Orlando City signed Martin Ojeda on Jan. 9, 2023, using the Designated Player slot formerly occupied by club captain Mauricio Pereyra. The signing came with quite a bit of hype as it seemed the Argentinian midfielder would line up alongside Ivan Angulo and Facundo Torres to bolster the attack. It’s been an up-and-down first two seasons for the attacker, but 2025 could be his breakout campaign.

Ojeda began his career in Orlando as a regular in the starting lineup before being relegated to the bench for most of the second half of the 2023 MLS season. He spent more time in the starting lineup in 2024, eventually winning a spot in the starting XI. From June 28, 2024, to the end of the season, Ojeda started all but one game for the Lions, including every game in the team’s playoff run to the Eastern Conference final.

Orlando City is beginning a new era after the departure of the club’s all-time top goal scorer Facundo Torres earlier this off-season. The Uruguayan left a lasting mark on the club in just three years, including lifting the club to its first major trophy — the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. In his three years in purple, Torres tallied 47 goals and 72 total goal contributions — both the most in club history, even if you include the USL era. He was the focal point of the offense, especially when the strikers weren’t scoring. His 20 goals in all competitions last year led the team and helped the Lions reach the Eastern Conference final for the first time.

It’s fair to expect the club’s strikers to pick up for the goals departing with Torres. However, the current striker group is unlikely to do so. Duncan McGuire netted 15 goals in 2023 before missing a chunk of 2024 while at the Summer Olympics. Ramiro Enrique started in his place, scoring 12 times, a significant increase from his four goals a year earlier. But the diminutive forward hasn’t shown that he can lead the team in scoring.

Making matters worse, the Lions will be without McGuire for a considerable part of next season. The striker was injured during the playoffs and required surgery on his shoulder this off-season. It will likely take time for him to return to action, resulting in Oscar Pareja depending on Enrique in the starting lineup unless another forward is signed.

Torres made up for the lack of goals from the striker position last year and that production has been tough for Ojeda to match. However, while some might consider the Designated Player disappointing in most of his first two seasons, he created plenty of opportunities in 2024. Torres played 858 more minutes than Ojeda last season and only had 12 more shots. While Ojeda didn’t get on the scoresheet as often as Torres, he created chances for others, racking up a team-leading 13 assists.

When it comes to goal scoring, Torres’ production largely has to do with his shooting accuracy. The Uruguayan put 41 of his 88 shots (46.6%) on frame. Meanwhile, Ojeda only put 30 of his 76 shots on goal (39.5%). This is a major reason why Torres netted 20 goals in all competitions and Ojeda only scored seven times.

Especially considering that Ojeda started 34 games last season, the midfielder is almost guaranteed a spot in the starting lineup. And with Torres now playing in Brazil, Ojeda will likely be a focal point of the Lions’ attack. This gives the attacker a chance to fill the hole left by Torres and live up to his Designated Player status.

Torres leaves Orlando with an impeccable reputation, and the way Ojeda is viewed as a Designated Player signing will largely depend on if he can replace Torres’ goal contributions. If he can increase his production and replace the goals scored by Torres, Orlando City fans will think much more highly of the attacker. However, his failure to produce similar numbers as the departed star could hurt his legacy as a Lion.

Expectations will be high for Orlando City in 2025. The Lions were widely expected to contend for the Supporters’ Shield and/or MLS Cup, and while they didn’t meet those lofty goals, they made it farther than any previous MLS incarnation of the team. To make it one step further in 2025, they’ll need Ojeda to step up and help to replace the star they lost in December.

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. It’s just been another busy week for me working at Under Armour, and I covered some high school basketball. Later this week, I’ll be working at the Chicago Cubs Convention. Let’s all wish Orlando City goalkeeper coach Cesar Baena a happy birthday, and also a happy belated birthday to Orlando City forward Jack Lynn, who turned 25 on Sunday. There’s plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Preseason Training Camp Starts Today

Orlando City players completed their medicals over the weekend to get ready to kick off their 2025 preseason camp.

