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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Sporting Kansas City: Final Score 2-1 as the Lions Extend Unbeaten Streak to Seven Games

Tesho Akindele and Benji Michel scored in the first half and the Lions held on through an intense second-half onslaught by the hosts.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City just keeps doing things it has never done before. A week after beating the Chicago Fire at home for the first time ever, the Lions went into Children’s Mercy Park and claimed their first win there with a 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City. Tesho Akindele and Benji Michel scored just a couple of minutes apart in the first half and Orlando (7-2-4, 25 points) held on for dear life through a rough second half, conceding a Johnny Russell goal but ultimately holding off SKC (6-5-2, 20 points).

With the win, Orlando climbed to second in the Eastern Conference standings, winning a tiebreaker over Philadelphia on goals scored and another over Toronto on goal differential. The Lions also extended their unbeaten streak to seven games (5-0-2), setting a new club record in the MLS era.

“I’m very proud of the three points,” Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I think tonight we beat one of the best teams in the West.”

Pareja’s lineup included some squad rotation in key areas. Pedro Gallese manned the goal as usual, with Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Ruan slotting in on the back line. Kamal Miller went to the bench, while Antonio Carlos was not in the match day squad at all. Andres Perea and Michel stepped into the midfield with Junior Urso and Sebas Mendez, with Chris Mueller and Mauricio Pereyra on the bench, and Nani took up an attacking position with Akindele, as Daryl Dike got his first breather since the regular season restarted. Dike was in the matchday squad, though.

Sporting Kansas City pushed high up the pitch early and had success turning Orlando over and keeping possession, but without getting any real clear-cut scoring opportunities. The first good chance of the match went to the hosts after Schlegel was booked for a handball when he went down to block a pass on a counter attack and the ball hit his arm. Graham Zusi curled his set piece wide of the left post on the set piece.

Orlando saw almost no possession in the attacking third in the first 20 minutes, but got an opportunity when a through ball found Michel and he was taken down by Matt Besler, setting up a free kick. Nani sent in the set piece to Schlegel, who got under it and headed well over the bar at the near post in the 25th minute.

The Lions started getting more opportunities and more set pieces as the half went on. But it was the counter where Orlando found success. Ruan found himself in space and threaded an excellent through ball for a perfectly timed run by Akindele. Tesho sized up goalkeeper Tim Melia and curled a shot around him and inside the near post to make it 1-0 in the 36th minute.

For Akindele, it was his second league goal of the season. He last scored in a non-MLS is Back knockout stage match back on July 14 against New York City FC during the group stage.

“It’s something that we’ve talked about before the game,” Akindele said about the team attacking SKC’s offside trap. “We have, obviously, a fast lineup out there, especially with me and Benji. We knew that we should be looking for the balls in behind.

“On my goal, I saw Ruan just taking it in. Benji did a good job of making the first run and he kind of brought a defender or two with him. Then I saw the gap open up and Ruan made a great pass. I honestly thought I was offside because I had so much space, but then I just relaxed, waited for the spot to open up, and finished it.”

The dust had barely settled from Akindele’s goal when the Lions struck again in transition. Nani sent a gorgeous ball over the top for Michel to run onto. Besler grabbed him and pulled him back, but Michel fought him off and slotted home past Melia in the 38th minute to double the lead. The strike gave Michel his fourth goal in the last five games.

“Benji is very docile to coach,” Pareja said. “He is growing. He is understanding and interpreting much better the spaces.”

“ I think that [Michel’s] thinking about the game more than he was before,” Akindele said. “Benji is at practice before everyone and he’s working on his own and that’s something nobody sees. He’s hitting the gym. He’s passing the ball. He’s doing a lot of work on his own this year, really trying to improve himself as a player. You know, that’s something that nobody sees, he hasn’t been talking about it but it’s happening and I think everybody’s seen the results that right now.”

The end of the first half consisted of several Sporting KC corners that Orlando defended well, and the Lions took their 2-0 lead into the break. Orlando led in shots (4-3), as well as shots on goal (2-0) and possession (53.6%). SKC racked up a 7-1 edge in corner kicks. Both teams were 86% accurate with their passes.

