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Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in a Fourth of July victory against Toronto FC?

Published

2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City supplied the fireworks both during and after a 4-0 win over Toronto FC on the Fourth of July. Cesar Araujo and Duncan McGuire gave the Lions the lead in the first half, then substitutes Dagur Dan Thorhallsson and Ercan Kara put the game to bed. Toronto’s Federico Bernardeschi was shown a second yellow card in the 62nd minute, putting an already shorthanded Toronto side at a disadvantage.

Here’s how each Lion individually performed in the big win at Exploria Stadium.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — Gallese didn’t have to make any saves in this match, as Toronto’s best shot was a Bernardeschi strike that smacked the post. He did have a tackle though, doing well to poke the ball out of play for a throw-in while away from his goal. El Pulpo completed 73.7% of his 19 passes and was accurate on three of his seven long balls.

D, Rafael Santos, 7 — The left back notched an assist with a pinpoint cross to Araujo at the far post. He’s been delivering some really dangerous crosses this season, so it’s nice to see one put away. His other three crosses missed their mark, but all five of his long balls were accurate. One of those crosses was also deflected and wound up finding McGuire at the near post. Santos isn’t credited for an assist for McGuire’s goal because of the deflection but he put himself in a good attacking position. He completed 90.9% of his 55 passes and had two key passes to keep Orlando’s offense sharp. Santos had two headed shots from corner kicks, but both were deflected. He had two clearances, an interception, and a tackle to take care of business on the defensive side of things as well. This match was a testament to how the Brazilian is finding his footing with the Lions.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — It was a statistically odd match for the Beefy Swede, as he didn’t have any defensive stats — that’s how dominating Orlando was in the match. He also didn’t attempt any long balls, a method of attack that’s been fairly common from the center back. He did, however, complete all but two of his 58 passes for a fantastic 96.6% success rate. Jansson muscled off Toronto players who challenged him, took care of the ball, and didn’t commit a foul.

D, Antonio Carlos, 7.5 — Carlos hardly put a foot wrong in this match. He had a team-high 77 passes, completing 94.8% of them, while also being accurate on nine of his 11 long balls. Carlos also led the Lions with three interceptions and had three tackles, a clearance, and a blocked shot as well. His best tackle came late in the match on a sliding challenge in the box to prevent the visitors from having a quality scoring chance. Toronto didn’t create many chances, especially once Bernardeschi was sent off, but Carlos was there to snuff out the few fires that came.

