud that hangs over us? I mean, other than the literal black clouds during warm-ups that almost led me to believe we’d see some lightning delays. I don’t like this; I don’t like this at all. Here’s how they performed in my eyes:

Starters

GK, Brian Rowe, 6.5 — The keeper had his work cut out for him this match and did well to defend the fortress again and again. Rowe kept the score at 0-0 beyond halftime and extended himself to make some pretty amazing saves. Right as the words, “He might be my Man of the Match” came out of my mouth, Toronto scored. So there’s that.  I don’t think he’s entirely to blame though. Everyone seemed to fall to pieces in the second half. He might have done better on the second goal but there wasn’t much he could do on the first.

D, João Moutinho, 5 — Otherwise known as the corner shot creator. No? That’s not his nickname? It could be. Moutinho’s defending looked much better this week and we saw a tackle and two clearances from him. His pass rate was at 78% and once Chris Mueller came on his hustle seemed to have been reignited and we saw the pair work together nicely. Not a fabulous match from him but not terrible, though he was culpable on a couple balls over the top.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — How exciting would it have been if Jansson’s shot in the 36th minute went in? Of course, it didn’t because, OCSC. The man is non-stop though. He gave his team three clearances, an interception, and a 91% passing average over 43 passes. He proves time and again that he is here to try and make the difference for Orlando City’s back line. 

D, Lamine Sané, 5 — Sané saw one tackle and two clearances, a shot and a key pass (on Jansson’s shot attempt that was headed off the crossbar by Chris Mavinga). In his 47 passes, he led the team with the most accurate passing rate, connecting 92% of the time. But it was in the 65th minute when Jonathan Osorio beat everyone — including Sané — in a series of unfortunate events, to score. 

D, Ruan, 4.5 — Off to an exciting match, we saw Ruan earn a corner after some fancy footwork, almost taunting the Toronto defenders. It was his unfortunate attempt to win the ball in the air before Toronto’s goal in the 65th minute when he pulled up short and allowed the Reds the space they needed that really stung. He kept his passing accuracy at 82% and had a tackle and an interception. He went down in the second half with an apparent leg injury but soon rejoined the team. The man is nothing if not a fan favorite, but he may need a bit of a rest. 

MF, Will Johnson, 6.5 (MotM)— Will Johnson had another great match. He didn’t slow down for even a second, even if he made a few mistakes, he had the shot on goal in the 30th minute when Tesho Akindele sent him a pass and Quentin Westberg was in perfect position to make the save to keep Orlando City off the board. His passing accuracy was at 88% and we saw a tackle and an interception from the midfielder. 

MF, Uri Rosell, 5 — With a volley off a corner in the 28th minute of the match, Rosell’s shot was deflected, earning another corner. Nani sent the corner right to Rosell who shot the ball way over the net. Our previous Man of the Match didn’t have quite the amazing game he did last week, but his pass accuracy at 84% helped keep the midfield in check, somewhat. 

MF, Sebas Méndez, 4 — Méndez saw an 83% passing average, a tackle, and two interceptions. Other than that, he really didn’t seem to make an impact on the match at all, which was surprising to me. He’s usually so exciting to watch. 

F, Nani, 4 — A wildly disappointing match from Nani. He had three shots, zero of which were on target. Watching the game in person, it really felt like his passing average was much lower than 74%. He tended to slow the pace of play to toy with defenders and then lost the ball repeatedly. I’m sure the man’s exhausted, and I realize that one man does not make a team, but he usually makes the difference for the Lions. Today, not so much. Leading the team in touches (76), he really did nothing to make those touches worth it. 

F, Tesho Akindele, 4 — I almost forgot he played. The forward was out there with a 65% passing accuracy and that’s really about it. And as Forrest Gump would say, “That’s all I have to say about that.”

F, Dom Dwyer, 4.5 —  I mean, bicycle kicks are always fun to witness, and he definitely seemed a bit more confident out there than he has most of this season. If “Dom ‘Effin Dwyer” scores when he wants, I’m really going to need him to want to soon. Only one of his five shots were on target, he was dispossessed three times, and his 12 passes saw only 75% accuracy. I’m certainly of the belief that Dwyer’s mojo will return and he’ll be doing backflips again — as it nearly did in the 89th minute if not for a great save by Westberg. I just hope it’s soon. 

