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

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3 years ago

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Orlando City went on the road to take on Austin FC for the first time and ultimately walked away with a point after a 2-2 draw. Goals from Ercan Kara and Ruan gave the Lions a lead in the first half, but they were reduced to nine men and had to hold on for a result.

Despite poor officiating and missed chances, Orlando showed plenty of resilience on the road in a packed Q2 Stadium. Let’s dive into how each Lion individually performed in the draw.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — El Pulpo was able to get a tentacle to Sebastian Driussi’s penalty kick, but not enough to keep it from going in goal as he still hunts for his first penalty save of the season. His first save of the match came in the 25th minute as he snatched a header from Driussi out of the air. His other two saves in the match came from diving efforts as he denied Nick Lima from a tight angle and then made a huge stop by shifting direction to slap away a low effort from Alex Ring. There wasn’t much he could’ve done about the late equalizer as Moussa Djitte scored from the far post on a short corner kick that shouldn’t have been given. His distribution could have been a bit better as he was accurate on just 45% of his 22 passes and six of his 18 long balls, but the team wasn’t exactly trying to build out of the back while down two players and trying to hold on for a win. The Peruvian goalkeeper also did a great job managing the clock over the last 30 minutes of the match to help ensure Orlando didn’t leave Austin empty-handed.

D, Joao Moutinho, 6.5 — The left back ended up leading the Lions with six clearances as he shifted to a central position once Orlando was reduced to nine men. With Rodrigo Schlegel out of the game due to a second yellow card, Moutinho did well to fortify the defense and clear the danger. He likely would have come up with the clearance on Austin’s equalizer if not for the unfortunate deflection the ball took off of Kyle Smith’s head. Moutinho also had a tackle, an interception, and a blocked shot in the match. He could’ve been a bit more accurate as he completed a subpar 63% of his 30 passes and only two of his eight long balls found their mark. He did have a key pass though and was accurate on one of his two crosses during a night in which he wasn’t often able to surge forward and provide service.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — It’s never easy trying to defend a lead while down two players, but Jansson was a leader for Orlando’s defense. The Beefy Swede had five clearances and blocked two shots in a solid defensive effort to help Orlando get a result. He understandably didn’t have much of an impact on offense, but four of his nine long balls were accurate and he completed 69% of his 29 passes. He picked up his seventh yellow card of the season, tied for the most in MLS, for Diego Fagundez walking into him and falling over. Another strong defensive effort like last night will be needed from him next Saturday against FC Dallas.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5.5 — His night will be overshadowed by receiving two yellow cards for handballs in the span of a couple of minutes. Schlegel was booked for a handball just outside the penalty kick and then again on the ensuing free kick as part of Orlando’s wall. Referee Joe Dickerson sent him off in the 61st minute without going over to the monitor and the center back finished with four clearances and an interception. He was accurate on 89% of just 18 passes and his lone long ball found its target. Schlegel will miss Saturday’s game, giving him plenty of rest to come back stronger in league play in June.

D, Ruan, 6.5 — The right back scored his second goal of the season by pouncing on a loose ball in the box after a save from Brad Stuver. It was a nice first-time shot from the Brazilian to double Orlando’s lead in the first half. He had a chance to increase Orlando’s lead even further later in the first half on a breakaway but was offside due to a mistimed run and missed the shot regardless. It was a missed opportunity that will be looked at a little harsher considering how the game played out in the second half. Still, Ruan is showing plenty of life offensively in recent games and his speed works well with Facundo Torres to provide options during counter attacks. He didn’t have any crosses but was successful on one of his two long balls and completed 88% of his 16 passes. Defensively, he had a tackle and a clearance and was subbed out in stoppage time to kill off some of the clock and get fresher legs out there.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 4.5 — It was Araujo’s roughest performance of the season. Although he had 16 passes at a great 94% success rate, he had three unstable touches in the match and made costly mistakes. The biggest was his red card in the 69th minute as he needlessly kicked out at Ring, who milked the minimal contact as much as he could. It was a frustrating mistake from a player who’s been levelheaded in recent weeks. That wasn’t his only mistake in the match, as he whiffed on an attempt to send the ball up the field, giving Austin a counter-attacking opportunity in the first half. It wasn’t all terrible, as Araujo led the Lions with three tackles while also chipping in defensively with two interceptions and two clearances. However, his ejection while Orlando was already down a player may have been the difference between a draw and a win and he’ll miss Saturday’s game against Dallas.

