Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Player Grades and Man of the Match
How did your favorite Lions rate in the their massive 4-3 comeback win over the Crew?
It might be two days later, but the feelings from Orlando City’s dramatic 4-3, come-from-behind win over the Columbus Crew haven’t faded yet, despite a trip to New York City FC looming on Wednesday. The Lions refused to give up on the game, even when Cucho Hernandez put Columbus ahead by two goals with less than a third of the match remaining.
Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in a crucial Eastern Conference win.
Starters
GK, Pedro Gallese, 7 — It’s not often you give a good score to a goalkeeper who gives up three goals, but there was little El Pulpo could do about any of the three. He was hung out to dry on two of them and Diego Rossi did a superb job of bending the second Crew goal past him and just inside the post. Gallese made seven saves in the match and some of them were incredible. His best sequence was a massive double save on Yaw Yeboah and Hernandez in the 42nd minute, keeping the deficit at just one goal entering the half. Gallese’s distribution was good, as he passed at an 81% rate and completed six of his 11 long balls. He also recorded a clearance.
D, Rafael Santos, 5.5 — I thought the young fullback took a step back in this match. He struggled to get cross attempts past the first defender, was caught up the field on the third Crew goal, and had an unstable touch. His lone shot attempt from outside the box was off target, but to be fair, it didn’t miss by much. He was 0-for-3 on crossing accuracy and just six of his 13 long balls found their target. His passing rate was a meh 68.6%. Defensively, he contributed two interceptions but nothing else and committed a foul. The Brazilian has had better matches.
D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Jansson had another solid night and even though he kept Columbus onside for one of the Crew goals, that one came off of a defensive-zone turnover, so it’s hard to fault him too much for the sudden change. Jansson passed well (93.2%) and three of his four long balls were accurate. He recorded a tackle and two clearances and mostly kept the middle clean, as the Crew created most of the defense’s problems from the wide areas.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — Schlegel’s biggest mistake in this game was anticipating a pass that didn’t come and then getting beaten by the one that did. He’s always going to be a high-risk, high-reward kind of defender and it bit him on that play but he was mostly solid on the night. Defensively, he led the team in interceptions (3), made two clearances, and blocked a shot. Schlegel led the team in passing accuracy (97.3%) and completed all three of his attempted long balls. He also attempted one shot that was on target.
D/MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 5.5 — This grade may seem a bit weird to some, but it’s kind of a split rating. At fullback, it was a tough night for the Icelandic import. Yeboah’s pace and the movement of the Crew’s forwards off the ball created issues for him. He kept the Crew onside for Julian Gressel’s opening goal, getting out of alignment with his back line teammates. He also got beat for pace on well-timed runs on long through balls, although there’s not much one can do about their pace. When he moved to the midfield, he helped the Lions climb back into the game. Defensively, he recorded one tackle, two interceptions, and a team-high three clearances. His passing rate was good (86%) and he completed his lone attempted long ball.
MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — It was another solid night from the Uruguayan. Araujo drew a team-high four fouls on the opposition, helped gum up the middle against a lethal opposing attack, and did well to connect the back line to the attackers. His passing was a solid 85.4% and he recorded a pair of key passes. He recorded one clearance as well. Araujo doesn’t get a lot of accolades, but he simply plays solidly every night.
MF, Felipe, 6.5 — The Brazilian was a surprise starter on the night but he played well and even picked up his first assist as a Lion — the secondary helper on Orlando City’s first goal. His pass sent Ivan Angulo down the right and it led to Martin Ojeda’s tying goal early in the second half, making it 1-1 at the time. Felipe helped glue the lines together, passing at an 87.1% rate, contributing a key pass, and completing two of his three long balls. He recorded two tackles, only committed one foul, and drew one from the Crew. Oscar Pareja sacrificed him in the 57th minute to send Facundo Torres on.
MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — It might seem harsh to hand Angulo a 6 when he recorded three key passes, including an assist, and used his speed to track back well to help out primarily on Dagur Dan’s side. However, too many transition opportunities were wrecked on the night due to a misplaced pass by the speedy winger. One good example was his overweighted ball that could have sent Ojeda in on goal but instead forced the Argentine to sprint hard to the end line and send it directly at the goalkeeper from a tough angle. Angulo took one off-target shot, passed at a 79.2% rate — the lowest percentage of all midfielders — completed one of his two crosses and was inaccurate on his lone through-ball attempt. Defensively, he chipped in a tackle and an interception.
MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6 — The captain was solid, if unspectacular, starting in the attacking midfield, then cycling to the No. 8 spot in the second half. He lost the ball too often with two unstable touches and he was dispossessed twice. He did not attempt a shot and completed 83.3% of his passes, one of his two crosses, and one of his two long balls, while recording one key pass. He chipped in a tackle and a clearance defensively, committing two fouls while not drawing one. The captain sent a fantastic ball forward that led (eventually) to Torres’ goal in the 73rd minute. Pereyra came off in the 80th minute for Michael Halliday, which moved Thorhallsson into the midfield.
MF, Martin Ojeda, 8 — With Torres dealing with a leg contusion, Ojeda got a rare start and he made the most of it. He scored Orlando City’s first goal, picked up the primary assist on the second, and delivered the service that led to the third and fourth. Ojeda contributed a team-high five key passes, put one of his two shots on target, and passed at an 87.5% rate, completing all three of his long balls and two of his team-high eight crosses. He even contributed a clearance on the defensive end. On another night, Ojeda could easily be our Man of the Match.
F, Ramiro Enrique, 8.5 (MotM) — It was a spectacular performance for the young Argentine, who filled in for Duncan McGuire after the rookie picked up a knock late in training and was held out as a precaution. Enrique tied the match in the 86th minute and won it in the 97th. He also picked up a secondary assist on Torres’ goal. Enrique put all three of his shots on frame, and would have had a hat trick had his point-blank shot not been right down the middle, where it made for an easier save for Patrick Schulte. He drew three fouls on the Crew, won a team-high three aerials, and contributed three clearances on the defensive end. His passing rate of 79.2% doesn’t catch the eye, but that’s fairly high for a forward. If Enrique can build some consistencey off of this performance, the Lions won’t miss the depth that Ercan Kara provided behind McGuire throughout the year. Hopefully, the yellow card Enrique picked up for taking off his shirt during his celebration of the winning goal won’t come back to haunt him, as it was his third of the season.
Substitutes
MF, Facundo Torres (57′), 8 — Torres replaced Felipe as Orlando City had fallen behind by a goal and Orlando City needed a spark. Boy did the Uruguayan provide one. The game changed noticeably once Torres took the pitch and within a couple of minutes, he’d already attempted two shots, although one of those was off target and the other blocked. Despite playing less than half the game, Torres led Orlando in shots (5), putting two on target. His exellent finish in the 73rd minute gave the Lions new life, and he recorded an assist on the game winner, ducking low to head Ojeda’s free kick cross back across the box and into Enrique’s path. The Uruguayan passed at just a 66.7% rate without attempting a cross or a long ball. Despite assisting on the game-winning goal, he was not credited with a key pass. Like Ojeda, on another night, Torres would have my Man of the Match vote. There’s a strong argument, as his presence changed the match.
D, Luca Petrasso (70′), 5.5 — The Canadian came on for Santos and did well to generally help put out fires on his side, although he didn’t provide much going forward. He didn’t pass particularly well (57.1% on just seven attempts), but did block a couple of crosses. He contributed a tackle and a clearance.
F, Jack Lynn (70′), 5 — OCB’s leading goal scorer came on for Angulo as the Lions were hunting goals to get back into the game. He figured in Torres’ goal, pulling a defender wide, which provided room for Enrique to collect the ball, starting the goal sequence. Lynn only managed two touches, winning two aerial balls. He completed one of his two passes.
D, Michael Halliday (80′), N/A — The American youth international came on to provide some coverage on Yeboah’s side to guard against the counter while Orlando pushed to tie — and then win — the game. He managed 10 touches, won an aerial, passed at a 71.4% rate, and recorded an interception.
That’s how I saw the individual performances on Saturday night as Orlando City climbed into second place in the Eastern Conference. What did I get right/wrong in your view? Be sure to vote for your Man of the Match in our poll below and provide your thoughts in the comments section.
Orlando City
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New York City FC
Get up to speed on this year’s NYCFC team, courtesy of someone who knows them best.
Another weekend brings another opportunity for Orlando City to pick up its first points of the still-young 2026 Major League Soccer season. To do that, OCSC will need to beat a team that is unbeaten through its first two games, as the Lions are heading to Yankee Stadium to take on New York City FC on Saturday.
A trip to the baseball diamond means I took the time to catch up with Matthew Mangam, who is one of the senior writers over at the independent and always excellent Hudson River Blue. He was kind enough to help us refamiliarize ourselves with the Pigeons, and I also answered some of his questions about Orlando City, which you can find over at their place.
Talk me through NYCFC’s off-season transfer business. Who went out the door, and who arrived to replace them?
Matthew Mangam: NYCFC’s biggest loss this off-season was Justin Haak, who joined the LA Galaxy as a free agent. Defensive midfielder and center back Kai Trewin joined the club from Melbourne City, serving as the unofficial replacement for Haak. Alonso Martínez, who tore his ACL, and Andrés Perea, who fractured his lower right leg, aren’t official departures but will spend most of the season recovering from their respective injuries. NYCFC also loaned out Julián Fernández and Mitja Ilenič.
Of those new arrivals, who has been the most impressive through the first two games of the season?
MM: I’m going to cheat a little bit here and say Keaton Parks — he missed most of last season after undergoing surgery to address blood flow issues in his right leg. Since appearing in the season opener and starting the last game against Philadelphia, Parks looks like he hasn’t missed a beat. He’s contributed on both sides of the ball, bringing great energy and consistency.
Who is an NYCFC player with the potential to be an X factor in this game, and why?
MM: Hannes Wolf. He scored the opening goal against Philadelphia in true Hannes Wolf fashion: opportunistically pouncing on a deflection in the box and burying it in the back of the net. The only issue is that Wolf struggles with consistency, but in his two seasons at NYCFC, he started each year in good form. I would say Nico Fernández Mercau could also be an X-factor, but he’s playing as the No. 9 — not his natural position — which has clearly affected him a bit.
Will anyone be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?
MM: Besides Martínez and Perea being out with long-term injuries, NYCFC is healthy. Talles Magno is coming off a calf injury, which happened in preseason, but he will likely play at least 10 minutes off the bench. Jonny Shore is also working back to full fitness, so it’s unclear if he’ll get any time as a substitute on Saturday.
I expect NYCFC to keep its lineup the same from the win over Philadelphia:
Matt Freese; Kevin O’Toole, Raul Gustavo, Thiago Martins, Tayvon Gray; Aiden O’Neill, Keaton Parks; Agustin Ojeda, Maxi Moralez, Hannes Wolf; Nicolas Fernández Mercau.
I think NYCFC wins 2-0, with Wolf and Parks getting on the score sheet.
Thank you to Matthew for the excellent info on NYCFC. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 3/6/26
Leagues Cup schedule unveiled, Orlando Pride sign Reagan Raabe, USWNT prepares for Colombia, and more.
Happy Friday! It’s been a bit of a hectic week but I’m looking forward to spending the weekend enjoying some soccer and visiting my family for a birthday. Hopefully Orlando City can get a win on the road on Saturday and bring points back to the City Beautiful. Before we get started, we want to give a shout out to “Flip,” the latest subscriber at the TAM Player level in our Buy Me a Coffee membership program. Thanks for your support and welcome to The Mane Land family! Now, let’s jump right into today’s links!
Orlando City’s Leagues Cup Schedule Revealed
The schedule for this summer’s Leagues Cup is out and we now know which Liga MX teams Orlando City will play against. All three of Orlando’s games in the first phase of the tournament will be at Inter&Co Stadium, starting with a match against Monterrey on Aug. 5. The Lions will then take on Club Leon on Aug. 8 before playing San Luis on Aug. 12. Of the 18 MLS clubs taking part in the Leagues Cup, only the top four will advance to the knockout stage. Last year, the Lions went unbeaten across their four matches against Mexican teams before falling in the semifinals and the third-place match.
Orlando Pride Sign Reagan Raabe
The Orlando Pride signed forward Reagan Raabe to a short-term contract that will last through June of this year. The 24-year-old has been with the club throughout its preseason as a non-roster invitee. Raabe joins the Pride following a collegiate career with the University of Nebraska, recording four goals and six assists in her final season after missing a couple of years due to injury. Hopefully she can continue to impress the coaching staff and make an impact this year.
