Orlando City
Orlando City at Sporting Kansas City: Player Grades and Man of the Match
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
| Player | Votes |
| Nani | 39 |
| Pedro Gallese | 3 |
| Kyle Smith | 20 |
| Sebas Mendez | 12 |
| Other | 3 |
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Portland Timbers: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
Two teams still smarting from midweek U.S. Open Cup defeats look to get back in the win column.
Welcome to your preview and match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (6-2-6, 24 points) and the Portland Timbers (6-3-5, 23 points) at Inter&Co Stadium. It’s the only scheduled meeting between the cross-conference opponents in 2025 and the first time the teams have met since the 2022 MLS season.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.
History
The Lions are 3-1-2 against the Timbers in the regular season since joining Major League Soccer and 3-2-2 in all competitions. Orlando holds a record of 2-0-0 at home in the series.
The last time the teams met was at Providence Park on March 27, 2022, when they played to a 1-1 draw. Orlando City was ahead on a second-half goal by Junior Urso and up a man after Josecarlos Van Rankin picked up a second yellow card in the final quarter of an hour. However, Andres Perea committed a foul in the penalty area, allowing Cristhian Paredes to equalize from the spot just 10 minutes from the end of full time.
Prior to the 2022 meeting, the teams played for a trophy in the championship match of the MLS is Back Tournament on Aug. 11, 2020. The Timbers were successful on two set pieces in a 2-1 win over the Lions. Center backs Larrys Mabiala and Dario Zuparic got on the end of those set pieces to score, and Mauricio Pereyra put one in the net for Orlando on a wasteful night by the Lions, who put only one of their 14 shots on frame against the Timbers’ low block defensive formation.
The two sides also met on July 18, 2019 at Providence Park, with a largely second-choice Orlando lineup playing to a 1-1 draw against a mainly full-strength Portland side. The Lions were outshot 26-2 but managed the road point anyway, thanks to a Santiago Patino goal that was offset by a late Jeremy Ebobisse equalizer.
The last time the teams met in Orlando’s home stadium saw Orlando City rally with three goals in seven minutes to erase a 2-0 deficit and win, 3-2. Chris Mueller, Sacha Kljestan, and Dom Dwyer scored in the 80th, 82nd, and 87th minutes, respectively, to overcome a hole created by goals from Portland’s Diego Valeri and Bill Tuiloma.
The Lions’ only regular-season loss in the series came at Providence Park in a game they’d rather forget, as they ended up getting two men sent off on the way to a 3-0 loss to Portland in 2018. Goals from Valeri (twice) and Darren Mattocks got Timber Joey’s chainsaw heated up. Jonathan Spector got sent off for two yellow cards and PC saw a straight red.
In 2016, Orlando City thumped the defending MLS champion Timbers, 4-1, with four different Lions scoring — Seb Hines, Kaká, Kevin Molino, and Brek Shea. Joe Bendik stopped a Fanendo Adi penalty kick, but Jack McInerney’s late goal spoiled the shutout.
Orlando won the inaugural MLS meeting in 2015 at Providence Park, 2-0, with Cyle Larin scoring the first of his league rookie record 17 goals, chesting home a wicked cross from Molino. Kaká scored the second goal from the spot to provide the final margin after Carlos Rivas drew the first penalty in Orlando City’s MLS history.
Overview
Orlando City is coming off a frustrating 3-2 home loss to Nashville SC Wednesday in the U.S. Open Cup. Marco Pasalic opened the scoring and Ramiro Enrique equalized after the Lions fell behind on two poor goals by the defense, but a legitimate penalty shout against Nashville for a handball was ignored and the visitors got a late goal from fullback Wyatt Meyer to knock Orlando out of the competition. That snapped the club’s 12-game unbeaten streak in all competitions. However, the Lions still enter tonight on an 11-match unbeaten run in MLS games.
The Lions are 4-1-2 at home in the regular season. However, to improve upon that record, Head Coach Oscar Pareja must ensure his team has more legs under it tonight than it had on Wednesday, when multiple players — notably, Martin Ojeda, David Brekalo, and Cesar Araujo, among others — appeared sluggish after playing heavy minutes in Sunday’s emotional road win at Inter Miami. This is Orlando’s third match in seven days, so running the mostly the same lineup out there against Portland is likely not the best idea.
At the same time, it should be noted that the Timbers are playing their third match in eight days, with the most recent of those — a Tuesday night 1-0 loss after extra time to San Jose in the U.S. Open Cup — on the road. Portland is one extra day removed from both USOC play and MLS play than the Lions, but the Timbers have logged some travel miles, flying to both San Jose and Orlando.
Portland’s most recent league match was a hard-fought 1-1 home draw in the Cascadia Cup rivalry against the Seattle Sounders. The Timbers are 0-1-2 in their last three games in all competitions, but they sit fourth in the Western Conference and have been good on the road, taking points in five of seven away league matches with a 3-2-2 mark away from Providence Park.
Tonight’s visitors have multiple players who can inflict damage in the attack. Four players have at least four goals, led by Felipe Mora’s five, while Antony has scored four times and is tied for the Portland lead in assists, with seven. Kevin Kelsy and Santiago Moreno also have four goals apiece, with David da Costa sitting on two goals to go along with his seven assists.
Orlando must battle fatigue as well as the varied Portland attack. At the same time, the Lions must take their chances better than they did on Wednesday, as the Timbers have conceded more goals (20) than all but four teams in the Western Conference.
“Portland is a team that has been growing in this season. We don’t play in the same conference, but we have seen their growth lately,” Pareja said ahead of the match. “The preparation has been intense for us in such a short period of time. Knowing that they [Portland] have that game model that has been growing lately. We respect them and we’ll be ready.”
The Lions will be without Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), Nico Rodríguez (thigh), and Yutaro Tsukada (knee), while Eduard Atuesta (neck) and Gustavo Caraballo (lower leg) are questionable. The Timbers will be without Diego Chara (lower body), Zac McGraw (back), and James Pantemis (leg), while Jonathan Rodriguez (lower body) is questionable.
Match Content
- The latest episode of the PawedCast includes our key matchups and our score predictions for tonight’s game.
- Our Ben Miller provided his three keys to an Orlando City victory in this match.
Official Lineups
Orlando City (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.
Defenders: David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Alex Freeman.
Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Cesar Araujo, Eduard Atuesta, Marco Pasalic.
Forwards: Luis Muriel, Duncan McGuire.
Bench: Javier Otero, Rafael Santos, Kyle Smith, Zakaria Taifi, Joran Gerbet, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Shak Mohammed, Martin Ojeda, Ramiro Enrique.
Portland Timbers (5-4-1)
Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.
Defenders: Omir Fernandez, Jimer Fory, Finn Surman, Dario Zuparic, Juan Mosquera.
Midfielders: Santiago Moreno, Cristhian Paredes, David Ayala, David da Costa.
Forward: Kevin Kelsy.
Bench: Trey Muse, Kamal Miller, Claudio Bravo, Ian Smith, Eric Miller, Joao Ortiz, Ariel Lassiter, Antony, Felipe Mora.
Referees
Ref: Jair Marrufo.
AR1: Eric Weisbrod.
AR2: Kevin Klinger.
4th: Ricardo Montero Araya.
VAR: Kevin Terry Jr.
AVAR: Joshua Patlak.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.
TV/Live Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish).
Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.
Enjoy the game. Go City!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Portland Timbers: Three Keys to Victory
If the Lions can check these three boxes, then they should be in a good position to win Saturday night.
Coming off a midweek U.S. Open Cup match that I think we’d all rather not talk about too much, Orlando City will try to continue a good run of form in league play tomorrow when it faces the Portland Timbers at home. Both teams will be coming off a short week and need wins to keep pace at the top of crowded Eastern and Western conferences. What follows are three things I believe will go a long way towards helping OCSC pick up the win.
Balance the Lineup
Hindsight is of course 20/20, but playing a mostly first-choice lineup on Wednesday coming off short rest on Sunday after an emotional win hurt Orlando City dearly in the end. Nashville SC looked like the fresher team, and several Lions simply seemed to hit physical walls in the second half, which wasn’t surprising considering the amount of minutes that have piled up on their legs over the course of May. Playing a lineup of all the guys who started on Wednesday would be tantamount to suicide, but Oscar Pareja is going to need to strike the right balance between calling on his best XI and getting some fresh legs in. Alex Freeman, Martin Ojeda, Cesar Araujo, and Joran Gerbet could surely do with some rest, and the health of Eduard Atuesta will surely have a big impact on how the starting lineup looks Saturday night. Either way, Papi is going to need to a good job of walking the tightrope.
Focused for the Full 90
Two of the three goals that Nashville scored on Wednesday were in large part due to the Lions being far too lackadaisical in their defending. Whether it was switching off because they were expecting a whistle that never came, or simply allowing an opposition player to have far too much time and space on the ball, moments where OCSC let its collective focus slip came back to haunt the club in a big way. Like Nashville, Portland is a strong side that’s more than capable of punishing mistakes and lapses of concentration. Tired legs and a possible emotional hangover from the Inter Miami victory likely contributed to Orlando delivering an uncharacteristically unfocused performance, but if the Lions can put those issues in the past, it’ll go a long way towards picking up all three points.
Finish Your Chances
While Orlando has been in (mostly) strong form lately, a recurring theme has begun to emerge of the team not finishing some of the best chances that it creates. Andrew DeSalvo spoke about this at length in an excellent piece, and drew upon OCSC’s 3-0 victory over Miami as a prime example of the Lions leaving goals on the table. Yes, the team has still been getting results, but the margins are so small in the game of soccer that repeatedly spurning chances to score will come back to bite you sooner or later. Plus, there’s plenty of danger going into this game: the Lions will be on short rest, with extra tired legs, against one of the best teams in the west. Any and all high-quality chances that the good guys can carve out need to be finished emphatically, and if they are, then don’t be surprised if OCSC comes out with a win.
There you have it, people. If Orlando comes out with a balanced lineup, maintains razor-sharp focus for the entirety of the game, and is ruthless about finishing off great chances to score, then the Lions should be in a great position to get the win at home. All they need to do is go out and make it happen. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 5/23/25
Tonight’s OCB match moved to Sunday, Alex Freeman makes USMNT roster, FanDuel Sports Network will stream Orlando Pride games, and more.
Happy Friday! A long weekend is ahead of us and there is plenty of Orlando soccer to enjoy as well. I’ll be celebrating my nephew’s first birthday this weekend, so it should be a nice next couple of days visiting family. Let’s dive right into today’s links from around the soccer world!
OCB Match Moved to Sunday in Kissimmee
As a heads up, Orlando City B is no longer playing today. OCB’s match against Atlanta United 2 was originally scheduled for tonight in Atlanta, but it was instead postponed to 7 p.m. Sunday and relocated to Osceola Heritage Park rather than Fifth Third Stadium in Georgia. Stadium availability was cited as the reason for the change, and the match will be played behind closed doors, although it will still be streamed live. The Young Lions are coming off of a 3-0 win over Inter Miami II and will face an Atlanta team that has drawn its last four games.
Alex Freeman Makes USMNT Training Camp Roster
Orlando City right back Alex Freeman was named to the United States Men’s National Team’s training camp roster ahead of friendlies next month against Turkey and Switzerland. The 20-year-old is one of five uncapped players on the roster and one of 16 MLS players. He’ll likely be behind Sergino Dest on the depth chart, but Joe Scally was not called up for this window. There are many notable players absent, opening the door for players like Freeman across multiple positions to stake their claim to participate in this summer’s Gold Cup and the World Cup next year.
FanDuel Sports Network Will Stream Select Pride Games
The Orlando Pride will have eight of its remaining games streamed on FanDuel Sports Network, including tonight’s road game against the Utah Royals. The regional network, which used to be called Bally Sports before rebranding, is available on various providers throughout Florida and there is an app for streaming as well. Personally, I find this as just another cog in a messy machine of NWSL coverage options, but I imagine this is handy for those out there who are already accustomed to using the network to watch other Floridian pro sports teams.
Winter Garden Lands USL League One Team
Another pro soccer team is coming to Central Florida, as the United Soccer League announced its intent to bring a USL League One team to the area. Central Florida Pro Soccer’s ownership group has plans for a development in Winter Garden that would include a 5,000-seat multi-purpose soccer stadium. The plans also include recreational fields, a hotel, parks, and a walking trail. The group will gather input from the community in the coming months to help determine the team’s colors, badge, and name.
Free Kicks
- Kansas City Current defender Alana Cook was placed on the season-ending injury list due to a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus sustained in the club’s match against the Orlando Pride.
- NJ/NY Gotham FC and Tigres will square off in the Concacaf W Champions Cup final on Saturday. The winner will earn a spot in the 2026 Women’s Champions Cup and the 2028 Women’s Club World Cup.
- Luka Modric penned a farewell to Real Madrid fans as his time with the club has come to an end. I don’t know where his next stop will be, but I sure hope it’s not with a team the Lions still have to face this year.
- Raphina signed a contract extension with Barcelona that will keep him at the club until 2028. The 28-year-old recorded 34 goals and 25 assists in 56 appearances during this breakout year with Barcelona.
- Here’s a nice breakdown of what to watch for in Saturday’s Women’s Champions League final between Arsenal and Barcelona.
That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your holiday weekend!
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