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Orlando City at CF Montreal: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in a 2-0 loss to CF Montreal while north of the border?

Published

2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City traveled north of the border to take on CF Montreal in Stade Saputo, but came away with a 2-0 road loss. The Lions were unable to replicate the performance from last week, reverting to the team that wastes shots despite taking the match to the opposition early.  Let’s look at how each individual Lion did in the defeat in Montreal.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 —In the early going, Gallese was sharp. He made a diving save in the 21st minute on a shot by Ariel Lassiter. He also made an easy save on a header off a corner in the 32nd minute. Orlando City did concede two goals,but neither was Gallese’s fault. The first came off a deflection off Jansson, and the other from an unmarked Romell Quioto in the box. You simply can’t leave him open like that and expect your keeper to stop the shot from that close. 

D, Kyle Smith, 5.5 — Smith had a decent night for a right back playing left back. Early on he made a good recovery to shut down an attack on his side.Unfortunately, he was the first of many Lions to earn a yellow card in the 23rd minute, when he was a little late and caught the opponent’s foot with his. In the 26th minute he blocked a cross out for a corner which amounted to nothing. He also made it into the attack and managed two crosses, though neither made a difference. He passed at a 77.3% rate on 44 passes, with three tackles, two interceptions, one clearance, and one foul. He came off in the 68th minute for Rafael Santos.

D, Robin Jansson, 4.5 — If not for giving up an own goal, Jansson didn’t have a horrible night. Of course, scoring a goal for the opposition is never good. Jansson was given the captain’s armband for the match, and mostly kept his cool — at least compared to usual. He did the things he normally does like completing three of six long balls, and making runs into the midfield to break lines. He completed 86.8% of his 38 passes, made two interceptions, and had one clearance.

D, Antonio Carlos, 6 — Last match Carlos seemed to be channeling his center back partner Jansson’s penchant for accurate long balls. This week, he completed a solid eight of 14, but none were as impactful. Defensively, he wasn’t culpable on either of the goals conceded, as he was rightly marking Chinonso Offor on Quioto’s goal, and couldn’t do anything on the own goal. That battle with Offor was a constant all match. He completed 86.4% of his 44 passes. Defensively, he made one tackle, two interceptions, and two clearances, committed two fouls,and also suffered two fouls.

D, Michael Halliday, 5.5 — Halliday was on the front foot with the rest of Orlando City in the early going. He didn’t manage as many crosses as he has in other matches — only one in this match and it was off target — but he did complete both of his long balls. In the 13th minute, he earned a foul by taking an elbow to the face, though there was no card given. He did earn a yellow card himself in the 41st minute. Halliday was one of the three defenders surrounding Quioto on his goal, though his assignment was the back post, not the middle. He completed 85% of his 20 passes, made one clearance, and committed two fouls. He attempted one shot but didn’t get it close to on target, but it was an ambitious half-volley effort.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — Araujo drew four fouls, made a tackle, had two interceptions, and recorded one clearance. He passed for a team-high 89.1% rate on a team-high 46 passes. I started with his stats because despite all of that, he seemed a little off. His numbers aren’t bad, but I felt he wasn’t as sharp. His frustration boiled over in the 74th minute when he committed an off-the-ball foul that resulted in a yellow card.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 5.5 — Cartagena started out pretty well, getting good pressure in the midfield alongside Araujo. He then had a couple of giveaways, one of which earned him a foul and the other that led to a breakaway which resulted in a yellow for Halliday. It was a mixed bag for the defensive midfielder on the night. Cartagena made three key passes, four tackles, committed two fouls, and completed 85% of 40 passes. He subbed off for Felipe Martins in the 68th minute.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo was his normal, pacey, willing-to-take-on-multiple-defenders, self. Once again he made some good runs into the opposition’s box, and in the 25th minute he dumped the ball back to Kara for a golden opportunity to score, but Kara wasn’t able to get the ball out cleanly. All three of his own shots were off target — a problem for most of the club. He completed 69.6% of his 23 passes, including one successful long ball and had one interception. He lost track of Herrera on the second Montreal goal. 

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6 — One of these days, Ojeda will bury a goal from outside the box on either a free kick, or during the run of play. His shot from outside the box in the 15th minute — his only attempt in the match — went wide right of the goal. Ojeda made three key passes in the match, completing 81.3% of his 32 passes. He completed all three of his long balls, and put in four crosses, with three of them accurate. Despite that, he wasn’t as sharp as he has more recently been. Orlando City’s newest DP is so close to breaking through with a goal, but it wasn’t to be against Montreal.

MF, Facundo Torres, 5.5 — In the early going Torres and the midfield were connecting passes and bothering the Montreal defense. Torres took two shots in the match, neither of which were on target. Whatever sharpness he had left over from the previous match melted away pretty quickly. He managed one key pass on the night, passing at an 86.2% rate on 29 passes. Like Ojeda he was successful on his long balls — completing five of six — but the more clinical quick pass connections in the attack were missing.

F, Ercan Kara, 6.5 (MOTM) — Kara was the only Orlando City player to put the ball on target — two of his four shots. He wasn’t able to get a good angle on the ball in the 14th minute, and sent his header straight into the ground. His free kick in the 38th minute was easily saved. He made a nice pass with his head to Torres in the 54th but Torres’ shot was blocked. His hold-up play when available was decent and he suffered three fouls. He made two key passes on the night, completing 72.7% of his 11 passes. He was only called offside once on the night.

Substitutes

MF, Felipe (68′), 5.5 — Felipe came on for Cartagena and despite only managing 19 touches, he took a shot — a free kick that sailed very high — earned a yellow card, and passed at an 86.7% rate on 15 passes. He certainly made his presence felt, but not in a good enough way for a better grade.

D, Rafael Santos (68′), 5 — Santos managed 13 touches after coming on for Smith. He added one tackle, and one interception defensively. He passed at an 87.5% rate on eight passes and managed one cross.

F, Duncan McGuire (68′), 5 — McGuire only touched the ball four times in 22 minutes and did not have a shot attempt, but did manage to suffer three fouls for his hold-up play effort. He only made one pass, which he completed. He just couldn’t impact the match.

MF, Ramiro Enrique (76′), 4.5 — Enrique was on the pitch for less than a minute after subbing in for Ojeda when he received a yellow card for a late challenge. He only managed four touches, though one of those was a shot that was nowhere near the goal. He attempted no passes. He managed an interception and committed two fouls.

MF, Gaston Gonzalez (79′), N/A — After coming on for Angulo, Gonzalez managed six touches. He didn’t play long enough to properly grade him, but he didn’t commit any needless fouls or make any other kind of mistakes.

That’s how I saw each performance from the Lions in their 2-0 loss at Stade Saputo against CF Montreal. The Lions finally got a home win, and immediately followed that up with a road loss. 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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Lion Links: 5/13/25

Martin Ojeda honored, Americans in midweek action, rivalry games on the horizon, and more.

Published

16 hours ago

on

May 13, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, everyone. I hope you’ve been on top of things to start the week, because there’s going to be no time to catch our breath with Orlando City taking on Charlotte FC Wednesday, before facing Inter Miami on Sunday. We’ve got plenty to discuss this morning, so let’s jump right into the links.

Martin Ojeda Honored

After his starring role in Orlando City’s 3-3 draw with the New England Revolution on Saturday, Martin Ojeda has been named to the starting XI of the MLS Team of the Matchday. Ojeda was back in the starting lineup after spending the last few matches nursing a knock and he made the most of his return, scoring all three goals for just the third Orlando City hat trick in the club’s MLS existence and first since 2015. It was a shame that the defense couldn’t help him out on his historic night, but he was Sean Rollins’ clear choice for Man of the Match in his Player Grades piece, and it’s nice to see that he’s getting some much deserved wider recognition as well, even though he was snubbed for Player of the Matchday, which went to Emil Forsberg of the New York Red Bulls. Here’s hoping Ojeda’s success continues.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans who will be playing games during the working week, and we have some very high stakes at play. Things start today, when Haji Wright and Coventry City try to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit in the Championship promotion playoff semifinal against Sunderland. AC Milan takes on Bologna Wednesday in the Coppa Italia final, with Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah fighting for a chance to lift a trophy. Finally, Thursday has Johnny Cardoso and red-hot Real Betis visiting Rayo Vallecano in La Liga in a game that will have big ramifications on the race for European places.

Rivalry Games on the Horizon

Major League Soccer’s rivalry week is almost upon us, which means we have some heated matchups that we can start looking forward to. First and foremost, as far as we’re concerned, is Orlando City hitting the road to face Inter Miami in a series that is dead even across the board at 5-5-5 in 15 all-time meetings. There’s plenty more though, as El Trafico is the late game on Sunday, and we also get Hell is Real between FC Cincinnati and the Columbus Crew, as well as a Hudson River River Derby that features two teams in wildly different places. The New York Red Bulls hammered the LA Galaxy on Saturday and have won three of their last four in all competitions, while New York City FC was knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup last week, and has lost three of its last four in all competitions.

Carlo Ancelotti to Coach Brazil

Brazil has officially announced that Carlo Ancelotti will take over as the newest coach of the team. The Brazilian Football Confederation announced on Monday that he will leave Real Madrid after the last league game of the season, with his first day on the job for Brazil coming on May 26. Brazil wanted to have a new coach in place for June’s World Cup qualifiers, and Ancelotti will now become the Selecao’s first foreign head coach. As far as Real Madrid is concerned, the club is reportedly finalizing a deal for former player Xabi Alonso to become the new coach as soon as possible. Madrid would ideally like for him to be on the job before the start of this summer’s Club World Cup, and Alonso has already publicly announced that he will not manage Bayer Leverkusen past the end of this season.

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That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 3-3 draw against the New England Revolution?

Published

2 days ago

on

May 12, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City saw a 2-0 lead wash away just before halftime and took the lead in the second half. It looked like the Lions were on their way to a big three points, but a late penalty and a disallowed goal resulted in a 3-3 draw. It’s a draw that feels like a loss for the Lions.

Let’s take a look at how the individual players did in this disappointing game.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — Gallese had a difficult night, though it wasn’t all his fault. He faced six shots and conceded three goals. However, two were primarily because of bad defending, and one was a penalty. He made three saves and blocked away a rocket late.  The Orlando City goalkeeper touched the ball 25 times and completed 77.8% of his 18 passes, including four of his eight long balls.

D, David Brekalo, 6 — Brekalo had a good game at left back, touching the ball 65 times, second most on the team. He completed 90.7% of his 43 passes, including a key pass. However, his lone cross and long ball were incomplete. The defender took two shots, putting one on target, and nearly had a goal in the 48th minute with a strong run into the box, but a defender deflected it off the woodwork. Defensively, he recorded two tackles, one interception, three clearances, and a blocked shot. He was a little late trying to deny Ignatius Ganago’s cross through the box to Ilay Feingold, and his sliding effort to do so took him out of position to deny Feingold’s centering pass for New England’s first goal. It was one of his few missteps of the match, and the effort was there if not the execution. He moved from left back to center back for the closing minutes.

D, Robin Jansson, 5 — Jansson is usually rock solid on the back line, but he was a liability in this game. He touched the ball 57 times and completed 86.3% of his 51 passes, including four of his seven long balls. He made three clearances and blocked two shots. His poor grade was due to his contribution to two New England goals. He allowed Matt Polster to get goal side in the 44th minute for the equalizer and stuck his foot out in an ill-advised challenge in the 85th minute, resulting in a game-tying penalty. It was a game the Orlando City captain would rather forget.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — Schlegel is usually the higher-risk player at center back, but he had a good game. He touched the ball 49 times and completed 91.4% of his 35 passes, including his lone long ball. He also recorded a tackle, a team-high six clearances, and two blocked shots. Most surprisingly, he managed to end the game without an unnecessary booking. Schlegel’s night ended in the 87th minute when he was replaced by Rafael Santos.

D, Alex Freeman, 6.5  — Freeman started at his usual right back position, touching the ball a team-high 66 times. He completed 76.7% of his 43 passes and his lone cross but not his long ball. His lone shot was on target and he had three key passes. The 20-year-old was also active defensively, recording two tackles, two interceptions, and four clearances.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo only touched the ball 28 times in this game, but his speed caused problems for the New England back line as he pushed into the attack. The left-sided midfielder completed 82.6% of his 23 passes, including two key passes. He didn’t take any shots, because he was mainly on the wing, but he helped defensively with a tackle and two interceptions. Angulo was replaced by Ramiro Enrique in the 74th minute.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — Araujo had 57 touches in this game while completing 91.7% of his 36 passes. He had a key pass but failed to complete either of his two long balls. The defensive midfielder took four shots, putting one on target that forced Aljaz Ivacic into a good save. He nearly scored off a corner kick in the 24th minute, but hit the post. Defensively, Araujo had two tackles and a clearance.