Robin Jansson and Ramiro Enrique discussed the benefit of working with Orlando Health and the team’s athletic trainers and medical staff to ensure the players are fit and ready to play. The Lions also had their sports science and performance testing on Sunday.

Jaedyn Shaw Will Reportedly Join the North Carolina Courage

The San Diego Wave are reportedly trading forward Jaedyn Shaw to the North Carolina Courage for an undisclosed amount of Allocation Money. Shaw had reportedly been seeking a trade from the Wave for the past year. For the Courage, this move would bolster their attack after they only scored 34 goals last season. Shaw spent three seasons in San Diego, recording 14 goals in 61 appearances across all competitions. She has also made 21 appearances for the United States Women’s National Team, scoring eight goals, and was part of the squad that won a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

MLS Transfer Roundup

Major League Soccer had another busy weekend with some notable transfer moves. The San Jose Earthquakes acquired forward Cristian Arango from Real Salt Lake in exchange for $700,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM), $700,000 in 2026 GAM, and a 2026 international roster slot. Arango will be a Designated Player in San Jose. The Quakes appear not to be done yet, as the club is reportedly close to a deal to add forward Josef Martinez.

The Seattle Sounders have re-signed midfielder Joao Paulo through 2025, with an option for the 2026 season. Lastly, Atlanta United has reportedly submitted a bid to EFL Championship side Middlesbrough for forward Emmanuel Latte Lath.

English FA Cup Weekend Recap

The third round of the FA Cup continued over the weekend in England with some notable results and plenty of drama. On Sunday, Tottenham Hotspur needed to go to extra time to defeat National League side Tamworth 3-0. Despite playing the second half with 10 men, Manchester United defeated Arsenal 5-3 on penalties following a thrilling 1-1 draw. Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir stopped a penalty in the second half and made a clutch save on Arsenal’s Kai Havertz in the penalty shootout, while Joshua Zirkzee scored the winning penalty for Manchester United to advance.

On Saturday, Liverpool shut out Accrington Stanley 4-0, Manchester City defeated Salford City 8-0, and Wolverhampton edged Bristol City 2-1. We did get one upset, as Plymouth Argyle defeated Brentford 1-0.

The draw results for the fourth round were announced and there are some intriguing matchups. Manchester United faces Leicester City, Plymouth Argyle hosts Liverpool, and Aston Villa takes on Tottenham.

Free Kicks

• Former Orlando Pride defender Ali Riley lost her home in the Los Angeles wildfires. We here at The Mane Land extend our thoughts and best wishes to all those affected by the wildfires in Southern California.

• Former Orlando Pride goalkeeper Carly Nelson spoke up about her experience dealing with physical and emotional abuse with the Utah Royals on social media .

• The USWNT’s January training camp has been moved to Florida due to the Los Angeles wildfires. The USWNT will train at Inter Miami’s Florida Blue Training Center in Ft. Lauderdale.
• Forward Matthew Hoppe and Middlesbrough have reached a mutual agreement to terminate his contract, and he will leave the club as a free agent.

• Toronto FC named Robin Fraser as its next head coach. Fraser was previously the head coach for the Colorado Rapids and returns to Toronto after serving as an assistant coach under Greg Vanney from 2015 through 2019.
• After informing the club he wants to leave, Manchester City defender Kyle Walker has reportedly been linked to a move to Italy as AC Milan has expressed interest.
• Everton named David Moyes as its new manager over the weekend. Moyes returns to his former club for a second stint as manager. Everton is 16th in the Premier League, just one point above the relegation zone.
• Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 5-2 to win the Spanish Super Cup.

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

The 2025 Major League Soccer season is fast approaching which still feels like a wild sentence to type as the 2024 Orlando City campaign finished just days before the holiday season swung into full gear. Nevertheless, the 2025 version of Orlando City will report for training camp Monday, and we will soon get a clearer picture of what the Lions will look like. Here are three thoughts on the club heading into training camp and beginning a new season.

Will Gallese Start the Year Strong?