After the break, the Lions did what they have done far too often this year and came out of the locker room with too little energy and passion. SKC no doubt heard an earful from Peter Vermes at halftime and played like it, owning the ball and not giving it up at all. There were more corners and crosses and the hosts finally made it pay off.

A cross to the back post was played too softly by Kyle Smith, who tried to usher it out rather than attacking it and Russell played right through him, out-muscling the Orlando left back and heading home to make it 2-1.

There was no let-up from the hosts, who seemingly possessed the ball for the entire first 15 minutes of the second period. Orlando couldn’t find the handle and when the Lions did get a touch, they’d immediately turn it right back over.

“I think they were just throwing numbers forward,” Akindele said. “Their center backs did well at winning the long balls that we tried to hit out. So, you know, that’s on me and the forwards. I think we could have done a little bit better job of trying to hold the ball up in the second half. That might have eased some pressure.”

After a shot from Russell fizzed wide in the 60th minute, Pareja brought Pereyra into the match to help get more of the ball but it was merely a band-aid, and the Lions needed reinforcements from Dike and Mueller to calm things down a bit — but only a bit. Orlando did start to get on the ball more but certainly not as much as they would have liked.

Gadi Kinda fired a couple of shots from distance over the bar in the 67th and 70th minutes and Nani did the same at the end of a good-looking counterattacking buildup in the 75th.

A minute later, the hosts appeared to tie up the match when a clearance by Jansson hit Russell and bounced behind the beefy Swede. It was picked up by SKC and was sent into the area where it got lost in traffic and trickled over the line, but the play was ruled offside and it was upheld on video review.

Orlando’s best opportunity at an insurance goal came in the 84th, when Urso knocked a ball out of the air to himself and hit it first time, sending a rocket toward goal. We’ll never know if it would have gone in because it hit Mueller in the stomach. A minute later, Dike got the ball and went 1-v-3 against the Sporting defense, freeing himself up for a shot but he sent his effort over the bar.

Gerso sent a laser on target from outside the area in the 86th but Gallese was there to knock it over the bar.

Defender Winston Reid got the last good look for SKC in stoppage time with a header off a corner kick but he sent his shot wide and the Lions held on to get the win.

Sporting Kansas City finished with more shots (16-8), but Orlando got more on frame (3-2). SKC had a commanding 13-1 advantage in corners and turned the possession around to hold 56.6% of the ball. The hosts passed at an 83% rate but the Lions faded in the second half to just 77%.

“We were very happy with the three points, and the first half, we played very well,” Jansson said. “The second half is completely Sporting so we are a little bit disappointed on the second half, but we came here to get three points and sometimes you need to do it different ways.”


The Lions have one more on the road before returning to Exploria Stadium, with a Sunday night match-up at FC Dallas in Oscar Pareja’s return to his old address. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m.

Orlando City

Orlando City’s Focus On Youth Development Showing In The First Team

Orlando City is seeing more and more players promoted from the academy, through OCB, and into the first team.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City began its academy in the USL Pro days with the goal of developing players for the first team. It took nearly a decade to begin seeing youth development bear fruit, but it’s becoming apparent early in the 2025 season.

Prior to 2019, Orlando City signed four players to Homegrown Player contracts. Tommy Redding, Tyler Turner, and Harrison Heath never played in the academy and the other, Mason Stajduhar, developed primarily at Chargers Soccer Club in Tampa.

Orlando City signed arguably its first true Homegrown Player when the club inked Benji Michel to a first-team contract. The following off-season, the Lions added David Loera and Jordan Bender. Mikey Halliday signed in July 2020. All of the players came through the academy before signing first-team deals. 

So what changed?

Part of it was the growth of the academy. It takes several years to begin producing players. Another major factor was the hiring of Luiz Muzzi on Dec. 18, 2019. Muzzi came from FC Dallas, a club known for promoting from its academy. He brought in Ricardo Moreira, who shares his vision of developing young talent for the first team.

And it’s not only Muzzi and Moreira. Former Orlando City head coach Adrian Heath rarely attended OCB games. James O’Connor only went to one, and that was to see his former teammate, Dennis Chin, who was playing with the opposing Richmond Kickers. The Orlando City boss left when Chin came off.

Oscar Pareja and other first-team coaches have been at several games, far more than their predecessors. That’s largely to do with the games’ location at the training facility, which is another factor in OCB’s development. The 2019 team trained over 40 miles away from the first team. The move to Kissimmee has the first team, OCB, and the development academy under one roof. It’s another display of the club’s more recent commitment to youth development.

Undoubtedly, the transformation of OCB under Muzzi and Moreira has also impacted Homegrown talent coming through. The team’s 2016 and 2017 rosters were primarily made up of first-team reserves and USL lifers. The 2019 team had many players from the Soccer Institute at Montverde Academy (SIMA), many of which were young but ineligible for Homegrown status.

Things began to change in 2020. The roster shifted to include more academy players and that’s only grown. This year, 15 OCB players came out of the academy, two were drafted, and eight are outside signings on MLS NEXT Pro deals. Other than Jhon Solis and first-team goalkeeper Carlos Mercado, everyone to appear for the team is 23 years old or younger.

The focus on giving OCB spots to academy graduates is now seen in the first team. Players like Thomas Williams, Javier Otero, Alex Freeman, Colin Guske, and Gustavo Caraballo have been regulars on the MLS team sheet. Injuries to first-team regulars has seen them receiving regular playing time.

The poster boy for this change is Freeman. The right back came out of the academy and spent a couple of years at OCB before signing his first-team contract. He won the starting role early in the 2025 regular season.

Many players joined the club later in their development, but we’re seeing some come through having been nearly fully developed at the Orlando City Academy. Guske and Caraballo joined at 13 years old, the youngest age group of the development academy. Both signed first-team deals for this year.

The midfield duo continue to play with OCB most games but are also on the first-team roster almost weekly. The only reason they weren’t in Montreal Saturday night is because they were helping the club’s U-18 team reach (and then win) the Generation Adidas Cup final.

With Muzzi and Moreira at the helm, more players continue to come through. U-18 captain and OCB starter Jackson Platts appears to be well on his way to a first-team contract. So does fellow U-18 and OCB starting forward Justin Ellis.

This past weekend saw another academy product make his first-team debut. Zakaria Taifi took over at right back for OCB when Freeman moved up to the first team this year. Signing a short-term deal Saturday, he came on as a late substitute to help the 10-man Lions see out the scoreless draw.

First-team absences have provided opportunities for many young players. If several weren’t at the Generation Adidas Cup, it could be more. Regardless, the last few years have shown a big step forward for the club.

The shift in recent years is more than the pride of seeing local kids representing the hometown team. They’ve been an essential part of the 2025 campaign. The club hasn’t had to use a short bench or dip into outside emergency signings. Instead, the Lions call up kids they know, making it easier to seamlessly place them into the team.

There will be times where several injuries will occur to experienced players. Orlando City is prepared for this more now than ever before, and it’s because of the players coming through the academy and playing with OCB. We’re already seeing it early in this 2025 season.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/21/25

Another scoreless draw for Orlando City, a home loss for the Pride, a championship for the OCSC U-18 squad, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope you all had a great holiday weekend with family and friends. I managed to watch a few soccer games while work kept me busy. Our Lions picked up another draw for the third week in a row, the Pride lost, and OCB was off this weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Draw CF Montreal on the Road

Orlando City and CF Montreal split the points in a scoreless draw at Stade Saputo on Saturday. It’s the third consecutive week that the Lions could not get a win with another scoreless draw. It’s the second straight match that Orlando had to play down a man as Rafael Santos was sent off in the second half after receiving a second yellow card. Still, the Lions extended their unbeaten run to six matches and are seventh in the Eastern Conference table with 13 points. After the match, Major League Soccer issued a statement after being informed a fan used discriminatory language towards a player during the match.

Orlando City will return to Inter&Co Stadium Saturday to take on Atlanta United.

Orlando City Signs Two Players to Short-Term Deals

Before Saturday’s match against CF Montreal, Orlando City announced the club had signed defender Zakaria Taifi and midfielder Riyon Tori to short-term contracts. Both players were on the bench for Saturday’s match. Tori did not play, but Taifi came off the bench late in the second half to make his MLS debut. Tori has played with OCB and has made three appearances. Taifi has made 42 appearances, starting 21 matches for OCB, scoring one goal and adding three assists.

Orlando City Signs Four Assistant Coaches to New Contracts

Orlando City announced on Friday that the club has renewed the contracts of First Assistant Coach Diego Torres, Second Assistant Coach Martin Perelman, Goalkeeper Coach Cesar Baena, and Fitness & Performance Coach Fabian Bazan. This news comes just days after the club announced that Head Coach Oscar Pareja will remain with the Lions under a new three-year contract through the 2028 MLS season. Together, the coaching staff has played a key part in the recent success of the Lions over the last five seasons, making five consecutive MLS Playoff appearances, two appearances in the Concacaf Champions Cup, and winning the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Lions also set club records for wins and points, scoring 308 goals across all competitions with a plus-44 goal differential in 202 competitive matches.

Pride Fall to Washington Spirit at Home

The Orlando Pride fell to the Washington Spirit 1-0 at Inter&Co Stadium Saturday to suffer their first loss of the season. The Pride dominated most of the match, but in the 63rd minute, Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse gave the ball away in front of the goal, and Gift Monday capitalized to score the winning goal for the Spirit. Late in the second half, it looked like the Pride had scored the equalizer; however, after video review, it was determined that Kylie Nadaner backed into Aubrey Kingsbury on the play, impeding the goalkeeper from catching the ball, and the tying goal was waved off. With the Kansas City Current’s win over the Houston Dash over the weekend, Orlando drops to second in the NWSL table. The Pride will return to action Friday at Inter&Co Stadium to face Angel City FC.

Orlando City U-18 Team Wins Generation Adidas Cup Championship

The Orlando City U-18 and U-16 squads played over the weekend in playoff matches in the Generation Adidas Cup at IMG Academy. In the quarterfinals on Friday, Omar Robbana scored the lone goal in the U-18 squad’s 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake.

The U-18 squad followed that up by defeating Santos Laguna 3-0 in the semifinals. Justin Ellis scored twice and Gustavo Caraballo added a goal.

On Sunday, Caraballo scored the winning goal in extra time to seal a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids in the U-18 Championship final.

On Friday, the U-16 team defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 in the quarterfinals.

The U-16 squad defeated the New England Revolution 4-3 on penalties after a scoreless draw in the semifinals on Saturday.

The U-16 squad’s run for a championship trophy came to an end with a 3-1 loss to Inter Miami in the U-16 Championship final on Sunday.

Free Kicks


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

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Orlando City

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

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 0-0 road draw against CF Montreal?

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City played its first international road match of the 2025 season as the Lions faced off against CF Montreal in the club’s third-longest road trip by distance (approx. 1,432 miles). For the third straight week, Orlando boasted a clean sheet, but after facing the bottom dwellers of the Eastern Conference, the Lions were only able to bring one point back to the Sunshine State following a 0-0 draw. In a match without much flow and produced another 10-man finish for OCSC, Orlando appeared to play without much gusto.

Let’s look at the Lions’ individual performances to see who made the grade and who can improve heading into the final match of April.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 7.5 (MotM) — Gallese stood tall against extended pressure for much of the match against CF Montreal. Facing a desperate squad that had only scored four goals on the season, Montreal looked for multiple breakthrough moments, which El Pulpo was able to sniff out. His distribution left a bit to be desired, as he had a 68.6% passing rate on his 35 attempts while completing 13 of his 24 long balls. He racked up six total saves on the night and showcased quick reactions in the first half on a Dante Sealy attempt, and in the second half he was able to parry away a Caden Clark shot that likely was destined for the back of the net. The end result now marks three straight clean sheets for the Peruvian No. 1.

D, Kyle Smith, 5 — With the suspension of Rodrigo Schlegel, Head Coach Oscar Pareja elected to bring Kyle Smith into the starting lineup at left back and shift David Brekalo to center back. Smith picked up a careless early yellow card early, which likely played a much bigger role in the outcome of the match than met the eye at the time of infringement. He was substituted off at halftime for Rafael Santos in a move designed to protect against picking up that second yellow…the move backfired as Orlando was not destined to finish the match with 11 men and Santos was the player picking up two yellows for aggressive fouls. In 45 minutes of action, Smith touched the ball 31 times and completed 87.5% of his 24 passes but failed to complete either of his two long-ball attempts. Prior to being pulled from the match, Smith recorded one tackle, one interception, and a clearance on the defensive side of the field.

D, David Brekalo, 7.5 — Brekalo was channeling his inner Schlehgel as he played the primary antagonist role to Prince Owusu throughout the match, getting under the forward’s skin and having to be separated from the German-born striker multiple times throughout the match. He logged 60 touches, completed 83.3% of his 48 passes, and completed two of his four long-ball attempts. To speak to the frustrating role that Brekalo played throughout the match, he was fouled a team-high four times while committing only one. Defensively, he added one tackle, three clearances, and blocked a shot. This now marks three straight full match appearances for Brekalo, which is a reassuring sign as the Slovenian has had issues in the injury department during his young tenure in Orlando. With Santos out next Saturday and Schlegel returning, I expect him to slot back into the starting left-back role against Atlanta.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — The captain put in a solid effort in the middle of the back line, often functioning as the final safety valve to snuff out the “high-flying” Montreal attack. His body took the toll late in the match as American Caden Clark lowered his shoulder into the chest of the Beefy Sweede during an aerial challenge in front of Gallese. Jansson got back to his feet and was able to see out the match. He logged a team-high 70 touches and completed 80.3% of his team-high 61 passes and six of his 12 long-ball attempts, mirroring Brekalo’s 50% success rate in attempting to unlock the Orlando City attack over the top. Defensively, Jansson recorded two interceptions and a team-high five clearances. If I had one knock on his effort against Montreal, it’s that there were a few careless giveaways when facing the high press of the home squad, which luckily for Orlando City never amounted to much in terms of goal-scoring chances.

D, Alex Freeman, 6 — Freeman had a mostly quiet match against CF Montreal, but settled in throughout the match after being exposed on the outside early by Dante Sealy. He touched the ball 43 times and completed 81.5% of his 27 passes. He logged one key pass and was unsuccessful on all three of his long balls. Freeman did not attempt any crosses against Montreal. Defensively, the young Lion contributed one tackle and two clearances. Offensively, Freeman managed one shot, which was off target. As the offense has ground to a complete halt, there appears to be a clear need for Freeman and Marco Pasalic to regain their chemistry and how they run off of one another down the right side of the field.

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 5.5 — Thorhallsson reprised his role in the midfield, filling in for Edward Atuesta. I thought after a strong outing last week by Thorhallsson and Joran Gerbet, this week’s match told a different tale, as Orlando struggled to maintain possession and allowed Montreal to control the middle of the pitch. Thorhallsson touched the ball 42 times and completed 87.9% of his 33 passes. Offensively, Thorhallsson did not record a meaningful statistic, and on the defensive side, he tied Gerbet with a team-high four tackles while also contributing two clearances and one blocked shot.

MF, Joran Gerbet, 6.5 — Gerbet, like his counterpart, is getting an extended run in the starting 11, which will hopefully pay off dividends as the season progresses. I thought Gerbet was the more effective of the defensive pivot duo, hence the 0.5 bump on his player grade compared to Dagur Dan. Gerbet logged 53 touches and completed 93.9% of his 33 passes. He logged one shot, which was off target, and he did his best impression of Araujo by suffering three fouls. He tied for the team high in tackles with four and logged an interception, two clearances, and a blocked shot. The part of his game that needs improvement is the next-level vision when it comes to his passing ability, a skill which will hopefully continue to develop throughout the season.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6.5 — Angulo has now turned in back-to-back solid efforts, which is a massive improvement from where his form was just three to four weeks ago. His hustle hasn’t translated into goals yet, but he was the lone offensive piece who played with any type of edge against Montreal. He touched the ball 50 times and completed 82.4% of his 34 passes. He was unsuccessful on his two crosses, completed one of two long balls, and added two key passes. Offensively, he put one of his two shots on target and did well to track back on defense when Montreal looked to get out on the break, contributing two tackles.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6 — Ojeda did a lot of little things right but failed to unlock the offense in any meaningful way and was not individually threatening offensively. He logged 47 touches and completed a team-best, 95.2% of his 42 passes. He tied Angulo for the team lead with two key passes and completed three of his four long-ball attempts. Defensively, he logged one clearance, and as mentioned above, offensively did not do much to strike fear into the Canadian club, failing to record a shot attempt. Ojeda was whistled for a team-high two offside infractions and seemed to express moments of frustration where it appeared that he was not on the same page as his teammates.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 6 — The early Major League Soccer season has seemed to be all feast or famine for Pasalic, as he opened the season with a brace, failed to score against Toronto and New York City FC, then found the back of the net against the Red Bulls and D.C. United, and is now sporting a four-game drought in the goal-scoring department. It seems like the beginning of his tenure in MLS is progressing the way that many who come from overseas often do, with multiple adjustments needing to be made to gain comfort. Against Montreal, Pasalic touched the ball 40 times and completed a team-worst 58.3% of his 24 passes. Defensively, Pasalic contributed one clearance. Offensively, in 73 minutes of action, Pasalic still led the squad with three shot attempts but only managed to put one on target. I enjoyed seeing him cut the ball back outside and force a tight-angle shot with his right foot, as it is important to sprinkle in some attempts with the right to keep the defenders honest. Hopefully, a return to the friendly confines of Central Florida will help wash away his offensive drought next week against Atlanta.

F, Luis Muriel, 5.5 — Muriel, like many of his offensive counterparts, appeared to be just ever so slightly off in his timing and positioning, failing to either send in the correct pass or to get onto the end of things in a timely manner. He touched the ball 50 times and completed 69.7% of his 33 passes, which included one key pass. He was unsuccessful on all three of his crossing attempts. Offensively, he managed two shots, which both were off target. The statistics here don’t tell the whole story, as Muriel did not miss by much on one of his attempts, making a perfect delayed run into the box and running onto the end of a brilliant ball that was cut back into the middle of the danger area from the end line. Additionally, for what it’s worth, Muriel also likely earned a penalty kick which was neither called nor reviewed…PRO refs are going to PRO. Defensively, he contributed one clearance.

Substitutes

D, Rafael Santos (46′), 4.5 — I certainly wish I could avoid giving Santos a grade as his dreadful start to the season continued. He was the substitute who was supposed to protect Smith from picking up his second yellow…only to turn around and pick up two yellow cards in 16 minutes. Santos exited the match and forced Orlando to play with 10 men for the final 15 minutes of the game, plus stoppage time. He recorded 18 touches and completed 33.3% of his nine passes. Santos logged two tackles and one interception on defense, but it is his sending off that will be remembered from this match.

F, Duncan McGuire (73′), 5.5 — I thought we might see more of McGuire in this game than we did, but at the same time, the flow of the game took McGuire’s legs out from under him as Santos’ red card came three minutes after the American striker had entered. McGuire was only on the ball eight times and completed 33.3% of six total passes. He likely did far more defending than he planned on, with Montreal attacking to try to earn the win after securing the man advantage. He logged one clearance on defense.

D, Thomas Williams (80′), N/A — Williams made his 2025 season debut in the 80th minute, replacing Muriel as Pareja looked to solidify the defense and at least escape the Great White North with a draw. He played well enough over the final 10 and was not caught out of position while contributing a tackle, one interception, and three clearances.

D, Zakaria Taifi (85′), N/A — Taifi also made his season (and MLS) debut, recording four touches and one clearance, helping see out the match


That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s latest scoreless draw. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

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