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Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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6 years ago

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Well, the best thing I can say to open this is at least it wasn’t any worse. When the starting lineup came out, I definitely thought the Lions were going to get blown off the pitch by Atlanta. Thankfully, the Five Stripes aren’t exactly playing the best football in Major League Soccer right now. It’s going to be a challenge to grade the guys after this latest lackluster, at best, performance, but I’m going to give it my best shot.

Starters

GK, Brian Rowe, 5.5 — I’ll preface this by saying that Rowe would have been my Man of the Match had it not been for that poor effort on Julian Gressel’s 51st minute shot that was luckily called back for an offside decision after video review. He came off his line decisively and smartly when it was the correct decision, such as when Josef Martinez had a free shot at goal in minute 49 and on the dangerous cross in the 64th that saw him stay down for a few seconds after the play. Rowe’s save on the Leandro Gonzalez Pirez header in the 26th minute certainly kept Orlando City in the match. His 58% passing accuracy on his distribution neither hurt nor helped the Lions.

D, Kamal Miller, 4.5 — I fully believe that Miller has a lot of potential and way more upside than negative aspects to his play. However, he let Pity Martinez have all the space he needed to make his first MLS goal, and what turned out to be the winning one for Atlanta, in the 15th minute. Miller couldn’t keep up with Pity again in the 44th and allowed him the opportunity to get a headed shot at goal off. The rookie defender did have an excellent interception, one of his three on the afternoon, in extra time to make sure Atlanta didn’t get a second goal at the death. Two tackles, two clearances, and a blocked shot rounded out Miller’s day.

D, Alex De John, 3.5 — It was clear that De John hasn’t seen the pitch for a while, as he’s been out with an injury and definitely needed to shake off some rust. Certainly, it didn’t help that he was expected to cover Hector Villalba, arguably the most underrated player on Atlanta’s squad full of highly rated players. He misjudged a jump on a pass out from the back in the 15th minute that ultimately led to Atlanta’s lone goal. De John made a great run into the box in first half stoppage time and cut a pass back to Will Johnson that ended up as a shot on goal for Orlando City. The first 10 minutes of the second half saw De John get burned by both Josef Martinez and Villalba down the left several times. He managed an interception and three clearances before being subbed off in the 58th minute.

D, Robin Jansson, 4.5 — This may have been Jansson’s worst, or perhaps least impacting, performance as a Lion thus far. He didn’t shut down Villalba in minute 15, affording him the time and space to play a perfectly weighted pass to Pity that of course went in the net. Jansson was mostly quiet for the rest of the match after that, until the 81st minute when he again allowed an Atlanta player to have too much space. This time, Josef Martinez missed the net with his subsequent shot. The Swedish center back finished with two clearances, one interception, and a blocked shot, along with a 90th minute yellow card.

WB, Joao Moutinho, 5 — On the other hand, this match was one of Moutinho’s better performances as a Lion. He did make one major mistake by allowing Gressel to get by him and get off the 51st minute shot that would have made it 2-0 had it not been for VAR. As Orlando City pushed for an equalizer over the last 15 minutes of the match, the best chances came from Moutinho making runs down the left flank and sending crosses into the box. Two of those crosses, one at minute 80 and the other in the 86th, essentially found Ruan who couldn’t capitalize on them. Defensively, the young left wing back only provided one tackle and two interceptions.

MF, Will Johnson, 5.5 — I’m personally indifferent about Johnson most of the time. I get why a lot of fans don’t care for him, yet I also get why the Orlando City coaching staff give him consistent minutes. He demonstrated both sides of the debate in this match. While he does hustle and play with heart, Johnson is often not skilled enough for his play to match his passion. That results in a lot of bad passes — his 84% passing accuracy was the second worst for the Orlando City midfielders — and some glaring errors, like the horrid back headed pass in the 23rd minute that both he and Rowe were happy to see go just wide of the net. Contrarily, Johnson’s hustle saw him end up in the right place at the right time to receive De John’s bouncing pass in first half stoppage time that he was then able to get on frame, forcing Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan into a save.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 5 — Another player that hadn’t seen the pitch in a while and needed to get some rust out of his system was Higuita. A fan favorite, and the only remaining Lion from the 2015 inaugural MLS season, the midfielder was slotted into more of a No. 10 role than his typical defensive mid position. The switch worked out well for the most part, since it allowed Higuita to be a constant nuisance for Atlanta’s back line. Often times throughout the match, he was the only player enforcing the high press and it caused noticeable problems as early as the first minute. Higuita had a great takeaway at the top of Atlanta’s 18 in the eighth minute that may have helped prevent an even earlier goal. Mistakenly known as a player who fouls too much, he instead drew a yellow card foul from Michael Parkhurst in the 65th minute before coming off at minute 78 following a shot he sent over the crossbar.

