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

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6 years ago

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After James O’Connor made 11 changes on Wednesday against Seattle, fielding a second string lineup to allow rest for much of his first team, the Irishman predictably made a further 10 this weekend as the Lions returned to full strength for the visit of MLS new boys FC Cincinnati in a crucial Eastern conference clash. Having thrown all of his eggs into one basket, his team backed him up and strolled to a 5–1 victory over the newest expansion side.

Here’s how your Orlando City Lions performed:

Starters

GK, Brian Rowe, 6 — Rowe came off his line to confidently collect a couple of balls early on as he looked to settle back in between the sticks following his midweek rest but was beaten in the 20th minute by Emmanuel Ledesma only for the woodwork to come to his rescue. Cincinnati’s second shot also beat Rowe, fired in from close range, but this time hit the back of the net. He wasn’t really tested again until a rising header towards goal but Rowe stretched tall in first-half stoppage time to keep things level going into the break. The second half left Rowe largely untested until garbage time when Ledesma just put wide his consolation attempt that had Rowe frozen. He seemed to have a much more active role in building from the back, completing 24 passes — two more than Tesho Akindele.

D, João Moutinho, 6.5 — After his midweek rest, Mountinho returned to put in a shift although he continued to clutch at his back throughout the game. Regardless, he made the fifth most passes, including one to Will Johnson for the secondary assist on Orlando’s opener, and connected on one cross. He was third on the team for touches, with 73, as he was in constant support of the attack, offering a safety valve for the likes of Chris Mueller and Nani when they found themselves without other options on the left. However, he only managed to register one defensive action, a sole tackle on the day, and was part of the group doing little to affect the Darren Mattocks goal. He made 55 passes at 86% accuracy.

D, Robin Jansson, 5.5 — I personally think Jansson has been excellent since arriving in March and he looked on form as he did well to keep pace as the last man against Darren Mattocks and shepherd the ball back to Rowe in the opening few minutes. But he was beaten at the second time of asking before Mattocks found Ledesma, only for the Argentine to hit the bar. The third time proved fatal, as Mattocks fired home past a statuesque Orlando defense with Jansson closest to him. He ended the day with one tackle, one interception, and one clearance in a performance to forget for the Lions’ defensive unit.

D, Lamine Sané, 5.5 — Sané was one of four players surrounding Mattocks on the first goal with the Bundesliga veteran doing little to take charge of the situation. He also came striding out of defense with the ball a couple of times as well as sending some searching long balls, completing three. His biggest contribution to the game was arguably to be the innocent victim of Kendall Waston’s suplex on a corner to earn a penalty that swung the game in Orlando’s favor. He made the second most passes on the team, with 66, and led in accuracy at 94%, although I can count on one hand how many of them were actually worth making. No tackles, no interceptions, but three clearances. Statistically a good game but in general the central defensive partnership left a lot of questions to answer.

D, Ruan, 8 — Ruan flashed one of his trademark lightning runs down the right as Orlando went on the counter early on but eventually had his run halted by substitute Alves Powell. He later had the same break down the left wing. This time Powell was called for the foul and got Cincinnati’s first yellow. His pace continued to cause all sorts of issues the entire game and he eventually beat Waston to make it to the byline and set up Nani for a tap in and Orlando’s third. However, as is the case with this performance, the Lions’ defense has not come out smelling of roses. They looked unsure in the first half and were redundant for most of the second. The Brazilian registered no defensive actions, gave away one foul, and was perhaps fortunate to not give up another. He made 30 passes at 83.3% accuracy but went 0/5 on crossing attempts. His output relies on high chance creation. Luckily he has the engine to sustain it.

