Orlando City
Orlando City vs. LAFC: Player Grades and Man of the Match
Well, I don’t think that went the way any of us were hoping it would. Orlando City had an excellent first half but a lapse of concentration and house of horrors error saw the Lions fighting an uphill battle all night long. The question now is, how did the men in purple grade individually in Orlando City’s 4-2 home loss to LAFC?
Let’s have a look at my player grades and Man of the Match from a night to forget for the good guys.
Starters
GK, Pedro Gallese, 5 — It was a pretty quiet game from El Pulpo. Gallese passed at a 100% rate on his 13 attempts, which was good, but he was unable to do anything about any of the four LAFC goals, finishing with zero saves on LAFC’s four shots on target. The first two he was completely helpless on, and he might have gotten a bit stranded at his near post on Brian Rodriguez’s opener for the visitors, but it’s hard to be too picky considering the defensive breakdowns in other areas. He’ll have wished he did better on Ilie Sanchez’s go-ahead goal, since it went in fairly close to him, but he didn’t see it until late as it came through a mass of bodies. Overall, a tough night for Orlando City’s netminder.
D, Joao Moutinho, 7 — This was probably one of Moutinho’s better games of recent memory. He was menacing going forward and popped up in the attack often, usually to good effect. He completed a dribble, passed at a 77% rate, made two tackles, three interceptions, a clearance, a blocked shot, and won an aerial duel. His 92 touches led the team and he also did very well to move into unoccupied space at the back post and blast his shot low into the far corner for his goal. He loses points for failing to track Rodriguez into the box on the opening goal, but it was a mostly good night for him. He led the team in shots (4) and tied for the team’s most shots on target (2), creating one scoring chance.
D, Antonio Carlos, N/A — It was not good to see Carlos go down after only 15 minutes, and even worse to see him need a stretcher to be taken off the field. Hopefully the injury is nothing more than a nasty hyperextension but only time will tell. The Brazilian was playing pretty well up until he went down, and it might not be an accident that Orlando shipped an unusually high amount of goals in a game played mostly without him. Before going off, Carlos completed all 11 of his pass attempts.
D, Robin Jansson, 6 — It was a mixed bag from Jansson. He did some really good things like winning two aerial duels and recording one tackle, two interceptions, and a clearance, passing at a 91% clip, and getting forward into the attack a couple times. Nine of his 11 long balls were accurate. Unfortunately, he and Moutinho failed to communicate in time to track Rodriguez on the first goal. It wasn’t a bad game from the Swede, but it wasn’t his best either.
D, Ruan, 5 — The good things Ruan did were recording a tackle, an interception, and a clearance, and completing a dribble. The bad is the hesitation on Carlos Vela’s ball that led to the first goal and the monstrously ill-advised back pass that gifted LAFC its second goal. He seemed to be trying to head it back for Gallese to collect, but he was in traffic and it was horribly misjudged, and the visitors couldn’t have asked for anything easier. That he was subbed out in favor of Kyle Smith while Orlando City was chasing the game was likely half due to tired legs and half due to a performance that he’ll want to put in the rearview mirror.
MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — At 89%, Araujo passed the ball well, creating two scoring chances and completing two of his four long balls, and defensively he also made two tackles. He picked up a completely needless fourth yellow card of the season for getting in Francisco Ginella’s face after he was deemed to have fouled his fellow Uruguayan, and he took umbrage with the decision. The youngster also had a couple of bad giveaways in the midfield on a night where LAFC looked dangerous on the counter to begin with.
MF, Junior Urso, 5.5 — This score maybe feels a little harsh, but the Bear’s influence on proceedings faded badly after halftime. He recorded a tackle and an interception and passed at 89% on the night. He also attempted one shot that didn’t hit the target and drew five opposition fouls, but his second half display contrasted badly with what he was able to do in the first period. Like the rest of Orlando City, he wasn’t able to get involved offensively as much during the second 45 minutes, and he also struggled to slow LAFC in transition moments.
MF, Facundo Torres, 6.5 — Torres looked lively out there, and was unlucky to not get an assist on an absolutely beautiful run of first-half play. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to hold or curl his run long enough to beat the offside trap. Still, he led the Lions with three successful dribbles, had one tackle and one interception, created two scoring chances, completed one of his two long balls, and passed at an 87% rate. He drew three fouls on LAFC with his quick movement, and all three could have been yellow cards. He looks more and more comfortable every week.
MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 7 — Pererya’s pass over the top to Ercan Kara for Orlando’s opening goal was perfection. The vision to see it, the weight and accuracy to put the ball exactly where it needed to be…chef’s kiss. He then did just as well to pick out Moutinho and deliver the ball to him for Orlando’s second goal, and he had a hugely influential first half. Like most everyone else, his second half was less effective but he still finished with four chances created, one dribble, two tackles, and two assists (one primary, one secondary). He was accurate on four of six long balls. The biggest knock on his performance is that he struggled to connect with teammates in the attacking half after halftime.
MF, Alexandre Pato, 7.5 (MotM) — Man, Pato is just different gravy. He looked dangerous from the moment the ball was kicked. He combined well with Torres and Kara on the goal that was chalked out for offside and he continues to see passing lanes and runs that no one else on the field does. His volleyed goal was supremely difficult to pull off, yet he made it look easy. He waited for the ball to drop, kept his knee over it without leaning back, and fired it low into the corner where Maxime Crepeau couldn’t reach it. He was heavily involved aside from his goal with two successful dribbles, two chances created, a tackle, and he even won an aerial duel. He maybe could have done better with a late header that he didn’t place far enough away from Crepeau late, and his passing rate of 53.9% needs to be better, but he was still the Lions’ best performer on the night.
F, Ercan Kara, 7 — It was a good night from Kara. He’s still yet to open his scoring account but his awareness to head the ball back across goal for Pato to volley home — for his second MLS assist — was excellent and the quality of the header itself was also top notch. His dummy for the offside goal was very clever, and he too looks to be meshing better in the attack with every passing game. He was unlucky not to grab a late equalizer for the Lions but he couldn’t generate enough power on a well-placed header and was unable to get it past Crepeau. He had the second-most shots on the team, with three (one on frame), created a scoring chance, and it feels like a matter of time before he gets off the mark. He chipped in a pair of defensive clearances as well.
Substitutes
D, Rodrigo Schlegel (18’), 5.5 — Schlegel had a difficult task on the night, as he came in completely cold for the injured Carlos and was asked to deal with the high octane LAFC attack. For the most part, he did well. The Argentine led the team in tackles with three, won one aerial duel, recorded two interceptions, two clearances, and a block, and passed at a 95% rate. However, he got caught well up the pitch on the first LAFC goal and he could maybe have smacked the ball clear before Sanchez scored, but he didn’t, and then got picked by an LAFC player and was unable to fight through and get his body in the way. All in all, it was a typical hard-working shift from him but one he’ll want to improve upon.
D, Kyle Smith (72’) 6 — Smith had an interception, a tackle, and won an aerial duel in a little over 15 minutes on the field. Overall, he didn’t impact the game much and he wasn’t able to add anything offensively, but the numbers back up that he was his usual solid self defensively.
F, Benji Michel (72’) 6 — Benji provided a bit more verticality to the Orlando attack after coming on, and was given long balls to run onto several times. He had a decent chance to shoot or pass on the left side of the goal shortly after coming on but a heavy touch meant that Orlando had to settle for a corner. He whistled a shot very close to the far post and made an absolutely lung-busting recovery run to make a slide tackle and prevent a chance for LAFC on the counter.
F, Tesho Akindele (83’) N/A — In a brief cameo, Tesho didn’t have a ton of influence on the game with only three touches of the ball. He did win an aerial duel and pressed hard from the front as usual.
F, Silvester van der Water (83’) N/A — Van der Water had 10 touches in his brief time on the field and his deflected cross very nearly resulted in a goal for Alexandre Pato.
That’s how we saw the individual performances in this one. Feel free to share your opinions down in the comments, and make sure to vote for the Man of the Match in the poll below.
