Orlando City
Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Player Grades and Man of the Match
Orlando City Head Coach James O’Connor once again employed the tactic of making widespread changes for a midweek trip out west before coming back home to put out a more familiar XI. The Irishman made 11 total changes to his lineup in the defeat to New York Red Bulls and here is how they performed.
You might think they’re kind, but in all honesty, nobody had a particularly bad individual game and nine out of 10 times the Lions come away with a point but alas an intense first half from the Red Bulls, coupled with some nearly-but-not-quite finishing from the Lions in the second, was ultimately the difference in a pretty even game that was tilting in Orlando’s favor by the end.
Starters
GK, Brian Rowe, 7 — Rowe made four saves in total, the same as his Red Bulls counterpart Luis Robles, but the conceded goal was the difference from a purple point of view. Former Lion Amro Tarek seemed determined to score, forcing two good saves from Rowe. He was fast off his line numerous times, including for the only goal of the game. He came close to keeping Brian White’s shot out as he spread himself, and even got a decent touch, but the ball still tumbled in.
D, João Moutinho, 6.5 — After sitting out the last seven games with injury, the left back finally made his return to the side. However, he didn’t appear to be 100% as he regularly clutched at his back. His average position was significantly deeper than Ruan’s and most of his match was spent in his own half. In a team that really relies on its fullbacks for width and service, his more advanced position with Orlando pushing forward in the second half was crucial to creating chances. His 62 passes were good enough for second on the team behind Sebas Méndez, with two deemed key passes, as he tried to make an impact on offense. He led the team in won aerial duels with five, something he hasn’t always been strong at, while also making two tackles, two interceptions, and two clearances.
D, Robin Jansson, 5.5 — Getting beat on an inch-perfect ball by Kaku to thread Brian White in on goal is nothing to be ashamed of, but it ruined an otherwise good night for the Swede, who managed to get in front but still saw the ball tease past him. I don’t think there are many defenders in the league that stop that from happening but unfortunately it goes on Jansson’s record as being the decisive moment of the game. His 90.7% passing accuracy on 54 passes, including a staggering 10 completed long balls, is the best of any starter, although he was pretty quiet defensively, registering three actions in total.
D, Lamine Sané, 8 (MotM) — Sané was the reason Jansson’s defensive stats were unusually quiet — he was everywhere last night. Zlatan likened himself to a Ferrari among Fiats this week. Well if that’s the case then that makes Sané a wheel clamp because he shut everything down. There was nothing he could do on the goal in terms of closing down as he had to honor the run of Tarek, covering for Ruan, who was halfway up the pitch trying to counter. He marshaled the back line impressively well, leading the team in interceptions, with four, and clearances, with eight (out of a team total 18), and completed an equally impressive seven long balls on what was an outstanding evening for him personally. Additionally, his 51st-minute pass through the middle to Tesho Akindele was a gem that led to Orlando’s first shot on target of the night.
D, Ruan, 5.5 — Ruan had an early scare as he nearly turned a cross into his own net, looking slightly frazzled by the constant Red Bulls pressure in the opening half. He used his pace to rescue a loose ball from Chris Mueller, drawing a yellow card on Royer in the process, and made two tackles on the night — his only two defensive actions. He was more active in attack, adding width on the right-hand side as Mueller continued to drift inside. However, a lowly 75.6% pass accuracy, ninth on the team, and no completed crosses on his three attempts continues his mixed form and limited output down this middle stretch of the season.
MF, Carlos Ascues, 6 — It was a very Jekyll and Hyde performance from Ascues last night. He was a dominating defensive midfielder for a large portion of the game, making two tackles and three interceptions. He also led the team in successful dribbles with four, yet it was his giveaway when trying to dribble out that led to the decisive goal. He was close to making amends in the second half, but his volley from Moutinho’s cross thundered onto the bar. He was good for the most part but he wasn’t the creator Orlando needed in the second half and, like Jansson, his biggest highlight reel moment was sadly the giveaway.
