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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Minnesota United FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions grade out in a come from behind road victory?

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2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After a two-week hiatus, Orlando City traveled north for what could be considered a frigid clash on the pitch against Minnesota Untied. What started as an uneventful match ended in a flurry of goals during the last half hour and ultimately led to Orlando City returning to the City Beautiful with three much-needed points from a 2-1 road win. Here is how we saw OCSC’s performances in Saturday’s road victory at Minnesota.

GK, Pedro Gallese, 7 – El Pulpo did well for a significant portion of the match to keep the game level. Gallese faced 17 shots, with four of them on target. He recorded three saves in the game and the lone goal that Minnesota scored was so clinical and well placed that he had no shot at getting a body part on the ball. His best save of the game came in the 85th minute of the match, when he used his core to block a shot attempt from point blank range from Fanco Fragapane. With an expected goals against of 2.34, holding Minnesota to one is an accomplishment, although some of that was a lack of ruthlessness by the hosts. Gallese completed 70% of his passes and five of 11 long balls.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 – The new father joined forces with fellow center backs Jansson and Carlos on the back line for Orlando City during the away match, logging a full 90 minutes. Out of the back, Schlegel passed at an 81.1% clip including one accurate long ball on four attempts. He committed two fouls on the night and recorded four successful tackles and five clearances. He was partly responsible on Minnesota’s goal, watching Robin Lod, while Hassani Dotson cut in behind him to take the pass and pull Orlando’s defense out of shape. Dotson took Lod’s pass and was able to send in the dangerous pass across the box for the Loons’ goal.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 – Jansson went the full 90 minutes and completed 86.8% of his passes on the night, including two successful long ball passes, albeit on eight attempts. Jansson recorded one interception and no successful duels, with four clearances and one blocked shot. His error while marking Mender Garcia on a long ball early in the match gave Minnesota a golden opportunity to open the scoring, but Bongokuhle Hlongwane muffed his chance. He was also unable to prevent the cross that led to the Loons’ easy goal in the second half as he tried to cover for Schlegel.

D, Antonio Carlos, 6.5 – A welcome sign for Orlando City fans everywhere, not only was AC back in the starting lineup for the first time this season, but he also went the full 90 minutes. Carlos completed 85.2% of his passes on the night and logged an impressive seven successful long balls in the match on nine attempts. AC also logged two interceptions, two clearances, two blocked shots, and two aerials won. He attempted one shot at the other end. Perhaps his biggest contribution was an excellent switch of play to Gaston Gonzalez that started the sequence on the equalizing goal.

MF, Gaston Gonzalez, 6 – Gonzalez drew the start on the left side for this match. His long crossing pass to Ivan Angulo was responsible for Orlando City’s equalizer, but he struggled at times to free himself up for clean crosses and sent several into the shins of Minnesota fullback DJ Taylor. Gonzalez completed 77.4% of his passes but was dispossessed twice and led the team with four unstable touches. He only completed one successful dribble but won two corners for Orlando City. If Gonzalez is going to be in the starting XI, City will need the winger to be more technical and decisive on the field in the attacking half, but he at least acquitted himself well overall on the defensive end with two tackles, an interception, three clearances, and one blocked shot.

