Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Player Grades and Man of the Match
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
| Player | Votes |
| Rodrigo Schlegel | 56 |
| Facundo Torres | 20 |
| Ercan Kara | 5 |
| Junior Urso | 0 |
| Other (let us know in the comments) | 0 |
Orlando City
Orlando City Showing Signs of Adjusting to Eduard Atuesta’s Absence
The Lions have looked much better on offense the last two games, and there’s a couple of reasons why.
Much has been made of Orlando City’s difficulties in creating chances and scoring goals when Eduard Atuesta has been unavailable due to injury. It’s not hard to understand why either. The Colombian was unavailable for three of Orlando’s four scoreless draws this year, and he only played nine minutes as a substitute in the stalemate against the New York Red Bulls on April 12.
When he was healthy and got the start against Atlanta United two games later, the Lions won 3-0 and he created the most chances of anyone in the game with three. Orlando then promptly reverted to being offensively stunted in the following game against the Chicago Fire, and was only able to manage its fourth scoreless draw of the year, despite playing over a half the game with a man advantage.
There certainly seemed to be plenty of evidence pointing towards Atuesta being the missing cog in Orlando City’s offense. While he only has two assists in eight games, he does a ton of work in linking the defense to the attack and is great at finding attacking players in dangerous areas, as evidenced by his 17 key passes. In the 0-0 draws with the Philadelphia Union, CF Montreal, and the Fire, Orlando just didn’t look right without him, although the Red Bulls game was a much better performance that was ultimately derailed by Rodrigo Schlegel’s sending off.
While he hasn’t played in either of Orlando’s last two league matches, a 3-3 draw against the New England Revolution, and a 3-1 win against Charlotte FC, the offense clearly hasn’t had any problem creating chances. If anything, the Lions should have scored more goals if not for a couple instances of less-than-crisp finishing in each match.
So, why the sudden change?
Well for one thing, the Designated Players are firing on all cylinders again. Martin Ojeda scored a hat trick against New England, and he and Luis Muriel scored Orlando’s first two goals against Charlotte. Ojeda didn’t start either of the two games against Atlanta and Chicago because he was dealing with a minor injury, but now that it’s in the rearview mirror, he’s been a man possessed. Muriel probably should have had at least one goal of his own against the Revs but seemed oddly reluctant to shoot, although he still completed three dribbles and delivered three key passes. The Charlotte game was then his turn to come out of the gate swinging, as he narrowly had a goal ruled out for offside just two minutes in, before hammering a venomous shot from distance just six minutes later that gave Kristijan Kahlina all sorts of trouble and opened the scoring.
It isn’t just getting contributions from the big guns though, because we need to acknowledge the play of rookie Joran Gerbet in these last two games. He’s the man who’s been asked to fill in for Atuesta next to Cesar Araujo, and he’s getting more and more comfortable in that role. Against the Revs he had an interception, a key pass and an assist, and completed a long ball and a through ball while recording a passing accuracy of 86.5%. Against Charlotte, he recorded an interception, three clearances, a completed dribble, and two successful long balls, and he had an outstanding passing accuracy of 98%. They weren’t all simply backwards or sideways passes either. There were plenty of times when he progressed the ball upfield to an attacking player and helped keep the Lions moving forward, and that’s exactly what you want out of the guy playing that position.
He still has a way to go before reaching Atuesta’s level, but that’s to be expected for a guy that’s playing the first professional season of his career. What’s most important is that he’s getting more comfortable, contributing, and proving that he can be a legitimate option to rotate into the starting XI when Atuesta is unavailable or when fixture congestion dictates changes to the lineup.
It’s worth mentioning the caveat that the last two games haven’t been against the strongest opposition the league has to offer. The Revs were on a four-game winning streak before playing Orlando, but three of those four wins were against weak or shaky teams in Atlanta, Toronto FC, and Charlotte, while the fourth team (NYCFC) has been difficult to get a read on. I’m not saying the Revs are a paper tiger, but it’s tough to know how good they really are despite a good run of recent form. Then you have Charlotte, which was above the playoff line but also on a three-game losing streak coming into the match that has now been convincingly extended to four.
