Orlando City
Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match
That sucked. After a great win against the Philadelphia Union on Thursday, a hodgepodge Orlando City lineup got absolutely dusted in a 5-0 loss by a good New York City FC side in Yankee Stadium. Orlando was without its top offensive weapons and had so few players available that it put two goalkeepers on the bench.
This was one to forget, so let’s see how everybody played in this one.
Starters
GK, Pedro Gallese, 7 (MoTM) — Gallese wasn’t his best in this game, but was easily Orlando’s best player. In the first half, he was a wall, keeping a lackluster Orlando side alive with multiple huge stops. He probably could’ve done better on at least one or two of New York’s goals, especially the third, but I’m not going to criticize him too much. The team around him collapsed and he had to make nine saves, eight of which were in the box. He completed 20 of 29 passes for a 69% success rate, including nine accurate long balls in a performance that was pretty on par from him in terms of distribution.
D, Emmanuel Mas, 5 — The left back’s debut in MLS was solid. He didn’t look the part of an offensively-adept overlapping fullback, but he did well in a defensive role that was similar to a third center back. Mas made a handful of defensively savvy plays that you hope to see from an experienced player and his positioning disrupted a quality chance on goal for New York and helped clean up a rebound on a great Gallese save. However, when Orlando had the ball, Mas wasn’t particularly good. He completed only 57% of his 21 passes and didn’t do anything offensively. In 57 minutes of play, he finished with a tackle, an interception, and two clearances. It was a solid, although unspectacular, debut for the Argentine.
D, Antonio Carlos, 4.5 — This is the worst game Antonio Carlos has ever played for Orlando City. To his credit, he made several good plays, particularly in the first half, but as the game descended into disaster, he completely fell apart. Two of New York’s goals can be pegged on him, although the first also came from him being grabbed and pushed by Valentin Castellanos. Carlos didn’t look anywhere near the player he can be in the second half. Even when passing the ball he wasn’t particularly good, only completing 77% of his 35 passes. Carlos had no tackles in the match, but had four interceptions and six clearances.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5.5 — This game was one of Schlegel’s weaker performances as a Lion. He occasionally got caught upfield or would put a foot wrong, giving NYCFC dangerous space to attack into. To his credit, he continues to stuff the stat sheet defensively, with three tackles, seven clearances, and an interception. When defending becomes desperate, Schlegel is good at making the necessary play. Like Carlos, he had a hard time building out of the back, with only 74% of his 34 passes finding their mark. Schlegel wasn’t good per se, but there were certainly worse performances on this team.
D, Kyle Smith, 5 — It was not a great performance from Smith. He finally received a rest in this game, only playing the first half, and he definitely warranted the substitution. He completed 55% of his 22 passes and wasn’t much of a presence pushing forward with one attempted cross that was unsuccessful. His defensive work left something to be desired as he had no tackles or interceptions and made one clearance. NYCFC was dangerous attacking down Smith’s right flank and while he wasn’t terrible, he hardly shut things down. With all that being said, he gets some slack considering the sheer number of minutes he’s played this season..
MF, Andres Perea, 4.5 — Perea wasn’t good in this game. He had an excellent chance right on the doorstep to open the second half and perhaps could have changed the tone of the match, but couldn’t get a quality shot on the ball and hit it right at Luis Barraza. If he gets that ball just past the keeper, this could have been a much different game. Despite playing in a key midfield spot, Perea was barely involved in possession, only completing 14 of 18 passes in 90 minutes. That’s nowhere near good enough for a central midfielder, even if he was tasked with a more offensive role in this game. He completed one of his two attempted dribbles, made a clearance, and pressed the ball well, but his impact was barely felt throughout this game.
