Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Montreal Impact: Player Grades and Man of the Match
In the second meeting of the two clubs this season, Orlando City finally got the better of the Montreal Impact. The starting XI may not have shocked many people, as it was the same one as the last game, but what may have shocked folks was the fact that the team was able to finish chances and limit the Impact across the pitch. Without further ado, how did the Lions rate in the first of four road trips for the month of June?
Starters
GK, Brian Rowe, 7 — A clean sheet is a fantastic thing, especially on the road. It also helps when your defensive line limits your opponents to only nine shots. What makes the night even better is when the one shot that is put on target gives you the opportunity for an epic save to maintain the clean sheet and you oblige in fantastic fashion.
D, Joao Moutinho, 7.5 — Moutinho was an absolute terror on the left side all match. His work rate on both the offensive and defensive sides was outstanding. His 76% passing rate is a bit deceptive, but his four tackles and two dribbles certainly are not. Let’s also not forget his ball into the box that Will Johnson jumped on to put the Lions up by three. I still think he deserves an assist for that pass, but the official box scores disagree as Evan Bush got a touch on the ball.
D, Robin Jansson. 7 — It was another absolutely solid outing for Jansson. The communication across the back, especially between Jansson and Lamine Sané, is becoming obvious to the observer, as well as becoming obvious through statistics. No major mistakes, and he even ended the match with a shot attempt.
D, Lamine Sané, 7 — The other half of the back line duo mentioned above likewise had a solid outing. As with his counterpart, he ended the match with a shot, as well as two aerials won, one tackle, and of course, the attack on the kick in the first half that led to the award of a penalty kick. I have to say, his demeanor with the referees is also something to be modeled. He never loses his cool, and always appears to get his thoughts across, even when the ref seems to be shooing him away.
D, Ruan, 7 — The speedster had a solid match, although maybe not his best. Orlando appeared to have better luck on the left all match, but that does not mean that things did not happen on the right. Ruan’s ability showed up a bit more on the defensive side this match, with two tackles and not giving Montreal any room to move down their left side on the pitch.
MF, Will Johnson, 8.5 (MotM) — If you needed any more reason to be a fan of Johnson, he just gave you a number of them. His goal pretty much sealed the deal for City, although scoring three goals in the first 42 minutes would drive any fan insane as they watch and hope for a win, let alone a shutout. Will was all over the pitch, going forward and dropping back to defend. He had two total shots, the second being a shot from outside the box that wasn’t far off at all, 83% passing, a chance created, as well as four tackles, two interceptions, and a clearance on the defensive side and just being a menace on the pitch from box to box. Did we mention that goal, a hustle header buried in the back of the net?
MF, Cristian Higuita, 7 — Higuita had a solid match, and his two tackles and 91% passer rating and secondary assist on Tesho Akindele’s goal speak for themselves. He also had two clearances and two blocked shots. Surprisingly, he might be the one player on the pitch who was quietly doing his job the entire night. No flash, no outrageous mannerisms. Higuita just played box to box and did his job, and did it quite well.
MF, Sebas Mendez, 7.5 — I think no one has any complaints that Mendez played with Orlando rather than appear with Ecuador in a friendly tonight, as once again he was an anchor for a defensive midfield that frustrated Montreal all match. He also led the Lions with a 93% passer rating, and finished with five tackles, an interception, and a clearance. If Ecuador makes a deep run in the Copa America, and Sebas is gone from the 18 for an extended time, someone is going to have some big shoes to fill to take his place.
F, Nani, 7.5 – When the whistle blew, and the referee pointed to the spot, I can only imagine what the rest of the City faithful were thinking when Nani grabbed the ball. He buried the shot with authority, and set the Lions up early. Once again, the captain was just that, the leader on the pitch, although there were moments when it seemed like he was trying to do a bit too much. It was all still a very positive collection of moments. He finished with one shot, two aerials won, a key pass, an interception, and three tackles.
F, Tesho Akindele, 8 — Here is the crazy stat of the week: The Lions are undefeated when Tesho scores a goal. His hold-up play was good — not great, but good — but where he excelled was he took advantage of his chances (mostly). There was that one chance in the second half that he did not put on frame. Of his three shots, two were on target, and one went into the net on an absolutely perfect cross from Chris Mueller. He had one key pass and four interceptions to go with one clearance.
