Orlando City

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

Published

7 years ago

May 19, 2019

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

Player	Votes
Ruan	76
Chris Mueller	6
Sebas Méndez	12
Nani	15
Tesho Akindele	31
Other (let us know!)	3

Related Topics:Player Grades SBN_migrated

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Orlando City

Why Three Could Be Greater Than Four In Orlando City’s Back Line

An analysis of MLS teams using three, four, and five-man back lines and whether it would benefit Orlando City to use a three-man grouping going forwards.

Published

7 hours ago

April 16, 2026

S. Andrew DeSalvo

Orlando City starting lineup vs New York Red Bulls

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City rolled out a three-man back line during last Sunday night’s game against Columbus, and while that formation alone is not responsible for the Lions leading for most of the game and getting their first point of the season on the road, it definitely played a role. During the Óscar Pareja era, Orlando City nearly always played with a four-man back line, but with a lot of roster turnover from last season and new leadership on the sideline, it could be time to give the three-man group a look, as the Lions try to climb out from the bottom of the standings and make the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.

We will explore whether a three-man back line is worth pursuing below, but making the playoffs is definitely a five-star idea and highly recommended.

Soccer back lines, and formations in general, are fluid. Baseball is static before every play, so you can see exactly where every fielder (defender) was and evaluate offensive and defensive performances against shifts or alignments. American football is not exactly static, but it is closer to baseball than soccer, with most players being still as the play is initiated. Soccer is most similar to hockey, basketball, and lacrosse, where even though players are nominally playing set positions, those positions can constantly change throughout a play and throughout the entirety of the game.

That said, most players generally play in a specific position for much of the game, so we can look at some tracking data and make generalizations about the formations. Opta’s tracking analysts list a primary formation for each team in every game, and while it is not perfect, it is correct more often than not for the general formation used by that team in that game.

Opta’s tracking on fbref.com gives the following table for every formation used in MLS play so far this year, and I have added the associated points earned, goals scored, and goals allowed by each team while in that formation. Make sure you are taking the formation with somewhere between a grain of salt and the bottom third of the salt shaker, but this is the unedited data:

Formation	Games Used	Avg. Points Earned	Avg. Goals For	Avg. Goals Allowed
4-2-3-1	77	1.58	1.74	1.44
4-3-3	48	1.35	1.67	1.65
4-4-2	32	0.97	0.84	1.41
3-4-3	30	1.47	1.57	1.83
3-5-2	7	1.43	1.57	1.57
5-4-1	4	1.25	1.25	0.75
4-1-4-1	3	1.33	1.67	1.33
3-4-1-2	3	1.67	2.00	1.67
3-5-1-1	1	3.00	4.00	3.00
4-4-1-1	1	0.00	0.00	3.00

I think it is probably easier to just bucket the different formations into simpler sets, using the number of defenders to segment the formations:

Back Line	Games Used	Avg. Points Earned	Avg. Goals For	Avg. Goals Allowed
Three-man	41	1.51	1.66	1.81
Four-man	161	1.38	1.53	1.50
Five-man	4	1.25	1.25	0.75

Most teams in MLS, and also around the world, utilize four-player back lines. Coaches are pragmatists, and some combination between using a lineup that feels more secure (i.e. usually one with more defenders) and one that will not get ridiculed by players, pundits, fans, owners, and writers (the audacity of someone to analyze and comment on lineup choices, how dare they?) drives a hefty portion of the decision making for those making lineup decisions.

Orlando City used a three-man back line in the game against Columbus, though there were parts of the game when it looked much more like a five-man back line with Griffin Dorsey and Iván Angulo dropped all the way back on defense. The sofascore.com heatmaps for all five (Angulo, David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Iago, and Dorsey) are listed below in order from left to right, and you can see where all five have a good amount of touches in the defensive third. Angulo and Dorsey played far higher than the middle three, however, which is why the formation Opta assigned to Orlando City was a back three. Imperfect, but directionally it makes sense.

Heat maps of Orlando City's defensive players against Columbus.

