Connect with us

Orlando City

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

How did your favorite Lions rate in Orlando City’s 2-0 loss against NYCFC?

Published

1 year ago

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Despite Orlando City being the best road team in MLS, the club fell 2-0 to New York City FC. The Lions still officially punched their ticket into the playoffs thanks to D.C. United drawing Atlanta United elsewhere in the Eastern Conference. The Lions battled throughout the night on the baseball diamond of Citi Field but were unable to find the soccer goal. It will be a quick turnaround now as the team needs to regroup before Sunday’s home match against rival Inter Miami.

Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in the defeat.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 7.5 (MotM) — The foul in the box by by Ramiro Enrique led to Gallese needing to make a big play against Santiago Rodriguez’s spot kick. Unfortunately, Gallese couldn’t control the rebound on his diving save, leading to a tap-in header that he really could do nothing about. El Pulpo’s services were called upon four minutes in against former teammate Andres Perea from point-blank range, and then again in the 51st and 52nd minutes when the Octopus was able to make strong-handed saves. However, in the 68th minute, a perfectly placed Talles Magno header was placed where the Peruvian couldn’t make the stop. I don’t think either of the goals were his fault, nor would your favorite worldbeater goalkeeper abroad have stopped them. For that, Gallese is my Man of the Match for having made five saves in total and passing at an 81.1% rate while completing six of his 11 long balls.

D, Rafael Santos, 5.5 — The left back spent much of the first 20 minutes of the match getting faked and dribbled around down the channel. He continually jumped at a feinted cross or turned his back only for his man to dribble into an even more dangerous location inside the box. For a player who has been solid over the last few matches, Santos sure did look shaky and mentally unready for his matchup. His lone shot attempt was off target. He was 2-for-2 on crossing accuracy but just one of his four long balls found their target, while his overall passing rate was a lowly 65.4%, including one key pass. Defensively, he contributed two tackles, two clearances, and a foul while being fouled once himself.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — It isn’t often that I look back on a match and can’t personally think of any Jansson highlights. He was definitely out there on the pitch, but he never stepped up above and beyond the call of duty like he is known to do. He likely escaped a garbage time yellow card while berating referee Ismail Elfath, but thankfully James Sands stepped in to push the Beefy Swede away to safety. Jansson had one tackle, a clearance, and a blocked shot. He passed at 84.6%, but only two of his 11 long balls were accurate. No wonder Facundo Torres was disappointed every time a deep ball came his way, as chance after chance was uncharacteristically wasted by Jansson.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 4.5 — It is never a great sign in a losing match when a center back doesn’t log a single tackle. It usually means they are whiffing, getting out-dribbled, or caught out of position. At times, it seems like each of those could have been the case for Schlegel in this match. Orlando might not get Antonio Carlos back this season, but if that is the case, then Schlegel has to do better, especially as he led the team with 92 touches. He was completely unaware of Magno on the second NYCFC goal and was part of a defense that fell asleep often on set pieces. He did offer one key pass, but his only shot missed the frame. He passed at an 84.5% rate, but like his counterpart, also struggled to connect on long balls. Rodri landed only three of 10 attempts. His two interceptions and two clearances might be the only things that help him save face on the night.

D/MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6 — Dagur Dan’s first dangerous look of the night came in the 22nd minute as a ball deflected out to him just outside box. The hybrid wingback whipped a curling ball just inside the six-yard box that Enrique barely missed connecting on, which would have opened the scoring on the night. From that point forward, it was much of what we have been seeing from the Icelandic midfielder. He drifts wide to defend and then slides a bit more interior on the attack. I don’t hate it, but I also didn’t love it on a pitch where the small size already clogs the center of the park. He only offered one clearance in his defensive statistics. Offensively, he had a key pass, a through ball, and completed two dribbles. He also passed at an 88.6% rate on 44 attempts and was one-for-two on his crosses.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — At times it seems the Uruguayan goes down softly despite being a bruiser in the defensive midfield on his own. I don’t necessarily hate it, as he does a great job slowing down the game at times when he rolls over, but there were a couple moments in this match where I wish he would have stood his ground and knocked the ball on forward to his teammates for a quick counter opportunity. Either way, Araujo drew a team-high four fouls yet again on the opposition. His passing was a respectable 86.8% on 53 attempts, and two of five long balls found their mark. His failure to properly mark Birk Risa on a set piece late in the game nearly cost Orlando City a third goal conceded. He made one clean tackle but also gave two fouls up. He took one shot on the night and would have done better to lay it off to a couple other Lions in the area.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 5.5 — The Brazilian almost incited a riot on the pitch by running through a Pigeon after the whistle, but to be fair, it was a bang-bang play and he was coming in at full speed already. It didn’t take long after for Cartagena to earn his yellow card. He was fouled twice but gave three total himself. He also stepped up twice to clear the ball out of danger. With his 30 touches, he passed 20 times at 85% success but neither of his two crosses found a teammate.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6.5 — I feel bad for players with attributes like Angulo when they have to play on the baseball fields. While he has the pace and could likely steal home, it doesn’t translate when you’re playing soccer in a compact outfield. His biggest strength is a push-and-go into space but that just isn’t available in Citi Field. Angulo did put his only shot on target when he was able to get involved in the attack. He also had one key pass in his 18 passing attempts (88.9%). Defensively, he made a pair of tackles and an interception. Angulo drew one foul.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6 — The midfield maestro popped in and out of the half spaces throughout the night to distribute from one side of the pitch to the other. He led the team with three shots but not one of them was on target. With 53 touches on the ball, he was able to complete 80% of his 35 passes and one of two long balls, but he was sloppy in terms of staying on the ball too long at times, having two unstable touches and getting dispossessed twice. While it will go down in the match notes as a yellow card for persistent infringement, the referee was likely just trying to slow down a match that was beginning to get a little too chippy for his liking. The attacking midfielder put up a team-high four tackles in addition to his clearance and three fouls. Sometimes your skipper has to do the dirty work, and I’m ok with that.

MF, Facundo Torres, 6.5 — The Designated Player had a mixed bag in the first half, as his teammates seemed to miss him with their long passes. But down 1-0 at the start of the second half, Torres found a low driven cross slightly behind him just outside the six-yard box that he wasn’t able to put on frame. When he was on the ball though, he completed two dribbles and made three key passes to go with his two-for-three crossing and one-for-one long ball percentages. In total, 91.4% of his 35 passes completed which isn’t bad at all for only 46 total touches.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 4.5 — It wasn’t just the tackle in the box that caused Enrique to give up a penalty, but it was his errant pass that he attempted to lay off to Dagur Dan first. Ultimately, both errors equated to what was NYCFC’s first goal. I would like to say the poor play stopped there for him, but he blew what could have been a couple golden chances by dribbling too long and failing to see the open man to pass to. It truly is sad to see how a Player of the Matchday fell from his pedestal just days later. He was taken off after 58 minutes with just 16 touches to his name. Despite winning three aerial duels and making a clearance, his lowly 70% passing rating, missed cross, missed shot, and critical foul conceded really put a damper on his stats. If there was such an award that equates to opposite of MotM, I unfortunately have to cast it upon the MLS U22 Initiative forward.

Substitutes

MF, Martin Ojeda (59′), 6.5 — Ojeda replaced Cartagena as Orlando City had fallen behind by a goal and the Lions needed to create more offensive chances. While he did create one key pass, the Designated Player only found himself on the ball 22 times in his late minutes. He completed 66.7% of his 12 passes and completed his only long ball attempt, but was one-for-six with his crossing and didn’t attempt a shot. Defensively, Ojeda had one tackle and an interception.

D, Luca Petrasso (59′), 5.5 — The Canadian came on and just under 10 minutes later lost a 50-50 aerial battle in the channel which became a crossed ball to Magno that was headed in for the Pigeons second goal of the match. Petrasso took one shot that was blocked, but he had Torres standing right next to him, who would have been the better option. While he lost the only aerial that really mattered, he did win one of his own though, to go along with two tackles and a clearance. He missed his long ball and cross attempts but landed 88.9% of his 18 passes.

F, Duncan McGuire (59′), 5 — Big Dunc is back, but the Big Dunc Energy was not. With only six touches and no shots across more than half an hour, the striker should be disappointed with his impact. His only stats contributed were a successful long ball and an 83.3% success rate on just six passing attempts.

D, Michael Halliday (80′), N/A — The Homegrown right back came on to provide some late fresh legs while the Lions attempted to come from behind. It was a little too late for Halliday to make a real impact on his own. In his time, he managed 15 touches, won an aerial, passed at a 75% rate, and recorded a clearance.

MF, Gastón González (80′), N/A — The Argentinian winger made his return to the pitch after a lengthy injury period to garner a few minutes and get his legs back under him. His only shot was on target, which is hopefully a great sign for the future. He had seven total touches, completing both of his passes, but missed his only cross. He also gave up one foul.

That’s how I saw the individual performances on Wednesday night as Orlando City fell to expansion rival NYCFC. 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.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Opinion

Three Orlando City Games to Watch in 2025

Here are three intriguing matches in the 2025 Orlando City season.

Published

17 hours ago

on

December 21, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Major League Soccer provided a last-minute stocking stuffer for North American soccer fans when it dropped the 2025 season schedule six days before Christmas. It feels like the Orlando City season just wrapped (as is often the case when a team makes a deep run in the playoffs), and yet now we can spend the next few “winter” weeks meticulously breaking down the matchups as training camp is just around the corner. My fellow staff writers at The Mane Land can attest that I have a horrible case of scoreboard-watching from Matchweek 1 of the regular season on, and that obsession starts now with my top three games to watch in 2025.

Friday, July 25 — at Columbus Crew

As the final match of three games in 10 days and the last match of July, the first meeting against perennial the Eastern Conference powerhouse Columbus Crew should serve as a great measuring stick for fans and pundits to assess where the Orlando City season stands heading into the final third of the season. Traditionally speaking, over the last few years, late July into early August is the time frame when Head Coach Oscar Pareja’s teams have caught fire.

If that historical trend holds, then I expect Orlando City to hit Columbus in strong form, once again looking to secure a top-four spot in the Eastern Conference. While it is hard to predict what rosters will look like by then, as there have been reports and rumors of both stars and Head Coach Wilfried Nancy’s possible departure circulating. However, it is difficult to imagine Columbus slipping much, as the club has established a winning culture and has a knack for finding and signing outstanding players like Lucas Zelarayan and Cucho Hernandez. A matchup between the Crew and Lions at that point of the season could serve as a marquee event for MLS in 2025.

Saturday, Feb. 22 — vs. Philadelphia Union

There are two things I know to be true when it comes to Orlando City soccer. First, Orlando City has kicked off every MLS regular season in front of its home fans — a unique trend that I was excited to see continue in 2025. The second thing that I know is that Orlando City is unbeaten in season openers (3-0-7). In 2025, Orlando City welcomes the Philadelphia Union to Inter&Co Stadium and the unbeaten record will be on the line once again. The Union will be the seventh different opening day opponent for the Lions in 11 seasons.

What makes this matchup particularly interesting is that this will be the first time in Orlando City history that they will face the Union without now-former head coach Jim Curtin. One of the longest-tenured head coaches in MLS at the time, Curtin parted ways with the Union at the end of the 2024 season. Often I find myself in the “managers don’t make a large difference” camp when it comes to the outcome of matches, but to look back at what Curtin did with Philadelphia, its academy, and modest roster spending can only be viewed as wildly successful. Orlando will try to start its season off on the right foot, while a new Union manager will be looking to start his tenure in Philly with a road victory. Something will have to give, and I am going to put my money on Orlando winning the day.

Saturday, April 12 — vs. New York Red Bulls

While the first opportunity to exact revenge over the club that eliminated the Lions from the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs will happen roughly a month earlier on the road, the true opportunity to stick it to the Red Bulls in front of a home crowd has to be my most anticipated match of 2025. A lot has been said about rivalries in MLS. Some seem manufactured, and some come down to genuine hatred, but I firmly believe that for the time being our squad’s biggest rival is the one that ended Orlando City’s season one game short of the championship match.

It seems a little strange to me that the Lions will wrap up their season series with the Red Bulls just eight games into the year (so much for spacing out some matchups), but Orlando City will look to pounce on the Red Bulls early on and would likely love nothing more than to take all six points from the team that ended its MLS Cup hopes before the calendar even hits Memorial Day.

Those are the top three matches I have circled on my calendar. Let us know in the comments below which matches you’re most excited about and which matches you think will carry the most significance in 2025. As always, vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Orlando City

2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Ramiro Enrique

The Argentine forward leveled up in his development in his second season with Orlando.