F, Chris Mueller, 7.5 — The first 35 minutes looked a bit rough for Cash, but the run up the left and deft pass across the mouth of goal to a streaking Akindele looked to finally calm him into the player we all know he can be. He was, as always, a terror to the Impact, creating chances and helping to keep defenders honest. He ended a great night with two shots and a 91% passer rating — the second highest on the team for the night. He had one assist, two key passes, an interception, a clearance, and two shots (one on target).
Substitutes
MF, Sacha Kljestan (76’), 6 — Kljestan came on and the middle of the field somewhat lost its luster and dominance for a few minutes. The squad was playing and clicking so well, it should surprise no one that it sputtered just a bit with the substitution. Sacha had a few bright moments, but compared to the starting XI, it was a bit of a rough 14 minutes of play (plus stoppage). However, he helped to keep the clean sheet, and that was of utmost importance. Pay no mind to the 44% passer rating.
D, Kyle Smith (82’), N/A — Not too much time or run of play to truly grade Kyle, but he was on the pitch and helped to keep a clean sheet on the road.
MF, Oriol Rosell (86’), N/A – Same as Smith — not enough time to truly rate Uri for this match. However, I have a feeling we will be rating Uri at the end of the month as he is sure to be filling one of the midfield slots being left open by players leaving for international duty.
That is how I saw it. How did you rate the players in the 3-0 road win over the Impact? Let me know who your Man of the Match was in the poll below, and how you rated the players in the comments below.
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Nani | 2 |
| Chris Mueller | 15 |
| Will Johnson | 75 |
| Sebas Mendez | 17 |
| Tesho Akindele | 14 |
| Other | 11 |
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Lions welcome San Diego FC to Orlando for the first meeting ever between the two clubs.
Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (7-11-4, 25 points) and San Diego FC (8-8-6, 30 points) at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the first-ever meeting between these two teams from different conferences
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.
History
As mentioned above, tonight’s meeting between the Lions and San Diego is the first in the series history, so there is no history. The Lions are 2-2-1 against Western Conference teams this season, which means little to nothing in this particular match, and San Diego is going to be Orlando City’s final opponent from the opposite conference in MLS regular-season play this season.
Overview
The Lions are coming off a wild 3-3 road draw at Minnesota United a week ago, in which Daryl Dike and Antoine Griezmann scored on either side of halftime on Orlando’s first two shot attempts to put their team up 2-0 in the 64th minute. Minnesota stormed back with three goals off defensive errors in a four-minute span to take a late 3-2 lead. Just when the Loons appeared to be headed for all three points, Tyrese Spicer scored in stoppage time, forcing Minnesota to split the points. Orlando has a modest 1-0-1 unbeaten streak entering tonight, and the Lions are 5-4-2 at home in 2026.
San Diego is coming off a 3-1 home win over the LA Galaxy despite having Jeppe Tverskov sent off. Tonight’s visitors have won two straight games, but both were at home. They lost their last home game 3-1 at Portland on Aug. 19 and are 2-5-3 away from home this season.
The key for Orlando City tonight will be to mark Anders Dreyer, which is far easier said than done, as he has emerged as one of the league’s best playmakers. His eight goals and 11 assists give him 19 total goal contributions to lead his team. Marcus Ingvartsen is Dreyer’s favorite teammate to combine with, as the Danish forward has converted 11 times, leading San Diego in goals, and has added five assists. However, Ingvartsen is listed as out with a lower body injury. Midfielder Onni Valakari has chipped in four goals and seven assists.
“We respect San Diego, but as well we prepare our game,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “We know how strong we are, especially at home, so now we go.”
Orlando City will be without Braian Ojeda (foot) and Adrian Marin (thigh), while Bernardo Rhein (thigh), has been upgraded to questionable. San Diego will be without the aforementioned Ingvartsen (lower body) and Tverskov (suspension).
Match Content
- Our latest episode of The Mane Land PawedCast features our key match-ups and score predictions for tonight’s match.
