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

Here’s how your favorite Lions rated during a waterlogged draw on the road up in Charlotte.

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2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

It wasn’t pretty, but Orlando City nabbed a point on the road against a Charlotte FC team that’s had the Lions’ number this season. Martin Ojeda scored the kind of goal that OCSC usually finds itself on the wrong end of, and Orlando managed to squeak out the result.

Here are my thoughts on the individual performances from a soggy night up in North Carolina.

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — Gallese only made one save on the night but it was an absolute beauty. Ten minutes before halftime, Derrick Jones found himself unmarked in the six-yard box but was stonewalled by El Pulpo to keep the game scoreless. At 50%, his distribution wasn’t the best, but he did have a key pass, which led to Duncan McGuire’s overturned goal. He made a good effort on Copetti’s penalty but couldn’t quite get over fast enough as he dove the right way. Overall, a good night’s work from him.

D, Rafael Santos, 6 — Santos didn’t get involved going forward as much as Oscar Pareja typically likes from his fullbacks, and seeing him only attempt 11 passes with 73% accuracy was indicative of that. He was impressive on defense though, finishing with two tackles, one interception, five clearances, and two aerial duels won. He drew one foul and was withdrawn with a little under 15 minutes left to play, possibly with an eye towards trying to keep his legs fresh for Saturday’s match.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 (MotM) — Jansson was excellent in this one, and it perhaps isn’t an accident that Charlotte’s breakthrough came mere moments after he left the field. He made one tackle, one interception, and a whopping five clearances on defense. He also blocked a shot in the first half, saving what almost certainly would have been a goal, and generally spent his time on the field shutting down dangerous moments left and right. At 65%, his passing accuracy left a bit to be desired, but he did chip in a key pass and two accurate long balls on five attempts. If Orlando has to spend any stretch of time without both him and Antonio Carlos, then things could get ugly, especially when looking at the upcoming fixture list. He’s the choice for Man of the Match in this one.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Schlegel had a busy night on defense. He had a team-high six clearances to go along with one tackle and two aerial duels won. He was heavily involved in the physical side of the game, committing two fouls, while drawing three on Charlotte players, and he committed the foul on Enzo Copetti in the box that gave Charlotte its penalty kick. He passed the ball at an 81% clip and had three completed long balls. The foul in the box wasn’t great, but he didn’t know too much about it, and it’s hard to hold it against him too much. Overall, a steady night of work for him.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6.5 — Dagur Dan has settled in nicely at right back while Mikey Halliday works his way back to fitness, and he had a good game in this one. He had more success getting forward than Santos did, and completed 81% of the passes he attempted, with two complete long balls on three attempts thrown in for good measure. Defensively he had two interceptions and two clearances while committing a foul, and was largely steady out on the right side of the back line. He also completed a dribble, and Thorhallsson’s versatility has quietly been one of the reasons for Orlando’s good run of recent results.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — As we’ve grown accustomed to, Araujo was plenty involved in this game. He had two tackles, three clearances and drew a whopping seven fouls, none of which resulted in a yellow card. He did pick up a yellow of his own for a needlessly hard foul, which was the lone black mark against his play. He completed 74% of his passes and delivered four long balls successfully on eight attempts. He churns out performances that range from solid to spectacular game after game, and I’m struggling to recall the last time he had a truly poor game. Aside from Jansson and Carlos, he might very well be the most consistent player on the team.

MF, Junior Urso, 5.5 — The Bear got the first start of his second stint with the Lions. Like most of Orlando’s midfield, he had trouble settling into a good rhythm and wasn’t able to impact the game going forward, as demonstrated by the seven passes he played with 71% success. He did contribute a long ball on his only attempt, as well as an interception and a clearance on defense, but other than that it was a quiet night for him.