MF, Maurico Pererya, 6.5 – The captain saw the field for the first 87 minutes of the match before eventually being subbed off for Dagur Dan Thorhallsson right before Orlando City scored the go-ahead goal. He completed 83.6% of his passes, was credited with one shot — which was blocked — and committed one foul while drawing two. Pereyra was also credited with an assist, his third of the year, as he had the secondary pass on Angulo’s goal. He had no key passes but two dribbles on the night. Defensively he recorded three tackles, an interception, a clearance, and one aerial won.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 – Araujo put in the type of blue collar effort that Orlando City fans have come to know and expect from the defensive midfielder. A steady force in the midfield is important for a team that tends to build out of the back, and Araujo passed at an 87.7% clip on the night and completed four of his six long balls. Additionally, Araujo drew six fouls while only committing one. He logged two successful tackles and an interception. He has shown time and again that his motor never stops and while the end product is not always sexy or flashy, it is exactly the steadying force that Orlando needs.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 7 (MotM) — Angulo’s growth and development on the year so far was put on display from the opening whistle of the match. When acquired last year, fans came to know Angulo for his speed and desire to take multiple players off the dribble. Playing as a wingback, Angulo had a mixed defensive performance, snuffing out multiple attacks but also getting bested by Hlongwane multiple times down his side of the pitch. One of those nearly resulted in a Lod goal but the Finnish winger got under his shot. After being beaten by Hlongwane on a back-post run in the 58th minute, Angulo switched into a different gear and in the 66th minute slotted home a beautiful shot on a cross from Gonzalez to draw the club level. In the 88th minute, from almost the exact same location, he took a cross from Facundo Torres and found himself 1-v-1 with Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair. This time, instead of smashing a rocket blast, Angulo tried to chip the keeper for what looked to be his second goal of the night. The ball instead clanked off the crossbar, but fell to the head of Duncan McGuire for the go-ahead goal. Angulo passed at 72.7% rate with one key pass and one successful cross on two attempts. He attempted two shots, getting one on target. Defensively, Angulo recorded two tackles and two clearances.

MF, Facundo Torres, 5.5 — Orlando City needs Torres to find his way on the field, as he was invisible throughout most of the match. Going the full 90 for OCSC, Torres passed at 78.4% accuracy, went 0-for-2 on crossing accuracy, 2-for-2 on long-ball accuracy, and created one chance with a key pass. The Uruguayan Young Designated Player recorded only one shot which was well off target. He chipped in defensively with four tackles and a clearance, committing one foul without drawing any, and he was dispossessed once and had two unstable touches. Defenders are ready for Torres’ favorite move, his cut back to the middle of the field, and are taking that motion away from him outside of the box. As the Lions head into the dog days of summer, they desperately need Torres to find his goal-creating form. He helped set one up Saturday in Minnesota, but only because his cross for McGuire was a bit too high.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6.5 — Ojeda logged two shots on the night, one which was blocked and the other off target. He completed a solid 81.5% of his passes and was part of the buildup on the equalizing goal, dropping a layoff for Pereyra to send Gonzalez down the left flank. Ojeda led the Lions with four key passes, and was accurate on three of five cross attempts and one of his two long balls. He was dispossessed once and had three unstable touches. Defensively, he recorded one tackle, one interception, and two clearances on the night. Once Orlando City equalized, Ojeda was subbed off for Felipe in a more defensive-minded move aimed at coming home with at least a point.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 6 — Enrique was given the start up top once again and tried to use his speed and positioning to track down balls and hold up play. He took a team-high three shots but none were on target, having one of them blocked. He scompleted 78.3% of his 23 passes while drawing one foul and committing one as well. He also logged three tackles and a clearance on the defensive end and won four aerials. Enrique was subbed off in the 75th minute for McGuire.

Substitutes

MF, Felipe (70′), 6.5 — Felipe came on for Ojeda in the 70th minute to provide an additional defensive presence in the midfield. In his 20 minutes of game time, Felipe completed 91.7% of his passes, including a ridiculous through ball that the attack should have done more with. Defensively, he contributed a clearance in the game’s late stages.

F, Duncan McGuire (75′), 7 — Orlando runs on Duncan. The MLS Super Draft pick subbed on in the 75th minute for Enrique and once again made his presence known with his smart positioning and his late go-ahead header. One of his more mature moments came in stoppage time, when he found himself 1-v-1 in the penalty area with defender Michael Boxall. Rather than trying to ice the match and potentially giving up possession, the rookie calmly took the ball to the corner and burned up a few more valuable seconds.

D, Luca Petrasso (86′), N/A — Petrasso came on in the 86th minute as an additional defensive substitute to spell Gonzalez and ensure that Orlando would not concede a second goal on the road. He did better than that, working a nifty play up the left sideline with Thorhallsson that broke Minnesota’s pressure and eventually led to the game-winning goal. He completed three of his four passing attempts and only touched the ball those four times.

