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Orlando City at Sporting Kansas City: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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4 years ago

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It was a frustrating night in Kansas as Orlando City had a pair of goals ruled out for offside. However, the Lions’ persistence paid off as Nani equalized in the 79th minute and Orlando City came away with a 1-1 draw against Sporting Kansas City. The Lions will take a draw on the road and return home with two points on the season.

Let’s look at how each individual Lion fared in this game and who we see as Man of the Match.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — It was another strong performance by Pedro Gallese. He did concede his first goal of the game to his near post, but the shot took a deflection and he was blocked by a defender so it’s hard to put much of the blame on the Peruvian international. In the end, Gallese saved four of SKC’s five shots, including a very nice save on a surprising long-range shot by Andreu Fontas in the 59th minute.

D, Ruan, 5 — This was a tough game for Ruan defensively, as he was nearly at fault for two goals. Statistically, the Brazilian defender recorded one interception and one clearance. He did get fortunate in the 13th minute when he was slow to reach the block by Gallese off an SKC free kick. Nicolas Isimat-Mirin put the ball in but was offside when the initial ball was played in. A bad giveaway in the 54th minute gave Alan Pulido a chance but the SKC Designated Player put it wide. Ruan had one shot offensively, crossed poorly, and completed 78.1% of his 41 passes.

D, Antonio Carlos, 5 — It was an up-and-down performance by Antonio Carlos in this one. He made some nice defensive plays, but his bad giveaway in his own third helped to create the chance for SKC that resulted in the opening goal just before the half. Statistically, Carlos ended the game with two tackles, three interceptions, and two clearances. He attempted 79 passes and completed 86.1% of them.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Rodrigo Schlegel’s name didn’t come up much in this game, but that’s a good thing. Schlegel was very solid, not making many missteps in his defense of the Orlando City goal. He ended the game with three tackles, one interception, and a team-leading six clearances. He made 61 passes out of the back and successfully completed 93.4% of those passes.

D, Kyle Smith, 6 — Kyle Smith also had a very solid game in Kansas City. Continuing to play in place of Joao Moutinho, Smith had a team-leading six tackles, two interceptions, and two clearances. On the attacking end, the left back took two shots with one on target and completed 75.9% of his 54 passes. It was also his run and pass across that started the sequence that resulted in the equalizing goal in the 79th minute.

MF, Junior Urso, 6 — Junior Urso had a solid 76 minutes in this one. The Brazilian took one shot in this game, which barely went wide of the target. He had 40 passes in this game, including one key pass, and completed 90% of them. Defensively, Junior Urso had two tackles and one interception.

MF, Sebas Mendez, 6 — Sebas Mendez was very involved in this game. Offensively, he took two off-target shots but completed 90.7% of his team-leading 97 passes. Defensively, the defensive midfielder recorded three tackles and two interceptions.

MF, Andres Perea, 6 — It was nearly a memorable night for Andres Perea but luck wasn’t on his side. In the 49th minute, a free kick found Perea at the back post and he put it in for the equalizer. A review via VAR showed that, while Perea was clearly onside on the initial ball, Carlos had touched it just before it reached Perea in an offside position. Had Carlos not touched it, Perea would’ve had his first goal. Outside of that one unfortunate incident, Perea played well, playing three key balls and completing 91.2% of his 34 passes.

F, Benji Michel, 5 — It wasn’t a bad performance by Benji Michel in his 56 minutes but it could’ve been better. He skied an early shot well over the goal. His moment of glory nearly came in the 36th minute when a save by John Pulskamp came right to the forward. Michel made a very nice touch to tap it over Pulskamp and put it in. But the flag was correctly raised as Michel was unable to get back onside before the initial shot entered the SKC box. In the end, Michel ended the game with one off-target shot and completed 80% of his 15 passes.

F, Tesho Akindele, 5 — The striker position has been troublesome for Orlando City and part of the reason has been Tesho Akindele. He had a very quiet game, only taking one shot, one cross, and 13 passes. There’s not much to say about Akindele in this one, which is not what you want to say about a striker.

F, Nani, 6.5 (MotM) — The Man of the Match in this game was Nani. Once again, Nani was the playmaker for Orlando City. He had two shots, both on target, and made three key passes. Often involved in the attack, the Portugese star completed 76.7% of his 43 passes. Of course, the highlight of the night came in the 79th minute when Nani knocked the rebound off a shot from Chris Mueller with his heel behind Pulskamp for the equalizing goal.

Substitutes

F, Chris Mueller (57’), 6 — Chris Mueller was replaced in the lineup for this one but played well when he came on. In his 33 minutes, he took one shot and completed 72.7% of his 11 passes. However, the key moment for Mueller came in the 79th minute when he made a nice run, quickly getting a deflected pass on goal. While the shot was blocked by Pulskamp, it got the SKC goalkeeper on the ground, allowing Nani to put the rebound in for the equalizing goal.

F, Matheus Aias (77’), N/A — Matheus Aias was pretty quiet in his 13 minutes of play in this one. He only had two passes and didn’t take any shots.

MF, Alexander Alvarado (77’), N/A — Similar to Aias, Alexander Alvarado didn’t have a big impact in this game. He didn’t take any shots and completed two of only three pass attempts.

MF, Joey DeZart (89’), N/A — Joey DeZart came on just before injury time to help see out the draw for the Lions. He only made one pass and didn’t take any shots in his short appearance.

That’s how I saw the individual performances of the Lions in their second draw of the 2021 season. Let us know what you thought about the performances and vote to have your say on the Man of the Match.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Nani39
Pedro Gallese3
Kyle Smith20
Sebas Mendez12
Other3

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/9/25

Orlando City’s next U.S. Open Cup match date revealed, MLS matches to watch, top soccer club valuations, and more.

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17 minutes ago

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May 9, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Friday! I hope the week has treated you well as we get ready for a Mother’s Day weekend packed with soccer. Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are both in action at the same time on Saturday, so make sure to plan accordingly depending on how you want to enjoy the action. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Orlando City Will Face Nashville in USOC on May 21

Orlando City will officially host Nashville SC on May 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the U.S. Open Cup’s Round of 16. That match is sandwiched between a road game against Inter Miami on May 18 and a home game against the Portland Timbers May 24, so at least there won’t be much travel during that week during an already jam-packed month. The Lions reached this stage of the tournament after beating the Tampa Bay Rowdies 5-0 Wednesday, while Nashville won 1-0 against the Chattanooga Red Wolves on Tuesday.

What to Watch In MLS This Weekend

We’ll all be tuned in for Orlando City’s match on Saturday against the New England Revolution, but there’s plenty more MLS action to look forward to as well. Before Orlando’s match, Inter Miami will head to St. Paul to take on a Minnesota United team that leads the league with six clean sheets this season. Another notable match this weekend is a clash between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings when the Philadelphia Union host the Columbus Crew. That game has Daniel Gazdag written all over it. Sunday night’s match should be a doozy between two heavyweight Western Conference teams, as LAFC will hit the road to take on the league-leading Vancouver Whitecaps.

MLS Clubs Listed Among World’s Most Valuable

Sportico announced the valuations for the top 50 most valuable soccer clubs in the world, and a whopping 19 MLS teams made the list. The Lions aren’t included, but it’s still neat to see some clubs like Minnesota, Sporting Kansas City, and Charlotte FC listed. LAFC is the highest listed MLS side, coming in at 16th with a $1.28 billion valuation. Real Madrid tops the list at $6.53 billion, and six of the top 10 are from the English Premier League. While valuations aren’t exactly hard evidence of success or influence, I think this is a testament to the growth and parity of MLS through an international lens.

English Clubs Reach Europa League Final

This year’s Europa League final will feature a pair of EPL teams as Manchester United and Tottenham breezed through the semifinals. United overcame a shaky first half to beat Athletic Club 4-1 at Old Trafford, with Mason Mount scoring two of the team’s four goals in the second half. Tottenham avoided an upset in Norway by winning 2-0 against Bodo/Glimt. The final will take place on May 21 in Spain, and there’s both a trophy and Champions League qualification on the line. Both United and Tottenham struggled this season and are respectively 15th and 16th in the league standings, but winning the Europa League is all that matters now.

Free Kicks

  • American midfielder Johnny Cardoso played every minute of Real Betis’ 2-2 result against Fiorentina to advance to the Europa Conference League final, where the Spanish club will face Chelsea on May 28. Enjoy this goal from Antony to help his side prevail.
  • In honor of Mother’s Day, AC Milan players will wear their mothers’ last names on the back of their jerseys in today’s match against Bologna. I love this idea and hope more clubs follow suit moving forward.
  • An ownership group led by David Beckham and Gary Neville acquired Salford City of England’s League Two.
  • Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra’s MMA debut will have to wait, as the 43-year-old’s fight set for May 23 in Paris was postponed.
  • We’ll end our links with what looks to be some unexpected Orlando Pride representation in Vatican City!

That’s all I have for you this time around. Have a fantastic Friday and enjoy the holiday weekend!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs New England: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to score some goals and secure a victory against New England?

Published

20 hours ago

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May 8, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City might have the scoring woes in MLS matches as of late, but the Lions broke out against the Tampa Bay Rowdies Wednesday night in the U.S. Open Cup match. Of course, the Rowdies are not a very good team this year and are not a top flight team, so take it all with a grain of salt. What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points at home against the Revolution?

Stop Gil/Campana

New England has scored eight goals this season. Seven of those goals have come from Carles Gil (5) and Leonardo Campana (2). Gil has also contributed one of New England’s four assists on the season. The vast majority of the Revolution’s offense goes through these two players, meaning stopping the duo is priority number one.

I fully expect Oscar Pareja to field his first-team defense, including a back line of Alex Freeman, Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and David Brekalo. Orlando City will also need whoever is playing in the defensive midfield to be the first line of defense. Pedro Gallese cannot be expected to have eight saves every match. The defense needs to step up.

Streak vs. Streak

Orlando City is on an eight-match unbeaten streak. New England is on a four-match winning streak in league play and five in all competitions. One of these streaks will end Saturday night. The Revolution have scored six goals in the last four MLS matches with at least one goal in each match without conceding a goal during the streak. The Lions have only scored three goals in the last five MLS matches with all three coming in one match against Atlanta United. Orlando City has shut out five straight MLS opponents and six consecutive in all competitions.

Orlando City has given away too many points during the unbeaten run. The Lions have missed Eduard Atuesta’s ability to create opportunities for his teammates to score. I’m hoping he will be available, but if not, Pareja will need to figure a better adjustment than he has in previous matches.

No More Nil

Orlando City may be on an eight-match unbeaten streak, but the offense has been absent in four of those matches. In those 0-0 draws, Orlando City took 53 shots with only 12 on target (23% rate). Contrast that with the four matches in which they scored, when Orlando City took 68 shots with 25 on target (37% rate). The Lions will need as many chances as possible given New England has only allowed seven goals so far this season. This is a defensively solid team.

Marco Pasalic did not play in the Open Cup victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies, meaning he will be well rested and ready to start scoring goals again. He seemed to be dialing in during the Chicago match but he was taken off before he could convert. I want him to pick up where he left off, so he and many others can score goals against the Revolution. Hopefully, the goals scored against the Rowdies will kickstart the offense.

That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/8/25

Orlando City steamrolls the Tampa Bay Rowdies in I-4 Derby, Orlando Pride aim to bounce back, U.S. Open Cup results, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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May 8, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

How’s it going, Mane Landers? It’s not often we get to celebrate an Orlando City victory in the middle of the week these days, but hopefully it’s a habit we get used to. The Lions took care of business in my neck of the woods, and it’s given some nice optimism to finish this week strongly. Let’s dive into the big win and more in today’s links!

Orlando City Trounces Tampa Bay Rowdies

Take a bow, Gustavo Caraballo! The 16-year-old was the star of the show in Orlando City’s dominant 5-0 U.S. Open Cup win against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, scoring twice to jumpstart Orlando’s attack and making history along the way. There’s plenty of scoring to enjoy, so be sure to check out our full recap!

Hopefully this game was a nice shot in the arm for Orlando’s offense and something to build on in league play. It’s always nice to take down the Rowdies and the Lions are now the last Floridian team standing in the tournament. They’ll host Nashville SC in the round of 16 later this month in what should be a good game in the City Beautiful.

Orlando Pride Aim to Bounce Back in North Carolina

After a 1-0 loss on the road to the Portland Thorns, the Orlando Pride will look to return to their winning ways when they face the North Carolina Courage on Saturday. It’s going to be another tough environment for the Pride to play in, although the Courage have lost two of their three home games so far this season. Pride defender Emily Sams spoke on the team’s mentality heading into this match and how the team can raise its level after a disappointing loss in Portland.

U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 Wraps Up

MLS teams mostly cruised in the U.S. Open Cup’s round of 32, but it was still an exciting round of soccer filled with drama. In a vintage “cupset,” the Pittsburgh Riverhounds beat New York City FC 1-0 thanks to a goal in stoppage time from Orlando native Beto Ydrach. Indy Eleven nearly took down the Philadelphia Union, but the MLS side converted all five kicks in the penalty shootout to advance after a 1-1 draw.

The New England Revolution escaped Pawtucket with a 2-1 road win against Rhode Island FC, with 17-year-old Cristiano Oliveira scoring a late winner. Minnesota United squeezed past Louisville City 1-0, the Chicago Fire put Detroit City to the sword in a 4-0 win, and FC Dallas won 3-1 against USL League One side AV Alta FC.

UEFA Champions League Final Set

Paris Saint-Germain did everything it needed to and more at home against Arsenal, winning 2-1 to advance to the UEFA Champions League final. Great saves by Gianluigi Donnarumma and goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi propelled PSG to victory, with Bukayo Saka providing Arsenal’s only goal of the two-leg series. PSG will take on Inter Milan in the final on May 31 and it should be an interesting matchup at Allianz Arena to close out the tournament. Will PSG lift its first Champions League trophy only a year after Kylian Mbappe left the club, or will Inter come out on top after finishing as runner-up in 2023? I can’t wait to find out.

Free Kicks

  • Congratulations to United States Women’s National Team star Mallory Swanson and her husband Dansby Swanson, as the couple announced that they’re expecting their first child!
  • Racing Louisville announced that goalkeeper Katie Lund and midfielder Maddie Pokorny will both miss the remainder of the season due to hip injuries. Jordyn Bloomer, who had five saves in Friday’s win over the Houston Dash, will serve as the team’s goalkeeper in Lund’s stead.
  • The Columbus Crew signed Daniel Gazdag to a contract extension through 2027, with a club option for 2028 as well.
  • Arsene Wenger proposed a change to the offside rule so that attacking players are onside so long as any part of their body is lined up with the last defender. We’ll see if anything comes of this, but it could lead to more goals in the future.
  • Here’s what to watch for in the second legs of the Europa League semifinals. Manchester United will host Athletic Club with a three-goal lead in aggregate, while Tottenham will aim to defend its two-goal advantage in Norway against a Bodo/Glimt side that has key players returning from suspension.
  • Tottenham will be without James Maddison, who is out for the rest of the season after a knee injury sustained in the first leg against Bodo/Glimt.

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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