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Orlando City vs. Inter Miami CF: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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3 years ago

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Orlando City couldn’t capitalize on its chances in a 1-1 draw against Inter Miami at Exploria Stadium. Center back Antonio Carlos scored Orlando’s only goal, but Miami equalized in the second half and Orlando couldn’t find a winner.

Let’s dive right into how each of your favorite Lions rated in this draw at home against a rival.

Starters

GK, Mason Stajduhar, 6 — It was a fairly quiet night for Stajduhar in his second MLS start as he only faced four shots and had no saves. Two of those shots were on target, with the first coming in the 52nd minute as Robbie Robinson stormed into the box after beating Rodrigo Schlegel and Robin Jansson. Stajduhar rushed to close down the angle, but Robinson’s shot went over him, although Kyle Smith was there to save the day. On the goal, a good cross in the box found Kiernan Gibbs’ header at an odd angle that made it difficult for Stajduhar to get to. It’s hard to blame Stajduhar for the goal given the speed and placement of the header and it’s frustrating to see another Orlando clean sheet slip away. The important thing is that Stajduhar didn’t let the goal affect him all too much as a minute later he confidently snuffed out a dangerous opportunity from Lewis Morgan in the box. In terms of distribution, Stajduhar completed 10 of his 11 passes and his one long ball was inaccurate.

D, Kyle Smith, 7 — Playing at left back for the majority of the game, Smith did well on both sides of the ball. His best moment came in the 52nd minute when he got in position to make a goal-saving block after Robinson chipped his shot over Stajduhar. He did a good job making life difficult for Miami winger Morgan, although he did concede a few corners in the process and made an almost deadly error on an errant back pass that sent Morgan in on goal. On offense, his only shot was from a similar position to his goal against Atlanta United, but his header from Nani’s corner went just wide. Smith completed 90% of his 51 passes, but was only accurate on one of his four crosses. When Emmanuel Mas came on for Ruan in the 81st minutes, Smith switched to his preferred right back position and nearly provided the game-winning moment late in the match, but the video assistant referee had match referee Armando Villarreal take another look and, after reviewing the play, he ruled Tesho Akindele offside. Smith had a clearance and 69 touches, third most on the team.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — The masked Swede was able to keep Gonzalo Higuain and Rodolfo Pizarro quiet in terms of scoring. Jansson was a brick wall that Miami had to work its way around and he had two interceptions and two clearances. Miami often went wide with its attack and Jansson wasn’t able to do much about the goal. The trio of Jansson, Smith, and Andres Perea did well to stop Miami on the left side of defense for the most part. All in all, it was a solid performance from Jansson and he finished with 66 touches and 58 passes at a 79% success rate.

One interesting thing from the match was Jansson’s involvement on corner kicks as he often lurked at the top of the box. It set up his only shot of the match, which he mishit on the volley and sent wide. On the other attempts, he tried passes over the defense but it never seemed to work. It’s unclear if this has anything to do with his face injury, but his size wasn’t used as a target in the box.

D, Antonio Carlos, 7 — Throughout the season, Carlos has been a threat on corner kicks and his headers have been getting closer and closer to goal with every attempt. His breakthrough finally came in this game as Carlos made perfect contact with his head to give Orlando the lead before halftime. It was his first goal of the season and first with his head as a Lion.

Unfortunately, his head collided with Kelvin Leerdam’s seconds after his shot and he was sent to the ground in a scary moment that needed immediate medical attention. It certainly makes highlights of his goal harder to watch, but Carlos was able to walk off the field with no assistance. He didn’t return for the second half out of an abundance of caution and finished with a tackle, a clearance, 42 touches, and also won all three of his aerial duels. Carlos was also successful on 92% of his 38 passes as he helped the Lions build out of the back.

D, Ruan, 6 — The right back was engaged in an entertaining duel with former Arsenal left back Kieran Gibbs. Ruan had to put in more defensive work than usual as a result, leading the team with five clearances and tying Junior Urso for a team-high three interceptions as well. Gibbs got the better of Ruan on his goal, easily getting across the front of the smaller defender to get a header on goal. On offense, Ruan had a key pass and one of his two crosses found their target. He had a great opportunity in the 51st minute but the ball he whipped in front of goal was deflected. Ruan had 63 touches and was successful on 82% of his 39 passes. While dangerous when sent forward, he didn’t spend as much time in the attacking third as he did against Atlanta United.

