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Orlando City vs. LA Galaxy: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in a 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy at home?

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2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City was able to give its supporters plenty to cheer about in a 2-0 win against the LA Galaxy at Exploria Stadium Saturday night. Ercan Kara scored his first goal of the regular season and Facundo Torres scored another in a match that showcased how Orlando’s trio of Designated Players can work alongside one another. Of course, there is more to this team than its stars and many players put in strong performances. Let’s dive into how each individual Lion did their part in the shutout victory.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — The Peruvian goalkeeper didn’t see much action throughout the match, but came up with a fantastic save to deny Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez late in the match and preserve his clean sheet. His only other save of the match was in the 24th minute, when he swallowed up a driven shot from Tyler Boyd in the heavy rain. Gallese finished the game with 28 passes at a 78.6% success rate and was accurate on five of his 11 long balls. There were a few nervy moments late while trying to play out of the back, but Orlando put out the potential fires and secured the shutout.

D, Kyle Smith, 6 — Smith returned to the starting lineup, playing at left back along Orlando’s back line while Luca Petrasso recovers from injury. He quietly led the Lions with 82 touches and a whopping 75 passes at a solid 85.3% completion rate. While there were a few giveaways, Smith did well to collect the ball out wide and either find Ivan Angulo on the left wing or calmly get it into the center of the field. He wasn’t exactly a stalwart in defense, only recording one tackle, but he did enough to strengthen Orlando’s back line so it wasn’t burned by counter attacks. He was definitely the more conservative fullback, not getting involved on offense beyond lurking outside the box for possible shots. His lone cross was inaccurate and he was successful on three of his long balls. One of those was a first-half beauty to unleash Michael Halliday down the right flank. It should have led to a scoring chance with Kara beating the defense in the middle but a heavy touch by Halliday spoiled the opportunity. It was a solid outing for Smith, considering he hasn’t seen many minutes recently and he’s more natural at right back, although his versatility has been proven enough at this point in his career.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — Jansson was a brick wall in the heart of Orlando’s defense, living up to the design of the team’s kit this year. The Beefy Swede’s four blocked shots were the most on the team and he had two clearances as well. If there was a loose ball in the box, Jansson was there to at least get a piece of it. The clearest example came in the second half, when he recovered well after a good touch from Chicharito in the box seemed to have beaten him only for him to stretch and deflect the shot out for a corner. There were many moments like that, as Jansson also cut off a clever pass in the rain at the center circle before it could reach Chicharito in transition and took care of business while defending a dangerous two-on-one. Jansson was great with the ball at his feet as well, completing 93.1% of his 58 passes and finding his mark on four of six long balls. The 31-year-old was a large reason why Gallese didn’t have to make too many saves.

D, Antonio Carlos, 7 — Carlos was just as impressive at center back as Jansson, leading the team with five clearances and blocking a shot as well. He won both of his aerial duels and made sure to make life difficult for Galaxy players who wanted to gain possession in Orlando’s final third. The Brazilian also made an impact on offense, completing nine of his 12 long balls. The best came on Orlando’s first goal, as he sent a weighted ball forward for Michael Halliday to get onto before it reached the end line for an assist. Carlos completed 85.4% of his 48 passes and looked right at home playing with four at the back alongside Jansson.

