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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Montreal Impact: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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7 years ago

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James O’Connor threw a curveball with his lineup as Orlando City’s official graphic on social media lined the Lions up with a back three like the previous two outings and included Chris Mueller at left wingback, but it actually played as a 4-3-3 with Mueller on the right of the front three. He was one of four changes as Kamal Miller, Alex De John, Kyle Smith and Tesho Akindele made way for Carlos Ascues, Ruan, Chris Mueller and Dom Dwyer.

It didn’t go well. Montreal ran out 3–1 winners with Ignacio Piatti scoring his ninth and 10th goals against Orlando in his final MLS season, the most goals scored by any single player against the Lions. The team looked shocked after a 90-second spell saw them concede two but unlike the season opener, they failed to mount a comeback. Head Coach James O’Connor commented on the subpar standards shown against Montreal, saying he “didn’t see the performance coming” and spoke at length about the defensive errors in particular. Needless to say,my grades agree.

It’s never easy to pick a Man of the Match in a game like this, so please note that The Mane Land Managing Editor Michael Citro selected the one for this post. You can vote on the poll at the bottom with your own pick and leave a comment telling us why. Kay Rawlins already made her pick, shouts to The Wall:

Starters

GK, Brian Rowe, 7 (MotM) —Yup, that’s a rating of seven for a goalkeeper in a 3–1 defeat. Another thankless shift for the MLS veteran, Rowe‘s goal was once again peppered with shots — 19 to be precise, with 11 on target. He did excellently to keep the score down, making several reflex saves and was confident coming off his line to collect crosses, through balls and closing down players to make saves one-on-one multiple times as the likes of Maxi Urruti and Piatti ran riot. If you want to blame him for the crazy 90 seconds in which his defense completely whiffed, actively put Montreal in scoring position, and asked far too much of him then we weren’t watching the same game. By the time the third goal came, Orlando was in all-out attack mode with only one central defender on the pitch, committing bodies forward and Rowe was once again left stranded. His distribution must improve, though.

LB, Danilo Acosta, 6 — Acosta doesn’t come out of this Montreal game with his stock particularly damaged, which may count as a compliment given the current climate. He had an OK day defensively, registering five successful defensive actions between blocking, tackling and intercepting, and tracked Saphir Taïder well all game, even on the first phase of the first goal and got a foot to the assist to buy his teammates enough time to close it down. Despite the change in shape, it was clear Acosta was still being asked to push high up the field and my biggest criticism of the 21-year-old so far has been his lack of production: his 80% passing accuracy dropped to 50% in the final third today and he has still only registered one successful cross in his nine attempts across all three games so far this season.

CB, Carlos Ascues, 5.5 — Making his first appearance of the season, the Peruvian had some rust to shake off and clearly didn’t do it in time for Montreal’s first goal — and that was after Montreal nearly scored off an even earlier mistake. He was the closest defender to Orji Okwonkwo, as the Nigerian, on loan from Serie A’s Bologna, dug out the cross from under his feet with minimal pressure from a slow-to-react Ascues to place the ball into the far corner of the goal. After that he was actually pretty assured and is undoubtedly Orlando’s best ball playing center back, registering the third-highest passing accuracy (81.6%) on the sixth-most passes (38) and leading the team in successful long passes (5).

CB, Shane O’Neill, 3.5 — O’Neill came out after last week’s match, taking the blame for the Chicago Fire’s late equalizer, and the error was perhaps still playing on his conscience as some slack marking between him and Ascues for the first goal was quickly followed from kickoff by a horrific attempted back pass to Rowe that never made it and instead gifted a second to Montreal. From there, the Impact never looked like letting their early lead slip. His yellow card was reckless, a sign of his own frustrations, and it was telling that De John was no longer on the field as a sweeper in a back three to clean up the same mistakes he made last week. His days as a starter (O’Neill has started 16 of the 17 games he has been available for since joining in July) look numbered, especially with only two spots available in a back four, with De John looking on from the bench, Lamine Sané yet to return from injury, and the imminent arrival of Swedish international Robin Jansson.