MF, Sebas Méndez, 8 — Even without his usual midfield partner, Uri Rosell, Sebas Méndez totally bossed midfield as usual. He led the team with a staggering 100 touches and made a team-high 91 passes, including one key pass. Perhaps more astonishingly given the volume, he was second for passing accuracy at 93%, as he provided a link between both flanks in the middle of the park. He was also the second biggest contributor defensively, making three tackles, one interception, and one clearance, but his tackling was sloppy. He picked up a first half yellow for taking a nibble at Frankie Amaya as the 2019 first overall draft pick accelerated away from him, but the risk of a sending off did little to clean his act up. I’m surprised he wasn’t substituted instead of Cristian Higuita but that doesn’t detract from how excellent he was.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 7.5 — Higuita got his second start in three games — making his 100th competitive appearance for Orlando City — and took the opportunity to once again put his case forward for a regular spot. He came closest to drawing level just before the hydration break, trying to thunder one into the top corner from distance but it was wide of the post on his lone strike of the game. He had a similar game to Méndez in passing and tackling, leading the team with four tackles and two interceptions, as well as one clearance, and was third for passing, with 65 attempts at 91% accuracy. His inconsistency means he’s a high-risk, high-reward player compared to the likes of Will Johnson and Sacha Kljestan, who are consistent but with a much lower ceiling, and James O’Connor is starting to see the benefits of when the Colombian has a good game.

MF, Will Johnson, 7 — Johnson looked to respond quickly to the Cincinnati opener and had a flash at goal thanks to a ball in from Mueller, but the Canadian couldn’t find a way past an onrushing Spencer Richey. He turned provider for Akindele for the eventual equalizer, finding the forward with a first time pass on the turn. His next significant piece of action saw him end up in the book, getting a yellow for a desperate tackle. He led the team in key passes with three, acting as a quarterback at the top of the box to thread through passing lanes and also drew two fouls. In total he had three shots: two blocked and an especially weak third from distance that epitomizes some of the poor shooting we’ve seen from Orlando’s midfield this season. Please make it stop!

F, Nani, 7.5 — Nani passed, tackled and crossed well in the first half but a lack of genuine attacking output from open play made him look a little stifled. His set piece delivery was wanting for the most part, although Cincinnati looked worried by a free kick in first-half stoppage time. He came out in the second half with more intent, looking vastly improved, and took an early invitation to fire a shot at goal to force a diving save. His penalty attempt was abysmally placed but the Lions’ captain kept his calm to tuck away the rebound to give Orlando its first lead of the day in the 50th minute. He smartly peeled away from the defenders for his second goal, allowing space for Ruan to pick him out from six yards out. His day ended in the 66th minute with the Lions comfortably leading 4–1. Nani was tied with Akindele for the most shots, with four, getting 100% on target but his passing accuracy of 81% was 11th on the team.

F, Chris Mueller, 8 — Mueller’s creativity and energy shone against Cincinnati as he looked to be the forward most inclined to press the Cincinnati back line and continued to pick them apart, seeing some success one on one across his four registered dribbles and created some good scoring opportunities for both Johnson and Akindele. He came out equally as fast in the second half, running at two defenders before cutting a shot back across his body forcing Richey into a save on one of the two shots he took. Don’t let the fact he didn’t register a goal or assist detract from how good he was. He just needs to work on his crossing now, connecting on only one of a team-high eight today.

F, Tesho Akindele, 9 (MotM) — After spending the opening half hour trying to contend out wide, Akindele made the most of his first sight at goal as he fired in the equalizer, ghosting his way in between the Cincinnati center backs before his fellow Canadian countryman Johnson slipped him in. He was inches away from getting on the end of a Mueller cross that would’ve doubled his tally but eventually got his second after reacting fastest to a second ball in the box from a corner. All in all, Akindele provided a perfect illustration of the “take your chances when they come” clinical finishing that had been costing Orlando points this season, scoring on two of his joint-high four shots. That’s his one job and he did it twice. It proved the difference maker in both getting Orlando back in the game and then putting it out of sight.

Substitutes

FW, Dom Dwyer (66’), 7 — Dwyer was tightly marked from the second he entered the game but took a chance to strike from distance in the 74th minute to desperately end his goal drought only to see the ball sail over. Shortly after, he went in recklessly on Justin Hoyte for a yellow card, perhaps some signs that he has now been benched for two consecutive games despite the insane level of rotation. His celebrations were decidedly muted and dare I say bitter when he headed in Orlando’s fifth directly from a corner. Dwyer’s not the tallest man on the pitch by any standard but he did well to make the most of some half-hearted defending, make a run and direct the cross goalwards.

