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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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3 years ago

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Orlando City’s season came to an end in Nissan Stadium after a 3-1 loss on the road to Nashville SC in the MLS playoffs. Daryl Dike scored early on to give Orlando a lead, but Hany Mukhtar’s brace and a late goal from Jhonder Cadiz snuffed out Orlando’s postseason campaign.

How did each player perform in the Lions’ final game of 2021?

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 5.5 — El Pulpo didn’t have much of a chance on Nashville’s first goal as Mukhtar’s shot from distance took a deflection. Later on in the first half, Gallese came up with a great diving save to deny Mukhtar’s well-placed shot toward the bottom left corner. He wasn’t able to make a save against Nashville’s two goals in the second half and finished with three saves. Gallese did well in terms of distribution as he was accurate on 10 of his 13 long balls and completed 20 of his 23 passes for an 87% success rate.

D, Emmanuel Mas, 6 — The left back was kept busy against Nashville’s offense as he led the Lions with four tackles and also had three interceptions and two clearances. He was out-paced on Mukhtar’s second goal, with the MVP candidate beat him in the 1-on-1 by racing right to left across the top of the area and no help arrived from the center backs or midfield. Mas also led the Lions with a whopping 85 touches while completing 83% of his 54 passes. He was successful on his lone cross and was subbed off in stoppage time for Silvester van der Water.

D, Robin Jansson, 5.5 — The Beefy Swede got twisted around by a good run in the box from CJ Sapong that gave Mukhtar just enough time and space to pick out his shot for Nashville’s second goal. Jansson had two clearances in the match as he worked to stop Nashville’s offense. He completed 48 of his team-high 55 passes for an 87% success rate and had 61 touches to help Orlando build possession out of defense.

D, Antonio Carlos, 5.5 — The Brazilian center back led the team with five clearances, with all five taking place in the first half. His effort to stop Mukhtar’s shot in transition was unfortunate as the deflection prevented Gallese from attempting a save on the first goal. He and Jansson needed to communicate better on the second Mukhtar goal and he was beaten for the insurance goal late by the fresh legs and large frame of Cadiz. Carlos did well on Orlando’s goal as he drew attention with his run towards the near post to open up space for Dike. Carlos ended the game with 64 touches, two interceptions, and 53 passes at a 79% success rate.

D, Ruan, 5 — It was a quiet match from Ruan as the right back finished with 45 touches and 35 passes at a 77% completion rate. He had no shots, crosses, or key passes as Orlando wasn’t able to get him involved on offense. Ruan also didn’t have any defensive stats as most of Nashville’s scoring opportunities came on the counter rather than building possession on his side of the pitch. During a game in which Orlando’s wingers found themselves in good positions, it’s surprising that Ruan wasn’t able to utilize his speed to impose himself more on the match.

MF, Sebas Mendez, 6 — The Ecuadorian midfielder had a pair of shots following corner kicks in the second half. The first shot would have been on target but was deflected out of play while the second was sent just wide of goal. Mendez helped out on defense with a tackle and two interceptions, but he could’ve better pressured Sapong on the play that led to Nashville’s second goal. His yellow card in the 65th minute took some of the bite out of his presence in the midfield as he had to be a bit more decisive in his challenges. Mendez was substituted off for more firepower in the 80th minute, finishing with 58 touches and 48 passes at a 90% success rate.

MF, Junior Urso, 4.5 — The Bear had one of his roughest performances this year. His turnover in the midfield wasn’t solely on him due to the weight of the pass, but it led to Nashville’s equalizer in the 21st minute as Godoy picked his pocket and Mukhtar was there to make something happen. While Urso completed 90% of his 39 passes, he was sluggish at times against Nashville in the midfield and indecisive in the final third. Of his two shots, one was off target while the other was easily handled by Joe Willis. His lone key pass set Nani up for a shot that was blocked. Urso’s only defensive stat was a block and he ended the game with 51 touches.

MF, Benji Michel, 5 — The winger made decent runs at times and got into good areas but wasn’t able to make much happen. There were indecisive moments, slips, and heavy touches that affected him throughout the night. Although he led Orlando with two key passes, Michel had no shots in 75 minutes of action and often tried a cutback move that Nashville had no trouble dealing with. The Homegrown Player had 37 touches and completed 14 of his 17 passes for an 82% success rate. It was a rough outing for Michel, although he helped defensively with a tackle and won four of his five aerial duels on offense. His biggest contribution in the match was winning the corner that led to Orlando’s goal.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 — The Uruguayan delivered a perfect ball from a corner kick for Dike to get on the end of to give the Lions an early lead. Although that assist was Pereyra’s only key pass and the one of his five crosses that was successful, there were other great passes from the Designated Player throughout the match. However, Nashville did a good job cutting off passes and double teaming him, as he ended the game with 50 passes at a 74% success rate. Pereyra had 67 touches, a tackle, an interception, and picked up a yellow card while playing every minute of the match.

MF, Chris Mueller, 4.5 — In his last game as a Lion, Mueller struggled to get much going on offense. He didn’t have any shots or key passes and was unsuccessful on his lone cross. He played 81 minutes and completed 28 of his 38 passes for a 74% completion rate. Mueller had 51 touches in the match and helped out defensively with two tackles as well. Like Michel, Mueller lacked a killer instinct when attacking and wasn’t able to lift the Lions as his time in Orlando comes to a close.

F, Daryl Dike, 7 (MotM) — The forward scored yet again against Nashville as he gave the Lions an early lead in the 14th minute. Dike did well to meet a corner kick from Pereyra to flick a header past Willis and into the back of the net. His other shot was blocked late in the match as Orlando hunted for an equalizer that never came. Dike won four of his seven aerial duels to gain possession upfield and finished with 22 touches and 11 passes at a 73% success rate. The 21-year-old is our Man of the Match for stepping up and scoring on the road against one of the best defenses in MLS.

Substitutes

F, Nani (75‘), 6 — Coming onto the field just moments after Mukhtar gave Nashville the lead, Nani gave the Lions a needed spark to try and claw their way back into the match. His only shot was heading in but was blocked by Walker Zimmerman and neither of his two crosses were successful despite good service into the box. He had 16 touches and completed four of his eight passes. The Designated Player ultimately wasn’t able to give the Lions an equalizer in a tough environment, but was able to create some chances.

F, Alexandre Pato (80’), 6 — Pato didn’t have any shots or key passes, but still did a good job facilitating play in the midfield once he came on. His silky movement also won a free kick in a dangerous area for Orlando to take advantage of. He finished with eight touches and completed five of his six passes.

F, Tesho Akindele (81’), 6 — Although both of Akindele’s shots were off target, they weren’t easy chances. On the first, he tried to weave a quick shot around Daniel Lovitz and he followed with a flicked a header towards the far post that went wide. He also had a key pass for heading a ball towards Dike, who had his shot blocked. Akindele was successful on three of his five aerial duels, had seven touches, and completed all five of his passes.

MF, Silvester van der Water (90’+2), N/A — The Dutchman came on late in an effort to throw everything Orlando had at Nashville. His only cross was successful as he whipped a great ball in that found Akindele in the box. That was about the extent of his contributions though as Cadiz scored shortly after and the whistle blew. Van der Water had four touches and completed one of his two passes.

That’s how I saw things play out in Orlando’s 3-1 loss on the road to Nashville SC. Make sure to leave your thoughts down below and vote for your Orlando City Man of the Match.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Daryl Dike29
Mauricio Pereyra3
Emmanuel Mas0
Nani1
Other (Comment Below)4

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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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