D, Kyle Smith, 6.5 — Smith was fairly understated in the 67 minutes he was on the field, which is hardly a bad thing for a defender. Of course that’s not to say he wasn’t effective. The right back completed 93.3% of his passes, provided a key pass, and connected on two of his three long balls. Neither of his two crosses found their mark, but he did well finding open space and open Lions to keep momentum rolling on offense. Defensively, he had three tackles as well. It was a solid outing from the 31-year-old, who went 88 minutes on Saturday.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 7.5 — The Peruvian was a force to be reckoned with once again for Orlando. He nearly scored with a nice strike following a corner kick, but his shot smacked the post. It was his only shot of the match and he helped out on offense by making two key passes and connecting on all seven of his long balls to really exploit Toronto’s tired legs. Cartagena completed all but three of his 71 passes for a great 95.8% success rate. In terms of his defensive contributions, he was an irritant for Toronto and ended the night with two tackles, an interception, and a blocked shot. He was also fouled four times, including Bernardeschi’s second yellow that ended the Italian’s night.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 8 (MotM) — This was a fantastic performance from Araujo in his return from suspension. The midfielder scored his first MLS goal in style, using a diving header to generate enough power to put away the cross from Santos. It was a great way for him to cap off an attack he kickstarted by winning the ball in the midfield. He then provided a terrific assist in the second half, with a weighted ball over the top for Thorhallsson to chase down. He narrowly missed on a secondary assist on the fourth goal, feeding the ball to Martin Ojeda, who bobbled his control, allowing a defender to get a touch. Araujo was accurate on all eight of his long balls and had 76 passes at an impressive 93.4% success rate. Both of his shots were on target and he had two key passes as he stirred Orlando’s attacks. His 91 touches were also the most on the team. Defensively, he had three tackles and an interception to control the midfield. Simply put, it was one of his best games in purple and deserving of Man of the Match honors.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6.5 — Although he didn’t have a goal, Angulo did well when on the ball and was credited with an assist for feeding the ball to Santos on Orlando’s first goal. His speed and ability to turn defenders inside out was effective against a Toronto side on short rest in the heat. In 68 minutes of action, Angulo had 24 passes at an 83.3% success rate and a key pass. He earned corner kicks, stretched Toronto’s defense, and pressed the opposition into mistakes. It wasn’t his best game, but it didn’t have to be and he took care of what was asked of him more often than not.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6 — The captain missed another chance to score in front of an empty net, sending his first shot of the match into the stands after a rebound from Greg Ranjitsingh. His only other shot of the match was soon after from a tougher angle, but it skipped wide of goal. Although a bit sluggish in this one after playing a few days ago, Pereyra had two key passes, connected on both of his long balls, and two of his six crosses. His best moment may have been a threaded ball that hit Angulo perfectly on a diagonal run, but the Colombian couldn’t control it and was unable to get a shot off. Pereyra was subbed off in the 58th minute and ended up with 34 passes at a strong 88.2% success rate. He also helped out defensively with a tackle, an interception, and a clearance.

MF, Facundo Torres, 6.5 — The Designated Player had plenty of room to operate against Toronto. He put one of his two shots on target, delivering a strike from distance that Ranjitsingh had to parry away for a corner. While he wasn’t credited with a key pass, he was fairly involved in Orlando’s attack until coming off in the 79th minute. He completed 88.6% of his 44 passes, was a little off with his crosses (hitting just two of six accurately), and his lone long ball didn’t connect. Of his seven dribbles, only two were successful, but he still looked dangerous while on the field.

F, Duncan McGuire, 7 — McGuire has a knack for being in the right place at the right time and it paid off again for him in this one. The rookie pounced on a deflected cross to beat Ranjitsingh to it and poke it home for his seventh goal of the season. He nearly scored another later in the first half after getting on the end of a long ball, hitting the post with his strike. Those were two of his three shots in the match, the other going off target before he was subbed off in the 57th minute. He finished with 16 touches and nine passes at a 55.6% success rate. The pressure he provided on defense was also notable to prevent Toronto from getting much of a foothold and he contributed a clearance as well.

Substitutes

F, Ramiro Enrique (57′), 6 — Enrique’s decent run of form continued in this match, even if he didn’t get on the scoresheet. The 22-year-old made good runs that weren’t always rewarded with a pass and played with plenty of energy off the bench. His only shot was from a similar position as his goal a few days ago, but this time his strike went wide instead of sneaking into the bottom right corner. Enrique completed 85.7% of his seven passes as well. Hopefully he can continue providing a spark when on the field.

MF, Martin Ojeda (58′), 7 — Ojeda had a great game off the bench, putting all three of his shots on target and providing an assist with a backheel for Kara. His first shot was a lightning bolt while cutting across the top of the box, but Ranjitsingh did well to keep it out. His second was from distance and hit the post after a slight touch from the goalkeeper, while the third was a free kick that was easily saved. Ojeda also had two key passes and completed both of his long balls as he often switched play and tried to break Toronto’s defense. He had 26 touches, completed 88.9% of his 18 passes, and his lone cross missed its mark. Ojeda was a key reason why Orlando was able to break down Toronto’s low block once it was reduced to 10 men.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (68′) 6.5 — Dagur Dan scored his first MLS goal by turning on the jets and getting to a long ball before Ranjitsingh, dribbling around the goalkeeper to easily put the ball in the net. Usually a midfielder, he replaced Smith as the team’s right back and raced up and down the right side of the field. There was a defensive lapse or two, but Carlos was there to back him up and he made some nice runs to try increasing Orlando’s lead. His only cross was inaccurate and he was successful on 87.5% of his eight passes.

