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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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4 years ago

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Orlando City has now lost three straight games after falling 3-1 on the road against the Philadelphia Union. The Lions did well to bounce back from a goal late in the first half, but Union forward Kacper Przybylko scored a brace to take all three points.

Let’s dive into how each Lion rated and who was our Man of the Match.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 5.5 — The Peruvian didn’t have much of a chance at stopping the Union’s first, as it was deflected by Kyle Smith and sent the opposite direction. Gallese was closer to stopping the Union’s second goal, but he wasn’t able to go from covering the near post to protecting the center of goal quickly enough to stop a fast shot from Przybylko. He guessed wrong on the penalty late in the match and that was the nail in the coffin for Orlando. Gallese made five saves and earned a yellow card for rushing out and tackling Sergio Santos before the forward could sprint towards goal. El Pulpo was successful on 76% of his 21 passes and completed seven of his 12 long balls as well.

D, Kyle Smith, 4.5 — Smith played at left back in his first start since Aug. 18 and struggled in the game’s key moments. Orlando had a good chance to counter after a free kick from the Union, but Smith’s pass to the pack of Lions charging upfield was stopped and the Union scored shortly after. Smith was also unable to clear the ball on the end line in the buildup on the Union’s second goal. He had a key pass by setting up a shot for Mauricio Pereyra, but Smith didn’t have any crosses and was subbed off in the 68th minute for Joao Moutinho. Smith led the Lions with six tackles and also had two interceptions. He had 48 touches and only completed 16 of his 25 passes for a 64% success rate.

D, Antonio Carlos, 4.5 — Carlos was sent off in the 88th minute for bringing down Sergio Santos in the box and now won’t be available in Orlando’s next match. It was a tough way to end a frustrating game for Carlos, who wasn’t able to close down on Przybylko’s first goal in time to stop his shot. Carlos had six clearances, a tackle, an interception, a defensive block, 53 touches, and was successful on 83% of his 42 passes. If there is any silver lining to Carlos’ red card, it’s that it should allow him a chance to reset and come back stronger considering the defense has conceded 12 goals in four games.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — The Swedish defender led the team with seven interceptions, doing a decent job to cut off passes as the Union tried to infiltrate the defense. Jansson added four clearances and three tackles for a decent defensive performance despite the score. He had 61 touches and completed 84% of his 37 passes to help Orlando build out of the back. Jansson also had a key pass, crossing in a good ball for Tesho Akindele to get a piece of.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5 — It was Schlegel’s first time starting since Aug. 17 and he had a busy afternoon with six clearances, a tackle, and a defensive block. The center back was struck in the face by Przybylko right before the Union’s goal, but play went on and the goal stood after video review. Schlegel was substituted off in the 75th minute as Orlando tried to change its shape to score. He finished with 33 touches and completed 92% of his 24 passes while also picking up a yellow card. We will likely see Schlegel on Saturday against the New England Revolution now that Carlos is suspended.

D, Ruan, 6 — After getting a taste for goal last week, Ruan scored his second goal in MLS with a great header to bring Orlando level in the second half. The right back lurked around the back post and signaled his run for Mauricio Pereyra to serve him an uncontested ball. Only one of his four crosses was successful, but that cross was nearly an assist as he whipped in a good ball into the box for Junior Urso. Ruan benefited most from Orlando’s formation as he was able to push further upfield while the center backs stayed back. As a result, he didn’t have any defensive stats and was too far upfield on the counter to help on the Union’s first goal. The speedster had 43 touches and completed 24 of his 28 passes for a decent 86% success rate.

MF, Junior Urso, 6 — The Bear nearly scored in the 74th minute after getting his head on a good cross by Ruan, but Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake came up with a good save to deny him. It was his best of three shots, one blocked and the other on target but saved in the bottom right corner. Urso led the Lions with two key passes and completed 24 of his 32 passes for a 75% success rate. He did well on the defensive end as well, making six interceptions and two tackles to stop Philadelphia from outright dominating the midfield. It wasn’t Urso’s best performance, but he was one of the better Lions on the field in this one.

MF, Joey DeZart, 5 — The 23-year-old wasn’t able to continue after going down with an injury in the 20th minute. With the Union on the front foot early on, DeZart wasn’t able to make much of an impact beyond a tackle and a successful dribble. He completed four of his six passes and had nine touches. Given how thin Orlando is in the midfield at the moment, hopefully the injury isn’t too serious.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 (MotM) — The Uruguayan delivered a perfect cross for Ruan to head into the back of the net and give Orlando a lifeline on the road after a difficult first half. It was Pereyra’s ninth assist of the season and he wore the captain’s armband with Nani suspended. His assist was his only successful cross of the game and he completed 40 of his 50 passes for an 80% success rate, which isn’t too bad considering the length of some of his unsuccessful attempts. While he had three shots, two were blocked and the one on target didn’t give Blake much trouble. He played all 90 minutes and chipped in defensively with a tackle, an interception, and a defensive block while leading the team with 73 touches. The 31-year-old is our Man of the Match for keeping his composure throughout the game and serving a perfect ball for the team’s smallest player to score off a header.