MF, Uri Rosell, 4 — Maybe I’m a little too harsh here, but I was thoroughly unimpressed with Rosell in this game. His lack of pace cost him when he got caught upfield and he provided next to nothing in terms of tenacity in the middle of the park. Keaton Parks and the rest of the NYCFC midfield were able to cut through Orlando City and routinely run into open space. The entire team is responsible for that, but Rosell was, to me at least, the most noticeably poor of the bunch. Rosell is a player whose passing ability typically compensates for his lack of defensive chops, but he only completed 78% of his 32 passes — though that was still fourth best on the team out of anyone who played more than half the game — and struggled to maintain possession or break the NYCFC defense. Defensively, he did chip in with three tackles.
MF, Joey DeZart, 5 — I like DeZart and thought he showed flashes of quality in this game, but it wasn’t good enough. He’s a solid linking player, but lacks the ability to control the game with his passing. He completed 93% of his 27 passes, including a key pass. DeZart was a little too conservative with his passing and was generally too slow with the ball, being dispossessed twice. His technical ability is good, but the speed at which he plays and sees the game was not at an MLS level in this game. Defensively, he made eight ball recoveries, but got walked through at times alongside Rosell. He also had a shot, but it wasn’t much of a chance. In a better lineup, DeZart could be a solid role player, but in this setup, he lacked the quality the Lions needed.
MF, Alexander Alvarado, 6 — It was the first MLS start for the Ecuadorian winger and it wasn’t bad. In a terrible offensive performance for Orlando City, Alvarado was the closest thing to a threat offensively. He created one of the only good chances for the Lions in the game, sliding Silvester van der Water in behind with a good through ball, and looked comfortable and occasionally dangerous with the ball. He completed 17 of his 21 passes for an 81% success rate and drew four fouls. However, Alvarado is still a little too slow with the ball and has a tendency to turn the ball over, being dispossessed twice in this game. He did make an interception and three ball recoveries defensively.
F, Silvester van der Water, 6 — The Dutchman wasn’t outright bad in this game, but he hasn’t come close to his early season form. In his first few appearances, van der Water looked like a dynamic playmaker out wide, but he’s created nothing for himself or others in recent weeks. In one half of action, he only had 19 touches, but several of those were promising. He had a shot that forced a save out of Barraza, as well as a key pass and three successful long balls. For all the good some of these underlying stats show, he just wasn’t a particularly effective wide forward. Maybe if he continues to build his fitness and acclimate to Orlando and MLS he can perform more consistently, but right now he’s not much of a weapon for Orlando. He completed nine of his 11 passes and also had an interception.
F, Benji Michel, 4 — Michel was in good form heading into the match, but he was completely ineffective playing up top against New York. He had no service and didn’t get into dangerous areas, registering no shots in 90 minutes. Michel also had a key pass and was successful on one of his four attempted dribbles. He needed to be more dangerous and much better in holdup play. To be fair, this isn’t really his fault as Michel has evolved into a legit inverted winger and isn’t effective as a striker. When Orlando switched to a 3-5-2, Michel looked a lot better, able to drift further wide with more numbers around him in attack. He also got back for some defensive work, finishing with five ball recoveries and a clearance. His passing stats were unsurprisingly low, with only 11 completed passes on 16 attempts for a 69% success rate.
Substitutes
D, Ruan (46’), 5 — Welcome back, Ruan! After a seemingly endless injury absence, the quick Brazilian made his return to the lineup, playing the entire second half. He did look dangerous on a few attacks, burning down the touchline with his blistering pace, but he lacked the final ball. He completed six of nine passes and completed a dribble but never had a big offensive moment. Defensively, he wasn’t great, giving up a lot of space for New York to attack into. He made a clearance, but wasn’t in good positions and made no impact on that side of the ball. But he received minutes and should give Orlando a serious boost once he’s back to his best.
D, Robin Jansson (46’), 5 — A facemask-wearing Jansson came in to give Orlando a third center back in the second half, but he wasn’t particularly good. While solid with the ball, completing 11 of his 13 passes for an 85% completion rate, Jansson did little to prevent the onslaught from New York late in the half. He made two interceptions and two clearances, but his overall defensive performance left a lot to be desired. I don’t think Jansson was too terrible individually, but he wasn’t at his best and the entire defense was awful.
