Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve had a very busy week, finishing my orientation and ballpark training to return to working ballgames and concerts at Wrigley Field for the Chicago Cubs. Our Lions and Pride won while OCB was off this weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Beats D.C. United at Home

Orlando City defeated D.C. United 4-1 on Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium in a dominating performance. Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda, Alex Freeman, and Marco Pasalic all scored for the Lions as they raced out to a 4-0 lead. You’ve no doubt heard this a lot since Saturday, but it was the first time in club history that all three Designated Players for Orlando scored a goal in the same match. Also, Freeman became the second-youngest player in club history to score a goal and add an assist in the same match. The youngest was Daryl Dike.

D.C. United pulled one back in stoppage time, but the Lions claimed the three points. Goalkeeper Javier Otero made his first MLS start while Pedro Gallese was away on international duty with Peru, and despite not getting a shutout, he made six saves. Orlando City will be on the road for its next match Saturday, facing the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Orlando Pride Shut Out NJ/NY Gotham FC on the Road

The Orlando Pride defeated NJ/NY Gotham FC 2-0 Sunday at Sports Illustrated Stadium to get back-to-back wins to start the season. The Pride were the fortunate recipients of an own goal from Gotham defender Lilly Reale to take an early lead in the first half. Angelina’s crafty cutback drew a penalty just before halftime, and Marta converted it from the spot to extend Orlando’s lead to two goals just before halftime. The Pride held on to earn the shutout to secure their first road win of the season. The Pride return home to Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday to take on San Diego Wave FC.

USMNT Falls to Canada in Nations League Third-Place Match

On Sunday, the U.S. Men’s National Team fell 2-1 to Canada at SoFi Stadium in the third-place match in the Concacaf Nations League. It’s the second consecutive loss for the USMNT after dropping a 1-0 decision to Panama in the semifinals last week. The Yanks finish fourth in the tournament after winning the first three editions. Canada struck first before Patrick Agyemang scored the equalizer for the USMNT just before halftime. Jonathan David scored the winning goal in the second half to seal the win for Canada. The USMNT has lost consecutive matches to Canada for the first time since 1985. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup just 14 months away, things don’t look good at the moment for the United States men. The next pair of matches are friendlies against Turkey on June 7 and Switzerland on June 10.

UEFA Nations League Quarterfinals Recap

There was plenty of drama Sunday in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Nations League. France overturned a 2-0 deficit in the first leg and defeated Croatia 5-4 on penalties after a 2-0 win in the second leg to advance. Spain also defeated the Netherlands 5-4 on penalties to advance after the second leg ended in a 3-3 draw and level 5-5 on aggregate. Germany blew a three-goal lead in the second leg against Italy to end the match in a 3-3 draw but won 5-4 on aggregate to move on to the semifinals. Portugal needed extra time against Denmark after being tied 3-3 on aggregate in the second leg. Francisco Trincao scored his second goal of the match, and Goncalo Ramos added another in extra time to help Portugal win 5-3 on aggregate after a 5-2 win in the second leg. The semifinals are set as Portugal faces Germany on June 4 while Spain takes on France on June 5.

Free Kicks

• Nottingham Forest and New Zealand striker Chris Wood scored a hat trick over the weekend in a 7-0 victory over Fiji in the OFC World Cup qualifier semifinals. Wood also received a yellow card for signing autographs and taking pictures with fans after he was subbed off.
• On Saturday, Wrexham defeated Stockport County 1-0 and moved to second place in the EFL League One table.
• Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 3-1 on Sunday, getting two late goals from Caroline Weir to secure the team’s first-ever win in the women’s Clasico. Las Blancas are four points behind Barcelona in the Liga F table.
• Juventus has fired manager Thiago Motta following back-to-back heavy defeats to Fiorentina and Atalanta in Serie A and appointed Igor Tudor as its new manager.
• FIFA has removed Liga MX side Club Leon from the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup due to an ownership rule breach, as Leon and Pachuca are both owned by Grupo Pachuca.

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

Orlando City took it to D.C. United at Inter&Co Stadium, decimating the visitors 4-1 on Saturday night. It was the Lions’ best defensive effort of the season, and the offense matched its best total to boot. All three of Orlando City’s Designated Players scored in one match for the first time in club history. I’m saying it was a good night.

Let’s look at the Lions’ individual performances to see who made the grade and who needs to step it up.

Starters

GK, Javier Otero, 6.5 — Otero may have been a bit nervous in his first MLS start, but he grew more comfortable as the match progressed. In the end he made six saves, including a very difficult diving effort in the 77th minute. There wasn’t anything Otero could do about the consolation goal Lukas MacNaughton scored in second half stoppage time. His distribution was good, and he had a 76.5% passing rate. You really can’t ask much more from a keeper in his first start.

