Orlando City
Orlando City at Chicago Fire: Player Grades and Man of the Match
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
| Player | Votes |
| Andres Perea | 16 |
| Silvester van der Water | 15 |
| Junior Urso | 1 |
| Robin Jansson | 2 |
| Other | 2 |
Lion Links
Lion Links: 2/17/26
Predictions for the 2026 MLS season, UEFA Champions League returns, transfer rumor roundup, and more.
It feels a little strange to be saying this after what feels like a couple minutes since the end of last season, but happy match week everyone! The Lions are set to take on the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, and hopefully the final preseason match was simply Orlando City’s time to get out all of the mistakes when the games don’t matter. We’ve got plenty to discuss this morning, so let’s get into the links.
MLS Preseason Predictions
With the 2026 MLS season due to get underway this weekend, now is a good time to make predictions on how the various teams will fare this year. When it comes to Orlando City, a lot of the on-air talent at Apple TV who cover the league don’t seem particularly positive about the Lions’ chances. The general consensus has the Lions finishing the year at ninth in the Eastern Conference, although a couple individuals have them sinking as low as 12th, and Max Bretos has the good guys as high as third. Inter Miami and LAFC are the picks to win their respective conferences, while CF Montreal and Sporting Kansas City occupy the cellar spots.
UEFA Champions League Preview
The UEFA Champions League is back this week as the play-off round kicks off later today. The Tuesday slate of games is highlighted by Benfica hosting Real Madrid in a rematch of the dramatic game on matchday eight that saw the Portuguese outfit sneak into the knockout round with a last-minute goal. The match between Weston McKennie’s Juventus team and Galatasaray should also be a great spectacle, and the Istanbul outfit’s intimidating atmosphere could make the difference against the Italian side. Wednesday sees Bodo/Glimt host Inter Milan in its frozen home above the Arctic Circle, while Club Brugge will try to use its own home-field advantage to grab a result against Atletico Madrid.
Transfer Rumor Roundup
The winter transfer window might be over for European teams, but that isn’t stopping the transfer rumors from continuing to fly. We start with Manchester United, as the Red Devils are reportedly eyeing up a move to sign Alexis Mac Allister from Liverpool this summer to help solve some of their midfield struggles. Meanwhile, Brighton and Hove Albion is said to have made another offer to sign promising young winger Said El Lama from FC Koln, despite the German team’s reluctance to sell him. Elsewhere in England, Chelsea and Tottenham are both reportedly interested in signing Bayern Munich center back Kim Min-Jae. Finally, Tom Bogert says St. Louis City is close to signing forward Sergio Cordova on loan from BSC Young Boys.
FA Cup Fifth Round Draw
The draw has been completed for the fifth round of the FA Cup, and it’s thrown up some intriguing matchups. The one that’s grabbed a lot of the headlines is Wrexham hosting Chelsea at the Racecourse Ground after making it to the round of 16 for the first time in 29 years. Newcastle United will host Manchester City in another big clash, while West Ham United will take on a Brentford side that was given a real scare by National League side Macclesfield Town on Monday in a 1-0 win that took an own goal to send the Bees through. League One side Mansfield Town has been given a tortuously tough test in Arsenal, but the lower division outfit does have the benefit of playing the match at home.
Free Kicks
- Despite being the new away jersey, Orlando City will be wearing the Sunken Treasure kit when it kicks off the season at home on Saturday.
- Our friends over at Burgundy Wave wrote a great piece about the state of media coverage when it comes to Major League Soccer.
- Haji Wright bagged a hat trick for Coventry City in its 3-1 win over Middlesborough.
That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Start manifesting all three points and a winning start to the season on Saturday, or I’ll send Kingston after you. Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City
Robin Jansson’s Availbility Critical For Orlando City This Season
Orlando City’s lack of center back depth and experience makes Robin Jansson’s availability crucial to the team’s success this season.
Orlando City played its final preseason game Saturday night, falling 4-1 to the Colorado Rapids. There were plenty of takeaways from this game, but one stands out above the rest.
Robin Jansson has been a mainstay in the Lions’ starting lineup since arriving at the club in 2019. The Swede was a key component as the club qualified for the MLS Cup playoffs for the first time in 2020 — and every year since. He eventually became vice captain and captain when Mauricio Pereyra’s time in Orlando ended.
Early in his Orlando career, Jansson was quite frustrating for fans. He would inevitably get into altercations with referees resulting in unnecessary yellow cards. The center back was commonly suspended due to yellow card accumulation, making him a potential liability in big games.
However, the 34-year-old has mellowed with age. His ability to keep his calm has made him a much more reliable defender and the obvious choice as Oscar Pareja’s captain when Pereyra departed the club following the 2023 season.
