Orlando City
Orlando City vs New York Red Bulls: Player Grades and Man of the Match
Ugh. After an unbeaten start to the season, Orlando City has finally tasted defeat after a 2-1 loss in Harrison, NJ to the Red Bulls of New York. The Lions put themselves in a 2-0 hole before Silvester van der Water scored and nearly got another late in the game. Here’s how each Lion fared in the first loss of the year:
Starters
GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — Gallese was great at times in this game. His early save off a Red Bulls corner kick was phenomenal. He made four more saves in this game, and didn’t have much of a chance on the two Red Bull goals. Where he needed to be better was his distribution. He was 16 of 25 (64%) passing, including 4 of 13 (30%) on long balls, which is not good enough. Granted, there was a lot of just hoofing it up to try to win second balls, but you still want at least a little more out of the back.
D, Kyle Smith, 7 — Kyle Smith is just consistently good. He’s not dynamic the way Ruan or Joao Moutinho are, but he’s just so consistently good defensively. He made three tackles, one interception, two clearances, and nine ball recoveries. Playing as a hybrid center back and later as a true fullback, he was flexible and effective. He played a key role in several late Orlando City attacks, including having the initial cross on the goal, finishing with a completed cross and having his one shot blocked. He was also important in possession, completing a team-high 58 passes at 85%.
D, Robin Jansson, 7 — Jansson was arguably Orlando’s best player on the day — he was my choice for Man of the Match until van der Water made things happen late. Defensively he was sound with eight ball recoveries, two successful tackles, three interceptions, and six clearances. When Orlando’s midfield turned the ball over, it was often Jansson shutting down the Red Bull attack, and he did his job. Perhaps even more impactful at times was his distribution. While he only completed three of six long balls, he was breaking lines, beating the press, and putting Orlando’s forwards into dangerous spots. These are the plays that only Jansson makes for this team that can be such a weapon. Overall, he completed 39 of 46 passes (85%), and also completed a dribble. With no Rodrigo Schlegel due to personal reasons, Jansson stepped up and maybe re-earned his spot in the starting XI.
D, Antonio Carlos, 6.5 — Another game, another solid outing from Antonio Carlos. He did his defensive work well, making two tackles, a massive seven interceptions, three clearances, and eight ball recoveries. He passes the ball well, completing 49 of 55 passes including four successful long balls. It wasn’t an overwhelmingly stellar performance, but certainly good.
D, Michael Halladay, 5.5 — It was a good, not great, MLS debut for Homegrown defender Michael Halladay. His one big mistake came on New York’s first goal when he failed to track Caden Clark and got caught ball watching. Other than that, he was solid. He completed 19 of 23 passes (83%), won a tackle, had a pair of interceptions, and six ball recoveries. He wasn’t particularly dynamic offensively, neither of his two crosses were on target, but it was a solid first outing for the young defender.
MF, Sebas Mendez, 4 — Mendez has been one of the standout players for Orlando in this first part of the MLS season, but this was a poor performance. He completed 46 passes at an 84% clip including 4/8 long balls, but he struggled breaking lines or even linking play at times. He gave up four fouls, including a dangerous opportunity at the top of the box for New York’s second goal, and got a yellow card. Mendez won only one of his three attempted tackles and made only one interception. Maybe I’m being harsh, but it just wasn’t good enough from Mendez in this one.
MF, Junior Urso, 6.5 — I really like what we saw from Urso. Defensively he won the ball back eight times, won 14 duels, and completed a tackle. He was also dynamic in transition, helping spark Orlando’s best offensive actions of the game. He completed 38 passes at 84%, completed five of eight long balls, completed two of five dribbles, had a key pass, and connected on a first half corner kick, though his effort dribbled well wide. He also drew a team high eight fouls. The only real negative for me was how cheaply he gave away the ball at times with several poor passes and he was dispossessed a team-high seven times. Overall solid performance from the Bear.
