Orlando City

Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in a 3-1 home loss to D.C.?

Published

3 years ago

April 23, 2023

Ryan Smith

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

After a late winner last week in Minnesota, Orlando City returned to Exploria Stadium to host D.C. United. Duncan McGuire scored the match winner last week and earned the start up top for this match. It started as an even affair but ultimately finished in a 3-1 home loss. Here is how we saw the Lions perform in Saturday’s home defeat.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 5 — El Pulpo gave up three goals, but none were really his own fault. His teammates put him in an unfortunate 1-v-1 situation for the first goal, he had an unmarked runner bury a corner kick header, and Christian Benteke turned on Rodrigo Schlegel from short range. Gallese faced nine shots with five of them on target. He recorded two saves in the game and was tested with an expected goals against of 1.9. Gallese completed 76.2% of his passes and two of five long balls.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 4.5 — In the 15th minute, Schlegel left his other two center backs to step up on Benteke. While it proves his work rate, it unfortunately left Robin Jansson on an island with Ruan sprinting down field on the ball and Taxi Fountas over his shoulder, leading to the first D.C. United goal. Schlegel was also the last line of defense on the third D.C. goal when Benteke chested down a ball in the box and turned on a dime, while firing a powerful strike into the back of the net. As one of three in the back, Schlegel passed at an 66.7% clip including two accurate long balls on five attempts. He committed two fouls on the night and recorded three tackles and one clearance.

D, Robin Jansson, 5 — Jansson was part of the initial error that led to the first D.C. United goal. He likely should have stayed central instead of leaving Fountas for Ruan, which ultimately let Fountas in behind and unmarked but he was only put in that position due to a turnover. Jansson went the full 90 minutes and completed 88.9% of his 36 passes on the night. The Viking played one successful long ball pass on four attempts. Jansson did not log a single defensive statistic aside from committing two fouls.

D, Antonio Carlos, 6.5 — Antonio Carlos earned his second start of the season and put in a great shift for the Lions, despite being part of a back line which conceded three goals. He was instrumental in creating the only Orlando City goal with a strong sliding tackle at midfield which fell to Ojeda, and ultimately McGuire, for the score. Carlos even fired off three shots of his own on the night, with one being dangerously close to scoring on a set piece header. Carlos completed 95.4% of his 43 passes on the night and logged an impressive six successful long balls in the match on just seven attempts. Defensively, he had one tackle and five clearances, while committing only one foul, which earned a yellow card in the 56th minute.

MF, Gaston Gonzalez, 6.5 — Gonzalez might have finally shown us what he can bring to the table for the club. He had a lively first half up and down the flank. He kept a speedy Ruan at bay, and he found himself springing a couple Orlando attacks as well. While you won’t see any groundbreaking statistics from Gonzalez, he played his role well on the night and that is all we can really ask of him. Gonzalez completed 65.2% of his 23 passes and crossed the ball accurately once out of six times. He also attempted three unsuccessful long balls. Gonzalez’s only shot for the night was on target. From a defensive standpoint, he offered three tackles, an interception, a clearance, and committed one foul. Gonzalez found himself fouled twice.

MF, Maurico Pereyra, 5.5 — The maestro found pockets of space centrally throughout the night where he was able to distribute and release the front three attackers. He took a seat on the turf in the 68th minute and left the match early for Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. He found himself on the ball 59 times and completed 77.1% of his 48 passes. He was accurate on three of six long balls and whipped in three crosses. Defensively, Pereyra logged a tackle, an interception, and a foul — drawing one of his own.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 5.5 — Araujo went down on the corner kick that became D.C. United’s second goal of the night after being overpowerd by Donovan Pines. He appealed for a foul, but it was never going to be given, and Pines buried the header into the Orlando goal. Araujo passed at a 93.2% clip on the night, recorded a key pass, and completed three of his six long balls. Additionally, Araujo drew two fouls while committing two of his own. He logged two successful tackles in the match.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 5 — Angulo continues to show his pace and ability to build the attack wide and near the end line. However, it was not enough to best Pedro Santos who proved to be a formidable defender for the speedy winger. If Orlando is going to find goals from the wing, it will need more accurate crossing from Angulo. He only had one accurate cross on eight attempts. Angulo passed at 90% rate and was accurate with his only long ball. Defensively, Angulo recorded one tackle and a foul, although he too was fouled. Angulo earned an early yellow card in the 27th minute. His giveaway put the back three in a bad spot and led to the first goal conceded.