RB, Ruan, 7 — Ruan subbed in for Kyle Smith last week and was a vast improvement in Chicago with the performance earning the Brazilian his first MLS start this week. He put in a good defensive shift again, staying touch tight to Piatti for a large proportion of the game, which is no easy feat. A feature of O’Connor’s game plan is for his fullbacks to join the attack, something Ruan wasn’t shy in doing. It sometimes left him completely out of position for want of a better term because every time that happened, it was because of a sloppy turnover in midfield. Without those, he was in exactly the position he should be in. He was second in the team for touches, with most of Montreal’s problems coming from his play down the right wing, finding Dwyer with a cross and teasing a couple more good balls into the box that nobody chanced to get on the end of.

MF, Sebas Méndez, 6.5 — I praised Méndez last week as he continued to grow into his anchor role, screening a back three and the team ran a lot of the passing game through him. This week saw a lot of the back of the Ecuadorian rather than him facing upfield, as he was continually forced to chase play in the direction of his own goal from slack turnovers, covering for the absence of a third central defender that had been there in his first two starts. It is no surprise then that he comes out of the game with seven successful defensive actions: two tackles, three interceptions, one clearance, and one block. He also led the team with 74 passes, with a completion rate of 81.1%. But for all the numbers he put up, they were in deep areas of the pitch where he couldn’t affect much.

MF, Will Johnson, 6 — Johnson forced the issue early with some good pressing and could have easily won a free kick as he was fouled just outside the box in the opening minutes, but the referee instead stopped play for the head injury Johnson sustained on his way down. That knock would ultimately spell the end of the day for the Canadian, who had been one of the stronger performers in the opening two weeks and the best player in purple in the opening exchanges against Montreal, eventually departing with a suspected concussion inside 20 minutes.

MF, Sacha Kljestan, 6 — Here’s a quote from last week’s player grade for Kljestan: “I’m struggling to assess Kljestan’s performance in Chicago. It wasn’t good but it certainly wasn’t bad. It just happened.” It was much of the same, arguably veering towards bad, for the former back-to-back MLS assist leader. I bring up that title to remind you that there was once some creativity and accuracy to his passing. Today his pass completion dropped to 70.8% and, although he made a concerted effort to track back, it really isn’t his game. I’m not sure what his game is any more and I don’t know if O’Connor does either, but with Higuita a better central midfielder and Josué Colmán, Orlando’s record signing who is at this point having his development stunted so early in his career, a better prospect at CAM, I’d rather see the lineup freshened at this point. Since arriving, O’Connor has given Kljestan 1,442 minutes to Colmán’s 428.

F, Nani, 6.5 — Last week’s man of the match showed his quality early on while the game was still scoreless, cutting back inside the box and picking out Dwyer only to see the U.S. international shoot over the bar. Initially starting on the left side of a front three, he switched sides frequently with Mueller to try and pick apart an opening. Despite connecting on 81.4% of his passes, including two key passes to Dwyer — who should’ve done better — he once again failed to take a shot and had a relatively low impact in comparison to the first two showings, linking up well with the likes of Cristian Higuita in the final third, but nothing clear cut.

F, Dom Dwyer, 6 — It was a day of fluffed lines for Dwyer as he continually failed to capitalize on the chances that fell to him. The striker blasted an early chance over the bar on the turn after a pull-back from Nani, headed a golden chance from a Ruan cross into the ground straight in front of Evan Bush, and then blazed over the bar when he was in alone with only Bush to beat after a Montreal giveaway, a chance you’d typically see him calmly chip over the keeper. He eventually managed to net a late conciliation goal after Mueller curled a ball in behind the Montreal defensive line to Patiño, who in turn poked it to an on-rushing Dwyer for a tap-in. Only two of his six shots were on target and he struggled to make the usual nuisance of himself in the box that he normally does, only registering 26 touches, with Johnson, Patiño and Colmán only seeing fewer in their limited minutes. Although he didn’t take his chances, credit to the striker for at least putting himself into that position.