Substitutes

Sacha Kljestan (73’), 4.5 — Everyone definitely sat up in their seats when Sacha took a shot in the 80th minute, only for it to go wide. In his 17 minutes on the pitch he saw the aforementioned shot, a tackle, and 69% pass accuracy over 16 passes. He came on for Johnson, but I’m left wondering a bit, why?

F, Chris Mueller (71’), 4.5 — Ask and you shall receive. Almost as soon as the crowd started the “We want Mueller” chant, the kid was suiting up. He took a shot and connected on eight of his 10 passes. As previously mentioned, he and Moutinho really seem to bring out the highest levels of energy in each other. Hopefully we get to see that connect to make something happen. Soon. 

Josue Colman (78’), 5 — He did it, he got out there, outpaced everyone, and looked up to complete a key pass. Nothing came of it obviously, but it was the finish on one of his plays that had me so excited. Not a lot of playing time to report on, but he did end up with an 83% passing accuracy over his 12 passes. It was also exciting to see all three DPs on at once. Is that my silver lining in this?

That was hard. I’m headed to Atlanta next week to support the Lions. Anyone else? Who was your Man of the Match? Vote in the poll below:

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Will Johnson18
Brian Rowe27
Robin Jansson24
Lamine Sané2
Other: Name your MotM in the comments2

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/22/25

Pedro Gallese earns recognition, Americans in midweek action, English promotion update, and more.

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4 hours ago

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April 22, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Well it wasn’t the worst weekend that Orlando soccer has ever had, but it certainly wasn’t the best either. Fortunately, all three of Orlando’s teams will be back in action soon, so there’s no need to dwell on the past too much. Let’s take a moment to wish a happy birthday to the Orlando Pride’s Brianna Martinez, as well as to Kaká! Now, it’s time to turn our attention to today’s links.

Pedro Gallese Earns Weekly Recognition

Pedro Gallese kept a third clean sheet in a row and Orlando City’s third clean sheet of the year in the team’s scoreless draw on the road against CF Montreal. In recognition of his efforts during the match, Gallese was named to the bench of the latest edition of the MLS Team of the Matchday. El Pulpo made six saves to blank a Montreal team that intently searched for a breakthrough, and made a couple of truly excellent second half stops that kept the score level. Congrats to Pedro and keep up the good work!

Americans in Midweek Action

A number of Americans will be playing games during the working week, and there are some big matches to keep an eye on. The main event is on Wednesday, when Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan face Inter Milan in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal, which is tied 1-1 after the first leg. Also on Wednesday, Chris Richards, Matt Turner, and Crystal Palace will play Arsenal in the Premier League. Thursday then has Malik Tillman, Richy Ledezma, and PSV Eindhoven playing FC Twente in the Eredivisie, while Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis play Valladolid in La Liga action.

English Promotion Update

Following results in the EFL Championship on Monday, Leeds United and Burnley have both secured promotion to the Premier League for next season. Both teams won their respective games and are each on 94 points, and with just two matches left, third-placed Sheffield United has no way to catch them. The other promoted side will be determined after the promotion playoffs, which would feature Sheffield United, Sunderland, Bristol City, and Coventry City if the season ended today. Meanwhile in League One, Wrexham’s 2-1 victory over Blackpool meant the Dragons retook second place and the automatic promotion spot that comes with it. If they beat Charlton on Sunday and Wycombe Wanderers drop points against Leyton Orient, then Wrexham would secure promotion to the Championship.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

Transfer rumors continue to fly thick and fast as we approach the business end of most European seasons, so let’s take a look at a few items worth catching up on. Manchester United is said to be keen on signing 17-year-old Argentine Franco Mastantuono from River Plate. Liverpool is reportedly interested in signing winger Ademola Lookman from Atalanta, although the Reds would likely face competition from several other Premier League teams. Finally, Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has revealed that he and Xabi Alonso have a gentleman’s agreement that if a team the Spaniard used to play for is interested in hiring him as its coach, then the club will not hinder the process. The statement has led to renewed speculation that Alonso will be named Real Madrid coach if Carlo Ancelotti leaves in the summer.

