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Ercan Kara’s First Season at Orlando City Was Better Than You Think

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4 years ago

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Some Orlando City fans (not all, but some, and you know who you are) don’t seem happy unless there is something to complain about. That’s not unique to the OCSC fan base, nor is it confined to soccer. Sports, in general, lends itself to nitpicking by fans of even the most successful teams. No team in sport is ever going to do everything right 100% of the time. Even the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins could have been better in several areas.

One of the areas this year where Orlando fans on social media and here on this site have been critical is the team’s offense. That’s a completely fair criticism for a team that scored just 44 goals in 34 games. Only two teams in the Eastern Conference and six teams in the entire league scored fewer goals. But, just like NFL fans are quick to jump on starting quarterback play and lay far too much credit/blame at that one player’s feet, some Orlando fans have largely taken out their frustrations on the Lions’ Designated Player striker, Ercan Kara.

Blaming Kara for Orlando’s offensive struggles is completely oversimplifying a complex problem. Strikers, like quarterbacks, often get more of both the blame and the credit than they deserve.

When a soccer team’s offense isn’t scoring, the striker can be at fault if he’s missing on an unusually high number of good scoring opportunities. We saw this firsthand when Dom Dwyer fell out of form after his 13-goal 2018 season. Starting in 2019, Dwyer was visibly missing quite badly — regularly — when presented with high-percentage chances to put the ball in the back of the net. It was the most maddening case of the yips in Orlando City history. So, we know what that looks like.

What we have seen this year from Kara has looked nothing like that. He actually finishes his chances at a high rate (more on that below).

But the 26-year-old Austrian also has committed the unpardonable sin of not being Daryl Dike. The former OCSC striker was an immensely popular player among the fanbase for obvious reasons — an infectious personality, great smile, threw around center backs like they were rag dolls, had fun goal celebrations, regularly got under the opponents’ skin, and scored a lot of great goals for the team. He was a special player who could have had several monster years in Orlando, but the club did right by him in granting him his wish and selling him so he could play in Europe.

“The guy who replaces the guy” is often found wanting by fans, even if they’re very good. But if “the guy who replaces the guy” can stick around and keep producing, like Brian Johnson did in AC/DC, he can win those fans over. Kara has the talent to do that and he’s already shown his ability to do it.

Don’t believe me? OK, fine, let’s get into it.

A Ludicrous-Yet-Interesting Comparison

Let’s start off by getting really crazy and comparing Kara to the MLS Golden Boot winner, Hany Mukhtar of Nashville SC. Here’s a quick, simple, 2022 season comparison:

Kara: 48 shots, 19 shots on target (39.6%), 11 goals (22.9% shooting percentage, 57.9% on-target shooting percentage) in 1,789 minutes.

Mukhtar: 126 shots, 65 shots on target (51.6%), 23 goals (18.3%, 35.4%) in 2,835 minutes.

Kara doesn’t get quite as many of his total shot attempts on target as Mukhtar from a percentage standpoint (39.6% to Mukhtar’s 51.6%). However, if that seems like a problem, consider that Kara and Austin’s Sebastian Driussi (40.2%), the league’s Golden Boot runner-up with 22 goals, get approximately the same percentage of total shots on frame, and Kara is only a couple of percentage points behind Chicharito in that category as well. So he’s not missing the target notably more than some of the league’s other top strikers.

Kara’s data shows he has actually been a better chance finisher than Mukhtar, scoring on a higher percentage of his total shots (22.9%-18.3%) and on a much higher percentage of his shots on target (57.9%-35.4%) than the league’s goal-scoring leader.

So it’s not Kara’s ability to put the ball in the net that’s the issue, it’s volume, and it would have been interesting to see what Kara would have done had he played 11.6 more games’ worth of minutes (He played a third of an entire season less than Mukhtar! That’s 2,835 minutes compared to 1,789.) to get a more direct comparison with what Mukhtar did. Kara’s 0.55 goals per 90 minutes doesn’t seem too far below Mukhtar’s 0.73 goals per 90, although that adds up over time.

If you’re wondering if Kara is somehow not getting enough shot attempts, it can seem that way in individual games, but Kara is attempting 0.03 shots per minute on the field, not far behind Mukhtar’s 0.04 shots per minute and pretty much even with Driussi. The translation of that is that if Kara had held his shooting rate and played the same number of minutes as Mukhtar, he would have finished the year with 76 shot attempts — tied for the second-highest total in team history, trailing only Dwyer’s 2018 total of 78. That’s actually remarkable given the team’s average shot attempts per game under Oscar Pareja.

To widen the goals-per-90 comparison, Kara’s rate was better than that of Jeremy Ebobisse, Lewis Morgan, and Sebastian Ferreira, and about on par with Julian Carranza, Diego Rubio, and Brandon Vazquez. Those players each scored between 13 and 18 goals on the year. Kara’s 0.55 goals per 90 is just 0.06 less than Jesus Ferreira, who finished fourth in MLS with 18 goals.