MF, Junior Urso, 5 — The Bear had a rough time in his first start since July 17. Urso battled against Gregore and Blaise Matuidi in central midfield and was a fouled a whopping five times. Miami committed a total of 19 fouls in the match and most were tactical decisions to interrupt Orlando’s flow of play in the midfield. Urso was a frequent victim of this and frustrated for most of the game as he couldn’t get much going. In 76 minutes of action, he completed 34 of his 38 passes for an 89% success rate and had 58 touches. Urso wasn’t much of a factor on offense, with no shots and one key pass. He did well defensively though, coming up with three tackles, three interceptions, and two clearances. He picked up a yellow card and was dispossessed twice in a performance he’ll shrug off despite some bumps and bruises.

MF, Andres Perea, 6.5 — Perea did much better in this match compared to his last performance against Atlanta United. Partnered with Urso in central midfield, he had stats similar to what we’ve seen from Ecuadorian midfielder Sebas Mendez. Perea led the Lions in touches (80), tackles (four), and passes (67). Only one of those 67 passes was inaccurate, resulting in an excellent 99% success rate. That being said, none of his passes were particularly threatening as he spent more time connecting Orlando’s defense and offense rather than creating chances. That’s not to say he wasn’t present on offense though. He had three shots, sending two off target while the other was blocked. Perea’s proven himself to be versatile in the midfield and seemed to do better in a more defensive minded role in this match.

MF, Benji Michel, 5 — For most of the match, Orlando’s offensive plays tended to end once Michel got involved. Michel wasn’t always at fault for this as he was often given daring balls in on goal by Pereyra, but his touch was heavy and he couldn’t seem to get past defenders. Although he played 75 minutes, Michel only had 18 touches and eight passes at a 75% success rate. It is worth noting that he posed enough danger running down a ball in the box that Leerdam desperately played it out for the corner that resulted in Orlando’s goal. Defensively, he did well securing goal kicks by using his body and had an interception. Michel had no shots or crosses and needed to make much more of an impact against Miami.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 7 — In the 19th minute, Pereyra sent a nice ball from deep in the midfield over the top of Miami’s defense, but Nani’s resulting header didn’t give Miami goalkeeper Nick Marsman much trouble. That ball was one of his two key passes during a full shift and it was Orlando’s first real chance of the game. Most of the maestro’s conducting was done from similar spots deep in the midfield rather than at the top of the box. His quality was on display all night long as he was able to cut through Miami’s defense with a single touch on multiple occasions. However, most of his created chances ended up as corners rather than goals as attacking Lions had tough positions to score from. He put one of his two shots on target, but it was fired right at Marsman. Pereyra finished the game second on the team in touches with 75 and he was successful on 85% of his 53 passes, which isn’t too bad considering most of his unsuccessful passes were lengthy and in Miami’s half. He was dispossessed twice, including a late turnover that could’ve ended up badly, and also chipped in defensively with three tackles. It was a strong outing from Pereyra and he’ll certainly benefit once Orlando’s strikers are more frequently on the field.

MF, Chris Mueller, 5 — Mueller’s struggles on offense continued as he had no shots or key passes over the course of 66 minutes of play. He was successful on one of his three crosses and completed 19 of his 21 attempted passes for a strong 90% success rate. Mueller was also successful on his single attempted dribble, but was dispossessed three times. It was far from his best game, but Mueller did the little things well as he hustled on defense and won four fouls. Mueller has definitely been overshadowed by Orlando’s other offensive players in recent weeks and only has one shot in his past five appearances.

F, Nani, 7.5 (MotM) — The captain led Orlando with five shots, with two on target and another two blocked. None were particularly easy and he did decent enough with the opportunities even though he wasn’t able to find the back of the net. His cross from a short corner to find Carlos in the box was picture perfect, the ball placed in the best spot possible for his sixth assist of the year. That cross was his only successful one from three attempts in open play, but he also led the Lions with five key passes. Nani took six of Orlando’s seven corners and found his target on all but one as he continues to make an impact from those dead-ball situations. He was also very efficient with the ball at his feet, only being dispossessed once and completing 40 of his 43 passes for a great 93% success rate. Nani is our Man of the Match for creating multiple chances for Orlando while taking care of the ball. He had 63 touches, committed no fouls, was successful on two of his three attempted dribbles, and looked threatening for most of the game.