F, Chris Mueller, 7 — As ever, Mueller’s work rate was some of the highest in the squad. He registered 51 touches, good for the sixth-most on the team, had a 79.3% pass completion rate, and tried to pick up the mantel when he cut inside to unleash a fierce shot from distance only to find the top of the net. Orlando’s eventual breakthrough also came as a result of Mueller, as he curled a nice weighted pass into the path of Santiago Patiño. But for all the good, Mueller was easily dispossessed on a couple of occasions, including by Samuel Piette, which led directly to the first goal, and some of the passes he didn’t complete were simple mental errors indicative of the team’s performance as a whole.

Substitutes

MF, Cristian Higuita (21’), 7 — Higuita made his first appearance of the season early in the first half as a replacement for Johnson and grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Despite the reduced minutes, the midfielder ranked second for passes. He completed 49 at an impressive rate of 91.8% and also stepped in with seven defensive involvements: a team-high four tackles, two interceptions, and one clearance. Even though statistically a lot of his passes were sideways and backwards, he was finding players in space and helping switch play with pace, something which has been lacking so far. That was a wake-up call for O’Connor and I can’t see any justification for him to not start against New York Red Bulls next weekend. Johnson will be unavailable either through injury or due to international duty.

MF, Josué Colmán (74’), 6 — The introduction of Colmán was an issue of too little too late for me. When he came on he injected some pace into the team and he hassled and harried defenders in the closing stages like the rest of the team should have been doing from the start. He isn’t shy to crack a shot from distance, as shown by his sole effort in the cameo appearance he had today, and even though it was a few yards wide and Evan Bush never looked troubled, I can’t say I mind. It’s just good to see some direct, attacking play.

F, Santiago Patino (74’), 7 — Orlando’s No. 3 overall draft pick in 2019 sounded excited for game day on Twitter and his hopes became a reality late in the second half as he stepped onto the field for his professional debut. We didn’t get to see much from the Colombian-born forward for the most part, although he was strong enough to hold off the challenge of Piette and had the awareness to unselfishly prod the ball to Dwyer for a tap-in, registering his first MLS assist.

It was a bad day at the office all round for Orlando — a performance littered with individual errors by practically everyone, although it’s safe to say some had a bigger impact on the scoreline than others. Fingers crossed this is a blip and O’Connor’s side has now got it out of their system and can bounce back. After all, the entire off-season talk was about having the right attitude, the right mentality, and shaking off that losing feeling.

Well there you have it, the first loss of the season, winless in the opening three matches, and for anyone keeping score from last season, that’s one win in 18 games. Let’s see where we go from here.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Brian Rowe43
Ruan12
Cristian Higuita24
Chris Mueller17
Other16

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/1/26

Pride and OCB win, Tahir Reid-Brown and Maxime Crepeau called up, USMNT beats Senegal, and more.

Published

13 hours ago

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June 1, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at work and just wrapped up covering high school spring season sports for the school year up here in Chicago. We had the Pride, OCB, and the USMNT all in action, and we’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Pride Beat Bay FC

The Orlando Pride defeated Bay FC 3-1 at Inter&Co Stadium Friday. Barbra Banda scored the opener early in the first half for Orlando, but Bay FC’s Caroline Conti scored the equalizer. In the second half, Banda scored her second goal of the night and added an assist on Cori Dyke’s goal in the 55th minute. Banda went down with an injury late in the match and had to leave the pitch. Since Orlando had already used all its substitutions, the team had to play the final 15 minutes of the match, including stoppage time, down to 10 players, but the Pride held on for the win. Banda has been called up to the Zambia Women’s National Team for the Four Nations Tournament, with the 2026 Women’s African Cup of Nations set to kick off next month in Morocco.

The Pride will be off until early July due to the NWSL World Cup break. Their next match will be on the road at BMO Stadium against Angel City FC on July 3.

OCB Defeats Chattanooga FC

Orlando City B defeated Chattanooga FC 5-2 at Osceola County Stadium Sunday. Ignacio Gomez scored for the Young Lions six minutes into the match. Chattanooga FC responded with two goals later in the first half to take a 2-1 lead into halftime. In the second half, it was all OCB as Pedro Leao, Harvey Sarajian, and Justin Hylton each added a goal to extend the Young Lions’ lead to 4-2. Leao added a penalty kick goal as OCB secured back-to-back wins in league play and moved to fourth in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference table with 22 points. OCB will face Carolina Core FC Sunday at Osceola County Stadium.

