Connect with us

Orlando City

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

Published

5 years ago

on

MLS is back! And Orlando City is back to its winning ways! It was a sloppy game, as was expected in the first game back, but the Lions walked out of Disney with a 2-1 win. Nani provided an assist and goal, and Chris Mueller also found the back of the net.

Inter Miami struck first, immediately after halftime. Orlando was the better team in the first half but came out flat to start the second period. The Lions kept fighting until the very last second — into the 101st minute — and kicked off the MLS is Back Tournament with a win.

Here is how each Lion did individually:

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 5.5 — Gallese never really looked comfortable in net. He looked rusty. Still, he was not at fault for Miami’s goal, which was the only shot on target of the eight he faced. He made 27 passes and was involved in Orlando’s build-up some.

D, Joao Moutinho, 6.5 — Things were a little sloppy in the first game back. This was clearly evident in the 15th minute when he let a simple pass go right under his foot. He took a couple of big touches on occasion, and he wasn’t himself on the attacking end. He was fully deserving of his yellow card in the 38th minute. He completely missed the ball in a sliding challenge on Matías Pellegrini and took out Pellegrini’s legs. He could have done better on Miami’s goal, as he was beaten on the dribble, allowing his attacker to cut inside to start the final sequence. He was heavily involved in the attack and finished with 69 passes — the second most for Orlando — with a 76.8% success rate but was inaccurate with all three of his crosses. He had a game high 98 touches and tied Antonio Carlos for the team’s most aerials won (5) and most clearances (5). He finished with one tackle and a team-high four dribbles.  Given the circumstances, an overall solid game from the fullback.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — The Swede made a fantastic tackle on Pellegrini in the 12th minute. Pellegrini was in on goal if Jansson did not make the tackle, and he timed it perfectly. Juan Agudelo stripped the ball from him in the 20th minute. Luckily, Agudelo tried to chip Gallese from midfield and sliced it terribly. If he had made good contact, it could have been the opening goal of the match. Jansson made another vital tackle in stoppage time of the first half. He finished with two tackles and four clearances and was Orlando’s best center back. However, he should have done better on Miami’s goal and put up more effort to stop the assist.

D, Antonio Carlos, 5.5 — His first tackle came in the 45th minute. It was not a great tackle, timed poorly, and not necessary. It allowed Miami to win a free kick just outside the box. At the start of the second half, he lost Agudelo in the box, and the forward buried it to open the scoring. Carlos should have done much better here, and while not entirely responsible, could have easily prevented the goal. He did not have any tackles, but he did finish with a team-high three interceptions and tied with Moutinho with a game high five clearances and five aerials won. He had one shot attempt and a 74.5% passing accuracy.

D, Ruan, 6 — The first time that Ruan got forward was in the 10th minute. He made a run down the wing and into the box and won a corner. That energy continued for most of the match, and Ruan was a constant threat down the side. He had an impressive 88.6% passing accuracy on 35 passes, including one key pass. Defensively, he finished with one tackle and two clearances.

MF, Uri Rosell, 7 — Rosell was very active defensively. He was constantly putting pressure on any Miami player that entered the center of the field. He did a lot of work off the ball to take away passing options and switched the field well, going 7/10 on long balls. He finished the match with three tackles, one clearance, and one interception. In attack, his 70 passes — with an 87.5% success rate — were more than anyone else’s, and almost doubled that of Miami’s top passer (Ben Sweat, 45). He put up a good argument for Man of the Match.

MF, Junior Urso, 5 —Rosell sat in the center of the field. This allowed Urso to venture forward when Orlando had the ball. Unfortunately, he did not do too much, and he was partly responsible for Miami’s opening goal, getting caught on the wrong side of Pellegrini. It was overall a quiet night from the midfielder. He had just 26 touches and 24 passes (87.5% accuracy) in 62 minutes, one tackle, and no interceptions, clearances, or blocks.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6 — Pereyra was the best player for Orlando in the first half, but he was not on the ball often enough. He made a key pass to Mueller in the 22nd minute that should have led to a goal and was the Lions’ most creative player. He was a little quieter in the second period but was still Orlando’s most creative option. After he was subbed out, the Lions struggled to get the ball forward at all. He had three key passes, one shot, and was 90% accurate on 38 passes. Defensively, he chipped in three tackles, tying Rosell for the team high.