MF, Sebas Méndez, 6 — Méndez had quite the similar game to Ascues with Orlando’s midfield forced into a lot of defending, especially in the first half. As we’ve come to expect, the Ecuadorian was miles ahead in the passing stats with 81 completed (86.4%) — way ahead of Moutinho’s 62 in a game that Orlando saw an unusually high 62% possession (the team average this season is 48%). Despite this, he failed to create any chances. He led the team in tackles with four, made two interceptions, and had one clearance, but he also led the team in fouls, with three.
MF, Will Johnson, 6 — It’s pretty fitting of a largely average game that Orlando’s midfield collectively earns a middle of the road six for last night’s performance with Johnson also putting together a no-frills, hardworking shift in the middle of the park. The Canadian registered 79.6% accuracy on a fairly low 44 passes but had a busier defensive effort, making a joint-high four tackles along with three clearances and two blocks. Arguably his best defensive read was on a training ground Red Bulls free kick he wasn’t caught out by, rising confidently to head away. Offensively he looked to have Luis Robles beat and I expected to see the ball tucked the top corner but he sent Orlando’s best chance of the first half wide instead. Not the person I wanted arriving at the top of the box at that moment, that kind of finishing typified the Lions’ performance.
F, Nani, 6 — Most of Orlando’s threat unsurprisingly came through Nani with the Portuguese midfielder having three of City’s five first-half shots but alas none were on target. The closest was a stunning first time trivela, the signature move of his international teammate Ricardo Quaresma, but it curled just wide and rippled the outside netting. Those were the only shots he had, registering none in the second half before being forced off through injury. No key passes, no completed crosses from three attempts, and a below average 77.3% passing accuracy were less than what we expect from the Designated Player.
F, Tesho Akindele, 6.5 — Tesho successfully played a utility role as target man in the first half with the likes of Sané and Jansson punting numerous long balls towards him before the forward held up and tried to bring his teammates into the game. He was set on the break a couple of times but pace isn’t his strength. It wasn’t until the second half that the Lions began to turn the screw and Akindele found chances falling at his feet, hitting the woodwork on his best attempt. He set up four big chances but could only muster one shot on target himself from two attempts and lost possession a team-high eight times. One of the more gutsy center forward performances we’ve seen in Orlando but ultimately marred by a lack of decent finishing
F, Chris Mueller, 5.5 — A dogged but scrappy performance from the second year winger, he spent a lot of time drifting inside — arguably too much, as even though Ruan was pushing forward, the team was generally looking too narrow and was easily squeezed out of possession on Orlando’s right. One shot off target, two successful dribbles, 28 passes, 71.4% accuracy, and one reckless yellow caused things to look a bit out of sync for Cash last night.
Substitutes
MF, Sacha Kljestan (66’), 7 — Kljestan came on and frankly made the game his own. He was the perfect impact sub for this type of game, with New York retreating further into its own defensive third and allowing Kljestan to sit on top of the box and pull the strings. He was close to getting his second goal in as many games against the team he once captained but he instead hit the frame of the goal. Despite only playing a third of the game, he managed to rank second in key passes, with three, and led the team with 95% pass accuracy.
F, Robinho (67’), 5 — Robinho showed why Columbus was happy to trade him after just half a season with the Brazilian making a nuisance of himself on the left wing but lacking any quality product. None of his four crossing attempts found their target and he completed no dribbles. In a team that has seen a lot of points rescued by substitutes, he has a long way to go.
F, Santiago Patiño (71’), 5 — Orlando’s first round draft pick replaced the injured Nani and had the chance to set a new Orlando record of consecutive league games with rookie goals but made little impact on the game. With the Lions piling on the pressure, he struggled to find any space in the box and had multiple defenders on him any time he got close to the ball. Put in a tough position, he only completed three passes during his 20 minutes — the same number of times as he was dispossessed — and generated one shot that was off target.
Once again, the Lions fall prey to the same old rhetoric of creating but not finishing chances and losing by the narrowest of margins. Do you agree with my Sané Man of the Match selection or do you think someone else deserved it? Have your say by voting on the poll or letting us know in the comments!
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Nani | 7 |
| Dom Dwyer | 49 |
| Sebas Mendez | 27 |
| Brian Rowe | 10 |
| Other (comment below!) | 10 |
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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