Analyzing Colombia Ahead of USWNT Match
The United States Women’s National Team will play Colombia on Saturday in the final game of this year’s SheBelieves Cup. Colombia lost 4-1 to Canada in its first match but bounced back with a 1-0 win over Argentina. One of the top nations in South America, Colombia finished second in last year’s Copa America and boasts a versatile attack that does well with possession or in transition. The U.S. will need to limit Real Madrid forward Linda Caicedo as much as possible. The 21-year-old has scored in both of Colombia’s games this tournament and has the talent to create opportunities out of seemingly nothing.
WAFCON Postponed Until July
The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which was set to begin on March 17, has been postponed until July 25 and is set to last through Aug. 16. This decision comes amid reports that Morocco wished to withdraw as the tournament’s host and it’s unclear at this time if Morocco will still host it later this year. Many NWSL players are impacted by this change, including Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda, whose Zambian side will face Nigeria, Malawi, and Egypt in the group stage. The tournament doubles as qualifying for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, with the quarterfinalists directly securing a spot in Brazil next summer.
Free Kicks
- We have some rumored numbers to put to how much Orlando City was offering to pay Atletico Madrid attacker Antoine Griezmann. Even if the move doesn’t come to pass, I can appreciate the club taking a big swing.
- Nothing is official yet, but the United States Men’s National Team’s jersey for the upcoming World Cup may have been spotted in the wild. It looks like the Waldo kit with a twist, literally.
- Toronto FC officially added center back Benjamin Kuscevic on loan from Fortaleza in Brazil’s second division.
- Walid Regragui stepped down as Morocco’s head coach with only a few months to go before the World Cup. Mohamed Ouahbi will take over for Regragui and it will be his first time coaching a senior team.
- Relegation is growing into a real possibility for Tottenham, which lost its fifth-straight match after a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.
- Cristo Fernandez, who plays Dani Rojas on Ted Lasso, made a splash with a pair of goals in an exhibition match while training with Chicago Fire II.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend. Go Orlando!
Orlando City
How Orlando City’s Roster Construction Compares to Rest of MLS
Let’s look at Orlando City’s roster configuration to see how it compares to the rest of Major League Soccer.
Last week was an exciting one for nerds fans of salary cap minutiae like me, as Major League Soccer (MLS) released the club roster profiles for all 30 teams. Every sports league has its own set of intricate rules and regulations, and MLS is no different. For a league that seemingly embraced a lack of transparency for years, it has been a breath of fresh air that MLS is starting to share more information. Later this year, we will find out each player’s salary for the 2026 season, but for now, we know the status of every player as of Feb. 26, plus the few official transfers that are listed on the transfer tracker on the MLS website.
If you click on that link you will note that the transfer tracker is not accurate for Orlando City, as it neglects to mention that Alex Freeman was transferred to Villarreal. As far as I am concerned, that means that Freeman can suit up for the Lions on Saturday, so Alex, get on that yellow submarine and head west to the Bronx. We will see you there, in a baseball stadium. Sigh.
Freeman could use the minutes, having played only 31 across six games since joining Villarreal, but Griffin Dorsey is doing a great job out on the right side in his stead, and if not for bad luck, he would have a goal and an assist in his first two games as a Lion. Dorsey was acquired in late February in a GAM-for-player deal with the Houston Dynamo, and that brings us back to the club roster profiles which were released a week ago.
I went through each club’s profile and aggregated the counts of players in each roster designation, and the results are in the table below. The long list of rules for roster construction can be found here, and I will remind you that reading these rules is only slightly less effective than counting sheep if you are trying to grab some sleep. And now, without another peep, let us plunge into the end that is deep and take a look at the table that my aggregation reaped.
| Roster Designation | Orlando City | MLS Avg. | MLS Max. | MLS Min. | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Roster | 18 | 17.9 | 20 | 14 | 536 |
| Supplemental Roster | 6 | 7.9 | 12 | 3 | 237 |
| Active Roster Total | 24 | 25.8 | 29 | 21 | 773 |
| International Slots Used | 6 | 7.3 | 11 | 2 | 219 |
| Designated Players | 3 | 2.3 | 3 | 1 | 69 |
| MLS U22 Initiative | 3 | 2.4 | 4 | 0 | 71 |
| TAM Players | 3 | 5.0 | 9 | 2 | 151 |
| Homegrowns* | 6 (4) | 5.6 (3.4) | 14 (8) | 2 (0) | 103 |
| Generation Adidas | 0 | 0.4 | 2 | 0 | 11 |
A few notes on this table:
- These counts come directly from the club roster profiles on Feb. 26 but also include the few official transactions that have occurred since then.
- The max and min columns reflect the number of players that at least one team has in that category, not the allowable maximum or minimum.
- The Homegrowns row has an asterisk because, frankly, the rules are a little complicated with how teams can use and pay players they either developed themselves or acquired from another club’s youth setup. That said, I put two numbers in each column to try to simplify it: the first value is the total number of players listed as a Homegrown Player and the number inside the parentheses is the number of Homegrowns who are on the active roster. Orlando City, for example, has six total Homegrowns but only four (Gustavo Caraballo, Colin Guske, Javier Otero, and Zakaria Taifi) on the active roster. Justin Ellis and Tahir Reid-Brown are Homegrowns but are not on the active roster, even though both were dressed against Miami and Reid-Brown went the full 90, while Caraballo did not dress for either of the first two games. That is how MLS rolls.
- I did not count, but dozens of players are listed on rosters but are currently unavailable due to being on loan, on the injured list, or in one case due to visa issues. I excluded all of these players from the counts in the table.
All right, enough of that, what does this mean for Orlando City?
First and foremost, it means that the Lions have room on their roster for acquisitions. The maximum number of players on an active roster is 30 (Senior Roster + Supplemental Roster), and Orlando City is only using 24 of those 30 spots. That leaves six spots available for roster maneuvering, and it is overwhelmingly likely that the front office will sign a few more players before the season ends.
No team is using all 30 active roster spots at the moment, which makes sense as it is early in the season and teams want roster flexibility, but the 24 spots currently being used by Orlando City ranks 22nd in the league. Our David Rohe wrote about the team’s depth issues in the latest edition of our weekly newsletter, which you too can receive by signing up here, and while playing the kids will help in the long run, in the short run Orlando City needs to get some points, and using those available spots to sign some proven veterans could help.
Another interesting item to note is that Orlando City went big on Ojedas, with both Braian and Martín occupying Designated Player spots on the roster at the moment. The third Designated Player, Marco Pašalić, is the only one of the three who cannot be bought down to become a TAM player, however, and so if Orlando City is able to acquire a certain French player, or another player of his ilk, the team can easily convert one of the Ojedas (most likely Braian) to a TAM player and offer that third Designated Player slot to an incoming player.
It is not shown in the table above, but it also appears from the club profiles that the Lions have one international slot available to them that they have yet to use, which would fit very nicely on that theoretical Designated Player signing.
Moving on, I am not here to tattle on anyone but…Orlando City’s opponent this weekend landed one too many Pigeons on its Supplemental Roster, as league rules state that “a club may have no more than 11 players on its Supplemental Roster, subject to the Season-Ending Injury, Injured List, and Loan exceptions.” NYCFC shows none of those as it relates to its Supplemental Roster players, and as the official league document shows that the Pigeons have 12 players on their Supplemental Roster, I think their punishment should be an automatic forfeit, with three points going to Orlando City. Who is with me?
Nothing will happen, of course, as NYCFC is owned by City Football Group, which has a vast amount of experience with (allegedly) flouting league rules (*cough* Manchester City *cough*). And realistically, that Supplemental Roster oversight has already been addressed and fixed, but until MLS issues an updated document, NYCFC appears to be out of compliance and the only games on baseball fields in New York City this weekend should be, you know, baseball games.
That will not be the case, and there will be soccer in Yankee Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Lions have not fared well on the road against NYCFC this decade, and are on a run of five straight losses when playing away against the Pigeons. Preferably they do not match those six open active roster spots with a sixth straight loss, and they take their 24 players plus the extra Homegrowns up to the Big Apple and give NYCFC a little of the old “how do you like them apples?” and come back with all three points.
And then maybe go out next week and sign three more players.
Vamos Orlando!
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New York City FC
Lion Links: 3/6/26
How Orlando City’s Roster Construction Compares to Rest of MLS
-
Orlando City6 days agoOrlando City vs. Inter Miami: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoOrlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoOrlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Final Score 2-1 as Poor First Half Sinks Lions on Opening Day
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoOrlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Five Takeaways
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoIntelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls
-
Photo Galleries4 days agoOrlando City vs. Inter Miami: Photo Gallery
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoThe Mane Land Roundtable: 2026 Orlando City Preseason Thoughts
-
Orlando City1 week agoOrlando City vs. Inter Miami: Three Keys to Victory