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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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3 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City went on the road and won 2-1 against the Philadelphia Union for all three points. Both teams were without usual starters due to the international break, injury, or suspension. The Lions got off to a hot start, with Martin Ojeda and Ivan Angulo both scoring within the first 10 minutes of the game. Former Lion Andres Perea scored to bring the Union back within one, but the defense survived an onslaught of shots to win. It was Orlando’s first road win of the 2023 season and snapped the Union’s 24-game unbeaten streak at home. Here’s how each Lion individually performed in the victory.

Starters

GK, Mason Stajduhar, 6.5 — In his first appearance of the season, Stajduhar came up with five saves to ensure Orlando left Philadelphia with all three points. His first big stop of the night came in the 37th minute after a foul right outside of the box. The goalkeeper reacted well to Jack Elliott’s strike, jumping to push it just over the crossbar. The Union came out swinging at the start of the second half and Stajduhar did well to deny Joaquin Torres. But his best save came in the 75th minute, when he parried away a header from Alejandro Bedoya at point-blank range. There were a few shaky moments in the first half, as he made a meal of two long ball attempts that Philly pounced on. He dove to stop Perea’s first shot and couldn’t recover in time for him to stop the second after it hit the post. But he settled in as time went on and was accurate on seven of his 16 long balls, including the one that led to Orlando’s first goal. He had 24 passes at a 54.2% success rate, but ultimately did very well in one of the tougher stadiums to play in as a visitor.

D, Luca Petrasso, 5 — The left back had 53 touches in 79 minutes of action, but wasn’t able to make much of an impact on either side of the ball. Three of his six long balls were accurate and his lone cross didn’t find its mark, although it was a decent effort into the box. Problems arose for Orlando when Petrasso was often caught too far up the field to help defend Philadelphia’s counters. As a result, he only had two interceptions and two clearances in the match. The 22-year-old was also beaten in the air by Bedoya, allowing the Union captain to put a header on target that needed heroics from Stajduhar to keep out. Petrasso won two of his five aerial duels, had two unstable touches, and was accurate on 69.7% of his 33 passes. It wasn’t a particularly great outing from the left back, who was subbed off for Antonio Carlos late in the match.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 7 — After a rough game last weekend against Charlotte FC, Schlegel bounced back in this one. The center back led the Lions with 11 clearances, while also contributing three interceptions, two blocks, and a tackle. Schlegel won three of his five aerial duels and ended the game with a nice slide tackle to snuff out Philadelphia’s final opportunity. Schlegel had 27 passes at a 77.7% success rate and neither of his two long balls were accurate, although he did have two key passes. This was a great defensive performance from Schlegel to make life difficult for Philadelphia’s attackers. Mikael Uhre had a brace last weekend, but wasn’t able to get much going against Schlegel. Considering he’s played more MLS minutes than any other Lion, some deserved rest could be headed his way as Antonio Carlos works his way back from injury.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — The Beefy Swede was putting out fires on the left side of Orlando’s defense all night long. Jansson positioned himself when the Union went on the counter and he had three clearances and a tackle in the match. The center back made smart slide tackles and was a force in the air as well, winning all three of his aerial duels. Four of his eight long balls were accurate and he completed 79.3% of his 29 passes while contributing a key pass. Jansson also didn’t commit a foul and has not received a yellow card since the season opener.

D, Kyle Smith, 4 — With Michael Halliday away on international duty, Smith started at right back for the Lions. The veteran was bossed by his former teammate on the Union’s goal, with Perea beating him once in the air and again on the rebound off the post. Smith won three of his seven aerial duels and committed four fouls, including one from a dangerous spot in front of goal right before halftime and another that allowed a free kick from near the corner. Defensively, he contributed eight clearances, a tackle, an interception, and a block. Three of his eight long balls were accurate, but he didn’t have a cross, key pass, or shot. Smith wasn’t as sharp with the ball as he needed to be and had 47 passes at a 74.5% success rate.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 7.5 — The captain notched his first assist of the season with a perfect ball over the top for Ojeda. The ball had enough on it to get past Elliott, but was weighted enough to give Ojeda all the time in the world to pick out his shot. Pereyra helped pull the strings on the second goal as well, getting another assist for setting Ojeda up to get the ball to Angulo. He connected on three of his four long balls, was accurate on one of his two crosses, and finished with 54 passes at a strong 85.2% success rate. The Uruguayan gave the Union headaches off the ball too, leading the Lions with five tackles and blocking a shot as well. Pereyra led the Lions with 74 touches and was successful on three of his four dribbles. Although he didn’t have a shot himself, Pereyra did well to garner attention from defenders and find the open man to maintain possession.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — The Uruguayan was overshadowed by other Lions in this one, which is far from the worst thing for a defensive midfielder. Araujo quietly helped connect Orlando’s defense with its offense, completing 80.7% of his team-high 57 passes. He had nine long balls as well, although he was only accurate on three of them, and made two key passes. Araujo helped out defensively with three clearances, two interceptions, a tackle, and a block. His only weak spot in this one was when battling for balls in the air, as he only won one of his five aerial duels. Still, it was a solid performance from him and he did well working in tandem with Felipe to frustrate the Union.

MF, Felipe, 6.5 — It was Felipe’s first start of the season and he was great in the heart of the midfield. The 32-year-old led the Lions with six interceptions and recorded three tackles, two clearances, and a block. He had a key pass by setting up a shot for Ojeda and completed 77% of his 49 passes. There were a few moments of disconnect and neither his lone long ball nor his two crosses were accurate. The MLS veteran had 74 touches and won all three of his aerials. Felipe was shown a yellow card in the 20th minute, but didn’t let the caution impact his presence on defense and his experience helped the Lions see out the game.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 7.5 (MotM) — Ojeda was Orlando’s lone Designated Player on the pitch and lived up to his billing with a goal and an assist in the first 10 minutes of the match. He was patient and clinical with his strike, beating Joe Bendik for his second goal in as many games. The 24-year-old was just as composed when slipping the ball between defenders for Angulo to put away a few minutes later. Ojeda took a whopping eight shots, putting three on target, sending two off target, and having the other three blocked. He was also great when facilitating the offense, making two key passes, finding his man on four of his five long balls, and completing 79.6% of his 49 passes. Ojeda also contributed two tackles and two clearances on defense. The only blemishes on his performance were a few late opportunities to put the game to bed that he should’ve done better with. Ojeda is our Man of the Match for keeping Orlando looking dangerous from start to finish on the road.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 7 — Angulo certainly earned his first goal of the season. The Colombian winger made a good tackle to get his team started on a counter attack and then made a nice run to get past two defenders to slot his shot home. It was one of his two shots in 70 minutes of action, the other ruled off-target, although it appeared Bendik nudged it just wide of the far post after Angulo did well to beat Olivier Mbaizo with his speed. He only had 30 touches, but was a constant part of Orlando’s attack and had a key pass as well. Angulo could’ve taken better care of the ball, as he had four unstable touches and 24 passes at a 75% success rate. His only cross was unsuccessful as well. Angulo made an impact on defense too, contributing two tackles, an interception, a clearance, and a blocked shot. While he may need to work on his first touch, it was a great night from Angulo as he feasted on Philly’s defense once Pereyra and Ojeda cut it up for him.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 6 — Enrique did well holding up play and attracting attention from Philadelphia’s defenders so other Lions could work their magic. He deserved credit on the scoresheet for chesting down a long ball to set up Pereyra’s assist. Enrique is only 5-foot-7 but won five of his 10 aerial duels and did well up against one of the best center back duos in the league in Elliott and Jakob Glesnes. The statistics don’t reflect his impact on offense, as his only shot was blocked and he had no key passes. Before being subbed off in the 79th minute, he had 30 passes at a 73.3% success rate and his only long ball was inaccurate. Regardless, the 21-year-old was solid in his first trip to Subaru Park and helped out on defense with two clearances and a tackle.

Substitutes

MF, Gaston Gonzalez (70’), 5.5 — The winger had 10 touches in over 20 minutes of action and looked better than he did in previous games. Gonzalez showed off some of his strength and skill on the ball on the left side of the pitch, but wasn’t particularly dangerous. He was successful on one of his two dribbles, won one of his two aerial duels, and was inaccurate on his one cross and one long ball. He completed two of his four passes and had a clearance as well.

F, Duncan McGuire (79’), N/A — The rookie delivered a great key pass to serve the ball to Ojeda in the center of the box on a silver platter. McGuire beat Glesnes to a pass from Ojeda in the final third and then casually slipped the ball between the reigning MLS Defender of the Year’s legs for Ojeda to shoot. McGuire had seven touches, and completed three of his four passes. He only won one of his four aerial duels, but did well on offense to keep the Union on their toes while hunting for an equalizer.