D, Joao Moutinho (57’), 5.5 — The left back pushed forward and looked like an offensive threat, even though none of his four crosses found their mark. Moutinho finished with a pair of clearances and he completed eight of his 12 passes. This was a step forward for him as he continued to show some forward thrust, and hopefully he can reach his form from last year in a stronger lineup.
D, Michael Halliday (69’), 4.5 — The Homegrown Player was on the field for 20 minutes, but was almost completely invisible. Halliday only had seven touches and completed both of his attempted passes. On defense he made a clearance, a ball recovery, and an interception. Frankly, it was an unremarkable outing from the young fullback.
MF, David Loera (69’), 5.5 — Loera has played sparingly for Orlando City, but got about 20 minutes of play in New York. He completed all four of his passes and looked solid on the ball in his eight touches. Loera even put a shot on target, one of just three all game for Orlando. I really wish there was a U.S. Open Cup this season, because that seems like a perfect setting for Loera to receive more minutes. He’s an intriguing player, but might not be good enough to contribute at an MLS level right now.
That’s how I judged this one, what were your thoughts? Leave your ratings below and vote for your man of the match.
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Pedro Gallese | 35 |
| Alexander Alvarado | 1 |
| Rodrigo Schlegel | 1 |
| Other (Comment Below) | 3 |
Orlando City
2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Javier Otero
The Homegrown goalkeeper made his MLS debut in 2024 under difficult circumstances.
Orlando City signed Javier Otero to a Homegrown Player contract on July 10, 2023, keeping him in purple through the 2024 season with club options for 2025 and 2026. Otero was the starting goalkeeper for Orlando City B during the beginning of the 2024 season but was called up with Pedro Gallese on international duty, eventually making an unexpected debut when Mason Stajduhar went down with a season-sending injury. From that point on, Otero moved up to the senior roster permanently and dressed with Orlando City as the backup for the rest of the season.
Let’s take a look back at Otero’s 2024 season.
Statistical Breakdown
The Venezualan goalkeeper was expected to spend most of the season playing for OCB, and during the beginning of the season that was the case, as he started nine of the team’s early season matches. He made 34 saves and gave up 13 goals for a save percentage of 72.3% and a goals against average of 1.44 for the Young Lions, while also passing at a 76.8% completion rate. Otero likely would have been the starter for most of the rest of OCB’s matches, getting valuable game experience, but Stajduhar’s injury meant the senior Lions needed him on the game day roster as the backup for every game, and they could not risk him playing again for OCB.
While he was in the lineup for every game except one from the end of June through the end of the season, Otero played in only one match for Orlando City, subbing in for the injured Stajduhar and playing the final 61 minutes during the team’s 4-2 loss at New York City FC on June 28. During his 61 minutes on the field for the senior Lions, Otero gave up three goals and did not make any saves, though he wasn’t put in the best spots by his teammates during the game. He successfully fielded one of the four crosses that were played into the box. He completed 71.4% of his passes and had one defensive action outside of his penalty area.
During his one regular-season game, Otero did not commit a foul or draw one, and he was not booked.
Otero did not dress during the Concacaf Champions Cup games and was on the bench, but did not play, during the Leagues Cup and MLS playoff matches.
Best Game
There’s no contest since Otero played in only one match in 2024 with the senior Lions. It has to be the 4-2 road loss at NYCFC on June 28. When the game kicked off, I am sure Otero did not expect to play, and had the assistant referee raised his flag on an obvious offside call, he probably would not have played, because Stajduhar would not have suffered his awful injury. As it was, Stajduhar had to be stretchered off, and Otero entered the game in the 29th minute and was immediately under duress, as within the first few minutes he faced a corner kick and a free kick against an NYCFC team that was clearly the more aggressive side, completely comfortable with how to play on its tiny baseball field. Nothing came of the early action though, and Otero was engaged and communicative, talking to the defense and organizing the back.