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Joao Moutinho | 12 |
| Mauricio Pereyra | 4 |
| Ercan Kara | 1 |
| Alexandre Pato | 39 |
| Other (Shout them out in the comments) | 0 |
Lion Links
Lion Links: 7/14/26
Marco Pasalic transfer rumor, Marta up for weekly award, MLS transfer roundup, and more.
Good morning, everyone. I write to you from Texas, specifically Dallas, as I was in Austin to see friends over the weekend and decided to pop up the road to take in the energy of the World Cup semifinal that will be played in the city later today. I won’t be attending the game, since I don’t wish to sell one of my kidneys but am looking forward to mingling with some of the fans who have traveled here for it. We’ve got a lot to talk about this morning, so let’s get into the links.
Marco Pasalic Transfer Rumor
There have been some quiet rumblings for awhile now that Marco Pasalic may leave Orlando City during the summer transfer window. We now have a more concrete report regarding a potential departure, as the streets are saying that the winger is set to sign for newly promoted Hull City, with a price tag of at least €7 million.
If the move does come to pass, it would reunite him with manager Sergej Jakirovic, who he briefly played for during his time at HNK Rijeka. Jakirovic also stated in a recent interview that he wants to sign Pasalic, so this is a rumor that could have some legs.
Marta Up for Weekly Honors
The Orlando Pride picked up an excellent win on Friday by knocking off the Kansas City Current 3-0, and Marta has been rewarded for her efforts in the victory with a nomination for the NWSL Player of the Week. The Brazilian legend bagged the team’s first goal shortly after halftime, when she found herself in space well outside the box and unleashed a low left-footed drive into the bottom corner for her 50th goal as a Pride player. For some reason, she was snubbed in the Goal of the Week voting despite her impressive strike, so make sure you go vote for her for Player of the Week!
MLS Transfer Roundup
With the MLS summer transfer window opening on Monday, we’ve got a slew of moves to get caught up on. We begin with confirmation of an item that we covered in Monday’s Links, as Nathan Ordaz has officially moved to D.C. United in exchange for up to $2.875 million. The New England Revolution have extended Matt Turner’s loan from Lyon, with the new deal lasting through December. It also has an option to extend the loan again until December 2027, after which the Revs have a purchase option. Atlanta United has signed Paraguayan center back Junior Alonso on a free transfer, with his deal running through the 2028-2029 season. Finally, Charlotte FC has announced the signing of forward Allan Saint-Maximin as a Designated Player. He will occupy the DP slot vacated by Wilfried Zaha.
USWNT Announces Fall Friendlies
The United States Women’s National Team has announced that it will play a pair of October friendlies against Spain in a matchup of the reigning World Cup champions against the reigning Olympic champions. The USWNT will face the top-ranked team in the world on Oct. 10 at Audi Field in Washington D.C., and again on Oct. 13 at Subaru Park in Chester, PA. The Oct. 10 match will also have a pregame retirement celebration for USWNT defender Crystal Dunn. This will be just the fourth time that the two teams have faced each other, with the U.S. winning two of the three previous meetings. The two friendlies will be the last games that the USWNT plays before beginning World Cup qualifying.
Previewing France vs. Spain
The World Cup semifinals begin today, with France and Spain set to throw down in Dallas. For France, the stars are too many to count, with Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Michael Olise all taking turns lighting up both the field and the scoreboard for the team that has made back-to-back appearances in the final. As far as Spain goes, all the focus is on Lamine Yamal, as the young winger has been key to Spain’s success despite scoring just one goal. If Nico Williams is able to start on the opposite wing, the French won’t be able to key so heavily on Yamal, and it could open up more space for him in which to operate. The matchup between the youngster and Lucas Digne will be key, as will the ability of either Mikel Oyarzabal or Ferran Torres to be effective up top for Spain.
Free Kicks
- Former Lion Daryl Dike is leaving West Bromwich Albion. We know a team that just traded a striker.
- Debinha has signed a contract extension with the Kansas City Current.
- Hydration breaks will reportedly be a key element in future negotiations for soccer media rights.
- Manchester United is reportedly in advanced negotiations to sign midfielder Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa.
