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Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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3 years ago

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Orlando City remained unbeaten on the road this season after winning 2-0 against the Columbus Crew. Rodrigo Schlegel scored in the first half and Ercan Kara added another in the second, as the Lions held on for a shutout victory. It was a strong defensive performance from the team as a whole as the Lions covered for one another and applied constant pressure.

Here’s how I saw the individual performances of each Lion on the pitch.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — His first save didn’t come until the second half and it was an awkward one as he had to quickly drop and parry a low shot from distance from sharpshooter Lucas Zelarayan that took a deflection through traffic. His other two saves weren’t too difficult as he collected a weak header from Gyasi Zardes and saved another low effort from Zelarayan that was going out regardless. He was accurate on eight of a whopping 17 long balls, as the Lions were content with heaving the ball up the field late in the match and he also completed 61% of his 23 passes. The Peruvian should buy his defenders whatever airline food they desire on the trip back home as he only had to face three shots on target for his fifth clean sheet of the year.

D, Joao Moutinho, 6.5 — It was another busy night defensively for Moutinho. The left back led the team with seven tackles and had three interceptions and four clearances as well. There were times where he had to defend on his back foot after a nice through ball from the opposition or a quick restart, but he did well tracking back and not making it easy for the Crew in the final third. His 78 touches were the most by a Lion — as were his four unstable touches — and he had 46 passes at a 76% success rate. His lone cross was unsuccessful and only one of his six long balls found its target. As the game plan shifted after Orlando’s second goal, Moutinho hung back to ensure numbers defensively and did well to stop Columbus.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 7.5 (MotM) — His positioning was excellent throughout the match, both offensively and defensively. He scored his first professional goal by hustling to get right in front of goal during a recycled set piece and not making a meal of a deceptively simple tap-in. On defense, Schlegel was adept at being in the right place at the right time to clog passing lanes and put out fires when Crew players had chances to shoot. He led the team with five interceptions and added three tackles, four clearances, and two blocks for one of his strongest defensive performances as a Lion. He had 21 passes at a 71% success rate and was successful on one of his five long balls. His yellow card was for a professional foul to slow down a surging Zelarayan on a counter. Schlegel is our Man of the Match for giving Orlando a lead on the road and doing everything he could on defense to keep it.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — Jansson had three clearances and blocked a shot as he played his part in Orlando’s clean sheet. The statistics won’t show how the Crew often had to work around him as he applied pressure any time they neared the box. The Beefy Swede had two shots, sending a header off target and having an attempt from range blocked. He connected on two of his three long balls and completed a strong 84% of his 26 passes. As usual, he was a force in the air and won three of his five aerial duels.

D, Kyle Smith, 6.5 — In his first start of the season, Smith gave the Lions some defensive fortitude at right back. He was just as solid defending at the start of the match as he was near its end, making safe decisions to clear out the danger. Smith had four clearances and a tackle and did well lending help to his center backs to make sure Crew players didn’t have much room to work with. He was accurate on just one of his three crosses and only one of his eight long balls, but he did have a key pass to set up a shot for Facundo Torres and had a shot that went high and wide of goal. Smith had 32 passes at a subpar 65% success rate but did enough on defense to keep Pedro Santos fairly quiet and help Orlando secure the win.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 7 — The Uruguayan had to deal with Lucas Zelarayan’s bag of tricks throughout the night and proved up to the task. He’s learning how to ride the edge of fouling without being carded while winning fouls and frustrating opponents. Araujo played every minute of the match and helped defensively with two tackles, two interceptions, a clearance, and a blocked shot. His best moment of the match came late in the 79th minute as he matched Gyasi Zardes stride for stride down the field to eventually win a goal kick. Araujo had 37 passes at a solid 84% success rate and was accurate on one of his three long balls. He just turned 21 this month but has performed at a consistent level in his first year with Orlando.