Substitutes

D, Rodrigo Schlegel (45’), 6 — Schlegel came on at halftime in place of the injured Carlos. He got himself out of position on Robinson’s chance, pushing forward to pressure Higuain and then losing the foot race against him after pressing high. He does get some style points for a neat somersault of sorts to keep his momentum when slipping to stay in the play. It wasn’t his most dominant performance, but he did have three clearances and won all three of his aerial duels to limit Miami’s chances. Schlegel completed 90% of his 21 passes and had 25 touches as well.

MF, Silvester van der Water (67’), 6.5 — The Dutchman came on to give the Lions an edge on offense after Miami equalized. His only shot was in the box, but he wasn’t able to get all of his weaker right foot on it to put it on target. Van der Water did well finding dangerous areas to operate in and had a brilliant pass out wide to Smith in the same motion he fashioned to take a shot to fool the defense. Had Akindele not been offside, that would have been an important part of the buildup to a game-winning goal. Van der Water provided the needed urgency the Lions lacked during the match and was hungry in the half hour he spent on the field. He completed all eight of his passes and had 13 touches in another efficient shift.

F, Tesho Akindele (75’), 5.5 — It looked like the Canadian scored the game-winner but his goal was ruled offside after review. Apart from that moment, he didn’t make much of an impact in the match beyond his diligent pressing, which shouldn’t be overlooked. Akindele was accurate on all four of his passes and had a total of eight touches.

MF, Uri Rosell (76’), 6 — Like Urso, Rosell had a frustrating time in the midfield. He committed two fouls that gave Miami free kicks in dangerous areas, picking up a yellow card in the process. While he didn’t have any tackles, interceptions, or clearances, Rosell completed 22 of his 23 passes and had 23 touches to help stabilize the midfield.

D, Emmanuel Mas (81’), 6 — The left back came on late to relieve Ruan and racked up 20 touches in a brief outing. Defensively, Mas had a clearance, an interception, and won both of his aerial duels. His only cross didn’t find its target, but he did a good job making sure Miami couldn’t get much going on his side of the field. Mas completed nine of his 12 passes for a 75% success rate and is looking like a solid acquisition for Orlando.

That’s how I saw things play out in Orlando’s draw over its rival. Make sure to weigh in on how you feel about the grades in the comments below and to vote for who you think deserves the title of Man of the Match.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Nani12
Mauricio Pereyra6
Antonio Carlos10
Kyle Smith8
Andres Perea1
Other (tell us who in the comments)0

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2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Wilder Cartagena

The midfielder helped Orlando City own the center of the field throughout the majority of the 2024 season.

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7 hours ago

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December 22, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City initially acquired midfielder Wilder Cartagena on loan through the 2022 MLS season. After a successful end of the year, the club exercised the option to extend the loan through the 2023 season. He became a key player in the starting lineup for the Lions that season, resulting in the club signing him to a permanent deal through the 2025 season on Dec. 14, 2024. The Peruvian midfielder built a powerhouse partnership with fellow midfielder César Araújo, forming what may have been the best central midfield duo in all of MLS during the 2024 season.

Let’s take a look back at Cartagena’s season with Orlando City.

Statistical Breakdown

Cartagena participated in all four of the competitions Orlando City played in during 2024, playing primarily in his normal central defensive midfielder role but also filling in as center back for around seven games worth of minutes (631). Despite playing in a brand new position for approximately 20% of his total minutes, Cartagena ended up leading the team in plus-minus for the season, finishing +22 across all competitions, meaning the Lions were much better with him on the pitch than they were when he wasn’t.

In MLS regular-season play, the Peruvian international appeared in 27 matches, starting 25 and playing 2,192 minutes. He only recorded one goal contribution on the season, an assist, though he took 24 shots, putting eight on target. He completed 89% of his passes with 16 key passes, one successful cross, and 25 completed long balls. On the defensive side, he recorded 76 tackles, 20 interceptions, 42 clearances, and nine blocks. He committed a team-leading 48 fouls, suffered 28 fouls, and received seven yellow cards and one red card, which he picked up after the conclusion of the game against Minnesota United. Coincidentally, his red card suspension and his one-game ban for yellow card accumulation each resulted in him missing a regular-season game against Atlanta United — both were Orlando losses.