D, Michael Halliday, 6.5 — Halliday returned from injury and the Galaxy gave him plenty of space to run on the right wing — mainly in the first half — and he did a great job working his way into dangerous areas with speed and positioning. Heavy touches and subpar crossing led to a shaky start, but he settled in as the match went on. The 20-year-old notched his first MLS assist in the 38th minute by chasing down a long ball from Carlos and zipping a pass towards Kara at the near post. Defensively, he had two tackles, an interception, a clearance, and a blocked shot. The Galaxy took advantage of his time up the field on occasion, but he was resolute enough in the second half to keep Orlando in front. Although neither of his two crosses ended up being successful and he only completed 75.9% of his 29 passes, Halliday showed that he can make the types of runs to cause problems on offense. Orlando’s fullbacks have struggled with consistency so far this season, but this was a promising performance from the Homegrown Player if he can execute better going forward.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 — With Mauricio Pereyra injured, Cartagena got the start in Orlando’s midfield. There was some rust to shake off early on, but he found his rhythm and had 48 passes at a 93.8% success rate. Cartagena was also accurate on all four of his long balls and did well switching the angle of the attack or finding those tight areas to slip passes through a crowded midfield. He could’ve afforded to get forward a bit more to take shots when plays broke down, but he understandably played it safe and left most of the attacking to the Designated Players in the center of the field. His only shot was deflected and he had a key pass as well.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 7 — Araujo also did well in Orlando’s midfield, completing 88.5% of his 61 passes and connecting on eight of his 11 long balls. He helped pull LA’s defense apart like dough and had a key pass by setting up a shot for Martin Ojeda outside the box. He also gave Orlando some bite in the midfield with a team-high three tackles and a clearance. What looked to be his first goal of the season was disallowed due to a handball from Torres in the build-up. While it didn’t count, it was a nice bit of finishing from the defensive midfielder. The five fouls he won are not to be overlooked either.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 7 — Angulo provided a needed spark on offense along the left wing, particularly in transition. On Orlando’s second goal, he quickly found space to receive a pass forward and then slipped the ball into the center of the field before sprinting towards goal to give the attack another runner if needed. There was a similar moment in the first half when he shook a defender and used his speed to surge forward and create a chance for Ojeda. His execution could’ve been better in that moment to lead Ojeda forward with his pass, but his decision making was great overall. Angulo was accurate on all four of his long balls, one of his two crosses, and all but one of his 36 passes for an excellent 97.2% success rate. His only shot was blocked and he had three dribbles. Angulo also flitted around the field to help out on defense and apply pressure, recording two tackles, a clearance, and a blocked shot in 78 minutes of action. If he can make performances like these each week with consistency, it will go a long way towards Orlando’s attack.

MF, Facundo Torres, 7 — Torres scored his second goal of the season by capping off some interplay between Orlando’s Designated Players. His shot could have had more bite to it and Jonathan Klinsmann got a touch to it, but there was enough behind it to reach the far corner and go in. He looked most lethal when on the right wing and grew into the position as the match wore on, while Halliday hung back to solidify the defense after LA changed shape. His preference for his left foot and some hesitation with the ball at his feet due to LA’s pressure in the center of the field made for a few awkward chances, and he had four unstable touches. His goal was also his only shot of the match. However, he led the Lions with three key passes and showed some better chemistry with his teammates in this one. The 23-year-old was successful on 80% of his 40 passes, while connecting on three of his four long balls and one of his two crosses. It was a strong performance from Torres and hopefully a sign of more to come in the future.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 7 — Ojeda had an assist for the second straight match after delivering a nice pass between defenders to Torres in transition. He also led the Lions with six shots, putting two of them on target and having another blocked. His best chance was in the first half on a counter with plenty of time to pick out his shot. The shot was well taken, but Klinsmann made a great save to push it inches wide and out for a corner. He had a nearly identical opportunity in the second half, sending the curler inches wide of the far post. Ojeda had two key passes and both of his crosses found their target. None of his three long balls were successful and he completed 71.8% of his passes, but he still looked fairly in tune with his teammates.

F, Ercan Kara, 7.5 (MotM) — The Austrian striker started up top for Orlando and scored his first goal of the season. Kara made a nice cut in the box to dart towards the near post just in time to poke a low cross from Halliday into the goal from a tight angle. It was one of many great runs from Kara during the match, as he tested the Galaxy’s defenders and opened up some space for teammates. Kara put three of his four shots on target, with the exception being an ambitious and acrobatic attempt to bury a cross that was a tad behind him. It could be argued he should’ve chested it down for Angulo, but he was ultimately brought to Orlando to put the ball in the net. He was also given an assist for his part in Orlando’s second goal, redirecting the ball into Ojeda’s path with a smooth backheel so he could take it in stride. In terms of his hold-up play, Kara won three of his five aerials duels, completed 57.1% of his 14 passes, and won a foul from a great position late in the match. The Galaxy’s defense was built around clogging up the passing lanes in the center of the field and allowing space out wide. It was a scheme designed to stop center forwards like Kara from running rampant. It didn’t.

