Connect with us

Orlando City

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

Published

7 years ago

on

It was a tale of two halves in Orlando on a windy, misty night. The first half saw The Lions fall 3-1 before the half. Were I a gambling woman, my money would have been on another home loss after the first-half performance.

I’m not sure what went down in the locker room, but the Lions came back out in the second half hungry to come back. A draw really wasn’t the result the Lions were hoping for, or needed, but after the first 45, I’ll take the point over a massacre. Let’s get to the grades.

Starters

GK, Brian Rowe, 6 — I think you could hear the sound of hearts breaking across the stadium as Rowe was wandering about out of his goal, despite Ruan making things tricky for Cristian Penilla, who chipped one in right over the keeper to regain the lead for New England. He was beaten again in the 41st when Gustavo Bou made it 3-1 in the first half. He had a huge save in the 84th when Penilla cleared the defense and got a shot off.

D, Kyle Smith, 5.5 — When the defender was caught out of position in the 21st minute he had no choice but to take Brandon Bye down for a yellow. The defender has been working his way up the player rankings for me, but last night was not his night. He was getting smoked on the left all night. Smith finished with one interception, one clearance, a blocked shot, two tackles, and an 89% pass completion rate on 37 attempts.

D, Robin Jansson, 5.5 — Would it be a match if we didn’t see the Swede booked? He received a yellow in the 60th minute for a foul on the counter attack. In a surprisingly quiet night for Jansson, he finished with one clearance, one blocked shot, and a 76% pass completion rate on 38 attempts.

D, Lamine Sané, 6.5 — There was a scary moment when Sané went down hard but walked it off and rejoined game play following the restart. Perhaps his best moment of the match was in the 74th minute when a crucial touch kept the Revs from going up a fourth. Sané ended the night with three tackles, an interception, an 89% pass completion rate on 26 attempts, and a team-high five clearances.

D, Ruan, 6 — Ruan had a lot of heavy touches last night, seeming not quite himself out there. After a nice bit of play to outrun the Revs defenders, Ruan sent a cross into the area in the 75th minute that Dwyer tried to send in before going down. He ended the night with one clearance, one interception, a blocked shot, two dribbles, and a 79% passing rate on 34 attempts.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 6.5 — I have to start by saying how much I’ve missed Higuita in the midfield. Last week and this week he proved to us all just how valuable he is. He’s an aggressive threat who isn’t afraid to snatch the ball and take chances. I probably would have died if his shot in the 45th minute off a short free kick had gone in, but in City fashion it was fired way over the bar. Higuita tried to smash one in again in the 78th but it was right to Matt Turner, who saved it with ease. He ended the night with three tackles, two interceptions, a clearance, three shots (one on target), and an 83% pass rate on 64 attempts. A lot of the midfield play ran through him with 86 touches through the match, a team high for the night.

MF, Carlos Ascues, 5.5 — Back from international duty with Peru, Ascues seemed to work well with the other midfielders. The Peruvian ended the night with three tackles, a blocked shot, and a 91% pass accuracy on 22 attempts, but he struggled to get on the ball, with only 28 touches in his 56 minutes.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 — His corner service right to Nani was a thing of beauty, and it was nice to see his level of play back on the field. Pereyra made things harder for New England but came off at the half. Here’s hoping we can see him fit for the full 90 soon. He ended the night with his first MLS assist, a 79% pass rate on 28 attempts, two tackles, and three key passes.

MF, Nani, 9 (MotM) — The stadium came alive seven minutes after the own goal — first, when Nani’s cross was just out of the reach of Dom’s head, and again when Pereyra’s corner kick connected with Nani for a header right into corner of the net to tie up the game. Things were exciting just before the halftime whistle but Nani’s shot sailed over the bar. His perfectly timed cross in the 47th minute connected with Dom’s head to make it 3-2 and bring the Lions back into the match. There’s no question that the match rested heavily on the shoulders of the captain, who completed his brace to tie the game and nearly set up a Santiago Patino winner. While his 67% passing rate leaves a bit to be desired, you can’t be mad at the man for two goals and an assist to help the Lions earn a point at home. He finished with team highs in shots (7) and chances created (5) too.

MF, Tesho Akindele, 5.5 — It was easy to be excited to see Tesho on the pitch when in the second minute he had a shot that ended up being blocked. That was short lived of course when in the 15th he sent an own goal in off the post. He had a chance for redemption in the 27th minute but sent a shot just wide of the goal. Tesho had another chance in the 62nd when Nani sent it in to him but he mishit and sent it to the only part of the goal that was covered by Turner. Akindele ended the night with an 88% pass rate on 33 attempts, two interceptions, one shot on target and an own goal.