MF, Andres Perea, 6 — Playing in the center of the field, Perea quietly led the Lions with four interceptions as he capitalized on the pressure created by teammates to then pick off passes. He wasn’t necessarily dynamic in the match, sending his only shot of the match off target despite a good look, but he was solid and played his part in the team’s efforts to hold on for a result. Along with those interceptions, Perea had three clearances, a tackle, and also blocked a shot. His passing could have been better, as he completed 70% of 23 passes, but that’s not horrific, and he was accurate on one of his two long balls. It was the 21-year-old’s third straight start as he continues to earn minutes in Orlando’s crowded midfield.

MF, Facundo Torres, 5.5 — Torres did well on Orlando’s second goal, sprinting down the left side of the pitch to whip in a cross that wasn’t cleared cleanly and fell to Mauricio Pereyra and then Ruan. The 22-year-old had other opportunities in the match to score, but instead laid the ball off for teammates to take the chance. It was unselfish of Torres, but he could have afforded to be a bit more ruthless, as he finished with no shots or key passes. The unsuccessful cross that led to a goal was his only one of the game and his lone long ball didn’t find its target. He completed 74% of his 19 passes and helped out defensively with two tackles and plenty of pressure before being subbed out in the 71st minute. Torres’ speed makes him an asset for Orlando’s offense, but he lacked a killer instinct that could have helped put the game away before the second half.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 — The captain’s only shot of the game was a strong effort that forced a tough save from Stuver, with Ruan putting away the ensuing rebound. The captain had a few miscues, including a great opportunity to send Kara in on goal in the first half, but was adept at delivering quick balls forward to find Lions in open space as he was accurate on five of his six long balls. Both of his crosses were unsuccessful though, and he completed 83% of his 23 passes. His night ended in the 71st minute as he exited the game along with Orlando’s other offensive players once the Lions were reduced to nine men. It will be a sore trip back to Orlando for Pereyra, who was fouled four times in the match as Austin broke up plays without being booked for it.

MF, Junior Urso, 6.5 — The Bear played out wide in this match and intercepted a bad pass from Stuver to then find Kara in front of goal for an easy assist. Urso led the Lions with five shots, putting three of them on target. He had a great chance to score in the final moments of the first half, putting a header on frame and then beating his defender to the ensuing rebound after Stuver’s save. But the shot missed the open net and soared into the Austin sky. He didn’t have any crosses and his only attempted long ball was inaccurate while he also completed 70% of his 23 passes. Urso supplied great defensive pressure throughout the match, made two tackles, and stopped Jon Gallagher in the box after Schlegel was beaten. Like Pereyra, he was fouled four times in the match and all were in Orlando’s own half.

F, Ercan Kara, 7 (MotM) — The Austrian was in the right place at the right time in front of goal after Stuver’s mistake allowed him to score in the second minute of the match. The goal was one of two shots he put on target, the other coming in the 43rd minute when he fired from distance and was stopped by a diving save from Stuver. Kara led the Lions with three key passes, creating great opportunities for Urso and Perea. He was physical throughout the match, winning two of his four aerial duels and battling to take the ball from Austin players in dangerous areas. He had 24 touches and completed all but one of his 10 passes for a 90% success rate. Kara is our Man of the Match for scoring and creating plenty of chances in a productive outing despite few crosses from the wings and being substituted in the 71st minute.

Substitutes

MF, Jake Mulraney (71’), 5.5 — The Irishman was brought on to give the Lions some fresh legs while down two players. He had a chance to shift the momentum back in Orlando’s favor as he dribbled his way through Austin’s defense, but his shot was a tough one to pull off and sent wide of goal. He didn’t see much of the ball after that, finishing with only three touches and no passes. Mulraney did have a clearance though, doing his part on the defensive end as Orlando desperately tried to hang on.

F, Tesho Akindele, (71’), 5.5 — Akindele’s role after coming on was to contest the team’s long balls and clearances heaved up the field in an effort to win the ball or at least stall Austin from pushing forward. The Canadian won two of his three aerial duels and had 11 touches while completing two of his four passes. While he did a decent job holding up play, he had an opportunity to find Ruan making an uncontested run down the field but either didn’t see him or just didn’t have a way to get him the ball as Austin players descended on him. All in all, it was a decent shift from Akindele.