MF, Josué Colmán (78’), 6.5 — The game was all but over when Colmán got his customary cameo appearance. He showed some flair that O’Connor may deem as luxury but it’s both entertaining and encouraging to see that level of confidence and creativity from the 20-year-old Paraguayan youth international, who could have easily climbed into a shell given his lack of playing time. He sublimely picked out Dwyer from the corner for the fifth goal but was dispossessed twice as he looked to see out the game.

FW, Benji Michel (85’), N/A —If you thought the game was over when Colmán came on, spare a thought for Homegrown Benji Michel, who managed two touches in his substitute appearance with the score at 5–1 and nobody too bothered about continuing the game given the scoreline and heat.

There you have it, a five-goal performance from the Lions means Orlando City SC has an all-time 100% win record against FC Cincinnati and Nani extends his lead at the top of the team’s goal scoring charts, having now scored seven on the season. Agree with my Man of the Match pick or have a thought of your own? Vote in our poll or let us know in the comments!

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Ruan76
Chris Mueller6
Sebas Méndez12
Nani15
Tesho Akindele31
Other (let us know!)3

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Orlando City

Top 10 Moments of 2024: Orlando City Wins Tight Best-of-Three Playoff Series against Charlotte FC

In our No. 6 moment of the year, Orlando City made the fans sweat it out but eventually advanced past Charlotte in the best-of-three series.

Published

4 hours ago

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December 26, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

As we count down to the new year of 2025 — which will be Orlando City’s 11th in MLS, the Orlando Pride’s 10th in the NWSL, and OCB’s third in MLS NEXT Pro — and say goodbye to 2024, it’s time to look back at the club’s 10 best moments of the year as selected by The Mane Land staff via vote.

I believe Major League Soccer is unique among the world’s leagues in using a best-of-three series to determine a winner in the knockout round of a tournament, and while I do not like it, I did like the result from Orlando City’s three-game series against Charlotte FC during the opening round of the 2024 MLS playoffs, because the Lions advanced by winning games one and three, eliminating Charlotte and moving on to the conference semifinals.

Orlando City entered the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in MLS, having won 10 of its last 14 games and vaulting all the way up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte had been hot as well, but not for as long, as the North Carolina-based club had only won five of its last 14 games, but four of those wins were in the team’s most recent five games. However, Charlotte had scored an impressive 13 goals during those four wins. On the season, the teams ended up separated by only one point, as Orlando City ended with 52 and Charlotte finished with 51. The teams met twice during the regular season, drawing 2-2 on June 19 in Charlotte and Orlando City winning 2-0 at home on Sept. 18.

As with any series between the two teams closest in seed, analysts were split on who they thought would advance, but with home field advantage in two of the three games, including the tone-setting game one, the Lions held the advantage in the betting markets, with better odds to advance than their opponents from North Carolina.

Those in favor of Orlando City pointed to the recent hot form, the consistent starting lineup with players who knew their roles coming in off the bench, the recent win head-to-head, the advantage in goals scored (+13 for the season), and the aforementioned home-field advantage. Those who favored Charlotte pointed to the even more recent hot form; the team’s stingy defense, which had conceded the second-fewest goals in MLS; its counterattacking style that was a good antidote to Orlando City’s penchant for winning the possession battle; and a recent 1-1 draw against MLS Shield winners Inter Miami, showing that Charlotte could hold even the best offenses to very little.

As a fan of several other sports that employ best-of-[insert odd number here] playoff rules, I felt confident in Orlando City advancing, because the history of playoff series’ is that the team with the better seed, and therefore the team that has home-field advantage, wins most often. There is a reason the Lions had the better seed, and it is that they had a better regular season. As is seen in college basketball every March, in one game, anything can happen, but over time in a series, the better team usually wins, and I thought that Orlando City was a much better team.

The opening game of the series went much as I had expected it to, and I felt even more confident in my thought that Orlando City would advance. The Lions came out and really took it to Charlotte from the opening whistle, dominating possession, peppering the Charlotte goal with shots, and only allowing two shots on goal all game long for Pedro Gallese to save, earning a comfortable 2-0 victory and placing themselves one win from advancing to the conference semifinals.