MF, Junior Urso, 6.5 — The Bear recorded his second assist of the year after the ball pinged off him in the box to Schlegel. Whether he intended to pass or shoot doesn’t matter too much as he put the ball in a threatening position from a cross zipped into the box by Torres. While Pereyra stirred the offense, Urso kept things stable across the field with 50 passes at a great 88% success rate. His one cross may have been unsuccessful, but all four of his long balls found their mark. Urso chipped in on defense with three tackles, three clearances, and a block.

MF, Benji Michel, 6 — Michel didn’t make too much noise on offense, playing nearly every minute of the match without registering a shot or key pass. But his speed allowed him to race up and down the wing to help swarm opposing players on defense and win corners on offense. He sat back more as Orlando aimed to see out the match in the second half and did well defending Columbus’ crosses, finishing with four clearances. The Homegrown Player also chipped in with two tackles and an interception while winning two of his three aerial duels. Michel completed 76% of his 21 passes and was unsuccessful on his one attempted cross and his one long ball. Orlando’s other creative players stepping up and a solid defensive effort from Michel takes some of the sting out of a fairly lackluster offensive performance.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 — Pereyra led the Lions with 53 passes, completing them at an impressive 85% success rate to keep Orlando’s offense fluid against the Crew. He did well on Orlando’s second goal, sneaking into an open area near the top of the box after a pass and then getting the ball to Kara to set up a give-and-go with Facundo Torres. Pereyra was accurate on two of his seven crosses, connected on three of his five long balls, and also had a key pass. From start to finish, he hustled on defense and had four interceptions and two tackles. The 32-year-old may not have been the fastest player on the pitch, but he proved his value late in the match by making smart and composed passes to give Orlando some time to breathe before the next onslaught of Columbus attacking.

MF, Facundo Torres, 7.5 — Torres played a critical role in both of Orlando’s goals. His cross following a set piece was dangerous and led to Schlegel’s goal and he assisted on Kara’s goal after a series of tight passes. His defensive pressure was also great, as he chased down Crew players and finished the game with three tackles after 70 minutes of action. Torres may have only been accurate on one of his four attempted crosses, but most were still dangerous balls that dipped into the center of goal for good chances and he had two key passes. Neither of his long balls found their target and he had 32 passes at a 78% success rate. He also had two shots, putting one on target that Room saved while sending the other into the stands. El Cuervo loves to play with the ball at his feet and flew all over the field to make himself an outlet for passes and find open spaces to infiltrate the Crew’s defense. This match was a testament to how well Torres is gelling with his teammates in his first year in MLS.

F, Ercan Kara , 7 — Kara’s goal was a work of art, working alongside Pereyra and Torres to give himself a small window to shoot and bury the ball past Room. It was his only shot of the match and he made it count from a tight angle while the ball was bouncing. Kara had an otherwise quiet night as he played 69 minutes and had just eight passes, completing five for a 63% success rate. That being said, he helped out with Orlando’s press and had a key pass of his own. He’s scored in two consecutive matches and may continue to do so if the players around him keep generating great service. Kara’s finishing touch and killer instinct was the difference between a 2-0 win and a struggle to grind out a 1-0 win on the road.

Substitutes

F, Tesho Akindele (69’), 5.5 — The Canadian striker came on for Kara and used his height to make three clearances. He also had a pair of tackles to help limit the Crew’s chances and won two of his three aerial duels. Three unstable touches aren’t what you want from a substitute when trying to see out a win, but Akindele did well off the ball as he drifted into open spaces for passes and added pressure. He had 17 touches and completed six of his seven passes.

MF, Andres Perea (70’), 5.5 — It was off the bench and into the fire for Perea, who picked up a yellow card just a minute after coming on the field on a needless foul against Pedro Santos, who had his back to goal on the wing. He settled in a bit after that, making nine touches and completing all seven of his passes. Perea gave the Lions some fresh legs, nice passes, and a block.

MF, Sebas Mendez (88’), N/A — We didn’t see enough from Mendez to grade him as he only had four touches and four passes at a 75% completion rate. His inclusion late in the match gave Orlando some more defensive presence and stability in the center of the field.