F, Ercan Kara (68′) 6.5 — The Austrian forward scored his fifth goal of the year by burying an opportunity created by a backheel from Ojeda. He made the goal look easier than it was, as he had little time to strike the bouncing ball with his first touch while a defender was breathing down his neck. It was his only shot of the match and he had four touches and two passes, completing one of them.

MF, Luca Petrasso (79′) N/A — Petrasso came on for Torres and took his position as a winger on the left. He only had five touches, completing all five of his passes with them. We didn’t see enough of him in action to warrant a grade, but it’s nice to see some of his versatility come into play.

That’s how I saw each Lion’s performance in the shutout victory. Many Lions did well in this one, so be sure to vote for who you think deserves the title of Man of the Match. Let us know what you think in the comments below as well.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions look for their missing scoring boots as Atlanta United visits.

Published

5 hours ago

on

April 26, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (3-2-4, 13 points) and Atlanta United (2-4-3, 9 points) at Inter&Co Stadium (7:15 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, FOX, FOX Deportes). It’s the first of two scheduled meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals this season, with the Lions’ return trip to Atlanta scheduled for May 28.

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

History

The Lions are 4-10-7 in the all-time series against Atlanta in league play and 2-6-3 at home. Those numbers are 5-11-7 and 3-7-3 in all competitions.

The teams last met in the 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals, with the Lions eking out a 1-0 home victory on Nov. 24, 2024. Ramiro Enrique provided the game’s only goal and the defense was dominant, allowing the visitors just seven total shot attempts — none on target. That win pushed the Lions into their first-ever conference final.

Prior to their postseason meeting, these two teams met on Decision Day 2024, with Atlanta scoring two early goals and holding on for a 2-1 win on Oct. 9. Saba Lobjanidze and Jamal Thiare gave the visitors an early lead. Martin Ojeda pulled one back and Duncan McGuire appeared to tie the game late, but the latter goal was overturned on video review for a handball. The teams also met last year at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 17, when Orlando City fell 2-0 on goals by Lobjanidze and Giorgos Giakoumakis.

The last meeting of 2023 took place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with Orlando City capturing a 2-1 away win. Atlanta took the lead through Caleb Wiley, but Antonio Carlos and McGuire scored to lead the Lions’ comeback.

The southeast rivals also met in Orlando on May 27, 2023, at then-Exploria Stadium and played to a 1-1 draw. It was a heartbreaking dropped two points for the Lions, who took the lead through Kyle Smith at the half-hour mark and held that advantage until four minutes from full time, when Tyler Wolff pounced on a fortunate rebound in the box and equalized.

Atlanta went 1-0-1 in the season series in 2022. On Sept. 14 at Exploria Stadium the Five Stripes won 1-0 on a Thiago Almada goal despite the Lions out-shooting Atlanta 20-10. The sides played to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting of that year on July 22 in Atlanta. Mauricio Pereyra staked the Lions to an early 1-0 lead on a beautiful free kick. Juan Jose Purata equalized in the second half, but Atlanta bombarded Orlando the majority of the game and completely controlled the midfield, outshooting the Lions 18-3 in the match.

Orlando had a six-match unbeaten streak in the series (3-0-3) snapped on Sept. 10, 2021, as the Five Stripes won 3-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. George Campbell and Ezequiel Barco scored for Atlanta, sandwiched around a Daryl Dike own goal to hand Gonzalo Pineda his first win as manager for United.

The second of three 2021 meetings took place July 30 at Exploria Stadium, with the Five Stripes taking the lead twice on goals by Josef Martinez and Marcelino Moreno, but the Lions not only fought back twice on strikes by Smith and Silvester van der Water, but Nani scored a late game winner by heading in VDW’s cross in Orlando City’s 3-2 win. The first meeting of that season between the two rivals came on opening day — April 17 — and they played to a 0-0 draw. It was an evenly matched game, with each team firing 11 shots and getting three on frame.

The final meeting of 2020 came on Oct. 28, when Orlando City ran away with a 4-1 win over Atlanta at Exploria Stadium. Dike, Chris Mueller, Tesho Akindele, and Matheus Aias — his first in MLS — scored the goals for the Lions, with Cubo Torres preventing a shutout with a late goal for the visitors. Prior to that, the teams met in Atlanta on Oct. 7, 2020 and played to a 0-0 draw. Robinho and Nani each hit the woodwork and Brad Guzan stood on his head to prevent Orlando from taking a deserved three points in that one, while Brian Rowe held down the fort at the other end to earn a shutout in Pedro Gallese’s absence.

Back on Sept. 5, 2020, a late, unforced turnover by Kamal Miller led to Adam Jahn’s 92nd-minute tying goal that offset a Benji Michel goal in a 1-1 draw at Exploria Stadium. Orlando City finally got on the board in the series against Atlanta United with a 3-1 win on the road on Aug. 29, 2020. Junior Urso, Mueller, and Nani supplied the offense to more than counter a Brooks Lennon headed goal. That three-goal explosion snapped a three-match scoreless streak against the Five Stripes for Orlando.

Orlando City created an incredible 17 scoring chances on Aug. 23, 2019, yet finished none of them in a 1-0 home loss. Martinez scored the game’s only goal in the second half. Only 17 days earlier at Exploria Stadium, Orlando also failed to score and lost 2-0 to Atlanta, getting bounced from the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. On Mother’s Day of 2019, Atlanta United claimed a 1-0 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Pity Martinez scored the goal.

Atlanta won at the building then known as Orlando City Stadium on Aug. 24, 2018 by a 2-1 final score. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez bundled home a rebound off Joe Bendik, who misplayed Barco’s free kick to open the scoring just 21 minutes in. Scott Sutter tied the game just before the half, but Josef Martinez broke the deadlock in the second half, with only 16 minutes remaining in normal time.

Atlanta easily claimed the June 30, 2018 meeting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 4-0. Josef Martinez and Barco each scored a goal and Miguel Almiron added a brace. Orlando lost the first matchup of 2018, 2-1, on May 13. An early penalty on a Cristian Higuita foul gave the visitors a leg up on a Josef Martinez goal from the spot and Barco doubled the lead before halftime. Justin Meram scored his first goal as a Lion to pull one back, but Orlando could get no closer. The unfortunate ending included a shower of debris coming out of the stands due to dissatisfaction with referee Alan Kelly’s decisions that night.

Hector Villalba’s two late goals in the first two meetings turned what could have been an Orlando draw and a win into a loss and a draw. The two teams kicked off their series with Orlando suffering a late 1-0 loss at home on July 21, 2017. Villalba found the net late. Villalba then scored a stoppage-time tally to rescue a 1-1 draw for Atlanta in the second meeting on July 29, 2017. Kaká scored one of his best goals as a Lion in that match to provide Orlando’s lone score.

Orlando City became the first visiting team to take any points out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a 3-3 draw in Atlanta that September. Dom Dwyer scored his first brace as a Lion (in MLS, anyway) and also assisted on Cyle Larin’s goal. Josef Martinez’s hat trick spoiled Orlando’s bid to take all three points.

Overview

Orlando is coming off three consecutive scoreless draws and has played a man down in each of the last two. The Lions played well enough to win all three of the 0-0 draws, but have not capitalized on their chances, with the most recent pair of games ruined by a defender picking up a second yellow card. The most recent of those was a week ago at CF Montreal. Orlando didn’t allow the hosts much of an attack until the late stages, after Rafael Santos was sent off with a second booking.

The Lions are 2-1-1 at home, with a 2-0-1 mark since falling in the season opener.

Atlanta United is coming off a 3-0 drubbing at Philadelphia a week ago, dropping the Five Stripes to 0-2-1 on the road in 2025. However, that team from up north swept the season series from Orlando City in the 2024 regular season, including the aforementioned Decision Day victory. Although the Lions got the last laugh by winning the playoff matchup, Atlanta has had far too much success in Orlando over the years.

Orlando City’s defense will have to keep tabs on Lobjanidze, who led Atlanta in goals (9) and was second in assists (7) a year ago. He’s off to a slow start in 2025, but he’s plagued Orlando in the past, so he’ll bear watching. At least the Lions won’t have to deal with former Middlesbrough man Emmanuel Latte Lath, who has five goals and an assist on the season. The Ivorian is suspended for yellow card accumulation. Forgive us for not realizing that during this week’s PawedCast or David Rohe’s Three Keys to Victory piece, as we don’t normally see accumulation suspensions by Matchday 10. Not even Robin Jansson or Cesar Araujo has pulled that off. Miguel Almiron is back with Atlanta and is always a threat, and Jamal Thiare has also had success in the past against Orlando City.

“The context of the situation for both teams is that we are urgent to win games,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “I think we have had good results, but we know that adding three points is what’s going to make us escalate [ourselves] in the tournament and put [ourselves] in the place that we want. Despite playing good games away, we’re doing all [the work] we can do. It’s an important game for both sides, and the players understand that as well. I like that they understand that we need to escalate. Atlanta United FC is in the same position.”

Orlando City will be without Rafael Santos (suspension), Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), Yutaro Tsukada (knee), and Favian Loyola (thigh), while Araújo (lower leg), Eduard Atuesta (thigh), Ramiro Enrique (upper extremity), and Joran Gerbet (lower leg) are all listed as questionable. Atlanta will be without Derrick Williams (hamstring), Tristan Muyumba (adductor), Emmanuel Latte Lath (suspension), and Stian Gregersen (quad).

Match Content

Projected Lineups

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

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

Defensive Midfielders: Kyle Smith, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, Marco Pasalic.

Forward: Luis Muriel.

Atlanta United (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Brad Guzan.

Defenders: Brooks Lennon, Luis Abram, Noah Cobb, Pedro Amador.

Midfielders: Ajani Fortune, Saba Lobjanidze, Bartosz Slisz, Miguel Almiron.

Forwards: Aleksey Miranchuk, Jamal Thiare.

Referees

REF: Marcos DeOliveira.
AR1: Andrew Bigelow.
AR2: Tyler Wyrostek.
4TH: Matt Thompson.
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic.
AVAR: Jozef Batko.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:15 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Live Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, FOX, FOX Deportes.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 (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 match. Go City!

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Opinion

Pedro Gallese’s Recent Form No Surprise

Pedro Gallese’s recent solid form isn’t anything new, you just need to know where to look.

Published

1 day ago

on

April 25, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

One of the more frustrating narratives surrounding Orlando City at the beginning of the season was the assertion that goalkeeper Pedro Gallese was playing poorly and was costing the Lions points. The main point of emphasis from the detractors was the Lions’ 4-2 opening day loss to the Philadelphia Union, although he also got a lot of flak for his performances against Toronto FC, and during the 2-1 loss to New York City FC. That criticism has started to get quieter in recent weeks, particularly after he made the bench of the most recent MLS Team of the Matchday, but I don’t think he was playing nearly as poorly as some people made him out to be at the start of the season, and his recent performances haven’t come out of nowhere.

So let’s talk about those two big supposed “black marks” on his 2025 resume. Most of the chatter came from the opening game against the Union, with him coming in for criticism in two instances here, and here. I want to specifically address the mention of Gallese allowing six goals on 2.9 post-shot expected goals. Listen, I don’t actually have a problem with the xG stat the way some people do, and I truly think it can be incredibly useful when used properly in certain contexts. I just don’t think the numbers tell the full story here.

