Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Portland Timbers: Player Grades and Man of the Match

Published

5 years ago

on

Orlando City’s run in the MLS is Back Tournament came to an end last night with a 2-1 defeat to the Portland Timbers. I would have to say not many people had the Lions making the final, which turned out to be a very physical match-up. Down in the match until Mauricio Pereyra scored the equalizer in the 39th minute, the Lions dominated possession, but it wasn’t enough and they came up just short in the end.

Let’s see how the Lions rated individually in the tournament final.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 7 — The Peruvian goalkeeper had four saves in the match but unfortunately the Timbers were able to get their first goal off a free kick as Larrys Mabiala got his header from a perfect Diego Valeri delivery past Gallese to take the lead. The second goal was off a corner kick and Eryk Williamson’s shot was deflected off of Jeremy Ebobisse to center back Dario Zuparic, who buried it for Portland. Gallese was able to keep Orlando in it with some big saves in the second half. One of them came in the 65th minute when he dove to the right side on a Valeri a free kick. I’ve got to give him credit for trusting his wall on that one. Gallese then made another big stop on Ebobisse on the ensuing corner He also made a 1-v-1 save on Valeri late to give the Lions a chance.

D, João Moutinho, 6 — The left back led Orlando with 91 touches and completed 92% of his passes, creating two solid chances in the game. Joao Moutinho was, for the most part, effective but he got out-muscled on Mabiala’s goal. A sloppy touch on a clearance attempt led to a turnover and a yellow card in the 63rd minute. He finished with an interception, a shot, and a clearance.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — For the night Jansson had one shot in the game and completed 95.4% of his passes. He was key in blocking a Sebastian Blanco shot in the 51st minute. He blocked three shots in total, with one interception and a clearance. He made a critical stop in the 58th minute to prevent Marvin Loria from breaking in alone on goal after Ruan got caught up field.

D, Antonio Carlos, 7 — Antonio Carlos had a busy, physical game. He finished with four clearances, four interceptions, a tackle and two fouls. He got a yellow card in the 47th minute for fouling Valeri, setting up a dangerous free kick. Of the two center backs, Carlos got forward more to assist the offense, completing 85% of his passes.

D. Ruan, 6 — Ruan created a couple of chances in the match with one coming in the 75th minute. He crossed the ball in to Akindele but Portland’s defense cleared it with a sliding challenge. He played a hard 87 minutes on the pitch but committed four fouls and also received a yellow card in the 85th minute before being subbed off. Only one of his four crosses was accurate on an otherwise good passing night (89.5%). He could have used his speed more to get to the end line to find better crossing lanes.

MF, Sebas Mendez, 5.5 — Mendez led the team in total shots, with three, but none were on target and his best opportunity was blocked by Mabiala in the 56th minute. Sebas completed 95.8% percent of his passes and avoided dangerous turnovers, getting dispossessed just once in the match. He surprisingly registered no defensive statistics at all, and committed three fouls. His foul in the 25th minute led to Portland’s opener on the ensuing free kick.

MF, Oriol Rosell, 5.5 — Rosell had no tackles, but had an interception and six recoveries on the night. He created one scoring chance on a 92% passing night and literally threw himself into passing lanes frequently to prevent Portland transition opportunities.

MF, Chris Mueller, 5 — Mueller started the game and although he wasn’t on the ball much he still managed two shots in the match, although neither was on target. One moment that summed up his night was his opportunity in the 41st minute — just moments after Pereyra’s goal — when he got the ball at the top of the area but showed too much of the ball while trying to position himself for a shot and it was easily cleared away. Mueller only managed 28 touches, passing at an 88% clip with one key pass. He continues to hustle (one interception, one clearance, and one blocked shot) but hasn’t quite looked right since injuring his shoulder a couple games ago against LAFC.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 7.5 (MotM) — Mauricio continued his excellent play in the tournament with an equalizing goal in the 39th minute — his second goal of the tournament. He made things happen with two shots and a key pass but his set piece delivery was a bit off on the night and actually led to a dangerous counter attack in the 90th minute. He passed only at an 81.1% rate but was one of the few players trying to create something against Portland’s tightly packed low block. He contributed two tackles and an interception and his pressure helped create some turnovers from rushed passes by the Timbers.

