Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Player Grades and Man of the Match
I know better than to get my hopes up and really start to believe that last night could have been the night the Lions made history, but how could you not feel inspired after that wildly creative first half? Instead they fell 1-0 to Atlanta at home. Here’s how I felt the players rated individually.
Starters
GK, Brian Rowe, 5.5 — Things looked messy in the 80th minute when Brian Rowe gave Atlanta a 2-v-0 chance but he at least made a huge save to clean it up. Overall not a spectacular night for Rowe, but not a terrible one either. Pretty middle of the road in my opinion.
D, Kamal Miller, 5.5 — The defender made two tackles and three clearances. His 33 passes saw only a 60% accuracy, leaving a bit to be desired.
D, Robin Jansson, 6 — The Swede doesn’t stop. He can be from midfield tracking back so fast for such a large guy. He had one tackle, an interception, and four clearances in the fight, and his 24 passes saw an 88% success rate.
D, Lamine Sané, 6 —The defender finished with four clearances, an interception, and a shot on target. His 27 passes produced an 82% pass success rate. He did get caught upfield on the goal. Other than that, I felt like the night was pretty quiet for Sané.
D, Kyle Smith, 6 — A turnover from Smith in the ninth minute had everyone holding their breath as an offside Josef Martinez found the back of the net. Despite that, Smith is growing on me, I didn’t dislike him, I just didn’t have much of an opinion. He has had to really show up with Moutinho and Ruan out of the mix. His 54 passes produced an 89% pass success rate, the highest of all the starters. Additionally, he had two tackles, an interception, and a clearance.
MF, Uri Rosell, 5.5 — Uri may only be remembered in this match for the shot he fired over the bar after a nice setup from Nani. Rosell’s night produced two tackles, a clearance, and two shots.
MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6 — A beautiful pass from Pereyra in the 22nd minute to Ascues could have been something. Another beautiful pass from Pereyra found Ascues for an opportunity in the 44th minute. In the 56th minute we saw a pass from Pereyra, which was a touch too heavy for Tesho to reach. I think it’s safe to say it was a great debut in front of the home crowd, for Pereyra, I like the chances he’s creating, the creativity in the midfield, and I think he might be what Dom’s been missing — someone to serve him in the box. The newest Lion ended the night with one shot, three key passes, a tackle, and a 69% pass success rate on his 35 attempts.
MF, Carlos Ascues, 6 — Ascues got the excitement and hopes up in the first five minutes as he took a shot that was blocked, only to find himself at the other end of the field to block a shot to deny Atlanta. In the seventh minute he fired off a shot right to Guzan. Pereyra’s pass in the 22nd minute was clipped off Ascues’ foot by Atlanta’s Nagbe at the last second as he continued to get into dangerous areas. In the night of infinite chances for the Peruvian, Ascues fired wide on a chip from Nani. His 17 passes produced an 82% pass success rate, he had three tackles, an interception, and a clearance, with only two of his four shots on target.
F, Nani, 7 (MotM) — Nani fired one toward goal in the 38th minute, but it was deflected. He fired wide again in the 62nd minute. Then Nani stole a pass and chipped a gorgeous pass in to Ascues in the 65th, only to see him shoot it wide. Should I just be copy pasting at this point? In the 67th minute Nani had a chance again but sent it just wide. He took the free kick in the 79th minute, going for back post, but the ball didn’t get enough bend and he just missed it. In the end, the man created seven chances, but got none of his six shots on frame. Nani ended his time on the field at the whistle, angrily blowing past any and everyone in his attempt to leave. He also ended with a tackle and an 86% pass accuracy on 49 attempts. He didn’t stop trying to make something happen, but as is Orlando City’s luck, all chance, no finish.
F, Tesho Akindele, 6 — A nice play early in the half helped Akindele set up the Ascues shot in the seventh minute. Guzan stopped Tesho’s shot from a tight angle in the 10th minute after he made a nice move around Miles Robinson. He produced a 72% passing accuracy on 25 attempts, a key pass, two interceptions, and four shots (one on target).
F, Benji Michel, 6 — It could have been something in the eighth minute when Benji won the race to the end line but after cutting into the box he fired a cross in to no one. The short corner saw a half chance for Benji but his deflected shot was way too easy for Guzan to collect. Benji won a free kick just outside the penalty area to give some hope in the 79th minute. He finished with one shot, though not on target, a clearance, and a 57% passing rate on 21 attempts.
Substitutes
MF, Sacha Kljestian (61’), 5.5 — Can I give points to the man for taking a second to say hi to, and high fiving, the Special Olympics squad? No? OK. The man was in control of his passing last night. His 27 attempts were met with 93% accuracy. But he still looked outpaced, not lazy as some fans would say, just physically unable to keep up with Atlanta.
