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Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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Orlando City bounced back from the New York loss with a 2-1 win at home against Charlotte FC. Ruan scored Orlando’s first goal and then assisted on its second goal late in the first half by teeing up Facundo Torres. A penalty converted by Christian Fuchs gave Charlotte life, but the defense hung in there to claim all three points.

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

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 5.5 — He only faced one shot on target, but it was a penalty kick. Gallese committed first on a patient spot kick from Fuchs that spoiled his clean sheet. In regards to his distribution, he was successful on four of his 11 attempted long balls and completed 74% of his 27 passes. The Peruvian did well running time off the clock late in the match without being booked.

D, Joao Moutinho, 6.5 — Moutinho only had one cross, which was unsuccessful, as he often stayed back as third center back of sorts while Ruan wreaked havoc up the field. It was still a busy night for the left back as he led the Lions with 66 touches and also had 44 passes at a great 89% success rate while completing both of his long balls. He had five tackles, two interceptions, and four clearances while also winning all three of his aerial duels. Moutinho’s evolving into a defensive powerhouse this season and this match was no exception, as he was a key reason why Charlotte only had one shot on target, the penalty.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — The Argentine center back led the team with a whopping nine clearances as he did well putting a stop to Charlotte’s attempts to score. However, he was called for a foul in the box after making contact with Alan Franco in a play by Charlotte that seemed more like a Hail Mary than a realistic chance to score. Charlotte received a penalty for the incident while Schlegel was handed a yellow card. The penalty call was soft but the contact was unnecessary. Schlegel helped Orlando see the game out and also had a tackle and an interception. His 46 passes were the most by any Lion and he completed them at a solid 87% success rate. Schlegel was also accurate on four of his eight long balls, so it was a good game from him in terms of distribution.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — In his 100th appearance for Orlando City, the Beefy Swede did well on both sides of the ball. He assisted on Ruan’s goal after making a clever redirection on Benji Michel’s low cross that served the ball to Ruan on a silver platter. Jansson also helped create the goal, dribbling down the field and getting the ball out wide to Michel. His lone shot came off of a set piece situation as his shot from the edge of the top of the box went over the bar. He was able to convert from center back to striker in the blink of an eye during the match, adding another dimension to Orlando’s attack. Jansson had five clearances and two interceptions while completing 85% of his 26 passes. He didn’t commit a foul in the match, but still received a yellow card for dissent over questionable officiating and will miss Orlando’s next game.

D, Ruan, 7.5 (MotM) — The right back scored his first goal of the season with a clinical finish wide open in the box. He could’ve had a second goal late in the first half after sprinting down the pitch on a counter with only goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina to beat, but he smartly laid the ball off for Torres to easily put away. Ruan’s speed made him a good match-up against 36-year-old Fuchs and Charlotte was unable to deal with him. Both of his aerial crosses were picked off by Kahlina, but his low efforts put defenders in tough spots and earned a corner. He also connected on both of his long balls and had 43 passes at a 77% success rate. Although he wasn’t able to entirely bend the game to his will, he was Orlando’s best weapon on offense and he led the Lions with three interceptions while also contributing a tackle and a clearance. It was easily his best game of the season and hopefully the confidence he showed after his goal will continue moving forward.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — Araujo did a fantastic job keeping Karol Swiderski quiet throughout the match, making sure to give the Polish striker no breathing room. He won three fouls, all in Orlando’s defensive end, and had two tackles, an interception, and two clearances. Araujo completed 28 of his 32 passes for a great 88% success rate and two of his three long balls found their target as well. The 21-year-old also won both of his aerial duels and did a good job lending support along the back line. After receiving four yellow cards in his first six appearances, this game marked four in a row that he wasn’t booked. He’s young and new to MLS, but has quickly proven himself as a great acquisition by the Lions.