Facundo Torres opened the scoring in the first half with a spectacular volley in the 32nd minute, and that early goal forced Charlotte to have to play differently for the final two-thirds of the game, because now the visitors had to engage and could not just sit back and hope for a smash-and-grab win.

Fellow Designated Player Martín Ojeda put the game to bed with his goal nearly 32 minutes into the second half, almost perfect symmetry with the first goal in terms of minutes after the beginning of the half.

Orlando City’s performance looked a lot like we had seen during the final few months of the season, and while any game on the road is always difficult, it seemed like the Lions had found an excellent game plan to defeat Charlotte and should go with something similar on the road for game two.

They most certainly did not do this.

Orlando City’s offensive performance on Nov. 1 was one of the worst I have ever seen by the club, and the data backs it up. I am not a member of the cult of xG (expected goals), who thinks it is the be-all, end-all of statistics, but I do think xG is a good indicator of the health of a team’s offense and whether it was getting shots in good locations. Orlando City’s xG in Game 2 was 0.3, the team’s worst of the season and tied for eighth worst since Opta started tracking xG in MLS games in 2018. For context, Orlando City has played more than 230 MLS games since the beginning of the 2018 season, so Game 2’s xG is in the bottom 4%.

(For the masochists out there, April 24, 2022 and July 18, 2019 are the club’s two worst offensive performances in the xG tracking era, both with 0.1 xG. The less said about those games the better. I have already said too much.)

Back to Game 2, Orlando City just did not seem to bring any energy to the game, even knowing that a win would push the team through to the next round, and earn a bye week with no need to play a Game 3. With the huge safety net of a guaranteed home game if they lost, the Lions should have played freely and openly, but instead they played defensively, almost as if they were playing more so to keep Charlotte from scoring than to actually go out and win the game themselves.

Even the team’s substitution patterns seemed off, as while the usual Duncan McGuire-for-Ramiro Enrique swap took place around the normal time of 60 minutes (specifically the 56th minute in this game), Oscar Pareja subbed Nico Lodeiro, and not Luis Muriel, for Ojeda in the 74th minute, and he brought Muriel in for Iván Angulo in the 88th minute. Muriel had been one of the team’s most dangerous players in recent months, a supersub off the bench who unlocked defenses with his vision and passing ability, but Pareja only gave him three minutes and stoppage time in this game, despite knowing that Charlotte was not much of a threat offensively and that one goal would likely be too much for hosts to overcome.

Even with their seemingly defensive focused performance, Orlando City almost managed to get a late winner anyway, but a tight offside call nullified a brilliant strike by Torres in second half stoppage time, wiping out what likely would have been the series-deciding goal. On replay review it looked incredibly tight, so the call on the field would likely have stood had they called it a goal, but they called it offside, and with that, it was wiped off the board, and the game went to penalties.

Historically Orlando City had been great in penalty shootouts, but the same team that showed up disinterested in scoring goals during open play also showed up during the penalty kicks, with Lodeiro getting his shot saved, Robin Jansson missing his kick over the bar, Muriel scoring (maybe should have brought him in sooner, just saying), but then McGuire getting saved, and since Charlotte did not miss any kicks, that was that, and the Lions lost 0-0 (3-1 on penalties). The loss wiped out the second straight shutout by the defense, including several outstanding saves by Gallese, as the Lions demonstrated that in MLS the old axiom of you can’t lose if they don’t score does not always apply.

Orlando City returned home for the winner-take-all Game 3, but although the Lions were far more lively on offense (19 shots, much better than that putrid three from the prior game) they could not get anything past Charlotte’s Kristijan Kahlina. An unexpectedly high bounce on a clearance by Charlotte went over Jansson’s head, and Charlotte took advantage with a quick counter, ending with a cross and a goal by Karol Swiderski on a shot that deflected in off of Rodrigo Schlegel. It is hard to tell if Gallese would have been able to save the ball if not for the deflection. He did seem to be well-placed to at least have a chance, but that did not matter as the deflection went away from where he was and went into the back of the net.