MF, Joran Gerbet, 5.5 — Gerbet had an up and down night, making him difficult to grade. He let Alhassan Yusuf get goal side of him in the 38th minute to score New England’s first goal. But his excellent first touch sent Ojeda on a partial breakaway in the 33rd minute for the Lions’ second goal, and his fearlessness earned a penalty for Orlando City’s third goal. The rookie touched the ball 43 times and completed 88.9% of his 36 passes, including a key pass and one of his two long balls. He didn’t take any shots but added an interception defensively. He probably should get a higher grade for participating in two goals, but I can’t get over the defensive midfielder’s error that might’ve cost the Lions two points. Gerbet was replaced in the 69th minute by Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 6.5 — Pasalic had a solid night, touching the ball 39 times and completing 73.9% of his 23 passes. He had two key passes and completed one of his three long balls. He put one of his three shots on target, but his offensive performance will be remembered for his 20th minute shot, when Luis Muriel headed the ball down perfectly for him and the midfielder sent it over the open goal. Despite the miss, it was a good game for the attacking midfielder, who also had an interception on the defensive side.

F, Luis Muriel, 6.5 — Muriel started up top but dropped behind Ojeda as the game progressed. He had 36 touches and completed 73.3% of his 15 passes, including four key passes and three of his four crosses. He should’ve had an assist on Pasalic’s miss, and he should’ve scored, especially in the 68th minute, when he made multiple defenders miss before dribbling the ball into the arms of Ivacic instead of shooting. He added two tackles and would’ve had a higher grade if he had any desire to score.

F, Martin Ojeda, 8.5 (MotM) — There can’t be a question about who the Man of the Match was for this game. In his first league start since April 19, Ojeda led the way. He touched the ball 43 times, completing 84% of his 25 passes with two key passes. He completed two of his five crosses but didn’t connect on his long ball. However, the attacker converted on three of his team-high seven shots, scoring the club’s first hat trick since 2015. His first goal was a thing of beauty, as he rocketed a shot off the bottom of the cross bar, creating no chance for the goalkeeper. The midfielder also took his second goal well and converted the penalty that gave his team the lead in the 55th minute. Defensively, Ojeda added an interception in a clear Man of the Match performance.

Substitutes

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (69’), 5.5 — Thorhallsson came on in the 69th minute for Gerbet in the defensive midfield. He touched the ball 13 times, completing all of his 10 passes, though they were all of the shorter variety. He picked up a yellow card late in the match.

F, Duncan McGuire (73’), 5.5 — McGuire came on for Muriel in the 73rd minute with his team up a goal. He touched the ball only five times, completing all three of his passes with a key pass and his lone cross. His only shot was off target and he didn’t add any defensive stats. He should have had an assist with a good ball into the box for Enrique, who made a mess of the shot, firing it high over the goal. Unfortunately, his game will be remembered for the 90th minute, when Enrique’s shot hit his back while the striker was in an offside position. The ball went in, and the flag went up to disallow the goal that would’ve been the game winner.

F, Ramiro Enrique (74’), 5.5 — Enrique entered the game in the 74th minute for Angulo. He touched the ball 14 times and completed 45.5% of his 11 passes without any key passes or crosses. He took one off-target shot (officially) but had a great chance to score in the 90th minute when he received a pass from Pasalic at the top of the box with no one on him. His shot hit the back of an offside McGuire, spoiling a potential late winner.

D, Rafael Santos (87’), 5.5 — Santos replaced Schlegel in the 87th minute as the Lions brought on a natural left back and moved Brekalo to his usual center back position. Despite coming on late, the 10 minutes of stoppage time gave him plenty of action. He touched the ball 12 times and completed 83.3% of his six passes, including one of his three crosses. He didn’t take any shots and didn’t record any defensive stats as the Lions pushed hard for the late winner that never came. On the defensive end, he got roasted by Luis Diaz Espinoza in the second minute of stoppage time, allowing a wicked shot on goal that Gallese was able to parry away awkwardly.