- Our Ben Miller wrote about his three keys to an Orlando City win over San Diego.
Official Lineups:
Orlando City (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.
Defenders: Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.
Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Joran Gerbet, Eduard Atuesta, Justin Ellis.
Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Daryl Dike.
Bench: Javier Otero, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Tiago, Marco Pasalic, Martin Ojeda, Tyrese Spicer.
San Diego FC (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper: C.J. dos Santos.
Defenders: Kieran Sargeant, Ian Murphy, Manu Duah, Oscar Verhoeven.
Midfielders: Gabriel Pirani, Anibal Godoy, Alejandro Alvarado.
Forwards: Elias Achouri, Onni Valakari, Anders Dreyer.
Bench: Duran Ferree, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Christopher McVey, Bryan Zamble, David Vazquez, Ian Pilcher, Alex Mighten, Bryce Duke, Amahl Pellegrino.
Referees:
REF: Joe Dickerson.
AR1: Corey Parker.
AR2: Justin Howard.
4TH: Rodrigo Albuquerque.
VAR: Daniel Radford.
AVAR: Jeff Muschik.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.
TV/Streaming: Apple TV.
Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).
Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.
Enjoy the match. Go City!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Three Keys to Victory
Here’s what Orlando needs to do in order to return to winning ways against San Diego.
After the disappointment of two dropped points against Minnesota on Saturday, Orlando City is back home with an opportunity to get things back on track. The Lions need to keep picking up points if they want to keep pace in an increasingly crowded Eastern Conference, and Saturday’s game is a good chance to start September off on the right note. San Diego FC stands in the way of that good start, and what follows are three things that I believe Orlando needs to do in order to emerge victorious from this game.
Stay Strong on the Left
The left side of the defense has been a question mark for the Lions for much of the year. Adrian Marin, Bernardo Rhein, and Zakaria Taifi have all spent time at left back lately and have done so with varying degrees of success. Regardless of who suits up there on Saturday, that area of the field will be under scrutiny once again, since they’ll be tasked with stopping San Diego right winger Anders Dreyer. He has eight goals and 11 assists in 21 appearances this year, has played 60 key passes during that time, and is generally the lynchpin through which the San Diego offense operates. He hasn’t quite been on the same pace that saw him bag 19 goals and 19 assists in the regular season last year, but with four goal contributions in his last three MLS appearances, he’s extremely capable of wreaking havoc from the wing. A lot of the goals OCSC has conceded lately have come down the left side of the defense, and if that area of the field can’t be taken care of better, the Lions will likely be in for a difficult night.
Do Damage in Transition
Orlando’s current style of positionless, fluid, attacking soccer is at its best when it comes up against teams that want to come out and play. It struggles mightily against defensive bunkers but shines when the Lions can get out and run, target open spaces, and combine with teammates in unexpected areas. Fortunately for OCSC (in theory), San Diego is a team that likes to have the ball, as it has the highest average possession in the league. That means the Lions will have opportunities to force turnovers and break the other way at pace. In order to make that happen though, OCSC will need to be both disciplined and effective when it comes to applying its press. Then, if/when the Lions win the ball, correct decision-making and clinical execution in the final third will be key to avoid letting any chances slip through their fingers (paws?).
Clean Up the Self-Inflicted Errors
Orlando has dealt with more than its fair share of general defensive struggles this year, but avoidable errors have been a particular problem in recent weeks. Whether it’s been an ill-advised challenge, passing to the opposition in the defensive third, or leaving men unmarked in the box, unnecessary mistakes have cost OCSC points time and again. Against lesser opposition it hasn’t always mattered, as the Lions were able to rescue three points against Real Salt Lake, but if Orlando wants to make a playoff push, it needs to make a habit of playing cleaner games, plain and simple. San Diego is a good team with dangerous offensive players, and Saturday’s visitors will very likely take advantage of any opportunities that the Lions gift-wrap for them. Keeping things mistake-free will go a long way.