The Lions then started getting even more aggressive and pushing everyone forward, but to no avail. They used their final substitution to bring on David Brekalo for Schlegel, seemingly a like-for-like substitution instead of offense-for-defenese, but with Brekalo’s technical ability and ability to win aerial duels, he was probably the best option to try to get a goal, despite being a central defender given the bench options available.

As the game went to the dying minutes, Cesar Araujo just missed with a rocket from 28 yards, but then the offensive push paid off, as Wilder Cartagena put a cross into the danger zone right in the center of the box, and Charlotte defender Djibril Diani pulled McGuire down as he went to try to win the cross, earning Orlando City a penalty after an excruciatingly long video review delay and due to the fact that McGuire dislocated his shoulder on the foul.

The penalty was (finally) given, but after the poor performance in the shootout the game prior, there was a sense of excitement but concern, and it was warranted as Kahlina made yet another huge save, diving low to his right to block Torres’ penalty. Thankfully for the good guys in purple, the rebound went right back to Torres, and he made no mistake on his second shot, tying the game at 1-1 and sending it to another penalty shootout moments later when the full time whistle blew.

Both teams probably felt good going into the penalty shootout — Charlotte due to its dominant penalty performance in Game 2 and Orlando City due to the momentum of having found an equalizing lifeline just moments earlier. History does not always repeat itself, but it does often rhyme, and just as Kahlina was on fire with two saves in the previous shootout, Gallese was up to the task in Game 3, saving penalties one and two in front of The Wall.

His offensive partners also delivered, as Muriel was again unflappable scoring the first, and then unexpectedly it was Kyle Smith who stepped up for the second. If he shoots all his penalties as he did the one he took in this game, he should be in contention to take them all the time, because he put that ball in an unstoppable location at pace. Torres made up for his miss during regulation by making his shot in the shootout, but Charlotte answered, though Gallese again went the correct direction and nearly made it three straight saves.

Up 3-1 and with the ability to win the game and move Orlando City to the conference semifinals, it was another defender, Rafael Santos, who stepped up to the ball. After a routine that involved moving backwards, sideways, jumping and nearly stopping, Santos ripped a shot to the lower corner, and though Kahlina went the correct way, the ball was hit with too much pace, and Orlando City had won and advanced to the next round.

This series will not be one that is fondly recalled as the years go by, especially the strangely poor performance in Game 2, but there were moments of greatness that will go down in Orlando City lore. The dominant Game 1 victory, McGuire suffering a dislocated shoulder to earn a penalty (and then getting it popped back in in the locker room and sprinting to try to get back onto the field during the shootout), the last-gasp goal to put Game 3 into a shootout in the most Cardiac Cats way possible, Gallese’s shootout heroics, Muriel’s unflappability, and the left back and right back hitting perhaps the best penalties of the season are all moments I will definitely remember from this series. It’s also a big part of why winning that playoff series finished at No. 6 on our list of top 10 moments of 2024.

Come back through New Year’s Eve as we count down the remainder of the top 10 moments of 2024 for Orlando City, the Orlando Pride, and OCB.

Previous Top Moments of 2024

10. Orlando City’s massive second-half surge clinches top-four spot in Eastern Conference.

9. The Orlando Pride sign Zambian international striker Barbra Banda ahead of the 2024 season.

8. Facundo Torres scores his 47th goal for Orlando City, breaking the Lions’ all-time goal record.

7. Marta’s magical goal pushes the Orlando Pride past Kansas City and into the NWSL Championship.

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    2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Duncan McGuire

    It was a rollercoaster ride of a season for striker Duncan McGuire.

    Published

    6 hours ago

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    December 26, 2024

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    Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

    Orlando City selected Duncan McGuire with the No. 6 overall selection in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. He then cemented the starting role in his rookie season, earning a look from Blackburn Rovers in the off-season. He literally flew to England to sign with the club, only to have Rovers mess up the paperwork.

