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

Orlando City looked to be in a good spot when Facundo Torres gave the Lions a 1-0 lead at Red Bull Arena, but New York City FC came back with two late goals to take all three points. The loss keeps the Lions tied at 45 points with the Columbus Crew and Inter Miami for the final two playoff spots with two games remaining.
Let’s take a look at how the Lions performed individually in this loss.
Starters
GK, Pedro Gallese, 5.5 — Orlando City has depended on Gallese several times this year to keep them in games. Usually he’s been solid, but Gallese didn’t have his best game today. While not bad, the team’s number one didn’t commit when coming off his line in the 66th minute, resulting in him being stuck in a tight spot. As a result, NYCFC scored the equalizer. Statistically, Gallese conceded two goals and had three saves. He completed 79% of his 19 passes, including five of his nine long balls.
D, Joao Moutinho, 5.5 — Moutinho was much better than Ruan in this game, completing 78.1% of his 41 passes, three of his six crosses, and three of his seven long balls. Defensively, he recorded two tackles, one interception, and one clearance. But in the 81st minute he got sucked up into the midfield, allowing NYCFC to get behind Orlando’s back line. It resulted in the host’s second and game-winning goal.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Schlegel had a good game, recording two tackles, one interception, a blocked shot, and a team-high six clearances. He completed 75.9% of his 29 passes but failed to complete any of his five long balls.
D, Antonio Carlos, 5 — Defensively, Carlos recorded two tackles, one interception, and had five clearances. However, in the 66th minute, Carlos whiffed on an attempted clearance. It allowed NYCFC to get behind the Lions’ back line and left Carlos out of position. Alexander Callens scored right in front of goal because Carlos wasn’t there to defend him. Going forward, Carlos completed 81.4% of his 43 passes and one of his four long balls.
D, Ruan, 4.5 — Ruan had a terrible game at right back. Defensively, he had two tackles and one clearance. He only completed 47.6% of his 21 passes, one of his two long balls, and didn’t attempt any crosses. He got one off-target shot off and was called offside once.
MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 — Pereyra has been in good form recently and had another good game in this one. The midfielder completed 85.4% of his 48 passes and had four key passes. He completed two of his five crosses, seven of his eight long balls, and took one off-target shot. Defensively, Pereyra recorded one tackle and one interception.
MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — After being out with a non-COVID related illness, Araujo rejoined the lineup and was his old self. The midfielder recorded a team-high four tackles and one interception. He completed 85% of his 40 passes and three of his five long balls. Araujo was also credited with an assist on Torres’ early second-half goal after a great long throw-in that found the head of Ercan Kara.
MF, Ivan Angulo, 5.5 — It wasn’t a bad game by Angulo, but he only had 19 touches. The attacking midfielder completed 81.8% of his 11 passes and his only cross attempt was successful. He didn’t have any key passes or shots in the game but did have one tackle.
MF, Junior Urso, 6 — Urso had a good game but it should’ve been better. He completed 87.8% of his 41 passes, though none were key passes. He drew a team-high four fouls and took two off-target shots, which he should’ve done better with. Defensively, Urso recorded one tackle and had one interception.
MF, Facundo Torres, 6.5 (MotM) — Torres had a really good game, completing 88.9% of his 36 passes, including two key passes. His three crosses were incomplete but he completed his only long ball. He took a team-high five shots with one being on target. The biggest impact by Torres was his 47th-minute goal that gave the Lions an early second half lead.
F, Ercan Kara, 6 — Kara didn’t find the target on any of his three shots, but he completed 88.9% of his nine passes, including two key passes. In the 47th minute, he flicked a long Araujo throw-in to Torres behind him, resulting in the Lions’ goal.
Substitutes
F, Benji Michel (67’), 5.5 — Michel came on in the 67th minute for Kara, right after the equalizing goal by NYCFC. He only had six touches and completed both of his passes. In the 86th minute, Moutinho found Michel on NYCFC’s half of the field and it looked like the Lions would have a chance for an equalizer, but he took a heavy touch and ended up committing a foul to end the attack.
F, Tesho Akindele (74’), 5.5 — Akindele came on for Angulo in the 74th minute. He didn’t have a big impact, only recording five touches, but completed all five of his passes, including one key pass. However, the forward didn’t get any shots off.
D, Kyle Smith (74’), 5 — Smith came on with Akindele, replacing Ruan. The defender had seven touches and completed three of his six passes. He attempted one inaccurate long ball and recorded one tackle.
MF, Jake Mulraney (85’), N/A — Mulraney came on in the 85th minute for Araujo and was virtually non-existent. The midfielder only had one touch and he lost possession with it. That was the only statistic for the substitute.
That’s how I saw the individual performances for the Lions in this disappointing loss. Let us know how you saw the game and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match below.
Polling Closed
Player | Votes |
Facundo Torres | 14 |
Mauricio Pereyra | 2 |
Cesar Araujo | 0 |
Ercan Kara | 1 |
Rodrigo Schlegel | 0 |
Other (Tell us in the comments below) | 1 |
Orlando City
Orlando City Unveils New Perfect Storm Kit Ahead of 2025 MLS Season
The Lions’ new kits are meant to represent the uniqueness and intensity of the Central Florida weather.