D, Kyle Smith (71’), 6 — The defender came on to solidify Orlando’s defense, playing in the center of defense as Orlando gave up the wings to focus on filling open spaces in the box. The plan worked for the most part as Smith had four clearances. However, Austin’s goal came from a corner kick that should’ve been ruled a goal kick and Smith’s attempted clearance flicked the ball back to Djitte at the far post. It was unfortunate in many ways for Smith, who scored Orlando’s winner last weekend. The 30-year-old ended the game with no passes and six touches.

MF, Sebas Mendez (91’), N/A — The defensive midfielder didn’t play long enough to earn a grade as his substitution mostly helped remove some of the time left in the match. He did complete his one pass though and had just the one touch. The Ecuadorian has not started since May 7 but that may change with Cesar Araujo suspended.

D, Michael Halliday (93’), N/A — Like Mendez, Halliday was brought on late in stoppage time. The 19-year-old didn’t have much of an opportunity to make an impact with just one touch in his first appearance of the 2022 MLS season.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s controversial 2-2 draw against Austin FC. What do you think? Be sure to let us know in the comments and vote in the poll below for your Orlando City Man of the Match.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Ercan Kara14
Pedro Gallese16
Junior Urso8
Ruan3
Joao Moutinho2
Other (Let us know who in the comments)3

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/23/25

Pride fall to Racing Louisville, Seb Hines and Giles Barnes share insight on path to success in Orlando, USMNT defeats Haiti, and more.

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21 hours ago

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June 23, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy working and catching up with friends over the past week. Before we get started, let’s wish a belated happy birthday to Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter, who turned 41 on Saturday. The Pride was the lone team in action over the weekend, while the Lions and OCB were off. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Pride Fall at Racing Louisville

The Orlando Pride fell to Racing Louisville 2-0 Friday at Lynn Family Stadium. Arin Wright scored the opening goal in the first half, and former Pride midfielder Taylor Flint converted a penalty kick for Racing Louisville. The Pride struggled offensively and failed to capitalize on their scoring chances. Orlando’s struggles in Louisville continue, as the club is winless in five matches at Lynn Family Stadium. The Pride will be on a long break, and their next match will be Aug. 3, taking on the Utah Royals at Inter&Co Stadium.

Seb Hines, Giles Barnes Share Insight on Path to Success in Orlando

Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines and Assistant Coach Giles Barnes were featured in an interview in The Guardian. Both Hines and Barnes shared insight into their longtime friendship, which began with playing in English youth international camps, their different paths to playing in Major League Soccer, and how they became involved in coaching. Hines discussed his time as interim manager of the Pride in 2022 and how he brought in Barnes to help change the club’s culture. Hines and Barnes helped change the perception of the club and led the Pride to winning both the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship last season.

USMNT Defeats Haiti to Win Group D in Gold Cup

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Haiti 2-1 Sunday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, in their final match in the group stage of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. The USMNT finished atop its group with three wins and nine points. Orlando City defender Alex Freeman made his third consecutive start and played 90 minutes.

Malik Tillman scored the opening goal 10 minutes into the match to give the USMNT the early lead. Haiti tied the match not long after Tillman’s goal. In the second half, Patrick Agyemang pulled the USMNT back in front. The USMNT advances to the quarterfinals as the group winner and will play its next match Sunday against the Group A runner-up which was the late game Sunday night and had yet to conclude as of this writing.

Club World Cup Weekend Recap

Another weekend of matches from the FIFA Club World Cup is in the books. On Friday, Benfica crushed Auckland City FC 6-0, while Flamengo beat Chelsea 3-1. LAFC was eliminated from advancing to the knockout round after a 1-0 defeat to ES Tunis. Bayern Munich edged Boca Juniors 2-1. On Saturday, Borussia Dortmund defeated Mamelodi Sundowns 4-3. Inter Milan needed a late stoppage-time winning goal from Valentin Carboni to edge Urawa Red Diamonds 2-1. Fluminense beat Ulsan HD 4-2, and River Plate and Monterrey ended in a scoreless draw. On Sunday, Juventus cruised to a 4-1 win over Wydad Casablanca. Xabi Alonso secured his first win as manager of Real Madrid with a 3-1 victory against Pachuca. Red Bull Salzburg and Al-Hilal played to a scoreless draw, with Manchester City playing Al-Ain in the late match Sunday. Today’s matches feature Atletico Madrid facing Botafogo, the Seattle Sounders hosting Paris Saint-Germain, FC Porto vs. Al Ahly, and Inter Miami taking on Palmeiras.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride midfielder Ally Lemos and forward Simone Jackson have been called-up to the U-23 U.S. Women’s National Team. The U-23 camp will be led by Orlando Pride Assistant Coach Yolanda Thomas.

USL Championship side San Antonio FC has signed former Orlando City defender Abdi Salim to a 25-day contract.

San Diego Wave winger Maria Sanchez has reportedly reach an agreement to return to her former club, Tigres of Liga MX Femenil, on a four-year contract.

Paul Pogba is reportedly set to return to playing soccer and has signed a two-year contract with Ligue 1 side AS Monaco.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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Opinion

Orlando City Has Been Better than Expected Halfway Through the Season

While there was plenty to worry about at the start of the season, Orlando has had a good first half of 2025.

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4 days ago

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June 20, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

With 18 matches in the books, we’ve moved just past the halfway point of the 2025 Major League Soccer season, and based off my feelings before Orlando City played its opening game of the season, the Lions have performed above expectations so far. There were plenty of valid reasons to be concerned heading into the year. Orlando had sold its all-time leading goal scorer, and there were questions about whether he’d been adequately replaced. There were worries about depth at multiple positions, and the defense was coming off an uncharacteristically poor year. Here we are though, with the Lions sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference, just three points out of second place and seven points out of first. So how did we get to this point?

For one thing, Marco Pasalic has been much better than I (and I think a lot of other people) expected him to be. The Croatian has six goals and four assists across 18 matches, and is second on the team in both categories. He scored 10 goals in 49 appearances in the Croatian first division before coming to Orlando and was extremely one-footed, which was enough evidence to sow real doubt about whether he could adequately replace the impact of Facundo Torres.

So far, it’s mostly been so good. His direct style of play is a good complement to the styles of Martin Ojeda and Luis Muriel, and he’s largely hit the ground running in a league that can be difficult to adapt to. It hasn’t been perfect, as he’s still very one-footed, and can sometimes disappear if he’s stringently man marked, but on the whole there’s been much more good than bad.

Speaking of Ojeda and Muriel, they’ve also had strong years. Ojeda in particular has continued his great second half of the 2024 season and has nine goals and five assists in 18 games to show for it. He looks fast, confident, and decisive and is a far cry from the player who struggled frequently during his first year as a Lion. Muriel has cooled off a little after a scorching start to 2025, but he still has six goals and three assists in 18 matches. He looks vastly improved from last year, when he looked a little off the pace of play and quickly lost the starting striker role. He still has a tendency to not be as selfish as he needs to be in front of goal, but he’s been much better than 2024.

I mentioned depth being a big concern, and not just at one position. At the beginning of the season Orlando City was, and arguably still is, thin at striker, center back, defensive midfield, and fullback. Duncan McGuire was injured to start the year and is now injured again, leaving Orlando with two true strikers in Muriel and Ramiro Enrique. There was no true backup left back, only one reliable backup center back, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson starting at right back meant that defensive midfield depth consisted of rookie Joran Gerbet and the Swiss army knife that is Kyle Smith.

Things have mostly worked out though. David Brekalo has supplanted Rafael Santos, meaning the Brazilian is now a proven backup option at the position, and Smith has filled in there as well. That means that in games in which Rodrigo Schlegel or Robin Jansson are unavailable, Brekalo fills in at center back, Santos starts at left back, and Smith is the backup for both positions, so it isn’t a flawless system. Gerbet has been playing better and better and got some valuable minutes when Eduard Atuesta and Cesar Araujo were unavailable. His emergence has been a crucial piece of the puzzle this year. So too has the rise of Alex Freeman, as his locking down the right back role has allowed Thorhallsson to fill in at defensive midfield, attacking midfield, and right back. The situation isn’t perfect, as a couple untimely injuries to the wrong guys would leave the Lions looking pretty threadbare, but so far it’s just about worked.

Another big concern was the defense. The Lions conceded 50 goals in the regular season last year, which was tied for the second-most of any Eastern Conference playoff team and fourth-most of any playoff team. With no defensive signings and the aforementioned depth concerns, there were plenty of reasons to worry about Orlando’s ability to keep the ball out of the back of the net.

Things have looked much better in 2025, though. The 22 goals OCSC has conceded are the fifth-fewest in the league, and Pedro Gallese’s eight clean sheets are tied for most in the league. Aside from a few egregious defensive performances against the Philadelphia Union, Atlanta United, and the Chicago Fire, things have mostly been tidy at the back, and when they haven’t been, El Pulpo has been around to pick up the slack. Again, things haven’t been perfect, as there have been moments where individual and collective errors have hurt the team, but it’s been better.

I thought the Lions would struggle this year. Going into the start of the season, we were talking about a team that lost Torres, arguably didn’t do enough to strengthen the team across the board, was facing depth issues, and was dealing with a leaky defense — all while pretty much every other contender in the East got stronger on paper. Instead, OCSC tied a club-best unbeaten streak and is just three points out of second place.

That being said, the East is so tight that Orlando is only five points above the playoff line, and injuries to the wrong guys could easily topple the fragile ecosystem that is the depth chart, but so far things are going better than I thought they would be. There are still a lot of matches to play, but this isn’t a bad position to be in at the halfway mark.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/20/25

Orlando Pride take on Racing Louisville FC tonight, Orlando Pride players called up by Zambia, USMNT beats Saudi Arabia, and more.

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4 days ago

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June 20, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday! June continues to fly by as we enjoy the buffet of soccer here in the U.S. this month. I’ll be spending most of the weekend working, but I am hoping to get some reading done after being gifted some books for my birthday. But enough about me, let’s jump right into today’s links!

Orlando Pride Face Racing Louisville Tonight

The Orlando Pride are on the road tonight for a match against Racing Louisville FC at 8 p.m. in the final game before a league break until August. Going into the break with four straight wins would be nice for the Pride, but they’ve struggled at Lynn Family Stadium over the years. Louisville enters this match following a 4-2 loss to the league-leading Kansas City Current and has scored eight goals over the past three games. Orlando’s defense has been phenomenal this year, conceding just eight goals this season and only one during this win streak. Midfielder Cori Dyke spoke on how the team is finding its groove and shutting out opponents.

Zambia Calls Up Orlando Pride Trio

Barbra Banda, Grace Chanda, and Prisca Chilufya were all called up for Zambia’s CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations roster ahead of this summer’s tournament. Banda has eight goals this season with the Pride and had four goals at last year’s Olympics, including a hat trick against Australia. The Copper Queens claimed third place in the 2022 edition of this tournament, and they’ll need to be at their best to win this summer against tough opponents like South Africa and Nigeria. Zambia’s tournament campaign will kick off on July 5 against the host nation, Morocco.

USMNT Beats Saudi Arabia to Qualify for Quarterfinals

The United States Men’s National Team won 1-0 against Saudi Arabia to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals of this year’s Concacaf Gold Cup. After a scoreless first half, the Yanks broke through in the 63rd minute thanks to a free kick. Sebastian Berhalter served the ball on a silver platter to Chris Richards, who buried it for the crucial goal. The defense did well to secure its second shutout of the tournament, with Orlando City’s Alex Freeman starting at right back yet again. The USMNT will play Haiti on Sunday and should be able to win the group for a smoother path in the knockout stage.

FIFA Club World Cup Roundup

An MLS club finally won a game during this year’s FIFA Club World Cup, with Inter Miami beating Porto 2-1 in Atlanta. Lionel Messi scored the winner from a free kick to complete the comeback after conceding an early goal. The Seattle Sounders had a rougher day, falling 3-1 to Atletico Madrid, with Pablo Barrios scoring a brace. Former Lion Facundo Torres started for Palmeiras in the Brazilian club’s 2-0 win over Egypt’s Al Ahly.

Today’s action features more soccer at Inter&Co Stadium, with Benfica and Auckland City squaring off in the City Beautiful. Our Michael Citro will be on hand to report on it. Elsewhere in the U.S., Chelsea will take on Flamengo, LAFC will face ES Tunis, and Bayern Munich will play Boca Juniors.

Free Kicks

  • Canada Head Coach Jesse Marsch, who is already serving a suspension for misconduct during the Nations League, is under investigation by Concacaf for incidents during this Gold Cup. Reports detail that Marsch disregarded regulations and used offensive language toward match officials.
  • Kylian Mbappe was discharged from the hospital after suffering from a case of gastroenteritis. It’s unclear if or when he’ll play for Real Madrid during the Club World Cup.
  • Carlos Cuesta was hired as Parma’s next head coach after five years with Arsenal as an assistant coach. The 29-year-old becomes the second-youngest coach in Serie A history.
  • Manchester City was fined over $1 million by the English Premier League for repeated delays regarding kickoff times.

That’s all I have for you all today. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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