Connect with us

Orlando City

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

Published

7 years ago

on

To put it kindly, that was not fun. Watching Orlando City play a sloppy, lazy match and waste opportunity after opportunity is never any fun. This 1-0 defeat to Wayne Rooney United — oops, make that D.C. United — feels especially miserable since it provided a very unwelcome flashback to the last time the Lions were at Audi Field. It’s hard to grade a squad of players who didn’t really seem interested in playing soccer tonight, but I’ll have a go at it.

Starters

GK, Brian Rowe, 6 — I believe Rowe to be the most difficult player to grade after this match. Had it not been for two times that the veteran goalkeeper made the incorrect choice to come way too far out of his box (the Rooney goal and the VAR-disallowed Ulises Segura goal), Rowe might have been my Man of the Match. His excellent back-to-back reaction saves in the 30th minute certainly kept Orlando City in the game, as did the two times he correctly came out of his box in the 56th and 60th.

D, Kyle Smith, 6.5 — Seeing Smith as the starting left back with Danilo Acosta on the bench was a bit odd to me. I have to say, however, that it wasn’t necessarily a bad call by Head Coach James O’Connor. Smith was the quiet, steady defender on the pitch tonight, starting as early as the third minute, when he fought to escort the ball out for a goal kick while under heavy pressure from D.C.’s attacker. He didn’t get into the attack in the same ways the injured Joao Moutinho, or perhaps Acosta, would have, but Smith’s five tackles led the team.

D, Robin Jansson, 5.5 — This was not Jansson’s best game as a Lion. It wasn’t his worst either. He definitely didn’t close down Rooney when he should’ve, such as the 41st minute when he allowed Rooney to rip a shot that sailed high and right of the goal. That was an issue shared by others below too. Jansson had two good chances to get on the score sheet and skied both of the headers from corners in the second and 84th minutes. No tackles, two interceptions, and one clearance illustrate that the viking defender had an uninspired night.

D, Lamine Sané, 5.5 — In the opposite conundrum I had with Rowe, I planned to give Sané a lower score until his brilliant goal-saving 68th-minute tackle on Luciano Acosta. That tackle alone could have won him MotM had he not decided to, much like Jansson, let Rooney have all the time and space he needed to make plays. See minutes 6 and 19 for two great examples. Sané also lost a ball to Rooney in the 73rd that a man of his stature should never have lost to a man of Rooney’s stature. That ball ended up in the back of the net as well, only to be called back by VAR because of an offside.

D, Ruan, 5 — This was an uncharacteristically off night for Orlando City’s newest golden boy. Ruan never looked particularly threatening making runs down the right, and was shut down by D.C.’s defenders the few times he got into potentially dangerous areas. His 26th-minute yellow card for a horrible sliding tackle on Joseph Mora was bad enough that a red card wouldn’t have been unwarranted. In the 82nd minute, Sacha Kljestan placed a perfect ball on Ruan’s head at the edge of the six yard box. Unfortunately, the right back chose to attempt heading it across the face of the goal instead of putting the header on frame.

MF, Carlos Ascues, 4.5 — I don’t think anyone complained when O’Connor subbed Ascues off for Uri Rosell in the 70th minute. Most fans were probably screaming for it to have happened sooner. I’ve been one to defend Ascues in the past. His performance in this match makes that very hard. Ascues was part of the Jansson and Sané trifecta that continually allowed Rooney tons of space. Surprisingly, the defensive midfielder did manage four tackles, an interception, and a clearance although those numbers certainly don’t make up for wasting a chance to shoot after rounding Bill Hamid, or his terrible shot in the 20th minute. The only redeeming play I saw from Ascues was in minute 58 when his cross went right to Tesho Akindele’s foot in front of goal.

MF, Sacha Kljestan, 6 — Old Mr. Mustache had himself a very subdued night. I actually didn’t have any notes written about him until his beautiful 82nd-minute cross to the head of Ruan. Kljestan played like a less passionate Will Johnson, doing what was asked of him and not really anything else. His 67 passes, with two of them being key passes, led the team and he also provided three tackles. The game’s second yellow card was given to Kljestan in the 89th for a needlessly bad tackle at the corner of Orlando City’s 18-yard box.