Orlando City unveiled the club’s new home “Perfect Storm” kit today. The new home purple kit is meant to evoke the intensity of the Central Florida weather, and features a lightning bolt (called a “thunderbolt” by the club) made out of the Orlando area code, 407, on the back of the neck and a jocktag with a doppler radar storm icon. Per the club, no two kits will have the exact same pattern.
The Perfect Storm kit will be available on MLSStore.com and on OCMobileShop.com, with pick-up at The Den at Inter&Co Stadium starting Thursday during regular business hours.
“This kit is a tribute to our fans who have supported us day in and day out, through everything, rain or shine,” said Orlando City Chief Marketing Officer Pedro Araujo in a club press release. “It is also inspired by our players’ ability to thrive in adverse weather conditions, and a reminder that Inter&Co Stadium is one of the toughest environments in Major League Soccer for visiting teams to compete in.”
The Perfect Storm Kit will be first available to fans at the club’s official jersey launch tonight at 6 p.m. at Canvas (1401 Florida Mall Ave.). Fans can purchase the new shirt and have it customized. The first 200 fans in attendance to purchase the new kit will receive an exclusive CITYiD patch
The Lions will first wear the new kit at their home opener against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, Feb. 22.
Here are some shots of the new kit:

















Lion Links
Lion Links: 2/12/25
Leagues Cup Schedule released, Sams and Moorhouse called up, Champions League results, and more.

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers! It’s new home kit reveal day, so get ready to potentially spend some money. I may end up getting one regardless of how it looks. I’ve lost some weight, and while that is good, none of my jerseys fit anymore. I hope it’s a good one.
We want to wish a very happy birthday to Orlando City B midfielder Jhon Solis. Additionally, I want to wish my son Chris a very happy birthday. Now, let’s get to the links.
Orlando City’s Leagues Cup Fixtures Revealed
The official Leagues Cup 2025 Phase One schedule dropped Tuesday, meaning we now know Orlando City’s first three matches of the competition. All three matches will be played at Inter&Co Stadium against Liga MX squads. The Lions will face Pumas UNAM in the first match on July 30, followed by Atlas FC on Aug. 2, and then Necaxa on Aug. 6. Phase One of the competition is effectively a group stage. If Orlando City can advance out of Phase One, the Lions will head to the knockout rounds.
Pride International Call Ups
The Orlando Pride’s Emily Sams and Anna Moorhouse received call-ups for the USWNT and the England Women’s National Team, respectively. USWNT Coach Emma Hayes included Sams on her 23-player roster for the 2025 SheBelieves Cup later this month. The U.S. will play matches against Japan, Australia, and Colombia.
Moorhouse was selected by Lioness coach Sarina Wiegman for the UEFA Women’s Nations League. England’s first two matches are against Portugal on Feb. 21 and against Spain on Feb. 26. After that, the competition continues in April.
MLS Transfer Round Up
With Orlando City finally signing some new players, other MLS clubs continue to make moves in the off-season. Former Orlando City midfielder Junior Urso signed with the Houston Dynamo through 2025 with an option for 2026. Houston is the Bear’s third MLS club.
French second-division side Amiens SC is in a selling mood. The club sent defender Osaze Urhoghide to FC Dallas. Minnesota United FC signed midfielder Owen Gene from Amiens SC to an MLS U22 Initiative contract.
Elsewhere, the Philadelphia Union signed Homegrown forward Eddy Davis III, and D.C. United signed midfielder Brandon Servania. Out west, the San Jose Earthquakes have signed goalkeeper Daniel to a contract extension, and Nashville SC signed midfielder Matthew Corcoran from USL Championship side Birmingham Legion FC.
Champions League Results
UEFA Champions League continued Tuesday, with Paris Saint-Germain getting things going with a 3-0 win over Brest. Ousmane Dembélé scored a brace in the match to cement the victory. Borussia Dortmund also managed a 3-0 victory over Sporting Lisbon. All three goals came in the second half, including Serhou Guirassy’s 10th in the competition to equal Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski.
Real Madrid scored two goals to come from behind and defeat Manchester City 3-2. Jude Bellingham scored the winning goal in second-half stoppage time. Weston McKennie got things going for Juventus in its 2-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven. Samuel Mbangula scored the winning goal.
Free Kicks
- Sam Kerr has been found not guilty of causing racially aggravated harassment in an incident with a Metropolitan Police officer in London on Jan. 30, 2023.
- Lucho Acosta is reportedly headed to FC Dallas. Would have been cooler if he went to Orlando City, but whatever.
- It seems that Lionel Messi will stop ducking Orlando City — at least in the preseason.
That will do it for today. Check back later today for our coverage of the new kit. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 2/11/25
Orlando City signs Eduard Atuesta, MLS news roundup, Americans in midweek action, and more.