F, Dom Dwyer, 7 — Dwyer sent a header in off a Nani cross and suddenly being down by only one seemed to light a fire under the entire team. Dom had another chance when he hit the rebound of Tesho’s misfire, but it too was saved. The forward earned a free kick in a decent area but sent it sky high over the bar. He was involved in a collision as he and Turner both lunged for the ball as Dom tried to knock it home off a Ruan cross in the 75th. The collision had Dom down and subbed off for Patino. He walked onto the pitch with ice taped to his leg following the final whistle. Here’s hoping he’s not out any more minutes due to injury. He ended the night with three shots (two on target), an 83% pass rate on 12 attempts, and one goal.

Substitutes

F, Benji Michel (46’), 6 — Michel came on at the start of halftime for Pereyra who wasn’t fit for the full 90. The forward ended the night with an interception and a blocked shot, and a 57% pass rate on seven attempts.

MF, Sebas Méndez (57’), 6 — The Ecuadorian, back from international duty, came on for Ascues. The 62nd minute was the moment of chances from Tesho’s misfire. After the save on Dom’s opportunity, Méndez had a chance in the same wild sequence of play but fired wide. He ended the night with a 78% pass rate on 23 attempts, an interception, two key passes, and a blocked shot.

F, Santiago Patino (76’), 6 — Santi got his head under the ball in the 78th and (can you guess?) sent it over. He had a chance again quickly in the 80th only to see it brushed by Turner’s foot and knocked off the outside of the post for a corner. His short time on the pitch saw him complete all three of his passes, and attempt two shots with one on target. The burst of energy and fresh legs were what the Lions were looking for, but not quite enough to take the lead. Patino’s now hit the post with potential game winners in each of his last two games, so he’s due for a little luck.

That’s how I saw things. What were your thoughts on the 3-3 draw against the New England Revs? Who was your Man of the Match? Be sure to vote in the poll below!

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Nani50
Cristian Higuita2
Lamine Sané2
Other: Be sure to tell us who in the comments!0

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/6/26

Pride fall to Angel City, OCB draw Crown Legacy, World Cup roundup, and more.

Published

3 hours ago

on

July 6, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City B

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope you all had a great Fourth of July holiday weekend down in Florida. I was busy working over the weekend, but I got to check out a fireworks show at Wrigley Field. Let’s wish a happy belated birthday to Orlando City B goalkeeper Juan Rojas, who turned 18 Saturday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Pride Fall to Angel City

The Orlando Pride fell 2-0 to Angel City FC at BMO Stadium Friday in their first match after the month-long World Cup break. Maiara Niehues scored the opener for Angel City in the first half. Sveindis Jonsdottir added another goal for Angel City to seal the win. With Barba Banda sidelined with a thigh injury, Orlando struggled to get anything going offensively and couldn’t get the ball out of its own end throughout the match. That result keeps the Pride in eighth, one point ahead of Angel City in the NWSL table. The Pride will look to bounce back at home Friday, facing the Kansas City Current at Inter&Co Stadium.

OCB Falls in Penalty Shootout After 1-1 Draw vs. Crown Legacy

Orlando City B overturned a 1-0 deficit to secure a 1-1 draw against Crown Legacy on the road at the Sportsplex at Matthews Sunday. After a scoreless first half, all the goals came in the second half. Crown Legacy struck first to take the lead, but Dylan Judelson leveled the match for the Young Lions. Crown Legacy won the penalty shootout 4-2 to earn a second point. OCB will be back on the road to take on FC Cincinnati 2 Sunday at NKU Soccer Stadium in Highland Heights, KY.

Crepeau and Canada Shut Out by Morocco in World Cup

The World Cup Round of 16 kicked off Saturday, with Canada falling 3-0 to Morocco at NRG Stadium in Houston. Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau got the start for Canada. Former Lions Cyle Larin and Richie Laryea were in action as well. After a scoreless first half, Azzedine Ounahi scored twice in the second half for Morocco to take a 2-0 lead. Soufiane Rahimi added the insurance goal in stoppage time to put this match away as Morocco booked a spot in the quarterfinals, while Canada’s run in the tournament came to an end.

World Cup Roundup

In the other matchups from the Round of 16 over the weekend, Kylian Mbappe scored from the penalty spot for the only goal of the match in France’s 1-0 win against Paraguay Saturday. Orlando City midfielder Braian Ojeda was on the bench but did not play. On Sunday, Erling Haaland scored twice to help Norway edge Brazil 2-1 to reach the quarterfinals for the first time, and Jude Bellingham scored twice for England in a 3-2 win against Mexico. France will play Morocco, while England takes on Norway in the quarterfinals. Today’s Round of 16 matchups feature Spain facing Portugal and the U.S. Men’s National Team taking on Belgium.