During the MLS playoffs, Cartagena started all five matches, playing 431 minutes with no goals or assists. He took two shots, placing one on target, and he completed 87.2% of his passes with a single key pass. Defensively, he recorded nine tackles, four interceptions, 11 clearances, and one block. He drew eight fouls and committed nine, and he was booked twice, with both being yellow cards.

Cartagena played in all four Concacaf Champions Cup matches, starting every game and playing 315 minutes. He did not take any shots, so he did not score any goals, and he didn’t contribute any assists either. He completed 86.6% of his passes, including four key passes. Defensively, he tallied eight tackles, five interceptions, four clearances, and one block, and he committed three fouls, while suffering five. He was booked twice, earning two yellow cards.

During Leagues Cup play, Cartagena started all three games, playing the full 270 minutes with zero goal contributions. He took three shots, placing one on target, and completed 92.1% of his passes, but with zero key passes. He added three tackles, three interceptions, four clearances, and one block on defense, and he committed three fouls and drew one. Unlike in the other three competitions, in Leagues Cup play he did not receive any cards.

Best Game

While Cartagena only had one goal contribution for the season, the positions he played do not lend themselves to being able to use the commonly cited stats like goals and assists to evaluate which game was the finest. That said, I think the one game in which Cartagena had an assist was his finest performance, but the assist was only the cherry on top of an outstanding game all over the field by the Peruvian midfielder, as his performance helped lead the Lions to a dominant 5-0 victory over D.C. United on March 9.

Cartagena completed 77 of his 81 passes (95.1%), and while any game with that many completed passes and that high of a completion percentage would be excellent, it was the types of passes that he completed that really set this game ahead of all of his other performances. He completed 22 of those 77 passes into the attacking third of the field, meaning they were attacking balls forward towards goal that went from the middle or defensive third into the attacking third. If 22 sounds like a lot, well, that’s because it is. There were only seven instances during MLS play in 2024 of a player completing 22 or more passes into the attacking third in a single game.

If that was not enough, Cartagena also went 11 of 12 (91.7%) on long passes (passes of at least 30 yards) on the night, one of only 24 instances during MLS play in 2024 of a midfielder completing at least 11 long passes and being successful on more than 90% of his long pass attempts.

On top of both of those stats, Cartagena also got on the score sheet for the only time all season, playing a beautiful cross from the right flank onto the head of a charging Robin Jannson, who smashed in his header and gave the Lions a 2-0 lead.

Cartagena went the full 90 in this match, contributing not only offensively but also defensively, with three tackles, four recoveries, and one clearance, and his dominance in the center of the field helped the Lions keep a clean sheet.

2024 Final Grade

The Mane Land awarded Cartagena a composite rating of 7.5 out of 10 for the 2024 season, the same as the 7.5 we gave him last season. I mentioned earlier that the team was +22 while Cartagena was on the field, and that +22 equaled a +0.62 goals per 90-minute average over his total minutes played, meaning that when Cartagena played, the Lions were nearly two-thirds of a goal better than their opponents. On the flip side, when Cartagena was off the field, the Lions were -5 for the season, which equaled a -0.48 goals per 90-minute average. The net of those two per 90-minute averages is +1.10, meaning that Orlando City was more than one goal better than its opponents when Cartagena was on the field as compared to when he was off, showing just how valuable he was to the team during the 2024 season.

2025 Outlook

I expect 2025 to look very similar to 2024 for Cartagena, as both he and his midfield partner Araujo are set to return and are completely comfortable in Head Coach Óscar Pareja’s system. The Lions also parted ways with Felipe, Jeorgio Kocevski, and Heine Gikling Bruseth, meaning that Nico Lodeiro is the only player on the roster with significant experience in the role where Cartagena usually plays, and Lodeiro is more of a supersub than a starter at this point in his career and a much more offensive minded No. 8 option than a defensive, double-pivot type. Kyle Smith and Dagur Dan Thórhallsson both have the skillset to potentially get some minutes there, and Orlando City used its first-round draft pick in the MLS SuperDraft to select midfielder Joran Gerbet from Clemson, but it should be Cartagena’s job to lose during the 2025 season, and I expect to see him on the field for the vast majority of Orlando City’s minutes.

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Orlando City

Top 10 Moments of 2024: Orlando City Surges to Top Four Spot in Eastern Conference

Languishing near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the Lions made a massive push from June 19 onward to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference.