MF, Sebas Mendez, 5.5 — I don’t necessarily believe that Mendez did anything worthy of Man of the Match, but he was the most solid midfielder on the day. He started off shaky, not defending Villalba well at all in the sixth minute, which led to a shot and then an early corner for Atlanta. Mendez was also badly beaten by Josef Martinez in the 25th, though his recovery save on the shot Josef got off was likely the best Orlando City defensive play of the match. A 94% passing accuracy on a team-leading 63 passes also led the Lions. Plus, I have to give Mendez a special shout out for the beautiful hard tackle he had on former Orlando City player Justin Meram immediately after Meram made his Atlanta debut in stoppage time.

WB, Ruan, 6 (MotM) — I still contend that Ruan needs a rest, and I’m betting that he may finally get it during this stretch of three matches in eight days, so I don’t see how anyone else can honestly compete for Man of the Match when he still puts in a great performance. The right wing back combined with Higuita often to push a high press in the first half leading to a couple of takeaways and one interception. Ruan’s excellent run into the box in the 33rd minute created Orlando City’s best chance of the game considering he put a perfect cross on Dwyer’s foot that the striker, not surprisingly, fluffed. The one dangerous defensive error Ruan made came on Gressel’s 51st-minute shot as he gave Villalba too much space to cut the ball back to Gressel. He got on the end of two of Moutinho’s crosses as the game wound down and sent in a low cross of his own that rolled just behind Akindele in the 83rd minute.

F, Dom Dwyer, 2.5 — I’m going to keep this as short as I can because quite frankly, I don’t want to even waste your time reading about Dwyer’s pathetic play this match. He sent a first minute shot a mile high and left of the target and then proceeded to flop any time a defender breathed in his general direction. See minutes 27, 29, and 38 for evidence. I’m sure a few might argue about the refereeing — I will not be one of those people as we all know PRO is going to PRO and the 11 players on the pitch have to control everything they can. Flopping and looking for a call on nearly all of your significant touches isn’t controlling what you can. Dwyer missed yet another sitter in the 33rd minute when he shot right at Guzan. Money is tight for Orlando City, meaning bringing in a high-quality striker isn’t an option right now. I’d rather see the rookie strikers, Santiago Patino and Benji Michel, get valuable minutes and start to grow than have to see Dom Dwyer disrespect the Lions’ crest by angrily ripping off his kit when his terrible play gets him subbed out of a match in the 64th minute.

F, Tesho Akindele, 4.5 — Akindele was mostly invisible for the first half on this match. I know that’s been said about his play a few times this season and the more it happens, the more I’m starting to worry. The thing is, when he makes his presence known, Akindele can be quite an asset to Orlando City. He made a good run in the 44th minute and tried to find Dwyer with a pass that had a little bit too much on it. The Canadian international’s defensive effort led to a nice interception in minute 75 after a giveaway from the Lions. He sent a shot right to Guzan in the 80th minute after some nice play from substitute Josue Colman. An 83% passing accuracy with one key pass summed up his afternoon.

Substitutes

D, Kyle Smith (58’), 4 — I would put Smith in the Akindele invisible category for his time in the match. According to the FOX sideline reporter, O’Connor believed Smith to be more “steady” on the ball than De John. Seems like a nice way of saying De John was probably going to cost the Lions another goal if he didn’t get subbed off. The most notable play for Smith came in the 62nd minute when he was far too slow shutting down Pity Martinez.

F, Chris Mueller (64’), 6 — As far as I’m concerned, this match was a shining example of why Cash should continue to play as Orlando City’s super sub. His energy off the bench was palpable and caused a very obvious momentum shift in favor of the Lions. Mueller’s entrance also meant the squad switched to more of a 4-2-3-1 formation. He took two free kicks, one straight at Guzan, and pressured Guzan to make a bad pass out of the back that Mueller then took too many touches on. In the third minute of stoppage, he appeared to be tripped by Jeff Larentowicz though no foul was called.