Tahir Reid-Brown and Maxime Crepeau Called Up

Orlando City defender Tahir Reid-Brown and goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau have been called up to their respective national teams. Reid-Brown will be joining the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team for upcoming friendlies against Georgia and North Macedonia in Bulgaria.

Crepeau will be with the Canadian Men’s National Team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Canada has two international friendlies this week, facing Uzbekistan today and taking on Ireland Friday. Canadian Men’s National Team Head Coach Jesse Marsch stated that he has not yet decided which goalkeeper will start in his team’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12, but Crepeau and Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair will split time in goal against Uzbekistan.

USMNT Defeats Senegal in Friendly

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Senegal 3-2 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC, Sunday in an international friendly. Former Lion Alex Freeman started the match and played 45 minutes. Sergino Dest struck first to give the Yanks an early lead, and Christian Pulisic scored his first international goal since November 2024 for the U.S. to take a 2-0 lead in the first half. Sadio Mane pulled one back for Senegal to make it 2-1 just before halftime. In the second half, Mane added another goal to level the match, but Folarin Balogun came off the bench and scored the final goal of the match to seal the win for the Americans. The USMNT will face Germany Saturday in another international friendly at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL, before opening the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament, taking on Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.

Paris Saint-Germain Repeats as UEFA Champions League Winner in Penalties

Paris Saint-Germain edged Arsenal 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw Saturday at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, to win the UEFA Champions League title for the second time in a row. Kai Havertz scored the first goal six minutes into the match to give Arsenal the lead in the first half. However, in the second half, Arsenal defender Cristhian Mosquera fouled Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, resulting in a penalty for Paris Saint-Germain. Ousmane Dembele converted from the spot to tie the match. After 120 minutes of play, the match went to penalties, where Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya made one save, but Paris Saint-Germain still scored four goals. In the final round, Arsenal defender Gabriel sailed his shot over the net, and Paris Saint-Germain became just the second team to win back-to-back Champions League titles in the modern era, since 1992. The other club was Real Madrid, which won three consecutive titles from 2015-2016 through 2017-2018.

Free Kicks

  • The Orlando City Academy U-14 squad defeated Inter Miami 3-1 Sunday to win the MLS Next Cup.
  • According to Sportico, Major League Soccer viewership has risen significantly in the first three months of the season.

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

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Orlando City

An Early Look at Orlando City’s Contract Decisions

Here is an early look at the decisions the club will have to make regarding the roster at the end of the 2026 season.

Published

2 days ago

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May 30, 2026

By

Image of Wilder Cartagena controlling the ball against Nashville.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

As we head into a dead period of Major League Soccer with the arrival of the World Cup break, it’s worth looking into the future to see how the roster may look in the future. Orlando City has one player out of contract after the 2026 season and several that are on the last guaranteed year of their deal but have option years the club could exercise. Let’s take a look at the decisions Orlando City has to make at season’s end.

Ivan Angulo — Attacking Midfielder

The Colombian midfielder has been a tireless worker and a good soldier for Orlando City since his arrival in July of 2022. Regardless of what you think of his finishing (and it hasn’t been good the last two years after back-to-back seasons with five goals in 2023 and 2024 and 15 total goal contributions in the latter of those years) or those games in which he turns the ball over repeatedly, Angulo has generally been an asset to the team. What he lacks in goal production he makes up for in important hustle plays to break up opposition attacks and with his high pressure.

Angulo is out of contract after the 2026 season after signing through the 2025 season in January of 2024. Orlando City exercised his option year for 2026 last November. He could leave on a free transfer and there will be clubs interested in the 27-year-old, who will likely be one of the fastest players in whatever league he’s in for the next several seasons. At a total guaranteed compensation of $582,656, he’s not terribly expensive for a starting-caliber winger. Orlando City should re-sign Angulo or upgrade the position, and perhaps the club wants Tyrese Spicer to show he can take that spot. Spicer has been inconsistent as a starter but generally better off the bench. He hasn’t yet shown himself to be an everyday option.