MF, Benji Michel, 5 — Michel had a rough time against the Union. He was only successful on one of his five attempted dribbles and just couldn’t get much going offensively, although he did have a key pass late in the match to tee up a shot for Pereyra. Michel played every minute of the match but didn’t have a shot and was shown a yellow card for simulation after going down in the box. The winger had 38 touches and completed 75% of his 16 passes. The winger did help out defensively with three clearances, but didn’t make much of a difference in the match.

F, Tesho Akindele, 5.5 — The Canadian striker did well when pressing and hustling back to defend, racking up two tackles and an interception in 67 minutes of action. But Akindele wasn’t able to get much done on the offensive end despite doing well to win possession. He had two shots, one off target and the other deflected, and no key passes as Orlando struggled to create chances throughout the match. Akindele finished with 37 touches and 21 passes at an 86% success rate.

Substitutes

MF, Raul Aguilera Jr. (20’), 5 — The Homegrown Player came on in the 20th minute for an injured DeZart. Aguilera didn’t make much of a difference in the match, but did contribute defensively with two interceptions and a clearance. He didn’t get forward much and completed 27 of his 32 passes for an 84% success rate and had 42 touches as well. It was the longest shift Aguilera has played for the Lions this season and he picked up his first yellow card in MLS to stop a potential counter.

F, Daryl Dike (67’), 5 — Dike came on in the second half to give a spark on offense, but wasn’t able to give the Lions an equalizer. He had no shots or key passes, finishing the game with just 12 touches and seven passes at a 71% completion rate. He’s played 168 minutes over the course of these last three losses and has only registered one shot, which was off target. Defenders have scored Orlando’s three goals in these three games and Dike will need to make more of an impact with important games left on the schedule. 

D, Joao Moutinho (67’), 5.5 — The left back came on for Kyle Smith to provide the Lions some more firepower to score. Both of Moutinho’s crosses were unsuccessful and he didn’t have any key passes. Moutinho didn’t have any defensive stats, but had 26 touches and was successful on 79% of his 19 passes as he tried to build possession along the left side.

MF, Silvester van der Water (75’), 5 — Like Dike and Moutinho, van der Water was brought on for the Lions to equalize but unable to make much of a difference. Van der Water had just seven touches and was accurate on three of his five passes. He didn’t have any shots, crosses, key passes, or dribbles in the loss. That being said, it was nice to see van der Water take the field considering his availability for the match was uncertain.

That’s how I saw things play out in Orlando’s loss to Philadelphia on the road. 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
Mauricio Pereyra13
Ruan5
Junior Urso2
Other (Comment Below)3

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/22/25

Pedro Gallese earns recognition, Americans in midweek action, English promotion update, and more.

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27 minutes ago

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April 22, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Well it wasn’t the worst weekend that Orlando soccer has ever had, but it certainly wasn’t the best either. Fortunately, all three of Orlando’s teams will be back in action soon, so there’s no need to dwell on the past too much. Let’s take a moment to wish a happy birthday to the Orlando Pride’s Brianna Martinez, as well as to Kaká! Now, it’s time to turn our attention to today’s links.

Pedro Gallese Earns Weekly Recognition

Pedro Gallese kept a third clean sheet in a row and Orlando City’s third clean sheet of the year in the team’s scoreless draw on the road against CF Montreal. In recognition of his efforts during the match, Gallese was named to the bench of the latest edition of the MLS Team of the Matchday. El Pulpo made six saves to blank a Montreal team that intently searched for a breakthrough, and made a couple of truly excellent second half stops that kept the score level. Congrats to Pedro and keep up the good work!

Americans in Midweek Action

A number of Americans will be playing games during the working week, and there are some big matches to keep an eye on. The main event is on Wednesday, when Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan face Inter Milan in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal, which is tied 1-1 after the first leg. Also on Wednesday, Chris Richards, Matt Turner, and Crystal Palace will play Arsenal in the Premier League. Thursday then has Malik Tillman, Richy Ledezma, and PSV Eindhoven playing FC Twente in the Eredivisie, while Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis play Valladolid in La Liga action.