M, Josué Colmán (78’), 4.5 — Ah, the ever-elusive Young Designated Player, Josué Colmán. He wasn’t in the match long, but he did manage to set up a chance for Akindele in the 80th minute. Colmán did the Colmán thing in the 90th, however, when he attempted to dribble into two defenders and lost possession.

There you have it. How did you see it? Who was your Man of the Match? Make sure to vote in the poll below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Ruan22
Will Johnson13
Sebas Mendez4
Chris Mueller17
Other (Answer in the comments below).10

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/19/25

Alex Freeman details his soccer journey, Orlando Pride players called up, Orlando City’s U-19 team advances to semifinals, and more.

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4 hours ago

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June 19, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B

Happy Juneteenth, Mane Landers! I hope everyone has a nice holiday as we commemorate the anniversary of the end of slavery in the U.S. There’s plenty of soccer going on, and I’ve enjoyed seeing the Club World Cup and Gold Cup here and there when not working. Let’s go ahead and dive right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Alex Freeman Details His Path to Pro Soccer

Orlando City right back Alex Freeman has been getting plenty of buzz during this breakout year, but an interview with Goal gave some great insight into how he reached this point. He made the bold decision to head to Orlando at 16 years old to chase his dream, and he detailed some of the difficulties of that move that may get overlooked as his career blooms.

“I remember my 16th birthday, it was the first birthday I ever spent without my family,” Freeman says. “It was the day after I moved to Orlando. I’ve never really talked about this, but, at first, it really took a toll on me. At 16, you really just want your family around for those important moments, and I felt like I was balancing so much without my family being there with me. I did so much of this in Orlando without my family. It’s hard for people to comprehend that.”

Freeman also talked about the pace of his development within Orlando’s organization, along with what it was like to play against Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz in his recent international debut. There are also some great quotes from Oscar Pareja and United States Men’s National Team Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino worth checking out.

Orlando Pride Players Called Up by USWNT

Orlando Pride defenders Emily Sams and Kerry Abello were both called up for the United States Women’s National Team’s training camp roster ahead of friendlies against Ireland and Canada later this June. Both players were on the USWNT roster for recent friendlies, with Abello making her international debut on June 3 against Jamaica. The only player outside the NWSL who was called up for this roster is Naomi Girma. Rose Lavelle was called up for the first time this year, and 2024 NWSL Rookie of the Year Croix Bethune is also back in the fold. Jordyn Bugg, Lilly Reale, Izzy Rodriguez, and Sam Meza were all called up for the first time, as Head Coach Emma Hayes continues to grow the player pool.

Orlando City Makes MLS NEXT Cup Semifinals

Orlando City’s U-19 team continues to impress this year and advanced to the semifinals of this year’s MLS NEXT Cup. Forward Justin Ellis was named Player of the Day for scoring twice in a 3-3 draw against Toronto FC, with Orlando coming out on top in the ensuing penalty shootout.

The U-19 team is the last Orlando academy team still playing across the tournament’s age groups. It will take on Cedar Stars Academy in the semifinals on Friday with a spot in Sunday’s final on the line. Enjoy watching the youngsters celebrate clinching a spot in the next round.

Upcoming NWSL Action Before League Break

We have another weekend of NWSL soccer to look forward to before the league pauses until August due to various international tournaments. The Pride will look to make it four straight wins when they face Racing Louisville FC on the road Friday night. Louisville has allowed 22 goals this season, so hopefully Barbra Banda and the rest of Orlando’s offense can get things going after close wins in the past two games.

Elsewhere in the league, I think Saturday’s match between NJ/NY Gotham FC and Bay FC will be an interesting showdown. Gotham forward Esther González leads the league with nine goals this season, but it’s ultimately a close Golden Boot race at this point. Sunday’s match between the San Diego Wave and Washington Spirit pits two of the league’s top four teams against each other, making it a great way to close out the weekend before the break.

USMNT Takes On Saudi Arabia Tonight

The Yanks are back in action tonight for a Concacaf Gold Cup group game against Saudi Arabia, the guest nation of this year’s tournament. After a 5-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago, the U.S. can claim the top spot in the group and all but guarantee a place in the next round with a win over Saudi Arabia. There are still some question marks regarding who will rise to the occasion in the midfield and at forward, but the USMNT has the talent to get the job done tonight at Q2 Stadium in Austin. The U.S. will then close out group play on Sunday against Haiti in Arlington, TX.