Unfortunately, that was probably the high part of his match, because in first-half stoppage time, NYCFC scored two goals, one on a deflected shot off of Robin Jansson that Otero looked to be in position to save pre-deflection and one on a tap-in from a brilliant cross that gave Otero no chance to make a play. In the second half, the Lions played much better, cutting the lead to 3-2 and limiting NYCFC’s offensive attacks, but a giveaway and a poor tackle attempt late in the game allowed another shot on goal, and it was bent perfectly around Otero’s outstretched fingers for his third goal against.
The Homegrown goalkeeper may not have made any saves and gave up three goals in only 61 minutes on the field, but I thought he was well-positioned throughout the game and probably would have saved his first goal against if not for the deflection, and only an inch-perfect shot on the third goal was able to sneak by him. It was a trial by fire coming off the bench into MLS action on a field that plays differently than every other pitch in the league due to its shape, but I thought Otero played well and was not at fault for any of his goals against.
2024 Final Grade
With only 61 minutes on the field across all competitions in 2024, Otero did not play enough minutes to get a grade for the 2024 season, receiving an incomplete from The Mane Land staff.
2025 Outlook
Orlando City announced Dec. 5 that the club has exercised Otero’s 2025 option as part of the team’s end-of-season roster decisions. With all three of Gallese, Stajduhar, and Otero under contract for 2025 I expect that, barring an unexpected transfer of Gallese or Stajduhar, Otero will return to splitting his time between OCB and Orlando City, playing games with OCB while practicing with both teams and being on the game day roster when Gallese is called up for national team duty or injuries arise. The big question that remains to be answered is how soon Stajduhar can return, and if he can get back to playing at the level he had achieved before he was injured.
If Stajduhar can return to full health, then it makes sense for Otero to get as many minutes on the field as he can to help with his development, and those minutes would likely be with OCB. The Venezuelan just turned 22, and with the 2024 season basically being a wash for him, he will want to get back out on the field in a starting role, but with the OCB option there, it is not likely he will push to go to another club before the 2025 season. This may be why Orlando City did not retain Carlos Mercado, who backstopped the Young Lions after Otero was needed with the first team.
I believe that Orlando City is grooming Otero to eventually compete for the starting role, so the technical staff will want to see him on the field in 2025 with OCB.
Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)
Lion Links
Lion Links: 12/9/24
Former Lion Nani announces retirement, OCSC U-19 team winning at MLS NEXT Fest, FIFA Club World Cup schedule revealed, and more.
Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I had a busy week at Under Armour and watched a Chicago Blackhawks game with friends. Besides that, I’ll be working the Christmas Winterland Event at Wrigley Field later this week. We have plenty to cover today so let’s get to the links.
Nani Announces His Retirement
Former Orlando City captain Nani announced his retirement from professional soccer on Sunday after a stellar career. The 38-year-old left a heartfelt message on social media to announce the news.
The Portuguese star spent three seasons with Orlando City after joining the club from Sporting Lisbon in 2019, scoring 31 goals across all competitions. Nani recently played for his hometown club, Estrela da Amadora, in Portugal. He also spent time with Manchester United, Valencia, Fenerbahce, and many other clubs over the span of his career. At the international level, Nani made 112 appearances for Portugal, scoring 24 goals and helping the team win Euro 2016 in France. We here at The Mane Land wish him all the best in his retirement.
OCSC U-19 Team Beats LAFC and FC Cincinnati
MLS NEXT Fest kicked off this weekend and Orlando City’s U-19 team has been on fire. Orlando beat LAFC 7-4 in its first game of the event, with Jack Basinet and Gustavo Caraballo each scoring two goals.
The team followed that up with a 4-0 win against FC Cincinnati on Saturday. The U-19 academy team will be back in action later today to face the LA Galaxy.
