Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: Player Grades and Man of the Match
How did your favorite Lions perform against Real Salt Lake?
Orlando City went on the road to Sandy, UT and was blanked 4-0 by Real Salt Lake on a forgettable Saturday night. The Lions traveled cross country for the matchup and battled tired legs and the altitude, along with the formidable hosts. Here’s how each Lion performed individually in the loss against RSL.
Starters
GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 (MotM) — Just a few nights earlier, Gallese had virtually nothing to do in a 4-0 victory. But on Saturday night, El Pulpo was on the other end of a 4-0 drumming. Without Gallese in goal though, it strangely enough could have been an even larger deficit. He faced 15 total shots throughout the match, with RSL putting six on frame. He conceded four goals on the evening, two from set pieces which were horribly defended in the first half and an additional two from wide-open, point-blank range in the second half. There was little he could have done on the four goals. Gallese was accurate on 31 of his 34 passes (91.2%), including nine accurate long balls on 12 attempts.
D, Rafael Santos, 5.5 — The left back completed 40 of his 43 passes (93%), including one key pass and four accurate long balls on seven attempts. Two of his six crosses were accurate. while going the full duration of the match. A player who has been growing into his role as off late showed some regression as there were multiple times he found himself out of position and much of RSL’s danger came from his side of the pitch. On the defensive side of the field, Santos was successful on both of his tackles, and logged one clearance, one blocked shot, and one interception. Santos also won one aerial duel during the match. Santos logged one ill-advised shot that was blocked and nearly turned into a breakaway the other way for Cristian Arango, and was dispossessed twice.
D, Antonio Carlos, 6 — AC and his center back partner Robin Jansson were mostly fine until the game got stretched after the two set piece goals. Whether Carlos or Wilder Cartagena was responsible for Arango on the first goal isn’t clear, but the Brazilian went for the headed clearance and came up just inches short. The two goals from open play came from the opposite side from Carlos, who completed a respectable 39 of his 47 passes (83%) with three successful long balls on seven attempts. Additionally, Carlos recorded one successful tackle, one blocked shot, and four clearances, while drawing two fouls.
D, Robin Jansson, 6 — The Swedish center back was culpable on the fourth goal, but he still probably kept the game closer than it could have been with a couple of timely vital challenges, including the one mentioned above on the blocked Santos shot that would have seen Arango in alone on Gallese without his intervention. Jansson also completed a decent 44 of his 52 passes (84.6%) with two successful long balls, albeit on six attempts. He won one aerial, blocked a shot, and was credited with one interception, but knocked another potentially dangerous ball out for a throw. Jansson did not record a clearance or tackle on evening and was also limited getting forward into the attack in this match while committing two fouls, one of which was super soft on the offensive end during a corner kick.
D, Kyle Smith, 5.5 — Subbed off after 58 minutes of action, Smith’s tired legs were apparent with several passes and clearances fired off the opposing player in front of him. He only completed 11 of his 20 passes (55%), which included two accurate long balls on five attempts and two inaccurate crossing attempts. He was unsuccessful on both of his tackle attempts, while winning one aerial duel. On offense, Smith was able to put one shot on target, but it was basically right at the goalkeeper. Smith committed and drew two fouls a piece in less than an hour of game play. It is unclear if it was always the game plan for Smith to come off around the hour mark or not but it did appear as if he might have picked up a slight knock and motioned to the bench prior to being subbed off.
MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — The Uruguayan was one of the better defenders on the pitch for OCSC in this one. Araujo completed 32 of his 37 passes (86.5%), including one key pass and four successful long balls on five attempts. Defensively, he completed three of his five tackle attempts and blocked a shot but did not record a clearance or interception. A game removed from scoring his first MLS goal, Araujo failed to record an offensive stat throughout the match, going 0-for-2 on cross attempts, but did manage to draw two fouls on the night. He was unable to do anything to stop Justen Glad on the second RSL goal but perhaps shouldn’t have been tasked with covering the team’s biggest aerial threat.
MF, Wilder Cartagena, 5.5 — The Peruvian ended up marking nobody on the first Real Salt Lake goal to start the scoring deluge. He completed 23 of his 25 (92%) passes on the night without a key pass and his lone long ball attempt was not accurate. He also recorded two tackles and one successful aerial duel throughout the match. Cartagena logged one successful dribble but was also dispossessed once. He committed two fouls, including picking up a tactical yellow card, and was ultimately subbed off in the 58th minute for fresh legs.
MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — The speedy Colombian at times looked like the only Orlando City player who had life left in his legs after a long week. He completed only seven out of 11 passes (64%) but did manage one key pass. On offense, he completed one of his two attempted dibbles while being dispossessed twice. He suffered one foul and also recorded one shot but sent it nowhere near the goal frame. On defense, Angulo chipped in with two successful tackles on three attempts.
MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6 — Pereyra played the full 90 minutes and completed 37 of his 48 passes (77.1%), recording two key passes on the night. Seven of his long balls were accurate but none of his three crosses were. In a game mostly devoid of rhythm, the maestro tried unsuccessfully to unlock Orlando City on the offensive side of the pitch. He was dispossessed three times, while the ball often stuck at his feet. He did win one aerial duel, while contributing two tackles on the defensive side of the ball. Pereyra committed two fouls but drew a team-high five.
MF, Facundo Torres, 6 — For the second straight match, Facu failed to affect the stat line that mattered most — goal contributions. He completed 27 of his 34 passes (79.4%) and contributed one key pass. He was two-for-two on long balls but his lone cross was off target. Torres had one shot on target early in the match, which was just a little to close to the keeper but still required a good save. The Uruguayan also won an aerial duel, logged an interception, and completed one successful tackle. He was subbed off in the 76th minute for fresh legs and will undoubtedly welcome a week without a midweek fixture.
F, Duncan McGuire, 5 — The striker completed four of his six passes (66.7%) and put only one of his three shot attempts on target. He had a good go from distance just seconds into the match that could have changed the entire complexion of the game had it gone in, but it missed just wide. While he showed good hustle to track back and steal the ball from Braian Ojeda, he then not only quickly lost it back, but committed an unnecessary and silly foul that set up the first RSL goal. McGuire wasn’t able to impose himself on this particular game and much of that is due to good defensive work by RSL and Orlando City failing to find any connectivity in the final third. He only had 15 touches and didn’t attempt a cross or contribute a key pass. McGuire won two aerial duels and was unsuccessful on his lone tackle attempt while committing two fouls in 65 minutes on the field.
Substitutes
D, Martin Ojeda (58’), 6 — Orlando City elected to bring fresh legs on a little prior to the one hour mark as Designated Player Martin Ojeda looked to get the Lions back into the match. Ojeda completed nine of his 11 passes (81.8%), with one successful long ball on two attempts and one shot on target — albeit from too far away and without much pace. His only cross attempt was off the mark. Once RSL found the net for the third time, any chance of Ojeda helping to claw OCSC back into the match seemed to evaporate into the mountain air.
MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (58’), 6 — The midfielder/defender provided fresh legs but was unable to provide his usual burst of energy, while completing all seven of his attempted passes (100%) in 32 minutes. He provided one key pass, committed one foul, and defensively wasn’t burned in a decent but uneventful showing.
MF, Ramiro Enrique (58’), 4.5 — Coming on with Ojeda and Thorhallsson, Enrique took the place of Angulo on the wing. He completed five of his six passes (83.3%) in a little over a half hour on the pitch. His lone shot attempt on the evening was badly hit and ended up being more embarrassing than dangerous. Enrique was able to win one aerial duel and recorded one interception. But he was largely invisible despite playing more than half an hour, registering only 10 touches, going 0-for-1 on crosses and failing to produce a key pass.
F, Ercan Kara (65’), 5 — Kara came on for McGuire at a point in the match where Orlando may have felt that if it could just pull one back than it may have a shot to salvage a point on the road. Instead the offense was never able to really get him meaningful service. Like Enrique, he only touched the ball 10 times. He was successful on five of his seven passes (71%) and logged one key pass while winning an aerial duel. He also recorded an interception.
D, Luca Petrasso (76’), 4.5 — Petrasso subbed on late for Torres and completed two of his four passess (50%) but did little else to have a positive effect on the match. He didn’t close down Jefferson Savarino quickly enough on the third Real Salt Lake goal, allowing the hosts to ice the game. He managed just six touches.