Over the last couple of years, Jansson’s importance to Orlando City has been apparent. Rodrigo Schlegel and David Brekalo were the center back pairing when the captain was missing and his absence was noticeable. While the other options were dependable (most of the time) the back line seemed unstable and disorganized without its leader.
We saw that again on Saturday night.
Jansson is out after undergoing foot surgery earlier this preseason, making Brekalo and Iago the only first-team center backs available with top flight experience. The veteran is expeccted to return later this spring, but Breako and Iago will likely be the starting center backs when the regular season begins Saturday night.
While Brekalo is entering his third season in Orlando, the club signed Iago — a 20-year-old Brazilian — from Flamengo on Feb. 7, making him the club’s newest player.
Just a week after joining his new club, Iago had the most difficult time of all Orlando City defenders against Colorado’s attack. He was beaten twice by Rafael Navarro for goals in the first half, allowing the opposition to take a 2-0 lead into the break.
While the newly signed center back was better in the second half, the pairing still had its troubles. Brekalo got burned by Darren Yapi for the third goal, and the inability of the duo to clear the ball late in the game allowed Lucas Herrington to make it four.
The importance of Jansson is shown not just in his captaincy, but also in the number of games he plays. He’s started at least 30 league games in each of the last three seasons and took part in every MLS contest Orlando City had in 2023. He’s clearly a durable option, but for how much longer?
At 34 years of age, Jansson is past his prime years and might need more time to recover. As a result, Pareja may soon be unable to depend on his captain to play nearly every game.
As we’ve seen over the past few seasons, that could create a significant problem for Orlando City. Regardless of the pairing, the back line has been much weaker when Jansson has not been involved. It’s something that was proven again Saturday night.
This is only one game in a preseason in which the club has produced very little information, so it’s tough to say whether this game is an anomaly or something that should concern fans. But it’s also not like Brekalo and Iago have played much center back.
Brekalo, a 27-year-old Slovenian international, has primarily played left back for the Lions since joining the team two years ago. Despite being a natural center back, only 18 of his 51 starts in all competitions have been in the position. Initially, he was a backup on the bench. Pareja soon preferred Brekalo at left back, resulting in the club trading Rafael Santos to Colorado.
The club signed Adrian Marin from Sporting Braga on Aug. 7, bringing a new left back into the squad. Once acclimating himself to his new home, the Spainard played in the final three games of the regular season. Brekalo started two of those games at center back and was away on international duty for the third. Marin also started Saturday night’s preseason game on the left side of the back line.
Meanwhile, Iago’s lack of experience comes from his age. The 20-year-old came through Flamengo’s academy before joining the first team in 2024. He made 68 appearances for the Brazilian giants’ U-20 and first teams while also captaining Brazil at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
But that experience is minimal compared to the other two center back options. Brekalo has made 65 appearances for Orlando City and played in more professional games for Bravo and Viking. Jansson, on the other hand, has more appearances (237), starts (231), and minutes (20,889) than any player in club history.
While Brekalo and Iago are getting used to regularly playing center back against MLS competition, Jansson has been a regular starter at the position for seven years. That experience allows him to have an unusual knowledge of the league and the opposing attackers in addition to being able to communicate effectively with the rest of his back line.
If Jansson is unable to remain healthy thorughout the coming season or needs more rest than previous years, it could be a problem for the Lions. The team is unlikely to score a large number of goals, making the defensive play essential to Orlando’s success. The captain being out for any period of time is the most troubling scenario.
Orlando City lost multiple starters this off-season, creating questions for the team heading into the season. Some of those include who will start at right back, how will new starting goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau adjust to his new team, and where will the goals come from? But what happens if Jansson is unavailable to play might be the most pressing.
We’ve seen what this back line looks like when the captain is out and it doesn’t look pretty. It’s been a concern over the past few seasons and, judging from the performance Saurday night, is one again this year. Orlando City fans can only hope he’ll be able to be a consistent and healthy part of the team in 2026.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 2/16/26
Lions fall to Rapids in final preseason match, Pride release preseason schedule, MLS transfer news, and more.
Hello, Mane Landers, and happy President’s Day! I hope all is well with you down in Florida over the holiday weekend. I’ve been busy covering high school playoff basketball and hockey over the past week. Orlando City’s home opener is Saturday, and like many of you, I look forward to seeing what the Lions can do during the 2026 MLS season. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.