Wilder Cartagena — Midfielder

The Peruvian midfield stopper has, like Angulo, been a solid performer for the Lions since signing with Orlando City in August of 2022. Last season’s Achilles injury derailed the club’s best-ever midfield double pivot, as Cartagena and Cesar Araujo combined to make life miserable for Orlando’s opponents and did a great job of shielding the back line. He even filled in admirably on the back line whenever Oscar Pareja went to five at the back as an extra center back. Cartagena suffered another injury in the 2026 season opener and is just getting back up to speed, but it seems as if he’s having difficulty breaking through to get enough minutes to round back into form.

Cartagena is on a contract through the end of 2026, which he signed last November, but there is an option year on his deal. At 31 years old and making a guaranteed $530,250 per year, it may be time to move on from the veteran defensive midfielder unless he can regain his form before the end of the season. The hope is that Luis Otavio can develop into a similar midfield stopper and the club has invested in the Brazilian. The Lions also seem more interested in the kind of offense that favors more attack-minded players in the central midfield, which has proven successful in scoring goals so far this year but has failed miserably at preventing them.

Joran Gerbet — Midfielder

The French-born product out of Clemson University signed in February 2025 after being drafted in the first round (No. 27 overall) in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft. He had a promising rookie campaign going until sustaining a serious knee injury last October against Columbus and had season-ending surgery. Gerbet will likely be able to return to game action after the World Cup break, and perhaps he could even play some games with OCB during the pause.

He’ll be out of contract at the end of 2026 but there are options for 2027 and 2028 on his rookie deal. If he can return to full speed and produce, the club would likely bring him back. With total guaranteed compensation of $113,400, Gerbet is an inexpensive piece of the roster, and he’ll be eager to earn a new deal. Plus, he’ll have at least one new French-speaking teammate as soon as Antoine Griezmann arrives. Gerbet’s return could mitigate the loss of Cartagena if the club parts ways with the Peruvian international.

Adrian Marin — Defender

The Spaniard arrived in August of 2025 on a deal through this season with a club option for 2027. He wasn’t able to quite jell or acclimate well to Major League Soccer over the course of last season. He entered 2026 looking to lock down the starting left back spot and can play as a center back in a three-man back line, but so far this season he’s been inconsistent at best. While he can send the occasional excellent cross or long ball in to create a scoring chance, contributing three assists already this season, he’s not been quite able to consistently operate at an MLS level.

A good left back can be pricey, so his guaranteed pay of $577,972 isn’t terrible, but he’s not quite lived up to it either. It will be interesting to see if Marin can finish out the 2026 campaign strong and if it’s enough to warrant picking up his contract option or offering him a new deal.

Nolan Miller — Defender

The rookie out of Michigan had a strong start to his first professional year but then showed some growing pains. He signed through the 2026 season back in early February but the club holds options for Miller for the 2027 sprint season, 2027-2028, and 2028-2029. Miller most recently played with Orlando City B on Sunday, helping the Young Lions defeat Inter Miami CF II 4-1 at home. There’s a lot of season left for Miller to make his mark, and playing with OCB during the World Cup break is a good way to get him minutes in a developmental setting.

All indications from the club are that the technical staff believe Miller has enough upside to potentially become an MLS starter. The 22-year-old will be given an opportunity to develop, and it seems likely Orlando City will exercise his option unless the player asks for his release to pursue other opportunities.

Javier Otero — Goalkeeper

If there’s one thing that’s been clear for years, it’s that Orlando City likes to have one primary goalkeeper and a young, inexpensive backup who plays only sparingly, whether it’s Mason Stajduhar, Adam Grinwis, or Otero. The Lions signed Otero to a new contract through 2026 just a year ago in May 2025, with option years for 2027 and 2028. Otero has played well at times and gotten shelled a few times in his MLS career, but he’s filled his role well and is inexpensive at $163,750 in guaranteed annual compensation. Orlando will likely exercise the option on Otero’s deal unless the 23-year-old Venezuelan wants to go elsewhere.

Nicolas Rodriguez — Attacking Midfield

While not technically out of contract, the club may have to do something with Rodriguez, who is currently on loan with Atletico Nacional in Colombia through 2026. The Colombian side has an option to purchase, but it’s unclear whether that will be exercised. The former MLS U22 Initiative signing was suspended in March for an alleged sexual assault earlier this year — charges that Rodriguez denies. He returned to the pitch in May in a loss to Once Caldas.