During the 2024 year, goalkeeper Pedro Gallese made some uncharacteristic mistakes in the first few months of the campaign that Orlando City fans had not witnessed much throughout his time in the City Beautiful. Gallese allowed 24 goals over his first 15 regular-season matches, though he was by no means culpable on all of them. Over the final 14 games of the regular season, Gallese only allowed 14 goals and looked far more composed in the net, which reflected a stronger City defense overall. Some of his highlights later in the year include his heroic efforts on Charlotte penalty kicks in the MLS Cup playoffs and one of my favorite moments of the year, when he stuffed Josef Martinez’s attempt from the spot during a 4-1 drubbing of CF Montreal in Leagues Cup play.

The big question surrounding the Peruvian is, can the 35-year-old Gallese start the 2025 season in the same form in which he finished 2024?

It is unlikely the back line will change drastically in front of him and, at least for now, the central midfield looks the same, despite some internet reports of interest in Cesar Araujo from Uruguayan side Nacional. Last year’s start shows that chemistry isn’t always automatic from one season to the next. Orlando starts the 2025 MLS season with a winnable month of matches, as the Lions will face only two 2024 playoff teams in New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls over their first five matches. If Gallese is able to start the year in the form that he ended 2024, the Lions will be in every match, and if the offense does its part, Orlando should be near the top of the table come the end of March.

What Will Orlando City’s Depth Look Like?

Good teams win the games they are supposed to win with a healthy roster, while great teams find ways to not drop points when members of the starting 11 are out with injury or on international duty. Look no further than a few hours south for an example of what depth can provide for a squad that throughout much of the season was predicted to stumble when Lionel Messi left for international duty and then missed extended time with an injury. Instead, Inter Miami kept winning en route to setting the MLS regular-season points record. Orlando City enters 2025 more or less with an established roster. The starting lineup currently has a Facundo Torres-shaped hole in it, and the Uruguayan’s goals will need to be accounted for, but my main concern with the current makeup of the roster is quality depth.

Outside of the back line, which I feel has sufficient depth if everyone is healthy, the wingers and attacking midfield could use more depth. Starters Martin Ojeda and Ivan Angulo return, but who will join them in the starting 11? Nico Lodeiro and Luis Muriel would seem to be the leading candidates given the current roster, while Yutaro Tsukada and Shak Mohammed provide depth but little experience. Without any signings yet this off-season, it’s probably safe to say that group will be addressed during camp.

Up top, Orlando City will be without the services of USMNT striker Duncan McGuire for at least the first third of the season. Ramiro Enrique is the presumptive starter as camp opens, with Jack Lynn and Muriel as potential cover, but this group likely also needs a signing prior to opening day.

The club’s early season record may come down to how well depth and role players can integrate into matches, as bumps, bruises, and international duty can keep starters out at times in the first few months of the MLS season.

Where Will the Goals Come From?

Perhaps the largest question mark as camp opens is who will score goals to start the season. Torres and McGuire combined for 24 goals last season. The Lions have started slowly on offense the last few years, and Orlando players scored only four goals through the first six games last season. Those 24 lost goals feel like an astronomical number to make up, placing signficant pressure on Enrique, Angulo, and Designated Players Ojeda and Muriel to produce.

Some of that lost production must come from Muriel, who scored just five goals and added five assists during the 2025 regular season — much of that in the second half of the year. The reassuring part is that it seemed Muriel finally started to settle into the MLS style of soccer down the stretch of last season. The question remains though if he will be up to the task of carrying more weight in the scoring department.

The two most likely players to show an improvement in the scoring department would be Ojeda and Enrique. Ojeda was a difference maker in the second half of the 2024 season and finally looked like he felt comfortable both on the pitch and in his own boots. Enrique has a knack for scoring and can get into positions between defenders. If both players can increase their goals scored into double digits, Orlando City may be able to compensate for what it lost from the 2024 roster. But, again, there should be new arrivals, and hopefully they will be able to contribute in that area.

Those are what I see as the three largest looming questions as training camp is set to start in just hours. What questions are you most concerned with as the 2025 Lions begin to assemble? Let us know in the comments below and as always, vamos Orlando!