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Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform during Orlando City’s 3-1 road win over the Chicago Fire?

Published

3 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City returned to league play in style as the Lions went on the road and executed a comeback win against the Chicago Fire. OCSC rallied from an early second-half deficit and did its scoring in quick succession to keep pace in the race for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. The goals came from Wilder Cartagena, Ivan Angulo and Facundo Torres as Orlando continued its good road form in 2023.

Here are how the individual players performed during a fun Sunday night match out in the Midwest.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — Pedro was his usual reliable self in this one. He was largely helpless on Chicago’s goal, as the ball was blasted by him at close range, but he took care of everything else that came his way. He made three saves on the night, including an excellent one in the first half to deny Xherdan Shaqiri. He also passed with 67% accuracy and completed three long balls. His distribution was a little off at times but it was a decent night for El Pulpo.

D, Rafael Santos, 6 — Santos had a solid, if slightly unspectacular outing. His five clearances were the most on the team and he also chipped in with an interception on the defensive side of things. He completed three long balls and one cross while passing with 91% accuracy, and the whipped ball that he delivered that led to Ivan Angulo’s goal was an absolute peach.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — The Beefy Swede quietly put together a good game against the Fire. He ended the night with one interception, one clearance, and one block and took a shot that ended up off target. He completed four long balls and a through ball while passing with 93% accuracy, which was the highest on the team excluding substitutes Ramiro Enrique and Martin Ojeda.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5.5 — It feels a little harsh grading him like this when the team won, but Schlegel was not at his best tonight. While Chicago’s first goal was disallowed and saved his bacon, he completely left his man and went out of position, which led to a gap big enough to drive a truck through and created the Fire’s chance. He also got sucked out of position on Chicago’s actual goal, pushing up to challenge for a ball that Cesar Araujo was already contesting, and leaving space in behind as a result. Still, he finished with two tackles, three clearances, and one successful dribble while committing two fouls and picking up a yellow card. He also passed at a 74% clip, including a completed long ball. His offensive contribution was pushing up the field and winning a corner that led to Orlando City’s first goal.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6.5 — Oscar Pareja threw a bit of a curveball and gave Dagur Dan the start at right back over Kyle Smith, as Mikey Halliday continued working his way back after being sidelined by injury. But Orlando played mostly as a back three with Thorhallsson occupying higher spaces and sometimes adding a body to the midfield. He did a good job getting forward and passed with 83% accuracy, and completed a long ball and two dribbles. He drew the foul in the box that Torres turned into the Lions’ third goal from the spot, and recorded a clearance and a block defensively while also committing three fouls.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 7.5 — Cartagena has been a revelation this year and he had himself an excellent game in this one. He took two shots and put them both on target, and was only denied a brace by a fantastic Spencer Richey save to deny what would have been an absolute worldie. He wouldn’t be denied though, and his goal got OCSC back in the game straight away. He finished with an interception, a clearance, one foul drawn and one completed dribble. He passed with 91% accuracy, completed two long balls, and continued to be a boundless well of energy next to Cesar Araujo. A really great performance from him.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 7 — Surprise, surprise, Araujo had a good game for Orlando City, what else is new? He and Cartagena did a great job of keeping Shaqiri in check for the most part, and he’s going to make the Lions a nice little payday when he eventually leaves. He finished with one interception, one block, two key passes, three fouls drawn, one completed dribble, and the assist on Angulo’s goal. He committed three fouls but avoided a booking and passed with 82% accuracy while also completing a long ball.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 7.5 — Angulo gave Chicago plenty of problems down the left hand side and did really great to wriggle his way through the defense and fire off a wicked shot that was saved by Richey. That was one of the two shots he took, with the other being the header that gave OCSC the lead. He completed two dribbles, drew a foul, completed a long ball, passed with 85% accuracy and chipped in with a clearance on defense. He had a couple of poor giveaways in the first half but rebounded nicely from them.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 — Mauricio didn’t do anything spectacular but still had a solid outing. He completed five long balls, a through ball, and a key pass while distributing the ball with 74% accuracy. He also completed one dribble, drew four fouls while committing one himself, and chipped in with one clearance on the defensive end. It was nice that he was able to come off with a little over 10 minutes left to get some rest with Orlando in a secure position.