MF, Ramiro Enrique, 6.5 — Ramiro went the full 90 and was very involved in the match. He took a team-high three shots and was desperately unlucky to see an excellent strike rattle off the post in the first half, while the other two were blocked. He drew two fouls while committing two of his own, and had an interception and three clearances on defense. He delivered 73% of his passes to their intended target and completed a successful long ball on two attempts. His decision-making still needs to improve at times, but he works hard and makes plenty of good runs. With a little more luck he could have had the opening goal, but it wasn’t quite his night.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 5.5 — It wasn’t a bad night for Pereyra, but it was a fairly quiet one. He found it a little difficult to get involved and seemed to have trouble finding his rhythm, something that was reflected in the two times he was dispossessed. He chipped in well defensively with two tackles and an interception, and contributed a key pass while completing his passes with 77% accuracy. He only attempted 13 passes in his half of play though, and that sums up his problems getting involved in the game.

MF, Facundo Torres, 6.5 — The wet turf and ball seemed to give Torres trouble controlling the ball in the first half, and the little delay meant he didn’t release his pass in time to play McGuire onside. Still, he looked dangerous on offense and his wicked dipping shot was very close to going in and breaking the deadlock. He also completed a dribble, drew a foul, and passed at an 83% clip while providing two key passes. He continues to be in good form this summer, and while he couldn’t make the difference in this one, his play is still reminiscent of the heater he went on from last summer to the end of the season.

F, Duncan McGuire, 6 — Duncan did his best work during the occasions that Orlando was coming forward on the break. He put his one shot of the night in the back of the net but was denied a goal due to not being able to stay onside when Facu had trouble bringing the ball under control to play him in. He contributed a clearance, won an aerial duel, completed the one dribble he attempted and passed with 67% accuracy while committing one foul.

Substitutes

MF, Ivan Angulo (46′), 6 — Angulo got the entirety of the second half to work with after a rocky first 45 from Pereyra. He had a great flash of danger in the 64th minute when he drove a low shot to the far corner, but Kristijan Kahlina did well to get down and parry it away from goal. He completed a dribble, drew a foul, and generally looked lively on offense, although his 63% passing accuracy left something to be desired, as did his pass behind Enrique on a promising attack late in the game. Defensively, he made a tackle and an interception, and ran hard on several instances to track back as the game opened up.

MF, Martin Ojeda (61′), 6.5 — I’m not sure how much he knew about it, but a goal is a goal and Ojeda got one when the Lions desperately needed one — and didn’t look likely to get it. He put a great ball into a dangerous area and sometimes that’s half the battle. His other shot was one of his typical efforts from…shall we say, preposterous range, but he at least put it on target. He recorded an interception, a clearance, and a foul drawn while passing with 75% accuracy and completing one key pass and one of his two crosses. It hasn’t been the easiest first season for him in MLS, but he’s quietly putting up decent numbers, and if he can find a way to contribute more on a regular basis then OCSC could pick up some serious steam down the stretch.

MF, Felipe (61′), 5 — Felipe had an exceedingly quiet performance in his 30 minutes on the field. He completed 50% of his four passes and accurately delivered a long ball (on three attempts), but didn’t record any other stats aside from picking up the game’s first yellow card. His most notable contribution may have been getting caught offside on a fierce Rodrigo Schlegel header from a set piece. Suffice it to say, it wasn’t quite his night.

D, Kyle Smith (77′), N/A — Smith came on in relief of Santos and had a solid, if unspectacular outing. He passed with 50% accuracy and made two clearances while helping limit any dangerous chances for Charlotte as the game wound down.

D, Abdi Salim (78′), N/A — Salim made his third appearance of the season and the first since mid-March. He was solid at the back and made a tackle, two clearances, and two aerial duels won while passing with 83% accuracy.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in a game where Orlando got an important point on the road to keep pace in the crowded Eastern Conference. What did you think of the performances during this game? Be sure to vote in our Man of the Match poll, and let us know your thoughts down in the comments. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City Showing Signs of Adjusting to Eduard Atuesta’s Absence

The Lions have looked much better on offense the last two games, and there’s a couple of reasons why.

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22 hours ago

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May 16, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Much has been made of Orlando City’s difficulties in creating chances and scoring goals when Eduard Atuesta has been unavailable due to injury. It’s not hard to understand why either. The Colombian was unavailable for three of Orlando’s four scoreless draws this year, and he only played nine minutes as a substitute in the stalemate against the New York Red Bulls on April 12.

