Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Player Grades and Man of the Match

Published

6 years ago

July 4, 2019

James O’Connor made three changes to his lineup as he regained the services of midfielders Will Johnson and Sebas Méndez from international duty while Ruan also returned after being rested for Saturday’s visit to Columbus.

Having started brightly and looking in complete control, the momentum shifted on two key moments in favor of Philadelphia, which currently sits atop the Eastern conference. First, by scoring an equalizer and then seeing Orlando’s first red card, the Union wrestled the game back in their favor going into the break and landed another blow to Orlando in the opening few minutes of the second half before a few Lions truly hit self-destruct. Not everyone did poorly as some went down with the sinking ship with dignity and the grades reflect that:

Starters

GK, Brian Rowe, 6.5 – Rowe was forced into his first save in the 12th minute, diving low to his right to deny a long range Kacper Przybyłko effort destined for the bottom corner. He’d be forgiven for thinking he was in for a quiet day after the first half hour but that all changed. He ended up making five saves in total but couldn’t do anything about the first goal as Przybyłko had the entire goal at his mercy and from there things snowballed. He was equally as helpless for the other two Union goals, I wouldn’t expected any goalkeeper in MLS to stop those, and despite coming up big for a spectacular double save, it ultimately didn’t matter as the game had long slipped out of the Lions’ grasp. A commanding day aerially and some good distribution (84.6% accuracy, fifth best) are relatively moot points on a night like tonight.

D, Danilo Acosta, 4 – With João Moutinho’s injury persisting for now, Acosta got another chance to stake his claim for the starting role following his return from an anonymous Gold Cup jaunt with Honduras, for which he still hasn’t been cap-tied but he likely damaged his chances. A bright start offensively with some neat interplay with Nani soon gave way to slack defending. It finally cost Orlando when Acosta was caught out on the long ball that Alejandro Bedoya was able to turn back infield for the assist on the second goal and after the third goal went in, I seemed to notice Acosta immediately turn inwards towards Miller, shouting and throwing his arms up in frustration. Not a good look from a player a long way from a good performance himself and I’m not sure O’Connor is the type of person that takes kindly to such blame culture. Two tackles, three clearances and the second-worst pass completion percentage on the team.

D, Robin Jansson, 3.5 – Jansson was having a pretty sturdy outing for the first half hour, reading play and cutting out passes as Orlando was able to defend as a unit, but a turnover left the defense vulnerable on the counter, and the Swede got sucked to the ball and left Przybyłko unmarked for the goal. His late attempt at stepping up didn’t dissuade him from a valiant last ditch slide but it did little to salvage the situation. He then got caught as the last man against Fafà Picault on another break close to halftime that ultimately spelled the end of his day — Jansson lost his composure, recklessly left the ground and wildly swung his legs through the back of Picault. Chris Penso surprisingly only showed yellow before VAR rightfully asked him to revisit the decision. Prior to his dismissal, Jansson had actually completely all 16 of his pass attempts and made a joint-high five clearances.

D, Lamine Sané, 5 – Similar to Jansson, Sané made a couple of good tackles prior to the goal but failed in his first one-on-one scenario, not doing enough to close down Jamiro Monteiro, who was easily able to feed Przybyłko for the Union’s equalizer. With 11 defensive actions (two tackles, three interceptions, five clearances and one blocked shot) he had a significantly busier game than usual and actually did pretty well, remaining pretty tight despite the numerical disadvantage and introduction of Kamal Miller. Still, I really don’t trust his ability to win individual battles and it really heaped the pressure on Jansson both for the Union’s first goal and then his red card.

D, Ruan, 4 – Ruan continually tested Kai Wagner and Brenden Aaronson out for pace on the Philadelphia left and saw some mild success but for all the good will he has built up during his time in purple, his attacking output has dried up and it’s no longer covering his defensive frailties. He registered absolutely no defensive actions whatsoever in a game that left the Lions defending for their lives at times. One shot and an 80.6% accuracy on 36 passes, the fifth most, is all he really has to show on his return to the side. He did rank first in one category though, losing possession a team-leading six times.