That is how the players graded out from an absolute drumming out west. They will have a full week off before an incredibly important match on the road in Atlanta. Vote for your Man of the Match in our poll below, and let us know your thoughts on who stood out to you.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 2/4/25
MLS transfer roundup, Americans in midweek action, court sides with USSF and MLS, and more.
Happy Tuesday, everyone. I hope you’ve had a better start to the week than me, as I’ve been fighting an illness and have been in the trenches big time. Before we get into the news of the day, let’s all wish Orlando Pride forward Simone Charley a happy birthday. We have lots of things to discuss this morning, so let’s jump right into today’s links.
MLS Transfer Roundup
As is usual for this time of year, there are a number of MLS transfer items that we need to catch up on. We start with a huge move, as the Columbus Crew have sold striker Cucho Hernandez to Real Betis for a fee that Tom Bogert says was for $16 million plus add-ons.
Sporting Kansas City had a busy Monday, as the club completed a pair of deals to start the week, signing midfielder Manu Garcia from Aris Thessaloniki, who will occupy a Designated Player slot. SKC also signed winger Shapi Suleymanov from Aris Thessaloniki, with the Russian under contract through 2026 with additional option years for 2027 and 2028. Finally, the Houston Dynamo sent $2.1 million in cash to the Philadelphia Union in exchange for midfielder Jack McGlynn.
Americans in Midweek Action
There are a number of American players who will be taking part in games during the working week, so make sure you have everything marked down on your calendar. Paxten Aaronson and Utrecht will travel to face Heracles in the quarterfinals of the KNVB Cup later today. Wednesday continues the theme of cup action, as Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan host Roma in the quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia. Thursday brings yet more cup action as Cade Cowell and Chivas will travel to the Dominican Republic to face Cibao in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Things then wrap up on Friday with Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus traveling to play Como in Serie A.
MLS & USSF Win Lawsuit
A federal jury has sided with MLS and the U.S. Soccer Federation in the antitrust lawsuit brought against them by the North American Soccer League. The NASL brought the suit against the two parties back in 2017 when the USSF denied the NASL’s application to be recognized as a Division 2 league. The USSF’s division structure provides a set of requirements that a league must meet in order to be classified as part of a certain division, and the NASL alleged that the USSF constantly modified those requirements in order to avoid awarding the NASL a Division 1 and, later, a Division 2 classification. Despite the ruling, the NASL is likely to lodge an appeal, which means that we probably haven’t heard the last of this.
European Deadline Day Roundup
The winter transfer window is now closed in the vast majority of Europe’s leagues, so let’s catch up on the moves that happened on the final day of business. Manchester City made a big splash by signing Nicolas Gonzalez from FC Porto for a fee believed to be around $62 million. Tottenham Hotspur signed Mathys Tel on loan from Bayern Munich, with the deal including an option to make the loan permanent at the end of the season. Aston Villa signed Marco Asensio on loan from Paris Saint Germain until the end of the season. Ben Chilwell has joined Crystal Palace on loan for the rest of the season. Finally, USMNT defender Caleb Wiley has joined Watford on loan until the end of the season.
Free Kicks
- Manchester United is concerned that Lisandro Martinez may have torn his ACL in the team’s loss to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
- Wrexham has revealed plans to build a new 5,500 capacity stand.
- Here’s an inside look at what it’s like to move on the last day of the transfer window.
That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 2/3/25
Orlando City reportedly nears deal for Marco Pasalic, Eduard Atuesta transfer reportedly stalls, Orlando Pride sign Prisca Chilufya, and more.
Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. It’s hard to believe it’s February already, but we’re only a few weeks away from Orlando City’s home opener on Feb. 22. To stay busy over the past week, I’ve been covering high school swimming, basketball, and hockey. Let’s all wish a happy belated birthday to Orlando Pride midfielder Viviana Villacorta, who turned 26 years old on Sunday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.
Orlando City Reportedly Finalizing Deal for Marco Pašalić
According to Tom Bogert, Orlando City is reportedly finalizing a deal to sign Croatian winger Marco Pašalić from HNK Rijeka. A week ago, Orlando reportedly looked set to move on from signing the 24-year-old to focus on other targets as Pašalić was undecided on his future. However, Pašalić will reportedly join the Lions for a $5 million transfer fee, along with add-ons, and will be a Designated Player. He made 26 appearances for HNK Rijeka, scoring six goals and adding three assists.