F, Nani, 7 (MOTM) — The captain was pretty quiet in the first half. He stayed on the left wing and dropped a bit deeper when Orlando got the ball. He attempted to take players on a few times, but he did not have a significant impact. He was poor in the 36th minute when he sent in a cross for Dwyer that was way too long. Nani probably should have shot, but the cross was poor as well. The second half started the same way for Nani, but then he stepped up out of nowhere. He made a good run down the left side and put in a perfect low cross for Mueller to tie it in the 70th minute. Nani’s second big impact came seven minutes into stoppage time. The ball was sent into the box by Moutinho and bounced off a Miami defender. The Designated Player pounced on it and scored the game-winner. He was quiet all game and didn’t have as big of a consistent impact as one would expect of him. However, a goal and an assist in a 2-1 win will get you the Man of the Match. He made one clearance and had three key passes on a 76.7% passing night. His three shots tied Mueller for the team lead, with one on target.

F, Dom Dwyer, 3 — He should have scored the opening goal in the 22nd minute after Mueller’s attempt was saved. The rebound went right into the middle of the field, but Dwyer’s feet got caught under him, and he fell. He didn’t get many touches, in part due to a breakdown of play in the attacking third on a sloppy night, leaving the game in the 63rd minute with just 18 touches and just a 54.6% passing rate. He added a tackle and a clearance defensively. Dwyer finished the game with one shot, not on target, and was unable to have a real impact in the match.

F, Chris Mueller, 7 — Cash was one-on-one with Robles in the 22nd minute. Mueller made a good effort on the net, but Robles made a better save. Mueller had another chance in stoppage time in the first half, but he took too much time. Mueller ended up taking a shot that was blocked and won a corner. He kept the energy going and finally got on the end of a ball in the 70th minute. He slid and tapped in the game-tying goal. Mueller led the team in shots (4), shots on target (2), and passing accuracy (96.8%), adding one tackle and an aerial won.

Substitutes

MF, Sebas Mendez (63’), 5.5 — The midfielder was another player who had a quiet night for Orlando. He did not provide much of an energy burst off the bench and had minimal impact in Orlando’s attack. He was just 79% accurate on his 33 passes. He did help out defensively and made two tackles with one aerial won. He picked up a yellow card on his only foul of the match, setting up a Miami free kick opportunity.

F, Tesho Akindele (63’), 4.5 — His first real action came in the 76th minute. It was a great cross from Mueller, but Akindele couldn’t get good contact on his header. It was a good cross and he should have put it on target. After coming on in the 62nd minute, Akindele had only one shot (off target) and no key passes; however, he did play a big part on the winning goal. After receiving a pass from Nani at the top of the area, he sent it back out wide to Moutinho on the left, then turned and made a run to the front of goal, dragging two Miami defenders with him. That left space for Nani, who was unable to get onto the cross, but had plenty of time to gather up the deflection and score.

MF, Andres Perea (83’), 3 — He was on the field for almost 20 minutes, and he had no stats. Zero passes, shots, dribbles, tackles, interceptions, and clearances. Typically, stats like that would lead to a rating of “N/A.” Seeing as he was on the field for 17 minutes, he should have done more.

F, Benji Michel (83’), 6 — Michel provided a burst of energy on the right when since he came on the field. He put a good cross in to Nani, whose header back across the grain just missed. While he did not have any shots, he created a threat to Miami. He was the most threatening Orlando player since Mueller and Pereyra went off. He won two aerials and had one clearance.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel (97’), N/A — Schlegel came on for Nani deep into stoppage time, just after the goal, and did not have enough time to impact the match.

Be sure to vote for who you thought was the Man of the Match below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Nani74
Chris Mueller42
Uri Rosell6
Mauricio Pereyra1
Other (comment below)1

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New England Revolution

Get to know this year’s New England Revolution team courtesy of someone who knows them best.