Free Kicks

  • Sams, Banda, Anna Moorhouse, and Cori Dyke were all named to CBS Sports‘ NWSL Team of the Week after the Pride’s 1-0 win over Bay FC.
  • Joao Klauss won MLS Goal of the Matchday for his lethal strike on the volley from a tight angle. The goal equalized things in stoppage time against the LA Galaxy and completed Klauss’ hat trick in the 3-3 draw.
  • USWNT and Portland Thorns defender Meghan Klingenberg has officially retired from professional soccer. She won two NWSL Shields, two NWSL Championships, and the 2015 Women’s World Cup, while also making an impact off the field speaking up for equality.
  • The San Jose Earthquakes have begun the process of selling a controlling interest in the club.
  • Xabi Alonso’s tenure as Real Madrid’s new manager began with a 1-1 draw against Al Hilal at the Club World Cup. Federico Valverde had a chance to win it in stoppage time from the penalty stop, but Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou came up with the critical save.
  • Chris Wilder and Sheffield United have parted ways less than a month after the club fell 2-1 to Sunderland in the playoff final for promotion to the English Premier League. Ruben Selles, who was dismissed as Hull City’s manager last month, was named as Wilder’s replacement.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a wonderful Juneteenth and rest of your week!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/18/25

Scouting Saudi Arabia, Club World Cup summary, MLS midseason superlatives, and more.

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1 day ago

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June 18, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Happy Wednesday, everyone. I’m pretty worn out after doing some traveling for most of the last two weeks, and I’m happy to be back home in Tampa for a bit before heading out on the road again. The soccer world has not paused during my time out on the road, and if anything its only picked up in intensity. That means we have a lot to talk about, but before we get into today’s links, let’s wish Orlando Pride defender Rafaelle a happy birthday.

Scouting Saudi Arabia

The United States Men’s National Team will continue its 2025 Gold Cup campaign on Thursday when it takes on Saudi Arabia in Austin, TX. That means this is a good time to familiarize ourselves with Arabian Falcons. They’re coached by Herve Renard, who deployed the team in a 4-2-3-1 in a 1-0 victory over Haiti in the team’s first game of the tournament. He isn’t married to that formation though, and will use a variety of tactical setups depending on the situation. Across all of them, Saudi Arabia plays with an emphasis on pressing in specific areas and quickly breaking in transition once winning the ball. Like the USMNT, the Saudis are missing a few first-choice players, and the midfield battle should be a particularly interesting area to keep an eye on.

Club World Cup Roundup

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup continued on Wednesday, so let’s take a look at the action. Fluminense and Borussia Dortmund got things started as they battled to a scoreless draw at MetLife Stadium. The Brazilian team had the better of the game overall, but Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel made five saves to preserve a point for his team. The second game of the day was much livelier, as River Plate dispatched Urawa Red Diamonds 3-1 in Seattle. The Argentinians scored after just 12 minutes and never looked back despite Urawa making it a 2-1 game with a 58th-minute penalty. The third match took place at Inter&Co Stadium, and saw Mamelodi Sundowns beat Ulsan HD 1-0. While the scoreline didn’t reflect it, the South African team mostly dominated proceedings and finished with 68% possession and 718 passes to 325 for the South Korean side. However, it was a free-flowing game that offered both sides to take more from the match. Our Michael Citro was there to recap it for you at the link above.

Midseason MLS Superlatives

As much as it seems like the 2025 Major League Soccer season just started, we’re actually just past the halfway point of the campaign, and that means it’s a good time to look at some league superlatives. In a category that will be music to the ears of Orlando City fans, Bradley Wright-Phillips named fullback the most overlooked position and specifically took some time to praise Alex Freeman. BWP previously coached against Freeman with New York Red Bulls II when Alex was still with Orlando City B, so it’s interesting to hear his input from that additional aspect. It’s no surprise that the Vancouver Whitecaps got a lot of love, as they were named biggest surprise, and Jesper Sorensen was named best coach.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

Transfer season is in full swing, so here are some of the big rumors currently flying around. Manchester United is reportedly interesting in signing Callum Hudson-Odoi from Nottingham Forest, but the Red Devils face competition from Roma and Napoli. Arsenal might hit a snag in searching for a striker, as the Gunners are balking at paying the asking prices for either Benjamin Sesko or Viktor Gyokeres, because they consider those numbers to be too high. Three different teams from the Saudi Pro League have reportedly shown interest in signing Son Heung-Min from Tottenham Hotspur, as he only has 12 months left on his current contract.