MF, Facundo Torres, 6 — The Uruguayan Young Designated Player had a mixed bag of a match. He often found himself on the ball, but he never seemed to inspire much of the attack on his own in the first half. Once Ojeda and Pereyra left the match, Torres became the link the team needed but it was a little too late as the club was already playing catch up. Going the full 90 for Orlando, Torres passed at 87.9% accuracy, went 5-for-6 on crossing accuracy, 2-for-2 on long-ball accuracy, and had a team-high four key passes. He put one of his two shots on target. Torres drew one foul in the match.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6 — As the ball fell to his feet following a Carlos tackle, Ojeda pinged a perfect through ball to McGuire for the assist on Orlando’s only goal. He likely could have had a goal of his own after receiving a pass in the six-yard box, but his feet just didn’t register with the speed of his brain and after his slick flick to free himself for the shot, the touch was heavy and bounced to the goalkeeper. He completed 73.7% of his 19 passes, had two key passes, and was accurate on one of three crossing attempts, but none of his three long balls. He was dispossessed once and had two unstable touches. Defensively, he recorded an interception and one clearance on the night. Ojeda made way for Ercan Kara late in the match as Oscar Pareja threw the kitchen sink at the attack with two fresh strikers.

F, Duncan McGuire, 7 (MotM) — All McGuire does is score against D.C. United. He did it in the first match at Audi Field and did it again in the 23rd minute at Exploria Stadium. McGuire found himself played in by Ojeda and made a clinical first touch to split the defenders and slot the ball under Tyler Miller at the top of the 18-yard box. Aside from opening the scoring for the Lions, McGuire played a pressing role and kept the D.C. back line under pressure and looked to receive long balls from the Orlando City defenders throughout the night. McGuire left the match early in the second half with what appeared to be an off-the-ball injury. He was one-for-one with his shots, as he scored on the only one he took. He completed 44.4% of his nine passes with 20 touches. He was fouled once and logged an interception and two clearances. McGuire was subbed off in the 52nd minute for Ramiro Enrique.

Substitutes

F, Ramiro Enrique (52′), 4.5 — Enrique came on for an injured McGuire early in the second half but never logged a shot. With his five touches, he completed all four of his passes and was fouled once. To have logged almost an entire half, it is disappointing that he could not find the ball more than five times while his team was attempting to find a way back into the match.

F, Ercan Kara (65′), 4.5 — Kara was brought on after the third goal to hopefully inspire some last ditch attack. But with only two touches, Kara was only able to get off one inaccurate shot. He won an aerial, committed a foul, and missed connecting on his only pass.

D, Rafael Santos (65′), 5.5 — Santos had 21 touches coming on late in the match. He took two shots and put one on target, but it wasn’t a terribly threatening one from distance. Santos offered one key pass among his 13 total and 84.6% accuracy. One of his two long balls was accurate but his only cross missed the mark. Defensively, he had one tackle and an interception.

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (68′), 5 — Thorhallsson was a late sub replacing the captain in the 68th minute. He completed 88.9% of his nine passes on 10 touches. He intercepted the ball once and committed a foul.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in the 3-1 home defeat to D.C. United. Who was your Orlando City Man of the Match? Vote in our poll and let us know in the comments below.

Related Topics:Featured Orlando City Player Grades

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Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Five Takeaways

Orlando City

Why Three Could Be Greater Than Four In Orlando City’s Back Line

An analysis of MLS teams using three, four, and five-man back lines and whether it would benefit Orlando City to use a three-man grouping going forwards.