MF, Junior Urso, 6 — The Bear had a solid, albeit quiet, outing in the midfield. Although he didn’t have any defensive stats, he applied pressure to help slow down Charlotte’s offense and was there to collect loose balls when they were coughed up. Urso completed 81% of his 32 passes for a decent success rate and was also successful on two of his three attempted dribbles. He was subbed off in the 65th minute for fresher legs.

MF, Benji Michel, 6 — The Homegrown Player did well on Orlando’s first goal, beating his man and drawing in two defenders before delivering a venomous cutback pass in front of goal to Jansson. His only shot of the match was a headed effort right at Kahlina after a great cross from Torres. Michel’s lone cross was unsuccessful, but he completed all but one of his 13 passes for a strong 92% success rate in 80 minutes of action. He didn’t see much of the ball, but did well when he did and helped out defensively with a tackle and an interception.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 7 — Pereyra led the Lions with three key passes as he once again pulled the strings on offense. In the buildup to Orlando’s second goal, he sprung Ruan on the counter with a great ball forward from a tough position for the Brazilian to chase down. Orlando’s captain had another great pass in the first pass when he threaded a ball through defenders from distance to send Kara in on goal. Although neither of his two crosses connected, the Uruguayan was accurate on four of his five long balls and completed 83% of his 42 passes. Pereyra didn’t officially record a shot, but did hit the crossbar on an attempt that was either an attempt at goal or aimed at finding Ercan Kara at the far post. He also hustled on defense and had four tackles, an interception, and a clearance, while also winning a team-high four fouls.

MF, Facundo Torres, 7 — Torres scored his first goal at Exploria Stadium by turning on the jets and running from one end of the field to the other to make sure he was in position to score if needed. He buried the chance and doubled Orlando’s lead before halftime. The goal was one of two shots from Torres in the match, with the other sent into the stands. Torres had two key passes, sending in a nice cross for Michel in the 14th minute and setting up an opportunity for Silvester van der Water in the 85th. He played every minute of the match and completed 77% of his 35 passes. One of his two attempted crosses found their mark and neither of his two long balls were successful, but he still did well to spark things offensively. The 22-year-old truly was relentless from start to finish for the Lions as he ran all over the field to close down opponents, collect loose balls before they went out of play, and made himself an available outlet for teammates. Torres had two clearances, an interception, and enough fuel left in the tank left in the match to help Orlando secure all three points.

F, Ercan Kara, 6 — The Austrian forward may not have contributed towards a goal, but he was fairly active in terms of holdup play. Kara’s best opportunity came in the 33rd minute, when Pereyra found him making a well-timed run with a through ball. However, he was stymied by good defending from Christian Makoun, who hung tight with Kara and then blocked his only shot of the game. Kara won two of his three aerial duels and had 14 passes at a 78% success rate. He wasn’t able to imprint himself on the game and was subbed off in the 65th minute for Alexandre Pato.

Substitutes

F, Alexandre Pato (65’), 5 — The Brazilian had an off night as he only completed two of his seven passes for a 29% success rate. That being said, the game script didn’t benefit his playing style all that well. Pato does his best work when surrounded by other Lions to play off of, but the Lions sat back as the game went on and Charlotte pushed numbers forward, and he was stranded up top on occasion. He won two of his five aerial duels and had two clearances, including the final one to end Charlotte’s late surge. Pato wasn’t able to exert his skillset to its fullest in his first appearance off the bench for Orlando this season.

MF, Andres Perea (65’), 5 — Coming on to give Orlando some fresher legs in the midfield, Perea had 19 touches and completed 69% of his 16 passes. He helped out defensively with two clearances and an interception to do his part in securing the victory. Perea didn’t make much of an impact in the match, but didn’t necessarily need to as he continues to receive minutes off the bench for Orlando.

MF, Sebas Mendez (74’), 6 — Mendez helped stabilize things for Orlando, completing all three of his passes and chipping in defensively with two clearances, an interception, and a tackle. Araujo may have claimed the starting job over Mendez, but the two make for a nice one-two punch over the course of a match as Mendez can come in and take care of the ball while maintaining the team’s bite on defense.

