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2022 Orlando City Season in Review: Ercan Kara

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Austrian striker Ercan Kara signed with Orlando City as a Designated Player on Jan. 27 to a multi-year deal and spent his first season with the Lions this past season. He replaced extremely popular MLS SuperDraft selection Daryl Dike as the club’s primary striker. It was never going to be an easy task measuring up to the imposing player who was sold to English side West Bromwich Albion last off-season and it was unfair for anyone to expect that to be the case. Our story about Kara’s signing even brashly stated in the dek that “The Lions have found their replacement for Daryl Dike.”

The 26-year-old came into a new team in a new country and began well in the preseason matches, but he sustained an injury that took away valuable time learning both his teammates’ tendencies, and Oscar Pareja’s system. He sustained a couple of other minor knocks along the way in 2022 but fought through them. He put up good numbers but, for some vocal fans, was blamed despite a dearth of service at times throughout the year.

Let’s take a look at Kara’s first season in Orlando.

Statistical Breakdown

Kara played in four of Orlando City’s six U.S. Open Cup matches (three starts), logging 323 minutes — that includes all 120 minutes against Nashville SC. He scored one goal in open play in the tournament and twice in penalty shootouts to help the Lions get past Inter Miami and Nashville, attempting eight shots with two on target. He completed 80.9% of his passing attempts with two key passes and three successful long balls. He finished the tournament with one interceptions, committing 11 fouls and drawing two, and did not receive a booking.

In the regular season, Kara appeared in 29 of Orlando City’s 34 matches (22 starts), logging 1,789 minutes. He led Orlando City in goals (11), giving the Lions a double-digit goal scorer in all of the club’s first eight seasons — something no team had previously done. He was the only Lion to reach double digit goals in the MLS regular season, firing 48 shots and getting 19 of them on target. His percentage of shot attempts that were on target (39.6%), overall shooting percentage (22.9%), and on-target finishing rate (57.9%) were all quite good. His passing rate of 68.1% could use some improvement, but he’s often receiving the ball in the most difficult areas of the pitch to complete them and early in the season he clearly wasn’t on the same page as some of his teammates (by way of comparison, Dike’s passing rate in 2020 was 71% and in 2021 it was 72.1%). Kara notched three assists on 14 key passes and completed two long balls. Defensively, he contributed 11 tackles, one interception, 21 clearances, and two blocks. He committed 31 fouls, suffered 24, and was booked twice.

Kara started and played the full 90 minutes in Orlando City’s lone playoff match this season, attempting one shot (off target), and he did not score or assist on a goal. He completed 76.9% of his 13 passing attempts but did not have a key pass, winning three aerials. He contributed one interception, committed two fouls while winning two, and was not booked.

Best Game

Kara’s best match came in Orlando City’s 2-1 win over the Houston Dynamo on June 18. The Austrian notched his first MLS brace, and while it’s true he didn’t know much about the second one, which deflected in off of him on Mauricio Pereyra’s shot, he still had a strong match overall.

In the 25th minute, Kara got on the end of a great passing sequence that included all three of Orlando City’s Designated Players, putting the final touch on it to put the Lions up 1-0.

The striker nearly doubled the lead on a free kick but forced a great diving stop by Houston goalkeeper Steve Clark. He then (officially) doubled the lead early in the second half when Pereyra’s shot deflected in off of him. Kara fired five shot attempts — tied for his second-best, single-game shot total on the season — and put a season-high four of those shots on target. He also completed 75% of his passes and contributed two tackles and a clearance. It was a strong performance in a run of them for Kara, who was in the midst of scoring five goals in a six-game span.

2022 Final Grade

The Mane Land gives Kara a composite rating of 7.5 out of 10 for his first year in MLS. This is going to seem high to those who feel like a DP striker should score 15 or more goals, but for any striker to score double-digit goals in Pareja’s system is cause for celebration if you look back at his teams historically. If you look at Kara’s numbers in his minutes played vs. other teams’ top scorers (like I did recently), his production rate stands up well. Orlando City was a team that faced some offensive challenges in many respects in 2022. Dropping Pereyra deeper in the middle of the season helped open some things up but the left side produced little threat until Ivan Angulo’s arrival and crossing in from the wide areas was an issue all year, and the loss of Robin Jansson over the season’s final months limited the opportunities for Kara to split defenders and actually receive a directly played ball. All things considered, Kara did well to put up the numbers he did.