- Pau Cubarsi has pushed back on comments made by Spain’s former prime minister Mariano Rajoy, in which he claimed that France “don’t have any French players.”
That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 7/13/26
Pride and OCB win, Maxime Crepeau to compete in MLS All-Star Skills Challenge, Latest MLS transfer roundup, and more.
Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been very busy at work, but I look forward to watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals and final this week. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.
Pride Shut Out Kansas City Current at Home
The Orlando Pride defeated the Kansas City Current 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium Friday night, bouncing back from a tough outing at Angel City the previous week. After a scoreless first half, Marta scored the opener from long distance to give Orlando the lead. Hannah Anderson and Barbra Banda added a goal apiece as the Pride have won three out of their last four league matches. Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse earned a clean sheet in her 100th appearance for the club. Orlando remains eighth in the NWSL table with 20 points. The Pride will be back in action at home Wednesday, taking on Boston Legacy at Inter&Co Stadium.
OCB Wins at FC Cincinnati 2
Orlando City B beat FC Cincinnati 2 by a 2-1 scoreline at NKU Soccer Stadium in Highland Heights, KY on Sunday. Issah Haruna’s goal gave the Young Lions the lead in the first half. In the second half, Cincinnati leveled the match, but Matthew Belgodere scored the winner on the road. That result pulls the Young Lions into third in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference standings with 33 points, just one point off leaders Chattanooga FC. OCB will be away for another road test Saturday against Chattanooga FC at Finley Stadium.
Orlando City Reportedly Submits Transfer Offer for Alex Moreno
Orlando City has reportedly submitted a transfer offer to sign Girona defender Alex Moreno. No agreement has been reached between the two sides, and conversations remain ongoing, according to reports. Moreno made 31 appearances for Girona last season in La Liga and recorded three assists. The 33-year-old left back remains under contract with Girona through 2027, but the club was relegated from La Liga to La Liga 2 last season. Several European clubs have also expressed interest in signing Moreno, including La Liga sides Real Betis and Rayo Vallecano.
Crepeau to Compete in MLS All-Star Skills Challenge
Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau will compete in the 2026 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge at Truist Field in Charlotte on July 28, the club announced Friday. The competition will feature top players from Major League Soccer and Liga MX competing to test their soccer skills on the pitch. Five skills challenge competitions are featured, including the All-Star Goalie Wars, All-Star Crossbar Challenge, and the MLS vs. Liga MX Relay Challenge. Each competition will crown its own champion this year, switching from the traditional MLS-versus-opponent format used in previous years.
Latest MLS Transfer Roundup
According to Tom Bogert of The Athletic, Sporting Kansas City has emerged as a potential option to sign former Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah.
D.C. United has reportedly acquired forward Nathan Ordaz from LAFC.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Sounders have reportedly traded defender Cody Baker to the New England Revolution.
Free Kicks
- Former Lion Silvester van der Water has signed with Cambodian Premier League side Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC.
- Ted Lasso actor Cristo Fernandez, who plays Dani Rojas in the show, made his professional debut for USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive over the weekend.
- FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed that the organization will examine expanding the men’s World Cup from 48 to 64 teams after the 2026 tournament concludes.
- Senegal has fired manager Pape Thiaw following its Round of 32 defeat to Belgium in the World Cup.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.
Orlando City
Orlando City Trades Duncan McGuire to Houston Dynamo
The Lions send the 2023 first-round pick to Houston for a pile of Garberbucks.
Orlando no longer runs on Duncan as Orlando City has traded 2023 first-round draft pick Duncan McGuire to the Houston Dynamo. The big striker with the even bigger smile and the back flips joins the Dynamo, with the Lions receiving $600,000 in 2026 General Allocation Money (GAM), $400,000 in 2027 GAM, and $250,000 in 2027-2028 GAM. The return could also include up to $1.15 million in GAM add-ons if certain performance metrics are met. OCSC will retain a percentage of any sell-on by Houston.
It became clear that something was up with McGuire, as he did not dress for Orlando City’s friendly against Tampa Bay on Wednesday.
“Duncan has meant a great deal to this club since the day he arrived in Orlando,” Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “His resilience, determination, and willingness to fight through challenges both on and off the field have earned the respect of everyone throughout our organization. He has played a major role in our success over the last several years, and when the opportunity arose, we wanted to ensure it was a move that made sense for both Duncan and the club. We’re grateful for everything he has given to Orlando City and wish him and his family nothing but success in this next chapter.”
The Lions selected McGuire out of Creighton with the No. 6 overall selection in the first round of the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. Although he was not a Generation Adidas player, the striker had signed a pre-draft contract with the league, meaning Orlando City didn’t need to spend time agreeing to a contract. The 6-foot-1 forward quickly became a starter for the Lions during his rookie year, and put together back-to-back, double-digit goal-scoring seasons in his first two professional seasons. Now in his fourth pro year, McGuire has appeared in 85 MLS matches (45 starts) for the Lions, scoring 29 goals and adding eight assists. In all competitions, McGuire has contributed 32 goals and nine assists in 109 appearances (55 starts).
Once one of the most promising up-and-coming American strikers in any league after his 24 goals across his first two MLS campaign, Mcguire underwent surgery on both shoulders in separate procedures after the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs, which have restricted his availability, affected his form, and have limited him to just five goals and three assists in his last 29 matches. He has sat behind various other strikers starting in his place the last couple of seasons, including Ramiro Enrique, Luis Muriel, and Justin Ellis.
After his breakout rookie campaign, in which the Omaha, NE native scored 14 goals, he was courted by several teams in Europe. He signed with Blackburn Rovers in 2024, only to see the transfer rejected by the English Football League due to an administrative error by the EFL Championship club. Upon his return, the Creighton product signed his most recent contract on Aug. 22, 2024, locking him down through 2027 with a club option for 2028. That deal now belongs to the Dynamo.
McGuire’s hot start to his professional career had him climbing the U.S. Men’s National Team player pool. Gregg Berhalter called him up to the USMNT for the first time in January 2024 ahead of the team’s friendly against Slovenia. The striker made his first USMNT appearance in that match, coming off the bench to replace Brian White on Jan. 20, 2024, in a 1-0 loss. That is his only cap to date, although he had previously appeared nine times and scored one goal for the U.S. U-23 side.
The 2022 Hermann Trophy winner spent three seasons at Creighton, where he appeared in 24 games (23 starts) in his final (junior) season, logging 1,591 college minutes. McGuire scored 23 goals and added three assists in 2022.
What It Means for Orlando City
It makes sense to deal a striker making a base salary of $600,000 ($921,000 in total guaranteed compensation) if he can’t crack the starting lineup. While some of that comes down to coaching decisions and other players emerging, it didn’t help McGuire that he struggled to regain the consistent form he showed in his first two years in Orlando. In the end, this is a bit of a blow financially to the club, as the initial agreement with Blackburn was for a reported $4 million. He now departs for considerably less money, but his value understandably dropped with his production and the two shoulder surgeries.
McGuire is still just 25 years old, and sitting out after two surgeries means he has fewer miles on his legs than many players his age. He could still regain the form that saw him score 14 times in 2023 and 10 more times in 2024 and had the USMNT and European clubs paying attention. Orlando City will hope that he returns to form, because that will influence how much GAM the club eventually receives for this transaction.
A fan favorite since his arrival, McGuire will be missed, and while the Lions could perhaps have benefitted from getting a player back in return to bolster an area of need, the influx of GAM can help accomplish the same goal.
McGuire’s departure appears to solidify Justin Ellis’ position on the first team, although his play in the first half of the season likely already did that. It may also open up more minutes for Tiago. But the trade also tells us that unless a new striker is brought in, the Lions will play without a traditional target striker for the time being, allowing players who have typically either played as wingers, attacking midfielders, or false nines to have the freedom to fluidly change positions and force defenders out of their comfort zones when it comes to coverage. Martin Ojeda, Antoine Griezmann, Ellis, Ivan Angulo, Marco Pasalic, and the team’s fullbacks will be harder to keep tabs on under such a system.
Whether it will work or if it will further stress the team’s shoddy transition defense (or both) remains to be seen.
Lion Links: 7/14/26
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