MF, Sacha Kljestan, 3 – Gone are the days of Kljestan as an assist-hungry attacking midfielder. He has adopted a more central and deeper role in the current O’Connor system with a lot of defensive responsibility, serving as a box-to-box on the break. He had a good passing game, completing the fourth most at 81.4% but his lack of pace showed at times and as the game slipped away, Orlando began chasing shadows in midfield. That made Kljestan frustrated and you won’t like Kljestan when he’s frustrated. It ultimately ended in Jansson being left to hold Kljestan’s beer as the 33-year-old went lunging in on Monteiro for what was frankly a horrendous challenge. Red card, maybe an additional game ban. It was that bad.

MF, Sebas Méndez, 5.5 – Méndez was the deepest-lying midfielder as he once again assumed the role of quarterback on his return, sitting in between Jansson and Sané in possession to help dictate play. He led the team in passes with 64, which is comparatively low to some of his other games this season but did make 93.8% including five long balls. Like the vast majority of the team, he was left high and dry by the sending offs and was a passenger once OCSC was reduced to nine.

MF, Will Johnson, 7 (MOTM) – Will Johnson had the game that Kljestan woke up this morning hoping to have. They played the same role on either side of a midfield tandem with Méndez sitting behind them. He covered every blade of grass and was the last man left running out there as he commendably channeled his frustration into work rate, not recklessness. Not only did he pass the eye test but he also bossed the stats sheet, leading the team in both tackles, with four, as well as key passes, with two, while his 98.2% pass accuracy was second only behind Jansson’s 100% on a much lower 16 attempts, compared to the Canadian’s 55, also good enough for second.

F, Nani, 4 – After what Orlando City analyst Miguel Gallardo called Nani’s most complete performance in purple against Columbus on Saturday, Nani only got 45 minutes as departed at halftime to make room for a defender following Jansson’s sending off. It was a forgettable half that the Portuguese was pretty anonymous in, flattering to deceive in transition. His 73.1% pass accuracy was the lowest of every Lion, starters and subs, and he only registered one shot that was off target. Considering the high standards the All-Star has set himself, it was a disappointing evening for the DP.

F, Tesho Akindele, 5.5 – Akindele was Orlando’s primary outlet when the Lions regained possession and showed some good hold-up play. However, he was caught out for the Union equalizer, getting dispossessed on what he thought should have been a foul and was the second-most dispossessed player behind Ruan. He was the only Orlando player to successfully complete more than one dribble and made 31 passes (83.9%) but he was another the game just got away from.

F, Chris Mueller, 7 – A storming solo run carved open the Union defense in the eighth minute, leaving Mueller ample time to pick his spot past rookie goalkeeper Matt Freese, taking the second-year forward’s personal total to five for the season. That set the tone as he was a nuisance for the hour he played before being subbed off. Closing down from the front, sniffing out loose passes, drawing fouls, running at defenders, and that’s not to mention his defensive hustle. A solid outing for Cash, who the Union will not be looking forward to matching up against again at the weekend.

Substitutes

CB, Kamal Miller (46’), 4 – In all honesty, rookie Kamal Miller was shockingly bad but he does have my sympathies, subbing on at halftime to cover for Jansson. But he didn’t get a second to adjust back to life in the Orlando back line following his return from national team duty as the Union scored inside two minutes, with Miller giving everyone a lesson in how not to defend, meekly turning his back on the shot. His efforts for Philadelphia’s third were even less impressive, getting caught in two minds whether to close down, which he began to do then stopped, or track the run of Picault, which he probably realized he should’ve done just as Picault was shooting. There’s a strong argument that the youngster was less useful in the second half than the departed Jansson was sat back in the locker room, although he earned some points back for a last ditch block on Marco Fabián in garbage time.

