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Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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7 years ago

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Orlando City Head Coach James O’Connor made just two changes for Orlando’s final road trip of the season as the Lions played their first MLS game in Cincinnati and drew 1-1 against FC Cincinnati.

Left back João Moutinho briefly returned from injury and made his first appearance since the U.S. Open Cup semifinal defeat back on Aug. 6. Elsewhere, Tesho Akindele returned to the starting lineup, replacing an injured Cristian Higuita with Mauricio Pereyra moving further back to cover for the Colombian midfielder. Here’s how everyone performed in a rough match for the Lions.

Starters

GK, Brian Rowe, 6.5 — Following last season’s debacle, Rowe has been a reliable stopgap at the goalkeeper position and yesterday was no exception. He was forced into his first of six saves in the 25th minute and 10 minutes later he reacted fast to push a laser from Roland Lamah away. But there was little Rowe could do on the goal as Allan Cruz was unmarked in the box and had plenty of time to pick his spot. He also once again showed how accomplished he is when collecting crosses, even when challenged, by out-leaping Cincinnati attackers.

D, João Moutinho, N/A — With Orlando rapidly running out of games to sneak into the playoffs O’Connor decided to roll the dice and rush his first choice left back into action. It was a risk worth taking despite looking foolish in hindsight, as Moutinho lasted just 13 minutes on the artificial turf before being forced off. He did complete 100% of his eight passes but it’s hard to put much stock into that. It wasn’t enough time to earn a grade, unfortunately.

D, Robin Jansson, 5.5 — Things were quiet for Jansson in the first half and it seemed like he took that opportunity to nap. The Swede had an incredibly static first 45 minutes and was one of the players least reactive to the midfield turnover that led to Cincinnati’s goal. Whatever was said at halftime seemed to wake him up as he did well in an ongoing battle with Emmanuel Ledesma, Cincinnati’s best player. However, Jansson was only credited with three defensive actions, including one tackle, indicative of how the game largely passed him by.

D, Lamine Sané, 6.5 — Unlike his central defensive partner, Sané looked pretty alert in the first half and was good at reading danger. He had the awareness and ability to keep pace with Joe Gyau on a quick throw-in, forcing the winger into taking his shot from a wide angle. His combined seven defensive actions were a team high, while he also made the fifth-most passes with 46.

D, Ruan, 4.5 — Ruan showed his inconsistency from game to game. Unfortunately, the Brazilian struggled in his advanced role high on the right wing. His passing was careless at best, connecting on a shockingly low 51.7%, while neither of his two cross attempts were successful. Considering the amount of traffic coming down his flank, only making two tackles seemed pretty poor given the volume of work.

MF, Will Johnson, 6.5 — Will Johnson covered every blade of grass in a marathon performance. He ripped off a trademark speculative first-time shot wide from distance in the 30th minute, one of three shots the Canadian took with none finding the target. He was surprisingly one of the more creative players with two key passes. With three tackles, one block, the second-most passes, and second-best pass completion, overall Johnson was probably one of the top three Lions in the game.

MF, Sebas Méndez, 5 — Sebas was a bit too reckless his enforcer role as he ended up getting booked by the end of the first half for persistent fouling. Sitting on that yellow and with a trailing Orlando struggling to create any clear chances, O’Connor made the decision to remove a largely ineffective Méndez in favor of the more attack-minded Chris Mueller. A solid 89.8% passing accuracy, best on the team, must be caveated with the largely pointless nature of those passes while he also ranked top for fouls conceded, with three.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 5.5 — Pereyra struggled in his deeper midfield role, losing the ball a team high five times, and is better suited to an attacking creative role than a box-to-box ball winner. A rather anonymous first half did give way to a quick start in the second half as the Uruguayan finally found a pocket of space and was able to cross a ball and pick out the head of Dom Dwyer. A team-high four dribbles shows the willingness and ability to go direct that Pereyra will offer to this team going forward in a more advanced role.

F, Nani, 6.5 (MotM) — Once again, it looked like if Orlando City was going to do anything it would come through Nani. It may have taken until the 91st minute, but the Portuguese international won a one-on-one and floated a cross that led to the late equalizer. Nani notched up an incredible 101 touches, significantly ahead of Pereyra, who was second with 74. He made three key passes, two dribbles, and attempted three shots. He also made the most passes with 79, although his completion percentage was down at 70.9% and only one of his seven cross attempts was successful.

F, Dom Dwyer, 6 — Stop the presses, I genuinely think Dom Dwyer played somewhat well. He had the thankless task of playing as a makeshift target man as Orlando struggled in its buildup play and unconvincingly forced the ball long — something that simply does not suit his skill set. The team played more into his hands in the second half as the striker headed a ball towards goal, forcing Przemysław Tytoń to palm the it over his crossbar. Dwyer tested the Polish keeper once again, spinning to shake off the defender after receiving a good ball from Nani but the near post shot on the turn lacked the necessary venom. Aside from Benji Michel’s goal, he was the only player to manage a shot on target.

F, Tesho Akindele, 5 — Akindele started the afternoon on the left side of a front three but frequently drifted centrally to try and break behind Cincinnati’s defense. It nearly worked as he reacted quickly to intercept a volleyed back pass but could only dangle a leg and stab the ball wide. He should have had an opportunity to head the equalizer from a short corner in the 55th minute, just before he was substituted off, but Nani lofted the ball in behind the Canadian and the chance was gone. He finished the day with only one shot, was dispossessed twice, and his pass completion rate of 57.9% was better than only Ruan.