Eduard Atuesta Transfer Talks Reportedly Stall
Orlando City is reportedly close to finalizing the signing of midfielder Eduard Atuesta from Palmeiras as well, according to Bogert. However, another report from Globo.com states that Orlando City sent a proposal to sign Atuesta, but Palmeiras was not pleased with the terms and has reportedly halted negotiations. You’ll need a translation tool for the full details, but the reported holdup is that the Lions prefer a loan move for Atuesta with Palmeiras paying part of his salary. Atuesta recorded four goals and added two assists in 41 appearances across all competitions while on loan with LAFC last season.
Orlando Pride Sign Zambian Forward Prisca Chilufya
The Orlando Pride signed Zambian forward Prisca Chilufya Friday on a three-year contract through the 2027 NWSL season. Chilufya joins the Pride from FC Juarez in Mexico, where she scored 14 goals in 48 appearances. Chilufya is the third Zambian player the Pride have signed within the last year, joining Barbra Banda and Grace Chanda. By adding another attacker in Chilufya, the Pride added depth to the roster after Adriana’s move to the Saudi Women’s Premier League.
Latest MLS Transfer Roundup
We had some big transfer moves across Major League Soccer to catch you up on from the weekend. The Houston Dynamo have reportedly acquired midfielder Jack McGlynn in a cash-for-trade deal from the Philadelphia Union for $2 million. The Union will also retain a sell-on percentage. In another cash-for-trade move, Sporting Kansas City has reportedly acquired forward Dejan Joveljic from the LA Galaxy for a fee of $4 million. Joveljic will be a Designated Player on a three-year deal through the 2027 season, with a club option for 2028. Minnesota United signed midfielder Hoyeon Jung from Gwangju FC, while Inter Miami FC added defender Maximiliano Falcon from Chilean side Colo Colo. The New York Red Bulls are reportedly close to finalizing a deal for center back Tim Parker to return to his former club after he played for the New England Revolution and St. Louis City last season.
Crystal Dunn Signs With Paris Saint-Germain
After announcing her departure from NJ/NY Gotham FC last week, United States Women’s National Team defender Crystal Dunn has signed a deal to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer. It will be Dunn’s second stint abroad in Europe, as she previously played with Chelsea in 2017-2018. She was part of the squad that won the Women’s Super League title in 2018. Dunn spent the 2024 season with Gotham FC, scoring one goal and adding two assists in 23 matches across all competitions. She had previously played for the Portland Thorns, North Carolina Courage, and the Washington Spirit in the NWSL as well. Paris Saint-Germain is third in the Division 1 Feminine, eight points behind league leader Olympique Lyon.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City wrapped up its preseason training camp in Mexico. The Lions’ next preseason match will be a closed-door scrimmage on Wednesday against Atlanta United.
- Barcelona has requested an extension to the lease at the Olympic Stadium through the end of May to cover its final two home matches for the La Liga season against Real Madrid and Villarreal.
- United States Men’s National Team forward Ricardo Pepi has agreed to extend his contract with PSV Eindhoven through 2030.
- Arsenal crushed Manchester City 5-1 on Sunday and is now six points behind Liverpool.
- Heerenveen manager Robin van Persie was upset after match officials mistakenly allowed Fortuna Sittard to field 12 players late in the second half while leading 2-1. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.
- Former Real Madrid and Sevilla defender Sergio Ramos is reportedly set to join Liga MX side Monterrey.
- Marcus Rashford has agreed to join Aston Villa on loan from Manchester United until the end of the season. The deal includes an option for Aston Villa to make the transfer permanent.
- Adidas announced the official match ball to be used this summer for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.
Orlando City
Orlando City’s Minutes Played in 2024 and What That May Tell Us About 2025
A look back at Orlando City’s minutes played in 2024 may offer hints on what we can expect in 2025.
A few weeks ago I wrote about how the Orlando Pride were bringing back the players who scored all of their goals and played nearly all of their minutes from their amazing 2024 season. Subsequent to that article, the Pride transferred Adriana to a club in Saudi Arabia, blowing up the statistics I had cited, but still leaving the premise intact.
I was thinking about that premise when I saw an article on the MLS website about the biggest roster questions facing Eastern Conference teams, and saw a chart in that article that showed Orlando City is bringing back the fifth-highest percentage of minutes played of any club in MLS.
The Lions had 16 players who played at least 1,500 minutes in 2024 (including all competitions), and 15 of those 16 players are returning. There was a steep dropoff to the 17th player on that list, Felipe, who played only 505 minutes across all competitions, and then every other player played fewer than 500 minutes. Looking at this data purely as numbers makes it seem like there is a lot of continuity, and that a team that was successful in 2024 should be primed for success again in 2025. Here are all the players who played last year, their minutes played, and whether they are with the club in 2025:
Player | 2024 Minutes | On 2025 Roster |
---|---|---|
Robin Jansson | 3607 | Yes |
Pedro Gallese | 3600 | Yes |
Iván Angulo | 3592 | Yes |
Facundo Torres | 3580 | I Wish |
César Araújo | 3357 | Yes |
Dagur Dan Thórhallsson | 3335 | Yes |
Wilder Cartagena | 3209 | Yes, but… |
Rodrigo Schlegel | 2972 | Yes |
Martín Ojeda | 2719 | Yes |
Rafael Santos | 2704 | Yes |
Nicolás Lodeiro | 2095 | Yes |
Luis Muriel | 1929 | Yes |
Duncan McGuire | 1875 | Yes, but… |
Ramiro Enrique | 1796 | Yes |
Kyle Smith | 1631 | Yes |
David Brekalo | 1588 | Yes |
Felipe | 505 | No |
Mason Stajduhar | 479 | No |
Jack Lynn | 287 | No |
Michael Halliday | 194 | Yes |
Jeorgio Kocevski | 155 | No |
Shak Mohammed | 49 | Yes |
Luca Petrasso | 45 | No |
Abdi Salim | 26 | No |
Yutaro Tsukada | 25 | Yes |
Alex Freeman | 15 | Yes |
Aggregating all the minutes together we get a team that is bringing back 88.8% of its minutes, although not the player (Felipe) who wore number 8 on his jersey. However, there are two “Yes, but” players listed, and that is because both Wilder Cartagena and Duncan McGuire have injuries that seem like will keep them off the field for at least the opening months of the season. While the club’s timeline would put McGuire back in training around May or so, Cartagena’s injury has not been officially announced by Orlando City, so there is no timeline on the Peruvian’s return.
Cartagena and McGuire are going to be out for a while, so that 88.8% is likely inflated, and probably closer to something like 85%, if each player is only able to play around two-thirds of the season and we pro-rate their returning status to 67% returning instead of 100% returning. Hopefully they can play more than 67% of the season, but there is also the chance that each could play less than that as well, depending on how they heal, and reports on Cartagena’s status are less favorable even than that. As a result, it feels like 85% is still a high percentage, but please allow me to put little cold water on that idea.
During the 2024 season, the Lions scored 76 goals, putting 73 in the net themselves and benefitting from three own goals by their opposition. Facundo Torres was on the field for 66 of those 76 goals, scoring 20 himself, adding nine assists, and being actively involved in the buildup for many of the other 37. One player does not make an offense in soccer, and if another player had been out on the right wing, Orlando City still would have scored some of those goals, but after three years with the club and establishing himself clearly as “The Man” for the Lions, it will be a major change to play without Torres on the field.
Being that Torres played 3,580 minutes last season, there were few offensive lineups without him, and in fact, only five offensive groupings played more than 40 minutes together on the field without Torres, and those groups scored just three total goals:
Attacking Group | Minutes Played | Goals Scored |
---|---|---|
McGuire Angulo – Muriel – Ojeda Lodeiro – Smith | 74 | 0 |
Lynn Angulo – Muriel – Ojeda Lodeiro – Smith | 73 | 2 |
Enrique Angulo – Lodeiro – Ojeda Araújo – Cartagena | 45 | 0 |
Muriel Mohammed – Ojeda – Enrique Cartagena – Felipe | 45 | 0 |
McGuire Angulo – Ojeda – Enrique Araújo – Felipe | 40 | 1 |
Of those five lineups, only the first and third could be used in 2025, since Lynn retired and Felipe left the club. Cartagena’s injury puts a crimp into the third, though if he does return healthy at some point in the season, I do not mind that grouping playing together. The lineup that played the most from this table is the first (McGuire, Ivan Angulo, Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda, Nico Lodeiro, and Kyle Smith), but with Cesar Araújo as the first-choice defensive midfielder, I hope Orlando City does not have a lot of minutes when he is not on the field. It does bring me some joy to see a lineup with Smith in the midfield, though. He really is a “Smith Army Knife” out there with his ability to line up in so many different places.