F, Dom Dwyer (67’), 6 — In another breath of hope in the dying minutes, Dom helped win OCSC a corner. He ended the night with one shot on target, and his six pass attempts were at an 83% success rate. He looked a bit more confident, and when he got tripped up on a run, he found his balance and got back up instead of looking for a foul. He seemed a bit more motivated last night.
F, Chris Mueller (74’), 4.5 — Not an impressive night for Mueller, albeit I’m not his biggest fan. Sure, the kid has heart, but at one point he was literally just standing there, two feet from his teammate that was being hounded by two Atlanta players and looking for some help. He dribbled a weak shot wide in the 80th. Michel passed one slightly behind Mueller in the 86th, where Chris stopped, got it, and fired well off target. His two off-target, shots are about all he seemed to offer up last night.
Agree or disagree? Be sure to vote in our poll and tell us what you thought about last night’s loss.
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Nani | 12 |
| Mauricio Pereyra | 31 |
| Robin Jansson | 12 |
| Kyle Smith | 5 |
| Carlos Ascues | 8 |
| Other. Be sure to tell us who and why in the comments. | 8 |
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Atletico Mineiro, FC Series: Final Score 0-0 (6-5) as Lions Open the Preseason Schedule Strong
The Lions outlasted the Brazilian side from the penalty spot after a scoreless draw at home to open the preseason.
The first game of Orlando City’s 2025 preseason went to penalties after a 0-0 draw in front of an announced crowd of 11,912 at Inter&Co Stadium in the FC Series. The Lions won the postgame shootout 6-5 in seven rounds to claim something called the Inter&Co Trophy against Atletico Mineiro.
Overall, the performance was good, although the finishing wasn’t, as the Lions created more opportunities than the visitors, but two weeks into preseason it was evident that the final bit of precision wasn’t quite there.
“It was great to come back to our place and have a game, and especially against the rival. A good match,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I felt that we took the most out of the game under the circumstances. We just started the preseason, and having this match and the competitiveness that the boys showed today was first class. We’re happy. We’re ready to leave to our camp (in Mexico) and keep going.”
Pareja’s starting lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Rodrigo Schlegel, David Brekalo, Alex Freeman. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena started in midfield behind an attacking line of Yutaro Tsukada, Martin Ojeda, and 16-year-old Gustavo Caraballo, with Luis Muriel up top.
The teams played to a scoreless first half, with the Lions creating the better scoring chances, but the rust was evident as Orlando City wasted multiple good scoring opportunities.
The game’s first few shots came off of Orlando headers. Muriel redirected a cross on target in the third minute but couldn’t generate much power, sending it softly to Atletico Mineiro goalkeeper Everson. A few minutes later, Tsukada got to a bouncing diagonal cross but couldn’t direct it on frame. Brekalo got his head to a free kick cross in the eighth minute, but his shot was also sent directly at Everson.
Mineiro’s first shot of the match came 12 minutes in, when Gustavo Scarpa fired over the bar from well outside the area.
Orlando resumed the attack and Tsukada attempted a shot in the 18th minute from outside the area that deflected off a defender for a corner kick. The initial cross into the area was cleared but the recycled cross found Freeman near the left post, however, the fullback sent his header wide.
Schlegel conceded a pair of dangerous free kicks a few minutes after Freeman’s missed opportunity, but the Brazilian side couldn’t do anything with either of them. The second ended up deflecting off the wall and was picked up on the left by Guilherme Arana, who fired off target.
Caraballo should have scored in the 27th minute as Ojeda did well to get a cross from the left through to the far side. The teenager missed just wide from point-blank range, as the ball appeared to skip up off the turf on him at the last second.
Cartagena went down with an injury off the ball moments later and had to come off. He was helped to the locker room by the training staff. Kyle Smith replaced him in the lineup.
Gallese made his first good save of the game in the 35th minute, diving to keep out a good shot from distance by Fausto Vera.
Muriel set up Ojeda with a nice layoff at the top of the box in the 41st minute, but the midfielder couldn’t get his shot on frame, continuing the theme of the day for Orlando City.
The Lions again should have opened the scoring just seconds into first-half stoppage time. The Lions had a good attack up the left and Ojeda slipped in Ramiro Enrique, who had come on for Muriel late in the half. Enrique fired but Everson did well to make the save. The rebound came straight to Tsukada, with almost the entire net to shoot at, but the young winger sent his shot too close to the goalkeeper, who got a piece of it to keep it out.
Ojeda had the final shot of the half, sending a good effort through traffic but it was right at Everson. The teams went into the break without a goal.
The Lions had more shots (10-5), shots on target (4-1), and corners (4-2) in the first half.