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That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City’s Focus On Youth Development Showing In The First Team

Orlando City is seeing more and more players promoted from the academy, through OCB, and into the first team.

Published

1 day ago

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April 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City began its academy in the USL Pro days with the goal of developing players for the first team. It took nearly a decade to begin seeing youth development bear fruit, but it’s becoming apparent early in the 2025 season.

Prior to 2019, Orlando City signed four players to Homegrown Player contracts. Tommy Redding, Tyler Turner, and Harrison Heath never played in the academy and the other, Mason Stajduhar, developed primarily at Chargers Soccer Club in Tampa.

Orlando City signed arguably its first true Homegrown Player when the club inked Benji Michel to a first-team contract. The following off-season, the Lions added David Loera and Jordan Bender. Mikey Halliday signed in July 2020. All of the players came through the academy before signing first-team deals. 

So what changed?

Part of it was the growth of the academy. It takes several years to begin producing players. Another major factor was the hiring of Luiz Muzzi on Dec. 18, 2019. Muzzi came from FC Dallas, a club known for promoting from its academy. He brought in Ricardo Moreira, who shares his vision of developing young talent for the first team.

And it’s not only Muzzi and Moreira. Former Orlando City head coach Adrian Heath rarely attended OCB games. James O’Connor only went to one, and that was to see his former teammate, Dennis Chin, who was playing with the opposing Richmond Kickers. The Orlando City boss left when Chin came off.

Oscar Pareja and other first-team coaches have been at several games, far more than their predecessors. That’s largely to do with the games’ location at the training facility, which is another factor in OCB’s development. The 2019 team trained over 40 miles away from the first team. The move to Kissimmee has the first team, OCB, and the development academy under one roof. It’s another display of the club’s more recent commitment to youth development.

Undoubtedly, the transformation of OCB under Muzzi and Moreira has also impacted Homegrown talent coming through. The team’s 2016 and 2017 rosters were primarily made up of first-team reserves and USL lifers. The 2019 team had many players from the Soccer Institute at Montverde Academy (SIMA), many of which were young but ineligible for Homegrown status.

Things began to change in 2020. The roster shifted to include more academy players and that’s only grown. This year, 15 OCB players came out of the academy, two were drafted, and eight are outside signings on MLS NEXT Pro deals. Other than Jhon Solis and first-team goalkeeper Carlos Mercado, everyone to appear for the team is 23 years old or younger.

The focus on giving OCB spots to academy graduates is now seen in the first team. Players like Thomas Williams, Javier Otero, Alex Freeman, Colin Guske, and Gustavo Caraballo have been regulars on the MLS team sheet. Injuries to first-team regulars has seen them receiving regular playing time.

The poster boy for this change is Freeman. The right back came out of the academy and spent a couple of years at OCB before signing his first-team contract. He won the starting role early in the 2025 regular season.

Many players joined the club later in their development, but we’re seeing some come through having been nearly fully developed at the Orlando City Academy. Guske and Caraballo joined at 13 years old, the youngest age group of the development academy. Both signed first-team deals for this year.

The midfield duo continue to play with OCB most games but are also on the first-team roster almost weekly. The only reason they weren’t in Montreal Saturday night is because they were helping the club’s U-18 team reach (and then win) the Generation Adidas Cup final.

With Muzzi and Moreira at the helm, more players continue to come through. U-18 captain and OCB starter Jackson Platts appears to be well on his way to a first-team contract. So does fellow U-18 and OCB starting forward Justin Ellis.

This past weekend saw another academy product make his first-team debut. Zakaria Taifi took over at right back for OCB when Freeman moved up to the first team this year. Signing a short-term deal Saturday, he came on as a late substitute to help the 10-man Lions see out the scoreless draw.

First-team absences have provided opportunities for many young players. If several weren’t at the Generation Adidas Cup, it could be more. Regardless, the last few years have shown a big step forward for the club.

