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

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6 years ago

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Orlando City hosted Inter Miami CF for the first time in Exploria Stadium to finish Phase 1 of the MLS restart. The Lions finally got more than a few days to rest in between matches, while Miami had a Wednesday match against Atlanta United FC. In the end, the rest paid off as the Lions earned all three points, defeating their Ft. Lauderdale rivals, 2-1. Γ“scar Pareja gave iron man Uri Rosell a rest after an exhausting five-game stretch. Robin Jansson and JoΓ£o Moutinho were also absent from the 18, as the former picked up a knock in training, and the latter is out for a few weeks with a groin injury. Otherwise, Pareja went with his typical first-choice lineup.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5β€” El Pulpo made two saves and three clearances against Miami, and the header that former Lion Brek Shea scored just went past Gallese’s outstretched body. He was fouled twice and the goal post almost took him out, but he did enough to give the Lions the win. He attempted 22 passes, had a 72.7% passing rate, and completed four long balls.Β 

D, Kyle Smith, 6 β€” Smith actually had one of his better matches as a Lion. I’m not sure what was worked on in training, but he pushed forward like Moutinho usually does and was generally able to track back on defense. He made a great clearance in the 57th minute that kept Miami off the scoreboard. Defensively he made three tackles and two clearances. Smith attempted 45 passes, had a 75.6% passing rate, and completed one long ball.Β 

D, AntΓ΄nio Carlos, 7 β€” I’m not sure if Carlos has been watching Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon, or Bruce Leroy in The Last Dragon but he had two kung fu kicks to stop a pair of dangerous long balls put forward by Miami. Carlos continued to show his quality despite missing his usual center back partner, Jansson, although he did get beat in the air by Shea for the goal. He made one tackle, four interceptions, five clearances, one block, and committed one foul. Carlos attempted 50 passes, with a 76% passing rate, and completed two long balls.Β 

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 β€” Schlegel got the start since Jansson picked up a knock in training on Friday. The entire drama late in the second half surrounding Schlegel might be the oddest thing I’ve seen all week. A non-call turned into a foul that resulted in a second yellow for Schlegel, before it was overturned as the player he fouled was ruled offside before the tackle was made. It was an interesting few minutes for the young defender. The entire sequence is sure to be a brick in the building of this new rivalry. Aside from that, Schlegel played well. He made seven clearances, one block, committed three fouls, and earned only one yellow card. Schlegel attempted 47 passes at a 93.6% passing rate, and completed four long balls.Β 

D, Ruan, 5.5Β β€” While Ruan did his usual speed things on the right side, he also gave up the ball in the 67th and 83rd minutes in Orlando’s half, creating opportunities for Miami. It certainly isn’t what we usually see from the young defender, and as such he didn’t earn as high a grade as he usually does. On defense he had seven tackles, four clearances, and one foul. Ruan attempted 25 passes and had an 84% passing rate. Β 

MF, Sebas MΓ©ndez, 5.5 β€” Sebas was effective in the midfield with Junior Urso, and for the first half the pair did well in controlling Miami’s attack. While it broke down a bit after Miami made some changes, he still played pretty well if not spectacular. He made four tackles, committed four fouls, and suffered two fouls. He attempted 54 passes and had a 90.7% passing rate. Mendez attempted one shot but it was off target.Β Β 

MF, Junior Urso, 6.5 β€” Urso put in a very good shift. He did well connecting the defense to the offense, helping to create chances, and harassed Miami throughout the midfield. He attempted 47 passes with a 91.5% passing rate. He made one key pass, and completed five long balls. Urso attempted two shots, though one was from distance and skipped low along the grass for Robles to make the easy save. On defense he made two tackles, and committed one foul.

MF, Chris Mueller, 7β€” Mueller’s assist was nearly perfect, as he split two defenders and put it past another to set up Pereyra’s goal. The Money Badger showed his usual energy in Orlando City’s offense, making several good passes and helping to create opportunities for his teammates. Mueller had one assist, and took one shot that was on goal. Defensively, he suffered two fouls, made one tackle and one interception. Mueller only attempted 22 passes with a 90.9% passing rate and one key pass.Β 

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 7.5 (MOTM) β€” Pereyra continues to show why he is one of the best in MLS with the ball at his feet. He consistently eludes multiple defenders, recovers the ball, and puts his teammates in positions to succeed. He took the free kick that resulted in AndrΓ©s Reyes’ own goal that gave Orlando City the lead in the 34th minute. He then completed his run to put away a goal for himself off of Mueller’s assist in the 69th minute. His goal came on one shot. Defensively, he ended with one tackle, two interceptions, one clearance, and committed two fouls. His second foul resulted in a yellow card, though it looked a bit light to me. He attempted 30 passes with a 63.3% passing rate, and completed two long balls.Β 

MF, Nani, 6.5 β€” The captain continued his free kick woes, as he once again hit one off the crossbar, and the other was kept out by an outstanding save from Luis Robles. While he was supposedly only fouled once, Inter Miami made sure to put as much pressure on Nani as possible, and frankly there could have been more calls go his way. It is good to remember that when teams feel the need to focus on Nani, it can open up chances elsewhere. Statistically he took two shots, made one tackle, and committed no fouls. Nani attempted 44 passes with an 81.8% passing rate, with two key passes and four successful long balls.Β Β 

F, Daryl Dike, 6 β€” Dike played well with his back to goal, and was able to turn well when he received the ball. It is telling how clubs are trying to deal with Dike by putting multiple players on him. Dike had a nice advancing header on a long ball to Mueller during a counter attack. His one shot, was unfortunately when he was falling down and he couldn’t get his power behind it. Despite being fouled four times, he probably deserved more, but they weren’t called. He also committed one foul and made one tackle. He attempted six passes with a 66.7% passing rate.Β 

Substitutes

MF, AndrΓ©s Perea (79’), 6 β€” Perea came on for Dike, but his greatest impact was on defense. His block in the 80th minute kept Shea from getting a brace, and helped preserve Orlando City’s lead. Statistically, he made two clearances, and attempted eight passes with an 87.5% passing rate, in addition to the block.

F, Benji Michel (79’), N/A β€” Benji completed two passes, had one tackle,Β had one foul, and was caught offside once. There wasn’t enough time or involvement to give a grade.Β 

MF, Alex De John (84’), N/Aβ€” Despite being on the pitch for over 10 minutes De John only touched the ball twice.Β 

F, Tesho Akindele, (90’+2), N/A β€” Tesho connected on his only pass, though he wasn’t really in the match long enough to have an impact.Β 

MF, Joey DeZart, (90’+2), N/A β€” DeZart managed one touch in his MLS debut after coming on late in the match.Β Β 

That was how I saw it. Vote for your Man of the Match in the poll, and comment below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Mauricio Pereyra83
AntΓ΄nio Carlos4
Junior Urso2
Chris Mueller5
Nani0
Other (put in comments)1

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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.

Published

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.

Published

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.πŸ‡§πŸ‡· Sources: FC Dallas has agreed to a deal to acquire GK Daniel from San Jose.βž• 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.

Free Kicks

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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