At the end of the day, you can only beat who’s in front of you, but I’d encourage us all to not get too carried away until we see the same results against sterner opposition. For better or worse, that’s exactly what we’ll get in the Lions’ next three matches, which will be against a capable, albeit flawed, Inter Miami side on the road, at home in the U.S. Open Cup against a Nashville SC team that’s fourth in the East, and at home against the Portland Timbers, who are currently fourth in the West.
Ultimately, we can only judge this team on what we’ve seen from it, and over the last two games we’ve seen a side that’s had no trouble creating chances. Despite the continued absence of the important Atuesta, the Lions are adjusting thanks to contributions from their heavy hitters and the improving play of the rookie Gerbet. Only time will tell if those improvements are sustainable, but for now its a hell of a lot of fun to enjoy.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 5/16/25
Orlando City players make MLS Team of the Matchday, Luis Muriel focused, Orlando Pride plays tonight, and more.
Happy Friday! I’ve had a pretty good week so far and am looking forward to three straight days of Orlando soccer. The Orlando Pride will get us started tonight and then we have Orlando City B on Saturday before Orlando City plays on Sunday. It should be a fun next few days, and hopefully one filled with celebrations too. Let’s dive into today’s links!
Lions Make MLS Team of the Matchday
There’s plenty of purple in the latest MLS Team of the Matchday following Orlando City’s 3-1 win over Charlotte FC. Martin Ojeda and David Brekalo were both selected, while Oscar Pareja was chosen as the top coach from the midweek slate. Ojeda’s strike in the first half is also up for Goal of the Matchday as his strong run of form continues. The only outfield player on this Team of the Matchday that didn’t score is Brekalo, who had two assists, so it’s nice to see him receive deserved recognition for an excellent performance that included a great setup on Orlando’s third goal. Pareja has the Lions on an 11-game unbeaten streak across all competitions and is managing things well so far during this busy May.
Luis Muriel Staying Focused in Sophomore Season
With five goals so far this season, Orlando City forward Luis Muriel has already mirrored his scoring total from all of last season. Staying mentally prepared has been key for the 34-year-old in his second year with Orlando, and he spoke about what’s changed for him after not quite reaching expectations in his first year.
“Coming to a league like this isn’t easy. A lot of times from the outside, you aren’t able to measure up or really see what the league is. Sometimes you can underestimate things, thinking it’s easy,” Muriel said. “That leads you to take things on in a different way, the work, the matches.
“When you go into ‘MLS Mode’ you realize how good the league is, how competitive it is, how demanding the league is to be able to do things well. That’s when things start to flow, to go well. I think that’s the difference between this year and last.”
He’s finding his footing in the league now and was a force to be reckoned with against Charlotte on Wednesday. Muriel is aware that the Lions will need him to be at his best when they travel to take on Inter Miami on Sunday for an important rivalry clash.
Diving Into Justin Ellis’s Ascent
Victor Olorunfemi of Top Drawer Soccer gave a great profile on Orlando City B forward Justin Ellis and his growth with the club. Ellis, who just celebrated his 18th birthday on Wednesday with his MLS debut, is having a great year after a solid season with OCB last year. The high school senior was the top scorer at this year’s Generation Adidas Cup with six goals to help Orlando’s U-18 team win the tournament. He can create chances just as well as he can convert them and is quick to give credit to the coaches and staff that have helped him develop. The U.S. youth pool is deep, but Ellis could be a name to keep an eye out for ahead of the U-20 World Cup in September.
Orlando Pride Match Headlines NWSL Weekend
The Orlando Pride’s match tonight against the Kansas City Current is the premier matchup this week in the NWSL. While I wouldn’t call it a rivalry just yet, these two teams had great games last year. The Current are still out for revenge after Orlando beat them while shorthanded last summer and won again in the NWSL playoffs in Orlando before winning the NWSL Championship in Kansas City. First place in the league is on the line and it should be a thrilling match featuring the league’s top two defenses and attacking threats like Barbra Banda, Temwa Chawinga, Marta, and Debinha.
NWSL Contenders and Underperformers
We’re about a third of the way into the NWSL season and ESPN‘s Jeff Kassouf dove into how each team is meeting its expectations so far. Despite their stumbles in recent weeks, the Pride are near the top of the table and have plenty of time to get things firing on all cylinders. Two of the California teams are enjoying surprising success so far, with the San Diego Wave up in fourth while Angel City FC is in fifth and could become a real contender once Alexander Straus takes over as head coach. NJ/NY Gotham FC and the North Carolina Courage are sleeping giants of sorts, so it will be interesting to see when they start climbing up the table.