Against the Union, three goals came from inside or on the edge of the six-yard box, and were one-touch finishes. Gallese realistically had no chance on two of them (the first and fourth goals), and while the other one came from an acute angle and was mostly right at him, the ball is still coming so fast and from such a short distance that it still feels a bit nitpicky to place the blame entirely on him. Yes, he arguably could have done better, but there are plenty of goalkeepers in this league that aren’t saving that.

The other goal of the night came from a Rodrigo Schlegel error and a first touch shot from the edge of the box that came as El Pulpo was already moving laterally across his goal to shift with the rest of his defense, only for the shot to be heading for the opposite side of the net. Despite the distance the shot is coming from, that one also feels harsh to blame him for in my book. Again, I love xG when it’s used properly, but I just don’t think this is a fair application, as it doesn’t take into account where Gallese is at the time of the turnover-produced shot — only the shooter’s location. I find it pretty hard to look at each one of those goals and honestly say that he should save them. To me, there’s a big difference between something a goalkeeper could do more to save and something they should do more to save.

The other two goals out of the aforementioned six came against Toronto FC, and honestly it’s hard for me to put a ton of blame on him for either of them. The first came off a corner and was a header from inside the six-yard box, and although he should maybe do better considering the angle of the shot and his placement in the goal, the final shot comes from about three yards away. I’m sorry, but that just requires excellent reaction time, and while it’s the sort of shot that we do see saved in MLS sometimes, I’m not sure it’s one that we should expect to see saved. TFC’s final goal of the night was a great strike from distance in the bottom corner that also came through a few bodies, which meant Gallese didn’t see it until fairly late on. Again, to me this is a shot that he could do more to save, but not one that he should do more to save, and that’s an important distinction.

Honestly, the most justified criticism I’ve seen probably comes from here, when speaking about the 2-1 loss to NYCFC. Gallese gave up a huge rebound for the hosts’ second and eventual game-winning goal. Frankly, it wasn’t great at all and it ended up costing Orlando City a point. That being said, he did still make seven saves in that game and kept the Lions in it with a chance to salvage a late point.

Aside from the error against NYCFC though, El Pulpo has largely been mistake free and pretty blameless for the three goals he’s conceded. One was a penalty kick against the New York Red Bulls, and the second was a one-touch finish from about three yards away which also came against the Red Bulls. Go back and watch the film, and you won’t be shocked to hear that I hold him blameless for both. The goal he surrendered against the LA Galaxy wasn’t great, as Christian Ramirez’s flick isn’t exactly traveling at light speed. But, the shot also goes the opposite way of which Gallese’s momentum is already carrying him, so that’s something to consider. Aside from the rebound against NYCFC, this is the one goal he’s given up in 2025 that I really think he should have done better with.

The Peruvian has gotten a lot of praise (and rightly so) for the three straight clean sheets he’s kept in Orlando’s last three games. He’s made 11 saves during that time and got absolutely peppered late against Montreal, when Orlando went down to 10 men (again!). But he’s been making saves all year long, and the one game he didn’t register any (the season opener), was also a game where you can make a real argument that he couldn’t have done a better job of attempting to stop the ball going in than he already did. His save percentage of 73% is 19th out of 33, which is close to bang average; and his clean sheet percentage of 37.5% is tied for ninth.

Oh, and if we want to bring post-shot expected goals back into this, then let’s look at his post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed (PSxG-GA). PSxG-GA uses expected goals to provide a stat that is based on how likely a goalkeeper is to save a shot. The number can be either positive or negative, with a positive number suggesting either a better-than-average shot-stopping ability, or a goalkeeper that’s been luckier than most. Gallese’s PSxG-GA of 1.7 is tied for 13th out of 49 goalkeepers, which ain’t half bad, is it? It’s worth mentioning that some of the rankings are skewed by keepers who only spent a small amount of time on the field and either let in a ton of goals or very few, but that’s the funny thing about raw stats — they need context.