MF, Nani, 7 — Nani was a little more quiet than usual. He was definitely involved in the action after a slow start but was certainly getting a lot of attention from the Portland defenders. His low cross in the 39th minute helped set up Orlando City’s only goal of the night. Nani had two shots, one corner kick, and received a yellow card in the 73rd minute. He could have done more on Portland’s second goal but decided to guard the line and was unable to keep out Dario Zuparic’s shot. He provided three key passes — second in the game only to Valeri — passed at an 85.2% rate, and completed four of his six long balls.

F, Tesho Akindele, 5 — Tesho was again very quiet. He played 78 minutes in the match before he was subbed out with just 25 touches and two shots in the match (neither on target). Portland’s low block prevented teammates from finding him but his movement must also be more creative in that situation. He provided two key passes and was fairly accurate in his passing (81.3%), considering half of his attempts were in the attacking third. He added a tackle and a clearance.

Substitutes

MF, Junior Urso (71’), 5.5 — Urso came on to replace Mendez and drew a foul for a free kick in a good area but outside of that was quiet. He attempted no shots but completed 92.9% of his passing attempts and recorded a tackle.

F, Benji Michel (71’), 5 — Benji came on to replace Mueller and tried to make a few plays happen but Portland limited him to just 10 touches, no shots or key passes, and 75% passing accuracy but on only four attempts. He did manage to draw a couple of fouls, including one that led to a good free kick opportunity in the 89th minute.

F, Daryl Dike (78’), N/A— The rookie played 12 minutes in the match and touched the ball only six touches, so he didn’t have time to earn a grade. However, he did register a key pass in his brief time on the field.

F, Santiago Patino (79’), N/A — With only had two pass attempts (both complete) and four total touches, Pantino wasn’t on long enough to earn a grade.

D, Kyle Smith (87’), N/A — Smith came on for Ruan in the final minutes of the match. He had one shot at eternal glory in stoppage time when he tried to volley a shot from a free kick scramble into the net but it was a tough chance and the effort went over the crossbar. He had the best chance to tie the game for the Lions and no doubt feels he should have scored on that one.

It was the set pieces that ended up costing the Lions in this match. The players should hold their heads up high after a solid run to the final. Orlando City won Group A, upset LAFC on penalties in the quarterfinals, and beat a good Minnesota United team in the semifinals. Hopefully our Lions will use this loss as motivation and when the regular season begins Aug. 22 against Inter Miami CF, they’ll go on another run to improve and strive to make the playoffs for the first time in the MLS era.

How do you feel about the individual performances and the grades? Were we too low or too high on some players? Tell us by commenting and voting on the Man of the Match below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Pedro Gallese40
Antonio Carlos1
Robin Jansson2
Mauricio Pereyra34
Nani2
Other3

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/9/25

Thomas Williams departs via trade, World Cup hydration breaks, UEFA Champions League previews, and more.

Published

23 hours ago

on

December 9, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone. The 2025 MLS season is officially over, which means it’s time to start looking ahead to 2026. The start of next season is still over two months away, but there are still plenty of things going on in the soccer world during the meantime. We’ve got a lot to discuss this morning so let’s get right into the links.

Thomas Williams Traded

Orlando City announced on Monday that it has traded Homegrown center back Thomas Williams to Nashville SC. In exchange, Nashville sent Orlando its first-round pick in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft and will also send up to an additional $100,000 in General Allocation Money if certain performance incentives are hit. That first-round pick is the 20th overall selection in the draft, meaning that Orlando now has the fifth, ninth, 14th, and the 20th overall picks, for a whopping four first-round selections. Williams’ departure means that Orlando will likely need to sign a fourth center back to join Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and David Brekalo, although whether that happens in the draft or via the transfer window/trade market is anyone’s guess.

World Cup Will Have Hydration Breaks

FIFA has announced that every game in the 2026 World Cup will be paused for three minutes during each half for a hydration break, regardless of weather conditions. The break will occur 22 minutes into each half, and effectively splits the game into four quarters. After some games in the Club World Cup were played in over 100-degree heat, the decision to include water breaks was made to prioritize player safety, and the choice to have breaks even in games where conditions don’t call for one is intended to ensure competitive balance. The decision is a sensible one when it comes to player welfare, but don’t be at all surprised when FIFA uses the three-minute time frame to run advertisements, because I guarantee that’s what will happen.