We’ve got ample proof this season that nothing is guaranteed, but if the Lions can lock down the left side of the defense, make hay in transition moments, and limit unforced errors, then they should be in a good position to take all three points from Saturday’s game. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 9/4/26
Martin Ojeda details his recovery from injury, Anna Moorhouse loaned to Manchester City, Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup journey, and more.
Three straight days of Orlando soccer starts tonight with Orlando City B’s road match against Inter Miami II at 7 p.m. Hopefully, Orlando’s teams do well over the next few days as crunch time is upon us when it comes to making the playoffs, especially for MLS NEXT Pro. For now though, let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!
Orlando City Prepares for San Diego FC
Orlando City will take on San Diego FC on Saturday in the first-ever game between the two clubs, and one of the storylines to keep an eye on is how much Martin Ojeda plays as he works his way back from injury. The Designated Player came off the bench late in Orlando’s 3-3 draw against Minnesota United in his first appearance since May 23. Not often injured, Ojeda spoke on how being off the field for over a month has shifted his perspective while training to return.
“You learn to value the moment much more. You learn to value every training session because, when you’re training on your own and you’re not available to your teammates, you feel uncomfortable,” Ojeda said. “You value being healthy more. It’s like everything in life. When you feel good, you live life almost on autopilot, so to speak. You go to work, you go home, you come back, you sleep. However, when you or someone close to you goes through an illness or something like that, you value the moment much more and become more conscious of what you’re experiencing.”
Pride Loan Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City
The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City through January of 2027. Moorhouse joined the Pride prior to the 2022 season and helped the club win both the NWSL Championship and Shield in 2024. However, she has struggled this year alongside the rest of the Pride’s defense. Moorhouse hasn’t played in the past two games for the Pride, with Cosette Morche starting in her place. Her current contract with the Pride lasts through the 2027 NWSL season, so we’ll have to wait and see what her future with the club is when the loan ends.
Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup Journey
Between the World Cup, regular season, and Leagues Cup this summer, it can be easy to forget that Orlando City is still in contention to win this year’s U.S. Open Cup. The Lions are in the semifinals of the tournament after crushing Atlanta United 4-1 in the quarterfinals back on May 19. The Lions won much tighter affairs prior to that win, with Javier Otero coming up with seven saves in a 1-0 win over FC Naples and Zakaria Taifi scoring in stoppage time to beat the New England Revolution 4-3 in the following match. Orlando will be on the road for its semifinal match against the Columbus Crew on Sept. 16, but the offense has received a boost due to the arrivals of Antoine Griezmann and Daryl Dike this summer.
MLS Transfer News Roundup
MLS signings continue to pour in as teams look to improve their squads for the rest of this season and beyond. The Colorado Rapids signed Ghanaian winger Ibrahim Sadiq from AZ Alkmaar, where he recorded 18 goals and seven assists in 85 appearances across three seasons with the Dutch club. San Diego also added an attacker by signing forward Cedric Bakambu, who joins as a free agent after playing at Real Betis. As for other notable moves from across the league, Real Salt Lake signed winger Dusan Zagar as an MLS U22 Initiative player, forward Lyle Foster joined the Houston Dynamo on loan, and the Columbus Crew continued to improve on offense by signing Moroccan winger Anass Zaroury on loan from Panathinaikos.
Free Kicks
- Former Orlando Pride player Christina Burkenroad is retiring from professional soccer and Monterrey will have Saturday’s game against Toluca be a send-off match for her.
- North Carolina Courage forward Ashley Sanchez was named NWSL Player of the Month after recording five goals and two assists in August.
- The Kansas City Current signed Cameroonian defender Maeve Nyadjou, who just helped her nation win the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations for the first time and was named 2026 WAFCON Best Young Player.
- Becky Sauerbrunn is joining the Portland Thorns as a technical consultant for the remainder of the 2026 NWSL season.
- Edin Dzeko announced that he will retire from international soccer following Bosnia and Herzegovina’s UEFA Nations League qualifier against Sweden on Oct. 2. That will be his 152nd match for Bosnia, wrapping up a 19-year-old international career that included 73 goals.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!
Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
Orlando City B vs. Inter Miami II: Final Score 4-1 as OCB Claims Three Huge Points in South Florida
Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Three Keys to Victory
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