With the commitment Orlando City made to Otavio, Iago, and Tiago, it’s unlikely the club will bring back Rodriguez unless one of the Brazilians is sold. Rodriguez struggled to get on the pitch with the first team last year, and Tiago seems light years ahead of the Colombian in his development. It seems likely the club will hope Nacional purchases Rodriguez, and if not, the Lions will probably try to sell him or loan him out again. Rodriguez’s contract expires at the end of 2027.

Zakaria Taifi — Fullback/Midfielder

Homegrown defender/winger Taifi is signed through 2026 with club options for 2027, 2028, and 2029. The 20-year-old has shown great promise and made the jump to the first team midway through 2025, although he played sparingly. Taifi already has career highs with the first team in 2026 in games played (10), starts (3), and assists (2). If not for Griffin Dorsey’s play, Taifi might otherwise be seeing regular minutes, although there is work to be done in developing his defending. At present, he projects more as a wingback than a fullback, but the same was once true of Alex Freeman, who improved his one-on-one defending by leaps and bounds.

As a Homegrown Player starting to bear fruit, it is a no-brainer for the club to pick up Taifi’s option after the 2026 season.

Yutaro Tsukada — Attacking Midfielder

Orlando City selected Tsukada with the No. 25 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft in December of 2023. The club signed Tsukada to an MLS NEXT Pro deal through 2024 and then signed him through 2025 with option years for 2026 and 2027, so he’s currently in the first of those two option years.

The young winger has shown some glimpses of quality in both dead-ball delivery and his crafty one-on-one moves out wide, but he’s not been able to break through just yet and he was left off both the senior team and OCB matchday rosters since April 26, despite a club spokesman telling me he wasn’t injured. Tsukada’s budget charge isn’t big ($113,400), but at 24, he’s entering his prime years and hasn’t yet developed into an MLS player. Whether he’s back next year may be up to the player in Tsukada’s case.

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Orlando City

Flashback Friday: May 31, 2017 vs. D.C. United

Hop in the time machine and relive a wet, weird Orlando City game from almost nine years ago.

Published

3 days ago

on

May 29, 2026

By

Nick Leyva, The Mane Land

With no Orlando City match to entertain us for almost two months during the World Cup break, this is an optimal time to reflect on some of the team’s history and enjoy a trip down memory lane. We’re taking one hell of a trip today, as we go almost nine years into the past to reminisce on the Lions taking on D.C. United all the way back on May 31, 2017.

Just how different were things as OCSC got ready to take the field against D.C. that Wednesday? Well for one thing, the ground now known as Inter&Co Stadium had just opened a little over two months previously, and it was still called Orlando City Stadium. Jason Kreis had the reins as the team’s second full-time head coach, and teams were only allowed to make three substitutions per game instead of five.

Kreis set up his team in a 4-4-2 that had Joe Bendik in goal, a back line of Scott Sutter, Jose Aja, Jonathan Spector, and Donny Toia; Matias Perez Garcia, Will Johnson, Cristian Higuita, and Luis Gil in the midfield; and Cyle Larin alongside Carlos Rivas up top.

The defining characteristic of the game in the first half was the conditions in which it was played. The stadium was pounded by rain in the leadup to kickoff, and the wet weather continued during the opening 45 minutes. The Lions had the better of things in the first half, but things could have been different if Larin had been called for a handball in the box in the 15th minute, but the referee didn’t see it, the D.C. players didn’t call for it, and video review wouldn’t be introduced to MLS until later in the season.

D.C. went close through Julian Buscher in the 43rd minute when he turned well at the top of the box and sent a left footed shot toward goal, but Bendik did well to get down and push the ball away with his right hand. Orlando’s best chance of the half came as the first 45 minutes were winding down, when Gil sprung Larin on the break, but the Canadian had to shoot from an angle and Bill Hamid was able to deal with it fairly comfortably in the D.C. net. Before the half could end, OCSC had a penalty shout of its own as Sutter felt he was clipped from behind by Buscher in stoppage time, but referee Allen Chapman disagreed and the game went to halftime scoreless.