D, Antonio Carlos (79’), N/A — The center back made his first appearance of the season, coming on for Petrasso to give the Lions some more height and stability in defense, and so the team could go five at the back in defense. Carlos had one interception, completed three of his five passes, was accurate on one of his two long balls, and won one of his two aerial duels. It was mostly just nice to see Carlos back on the field after missing games due to injury.

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (84’), N/A — Coming on for Pereyra late in the match, he only had four touches and completed his only pass. Thorhallsson had a chance to put the game on ice in stoppage time, but his shot went wide of goal.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando’s 2-1 road win against the Philadelphia Union. Vote for your Man of the Match in our poll and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Lion Links: 7/10/26

Duncan McGuire reportedly being traded, Orlando Pride host Kansas City tonight, Steve Cherundolo named U.S. U-23 men’s coach, and more.

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2 hours ago

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July 10, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! The Orlando Pride are in action tonight and we also have an Orlando City B game on Sunday to look forward to. It’s been a bit of a hectic week on my end, but it’s at least helped make the U.S.’s World Cup loss feel like old news. Orlando City putting the Tampa Bay Rowdies to the sword in a friendly didn’t hurt either. Let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Reportedly Trading Duncan McGuire

Forward Duncan McGuire is reportedly being traded by Orlando City to the Houston Dynamo in exchange for $1.25 million in General Allocation Money, with another $1.15 million heading Orlando’s way if performance metrics are reached per Tom Bogert of The Athletic.

🇺🇸🟠 BREAKING: The Houston Dynamo to acquire forward Duncan McGuire from Orlando City, per sources.Orlando acquires $1.25m GAM + $1.15m GAM add-ons. ORL retains sell-on clause.Houston acquires new goal scorer, will fit seamlessly in Dynamo attack. www.nytimes.com/athletic/743…

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-09T15:25:31.373Z

Selected by Orlando with the sixth overall pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft, McGuire has scored 29 goals across four seasons with the Lions. Injuries have plagued him in recent years, but let’s hope he can have a renaissance of sorts with Houston and hit those performance requirements if this move comes to pass. Orlando would be even lighter on options up top, but the money could help the club improve at a few positions.

Orlando Pride Host the Kansas City Current Tonight

Following a 2-0 loss to Angel City FC, the Orlando Pride will look to bounce back tonight when they host the Kansas City Current in the first meeting this season between the past two NWSL Shield winners. The Current are on a three-game win streak, with Michelle Cooper scoring twice in a 3-0 win over the Denver Summit last week. Temwa Chawinga also scored in that match to bring her tally to eight as she closes the distance on Pride forward Barbra Banda in the Golden Boot race. Hopefully the Pride can keep Kansas City’s offense in check and get back on track with a win at home.

Steve Cherendulo Named U.S. U-23 Men’s National Team Coach

U.S. Soccer appointed Steve Cherendulo as the head coach of the United States U-23 Men’s National Team as preparations begin for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Cherundulo is no stranger to success in the City of Angels, leading LAFC to a league title and MLS Cup victory in 2022 before winning the 2024 U.S. Open Cup as well. He represented the U.S. as a player starting at age 18 and played in three World Cups, which should be valuable experience to get these younger players ready to make an impact with the senior team. Tahir Reid-Brown, Justin Ellis, and Colin Guske are a few Orlando City players to keep an eye out for as possible Olympic roster candidates as they develop their games.

France Advances to World Cup Semifinals

France became the first team to secure its spot in the World Cup semifinals, beating Morocco 2-0. After a scoreless first half, Kylian Mbappe scored his eighth goal of the tournament to give France the lead and then provided the assist on Ousmane Dembele’s goal a few minutes later. While the offense is understandably grabbing headlines, the defense has now had a clean sheet in three straight games during this knockout phase. In the semifinals, France will take on whichever nation advances from today’s match between Spain and Belgium.