CB, Shane O’Neill (61’), 4.5 – In all honesty, I’m reading Shane O’Neill’s name on my notes and I’m struggling to remember if he actually came on or he’s still on the sideline waiting to enter the game. He managed one more touch than an isolated Dom Dwyer who subbed on at the same time as him although he did manage one tackle so I guess that automatically elevates him above Ruan and Miller at least. Not a healthy situation to sub into that soon got worse. It’s confusing to know how defending for half an hour with nine men your central defender can go so unnoticed but I guess that’s just a wider metaphor for O’Neill in general. Not actively messing up counts for something, right?

FW, Dom Dwyer (61’), 6 – Playing his first minutes since May 19, Dwyer struggled to get into the game. He did attempt a spectacular bicycle kick off a corner in the 84th minute but playing with two fewer players, he was never going to get much of a look at goal as Orlando struggled to retain any purposeful possession. He managed to spring Akindele after a neat turn before Penso brought it back for a foul in stoppage time but nothing came of it. In difficult circumstances, you can at least take heart that he looked sharp in the few moments he did actually touch the ball. He gets the benefit of the doubt purely as the life of striker is already quiet enough when you have the correct number of players on your team.

Agree with the grades? Have your own pick for Man of the Match? Vote on the poll and let us know in the comments!

Polling Closed

Player	Votes
Brian Rowe	2
Will Johnson	27
Chris Mueller	31
Lamine Sané	2
Other (comment below)	3

Related Topics:Player Grades SBN_migrated

Up Next

Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Five Takeaways

Don't Miss

Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Final Score 3-1 as 9-Man Lions Undone in Second Half

Orlando City

Orlando City: Contender or Pretender?

Orlando City’s results against teams in the top, middle, and bottom third of the standings and what it means.

Published

59 minutes ago

July 3, 2025

S. Andrew DeSalvo

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The dictionary definition of a mirage involves physics and how light bends as it travels through different air temperatures. I think exactly zero of you opened this article to read about science, so we can quickly move from the physics definition to the more generally used definition of mirage, which is that people think they see something, but what they see is not real.

Orlando City has played 20 real games of MLS soccer this season and currently sits fifth in the Eastern Conference and has the ninth best points earned per game rating in the entire league, but do those rankings reflect (see what I did there?) reality, and are the Lions one of the league’s best teams? Let’s take a look.

Orlando City is three games into the second half of the season — 59% of the way through the full season to be more precise — and at this point, there are still some scheduling quirks, but for the most part teams have played enough games that we can look at the results and not worry about a small sample size. The table below shows how the Lions performed at home and on the road as well as how they fared in games against teams in the top third, middle third, and bottom third of the overall league rankings for points earned per game. You read each cell in the table as two different values, the first being the number of games played and the number after the slash is the average points earned per game.

Opponents	At Home	On the Road	Overall
Games Against Top Third	3 / 1.00	2 / 2.00	5 / 1.40
Games Against Middle Third	4 / 1.25	4 / 1.25	8 / 1.25
Games Against Bottom Third	3 / 3.00	4 / 1.75	7 / 2.29
Overall	10 / 1.70	10 / 1.60	20 / 1.65

Top Third = Cin (H), Mia (A), Phi (A&H) Port (H)
Middle Third = Char (H), Chi (A&H), Col (A), NE (H), NYC (A), NYRB (A&H)
Bottom Third = Atl (A&H), D.C. (H), LA Gal (A), Mon (A), STL (A), Tor (H)

The schedule makers were fair to Orlando City, giving the team an even 10 home games and 10 away matches among their first 20 outings, and at the macro level the Lions were consistent, earning nearly the same points per game at home as they did on the road. Looking at the different segments, however, it is clear that Orlando beats up on the teams in the bottom third and then has mixed results against the teams ranked in the top and middle thirds.

This brings the mirage question back up, as teams in the bottom third will not qualify for the playoffs, and in games against the top two-thirds (the top 20 teams) in the league, Orlando City is 4-5-4, meaning the Lions earn points in most matches, but they are just as likely to win as they are to lose.