The Lions finished the first half with 59% possession and took nine shots but only put three on target, while D.C. totaled three shots with two on target, and 41% of the ball.

The rain mercifully subsided at halftime, but the game continued to be a sloppy affair as the second half got underway. D.C really should have opened the scoring in the 56th minute when a ball played down the right found Lamar Neagle near the penalty spot. He turned and played a great pass into space for Buscher, who was unmarked roughly 10 yards from goal on the left side of the box. Luckily for the Lions, with just Bendik to beat, the midfielder somehow contrived to blast his first-time shot over the bar so badly that it just missed the Heineken sign by a couple of inches.

That scare spurred Kreis into action, as he brought on Giles Barnes for Gil just three minutes later. It proved to be an inspired move, as the Jamaican provided an immediate spark and won a free kick in a dangerous area in the 65th minute after slaloming through several defenders. It fell to Johnson to take the resulting set piece, and he dialed up a doozy, curling a ball to the edge of the six-yard box, where Larin fought through heavy contact from Steve Birnbaum and headed the ball into the net beyond a helpless Hamid to open the scoring for Orlando.

The strike ended a scoreless drought of 266 minutes for Orlando, and the team continued to look invigorated after the introduction of Barnes. He played a great cutback pass for Larin just two minutes after the goal, and the Canadian might have scored had D.C. not gotten bodies in the way and blocked it. He then played Rivas in on goal in the 71st minute, but Kofi Opare made a great last-ditch tackle to prevent a shot and MPG wasn’t able to bundle the loose ball over the line as Hamid came out to contest.

That was Perez-Garcia’s last meaningful action of the evening, as he made way for Tony Rocha two minutes later.

In the 74th minute, Orlando had another almighty scare and D.C. wasted its second excellent chance of the game. Aja played a badly underhit pass back to Bendik, and Neagle got to it first as the goalkeeper charged out to try to clear the danger. Neagle took it around him and had only Spector to beat as the last man back, but he put his shot entirely too close to the center back, who was able to make himself big and keep the effort out. The rebound then spun into the air and looked to be falling kindly for Sebastien Le Toux to head into the empty net, but Bendik parachuted in at the last second and acrobatically punched the danger clear.

The two teams then traded decent chances over the next 10 minutes, but a combination of blocks, misses, and a Bendik save kept things at 1-0. Kreis then made his final move of the game in the 83rd minute when Antonio Nocerino entered the game for Rivas.

OCSC looked all set to go more conservative and try to escape with a 1-0 win when it got a fortunate break just two minutes from the end of regulation. Barnes lined up a shot from roughly 25 yards out, and while it was hit with venom, it looked to be straight at Hamid and relatively straightforward. That made it all the more surprising when D.C.’s goalkeeper got two hands on it but either fluffed his attempt at a catch or whiffed on a punch, and the ball squirted past him into the back of the net. Barnes was rewarded for an energetic, game-changing substitute appearance, and the Lions got an insurance goal.

Four minutes of stoppage time passed without incident, and the Lions finished a dominant, but ultimately slightly nervy, performance with a 2-0 victory. Orlando ended the game with an edge in possession (57%-43%), shots (20-10), shots on target (5-4), and passing accuracy (81%-71%).

Current Orlando City staffer Austin David was on our staff and handed out player grades for the game, and he gave Barnes the Man of the Match award with an 8 out of 10. The other high performers on the night were Bendik and Spector, who were both awarded a 7.5 out of 10.

Larin’s goal was his eighth of the campaign, and the victory ended a six-game winless run for Orlando. Sadly, it wasn’t a sign of good things to come, as OCSC immediately endured another five-game winless run that included the infamous 3-1 loss to Miami FC that saw a Stefano Pinho hat trick earn him a move to the Lions at the end of the season. Orlando went on to win just three games the rest of the season, and finished 10th in the 11-team Eastern Conference with 39 points, ahead of only D.C. United.

With any luck, this season will follow a much different arc. Antoine Griezmann will be here before we know it, and the Lions have some time to make some tweaks to the roster, work on things in training, and will have an opportunity to make a cup final in the fall. Here’s to remembering the good parts of the past, and not repeating the bad ones. Vamos Orlando!

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