Orlando City
Orlando City vs. LAFC: Player Grades and Man of the Match
It was a match that Orlando City wasn’t supposed to win, and it didn’t. However, the club did advance past LAFC on penalty kicks 1-1 (5-4) into the semifinals of the MLS is Back Tournament. LAFC is a powerhouse club in MLS, and after defeating the Seattle Sounders in the Round of 16, most expected last year’s Supporters Shield winners to keep rolling on. Óscar Pareja and Orlando City didn’t get that message.
The Lions held LAFC to eight shots (none in the first half), five shots on target, and only one goal. Orlando City pressed LAFC, and never backed down. The Lions were able to break LAFC’s lines time and again to keep LAFC from getting into its usual rhythm. Even though it seemed to be for naught when LAFC went up a goal, the Cardiac Cats reeled them back in and ultimately advanced on kicks.
Let’s look at how Orlando City’s players did individually in what might be the club’s biggest “win” in the MLS era.
Starters
GK, Pedro Gallese, 7.5 — El Pulpo made four saves. His positioning was good, even on LAFC’s goal where he didn’t really have a chance. Bradley Wright-Phillips slipped in between defenders as he has done so many times in the past. His distribution was good, and he directed his back line effectively. While he wasn’t challenged as much as one might have expected, he did just enough to help Orlando City, making three big stops on Diego Rossi and a late one to deny Jordan Harvey. If not for El Pulpo, the Lions wouldn’t have had a chance to hang around and tie things up late.
D, João Moutinho, 7.5 (MotM) — The young defender made the most out of his appearance against his former club. Moutinho was integral on both ends of the pitch. While he did commit two fouls, neither resulted in a goal for the opposition. He had three tackles, two clearances, and two blocked shots on defense. João attempted 43 passes and had a 75.6% passing rate. Most importantly, he scored the header to draw Orlando City even in the 90th minute off Nani’s corner kick. He also put in his shot during the penalty kicks to help the Lions advance past his former club.
D, Antonio Carlos, 7 — Carlos put in a solid effort, though he was one of the players that wasn’t able to stop Bradley Wright-Phillips. He made six interceptions, two clearances, and committed one foul. Carlos attempted 42 passes and had a 71.4% passing rate. He put in a dangerous header off of a corner in the 27th minute, but it was pushed over the crossbar. It was another solid outing from the young center back, as he continues to prove he deserves to start. He also made his shot during the penalty shootout.
D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Jansson is leading the defense of Orlando City as well as anyone in recent memory. He had four interceptions, four clearances, and committed no fouls. Jansson attempted 20 passes at a 70% passing rate. He seemed to get caught in no man’s land on the LAFC goal, but Wright-Phillips was behind him and he was playing what was in front of him. In the 78th minute, he went up for a header and was injured on the way down. Jansson seemed to get a knock to his stomach, and also a cramp in his leg. He came off in the 80th minute. It’s important to keep in mind that Jansson and the defense held LAFC to eight shots, and five on target.
D, Ruan, 7 — Ruan created his usual havoc for the opposition as he ranged up and down the right side. On defense he had three tackles, two clearances, and two fouls. Ruan attempted 43 passes and had a 73.2% passing rate. He did earn a yellow card in the ninth minute, but it didn’t affect his play. He also suffered three fouls including the penalty in the 55th minute to give Orlando an opportunity to go ahead.
MF, Sebas Mendez, 5.5 — Mendez started in place of Junior Urso, and despite a few slip-ups it was a pretty good game for the midfielder. He had made three tackles, two interceptions, and committed three fouls. He attempted 43 passes and had a 93% passing rate. Mendez had one shot blocked in the 29th minute, as he waited too long to get it off and was closed down. He committed a foul in the 40th minute to set up an LAFC free kick, and, most importantly, he gave the ball away in the 60th minute in Orlando’s half. That giveaway resulted in LAFC’s goal.
MF, Oriol Rosell, 6 — Uri put in his usual solid shift. On defense he had one tackle, and committed two fouls. Offensively he had one shot in the 53rd from top of the box, but the ball sailed over the crossbar. Rosell came off in the 71st minute after another workmanlike effort.
MF, Chris Mueller, 5.5 — Cash never had much of a chance to really get going, as he was fouled early on, and obviously injured his shoulder. Despite that, he stayed on to finish the half, before subbing out. He suffered a total of three fouls, and made one interception. He also won a corner kick. Mueller attempted 12 passes with a 66.7% passing rate.
MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6 — Pereyra was once again a key player in the Lions’ offense. He took most of the corners, attempted one shot, with two tackles, and committed two fouls. He attempted 46 passes with a 78.3% passing rate. In the 48th minute he earned a yellow card for an unintentional studs up challenge. He also committed an unintentional handball in LAFC’s area that stopped an Orlando City build up. Pereyra buried his attempt during the penalty kicks as Orlando’s first shooter, setting the tone.
MF, Nani, 6.5 — The captain put in a good shift, taking seven shots, with three on target, and suffered one offside call. He made one interception, once clearance, and committed two fouls. Nani attempted 45 passes with a 71.1% passing rate, and seven crosses. His shot in the 38th minute was on target but easily saved. His second biggest moment of the match was missing the penalty kick in the 57th minute. He almost forced an own goal from his cross in the 64th, and just missed to the right on a shot outside the 18 in the 73rd. As usual, he left the best for last, assisting on the equalizer and putting in the deciding penalty kick to put Orlando City through to the next round.
F, Tesho Akindele, 5 — Tesho had a quiet night for Orlando City. He suffered one foul, made one tackle, and made one interception. He attempted 12 passes with a 66.7% passing rate, and was caught offside once.
Substitutes
F, Benji Michel (46’), 5 — Benji came in earlier than expected due to Mueller’s injury. Defensively he made one tackle, had four interceptions, one clearance, and committed one foul. Michel attempted 12 passes with a 66.7% passing rate. He also took one shot, which sailed high and wide in stoppage time.
F, Daryl Dike (71’), 4 — Dike made his second appearance for the Lions, coming on for Tesho. You can see the potential, but he needs more time to put it together. He missed a header in the 87th minute, and completed two passes.
MF, Andrés Perea (71’), 5 — Perea came on for Rosell, and did well to help Orlando City press for the equalizer. He made one tackle, and attempted 11 passes with a 90.9% passing rate. He also earned a yellow card in the 86th minute.
D, Kyle Smith (80’), 6 — Typically coming in so late in a match wouldn’t be enough time to earn a grade, but Smith made two key plays. In the 82nd minute he made a save with his head to keep the ball out of the net after Gallese’s double save. He also made his shot attempt during the penalty kicks.
F, Santiago Patiño (89’), N/A — Patiño completed two passes in very limited time.
I wasn’t kidding when I said this might be the biggest moment for Orlando City in the MLS era. I know we had the Running of the Wall, but all eyes were on this match because it was against LAFC. Very few had Orlando City advancing, including myself on The ManeLand PawedCast. I’ve never been happier to be wrong about a prediction, and I’ve had plenty of opportunities to be wrong.
While many thought the Lions would be home by now, Orlando City fans have the luxury of enjoying the remaining quarterfinal games and waiting to see who their team will play — San Jose or Minnesota.
This is how I saw the game. How do you feel about the individual performances? Tell us by commenting and voting on the Man of the Match below.
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Nani | 114 |
| Robin Jansson | 5 |
| João Moutinho | 101 |
| Sebas Mendez | 46 |
| Other | 2 |
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. FC Naples, U.S. Open Cup: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Lions start their run in the 2026 U.S. Open Cup on the road but inside the state at FC Naples.
Welcome to your match thread for a Wednesday night Round of 32 U.S. Open Cup matchup between Orlando City and FC Naples at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex (7 p.m., Paramount+) in Naples. This is the first time the Lions will face the USL League One side in any competition.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.
History
There is literally no history between these teams. I just told you above that they’ve never met. You didn’t forget, did you?
As far as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is concerned, the Lions have a lengthy history, including winning the competition in 2022. Orlando City is 17-9-5 all-time in the competition, 9-5-5 since becoming an MLS side. Away from Orlando, the Lions are 6-6-2 on the road in the U.S. Open Cup, 3-2-2 since joining Major League Soccer.
FC Naples, which began play in 2025, is an outstanding 4-0-1 in U.S. Open Cup play, with the only blemish being a penalty shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies in 2025, which set up Orlando City’s road match in the I-4 Derby last year.
Overview
The Lions are coming off a 1-1 road draw against the Columbus Crew on Sunday. It was a welcome change from the 5-0 and 6-0 road wins the club racked up in three previous away outings, however, it was not a victory and Orlando City has been outscored 17-1 outside the City Beautiful, posting a 0-3-1 road record.
FC Naples is coming off a 2-0 home win over Sarasota Paradise. The USL League One side sits atop the league table at 4-1-1 with all four victories coming via shutout. Naples is 3-1-1 at home this year in league play and 5-1-1 in all competitions. That includes its two previous U.S. Open Cup matches — a 3-0 win over Red Force FC on March 18 and another 3-0 win over FC America CFL Spurs on March 31.