MF, Dillon Powers, 7.5 (MotM) — The formerly headbanded one continued his great form with another outing worthy of the MotM title. Powers was the only midfielder who seemed to play with heart and drive throughout the match. With 77 touches, he trailed only Nani on the night. Both of his shots weren’t on goal, though at least he actually attempted them unlike some of the Orlando City attackers. The midfielder put in a super cross that landed right on Chris Mueller’s head at minute 67. Powers was also the only Lion that wanted to shut down Rooney, providing two interceptions in the 72nd and 92nd minutes on passes destined for the D.C. star. He capped off his game with a gorgeous steal from Rooney in the 93rd that firmly cemented Powers as my MotM.

F, Nani, 7 — Nani did Nani things for the majority of the match. I’m sure many will have him as their MotM. Had he been a bit more selfish at times, I may have had him as mine as well. The Portuguese world beater had seven insane dribbles that were the best soccer on the pitch for either squad tonight. Nani took four shots, with one on goal, but I fully believe he should have taken more himself instead of consistently looking for the cross. A few additional shots along the lines of the 17th-minute laser from outside the 18, and I’m certain that the captain would have added his name to the score sheet.

F, Tesho Akindele, 5.5 — Add Akindele to the list of players who didn’t appear to want to go all out this match. The striker was invisible for large portions of the first half. A curling shot from the top of the 18 in the 40th minute forced a save from Bill Hamid. It was Akindele’s only shot on goal for the match, and 50% of his total shots. On Ascues’ lone decent play, he put a cross right on Akindele’s right foot as he stood directly in front of goal in the 58th minute. Somehow, Akindele couldn’t connect and ended up falling down next to Hamid almost on the goal line with the ball still tangled up in his feet. Those of us watching simply had to shake our heads since it was another one of those nights for the Lions.

F, Chris Mueller, 6.5 — Unlike a lot of his teammates, Cash was his typical energetic self. Sadly, he reverted back to some old bad habits that didn’t do him or the team any favors. Mueller was way too hesitant to shoot again and it may have cost a goal or two. In the 20th minute, he was alone just to the left of the penalty area and took too many touches before deciding to lay the ball off for Ascues’ awful shot. Someone — maybe Nani or O’Connor — might have told Mueller to be more selfish late in the first half. After making a good run down the right in the 45th, he took a shot from the edge of the 18 and sent it into the stands. Mueller also put shots over the crossbar in minutes 67 and 77 before being subbed off in the 79th.

Substitutes

MF, Uri Rosell (70’), 5 — Getting Ascues off the pitch was a complete necessity. Trailing 1-0, I’m not convinced that Rosell was the right sub here. He didn’t provide any offensive help and did the minimum on defense, putting up big fat goose eggs in the interception, clearance, and tackle columns.

F, Benji Michel (79’), 4.5 — Michel may have wanted to follow up his first professional goal with another, but his performance tonight didn’t do anything to show that. The only thing the rookie did of any note was get called for a handball after getting an over-the-top ball right outside the 18.

F, Santiago Patino (83’), 5.5 — The best of the subs on the night. In my opinion, Patino should have been the first sub on at the 70th minute (or earlier). As soon as he came on, he took a shot that was blocked inside the box. Patino was motivated and might have made a bigger difference if given more minutes.

So that’s how I saw in the 1-0 road defeat to D.C. United. Make sure to vote for your Man of the Match in the poll below and tell us all why in the comments section.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Brian Rowe5
Sacha Kljestan2
Dillon Powers13
Nani15
Chris Mueller10
Other11

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links 9/22/26

Cosette Morche up for weekly honors, lessons from matchday 27, key players in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, and more.

Published

4 hours ago

on

September 22, 2026

By

Image of Cosette Morche during her NWSL debut vs. Washington.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Good morning, everyone. It was a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad weekend for Orlando’s three soccer teams, as they all lost and did so by an aggregate score of 12-5. Fortunately, we’ve got lots to talk about this morning, so let’s not dwell any further on the horror show that was the weekend slate, and instead dive into today’s links.