Published

38 minutes ago

April 16, 2026

S. Andrew DeSalvo

Orlando City starting lineup vs New York Red Bulls

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City rolled out a three-man back line during last Sunday night’s game against Columbus, and while that formation alone is not responsible for the Lions leading for most of the game and getting their first point of the season on the road, it definitely played a role. During the Óscar Pareja era, Orlando City nearly always played with a four-man back line, but with a lot of roster turnover from last season and new leadership on the sideline, it could be time to give the three-man group a look, as the Lions try to climb out from the bottom of the standings and make the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.

We will explore whether a three-man back line is worth pursuing below, but making the playoffs is definitely a five-star idea and highly recommended.

Soccer back lines, and formations in general, are fluid. Baseball is static before every play, so you can see exactly where every fielder (defender) was and evaluate offensive and defensive performances against shifts or alignments. American football is not exactly static, but it is closer to baseball than soccer, with most players being still as the play is initiated. Soccer is most similar to hockey, basketball, and lacrosse, where even though players are nominally playing set positions, those positions can constantly change throughout a play and throughout the entirety of the game.

That said, most players generally play in a specific position for much of the game, so we can look at some tracking data and make generalizations about the formations. Opta’s tracking analysts list a primary formation for each team in every game, and while it is not perfect, it is correct more often than not for the general formation used by that team in that game.

Opta’s tracking on fbref.com gives the following table for every formation used in MLS play so far this year, and I have added the associated points earned, goals scored, and goals allowed by each team while in that formation. Make sure you are taking the formation with somewhere between a grain of salt and the bottom third of the salt shaker, but this is the unedited data:

Formation	Games Used	Avg. Points Earned	Avg. Goals For	Avg. Goals Allowed
4-2-3-1	77	1.58	1.74	1.44
4-3-3	48	1.35	1.67	1.65
4-4-2	32	0.97	0.84	1.41
3-4-3	30	1.47	1.57	1.83
3-5-2	7	1.43	1.57	1.57
5-4-1	4	1.25	1.25	0.75
4-1-4-1	3	1.33	1.67	1.33
3-4-1-2	3	1.67	2.00	1.67
3-5-1-1	1	3.00	4.00	3.00
4-4-1-1	1	0.00	0.00	3.00

I think it is probably easier to just bucket the different formations into simpler sets, using the number of defenders to segment the formations:

Back Line	Games Used	Avg. Points Earned	Avg. Goals For	Avg. Goals Allowed
Three-man	41	1.51	1.66	1.81
Four-man	161	1.38	1.53	1.50
Five-man	4	1.25	1.25	0.75

Most teams in MLS, and also around the world, utilize four-player back lines. Coaches are pragmatists, and some combination between using a lineup that feels more secure (i.e. usually one with more defenders) and one that will not get ridiculed by players, pundits, fans, owners, and writers (the audacity of someone to analyze and comment on lineup choices, how dare they?) drives a hefty portion of the decision making for those making lineup decisions.

Orlando City used a three-man back line in the game against Columbus, though there were parts of the game when it looked much more like a five-man back line with Griffin Dorsey and Iván Angulo dropped all the way back on defense. The sofascore.com heatmaps for all five (Angulo, David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Iago, and Dorsey) are listed below in order from left to right, and you can see where all five have a good amount of touches in the defensive third. Angulo and Dorsey played far higher than the middle three, however, which is why the formation Opta assigned to Orlando City was a back three. Imperfect, but directionally it makes sense.

Heat maps of Orlando City's defensive players against Columbus.

With the players on the current roster, a back three may well be the right lineup to use until the next transfer window. There is a not a lot of blazing speed among Orlando City’s defensive group, but most of the defenders have decent size and are good in the air, so protecting the heart of the defense with Brekalo, Jansson, and Iago as the starters and Adrián Marín and Tahir Reid-Brown as backups gives the team some decent depth without sacrificing size. Alas, this comes one year too late for former Lion Thomas Williams, who probably would have been better suited to a back three than a back four.