Published

18 hours ago

on

December 21, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City signed Argentine forward Ramiro Enrique on Jan. 26, 2023, from Club Atletico Banfield. The then-21-year-old attacker was signed as part of the MLS U22 initiative. Enrique had a decent initial year with the Lions, but there was some concern whether his size would prohibit his effectiveness in the league. He put those concerns to bed in his second season, doubling his goal output and seizing the starting spot at the top of Oscar Pareja’s formation while Duncan McGuire was away at the Olympics and never relinquishing it through the rest of the year. The highlight was his six-match scoring streak across all competitions from July 6 to Aug. 4, breaking Daryl Dike’s club record for consecutive games with a goal.

Let’s take a look at Enrique’s second season with Orlando City.

Statistical Breakdown

Enrique appeared in fewer matches in 2024 than he did in his first season with the club, falling 10 games shy of the 30 appearances he made a year ago, owing to an ankle injury that kept him out of action for a good chunk of time in March, April, and May. He also missed a few games dealing with a personal matter in June. The native of Burzaco, Argentina, made 20 appearances, starting 12 and playing 1,082 minutes. Those were career bests in starts and minutes in his first two seasons in Orlando. He scored eight goals — compared to four last year — in league play, and equaled last season’s output of two assists. He fired 37 shots, putting 17 on target, and improved his passing from 72.9% to 78% with 16 key passes and two successful crosses but no completed long balls. Defensively, he recorded five tackles, three interceptions, 15 clearances, and one block. Enrique committed 14 fouls, suffered 20, and picked up four yellow cards on the year without being sent off.

The Argentine started all five of Orlando’s playoff games, playing 312 minutes and scoring one goal but not recording an assist, and he did not participate in either of Orlando’s penalty shootouts in the first round against Charlotte FC. He attempted 12 shots but put just three on target. Enrique passed at an 82.2% rate with four key passes and a successful cross. On the defensive end, Enrique chipped in four tackles, an interception and three clearances. He committed four fouls, suffered seven, and picked up a pair of postseason yellow cards, but those were not both shown in the same game.

Enrique played in all four of Orlando City’s Concacaf Champions Cup matches, starting once and playing 165 minutes. He contributed one goal and one assist — both in the Cavalry FC series — firing nine shots with five on target. He completed 85.4% of his 48 passes in the competition with one key pass but no successful crosses on two attempts. Defensively, Enrique managed three tackles, one interception, and one clearance. He committed two fouls, suffered five, and was not booked in the tournament.

Starting all three of Orlando City’s Leagues Cup games, Enrique played 232 minutes, scoring two goals and adding an assist. He was subbed off each game, so he did not participate in either of the shootouts against Mexican sides Atletico San Luis or Cruz Azul. He attempted nine shots, putting five on target. Enrique completed 79.6% of his 49 passes with four key passes, without attempting a cross. On the defensive end, Enrique logged four tackles, one interception, and four clearances. He committed three fouls, suffered three, and was not booked.

Best Game

Enrique made a big impact in several games this season, including his performance in Orlando City’s Leagues Cup opener against CF Montreal — a 4-1 home win on July 26. Enrique and the rest of the Lions ran over Montreal, posting three first-half goals in what turned out to be an easy win. Enrique contributed to the offensive explosion with a goal and an assist on a season-high six shot attempts. As impressive as his performance was that night, I’m going with his big night against FC Cincinnati in a 3-1 win on Oct. 5 — the team’s final road match of the regular season. The Argentine striker figured in all three goals, scoring two of them himself, as the Lions set a new club record for goals in a season, surpassing the old mark of 55 by scoring the 56th, 57th, and 58th goals of the year.

The striker got the game off to a great start just 10 minutes in, timing his run perfectly to get onto a gorgeous, curling cross from Kyle Smith and getting his right foot onto it to push it past Roman Celentano and open the scoring. It wasn’t an easy goal on the volley, but Enrique made it look that way.

Luciano Acosta tied the match just before halftime, which could have given the hosts momentum, but the Lions held firm. Enrique helped Orlando seize the momentum back in the 66th minute by setting up the eventual game-winning goal. Smith sent another good cross into the area. Enrique had his back to goal, with a much bigger defender on him. Rather than bring the ball in and try to turn on his defender, Enrique laid off his first touch for Angulo, who didn’t get all of it on his shot, but it somehow squirted through Celentano and in to make it 2-1. Even though Angulo’s placement and power weren’t what he’d likely envisioned, the soccer gods rewarded Enrique, as the layoff was worthy of an assist.