MF. Facundo Torres, 8 (MotM) — Facu was excellent and picked up right where he left off as far as tormenting the Fire is concerned. He took three shots, one of which was on target, one of which was off target, and one which was blocked. He scored his penalty emphatically and picked up the assist on Cartagena’s goal, but his involvement went farther than that. He completed one dribble, drew five fouls, made two key passes, completed two crosses and a long ball, and passed with 70% accuracy. He contributed one tackle on defense and committed four fouls and picked up a yellow card, which was the only black mark on an otherwise sterling report card.

F, Duncan McGuire, 6.5 — Big Dunc didn’t get on the scoresheet but he worked hard and made some notable contributions. His one shot came after some hard work to chase down a second ball during the first half and it was blocked behind for a corner by a Chicago defender. He also had a key pass, a clearance, one tackle, and one foul while passing with 89% accuracy. He found it a little difficult to get involved and only finished with 19 touches, but it wasn’t a bad performance overall.

Substitutes

D. Kyle Smith (71′), 6 — Smith wasn’t on the field for a particularly long time, but got plenty involved with three clearances. His passing accuracy of 33% is a pretty ugly number, but he only attempted three, so don’t hold that against him too much.

F, Ramiro Enrique (71′), 6 — Ramiro also found plenty to do in his relatively short time on the pitch. He did well to control the ball and carve out space for the lone shot he took, but he blasted the ball well over the goal and will have wanted that attempt back. He also had one tackle, one interception, and one clearance while committing a foul and accurately delivering all four of the passes that he attempted.

MF, Junior Urso (79′), N/A — It was a fairly brief appearance, but damn is it good to see Junior Urso wearing an Orlando City jersey again, even if it might take some adjusting to him wearing no. 21. Urso was his typically industrious self and finished with a tackle and won one aerial duel while passing with 55% accuracy on 11 total attempts.

MF, Martin Ojeda (79′), N/A — Ojeda helped the Lions see out the game and accurately delivered all four of his passes to their targets, one of which was even a key pass for good measure.

D, Michael Halliday (89′), N/A — It was great to see Halliday make his return from injury after not having appeared for the Lions since June. He didn’t record any statistics during his time on the field, but I’m just happy to have him back.

That’s how I saw each player’s performance in the Lions’ first match in a little over two weeks. Be sure to vote for your Man of the Match in the poll below, and share your thoughts on the fellas’ performances down in the comments. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/12/26

Barbra Banda up for weekly honors, Johnny Cardoso to have surgery, Americans in midweek action, and more.

Published

20 hours ago

on

May 12, 2026

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Good morning, everyone. It was a mixed bag for Orlando’s soccer teams over the weekend, as the Orlando Pride and Orlando City B both picked up victories, while Orlando City lost. There’s no rest for the wicked though, because the Pride take on Boston Legacy on the road tonight, while the Lions will host the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday. We’ve got a lot to talk about this morning, so let’s get into the links.

Barbra Banda up for Weekly Honors

Barbra Banda’s game-winning strike over the North Carolina Courage has been nominated for the NWSL Goal of the Week. Banda cut across her marker in the 87th minute with the match tied 0-0 and curled a great strike inside the far post to give the Pride a lead that wouldn’t be relinquished. The victory got Orlando back on track after dropping two games in a row, and the goal was Banda’s league-leading eighth strike of the year. Make sure you go vote for her to win!

Surgery for Johnny Cardoso

Atletico Madrid announced on Monday that midfielder Johnny Cardoso will have surgery to repair an injury to his right ankle. Cardoso was hurt during a training session, with Atletico classifying the injury as a “high-grade sprain involving joint damage.” The club’s statement did not specify a timeline for his return to the field and U.S. Soccer has not made any statement besides wishing Cardoso a speedy recovery. That said, with this summer’s World Cup less than a month away, its tough to imagine that he’ll be healed up and ready to be part of the United States Men’s National Team roster. If that’s the case, it’ll be a bitter blow for both the USMNT and a midfielder that looked like a sure bet to be on the squad.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans who will be taking part in games during the working week, so let’s make sure we’ve got everything on the schedule. Things got started on Monday when Brenden Aaronson played 63 minutes in Leeds United’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham. Action continues today when Aidan Morris and Middlesborough face Southampton in the second leg of an EFL Championship playoff promotion semifinal. Wednesday sees Auston Trusty and Celtic take on Motherwell in a game with massive ramifications on the title race in the Scottish Premier League. Wednesday also has Alex Freeman and Villarreal hosting Sevilla in La Liga play, while Chris Richards and Crystal Palace will try to play spoiler against Manchester City.