Free Kicks
- You’ll need a paid subscription for the full details, but Orlando City right back Alex Freeman continues to impress this season. Freeman is finding success in a way different from his father Antonio Freeman, who led the NFL in receiving yards for the Green Bay Packers in 1998.
- This year’s MLS pre-match jerseys to celebrate Pride month are out and they’re a vibrant and funky design.
- Esther Gonzalez leads the NWSL with seven goals this season and has agreed to a contract extension with Gotham FC that will last through 2027.
- FIFA representatives, including FA Chair Debbie Hewitt and UEFA President Alexander Ceferin, walked out of FIFA’s annual congress in protest of FIFA President Gianni Infantino arriving three hours late. Infantino has spent this week in the Middle East visiting leaders in Saudi Arabia and Qatar with Donald Trump.
- FC Barcelona officially won this year’s La Liga title after a 2-0 win over Espanyol. Phenom Lamine Yamal scored a sensational goal in the match, which is fitting considering how crucial he was to Barcelona winning the league this year.
- Predictable names like Luis Enrique and Antonio Conte are on the list of top European coaches this year, but this article also shines a light on coaches who navigated tough waters in small boats. Alexander Blessin has St. Pauli on the verge of survival in the Bundesliga and Filippo Inzaghi improved Pisa by 30 points in Serie B to secure promotion.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Three Keys to Victory
What do the Lions need to do to secure a victory in Sunday’s edition of Tropic Thunder?
The first Tropic Thunder match of the season is here. As I recently said on The Mane Land PawedCast, I am both looking forward to and dreading this match. I think that is an appropriate feeling. Orlando City is in the midst of a congested May schedule, but every match matters.
Inter Miami tops my list of hated teams at this point. As such, I very much want the Lions to win and for Florida to be purple. What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points on the road against their in-state rivals?
Pocket Messi
Orlando City must keep Lionel Messi from having too big of an impact on the match. There are plenty of other players that the defense will need to worry about, and I’ll get to them. What I’m looking for is a frustrated Messi — Messi that feels he should be getting calls on the lightest of touches but is not.
The pair of players that I’m expecting to keep an eye on Messi are Cesar Araujo and Rodrigo Schlegel. The lion’s share of that burden will fall to Araujo. I want him to be hounding Messi every time he gets the ball. If Messi is able to get past Araujo, I want Schlegel to be right in his face. We’re all sick of MLS and Apple TV putting his smug mug in our faces at every opportunity. It’s time for two of Orlando’s defenders to take the shine off of Messi.
Deal with the Rest
Assuming Araujo can limit Messi, Orlando City still has to deal with Miami’s talented attacking players not named Messi. Miami and Orlando entered Wednesday night’s game with the same number of goals scored (21) and allowed (15) this season, although the Herons conceded more at San Jose (3) than the Lions (1) did at home against Charlotte. Each scored three times on Wednesday. However, the memory of the last time the Lions faced Miami at Chase Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale is a 5-0 loss. That isn’t something we want to see again.
Theoretically, no match is more important than another, although an argument could be made that Tropic Thunder is no mere match. I fully expect a starting back line of Alex Freeman, Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and David Brekalo in front of Pedro Gallese to stop Miami’s attack. A clean sheet is the objective.
Alex vs. Alba
As you can tell, this is a very defensive heavy Three Keys, but given what happened in this fixture last year, I don’t think it’s out of line. Alex Freeman has been good this season. He has secured the starting spot at right back and seems unlikely to give it back. One of the things he is good at is getting into the attack with Marco Pasalic. That isn’t what I’m looking for from him this weekend.
Miami’s Jordi Alba is a dangerous player that Freeman will be expected to help contain. Alba has five assists, seven successful crosses, and 13 key passes so far this season. If Freeman is still getting up the pitch to assist in the attack, he will need to make sure he isn’t allowing Alba free rein to get behind him and serve as a provider in Orlando’s half of the field.
That is what I will be looking for Sunday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Final Score 1-0 as Pride Drop Second Home Game This Season
Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
Orlando City Showing Signs of Adjusting to Eduard Atuesta’s Absence
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