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Orlando City at Chicago Fire: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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4 years ago

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It was a disappointing night for Orlando City as the club fell for the second match in a row. This time it was a 3-1 loss to the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field. The Lions didn’t lack chances at goal, but were too often unable to find the net, choosing instead the evidently welcoming arms of Fire keeper Bobby Shuttleworth. Injuries have stacked up, and one Daryl Dike is on international duty, making Óscar Pareja’s job that much tougher.

Just a note for those who read our player’s grades: Each staff member has their own scale on how they grade players. My grading involves not just stats and key moments, but also how the player performs against my expectations. If you disagree with how I, or any of our staff, approach our grades, I sincerely encourage you to join The Mane Land staff so you can use your own criteria. Now, let’s see how the Lions did in the loss to Chicago.

Starters

GK, Brando Austin, 6 — Austin made four saves, but let three goals in. Most of those weren’t his fault as his defense allowed Chicago in behind, making his job all the harder. In the 68th minute he did well to come out on one of Chicago’s breakaways to disrupt the chance. He attempted 21 passes at a 57.1% passing rate with 15 long balls and seven of those on target. Austin wasn’t great, but on a night when the defense was worse, it’s hard to come down to hard on the backup keeper.

D, Michael Halliday, 6 — Halliday is getting better every match. I’m not saying it was an outstanding performance, but he’s definitely improving. The youngster was robbed of his first assist when his cross glanced off a defender before Andres Perea scored Orlando City’s only goal. He even started the buildup to that goal when he pushed through a Chicago defender to drive down the right side before crossing the ball. As good as that was, he had a few lapses on the other end, though an offside call on Beric bailed him out of a potential goal. Defensively, he committed two fouls, had two tackles, four clearances, one interception, and one blocked shot. Halliday attempted 25 passes and had a 68% passing rate. He came off in the 80th minute.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5.5 — Despite being a center back, Schlegel took two shots, one of which was on target, and made one cross. His shot on goal was a header off a corner kick in the 30th minute. He attempted 46 passes and had a 78.3% passing rate, while attempting six long balls. He made one interception, three clearances, one blocked shot, one tackle, and committed one foul. Schlegel was one of the two defenders that couldn’t stop the Fire’s third goal. Like much of the team, he wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t great either.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Jansson was generally his usual self, though like all the team had a few mental lapses that contributed to the loss. He attempted 51 passes and had a 86.3% passing rate, while completing four of eight long balls.He had three interceptions, two clearances, and committed two fouls, earning one yellow card. Jansson earns this grade because despite not playing as good as we’re used to, he still played better than many others on the team.

D, Kyle Smith, 4 — Listeners of The Mane Land PawedCast know that I am a pretty big Kyle Smith supporter. However, on this night in Chicago, the Accountant left me feeling like the IRS was auditing me. Smith drifted inside and failed to mark Boris Sekulić on the back post for Chicago’s first goal. He kept Robert Berić onside for Chicago’s second goal. Lastly, his cross late in the match was poor enough that the Fire grabbed it and counter-attacked for Chicago’s third goal. I’m saying it wasn’t a good night for El Soldado. Smith took two shots, one of which sailed over the crossbar late in the match and the other was nowhere close to goal. On defense he had three tackles, one interception, four clearances, and one blocked shot. Smith attempted 63 passes and had a 74.6% passing rate with four crosses. He was successful on seven of 11 long balls, and he suffered two fouls.

MF, Uri Rosell, 6 — Rosell was not exciting, but he wasn’t horrible either. He did almost have a bad giveaway to start the second half, but he was bailed out. Taking into account that Rosell is still making his way back to full match fitness, he was not bad, though he visibly tired in the second half. He made three tackles, two interceptions, one clearance and committed zero fouls. I know zero fouls sounds good, but a defensive midfielder should probably have at least one or two. He attempted 52 passes and had a team-high 92.3% passing rate. He suffered one foul. Rosell came off in the 76th minute.

MF, Junior Urso, 6.5 — Urso wore the captain’s armband to start this match, and he put in a decent shift. Offensively, he took three shots, two of which were on target. One of those was a bicyle kick that if it had gone in would have been a clear contender for goal of the week, but that wasn’t Orlando’s luck last night. Urso did his usual work, drawing three fouls, and causing the opposition some trouble in transition. On defense he had three tackles, one interception, and one clearance. Urso was subbed off in the 88th minute.

MF, Sebastian van der Water, 7 (MotM) — Orlando City’s offense flowed through Van der Water until he was subbed off in the 76th minute. Despite his time on the ball, he only suffered one foul. Van der Water took two shots, with one on goal in the 21st minute, though he couldn’t find the back of the net. Van der Water attempted 24 passes with only a 62.5% passing rate, but he also made six key passes, and eight crosses. The Dutchman made good passes into the box throughout the match, but the Lions couldn’t find the last bit of quality to take advantage of his skill.

MF, Andres Perea, 6.5 — Perea scored Orlando City’s only goal in the match off a cross from Halliday. He played a solid match, and did a good job of being where he needed to be on Halliday’s cross. The goal was his only shot, and it was obviously on target. Defensively, he committed one foul. He attempted 19 passes with an 89.5% passing rate, which was good enough for second best for Orlando. He also made two key passes. Perea came off in 76th minute.

F, Tesho Akindele, 5.5 — Tesho had a quiet night for Orlando City. His hold-up play wasn’t bad, but he seemed to be just off when it came to being where he needed to be to contribute a goal. It was most obvious when van der Water headed the ball back across goal, and Akindele was caught looking rather than making a run. Offensively, he had two shots, with one on target though it was a header easily dealt with by Shuttleworth. He committed one foul, and made one clearance. He attempted 19 passes with a 63,2% passing rate.

F, Benji Michel, 6 — Michel wasn’t Almighty on the night. He took five shots, with three on target, but never managed a goal. On one he took an extra second to get the ball on his left foot and the opportunity disappeared. On another, he made the right decision to make an extra touch, but the shot was blocked. It just wasn’t his night. He committed one foul, suffered one foul, made one interception, and one clearance.. Michel attempted 21 passes with a 81% passing rate, one key pass, one cross, and was successful on one of three long balls.

Substitutes

MF, Mauricio Pereyra (76’), 5.5 — Magic Mo was a part of a three-player subsitution, which was probably about 10 minutes too late to make a difference. He came on for Rosell, as Pareja adopted a more offensive approach to chase the match. Pereyra attempted 16 passes with an 87.5% passing rate, and had one key pass. Defensively, he made one tackle, and committed one foul. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late for Pereyra and his fellow subs.

MF, Sebas Méndez (76’), 5 — On his return from international duty, Méndez wasn’t able to contribute much to Orlando City’s comeback attempt. He suffered one foul, and made one key pass. Méndez attempted 23 passes with an 87% passing rate.

F, Nani (76’), 6 — Nani did everything he could to try to get the Lions an equalizer, but the opportunities never opened up for the captain. He had one shot that was off target. He attempted 16 passes with an 87.5% passing rate, and two key passes.

F, Chris Mueller (80’), 6 — Mueller worked hard when he came on very late, and managed a nice cross in the 88th minute, but there was no one there to take advantage of it. He attempted eight passes with a 75% passing rate, and two key passes.

MF, Alexander Alvarado (88’), N/A— Alvarado had five touches with an 80% passing rate. He also blocked one shot in his limited appearance.

That is how I saw the game. How do you feel about the individual performances? Tell us by commenting and voting on the Man of the Match below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Andres Perea16
Silvester van der Water15
Junior Urso1
Robin Jansson2
Other2

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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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17 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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