In fact, in doing the math, if Kara maintained his goals-per-90 rate of 0.55 for an additional 11.6 games’ worth of minutes (the 1,046 fewer minutes he played than Mukhtar did), he would have completed the season with 17 goals and finished tied for eighth with Ebobisse in the Golden Boot race, just one behind Vazquez, Brenner, Chicharito, and Jesus Ferreira. Those 17 goals would have tied Larin’s club record for goals in a season.

And of the 19 players in MLS who scored more goals than Kara this season, eight of them scored at least four times from the penalty spot to Kara’s one.

If you still think Kara’s this team’s problem (and even if you don’t), read on…

Target Strikers Require Teamwork

Not all goal scorers are built the same. Some of them, like Mukhtar, Carlos Vela, Daniel Gazdag, and Raul Ruidiaz, are sort of hybrid attacking midfielders/strikers. Those like Kara are target strikers and require more help getting the ball in good position — guys like Kacper Przybylko, Kei Kamara, C.J. Sapong, and Jozy Altidore come to mind, as well as Cyle Larin in his time in Orlando. Dike is also that target-type striker but with the added ability to simply discard a defender through sheer strength to set up their own clear-cut chances.

Watching this team (not the ball, but the team, which is much easier to do in person than on TV), it’s clear that there is not nearly enough being done to get Kara the ball when he’s in a good position to receive it. Early in the year, teams simply swarmed Facundo Torres and Mauricio Pereyra, which effectively choked off the service to Kara. To combat this, Oscar Pareja dropped Pereyra deeper on the pitch to put space between his two best playmakers, and that helped somewhat. So too did the late addition of Ivan Angulo, who is enough of a playmaker on the left side to take some of the opposition’s attention away from Torres and Pereyra.

But, overall this season, there wasn’t enough in the attack from players working down the left channel (Benji Michel, Joao Moutinho, Jake Mulraney, Angulo) or nearly enough from Ruan — the de facto right wing in Orlando’s weirdly shaped attacking formation — on the other side to make teams pay for all the attention they were paying to Torres and Kara (Orlando’s goal scorers) inside. When the ball went into the wide areas, crosses were either off line, delayed in delivery to the point where the defense recovered, or never even attempted. Ruan, in particular, seemed to ignore his ability to get to the end line and often opted instead to curl back and send a slow-rolling pass to Torres at the corner of the box, which immediately put the young Uruguayan under pressure and limited his options.

Torres himself was part of the service issue by being a little too one-footed. Playing mainly on the right side, Torres was reluctant to use his quickness to get up the field and cross in with his weaker right foot. The Young DP can grow out of that by developing his weaker foot, although some players never do (looking at you, Silvester van der Water).

And without center back Robin Jansson in the lineup, there were no balls over the top to reward Kara for his efforts to widen and split opposing center backs, which is what he’s doing while most fans are watching Antonio Carlos, Rodrigo Schlegel, Moutinho, and Cesar Araujo kick the ball around the back to each other. Nashville’s Walker Zimmerman would be pinging that ball forward to pick out Mukhtar in many of those instances.

Even without much service to get him touches, in a season plagued with multiple injuries early in the year — while he was supposed to be building chemistry with his new teammates — and adjusting to a new league and culture, Kara still scored 11 goals, which was one fewer than Vela, a player most people consider pretty good at soccer. Kara played 544 fewer minutes (the equivalent of six fewer games) than the 2019 MLS MVP, and Vela had more goals from the spot.

More Perspective

Only four players who scored more goals than Kara during the 2022 MLS season played fewer minutes than Kara’s 1,789 — D.C.’s Taxi Fountas (12 in 1,469 minutes, of which four were scored in the two meetings with Orlando); Philadelphia’s Mikael Uhre (13 in 1,633); New York City FC’s Valentin Castellanos (13 in 1,463 before transferring to Girona); and Miami’s Gonzalo Higuain (16 in 1,750). So, Kara is also largely being compared by fans to players who were on the field more than he was when they point to his goal total.

By scoring 11 goals this year, Kara gave Orlando City eight consecutive seasons with a double-digit goal scorer. No Major League Soccer team had previously had a double-digit goal scorer in each of its first eight seasons until Orlando did it. Both Kara and Torres have a great shot at getting there next year to extend the streak to nine.

Criticisms of an Orlando striker are nothing new. Some people complained about Larin being “lazy” in seasons when he wasn’t getting as much service. Big strikers who aren’t producing are always accused of being lazy. It was actually that particular criticism that was lazy, not Larin’s play. Neither is Kara lazy and although he doesn’t have blazing speed, he’s got enough pace to be successful in MLS.

Kara scored a fourth of Orlando City’s total goals in 2022 and nearly another fourth was scored by Torres. The issue in Orlando isn’t that the striker isn’t scoring enough, it’s that very few others are scoring much at all (Junior Urso scored five goals, and literally no one else netted more than three), and they’re also not getting their striker the ball enough.

If You Build It, He Will Score

Mukhtar, like Dike, is a special player, and without him, Nashville would be exceedingly average. He scored 23 of his team’s 52 goals this season (44.2%). That’s a lot!

Looking at the best teams in MLS, the numbers aren’t nearly as skewed. Nashville’s scoring leader accounting for close to half of his team’s goals. However, LAFC’s leading goal scorer was Cristian Arango, with 16. That accounted for 24.2% of LAFC’s total for the season — just about what Kara provided for Orlando. Philadelphia’s Daniel Gazdag was one shy of the Golden Boot, with 22 goals. That was 30.5% of the Union’s goal-scoring in 2022. But even with scoring a slightly higher percentage of Philly’s goals than what Arango and Kara provided for LAFC and Orlando, respectively, Gazdag had teammates like Carranza (14 goals), Uhre (13), and Cory Burke (seven), and he had seven (!) goals from the penalty spot.

What the top teams have that Orlando doesn’t is goal-scoring depth — other guys who step up. And, with more players to worry about, it frees the top scorer up to…well, score. The 22-year-old Torres nearly got to double digits for Orlando City this year, but behind that the drop-off was significant. Urso scored five goals to finish third on the team, mainly by playing higher up the pitch at wing and by swapping spots with Pereyra. That’s still only one more goal than the four he provided as the late-arriving box-to-box midfielder last year. He should be a complementary piece of the offense like Alejandro Bedoya is in Philadelphia, not your team’s third-leading goal scorer.

Everyone loves Michel. He’s a Homegrown Player, a hometown kid who has come up big in some important moments for the club. He’s got a big smile, provides great energy for the team, and has an effervescent personality. Who doesn’t love a good Benji backflip or the way he uses props in his celebrations? But Michel scored a goal on opening day and then did not score again all season long in MLS play — despite appearing in almost every game (31 league appearances). It was a career low and has continued a downward trajectory in his career in terms of goals per 90 minutes.

Others who played striker this year include Tesho Akindele (three goals), Alexandre Pato (three), and a couple of late cameos by Jack Lynn (no goals).

Wing players Mulraney and Angulo combined for zero goals. The club’s DP No. 10, Pereyra, scored one time. The team’s starting fullbacks combined for four goals. Ruan and Moutinho also finished with just four combined assists — that’s 11 behind Philadelphia’s Kai Wagner alone. While there aren’t a lot of Kai Wagners out there, that is not a gap, it’s a gulf.

Soccer is a team sport. That’s never been in dispute. Yet fans still love to pile on the striker when the team has a struggling offense. Kara missed his opportunity on Sunday night in Montreal, it’s true. Kara did not miss Torres’ shot, or Carlos’, or Angulo’s. Kara did not ignore his own setups to run between the center backs. Kara did not serve poor crosses or passes into the area to himself or get those attempted key passes blocked. Kara did not build the attack behind him too slowly to take advantage of Montreal’s three-man back line. In short, yes, Kara could have given his team the lead in the first half of his first ever playoff match, but he doesn’t represent a primary reason Orlando City lost that game or the other 14 league matches the Lions dropped in 2022.

Is He the Right Fit?

It’s a fair question to ask if Kara is simply a good striker who doesn’t fit in with what Oscar Pareja wants to do with his attack. It’s possible, but Pareja has had some previous success with the similarly built Blas Perez in 2014 at FC Dallas, taking his team to the U.S. Open Cup semifinals and only heartbreakingly going out in the Western Conference semifinals against Seattle because of the the away goals tiebreaker, which is no longer a thing. Perez, who scored 11 times that year for an FC Dallas side that finished fourth in the West with 55 goals, had no drop-off from 2013. His 11 goals equaled the MLS career high he had set under previous Dallas manager Schellas Hyndman in the first year after Pareja’s arrival.

So, this type of striker can work in Pareja’s system and Kara is probably much better (and certainly much younger) than Perez was then. One key difference between the 2022 Lions and that 2014 Dallas team is that Pareja had two other double-digit scorers in 2014 — Fabian Castillo and Michel Pereira — and Akindele chipped in eight more that year. Those four players alone combined to score 39 league goals, which is just five fewer than all of Orlando City’s roster had in 2022.

None of the above means I don’t think there are flaws to Kara as a player. Virtually every MLS player has some or they’d be playing in a higher-profile league. Kara hasn’t been a particularly effective defender in the press, although Orlando doesn’t press high that often anyway. His aerial play for his height could be better. And yes, his pace isn’t what Dike’s was, although I maintain that he’s fast enough to get the job done.

How about if — and just hear me out on this — we let Kara and Torres get a second year in the United States under their belts together, get Gaston Gonzalez’s knee healthy and let him cook on the opposite side of Torres, and add some complementary pieces who can be dynamic in the buildup, but also score goals themselves and maybe draw a few more penalties? And what if the club improved its goal-scoring depth at striker this off-season?

