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

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.