Free Kicks

  • Less than 24 hours after scoring for Orlando City in a friendly, Antoine Griezmann was in Boston for France’s World Cup match.
  • Crystal Dunn, who set records at Florida State University before her storied professional career, joined the Tallahassee Reckoning’s ownership group. The organization aims to provide more opportunities for youth soccer players and improve the pathway towards playing professionally.
  • English defender Jarell Quanash was given a two-game suspension for the serious foul play that earned him a red card against Mexico. He’ll miss Saturday’s quarterfinal against Norway and also England’s semifinal if it advances.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend. Go Pride!

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Orlando City

Running the Numbers: Orlando City’s Fastest, Fittest Players

Tracking data on Orlando City’s sprint speeds, sprints per 90 minutes, and overall distance covered per 90 minutes in 2026.

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21 hours ago

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July 9, 2026

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Image of Ivan Angulo at full sprint.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The calendar is finally showing less than two weeks until Orlando City’s next MLS game, though the team played a friendly against Tampa Bay Wednesday night and has another one scheduled against Dallas next week. When that next official game kicks off in San Jose on July 22, it will have been almost exactly two months since the Lions took the field, marking the continuation of what is an odd transition from the spring-to-fall schedule that Major League Soccer has employed since the league started in 1996.

There was a four-month break between Orlando City’s final game in 2025 and the start of the 2026 season, then three months of soccer, then this two-month break, then there will be five or possibly even six (if Orlando City can start playing defense more like lions instead of just lyin’ around) more months of soccer to close out 2026. After that, there will be a very short off-season followed by a “sprint season” from February to May in 2027, before the league moves to what I, as a former high school teacher, affectionally call the “school schedule” and start playing August to May like most of the soccer-playing world.

I miss the school schedule and two-month-long summer vacations. I digress.

The important thing to note here is that the 2026 season is going to restart soon, and then there will be a lot of MLS soccer in quick succession after that until a longer break in the summer of 2027. And speaking of quick, earlier this week I finally found some data I had long been looking for: tracking data on top sprint speed, number of sprints per 90 minutes, and total distance ran by MLS players. Sofascore started publishing this information for many top leagues in 2025, and for MLS, the outlet has the tracking information available for the 2026 season.

Unfortunately, the data display is not as simple as some other sites in terms of looking league-wide and ranking players all across the league, but it was set up to easily look at on a team-by-team basis. Sofascore did not share how it acquired this data, but presumably it either comes from the devices that you see all players wearing under their jerseys or some kind of automated tracking inside every stadium, as you could not rely on a tv broadcast to track running speed and distance traveled, considering not all players are on screen throughout the entire game.

Some context is important as well, especially for the top speed and number of sprints categories. From what I can tell, the top speed measured is a one-time top speed reached per player, which inherently gives an advantage to players who play in open spaces more often, like fullbacks, strikers, and wingers. Central defenders and midfielders certainly also have opportunities to go all out as well, but those positions do not lend themselves to as many chances for a player to get moving for the distance required to hit their top speed. As for the counts of total numbers of sprints, the site did not define what constitutes a “sprint,” but I am confident it tracked everyone in the same manner, so I think the data is unbiased by any subjective calculation.

As for the total distance ran, that is a straight-forward calculation, though it makes sense that some positions run far less distance than others. All of these distances run are exhausting to look at though. It takes most of us multiple days to accumulate as much distance covered as many players do in a single game. The “brothers” Ojeda have combined to run for nearly eight marathons worth of miles thus far this season. The only marathons happening in my house are tied to movies or TV shows.

That explanation felt more like a marathon than a sprint, so let’s get back on track (unintentional pun, I swear) and look at Orlando City’s running data for its players who have played at least 200 minutes (well, except for Colin Guske, who for some reason does not show in the database even though he has played nearly 300 minutes). We’ll skip the goalkeepers (Maxime Crépeau is faster than Javier Otero) and start with the defenders:

PlayerTop Speed (mph)# of Sprints*Total Distance Covered (miles)*
Griffin Dorsey22.323.16.6
Adrián Marín22.311.15.8
Tahir Reid-Brown21.524.76.5
Zakaria Taifi21.121.86.9
Iago21.110.85.7
David Brekalo20.812.66.2
Nolan Miller20.814.55.9
Robin Jansson19.79.15.6
  • *per 90 minutes

I was not surprised to see Griffin Dorsey near the top of these lists, but I was surprised to see Adrián Marín there, especially for the column on top speed reached. He must have really gotten moving on one run forward or, let’s be honest based on Orlando City’s defense thus far this season, a recovery run to get back on defense, because he ranks near the bottom of the group on the number of sprints per 90 minutes.

Robin Jansson, both for the position he plays and his age, unsurprisingly sits at the bottom of all three categories. All of the central defenders sit low on the number of sprints made and total distance covered, which makes sense based on how Orlando City deploys players in those positions — staying back on defense and rarely venturing up field unless it is in a dead ball situation.

The fastest defender tracked thus far this season was San Jose’s Daniel Munie, who clocked a 22.7 mph sprint, just a hare, sorry, hair, faster than Dorsey and Marín’s 22.3. San Diego’s Kieran Sargent leads all defenders by averaging 25.9 sprints per 90 minutes, but this is where Sofascore’s reporting was difficult to use. The site’s one chart with the top ranked players included every single player, meaning some players who had barely played all season were included, and their per-90-minutes values often looked out of whack compared to players who played lots of games. Sargent has only played 440 minutes thus far this season, enough that I included him as a top performer but far fewer than Orlando City’s primary defenders.

The same issue came up with total distance covered, and no defender in the site’s overall top 50 had played more than 400 minutes, so I could not find a good player comparison for a top defensive player in terms of distance covered.

On to the midfield (the positional allocations are Sofascore’s):

PlayerTop Speed (mph)# of Sprints*Total Distance Covered (miles)*
Iván Angulo22.227.36.6
Braian Ojeda21.016.06.9
Eduard Atuesta21.011.97.0
Marco Pašalić20.919.66.7
Justin Ellis20.811.76.1
Luis Otávio20.822.97.1

*per 90 minutes

The eye test has always said that Iván Angulo is not only the fastest player on Orlando City but also among the fastest in the league, but Sofascore says otherwise, as the site has him third on the team behind Dorsey and Marín and 25th overall in MLS. I’d like to see a race among the three Lions, my money is on the Colombian Lion.

Angulo may be listed as the third fastest on the team but he is the leader in sprints per 90 minutes, and his 27.3 also ranks first in the entire league among midfielders, and second overall among all qualified players (those who have played at least 400 minutes). Sporting Kansas City’s Capita boasts the fastest top speed for a midfielder at 22.4 miles per hour — slightly faster than Angulo by Sofascore’s measurements.

Orlando City’s central midfielders cover the most ground, but while Eduard Atuesta and Braian Ojeda do so without a high number of sprints, Luis Otávio plays a faster and more aggressive type of game when he is on the field. Fellow central midfielder Patrick Yazbek of Nashville is the distance covered leader for midfielders, averaging a whopping 8.0 miles per 90 minutes.

Justin Ellis is an interesting case, as he seems to be a player who is always in a good position without doing a lot of running all over the field, while moving at a cruising pace. I do not mean to burden him with a comparison to Lionel Messi, but Messi is renowned for his ability to affect games even though he tends to run the least among all players on the field (Opta ranked Messi 618th of 618 players in the World Cup group stage for distance covered). Ellis plays a similar position in a similar style, is showing advanced ability at a young age, and both players have six letters in their first name and five in their last name. I’m just saying.

We’ll close with the forwards:

PlayerTop Speed (mph)# of Sprints*Total Distance Covered (miles)*
Tyrese Spicer21.721.36.7
Duncan McGuire21.325.97.0
Martín Ojeda21.119.26.9
Tiago20.622.86.5

*per 90 minutes

Duncan McGuire definitely leaves it on the field every time he plays, ranking second on the team with nearly 26 sprints per 90 minutes, well ahead of every other player except for Angulo. Spicer’s top speed being fourth on the team is another reason that it is often better to bring him off the bench than start him, as he can come in and leave it all on the field in 30-ish minutes against players that likely have tired legs. Martín Ojeda is a workhorse, covering nearly the same distance as box-to-box midfielders Atuesta and Braian Ojeda, and Tiago makes the most of his time on the field as well, putting in nearly 23 sprints per 90 minutes — sixth on the team.

The forward group in Orlando ranks well behind the league leaders in the two categories where there were qualified forwards in the league’s top 50, as Seattle’s Osaze De Rosario is the fastest at 22.5 mph and Columbus Crew’s Wessam Abou Ali (pre-ACL injury) is the leader in sprints per 90 minutes with 33.

For those wondering about about new Lion Antoine Griezmann, Sofascore shows him matching the speed of Tiago, the number of sprints of Nolan Miller (25% more sprints per 90 minutes than Ellis may be a more useful comparison), and the total distance covered of Martín Ojeda during La Liga play this past season. I think he is going to slot in quite nicely in Orlando.

Just because a player runs fast, sprints a lot, or covers a lot of ground does not make them a good, or even useful, player. Speed and endurance are coveted in most sports, but those two alone rarely lead to wins and success. They are helpful traits, and Angulo’s speed and endurance help to partially explain why he has always been indispensable for the former and current Orlando City coaching staffs.

The second half of the race season is about to start, and we will take a look at all of these metrics at the end of the year to see if anything changed after the World Cup break. Hopefully the Lions come out of the blocks fast and run circles around their competition.

Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 7/9/26

Orlando City crushes the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Maxime Crepeau becomes an MLS All-Star, Anna Moorhouse recognized, and more.

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1 day ago

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July 9, 2026

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Image of Justin Ellis after he scored a goal against Chicago Fire II.
Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Justin Glatt

How’s it going, Mane Landers? After nearly a full month of daily World Cup soccer, it felt a bit weird not having a game to watch on Wednesday. Only eight games remain in this year’s tournament, and each one should be a doozy as some of the top nations square off. We also have plenty of Orlando soccer to get excited about as the summer rolls on. Let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Dominates Tampa Bay in Friendly

The Lions returned to action with a friendly against the Tampa Bay Rowdies and cruised to a 6-0 victory at home. It was Antoine Griezmann’s first game as a Lion and he showed Orlando supporters and Season Ticket Members what he’s capable of with a goal and an assist in the match. The team’s younger players picked up where the starters left off once subbed on in the second half, with Justin Ellis providing three assists to help pile on more goals. Friendlies should always be taken with a grain of salt, but it’s hard not to feel excited for the second half of the season. The Lions will play another friendly on the road against FC Dallas on Wednesday before league play resumes, and that match might give us a more accurate picture than Wednesday’s game.

Maxime Crepeau Named to MLS All-Star Roster

Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau was chosen to be a part of the 2026 MLS All-Star roster as a coach’s selection by Charlotte FC Head Coach Dean Smith. Crepeau started in all five of Canada’s World Cup games this summer and has recorded 63 saves as a Lion so far. While Orlando’s defense has done him few favors this season, it’s still a bit surprising to see Crepeau included, considering the Lions have conceded a league-high 44 goals this season. The All-Star Game will take place in Charlotte on July 29 and will once again pit the MLS against the top players from Liga MX.

Anna Moorhouse Nominated for Save of the Week

Orlando Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was up for NWSL Save of the Week for catching a hard shot from Jun Endo at fairly close range in the team’s 2-0 loss to Angel City FC. She ended up finishing fourth in the voting, but it’s still nice to see a Pride player recognized in at least some capacity after a rough result.

The honor ultimately went to the Houston Dash’s Jane Campbell, who made a nice diving save to deny a glancing header following a corner kick. Moorhouse and the Pride will look to turn things around in a home match against the Kansas City Current on Friday.

Gabriel Pec Transferred to Cruzeiro

The LA Galaxy have transferred Brazilian winger Gabriel Pec to Cruzeiro for a club-record transfer fee reported to be around $13.5 million. The 25-year-old joined the Galaxy prior to the 2024 season and was named MLS Newcomer of the Year that year, helping LA win the league title. He’s recorded 42 goals and 28 assists in 101 appearances with the Galaxy, and he now returns to Brazil’s top flight. Along with that hefty transfer fee, Pec’s exit notably opens up a Designated Player spot for the Galaxy as well.

Predicting the USMNT’s 2030 World Cup Roster

The United States Men’s National Team’s 2026 World Cup campaign came to a close a few days ago and the focus has now shifted on what the team will do to improve by 2030. While Mauricio Pochettino’s inclusion is arguably the biggest question mark looming over the team, Ben Wright from SixOneFive Soccer examined what the roster could look like for the next World Cup. Former Lion Alex Freeman was the youngest player on the USMNT this time around and was predicted to return in 2030, while aforementioned Orlando City forward Justin Ellis is in the mix of young attackers on the rise like Julian Hall, Zavier Gozo, and Cole Campbell. Plenty can change between now and then, and it will be interesting to see just how different the two rosters will be.

Free Kicks

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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