Substitutes

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (78′), 6 — The Icelandic midfielder was decent coming off the bench. He completed all seven of his passes and was patient with the ball during a potential counter, waiting for Galaxy defenders to make their commitments before getting the ball out wide to Torres. He did commit a foul on Raheem Edwards that gave the Galaxy an opportunity, but the Lions took care of it.

F, Gaston Gonzalez (78′), 5.5 — The winger didn’t have much to do on Orlando’s left side as the Lions focused on holding on for the win. He had just two touches, both of his passes were successful, and his single long ball found its mark.

F, Ramiro Enrique (85′), N/A — Enrique had just just two touches in the match and completed his only attempted pass. He didn’t have any defensive stats, but helped see the game out with fresh legs to keep Galaxy defenders honest.

MF, Felipe (85′), N/A — The veteran midfielder had one touch, which was an unsuccessful cross into the box. There weren’t enough minutes from Felipe to properly grade him, but he didn’t commit any needless fouls or make any other kind of mistakes.

D, Alex Freeman (92′) N/A – The Homegrown Player made his MLS debut by coming on in stoppage time. Freeman didn’t see any of the ball, but it was still nice to see the 18-year-old defender coming off the bench.

That’s how I saw each performance from the Lions in their 2-0 win at home against the LA Galaxy. It was certainly a team effort, and a needed one, as Orlando gets ready for six matches next month. Who was your Man of the Match? Make sure to vote in our poll and let us know what you think in the comments!

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Orlando City SC vs. Inter Miami: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions and Herons are set to begin the 2025 Tropic Thunder series in Fort Lauderdale.

Published

47 minutes ago

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May 18, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Sunday night Tropic Thunder matchup between Orlando City (5-2-6, 21 points) and the team’s Publix Enemies, Inter Miami CF (6-2-4, 22 points) at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale (7 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). It’s the first of the two scheduled meetings between the sides this season with the Herons scheduled to make the return trip to Orlando on Aug. 10.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

Orlando City is 5-5-5 in the series in all competitions, 5-4-4 in MLS play, and 2-4-0 on the road in league games.

The most recent meeting came just a couple of days more than one year ago on May 15, 2024, when the teams played to a scoreless draw at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando. It was the last 0-0 draw in the regular season for the Lions prior to the four the team has already played to this season.

This fixture a year ago resulted in a forgettable 5-0 loss for the Lions at Chase Stadium on March 2. Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi scored braces and Robert Taylor added a goal in a match Orlando City was never in, as it was already 2-0 just 11 minutes after kickoff.

The previous meeting in Orlando, the final result was a 1-1 draw on Sept. 24, 2023. Duncan McGuire brought Orlando back from a 1-0 deficit after David Ruiz had given the Herons a 1-0 lead early in the second half.

On Aug. 2 of last year, the teams met in Leagues Cup action. The Herons were fortunate to not see Messi sent off with a second yellow late in the first half and even more fortunate to get a soft penalty call on Antonio Carlos as they won, 3-1. Messi opened the scoring after being ignored in the box early. Cesar Araujo made up for his uncharacteristic defensive lapse on the first goal by scoring 10 minutes later. Josef Martinez put Miami back on top with the Downy-soft penalty just after halftime and Messi sunk in the dagger in the final 20 minutes.

The teams also met in Fort Lauderdale in MLS play on May 20, 2023, with Orlando City winning, 3-1. Ercan Kara’s early goal was canceled out by Leonardo Campana shortly before the hour mark, but Martin Ojeda and Rafael Santos found the net in the second half to power the Lions to victory.