2023 Outlook

Kara’s deal runs through 2024 and the Lions have contract option years for him in both 2025 and 2026. Kara may not have impressed some Orlando City fans, but he finished well when given opportunities and was the club’s most confident penalty taker. Kara now has a year of MLS under his belt, which is no small matter. Many players come to MLS and take a year (sometimes more) to fully acclimate to the league, the travel, playing in various climates and time zones, etc. We expect Kara to be back and to produce another double-digit goal season.


Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

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Lion Links: 2/11/25

Orlando City signs Eduard Atuesta, MLS news roundup, Americans in midweek action, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

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


That does it for me this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City Signs Colombian International Midfielder Eduard Atuesta

The Lions add a proven quality central midfielder to cover for Wilder Cartagena’s injury absence.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The Lions took a necessary roster-building step today with the acquisition of central midfielder Eduard Atuesta via transfer from Palmeiras in Brazil’s Serie A. The contract runs through 2025 with a club option for 2026. Details of the transfer were not released. Atuesta can join the Lions pending receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate. The Colombian international will wear jersey No. 20 for Orlando City.

“We’re very excited about bringing Eduard here to Orlando, as a player that is in the prime of his career, has proven himself previously here in Major League Soccer and knows our league,” Orlando City Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi said in a club press release. “He’s a great midfield talent that has the ability to organize the team throughout the game, but most importantly, he’s a title winner at each of his previous clubs. We have confidence in him and his ability to help us achieve the goals we have here at this club.”

This played out publicly as a difficult one, with Orlando City seemingly close to a deal at times, while at others there seemed to be sticking points about such details as whether it would be a sale or loan, how much (if any) of Atuesta’s salary Palmeiras would pay, and the size of the transfer fee. Orlando was limited in what it could spend due to having to fit the player under the Designated Player threshold (salary plus transfer fee amortized over the length of the contract) as all three slots are full.

“I’m very excited to be here, to join this great team and live in this beautiful city,” Atuesta said in the club’s release “I can’t wait to step out into the stadium filled with our fans, to win games and to fight for the titles that this city deserves.”

Atuesta’s arrival is expected to mitigate the loss of Wilder Cartagena to a lower leg injury that recently required surgery. Cartagena was injured in the preseason opener against Atletico Mineiro, and although the club has yet to make an official announcement about it, Cartagena shared on his Twitter account that he had surgery in late January.

Atuesta’s season in Brazil is off to a slow start, with just three appearances and 42 minutes played so far without a goal contribution. The Colombian spent the 2024 season on loan with LAFC, where he made 28 appearances (25 starts), playing 2,197 minutes, scoring four goals, and adding six assists. In five MLS seasons with LAFC dating back to 2018, Atuesta has appeared in 124 matches, starting 109 of them, and playing 9,790 minutes. He has scored 11 goals and added 29 assists, attempting 172 shots and putting 53 on target. Atuesta has passed at an 85.9% rate with 155 key passes. He has amassed 27 yellow cards and one red card in MLS play.

The 27-year-old native of Vélez, Colombia has appeared in seven MLS playoff games (four starts), playing 428 postseason minutes, providing two goals and an assist while putting three of his six shots on target and logging eight key passes.

During his time in Los Angeles, Atuesta was part of the 2019 Supporters’ Shield-winning squad and helped the club win the 2024 U.S. Open Cup.

Prior to joining LAFC, Atuesta was with Independiente Medellín, where he started his professional career in 2016. He won the 2016 Categoría Primera A title with Medellín, playing 44 matches with The Paisa Red.

Since 2022, Atuesta played 26 matches with Palmeiras, scoring one goal and helping the team win the 2022 and 2023 Brazilian championships, 2023 Supercopa do Brasil, and 2022 Recopa Sudamericana.

On the international stage, Atuesta has represented Colombia at the U-20, U-23, and senior levels, with two caps for his national team since 2022.

What It Means for Orlando City

Atuesta wasn’t the least expensive option on the market at central midfield, but this signing shows that the club is serious about avoiding a drop-off in the middle of the pitch with Cartagena sidelined. Atuesta brings more offensive capabilities with him than Cartagena or Cesar Araujo possess, and he’ll likely be deployed as the No. 8 in Oscar Pareja’s usual 4-2-3-1.