Cosette Morche up for Weekly Honors

Despite the Orlando Pride falling at home against the Portland Thorns, a bright spot has emerged from the game in the form of Cosette Morche being nominated for the NWSL Save of the Week. She made a fantastic triple save in the 17th minute to frustrate both Sophia Wilson and Pietra Tordin and keep the score at 1-0. Unfortunately, the Pride went on to lose 4-1, but Morche continued a trend of strong performances in net since taking over for the loaned-out Anna Moorhouse. Make sure you go vote for her to win!

Lessons from Matchday 27

Matchday 27 is in the books for Major League Soccer, and there are plenty of things to be learned from the weekend’s action. A number of young players called up by the United States Men’s National Team turned in impressive performances, as Cavan Sullivan had a goal and an assist, Frankie Westfield and Neil Pierre helped Sullivan and the Union overturn a 4-3 deficit against Sporting Kansas City, and Julian Hall scored the winner in the Hudson River Derby. Elsewhere, Nashville clinched a playoff spot and did so in style by knocking off a good Chicago Fire team 3-0. Finally, St Louis City beat Toronto FC 3-1 and now has a mind-boggling 16-game unbeaten streak in the league that grows to 18 games unbeaten in all competitions.

Women’s Champions League Key Players

The UEFA Women’s Champions League kicks off today, so this is an excellent time to familiarize yourself with some of the most important players in the competition. Some of them may be familiar to you already, like Real Madrid’s Colombian attacker Linda Caicedo or Chelsea midfielder Lauren James. Midfielder Patri Guijarro will be an important piece for Barcelona following the summer departures of Alexia Putellas and Salma Paralluelo, while Annamaria Serturini, Remina Chiba, and Redondo are in a similar situation for Juventus. Finally, there are players on less heralded teams, like Uka Modesta for Austria Wien and Lowiese Seynhaeve for OH Leuven.

Granit Xhaka Dropped by Switzerland

We finish our main story section today with an odd one, as Granit Xhaka has been left out of the latest Switzerland squad after he admitted to using a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate. Amid an investigation into a Swiss doctor who was allegedly producing false certificates for unvaccinated individuals, Xhaka has admitted to using falsified paperwork. Not only has he been left out of the Swiss squad, but he could also face legal repercussions, and the player confirmed that he is currently in the process of speaking to the authorities. Xhaka is Switzerland’s all-time leader in appearances, and has been a key member of the team for a number of years.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City somehow rose two spots to no.10 in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
  • The Orlando Pride held fast at no. 12 in the same outlet’s NWSL power rankings.
  • For better or worse, Orlando City will be back in the red kits for Saturday’s match against the Philadelphia Union.

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

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s road loss to the New England Revolution?

Published

1 day ago

on

September 21, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City was minutes away from drawing the New England Revolution Saturday night, which would’ve been a big point in the Lions’ quest for the postseason. But two second-half injury-time goals saw that point dissipate. Instead, they followed their U.S. Open Cup semifinal defeat with a crushing 4-2 loss.

Let’s take a look at how the individual players fared in the disappointing result.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crepeau, 5 — None of the four goals were specifically Crepeau’s fault, with one being a deflection and the other three coming from poor defense. But the goalkeeper’s four goals conceded matched his number of saves. It can also be argued he should’ve come out earlier on some of the goals to cut down the attacker’s angle. In addition to his four goals conceded and four saves, he ended the game with 39 touches and completed 74.1% of his 27 passes, including seven of his 14 long balls.

D, Bernardo Rhein, 5.5 — The teenager got the start at left back in this game, touching the ball 58 times. He completed 83.3% of his 42 passes, but neither of his two long balls nor his lone cross. Defensively, Rhein recorded a tackle and a blocked shot before being replaced in the 77th minute by Harvey Sarajian in an attacking change.

D, Robin Jansson, 5.5 — The Orlando City captain had 65 touches in this game and completed 98.1% of his 53 passes, including three of his four long balls. Defensively, he had an interception, a team-high six clearances, and an aerial duel won. But his age showed as he was unable to keep up with the counterattacks the other way. While it wasn’t a bad game for Jansson, I can’t give a higher grade to a key component of a back line that conceded four times.