Folarin Balogun’s Red Card Ban Suspended by FIFA

FIFA announced Sunday that the federation’s Disciplinary Committee suspended U.S. Men’s National Team forward Folarin Balogun’s one match red card ban. After being issued a one-match ban following his red card in the USMNT’s 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32, Balogun will be available to play in tonight’s Round of 16 match against Belgium at Lumen Field in Seattle. Balogun’s one-match ban will be placed on a one-year suspension status, but if he commits a similar infraction within that time, he will have to serve the ban. With Balogun back in play, it’s a huge boost for the USMNT attack, as he has scored three goals for the Yanks in the World Cup.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City gave a shout-out on social media to Crepeau, Marco Pasalic, and Ojeda for their great runs with their respective countries, reaching the knockout stages of the World Cup.
  • Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is reportedly set to become the new manager of the German Men’s National Team.

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

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Flashback Friday: July 4, 2023 vs. Toronto FC

Let’s rewind to an Independence Day affair that had plenty of offensive fireworks.

Published

3 days ago

on

July 3, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The United States Men’s National Team picked up a gritty, resilient 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, and will now face Belgium in a rematch of the 2014 World Cup Round of 16 next Monday. While we patiently wait for that game, it’s time to continue our Friday tradition of revisiting some classic Orlando City games from years past.

Last week, we rewound to a high octane affair against the Chicago Fire in late June 2022, that saw the Lions douse Chicago’s flames and pick up a much-needed 4-2 victory. Today, let’s hop in the time machine and travel back to Independence Day 2023, when Toronto FC came to town.

At the time of Toronto’s visit, things were going relatively smoothly for OCSC. The team was riding a three-match unbeaten streak and had scored five goals across those three games. Oscar Pareja lined up his team in its customary 4-2-3-1, with Pedro Gallese in goal; a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith; Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo in the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres in the attacking midfield; and Duncan McGuire up top.

Orlando very nearly got a goal a little under 10 minutes into the game. Former OCSC goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh knocked down a cross in front of the net, and while Pereyra was first to the ball, he could only blast it over the bar with the goal at his mercy. Fortunately, that miss would not come back to haunt the Lions, who bagged the game’s first goal in the 16th minute. Angulo sucked defenders toward him on the left edge of the box before releasing Santos out wide. The fullback played a peach of a first-time, curling cross to the back post, where Araujo was waiting to power a diving header into the side netting at the far post for his first league goal.

That goal broke the game open, and Orlando got another goal six minutes later to double the advantage. It initially looked like a carbon copy of the first goal, with Santos out in space on the left side of the box, sending in a curled cross. The ball deflected off a defender and came in low toward the goal. Ranjitsingh waited for the ball instead of going to claim it, and that allowed McGuire to nip in front of him and get a touch on the ball to sneak it in at the near post.

Orlando nearly got even more goals inside the half hour, with Torres and McGuire both going close in quick succession. Federico Bernardeschi smashed a shot off the post in the 28th minute, and the Lions seemed to be losing focus a little bit, with the hydration break a welcome pause in play when it came. OCSC came out of the pause well, and Pereyra put Angulo through in the 36th minute, but the Colombian couldn’t bring the ball under control and fashion a shooting chance.

Orlando led in every meaningful statistical category at halftime. The Lions had more possession (55.8%-44.2%), shots (6-2), shots on goal (2-0), corners (4-2), and passing accuracy (89.5%-85%). Most importantly, they led 2-0 on the scoreboard.

Toronto tried to change things at halftime by introducing three substitutes, but Orlando settled back into the game quickly and negated the efforts of interim TFC manager Terry Dunfield. Angulo and Torres forced Ranjitsingh into a pair of saves in the 53rd and 55th minutes, and the Lions tried to press their advantage by sending on Ramiro Enrique and Martin Ojeda in the 57th minute for McGuire and Pereyra.

The game then changed in a big way in the 62nd minute. Cartagena and Bernardeschi exchanged words after a turnover, and the Italian winger put Cartagena on the ground with the help of a little theatrics from the midfielder. Bernardeschi had already been yellow carded in the 47th minute for a foul on Smith, and the altercation with Wilder saw him receive a second yellow and his marching orders to go along with it.

With TFC down to 10 men, the Lions started to tee off at goal. Ojeda came close to getting the team’s third in the 69th minute, with Enrique doing the same in the 71st but missing just wide. When the goal finally came, it was from the unlikely foot of Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, who had been subbed into the game alongside Ercan Kara in the 68th minute.

Thorhallsson made a great run behind the defense in the 77th minute, and Araujo picked him out well. Ranjitsingh came out to try to play sweeper-keeper, but DDT beat him to the ball easily, touched it around the former Lion, and rolled it into the empty net to score his first MLS goal and make it 3-0.