Orlando Matches Set for FIFA Club World Cup
The full schedule for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup was unveiled and we’ve learned which games will be held in Orlando’s two venues for the tournament.
Inter&Co Stadium will host two matches, with Ulsan HD of South Korea playing against South African club Mamelodi Sundowns on June 17 before Benfica takes on Auckland City on June 20. Camping World Stadium will host four matches. The first will be June 24 between Club Leon and Flamengo, and Juventus will play Manchester City on June 26. Camping World Stadium’s third match will be a round-of-16 matchup on June 30, while the fourth match will be a quarterfinal on July 4. MetLife Stadium will host nine matches, including the semifinals and final.
LA Galaxy Defeat the Red Bulls to Win MLS Cup
The LA Galaxy beat the New York Red Bulls 2-1 to win the MLS Cup at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday. It’s the sixth time that the Galaxy have won the MLS Cup. Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic put the Galaxy ahead 2-0 before the Red Bulls pulled one back in the first half with a goal by Sean Nealis. Despite missing their star player, Riqui Puig, the Galaxy held onto their lead in the second half to secure the win. The Galaxy snapped their title drought that had lasted since 2014, and Head Coach Greg Vanney became the fourth coach to win an MLS title with two MLS clubs. Gaston Brugman won the MVP honors for the match for his role orchestrating things in the midfield.
Free Kicks
- The Guardian named its 100 best female footballers in the world for 2024. Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda was seventh, while Marta was 27th on the list. FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati took the top spot.
- Christian Pulisic left the pitch in the first half of AC Milan’s 2-1 defeat to Atalanta on Friday due to a calf injury. However, AC Milan manager Paulo Fonseca stated after the match that the injury doesn’t look too serious.
- The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly in talks to acquire Monterrey forward Brandon Vazquez.
- Here are the 10 MLS clubs that have qualified for the 2025 Champions Cup.
- Botafogo defeated Sao Paulo 2-1 on Sunday to win its first Brazilian league title since 1995. It secured 78 points and finished six points ahead of runner-up Palmeiras.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday and I’ll see you next time.
Orlando City
2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Mason Stajduhar
The backup goalkeeper was playing the best soccer of his professional career until suffering a nasty season-ending injury.
Orlando City Homegrown goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar has been a mainstay on the Lions’ roster, having signed a Homegrown Player contract all the way back on Nov. 9, 2015. Following the 2021 season, in which he saw his role as the primary backup to Pedro Gallese begin to develop, Stajduhar had his contract option exercised to keep him on the roster through 2022. He then inked a new three-year contract with the club in June of that year designed to keep him in purple and gold through at least 2025, with a club option for 2026.
Let’s look back at Stajduhar’s season, which ended prematurely, and at a time he was playing at his highest and most confident level to date.
Statistical Breakdown
Stajduhar equaled his career highs in appearances (5) and starts (5) in 2024, but a short outing in the last of those five resulted in his second-most minutes in regular-season play (389). He conceded eight goals, which was the most he’s allowed, but he was much more under fire, making a career-high 21 saves in the regular season — nine more than his next-highest total from a year ago, with three of those goals coming in a loss to LAFC (one from the penalty spot). The team went 2-1-1 in his five starts, and he earned one clean sheet, finishing with a 1.60 goals-against average.
He was unable to stop either of the two penalties he faced. His passing accuracy of 72.4% was his highest since 2021. The 27-year-old contributed four interceptions and a clearance to help his own cause. He did not commit or suffer a foul and was not booked this season.
Unfortunately, Stajduhar’s season came to an end on June 28 at New York City FC in what was ultimately a 4-2 loss, although the score wasn’t as important as what happened in the 17th minute. On an obviously offside play, the assistant referee kept his flag down, as is customary in the age of video review. However, because the play was still live, Stajduhar came charging out to try to prevent a breakaway by Malachi Jones. The two players collided heavily as they met at the ball. Both had their season end in that moment, requiring surgery to repair the broken tibias and fibulas of both men. Stajduhar was credited with a loss, although the score was only 1-0 at the time he departed and was replaced by first-time starter Javier Otero.
Stajduhar also appeared in one match during Concacaf Champions League play, a 3-1 home victory over Cavalry FC on Feb. 27, picking up the win to help Orlando City advance in the competition. He conceded one goal, stopping two of the three shots on target he faced for a 66.7% save percentage. He also completed 66.7% of his 16 passes that night. He did not commit a foul in the match, drawing three from the opposition, and he was not booked.
Due to his season-ending injury, Stajduhar did not appear in Orlando City’s playoff run or in Leagues Cup.
Best Game
This was an easy decision. Stajduhar’s best match wasn’t his 1-0 shutout against Austin on March 23, in which he only had to make one save. His best work of the year came in a 4-2 home win over the Chicago Fire on June 22, in which the goalkeeper was under duress for much of the evening. The Lions roared out to a 3-0 lead in the contest with Stajduhar making four first-half saves on the Fire’s four shots on target (eight total attempts) in the first half. Stajduhar slammed the door on the visitors up until a handball call on a sliding Rodrigo Schlegel gave Chicago a penalty, which Maren Haile-Selassie converted in the 53rd minute.
The Fire put a tired Orlando defense under a great deal of pressure over the final half hour of the match, and Stajduhar faced a total of 13 shots on target and 19 total attempts, finishing with a club record 11 saves in the match. [Note: The club announced he tied the record with 10 saves on 12 shots, while the MLS match center page lists 13 shots and 11 saves, so one may have been added after review. Either way, he reached a club mark.] He commanded his box well down the stretch, punching away crosses from corners and free kicks, helping his team secure a multi-goal victory. His performance drew high praise from Head Coach Oscar Pareja.
“I think tonight we saw the best of Mason, and I know he has more than that,” Pareja said. “He has been very patient in waiting for his opportunity. And in this moment when we needed that position to step up, he did and provided us a lot of security. We were drained at the end and Chicago was taking shots, but Mason provided us a lot of security and we felt safe. So, congratulations to Mason. We’re very proud of him and his performance. He deserves it because he works tremendously hard.”
2024 Final Grade
The Mane Land staff gave Stajduhar a grade of 7 out of 10 for his 2024 season. This is a step up from the 6.5 he received both in 2022 and again in 2023. While not reflected in the multiple goals he conceded in three straight games from June 15-22 — a span during which the Lions played three times in eight days — Stajduhar played his best soccer to date as a professional while Gallese was away on international duty, making up for a defense that was leakier than expected during the season’s first half. His huge game against Chicago seemed to be his coming out party, despite conceding a penalty kick goal and a point-blank strike which Robin Jansson should have cleared. Unfortunately, he gave up a pinpoint accurate shot by Santiago Rodriguez at NYCFC — one of three early shots on target by the Pigeons, of which Stajduhar stopped two — and then suffered his horrific, season-ending injury two minutes later.
2025 Outlook
Under contract for another year, Stajduhar figures to again be the primary backup goalkeeper for Orlando City next season. The hope is that he can fully recover his form and fitness after sustaining the terrible double bone break in his lower leg. Beyond the physical recovery, he’ll need to overcome the mental hurdle of remaining aggressive in situations that call for him to come off his line or out of his penalty area to prevent a big scoring chance. Having just turned 27, Stajduhar is entering the prime years of a goalkeeper’s career. If he can build on his play from just before his injury, he may push Gallese for more minutes in 2025, especially during Leagues Cup. He will also handle the starting role when the Peruvian international must represent his country in season, meaning Gallese can’t afford to have a dip in form as he had early in the 2024 season.
Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)
2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Javier Otero
2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Summer Yates
Lion Links: 12/9/24
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