Published

1 day ago

on

May 9, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City remembered how to score on Wednesday night, as the Lions put five goals past the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the U.S. Open Cup. OCSC will try to carry that sort of offensive performance over to league play Saturday, when the New England Revolution come to town.

A match against the Revs means I caught up with Jake Catanese, one of the writers over at The Blazing Musket. As always, he was extremely helpful in bringing us up to speed on what this year’s version of the Revolution looks like.

Talk me through the Revolution’s off-season transfer business. Who are some of the new names to know?

Jake Catanese: Okay, so some of the new faces are from the end of last year: winger Luca Langoni and midfielder Alhassan Yusuf were both acquired back in August. Yusuf is a Nigerian international and has cemented himself in the lineup as one of the holding midfielders, and Langoni had a great spell at the end of the last year but was dropped to make room for the Revs’ newfangled 5-3-2 wingback setup — more on that in a bit. Also, Tomas Chancalay isn’t a new face but is fresh off the season-ending injury list from an ACL injury last May and is working his way back up to full fitness, and both he and Langoni started the USOC win against Rhode Island (Wednesday) along with MLS veterans Maxi Urruti and Jackson Yueill, who were picked up this off-season.

The big off-season stuff happened up front, with the Revs making a record GAM trade with Miami for Leo Campana and making an interesting short-term loan for Ligue 1’s Ignatius Ganago out of Nantes. In the Revs’ 4-2-3-1 setup to start the year, it was Campana as a lone striker and Ganago in what I’ll call the “Gustavo Bou” winger/striker role, but both have moved up top with the formation change and it’s been fairly successful. Campana did miss a month with a hamstring injury, which did not help the Revs early on, but the strike partnership is starting to blossom with productivity.

The Revs have been the best defensive team in the entire league, with just seven goals conceded in 10 games. What’s been the secret sauce there?

JC: To finish the rest of the question above, the Revs absolutely hit a massive home run with two new center backs in the off-season. Malian international Mamadou Fofana (age 27) and Colombian Brayan Ceballos (age 23) entered the starting lineup together and basically have been there ever since, and they’ve been tremendous. Ceballos got a Team of the Week nod on debut in Week 1 against Nashville and has been a solid aerial presence, which is something the Revs have struggled with in recent years. Fofana is tremendous on the ball and he’s passing at a 90% clip with an over 50% clip on long balls, as well with several deeper, line-breaking passes that have opened up the defense.

League veteran Tanner Beason was added as the third center back to go with Homegrown Peyton Miller and Israeli youngster Ilay Feingold as the wingbacks/fullbacks, and the Revs have pulled off effectively changing over their entire back line in one off-season, which, given the success this group is having, is rather unheard of. Combine that with keeper Aljaz Ivacic having a top season and his back line blocking a lot of shots for him as well, the Revs have a foundation that looks set for many years to come unless some big transfer offers come in.

The opposite side of that coin is the fact that New England has scored the third-fewest goals in the league with nine in 10 games. The Revs have come on stronger in recent weeks though, with six tallies in their last five matches. What’s changed for the Revs that has allowed the goals to start going in a little easier?

JC: Let me explain…no, there is too much, let me sum up. The Revs in a 4-2-3-1 to start the year were horrific. Campana’s injury didn’t help, but they weren’t moving the ball effectively up field to the attacking group, and turnovers often caught the fullbacks too high as well — almost a carbon copy of 2024, when the Revs were second to last in the East and more or less were to start this year as well. The solution was to drop the struggling Langoni and add a third center back and put Ganago into a second striker role, which on paper I had a lot of doubts about. However, Carles Gil is still a magician and the Revs did solve a major problem with the formation switch.