With the players on the current roster, a back three may well be the right lineup to use until the next transfer window. There is a not a lot of blazing speed among Orlando City’s defensive group, but most of the defenders have decent size and are good in the air, so protecting the heart of the defense with Brekalo, Jansson, and Iago as the starters and Adrián Marín and Tahir Reid-Brown as backups gives the team some decent depth without sacrificing size. Alas, this comes one year too late for former Lion Thomas Williams, who probably would have been better suited to a back three than a back four.

In addition to having a good set of center back candidates, Angulo, Dorsey, Zakaria Taifi, and Marín are all good wingback options as well, and players who have the skills and pace to get up into the attack while also recovering back to help out the defensive line.

Orlando City’s current personnel fits the three-man back line well, and considering most teams in MLS are using four-man back lines, that decision also bodes well considering how three-man back lines have done this season when playing against four- or five-man back lines. Three-man back lines have been used against four- or five-man back lines 31 times thus far this season, and those teams are earning 1.58 points per match during those games. That amount of points per match would have been in the top half of MLS last season (13th), right above the actual 2025 Orlando City team, which finished on 1.56 points per match.

Orlando City hosts Houston this weekend, and the Dynamo have primarily used a four-man back line (featuring former Lion Antonio Carlos) thus far this season. On Saturday night we will see if the three-man back line was just for the Columbus game or if it is something that the Lions will trot out again in hopes of continuing the league-wide trend of teams finding success when playing three in the back against teams playing four in the back.

I do not really care whether it is three or four in the back, as long as that by the end of the game Orlando City has done better than Houston at putting more in the back…of the opposition’s net.

Vamos Orlando!

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Houston Dynamo: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to earn all three points against the Dynamo this weekend?

Published

9 hours ago

April 16, 2026

David Rohe

Image of Eduard Atuesta looking for a teammate to pass to.

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City returns home to Inter&Co Stadium to take on the Houston Dynamo on Saturday. The Lions are coming off a 1-1 draw against the Columbus Crew on Sunday, and a 1-0 road win against FC Naples in the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday in a busy week. Hopefully, Orlando City can keep the good time rolling with another positive result this weekend. What must the Lions do to earn all three points against Houston Saturday night?

The Midfield (Part 1)

Houston has a pretty good midfield with Hector Herrera, Mateusz Bogusz, and Lawrence Ennali. Ennali has two of the Dynamo’s 10 goals this season. Controlling these players and thus controlling possession in the middle of the pitch will make a difference in how the match plays out. Braian Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta are not midfield destroyers and that has hurt Orlando City this season. If at all possible, the Lions need to be more physical in the defensive midfield to limit Houston’s ability to build the attack.

More on Herrera: In his first stint with the Dynamo he was a Designated Player and considered one of the best midfielders in the league. He helped lead Houston to a U.S. Open Cup title in 2024. Despite having only played limited minutes this season, he already has two assists and will present problems in the midfield.

The Midfield (Part Deux)

Traffic flows both ways on a soccer pitch, and while Orlando City hasn’t been good about taking on and stopping attacks in the defensive midfield, the players have also struggled to break through the opposition’s lines. This has been in large part due to very poor passing, and I’m not certain how to fix “stop passing the ball to the opponent,” but that is what the team will need to do.

Having Robin Jansson as the safety outlet for the others on the back line, and by extension the midfield, helps, as does his ability to send accurate long balls down the field. It would also be good if the rest of the players could connect on their passes. Not only will it allow Orlando City to move the ball down the pitch and connect the defense to the attack, but it will limit the amount of time Houston is on the ball. Passing shouldn’t be a key I write about, but here we are.

Finish Them

Orlando City struck first against the Columbus Crew and then wasted every other chance — that is, while there were chances still being created. It was like a switch was turned off. “Hey, we got a goal. Let’s go back to how we were playing when we weren’t scoring goals,” is how I think it went. That cannot happen against Houston — or any team for that matter. I’m not even talking about how sometimes a team will get more defensive with a lead, or the other team makes adjustments. There was some sort of mentality switch, and it needs to be fixed.