If those things happen, it’s almost a certainty that fewer fans will be pointing the finger at Kara and can instead go back to whining about their NFL team’s quarterback.

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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 119: International Break, USWNT, Louisville Preview, and More

The Pride return from a long international break looking to get their first-ever road win against Racing Louisville.

Published

1 week ago

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April 22, 2026

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Image of Haley McCutcheon scoring the opening goal in Orlando's home playoff win over Seattle.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

It feels like months since the Orlando Pride last took the field, but the calendar says otherwise. If you believe calendars, it’s only been a little less than three weeks, but time moves strangely in the post-pandemic apocalyptic world.

Anyway, we don’t have a match to recap, so we touched on a couple of Pride players putting the ball in the net during the international break and chat a bit about the United States Women’s National Team’s three-game friendly series against Japan. Emma Hayes used a lot of players, and the team looked solid for two of the three matches, but the rotated middle game seemed a bit disjointed. Hayes has greatly expanded the player pool and will have plenty of options when the World Cup approaches.

Our mailbagbox had questions about a potential change in the NWSL schedule, as the league explores adopting the fall-to-spring slate, and opposition own goals. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

After the mailbagbox, we turned our attention toward Friday’s late afternoon tussle with Racing Louisville in Kentucky. The Pride have never won on the road against Louisville, and it’s about high time they did. This match begins a congested push to the June World Cup break, and although Friday’s hosts aren’t high in the table, the Pride must be at their best to get a road result in this fixture. We look back at the series history, compare the two sides, provide our key matchups in the game, and make our final score predictions.

If you’d like to support our independent writing and podcasting efforts, we’d love to have you as a subscriber or donor over at our Buy Me a Coffee site.

Here’s how Episode 119 went down:

0:15 – We open the show with a little banter about the Pride in the international break and the USWNT’s series vs. Japan.

9:03 – The mailbagbox features questions via both eletronic mail and social media. We welcome all modes of delivery.

19:59 – The Pride travel to Louisville to face Racing. They’ve never won in Kentucky, but we inform them how to do so.

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Orlando City

The Mane Land Roundtable: 2026 Orlando City Preseason Thoughts

The staff weighs in on the season to come in advance of Oscar Pareja’s seventh season in charge of the Lions.

Published

2 months ago

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February 20, 2026

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As we head into the 2026 MLS season this weekend, it’s time to once again get a feel for the hopes and expectations for the campaign that awaits. Orlando City enters the season with big questions about the team’s depth, especially on the back line with captain Robin Jansson out recovering from foot surgery. There’s also a big hole in the attack with an open Designated Player spot. The only group that feels more than sufficient is the central midfield.

I reached out to The Mane Land staff to find out what everyone is thinking ahead of the Lions’ 12th season in Major League Soccer. Big thanks to the entire staff for submitting their thoughts.

Orlando City had a quick exit to the 2025 playoffs. A team that was seemingly close to a title in 2024 went the wrong direction and changes were made. Aside from Alex Freeman, which was the biggest off-season loss for the Lions?

Don VanDemark: There’s no specific player leaving that is concerning. However, looking at the bench for the last preseason game, it was full of new or young names. A youth movement is afoot, for good or for ill.

David Rohe: Prior to the addition of Griffin Dorsey earlier this week, I would have said Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. After the Dorsey signing, I’m still going with Thorhallsson. Dorsey will start at right back with Zakaria Taifi as the backup. That’s all well and good, but I’d still like to have Thorhallsson’s versatility. The guy could start at right back or in the midfield and be a solid contributor. 

Ben Miller: Depth in defense. Rodrigo Schlegel, Kyle Smith, and Thorhallsson are all out the door, and while the team loaded up on defenders in the SuperDraft, there is very little depth in defense with tangible minutes at the professional level. The acquisition of Dorsey helps the right back position a lot, but things are still perilously thin at center back.

Joshua Taylor: The biggest off-season loss for the Lions is Pedro Gallese, who was the club’s primary goalkeeper for the previous six seasons. Gallese’s form had been in decline as of late, but replacing a top goalkeeper who was part of the Lions’ success and played a key role in helping Orlando make six straight playoff appearances won’t be easy. Maxime Crepeau has a tough task, but he is motivated to prove he is a top-quality goalkeeper. He will need to adapt quickly and perform well early in the season while also striving to make Canada’s World Cup squad this summer.

Marcus Mitchell: I’ll go with Cesar Araujo. While I think Braian Ojeda will do well to fill the void left, Araujo and Wilder Cartagena were a winning pair in this league back in 2024 and it’s a shame we’ll never see them together again in Orlando.

Sean Rollins: The biggest off-season loss to me is Gallese. Had the club made an upgrade by signing Carlos Coronel, that might not be the case. However, I don’t see Crepeau as that much of an upgrade. It’s especially troubling since the back line is weaker than last season. Araujo is also a big loss, but I think the return of Cartagena makes his loss less concerning than Gallese.