Free Kicks

  • Get a peek at the Orlando Pride putting in work on the training ground.

And that’s it for me today. Have a great rest of your week. Vamos, Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/17/25

Orlando City and Orlando Pride players on Team of the Week, USMNT Gold Cup continues, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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June 17, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wedn…er…Tuesday, Mane Landers. That’s right, I’m here a day early and not a moment too late. Orlando is knee deep in soccer, thanks to the FIFA Club World Cup on top of our favorite Orlando City and Orlando Pride clubs. We will have coverage of the matches taking place in the City Beautiful. Before we get started today, join us in wishing a happy 25th birthday to Orlando Pride midfielder Summer Yates. Now, let’s get to the links.

Schlegel Honored

Rodrigo Schlegel had a pretty good match against the Colorado Rapids. Despite not being named Man of the Match in our Player Grades, he did make the MLS Team of the Week bench. Meanwhile, Orlando held steady at the ninth spot in ESPN’s MLS Power Rankings, while dropping two spots from seventh to ninth in SI.com’s Power Rankings despite winning on the road. It just shows how very accurate and scientific power rankings are, doesn’t it?

Quadruple Honors for the Pride

The Orlando Pride saw Schlegel’s TotW Bench honor and said we can do better. Barbra Banda, Cori Dyke, Emily Sams, and Anna Moorhouse all made the NWSL Team of the Week from the Attacking Third. Congratulations to the Pride for covering a third of the Attacking Third’s selections.

Moorhouse is also up for Player of the Week and Save of the Week. As of this morning, she is not leading either category so you know what to do.

The USMNT Gold Cup Journey Continues

The Concacaf Gold Cup group stage is underway, with the USMNT securing a 5-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago Sunday evening. I’m always for beating Trinidad & Tobago, but more talented teams and tougher matches lie ahead. Next up for the USMNT is Saudi Arabia. I know what you’re thinking, and you’re correct. Saudi Arabia isn’t a Concacaf nation, but the team is the invitee for this Gold Cup. The match is Thursday night at 9:15 p.m. at Q2 Stadium in Austin, TX. The U.S. will most likely need a win to secure the top spot in the group.

FIFA Club World Cup Results

The Club World Cup, which will visit Orlando’s Inter&Co Stadium later today (we’ll be on hand with the coverage, naturally), continued early this week with Bayern Munich obliterating Auckland City 10-0, PSG defeating Atletico Madrid 4-0, Botafogo beating the Seattle Sounders 2-1, and Facundo Torres and Palmeiras drawing Porto 0-0 on Sunday. In the Monday slate, Chelsea defeated LAFC 2-0, and Boca Juniors and Benfica drew 2-2. Overshadowing all of this is the poor attendance, despite FIFA spending millions to boost said attendance.

Free Kicks

  • One might think that a club sitting second in the official standings on a three-match winning streak would have matching ranks in all the various power rankings. However, one would be wrong, because although the Pride are in the second spot in the SI.com Power Rankings, the club sits at third in the ESPN.com Power Rankings. Do I need to say anything?
  • You don’t often see Barcelona get passed over for an MLS club, but that is exactly what happened despite Barcelona calling FIFA to get a spot in the Club World Cup. That MLS club was LAFC, and it had to earn its way in by beating Club America.
  • Liverpool has set a date for the medical for Florian Wirtz following the record transfer.
  • Congratulations to Orlando City’s Alex Freeman on his performance in his first cap for the USMNT in a competitive match.

Stacked the stat sheet 📈– 10 duels won (led team)– 3 tackles won (led team)– 54 passes completed– 95% passing accuracy– 90 minutes played– 2 clearances– 2 fouls drawn– Clean sheet ✅

— Orlando City SC (@orlandocitysc.com) 2025-06-16T23:03:59.932Z

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the matches this week. Vamos Orlando!

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