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9 hours ago

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December 22, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

As we count down to the new year of 2025 — which will be Orlando City’s 11th in MLS, the Orlando Pride’s ninth in the NWSL, and OCB’s third in MLS NEXT Pro — and say goodbye to 2024, it’s time to look back at the club’s 10 best moments of the year as selected by The Mane Land staff via vote.

The Lions were floundering. A team that finished strong in 2023 and ended up second in the Supporters’ Shield race had bolstered the attack in the off-season by signing a Designated Player forward out of Italy’s Serie A and figured to pick up where it left off. It didn’t.

Orlando City struggled out of the gate to connect in the final third, to find a cohesive starting XI that worked well together, and to find the form with which it ended the 2023 campaign. Although the Lions swept Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC in the first round of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup at the onset of the season, they once again played a scoreless draw on opening day of league play, got blown out at Inter Miami, gave up a 95th-minute goal to lose at home to Minnesota, and then got knocked out of Champions Cup by Tigres before falling at Atlanta.

The team’s 0-3-1 start to the regular season was followed by two wins and two draws, pulling Orlando to 2-3-3, but that surge proved to be fool’s gold. That run preceded a late-game collapse at home against Toronto that turned a 1-0 87th-minute lead into a 2-1 loss. That loss, to a Toronto team that finished 11-19-4, turned into a home losing streak after FC Cincinnati departed Inter&Co Stadium with a 1-0 win on May 4.

A 2-0-1 surge followed, but it could only bring the Lions to 4-5-4 on the season. But again, Orlando City fans had to take the bad with the good, as the club went 0-3-1 in its next four. Two late goals by LAFC and a missed Facundo Torres penalty — the first such miss in his entire soccer careeer — produced a 3-1 home loss that left the club at just 4-8-5 at the season’s midway point. Some fans were calling for Oscar Pareja’s job; no one was happy with new Designated Player Luis Muriel’s play; and the players seemed frustrated, disjointed, and at odds with each other on the pitch.

Things looked bleak for extending the club’s four-year postseason streak to five. It seemed as if there was no way to break out of the funk the Lions were in.

But then it happened.

The team’s fortunes didn’t turn around all at once, and the turning point sure didn’t seem like one at the time. Orlando City went to Charlotte on June 19, found itself up a man, and still had to scrape by with just a 2-2 draw. Down a man, Brandt Bronico put Charlotte FC up 2-1 with 13 minutes remaining, and things looked worse than ever for the Lions, who were on the verge of falling to 4-9-5 and threatening to contend for the wooden spoon. But Torres struck in the 81st minute to bring City level on a corner kick. Was this the goal that ultimately saved Orlando City’s 2024 season?

Once tied, Orlando pushed furiously for a winner but to no avail. The single point the Lions brought home from North Carolina didn’t feel good at the time, but it was a start — the first pebble in what ultimately turned into an avalanche. A win and a loss in the next two matches didn’t seem particularly noteworthy either, but the team was starting to put things together.

After beating Chicago 4-2 on June 22 at home, the Lions nearly mounted a comeback after a disastrous first half in a 4-2 loss at New York City FC on June 28 — a game in which Orlando lost backup goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar for the rest of the season. The Lions then won four straight matches and went 4-0-1 in their final five games prior to the Leagues Cup break, entering the MLS pause at .500 with a 9-9-7 record. It had taken the team half the season to recover from the poor start, but the Lions were back in the fight.

A win and two draws in Leagues Cup, despite some international absences, kept the Lions’ momentum going. Although a flat performance in a loss at Sporting Kansas City in the MLS restart weekend didn’t help matters, it was followed by three more consecutive wins — all via shutout, with Orlando outscoring its opponents 8-0 — and six victories in seven matches. The lone loss in that seven-game stretch was a 4-3 defeat at Columbus in which a valiant comeback effort fell just short.

After that 6-1-0 run, Orlando entered Decision Day with a 15-11-7 record and a top-four spot that wasn’t spoiled by a loss in the regular-season finale to Atlanta.

The Lions’ 11-4-2 finish over the final 17 matches of the 2024 season not only pushed the team into the postseason, it also put Orlando City in position to take advantage when Miami, Columbus, and Cincinnati all faltered in the first round of the playoffs.

Because the Lions were the highest remaining seed in the postseason, once Orlando City won its best-of-three, first-round series against Charlotte, it had home field priority for the remainder of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Lions hosted Atlanta in the Eastern Conference semifinal and knocked their rivals out of the postseason in a tight defensive battle in which the Five Stripes hardly troubled goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. Orlando advanced to the Eastern Conference final for the first time, hosting the New York Red Bulls.