When he was healthy and got the start against Atlanta United two games later, the Lions won 3-0 and he created the most chances of anyone in the game with three. Orlando then promptly reverted to being offensively stunted in the following game against the Chicago Fire, and was only able to manage its fourth scoreless draw of the year, despite playing over a half the game with a man advantage.

There certainly seemed to be plenty of evidence pointing towards Atuesta being the missing cog in Orlando City’s offense. While he only has two assists in eight games, he does a ton of work in linking the defense to the attack and is great at finding attacking players in dangerous areas, as evidenced by his 17 key passes. In the 0-0 draws with the Philadelphia Union, CF Montreal, and the Fire, Orlando just didn’t look right without him, although the Red Bulls game was a much better performance that was ultimately derailed by Rodrigo Schlegel’s sending off.

While he hasn’t played in either of Orlando’s last two league matches, a 3-3 draw against the New England Revolution, and a 3-1 win against Charlotte FC, the offense clearly hasn’t had any problem creating chances. If anything, the Lions should have scored more goals if not for a couple instances of less-than-crisp finishing in each match.

So, why the sudden change?

Well for one thing, the Designated Players are firing on all cylinders again. Martin Ojeda scored a hat trick against New England, and he and Luis Muriel scored Orlando’s first two goals against Charlotte. Ojeda didn’t start either of the two games against Atlanta and Chicago because he was dealing with a minor injury, but now that it’s in the rearview mirror, he’s been a man possessed. Muriel probably should have had at least one goal of his own against the Revs but seemed oddly reluctant to shoot, although he still completed three dribbles and delivered three key passes. The Charlotte game was then his turn to come out of the gate swinging, as he narrowly had a goal ruled out for offside just two minutes in, before hammering a venomous shot from distance just six minutes later that gave Kristijan Kahlina all sorts of trouble and opened the scoring.

It isn’t just getting contributions from the big guns though, because we need to acknowledge the play of rookie Joran Gerbet in these last two games. He’s the man who’s been asked to fill in for Atuesta next to Cesar Araujo, and he’s getting more and more comfortable in that role. Against the Revs he had an interception, a key pass and an assist, and completed a long ball and a through ball while recording a passing accuracy of 86.5%. Against Charlotte, he recorded an interception, three clearances, a completed dribble, and two successful long balls, and he had an outstanding passing accuracy of 98%. They weren’t all simply backwards or sideways passes either. There were plenty of times when he progressed the ball upfield to an attacking player and helped keep the Lions moving forward, and that’s exactly what you want out of the guy playing that position.

He still has a way to go before reaching Atuesta’s level, but that’s to be expected for a guy that’s playing the first professional season of his career. What’s most important is that he’s getting more comfortable, contributing, and proving that he can be a legitimate option to rotate into the starting XI when Atuesta is unavailable or when fixture congestion dictates changes to the lineup.

It’s worth mentioning the caveat that the last two games haven’t been against the strongest opposition the league has to offer. The Revs were on a four-game winning streak before playing Orlando, but three of those four wins were against weak or shaky teams in Atlanta, Toronto FC, and Charlotte, while the fourth team (NYCFC) has been difficult to get a read on. I’m not saying the Revs are a paper tiger, but it’s tough to know how good they really are despite a good run of recent form. Then you have Charlotte, which was above the playoff line but also on a three-game losing streak coming into the match that has now been convincingly extended to four.

At the end of the day, you can only beat who’s in front of you, but I’d encourage us all to not get too carried away until we see the same results against sterner opposition. For better or worse, that’s exactly what we’ll get in the Lions’ next three matches, which will be against a capable, albeit flawed, Inter Miami side on the road, at home in the U.S. Open Cup against a Nashville SC team that’s fourth in the East, and at home against the Portland Timbers, who are currently fourth in the West.

Ultimately, we can only judge this team on what we’ve seen from it, and over the last two games we’ve seen a side that’s had no trouble creating chances. Despite the continued absence of the important Atuesta, the Lions are adjusting thanks to contributions from their heavy hitters and the improving play of the rookie Gerbet. Only time will tell if those improvements are sustainable, but for now its a hell of a lot of fun to enjoy.