MF, Andres Perea, 6 — Starting in place of a natural winger to counter New York’s diamond midfield, Perea wasn’t in his best spot to succeed but was pretty good in spite of that. He completed 36 passes at 82% including all three of his long balls and completed three dribbles. He was involved in several half chances but also put in some defensive work, with two ball recoveries and a clearance.
MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 4.5 — It was a quiet day for El Maestro. He only played a half and made very little of his time on the field. No chances created, no shots, and only one key pass is not the return you expect from a player of Pereyra’s quality. He completed only 20 of his 27 passes (74%) including 0/3 on long balls. His defensive work was also mediocre at best with only one ball recovery and no tackles or interceptions.
MF, Chris Mueller, 5.5 — It wasn’t a bad game for Mueller, but he still hasn’t found his 2020 self. He completed 29 of his 43 passes (67%), three of his six dribbles, and had a key pass. There were times he got into dangerous spots or got the team into good areas, but the quality just isn’t there. He hasn’t been aggressive enough, finishing with no shots in this game. To be fair to him, he was doing a lot of work in this game playing as more of a wingback than pure winger and he did a good big of defensive work, with six ball recoveries and a pair of aerial wins. But for a wide player, his crossing was poor — 0/3 from open play and 0/2 on corners — and he has to start doing more. He did look a little sharper when the formation changed, but it was another disappointing outing.
F, Tesho Akindele, 6.5 — Tesho was pretty good again, even if he didn’t find the scoresheet. He did have an assist, setting up van der Water’s goal and should’ve had a second soon after. He had an excellent opportunity after being played in behind but couldn’t beat the keeper with his weak foot. In all, the big Canadian completed 23 of 27 passes. His defensive work was great again, winning seven duels, two ball recoveries, a successful tackle, and a clearance. You want more than one shot from a center forward, but with the overall lack of opportunities for much of the match and with everything else he brought to the table, it was a good Tesho performance.
Substitutes
F, Benji Michel (46’), 6.5 — Benji made things happen off the bench. His pace and strength were a welcome addition to the game, particularly on van der Water’s near equalizer. It wasn’t a super clean game. He was dispossessed three times and had other miscontrols, but he added a different element that stretched the field. He completed seven passes at 64%, had a successful tackle, and won three tackles.
F, Silvester van der Water (63’), 7.5 (MotM) — Subbing on, van der Water changed the game for Orlando City. He was dynamic, creative, and dangerous for Orlando, providing a spark on the right wing. He had two successful dribbles, completed two long balls, created a chance, won four duels, and had three shots. Defensively he won a tackle and had two ball recoveries. He also bagged his first Orlando City goal in the 84th minute, though he should’ve tied the game four minutes later with a wide-open chance inside the box. Even with that miss, it was another exciting performance from the Dutchman who might’ve earned himself more minutes after these last two games.
D, Joao Moutinho (63’), 6.5 — Moutinho brought a lot in his half hour or work. His delivery was tantalizing, including a good opportunity for van der Water that unfortunately deflected off another Orlando City player. He completed 16 of 25 passes (64%), won three tackles, and made three ball recoveries.
That’s how I judged everyone’s performance, but what did you see? Leave your thoughts below and vote who you think deserved Man of The Match.
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Silvester van der Water | 31 |
| Robin Jansson | 3 |
| Antonio Carlos | 0 |
| Kyle Smith | 4 |
| Tesho Akindele | 2 |
| Other | 4 |
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. LA Galaxy: Final Score 2-1 as Cardiac Cats Score Late to Earn First Road Win
Orlando City battled back from 1-0 down to pick up a road win against the Galaxy.
Orlando City trailed 1-0 with a quarter of an hour to play on an LA Galaxy goal by Christian Ramirez that looked offside, but the Lions scored on a penalty in the 76th minute and got a fortunate bounce of the goalkeeper’s hands on a long-range free kick in the 90th to complete a 2-1 comeback win at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA. For Orlando City (3-2-1, 10 points), it was the first road win of the season (1-1-1) and it kept the Galaxy (0-4-2, 2 points) winless on the season.
Martin Ojeda scored a penalty kick drawn by Eduard Atuesta to level the game, and Luis Muriel’s hard, high free kick gave John McCarthy trouble in a Cardiac Cats finish, as Orlando’s Designated Players continue to score goals.
“I want to congratulate our players (on) the way they believed in the game,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match — his 200th with the club in all competitions. “We had a difficult assignment but their willingness to change the game, to dominate the game, and also to continue until the end, that was something that made us feel very optimistic. It was a great performance against a great team, and I really think that we played well. We used very well our spaces tonight, and I saw a lot of personality (from) the majority of our players.”
Pareja’s lineup saw the return of Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Cesar Araujo and Atuesta started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Ojeda, and Marco Pasalic, with Muriel up top.
As expected, the team with the most completed passes in MLS saw most of the possession in the early going, making some probes into the area but not able to create much early.
However, it was Orlando that created the first dangerous moment with a clever run by Atuesta in the second minute. The Colombian sent in a dangerous cross intended for Muriel, but Zanka came sliding in to prevent a tap-in goal by Orlando.
After the Galaxy won a few corner kicks but did nothing with him, Freeman got an opportunity in the seventh minute. A good cross in from the left found the young fullback in front, but his header was right at McCarthy for the team’s only shot on target of the opening period. Considering the Galaxy came into the match with the Western Conference’s leakiest defense, it was a disappointing half by chance-creating standards for Orlando.
Atuesta was called for a foul a minute later, giving LA a free kick in a dangerous spot to the left just outside the box. A wicked bend on Diego Fagundez’s service nearly picked out the top right corner, forcing Gallese to tip it over the crossbar.
The Galaxy scored in the 14th minute on another play Pareja’s defense will want back. Gabriel Pec slipped in down the right behind Angulo and Santos, who were both caught flat-footed. A good ball just inches over Santos’ head found the LA winger, who sent a pass in front to Ramirez, who redirected it back against the grain and inside the right post, giving Gallese no chance to make the save. Ramirez appeared to be offside when Pec played the ball, and the video assistant referee looked at it but did not send referee Jon Freemon to the monitor and the goal stood.
Orlando started keeping the ball better after the goal, but couldn’t threaten the net much. Ojeda scuffed a shot attempt from the top of the area in the 19th minute. Moments later, Pasalic sent Muriel into the box, but the Colombian’s backheel pass did not fall into the path of a teammate, allowing LA to clear. Ojeda fired just off target from the top of the box on the left in the 21st minute, as the lack of final precision continued for Orlando.
Pasalic and Santos sent in crosses too close to the keeper in the 35th and 37th minutes, respectively, though the Croatian’s was deflected by Fagundez.
The Galaxy nearly scored a second in the 38th minute when Santos was bodied off the ball hard, giving space for Pec to smash a shot that Gallese fought off for a save. Fagundez jumped on the rebound at the top of the box and fired off the left post.
That was the last decent look of the half for either side in a half that saw the Lions with no lethality in the attack and several individual defensive lapses and turnovers in the defensive half.
Orlando City finished the first half with more possession (51.9%-48.1%), owing to a prolonged spell after the Galaxy scored. However, the hosts finished with the advantage in shots (5-4), shots on target (2-1), corners (4-0), and passing accuracy (85.8%-85.3%).
“In the first part of the game, probably 15-20 minutes, we had trouble with managing the spaces,” Pareja said. “They were using that double pivot with (Edwin) Cerillo and (Isaiah Parente). They were doing a great job on using that space. And we had to make a couple modifications to the way we want it. And then we just controlled much more our half and started getting our sequences cleaner, and our team grow in that part.”
As happened in the first half, the Galaxy came out with more energy to start the second period. The Lions looked to be in trouble in the 49th minute in transition when Schlegel got caught trying to catch the Galaxy offside. Instead, Pec chased the ball down the right side with an open teammate to his left. Santos got to the ball at the same time, and Pec shoved him down, with both players going to ground. Orlando was fortunate to concede only a corner because Pec couldn’t get the ball to make the final pass.
On the ensuing corner, Ramirez shook free of Freeman but got under his header, putting it high over the bar. Moments later, LA couldn’t pay off a dangerous free kick conceded by Araujo just outside the left corner of the box.
Pasalic got his foot to an aerial ball that was headed on by Santos in the 58th minute off a set piece but the Croatian couldn’t steer it on frame. Moments later, Angulo played Atuesta in behind but the flag came up quickly and McCarthy came out and snuffed out the play anyway.
Pareja made two substitutions that changed the game in the 66th minute, sending Duncan McGuire and David Brekalo on for Angulo and Santos. The two replacement lifted the team’s energy, with Brekalo handling Pec’s forays down LA’s attacking right and McGuire stretching the Galaxy back line. That allowed players like Atuesta to get forward to join the attack and it changed the team’s fortunes in just a few minutes.
“Those two substitutions were a game changer,” Pareja said. “What I see was the energy that they brought to us in a moment that we needed it the most. David (was) in a position that is not usual for him. I thought he came from behind and supported us, and at the same time, he just gave us stability defensively. Duncan, he can stretch those defenders.”
Moments after Miki Yamane fired over the bar from outside the area, Pasalic got loose for a shot near the right corner of the box at the other end. This time, the Croatian put his shot on frame, but the near post try was a comfortable save for McCarthy.
Ramirez fired wide off the recycle of an LA corner in the 70th minute, but the Lions started looking more dangerous in transition.
Atuesta got into the top of the box in the 73rd minute and it changed the match. While doing a stepover to tryto beat Yamane, the defender caught Atuesta’s foot. The midfielder went down and Freemon pointed to the spot, awarding a penalty. The foul was reviewed by video assistant referee Michael Radchuk, who upheld the call on the field.
“I was in the area. I think he wanted to be too aggressive on the ball and he stepped on my feet,” Atuesta said. “So, I feel the contact, and it was a penalty. David (Brekalo) came in so good, winning duels, and he helped a lot. And I felt good at that moment with a little bit more freedom to attack.”
Ojeda stepped to the spot, slowed his approach just before reaching the ball on a long run-up, waited for McCarthy to commit to his left, and passed the ball into the back of the net to tie the game in the 76th minute. With his fourth goal of the season, the Argentine has already equaled his 2024 regular-season goal total.
The Lions’ mood visibly changed after Ojeda drew the team level. Just three minutes after tying the game, Orlando came within inches of the lead. Atuesta blasted a shot from outside the area that struck the right post. The ball caromed to McGuire who sent a diving header that he couldn’t keep down. The ball sailed harmlessly over the goal. Moments later, Ojeda was sent down the left by Muriel and the Lions’ No. 10 sent a beautiful ball to send McGuire down the right. McGuire scuffed his shot and it skipped wide of the left post in the 82nd minute.
Pareja used the stoppage to send Dagur Dan Thorhallsson on for Pasalic. The Lions kept on coming after the restart. Atuesta smashed a shot in the 83rd minute that was blocked out front by the defense. A minute later, Freeman scuffed a shot attempt from the right side, with the Galaxy defense scrambling to knock it behind for a corner.
On the ensuing set piece, the ball was sent from the left corner to the right top corner of the box, where it found Muriel. The Colombian fizzed a shot that got through all the traffic out front but skipped just wide of the left post.
In the 87th minute, Thorhallsson sent in a good cross to McGuire. Under pressure from his defender, the big striker couldn’t direct his header on frame. Two minutes later, the Icelandic midfielder/fullback changed the game.
Making a good run through the LA defense and into the attacking third, Thorhallsson drew a foul from behind on Parente, who picked up a yellow card for the challenge. Muriel stood over the ball. With numbers forward in the box, Muriel opted to fire for goal from distance. His shot arced over the LA wall and was dipping below the crossbar. McCarthy leaped up to knock it over his crossbar or catch it, but misplayed the shot. The ball squirted through McCarthy’s fingers and behind him, bouncing into the goal to put Orlando ahead in the 90th minute.
It was Muriel’s third goal of the season, just two shy of the five he had all of last season. It was also his sixth goal contribution on the season, which is half as many as he had throughout 2024.
Orlando City saw out the five minutes of stoppage time, plus about one additional minute, with only a Parente shot over the bar from distance to deal with, claiming a wild comeback road victory.
At the end of the match, the Lions held the advantage in possession (51.3%-48.7%), shots (15-10), and shots on target (4-2). LA finished with more corners (6-2) and slightly better passing accuracy (87.2%-86.9%).
“We are very happy, because we worked very hard to get the result,” Atuesta said. “Here is not an easy place to come and win when you have to fly a across the country. We had to work the game, be intelligent. We knew some time in the game we’re going to manage the game to win, to get more chances. “
“Coming here to LA and getting these three points is giving us much more hope on keep adding points in very difficult places,” Pareja said. “So, a lot of confidence for us (from) these three points. The performance itself, I think, which makes us feel that we’re growing. Now we will be ready to prepare for the next one against another tough rival in our conference.”
The Lions will conclude their road trip a week from tonight with a match against the Philadelphia union at Subaru Park in Chester, PA.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. LA Galaxy: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Lions head to the West Coast for their third away match in four games, taking on the Galaxy in Los Angeles.
Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (2-2-1, 7 points) and the LA Galaxy (0-3-2, 2 points). This is the only scheduled meeting between the two clubs from opposite conferences this season.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.
History
The Lions are 4-3-0 against LA in MLS play, but have only met twice since 2019. Orlando is 1-2-0 on the road against the Galaxy, although the Lions won in their last trip to Carson, CA back in March of 2022 (more on that below).
The teams last met on April 29, 2023 at Exploria Stadium, with Orlando City winning 2-0 on goals by Ercan Kara and Facundo Torres. Current Orlando starting right back Alex Freeman made his MLS debut in that match.
Orlando City and LA last met at Dignity Health Sports Park on March 19, 2022 and the Lions won their first match ever in the state of California, 1-0. Torres scored his first career MLS goal on a header off a beautiful Kara cross for the game’s only goal. Pedro Gallese set a new club record with his 14th clean sheet across all competitions.
The Galaxy came to Exploria Stadium and got a smash-and-grab 1-0 win on May 24, 2019. Jonathan dos Santos provided the game’s only goal in the opening 20 minutes, with the Lions out-shooting the Galaxy 19-4 (7-1 on target).
Before 2019, the home team had won all four prior meetings. In Orlando’s visit to LA in 2018, the Lions fell 4-3 after blowing the lead three times. It was a case of too much Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who figured in every goal, notching his first MLS hat trick and adding an assist. Cristian Higuita and Dom Dwyer scored for Orlando and Sacha Kljestan forced an own goal by Michael Ciani with a pass intended for Yoshimar Yotún.
Back in 2017, the Lions prevailed 2-1 in Orlando. Will Johnson and Cyle Larin provided the offense to offset a goal by Romain Alessandrini.
The Galaxy captured the lone 2016 contest, 4-2. Giovani Dos Santos scored twice as LA put together four straight goals to erase a 1-0 deficit provided by Kevin Molino. Alan Gordon and Robbie Keane scored the other two Galaxy goals. Brek Shea tacked on a cosmetic goal late for Orlando.
The Lions won 4-0 at home in 2015 in the first meeting against the then-defending champions. It was Orlando City’s first-ever home win in MLS. Eric Avila, Larin, Kaká and Darwin Ceren found the net for the Lions and Tally Hall got a shutout in his first Orlando City appearance.
Overview
Orlando City continues to score goals, but the defense played arguably its best 90-minute stretch of the season a week ago in the Lions’ 4-1 destruction of D.C. United. All three Designated Players — Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda, and Marco Pasalic (I’m just going to start calling them the M&Ms to save time) — scored in that game, marking the first such occasion that has happened in club history. Freeman provided the other goal that night. The Lions entered the weekend leading MLS in goals (13) and assists (15).
Unfortunately, while the offense has been hot, the defense has decidedly been…not. The stoppage-time goal United tacked on to spoil the shutout a week ago was the 11th Orlando has conceded in 2025 through five matches, which is one shy of Toronto’s league-worst 12. The Lions will be looking for their first road win of the year after going 0-1-1 against the two New York teams in consecutive weeks prior to the D.C. match.
The defending champion Galaxy have struggled out of the gate, whether due to players missing, featuring in Concacaf Champions Cup, or both reasons. LA has conceded 10 goals in five matches and has scored just four times this season. So, only two teams have conceded more goals than the Galaxy, while just three clubs have scored fewer goals than LA. The Galaxy are yet to win or even draw at home (0-2-0) in 2025, however, the defending champs have scored three of their four goals in the last two matches, while earning their first two points of the season in those games, so that may be a sign of things starting to turn around for Greg Vanney’s side.
Striker Christian Ramirez has half of LA’s four goals and has found the net in each of the last two matches, so he’ll be a threat for tonight’s hosts. Orlando has struggled to contain Ramirez in the past. Gabriel Pec is another threat. Though he’s scored just once this season, Pec is averaging five shots per match, so he’s getting opportunities. He has tallied 13 shots in his last three games, along with his goal and an assist.
The Galaxy will get offensive chances. LA leads the league in passes completed, averaging more than 500 per game. Compared to Orlando’s 373 per match, that’s a lot. LA will have the ball, because the Galaxy are also second in MLS in passing accuracy (88.9%). Orlando will look to attack in transition. Although the Lions don’t string together nearly as many passes, they are second in the league in shot attempts (82) and third in shots on target (31), while leading MLS in key passes (68).
“The positive part of our last game is not just winning the game but scoring the goals. It gives us the opportunity now to raise our confidence and go to Los Angeles, a place that we don’t frequently go to, and play against a team who did a great job last year,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “Now we’re competing in a very good, demanding match, and we will be ready for it. We are trying to get the details on the game and try to get a good performance and a good result for us too.”
Orlando City will be without Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), Yutaro Tsukada (knee), Nico Rodriguez (thigh), and Favian Loyola (thigh). The Galaxy’s game notes indicate no LA players are suspended or on international duty, but the club does not list injuries there, and as of this writing, the MLS availability report for the weekend had not yet published. Galaxy players who missed the team’s last match include Mauricio Cuevas (hamstring), Joseph Paintsil (quad), Riqui Puig (knee), and Lucas Sanabria (collar bone). Marco Reus (knee) and John Nelson (thigh) were listed as questionable at Minnesota but neither dressed.
Match Content
- The latest episode of The Mane Land PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for the game.
- David Rohe provided his three keys to victory for Orlando City in this matchup.
Official Lineups:
Orlando City (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.
Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Alex Freeman.
Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Eduard Atuesta.
Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, Marco Pasalic.
Forward: Luis Muriel.
Bench: Javier Otero, Kyle Smith, David Brekalo, Colin Guske, Joran Gerbet, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Gustavo Caraballo, Ramiro Enrique, Duncan McGuire.
LA Galaxy (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper: John McCarthy.
Defenders: Julian Aude, Maya Yoshida, Zanka, Miki Yamane.
Midfielders: Edwin Cerrillo, Isaiah Parente, Tucker Lepley.
Forwards: Diego Fagundez, Christian Ramirez, Gabriel Pec.
Bench: Novak Micovic, Eriq Zavaleta, Ruben Ramos Jr., Harbor Miller, Elijah Wynder, Emiro Garces, Joseph Paintsil, Miguel Berry, Matheus Nascimento.
Referees
REF: Jon Freemon.
AR1: Stefan Tanaka-Freundt.
AR2: Kevin Lock.
4TH: Gerald Flores.
VAR: Michael Radchuk.
AVAR: Fabio Tovar.
How to Watch
Match Time: 10:30p.m.
Venue: Dignity Health Sports Park — Carson, CA.
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 along at our Bluesky Social account (@themaneland.bsky.social), as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).
Enjoy the match! Go City!
Orlando City
Orlando City Showed Defensive Improvement Against D.C. United
The Lions looked much better defensively last game, but now they have to prove that they can build on that performance.
As the 2025 Major League Soccer season has gotten underway, one of the bigger topics surrounding Orlando City has been the team’s struggles on the defensive side of the ball. Andrew DeSalvo called on the team to get its defensive game up to scratch last week, and with good reason. The Lions have conceded 11 goals in five games, a mark that is good for second-worst in the league and is only eclipsed by Toronto FC’s 12. Given how Oscar Pareja’s Orlando sides have typically been built on the backs of a strong defensive foundation, its been a startling departure, particularly when paired with an offense whose output would usually be enough to get results as long as the defense isn’t leaking like a sieve.
Fortunately, OCSC had a much-improved defensive showing in Saturday’s 4-1 victory over D.C. United. Despite a consolation goal in stoppage time preventing the Lions from keeping a first clean sheet of the season, it was the team’s first time holding an opponent under two goals in 2025. A low bar to clear maybe, but that’s where we are right now.
Including the goal, D.C. took 14 shots and put five on target, with eight shots coming from inside the box. Those eight shots resulted in one goal, one attempt missed, three shots blocked, and two shots saved. The Lions managed to block nearly half of the shots taken within their own box without Javier Otero needing to be called into action. He took care of another two, and the Lions got lucky with one wayward shot before their luck ran out on the goal. All things considered, that’s not bad, and Orlando’s five blocks on the night tied for second-most this season, with the high water mark of six set against the Philadelphia Union in the opening game. Blocks aren’t a tell-all defensive statistic. For example, OCSC only had one in the 4-2 win over Toronto FC — probably due to TFC only managing nine shots on the night. Still, it’s nice to see bodies getting in the way to disrupt potentially dangerous opportunities.
D.C. ended the night with 1.60 expected goals (xG), and while that stat isn’t perfect, it’s good to see that D.C. didn’t vastly underperform the statistic, which would mean they should have scored more and simply didn’t take good chances. Of the visitors’ 1.60 xG, 45% came from Lukas McNaughton’s goal, with another 29% coming from Dominique Badji’s 68th-minute attempt that Otero saved. The next highest attempts were 17% from a Derek Dodson attempt in stoppage time, which was blocked, and 16% from a Christian Benteke header in the 54th, which was saved by Otero. Essentially, Orlando mostly did a good job in preventing D.C. from getting off dangerous attempts, and the opposition’s only big chance of the night came on McNaughton’s goal.
This also all came with Orlando City having slightly less of the ball than D.C., with 48% possession to the opponent’s 52%. The imbalance isn’t huge, but it’s a good sign that Orlando was largely able to limit dangerous chances even while spending periods of time without the ball and while being peppered with a whopping 10 corner kicks.
It wasn’t a perfect performance, as evidenced by the late goal, but frankly I’d have been surprised to see a sudden leap in defensive play given the struggles of the first four games. The D.C. win showed a lot of good things though, and gave the Lions a performance that they can build off of. Next up is an LA Galaxy team that has struggled for goals with only four in five games, but LA has attackers like Christian Ramirez and Gabriel Pec that are capable of doing plenty of damage on the offensive end. It’ll be a good test of whether the defensive unit is on the right trajectory, and hopefully it’s one that the defense can pass with flying colors. Vamos Orlando!
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