Inter Miami won at home, 4-1, on Oct. 5, 2022. Campana scored in the game’s first minute and Orlando City never settled in. Gonzalo Higuain added two goals — one from the spot — and Ariel Lassiter also scored before Kara pulled one back to spoil the shutout.

The first regular-season meeting of 2022 resulted in a 1-0 Orlando City win at Exploria Stadium on July 9, as a stoppage-time own goal by Damion Lowe was the difference between the Lions earning just one point or all three. The ball was sent into the box by Jake Mulraney.

The teams also met at Exploria Stadium on May 25, 2022 in U.S. Open Cup action, with the two sides needing extra time after a scoreless 90 minutes. In extra time, Miami got a goal from Jean Mota against the run of play, but Facundo Torres quickly equalized for Orlando. The match ended 1-1 and Orlando won the ensuing penalty shootout, 4-2. Bryce Duke was denied by Mason Stajduhar and DeAndre Yedlin missed the net during the spot kicks, while all four Orlando shooters scored.

The intrastate rivals played to a scoreless draw in Orlando on Aug. 27, 2021. Tesho Akindele missed a penalty in the match, but the Lions had several other good opportunities to score (but didn’t) in a wasteful performance. Orlando and Miami battled to a 1-1 draw at Exploria Stadium on Aug. 4, 2021. Carlos scored in first-half stoppage time but was knocked into concussion protocol on the play by Kelvin Leerdam. Kieran Gibbs equalized in the 66th minute on a header in front of a less-than-attentive Ruan. Akindele had a goal called back after video review for being offside and the teams split the points. Earlier in the season, the Lions came from behind in Fort Lauderdale to win 2-1 on a pair of brilliant goals by Chris Mueller and Nani on June 25, 2021.

In the final meeting of 2020, the Lions saw their 12-match unbeaten streak end on Oct. 24 in a 2-1 road loss in Fort Lauderdale. Miami defender Leandro Gonzalez Pirez’s header in the 89th minute was the difference after a Daryl Dike goal and an own goal off Robin Jansson saw the game tied up at halftime. The teams met in Orlando on Sept. 12, 2020 with Orlando battling to a 2-1 win on Mauricio Pereyra’s goal. The Lions had taken the lead on an own goal by Andres Reyes. Former Lion Brek Shea tied things up in the 65th, before Pereyra answered with a nice goal off the left post in the 69th minute.

The first meeting in Fort Lauderdale opened Phase 1 of Major League Soccer’s return to regular-season play after the MLS is Back Tournament. That one was an uncharacteristically sloppy match for the Lions, who fell 3-2 in Inter Miami’s first-ever home match. It was Miami’s first franchise win after an 0-5-0 start. Orlando trailed by more than one goal for the first time all season in that game. Dike and Nani provided the offense for Orlando, but Julian Carranza’s brace and Rodolfo Pizarro’s insurance goal were enough to lift the Herons.

The first Tropic Thunder match went Orlando City’s way, with Nani scoring late to lift the Lions to a 2-1 win over the upstarts from South Florida in the opening match of the MLS is Back Tournament. Despite it being a tournament match, it was also a league game. Juan Agudelo opened the scoring for the Herons, but Mueller equalized, setting the stage for Nani’s 97th-minute winner.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a comfortable 3-0 home win over Charlotte FC on Wednesday, extending the club’s unbeaten run to 10 games in MLS (4-0-6) and 11 in all competitions (5-0-6). that streak includes a mark of 1-0-4 on the road in league play and 2-0-4 away in all competitions. The Lions are 1-1-4 in road games in the regular season and 2-1-4 in all competitive matches away from home in 2025.

Ojeda has been red hot for Orlando City, scoring four goals in the last two matches, including a hat trick against the New England Revolution. Beyond those goals, he’s also generating scoring chances and getting more shots of late.

Inter Miami is coming off a 3-3 road draw against the Earthquakes in San Jose in the midweek. The Herons have just one win in their last six games in all competitions (1-4-1), but they are unbeaten (1-0-2) in the last three league meetings and four games in all competitions (2-0-2) in this in-state rivalry series.