Christopher Garcia, a 23-year-old winger from El Paso, TX, is the club’s top scorer with three goals in six league matches. He also leads FC Naples in assists with three. Forward Dominick Bachstein is just behind with two goals. Bachstein scored a goal in Naples’ last U.S. Open Cup victory, becoming the sixth different goal scorer for the club in the competition.
To start their 2026 U.S. Open Cup run off on the right foot, the Lions must avoid taking the USL League One side lightly. Naples will be at home, riding a wave of confidence from previous results, and eager to show it can compete with an MLS side — especially one struggling the way Orlando City has this year so far. Interim coach Martin Perelman will likely play a combination of young players and veterans, and it was a bit surprising to see both of the team’s Designated Players and captain Robin Jansson in social media pictures of the team boarding the plane on Tuesday. The Lions could use a confidence-building win, and perhaps that’s the idea. To do that, they’ll have to beat Edward Delgado, the goalkeeper leading USL League One in shutouts (4).
The Lions will be without Wilder Cartagena (thigh) and Joran Gerbet (knee). It’s unknown if Duncan McGuire will be available after being a late scratch over the weekend.
Match Content
- Our most recent episode of The Mane Land PawedCastfeatures our key matchups and score predictions for tonight’s match.
Projected Lineups:
Orlando City (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Javier Otero.
Defenders: Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, Iago, Zakaria Taifi.
Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Colin Guske, Braian Ojeda, Marco Pasalic.
Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Tiago.
FC Naples (4-1-4-1)
Goalkeeper: Edward Delgado.
Defenders: Jaden Strumier, Joshua Yoder, Luca Mastrantonio, Hudson Gay.
Defensive Midfielder: Marc Torrellas.
Midfielders: Taylor Gray, Juan Osorio, Kevin O’Connor, Ian Cerro.
Forward: Dominick Bachstein.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7 p.m.
Venue: Paradise Coast Sports Complex — Naples.
TV/Streaming: Paramount+.
Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.
Enjoy the match. Go City!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 4/15/26
Orlando City visits FC Naples, Champions League results, World Cup news, and more.
Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s our first tax day with out Kyle “The Tax Man” Smith, but hopefully we’ll still get everything filed on time. What wasn’t in time to be included today was the USWNT friendly against Japan last night since it kicked off at 10 p.m. We will have more on that match tomorrow. Most importantly, it’s match day for Orlando City, so let’s get to the links.
Orlando City’s Open Cup Begins
Orlando City is in Naples for the club’s opening match of the 2026 U.S. Open Cup. The Lions are facing USL League One side FC Naples tonight. FC Naples is a good team that currently sits first in USL League One. We can expect a few veterans to make an appearance, but we will likely see younger players like Zakaria Taifi. The team is expecting a sold-out crowd for the home team. Taifi shared his thoughts with the media ahead of the match.
Crocker to Saudi Arabia
Matt Crocker is no longer the sporting director of the U.S. Soccer Federation after taking a similar position with the Saudi Arabia soccer federation. Crocker is the person responsible for bringing in Emma Hayes and Mauricio Pochettino. The main part of his job was implementing a top-to-bottom alignment of the “U.S. Way” across all levels in the U. S. Soccer system. Saudi Arabia reportedly presented an offer that Crocker could not refuse. The timing is interesting given the World Cup is only about two months away.
Champions League Results
It was an eventful day in the UEFA Champions League. Soon-to-be Orlando City attacker Antoine Greizmann’s Atletico Madrid got past Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate to advance to the semifinals. The USMNT’s Johnny Cardoso made a late appearance to help defend the result. Much to my chagrin, PSG ousted Liverpool 2-0 (4-0 on aggregate). The other two matches are later today with Bayern Munich taking on Real Madrid and Arsenal facing Sporting CP.
World Cup News
Do you remember the feeling you had when it was announced that the World Cup would once again be played in the United States? I remember thinking how cool it was going to be to go to a match even if it meant driving hours to do so. How naive I was. A lot of the news is more like this story about the NJ Transit raising the cost of train tickets seven fold.
Several venues are also not allowing tailgating at the games, including matches at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA. We also now know the full list of referees from all six soccer confederations.
Free Kicks
- Javier Mascherano is out at Inter Miami. I really hope this sends Inter Miami into a tailspin for the rest of the season, though I doubt it will.
- Oscar Pareja and Mascherano aren’t the only coaches let go so far this season, but is parting ways with a coach early in a season a good idea? (Paywalled link).
- Ally Financial has reached its proposed 50/50 media goal of equal advertising spending on men’s and women’s sports media earlier than expected. I’m always suspicious of big companies, but this is still a good thing.
- The U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team defeated Brazil 2-0 in the first of two matches between the two.
- Lionel Messi has been sued for not showing up for Inter Miami friendlies. Hahahahahahaha…deep breath…hahahahahahahaha.
That will do it for today. Check back tonight for our coverage of Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup match. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 4/14/26
Americans in midweek action, USWNT set to run it back against Japan, Concacaf Champions Cup preview, and more.
Good morning, everyone. We’ve got an extremely busy week ahead of us, as the United States Women’s National Team plays two matches, Orlando City plays in the U.S. Open Cup and Major League Soccer, and Orlando City B is back home after falling at Chattanooga on Saturday. All of that action means we’ve got a lot to discuss this morning, so let’s have a look at the links.
Americans in Midweek Action
There are a number of Americans taking part in matches this week so let’s check in on some of the biggest ones. Things got started on Monday as Brenden Aaronson picked up an assist on the winning goal in Leeds United’s 2-1 win over Manchester United. Tuesday sees Atletico Madrid try to preserve its 2-0 aggregate lead over Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League, although Johnny Cardoso is out injured. Tuesday also has Alejandro Zendejas and Club America facing Nashville SC in the Concacaf Champions Cup, with the tie level at 0-0. Thursday has Chris Richards and Crystal Palace trying to protect a 3-0 lead over Fiorentina in the UEFA Conference League. Things finish up on Friday when Haji Wright and Coventry City travel to Blackburn Rovers in the EFL Championship.
USWNT vs. Japan Part II: Electric Boogaloo
The United States Women’s National Team will play the second of three matches against Japan tonight, with this contest set to take place in Seattle after Saturday’s 2-1 win in San Jose. The first match was all about Rose Lavelle as she scored one goal for the USWNT and assisted on the other, but there are some other areas to watch in this one. Manager Emma Hayes will likely ring the rotations after just two days of rest, so someone other than Lavelle will need to step up and be the difference maker. It was good to see the Yanks pick up a victory after losing to Japan in the 2025 SheBelieves Cup, but goalkeeper Claudia Dickey had to make six saves on the night, and Hayes will likely want a stingier performance from the back line. Kickoff is set for 10 pm tonight.
Concacaf Champions Cup Preview
As mentioned earlier, the Concacaf Champions Cup is back tonight, and there are several MLS teams attempting to book passage through to the semifinals. LAFC is in the best position, as it holds a 3-0 lead over Cruz Azul, although the second leg will be played in Mexico. Regardless, grabbing even one away goal should be enough to see the California-based side through to the semis. Nashville is level at 0-0 with Club America but has a tough task ahead with the second leg set to be played at the Azteca. The Seattle Sounders are down 2-0 to Tigres but will play the second leg at Lumen Field and will need their home field advantage to pay off. The LA Galaxy got roughed up 4-2 by Toluca in the first leg but did score two away goals. You’d bet on the Galaxy to score in the comfortable confines of Dignity Health Sports Park, but the trick is going to be holding Toluca scoreless for just the second time in the last 14 matches across all competitions.
Transfer Rumor Roundup
The summer transfer window will be upon us before we know it, so it’s important to stay abreast of all the current rumors. Bayern Munich has reportedly held talks with Anthony Gordon’s representatives about a summer move, although no contact has been made with Newcastle United as of yet. Speaking of Newcastle United, the Magpies could reportedly be involved in a swap deal with Manchester United that would see Manuel Ugarte join Newcastle while Sandro Tonali moves the other way. Moving to Ligue 1, Ousmane Dembele is reportedly stalling on signing a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain, and whispers are starting about a move to Saudi Arabia or the Premier League. Finally, Endrick’s loan spell at Lyon has seen him record eight goal contributions in 11 league games, and Real Madrid is reportedly prepared to sell Gonzalo Garcia in order to make room for the Brazilian in the Spanish capital.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City dropped one spot to no.27 in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
- Winners from MLS matchday seven include Julian Hall and German Berterame, while Mikey Varas and Emmanuel Latte Lath found themselves on the other end of the spectrum.
- A horrible break for the Columbus Crew has been confirmed, as Wessam Abou Ali tore his ACL in Sunday’s match.
- Tottenham captain Cristian Romero will reportedly miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City vs. FC Naples, U.S. Open Cup: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
Lion Links: 4/15/26
PawedCast Episode 527: Crew Rewind, USOC and Houston Previews, OCB, and More
Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
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