MF, Silvester van der Water (80’), N/A — The Dutchman was hungry during his brief appearance, putting a shot on frame and not being afraid to take on defenders. He completed both of his passes, was successful on his lone long ball attempt, and added a tackle on defense. Unfortunately, he landed awkwardly on his ankle in the dying moments of the game and had to be helped off the field without putting any weight on his left foot.

D, Kyle Smith (80’), N/A — Smith wasn’t on the field long enough to be graded but did well. He had three clearances and a tackle and solidified Orlando’s forces on the right side of defense. He had 14 touches, won both of his aerial duels, and completed four of his seven passes for a 57% success rate.


That’s how I saw each individual performance in Orlando City’s 2-1 win over Charlotte. The penalty made the match a bit closer than the Lions likely would’ve preferred, but it was a nice game from them.

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

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Ruan62
Mauricio Pereyra2
Joao Moutinho2
Facundo Torres4
Other (let us know in the comments)1

Orlando City

Inside the Numbers: Goal Scoring and Shot Creation for Orlando City, OCB, and the Pride

A comparison among all three Orlando teams on where their goals and chance creation have come from.

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Image of Inter&Co Stadium at night.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Starting next week, all three Orlando teams will be back in season. After playing the most games (15) going into the World Cup break, Orlando City will return having played fewer games than both the Pride (will be at 16 games) and Orlando City B (will be at 19 games). MLS NEXT Pro channeled, fittingly, its inner Junior Senior and said we “won’t stop (won’t stop) won’t stop the beat” and kept playing through the break, hence OCB’s large lead in games played. The Pride returned two weeks ago, and are in the midst of a two-game week to vault them past Orlando City as well.

As of the writing of this article Orlando City had played 15 games, the Pride 14, and OCB 18, and with all teams coming back into action this felt like a good time to have a good time by talking about the most fun part of soccer — creating chances and scoring goals. Goalkeepers might disagree with that statement, but they can take inspiration by what they see when they look left and right on the goal line and pipe down.

The three charts below show every player who has scored at least one goal for any of the three Orlando teams thus far this season, using FotMob’s data for “chances created.” Chances created is FotMob’s category name for the stat also known as key passes (the MLS and MLS NEXT Pro websites track these pretty well, the NWSL’s website not so much), which are classified as the final pass that happened before a player takes a shot.

We’ll start with the Pride, using data through their game against Kansas City on July 10:

PlayerMinutesGoalsGoal ShareChances Created*
Barbra Banda1,0171257%1.59
Haley McCutcheon1,260210%1.29
Hannah Anderson545210%0.17
Marta346210%1.30
Cori Dyke1,24415%0.14
Jacquie Ovalle52015%2.25
Nicole Payne24915%0.72

*per 90 minutes

Barbra Banda’s production continues to be prodigious. She is currently the only player in league history to play more than 1,000 minutes in a season and average more than one goal per 90 minutes (1.06). Her 12 goals accounts for nearly three out of every five scored by the Pride, and she is the only player in the league with a goal share higher than 50%, which says just as much about the rest of the Pride’s offense as it does Banda. Center back Hannah Anderson ranking in a tie for second among goal scorers is also a little concerning.

On the flip side of that concern, however, is a reminder that Marta and Jacquie Ovalle have not even played a combined 900 minutes. When they play, they create shots — in particular Ovalle, who is in the top 10 in the league in chances created per 90 minutes — and Pride fans can continue to imagine what it would be like to see a front line of Banda, Ovalle, and Marta, and to see how they would all create shots and goals for one another.