Substitutes

D, Kyle Smith (14’), 6 — Smith entered the game earlier than he would have anticipated but it didn’t look like he took too long to get into the rhythm of the game. I was actually quite impressed as he ultimately led the team in tackles with five and totaled a team-leading seven defensive contributions — tied with Sané. He compiled one key pass, 37 passes, and an 86.5% completion rate, including one cross. We tend to think of Ruan as the more reliable attacking threat but Smith had much better day than his Brazilian counterpart yesterday.

F, Benji Michel (58’), 6 — Michel had one of those stat lines you’d expect from a second half substitute attacker. He didn’t get much of a look, but made sure to make the most of it when he did. With 11 total touches, he converted his only shot of the game as he found himself in the right spot at the right time to capitalize on the second ball from Dwyer’s contested header off Nani’s cross.

F, Chris Mueller (67’), 5.5 — Mueller entered the game with 23 minutes left to try to help his team overturn a one-goal deficit and it didn’t take long for him to take the opportunity. With the ball dropping to him at the top of the box, Mueller could only find the midriff of Greg Garza. He was probably the weakest of the three substitutes but he definitely seems to energize the team and give them a second wind on the offensive side of the ball.

So there you have it, the return of the Cardiac Cats in an otherwise damp squib of a game that officially saw Orlando City eliminated from playoff contention. Man of the Match was a pretty tough pick as it could have gone to a handful of guys who put in a respectable performance while others around them looked tired, disinterested, or short of ideas. in the end it’s hard to argue Nani wasn’t the difference maker. Do you agree or do you have your own choice? Vote in the poll below and let us know in the comments.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Brian Rowe11
Lamine Sané2
Will Johnson8
Nani5
Other (leave a comment)4

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Orlando City

Flashback Friday: July 4, 2023 vs. Toronto FC

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

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3 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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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!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/3/26

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

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3 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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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!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/2/26

USMNT shuts out Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kat Asman loaned to Denver Summit FC, MLS transfer news, and more.

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4 days ago

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July 2, 2026

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Image of Pride goalkeeper Kat Asman
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Wednesday nights are starting to feel magical. Orlando City has thrived this year when playing on Wednesdays, and now the United States Men’s National Team has provided us with a reason to tackle this Thursday at full force. Before we dive into that result and the rest of today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City defender Tahir Reid-Brown!

USMNT Survives Red Card to Advance

The U.S. won 2-0 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in an emotional rollercoaster of a match in the World Cup’s round of 32. Folarin Balogun got the U.S. on the board at a crucial time right before halftime by scoring his third goal of the tournament. But the game flipped on its head in the second half when Balogun was shown a harsh red card by the referee after video review for a foul when he accidentally came down on the back of an opponent’s foot. The Yanks fought hard to make up for the difference of being down a player and doubled their lead after earning a free kick right outside the box. Malik Tillman’s shot went up and over the wall and into the net for a goal U.S. fans will be replaying over and over again.

The U.S. did well to grind out the win after that second goal, with former Lion Alex Freeman doing his part on defense to help shut out Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a memorable win, and now the U.S. will turn its focus to its round-of-16 matchup against Belgium on Monday.

Pride Loan Goalkeeper Kat Asman to Denver Summit

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Kat Asman to the Denver Summit for the remainder of the 2026 NWSL season. Asman is coming off of a loan with Lexington SC in the Gainbridge Super League, where she played every minute of the season to help Lexington win the title. She posted 11 clean sheets with Lexington last season and won the league’s Golden Glove as well. Asman has yet to make an appearance for the Pride since joining prior to the 2025 season, and her contract expires at the end of the season. She now heads to Denver, where Abby Smith has done well in goal as the expansion team’s starter.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

Real Salt Lake sent $625,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to Atlanta United in exchange for winger Saba Lobjanidze and a third-round pick in the 2028 MLS SuperDraft, with another $100,000 in GAM going Atlanta’s way if he re-signs with Real Salt Lake. The Columbus Crew fully acquired defender Andres Herrera from River Plate after an extended loan, signing him to a contract through the 2028-2029 season. The LA Galaxy transferred defender Mauricio Cuevas to Santos Laguna, the New England Revolution added forward Wilson Harris, and Sporting Kansas City signed center back Moises Mosquera from FC Juarez. The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly close to signing Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn, with Daniel heading to FC Dallas in a trade if that happens. It’s somewhat surprising considering Daniel has done well to help San Jose only concede 15 goals this season.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Sources: San Jose Earthquakes closing in on a deal to sign Scotland int'l GK Angus Gunn.🇧🇷 Sources: FC Dallas has agreed to a deal to acquire GK Daniel from San Jose.➕ Daniel trade is contingent on Gunn signing being formalized.

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-01T16:34:02.297Z

European Nations Move On After Dramatic Comebacks

This World Cup continues to deliver thrilling games during this new round-of-32 phase. Senegal looked certain to go through to the next round until Belgium scored a pair of goals after the 85th minute to knot the game at 2-2 and send it into extra time. The game was decided by a penalty, but not in a shootout, as a foul in the box resulted in Youri Tielemans scoring from the spot to give Belgium the victory. In Atlanta, Harry Kane scored twice to rescue England in a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Brian Cipanga gave the Congo an early lead, but Kane struck twice in the second half, with his winner being one of the best goals of the tournament so far.

England is now set to face Mexico at the Azteca on Sunday in what should be a great game. As for today’s action, Orlando City winger Marco Pasalic and Croatia will take on Portugal in a matchup between European heavyweights. The winner of that match will face whoever prevails today between Spain and Austria, with Switzerland and Algeria squaring off in the late night match.

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That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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