Having the wingbacks allows one of them to get forward without exposing the defense, so New England is able to switch the point of attack easier and not compromise their center back duo, because Beason is there to help put out any fires. Now the Revs get their width and deep support from the wingback spot and are able to use Miller and Feingold more effectively and confidently going forward, because they have enough strength in the back of the formation. It also helps that the two wingbacks have been really good with high passing numbers despite not registering any official assists yet. Feingold essentially had the assist on the Revs’ opener in Toronto last weekend, but his very dangerous initial cross into the box was half-cleared only to have Gil volley it top bins from the top of the box. Feingold isn’t the pure speedster Miller is, but as a duo they complement each other very well and bring back a 1-v-1 element the Revs really haven’t had since Tajon Buchanan.

Now, do I still think that Caleb Porter’s possession system is too slow and hampers the offense? Yes. Do I think the Revs should counterattack a lot more than they do currently? Also yes. Their two goals against Toronto were very direct — a turnover sent out wide to Feingold set up Gil and then a semi-broken play leading to a long through ball to Campana. I think this is when the Revs are at their most dangerous, because they generally have opponents on their back foot and not in an established and/or set back line. But they are improving and against Toronto were generating better chances and doing so more frequently. And despite their win streak, big chances have been a rarity so far this year. If New England is able to consistently counter and create chances inside the box, the defense is going to carry them very far and you will see this team protecting a lot of leads.

Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting XI and score prediction?

JC: No suspensions to talk about, and most of the longterm injuries are off the board as well with Chancalay and Campana back in action. Andrew Farrell and Wyatt Omsberg were listed as questionable last week, but Farrell started in the midweek Open Cup game and Omsberg was on the bench and subbed on for the final 15 minutes. Youngster Malcolm Fry is likely the only person that will still be listed as out come gameday.

5-3-2: Aljaz Ivacic; Peyton Miller, Mamadou Fofana, Brayan Ceballos, Tanner Beason, Ilay Feingold; Alhassan Yusuf, Matt Polster, Carles Gil; Ignatius Ganago, Leonardo Campana.

Same lineup as last week in Toronto — the midfield triangle sees Carles Gil work his magic as the roaming No. 10, so you might see the wingbacks listed with the holding mids in a 3-4-1-2 looking thing. The running joke with the PawedCast demands I predict a 2-2 draw, but given the defensive stinginess of these two teams in the last month or so, I find it highly unlikely this game will have four goals in it…which is exactly why it will happen. We’ll add another to Carles’ tally and I think Mr. Ganago is due for another one. He’s been robbed a few too many times this year.

Thank you to Jake for the excellent primer on this year’s Revolution team. Vamos Orlando!



Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/9/25

Orlando City’s next U.S. Open Cup match date revealed, MLS matches to watch, top soccer club valuations, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

May 9, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Friday! I hope the week has treated you well as we get ready for a Mother’s Day weekend packed with soccer. Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are both in action at the same time on Saturday, so make sure to plan accordingly depending on how you want to enjoy the action. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Orlando City Will Face Nashville in USOC on May 21

Orlando City will officially host Nashville SC on May 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the U.S. Open Cup’s Round of 16. That match is sandwiched between a road game against Inter Miami on May 18 and a home game against the Portland Timbers May 24, so at least there won’t be much travel during that week during an already jam-packed month. The Lions reached this stage of the tournament after beating the Tampa Bay Rowdies 5-0 Wednesday, while Nashville won 1-0 against the Chattanooga Red Wolves on Tuesday.

What to Watch In MLS This Weekend

We’ll all be tuned in for Orlando City’s match on Saturday against the New England Revolution, but there’s plenty more MLS action to look forward to as well. Before Orlando’s match, Inter Miami will head to St. Paul to take on a Minnesota United team that leads the league with six clean sheets this season. Another notable match this weekend is a clash between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings when the Philadelphia Union host the Columbus Crew. That game has Daniel Gazdag written all over it. Sunday night’s match should be a doozy between two heavyweight Western Conference teams, as LAFC will hit the road to take on the league-leading Vancouver Whitecaps.

MLS Clubs Listed Among World’s Most Valuable

Sportico announced the valuations for the top 50 most valuable soccer clubs in the world, and a whopping 19 MLS teams made the list. The Lions aren’t included, but it’s still neat to see some clubs like Minnesota, Sporting Kansas City, and Charlotte FC listed. LAFC is the highest listed MLS side, coming in at 16th with a $1.28 billion valuation. Real Madrid tops the list at $6.53 billion, and six of the top 10 are from the English Premier League. While valuations aren’t exactly hard evidence of success or influence, I think this is a testament to the growth and parity of MLS through an international lens.