Matthew David: I’d have to say Thorhallsson. He was a very good right back/right wingback and brought a lot of energy and enterprise. He was only displaced by a truly exceptional athelete in Freeman and there is no shame in that.

Andrew DeSalvo: Thomas Williams was the tallest of the off-season losses, but in the spirit of the question, the biggest off-season loss was Araújo, because he was the kind of player who could have still been penciled into the lineup for easily the next five years and is only just now moving into the prime age for a central midfielder. The Uruguayan was an engine in the midfield and a pest who other teams hated to play against, and while Orlando City’s depth chart in the central midfield may be the deepest among all positions, I wish that the team had been able to get him to stay and could have looked to acquire players elsewhere on the field.

My Take: Because of the way it worked out, I think it’s Gallese. Coronel would have been a slight upgrade at this stage of Gallese’s career, but I’m not sure Crepeau is better or even if he’s as good as El Pulpo. A healthy Cartagena is a high-quality replacement for Araujo. I understand the picks for Thorhallsson the way the right back position was decimated in the off-season, but Dorsey is a good pickup at the cusp of the season.

Image of Pedro Gallese celebrating his penalty kick goal against Toluca.
You will be missed, El Pulpo.
With the season just a day away, how would you grade the Orlando City off-season?

Dave: It gets a D from me. There were certainly things that can be chalked up to bad luck or bad timing (Coronel ghosting the Lions, Freeman being sold), but that doesn’t change the fact that at least in the short term this team is worse off than the end of last season. Ricardo Moreira has a lot of make-up work to do to get a passing grade.

Ben: B. The MLS U22 Initiative signings are all promising players, and we’re probably going to find out how promising Iago is much sooner rather than later. But thus far, aside from the signings of Braian Ojeda and Dorsey, the strategy has been to go with promising players over proven ones. That’s not to say the three young Brazilians won’t turn out to be great signings, but it’s hard to grade unknown quantities highly. This grade would be lower if not for the Dorsey signing, but his arrival helps shore up a defense that’s very shaky on paper without Jansson. No experienced striker signing hurts a lot, but that’s the way it goes.

Joshua: I went with a B-. With the club reshaping the roster after a disappointing end to last season, it was tough to see Gallese, Thorhallsson, Schlegel, and Freeman leave. Still, we get some new additions like Braian Ojeda, Luis Otavio, and Iago, who should get fans excited, plus the return of veterans Martin Ojeda and captain Jansson under new contracts. My concern remains depth and experience, especially on the back line, with Jansson being sidelined due to a foot injury to start the season. The Lions conceded 51 goals in the league last season.

Marcus: I’d give it a C. The center back and striker positions remain far too shallow for my liking and the club lost versatile players like Smith and Thorhallsson, who can help solve roster problems as they pop up. The front office still made some good business decisions though, selling Luis Muriel and Schlegel while investing in young players with upside.

Sean: It’s been a disappointing off-season for Orlando City. It lost key defensive players in Freeman and Araujo on a team that was already eighth in goals conceded with 51. They also didn’t improve in the attack by bringing in a proven striker. There are now more questions than there were last year.

Matt: I’d give it a capital D!  Far too many decent quality outgoings, some young incoming question marks, and no replacement for an attacking DP they should have been planning to replace, in my opinion. Oscar Pareja has made a lot out of what he’s been given, and Orlando does have some quality guys, but the team has been punching above its budget and that’s not usually sustainable. Look to the immediate north and south; that’s what ambition looks like. I really hated saying that.

Andrew: Hopefully the grades that I issue for the season opener on Saturday night will be better than this, but I am giving the Orlando City off-season a B-. In the short term, I think the team is going to struggle, especially with preventing goals, but the Lions signed three new MLS U22 Initiative players who have potential to be solid starters, and they picked up an MLS quality defensive midfielder and right back as well, so it was not all bad. The big issue is that there was no signing who will clearly be better at his position than the player who started there in 2025, and that is not ideal considering the 2025 team finished in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and went out with a whimper in the playoffs.

Don: C+ with ability to go up — There’s a DP spot to fill, but the biggest disappointment is the lack of experienced depth. The last minute addition of Dorsey saves this off-season from being a complete question mark.

My Take: I’m going to say a C- and that’s not necessarily all Moreira’s fault. He couldn’t have predicted Coronel sneaking off to Brazil and had to spend more time finding a goalkeeper than he’d planned. The Muriel move came late in the off-season, so it was going to be tough to replace that DP slot in the time left. I also feel (though I have no proof) that probably too much time was spent trying to convince Freeman to stay, because I don’t think Smith and Thorhallsson both would have departed otherwise. Moreira also had to reload the MLS U22 Initiative slots. He had a ton to do. But what I keep coming back to is that this team seems to have less depth than last year, will rely more heavily on unproven players, and doesn’t appear to have improved at any starting position.