D, Rafael Santos, 5.5 — Santos had a rough start to the match. Initially, he went too fast giving the ball away when he tried to move into the offensive half. Then he was too slow on the ball, nearly giving it away in the defensive half. He eventually settled in a little better, providing one key pass, two crosses, and a passing rate of 72.9%. Defensively, he provided three tackles and one interception. It may not have been a great night for the defender, but it was certainly better than other matches this season.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 7 — Schlegel had a productive evening for the Lions. Defensively, he contributed three tackles, one interception, one blocked shot, and a team-high 11 clearances. He passed at a 92.6% rate, completed five long balls, and drew two fouls. He didn’t play much of a role offensively, but it’s probably better that way, given how the Lions had shipped goals prior to this match. Schlegel was a “right place, right time” type of defender on the night.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — The captain was dealt a difficult hand on the night by having to deal with D.C. United’s Christian Benteke all evening. Jansson probably should have received more foul calls but referee Tori Penso wasn’t interested in calling them for the Beefy Swede. Like Schlegel, he didn’t contribute much offensively, but he passed at an 82.4% rate. Defensively, he contributed one tackle, one interception, one blocked shot, and eight clearances.

D, Alex Freeman, 7.5 — Freeman had his best night of his young career, scoring a goal and providing an assist. It was his cross to Luis Muriel in the 21st minute that gave Orlando City the first goal of the match. He did well to create some space in the box, allowing him to get his head on Martin Ojeda’s free kick to score his second goal of the season in the 50th minute. It was his only shot of the night, and his assist was his one successful cross. He recorded five clearances, drew three fouls, and completed 84.4% of his passes.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — Araujo returned to the lineup after missing Orlando City’s last match. He looked as though he hadn’t sat out a week, contributing on both sides of the pitch. Offensively, he provided one key pass, drew three fouls, and passed at a team-high 95.9% rate. Defensively, he finished with one tackle, one interception, and two clearances, and he committed three fouls. It was good to have his experience back on the pitch.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 6.5 — Atuesta quietly had another good match. He was active in both halves of the field. Offensively, he attempted one shot, made three key passes, and suffered one foul. Defensively, he contributed three tackles, one interception, and two clearances. The midfielder passed at a 90.9% rate and put in one cross. It was the type of workman effort that is becoming a regular shift from Atuesta for the Lions.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 5 — If not for his assist on Ojeda’s goal (and to a lesser extent, his secondary assist on Muriel’s opener), Angulo’s grade would be lower because of how his time on the pitch ended. When he was subbed off, the referee told him to head to the closest sideline, and he did not. Because he did not leave the pitch in the required time under new MLS substitution rules, he earned a yellow card, and it meant Dagur Dan Thorhallsson had to wait over two minutes to enter the pitch, leaving the Lions shorthanded. It was a selfish move by Angulo. He did his usual good job getting back on defense, providing three tackles and one blocked shot. On offense, he took three shots, none on target, and provided two key passes including the aforementioned assists.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 8 (MotM) — Ojeda had an excellent night, scoring a goal and providing two assists. That type of offensive production earns him our Man of the Match. His goal may have deflected off a defender’s rear end, but it still counted. His first assist came from a free kick he delivered onto the head of Alex Freeman at the back post to give Orlando City a three-goal lead. He added the second assist when he moved the ball through the middle of the field and passed to Marco Pasalic, who scored the team’s fourth goal. Offensively, Ojeda took six shots, put three on target, and stuck one in the back of the net. He drew one foul, passed at a 93.8% rate, and provided three crosses. Defensively, he contributed on tackle and one interception. He subbed off in the 83rd minute for Joran Gerbet.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 6.5 — Pasalic showed his speed and willingness to take on players during this match. Sometimes that was a good thing, like when he sped past defenders with the ball at his feet. Sometimes it was a bad thing, like when he dribbled into traffic and gave the ball away. Fortunately, he made me forget some of it with his absolute golazo in the 56th minute to give Orlando the fourth goal of the match. He completed four key passes, three crosses, and an 80.8% passing rate. Defensively, he recorded one interception and two clearances. If he made more passes like the one to Muriel in the 22nd minute, rather than dribbling into the opposition, he’d have a higher grade. He came off in the 88th minute for Duncan McGuire.

F, Luis Muriel, 7 — Muriel did well on the night, taking six shots, with three on target and one in the back of the net. He provided two key passes, one cross, and a 68.8% passing rate. Had he dialed in his shots, he may have scored a hat trick. As it was, we’ll have to be happy with his excellent header to get Orlando City started on the night. His flicked pass to Ojeda was a vital touch on the play that turned into Pasalic’s goal, giving the Colombian a secondary assist. Muriel is gaining in confidence in this league, which is a good thing for Orlando City. He came off in the 83rd minute for Ramiro Enrique.