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (87′), N/A — Thorhallsson was a late sub replacing the captain in the 87th minute. He completed 63% of his six passes on eight touches and successfully completed one dribble. He and Petrasso worked their play along the sideline to perfection and unleashed Torres down the left flank on the game-winning play.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in the come from behind road victory over Minnesota United FC. Let me know how you saw things in the comments, and be sure to vote in the Man of the Match poll below.

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Orlando City

Orlando City Striker Duncan McGuire Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

It’s the other shoulder this time, but Big Dunc is on the shelf for awhile again after undergoing surgery.

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2 days ago

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June 6, 2025

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City announced today that Duncan McGuire has undergone arthroscopic surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder. The surgery was performed by Orlando City Chief Medical Officer Dr. Craig Mintzer of the Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute performed the surgery. Mintzer previously repaired the labrum and rotator cuff in McGuire’s right shoulder back in December for an injury he sustained in Orlando City’s playoff match against Charlotte FC Nov. 9 when he was pulled down by Djibril Diani.

The club’s press release said the 24-year-old striker’s return to play is expected “later this year.” The recovery given for his right shoulder surgery in late 2024 was listed as four to five months, but McGuire was able to come back and play much earlier than expected, appearing for the first time in 2025 in Orlando’s March 15 against the New York Red Bulls — at least a month before the earliest initial projection — however, this time there was no mention of damage to the rotator cuff.

Regardless, the Lions will be without the big target striker for a considerable amount of time.

McGuire had appeared in 12 matches during the regular season in 2025, starting three and scoring one goal and adding an assist. His goal came recently, serving as the game winner in Orlando’s 1-0 home victory over the Portland Timbers on May 24. He was recently listed as questionable on the club’s availability report ahead of the team’s most recent match against the Chicago Fire.

Orlando City drafted McGuire in the first round (No. 6 overall) in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. After a breakout rookie campaign, in which the Omaha, NE native scored 14 goals, he was courted by several teams in Europe, signing with Blackburn Rovers, only to see the transfer rejected by the English Football League due to an administrative error by the EFL Championship club. After returning to Orlando, McGuire signed a new deal on Aug. 22 to remain a Lion. The new contract runs through 2027 with a club option for 2028. McGuire scored 10 goals and added three assists in 2024. For his Orlando City career, McGuire has appeared in 88 games (46 starts) across all competitions, scoring a total of 28 goals to go along with seven assists.

What It Means for Orlando City

McGuire appeared to be just finding his form, so this injury is unfortunate. The club didn’t put a timeline on McGuire’s recovery this time, but shaving a little off his 2024 recovery estimate, it’s likely that he’ll be out until at least some time in September.

Oscar Pareja has been favoring a 4-4-2 with Luis Muriel and Martin Ojeda up top in recent weeks, with Ramiro Enrique — who is also finding his form — typically spelling one of them when needed. Not having McGuire will affect Pareja’s late-game substitution pattern when Orlando is trailing, as he likes to put Enrique and McGuire both on the field when chasing the game. It also takes the team’s best target striker option out of the lineup when dealing with back lines with lots of height.

McGuire brings size and strength and an ability to occupy center backs that others on the roster can’t replicate. There are times when Enrique’s game is better suited to the opponent, but without McGuire there will be no ability to pivot. With Jack Lynn’s off-season retirement, that leaves the striker pickings mighty slim on the Orlando City bench. That might change Ricardo Moreira’s approach to the MLS Secondary Transfer Window.

Losing a scorer of McGuire’s caliber is always difficult, but this season it could be the difference between finishing high in the table and simply getting into the postseason in a strong Eastern Conference field.

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Opinion

Orlando City Must Learn from May’s Mistakes

The Lions can learn some valuable lessons from the three losses they suffered in May.

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2 days ago

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June 6, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City hadn’t quite achieved juggernaut status as the Major League Soccer season turned from April to May, but a 12-match unbeaten run in the league is nothing to sniff at, despite there being a healthy number of draws interspersed with the victories. Things turned sour as May drew to a close though, as the Lions lost three of their final four matches of the month and entered a two-week break with a whimper rather than a roar.

Losing is never fun, but in this case those three defeats don’t need to be entirely negative experiences, and there are plenty of lessons to be learned from those three bitter losses that will hold Orlando in good stead if it can implement the proper solutions.

More Squad Rotation

One of the biggest factors in Orlando’s rough finish to May was a lack of squad rotation. Oscar Pareja has always been a coach that likes to find his first-choice XI and stick to it almost religiously. He doesn’t normally tweak his lineups or tactics according to whatever opponent is on the slate, and very much values consistency. In periods of fixture congestion, that tendency can be to Orlando’s detriment, and that was very much the case against both Nashville SC and the Chicago Fire.

After beating Inter Miami 3-0 in an emotional rivalry match on May 18, Pareja made just one change for a U.S. Open Cup match against Nashville SC three days later. Ramiro Enrique slotted in for Luis Muriel up top, but every single other starter from the Miami game also got the nod midweek. With Nashville deploying a heavily rotated lineup mostly filled with backups, the gamble was a simple one: hope that OCSC’s A-team can open up a big first-half lead against Nashville’s B-squad before bringing mass changes in the second half to get guys some rest. Hindsight is, of course, 20/20, but the strategy backfired badly as the Lions lost 3-2. Orlando started well with Marco Pasalic’s 17th-minute strike, but the team faded badly afterwards and gave up a couple of very uncharacteristic goals to lose the game. Lapses in concentration and tired defending cost OCSC the game, and that isn’t something we can normally say about this team.

Then, after losing to Atlanta United 3-2 on May 28 due in no small part to Cesar Araujo’s red card, Pareja made two changes for a match against the Chicago Fire on May 31, with Muriel coming in for Enrique, and the other change being a forced one, as Eduard Atuesta replaced the suspended Araujo. Those starters looked noticeably gassed during the resulting 3-1 loss, and the fatigue manifested itself by players missing chances that would normally be converted or in sloppy, mistake-ridden defending.

May was a packed month with a whopping nine matches in 31 days, and most months won’t be that busy. August is set to be the busiest remaining period of the year with six games in 31 days, although that number could rise higher if the Lions make a run in Leagues Cup. The bottom line is that guys are going to need more rest as the season goes on. If the coaching staff doesn’t trust some of the guys currently available as backups, then they need to dip into the transfer market in one way or another and get some players that they do trust, because if the starting XI gets run ragged during busy periods it’s going to cost Orlando, plain and simple.

Cool Heads Usually Prevail

Orlando City has received three red cards on the season, which is tied for the second-most in the league. Unsurprisingly, the Lions are winless in games in which they’ve had a man sent off, with draws against the New York Red Bulls and CF Montreal and a loss to Atlanta United. The results against the Red Bulls and Atlanta were particularly difficult to swallow, as before going down to 10 men, Orlando had looked on track to get three points in each game.

Araujo’s red card against Atlanta was especially frustrating, as he allowed Mateusz Klich to get under his skin, grabbed him by the throat, and reduced his team to 10 men when OCSC was nursing a 2-1 lead on the road. It was completely unnecessary and was also the sort of thing that Orlando had looked to put in the rearview mirror after keeping its collective composure and not picking up any bookings in the 3-0 road win against Miami, while the Herons picked up four and looked noticeably rattled in the process.

It should go without saying, but the Lions can’t afford to get key players sent off. Six extra points could make a big difference in the standings at the end of the year, and that number could rise even higher if OCSC can’t put its disciplinary issues to rest once and for all.

Focus for the Full 90

There were moments in each of Orlando’s three May losses that the team committed bad defensive lapses or mistakes. Whether it was not playing to the whistle on Nashville’s third goal, Atuesta’s bad turnover against Atlanta, or the Lions collectively allowing Chicago to stroll through midfield to score a third goal, there were plenty of examples of bad breakdowns that were largely absent during the team’s unbeaten run. Can some of that be attributed to tired minds and tired legs? Maybe so — it’s a lot harder to play crisp and focused when the minutes have piled up. Regardless, its something that can’t continue to happen going forward. It’s possible that having more rotation in the squad will help that a lot, but it’s also on the players on the field to stay as mentally sharp as they can when they’re out on the pitch.

Clearly, a recurring theme here is that fresh legs and balanced squad rotation are top of my list of things I want to see change. I’m all for riding the hot hands, but tired legs make for tired minds, and tired minds make mistakes and are easier to rile up. Whether reinforcements come from the bench or an outside source, using more bodies will go a long way towards solving some of the issues that we saw in May’s three losses. All we can do now is wait and see what happens once the team returns from its break. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/6/25

Alex Freeman called up for Concacaf Gold Cup, Orlando Pride get ready for the Houston Dash, Orlando City B plays tonight, and more.

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2 days ago

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June 6, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday! I’ll be spending this weekend celebrating my birthday by beating my friends at mini golf with no mercy but still hope to catch some soccer over the next few days. I’ve also been on a bit of a movie kick and plan on catching Wes Anderson’s new flick at some point soon. But for now, let’s dive into today’s links!

Alex Freeman Called Up For Gold Cup

Orlando City defender Alex Freeman was officially called up by the United States Men’s National Team for the Concacaf Gold Cup this summer. He’s the only Lion who will be at the tournament and is one of seven uncapped USMNT players on the roster. The 20-year-old could receive more playing time than expected, as right back Sergino Dest is not on the roster so that he can recover over the summer. Left back John Tolkin was added to replace Dest, so Freeman has a real shot at making a claim for the position this month. The U.S. will take on Turkey Saturday in the first of two friendlies before its first Gold Cup match against Trinidad & Tobago on June 15.

Orlando Pride Prepares to Host the Houston Dash

With the international break for women’s soccer over, the Orlando Pride return to action Saturday with a home game against the Houston Dash. It should be a great opportunity for the Pride to ease back into the swing of things against a Dash team that’s only scored 10 goals this season. Pride midfielder Ally Lemos spoke on the benefit of being able to rest heading into this match while maintaining a winning mindset from a 3-1 victory on May 23.

Anna Moorhouse Called Up For 2025 Euros

Orlando Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was named to England’s final roster for the 2025 UEFA European Women’s Championship. She’s one of three goalkeepers on the squad following Mary Earp’s surprise retirement from international soccer, and she will likely compete with fellow uncapped player Khiara Keating for the backup position behind Hannah Hampton. Moorhouse has started in every game for the Pride this season and was an NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year finalist for her record-breaking season last year. England’s Euro run will begin July 5 against France before other group matches against the Netherlands and Wales.

Orlando City B Takes On Huntsville City FC

The Young Lions are riding high after a 2-1 win over Chattanooga FC and will take that momentum into tonight’s road match against Huntsville City FC. Midfielder Noah Levis scored his first career goal in that home win, with Justin Hylton providing the assist in his OCB debut. Orlando’s offense has been hot and cold this season but has a variety of attacking talent that can create chances in different ways. The Young Lions have only won once on the road, but a win tonight would lift them to third in the Eastern Conference.

Free Kicks

  • FIFA Club World Cup action is coming to the City Beautiful this month and Orlando City legend Kaká spoke on how it’s nice for Orlando to host games.
  • San Diego Wave Head Coach Jonas Eidevall was named NWSL Coach of the Month. The Wave were undefeated in May, winning three of their four matches to climb to second in the league standings.
  • The NWSL will allow intraleague loans for all teams, with the players needing to consent to the move in order for it to happen. Denver and Boston’s expansion teams will have access to potentially over $1 million in Allocation Money starting on July 1 to build their rosters before the 2026 season.
  • Atletico Madrid is reportedly close to signing American midfielder Johnny Cardoso from Real Betis.
  • South Korea, Uzbekistan, and Jordan all qualified for the 2026 World Cup, while China was eliminated from contention. Australia beat Japan 1-0 and will qualify so long as it doesn’t lose heavily to Saudi Arabia on June 10.
  • Spain beat France 5-4 in a wild game to reach the UEFA Nations League final against Portugal on Sunday. Lamine Yamal continues to take the world by storm, but a late rally by France nearly completed a comeback.

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

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