Lions Fall to Rapids in Final Preseason Match
In its final preseason match, Orlando City fell 4-1 to the Colorado Rapids Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions trailed 2-0 at halftime before Eduard Atuesta curled his shot around the wall and into the back of the net to make it 2-1 in the second half. The Rapids quickly responded with a goal from Darren Yapi extend their lead to 3-1. Lucas Herrington scored the final goal of the night for Colorado to seal the victory on the road. Orlando City finishes its preseason and the 2026 MLS season will kick off this weekend as the Lions host the Red Bulls on Saturday night.
Orlando Pride Release Preseason Schedule
The Orlando Pride dropped their preseason schedule Friday, and all matches will be closed-door scrimmages. The Pride have one preseason match in the books, a recent scrimmage against the Washington Spirit Friday, the day they dropped their schedule, but they did not provide information about it, as has become the team’s custom. The club shared some photos of the match on social media.
The Pride’s upcoming preseason matches are Friday against Racing Louisville, Sunday against the University of Florida, and March 1 against NJ/NY Gotham FC.
Orlando Pride Announce Preseason Fan Events
The Orlando Pride unveiled the list of events ahead of the 2026 season Saturday. Many of the events offer fans opportunities to engage with the team ahead of the Pride’s home opener on March 15 against the Seattle Reign at Inter&Co Stadium. The first event is Tuesday with Pour Overs With Pride at Qreate Coffee Creative Village, where fans can interact with Simone Jackson and Nicole Payne as baristas. The Pride will reveal their new secondary jersey at The Final Whistle at Thornton Park Pub on Feb. 26. The Pints with Pride event is March 3 with Summer Yates and Cori Dyke as bartenders, and the club’s annual Scarf the City event is March 10.
MLS Transfer News
Minnesota United has signed defender Kyle Duncan. The 28-year-old previously played eight seasons for the New York Red Bulls and is under contract through 2026 with an option through June 2027. FC Dallas has acquired midfielder Joaquin Valiente from Uruguayan top flight club Defensor SC. The 24-year-old Uruguayan international has signed a deal through 2027-2028 with options through the 2029-2030 season. The Houston Dynamo have loaned midfielder Sebastian Rodriguez to CF Monterrey through the 2026 season. Meanwhile, Atlanta United is reportedly finalizing the signing of winger Fafa Picault.
Lastly, Nashville SC is reportedly close to finalizing a deal to acquire wingback Reed Baker-Whiting from the Seattle Sounders.
Americans Abroad
Former Lion Alex Freeman came off the bench and played 12 minutes, but Villarreal fell 2-1 to Getafe. Johnny Cardoso played 63 minutes, but Atletico Madrid fell 3-0 to Rayo Vallecano. Weston McKennie recorded two assists, but Juventus fell 3-2 to rival Inter Milan over the weekend. Timothy Weah played a full 90 minutes as Marseille secured a 2-2 draw against Strasbourg. Patrick Agyemang scored his 10th goal of the season as Derby County defeated Swansea City 2-0 in the EFL Championship. Later today, we’ll have two Americans square off as Aidan Morris and Middlesbrough take on Haji Wright and Coventry City.
Fourth Round FA Cup Recap
The fourth round of the FA Cup has begun. On Friday, Wrexham beat Ipswich Town 1-0 and advanced to the fifth round for the first time since 1997. Chelsea defeated Hull City 4-0. On Saturday, Mansfield Town edged Burnley 2-1 to move on. Former Lion Daryl Dike was on the bench and did not play as West Bromwich Albion fell 3-1 to Norwich City. Manchester City beat Salford City 2-0, and Liverpool defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0. On Sunday, Leeds United needed penalties to beat Birmingham City 4-2 after a 1-1 draw to advancd to the fifth round. Sunderland defeated Oxford United 1-0, Fulham edged Stoke City 2-1, and Arsenal dominated Wigan Athletic 4-0. Later today, Macclesfield FC takes on Brentford.
Free Kicks
- Former Lion Benji Michel has signed a contract with K-League 1 side Ulsan HD FC in South Korea for the upcoming 2026 season.
- Former Pride forward Ally Brazier (née Watt) set up the first goal for the Denver Summit in its preseason match Sunday. Former Pride defender Carson Pickett was also in action as the Summit defeated the Utah Royals 2-0.
- Former Orlando City goalkeepers coach Stewart Kerr has a new job, joining Canadian Premier League side Calvary FC as its head of goalkeeping and coaching the netminders for both the first team and the reserve team.
- Boston Legacy FC has unveiled its inaugural kit for its NWSL debut in 2026.
- The San Diego Wave are reportedly in negotiations to sign Chelsea midfielder Catarina Macario.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.
PawedCast Episode 517: Colorado Preseason Recap, New York Preview, and More
Lion Links: 2/17/26
Robin Jansson’s Availbility Critical For Orlando City This Season
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