Orlando City

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

Published

5 years ago

September 20, 2021

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

Player	Votes
Mauricio Pereyra	13
Ruan	5
Junior Urso	2
Other (Comment Below)	3

Related Topics:Player Grades SBN_migrated

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 8/14/26

Tahir Reid-Brown traded to St. Louis City, Orlando City unveils new kit, Lions host FC Cincinnati Saturday night, and more.

Published

2 hours ago

August 14, 2026

Marcus Mitchell

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a hectic week, but we’ve thankfully reached the tail end of it and there’s plenty of Orlando soccer awaiting us tomorrow. Beyond working and keeping every finger crossed for Orlando’s teams on Saturday, I plan on catching up on the new season of Ted Lasso. But for now, let’s get to the links!

Tahir Reid-Brown Traded to St. Louis City

Orlando City traded defender Tahir Reid-Brown to St. Louis City in exchange for $150,000 in 2027 General Allocation Money, with another $300,000 in GAM heading Orlando’s way if conditions are met. The 20-year-old climbed the ranks of Orlando’s academy over the years and was signed as the club’s 15th Homegrown Player in January of 2024. Bernardo Rhein’s rise to the first team limited Reid-Brown’s playing time, so hopefully he’ll be able to get more minutes and continue to improve in St. Louis.

Orlando City Reveals New Third Kit

Orlando City unveiled its new “Orlando Original” kit, which is the club’s first third kit since joining MLS. The design is a nice mix of elements from Orlando’s USL days and the city’s hosting of 1994 FIFA World Cup games, while paying tribute to the original Orlando Lions. I didn’t expect it to be quite as red as it is, but I like it, along with the soccer ball pattern that mirrors the match ball from that World Cup. The logo is a bit odd and the sponsor being on the lower back of the kit even odder, but I’m excited to see what it looks like when the Lions wear them on Saturday. Speaking of which…

Orlando City Hosts FC Cincinnati on Saturday

The Lions are back in action on Saturday with a home game against FC Cincinnati in one of the more enticing MLS matchups this weekend. Both teams have conceded goals like a sieve this season, setting up a potential shootout given the talented attacking players expected to take the field. Antoine Griezmann has improved the Lions since joining this summer and hopefully forwards like Marco Pasalic, Justin Ellis, and Daryl Dike can step up and give Orlando an edge against a Cincinnati offense that boasts Evander, Kevin Denkey, and Pavel Bucha.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

The Houston Dynamo are reportedly set to transfer Ezequiel Ponce to Elche in La Liga. Houston signed Ponce for a club-record transfer fee in 2024 and he led Houston with 10 goals last season. However, he has yet to score this season despite starting in 17 games. His departure should open the door even wider for former Lion Duncan McGuire to make an impact.

Elsewhere in the league, the New England Revolution bolstered their defense by adding Tylon Smith on loan from Queens Park Rangers, LAFC signed 23-year-old forward Armando Sieb from Bayern Munich, and midfielder Aziel Jackson is already back in MLS on loan with Minnesota United from Jagiellonia Bialystok. Rangers reportedly made a $10 million bid for Portland Timbers forward Kevin Kelsy, who has scored nine goals so far this season.

Free Kicks

Former Orlando Pride forward Simone Charley was signed by Brooklyn FC and then immediately transferred to the Chicago Stars.
The Pride dropped a spot to 11th in All For XI‘s NWSL power rankings following their 3-1 loss to Racing Louisville.
Nigeria will miss out on the 2027 Women’s World Cup after a 2-1 loss to South Africa.
Former Pride player Kaylyn Kyle announced that she is leaving Apple TV’s MLS coverage after spending the past four years as a host and analyst.
Belgian winger Jeremy Doku signed a new five-year contract with Manchester City.
The La Liga season kicks off this season, but Celta Vigo’s match against Osasuna has been postponed due to a fungus outbreak on its field.

That’s all I have for you this time. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atletico de San Luis: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s draw with San Luis.

Published

20 hours ago

August 13, 2026

David Rohe

Image of Tiago celebrating a goal with Justin Ellis against Atlanta.

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper.

Orlando City hosted Atletico San Luis in the third Leagues Cup match at Inter.co Stadium Wednesday night. The match ended in a 2-2 draw with the Lions winning the shootout 5-3. It was a match between a team that was already eliminated and one that was all but eliminated. Naturally, that meant multiple goals scored. Here are my five takeaways from the match.

Everyone Gets a Start

If you’ve been starting regularly for Orlando City, then you get a break because this starting lineup was full of youngsters, the recently returned, and the positionally displaced. Given that the Lions needed to win by at least four goals and get help from other results to advance in the tournament, resting the regular starters was probably the best decision interim head coach Martin Perelman has made since taking over. It’s no secret I’m not a fan of Leagues Cup — U.S. Open Cup for life — so I’m not heartbroken that the Lions get to focus on the regular season and the Open Cup.

Dike Strikes

It had been1,723 days (or about four years, eight months, and 20 days) since Daryl Dike last scored a goal for Orlando City. It’s also been that long since his last start for the Lions. That all changed when he started Wednesday’s match and then put in the first goal of the night. In the 31st minute of the match, Tiago’s header was spilled by the keeper right to the feet of Dike, who calmly put it in the back of the net. It’s the type of goal that a prototypical striker like Dike gets in position to make. It was his 20th goal as a Lion with many more hopefully to come.

El Capitan Cartagena

Wilder Cartagena was given the captain’s armband to start the match and he did his usual good job as a defensive midfielder, making things difficult for the opposition, stopping attacks before they could develop. When needed, his was in his own box blocking shots, or on the other end putting in service for the offense, such as the cross to Tiago that eventually resulted in Dike’s goal. He was also six inches from a banger of a goal in the first half, but the goalkeeper got a piece and it deflected off the outside of the left post.

Terrific Tiago

Tiago was everywhere on the left side of the attack for Orlando City. He was causing all kinds of problems for the San Luis defense. The Brazilian youngster made end line runs to put in crosses, provided passes into the box, and had the header that Dike put into the back of the net. He also provided the assist to Justin Ellis for the second goal of the match. He made a run down the left into the box, turned, found Ellis coming across from the right, and put the ball right on his head. It was an excellent match for the Brazilian.

Griezmann Needs to be Greedy

Antione Griezmann should not have been on the pitch. There was no good reason for him to make an appearance in this match other than he probably wanted to do so. Sadly, he had two opportunities to score after coming on but was decidedly too unselfish. I get that he is trying to raise the level of play for his teammates, but this is Orlando City not Atletico Madrid. The level of his teammates is not the same. The first instance he had a one on one with the keeper on the left and tried to square it to Ellis who had defenders around him rather than taking the shot himself. The second time was when Gustavo Caraballo forced the keeper to come almost all the way out to midfield to stop a breakaway. Griezmann followed up the challenge and had the opportunity to put in a long distance shot over the retreating keeper. Instead, he squared the ball to absolutely nobody, turning it over, which ended with the equalizer from San Luis. Hopefully, it’s a lesson learned for the veteran.

That is what I saw in Orlando City’s draw with Atletico de San Luis. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

Orlando City

Orlando City Drops 2026 Archive Collection Third Kit

Orlando City’s long-anticipated third kit is here.

Published

22 hours ago

August 13, 2026

Michael Citro

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City has a third kit for the first time since joining Major League Soccer. The club unveiled its new “Orlando Original” third kit today as part of the final Adidas x MLS Archive
Collection release of the year. According to the club, the new kit, which is predominantly red, “celebrates the city’s rich soccer heritage by combining elements from the club’s history with inspiration from the 1994 World Cup, which brought the global game to Orlando.”

The Lions will wear these new kits for the first time on Saturday against FC Cincinnati.

“Soccer has been part of Orlando’s identity for decades, and this kit is a tribute to the moments
that helped build that legacy,” Orlando City Chief Marketing Officer Pedro Araujo said in a club press release . “From the city’s role as a host of the 1994 World Cup to the championship teams that laid the foundation for our club, the Archive Collection celebrates the people and milestones that shaped Orlando soccer and inspires the next generation of supporters to carry that tradition forward.”

While many fans have been waiting for a red kit that mirrored the club’s old red kit from the USL days, the shade is not quite the same as the 2011 USL Championship team’s kit, and a glaring difference is that instead of the club’s jersey sponsor across the front, the shirt features a wordmark that says “Lions” to pay tribute to the old Orlando Lions from the 1980s. The kit also uses design elements inspired by the 1994 World Cup match ball, reminding fans that the City Beautiful was a host city and placed a soccer ball on top of City Hall, and an Adidas World Cup ball pattern.

The original MLS logo is on the back of the neck and the crest features the tri-lion crest as another throwback to the original Orlando City kits. Jersey sponsor Orlando Health’s logo is placed on the lower back of the shirt.

The 2026 Archive Collection kit is available now at MLSStore.com and OCMobileShop.com, and will be available at The Den at Inter.co Stadium starting Friday. Fans can also purchase the kit at tonight’s launch party at the stadium, which starts at 7 p.m. and is free to the public. The club will screen Orlando City’s 2011 USL championship match, club legends will be on hand, and fans will have photo ops with the championship trophy. Society XXI members can enter as early as 6:30 p.m.

Here’s what the new kit looks like: