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

Here’s how your favorite Orlando City players individually performed in a great 1-0 win on the road against FC Cincinnati.

Published

2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City went on the road and did what no other team in the league has done this season by beating league-leading FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium. Orlando won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Facundo Torres in the first half and stellar defense from start to finish. It wasn’t all perfect for Orlando though, as Duncan McGuire exited due to an injury and Wilder Cartagena was shown a red card late in the match.

Here’s how each Lion individually performed in Orlando’s seventh road win this season, the most in MLS.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — El Pulpo came up with four saves for his eighth clean sheet of the season, with his biggest stop being against Luciano Acosta in the 58th minute to keep the Lions in front. Gallese also did well in terms of his positioning and was off his line when he needed to snuff out some of Cincinnati’s long balls and through balls. His distribution could have been a bit cleaner, as he was successful on four of his 15 long balls and completed just 57.7% of his 26 passes, but there were hardly any gaffes from the Peruvian.

D, Rafael Santos, 6.5 — We didn’t see any of Santos’ venomous crosses in this one, as his only cross was unsuccessful. Instead, Santos played a bit more conservatively and the Lions leaned on Angulo when attacking through the left wing. McGuire’s exit and Orlando’s lead also removed the need for Santos to drive forward and put the ball into the box. He was accurate on three of his five long balls and had 51 passes at an 84.3% success rate. The Brazilian had two clearances, an interception, and a tackle to help stop Cincinnati from getting on the board. Both of his shots were from distance and blocked. Santos was subbed out in the 82nd minute, with Kyle Smith taking over at left back.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — The Beefy Swede picked up a knock earlier this week against Charlotte, but got the start and did very well. Jansson had two clearances, an interception, and blocked a shot, but the stat sheet won’t show just how vital some of his interventions were, such as his denial of a tricky cross to Brandon Vazquez in the 51st minute. The center back had two key passes, was accurate on two of his five long balls, and completed 85.5% of his team-high 55 passes. Jansson kept Orlando’s defense organized and disciplined in one of its best performances this year.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 7 — Schlegel had another busy night and was up to the task, finishing the match with eight clearances, three tackles, and an interception. He won both of his aerial duels and, alongside Jansson served as a brick wall of sorts that Cincy had a hard time breaking down. Of his 29 passes, 86.2% found their mark, while one of his three long balls was accurate. It was another strong shift from Schlegel with Antonio Carlos out due to injury.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6.5 — Thorhallsson got the start at right back once more and is settling into the role. There were a few shaky moments when he was tasked with dealing with Acosta and Alvaro Barreal linking up on his side of the pitch, but Schlegel was there to back him up and he did enough to stop them from running rampant. In his 81 minutes on the field, he had an interception and a clearance. He also had two key passes and took care of the ball, completing all but two of his 29 passes for an excellent 93.1% success rate. His only cross was inaccurate, and one of his two long balls found their target. His versatility was useful once again for the Lions.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6 — After serving a suspension for yellow card accumulation earlier this week, Cartagena picked up a red card as emotions ran high in stoppage time. It was a blemish on a pretty solid performance from the Peruvian. He led the Lions with six tackles and had a pair of clearances, doing some of the dirty work to prevent Cincinnati’s potent offense from picking up steam in the midfield. Although neither of his two long balls were accurate, he had a key pass and 38 passes at an 81.6% success rate. He’ll miss Orlando’s next match, but the Lions didn’t pay the price of his dismissal in this victory.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — The 22-year-old did what he does best, helping out in little ways all over the pitch. While Cartagena served as an enforcer of sorts, Araujo moved well off the ball to help his teammates play out of trouble. Araujo had 45 passes at a strong 86.7% success rate, connected on two of his three long balls, and chipped in defensively with a tackle, an interception, a clearance, and a blocked shot. He also attempted a shot within the first few minutes of the match, but it was blocked. Araujo had a golden opportunity to score in the first half when a corner kick found him nearly all alone at the far post, but he couldn’t get a true shot off. All in all, it was the kind of strong outing we’ve grown to expect from the Uruguayan.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo returned to the starting lineup and was lively, taking on defenders and giving the Lions an attacking option when looking to heave the ball forward. Although none of his four crosses found their man, they were decent efforts and he completed his lone long ball of the match. Angulo played every minute of the match and his speed was helpful when covering ground to defend or get open, especially once the Lions were reduced to 10 men. Of his two shots, the first was sent wide of goal and the second was blocked by Matt Miazga. Angulo had three unstable touches and completed 76.2% of his 21 passes. While he could’ve been a bit more clinical with the ball at his feet, it was a decent performance from the winger.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6 — The captain had a fairly rough game (for him), with some heavy touches and poorly weighted passes costing the Lions some good opportunities. He completed 76.5% of his 51 passes, while completing one of his three crosses and two of his four long balls. Pereyra still contributed towards a goal though, sending Ramiro Enrique forward with tons of room to run in front of him in what ended up earning him his ninth assist of the season .Although he didn’t take a shot himself, he was credited with a key pass for teeing up a shot from distance for Araujo. Pereyra helped out defensively with a tackle and an interception as well.