Toronto had a halfway decent chance to pull one back in the 82nd minute, but Brandon Servania’s long-distance attempt at chipping Gallese ended up missing high and settling on the roof of the net. Kara then iced the game in the 84th minute. Araujo fired a pass to Ojeda at the top of the box, and even though he had trouble bringing it under control, he had the presence of mind to backheel it toward goal for the big Austrian to pounce on and fire a low, hard shot into the net for 4-0.

Ojeda nearly got a goal of his own two minutes later but had a great effort saved in what was the last truly dangerous moment of the game.

As was the case at halftime, when the final whistle blew, the Lions had created plenty of fireworks on both the scoreboard and the stat sheet. OCSC finished with more possession (59.6%-40.4%), shots (18-6), shots on target (9-0), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (91%-84.8%).

Marcus Mitchell had Player Grades for this one, and he named Araujo the Man of the Match with a grade of 8 out of 10 for his one-goal/one-assist effort. The other high performers on the night were Antonio Carlos, and Cartagena, who each graded out at 7.5 out of 10.

That’ll do it for this week’s trip down memory lane. We’ve been getting spoiled lately, with Orlando putting up four goals in back-to-back time machine games, and it’s made for an enjoyable glimpse into years gone by. With any luck, next week’s edition will be similarly entertaining. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/3/26

Orlando Pride visit Angel City tonight, NWSL free agents to watch, Portugal and Spain advance, and more.

Published

3 days ago

on

July 3, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! I don’t have many plans this holiday weekend beyond enjoying some soccer and indulging myself in a few hot dogs to celebrate. It should be a fun weekend, but make sure to stay safe out there if you plan on setting off any fireworks. For now though, let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Take On Angel City FC Tonight

The NWSL resumes today and the Orlando Pride will play against Angel City FC at 10 p.m. in their first match since a 3-1 win over Bay FC on May 29. That win capped off a six-game month for the Pride, including a stretch of three straight road games. Meanwhile, Angel City parted ways with Alex Straus over the break after only winning once in May, and tonight’s match will be Leif Gunnar Smerud’s first since being named interim head coach. It can be tough playing an opponent with a new coach, but hopefully the Pride can bring all three points back to Orlando.

Top NWSL Free Agents to Watch

Free agency is officially underway in the NWSL and the list of players with contracts expiring at the end of the year includes some of the league’s best players. Orlando Pride star Marta was listed as one of the top free agents to watch, though I would be pretty shocked if she plays for another NWSL club if she leaves Orlando after this season. Leicy Santos, Debinha, and Rose Lavelle are other skilled attackers who will become free agents, but Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger is sure to have plenty of clubs reaching out for her talents as well.

Portugal and Spain Advance in World Cup

This World Cup hasn’t been short on excitement and that continued with Portugal’s 2-1 win against Croatia. After a scoreless first half, Croatia took the lead thanks to a goal from Ivan Perisic, but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized from the penalty spot and the game was moments away from heading to extra time. Goncalo Ramos gave Portugal the goal it needed to advance deep in stoppage time, but Croatia nearly came back with a goal that was disallowed due to an offside call. Spain cruised to a 3-0 win against Austria to book its spot in the round of 16 as well. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice for his second brace of the tournament, with Marc Cucurella assisting on both of his goals. Spain and Portugal will square off in the next round in what should be a fantastic match. Switzerland and Algeria kicked off late.

The round of 32 wraps up today with a trio of matches, starting with Egypt’s game against Australia. Cape Verde will then look to shock the world when it plays Argentina, and the late game will be between Colombia and Ghana.

Columbus Crew Sign New Designated Player

The Columbus Crew have signed Spanish midfielder Brais Mendez to a Designated Player contract through the 2028-2029 season with a club option for the 2029-2030 season. Mendez has spent the past four La Liga seasons with Real Sociedad, recording 33 goals and 24 assists in 166 appearances. He gives the crew some additional firepower as reports swirl regarding Diego Rossi’s departure for CF Monterrey. While maybe not in the same headline-grabbing tier of MLS summer signings like Antoine Griezmann or Robert Lewandowski, Mendez is a big addition to the league as the Eastern Conference arms race continues.

Free Kicks

  • CF Montreal sent $2.1 million in General Allocation Money to Austin FC in exchange for midfielder Dani Pereira. Selected with the first overall pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, Pereira has contributed six goals and 23 assists in 165 appearances across all competitions for Austin.
  • Real Salt Lake reportedly rejected a transfer bid around $3.5 million from CF Monterrey for midfielder Diego Luna.
  • American winger Emma Sears reportedly requested a trade from Racing Louisville, although the club is not reportedly interested in a midseason transfer.
  • The United States Men’s National Team’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina had record viewership. Understandably so, too, as I spent most of the match pacing around my living room.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

Continue Reading

Trending