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Lion Links: 5/16/25

Orlando City players make MLS Team of the Matchday, Luis Muriel focused, Orlando Pride plays tonight, and more.

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1 day ago

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May 16, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Happy Friday! I’ve had a pretty good week so far and am looking forward to three straight days of Orlando soccer. The Orlando Pride will get us started tonight and then we have Orlando City B on Saturday before Orlando City plays on Sunday. It should be a fun next few days, and hopefully one filled with celebrations too. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Lions Make MLS Team of the Matchday

There’s plenty of purple in the latest MLS Team of the Matchday following Orlando City’s 3-1 win over Charlotte FC. Martin Ojeda and David Brekalo were both selected, while Oscar Pareja was chosen as the top coach from the midweek slate. Ojeda’s strike in the first half is also up for Goal of the Matchday as his strong run of form continues. The only outfield player on this Team of the Matchday that didn’t score is Brekalo, who had two assists, so it’s nice to see him receive deserved recognition for an excellent performance that included a great setup on Orlando’s third goal. Pareja has the Lions on an 11-game unbeaten streak across all competitions and is managing things well so far during this busy May.

Luis Muriel Staying Focused in Sophomore Season

With five goals so far this season, Orlando City forward Luis Muriel has already mirrored his scoring total from all of last season. Staying mentally prepared has been key for the 34-year-old in his second year with Orlando, and he spoke about what’s changed for him after not quite reaching expectations in his first year.

“Coming to a league like this isn’t easy. A lot of times from the outside, you aren’t able to measure up or really see what the league is. Sometimes you can underestimate things, thinking it’s easy,” Muriel said. “That leads you to take things on in a different way, the work, the matches.

“When you go into ‘MLS Mode’ you realize how good the league is, how competitive it is, how demanding the league is to be able to do things well. That’s when things start to flow, to go well. I think that’s the difference between this year and last.”

He’s finding his footing in the league now and was a force to be reckoned with against Charlotte on Wednesday. Muriel is aware that the Lions will need him to be at his best when they travel to take on Inter Miami on Sunday for an important rivalry clash.

Diving Into Justin Ellis’s Ascent

Victor Olorunfemi of Top Drawer Soccer gave a great profile on Orlando City B forward Justin Ellis and his growth with the club. Ellis, who just celebrated his 18th birthday on Wednesday with his MLS debut, is having a great year after a solid season with OCB last year. The high school senior was the top scorer at this year’s Generation Adidas Cup with six goals to help Orlando’s U-18 team win the tournament. He can create chances just as well as he can convert them and is quick to give credit to the coaches and staff that have helped him develop. The U.S. youth pool is deep, but Ellis could be a name to keep an eye out for ahead of the U-20 World Cup in September.

Orlando Pride Match Headlines NWSL Weekend

The Orlando Pride’s match tonight against the Kansas City Current is the premier matchup this week in the NWSL. While I wouldn’t call it a rivalry just yet, these two teams had great games last year. The Current are still out for revenge after Orlando beat them while shorthanded last summer and won again in the NWSL playoffs in Orlando before winning the NWSL Championship in Kansas City. First place in the league is on the line and it should be a thrilling match featuring the league’s top two defenses and attacking threats like Barbra Banda, Temwa Chawinga, Marta, and Debinha.

NWSL Contenders and Underperformers

We’re about a third of the way into the NWSL season and ESPN‘s Jeff Kassouf dove into how each team is meeting its expectations so far. Despite their stumbles in recent weeks, the Pride are near the top of the table and have plenty of time to get things firing on all cylinders. Two of the California teams are enjoying surprising success so far, with the San Diego Wave up in fourth while Angel City FC is in fifth and could become a real contender once Alexander Straus takes over as head coach. NJ/NY Gotham FC and the North Carolina Courage are sleeping giants of sorts, so it will be interesting to see when they start climbing up the table.