Moving from one team with a dominant primary scorer to another, Orlando City is up next:

PlayerMinutesGoalsGoal ShareChances Created*
Martín Ojeda1,3131148%1.58
Griffin Dorsey95129%0.85
Marco Pašalić64229%0.70
Duncan McGuire48129%1.12
Tyrese Spicer44029%1.43
Tiago58414%0.46
Justin Ellis53414%1.69
Luis Otávio41714%0.22
Ignacio Gómez1414%0.00

*per 90 minutes

Martín Ojeda’s 48% goal share (it’s actually 47.8%, but I rounded all the goal shares to two digits, which is why that column does not appear to sum to 100%; you can breathe a sigh of relief, the math maths) ranks him just behind the 48.1% of Chicago’s Hugo Cuypers, and those two players are the only two players above 45% in MLS. Orlando City’s pattern looks remarkably similar to the Pride’s, with one player scoring most of the goals and everyone else at two or one. The arrival of Antoine Griezmann and the rumored return of Daryl Dike could, and probably should, change that, but we know that Duncan McGuire will not score any more goals for the Lions and Marco Pašalić is also rumored to be moving on as well, so it likely will be someone else who steps up.

Please someone step up.

When it comes to creating shots, Orlando City does not have a go-to player like Ovalle, but both Justin Ellis and Ojeda are in the top 40 in the league. As will be seen below, Ellis is already an elite creator when playing against players his own age, and in a decent sample of minutes, he has shown he has the talent to compete at the MLS level. The next few weeks will reveal a lot about his ability to continue to contribute, as teams have now had the chance to watch him play in MLS and will have him in their game plans once the season resumes. I think he will continue to excel, especially since in recent weeks he has had a chance to play alongside and learn from Griezmann.

Speaking of Griezmann, Orlando City’s newest Lion created 1.90 chances per 90 minutes in La Liga and 1.86 during Champions League play this past season, so I think it is a safe assumption that Griezmann will immediately create chances at a high level once the season resumes. The big question will be if someone will step up to complement Ojeda as a second scorer. Again, I beg someone to do so.

And now for OCB, a team with plenty of players who have stepped up:

PlayerMinutesGoalsGoal ShareChances Created*
Pedro Leão1,195719%1.51
Harvey Sarajian1,118514%2.01
Gustavo Caraballo895411%2.41
Justin Ellis35638%3.03
Justin Hylton39838%1.13
Matthew Belgodere84738%2.13
Issah Haruna1,17138%1.54
Bernardo Rhein1,42825%1.58
Ignacio Gómez90225%0.50
Nicolas Lasheras25913%0.35
Zakaria Taifi25413%0.35
Jacob Ramírez21813%0.83
Caleb Trombino31613%1.14
Dylan Judelson1,03013%0.61

*per 90 minutes

The Young Lions do not have a single scorer dominating the chart like the other two Orlando teams, but unlike their fellow teams, they have an abundance of players who have scored more than twice this season. Seven different players have scored three or more times and 14 players have scored at least once. As a team, OCB ranks fourth in the league in goals scored per game. No player accounts for more than 20% of the team’s goals, making OCB difficult to defend.

Another reason the Young Lions are difficult to defend is that so many players are constantly looking to set up their teammates for shots and are skilled enough to be able to do so. Four attacking players have created more than two chances per 90 minutes, including the aforementioned Ellis, during his early season games with OCB, and defender Bernardo Rhein creates more shots than almost everyone on Orlando City and the Pride.

The diversity of OCB’s attack, especially as compared to the senior Lions and the Pride, is on display in the chart below, which shows all of the players who have scored at least one goal in league play and their associated chances created per 90 minutes values. OCB’s players are in yellow, Orlando City’s in purple, and the Pride’s in light blue.

Chart showing Orlando City, Pride, and OCB players' goals scored vs. chances created per 90 minutes in league play.

It may be subjective whether you think Florida sits on the Gulf of Mexico or the Gulf of America, but there is also a gulf in Orlando and that is between Banda and Ojeda and the rest of their teammates.