In addition to having a good set of center back candidates, Angulo, Dorsey, Zakaria Taifi, and Marín are all good wingback options as well, and players who have the skills and pace to get up into the attack while also recovering back to help out the defensive line.

Orlando City’s current personnel fits the three-man back line well, and considering most teams in MLS are using four-man back lines, that decision also bodes well considering how three-man back lines have done this season when playing against four- or five-man back lines. Three-man back lines have been used against four- or five-man back lines 31 times thus far this season, and those teams are earning 1.58 points per match during those games. That amount of points per match would have been in the top half of MLS last season (13th), right above the actual 2025 Orlando City team, which finished on 1.56 points per match.

Orlando City hosts Houston this weekend, and the Dynamo have primarily used a four-man back line (featuring former Lion Antonio Carlos) thus far this season. On Saturday night we will see if the three-man back line was just for the Columbus game or if it is something that the Lions will trot out again in hopes of continuing the league-wide trend of teams finding success when playing three in the back against teams playing four in the back.

I do not really care whether it is three or four in the back, as long as that by the end of the game Orlando City has done better than Houston at putting more in the back…of the opposition’s net.

Vamos Orlando!

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Houston Dynamo: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to earn all three points against the Dynamo this weekend?

Published

3 hours ago

April 16, 2026

David Rohe

Image of Eduard Atuesta looking for a teammate to pass to.

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City returns home to Inter&Co Stadium to take on the Houston Dynamo on Saturday. The Lions are coming off a 1-1 draw against the Columbus Crew on Sunday, and a 1-0 road win against FC Naples in the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday in a busy week. Hopefully, Orlando City can keep the good time rolling with another positive result this weekend. What must the Lions do to earn all three points against Houston Saturday night?

The Midfield (Part 1)

Houston has a pretty good midfield with Hector Herrera, Mateusz Bogusz, and Lawrence Ennali. Ennali has two of the Dynamo’s 10 goals this season. Controlling these players and thus controlling possession in the middle of the pitch will make a difference in how the match plays out. Braian Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta are not midfield destroyers and that has hurt Orlando City this season. If at all possible, the Lions need to be more physical in the defensive midfield to limit Houston’s ability to build the attack.

More on Herrera: In his first stint with the Dynamo he was a Designated Player and considered one of the best midfielders in the league. He helped lead Houston to a U.S. Open Cup title in 2024. Despite having only played limited minutes this season, he already has two assists and will present problems in the midfield.

The Midfield (Part Deux)

Traffic flows both ways on a soccer pitch, and while Orlando City hasn’t been good about taking on and stopping attacks in the defensive midfield, the players have also struggled to break through the opposition’s lines. This has been in large part due to very poor passing, and I’m not certain how to fix “stop passing the ball to the opponent,” but that is what the team will need to do.

Having Robin Jansson as the safety outlet for the others on the back line, and by extension the midfield, helps, as does his ability to send accurate long balls down the field. It would also be good if the rest of the players could connect on their passes. Not only will it allow Orlando City to move the ball down the pitch and connect the defense to the attack, but it will limit the amount of time Houston is on the ball. Passing shouldn’t be a key I write about, but here we are.

Finish Them

Orlando City struck first against the Columbus Crew and then wasted every other chance — that is, while there were chances still being created. It was like a switch was turned off. “Hey, we got a goal. Let’s go back to how we were playing when we weren’t scoring goals,” is how I think it went. That cannot happen against Houston — or any team for that matter. I’m not even talking about how sometimes a team will get more defensive with a lead, or the other team makes adjustments. There was some sort of mentality switch, and it needs to be fixed.