At the end of the day, I’m not trying to sit here and say that Gallese has been flawless this season, is completely blameless for each and every one of the goals he’s conceded, and that every ounce of criticism that’s come his way has been unfair. There are absolutely goals that he should have done a better job on, but even at the time they were written, I think some of the assertions that he was a massive weak point for the Lions were overblown and not properly justified. He’s had a few shaky moments, like any keeper, but the defense in front of him wasn’t doing him any favors at times, and he was still regularly making saves to keep Orlando City in games. While it’s nice that he’s finally getting some plaudits, he’s had himself a perfectly fine 2025 season for the most part. You just have to take the time to look.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/25/25

Orlando City gets ready for Atlanta United, Luiz Muzzi and Ricardo Moreira promoted, NWSL MVP candidates, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

April 25, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday! Today starts three straight days of Orlando soccer to enjoy, so make sure to plan your weekend accordingly. It was a fairly fast week for me, and I was able to read three books somehow. Before we dive into today’s links, let’s all wish a very happy 21st birthday to Orlando City winger Nicolas Rodriguez!

Orlando City Gets Ready for Rivalry Match

The Lions are back in action Saturday night against rival Atlanta United in what should be one of the more interesting matchups of the weekend. Both teams are looking for answers on offense heading into this match, as Orlando is coming off of three straight scoreless draws and Atlanta hasn’t won since March. Taking on a rival at home could be just what’s needed for the Lions to jumpstart their attack and return to the form they had earlier this season. Head Coach Oscar Pareja spoke on how it’s an important game to win for Orlando, as well as how the offense needs to exercise some calmness to finish its chances.

Orlando City Promotes Luiz Muzzi and Ricardo Moreira

Luiz Muzzi and Ricardo Moreira were both promoted by Orlando City, with Moreira taking over as the club’s general manager and sporting director and Muzzi becoming senior advisor to ownership, global soccer ventures. It’s a natural step up for Moreira, who joined the club in 2018 and has helped build a competitive roster that’s made the playoffs for the past five seasons. Muzzi’s new role is a bit of a mouthful, but he’ll be taking on an advisory role focused on the growth of the club while working closely with ownership.

“I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to serve as Orlando City Soccer Club’s EVP of Soccer Operations and General Manager for seven seasons, and I am excited to continue my journey with the club in this new role,” said Luiz Muzzi. “I look forward to working alongside the Wilf family and the leadership team to help shape the future of the club and its continued success, both on and off the field, and I know Orlando City’s Soccer Operations will be in great hands under Ricardo’s leadership.”

Orlando Pride Players in the NWSL MVP Hunt

Now that we’re over a month into the NWSL season, ESPN‘s Jeff Kassouf highlighted the league’s early MVP candidates, and there are a couple of familiar faces in his rankings. Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda is predictably in the mix in sixth on the list, as she has three goals and an assist to her name so far. But a surprise inclusion is midfielder Haley McCutcheon, who has impressed on both sides of the ball to earn ninth place in the rankings. While I think the MVP race will ultimately be between scorers like Banda, Temwa Chawinga, Ashley Hatch, and Debinha, it’s pretty great to see McCutcheon receive deserved praise for her performance this year.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

The transfer deadline may be over for MLS clubs, but deals that crossed the finish line are still coming in. The Columbus Crew added yet another forward by sending up to $1.2 million to the Houston Dynamo in exchange for Aliyu Ibrahim. The 23-year-old will maintain his U22 Initiative Player status in Columbus and recorded 12 goals and nine assists across 90 appearances for Houston. LAFC signed 26-year-old midfielder Ryan Raposo, who spent the past five seasons with the Vancouver Whitecaps and was a free agent this year. St. Louis City also made things official with Simon Becher by making his loan move a permanent one so that he stays with the club.

Free Kicks

That’s all I have for you this time around. Mother’s Day is less than a month away, just as a warning. If the mothers in your life like romance books and you’re looking for a gift, I can’t recommend The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center enough. Have a great Friday!

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