Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Player Grades and Man of the Match
Orlando City hosted Eastern Conference foe Columbus Crew on Saturday night. After jumping out to a 2-0 lead, the Lions allowed the Crew to get right back into the match in the second half. Fortunately, Júnior Urso decided he really wanted a goal and the win in Exploria Stadium, and scored his third of the season.
Just a note for those who read our player’s grades: Each staff member has their own scale on how they grade players. My grading involves not just stats and key moments, but also how the player performs against my expectations. If you disagree with how I, or any of our staff, approach our grades, I sincerely encourage you to join The Mane Land staff so you can use your own criteria. Now, let’s see how the Lions did in the win over Columbus.
Starters
GK, Adam Grinwis, 6 — In his first start since coming back to Orlando City, Grinwis allowed two goals, but also made two saves, including a huge one in the 36th minute on Lucas Zelarayan. He made two clearances including a key play to punch the ball out of the box in the 22nd minute. He attempted 23 passes at an 82.6% passing rate with 10 long balls and six of those on target. In the end, the Grinch did enough to help Orlando City secure three points.
D, Ruan, 6.5 — Ruan brought his trademark speed to both the offensive and defensive ends of the pitch against the Crew. He stretched the Crew defense, creating space for Silvester van der Water and other attackers. Offensively, he made two key passes, two of three successful long balls, and one successful dribble. Defensively, he made one clearance, though he also ran down the ball to keep the Crew out of the attack on several occasions. Ruan attempted 35 passes and had an 82.9% passing rate. He made one cross and provided the assist on the van der Water’s goal. Ruan came off in the 77th minute for Kyle Smith.
D, Antonio Carlos, 5.5 — Just a few weeks after he scored a goal with his head, Carlos did it again, but for the opposition. In the 52nd minute, he scored the first own goal for or against the Lions this season. It was the first goal for Columbus. It might sound funny, but other than that, he had a decent game. He attempted 51 passes and had a 92.2% passing rate, while completing 11 of 14 long balls. He made four clearances, had one blocked shot, two tackles, and committed one foul. If not for gifting the Crew a goal, Carlos might have earned a higher grade.
D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Jansson put in a good shift for the Lions as usual. As he has recently, Jansson continued to push further up the pitch into the offense when it made sense. In the 25th minute, he nearly made it to the opposition’s box before losing the ball. He attempted 34 passes and had an 82.4% passing rate, while completing one of five long balls. He had two tackles, three clearances, and two blocked shots.
D, João Moutinho, 6 — Moutinho put in a full 90-plus minutes for Orlando City and generally did well. While not playing as much of a forward position as Ruan, he did still factor into the attack on the left as usual. Offensively, João took one shot, though not on target. On defense he had one tackle, two interceptions, and three clearances. Moutinho attempted 51 passes and had a 72.6% passing rate with two key passes, and was successful on one of five long balls.
MF, Joey DeZart, 6 — With Uri Rosell on the bench and Sebas Mendez still not available, DeZart got the start once again. Defensively he made one interception, one blocked shot and committed two fouls. One of those fouls was a professional foul to keep the Crew from breaking through the Lions’ defense. He attempted 43 passes and had a 90.7% passing rate, and one successful long ball. DeZart continues to be a solid if not spectacular presence in the midfield.
MF, Júnior Urso, 7.5 — Urso put in a full shift, providing service for the offense, as well as a goal. Additionally, he patrolled the midfield like the bear that he is, creating havoc for the opposition. This was perfectly illustrated when he stole the ball from Pedro Santos to start the second half and nearly gave the Lions a third goal. Unfortunately, the ball was saved by Eloy Room and pushed wide of the goal. He did better in the 69th minute when Daryl Dike teed up a perfect ball for Urso to score and reclaim the lead for Orlando City. Offensively, he took two shots, both of which were on target. On defense he had two tackles, three interceptions, and committed one foul. He earned a yellow card in the 42nd minute and will be out for Orlando City’s next match. The Bear was a strong candidate for Man of the Match.
MF, Silvester van der Water, 7 — Van der Water is truly settling into the right side of Orlando City’s offense. In the 29th minute, van der Water put Orlando City up two goals by sending a ball into the box that went past Chris Mueller, Junior Urso, and the Crew’s keeper. It may have been a service into the box, but perhaps he simply meant to score. He also made a nice steal in the 50th minute, but Orlando couldn’t convert. Van der Water took only one shot, which was on target for the aforementioned goal. He attempted 16 passes with only a 62.5% passing rate, but he also made one key pass, and one cross. He committed one foul, and suffered one foul. He was taken off in the 57th minute for Benji Michel.
MF, Chris Mueller, 5.5 — Mueller is trying. He really is, but just like most of the season, the last bit of quality needed has eluded him. Offensively, Cash took three shots, but was unable to put any of them on target. One of them probably still hasn’t landed. He made one successful dribble, and suffered four fouls. Defensively, he made one tackle and committed one foul. He attempted 33 passes with an 87,9% passing rate, with one unsuccessful long ball. Mueller was subbed off in the 87th minute for Rodrigo Schlegel.
F, Daryl Dike, 7.5 (MotM) — In his first match back from injury, Daryl Dike only took 26 minutes to remind Orlando City supporters of why he’s the most exciting striker to come through this city in years. Nani sent a ball forward to the big guy while falling down. Dike settled it, turned on the defender who couldn’t handle his physicality, and pressed forward into the box. After a little footwork he sent the ball straight into the top of the net past Room for the Lions’ first goal. Dike also provided an assist on Urso’s goal in the 69th minute. Offensively, Dike took three shots, with two on target, had two successful dribbles, He committed one foul, suffered two fouls, and made two clearances. Dike attempted 12 passes with a 66.7% passing rate, made one key pass, and attempted one long ball. He came off in the 77th minute for Tesho Akindele. Providing a goal and an assist in his first start since coming back made it (fairly) easy to name Dike our Man of the Match.
F, Nani, 6 — Nani gave his typical effort, taking shots, harassing the opposition, and generally creating space for himself and others. He did provide the outlet assist to Dike for Orlando City’s first goal. Offensively, he had two shots, with one on target. Defensively, Nani made one clearance. He attempted 27 passes with a 74.1% passing rate, and had one cross. He also connected on four of four long balls on the night. Nani came off in the 57th minute for Mauricio Pereyra.
Substitutes
MF, Mauricio Pereyra (57’), 6.5 — Pereyra was brought on to provide a change of pace and to add some stability for the Lions. The DP did just that. In fact, Magic Mo sent Akindele on with a perfect through ball, but Tesho wasn’t able to finish it. Pereyra attempted 23 passes with an 82.6% passing rate, completed two of two long balls, and had one key pass. Defensively, he made one interception, and committed two fouls. Pereyra is still working his way back into match shape, but made the most of his time in this match.
F, Benji Michel (57’), 6 — Michel had one successful dribble, and made one cross. He attempted 10 passes with a 90% passing rate. Despite being on the pitch for much of the second half, he wasn’t much able to get involved in the attack, and was a bit invisible. Fortunately, he didn’t do anything to hurt the Lions either.
F, Tesho Akindele (77’), 5 — Akindele had a perfect chance to put the match away when Pereyra put him through and past the Columbus defense. Unfortunately, he put it wide right with no touch by the keeper. As is usual, he did the other little things that keep him in Pareja’s good graces, but with a healthy Dike, Akindele is likely relegated to late-game appearances to see out games and to provide rotational rest during fixture congestion.
D, Kyle Smith (77’), 6 — There was a time when Smith started all the matches for Orlando City. Obviously, he wasn’t the first choice, but El Soldado was ready when called on off the bench. He worked as hard as he ever does. He did manage to make some excellent defensive plays as the Lions tried to see the game out. He attempted six passes with a 33.3% passing rate, and was successful on one of three long balls.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel (87’), N/A— With three minutes left in the second half, Orlando City went to five at the back, and that meant bringing on the Lions’ third center back. His first touch was a clearance header to keep Columbus out of the box, and he also had two interceptions.
That is how I saw the game. How do you feel about the individual performances? Tell us by commenting and voting on the Man of the Match below.
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Silvester van der Water | 4 |
| Daryl Dike | 40 |
| Junior Urso | 26 |
| Robin Jansson | 2 |
| Other: Put answer in the comments | 0 |
Orlando City
Orlando City, Head Coach Oscar Pareja Mutually Agree to Part Ways
Just three matches into the 2026 season, the club is going to try to find someone else to lead a team with a makeshift back line.
The Oscar Pareja era in Orlando City — the club’s most successful period since joining Major League Soccer — is over. The club announced today that it has “mutually agreed” to part ways with the veteran coach who has compiled by far the most wins of anyone in team history. While the Lions are off to their worst start in club history, the 2026 MLS season is only three weeks old and Pareja has had to field a team with one of the worst back lines in the league while down a Designated Player — not exactly a recipe for success.
Assistant Coach and former OCB manager Martin Perelman will lead the team in the interim.
“I want to thank Oscar for the dedication, leadership and professionalism he brought to our club,” Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “He delivered one of the most significant moments in Orlando City’s history with the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and helped establish the competitive foundation that has propelled us forward, highlighted by our active club-record run of six straight playoffs appearances, which is currently the longest streak in MLS. At the same time, we believe this is the right moment to take the club in a new direction as we look to the next phase of our growth and ambitions. We are grateful for everything Oscar has contributed and wish him nothing but success in the next chapter of his career.”
The club hired Pareja as its fourth full-time MLS head coach on Dec. 4, 2019, succeeding James O’Connor. Pareja compiled a record of 103-69-65 in 237 games at the helm across all competitions, and if our numbers look different from other places, we are not counting shootout losses as losses from Leagues Cup league phase games (because that’s dumb) or the matches for which Pareja was suspended, like the 2025 home match against the Chicago Fire in which Diego Torres — who leaves Orlando City along with Pareja — led the team. Pareja led the team to the 2022 U.S. Open Cup championship, the club’s first major trophy, and had led the Lions to the postseason in every year he’s been in charge. He also led Orlando to the MLS is Back Tournament final as well as the final four of the 2025 Leagues Cup.
City extended Pareja’s contract through 2028 just 11 months ago, and although the club faded down the stretch in 2025, the insane amount of travel for the Leagues Cup knockout stages and heavy legs from the club’s thinner roster areas a year ago forced a lot of extra miles onto some of the team’s most important legs — Marco Pasalic, Martin Ojeda, Jansson, Eduard Atuesta, and others. Pareja, for his part, never looked for excuses or threw his players under the bus in the same way that former OCSC coach Jason Kreis did during his tenure. He accepted the blame for every on-field mistake, whether he could control it or not, including his club’s performance after Maxime Crepeau’s ridiculous red card on Saturday at New York City FC.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to the club’s players, staff, and supporters for the trust they’ve given me over these last several years,” Pareja said in the club’s release. “Together, we shared moments that will stay with me forever. While it is the right time for both me and the club to move in new directions, I leave proud of the work we did and with deep appreciation for the people who made it possible. Orlando will always have a special place in my heart, and I wish the team nothing but success in the future.”
“Oscar’s impact on our club and community will always be remembered,” said Mark Wilf, Orlando City SC Owner & Chairman. “He helped elevate Orlando City on and off the field, guided us through milestones that reshaped our trajectory and represented our crest with integrity. We are grateful for all he has given to the organization.”
Perelman coached OCB in 2022 and 2023 before joining the MLS side’s staff as an assistant coach in 2024. OCB is also losing its coach at this time, as Perelman’s replacement with the reserve squad, Manuel Goldberg, will become an interim assistant with the MLS side. Goldberg served as Perelman’s assistant with OCB for two seasons before replacing him. Julian Vergara will be OCB’s interim manager.
What It Means for Orlando City
Reading Moreira’s statement, it’s hard to imagine what direction the club is choosing to go from here. Without significant upgrades to the roster, this does not look like a playoff team in a highly competitive MLS Eastern Conference. The back line, made up of an underachieving David Brekalo, rookie Nolan Miller (splitting time with teenaged new arrival Iago), the unconvincing Adrian Marin, and the recently arrived Griffin Dorsey, has been abysmal to start the year in the absence of injured captain Robin Jansson. While time may help that group gel to some extent, it is not a defensive group that opposing teams will lose sleep over.
The roster has suffered heavy losses along the back line, losing starters Rodrigo Schlegel and Alex Freeman as well as key backups Kyle Smith and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Additionally, the club moved on from starting goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. While upgrades were needed across the board, it’s hard to argue that any of those positions have even maintained their previous quality, let alone improved. Marin at least has a chance to provide an improvement at left back, as he’s finally been through a full camp and had time to integrate. It hasn’t helped that he picked up a knock early in this season.
Orlando City appears content with simply trying a new voice, and there’s nothing wrong with that (Pareja was the second-longest tenured coach in MLS behind Seattle’s Brian Schmetzer), but any new voice will need a back line, a goalkeeper who doesn’t get unnecessarily ejected, and a third Designated Player. That voice will also need the MLS U22 Initiative kids to grow up quickly, because they represent the depth of a team that sorely needs some. It’s clear that the club believes the roster is good enough for the moment, but three games have shown that it is not, unless Pareja was making things more complicated than the players could handle.
Pareja has been a good soldier for the club his entire tenure. He has routinely put every failure on his own shoulders and has given all credit for successes to his players and the organization. The Colombian has stoically led Orlando City to its highest highs. It is hard to imagine a way forward this season regardless of who takes over unless some changes come to the roster.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 3/11/26
Maxime Crepeau fined, NWSL season approaches, USMNT news and notes, and more.
Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. The Orlando Pride are finally back in action this weekend, and we’ll get to watch it — unlike the preseason. It’s a good thing too, since Orlando City has been hard to watch. Speaking of the Pride, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode of SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride Podcast and our special guest. Until then, let’s get to the links.
Trio of Missing Lions
Crepeau, Jansson & Gerbet sounds like a law firm specializing in personal injury cases. That is definitely the case when it comes to Robin Jansson and Joran Gerbet, as the two work back from their respective injuries. Fortunately, there’s some progress on that. Both are training off to the side. Hopefully, their recoveries go well and they can return to help Orlando City.
Maxime Crepeau will be absent from Orlando City’s next match thanks to the red card he earned against New York City FC Saturday afternoon. He was also fined by the MLS Disciplinary Committee for not leaving the field in a timely manner. I’d like to say he had a good argument against the sending off, but I can’t, and I’m not the only one.
NWSL Season Approaches
We are days away from the Orlando Pride season opener — and the rest of the NWSL will kick off over the weekend as well. That means it’s time for speculation about the various clubs and how ambitious each was based on its off-season moves. The Pride were not very ambitious, but perhaps the club did not need to be. Despite the supposed lack of ambition, the Pride are still a team to watch, even if others don’t consider the club “must watch” tv.
U.S. National Team Player News & Notes
The fact that there are USMNT players competing in the Champions League is great news in a World Cup year. Johnny Cardoso’s Atletico Madrid beat Tottenham Hotspur 5-2 with some help from a guy name Antoine Griezmann. Mauricio Pochettino said he also respects MLS players like Sebastian Berhalter. Speaking of Berhalters, former USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter said the USMNT is poised for success in the World Cup. We know the team won’t be wearing the denim kit despite Adidas bringing it back.
Free Kicks
- The Lions are not at the bottom of the ESPN MLS power rankings. I am pleasantly surprised.
- Orlando City and the Orlando Pride have renewed the sponsorship with Publix to a new multi-year deal.
- The club also announced a series of single match ticket promotions.
- The Premier League’s new financial rules have others in UEFA a little nervous. It’s not surprising in the arms race for the top players in the world.
- The NWSL announced the formation of the NWSL Health Advisory Council that will take a holistic approach to player health and wellbeing.
- MLS Next has announced a host of new clubs will be joining both tiers of the league.
- Former USWNT player Lauren Holiday is calling for the various women’s leagues to align their seasons much like MLS is doing with the rest of the world.
- The Houston Dynamo are bringing back Ibrahim Aliyu in a trade with the Columbus Crew.
That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 3/10/26
MLS hands out two lifetime bans for gambling, Americans in midweek action, Sergino Dest injury update, and more.
Good morning, everyone. It was a mixed bag for Orlando’s soccer teams over the weekend, as Orlando City took a brutal beating on the baseball diamond at Yankee Stadium, while Orlando City B knocked off Chicago Fire II at home to pick up its first win of the young season. We’ve got a busy week ahead of us, as the Young Lions take on Carolina Core on Saturday afternoon, OCSC is at home against CF Montreal later that night, and the Orlando Pride kick off the season against the Seattle Reign on Sunday. We’ve got a lot to discuss this morning, so let’s get into the links.
MLS Bans Two Players for Life
Major League Soccer has given lifetime bans to Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah for violating the league’s gambling policy. The pair “engaged in extensive gambling on soccer,” with the kicker being that they placed bets on games in which their own teams were involved. The bets took place during the 2024 and 2025 seasons, with a particular instance highlighted in the Columbus Crew’s 3-2 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Oct. 19, 2024, in which both players bet on Jones to be given a yellow card, which he received in the 35th minute. Neither player is currently under contract with an MLS team.
Americans in Midweek Action
There are a number of Americans who will be playing matches during the working week, and the knockout rounds of continental competitions are once again in the spotlight. Things get going this afternoon when Yunus Musah and Atalanta host Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League, while Johnny Cardoso and Atletico Madrid play Tottenham Hotspur in the same competition. Wednesday has Malik Tillman and Bayer Leverkusen playing Arsenal in the UCL, while former Lion Daryl Dike and West Brom take on Southampton in the Championship. Thursday sees Tanner Tessman and Lyon travel to play Celta Vigo in the Europa League, while Chris Richards and Crystal Palace take on AEK Larnaca in the Conference League. Things conclude on Friday when Alex Freeman will hope to break a streak of four games as an unused substitute when Villarreal travels to Deportivo Alaves in La Liga.
Sergino Dest Injury Update
Sergino Dest went down in the 55th minute of PSV Eindhoven’s league win over AZ Alkmaar on Saturday and had to be helped off the field while putting minimal weight on his left leg. PSV coach Peter Bosz confirmed that it was a hamstring injury, and while the club has made no official statement about how much time he might miss, the fullback said in a statement that he is confident he’ll be fit again near the end of the season. His injury means that the right back situation for the USMNT is suddenly a more interesting one, as Freeman hasn’t been playing much with Villarreal, and guys like Joe Scally will be keen on seizing any potential opportunities.
Iranian Soccer Players Granted Asylum
Five members of the Iranian women’s soccer team have been granted humanitarian visas to remain in Australia after they escaped from the people assigned to keep an eye on them following the team’s final match in the Women’s Asian Cup. The group, which includes team captain Zahra Ghanbari, had been in contact with Australian officials for a number of days, who made it clear that the remaining members of the team would also be welcomed by the country if they chose to stay. The five players that chose to leave are now protected by the Australian Federal Police and consented to have their names and faces published. It is not currently known when the remainder of the team is set to depart from Australia.
Free Kicks
- Marco Pasalic has been called up to represent Croatia.
- United States Men’s National Team Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly on the shortlist to replace Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa before next season.
- The FA Cup quarterfinal draw is complete, with highlights of the next round including Manchester City hosting Liverpool and League One side Port Vale travelling to take on Chelsea.
That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City, Head Coach Oscar Pareja Mutually Agree to Part Ways
SkoPurp Soccer Episode 114: Caitlin Carducci Interview, Seattle Preview, and More
Lion Links: 3/11/26
Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
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