Looking at a performance table for the league’s top 10 teams, however, lends credence to the idea that that those might be real lions you see on the field when watching Orlando City. This table shows the average points earned per match by the top teams, and Orlando City is not alone among the top teams in how they earn their points.

Team	vs. Top Third	vs. Middle Third	vs. Bottom Third	Overall
Philadelphia	1.13	2.25	2.75	2.00
Vancouver	1.40	2.00	2.43	2.00
Cincinnati	1.75	2.14	1.89	1.95
San Diego	2.33	1.50	2.22	1.95
Nashville	1.75	1.70	2.33	1.90
Columbus	1.25	2.17	2.33	1.85
Miami	1.67	1.80	2.00	1.81
Minnesota	1.00	2.00	1.78	1.70
Orlando City	1.40	1.25	2.29	1.65
Portland	0.00	1.63	2.13	1.58

I did not list out the performances of all 30 teams, but Orlando City’s 1.40 points earned per game against teams in the top third of MLS is tied for the sixth best in the entire league. The Lions struggle against the middle of the pack, ranking 18th, and then are elite again when it comes to playing the bottom teams (seventh).

Only two teams in the league are in the top 10 against teams in all three categories: Vancouver (sixth, fourth, third) and Columbus (ninth, second, fourth). Portland is the only team in MLS that has earned zero points against teams in the top third, but because the Timbers have only played three opponents in that category and because they have done well against the teams in the bottom 20, they are 10th overall in the league.

That’s enough talk about other teams for now, but it is important to note that the number of games against teams in each category weighs heavily on the overall ranking. Orlando City has had a varied schedule, but there are teams that have played as few as three games against top 10 teams and others who have played as many as nine. Teams have no control over their schedule, and since MLS has an unbalanced schedule every year, some teams get lucky or unlucky with their cross-conference games.

Orlando City has 14 games remaining, and while it has had a pretty varied schedule so far in terms of opponents, the club’s final 14 games are backloaded with teams currently in the top 10. This is not ideal, but it is how it is, and Óscar Pareja’s teams have been excellent closers in recent years, so if the Lions can do that again, they have a great chance to make some leaps up the table as half of their final 14 games are against teams above them in the overall standings.

Team	vs. Top Third	vs. Middle Third	vs. Bottom Third	Overall
Philadelphia	3	7	4	14
Vancouver	4	4	7	15
Cincinnati	7	4	3	14
San Diego	5	4	5	14
Nashville	8	1	5	14
Columbus	4	6	4	14
Miami	5	7	6	18
Minnesota	3	6	5	14
Orlando City	7	3	4	14
Portland	6	4	5	15

Top Third = Cin (A), Col (A&H), Mia (H), Nash (A&H), Van (H)
Middle Third = Cha (A), NE (A), NYC (H)
Bottom Third = D.C. (A), KC (H), Mon (H), Tor(A)

If Orlando City does not close well, however, the Lions could find themselves dropping rapidly down the table due to 10 of their final 14 games being against teams in the top 20. The draws against a weak CF Montréal team, a Chicago Fire team that played down a player for nearly 55 minutes, and a New England team that was beaten before Robin Jansson gave away a needless penalty kick in the final minutes will loom large no matter how the season ends up, but considering Orlando City was the better team or a man up in all three of those games and none of those teams is a top 10 team, those will be six huge dropped points in the final standings.

Playing the woulda/coulda/shoulda/didn’t game accomplishes nothing, but those extra six points would have the Lions tied with Cincinnati (which they also could have beaten or at least tied!) as the third-best team in the league in points earned per game, and that would just be from beating teams much lower in the overall standings.

Ugh.

So, where did we end up? Orlando City is a top 10 team in points per game and in points per game against top 10 teams, and our eye test (important in an evaluation of whether something is or is not a mirage) says that it probably should have earned more points than it did. The glass-half-empty side of “the Lions should have earned more points than they did,” however, is that multiple times they were unable to earn points that were there for the taking, and that is generally not a sign of a championship-caliber team.