Image of Alex Freeman dribbling the ball against FC Cincinnati.
Alex Freeman was a unicorn the Lions just weren’t able to keep around for another year.
Which of the three Brazilian MLS U22 Initiative players will have the biggest impact on the 2026 season?

Ben: Iago. Despite a shaky outing in the final preseason game, I think he’s the one that is most ready to contribute, and with Jansson possibly on the shelf until May-ish, he’s going to have the most opportunities to contribute immediately. I think he’ll do admirably, and I see him and David Brekalo duking it out for the right to start next to the captain once he makes his return from injury.

Joshua: Tiago will have the biggest impact on Orlando this season. He is versatile and could play a key role in bolstering the attack, either on the wing or up top. He did well at Bahia last season, will be behind McGuire, and will need time to adapt his game. Still, Tiago can be a threat 1-v-1 on the attack and certainly has the potential to make an immediate impact for the Lions off the bench or step up if McGuire or Tyrese Spicer miss any time due to injuries.

Marcus: Tiago intrigues me the most. Orlando spent big to bring him in and the opportunity is there for him to get some action in this offense. Ivan Angulo struggled to score last year, there’s not much depth up top, and the offense itself can generate some great chances for a guy with his speed.

Sean: I think Tiago has the best opportunity to have the biggest impact of the three Brazilians. Iago will start until Jansson returns, but he’ll then be back on the bench. Meanwhile, the club doesn’t have a forward who has been productive recently. That’s where Tiago can make his impact.

Matt: Tough question, of course, but overall I’d have to say Tiago just based on position. The defense is likely to be leaky at least to start, so the attack may make or break Orlando until it gets more reinforcements and/or the back line gells and gets the captain back. If Tiago can blend with the rest of the attacking unit quickly, he stands to make a big difference.

Andrew: I choose the player with a name ending in iago. All right, fine, if forced to choose between Iago and Tiago, I will take Tiago, who I think is going to slot right into the minutes that used to go to Ramiro Enrique and be similarly productive. Iago is going to play a lot this year, and if he plays well, he may even push Brekalo back out to compete for the starting left back role, but I believe Tiago is going to contribute a lot to the Orlando City offense and have a slightly bigger impact on the season than Iago, and a much bigger impact than Otávio, who plays at a position that is much deeper with experienced MLS players. I am high on all three players though, and think that they will all contribute at the MLS level this season. 

Don: Iago has the most international experience and I think will come into his own once he has time with the team.

Dave: Pareja has stated that Otavio will be brought along slowly. Tiago will get minutes but will be competing against McGuire. That leaves Iago as my pick. With Jansson out, the center back will be forced to adapt quickly, and I think he will.

My Take: I’m going to say Iago, simply because I feel like the defense is razor thin. He’ll start until at least Jansson’s return, and Brekalo has sustained some knocks in his two years with the club. He’ll get the minutes to make an impact. I don’t think Otavio will. Tiago will get minutes, but I think he may need a season to get his bearings, like Enrique did (four goals in 30 games his first season in MLS).

Image of Orlando City's starting lineup prior to a preseason match vs. Colorado.
Iago and Tiago are the popular picks to make the biggest impact out of the MLS U22 Initiative signings.
How should Ricardo Moreira use the club’s open Designated Player slot?

Joshua: With the 2026 FIFA World Cup quickly approaching this summer, Moreira should use that third Designated Player spot on a forward. Orlando’s top goal scorer from last season was midfielder Martin Ojeda, with 16 goals, but finding an attacking player to help the Lions make a late push to make the MLS playoffs this season will be crucial.

Marcus: It’s a tough question. Finding a Designated Player to be a center forward is difficult and Duncan McGuire’s presence can make playing time awkward. I think you still have to roll the dice there though. The potential impact of adding a player like Kevin Denkey to the mix is just too valuable to ignore.

Sean: Designated Player spots should be in positions where they can make a big impact. I think that means Moreira should be looking for a striker. Martin Ojeda is still the team’s number 10, and there isn’t a striker who puts fear into the opponent. Someone who can score 15-20 goals would be a big addition.

Matt: Striker is the role of greatest need, in my opinion. Ideally, someone who can also act as a false 9 and No. 10 if needed. I like McGuire and hope he can stay healthy and reproduce his best days, but it’s too important to leave it at that. The other attacking roles are covered with left wing being the biggest question mark. I think Spicer has looked pretty good though, and Angulo’s speed is useful, if not his touch.

Andrew: Moreira should target an elite left wing with the third DP spot, preferably a right-footed player who can cut back inside and unleash thunder à la Marco Pašalić, but who is also comfortable as a creator and could occasionally switch with Martín Ojeda and play in a more central role. Not a major ask, just find a player who can do all of that at a high level for at least 80 minutes per game and who wants to play in MLS at this point in their career.

