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Orlando City

Orlando City vs Toronto FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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4 years ago

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Orlando City grabbed a win in the team’s return to Major League Soccer play with an exciting 3-2 victory. The easiest road trip of all time was nearly a disaster after blowing an early two-goal lead, but Junior Urso played the hero and rescued all three points. Here’s how everyone fared in Orlando’s return to action:

Starters

GK, Brandon Austin, 5.5 — It was an ok first outing for Brandon Austin in place of Pedro Gallese. The young Englishman did concede twice, and nearly a third if it wasn’t for Kyle Smith, but also made two good saves. He wasn’t asked to do much in distribution, but completed nine of 12 passes. If there’s one big criticism for Austin it was the way he commanded his area. He wasn’t sharp off his line or in the air, giving Toronto chances. Maybe that’s a bit harsh, but he could’ve been a bigger presence in the box. Granted, he’s young and it’s his first game, so that could easily develop as he gets more comfortable.

D, Joao Moutinho, 7 — Joao was a good contributor against the Reds. He played slightly deeper a lot of the time, more of a left center back almost, but his presence was felt. His passing was important in possession — completed 71 of 84 (85%) — while still adding a forward thrust, adding three accurate long balls, two key passes, and an accurate cross. He also still got forward, finding a half chance in the box he couldn’t control and hit well wide. His defensive work was also impressive with three aerial wins, a tackle, an interception, and nine ball recoveries. The one real demerit on his game was his occasional sloppiness, as he was dispossessed twice. He did also pick up a yellow card on a tactical foul. 

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — Not bad, but not an overly influential performance from Jansson. Not too much distribution work from the Swede, with only 33 completed passes (impressive 97% though), including just one completed long ball. Defensively, he made seven clearances, an interception, and two ball recoveries. He was beaten in the air for Toronto’s first goal, and while Ayo Akinola is an incredible athlete, you expect more from your center back that close to goal

D, Antonio Carlos, 6.5 — Another good all-around performance from Antonio Carlos. His distribution was great, completing all 40 of his passes, including six long balls. Defensively, he was his usual self, with 10 clearances, three aerial wins, and four ball recoveries. He also had a blocked shot off a set piece. He was a little slow to close out space, giving the likes of Alejandro Pozuelo and Richie Layrea too much space, and was arguably culpable on Toronto’s second goal after overrunning the play. 

D, Kyle Smith, 7.5 — This man just gets the job done. Smith was great for the Lions once again, making countless good defensive plays and providing some danger from the right flank. While he did struggle at times to handle the dribbling of Richie Layrea and company, he did make a tackle, two interceptions, nine ball recoveries, and four clearances, including a fantastic goal-line clearance in the second half. Offensively, he completed 40 of 46 passes (87%), but was a solid creative presence in combination with Silvester van der Water and Urso on the right flank. He had two successful dribbles, a key pass, an off-target shot, and an accurate cross. Smith will never be as dangerous as Ruan in attack, but his all-around excellence and grit might make him a first-team regular even after the Brazillain returns. 

MF, Junior Urso, 8 — It was a big box-to-box performance from the Bear against Toronto. Effective in possession and keying the transition, he completed 43 of 47 passes (91%) and got off two shots, including a well-taken goal to win the game late on. He won the ball back in midfield and played a quick one-two with Chris Mueller before making a clean finish. He was also effective defensively, particularly winning the ball back in midfield, with a tackle, interception, and five ball recoveries. Both he and Perea were occasionally caught upfield, giving Toronto space to attack, but their presence pushing forward and on the press gave Orlando a real threat. Urso also picked up his first yellow card of the season.

MF, Andres Perea, 7.5 — An understated but impressive performance from Perea standing in for Sebas Mendez. He was excellent in possession, completing 59 of 63 (94%) of his passes, including three of four long balls. Like Urso, Perea’s defensive presence was impressive, with two tackles, an interception, and seven ball recoveries. He wasn’t as offensively involved as his Brazilian teammate, but he was an effective player who opened things up for the creative players ahead of him, including an excellent line-splitting ball to Mauricio Pereyra that eventually resulted in the opening goal.

MF, Silvester van der Water, 7.5 — Originally this was a little higher, the Dutchman is such a bright spot on this team it’s hard not to highly rate him, but I have to keep myself honest. His intelligence and work rate created the second goal, perfectly pressing Toronto’s Quentin Westberg to force a mistake and create an excellent opportunity in the box. He got a secondary assist for Nani’s goal as a result. He was a goal threat, cutting in from the right, with one shot hitting Westberg and he had goal disallowed for offside just before the half. Unfortunately for Orlando, he really faded down the stretch before being subbed off in the 70th minute for Mueller. In total, he completed 28 of 31 passes (90%), had a key pass, a successful dribble, and six ball recoveries. Even if he faded, the technical quality and dynamism he’s shown the last three games have made him a must-start player and a real threat for Orlando City moving forward.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 8 — This is the Mauricio Pereyra we saw last year. The Uruguayan picked up an assist on the opening goal, picking a perfect through ball to the feet of Tesho Akindele. He also played van der Water in behind on multiple occasions with slick passes. Pereyra completed 44 of 53 passes (83%) including four of six on long balls with two key passes as well. If there’s one real demerit to Pereyra’s game it’s his lack of a goal threat. There were opportunities for him to potentially find a shot, but he’s always looking to create. That’s mostly great, and he was good again tonight, I just wish he were more direct at times. Defensively he was involved with six ball recoveries and a clearance.

F, Nani, 8 — Awesome stuff from Nani in his return to action. He got off the mark early, grabbing his fourth goal in his last five appearances in the eighth minute on a good headed finish. He was active, with three shots — including a sublime free-kick just off the mark — and also two key passes. His crossing was dangerous, if slightly underwhelming with only one accurate cross on eight attempts, and he completed 27 of his 35 passes (77%). He got back and contributed defensively as well with a successful tackle and three ball recoveries, while also being a force in the air with three aerial wins. Another great performance from Nani as he continues his scorcher of a start to the season.

F, Tesho Akindele, 8.5 (MoTM) — Tesho has been playing great this season. The Canadian got back on the scoresheet in the first minute of the game and added an assist soon after. While he didn’t have a shot after the goal, his all-around work continues to impress, making selfless runs, pressing hard, and holding the ball up well. He completed 16 of 19 passes (84%), had a key pass, won an aerial duel, made a ball recovery, and made a clearance. He might not be as consistently goal dangerous as Daryl Dike or maybe even Alexandre Pato, but the all-around work Tesho puts in is incredibly valuable. 

Substitutes

F, Daryl Dike (64’), 7 — He’s back! It was a good 30-minute shift for the rapidly ascending American. He gave Omar Gonzalez fits, drawing a foul and a yellow card on the top of the box and nearly having another breakaway chance before Chris Mavinga snuffed it out in the box. Not much in the way of stats for Dike though — no shots, only two passes attempted (one completed), and he won an aerial duel. If he gets to go from the jump he will be a nightmare for the opposition. 

MF, Chris Mueller (71’), 6.5 — Another mixed bag of a game for Mueller. I will say he was generally pretty good and he did have the assist on the winner — his third of the year. He also had a shot from a dangerous opportunity, though it drifted wide. The execution wasn’t quite there, as on a misplaced pass to a wide-open Dike in the box, but to see Mueller being more direct and aggressive is a promising sign. It wasn’t the most efficient of outings. He only completed four of his seven passes and had some rough touches at times. To his credit, he made up for it with his effort, particularly defensively, where he made two clearances and two ball recoveries.

F, Benji Michel (80’), 6.5 — There’s not much to say about Michel’s game. Brought in to add that extra punch and go for the winner in the last 10 minutes, Michel brought energy to the final third. While he wasn’t really involved in the goal, his pace and willingness to take people on is always welcome late in the game. He did get a shot off, completed two of three passes, won an aerial duel, and made a ball recovery in his 10-minute run out.

That’s how I saw everyone’s performance, but what did you see? Let us know down below and make sure to vote for your Man of the Match.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Tesho Akindele12
Nani7
Mauricio Pereyra6
Kyle Smith30
Junior Urso24
Other (Comment Below)1

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/21/25

Orlando Pride release preseason camp roster, scouting Costa Rica, women’s soccer transfer grades, and more.

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18 hours ago

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January 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone! If you had yesterday off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, then I hope you enjoyed some restful time off. If not, then I hope you got your week started off on a good and productive note. There’s a lot going on around here this week as the United States Men’s National Team is in town, and Orlando City will play its first preseason match on Saturday. That means we have plenty to discuss, so let’s dig into today’s links.

Orlando Pride Drop Preseason Roster

Monday might have been a holiday but the Orlando Pride were busy, as they announced the roster for their upcoming preseason camp. Almost all of the usual suspects from the 2024 season are back, as the Pride return 98% of the player-minutes from last season and every single scorer. Mariana Larroquette is on the list although she’s currently on loan in Argentina, and Amanda Allen is likewise included after her loan at Lexington Sporting Club was terminated due to a torn labrum. The biggest intrigue comes from the trio of non-roster invitees: goalkeeper DeAira Jackson, midfielder Aryssa Mahrt, and forward Simone Jackson.

Scouting Costa Rica

The USMNT takes on Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium to wrap up the team’s annual January camp. Like the U.S., Costa Rica is bringing a roster devoid of the majority of its important players. Costa Rica also has a new manager at the helm in Miguel Herrera, who will take charge of the team for the very first time on Wednesday. Herrera typically lines his teams up in a 5-3-2 where the wingbacks take on a very important role and the team looks to hit on the counter while staying compact at the back. This will be the last time we see the USMNT in action until the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in early March.

Women’s Soccer January Transfer Grades

January has been a busy time for transfers in the women’s soccer world, so which teams have done the best business? Well, the Orlando Pride received an A grade for signing Marta to a new two-year deal, retaining a player who helped the team win its first ever trophies. Liverpool got an A for signing Julia Bartel on loan from Chelsea. Leicester City made an interesting call by transferring goalkeeper Lize Kop to Tottenham despite just being a point above the relegation zone. The Foxes get a C for the move, while Spurs get a B+ for adding a capable netminder.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans taking part in some very important games over the course of this week. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus face Club Brugge today in the UEFA Champions League, while Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Esmir Bajraktarević, Malik Tillman and PSV Eindhoven take on Crvena Zvezda in the same competition. Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan will play Girona in the UCL on Wednesday, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic take on Young Boys. On Friday, John Tolkin could make his Bundesliga debut when his new team, Holstein Kiel, travels to face Wolfsburg.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride players reported for their preseason physicals on Monday.
  • Meanwhile, Orlando City took on the dreaded beep test during Monday’s training session.

That’s all I have for you today. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Striker Suddenly a Position of Need for Orlando City

Departures and a key injury mean Orlando City needs a striker heading into the 2025 MLS season.

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2 days ago

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January 20, 2025

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Image Courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City reached the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in 2024, a milestone for the club. The core of the team was locked up through the 2025 season, so there was no reason to believe it needed to add much this off-season. Unfortunately, injuries and departures have created a serious problem for the team.

The group of forwards last year consisted of Duncan McGuire, Ramiro Enrique, and Jack Lynn. McGuire scored 15 goals in 2023 and was expected to depart for Blackburn Rovers before a clerical error allowed the Lions to keep their target man. The team’s primary striker scored 11 goals in 37 games — the same number as the previous season — but split time starting with Enrique. The Argentinian improved greatly in 2024, increasing his total goal tally from four to 12. Even Lynn showed tremendous improvement last year, playing a greater role in the team and scoring his first two MLS goals.

The future also seemed bright for the Orlando City forwards because of their ages. Lynn is the oldest of the trio at just 25 years old. Meanwhile, McGuire and Enrique are only 23, so there was no reason to believe this group couldn’t produce this coming season.

The problem at striker began in the postseason when McGuire was pulled down by Charlotte FC midfielder Djibril Diani in the final first round game of the playoffs. McGuire suffered a shoulder injury during the challenge that required surgery on Dec. 13. It’s expected that the striker could take four to five months to return to action, possibly leaving him out until May or June.

Another blow to Orlando’s attack occurred Saturday when Lynn surprisingly announced his retirement from professional soccer. In just over a month, Orlando City went from having three strikers to having just one as preseason training starts.

With McGuire injured and Lynn gone, one option would be to have Designated Player Luis Muriel play up top. However, the Colombian prefers to play a more withdrawn position and proved to be effective in that role last year. Since Head Coach Oscar Pareja prefers to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, the Lions need someone up top to control the ball and involve the midfielders in the attack. That’s not Muriel’s game.

The result of these issues is that nobody is currently behind Enrique when the season begins. If the Argentinian gets tired, hurt, or simply needs rest, Pareja is limited in his options. 

Whether there was a lack of strikers or a lack of goals from the position previously, that problem was resolved by the club’s all-time leading goal scorer. Facundo Torres scored 20 goals in 2024, becoming the first player in Orlando City’s MLS history and the second player in club history to do so. He went on to set a new club record for total goals of 47.

However, Orlando City sold its best player to Brazilian side Palmeiras on Dec. 20. It was a gut punch to fans as Torres had signed a new contract on Jan. 10, 2024 that ran through the 2026 season. There had been talk for the last couple of years that the attacker would look for a move to Europe and rumors of a move to South America arose this off-season. Still, it created a huge gap the club has to fill.

There are players on the roster that can make up for the injury and departures. Martin Ojeda had a strong season in 2024, finishing with seven goals and 13 assists. His seven goals ranked fourth on the team and his 13 assists topped the squad alongside Nico Lodeiro. Muriel came on strong later in the season, finishing with five goals and eight assists. But those numbers are a long way from the 20 goals that Torres tallied last year.

Even if you consider all goal contributions, Ojeda and Muriel fall well short of Torres. Ojeda had a total of 20 goal contributions in 2024 while Muriel had 13. In addition to Torres’s 20 goals, he added nine assists for a team-leading 29 goal contributions.

All of this information leads to one undeniable fact — Orlando City needs to sign a striker prior to the season. And there’s not much time for Luiz Muzzi to act. The European transfer window closes on Feb. 3 and many MLS teams have already been filling similar needs. With the season starting in just over a month, the options will be limited if the Lions don’t do something soon.

After the best postseason finish in Orlando City’s MLS history, things were looking good heading into 2025. While the back line and most of the midfield is returning, McGuire’s injury and the departure of Torres and Lynn have left the Lions in a tough spot offensively. If they don’t do something in the next couple of weeks, it could be a long 2025.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/20/25

Orlando City signs Nicolas Rodriguez, Jack Lynn announces retirement, USMNT defeats Venezuela in friendly, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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January 20, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope you’re all having a good holiday weekend as we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Over the past week, I’ve been working and covering high school ice hockey. It will be a busy week in Orlando, with the United States Men’s National Team’s match against Costa Rica on Wednesday and Orlando City’s first preseason match against Atletico Mineiro on Saturday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Signs Nicolas Rodriguez

Orlando City announced on Friday that the club has signed forward Nicolas Rodriguez from Fortaleza CEIF in Colombia’s top flight. The deal is through the 2027 season, with a club option for 2028, and Rodriguez will occupy a MLS U22 Initiative slot. Rodriguez made 19 appearances for Fortaleza, recording 1,607 minutes, five goals, and three assists during the 2024 Primera A Clausura season. The Lions add a young attacking player the club can develop and Rodriguez can play on the right wing, the right side of a three-man midfield, or in the No. 10 spot.

Jack Lynn Announces Retirement

Orlando City forward Jack Lynn announced his retirement from professional soccer on Saturday. Lynn was drafted by Orlando in the first round of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. He became a regular starter for Orlando City B, scoring a team-record 38 goals in over three seasons with the MLS NEXT Pro side. Lynn also won the Golden Boot with 19 goals during the 2023 season and became the first OCB player to be named MLS NEXT Pro MVP. He played sparingly with the first team, but he scored twice last season as his role increased. The Lions will likely look to add another striker for more depth up top.

Orlando Pride Acquire Allocation Money in Trade

On Friday, the Orlando Pride announced that the club has acquired $50,000 in Allocation Money from the Washington Spirit. In exchange, the Pride sent the Spirit a 2025 international roster spot. The Pride will face the Spirit in the NWSL Challenge Cup final on March 7 at Inter&Co Stadium.

USMNT Defeats Venezuela in Friendly

The USMNT defeated Venezuela 3-1 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday in a friendly. Jack McGlynn and Patrick Agyemang scored in the first half to give the USMNT a 2-0 lead just before halftime. Matko Milijevic scored the third goal for the Americans in the second half, with Venezuela pulling one back thanks to a goal from Jorge Yriarte. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has led the USMNT to winning four out of its first five matches since he took charge last September. The USMNT’s next match will be against Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium.

Alyssa Naeher Named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year

On Saturday, goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was voted 2024 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year. Naeher won 40% of the vote, while defender Naomi Girma finished in second with 32%. In her final year with the USWNT, Naeher ended 2024 with 18 starts, playing 1,170 minutes and only conceding 11 goals. She played a crucial role with clutch saves to help the USWNT win the 2024 SheBelieves Cup, 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup, and gold at the Olympics in Paris. Naeher is the second goalkeeper to win the award since Hope Solo won it in 2009.

Free Kicks

  • Manchester City forward Erling Haaland has reached an agreement with the club on a record-breaking contract that extends his deal through 2034.

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

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