Substitutes

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (72’), 6 — Thorhallson was subbed into the match in the 72nd minute, but Angulo took too long to come off, meaning Thorhallsson had to wait before he could actually enter the field in the 74th minute. Once on, he managed 11 touches, three tackles, one interception, one blocked shot, one clearance, and a 100% passing rate, completing all four of his passes.

F, Ramiro Enrique (83’), N/A — Enrique came on late for Muriel to see the match out. He only managed five total touches, including one pass. He contributed two clearances on defense. He might have been able to set up a McGuire goal but he opted to try to go through two defenders and had a late effort blocked.

MF, Joran Gerbet (83′), N/A — Gerbet came on at the same time as Enrique, though for Ojeda. His contributions nearly matched Enrique’s effort. He also had five total touches and one pass, but made two tackles rather than clearances.

F, Duncan McGuire (88′), N/A — McGuire only managed two touches in his limited time on the pitch. One of those touches was his one pass, which he completed.

D, Gustavo Caraballo (88′), N/A — Orlando City’s youngest player came on in the waning minutes for Santos but managed to have a bigger impact as a defender than many of the other substitutes. He had 11 touches, managed an 85.7% passing rate on seven passes, and made one tackle.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s decisive win over D.C. United. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

Following back-to-back road matches, Orlando City got back to winning ways in entertaining fashion on Saturday night, as the Lions cruised to a 4-1 win over D.C. United at Inter&Co Stadium. It was a match that had plenty of things to dissect, and what follows are my five main thoughts from an exciting contest.

Lions Start Well

While D.C. created the game’s first shot (which was saved and held well by Javier Otero), Orlando carried the greater threat during the opening minutes of the game. The Lions repeatedly tested D.C.’s high line, and while they couldn’t quite beat the offside trap, there were plenty of warning bells if you knew where to look. Luis Muriel couldn’t put away a chance from a cross, Ivan Angulo curled a shot just wide, and OCSC was knocking firmly on the door. Coming out of the gate hot doesn’t always lead to grabbing the opening goal, but it’s just so helpful to dictate the game at home, and Orlando did that very well in this game.

Designated Player Delight

The big story of this match was Orlando’s Designated Players. For the first time in club history, all three DPs got on the scoresheet in the same game, and they each posed plenty of problems for D.C. in different ways. Muriel displayed his knack for hold-up play and his range of dribbling and passing, Marco Pasalic repeatedly sought to take players on, and Martin Ojeda pulled the strings in the middle of the field while drifting around and finding dangerous pockets of space. Then you have Muriel’s well-taken header, a goal and twp assists for Ojeda, and Pasalic’s absolute howitzer at the end of a counterattack that saw all three men combine to create the goal. It’s exactly the kind of production the Lions need from their big money men, and it was wonderful to see.

Freeman Keeps Rolling

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also take the time to wax lyrical about Alex Freeman. The right back position seems to be firmly his to lose, and with good reason. He got forward to great effect during this game and was constantly a dangerous outlet on the right side of Orlando’s formation. His cross for the opening goal was beautiful, and he used his height to great effect to score his second goal of the young season. There will likely still be some growing pains this season as he adjusts to playing in the top flight for the first time, but week after week he just keeps showing that he belongs, while giving Oscar Pareja no choice but to start him.

Untaken Chances Don’t Matter

As strange as it seems to gripe about missed opportunities when the team you support scores four goals, I’m going to spend a little time doing just that. OCSC easily could, and probably should have scored six or seven goals on the night, and if the Lions’ finishing had been a little crisper they probably would have. It didn’t end up mattering of course, but Muriel, Ojeda, and Angulo all spurned at least one very good chance. Muriel looked excellent while continuing a strong start to the year, but he easily could have had the first hat trick in club history. I’m not complaining, as the team still turned in a great performance overall, but you know what’s even more fun than scoring four goals? Scoring seven goals. Maybe another time.

An Improved Defensive Outing

One of the best things on display tonight, was an improved defensive performance. It wasn’t perfect, as the team failed to keep a clean sheet and benefitted from a few fortunate bounces that took the sting out of what would have been some tricky shots, but it was the first game this year that the Lions have given up fewer than two goals. A clean sheet obviously would have been phenomenal, but if nothing else, it was nice to not see D.C. creating the kind of clear-cut chances that past opponents had been torturing OCSC with. There’s definitely still work to do, but the back line largely did a good job of marshalling the D.C. attack and snuffing things out before they got too dangerous. It was definitely a performance that can be built on, and hopefully that’s exactly what happens. Additionally, let’s give a shoutout to Otero for picking up the win in his first MLS start.

That’s what stood out to me from a wildly entertaining win over D.C. United. Can we play them at home every week? Be sure to let us know what you thought about this match down in the comments. Vamos Orlando!