Orlando City announced this afternoon that midfielder Yutaro Tsukada underwent a successful surgery on his left ACL. As a result, the young attacker has been placed on the Season-Ending Injury list and will miss the entire 2025 MLS season.

Tsukada went down in the first 20 minutes in a preseason friendly against CF Montreal on Feb. 8. The trainers worked on the left knee of the left-sided midfielder and he came back onto the field. However, he went down again after cutting inside during an attack, going to the ground without contact. This time he was done.

As the young attacker was helped off the field, he pulled his shirt over his eyes, indicating it was a serious injury that would likely see his season end before it began. That fear was confirmed with Orlando City’s announcement this afternoon.

The 23-year-old’s surgery took place Feb. 21 at the Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute in downtown Orlando and was performed by the club’s chief medical officer and orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Craig Mintzer.

Tsukada was drafted by Orlando City with the 25th overall pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft out of West Virginia University. He subsequently signed with Orlando City B on March 15, 2024, making 22 appearances with 20 starts, scoring seven goals, and adding seven assists with the Young Lions. 

The midfielder signed a short-term MLS contract last May and another in July before signing for the first team on Aug. 15. He made four appearances in his rookie year for the first team — all off the bench — and recorded 26 minutes.

Tsukada’s recovery is expected to take nine months, causing him to miss the entire 2025 MLS season. The club says he’ll be continuously evaluated throughout the rehabilitation process.

What It Means for Orlando City

It’s been a tough few months for Orlando City. The Lions sold their best player in Facundo Torres, lost starting striker Duncan McGuire until midseason with shoulder surgery, and lost starting defensive midfielder Wilder Cartagena for the year. Now they lose a depth piece with Tsukada.

The midfielder’s loss isn’t quite as significant as the other three, as he would’ve backed up Ivan Angulo in the regular season. However, he showed tremendous promise last year with OCB, and the club seemed excited to see what he could do with a full season with the first team.

Instead, it’s another setback for another Lion. Hopefully he’ll make a full recovery and we’ll be able to see what the young Japanese player can do at the MLS level.

Happy Tuesday, everyone. It was a rough start to the season for Orlando City, but that (hopefully) means that there’s nowhere to go but up. Regardless of if that proves to be true or not, the only way out is through, which means we need to start getting ready for Toronto FC on Saturday. We have lots to talk about today though, so let’s get into the links.

Marco Pasalic Recognized on TotM Bench

Marco Pasalic made his competitive debut for Orlando City in the team’s 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Union on Saturday and was one of the bright spots in a rough performance as he scored both of the team’s goals. He was justifiably rewarded with a place on the bench in the first MLS Team of the Matchday of the 2025 season. In addition to the goals, the Croatian was a threat all evening, as he put four of his seven shots on target and also provided two key passes. Sean Rollins named him Man of the Match for his performance, and it’s nice to see him getting some love on the larger stage as well. Hopefully this is just the first of many times he earns weekly recognition like this.

Americans in Midweek Action

We’ve got a lot of Americans who will be taking part in games during the working week, so make sure you get everything you want to see marked down on your calendar. Things start Wednesday with Chris Richards, Matt Turner, and Crystal Palace hosting Aston Villa in the Premier League, while Antonee Robinson and Fulham travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Wednesday sees Richy Ledezma and PSV Eindhoven host Go Ahead Eagles in the KNVB Cup semifinals, while PSV’s other three Americans remain out injured. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus will also host Empoli in a Coppa Italia quarterfinal. The other big match of the week is on Thursday, as Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan try to bounce back from a wobbly run of form as they visit Bologna in Serie A play.

U.S. Announces Preliminary Nations League Roster

Along with the other three semifinalists in the competition, the United States Men’s National Team has released its preliminary roster for the upcoming Concacaf Nations League semifinals. Currently standing at 60, the roster will be cut down to 23 by March 10, with the USMNT taking on Panama on March 20. The usual suspects are all present, like Pulisic, McKennie, Robinson, Tyler Adams, and Matt Turner, with plenty of young names like Aidan Morris, Diego Kochen, Jackson Ragen, and Jack McGlynn. The most intrigue will take part at striker. While Josh Sargent is almost surely a lock to make the team, any one of Patrick Agyemang, Brandon Vazquez, and Jordan Morris could easily find themselves included or missing out.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

Despite most winter transfer windows being closed, there are still plenty of rumors we need to keep tabs on. First up, AC Milan is said to be monitoring the contract situations of stars Mike Maignan, Theo Hernandez, and Rafael Leao, and could be open to selling all three of them if the club does not qualify for the UEFA Champions League this season. Elsewhere, Vitor Roque’s proposed transfer from Barcelona to Palmeiras is reportedly off, as La Liga rules prevent Roque’s loan at Real Betis being cut short since the league is currently not in a registration period. Meanwhile, Manchester City has reportedly identified FC Porto netminder Diogo Costa as the man to replace current goalkeeper Ederson. Finally, Real Madrid is allegedly one of the teams in regular contact with Yamine Lamal’s agent, although Los Blancos have reportedly been told that Barcelona (unsurprisingly) refuses to sell him to its Spanish rivals.

Free Kicks

• Former Orlando City manager Adrian Heath took a trip down memory lane during his time at the season opener on Saturday.

• Inter&Co Stadium opened its doors just over eight years ago.

• The Seattle Sounders have announced an initiative to try to get more new fans to attend games.

• This is a very worthwhile read about Black Players for Change, the organization that fights for equality both inside and outside of Major League Soccer.
• Manchester United will make another 200 positions at the club redundant in the latest round of cost-cutting measures.

That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

Orlando City started its 2025 MLS campaign with a disappointing 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Union. The game started well but got out of hand when the Lions fell behind by two and then three goals. The blame can be shared by some terrible defending, poor finishing, and fantastic goalkeeping by Andre Blake. The loss continues a run of poor results stemming from a winless preseason.

Let’s take a look at the individual performances in this troubling loss.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 5 — The Union didn’t have many chances in this game, but they scored plenty. They put four of their 10 shots on target and all beat Gallese, who didn’t make a single save. Much of the blame goes to the poor back line, but giving up four goals without a save is a bad night. In addition to his lack of shot-stopping, Gallese completed 70.8% of his 24 passes, including five of his 11 long balls.

D, Rafael Santos, 4.5 — Santos led the team with 108 touches on the night. He completed 82.4% of his 68 passes, including a key pass. However, he only completed two of his 10 crosses and four of his 11 long balls. He also took one off-target shot. Defensively, Santos recorded two tackles, an interception, two clearances, a blocked shot, and won two aerial duels. The left back’s most impactful moment came in the 47th minute when he let Daniel Gazdag get behind him and volley in the go-ahead goal.

D, David Brekalo, 5 — Brekalo’s 95 touches were second on the team behind Santos. He completed 91.6% of his team-high 83 passes, including four of his eight long balls. The center back took two shots but both were off target. Defensively, Brekalo had one tackle, two interceptions, four clearances, and won three aerial duels. Unfortunately, he was at fault for the equalizing goal in the 23rd when he failed to pick up the run by Tai Baribo, allowing the attacker to tap in a Kai Wagner pass. 