The shift in recent years is more than the pride of seeing local kids representing the hometown team. They’ve been an essential part of the 2025 campaign. The club hasn’t had to use a short bench or dip into outside emergency signings. Instead, the Lions call up kids they know, making it easier to seamlessly place them into the team.

There will be times where several injuries will occur to experienced players. Orlando City is prepared for this more now than ever before, and it’s because of the players coming through the academy and playing with OCB. We’re already seeing it early in this 2025 season.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/21/25

Another scoreless draw for Orlando City, a home loss for the Pride, a championship for the OCSC U-18 squad, and more.

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1 day ago

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April 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope you all had a great holiday weekend with family and friends. I managed to watch a few soccer games while work kept me busy. Our Lions picked up another draw for the third week in a row, the Pride lost, and OCB was off this weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Draw CF Montreal on the Road

Orlando City and CF Montreal split the points in a scoreless draw at Stade Saputo on Saturday. It’s the third consecutive week that the Lions could not get a win with another scoreless draw. It’s the second straight match that Orlando had to play down a man as Rafael Santos was sent off in the second half after receiving a second yellow card. Still, the Lions extended their unbeaten run to six matches and are seventh in the Eastern Conference table with 13 points. After the match, Major League Soccer issued a statement after being informed a fan used discriminatory language towards a player during the match.

Orlando City will return to Inter&Co Stadium Saturday to take on Atlanta United.

Orlando City Signs Two Players to Short-Term Deals

Before Saturday’s match against CF Montreal, Orlando City announced the club had signed defender Zakaria Taifi and midfielder Riyon Tori to short-term contracts. Both players were on the bench for Saturday’s match. Tori did not play, but Taifi came off the bench late in the second half to make his MLS debut. Tori has played with OCB and has made three appearances. Taifi has made 42 appearances, starting 21 matches for OCB, scoring one goal and adding three assists.

Orlando City Signs Four Assistant Coaches to New Contracts

Orlando City announced on Friday that the club has renewed the contracts of First Assistant Coach Diego Torres, Second Assistant Coach Martin Perelman, Goalkeeper Coach Cesar Baena, and Fitness & Performance Coach Fabian Bazan. This news comes just days after the club announced that Head Coach Oscar Pareja will remain with the Lions under a new three-year contract through the 2028 MLS season. Together, the coaching staff has played a key part in the recent success of the Lions over the last five seasons, making five consecutive MLS Playoff appearances, two appearances in the Concacaf Champions Cup, and winning the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Lions also set club records for wins and points, scoring 308 goals across all competitions with a plus-44 goal differential in 202 competitive matches.

Pride Fall to Washington Spirit at Home

The Orlando Pride fell to the Washington Spirit 1-0 at Inter&Co Stadium Saturday to suffer their first loss of the season. The Pride dominated most of the match, but in the 63rd minute, Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse gave the ball away in front of the goal, and Gift Monday capitalized to score the winning goal for the Spirit. Late in the second half, it looked like the Pride had scored the equalizer; however, after video review, it was determined that Kylie Nadaner backed into Aubrey Kingsbury on the play, impeding the goalkeeper from catching the ball, and the tying goal was waved off. With the Kansas City Current’s win over the Houston Dash over the weekend, Orlando drops to second in the NWSL table. The Pride will return to action Friday at Inter&Co Stadium to face Angel City FC.

Orlando City U-18 Team Wins Generation Adidas Cup Championship

The Orlando City U-18 and U-16 squads played over the weekend in playoff matches in the Generation Adidas Cup at IMG Academy. In the quarterfinals on Friday, Omar Robbana scored the lone goal in the U-18 squad’s 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake.

The U-18 squad followed that up by defeating Santos Laguna 3-0 in the semifinals. Justin Ellis scored twice and Gustavo Caraballo added a goal.

On Sunday, Caraballo scored the winning goal in extra time to seal a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids in the U-18 Championship final.

On Friday, the U-16 team defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 in the quarterfinals.

The U-16 squad defeated the New England Revolution 4-3 on penalties after a scoreless draw in the semifinals on Saturday.

The U-16 squad’s run for a championship trophy came to an end with a 3-1 loss to Inter Miami in the U-16 Championship final on Sunday.

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That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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