With a backloaded schedule that is one of the more difficult ones in the league (only Nashville has more games left against teams in the top 10, and two of those are against Orlando City), the Lions will need to be ruthless and not play with their food when they have chances to eat during the final months. I am far more optimistic than pessimistic, both in general and also when looking at the 2025 Orlando City team, and I think the team will finish strong and be a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The 2024 team finished the season at 1.52 points earned per game, 8% lower than this year’s team’s current average of 1.65, and that team went all the way to the conference final. I believe this team is better than last year’s team, not just from those points earned per game, but also because of the talent of the players on the field, and that as Pareja’s teams often do, they will find their ideal lineup and get on a roll to end the season.

At least that is what I think I see out in front of us.

Vamos Orlando!

Orlando City

Orlando City at Charlotte FC: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to earn all three points on the road in Charlotte?

Published

3 hours ago

July 3, 2025

David Rohe

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City travels to North Carolina to take on Charlotte FC in an important Eastern Conference match. The Lions need to get back on the winning side following their home loss to FC Cincinnati. Orlando City has been good on the road lately, so perhaps that is a positive. Despite Charlotte missing some players on international duty, it will still be a tough match. What does Orlando City need to do to bring home all three points from Charlotte?

Left Side Puzzle

Orlando City’s attack has been lacking on the left side. Ivan Angulo has not been great so far this season. He has taken 23 shots, putting eight on target, and has not scored. Additionally, Angulo only has three assists. David Brekalo has been the first choice at left back for most of the season, but he’s not the most adept at getting into the attack. He has no completed crosses and only two assists.

The reason Brekalo has been starting is because Rafael Santos has been poor defensively. Of course, he’s a better crosser than Brekalo, meaning if Oscar Pareja did start Santos, it might help the attack on the left. I don’t know that there is an ideal lineup. Brekalo is better on defense, Santos is better on offense, and Angulo is fast. All three won’t be on the left side, so does Pareja prioritize the attack or the defense? I say the attack, given Orlando’s scarcity of goals in recent matches — the St. Louis match notwithstanding.

Defense Central

Charlotte has a very good attacking midfield with Wilfried Zaha, Pep Biel, and Liel Abada. The three have combined for 16 goals and 15 assists. Even if Charlotte is missing Patrick Agyemang due to his being with the USMNT, there is still plenty of firepower for Cesar Araujo and the back line to deal with on Saturday.

I expect we’ll see a back line consisting of Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. I’m also expecting Angulo and Eduard Atuesta in the midfield. It will be essential for all six to contain Charlotte’s attack. A return to form from Pedro Gallese might be in order as well.

Finally Finishing

In the St. Louis match, Orlando City scored four goals on 23 shots with 12 on target. Last match, the Lions took 17 shots with only three on target, totaling one goal. Orlando City will need to do better against Charlotte if the club is to keep pace or climb the standings in the Eastern Conference.

Ramiro Enrique and Marco Pasalic won’t have to deal with Tim Ream, who is also away with the USMNT, but they will need to get the ball past Charlotte keeper Kristijan Kahlina, who is a good keeper. And you can bet the defense will be looking at Enrique and Pasalic. That is why I want Martin Ojeda and Luis Muriel to get back to scoring some goals in this match.

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

Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/3/25

Orlando Pride loan five players out, Orlando City academy players selected for All-Star Team, USMNT beats Guatemala, and more.

Published

6 hours ago

July 3, 2025

Marcus Mitchell

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

How’s it going, Mane Landers? It’s been a weird week for me so far, as it’s felt simultaneously like it’s flying by and taking forever for the weekend to get here. All of the soccer has been nice at least, and I’ve been able to get some reading and painting done when not swamped. But enough about me, let’s dive into today’s links!