MLS Matchday 12 Lessons

Matchday 12 is officially in the books for Major League Soccer, so what did we learn from the weekend’s action? For one thing, Jack McGlynn was imperious in his second game back from injury, as his brace helped the Houston Dynamo knock off LAFC on the road while USMNT assistant Jesus Perez was watching from the stands. The New England Revolution are now unbeaten in the club’s last seven league games, and Carles Gil was a big reason why, as he nabbed a goal and an assist in the Revs’ 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Union. He’s got four goals and four assists so far, and the Revs are sitting pretty at second in the Eastern Conference.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

European seasons aren’t quite wrapped up yet, but that isn’t stopping transfer rumors from flying thick and fast. We start with the Premier League, where Manchester City is reportedly prepared to trigger the release clause of 16-year-old Hertha Berlin midfielder Kennet Eichhorn, before immediately sending the player on loan to continue his development. Elsewhere in England, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal are all said to be interested in signing Juventus fullback Andrea Cambiaso. Switching lanes to the managerial side of things, Chelsea has reportedly identified Xabi Alonso as the leading candidate to become the next manager of the team, with the Spaniard said to be open to taking the job. Finally, Jose Mourinho is said to be open to taking the Real Madrid job, although he reportedly has a couple conditions that he wants met first.

Free Kicks

  • Kickoff times have been set for Orlando City’s three group stages matches in this year’s Leagues Cup.
  • The Lions will be launching a new merch collection Friday at The Final Whistle.

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Player Grades and Man of the Match

Here’s how your favorite Lions performed in Orlando City’s 2-0 loss to CF Montreal.

Published

2 days ago

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May 11, 2026

By

Image of Griffin Dorsey trying to send the ball upfield against a Montreal defender.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

If you play Football Manager enough, you play plenty of games where the after-match comment is “a bore draw.” That appeared to be where Orlando City’s road game at CF Montreal was headed until a mistake by Robin Jansson in added time led to a penalty which opened the scoring for the hosts. They tacked on another late in stoppage time and the Lions will return home for a three-game set (one of them in the U.S. Open Cup) sore from Saturday’s 2-0 loss to CF Montreal.

Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their matchup with the Quebecois.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crépeau, 5.5 — With 25 shots by Montreal, one would’ve figured Crepeau was busy. Not really — he finished with three saves. A goalkeeper is almost never responsible for being scored on from the penalty spot, but Dagur Dan Thorallsson’s goal at the death is one Crepeau will want back, although in fairness it was perfectly placed. The Canadian goalkeeper finished with a 72.7% passing rate and was helped out after being rounded by Prince Owusu in a 1-v-1 opportunity that his teammates should never have allwoed for what would have been a goal if not for Iago’s sliding block to clear it off the line.

D, Adrián Marin, 5.5 — Marin got caught ball-watching in the 34th minute to allow a Wiki Carmona rocket that just went wide. Otherwise, he just didn’t impact the game one way or the other. Marin completed 87.8% of his passes and added one tackle, one block, and three clearances.

D, Robin Jansson, 5 — Jansson played his normal emergency role all game. Unfortunately, he got put off-balance in the first minute of added time in the second half and fell into the legs of Luca Petrasso, giving a penalty. It was a rough ending for the captain, but Orlando left the door open for Montreal and the hosts took it. The Swede also couldn’t close down Thorhallsson to prevent the second late Montreal goal. Jansson completed 78.7% of his passes, with one tackle, 10(!) clearances, and one block.

D, Iago, 6 — We saw both sides of Iago. He had a really nice pass in the 17th minute to free up Eduard Atuesta on goal but the Colombian missed the target to waste Orlando’s best chance of the game. The Brazilian’s biggest highlight moment was in the 76th minute, when Owusu dribbled past Crepeau for an open look at goal but Iago was there to clear it off the line. On the flip side, he also had a dangerous header defending a corner that almost created an own goal, instead hitting the left post. He got pulled wide in the first minute of the second half, allowing a dangerous shot by Owusu. On the offensive end, he got on the end of a corner but headed it right at Thomas Gillier. He was all over the place, which you can expect from a young player. He would’ve gotten a higher grade had the game finished scoreless because of his goal-line clearance and a couple of sparkling long balls that should have led to more. Alas. He finished with zero interceptions or tackles, three blocks, six clearances, and a 92.3% passing rate. He also picked up a yellow card in the sixth minute of added time in the second half preventing a counter on one of his attacking teammates’ many turnovers.

D, Griffin Dorsey, 5.5— While Orlando City was heavily weighted to the left side all game, when the Lions went down the right, it was through Dorsey. He led the break down that side multiple times but had trouble connecting. Dorsey finished with one tackle, three clearances, and one cross while passing at a 79% rate.

MF, Iván Angulo, 4.5 — When Angulo whiffed on a ball in the second minute which caused a Montreal counter, it was an indicator of the night to come. He was sloppy all game long and, by The Mane Land’s unofficial tally, turned the ball over eight times, with the majority of those coming in his own defensive half. It was an ugly night that looked a touch better when Tyrese Spicer departed, changing Angulo’s duties, but it didn’t wipe out a forgettable match. He finished with 90.2% passing, despite being loose with the ball. He was two out of six for successful dribbles and two out of seven in winning ground duels.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 5.5 — A major part of the toothlessness of the Lions in the match was the midfield play. While Atuesta had a 95% passing rate, the only real impact he had was in the 17th minute, when Iago broke him free with a great pass. Atuesta made a well-timed run, but he ended up doing nothing with it when he sent his shot wide of goal. He had a turnover in the fourth minute to leave Montreal with a 3-on-2 break, leaving me to wonder if it was going to be one of those nights for him. Luckily no, but there was no real contribution either. He picked up a yellow card in the 62nd, was dispossessed once, and committed four fouls.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 5.5— Atuesta’s midfield partner also had trouble linking the play but contributed a touch more defensively. His sloppy handling in the 41st minute allowed Montreal to keep possession and created a corner. In the end, he finished with one tackle, one block, one clearance, and a 90% passing rate.

MF, Tyrese Spicer, 6— Unfortunately, most of Spicer’s contributions came on the defensive end this game because he could never get himself in the flow offensively. While he was 10-for-11 passing, he attempted two shots, one right at the goalkeeper and the other that missed so badly it almost went behind the net without hitting anything. He had just two touches in the opposition box. His biggest highlight was a tackle in the 23rd minute to end a dangerous Montreal possession. He was replaced in the 67th minute by Duncan McGuire. Spicer finished with a 91% passing success rate, led the team in tackles with four, and added two interceptions.

F, Martín Ojeda, 5 — This grade may be a bit harsh. However, when you are a Designated Player, you have to contribute, and Martin Ojeda was invisible at best. With 44 total passes, he was the one having to compensate for the lack of midfield control and it showed by his lack of offensive contribution. He had zero touches in the opposition box, which is not going to be a recipe for Orlando City success. Martin took one shot that was on target and passed at a 91% rate.

F, Justin Ellis, 6.5 (MotM)— Someone has to win Man of the Match. Ellis almost wins it by default as his overall play was the only positive thing all game. While his stats were mediocre, and there was not one moment you can pick to point to, he was the most talented when on the ball, tracked back to collect the ball occasionally, did more to link play than the midfield did, and just didn’t have a negative impact. He was replaced in the 80th by David Brekalo and finished with a 94% passing rate, was four-for-four on successful dribbles, and went five-for-six on ground duels won.

Substitutes

F, Duncan McGuire (67′), 5— McGuire started out playing out of position on the wing and while asked to pick up the offense, McGuire was unable to show anything of promise. Dorsey found him in the 88th minute with a cross, but McGuire turned down a quick shot and held the ball too long while deciding, and he ended up taking a low angle shot that had been there from the beginning that ended up harmless. He passed at a 75% rate and had three touches in the opposition box, turning those into a measly 0.05 expected goals. One of his touches on a promising attack was heavy and wasted the opportunity to get a shot off late in the game.

D, David Brekalo (80′), N/A — Brekalo came on for Ellis with a few minutes remaining, maybe a tactical choice to see out the draw. He completed all seven of his passes and had one clearance. He was not able to do anything to prevent Montreal’s two late goals, but he wasn’t the only one.

MF, Tiago (90′+5), N/A — Tiago entered right after the penalty to try to claw back a goal. Unfortunately, he whiffed on a 50/50 ball just moments before Thorhallsson ended up scoring the game’s second goal. He wasn’t on long enough to issue a grade, however.

D, Zakaria Taifi (90′+5), N/A — The best thing you can say about Taifi’s time is that he didn’t turn the ball over conceding a goal in the five minutes he was on the field.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s loss to CF Montreal. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/11/26

Lions fall to CF Montreal, Pride defeat North Carolina Courage, OCB beats Atlanta United 2, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

Image of Barbra Banda taking a shot against North Carolina.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida, and belated happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there. I spent the weekend in Texas catching up with friends and family. Let’s wish a happy birthday to Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who turns 32 today. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Fall to CF Montreal

Orlando City fell 2-0 to CF Montreal at Stade Saputo Saturday on a pair of late goals. After a scoreless first half, the Lions were minutes away from escaping with a point on the road but conceded twice in stoppage time, with former Lion Dagur Dan Thorhallsson adding the insurance goal for Montreal as Orlando City left Canada with zero points. The Lions could not capitalize on their few scoring chances throughout the match. Orlando City returns home for its next match on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Union at Inter&Co Stadium.

Banda’s Late Goal Lifts Pride Over Courage

The Orlando Pride defeated the North Carolina Courage 1-0 at Inter&Co Stadium Friday, as Barbra Banda scored the lone goal late in the second half to help the Pride secure a much-needed win, snapping their two-match losing streak. Banda scored her eighth goal of the season, and she has scored five goals in the last three matches. The Pride will be on the road this week, facing the Boston Legacy Tuesday at Gillette Stadium, followed by another match Saturday against the Denver Summit at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

OCB Beats Atlanta United 2 on the Road

Orlando City B defeated Atlanta United 2 with a goal in each half, winning 2-0 at Turner Soccer Complex in Athens, GA Sunday. Gustavo Caraballo scored the opening goal from the spot to give the Young Lions the early lead. In the second half, Issah Haruna added another goal for the Young Lions to put it away and take three points. OCB will be back on the road Sunday to face New England Revolution II at Beirne Stadium in Smithfield, RI.

Americans Abroad

Austin Trusty played a full 90 minutes as Celtic won its sixth consecutive match across all competitions 3-1 against Rangers. Gio Reyna scored his first goal of the season for Borussia Monchengladbach to snap his 16-month goal drought at the club level, but his side fell 3-1 to FC Augsburg. Weston McKennie played 86 minutes for Juventus in a 1-0 win against Lecce. In the Women’s FA Cup semifinals, Alyssa Thompson played 78 minutes for Chelsea, but her side fell 3-2 to Manchester City after extra time. Lindsey Heaps scored for OL Lyonnes while Lily Yohannes and Korbin Shrader were also in action in a 4-1 win against Paris Saint-Germain to lift the Coupe De France trophy. Later today, Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United will face Tottenham Hotspur.

Free Kicks

  • Check out this video on Orlando City’s social media pages featuring some players writing letters to their moms for Mother’s Day.
  • James Rodriguez will reportedly leave Minnesota United this week and will not return to the club after the World Cup concludes this summer.
  • Slavia Prague chairman Jaroslav Tvrdik stated that the club will impose a lifetime ban to fans who invaded the pitch as the club was minutes away from defeating rivals Sparta Prague Saturday to win the Czech First League title before the match was abandoned.
  • Leandro Trossard scored a late winner in the second half to help Arsenal beat West Ham United 1-0 to keep its five-point lead over Manchester City and pull a step closer to clinching the English Premier League title.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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