English Promotion Update

Following results in the EFL Championship on Monday, Leeds United and Burnley have both secured promotion to the Premier League for next season. Both teams won their respective games and are each on 94 points, and with just two matches left, third-placed Sheffield United has no way to catch them. The other promoted side will be determined after the promotion playoffs, which would feature Sheffield United, Sunderland, Bristol City, and Coventry City if the season ended today. Meanwhile in League One, Wrexham’s 2-1 victory over Blackpool meant the Dragons retook second place and the automatic promotion spot that comes with it. If they beat Charlton on Sunday and Wycombe Wanderers drop points against Leyton Orient, then Wrexham would secure promotion to the Championship.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

Transfer rumors continue to fly thick and fast as we approach the business end of most European seasons, so let’s take a look at a few items worth catching up on. Manchester United is said to be keen on signing 17-year-old Argentine Franco Mastantuono from River Plate. Liverpool is reportedly interested in signing winger Ademola Lookman from Atalanta, although the Reds would likely face competition from several other Premier League teams. Finally, Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has revealed that he and Xabi Alonso have a gentleman’s agreement that if a team the Spaniard used to play for is interested in hiring him as its coach, then the club will not hinder the process. The statement has led to renewed speculation that Alonso will be named Real Madrid coach if Carlo Ancelotti leaves in the summer.

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

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Orlando City

Orlando City’s Focus On Youth Development Showing In The First Team

Orlando City is seeing more and more players promoted from the academy, through OCB, and into the first team.

Published

21 hours ago

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April 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City began its academy in the USL Pro days with the goal of developing players for the first team. It took nearly a decade to begin seeing youth development bear fruit, but it’s becoming apparent early in the 2025 season.

Prior to 2019, Orlando City signed four players to Homegrown Player contracts. Tommy Redding, Tyler Turner, and Harrison Heath never played in the academy and the other, Mason Stajduhar, developed primarily at Chargers Soccer Club in Tampa.

Orlando City signed arguably its first true Homegrown Player when the club inked Benji Michel to a first-team contract. The following off-season, the Lions added David Loera and Jordan Bender. Mikey Halliday signed in July 2020. All of the players came through the academy before signing first-team deals. 

So what changed?

Part of it was the growth of the academy. It takes several years to begin producing players. Another major factor was the hiring of Luiz Muzzi on Dec. 18, 2019. Muzzi came from FC Dallas, a club known for promoting from its academy. He brought in Ricardo Moreira, who shares his vision of developing young talent for the first team.

And it’s not only Muzzi and Moreira. Former Orlando City head coach Adrian Heath rarely attended OCB games. James O’Connor only went to one, and that was to see his former teammate, Dennis Chin, who was playing with the opposing Richmond Kickers. The Orlando City boss left when Chin came off.

Oscar Pareja and other first-team coaches have been at several games, far more than their predecessors. That’s largely to do with the games’ location at the training facility, which is another factor in OCB’s development. The 2019 team trained over 40 miles away from the first team. The move to Kissimmee has the first team, OCB, and the development academy under one roof. It’s another display of the club’s more recent commitment to youth development.

Undoubtedly, the transformation of OCB under Muzzi and Moreira has also impacted Homegrown talent coming through. The team’s 2016 and 2017 rosters were primarily made up of first-team reserves and USL lifers. The 2019 team had many players from the Soccer Institute at Montverde Academy (SIMA), many of which were young but ineligible for Homegrown status.

Things began to change in 2020. The roster shifted to include more academy players and that’s only grown. This year, 15 OCB players came out of the academy, two were drafted, and eight are outside signings on MLS NEXT Pro deals. Other than Jhon Solis and first-team goalkeeper Carlos Mercado, everyone to appear for the team is 23 years old or younger.

The focus on giving OCB spots to academy graduates is now seen in the first team. Players like Thomas Williams, Javier Otero, Alex Freeman, Colin Guske, and Gustavo Caraballo have been regulars on the MLS team sheet. Injuries to first-team regulars has seen them receiving regular playing time.

The poster boy for this change is Freeman. The right back came out of the academy and spent a couple of years at OCB before signing his first-team contract. He won the starting role early in the 2025 regular season.

Many players joined the club later in their development, but we’re seeing some come through having been nearly fully developed at the Orlando City Academy. Guske and Caraballo joined at 13 years old, the youngest age group of the development academy. Both signed first-team deals for this year.

The midfield duo continue to play with OCB most games but are also on the first-team roster almost weekly. The only reason they weren’t in Montreal Saturday night is because they were helping the club’s U-18 team reach (and then win) the Generation Adidas Cup final.

With Muzzi and Moreira at the helm, more players continue to come through. U-18 captain and OCB starter Jackson Platts appears to be well on his way to a first-team contract. So does fellow U-18 and OCB starting forward Justin Ellis.