Orlando Pride Loan Multiple Players Out

The Orlando Pride loaned out five players for the rest of the 2025 season, with four of them joining USL Super League teams. Forward Amanda Allen, who was loaned to Lexington SC last year and injured her shoulder in December, is headed to her home country of Canada to join Halifax Tides FC in the Northern Super League. As for the players headed to the USL Super League, right back Brianna Martinez will join Carolina Ascent FC, goalkeeper Kat Asman and forward Mariana Larroquette were loaned to Lexington, and Aryssa Mahrt was sent to Spokane Zephyr FC. These loans should provide solid opportunities for minutes for these players, so hopefully they can make some noise with their respective teams.

Orlando City Academy Players Make All-Star Team

The rosters for the 2025 MLS NEXT All-Star Game are out and Orlando City B midfielders Gustavo Caraballo and Dylan Judelson were both selected for the event. The East All-Stars will be coached by Orlando City SC Academy Director Javier Carrillo, who also coached Orlando’s U-18 team to victory in the Generation Adidas Cup this year. Caraballo was named MVP of that tournament’s U-18 age group and scored 16 goals over the course of the MLS NEXT season. Judelson appeared in 32 games for Orlando this season and could factor into Canada’s U-17 World Cup plans come November. The MLS NEXT All-Star Game will take place on July 21 and can be viewed on the MLS YouTube channel.

USMNT Takes Down Guatemala in Gold Cup

The United States Men’s National Team secured a spot in the Concacaf Gold Cup final after winning 2-1 against Guatemala in St. Louis. The Yanks got off to a hot start thanks to Diego Luna’s brace in the first 15 minutes of the match. The offense wasn’t able to extend the lead beyond that though, and a late goal by Olger Escobar made the match a bit more tense the U.S. would have liked. Regardless, the U.S. got the job done in the end and will play in Sunday’s final in Houston.

USWNT Breezes Past Canada in Friendly

The United States Women’s National Team beat Canada in convincing fashion, shutting out its northern rival 3-0 in a friendly. Sam Coffey and Claire Hutton scored in the first half to give the USWNT a nice lead, and Yazmeen Ryan came off the bench to put the nail in the coffin with a late goal. The defense did well to claim its third clean sheet of this series of summer friendlies. Emily Sams didn’t make an appearance for the U.S., and Zara Chavoshi didn’t come off the bench for Canada either.

NWSL Announces Layout For 2026 Schedule

The 2026 NWSL regular season will kick off on March 13 and finish on Nov. 1 according to the league’s announced framework for next year’s action. Although there will be 16 teams next year, the playoff format remains the same and the top eight teams in the standings will qualify, with the 2026 NWSL Championship set for Nov. 21. There will once again be a balanced schedule, with each team playing 30 matches over the course of 27 weeks. The league will also notably be on break for a majority of June due to the FIFA World Cup, citing expectations to accommodate stadium demands in markets where World Cup games will take place

Free Kicks

Boston Legacy FC signed American midfielder Annie Karich as its first player ahead of its inaugural season next year. Karich spent the past two seasons with SC Freiburg in Germany and joins Boston as a free agent.
San Diego FC forward Anders Dreyer was named MLS Player of the Month after recording three goals and six assists in June. He leads the league with 23 goal contributions this season and is a major reason behind San Diego’s rise to the top of the Western Conference standings.
Atlanta United bolstered its defense by signing Albanian center back Enea Mihaj to a contract through 2028. The 26-year-old joins as a free agent after spending the past three seasons with FC Famalicao in Portugal top flight.
The 2025 Women’s European Championship kicked off in Switzerland, with Finland beating Iceland 1-0 in the first match of the tournament. Switzerland struck first against Norway, but Ada Hegerberg scored an equalizer and an own goal by Swiss defender Julia Stierli gave Norway the 2-1 win.
It seems the Concacaf co-hosts for next year’s World Cup will be able to serve suspensions in friendlies rather than missing out on the World Cup.

STATEMENT FROM CONCACAF 🚨

"Following extensive discussions with FIFA, Concacaf is now in a position to confirm that any 2025 Gold Cup pending suspension for Canada, Mexico, and the United States (co-hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2026) must be served during their next… pic.twitter.com/JRxNjf4UpJ
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) July 2, 2025