If Orlando City is able to score first, then someone needs to get a second goal. The Lions have only scored two goals in a match twice this season. The first was against Inter Miami, and we know what happened in that one. The other time was against CF Montreal — Orlando City’s only win so far. Houston isn’t as good as Miami but is probably better than Montreal. My point is the Lions most likely need multiple goals to win this match, and it starts with finishing.

That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/16/26

Orlando City wins against FC Naples, U.S. Open Cup results, USWNT takeaways following loss, and more.

Published

13 hours ago

April 16, 2026

Marcus Mitchell

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

This Thursday might feel a little more like a Friday thanks to Orlando City winning a game last night. Sure, it was more like the Lions failed to complete an implosion, but we’ll take what we can get at this point. Another MLS match is on the horizon this weekend, so if you crafted any lucky charms, make sure to keep them out for a few more days. Let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Wins U.S. Open Cup Match

It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but Orlando City went on the road and beat FC Naples 1-0 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup to advance to the round of 16. The Lions opted for a fairly young roster to start and managed to take the lead in the first half. The defense started to fall apart as the match wore on, but it managed to hold on by a matter of inches against the USL League One side for its first clean sheet of the year. Orlando is the last Floridian team standing in the tournament and its next match will be on the road against the New England Revolution on either April 28 or 29.

MLS Mostly Avoids Cupsets in Round of 32

There weren’t too many shocking results in the round of 32 of this year’s U.S. Open Cup, with the MLS clubs taking care of business for the most part. Charlotte FC crushed the Charlotte Independence 6-0, the Columbus Crew shut out the Richmond Kickers in a 3-0 win, and the New York Red Bulls beat the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 3-1. St. Louis City and the Houston Dynamo also cruised to comfortable wins. D.C. United was defeated though, losing the penalty shootout to One Knoxville SC after a thrilling game. Last year’s tournament didn’t include any teams from outside MLS in the quarterfinals. The Colorado Springs Switchbacks and Louisville City also managed to take down their MLS opponents earlier this week, so we’ll see if they can keep making noise later this month.

Takeaways From USWNT Loss to Japan

The United States Women’s National Team lost 1-0 to Japan in the second of three friendlies between the two this month, snapping its 10-game win streak. Head Coach Emma Hayes went with a young roster, with 20-year-old midfielder Claire Hutton becoming the team’s youngest captain since 2001. The team’s inexperience showed at times, particularly when it came to struggling to produce chances despite plenty of possession, but these were valuable minutes against one of the top teams in the world. We’ll see how the team responds on Friday when the two play again in Denver.

UEFA Champions League Semifinals Set

Only four teams remain in the UEFA Champions League after an exciting series of quarterfinals. Bayern Munich advanced after beating Real Madrid 4-3 in a rollercoaster of a match that included five goals in the first half. Arda Guler had a brace within the first 30 minutes, but Bayern kept things close and then scored two late goals after Eduardo Camavinga was shown a red card in the 86th minute. The match between Arsenal and Sporting was a quieter affair, with Arsenal advancing on aggregate after a scoreless draw.

The semifinals don’t feature any teams from the same country and should be a fun round of matches. Atletico Madrid will square off against Arsenal, while Bayern will play against Paris Saint-Germain.

Free Kicks

LAFC midfielder Jude Terry won MLS Goal of the Matchday for his curled shot from outside of the box against the Portland Timbers. It was the 17-year-old’s first goal in MLS and a pretty impressive way for him to open his account.
In case you missed it, LAFC drew 1-1 against Cruz Azul to reach the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals. Nashville SC also advanced, beating Club America 1-0 at the Azteca in a huge win.
You’ll need to get past the paywall for the full details, but the NWSL is reportedly working on a league-wide exposure agreement policy that would force players to cover up logos of non-sponsored brands.
New Zealand qualified for the 2027 Women’s World Cup after winning 1-0 against Papua New Guinea.
French forward Hugo Ekitike will miss the World Cup due to a leg injury sustained during Liverpool’s Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain.