Orlando City
Orlando City vs Toronto FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match
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
| Player | Votes |
| Tesho Akindele | 12 |
| Nani | 7 |
| Mauricio Pereyra | 6 |
| Kyle Smith | 30 |
| Junior Urso | 24 |
| Other (Comment Below) | 1 |
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Atletico Mineiro, FC Series: Final Score 0-0 (6-5) as Lions Open the Preseason Schedule Strong
The Lions outlasted the Brazilian side from the penalty spot after a scoreless draw at home to open the preseason.
The first game of Orlando City’s 2025 preseason went to penalties after a 0-0 draw in front of an announced crowd of 11,912 at Inter&Co Stadium in the FC Series. The Lions won the postgame shootout 6-5 in seven rounds to claim something called the Inter&Co Trophy against Atletico Mineiro.
Overall, the performance was good, although the finishing wasn’t, as the Lions created more opportunities than the visitors, but two weeks into preseason it was evident that the final bit of precision wasn’t quite there.
“It was great to come back to our place and have a game, and especially against the rival. A good match,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I felt that we took the most out of the game under the circumstances. We just started the preseason, and having this match and the competitiveness that the boys showed today was first class. We’re happy. We’re ready to leave to our camp (in Mexico) and keep going.”
Pareja’s starting lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Rodrigo Schlegel, David Brekalo, Alex Freeman. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena started in midfield behind an attacking line of Yutaro Tsukada, Martin Ojeda, and 16-year-old Gustavo Caraballo, with Luis Muriel up top.
The teams played to a scoreless first half, with the Lions creating the better scoring chances, but the rust was evident as Orlando City wasted multiple good scoring opportunities.
The game’s first few shots came off of Orlando headers. Muriel redirected a cross on target in the third minute but couldn’t generate much power, sending it softly to Atletico Mineiro goalkeeper Everson. A few minutes later, Tsukada got to a bouncing diagonal cross but couldn’t direct it on frame. Brekalo got his head to a free kick cross in the eighth minute, but his shot was also sent directly at Everson.
Mineiro’s first shot of the match came 12 minutes in, when Gustavo Scarpa fired over the bar from well outside the area.
Orlando resumed the attack and Tsukada attempted a shot in the 18th minute from outside the area that deflected off a defender for a corner kick. The initial cross into the area was cleared but the recycled cross found Freeman near the left post, however, the fullback sent his header wide.
Schlegel conceded a pair of dangerous free kicks a few minutes after Freeman’s missed opportunity, but the Brazilian side couldn’t do anything with either of them. The second ended up deflecting off the wall and was picked up on the left by Guilherme Arana, who fired off target.
Caraballo should have scored in the 27th minute as Ojeda did well to get a cross from the left through to the far side. The teenager missed just wide from point-blank range, as the ball appeared to skip up off the turf on him at the last second.
Cartagena went down with an injury off the ball moments later and had to come off. He was helped to the locker room by the training staff. Kyle Smith replaced him in the lineup.
Gallese made his first good save of the game in the 35th minute, diving to keep out a good shot from distance by Fausto Vera.
Muriel set up Ojeda with a nice layoff at the top of the box in the 41st minute, but the midfielder couldn’t get his shot on frame, continuing the theme of the day for Orlando City.
The Lions again should have opened the scoring just seconds into first-half stoppage time. The Lions had a good attack up the left and Ojeda slipped in Ramiro Enrique, who had come on for Muriel late in the half. Enrique fired but Everson did well to make the save. The rebound came straight to Tsukada, with almost the entire net to shoot at, but the young winger sent his shot too close to the goalkeeper, who got a piece of it to keep it out.
Ojeda had the final shot of the half, sending a good effort through traffic but it was right at Everson. The teams went into the break without a goal.
The Lions had more shots (10-5), shots on target (4-1), and corners (4-2) in the first half.
Atletico Mineiro saw more of the ball in the second 45 minutes, but the Orlando City defense held up well, even after several substitutions, as Atletico Mineiro wasn’t able to threaten Gallese’s goal often. However, the Lions also didn’t create as much danger in the second half as they did in the opening period.
One of Orlando’s best opportunities in the second half came just after the restart. Caraballo sent Tsukada down the left but the winger fired wide of the goal in the 47th minute.
Gabriel Menino had one of Atletico’s best second-half chances in the 52nd minute, but he sent his shot over the bar from the top of the 18-yard box. After another long-range effort by the visitors sailed high over the net, Gallese made a save on a one-hopper from the top of the box in the 58th minute for his best stop of the second half.
Enrique fired just over the bar from the top of the semicircle in the 60th minute as the wasteful chances continued for Orlando. The forward had plenty of space to pick out his spot, but he leaned back a bit and his shot stayed high as a result.
There were virtually no chances created between the hour mark and the end of normal time, with both teams subbing often and the players who started noticeably tiring. The most noteworthy action was substitute Dagur Dan Thorhallsson took an accidental high boot to the head and had to come off. Pareja had no updates about Thorhallsson, Cartagena, or Muriel after the match.
“It is hard at this moment where we’re starting the preseason just to see guys coming out of the pitch with pains and things,” he said. “We’re praying that everything is good, but I have no other report.”
With no goals on the board through stoppage time, the game went to penalties after a 0-0 draw.
“We were obviously planning right after the game, who was going to take (penalties), and the boys were so engaged in the competition,” Pareja said. “It’s what they are. They want to compete, regardless of it’s a friendly game. They want to win it. And they were expressing that feeling, we need to win this game.”
Smith took the first shot from the spot in front of The Wall at the north end of the stadium, scoring to put his team ahead. Igor Gomes followed suit for Atletico Mineiro after coming to a complete stop in his run-up for about two seconds.
Enrique restored Orlando’s lead, only to see Brahian Palacios equalize on a stutter-step that clearly moved backward. Brekalo made it 3-2 with a bouncer that skipped over Everson’s outstretched arm, before Rubens made it 3-3 after three rounds.
Second-half sub Ivan Angulo saw Everson stop his penalty attempt in the fourth round, giving Atletico a chance to seize control. However, the Brazilian side’s No. 9, Deyverson, sent his blast over the bar to keep things even after four rounds.
Gallese took matters into his own hands (or feet) by scoring in the fifth round, but his counterpart Everson sent a shot under the crossbar to send the shootout into sudden death.
Freeman, who played the entire game, fired home to put Orlando up again, only to see Otavio equalize, as once again a Mineiro player came to a prolonged stop in his run-up. The teams went into the seventh round tied at 5-5.
“I feel like I didn’t want to take it differently,” said Freeman, who has been a regular penalty taker with OCB in shootouts. “I feel like I just wanted to stay confident. Obviously, there’s more fans, and obviously, there’s a little bit more pressure, but I feel like I did that. I just walked up confidently, and I kind of knew what spot I wanted to go.”
Rookie Joran Gerbet took an unorthodox approach and scored to put the Lions back in front in the seventh round.
“It’s been like something I exercise a lot since the last two, three years at Clemson,” Gerbet said of his penalty. “I was like, the one who was taking (them), so I’m just, like, used to it. So, yeah, it’s just like the routine, I guess.”
Defender Bruno Fuchs fired toward Gallese’s right, but Peruvian guessed correctly and kept the shot out with a strong right hand to win the shootout.
Pareja was able to get a lot of Homegrowns and academy kids into the match against a good Brazilian side.
“At the end of the game, I was seeing a bunch of guys that grew up in our academy,” he said. “And today, they made us feel that they have the case (to be) in the team already. So, I’m very proud for every single one that had minutes today and made us feel that result of the effort and what they’re investing in the academy.”
Here’s the full highlight reel from the match:
Orlando City is off to Mexico for the next week of camp. While there, the Lions will face Forge FC from the Canadian Premier League before returning to Central Florida. The next game open to the general public will be held in Tampa as the Lions face Inter Miami at Raymond James Stadium on Feb. 14.
Opinion
Orlando City Needs a Strong Start from its Defense
The defense will need to come together quickly in 2025 for Orlando City to avoid another slow start to the season.
The opening day of the 2025 Major League Soccer season is less than 30 days, and Orlando City is preparing for the opener against Philadelphia. With a full slate of preseason matches that recently dropped, the 2025 Lions will soon take to the field to put the final touches on preparing various tactics for the season ahead. That starts today with a friendly against Atletico Mineiro.
While there are numerous questions regarding the offensive side of the pitch for Orlando City, the defense should be an area of strength for OCSC as the season begins, and it may need to be, as any new attacking pieces brought in this late in the off-season will need time to settle in.
Starting with the dynamic duo of Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena, Orlando once again will have the good fortune of fielding one of the best defensive midfield pairings in all of MLS. While both Araujo and Cartagena are technically sound and strong defenders on their own, there is a noticeable difference in overall team defense when they both play together. Araujo, who has recently been the target of transfer speculation, is now expected to be locked into Orlando City purple for the upcoming season. He and Cartagena have demonstrated a great ability to take opposing star players out of the game plan, and there is little question regarding their importance when it comes to the successful start of the season.
Moving back toward the goal, Orlando City also returns a complete back line consisting of captain Robin Jansson, Rafael Santos, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, and either David Brekalo or Rodrigo Schlegel. The tactics employed by Head Coach Oscar Pareja call for the fullbacks to get into the offensive flow as often as the game allows, and both Thorhallsson and Santos have shown that they are capable of attacking. While that part of their game is a bonus, their ability to get back and defend — especially against the counter — will be an early skill to watch as the season begins.
At this point in his career, there will be very few surprises from Jansson, as fans and the coaching staff know exactly what type of effort to expect out of the center back. The only piece of the back line puzzle that will be interesting to watch throughout the early part of the season will be who earns the right to slot in next to Jansson. Due to injury and international duty a season ago, Schlegel wound up winning the starting role from the newly acquired Brekalo. My gut instinct tells me that with an off-season of preparation, we will likely see the younger and more athletic Brekalo get the nod to start the year, with Schlegel the primary backup for both starting center back positions.
Finally, the man who anchors it all, goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, will have the benefit of familiarity when it comes to the defenders in front of him. Gallese ended the 2024 season on a hot streak, in great form, showing his quality in the second half of the season and the playoffs, stopping multiple penalty kicks. He tied for fifth place among all goalkeepers with eight clean sheets in 2024 and will undoubtedly look to add to his career club record as the 2025 season begins.
With all of the defensive starters from the 2024 season back for 2025, Orlando City’s defense is expected to be the cornerstone of early season matches while the offense sorts itself out. The success then, especially during those first few matches, will likely live or die on the shoulders of the back seven defensive players.
Do you expect any cracks in the Orlando City defense to start the year or are you feeling confident in their ability to handle the new attacking pieces that have been added to the Eastern Conference? Let us know in the comments below and as always, vamos Orlando!
Orlando City
Orlando City Releases Full 2025 Preseason Schedule
The Lions will face three MLS sides, a Brazilian Serie A club, a USL Championship team, and a Canadian Premier League side this preseason.
On the eve of Orlando City’s first preseason friendly of the team’s 2025 camp — and 11 days into training — the club has released its full schedule for the remainder of the preseason. The Lions will play six matches, calling two of them “friendlies” and the other four “scrimmages,” but they all amount to competitive minutes for the squad ahead of the 2025 MLS regular season.
Two of the games are open to the general public, including Saturday’s FC Series friendly against Atletico Mineiro and the Feb. 14 preseason finale against Inter Miami at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. In addition, season ticket members can access a preseason scrimmage against CF Montreal on Feb. 8. Club staff will reach out to season ticket members with the details for that game. The other three scrimmages will be closed door.
The preseason schedule is similar this year to what the club has had for the last several years under Oscar Pareja, with mostly closed scrimmages and a mixture of MLS and other assorted competition.
After facing the Brazil Serie A side on Saturday, the Lions will head to Mexico for a week of training and team bonding, with one scrimmage against Forge FC from the Canadian Premier League. Orlando City will play three MLS clubs in the preseason, along with one team each from the Canadian Premier League and the USL Championship.
Orlando City will kick off its 2025 regular season at home against the Philadelphia Union at Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m.
2025 Orlando City Preseason Schedule
- Saturday, Jan. 25 — Preseason friendly vs. Atletico Mineiro at Inter&Co Stadium
- Sunday, Jan. 26 — Preseason camp opens in Mexico
- Tuesday, Jan. 28 — Preseason scrimmage vs. Forge FC (Closed Door)
- Wednesday, Feb. 5 — Preseason scrimmage vs. Atlanta United (Closed Door)
- Saturday, Feb. 8 — Preseason scrimmage vs. CF Montreal (Season Ticket Members Exclusive Match)
- Tuesday, Feb. 11 — Preseason scrimmage vs. Rhode Island FC (Closed Door)
- Friday, Feb. 14 — Preseason friendly vs. Inter Miami at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
Orlando City vs. Atletico Mineiro, FC Series: Final Score 0-0 (6-5) as Lions Open the Preseason Schedule Strong
Orlando City Needs a Strong Start from its Defense
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