D, David Brekalo, 5.5 — Jansson’s center back partner had 52 touches and completed 95% of his 40 passes, including one of his two long balls. He took one shot in the game, but it was off target. Defensively, Brekalo recorded a tackle and six clearances, and won two aerial balls. Similar to Jansson, Brekalo wasn’t necessarily bad, but was part of a center back pairing that helped concede four goals.

D, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo started this game at right back and moved to left wing and left back as the game progressed. As you would expect, the Colombian pushed forward quite a bit. He ended the game with 69 touches and completed 81.3% of his 48 passes, including one of his three long balls. His most impactful play came in the 62nd minute, when he shielded his defender to tuck away the Lions’ first goal, cutting the deficit to 2-1. That was his lone shot of the night. Defensively, he added five tackles and two interceptions, providing one of the team’s best performances.

MF, Tyrese Spicer, 5 — In the team’s third game in eight days, Spicer got the start in the midfield. He touched the ball 20 times and completed 72.7% of his 11 passes, including his lone long ball. Other than that, he did little offensively before being replaced by Zakaria Taifi at halftime, allowing Angulo to go forward. Defensively, he added a tackle and an interception, but the Lions could’ve used much more from the speedster.

MF, Joran Gerbet, 6 — Gerbet once again was in the lineup for the Lions, playing his typical defensive midfield role. The Frenchman had a team-high 72 touches and completed 98.5% of his 67 passes, including two key passes and both of his long balls. The midfielder’s only shot was blocked, but it bounced off Peyton Miller’s hand for a penalty. He also contributed defensively with a tackle and an interception. Gerbet was replaced by Tiago in second-half stoppage time to bring on an attacker after the team fell behind again.

MF, Luis Otavio, 5.5 — The quick turnaround gave Otavio a chance to start, though he only played 45 minutes. The Brazilian had 21 touches and completed 94.1% of his 17 passes, including one of his two long balls. He didn’t contribute any shots in the attack and only recorded a clearance defensively in what was a rather forgettable performance. His night ended at halftime when he was taken off for regular starter Eduard Atuesta.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 5.5 — With Antoine Griezmann injured, Pasalic got a rare start. He touched the ball 35 times and completed 91.7% of his 24 passes, including one of his two long balls. The attacking midfielder took two shots and put one on target. Defensively, he recorded two tackles and a clearance before being replaced by Daryl Dike in the 71st minute.

F, Martin Ojeda, 6 (MotM) — Ojeda is starting to look more like his old self since returning from injury and was the primary attacker for the Lions in this game. The Argentinian had 59 touches and completed 79.6% of his 44 passes, including a key pass, two of his three long balls, and two of his four crosses. He also put two of his three shots on target. Ojeda was instrumental in the attacking movement that ended with Angulo’s goal, working a give-and-go straight up the middle with Justin Ellis. In the 88th minute, he converted the game-tying penalty, keeping his record from the spot perfect and pulling him to within one goal of Facundo Torres for the club record. He was the best player for me and earned my Man of the Match.

F, Justin Ellis, 5.5 — Ellis was active in this game, touching the ball 67 times and completing 76.1% of his 46 passes, including one of his two long balls and one of his two crosses. His only shot was off target. The forward added two tackles in his last game before heading out on international duty.

Substitutes

D, Zakaria Taifi, 5.5 (45’) — Taifi came on at halftime for Spicer, allowing Angulo to move forward into his natural position. The Homegrown Player had 24 touches in his 45 minutes while completing 85.7% of his 14 passes. He had three key passes, completed his lone cross, and didn’t complete either of his two long balls. The defender didn’t do anything else offensively, but added a tackle and a clearance.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 5.5 (45’) — A regular starter, Atuesta got the first half off before coming on for Otavio. The Colombian touched the ball 41 times and completed 94.1% of his 34 passes, including a key pass and two of his three long balls, but neither of his two crosses. Additionally, his only shot was on target. Defensivley, Atuesta didn’t record any statistics.

F, Daryl Dike, 4.5 (71’) — Dike came on for Pasalic in the 71st minue with the Lions looking for a goal. It was another disappointing performance for the striker, who only had six touches and completed two of his four passes. Despite coming on to score, his only shot was off target and he didn’t contribute anything defensively.

F, Harvey Sarajian, 5 (77’) — Sarajian came on for Rhein in the 77th minute, another move aimed towards finding an equalizer. The rookie had seven touches in 13 minutes while completing 83.3% of his six passes. Sarajian also didn’t contribute much in this game, failing to take a shot or build an attack.

MF, Tiago, N/A (90+5’) — Tiago came on in the dying minutes for Gerbet after Orlando CIty fell behind again. The attacker only recorded three touches, completed his lone pass, and drew a foul in his brief stint on the field.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in this disappointing loss. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match.

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 9/21/26

All of Orlando’s soccer teams lose, Lions unveil Vinicius Nogueira, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

September 21, 2026

By

Image of Martin Ojeda playing the ball against Inter Miami.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been staying busy at work over the weekend. Let’s wish a happy belated birthday to Orlando Pride defender Cori Dyke, who turned 26 on Sunday, and a happy birthday to Orlando City defender Bernardo Rhein, who turns 19 today. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Concede Two Late Goals in Loss at New England

Orlando City fell 4-2 to the New England Revolution on the road on Saturday at Gillette Stadium, conceding twice in stoppage time to drop a point. After trailing 2-0, the Lions came back with second-half goals from Ivan Angulo and Martin Ojeda, with the latter from the penalty spot just before the 90 minutes were up. However, in stoppage time, the Lions imploded, with Peyton Miller and Carles Gil closing out the night with two goals each for the Revolution. The loss snapped Orlando’s five-game unbeaten streak in league play, and the Lions left Foxborough with no points instead of at least one. Orlando City will be back on the road for its next match on Saturday against the Philadelphia Union.

Lions Unveil Vinicius Nogueira

Orlando City unveiled left back Vinicius Nogueira on Friday with a photo shoot at Inter.co Stadium.

The Lions signed Nogueira on Aug. 27 on loan from Bulgarian First League side PFC Ludogorets through the end of the 2027 MLS Sprint Season, with an option to make the move permanent. The 24-year-old Brazilian was on the bench during Orlando City’s match against the New England Revolution on Saturday but did not play.

Pride Fall at home to Portland Thorns

The Orlando Pride lost 4-1 to the Portland Thorns on Saturday at Inter.co Stadium, and while the team is still mathematically alive for the postseason, the home defeat made things even more of a longshot than they were. The Pride started slowly and were down 2-0 before Ally Lemos pulled one back in the first half. Orlando missed several scoring chances, and in the second half, Portland scored two goals to put the match away. Orlando will travel to the West Coast to take on Bay FC on Sunday.

OCB Falls to Atlanta United 2 on Decision Day

Orlando City B lost 4-2 to Atlanta United 2 on Decision Day Sunday at Osceola County Stadium, falling all the way to 10th and out of the playoff places. Atlanta struck first early before Issah Haruna tied it up for the Young Lions. However, Atlanta got an own goal when Tristan Himes punched a set piece deliver in off Harvey Sarajian to retake the lead, and Ignacio Saurez-Couri added another to make it 3-1. Justin Hylton scored for OCB to cut the deficit to one before halftime. In the second half, Dominik Chong-Qui scored the final goal to secure Atlanta’s win. For the Young Lions, the season ends in disappointment again, missing the MLS NEXT Pro postseason for the second straight season.

Free Kicks

  • Just two days after Gabi Nunes and the Orlando Pride mutually agreed to part ways on Wednesday, Nunes signed with Liga F side Atletico de Madrid Femenino on Friday.
  • New York City FC is reportedly signing defender Matt Miazga after he was waived by FC Cincinnati earlier this month.

🇺🇸 BREAKING: NYCFC set to sign center back Matt Miazga, per sources.- Miazga waived by FC Cincinnati earlier this month- Miazga, 31, is former MLS Defender of the Year. Boosts defensive options for NYCFC down the stretchwww.nytimes.com/athletic/760…

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-09-18T13:17:04.926Z

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

Continue Reading

Trending