D, Thomas Williams (91’), N/A — The Homegrown Player made his MLS debut, coming on late to fortify Orlando’s defense (but mostly to waste time). There wasn’t enough to grade him on as he didn’t have any touches, but it’s nice to see him get some minutes. With Antonio Carlos injured, we may see more of him in the future late in matches.

That’s how I saw each individual performance in Orlando City’s 2-0 win on the road against the Columbus Crew. It was a strong defensive effort across the board from the Lions and the offense seems to be finding its footing as well.

Be sure to vote in the poll below for your Man of the Match.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Rodrigo Schlegel56
Facundo Torres20
Ercan Kara5
Junior Urso0
Other (let us know in the comments)0

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2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Wilder Cartagena

The midfielder helped Orlando City own the center of the field throughout the majority of the 2024 season.

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16 hours ago

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December 22, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City initially acquired midfielder Wilder Cartagena on loan through the 2022 MLS season. After a successful end of the year, the club exercised the option to extend the loan through the 2023 season. He became a key player in the starting lineup for the Lions that season, resulting in the club signing him to a permanent deal through the 2025 season on Dec. 14, 2024. The Peruvian midfielder built a powerhouse partnership with fellow midfielder César Araújo, forming what may have been the best central midfield duo in all of MLS during the 2024 season.

Let’s take a look back at Cartagena’s season with Orlando City.

Statistical Breakdown

Cartagena participated in all four of the competitions Orlando City played in during 2024, playing primarily in his normal central defensive midfielder role but also filling in as center back for around seven games worth of minutes (631). Despite playing in a brand new position for approximately 20% of his total minutes, Cartagena ended up leading the team in plus-minus for the season, finishing +22 across all competitions, meaning the Lions were much better with him on the pitch than they were when he wasn’t.

In MLS regular-season play, the Peruvian international appeared in 27 matches, starting 25 and playing 2,192 minutes. He only recorded one goal contribution on the season, an assist, though he took 24 shots, putting eight on target. He completed 89% of his passes with 16 key passes, one successful cross, and 25 completed long balls. On the defensive side, he recorded 76 tackles, 20 interceptions, 42 clearances, and nine blocks. He committed a team-leading 48 fouls, suffered 28 fouls, and received seven yellow cards and one red card, which he picked up after the conclusion of the game against Minnesota United. Coincidentally, his red card suspension and his one-game ban for yellow card accumulation each resulted in him missing a regular-season game against Atlanta United — both were Orlando losses.

During the MLS playoffs, Cartagena started all five matches, playing 431 minutes with no goals or assists. He took two shots, placing one on target, and he completed 87.2% of his passes with a single key pass. Defensively, he recorded nine tackles, four interceptions, 11 clearances, and one block. He drew eight fouls and committed nine, and he was booked twice, with both being yellow cards.

Cartagena played in all four Concacaf Champions Cup matches, starting every game and playing 315 minutes. He did not take any shots, so he did not score any goals, and he didn’t contribute any assists either. He completed 86.6% of his passes, including four key passes. Defensively, he tallied eight tackles, five interceptions, four clearances, and one block, and he committed three fouls, while suffering five. He was booked twice, earning two yellow cards.

During Leagues Cup play, Cartagena started all three games, playing the full 270 minutes with zero goal contributions. He took three shots, placing one on target, and completed 92.1% of his passes, but with zero key passes. He added three tackles, three interceptions, four clearances, and one block on defense, and he committed three fouls and drew one. Unlike in the other three competitions, in Leagues Cup play he did not receive any cards.

Best Game

While Cartagena only had one goal contribution for the season, the positions he played do not lend themselves to being able to use the commonly cited stats like goals and assists to evaluate which game was the finest. That said, I think the one game in which Cartagena had an assist was his finest performance, but the assist was only the cherry on top of an outstanding game all over the field by the Peruvian midfielder, as his performance helped lead the Lions to a dominant 5-0 victory over D.C. United on March 9.

