Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Inter Miami CF: Player Grades and Man of the Match
Orlando City went to Fort Lauderdale with an opportunity to almost clinch a playoff spot and maintain an opportunity for a playoff home game. Instead, the Lions were embarrassed by Inter Miami 4-1, making Sunday’s game against the Columbus Crew likely a win-or-go-home contest, although there is a less likely scenario in which a draw could get Orlando in.
Let’s take a look at how the Lions did in this devastating loss to Inter Miami.
Starters
GK, Pedro Gallese, 5.5 — It’s hard to give a goalkeeper a high score when he concedes four times. It’s even harder when that goalkeeper doesn’t record a save. But that’s what happened in this game with Gallese. The only goal Gallese probably should’ve stopped was the opening goal inside the first minute, but he was caught well off his line on an unexpected turnover by Kyle Smith. Gallese’s distribution was good, as he completed 88.9% of his 18 passes and seven of his nine long balls.
D, Joao Moutinho, 5.5 — This wasn’t a bad game by Moutinho as he wasn’t at fault for any of the goals — the only defender who can say that. He completed 87.8% of his 41 passes, including two key passes, three of his seven crosses, and two of his three long balls. Defensively, the left back recorded one tackle but no other defensive stats. He also had one off-target shot.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 4 — It was a very tough game for Schlegel, who was partly at fault for the first two Miami goals. Inside the first minute, the center back was caught ball watching, allowing Leo Campana to get behind and chip Pedro Gallese. On the second goal, Schlegel got sucked up too far, allowing Indiana Vassilev to play Ariel Lassiter behind him, creating the second goal. His statistics didn’t help much either, as he only recorded two tackles, one interception, and one clearance. He completed 87.2% of his 39 passes, but that wasn’t enough to absolve him from his poor defending.
D, Antonio Carlos, 4 — Similar to Schlegel, Carlos takes some of the blame for three Miami goals. He got caught ball watching on the first, got caught in no-man’s land, as he didn’t commit to either attacker on the second, and got beat by Lassiter, who drew the penalty for the third. He also picked up a booking, which got him suspended for Sunday’s game. Defensively, Carlos only had one tackle and two interceptions. He completed 94.6% of his 37 passes, including all three long balls, but those stats don’t make up for his poor defending on the night.
D, Kyle Smith, 5 — Smith’s pass attempt that was blocked by Robert Taylor inside the first minute helped to spring Campana free for the first goal. However, that was the only one of the four goals for which he can take some blame. He completed 81.5% of his 27 passes and two of his six crosses. The right back had no defensive statistics and was removed at halftime for the more attack-minded Ruan.
MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — Araujo has been one of Orlando City’s best players. It wasn’t his best game but he wasn’t bad either. Araujo had a team-high four tackles and one interception in 90 minutes. He completed 97% of his team-high 66 passes and had one key pass. Most importantly, he wasn’t booked so he’ll be available on Sunday.
MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6 (MotM) — Pereyra was arguably the team’s best player on the night, completing 82% of his 50 passes, including two key passes. He completed all three of his crosses and four of his five long balls. Defensively, Pereyra had two tackles and two interceptions.
MF, Benji Michel, 5 — It was a forgettable game for Michel, who completed 80% of 15 passes, two long balls, and attempted one inaccurate cross. He only got one shot off and that was off target as he took a touch before shooting, which allowed a defender to block it out for a corner. The Homegrown attacker came off at halftime for Ivan Angulo.
MF, Junior Urso, 6 — Urso completed 86.4% of his 44 passes in this game, including all six long balls. He made three key passes, including one in the 71st minute to Facundo Torres that allowed the midfielder to set up Ercan Kara for the Lions’ lone goal. Additionally, Urso record two tackles and one off-target shot.
MF, Facundo Torres, 6 — Torres completed 91.2% of his 57 passes in this game, including three of his four long balls. However, he failed to convert on all three of his crosses and both shots were off target. His primary contribution to the game was a nice turn in the 71st minute, creating enough room to play Kara through for the team’s goal, tallying an assist on the play.
F, Tesho Akindele, 4.5 — Akindele was given the start in this game in place of Kara and the striker didn’t help the team’s cause. He only completed 83.3% of his 12 passes and took three off-target shots.
Substitutes
MF, Ivan Angulo (45’), 6 — Angulo came on for Michel at halftime and was much better. The attacking midfielder completed all of his 10 passes, including four key passes, and two of his five crosses. However, both of his shots were off target.
D, Ruan (45’), 5 — Ruan came on for Smith at halftime to provide some more attack in the team. While he might’ve been a little unlucky, his handball just after halftime gave Miami a penalty, resulting in the Herons’ third goal. He did complete 88.2% of his 17 passes, but only one of his four crosses. One of those poor crosses would have given Kara a late sitter but he left his chip low enough for the goalkeeper to catch.
F, Ercan Kara (45’), 5.5 — Kara came on at halftime for Akindele and, like Angulo, did much better than the starter. Kara only had nine touches and two were unstable, but he converted the team’s only goal in the 71st minute. Additionally, Kara completed both of his pass attempts and his other shot was off target.
D, Mikey Halliday (63’), 5 — Halliday came on in the 63rd minute for Mountinho, who was one yellow card away from a suspension. The appearance by the Homegrown was to ensure that Moutinho didn’t get suspended for Sunday’s regular season finale. Halliday completed 93.3% of his 15 passes and had one incomplete cross. Defensively, he recorded just one tackle.
MF, Wilder Cartagena (63’), 5.5 — Cartagena was expected to come on for Araujo, who was one yellow card away from a suspension. Instead, he came on for Pereryra in the 63rd minute. Cartagena completed 88.6% of his 35 passes, including three of five long balls, but didn’t complete his only cross attempt. He took three shots and all were off target. Defensively, the midfielder had one tackle in his 27 minutes of action.
Some players had decent games but nobody on the team was spectacular. The Lions didn’t look to be in the game from the opening kickoff and were quickly chasing a deficit. As a result, they almost certainly need all three points Sunday against the Columbus Crew at Exploria Stadium.
This is how I saw Orlando City’s 4-1 loss to Inter Miami. Let’s us know what you thought of the individual players’ performances in the comments below and don’t forget to vote on the Man of the Match, if there was one.
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Mauricio Pereyra | 2 |
| Ercan Kara | 2 |
| Facundo Torres | 8 |
| Junior Urso | 1 |
| Cesar Araujo | 2 |
| Other (Let us know in the comments) | 5 |
Orlando City
2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Kyle Smith
The Accountant turned in another solid season playing wherever and whenever he was asked to.
Orlando City signed fullback Kyle Smith on Dec. 21, 2018 when James O’Connor was Orlando City’s head coach. Since his arrival, Smith has proven time and again that he’s a valuable Swiss Army knife-type player, earning a new contract on March 29, 2021 through the 2022 season with a 2023 club option. Orlando City picked up his 2023 option at the end of the 2022 season but then signed Smith to a new one-year contract for 2023 just weeks later with an option for 2024. That sixth season concluded earlier this month, and it’s hard to imagine anyone (except perhaps Smith himself) expected him to still be getting lots of minutes with the Lions and sitting second on the club’s all-time list for appearances.
Let’s look back at the sixth MLS season — all in Orlando purple — from the man Oscar Pareja calls El Soldado.
Statistical Breakdown
Smith matched a career high with 29 appearances in the regular season in 2024, starting 12 matches and playing 1,143 minutes. He didn’t score a goal in the regular season, but he matched last year’s career high with three assists. The Cincinnati, OH native attempted just five shot, which is a career low, as was his single shot on target, which can account (see what I did there?) for his lack of goals in the 2024 regular season. He completed a career-high 83.7% of his 1,143 passes, which includes eight key passes, seven successful crosses, and 20 completed long ball. Although his seven successful crosses weren’t a career high, his 41.2% accuracy on cross attempts was the best success rate of his MLS career. The defender recorded 22 tackles, nine interceptions, 17 clearances, and three blocks. Smith committed 13 fouls on the season, drew 11 from his opponents, and picked up three yellow cards.
As with the regular season, Smith posted a career high in postseason appearances, playing in five games (although without a start) but logging just 51 minutes off the bench. He did not record a goal contribution and his lone shot attempt was off target. Smith completed 80.5% of his 41 passes with one key pass and two successful long balls but no completed crosses. He recorded a clearance on the defensive end, committed two fouls in the playoffs, suffered one, and did not pick up a booking.
In the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup, Smith started all four of Orlando City’s matches, logging 323 minutes. He scored a goal in the 3-1 home win over Cavalry FC but did not register an assist in the competition, attempting just the one (on-target) shot. Smith completed 81.5% of his 146 passes with two key passes, however none of his three crosses found the target. On the defensive end, he recorded five clearances. He committed five fouls, suffered two and received one yellow card.
In Leagues Cup, Smith appeared in two of Orlando City’s three matches, starting both but playing just 113 minutes because he was sent off against San Luis for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity, suspending him for the Cruz Azul game. He didn’t register a goal, assist, or a shot in the competition, passing at a 91.1% rate on his 79 attempts and tallying one key pass and one successful cross on two attempts (50%). He added a clearance on the defensive end, committed one foul without suffering any, and picked up the one red card.
Best Game
With any defender who only scores one goal across all competitions, it’s tempting to select the game in which he scored. In Smith’s case, his one goal was a well-worked give-and-go on the left side with Facundo Torres in the Concacaf Champions Cup home match against Cavalry FC.
It was an important goal, providing insurance late and helping propel the Lions into the second round against Tigres. However, I’m not choosing that match as Smith’s best.
The defender’s best match finished with the same 3-1 scoreline, but it came in his return home this year, as Orlando City traveled to face FC Cincinnati on Oct. 5.
Smith helped the Lions get the party started just 10 minutes into the match, sending a gorgeous, curling cross that wrapped beautifully around the back line and onto the run of Ramiro Enrique, who knocked it past Roman Celentano with his right foot to make it 1-0.
After Luciano Acosta tied the match just before halftime, Smith also played a role in the second goal of the game to put the Lions back in front in the 66th minute. Smith again picked out Enrique in the box with a great cross, but this time the striker had his back to goal. Enrique touched it back to Ivan Angulo, who got a bit fortunate that Celentano made a mess of the bouncing shot, letting it sneak into the net to make it 2-0.
Smith’s two assists were his only cross attempts of the match, making him 2/2 (100%), and his primary assist earned him a key pass. Those were the bright spots offensively, as the right back (in this game, anyway) did not attempt a shot and passed at just a 62.5% rate in his 81 minutes. However, Smith also was a force on the defensive end, finishing the match with a season-high four interceptions — his only multi-interception game of the season — to go along with a tackle and a clearance. He committed two fouls, suffering one, and he was not booked. It was a terrific homecoming for the veteran defender.
2024 Final Grade
The Mane Land awarded Smith a composite score of 6.5 out of 10 for the 2024 season. This equals the highest rating we’ve given him, which took place after the 2021 season. His grades haven’t fluctuated a ton from year to year, as he earned a 5.5 in 2019, again in 2020, and once more in 2022. He earned a 6 out of 10 in 2023. So, in six years, Smith’s score has been within a single full point on our 10-point rating scale. That’s the kind of remarkable consistency you want out of your accountant, and it’s what The Accountant has brought with his gritty, blue-collar style of play for Orlando City.
2025 Outlook
Although he was out of contract after the 2024 season, Orlando City immediately looked to re-sign the veteran defender to a new contract and did just that on Friday. Smith is back for 2025 on a new one-year deal. The 32-year-old, who will turn 33 on Jan. 9, will likely fill the exact same role he’s held for his entire Orlando City career. He’ll fill in wherever he’s asked, spending time in the starting lineup when other players’ injuries or form require his services. He’ll be solid but not spectacular nearly every outing, and occasionally he’ll be overmatched by a pacey opponent. But he won’t short you on his effort and he’ll make it hard for Pareja to leave him on the bench for the entire match, regardless of whether the team is ahead or behind.
Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)
Lion Links
Lion Links: 12/17/24
OCSC signs Colin Guske to Homegrown Player contract, Orlando City linked with Noah Levis, Barbra Banda wins award, and more.
Happy Tuesday, everyone. I hope you all had a good weekend, and haven’t been putting your Christmas shopping off until the last minute, which is something I’m definitely guilty of. Despite it being the off-season, we have plenty of Orlando soccer news to cover today, so let’s jump right into the links.
Orlando City Signs Homegrown Player
On Monday afternoon, Orlando City announced that the club has signed midfielder Colin Guske to a Homegrown Player contract. Guske is a defensive midfielder who spent the year with Orlando City B this season, playing 2,044 minutes across 24 appearances in MLS NEXT Pro. With Felipe and Jeorgio Kocevski leaving and Heine Gikling Bruseth getting pinched in the MLS Expansion Draft, there’s a need for depth in the midfield. Whether or not that’s what the club is intending for Guske this year remains to be seen, as he’s still only 17 years old. That being said, he was with the senior side for its preseason training camp this year, played well enough to make the MLS NEXT Pro All-Star Game, and has represented the United States at the youth level, so he does have potential. Either way, he becomes the Lions’ 16th Homegrown Player signing.
Orlando City Linked With Midfielder Noah Levis
According to Transfermarkt‘s Manuel Veth, Orlando City has signed young midfielder Noah Levis. The 18-year-old currently plays for Mikkelin Palloilijat in Finland’s second division and would reportedly join OCB to develop. Only time will tell if Levis will become a Lion, but he would give Orlando a young player who could hopefully make an impact with the first team down the line.
Barbra Banda Wins CAF Women’s Player of the Year
Barbra Banda was named 2024 CAF Women’s Player of the Year. The award caps an outstanding year for her, as she helped the Orlando Pride win the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship, was included in the league’s Best XI, was named BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year, and also made the FIFPRO World XI. She also scored four goals for Zambia in the Olympics this summer and she’s the first Zambian player to win this award. Banda was up against NWSL MVP Temwa Chaminga, whose Kansas City Current were beaten by the Pride in the semifinals. Congrats to Banda on a deserved win!
Orlando City B Announces Roster Updates
Orlando City B announced the roster status of its squad following the 2024 season. Contracts have expired for six OCB players, but they could still sign new deals and return to the team next season. Zakaria Taifi, Jhon Solis, and Gustavo Carballo remain under contract, while, as mentioned earlier, Colin Guske has been signed to the first team. As is usually the case, next year’s OCB roster will be largely composed of academy players and guys who have been signed to contracts with the senior side.
MLS Transfer Roundup
There are a few pieces of MLS transfer news that we need to catch up on. First, the Chicago Fire officially signed defender Jack Elliot as a free agent. He’s been handed a deal that runs through 2025 and has an option year for 2026. Up next, D.C. United signed winger Joao Peglow on a deal that runs through 2027 with an option for 2028. The 22-year-old joins from Polish side Radomiak Radom and is a former Brazilian youth international. Finally, the Philadelphia Union have put a contentious subject to rest by re-signing club captain Alejandro Bedoya on a one-year deal.
Free Kicks
- Plenty of American players will be playing midweek games, so make sure you have everything noted down on your calendar.
- Folarin Balogun will miss around four months after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder. As a result, he will likely be unavailable for the Concacaf Nations League next year.
- The draw for the UEFA European Women’s Championship is complete and England was drawn into a tough group with France, Wales, and the Netherlands.
- Lamine Yamal will miss up to a month after injuring his right ankle.
That’s all I have for this morning. Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City
Orlando City Signs Midfielder Colin Guske to Homegrown Player Contract
A starter with OCB in 2024, the teenage midfielder has been rewarded with a Homegrown Player contract.
Orlando City announced this afternoon that the club has signed OCB defensive midfielder Colin Guske to a first-team contract. The Orlando City Academy product is the 16th Homegrown Player signed by the club. Guske’s new deal begins Jan. 1, 2025 and will run through 2027 with a club option in 2028.
“Colin is just the latest example of a player that has taken full advantage of our professional development pathway,” Orlando City Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi said in a club press release. “He’s benefited from the full integration between the academy, OCB, and the first team within the training facility and has shown us through his performances, hard work, and dedication in training that he’s ready to take the next step. His talent and potential for growth as a player and person show a bright future and we’re excited to have him join the first team this next year.”
Guske followed his older brothers Owen and Liam in joining the Orlando City Academy. He was invited to Orlando City’s first team preseason in 2024, including its weeklong training camp in Mexico. His play earned him a spot in OCB’s starting lineup, making his professional debut on March 16 against Atlanta United 2. Playing alongside Imanol Almaguer, Guske made 24 MLS NEXT Pro regular-season appearances (23 starts) and recorded 2,044 minutes with one goal and two assists. He also played all 120 minutes of the team’s playoff game against Chicago Fire FC II.
The St. John’s native played the most minutes of any MLS NEXT Pro player born in 2007 and was selected to participate in the 2024 MLS NEXT All-Star Game in July.
In addition to training with the first team throughout preseason and the MLS campaign, the 17-year-old midfielder signed multiple short-term deals with Orlando City in 2024 for the Leagues Cup and regular season. However, he was unable to get on the field in any of those games.
Internationally, Guske has represented the United States at the youth levels, joining the U-18 roster for a trip to Japan in September and the U-19 team in Spain in October, as well as the U-19 team’s West Palm Beach camp in November.
What It Means for Orlando City
The departure of Felipe and loss of Heine Gikling Bruseth in the MLS Expansion Draft following the 2024 MLS season created a need for depth in the defensive midfield that Guske can fill. At only 17, he probably will remain with OCB as he gains more professional experience. However, he had a solid year for the Young Lions last season and appears to be a player with upside for a potential first-team future.
The fact that the club signed him to multiple short-term MLS deals last year indicated that this signing was coming. He’s a tough player who is not afraid to go in on tackles, resulting in being booked seven times last year. In addition to his physical play, he completed 88.2% of his passes last year. These aspects of his game are reminiscent of Cesar Araujo, just at a lower level due to his age and lack of professional experience. But they show that he has the potential to be a future starter.
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