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Orlando City

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

How did your favorite Lions grade out in a draw against the Union?

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2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City hosted the Philadelphia Union for a midweek matchup and walked away with a 2-2 draw after giving up a two-goal lead late. With multiple players still missing for international duty, Orlando City suffered a late gut punch and as a result many great individual efforts felt hollow on the evening. Here is how each Lion performed at Exploria Stadium.

Starters

GK, Mason Stajduhar, 6 — In his second straight start, Stajduhar came up with three saves on the evening. Sporting a clean sheet for the first two thirds of the match, Stajduhar came up with a stellar save on Julian Carranza in the 51st minute as he slid across the goal to deny a point blank opportunity. Just a few minutes later, Philadelphia found their breakthrough goal as Stajduhar allowed a long cross to squeak past him in the 60th minute as he was slow to react to the cross sailing too high and heading for the back post. There was nothing he could do about Jose Martinez’s blast from 30-35 yards out that screamed past him off the inside of the post. Stajduhar was accurate on 12 of his 21 passes (51.7%) and drew two yellow cards on the opposition on the night, earning one of his own.

D, Rafael Santos, 5.5 — The left back completed 24 of his 32 passes (75%) in 80 minutes. It felt like a quiet night for the defender as the attack seemed to be more direct, although in the second half, Santos was able to make more overlapping runs. On the defensive side of the pitch he recorded two tackles, two interceptions, and two clearances, but when he was able to get involved on the offensive side, his crosses did not find the mark as he went 0-for-3 and connected on just two of seven long balls. He was dispossessed twice and sent poor passes straight to Union players multiple times while trying to play out of the back.

D, Antonio Carlos, 7 — After missing the weekend match due to yellow card accumulation, Carlos was back in the starting line up. AC completed 22 of his 26 passes (84.6%), going 2-for-3 on long balls, and recorded one shot on frame that required an alert save by Joe Bendik to keep it from sneaking under the bar off a corner kick cross. On defense, Carlos recorded two tackles, an interception, and eight clearances, and he won four aerial duels. One of Carlos’ eight clearances was unfortunate a little too good, as if it had fallen at 20 or 25 yards, Dagur Dan was in position to get onto it and help move it up the field. Instead, it traveled 30+ yards out and found the foot of Martinez. The fact that Philadelphia was rarely dangerous inside the 18-yard box is a tribute to the play of Carlos and his central defense partner.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — The Swedish center back also played a solid match. Jansson completed 21 of his 26 passes (80.8%), completed three of six long balls, and had one successful dribble, making one of his patented upfield runs in the second half. On the defensive side, Jansson’s night seemed quieter, as he did not record a tackle and only was credited with one interception, an aerial won, and two clearances.

D, Kyle Smith, 5.5 — Also rejoining the starting lineup after missing the past match due to yellow card accumulation, Smith was unimpressive in 68 minutes of action. He only completed 19 of his 31 passes (61.3%), went 0-for-2 on crosses and 1-for-4 on long balls, and was dispossessed once. Smith recorded one tackle and three clearances. He attempted one shot, which was blocked, and did not contribute a key pass before being subbed off.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — The Uruguayan didn’t have his best night passing, but he quietly helped connect Orlando’s defense with its offense, completing a below-the-norm 32 of his 42 passes for just a 76.2% success rate. He didn’t attempt a shot but did pick up a secondary assist on the goal credited to Martin Ojeda. He will lose that assist if Opta changes the goal to McGuire. His only cross was off target and he completed only two of five long balls. Araujo helped out defensively with one interception and two clearances while winning both of his aerial duels. It was a sloppier performance than usual from the reliable midfielder in possession but at least he was able to frustrate the Union defensively.

MF, Felipe, 5 — The 32-year-old started his second straight match and had a problematic night. He wasted a set piece in a dangerous area by seemingly not knowing where his teammates were going, crossing it over the end line harmlessly for a goal kick. He completed 24 of his 30 (80%) passes on the night, but the ones he missed on helped jumpstart Philadelphia’s counter, as he gave the ball to the opposition in the middle of the pitch or in the defensive end multiple times. He completed two of his three long balls. His only shot attempt was blocked. On the defensive side of the field, Felipe contributed one tackle, an interception, and two clearances.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6.5 — Oh what could and should have been. Angulo had a potential winning (or insurance) goal in the later part of the match overturned after video review which would have seen Orlando up 3-1. The Colombian completed 25 out of 27 passes for a team-high 92.6% success rate and assisted on Ojeda’s goal. Angulo completed two dribbles and recorded two shots with one on frame. Unfortunately, the one that wasn’t on frame was a sitter served up on a platter by McGuire from eight yards out in front of an empty net. His lone cross was unsuccessful and he completed one of his two long balls. He also chipped in two interceptions. The missed sitter ultimately helped prevent the Lions from putting the game away or his score would be higher and perhaps prevented him from being our Man of the Match.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 — The captain anchored the center of the field for the Lions and had 55 total touches on the night. He completed 38 of his 44 passes (86.4%) and recorded a team-high three key passes while going the full 90. Pereyra looked spry on the field for the most part and was able to find himself in good spaces to distribute to his teammates. He was credited with a secondary assist on Duncan McGuire’s goal in the 13th minute. He did not attempt a shot but was successful on one dribble and drew two free kicks. He also contributed an interception and a clearance.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 7.5 — Ojeda was Orlando’s lone Designated Player on the pitch for the first two-thirds of the match. He was seemingly everywhere on the pitch. His cheeky flick was a perfect setup for McGuire’s opening goal, unlocking the defense with one quick movement. His only shot attempt was brilliant, as he cut inside to use two defenders and McGuire as a screen and sent a shot inside the back post that took a minor deflection off the rookie striker. Who ultimately gets the credit for the goal isn’t important, but McGuire knew little about it. Ojeda completed 18 of his 22 passes (81.8%) and contributed two key passes. He connected on two of his four long balls but only one of his four crosses. The Argentine also won an aerial duel and contributed a tackle. He was subbed off in the 74th minute for fresh legs but he showed how dangerous he can be.

F, Duncan McGuire, 7.5 (MotM) — McGuire is in impeccable form right now. His opening goal was imperfect, as his heavy touch nearly derailed the entire play. Fortunately, his hustle and body control on a sliding recovery allowed him to keep from turning it over and he was able to get back up and score in the 13th minute. Throughout the match, McGuire’s holdup play allowed the Lions to find players in space and work through the center of the pitch. He completed 11 of his 17 passes (64.7%), completing his only long ball, and was credited with a key pass on his pass that Angulo fired over the bar. McGuire tracked back defensively to help out as best he could and recorded one interception and three clearances while winning four aerial duels.

Substitutes

D, Rodrigo Schlegel (68’), 6 — Orlando City elected to move to three center backs in an attempt to preserve their lead and brought Schlegel on for Smith in the 68th minute. Schlegel recorded two clearances and completed two of his three pass attempts while helping Jansson and Carlos keep the box clear of danger. Unfortunately, the Union created danger from outside the area.

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (68’), 6 — The midfielder provided fresh legs for Felipe and provided his usual burst of energy, completing 12 of his 14 (85.7%) passes in 22 minutes. He also completed one successful dribble and was dispossessed once. He could have done a better job of closing down crossers a few times, but for a player not seeing regular minutes it was a decent shift.

MF, Ramiro Enrique (74’), N/A — Coming on for Ojeda, Enrique did a little bit of everything in a quarter hour on the pitch. He completed two of his three passes, logged one shot — a potential game-winner that instead crashed off the crossbar in the 94th minute — and recorded a tackle. His only cross was unsuccessful. In the 82nd minute Enrique was booked for time wasting.

F, Ercan Kara (80’), N/A — Kara came on late for a cramping McGuire and seemingly put the game away as he fought off Union defenders and rumbled down the pitch before laying off a ball for Angulo to tap into the back of the net. Martinez did Martinez things as he took a dive hoping to be rewarded with a foul in the buildup to the goal and he was rewarded, as Kara was ultimately called for a foul after video review, and the assist that Kara would have had was wiped off the scoresheet.

MF, Gaston Gonzalez (80’), N/A — Coming on for Santos late, Gonzalez functioned as a wingback and completed one of his two passes and won his lone aerial duel. He was unfortunately injured and left the Lions (who were out of subs) down a man in the late going.

That is how the players graded out in another frustrating late draw. Vote for your Man of the Match in our poll below, and let us know in the comments below your thoughts on who stood out to you.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/22/25

Orlando City transfer rumors, Orlando Pride preseason begins, USMNT at Inter&Co, and more.

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1 hour ago

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January 22, 2025

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Dan MacDonald, The ManeLand

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Up here in Tallahassee, I’m waking up to snow/sleet, closed schools, closed government offices, and potentially icy roads. Many people will get an extra day off of work, however, I still get to go to work. I’m sure you can imagine how happy I am about that. Enough of my winter grumbling. Let’s get to the links but not until after we wish Orlando City fullback Michael Halliday a happy 22nd birthday.

Orlando City Reportedly Targeting Croatian International

While I can no longer say that Orlando City hasn’t signed any new players, the club is still moving at its traditionally slow speed as compared to other MLS clubs. We had the signing of Nicolas Rodriguez last week. Now, we have Tom Bogert report of yet another winger prospect for the club in Croatian Marco Pasalic from HNK Rijeka, though it is not a done deal. Hopefully the other targets Bogert mentions are of the striker variety.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881755961125449765?s=46&t=pMoq7Wulqfb35D7C8ydroA

Pride Preseason Begins

The 2024 NWSL champions are back to defend their title. The Orlando Pride returned to training on Tuesday. The club hasn’t needed to add many pieces, though some of the players already here, like Simone Charley and Grace Chanda, haven’t actually played any minutes for the Pride yet. Most of the chemistry is in place for Seb Hines, but reinforcing those bonds will be the challenge as the Pride look to repeat.

USMNT at Inter&Co Tonight

Hopefully you have tickets to the USMNT friendly match versus Costa Rica at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. The match starts at 7 p.m. and there are television and streaming options if you’re not going in person. Despite the squad having 14 players with three or fewer caps, Mauricio Pochettino does not consider this an “alternative” squad, nor does he want the players to think of themselves like that.

Girma Reportedly Nearing Completion of Chelsea Move

USWNT defender Naomi Girma is reportedly headed to Chelsea FC Women for a record $1.1 million transfer fee. That is a very big chunk of change for San Diego FC to use to try to replace one of the best defenders in the world. The deal is not complete as of Tuesday evening, but according to the original report from The Athletic, it is close to being done. Girma would be the first women’s soccer player to earn a transfer fee of over $1 million.

MLS Transfer Updates

Other MLS clubs keep on putting pen to paper when it comes to new players. The Chicago Fire are bringing in Jonathan Bamba on a Designated Player deal from La Liga side Celta de Vigo. The Luca de la Torre loan from Spain’s RC Celta de Vigo to San Diego FC is also official.

https://twitter.com/sandiegofc/status/1881741042904350864

Cucho Hernandez evidently wants to stay with the Columbus Crew, though he is still waiting on a new offer.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881786193693823104

Free Kicks

https://twitter.com/weareangelcity/status/1881749040863588770?s=12&t=_WZBNG4ILAyRLdwBeB4mpQ
  • Keep your eyes peeled later today for the NWSL schedule drop.
https://twitter.com/nwsl/status/1881749035218042954?s=46&t=pN-YJp3s7ZQlCXqnTAgSfw

That will do it for today. Stay warm out there, my friends. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/21/25

Orlando Pride release preseason camp roster, scouting Costa Rica, women’s soccer transfer grades, and more.

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1 day ago

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January 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone! If you had yesterday off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, then I hope you enjoyed some restful time off. If not, then I hope you got your week started off on a good and productive note. There’s a lot going on around here this week as the United States Men’s National Team is in town, and Orlando City will play its first preseason match on Saturday. That means we have plenty to discuss, so let’s dig into today’s links.

Orlando Pride Drop Preseason Roster

Monday might have been a holiday but the Orlando Pride were busy, as they announced the roster for their upcoming preseason camp. Almost all of the usual suspects from the 2024 season are back, as the Pride return 98% of the player-minutes from last season and every single scorer. Mariana Larroquette is on the list although she’s currently on loan in Argentina, and Amanda Allen is likewise included after her loan at Lexington Sporting Club was terminated due to a torn labrum. The biggest intrigue comes from the trio of non-roster invitees: goalkeeper DeAira Jackson, midfielder Aryssa Mahrt, and forward Simone Jackson.

Scouting Costa Rica

The USMNT takes on Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium to wrap up the team’s annual January camp. Like the U.S., Costa Rica is bringing a roster devoid of the majority of its important players. Costa Rica also has a new manager at the helm in Miguel Herrera, who will take charge of the team for the very first time on Wednesday. Herrera typically lines his teams up in a 5-3-2 where the wingbacks take on a very important role and the team looks to hit on the counter while staying compact at the back. This will be the last time we see the USMNT in action until the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in early March.

Women’s Soccer January Transfer Grades

January has been a busy time for transfers in the women’s soccer world, so which teams have done the best business? Well, the Orlando Pride received an A grade for signing Marta to a new two-year deal, retaining a player who helped the team win its first ever trophies. Liverpool got an A for signing Julia Bartel on loan from Chelsea. Leicester City made an interesting call by transferring goalkeeper Lize Kop to Tottenham despite just being a point above the relegation zone. The Foxes get a C for the move, while Spurs get a B+ for adding a capable netminder.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans taking part in some very important games over the course of this week. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus face Club Brugge today in the UEFA Champions League, while Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Esmir Bajraktarević, Malik Tillman and PSV Eindhoven take on Crvena Zvezda in the same competition. Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan will play Girona in the UCL on Wednesday, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic take on Young Boys. On Friday, John Tolkin could make his Bundesliga debut when his new team, Holstein Kiel, travels to face Wolfsburg.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride players reported for their preseason physicals on Monday.
  • Meanwhile, Orlando City took on the dreaded beep test during Monday’s training session.

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

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Orlando City

Striker Suddenly a Position of Need for Orlando City

Departures and a key injury mean Orlando City needs a striker heading into the 2025 MLS season.

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2 days ago

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January 20, 2025

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Image Courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City reached the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in 2024, a milestone for the club. The core of the team was locked up through the 2025 season, so there was no reason to believe it needed to add much this off-season. Unfortunately, injuries and departures have created a serious problem for the team.

The group of forwards last year consisted of Duncan McGuire, Ramiro Enrique, and Jack Lynn. McGuire scored 15 goals in 2023 and was expected to depart for Blackburn Rovers before a clerical error allowed the Lions to keep their target man. The team’s primary striker scored 11 goals in 37 games — the same number as the previous season — but split time starting with Enrique. The Argentinian improved greatly in 2024, increasing his total goal tally from four to 12. Even Lynn showed tremendous improvement last year, playing a greater role in the team and scoring his first two MLS goals.

The future also seemed bright for the Orlando City forwards because of their ages. Lynn is the oldest of the trio at just 25 years old. Meanwhile, McGuire and Enrique are only 23, so there was no reason to believe this group couldn’t produce this coming season.

The problem at striker began in the postseason when McGuire was pulled down by Charlotte FC midfielder Djibril Diani in the final first round game of the playoffs. McGuire suffered a shoulder injury during the challenge that required surgery on Dec. 13. It’s expected that the striker could take four to five months to return to action, possibly leaving him out until May or June.

Another blow to Orlando’s attack occurred Saturday when Lynn surprisingly announced his retirement from professional soccer. In just over a month, Orlando City went from having three strikers to having just one as preseason training starts.

With McGuire injured and Lynn gone, one option would be to have Designated Player Luis Muriel play up top. However, the Colombian prefers to play a more withdrawn position and proved to be effective in that role last year. Since Head Coach Oscar Pareja prefers to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, the Lions need someone up top to control the ball and involve the midfielders in the attack. That’s not Muriel’s game.

The result of these issues is that nobody is currently behind Enrique when the season begins. If the Argentinian gets tired, hurt, or simply needs rest, Pareja is limited in his options. 

Whether there was a lack of strikers or a lack of goals from the position previously, that problem was resolved by the club’s all-time leading goal scorer. Facundo Torres scored 20 goals in 2024, becoming the first player in Orlando City’s MLS history and the second player in club history to do so. He went on to set a new club record for total goals of 47.

However, Orlando City sold its best player to Brazilian side Palmeiras on Dec. 20. It was a gut punch to fans as Torres had signed a new contract on Jan. 10, 2024 that ran through the 2026 season. There had been talk for the last couple of years that the attacker would look for a move to Europe and rumors of a move to South America arose this off-season. Still, it created a huge gap the club has to fill.

There are players on the roster that can make up for the injury and departures. Martin Ojeda had a strong season in 2024, finishing with seven goals and 13 assists. His seven goals ranked fourth on the team and his 13 assists topped the squad alongside Nico Lodeiro. Muriel came on strong later in the season, finishing with five goals and eight assists. But those numbers are a long way from the 20 goals that Torres tallied last year.

Even if you consider all goal contributions, Ojeda and Muriel fall well short of Torres. Ojeda had a total of 20 goal contributions in 2024 while Muriel had 13. In addition to Torres’s 20 goals, he added nine assists for a team-leading 29 goal contributions.

All of this information leads to one undeniable fact — Orlando City needs to sign a striker prior to the season. And there’s not much time for Luiz Muzzi to act. The European transfer window closes on Feb. 3 and many MLS teams have already been filling similar needs. With the season starting in just over a month, the options will be limited if the Lions don’t do something soon.

After the best postseason finish in Orlando City’s MLS history, things were looking good heading into 2025. While the back line and most of the midfield is returning, McGuire’s injury and the departure of Torres and Lynn have left the Lions in a tough spot offensively. If they don’t do something in the next couple of weeks, it could be a long 2025.

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