Hopefully, by the time the regular seasons wrap up for all three teams, the gulf is more like a cove, or better yet a stream, as additional scorers have emerged like hot springs for the Lions and the Pride. OCB will be fine if it continues to flood the field with all of its attacking talent. It is the senior teams that need to look deep inside the well to find some additional scorers.

By this time next week, all three seasons will be going again, and with the games coming fast and furious in July and August, we will rapidly see if the second part of the season will look like more of the same, or if that World Cup break will lead to a sea change as the season continues.

Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/16/26

Orlando City wins friendly, Orlando Pride beaten at home, MLS season returns tonight, and much more.

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Image of Antoine Griezmann and Martin Ojeda celebrating a goal during Orlando City's 2-1 friendly win at FC Dallas.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

How’s it going, Mane Landers? For those of us in Florida, it looks like some storms could be heading our way this week. While that can be a bit annoying if you have outdoor plans, hopefully it will make some of this oppressive heat a bit more bearable. Both the Orlando Pride and Orlando City B are on the road on Saturday, so we may get to dodge some dreaded weather delays as well. But for now, let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Wins Friendly at FC Dallas

The Lions went to Texas for a friendly against FC Dallas and won 2-1 at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium — home of North Texas SC, FC Dallas’ MLS NEXT Pro side. Antoine Griezmann seems to be settling in nicely with the club, scoring yet again in this friendly after doing so a week ago against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Martin Ojeda also got on the scoresheet in the first half and you can check out both finishes below.

While I don’t put too much stock in friendlies, it sure does feel better to be on the winning side of them. This was the final tune-up for Orlando before the Lions hit the road for a match against the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday in their first league game since May.

Orlando Pride Shut Out At Home

The Orlando Pride hosted the Boston Legacy and weren’t able to get a result in a 1-0 loss at Inter&Co Stadium. Barbara Olivieri scored the game’s only goal in the 17th minute to give Boston the lead. Orlando had its chances to equalize but couldn’t manage to put together a finished product in the end. This was Orlando’s third loss to an expansion side this season (0-3-1) as the Pride picked up only one point out of 12 in four matches against Boston and Denver. It’s been a season of inconsistency for the Pride, but hopefully that means they’ll come back stronger in Saturday’s road match against the Utah Royals.

MLS Season Returns Tonight

MLS is back! While the Lions aren’t in action until Wednesday, the season resumes tonight with an exciting slate of games. Many eyes will be on the match between the Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps, as it could include Robert Lewandowski’s MLS debut. While it’s a brand new team and league for the forward, he’d be going up against a familiar face in former Bayern Munich teammate Thomas Muller, who has helped Vancouver climb to the top of the Western Conference. Other intriguing matchups tonight include a Canadian clash between CF Montreal and Toronto FC and a rivalry game between the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers. On Friday, Nashville will host Atlanta United before the LA Galaxy and LAFC square off in the latest edition of El Trafico.

Argentina Will Face Spain in World Cup Final

Argentina orchestrated yet another dramatic victory this World Cup, beating England 2-1 to advance to the World Cup final to face Spain. After a scoreless first half, Anthony Gordon gave England the lead in the 55th minute with his first goal of the tournament. England shifted gears and parked the bus to defend its lead, but Enzo Fernandez scored an equalizer in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martinez gave Argentina its winner in stoppage time. Lionel Messi assisted on both goals, and Argentina is now just one game away from winning its second consecutive World Cup. Sunday’s final should be a great match pitting Argentina’s potent offense up against a Spanish defense that has only conceded once all tournament.

Free Kicks

  • Former Lion Alex Freeman was noted as one of many players whose stock likely went up due to their World Cup performance. Hopefully, a solid summer translates to more playing time with Villarreal and an eventual transfer for Orlando City to benefit from due to the sell-on percentage.
  • Duncan McGuire wasted no time scoring for his new team, putting the ball in the back of the net early on in the Houston Dynamo’s 2-1 friendly win against America de Cali.
  • The Galaxy added Finnish forward Robert Taylor as a free agent, signing him to a contract through the end of the year with an option for all of 2027 as well.
  • The Philadelphia Union are reportedly finalizing the return of Kai Wagner, who only just left the Union for Birmingham City in January.
  • The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly close to signing Australian forward Luka Jovanovic, who scored 11 goals last season for Adelaide United.