Atletico Mineiro saw more of the ball in the second 45 minutes, but the Orlando City defense held up well, even after several substitutions, as Atletico Mineiro wasn’t able to threaten Gallese’s goal often. However, the Lions also didn’t create as much danger in the second half as they did in the opening period.
One of Orlando’s best opportunities in the second half came just after the restart. Caraballo sent Tsukada down the left but the winger fired wide of the goal in the 47th minute.
Gabriel Menino had one of Atletico’s best second-half chances in the 52nd minute, but he sent his shot over the bar from the top of the 18-yard box. After another long-range effort by the visitors sailed high over the net, Gallese made a save on a one-hopper from the top of the box in the 58th minute for his best stop of the second half.
Enrique fired just over the bar from the top of the semicircle in the 60th minute as the wasteful chances continued for Orlando. The forward had plenty of space to pick out his spot, but he leaned back a bit and his shot stayed high as a result.
There were virtually no chances created between the hour mark and the end of normal time, with both teams subbing often and the players who started noticeably tiring. The most noteworthy action was substitute Dagur Dan Thorhallsson took an accidental high boot to the head and had to come off. Pareja had no updates about Thorhallsson, Cartagena, or Muriel after the match.
“It is hard at this moment where we’re starting the preseason just to see guys coming out of the pitch with pains and things,” he said. “We’re praying that everything is good, but I have no other report.”
With no goals on the board through stoppage time, the game went to penalties after a 0-0 draw.
“We were obviously planning right after the game, who was going to take (penalties), and the boys were so engaged in the competition,” Pareja said. “It’s what they are. They want to compete, regardless of it’s a friendly game. They want to win it. And they were expressing that feeling, we need to win this game.”
Smith took the first shot from the spot in front of The Wall at the north end of the stadium, scoring to put his team ahead. Igor Gomes followed suit for Atletico Mineiro after coming to a complete stop in his run-up for about two seconds.
Enrique restored Orlando’s lead, only to see Brahian Palacios equalize on a stutter-step that clearly moved backward. Brekalo made it 3-2 with a bouncer that skipped over Everson’s outstretched arm, before Rubens made it 3-3 after three rounds.
Second-half sub Ivan Angulo saw Everson stop his penalty attempt in the fourth round, giving Atletico a chance to seize control. However, the Brazilian side’s No. 9, Deyverson, sent his blast over the bar to keep things even after four rounds.
Gallese took matters into his own hands (or feet) by scoring in the fifth round, but his counterpart Everson sent a shot under the crossbar to send the shootout into sudden death.
Freeman, who played the entire game, fired home to put Orlando up again, only to see Otavio equalize, as once again a Mineiro player came to a prolonged stop in his run-up. The teams went into the seventh round tied at 5-5.
“I feel like I didn’t want to take it differently,” said Freeman, who has been a regular penalty taker with OCB in shootouts. “I feel like I just wanted to stay confident. Obviously, there’s more fans, and obviously, there’s a little bit more pressure, but I feel like I did that. I just walked up confidently, and I kind of knew what spot I wanted to go.”
Rookie Joran Gerbet took an unorthodox approach and scored to put the Lions back in front in the seventh round.
“It’s been like something I exercise a lot since the last two, three years at Clemson,” Gerbet said of his penalty. “I was like, the one who was taking (them), so I’m just, like, used to it. So, yeah, it’s just like the routine, I guess.”
Defender Bruno Fuchs fired toward Gallese’s right, but Peruvian guessed correctly and kept the shot out with a strong right hand to win the shootout.
Pareja was able to get a lot of Homegrowns and academy kids into the match against a good Brazilian side.
“At the end of the game, I was seeing a bunch of guys that grew up in our academy,” he said. “And today, they made us feel that they have the case (to be) in the team already. So, I’m very proud for every single one that had minutes today and made us feel that result of the effort and what they’re investing in the academy.”
Here’s the full highlight reel from the match:
Orlando City is off to Mexico for the next week of camp. While there, the Lions will face Forge FC from the Canadian Premier League before returning to Central Florida. The next game open to the general public will be held in Tampa as the Lions face Inter Miami at Raymond James Stadium on Feb. 14.
Opinion
Orlando City Needs a Strong Start from its Defense
The defense will need to come together quickly in 2025 for Orlando City to avoid another slow start to the season.
The opening day of the 2025 Major League Soccer season is less than 30 days, and Orlando City is preparing for the opener against Philadelphia. With a full slate of preseason matches that recently dropped, the 2025 Lions will soon take to the field to put the final touches on preparing various tactics for the season ahead. That starts today with a friendly against Atletico Mineiro.
While there are numerous questions regarding the offensive side of the pitch for Orlando City, the defense should be an area of strength for OCSC as the season begins, and it may need to be, as any new attacking pieces brought in this late in the off-season will need time to settle in.
Starting with the dynamic duo of Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena, Orlando once again will have the good fortune of fielding one of the best defensive midfield pairings in all of MLS. While both Araujo and Cartagena are technically sound and strong defenders on their own, there is a noticeable difference in overall team defense when they both play together. Araujo, who has recently been the target of transfer speculation, is now expected to be locked into Orlando City purple for the upcoming season. He and Cartagena have demonstrated a great ability to take opposing star players out of the game plan, and there is little question regarding their importance when it comes to the successful start of the season.
Moving back toward the goal, Orlando City also returns a complete back line consisting of captain Robin Jansson, Rafael Santos, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, and either David Brekalo or Rodrigo Schlegel. The tactics employed by Head Coach Oscar Pareja call for the fullbacks to get into the offensive flow as often as the game allows, and both Thorhallsson and Santos have shown that they are capable of attacking. While that part of their game is a bonus, their ability to get back and defend — especially against the counter — will be an early skill to watch as the season begins.
At this point in his career, there will be very few surprises from Jansson, as fans and the coaching staff know exactly what type of effort to expect out of the center back. The only piece of the back line puzzle that will be interesting to watch throughout the early part of the season will be who earns the right to slot in next to Jansson. Due to injury and international duty a season ago, Schlegel wound up winning the starting role from the newly acquired Brekalo. My gut instinct tells me that with an off-season of preparation, we will likely see the younger and more athletic Brekalo get the nod to start the year, with Schlegel the primary backup for both starting center back positions.
Finally, the man who anchors it all, goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, will have the benefit of familiarity when it comes to the defenders in front of him. Gallese ended the 2024 season on a hot streak, in great form, showing his quality in the second half of the season and the playoffs, stopping multiple penalty kicks. He tied for fifth place among all goalkeepers with eight clean sheets in 2024 and will undoubtedly look to add to his career club record as the 2025 season begins.
With all of the defensive starters from the 2024 season back for 2025, Orlando City’s defense is expected to be the cornerstone of early season matches while the offense sorts itself out. The success then, especially during those first few matches, will likely live or die on the shoulders of the back seven defensive players.
Do you expect any cracks in the Orlando City defense to start the year or are you feeling confident in their ability to handle the new attacking pieces that have been added to the Eastern Conference? Let us know in the comments below and as always, vamos Orlando!
Orlando City
Orlando City Releases Full 2025 Preseason Schedule
The Lions will face three MLS sides, a Brazilian Serie A club, a USL Championship team, and a Canadian Premier League side this preseason.
On the eve of Orlando City’s first preseason friendly of the team’s 2025 camp — and 11 days into training — the club has released its full schedule for the remainder of the preseason. The Lions will play six matches, calling two of them “friendlies” and the other four “scrimmages,” but they all amount to competitive minutes for the squad ahead of the 2025 MLS regular season.
Two of the games are open to the general public, including Saturday’s FC Series friendly against Atletico Mineiro and the Feb. 14 preseason finale against Inter Miami at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. In addition, season ticket members can access a preseason scrimmage against CF Montreal on Feb. 8. Club staff will reach out to season ticket members with the details for that game. The other three scrimmages will be closed door.
The preseason schedule is similar this year to what the club has had for the last several years under Oscar Pareja, with mostly closed scrimmages and a mixture of MLS and other assorted competition.
After facing the Brazil Serie A side on Saturday, the Lions will head to Mexico for a week of training and team bonding, with one scrimmage against Forge FC from the Canadian Premier League. Orlando City will play three MLS clubs in the preseason, along with one team each from the Canadian Premier League and the USL Championship.
Orlando City will kick off its 2025 regular season at home against the Philadelphia Union at Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m.
2025 Orlando City Preseason Schedule
- Saturday, Jan. 25 — Preseason friendly vs. Atletico Mineiro at Inter&Co Stadium
- Sunday, Jan. 26 — Preseason camp opens in Mexico
- Tuesday, Jan. 28 — Preseason scrimmage vs. Forge FC (Closed Door)
- Wednesday, Feb. 5 — Preseason scrimmage vs. Atlanta United (Closed Door)
- Saturday, Feb. 8 — Preseason scrimmage vs. CF Montreal (Season Ticket Members Exclusive Match)
- Tuesday, Feb. 11 — Preseason scrimmage vs. Rhode Island FC (Closed Door)
- Friday, Feb. 14 — Preseason friendly vs. Inter Miami at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
Orlando City vs. Atletico Mineiro, FC Series: Final Score 0-0 (6-5) as Lions Open the Preseason Schedule Strong
Orlando City Needs a Strong Start from its Defense
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