UEFA Champions League Returns

The UEFA Champions League is back for its sixth round of league phase matches this week, and there are several eye-catching matchups on the docket. Today’s action is highlighted by Liverpool traveling to the San Siro to face Inter Milan, and the Reds will be hoping for a repeat of the Round of 16 tie between the two teams back in 2021-2022, when they beat the Italians 2-0 in Milan. Meanwhile, Chelsea will hope to build off an impressive 3-0 win over Barcelona on matchday five, when the Blues travel to Bergamo to face Atalanta. The tentpole match on Wednesday sees Real Madrid host Manchester City, with the match marking the fifth straight season that the teams have played each other in the Champions League.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

The January transfer window will be here before we know it, and as expected, the rumor mill is firing on all cylinders. Up first, Napoli is said to be increasing its efforts to sign Kobbie Mainoo on loan next month, as the Italian club needs capable bodies in a midfield that’s been wracked by injuries. Atletico Madrid is reportedly interested in signing Valentin Barco from Strasbourg, but Chelsea may have an advantage in landing his signature due to the fact that Strasbourg and Chelsea are sister clubs. AC Milan is said to be planning to use Luka Modric’s connection to Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin to help sign the Ukrainian shot stopper if current goalkeeper Mike Maignan leaves at the end of the season. Finally, Real Madrid, Arsenal, and Manchester United are all said to be interested in signing Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, but the French club wants a fee in the area of €60 million.

Free Kicks

  • Here’s a peek at some of the off-season renovations underway at Inter&Co Stadium.
  • The NWSL will be hosting a combine for the first time.

🔵 Sources: Sporting KC has acquired GK Stefan Cleveland from Austin FC.Deal is worth $50k GAM. Cleveland has signed a new contract with SKC.

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2025-12-08T16:13:32.116Z

That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City Sends Defender Thomas Williams to Nashville for First-Round Pick

The Lions deal their Homegrown center back to Nashville for a first-round 2026 draft pick.

Published

2 days ago

on

December 8, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City announced today that the club has sent Homegrown center back Thomas Williams to Nashville SC in a trade for the Tennessee club’s first pick in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft. The deal could also net Orlando City up to an additional $100,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) if Williams meets certain performance metrics.

The pick acquired is the No. 20 overall selection in the Dec. 18 SuperDraft, giving Orlando four picks in the draft’s first round. The Lions hold the No. 5 overall pick (from the LA Galaxy), the No. 9 selection (from the Houston Dynamo FC), their own pick at No. 14, and now the No. 20 slot from Nashville.

The club signed Williams, 21, to a Homegrown Player contract on June 15, 2021, making him the 11th Homegrown signing in OCSC history. He was just 16 years old at the time and already stood 6-foot-4. He was the club’s youngest Homegrown signing to that point at just 16 years and 10 months, surpassing Tommy Redding (17 years, one month, 15 days). Orlando City picked up Williams’ contract option in 2024 and apparently saw enough in his development to sign him to a new contract through 2026 on Jan. 22 with an option for 2027.

In 2025, Williams spent most of his season with Orlando City B, where he played in 24 games, (all starts), logging 2,117 minutes with the Young Lions. Defensively, he recorded 44 clearances, 35 tackles, 31 interceptions, 25 blocks and 33 aerial duels won in MLS NEXT Pro. He committed 27 fouls while picking up seven yellow cards and suffering seven fouls. He passed with 91% accuracy while completing three key passes and contributing one assist, and he took 14 shots with six of them finding the target. For the senior side, Williams was limited to one appearance from the substitutes’ bench for a total of 10 minutes against CF Montreal in the regular season, and he did not appear in any other competitions. He contributed three clearances, one tackle, and one interception on defense while also committing a foul. He completed his lone pass but did not record any offensive statistics.

Williams did not appear with the first team in MLS play in 2024 or 2023, but he made four appearances (two starts) in 2022, logging 181 minutes without a goal contribution. He made his MLS debut with Orlando City on April 16 of that season, when he played one minute off the bench in the Lions’ 2-0 win at Columbus. He entered during stoppage time and did not even register a touch of the ball. His first start with the senior team came just days later, when the Lions hosted the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the U.S. Open Cup — a game Orlando won 2-1 on April 20. In all, Williams was on Orlando City’s team sheet for 24 league matches and two USOC games. He played in just the one game vs. Tampa Bay, going 90 minutes; recording no goals, assists, or shots; passing at an 89% success rate; and committing one foul.

What It Means for Orlando City

At just 21 years old, there is still a ton of time for Williams to develop into the center back Orlando City envisioned when the club signed him as a Homegrown Player, but if he does, it will be somewhere other than in Orlando. Williams has been an inconsistent performer at the MLS NEXT Pro level over the past few seasons, but some of that can be attributed to the number of different lineups and center back partners he’s played with over that time. It became clear that Orlando City’s current coaching staff did not trust Williams enough to give him first-team minutes when Kyle Smith started filling in when the Lions were down more than one center back from the group of Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and David Brekalo.