Free Kicks

  • You’ll need a paid subscription for the full details, but Orlando City right back Alex Freeman continues to impress this season. Freeman is finding success in a way different from his father Antonio Freeman, who led the NFL in receiving yards for the Green Bay Packers in 1998.
  • This year’s MLS pre-match jerseys to celebrate Pride month are out and they’re a vibrant and funky design.

Love lifts us up 💜The new 2025 Pride Pre-Match Jerseys are here!🛒 orlsoccer.co/fbpri

— Orlando City SC (@orlandocitysc.com) 2025-05-15T18:56:08.764Z
  • Esther Gonzalez leads the NWSL with seven goals this season and has agreed to a contract extension with Gotham FC that will last through 2027.
  • FIFA representatives, including FA Chair Debbie Hewitt and UEFA President Alexander Ceferin, walked out of FIFA’s annual congress in protest of FIFA President Gianni Infantino arriving three hours late. Infantino has spent this week in the Middle East visiting leaders in Saudi Arabia and Qatar with Donald Trump.
  • FC Barcelona officially won this year’s La Liga title after a 2-0 win over Espanyol. Phenom Lamine Yamal scored a sensational goal in the match, which is fitting considering how crucial he was to Barcelona winning the league this year.
  • Predictable names like Luis Enrique and Antonio Conte are on the list of top European coaches this year, but this article also shines a light on coaches who navigated tough waters in small boats. Alexander Blessin has St. Pauli on the verge of survival in the Bundesliga and Filippo Inzaghi improved Pisa by 30 points in Serie B to secure promotion.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to secure a victory in Sunday’s edition of Tropic Thunder?

Published

2 days ago

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May 15, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City / Mark Thor

The first Tropic Thunder match of the season is here. As I recently said on The Mane Land PawedCast, I am both looking forward to and dreading this match. I think that is an appropriate feeling. Orlando City is in the midst of a congested May schedule, but every match matters.

Inter Miami tops my list of hated teams at this point. As such, I very much want the Lions to win and for Florida to be purple. What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points on the road against their in-state rivals?

Pocket Messi

Orlando City must keep Lionel Messi from having too big of an impact on the match. There are plenty of other players that the defense will need to worry about, and I’ll get to them. What I’m looking for is a frustrated Messi — Messi that feels he should be getting calls on the lightest of touches but is not.

The pair of players that I’m expecting to keep an eye on Messi are Cesar Araujo and Rodrigo Schlegel. The lion’s share of that burden will fall to Araujo. I want him to be hounding Messi every time he gets the ball. If Messi is able to get past Araujo, I want Schlegel to be right in his face. We’re all sick of MLS and Apple TV putting his smug mug in our faces at every opportunity. It’s time for two of Orlando’s defenders to take the shine off of Messi.

Deal with the Rest

Assuming Araujo can limit Messi, Orlando City still has to deal with Miami’s talented attacking players not named Messi. Miami and Orlando entered Wednesday night’s game with the same number of goals scored (21) and allowed (15) this season, although the Herons conceded more at San Jose (3) than the Lions (1) did at home against Charlotte. Each scored three times on Wednesday. However, the memory of the last time the Lions faced Miami at Chase Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale is a 5-0 loss. That isn’t something we want to see again.

Theoretically, no match is more important than another, although an argument could be made that Tropic Thunder is no mere match. I fully expect a starting back line of Alex Freeman, Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and David Brekalo in front of Pedro Gallese to stop Miami’s attack. A clean sheet is the objective.

Alex vs. Alba

As you can tell, this is a very defensive heavy Three Keys, but given what happened in this fixture last year, I don’t think it’s out of line. Alex Freeman has been good this season. He has secured the starting spot at right back and seems unlikely to give it back. One of the things he is good at is getting into the attack with Marco Pasalic. That isn’t what I’m looking for from him this weekend.

Miami’s Jordi Alba is a dangerous player that Freeman will be expected to help contain. Alba has five assists, seven successful crosses, and 13 key passes so far this season. If Freeman is still getting up the pitch to assist in the attack, he will need to make sure he isn’t allowing Alba free rein to get behind him and serve as a provider in Orlando’s half of the field.

That is what I will be looking for Sunday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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