Don: It’s usually not efficient to use a DP slot on defense, even if that is the biggest hole on the roster. I’m going to say we need to see more of Spicer before calling left wing a weakness, so let’s go with striker.

Dave: Without question, Orlando City needs to bring in a top quality striker. This is nothing against McGuire or Thiago, but the Lions need more firepower. Designated Player slots are best used on attacking midfielders and strikers. Orlando is set at the former.

Ben: Striker. Let’s not overcomplicate things here. I like McGuire quite a lot, but he struggled with some injury issues last year, and while I think he can absolutely be a double-digit goal scorer in this league, why not have two double-digit goal scorers? High powered attackers are what help teams be successful in this league, and with Orlando competing in the U.S. Open Cup and Leagues Cup this year, the team is going to need more than just McGuire if it wants to rebound from last year, even if he gets back to scoring 10+ goals.

My Take: This team needs to take a home run swing. I could have gotten behind the Richarlison rumor, and I don’t dare dream that Robert Lewandowski was ever seriously on the table, but what Orlando really lacks is a man up top who not only scores goals in every way imaginable, but also creates them for others. It’s not easy to find the next Hany Mukhtar, Anders Dreyer, Evander, or Denis Bouanga, but that’s the job in today’s MLS. Or find the next Son Heung-min or Thomas Muller — a European star with more tread on the tires who is looking for a new challenge. This team got it done with Kaká and Nani, so there’s no reason it can’t do it again.

Martin Ojeda needs a proven goal scorer to work off of when the Lions fill the third DP slot.
What is your boldest prediction for the 2026 Lions? Make it spicy!

Marcus: Martin Ojeda will win MVP. This mostly hinges on his teammates being able to take some of the heat off of him while converting chances he creates for them, but I think it will happen so long as the Lions get more out of the left wing and bring in a quality attacker this summer. Good service by Dorsey, who had six assists with an anemic Houston offense last year, could be the key to Ojeda scoring more in 2026.

Sean: Last year, I predicted Ivan Angulo would score on a breakaway. That obviously never materialized, but I’m going to stick with him and say Angulo will become one of the top right backs in the league this year. There’s nothing to indicate that’s the case, and Pareja even said his current role is temporary. But I think the club won’t find a replacement, keep Angulo in the position, and he’ll flourish. [Editor’s note: This was turned in prior to the Dorsey signing, but we’re sticking with it because it would be tough to be bolder or spicier than this!]

Matt: Pareja has his hands full this season, but he’s a pragmatist and tends to deal with bad situations pretty well. I suspect we may see some version of ugly defensive and counterattacking football this season. Not that that’s new for this team, but I dont think it will work as well as it has in the past, given the roster turnover. Now the spicy bold part! The summer transfer sees a DP that rides into town and saves the day! I hated saying that too.

Andrew: I predict that Javier Otero will supplant Crépeau as Orlando City’s starting goalkeeper, and he will take over as the starter by the midway point of the MLS season. This may not be as spicy as any prediction involving Tyrese (Spicer, or, for that matter, Gibson), but I think it is a move that the coaching staff should make, as Otero has the ability to follow in Gallese’s gloves and be the starting goalkeeper for years to come. 

Don: Spiciest would be that Lionel Messi steps foot on the Inter&Co Stadium field this season, but I’ll go with the Orlando City player with the most goals at the end of the season is currently not on the roster.

Dave: Orlando City shocks everyone by taking both regular-season matches from Inter Miami again. Doing so makes Don Garber quit and Messi decides to retire. World peace is achieved.

Ben: Iago scores five goals as a center back, giving Orlando a true consistent aerial threat from set pieces that the club has lacked for much of its MLS existence. 

Joshua: My bold prediction is Martin Ojeda will be Orlando City’s top goal scorer again this season with 22 goals and break former Lion Cyle Larin’s single-season club scoring record in the regular season.

My Take: Moreira makes good on his “promise” to The Mane Land PawedCast and signs Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid as a Designated Player in the summer window. It’s time.

Another roundtable, another bold prediction involving Ivan Angulo.
Where will Orlando City finish in the Eastern Conference based on starting the season with the current roster?

Don: The Eastern Conference is tough. The Jansson injury will cause too many defensive lapses to let the offense carry the team alone. It will all hinge on how quickly Iago rounds into form. Playoff bound but it could be a play-in spot.

Dave: I’m going to say this roster finishes 10th, just outside of making the playoffs as it is currently constructed. Pareja will be able to have this team play better than the stats show, but unless there are changes, it’s going to be a long and difficult season.

Ben: Sixth. The acquisition of Dorsey makes me feel better about the defense, but not having Jansson for the first few months of the season, combined with very thin CB depth, hurts, as does not having any proven striker outside of McGuire. Tiago has played there during preseason, but he’s nominally a winger. Plus, plenty of other teams in the Eastern Conference got better on paper. That said, I think the roster has talent, as well as some promising pieces that could push the club higher if they hit the ground running and contribute well. At the end of the day, get another experienced center back in the door, sign a DP striker, and I think the team will climb a few additional places.  