Although Orlando faltered in that conference final, which is not the result we (or the Lions) wanted, City put itself in the best possible position to reach the MLS Cup final by finding the right blend of chemistry, form, and grit in the season’s second half.

The Lions came closer to MLS Cup in 2024 than ever before, thanks to the team’s second-half surge. As such, that surge is a worthy inclusion in the list of the club’s top moments of the year, and a great way to kick off our annual series of the club’s most memorable accomplishments and events.

Come back through New Year’s Eve as we count down the remainder of Orlando City’s top 10 moments of 2024.

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Opinion

Three Orlando City Games to Watch in 2025

Here are three intriguing matches in the 2025 Orlando City season.

Published

1 day ago

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December 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Major League Soccer provided a last-minute stocking stuffer for North American soccer fans when it dropped the 2025 season schedule six days before Christmas. It feels like the Orlando City season just wrapped (as is often the case when a team makes a deep run in the playoffs), and yet now we can spend the next few “winter” weeks meticulously breaking down the matchups as training camp is just around the corner. My fellow staff writers at The Mane Land can attest that I have a horrible case of scoreboard-watching from Matchweek 1 of the regular season on, and that obsession starts now with my top three games to watch in 2025.

Friday, July 25 — at Columbus Crew

As the final match of three games in 10 days and the last match of July, the first meeting against perennial the Eastern Conference powerhouse Columbus Crew should serve as a great measuring stick for fans and pundits to assess where the Orlando City season stands heading into the final third of the season. Traditionally speaking, over the last few years, late July into early August is the time frame when Head Coach Oscar Pareja’s teams have caught fire.

If that historical trend holds, then I expect Orlando City to hit Columbus in strong form, once again looking to secure a top-four spot in the Eastern Conference. While it is hard to predict what rosters will look like by then, as there have been reports and rumors of both stars and Head Coach Wilfried Nancy’s possible departure circulating. However, it is difficult to imagine Columbus slipping much, as the club has established a winning culture and has a knack for finding and signing outstanding players like Lucas Zelarayan and Cucho Hernandez. A matchup between the Crew and Lions at that point of the season could serve as a marquee event for MLS in 2025.

Saturday, Feb. 22 — vs. Philadelphia Union

There are two things I know to be true when it comes to Orlando City soccer. First, Orlando City has kicked off every MLS regular season in front of its home fans — a unique trend that I was excited to see continue in 2025. The second thing that I know is that Orlando City is unbeaten in season openers (3-0-7). In 2025, Orlando City welcomes the Philadelphia Union to Inter&Co Stadium and the unbeaten record will be on the line once again. The Union will be the seventh different opening day opponent for the Lions in 11 seasons.

What makes this matchup particularly interesting is that this will be the first time in Orlando City history that they will face the Union without now-former head coach Jim Curtin. One of the longest-tenured head coaches in MLS at the time, Curtin parted ways with the Union at the end of the 2024 season. Often I find myself in the “managers don’t make a large difference” camp when it comes to the outcome of matches, but to look back at what Curtin did with Philadelphia, its academy, and modest roster spending can only be viewed as wildly successful. Orlando will try to start its season off on the right foot, while a new Union manager will be looking to start his tenure in Philly with a road victory. Something will have to give, and I am going to put my money on Orlando winning the day.

Saturday, April 12 — vs. New York Red Bulls

While the first opportunity to exact revenge over the club that eliminated the Lions from the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs will happen roughly a month earlier on the road, the true opportunity to stick it to the Red Bulls in front of a home crowd has to be my most anticipated match of 2025. A lot has been said about rivalries in MLS. Some seem manufactured, and some come down to genuine hatred, but I firmly believe that for the time being our squad’s biggest rival is the one that ended Orlando City’s season one game short of the championship match.

It seems a little strange to me that the Lions will wrap up their season series with the Red Bulls just eight games into the year (so much for spacing out some matchups), but Orlando City will look to pounce on the Red Bulls early on and would likely love nothing more than to take all six points from the team that ended its MLS Cup hopes before the calendar even hits Memorial Day.

Those are the top three matches I have circled on my calendar. Let us know in the comments below which matches you’re most excited about and which matches you think will carry the most significance in 2025. As always, vamos Orlando!

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