What this move might do, aside from potentially bringing in a player in the draft who can help the club for years to come, is force Orlando City to sign a capable fourth center back, which is something that the club has seemed loathe to do while Williams was waiting in the wings with OCB. Not having that fourth guy hurt the team in the Leagues Cup third-place match against the LA Galaxy in 2025, and it could have bitten the team at any time if injuries would have hit that position group hard. A veteran MLS center back who is willing to play a role off the bench would be a strong addition to the team’s defensive corps, given the propensity of Jansson and Schlegel to get suspended through yellow card accumulation or the occasional straight red card.

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/8/25

USMNT World Cup group is set, the bad guys win MLS Cup, Americans abroad, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

December 8, 2025

By

Image of Alex Freeman celebrating his first goal against Uruguay in the USMNT's 5-1 win in Tampa.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Rich Story / Getty Images

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been very busy at work while covering high school basketball and wrestling this week. Let’s wish a happy belated birthday to Orlando Pride defender Zara Chavoshi, who turned 23 Saturday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

World Cup Draw Reveals Favorable Group for USMNT

The FIFA World Cup draw was completed Friday in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Men’s National Team will face Paraguay, Australia, and the winner of UEFA Path C which will be decided between the winners of Turkey vs. Romania and Slovakia vs. Kosovo. FIFA also announced the match times, location, and full schedule for all the 2026 World Cup matches. The opening World Cup match for the USMNT will be June 12 against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. The Yanks will play again June 19 against Australia at Lumen Field in Seattle, before facing the UEFA playoff winner on June 25 back at SoFi Stadium.

As for the cohosts, Mexico was drawn with South Korea, South Africa, and the UEFA Path D winner between the victors in the Czech Republic vs. Ireland and Denmark vs. North Macedonia matches. Canada will face Qatar, Switzerland, and the UEFA Path A winner between whoever survives the bracket with Italy vs. Northern Ireland and Wales vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Inter Miami Wins MLS Cup

Inter Miami defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 Saturday at Chase Stadium to win its first MLS Cup, because sometimes evil triumphs over good. Miami went ahead early on an own goal by Vancouver defender Edier Ocampo. In the second half, the Whitecaps’ Ali Ahmed scored the equalizer, but Rodrigo De Paul pulled Miami back in front at 2-1. In stoppage time, Tadeo Allende added an insurance goal for Miami. Lionel Messi had two assists and was named the MLS Cup MVP. It’s the third consecutive year Miami has won a trophy since Messi’s arrival, taking the Leagues Cup title in 2023 and the Supporters’ Shield in 2024. The Whitecaps’ stellar MLS Cup playoff run ended with questions surrounding the club’s future. The Whitecaps remain for sale, but according to The Athletic, the club may relocate if it can’t secure a new lease at BC Place.

Americans Abroad

It was another busy weekend for Americans abroad in Europe. Weston McKennie added an assist for Juventus, but his side fell 2-1 to Napoli. Brenden Aaronson came off the bench in the second half, played 25 minutes, and notched an assist in Leeds United’s 3-3 draw against Liverpool. Malik Tillman played 81 minutes but Bayer Leverkusen fell 2-0 to FC Augsburg. Joe Scally played 90 minutes as Borussia Monchengladbach beat Mainz 1-0. In France, Tim Weah played 90 minutes but his side fell 1-0 to his former team Lille. Mark McKenzie played a full 90 as well, as Toulouse beat Strasbourg 1-0. Today, Christian Pulisic and AC Milan will face Torino in Serie A league action.

San Diego Wave FC Wins World Sevens Tournament

The San Diego Wave defeated Tigres 3-0 Sunday at Beyond Bancard Field in Fort Lauderdale to win the World Sevens Soccer Tournament and take home $2 million in prize money. Adriana Leon scored two goals in the match. The Wave went undefeated in the tournament, winning five matches and scoring 14 goals while conceding only three. The Wave defeated Deportivo Cali, beat Club America in a penalty shootout after a scoreless draw, and beat Nacional in the group stage, while cruising to a 5-1 win over Flamengo in the semifinals. The Wave weren’t the only NWSL side in the competition; the Kansas City Current also participated but were eliminated in the group stage.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City forward Marco Pasalic’s Croatia side will face England, Panama, and Ghana in Group L of the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer.

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

Continue Reading

Trending