MF, Facundo Torres, 7.5 (MotM) — The Uruguayan scored his 11th goal of the season to put the Lions in front before halftime. Torres was both patient and clinical when the ball found him in a perfect position in front of goal, slotting it between Ian Murphy’s legs and past Roman Celentano. He only had one other shot in his 81 minutes of action, sending it off target, but his movement off the ball opened up Orlando’s offense. Torres completed an impressive 90.3% of his passes, though only one of his four crosses was accurate and his lone long ball was unsuccessful. He did have a key pass as well, along with winning a team-high three fouls. Defensively, he helped out with two interceptions and a clearance. In a match where Pereyra wasn’t at his best and McGuire exited early, Torres came through to give Orlando a winner on the road.

F, Duncan McGuire, 5.5 — The rookie’s night was cut short in the first half, when a battle with Miazga for a ball left him with an injured shoulder. He made a few dangerous runs, but finished with just four touches, while completing three of his four passes. The forward did not receive much service while on the field, as the Lions didn’t cross too often and had a few miscues while building possession early on. Hopefully the injury isn’t too serious, as Orlando transferred Ercan Kara to Samsunspor this weekend.

Substitutes

F, Ramiro Enrique (33′), 6.5 — Enrique had to come on in the first half after McGuire’s injury and stepped up with a nice run and his first assist as a Lion. Pereyra freed him forward on a counter attack and he made a great cutback pass while sliding to keep the ball in play to find Torres open in the box. Of his three shots, two came in quick succession during corner kicks soon after he came on. His size made things difficult for him in the box, as he struggled to get enough on either shot from tough positions. Enrique’s other shot was an effort from outside the box that went wide of goal. He completed all but one of his 12 passes for a great 91.7% success rate and both of his long balls were successful. With Kara gone, Enrique will need to provide more moments like his assist moving forward.

MF, Martin Ojeda (67′), 5.5 — The Designated Player came on in the second half and helped Orlando close out the game. Although he didn’t have any defensive stats or give the Lions an insurance goal, Ojeda played a part in containing Cincinnati’s attacks on the right side of the defense by applying pressure. He had eight passes, completing five of them for a 62.5% rate, and finished with 14 touches. Although his three unstable touches were something that could’ve gotten better in his performance, Orlando was doing whatever it could to clear the danger rather than build attacks.

D, Kyle Smith (82′), N/A — Smith made another brief appearance off the bench, coming on for Santos at left back. He had two tackles and a clearance, doing his part in securing all three points on the road. Smith ended the game with seven touches and two passes, completing one. His only long ball of the game didn’t end up connecting with a teammate.

D, Michael Halliday (82′), N/A — Coming on for Thorhallsson, Halliday helped shore up the right back position before the game reached its conclusion. While he looked a bit nervy and needed backup at times, Halliday was fairly reliable when defending and had two tackles and three clearances. Only one of his four passes was accurate and none of his three long balls were successful, but it’s not worth looking too harshly at that considering the Lions were defending a lead and not sending players forward.