Joshua: Orlando City will finish seventh in the Eastern Conference and make the MLS playoffs.

Marcus: I’ll be an optimist and say fourth. There are some loaded offenses and teams on the rise in the Eastern Conference but I think the Lions are flying a bit under the radar. Last year was disappointing, but Orlando was one of the best teams in the league over some stretches. Consistency will be key.

Sean: I think Orlando City will once again finish ninth. The problems the Lions had last year still exist, and they haven’t improved anywhere else. However, I don’t think any other teams have improved enough to knock them out of a wild card spot.

Matt: I’m going to go roughly middle of the table, say in the 7-10 range. You guessed it! I hated saying that three…

Andrew: Last season I was a little overzealous with my positivity, so I am going to go ahead and rein that in a little bit this year and predict that this year’s team continues its streak of making the playoffs, but finishes in sixth place and will likely not have home-field advantage at any point in the playoffs. Speaking of reins, I hope they throw them out the window when they start negotiating to sign that third DP, because if they do that, I am willing to go back to the well again and say they can compete to win the Eastern Conference. But with the current roster as is I think at best they can finish fourth and more likely will be toward the bottom of the playoff spots.

My Take: I love the optimism of my colleagues, but I don’t share it. While I’d never bet against Pareja, I don’t like the roster as it stands. Two center backs going down would be catastrophic. I’m not sure Tahir Reid-Brown is ready to step into MLS yet, so Adrian Marin seems to be the left back position group. I love the central midfield, but the attack has depth issues, it remains to be seen if Spicer can steal the left wing spot from Angulo and produce consistently, and I’m not really sure who is backing up Pasalic. McGuire must return to form, and Tiago…is he ready for this level? I think the roster as it stands looks like a ninth-place or 10th-place team in the Eastern Conference. I expect the roster to evolve though, and I’ll predict a seventh-place finish, with a ceiling of fifth.

If you made it to the end of this roundtable discussion, wow. Good job! It was a long one. But, hopefully there is a lot here to discuss.

Let us know in the comments where you agree and disagree with us, and give us your own bold predictions.

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Podcasts

PawedCast Episode 515: Orlando City Transfers, Preseason Schedule, OCB Signings, and More

We’re back to discuss Orlando City’s transfer news and rumors, OCB roster additions, and the preseason schedule.

Published

4 months ago

on

January 13, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City has gathered for preseason camp ahead of the 2026 season, and we’re still here to talk about it. How long that continues to be the case may unknown at this point, but we’re trending in the right direction, so if that continues, you’re stuck with us for a while longer.

The Lions have had various comings and goings since our last show, and we discuss the movement in and out of the roster. We thought Carlos Coronel was going to be the new Orlando City starter in goal, but he fled to Brazil, so we welcome Canadian international Maxime Crepeau to the City Beautiful. It’s not as splashy an addition, but it could be just as effective a roster move if he can regain his form from his Vancouver and LAFC days.

We also discussed the additions of Tiago, Luis Otavio, and Braian Ojeda. On the other hand, departures took place as well, such as Nico Rodriguez being loaned to Atletico Nacional and the reports that Luis Muriel may be finalizing a deal to move on. We chatted about what those moves mean in the grand scheme of things. Kyle Smith went home and we are glad he’s still playing but sad to see him in another team’s uniform.

The preseason schedule was a bit underwhelming, but we ran through it quickly.

Our mailbagbox was a little light, and it proved to us how little we know about the Polish national team. Remember, if there’s anything — and we do mean anything — you want us to address on the show, just ask us by tweeting it to us at @TheManeLand with the hashtag #AskTMLPC, or hitting us up on Bluesky Social with that same hashtag.

Finally, we talked a bit about the recent moves OCB has made, including the addition of a Brazilian striker. Former OCB forward Shak Mohammed is off to Nashville, while OCB/OCSC left wing Yutaro Tsukada showed up to preseason camp with a wedding ring. Congrats to Yutaro!

Note: we are now in our off-season podcast schedule, which is guaranteed to give you at least one episode per month but we will only be weekly if/when news warrants it. We’ll also return for at least one more show to say goodbye if things don’t work out for us to continue, but we are hoping it doesn’t come to that!

Be sure to rate and review our show wherever you get your podcasts. Remember, we’ll read any five-star reviews we get on Apple Podcasts on the next show.

If you’d like to support our independent writing and podcasting efforts, we’d love to have you as a subscriber or donor over at our Buy Me a Coffee site.

Here’s how No. 515 went down:

0:15 – An update on our staffing crisis is more hopeful than the last one, and we go through the various arrivals and departures.

30:16 – The mailbagbox seeks help for Orlando City from Poland and wants to know which position we’d least like to see the club make a Designated Player signing.

41:52 – OCB news, a new home for Shak, and Tsukada ties the knot.

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