I poured some cold water on the returning lineups and their effectiveness, but my expectation is that when the 2025 season ends and we are looking back, it will be an offensive lineup that did not play together in 2024 that ends up having played the most minutes in 2025. The most used offensive lineup for Orlando City in 2024 was the pairing of Araújo and Cartagena in the defensive midfield, and attacking midfield of Angulo, Ojeda, and Torres from left to right with Enrique at striker. I was not tracking the lineups in 2023 but I don’t think that lineup played together at all that season, yet by the second half of 2024 they started together in nearly every game, playing 928 minutes as a group and ending up +8 in goal differential.
There are battles taking place all over the field in preseason, and I expect that only Araújo, Ojeda, and Enrique can be confident that they have starting positions locked in for the offensive group. Angulo may as well, but I think we need to see more preseason lineups first. Multiple players will be eyeing the second defensive midfield role next to Araújo and an attacking midfield role replacing Torres, and it is possible that one or maybe even both of those roles will be filled by someone not on the roster right now, especially if Cartagena’s injury is a long-term one. The rumor mill is back on again about a wing player coming in from Croatia in a Designated Player role, but as always in MLS, nothing is official until it is announced by the club.
Orlando City also has a pipeline of young players the staff believes in and who may have shown enough improvement that they merit more first-team minutes. Colin Guske, a defensive midfielder, was selected to the MLS NEXT All-Star Game in 2024, so perhaps some of Cartagena’s minutes go to him. Tsukada played 25 minutes with the first-team in 2024 and made Honorable Mention for the 2024 MLS NEXT Best XI, and perhaps he has taken a step forward since last season. During the recent preseason FC Series match against Atletico Mineiro, the Lions started 16-year old Gustavo Caraballo out on the wing, and perhaps he is preternaturally skilled and is actually threatening to earn a place on the full roster, or perhaps they just wanted to see how he would do playing with full professionals in a game environment. First-round pick Joran Gerbet has also shown promise in the limited minutes we saw of him in the midfield.
Young players who have yet to play are easy to overhype and assume they are the next big thing, but at the same time, the club has shown belief in these players by signing them to contracts and investing in their development (except Gerbet, but rookies often sign during preseason camp once they’ve proven themselves worthy of a roster spot). We will know pretty quickly who the club really values once the games start, and it would be great if the talent pipeline is producing new starters or key reserves. Óscar Pareja’s history tells us he’s willing to give chances to young players, but as with Michael Halliday and others, the leash can be short if the performance isn’t sustained.
With the coming schedule congestion during the summer months, Pareja may have no choice but to rely on youth at times, as Orlando City will be playing in the Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup as well as the MLS regular season, and soccer in the summer months is a draining sport. At one point in July and August the Lions will play eight games in 29 days, or about a game every three to four days, and no matter how fit some of the starting players are, they will need a break in there to come off the bench at least once or twice.
At this point, we know that the team is bringing back a lot of players who played a good amount of minutes last season, but with two significant-looking injuries and one major departure, there are still a lot of questions around how those minutes will be replaced. A new Designated Player signing and the already completed MLS U22 Initiative signing of Nico Rodriguez may answer some of those questions, but I think there are still more questions than answers as of today at striker, winger, and defensive midfield.
Looking back at 2024’s minutes is somewhat instructive as to how 2025’s minutes will play out, especially with so many veteran players returning, but I think when the dust settles on the 2025 season there will be several players high on the list of minutes played who were not at the top in 2024. Between replacing the club’s all-time leading scorer, covering for injuries, and players improving or declining from last season, 2025 will likely look a lot different than 2024, even with so many players returning. Different does not mean bad, it just means different, and I am excited to see the lineups used in the next few preseason games and then to see the big reveal on opening night.
To paraphrase Rick Pitino and his famous quote about the Boston Celtics, “Facundo Torres will not be walking through that door. Mauricio Pereyra will not be walking through that door. Cyle Larin will not be walking through that door.” An Orlando City starting lineup will be walking through that door though, and I cannot wait to cheer them on.
Vamos Orlando!
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