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 4.5 — Schlegel had 75 touches in this game while completing 91.9% of his 62 passes and two of his four long balls. Defensively, he had two tackles, four clearances, and a blocked shot. The whole defense was bad in this game, but Schlegel made the worst mistake. In the 51st minute, he misplayed a pass by Brekalo, allowing Mikael Uhre to get in on goal and make it 3-1.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallason, 5.5 — Thorhallsson had 44 touches on the night and completed 86.7% of his 30 passes. He didn’t attempt any crosses and his lone long ball was incomplete. Defensively he had a clearance and a blocked shot before being replaced by Alex Freeman in the 56th minute. I bumped him at least a half point above the other defenders despite a rather forgettable game because he was the only one on the back line not directly responsible for a goal.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 5.5 — Araujo had 71 touches in the game and completed 93% of his 57 passes, including five of his six long balls. He also drew a team-high seven fouls. Defensively, Araujo had one tackle, two clearances, and a blocked shot. However, he was partially at fault for not getting back to cover Baribo on Philadelphia’s fourth goal.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 5.5 — Atuesta had 39 touches in his debut and completed 63.3% of his 30 passes. He had one key pass in the eighth minute, playing Martin Ojeda forward in what turned out to be the opening goal, earning himself a secondary assist. The defensive midfielder also completed two of his four long balls. He took one shot in the game, but it was off-target. Defensively, Atuesta added two tackles and a clearance. He was replaced by Joran Gerbet in the 71st minute.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 4.5 — Angulo had 38 touches in this game, completing 88.9% of his 18 passes with a key pass. He only attempted one cross and it was incomplete. The left-sided midfielder was credited with both of his shots on target, but that’s generous. In the 77th minute, a good ball into the box by Freeman found a wide-open Angulo who just had to tap it in. But he scuffed his attempt, sending the ball wide. His turnover in his own defensive third allowed the Union to equalize in the first half. Defensively, Angulo had three tackles, one interception, and one clearance before being replaced by Nico Rodriguez in the 80th minute.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6 — Ojeda was one of the few bright spots for Orlando City in this game. He finished with 57 touches and completed 79.3% of his 29 passes with a team-high seven key passes, including one assist. It was his good turn and pass forward in the eighth minute that led to Marco Pasalic’s opening goal. He also completed five of his 13 crosses, both team highs. Two of four shots were on target. In the 60th minute, he forced Blake into a very good save and an excellent free kick nearly led to a goal in the 62nd minute, but Freeman hit the crossbar. Defensively, Ojeda recorded two tackles and an interception in what was a decent game by the number 10.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 6.5 (MotM) — Pasalic was without question the most dangerous attacker for Orlando City in this game. He made the most of his 40 touches, completing 84.2% of his 19 passes with two key passes and one of his three long balls. He put four of his seven shots on target, netting a brace, and he could’ve had a hat trick if not for excellent goalkeeping by Blake. He hit the post with an acrobatic attempt in the 79th minute and put in the rebound for his second goal of the night. He added two tackles defensively in a Man of the Match performance in his debut.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 5 — It was a pretty forgettable night for the striker, who only compiled 17 touches and didn’t take a shot. He completed 71.4% of his 14 passes and failed to complete his only cross. He had an interception defensively before being replaced by Luis Muriel in the 56th minute.

Substitutes

F, Luis Muriel (56’), 5.5 — Muriel was more effective than Enrique in a straight swap in the 56th minute. He also had 17 touches and completed 57.1% of his seven passes, including a key pass. One of his three shots was on target and he nearly scored twice. In the 69th minute, a strong header forced Blake into a diving one-handed save. He was wide open 10 minutes later right in front of the goal, but his shot was off the crossbar. On the defensive end, he had two clearances.

D, Alex Freeman (56’), 6 — Freeman replaced Thorhallsson in the 56th minute and was better than the starter. The teenager touched the ball 35 times and completed 86.4% of his 22 passes, including three key passes and his lone long ball. He nearly scored in the 62nd minute when he got his head to an Ojeda free kick, but he hit the crossbar. He was also active defensively, recording a tackle, an interception, and four clearances.

MF, Joran Gerbet (71’), 5.5 — Gerbet came on in the 71st minute for Atuesta and had 25 touches in his first professional game. He completed 89.5% of his 19 passes, including all three long balls. He also had a clearance defensively.

MF, Nico Rodriguez (80’), N/A — Rodriguez was the final substitution for the Lions, replacing Angulo in the 80th minute. He only had 10 touches and completed 88.9% of his nine passes. He didn’t take any shots nor record any defensive stats in his first 10 minutes as a Lion.

That’s how I saw the performances in Orlando City’s opening night loss to the Union. Let us know how you saw the game and don’t’ forget to vote on your Man of the Match below.