The Lions must do what they can to limit Messi’s involvement as much as possible, while keeping a defender glued to Suarez (if he plays — he’s missed the last few games but returned to full training earlier this week) whenever he arrives near the penalty area. Miami’s attack is formidable enough that it helps the team’s defense, as it is often difficult to dispossess the Herons and maintain extended spells of possession long enough to get at Inter Miami’s back line. Orlando should look to get forward quickly in transition tonight to take advantage of the Herons pushing up in support of the attack.

It’s a rivalry game, so anything can happen.

“I’m expecting a game with character. The rivalry is growing very genuinely,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “I’m expecting an intense game with the protagonists of both teams that know what it means to play in this derby. For us, we are coming from a positive result and some very good performances lately. We have confidence to go in there and try to win that game. It would be very important, so that’s the game mode that we are in now.”

The Lions will be without Eduard Atuesta (neck), Nico Rodriguez (thigh), Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), and Yutaro Tsukada (knee). Inter Miami will be without Drake Callender (sports hernia), Baltasar Rodríguez (hamstring), and David Ruiz (hamstring).

Match Content

Projected Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Alex Freeman.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Cesar Araujo, Joran Gerbet, Marco Pasalic.

Forwards: Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda.

Inter Miami (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Oscar Ustari.

Defenders: Jordi Alba, Noah Allen, Maximiliano Falcon, Marcelo Weigandt.

Defensive Midfielders: Sergio Busquets, Yannick Bright.

Attacking Midfielders: Benjamin Cremaschi, Lionel Messi, Tadeo Allende.

Forward: Luis Suarez.

Referees:

Ref: Guido Gonzales Jr.
AR1: Jeremy Kieso.
AR2: Chris Elliott.
4th: Marcos DeOliveira.
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero.
AVAR: Tom Supple.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7 p.m.

Venue: Chase Stadium — Fort Lauderdale.

TV/Live Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the game. Go City!

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Orlando City

Orlando City Showing Signs of Adjusting to Eduard Atuesta’s Absence

The Lions have looked much better on offense the last two games, and there’s a couple of reasons why.

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2 days ago

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May 16, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Much has been made of Orlando City’s difficulties in creating chances and scoring goals when Eduard Atuesta has been unavailable due to injury. It’s not hard to understand why either. The Colombian was unavailable for three of Orlando’s four scoreless draws this year, and he only played nine minutes as a substitute in the stalemate against the New York Red Bulls on April 12.

When he was healthy and got the start against Atlanta United two games later, the Lions won 3-0 and he created the most chances of anyone in the game with three. Orlando then promptly reverted to being offensively stunted in the following game against the Chicago Fire, and was only able to manage its fourth scoreless draw of the year, despite playing over a half the game with a man advantage.

There certainly seemed to be plenty of evidence pointing towards Atuesta being the missing cog in Orlando City’s offense. While he only has two assists in eight games, he does a ton of work in linking the defense to the attack and is great at finding attacking players in dangerous areas, as evidenced by his 17 key passes. In the 0-0 draws with the Philadelphia Union, CF Montreal, and the Fire, Orlando just didn’t look right without him, although the Red Bulls game was a much better performance that was ultimately derailed by Rodrigo Schlegel’s sending off.

While he hasn’t played in either of Orlando’s last two league matches, a 3-3 draw against the New England Revolution, and a 3-1 win against Charlotte FC, the offense clearly hasn’t had any problem creating chances. If anything, the Lions should have scored more goals if not for a couple instances of less-than-crisp finishing in each match.

So, why the sudden change?

Well for one thing, the Designated Players are firing on all cylinders again. Martin Ojeda scored a hat trick against New England, and he and Luis Muriel scored Orlando’s first two goals against Charlotte. Ojeda didn’t start either of the two games against Atlanta and Chicago because he was dealing with a minor injury, but now that it’s in the rearview mirror, he’s been a man possessed. Muriel probably should have had at least one goal of his own against the Revs but seemed oddly reluctant to shoot, although he still completed three dribbles and delivered three key passes. The Charlotte game was then his turn to come out of the gate swinging, as he narrowly had a goal ruled out for offside just two minutes in, before hammering a venomous shot from distance just six minutes later that gave Kristijan Kahlina all sorts of trouble and opened the scoring.

It isn’t just getting contributions from the big guns though, because we need to acknowledge the play of rookie Joran Gerbet in these last two games. He’s the man who’s been asked to fill in for Atuesta next to Cesar Araujo, and he’s getting more and more comfortable in that role. Against the Revs he had an interception, a key pass and an assist, and completed a long ball and a through ball while recording a passing accuracy of 86.5%. Against Charlotte, he recorded an interception, three clearances, a completed dribble, and two successful long balls, and he had an outstanding passing accuracy of 98%. They weren’t all simply backwards or sideways passes either. There were plenty of times when he progressed the ball upfield to an attacking player and helped keep the Lions moving forward, and that’s exactly what you want out of the guy playing that position.

He still has a way to go before reaching Atuesta’s level, but that’s to be expected for a guy that’s playing the first professional season of his career. What’s most important is that he’s getting more comfortable, contributing, and proving that he can be a legitimate option to rotate into the starting XI when Atuesta is unavailable or when fixture congestion dictates changes to the lineup.

It’s worth mentioning the caveat that the last two games haven’t been against the strongest opposition the league has to offer. The Revs were on a four-game winning streak before playing Orlando, but three of those four wins were against weak or shaky teams in Atlanta, Toronto FC, and Charlotte, while the fourth team (NYCFC) has been difficult to get a read on. I’m not saying the Revs are a paper tiger, but it’s tough to know how good they really are despite a good run of recent form. Then you have Charlotte, which was above the playoff line but also on a three-game losing streak coming into the match that has now been convincingly extended to four.

At the end of the day, you can only beat who’s in front of you, but I’d encourage us all to not get too carried away until we see the same results against sterner opposition. For better or worse, that’s exactly what we’ll get in the Lions’ next three matches, which will be against a capable, albeit flawed, Inter Miami side on the road, at home in the U.S. Open Cup against a Nashville SC team that’s fourth in the East, and at home against the Portland Timbers, who are currently fourth in the West.

Ultimately, we can only judge this team on what we’ve seen from it, and over the last two games we’ve seen a side that’s had no trouble creating chances. Despite the continued absence of the important Atuesta, the Lions are adjusting thanks to contributions from their heavy hitters and the improving play of the rookie Gerbet. Only time will tell if those improvements are sustainable, but for now its a hell of a lot of fun to enjoy.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/16/25

Orlando City players make MLS Team of the Matchday, Luis Muriel focused, Orlando Pride plays tonight, and more.

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2 days ago

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May 16, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Happy Friday! I’ve had a pretty good week so far and am looking forward to three straight days of Orlando soccer. The Orlando Pride will get us started tonight and then we have Orlando City B on Saturday before Orlando City plays on Sunday. It should be a fun next few days, and hopefully one filled with celebrations too. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Lions Make MLS Team of the Matchday

There’s plenty of purple in the latest MLS Team of the Matchday following Orlando City’s 3-1 win over Charlotte FC. Martin Ojeda and David Brekalo were both selected, while Oscar Pareja was chosen as the top coach from the midweek slate. Ojeda’s strike in the first half is also up for Goal of the Matchday as his strong run of form continues. The only outfield player on this Team of the Matchday that didn’t score is Brekalo, who had two assists, so it’s nice to see him receive deserved recognition for an excellent performance that included a great setup on Orlando’s third goal. Pareja has the Lions on an 11-game unbeaten streak across all competitions and is managing things well so far during this busy May.

Luis Muriel Staying Focused in Sophomore Season

With five goals so far this season, Orlando City forward Luis Muriel has already mirrored his scoring total from all of last season. Staying mentally prepared has been key for the 34-year-old in his second year with Orlando, and he spoke about what’s changed for him after not quite reaching expectations in his first year.

“Coming to a league like this isn’t easy. A lot of times from the outside, you aren’t able to measure up or really see what the league is. Sometimes you can underestimate things, thinking it’s easy,” Muriel said. “That leads you to take things on in a different way, the work, the matches.

“When you go into ‘MLS Mode’ you realize how good the league is, how competitive it is, how demanding the league is to be able to do things well. That’s when things start to flow, to go well. I think that’s the difference between this year and last.”

He’s finding his footing in the league now and was a force to be reckoned with against Charlotte on Wednesday. Muriel is aware that the Lions will need him to be at his best when they travel to take on Inter Miami on Sunday for an important rivalry clash.

Diving Into Justin Ellis’s Ascent

Victor Olorunfemi of Top Drawer Soccer gave a great profile on Orlando City B forward Justin Ellis and his growth with the club. Ellis, who just celebrated his 18th birthday on Wednesday with his MLS debut, is having a great year after a solid season with OCB last year. The high school senior was the top scorer at this year’s Generation Adidas Cup with six goals to help Orlando’s U-18 team win the tournament. He can create chances just as well as he can convert them and is quick to give credit to the coaches and staff that have helped him develop. The U.S. youth pool is deep, but Ellis could be a name to keep an eye out for ahead of the U-20 World Cup in September.

Orlando Pride Match Headlines NWSL Weekend

The Orlando Pride’s match tonight against the Kansas City Current is the premier matchup this week in the NWSL. While I wouldn’t call it a rivalry just yet, these two teams had great games last year. The Current are still out for revenge after Orlando beat them while shorthanded last summer and won again in the NWSL playoffs in Orlando before winning the NWSL Championship in Kansas City. First place in the league is on the line and it should be a thrilling match featuring the league’s top two defenses and attacking threats like Barbra Banda, Temwa Chawinga, Marta, and Debinha.

NWSL Contenders and Underperformers

We’re about a third of the way into the NWSL season and ESPN‘s Jeff Kassouf dove into how each team is meeting its expectations so far. Despite their stumbles in recent weeks, the Pride are near the top of the table and have plenty of time to get things firing on all cylinders. Two of the California teams are enjoying surprising success so far, with the San Diego Wave up in fourth while Angel City FC is in fifth and could become a real contender once Alexander Straus takes over as head coach. NJ/NY Gotham FC and the North Carolina Courage are sleeping giants of sorts, so it will be interesting to see when they start climbing up the table.

Free Kicks

  • You’ll need a paid subscription for the full details, but Orlando City right back Alex Freeman continues to impress this season. Freeman is finding success in a way different from his father Antonio Freeman, who led the NFL in receiving yards for the Green Bay Packers in 1998.
  • This year’s MLS pre-match jerseys to celebrate Pride month are out and they’re a vibrant and funky design.

Love lifts us up 💜The new 2025 Pride Pre-Match Jerseys are here!🛒 orlsoccer.co/fbpri

— Orlando City SC (@orlandocitysc.com) 2025-05-15T18:56:08.764Z
  • Esther Gonzalez leads the NWSL with seven goals this season and has agreed to a contract extension with Gotham FC that will last through 2027.
  • FIFA representatives, including FA Chair Debbie Hewitt and UEFA President Alexander Ceferin, walked out of FIFA’s annual congress in protest of FIFA President Gianni Infantino arriving three hours late. Infantino has spent this week in the Middle East visiting leaders in Saudi Arabia and Qatar with Donald Trump.
  • FC Barcelona officially won this year’s La Liga title after a 2-0 win over Espanyol. Phenom Lamine Yamal scored a sensational goal in the match, which is fitting considering how crucial he was to Barcelona winning the league this year.
  • Predictable names like Luis Enrique and Antonio Conte are on the list of top European coaches this year, but this article also shines a light on coaches who navigated tough waters in small boats. Alexander Blessin has St. Pauli on the verge of survival in the Bundesliga and Filippo Inzaghi improved Pisa by 30 points in Serie B to secure promotion.

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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