MF, Junior Urso (82′), N/A — The Bear came on for Torres to give Orlando some fresher legs and a little more bite in the midfield. He completed his only pass, had a clearance, and received a yellow card for a foul a fair distance from goal. With Cartagena set to miss the next game, we’ll see if Urso gets the start.

That’s how I saw each player’s performance in the huge road victory. It was a real team effort from Orlando, but 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 Striker Duncan McGuire Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

It’s the other shoulder this time, but Big Dunc is on the shelf for awhile again after undergoing surgery.

Published

14 hours ago

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June 6, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City announced today that Duncan McGuire has undergone arthroscopic surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder. The surgery was performed by Orlando City Chief Medical Officer Dr. Craig Mintzer of the Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute performed the surgery. Mintzer previously repaired the labrum and rotator cuff in McGuire’s right shoulder back in December for an injury he sustained in Orlando City’s playoff match against Charlotte FC Nov. 9 when he was pulled down by Djibril Diani.

The club’s press release said the 24-year-old striker’s return to play is expected “later this year.” The recovery given for his right shoulder surgery in late 2024 was listed as four to five months, but McGuire was able to come back and play much earlier than expected, appearing for the first time in 2025 in Orlando’s March 15 against the New York Red Bulls — at least a month before the earliest initial projection — however, this time there was no mention of damage to the rotator cuff.

Regardless, the Lions will be without the big target striker for a considerable amount of time.

McGuire had appeared in 12 matches during the regular season in 2025, starting three and scoring one goal and adding an assist. His goal came recently, serving as the game winner in Orlando’s 1-0 home victory over the Portland Timbers on May 24. He was recently listed as questionable on the club’s availability report ahead of the team’s most recent match against the Chicago Fire.

Orlando City drafted McGuire in the first round (No. 6 overall) in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. After a breakout rookie campaign, in which the Omaha, NE native scored 14 goals, he was courted by several teams in Europe, signing with Blackburn Rovers, only to see the transfer rejected by the English Football League due to an administrative error by the EFL Championship club. After returning to Orlando, McGuire signed a new deal on Aug. 22 to remain a Lion. The new contract runs through 2027 with a club option for 2028. McGuire scored 10 goals and added three assists in 2024. For his Orlando City career, McGuire has appeared in 88 games (46 starts) across all competitions, scoring a total of 28 goals to go along with seven assists.

What It Means for Orlando City

McGuire appeared to be just finding his form, so this injury is unfortunate. The club didn’t put a timeline on McGuire’s recovery this time, but shaving a little off his 2024 recovery estimate, it’s likely that he’ll be out until at least some time in September.

Oscar Pareja has been favoring a 4-4-2 with Luis Muriel and Martin Ojeda up top in recent weeks, with Ramiro Enrique — who is also finding his form — typically spelling one of them when needed. Not having McGuire will affect Pareja’s late-game substitution pattern when Orlando is trailing, as he likes to put Enrique and McGuire both on the field when chasing the game. It also takes the team’s best target striker option out of the lineup when dealing with back lines with lots of height.

McGuire brings size and strength and an ability to occupy center backs that others on the roster can’t replicate. There are times when Enrique’s game is better suited to the opponent, but without McGuire there will be no ability to pivot. With Jack Lynn’s off-season retirement, that leaves the striker pickings mighty slim on the Orlando City bench. That might change Ricardo Moreira’s approach to the MLS Secondary Transfer Window.

Losing a scorer of McGuire’s caliber is always difficult, but this season it could be the difference between finishing high in the table and simply getting into the postseason in a strong Eastern Conference field.

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Opinion

Orlando City Must Learn from May’s Mistakes

The Lions can learn some valuable lessons from the three losses they suffered in May.

Published

20 hours ago

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June 6, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City hadn’t quite achieved juggernaut status as the Major League Soccer season turned from April to May, but a 12-match unbeaten run in the league is nothing to sniff at, despite there being a healthy number of draws interspersed with the victories. Things turned sour as May drew to a close though, as the Lions lost three of their final four matches of the month and entered a two-week break with a whimper rather than a roar.

Losing is never fun, but in this case those three defeats don’t need to be entirely negative experiences, and there are plenty of lessons to be learned from those three bitter losses that will hold Orlando in good stead if it can implement the proper solutions.

More Squad Rotation

One of the biggest factors in Orlando’s rough finish to May was a lack of squad rotation. Oscar Pareja has always been a coach that likes to find his first-choice XI and stick to it almost religiously. He doesn’t normally tweak his lineups or tactics according to whatever opponent is on the slate, and very much values consistency. In periods of fixture congestion, that tendency can be to Orlando’s detriment, and that was very much the case against both Nashville SC and the Chicago Fire.

After beating Inter Miami 3-0 in an emotional rivalry match on May 18, Pareja made just one change for a U.S. Open Cup match against Nashville SC three days later. Ramiro Enrique slotted in for Luis Muriel up top, but every single other starter from the Miami game also got the nod midweek. With Nashville deploying a heavily rotated lineup mostly filled with backups, the gamble was a simple one: hope that OCSC’s A-team can open up a big first-half lead against Nashville’s B-squad before bringing mass changes in the second half to get guys some rest. Hindsight is, of course, 20/20, but the strategy backfired badly as the Lions lost 3-2. Orlando started well with Marco Pasalic’s 17th-minute strike, but the team faded badly afterwards and gave up a couple of very uncharacteristic goals to lose the game. Lapses in concentration and tired defending cost OCSC the game, and that isn’t something we can normally say about this team.

Then, after losing to Atlanta United 3-2 on May 28 due in no small part to Cesar Araujo’s red card, Pareja made two changes for a match against the Chicago Fire on May 31, with Muriel coming in for Enrique, and the other change being a forced one, as Eduard Atuesta replaced the suspended Araujo. Those starters looked noticeably gassed during the resulting 3-1 loss, and the fatigue manifested itself by players missing chances that would normally be converted or in sloppy, mistake-ridden defending.

May was a packed month with a whopping nine matches in 31 days, and most months won’t be that busy. August is set to be the busiest remaining period of the year with six games in 31 days, although that number could rise higher if the Lions make a run in Leagues Cup. The bottom line is that guys are going to need more rest as the season goes on. If the coaching staff doesn’t trust some of the guys currently available as backups, then they need to dip into the transfer market in one way or another and get some players that they do trust, because if the starting XI gets run ragged during busy periods it’s going to cost Orlando, plain and simple.

Cool Heads Usually Prevail

Orlando City has received three red cards on the season, which is tied for the second-most in the league. Unsurprisingly, the Lions are winless in games in which they’ve had a man sent off, with draws against the New York Red Bulls and CF Montreal and a loss to Atlanta United. The results against the Red Bulls and Atlanta were particularly difficult to swallow, as before going down to 10 men, Orlando had looked on track to get three points in each game.

Araujo’s red card against Atlanta was especially frustrating, as he allowed Mateusz Klich to get under his skin, grabbed him by the throat, and reduced his team to 10 men when OCSC was nursing a 2-1 lead on the road. It was completely unnecessary and was also the sort of thing that Orlando had looked to put in the rearview mirror after keeping its collective composure and not picking up any bookings in the 3-0 road win against Miami, while the Herons picked up four and looked noticeably rattled in the process.

It should go without saying, but the Lions can’t afford to get key players sent off. Six extra points could make a big difference in the standings at the end of the year, and that number could rise even higher if OCSC can’t put its disciplinary issues to rest once and for all.

Focus for the Full 90

There were moments in each of Orlando’s three May losses that the team committed bad defensive lapses or mistakes. Whether it was not playing to the whistle on Nashville’s third goal, Atuesta’s bad turnover against Atlanta, or the Lions collectively allowing Chicago to stroll through midfield to score a third goal, there were plenty of examples of bad breakdowns that were largely absent during the team’s unbeaten run. Can some of that be attributed to tired minds and tired legs? Maybe so — it’s a lot harder to play crisp and focused when the minutes have piled up. Regardless, its something that can’t continue to happen going forward. It’s possible that having more rotation in the squad will help that a lot, but it’s also on the players on the field to stay as mentally sharp as they can when they’re out on the pitch.

Clearly, a recurring theme here is that fresh legs and balanced squad rotation are top of my list of things I want to see change. I’m all for riding the hot hands, but tired legs make for tired minds, and tired minds make mistakes and are easier to rile up. Whether reinforcements come from the bench or an outside source, using more bodies will go a long way towards solving some of the issues that we saw in May’s three losses. All we can do now is wait and see what happens once the team returns from its break. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/6/25

Alex Freeman called up for Concacaf Gold Cup, Orlando Pride get ready for the Houston Dash, Orlando City B plays tonight, and more.

Published

24 hours ago

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June 6, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday! I’ll be spending this weekend celebrating my birthday by beating my friends at mini golf with no mercy but still hope to catch some soccer over the next few days. I’ve also been on a bit of a movie kick and plan on catching Wes Anderson’s new flick at some point soon. But for now, let’s dive into today’s links!

Alex Freeman Called Up For Gold Cup

Orlando City defender Alex Freeman was officially called up by the United States Men’s National Team for the Concacaf Gold Cup this summer. He’s the only Lion who will be at the tournament and is one of seven uncapped USMNT players on the roster. The 20-year-old could receive more playing time than expected, as right back Sergino Dest is not on the roster so that he can recover over the summer. Left back John Tolkin was added to replace Dest, so Freeman has a real shot at making a claim for the position this month. The U.S. will take on Turkey Saturday in the first of two friendlies before its first Gold Cup match against Trinidad & Tobago on June 15.

Orlando Pride Prepares to Host the Houston Dash

With the international break for women’s soccer over, the Orlando Pride return to action Saturday with a home game against the Houston Dash. It should be a great opportunity for the Pride to ease back into the swing of things against a Dash team that’s only scored 10 goals this season. Pride midfielder Ally Lemos spoke on the benefit of being able to rest heading into this match while maintaining a winning mindset from a 3-1 victory on May 23.

Anna Moorhouse Called Up For 2025 Euros

Orlando Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was named to England’s final roster for the 2025 UEFA European Women’s Championship. She’s one of three goalkeepers on the squad following Mary Earp’s surprise retirement from international soccer, and she will likely compete with fellow uncapped player Khiara Keating for the backup position behind Hannah Hampton. Moorhouse has started in every game for the Pride this season and was an NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year finalist for her record-breaking season last year. England’s Euro run will begin July 5 against France before other group matches against the Netherlands and Wales.

Orlando City B Takes On Huntsville City FC

The Young Lions are riding high after a 2-1 win over Chattanooga FC and will take that momentum into tonight’s road match against Huntsville City FC. Midfielder Noah Levis scored his first career goal in that home win, with Justin Hylton providing the assist in his OCB debut. Orlando’s offense has been hot and cold this season but has a variety of attacking talent that can create chances in different ways. The Young Lions have only won once on the road, but a win tonight would lift them to third in the Eastern Conference.

Free Kicks

  • FIFA Club World Cup action is coming to the City Beautiful this month and Orlando City legend Kaká spoke on how it’s nice for Orlando to host games.
  • San Diego Wave Head Coach Jonas Eidevall was named NWSL Coach of the Month. The Wave were undefeated in May, winning three of their four matches to climb to second in the league standings.
  • The NWSL will allow intraleague loans for all teams, with the players needing to consent to the move in order for it to happen. Denver and Boston’s expansion teams will have access to potentially over $1 million in Allocation Money starting on July 1 to build their rosters before the 2026 season.
  • Atletico Madrid is reportedly close to signing American midfielder Johnny Cardoso from Real Betis.
  • South Korea, Uzbekistan, and Jordan all qualified for the 2026 World Cup, while China was eliminated from contention. Australia beat Japan 1-0 and will qualify so long as it doesn’t lose heavily to Saudi Arabia on June 10.
  • Spain beat France 5-4 in a wild game to reach the UEFA Nations League final against Portugal on Sunday. Lamine Yamal continues to take the world by storm, but a late rally by France nearly completed a comeback.

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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