🇦🇺 Sources: San Jose Earthquakes are finalizing a deal to sign Australia youth int'l forward Luka Jovanovic from Adelaide UnitedJovanovic, 21, was co-Golden Boot winner of the A-League with 11g/3a in 1,639 mins last season. Joins on a U-22 initiative deal.

Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-15T16:58:50.262Z

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/15/26

Daryl Dike’s potential return, Orlando Pride prepare for Boston, World Cup news, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Oh boy, do we have some news for you today. Between the Orlando Pride match tonight, the World Cup this afternoon, and some potential big signings, we have a lot to get to. We also want to wish a very happy birthday to Orlando City B goalkeeper Tristan Himes. Now, let’s get to the links.

The Return of Dike(?)

Forget “It’s coming home,” rather he’s coming home! Per Tom Bogert, Daryl Dike is set to return to Orlando City after his multi-year stint with West Bromwich Albion. Dike had a rough go of it in England, mainly due to injuries he sustained. I figure he just needs some Florida sunshine and the team at Orlando Health to help find the form that made him a terror to Orlando City’s opponents.

It also seems that the departure of Marco Pasalic is not a done deal. There has not been an official bid as of yet, and if Orlando City’s valuation isn’t met, then he may be staying. If he stays, he bolsters the attack. If not, well that’s what Dike is coming back to do and it would supply the Lions with plenty of coin to bolster the roster.

Orlando Pride Set for Boston Legacy

The Orlando Pride host expansion side Boston Legacy FC at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. The Pride will look to avenge a 2-1 loss earlier this season in Boston. After defeating the Kansas City Current over the weekend, Seb Hines’ squad will want to keep the home winning streak going. This may be Barbra Banda’s last match before heading out for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament later this month, so take the opportunity to head to the match if you are in the Orlando area.

World Cup News

France was unable to keep things going as Spain defeated Les Bleus 2-0 on Bastille Day. La Roja now wait to see whether Argentina or England will be the opponent in the final. As they have done so many times this World Cup, the Spanish did not allow a goal and did enough offensively to advance. Lamine Yamal earned a penalty that Mikel Oyarzabal slotted home to give Spain a lead in the 22nd minute. Pedro Porro added another in the second half and France was unable to muster any magic.

Later today, England and Argentina square off to see which team will play the Spaniards. The amount of history between these teams at World Cups is enough to make most watch the match. I think the bigger question is which team does Gianni Infantino want to win, and will we see the same shenanigans we’ve seen in previous matches featuring these two teams? Don’t worry, England. I’m sure it’ll be fine.

USMNT Reflections

There’s been a bit of space and time for all of us to process the USMNT’s performance at the World Cup and it isn’t all doom and gloom. None other than Carli Lloyd said that despite the way it ended, it was a successful outing for the U.S. Matt Freese is trying to see the positives even though he made a costly mistake that gave up a goal to Belgium. Folarin Balogun said what I was thinking in that a certain phone call about his red card did affect the USMNT’s nerves heading into the match against Belgium. Lastly, the future could be bright thanks to these five USMNT prospects.

Free Kicks

🇨🇱 Atlanta United has signed Chile int'l defedner Paulo Diaz. Versatile but likely to play center back.Joins on a free transfer after spending years at River Plate. Diaz, 31, has 56 caps for Chile.

Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-14T14:06:23.290Z

That will do it for today. Check back later for our coverage of the Orlando Pride’s match against Boston Legacy FC. You can follow The Mane Land on Bluesky for updates. Vamos Orlando!

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