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

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.