This past weekend saw another academy product make his first-team debut. Zakaria Taifi took over at right back for OCB when Freeman moved up to the first team this year. Signing a short-term deal Saturday, he came on as a late substitute to help the 10-man Lions see out the scoreless draw.

First-team absences have provided opportunities for many young players. If several weren’t at the Generation Adidas Cup, it could be more. Regardless, the last few years have shown a big step forward for the club.

The shift in recent years is more than the pride of seeing local kids representing the hometown team. They’ve been an essential part of the 2025 campaign. The club hasn’t had to use a short bench or dip into outside emergency signings. Instead, the Lions call up kids they know, making it easier to seamlessly place them into the team.

There will be times where several injuries will occur to experienced players. Orlando City is prepared for this more now than ever before, and it’s because of the players coming through the academy and playing with OCB. We’re already seeing it early in this 2025 season.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/21/25

Another scoreless draw for Orlando City, a home loss for the Pride, a championship for the OCSC U-18 squad, and more.

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1 day ago

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April 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope you all had a great holiday weekend with family and friends. I managed to watch a few soccer games while work kept me busy. Our Lions picked up another draw for the third week in a row, the Pride lost, and OCB was off this weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Draw CF Montreal on the Road

Orlando City and CF Montreal split the points in a scoreless draw at Stade Saputo on Saturday. It’s the third consecutive week that the Lions could not get a win with another scoreless draw. It’s the second straight match that Orlando had to play down a man as Rafael Santos was sent off in the second half after receiving a second yellow card. Still, the Lions extended their unbeaten run to six matches and are seventh in the Eastern Conference table with 13 points. After the match, Major League Soccer issued a statement after being informed a fan used discriminatory language towards a player during the match.

Orlando City will return to Inter&Co Stadium Saturday to take on Atlanta United.

Orlando City Signs Two Players to Short-Term Deals

Before Saturday’s match against CF Montreal, Orlando City announced the club had signed defender Zakaria Taifi and midfielder Riyon Tori to short-term contracts. Both players were on the bench for Saturday’s match. Tori did not play, but Taifi came off the bench late in the second half to make his MLS debut. Tori has played with OCB and has made three appearances. Taifi has made 42 appearances, starting 21 matches for OCB, scoring one goal and adding three assists.

Orlando City Signs Four Assistant Coaches to New Contracts

Orlando City announced on Friday that the club has renewed the contracts of First Assistant Coach Diego Torres, Second Assistant Coach Martin Perelman, Goalkeeper Coach Cesar Baena, and Fitness & Performance Coach Fabian Bazan. This news comes just days after the club announced that Head Coach Oscar Pareja will remain with the Lions under a new three-year contract through the 2028 MLS season. Together, the coaching staff has played a key part in the recent success of the Lions over the last five seasons, making five consecutive MLS Playoff appearances, two appearances in the Concacaf Champions Cup, and winning the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Lions also set club records for wins and points, scoring 308 goals across all competitions with a plus-44 goal differential in 202 competitive matches.

Pride Fall to Washington Spirit at Home

The Orlando Pride fell to the Washington Spirit 1-0 at Inter&Co Stadium Saturday to suffer their first loss of the season. The Pride dominated most of the match, but in the 63rd minute, Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse gave the ball away in front of the goal, and Gift Monday capitalized to score the winning goal for the Spirit. Late in the second half, it looked like the Pride had scored the equalizer; however, after video review, it was determined that Kylie Nadaner backed into Aubrey Kingsbury on the play, impeding the goalkeeper from catching the ball, and the tying goal was waved off. With the Kansas City Current’s win over the Houston Dash over the weekend, Orlando drops to second in the NWSL table. The Pride will return to action Friday at Inter&Co Stadium to face Angel City FC.

Orlando City U-18 Team Wins Generation Adidas Cup Championship

The Orlando City U-18 and U-16 squads played over the weekend in playoff matches in the Generation Adidas Cup at IMG Academy. In the quarterfinals on Friday, Omar Robbana scored the lone goal in the U-18 squad’s 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake.

The U-18 squad followed that up by defeating Santos Laguna 3-0 in the semifinals. Justin Ellis scored twice and Gustavo Caraballo added a goal.

On Sunday, Caraballo scored the winning goal in extra time to seal a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids in the U-18 Championship final.

On Friday, the U-16 team defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 in the quarterfinals.

The U-16 squad defeated the New England Revolution 4-3 on penalties after a scoreless draw in the semifinals on Saturday.

The U-16 squad’s run for a championship trophy came to an end with a 3-1 loss to Inter Miami in the U-16 Championship final on Sunday.

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That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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