Happy Tuesday, gang! It was a long weekend for me but an interesting one, as I attended an event at St. Louis City’s Energizer Stadium on Saturday night. It was a fun time, but personally I prefer Orlando City’s home digs. We have plenty of things to discuss this morning, so let’s get into the links.
Orlando City Signs Eduard Atuesta
Orlando City has found its replacement for the injured Wilder Cartagena, as the club announced the signing of Colombian midfielder Eduard Atuesta from Palmeiras on Monday. Atuesta’s deal runs through the end of the 2025 season and also contains a club option for 2026. While the Lions still have some depth issues that need to be addressed at various positions, Atuesta will pair alongside Cesar Araujo in midfield, and if his previous numbers in Major League Soccer are any indication, he may even provide more goal scoring and creation from the position than Cartagena usually did.
MLS News Roundup
With the start of the MLS season under two weeks away, the off-season news is still flying thick and fast. First up, the Colorado Rapids have signed midfielder Ted Ku-DiPietro from D.C. United in exchange for up to $1.4 million in cash, with United also maintaining a sell-on percentage in the player. The trade was executed using the league’s cash-based trade system, with Colorado becoming the latest team to make use of the new mechanism. Up next, San Diego FC has signed defender Willy Kumado from Lyngby Boldklub in the Danish Superliga. The right back joins on a two-year deal that also contains option years for 2027 and 2028. Finally, Tom Bogert is reporting that Joseph Paintsil is expected to be out of action for over a month after sustaining an injury to his quadriceps.
Americans in Midweek Action
As always, there are a number of Americans taking part in games during the working week, and there’s a heavy emphasis on UEFA Champions League play. Things get started later today, as Tim Weah, Weston McKennie, and Juventus face a PSV Eindhoven side that has all four of Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Sergino Dest, and Malik Tillman injured. Meanwhile, Gio Reyna, Cole Campbell, and Borussia Dortmund will travel to face Sporting CP. Wednesday has Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah traveling with AC Milan to take on Feyenoord, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic will be sorely tested at home against Bayern Munich. Thursday will wrap up European play with Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis squaring off against Gent in the Conference League.
Josh Sargent’s Opportunity
Josh Sargent had a difficult end to 2024, as he spent several months on the sideline while recovering from a groin injury that eventually required surgery. There were some natural moments of wondering what he’d be like when he made his return, but he’s hit the ground running since his first game back on Jan. 25, as he has four goals in three games for Norwich City. Not only is he getting his chance at the club level, but with Pepi and Folarin Balogun both currently injured, Sargent looks almost certain to lead the line for the United States Men’s National Team for March’s Concacaf Nations League semifinal matches. Sometimes timing is everything, and right now Sargent’s timing is pretty damn good.
Free Kicks
- Daryl Dike ticked off another box on his road to making his return from injury, as he played for West Bromwich Albion’s under-21 team on Monday.
- The Houston Dash have signed former Orlando Pride midfielder Evelina Duljan.
- USL Championship side Miami FC has signed former USMNT and D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid.
- Plymouth Argyle’s reward for beating Liverpool in the FA Cup is a trip to face Manchester City.
- Barcelona defender Mapi Leon has been accused of “violating the privacy” of Espanyol’s Daniela Caracas during Sunday’s game between the two teams.
- Finally, the U-17 U.S. Men’s National Team destroyed the Virgin Islands in group play, 22-0, as part of U-17 World Cup qualifying Monday night. The 22-goal win was the largest margin of victory ever by a U.S. team (men’s or women’s) in a qualifier. Chase Adams of Columbus Crew 2 scored 10 goals in the match. The United States will face St. Kitts & Nevis Wednesday before wrapping up Group F play Saturday against Cuba.
That does it for me this morning. Vamos Orlando!
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