That’s how I saw Orlando City 3-3 draw against the New England Revolution. Let us know what you thought of the performance in the comment below and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match.

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Lion Links: 5/12/25

Lions and Pride each draw, Pride wins 2024 Golden Brick Award of Excellence, MLS weekend recap, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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May 12, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida and belated happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there. I’ve been busy at work and catching up with friends all week. Our Lions and Pride both picked up draws over the weekend, while OCB was off.  We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Draw New England Revolution at Home

Orlando City blew a lead twice and ended up settling for a 3-3 draw against the New England Revolution on Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions got off to a great start as Martin Ojeda scored two goals in the first half. The Revolution replied with two goals to tie the match just before halftime. Ojeda added a penalty kick goal in the second half to secure his first hat trick of his career. It was also the first hat trick for Orlando in a decade, and he joins former Lion Cyle Larin as the only players in club history to score a regular-season hat trick.

However, late in the second half, the Lions conceded a penalty to New England, and Carles Gil converted from the spot to get the equalizer as the teams split the points. The Lions will have a quick turnaround with their next match on Wednesday at home against Charlotte FC.

Pride Draw North Carolina Courage on the Road

The Orlando Pride needed a late equalizer to escape WakeMed Soccer Park with a 1-1 draw against the North Carolina Courage on Saturday. The Courage struck first, but Prisca Chilufya scored her first goal of the NWSL season late in stoppage time to secure a draw and keep Orlando from losing two matches in a row. The Pride grabbed a crucial point on the road and are second in the NWSL standings. The next match for the Orlando Pride will be Friday as they face the Kansas City Current at Inter&Co Stadium.

Orlando Pride Wins 2024 Golden Brick Award of Excellence

The Orlando Pride were named winners of the Downtown Orlando Partnerships 2024 Golden Brick Award of Excellence on Friday for the club’s historic 2024 NWSL Championship season and downtown victory parade. The Pride broke the league record for the most points (60), most wins in a season (18), and most clean sheets (13), while finishing the 2024 season unbeaten at home. Orlando Pride President of Business Operations Jarrod Dillon expressed his thoughts on Pride winning this award.

“On behalf of our entire Club, I’d like to thank the Downtown Orlando Partnership and its Board of Directors for selecting our organization for this incredible award,” said Orlando Pride President of Business Operations, Jarrod Dillon. “We are incredibly honored to receive this award — a testament to the passion, dedication, and excellence that define our team. Our Club is proud to represent this city, and we hope every Orlando resident shares in this moment of pride. There’s no place we’d rather call home than downtown Orlando — the heart of our community and now the home of the best women’s soccer team in the United States.”

MLS Weekend Recap

The weekend’s slate of Major League Soccer matches ended with some notable results. Minnesota United cruised past Inter Miami with a 4-1 win. The Chicago Fire, FC Cincinnati, San Diego FC, and Nashville SC all won 2-1 matches over Atlanta United, Austin FC, St. Louis City, and Charlotte FC, respectively. Toronto FC defeated D.C. United 2-0 at home, while the San Jose Earthquakes beat the Colorado Rapids 2-0 on the road. Prince Osei Owusu scored the lone goal as CF Montreal beat New York City FC 1-0 and secured its first win of the season. Santiago Moreno scored a late goal in the second half as the Portland Timbers defeated Sporting Kansas City 1-0. Albert Rusnak scored twice as the Seattle Sounders beat the Houston Dynamo 3-1. FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake ended in a 1-1 draw, while the Philadelphia Union and Columbus Crew match ended in a 2-2 draw. The LA Galaxy remain winless through 12 matches this season after getting crushed 7-0 by the New York Red Bulls in a rematch of last year’s MLS Cup final. On Sunday, Brian White scored twice as the Vancouver Whitecaps and LAFC match ended in a 2-2 draw.

Free Kicks

  • Check out this video on Orlando City’s social media pages featuring some players giving their moms a surprise phone call on Mother’s Day.
  • Orlando Pride defender Kylie Nadaner completed 108 passes on Saturday in their match against the North Carolina Courage, which is the most in Pride history.

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

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