If Orlando City is able to score first, then someone needs to get a second goal. The Lions have only scored two goals in a match twice this season. The first was against Inter Miami, and we know what happened in that one. The other time was against CF Montreal — Orlando City’s only win so far. Houston isn’t as good as Miami but is probably better than Montreal. My point is the Lions most likely need multiple goals to win this match, and it starts with finishing.

That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/16/26

Orlando City wins against FC Naples, U.S. Open Cup results, USWNT takeaways following loss, and more.

Published

6 hours ago

April 16, 2026

Marcus Mitchell

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

This Thursday might feel a little more like a Friday thanks to Orlando City winning a game last night. Sure, it was more like the Lions failed to complete an implosion, but we’ll take what we can get at this point. Another MLS match is on the horizon this weekend, so if you crafted any lucky charms, make sure to keep them out for a few more days. Let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Wins U.S. Open Cup Match

It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but Orlando City went on the road and beat FC Naples 1-0 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup to advance to the round of 16. The Lions opted for a fairly young roster to start and managed to take the lead in the first half. The defense started to fall apart as the match wore on, but it managed to hold on by a matter of inches against the USL League One side for its first clean sheet of the year. Orlando is the last Floridian team standing in the tournament and its next match will be on the road against the New England Revolution on either April 28 or 29.

MLS Mostly Avoids Cupsets in Round of 32

There weren’t too many shocking results in the round of 32 of this year’s U.S. Open Cup, with the MLS clubs taking care of business for the most part. Charlotte FC crushed the Charlotte Independence 6-0, the Columbus Crew shut out the Richmond Kickers in a 3-0 win, and the New York Red Bulls beat the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 3-1. St. Louis City and the Houston Dynamo also cruised to comfortable wins. D.C. United was defeated though, losing the penalty shootout to One Knoxville SC after a thrilling game. Last year’s tournament didn’t include any teams from outside MLS in the quarterfinals. The Colorado Springs Switchbacks and Louisville City also managed to take down their MLS opponents earlier this week, so we’ll see if they can keep making noise later this month.

Takeaways From USWNT Loss to Japan

The United States Women’s National Team lost 1-0 to Japan in the second of three friendlies between the two this month, snapping its 10-game win streak. Head Coach Emma Hayes went with a young roster, with 20-year-old midfielder Claire Hutton becoming the team’s youngest captain since 2001. The team’s inexperience showed at times, particularly when it came to struggling to produce chances despite plenty of possession, but these were valuable minutes against one of the top teams in the world. We’ll see how the team responds on Friday when the two play again in Denver.

UEFA Champions League Semifinals Set

Only four teams remain in the UEFA Champions League after an exciting series of quarterfinals. Bayern Munich advanced after beating Real Madrid 4-3 in a rollercoaster of a match that included five goals in the first half. Arda Guler had a brace within the first 30 minutes, but Bayern kept things close and then scored two late goals after Eduardo Camavinga was shown a red card in the 86th minute. The match between Arsenal and Sporting was a quieter affair, with Arsenal advancing on aggregate after a scoreless draw.

The semifinals don’t feature any teams from the same country and should be a fun round of matches. Atletico Madrid will square off against Arsenal, while Bayern will play against Paris Saint-Germain.

Free Kicks

LAFC midfielder Jude Terry won MLS Goal of the Matchday for his curled shot from outside of the box against the Portland Timbers. It was the 17-year-old’s first goal in MLS and a pretty impressive way for him to open his account.
In case you missed it, LAFC drew 1-1 against Cruz Azul to reach the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals. Nashville SC also advanced, beating Club America 1-0 at the Azteca in a huge win.
You’ll need to get past the paywall for the full details, but the NWSL is reportedly working on a league-wide exposure agreement policy that would force players to cover up logos of non-sponsored brands.
New Zealand qualified for the 2027 Women’s World Cup after winning 1-0 against Papua New Guinea.
French forward Hugo Ekitike will miss the World Cup due to a leg injury sustained during Liverpool’s Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain.