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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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3 years ago

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Orlando City couldn’t hold onto a two-goal lead as the New England Revolution’s Adam Buksa scored a late brace in a 2-2 draw. While it was a frustrating result considering Orlando was capable of taking all three points against the best team in MLS, the draw extends Orlando’s unbeaten streak to five games.

Let’s dive right into how the Lions individually performed in this draw at Exploria Stadium.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — El Pulpo wasn’t able to do much on either of Buksa’s goals as both were hit at such close range that there was no chance to react in time. Gallese only had one save in the match and it was one of his best for Orlando as he somehow got a hand to a low shot that seemed destined for goal. He was successful on 68% of his 19 passes and completed six of his 12 attempted long balls. Gallese had a fairly quiet night until the Revolution’s stars pushed for a result late in the match. He will aim for a clean sheet when the Lions hit the road to take on the Columbus Crew this Wednesday.

D, Joao Moutinho, 6.5 — After missing the past two games, Moutinho returned to the starting line-up and did well on both sides of the ball. His assist was a great one as he delivered a cross into the box for Nani to get on the end of in a crowded box. It was the only successful cross of his four attempts, but he certainly made it count. Moutinho was subbed off at halftime, finishing with a whopping 62 touches and 41 passes at an impressive 93% success rate. Defensively, he had a tackle, two interceptions, a block, and a clearance as he hustled to stop the Revs. It was a great showing from Moutinho as he eases himself back into the swing of things.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5.5 — For a majority of the match, Schlegel did a great job filling in for the injured Robin Jansson. He had two tackles, two blocks, an interception, and two clearances to bolster Orlando’s defensive performance. Schlegel’s best play came in the 62nd minute as he made a massive block in front of goal to keep a shot from troubling Gallese. His only shot was deflected and he finished with 56 touches and 44 touches at a 91% success rate. He couldn’t stop Buksa from scoring twice as the forward used nice runs and overwhelming size to equalize.

D, Antonio Carlos, 6 — Carlos was solid throughout the game, stopping the Revolution dead in their tracks on multiple occasions. The center back led Orlando with five clearances and also had three tackles. With Jansson out, Carlos served as the team’s defensive leader and did well putting out fires. He ended the game with 67 touches and 57 passes at an 89% success rate as he helped build possession out of the back. Orlando will need Carlos at his best in the final three games this season to limit the opposition’s scoring chances.

D, Ruan, 5.5 — Both of the right back’s crosses were unsuccessful, but he did have a key pass to set up a shot for Mauricio Pereyra. Ruan’s speed allowed him to chase down loose balls that other players simply wouldn’t be able to get to in time. Defensively, he had a tackle and two interceptions as he tried to fight off the Revolution’s comeback attempts. Ruan had 59 touches, 42 passes at a 92% completion rate, and drew two fouls in potentially dangerous areas. Given Orlando’s many attacking players in this game, it’s understandable that Ruan wasn’t too involved on offense.

MF, Junior Urso, 6 — The Bear had a busy night, leading the team with 81 touches and 72 passes at a great 93% success rate. He had two shots in the match, sending one over the bar and having the other deflected. Urso was patient with the ball at his feet in the attacking third to try and find open Lions, making two key passes. He also did a good job chasing the ball down to then set up Moutinho’s cross. On the defensive side of things, he had two tackles, an interception, and a clearance. It was his eighth straight start and he’s played more minutes than any other Lion this season so it will be interesting to see if he will continue to play every minute of Orlando’s final three games as well.

MF, Sebas Mendez, 6 — The Ecuadorian midfielder had a few turnovers early in the match, but settled into his usual rhythm as the match wore on. Mendez had 72 touches, two interceptions, a clearance, and was successful on 92% of his 64 passes as he helped connect Orlando’s defense with its offense. While he didn’t have a shot or key pass, he did make a nice run into the box in the 73rd minute but no one reached his resulting cross.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6 — Pereyra had a great opportunity in the first half after Carlos found him open in the box, but he slipped in the heavy rain before he could take a shot. Pereyra had two key passes and completed 94% of his 54 passes to fuel Orlando’s offense and maintain possession. His only shot was off target, but not terribly so, and his only corner kick whipped into the box rather than played short was successful. Pereyra led the team with four tackles and also had 72 touches in 79 minutes of action. His next assist will be his 11th this year and would break Orlando’s single-season record, but he hasn’t had an assist or goal during this five-game unbeaten run.

MF, Chris Mueller, 6 — Mueller paired well with Daryl Dike in the attack, using his speed to drive forward and create space for the center forward. He led the team with four shots but wasn’t able to score as one attempt hit the post, another was deflected, and his only one on target was saved by Matt Turner. His only cross was successful, although it was mostly because the defender misjudged it for Nani to collect the ball near the corner flag. Mueller came off in the 67th minute for fresher legs to help see the game to its conclusion. He ended the game with 49 touches and completed 78% of his 36 passes while chipping in on defense with a tackle and a clearance. Mueller has done well in these recent home games for Orlando and his last regular season game at Exploria Stadium will come on Halloween against Nashville SC.

MF, Nani, 7 (MotM) — Orlando City’s captain scored for the first time since Aug. 7 as he got his head onto a great cross from Moutinho in the 39th minute. Nani bested Turner with a smartly placed header that took a bounce off the wet pitch. His only other shot in the match was blocked in the box. In the second half, Nani did well to earn a penalty with a cutback in the box and Dike converted from the spot to give Orlando a 2-0 lead. The winger had two key passes and served a great cross to Dike early in the match that nearly resulted in a goal if not for some decent defending. Nani had 77 touches and 57 passes at an 81% success rate before coming off in the 79th minute. He’s our Man of the Match for giving Orlando a lead and helping to double it by winning a penalty. It was a great performance from the Designated Player and hopefully more goals are on their way as Orlando aims to clinch a playoff spot .

F, Daryl Dike, 6.5 — The center forward’s strength was on full display in this match as he did well winning the ball and beating defenders. However, he only had two shots and one of those was the penalty he converted after the Orlando faithful chanted for him to take the kick. Dike slotted the ball out of Turner’s reach and into the bottom right corner and there shouldn’t be much debate on who will take penalties moving forward. Dike’s other shot was a header in the box that went straight at Turner. He attempted eight dribbles throughout the match and was successful on five of them as he worked his way into dangerous areas. Dike played every minute and had 44 touches, two key passes, a tackle, a clearance, and 15 passes at a 73% success rate.

Substitutes

D, Emmanuel Mas (45’), 5.5 — The left back came on for Moutinho after halftime, but wasn’t able to make as much of an impact as who he was replacing. Mas only had 22 touches and 13 passes at a 77% success rate while not attempting any crosses. He did a decent job dealing with Tajon Buchanan once the Canadian phenom came on and he also had a tackle in the match.

MF, Benji Michel (67’), 5 — The Homegrown Player had a chance to put the game away in the 90th minute, but his shot was blocked. It was his only shot of the match, although he had the chance for one in the 83rd minute only to be dispossessed as the Revs quickly went on the counter. Michel had a key pass as well, cueing Andres Perea up for a shot that was blocked. His scoring drought continues and he certainly could’ve done better in the attacking third. Michel finished the game with 11 touches and completed all five of his passes.

MF, Andres Perea (79’), N/A — Coming on for Pereyra, Perea slotted into central midfield and did fairly well with his 12 touches. He had three tackles to disrupt the Revolution and completed all six of his passes. His only shot was blocked, but it was a decent outing as he received some minutes to shake some rust off, even if Orlando gave up its lead.

F, Tesho Akindele, (79’) N/A — While he didn’t have a shot, his key pass to send Michel in on goal in the 90th minute could have put the game on ice. The Canadian striker had 10 touches and completed six of his eight passes for a 75% success rate. Akindele also had a tackle as he hustled around the field.

MF, Joey DeZart (89’), N/A — Brought on late, DeZart had no touches or defensive stats. We may only see him in these brief appearances for the rest of this season given how Orlando’s midfield is getting healthy.

That’s how I saw things play out in Orlando’s 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution . 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
Nani15
Daryl Dike13
Joao Moutinho0
Antonio Carlos1
Other (put in the comments below)1

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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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5 hours 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.

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1 day 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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