Cartagena completed 77 of his 81 passes (95.1%), and while any game with that many completed passes and that high of a completion percentage would be excellent, it was the types of passes that he completed that really set this game ahead of all of his other performances. He completed 22 of those 77 passes into the attacking third of the field, meaning they were attacking balls forward towards goal that went from the middle or defensive third into the attacking third. If 22 sounds like a lot, well, that’s because it is. There were only seven instances during MLS play in 2024 of a player completing 22 or more passes into the attacking third in a single game.

If that was not enough, Cartagena also went 11 of 12 (91.7%) on long passes (passes of at least 30 yards) on the night, one of only 24 instances during MLS play in 2024 of a midfielder completing at least 11 long passes and being successful on more than 90% of his long pass attempts.

On top of both of those stats, Cartagena also got on the score sheet for the only time all season, playing a beautiful cross from the right flank onto the head of a charging Robin Jannson, who smashed in his header and gave the Lions a 2-0 lead.

Cartagena went the full 90 in this match, contributing not only offensively but also defensively, with three tackles, four recoveries, and one clearance, and his dominance in the center of the field helped the Lions keep a clean sheet.

2024 Final Grade

The Mane Land awarded Cartagena a composite rating of 7.5 out of 10 for the 2024 season, the same as the 7.5 we gave him last season. I mentioned earlier that the team was +22 while Cartagena was on the field, and that +22 equaled a +0.62 goals per 90-minute average over his total minutes played, meaning that when Cartagena played, the Lions were nearly two-thirds of a goal better than their opponents. On the flip side, when Cartagena was off the field, the Lions were -5 for the season, which equaled a -0.48 goals per 90-minute average. The net of those two per 90-minute averages is +1.10, meaning that Orlando City was more than one goal better than its opponents when Cartagena was on the field as compared to when he was off, showing just how valuable he was to the team during the 2024 season.

2025 Outlook

I expect 2025 to look very similar to 2024 for Cartagena, as both he and his midfield partner Araujo are set to return and are completely comfortable in Head Coach Óscar Pareja’s system. The Lions also parted ways with Felipe, Jeorgio Kocevski, and Heine Gikling Bruseth, meaning that Nico Lodeiro is the only player on the roster with significant experience in the role where Cartagena usually plays, and Lodeiro is more of a supersub than a starter at this point in his career and a much more offensive minded No. 8 option than a defensive, double-pivot type. Kyle Smith and Dagur Dan Thórhallsson both have the skillset to potentially get some minutes there, and Orlando City used its first-round draft pick in the MLS SuperDraft to select midfielder Joran Gerbet from Clemson, but it should be Cartagena’s job to lose during the 2025 season, and I expect to see him on the field for the vast majority of Orlando City’s minutes.

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Top 10 Moments of 2024: Orlando City Surges to Top Four Spot in Eastern Conference

Languishing near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the Lions made a massive push from June 19 onward to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference.

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18 hours ago

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December 22, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

As we count down to the new year of 2025 — which will be Orlando City’s 11th in MLS, the Orlando Pride’s ninth in the NWSL, and OCB’s third in MLS NEXT Pro — and say goodbye to 2024, it’s time to look back at the club’s 10 best moments of the year as selected by The Mane Land staff via vote.

The Lions were floundering. A team that finished strong in 2023 and ended up second in the Supporters’ Shield race had bolstered the attack in the off-season by signing a Designated Player forward out of Italy’s Serie A and figured to pick up where it left off. It didn’t.

Orlando City struggled out of the gate to connect in the final third, to find a cohesive starting XI that worked well together, and to find the form with which it ended the 2023 campaign. Although the Lions swept Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC in the first round of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup at the onset of the season, they once again played a scoreless draw on opening day of league play, got blown out at Inter Miami, gave up a 95th-minute goal to lose at home to Minnesota, and then got knocked out of Champions Cup by Tigres before falling at Atlanta.

The team’s 0-3-1 start to the regular season was followed by two wins and two draws, pulling Orlando to 2-3-3, but that surge proved to be fool’s gold. That run preceded a late-game collapse at home against Toronto that turned a 1-0 87th-minute lead into a 2-1 loss. That loss, to a Toronto team that finished 11-19-4, turned into a home losing streak after FC Cincinnati departed Inter&Co Stadium with a 1-0 win on May 4.

A 2-0-1 surge followed, but it could only bring the Lions to 4-5-4 on the season. But again, Orlando City fans had to take the bad with the good, as the club went 0-3-1 in its next four. Two late goals by LAFC and a missed Facundo Torres penalty — the first such miss in his entire soccer careeer — produced a 3-1 home loss that left the club at just 4-8-5 at the season’s midway point. Some fans were calling for Oscar Pareja’s job; no one was happy with new Designated Player Luis Muriel’s play; and the players seemed frustrated, disjointed, and at odds with each other on the pitch.

Things looked bleak for extending the club’s four-year postseason streak to five. It seemed as if there was no way to break out of the funk the Lions were in.

But then it happened.

The team’s fortunes didn’t turn around all at once, and the turning point sure didn’t seem like one at the time. Orlando City went to Charlotte on June 19, found itself up a man, and still had to scrape by with just a 2-2 draw. Down a man, Brandt Bronico put Charlotte FC up 2-1 with 13 minutes remaining, and things looked worse than ever for the Lions, who were on the verge of falling to 4-9-5 and threatening to contend for the wooden spoon. But Torres struck in the 81st minute to bring City level on a corner kick. Was this the goal that ultimately saved Orlando City’s 2024 season?

Once tied, Orlando pushed furiously for a winner but to no avail. The single point the Lions brought home from North Carolina didn’t feel good at the time, but it was a start — the first pebble in what ultimately turned into an avalanche. A win and a loss in the next two matches didn’t seem particularly noteworthy either, but the team was starting to put things together.

After beating Chicago 4-2 on June 22 at home, the Lions nearly mounted a comeback after a disastrous first half in a 4-2 loss at New York City FC on June 28 — a game in which Orlando lost backup goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar for the rest of the season. The Lions then won four straight matches and went 4-0-1 in their final five games prior to the Leagues Cup break, entering the MLS pause at .500 with a 9-9-7 record. It had taken the team half the season to recover from the poor start, but the Lions were back in the fight.

A win and two draws in Leagues Cup, despite some international absences, kept the Lions’ momentum going. Although a flat performance in a loss at Sporting Kansas City in the MLS restart weekend didn’t help matters, it was followed by three more consecutive wins — all via shutout, with Orlando outscoring its opponents 8-0 — and six victories in seven matches. The lone loss in that seven-game stretch was a 4-3 defeat at Columbus in which a valiant comeback effort fell just short.

After that 6-1-0 run, Orlando entered Decision Day with a 15-11-7 record and a top-four spot that wasn’t spoiled by a loss in the regular-season finale to Atlanta.

The Lions’ 11-4-2 finish over the final 17 matches of the 2024 season not only pushed the team into the postseason, it also put Orlando City in position to take advantage when Miami, Columbus, and Cincinnati all faltered in the first round of the playoffs.

Because the Lions were the highest remaining seed in the postseason, once Orlando City won its best-of-three, first-round series against Charlotte, it had home field priority for the remainder of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Lions hosted Atlanta in the Eastern Conference semifinal and knocked their rivals out of the postseason in a tight defensive battle in which the Five Stripes hardly troubled goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. Orlando advanced to the Eastern Conference final for the first time, hosting the New York Red Bulls.

Although Orlando faltered in that conference final, which is not the result we (or the Lions) wanted, City put itself in the best possible position to reach the MLS Cup final by finding the right blend of chemistry, form, and grit in the season’s second half.

The Lions came closer to MLS Cup in 2024 than ever before, thanks to the team’s second-half surge. As such, that surge is a worthy inclusion in the list of the club’s top moments of the year, and a great way to kick off our annual series of the club’s most memorable accomplishments and events.

Come back through New Year’s Eve as we count down the remainder of Orlando City’s top 10 moments of 2024.

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Opinion

Three Orlando City Games to Watch in 2025

Here are three intriguing matches in the 2025 Orlando City season.

Published

2 days ago

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December 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Major League Soccer provided a last-minute stocking stuffer for North American soccer fans when it dropped the 2025 season schedule six days before Christmas. It feels like the Orlando City season just wrapped (as is often the case when a team makes a deep run in the playoffs), and yet now we can spend the next few “winter” weeks meticulously breaking down the matchups as training camp is just around the corner. My fellow staff writers at The Mane Land can attest that I have a horrible case of scoreboard-watching from Matchweek 1 of the regular season on, and that obsession starts now with my top three games to watch in 2025.

Friday, July 25 — at Columbus Crew

As the final match of three games in 10 days and the last match of July, the first meeting against perennial the Eastern Conference powerhouse Columbus Crew should serve as a great measuring stick for fans and pundits to assess where the Orlando City season stands heading into the final third of the season. Traditionally speaking, over the last few years, late July into early August is the time frame when Head Coach Oscar Pareja’s teams have caught fire.

If that historical trend holds, then I expect Orlando City to hit Columbus in strong form, once again looking to secure a top-four spot in the Eastern Conference. While it is hard to predict what rosters will look like by then, as there have been reports and rumors of both stars and Head Coach Wilfried Nancy’s possible departure circulating. However, it is difficult to imagine Columbus slipping much, as the club has established a winning culture and has a knack for finding and signing outstanding players like Lucas Zelarayan and Cucho Hernandez. A matchup between the Crew and Lions at that point of the season could serve as a marquee event for MLS in 2025.

Saturday, Feb. 22 — vs. Philadelphia Union

There are two things I know to be true when it comes to Orlando City soccer. First, Orlando City has kicked off every MLS regular season in front of its home fans — a unique trend that I was excited to see continue in 2025. The second thing that I know is that Orlando City is unbeaten in season openers (3-0-7). In 2025, Orlando City welcomes the Philadelphia Union to Inter&Co Stadium and the unbeaten record will be on the line once again. The Union will be the seventh different opening day opponent for the Lions in 11 seasons.

What makes this matchup particularly interesting is that this will be the first time in Orlando City history that they will face the Union without now-former head coach Jim Curtin. One of the longest-tenured head coaches in MLS at the time, Curtin parted ways with the Union at the end of the 2024 season. Often I find myself in the “managers don’t make a large difference” camp when it comes to the outcome of matches, but to look back at what Curtin did with Philadelphia, its academy, and modest roster spending can only be viewed as wildly successful. Orlando will try to start its season off on the right foot, while a new Union manager will be looking to start his tenure in Philly with a road victory. Something will have to give, and I am going to put my money on Orlando winning the day.

Saturday, April 12 — vs. New York Red Bulls

While the first opportunity to exact revenge over the club that eliminated the Lions from the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs will happen roughly a month earlier on the road, the true opportunity to stick it to the Red Bulls in front of a home crowd has to be my most anticipated match of 2025. A lot has been said about rivalries in MLS. Some seem manufactured, and some come down to genuine hatred, but I firmly believe that for the time being our squad’s biggest rival is the one that ended Orlando City’s season one game short of the championship match.

It seems a little strange to me that the Lions will wrap up their season series with the Red Bulls just eight games into the year (so much for spacing out some matchups), but Orlando City will look to pounce on the Red Bulls early on and would likely love nothing more than to take all six points from the team that ended its MLS Cup hopes before the calendar even hits Memorial Day.

Those are the top three matches I have circled on my calendar. Let us know in the comments below which matches you’re most excited about and which matches you think will carry the most significance in 2025. As always, vamos Orlando!

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