If Atuesta can find the same kind of chemistry with Araujo that Cartagena has, the Lions should see continued standout play in central midfield. The duo will be tasked with protecting the back line and goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, forcing play wide and limiting opposing shots to lower-percentage attempts. Meanwhile, his ability to pick out a key pass should improve the Orlando attack, which will be trying to fit a Marco Pašalić-shaped peg into a Facundo Torres-shaped hole and that still hasn’t found a depth forward to replace Duncan McGuire for the months he’ll miss this season.

This was a necessary move by Muzzi if the Lions are going to try to take the next step after reaching the conference final in 2024. The window may be closing on this core of Orlando City players, as several contracts are either set to expire or will require options picked up after the 2025 season among that group.

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Orlando City’s Offensive Struggles Raise Questions as Regular Season Approaches

Orlando City is once again struggling to find the net and the games that matter are quickly approaching.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The 2025 MLS regular season is drawing near, so we have a much better idea of where each team stands. Orlando City has now played four preseason games, one in front of its home fans and one in front of season ticket members only. That should provide excitement about the upcoming season, but it’s actually produced some concern.

The 2024 season saw the Lions have their best postseason run since joining MLS in 2015. They finished fourth in the Eastern Conference standings and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference final before falling 1-0 to the New York Red Bulls on home turf. The experience created a lot of optimism heading into 2025.

Unfortunately, it’s been a rough go so far. The club transferred last season’s top goal scorer — and the club’s all-time leading goal scorer — Facundo Torres to Brazilian side Palmeiras on Dec. 20. Additionally, striker Duncan McGuire is out after having shoulder surgery during the off-season and his return date is unknown.

The first preseason game against Atletico Mineiro on Jan. 25 was less than inspiring. Neither team threatened the opposition goal much in a rather boring scoreless draw and, to make matters worse, Luis Muriel appeared to pick up a knock late in the first half. Preseason had just started for both teams, so you can chalk that one up to shaking off the rust.

The Lions followed up that performance with a trip to Mexico, where they played to a scoreless draw against Canadian side Forge FC. After a third preseason game against Atlanta United in Bradenton — which actually saw a goal by Alex Freeman — the Lions returned home Saturday night to face CF Montreal with season ticket members in attendance, filling most of the seats on the lower level on the stadium’s east side.

Orlando City was unquestionably the more dangerous team during the first 90 minutes of the 120-minute contest. Joran Gerbet hit the crossbar in the first half and Freeman hit the inside of the post in the second. Additionally, the Lions sent players free on goal no less than three times in the game. However, they didn’t score until Nico Lodeiro converted a free kick in the dying seconds.

To be fair, the Lions weren’t at full strength. Neither Ramiro Enrique nor Muriel, two players who will be depended on to provide goals, played in the game. Instead, Shak Mohammed started up top and was replaced by teenager Justin Ellis in the 65th minute.

Also, it’s not as if Orlando City’s leading scorer is typically a striker.

In the team’s first 10 years of MLS action, a striker has led the Lions in scoring six times, and three of those were Cyle Larin in the first three seasons. Since he departed following 2017, strikers have only led the Lions in goals in 2018 (Dom Dwyer), 2021 (Daryl Dike), and 2023 (McGuire). The most goals in those seasons were scored by McGuire, who had 15 in 2023 in all competitions.

The big question heading into this preseason was how would the Lions replace the goals scored by Torres. The Uruguayan international was coming off the most prolific season of his career, scoring 20 goals in all competitions. It was the first time an Orlando City player reached 20 goals in a season since the club joined MLS and only the second time in club history. Previously, Kevin Molino scored 22 goals during the 2014 USL Pro season.

Orlando City fans were hoping they would have a better idea at this point about who would provide the goals. Instead, they’re left with even more questions heading into the season.

This doesn’t mean someone won’t step up. As mentioned, Enrique and Muriel didn’t play against Montreal. The club also signed Marco Pasalic as a Designed Player. The Croatian made his first appearance Saturday night. He is a player who could potentially provide the goals Orlando City so desperately needs.

There was a lot of optimism around Orlando City heading into 2025 after a successful 2024 campaign. However, while the Lions have played well defensively, they’ve struggled in the attack. There are only two more preseason games remaining and one in front of fans, although it’s outside Orlando — a rivalry game against Inter Miami CF Friday night in Tampa. That will lead into the season opener Feb. 22, when City hosts the Philadelphia Union.

The departure of Torres in December created questions about who will provide the goals. McGuire’s absence during his recovery from injury exacerbates the situation for the first few months of the season. After four preseason games, the questions still exist. It’s a concern for a team that will be expected to make another postseason run this year.

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