English Clubs Reach Europa League Final

This year’s Europa League final will feature a pair of EPL teams as Manchester United and Tottenham breezed through the semifinals. United overcame a shaky first half to beat Athletic Club 4-1 at Old Trafford, with Mason Mount scoring two of the team’s four goals in the second half. Tottenham avoided an upset in Norway by winning 2-0 against Bodo/Glimt. The final will take place on May 21 in Spain, and there’s both a trophy and Champions League qualification on the line. Both United and Tottenham struggled this season and are respectively 15th and 16th in the league standings, but winning the Europa League is all that matters now.

Free Kicks

  • American midfielder Johnny Cardoso played every minute of Real Betis’ 2-2 result against Fiorentina to advance to the Europa Conference League final, where the Spanish club will face Chelsea on May 28. Enjoy this goal from Antony to help his side prevail.
  • In honor of Mother’s Day, AC Milan players will wear their mothers’ last names on the back of their jerseys in today’s match against Bologna. I love this idea and hope more clubs follow suit moving forward.
  • An ownership group led by David Beckham and Gary Neville acquired Salford City of England’s League Two.
  • Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra’s MMA debut will have to wait, as the 43-year-old’s fight set for May 23 in Paris was postponed.
  • We’ll end our links with what looks to be some unexpected Orlando Pride representation in Vatican City!

That’s all I have for you this time around. Have a fantastic Friday and enjoy the holiday weekend!

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs New England: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to score some goals and secure a victory against New England?

Published

2 days ago

on

May 8, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City might have the scoring woes in MLS matches as of late, but the Lions broke out against the Tampa Bay Rowdies Wednesday night in the U.S. Open Cup match. Of course, the Rowdies are not a very good team this year and are not a top flight team, so take it all with a grain of salt. What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points at home against the Revolution?

Stop Gil/Campana

New England has scored eight goals this season. Seven of those goals have come from Carles Gil (5) and Leonardo Campana (2). Gil has also contributed one of New England’s four assists on the season. The vast majority of the Revolution’s offense goes through these two players, meaning stopping the duo is priority number one.

I fully expect Oscar Pareja to field his first-team defense, including a back line of Alex Freeman, Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and David Brekalo. Orlando City will also need whoever is playing in the defensive midfield to be the first line of defense. Pedro Gallese cannot be expected to have eight saves every match. The defense needs to step up.

Streak vs. Streak

Orlando City is on an eight-match unbeaten streak. New England is on a four-match winning streak in league play and five in all competitions. One of these streaks will end Saturday night. The Revolution have scored six goals in the last four MLS matches with at least one goal in each match without conceding a goal during the streak. The Lions have only scored three goals in the last five MLS matches with all three coming in one match against Atlanta United. Orlando City has shut out five straight MLS opponents and six consecutive in all competitions.

Orlando City has given away too many points during the unbeaten run. The Lions have missed Eduard Atuesta’s ability to create opportunities for his teammates to score. I’m hoping he will be available, but if not, Pareja will need to figure a better adjustment than he has in previous matches.

No More Nil

Orlando City may be on an eight-match unbeaten streak, but the offense has been absent in four of those matches. In those 0-0 draws, Orlando City took 53 shots with only 12 on target (23% rate). Contrast that with the four matches in which they scored, when Orlando City took 68 shots with 25 on target (37% rate). The Lions will need as many chances as possible given New England has only allowed seven goals so far this season. This is a defensively solid team.

Marco Pasalic did not play in the Open Cup victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies, meaning he will be well rested and ready to start scoring goals again. He seemed to be dialing in during the Chicago match but he was taken off before he could convert. I want him to pick up where he left off, so he and many others can score goals against the Revolution. Hopefully, the goals scored against the Rowdies will kickstart the offense.

That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Trending