    Orlando City welcomed him back with open arms, and McGuire dedicated himself to doing his best for the Lions, earning a new contract through 2027. He was the starter for most of the season until he left for the Olympics with the USMNT. When he returned, Ramiro Enrique had taken over the starting spot. Oscar Pareja sticks with a lineup if it’s working, and McGuire was moved to the bench.

    McGuire never let it get to him, as he accepted his role in the second half of the season. He never gave less than 100% effort, including in the playoffs when he earned a penalty in the 97th minute against Charlotte that helped extend Orlando City’s playoff run.

    Let’s take a look at how McGuire performed during the 2024 MLS season.

    Statistical Breakdown

    McGuire made 27 appearances in regular-season matches, starting 18 times and recording 1,599 minutes played. He finished second on the team with 10 goals, adding three assists. McGuire put 20 of his 42 shots on target and completed 239 of his 314 passes (76.1%), including 14 key passes and three successful long balls but no completed crosses. Defensively, McGuire won 30.3% of his 99 aerial duels, and tallied eight tackles, four interceptions, one block, and five clearances. He committed 15 fouls, suffered 18, and was booked seven times in his 27 games (all yellow cards).

    The striker also appeared in all five MLS playoff games with all of his appearances off the bench, recording 138 minutes. He did not record a goal contribution, attempting three shots with none on target. The Creighton product completed 31 of his 36 passes (86.1%), including two key passes and one successful cross. Defensively, McGuire contributed an interception, a clearance, and a block. He did not commit a foul, but he suffered two fouls, including the one shown above that led to a late penalty in Game 3 of the Charlotte series, and he was not booked in the postseason. 

    McGuire appeared in three of the Lions’ four Concacaf Champions Cup games, starting the first one, and playing 112 minutes. He scored one goal on four shots, with one on target, but did not record an assist. He completed an impressive 91% of his passes, including four key passes, but he did not complete a long ball or a cross. He did not commit a foul, suffered one, and was not booked.

    McGuire played in two of the three Leagues Cup games — both as a substitute — and recorded 26 minutes without a goal contribution. He put his lone shot attempt on target and completed seven of his nine passes (77.8%), including one long ball, but he did not log a key pass or a successful cross. Defensively, he chipped in nine tackles and two clearances in the competition. He committed one foul, did not draw one on the competition, and was not booked.

    Best Game

    McGuire’s best game came early in the season in the Lions’ 3-2 loss to Minnesota United. Big Dunc provided both of Orlando City’s goals, including the fastest goal in Orlando City history, finding the net just seconds after kickoff.

    After Orlando City conceded two goals to the Loons, McGuire equalized for the Lions late in the second half. He took an excellent pass from Martin Ojeda and sliced his shot past a defender and the keeper inside the left post.

    McGuire stated the match, played 87 minutes, took four shots with three on target, and scored the aforementioned brace. He completed 21 of his 27 passes (77.8%), including one key pass, committed one foul, suffered two fouls, and was not booked. 

    2024 Final Grade

    The Mane Land staff gave McGuire a composite grade of 7 out of 10 for the 2024 MLS season. It’s a notch below the grade of 7.5 the staff gave him for his 2023 campaign. While it was hardly his fault Enrique seized the starting spot in his absence, McGuire played about 200 more minutes in 2024 and scored fewer goals. It’s fair to say coming off the bench down the stretch may have prevented some opportunities, as he was often part of protecting a late lead or simply wasn’t able to get into the rhythm of the match, and it’s impossible to say how starting may have changed his numbers or the fortunes of the team, but it’s hard to argue with Pareja’s decision, considering the team climbed to fourth place down the stretch with a strong run.

    2025 Outlook

    We know exactly how McGuire will start the 2025 season — on the injured list. McGuire is out four to five months recovering the shoulder surgery he underwent following his playoff injury. We’re unlikely to see him on the field before the end of April at the earliest, as a four-month timeline would only put him back on the training pitch by mid-April, and he’d have to still get into match shape. His return will most likely be delayed until May or possibly even the beginning of June, depending on his recovery speed. There is plenty of uncertainty with the Orlando City attack as of this writing due to the club’s sale of Facundo Torres to Palmeiras. There are, after all, several options for the club to replace Torres’ attacking numbers, and that could impact things at the top of the formation. Regardless of who the Lions sign, McGuire won’t be guaranteed a starting spot once he’s fit. He has shown he has the tools and the desire to play and to contribute at a high level as a starter, but he’ll have to beat out Enrique and potentially a new striker addition once he returns from injury.

    Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

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    Lion Links: 12/26/24

    Joran Gerbet earns recognition, Pierre Da Silva’s new club, Gaston Gimenez leaves the Chicago Fire, and more.

    Published

    9 hours ago

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    December 26, 2024

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    Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

    How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope all who celebrate it had a nice Christmas without any major incidents and plenty of fun with friends and family. If you’re celebrating other holidays, hopefully your Hannukah is off to a great start or you’ve been waiting for Kwanzaa, it’s finally here, so enjoy! There’s officially less than a week left in the year, and I, for one, can’t wait to bid farewell to 2024. Let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world!

    Orlando City’s Joran Gerbet Included Among Top College Players

    Top Drawer Soccer handed out accolades following the college soccer season and Orlando City draft pick Joran Gerbet was named to its Best XI second team. The Lions selected him in the first round of the draft and it’s nice to see him earn some recognition after a solid senior season with Clemson. Gerbet also ranked 17th in Top Drawer Soccer‘s top 100 players from the past season. Denver midfielder Sam Bassett, who was not eligible for the MLS SuperDraft, claimed the top spot and was named Player of the Year as well. Freshman of the Year went to Ransford Gyan, who was Gerbet’s teammate in Clemson’s midfield.

    Pierre Da Silva Signs With Cusco FC

    Former Lion Pierre Da Silva is plying his trade in Peru these days and has signed with Cusco FC in the country’s top flight. Da Silva, who was primarily an OCB player but made three first-team appearances, hasn’t been with Orlando City since 2019, when he and the club agreed to part ways that summer. The winger then went on to join Memphis 901, Miami FC, and Forward Madison before heading to Peru to join Universidad César Vallejo this year. His club was relegated, but he will remain in Liga 1 with a Cusco team that qualified for the Copa Sudamericana. It’s always nice to get an update on what a former Lion is up to these days, and hopefully his second year in Peru goes better than his first.

    Chicago Fire Terminate Gaston Gimenez’s Contract

    Midfielder Gaston Gimenez is no longer with the Chicago Fire after he and the club mutually agreed to terminate his contract. Gimenez has been with the Fire since joining the club in 2020, and this move opens up a Designated Player spot for the Fire as well. It will be a needed fresh start of sorts for the Fire, as they hired Gregg Berhalter as head coach this off-season. The Fire finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and only scored 40 goals in 2024, so being able to add some firepower is useful for Chicago to prepare for 2025.

    Diving Into Club Color Origins

    If you’ve ever wanted to know the soccer equivalent to “How the Leopard Got Its Spots,” ESPN provided a cool guide that explores the origins behind club colors from around the world. It’s filled with fun tidbits ranging from theories on why Corinthians swapped from beige to white to how Juventus was set to wear red jerseys with white trim, but a wrong order delivered the iconic black-and-white stripes instead. The interactive article lets you check out jerseys from each club over the years to see how they evolved. Maybe it’s the latent Christmas consumerism still in my veins, but I would love a coffee table book of this kind of content.

    Free Kicks

    • Valencia has hired Carlos Corberan from West Brom as its next head coach after firing Ruben Baraja earlier this week. The Spanish club is fighting to avoid relegation in La Liga with only 12 points from 17 matches this season.
    • Sporting CP has reportedly fired Joao Pereira, with Rui Borges set to become the next head coach.
    • We have plenty of Boxing Day action to enjoy today, but a few players spoke on the difficulties of training on Christmas or traveling with their teams rather than spending the holiday with their families.
    • Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou bemoaned how the expanded UEFA Champions League is complicating the transfer window as he aims to bring in reinforcements.
    • Oscar, who has spent the past eight seasons with Shanghai Port, is returning to Sao Paulo on a three-year contract. The 33-year-old started his professional career with Sao Paulo in 2008.

    That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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