Enrique provided an insurance goal six minutes later, as Angulo returned the favor for the Argentine’s assist. The Colombian turned on the jets to beat Celentano to a soft back pass from Luca Orellano and calmly poked it to Enrique on his right with the goal wide open. The striker knew he had time and space, took a calming touch, and gently tucked the ball home to make it 3-1, completing his brace.

The hosts scrapped to try to get back into the game, ultimately firing 19 shots to Orlando’s six, but City’s defense held firm, and thanks in large part to Enrique’s goal contributions, won the game at TQL Stadium.

Aside from his goal contributions, Enrique fired four shots, putting three of them (75%) on target. He connected on 71% of his passes, including the key pass that turned into Angulo’s goal. He won three of his six aerials, chipped in a recovery on the defensive end, committed a foul, drew a foul, and was not shown a card. It was a strong outing.

2024 Final Grade

The Mane Land awarded Enrique a composite rating of 7 out of 10 for his second season in the City Beautiful. This was a big improvement over the 5.5 we gave the young striker a year ago. In last year’s grade, we cited his inconsistency as an issue. Enrique was much more consistent in his second year, as shown by his six-game goal-scoring streak and ability to hold onto the starting striker spot after McGuire returned from international duty. While some of that inconsistency returned in the postseason — in which he fired eight shots and scored a goal in Orlando’s three wins and failed to attempt a single shot in the two postseason losses — you have to credit two exceptional defensive teams (Charlotte FC and the New York Red Bulls) for some of the latter, while giving Enrique props for being effective against Charlotte twice and scoring the winner against Atlanta in a tightly contested match. Enrique was a bit streaky, which isn’t unusual for a striker, he remained dangerous once he became a starter.

2025 Outlook

Signed through 2025 with two additional option years, the 23-year-old should continue to develop his game with the Lions next season. In fact, due to McGuire’s shoulder surgery this month, Enrique figures to begin the season as the first-choice striker unless the Lions add an important piece in that position group. If he can avoid the injury bug, Enrique showed this year that he is capable of double-digit goals. He had 10 regular-season goal contributions in less than two-thirds of a season in 2024, and he started only a third of Orlando’s MLS games. While his effectiveness is still questionable against certain types of opposing defensive clubs, and his finishing can sometimes let him down on big chances, Enrique’s knack for getting himself into dangerous areas and his quick counter-pressing skills are developing nicely. It will be interesting to see if he can take another step forward as he starts to enter the prime years of his professional career.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City Adds Four Players in 2025 MLS SuperDraft

The Lions add a pair of Clemson Tigers, bolstering all three levels of the squad with a midfielder, two defenders, and a forward.

Published

1 day ago

on

December 20, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Major League Soccer held its annual SuperDraft today, and while the decision not to broadcast or stream it made it a bit of an exercise in frustration for many fans, ultimately, we learned the results. Orlando City’s day began by staying put in the No. 27 overall slot in Round 1 and selecting Clemson midfielder Joran Gerbet. The Lions added a second Clemson Tiger with their first selection of the second round (No. 46 overall), selecting center back Titus Sandy, Jr. Orlando finished the second round by taking Indiana forward Collins Oduro at No. 57 overall, and finished out the day by picking Marshall defender Takahiro Fujita in Round 3 (No. 87 overall).

Gerbet, a native of Valence, France, began his highly decorated collegiate career at Oregon State University, playing two seasons before transferring to Clemson for his final two years. He was a 2024 Mac Hermann Trophy semifinalist, ACC Midfielder of the Year, a first-team United Soccer Coaches All-American, and earned United Soccer Coaches First Team All-South Region honors. He was also a first-team All-ACC selection and made the All-ACC Tournament Team as a senior.

Head shot of Joran Gerbet.
Joran Gerbet / Image courtesy of MLS

The 5-foot-11 midfielder helped lead the Tigers to a national championship in 2023 after Clemson won the ACC Tournament, in which Gerbet was named to the All-ACC Tournament Team. He was a third-team All-ACC selection in 2023, a member of the Academic All-ACC Team, and earned United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-South Region honors. While at Oregon State, Gerbet was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year and was an All-Pac-12 First Team selection in 2022. He was Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2021 as well as a First Team All-Pac-12 Team and Second Team All-Far West Region selection. Top Drawer Soccer placed him on the site’s Freshman Best XI first team.

Gerbet, 23, played in 78 games (76 starts), logging 6,708 minutes over the course of his college career. He scored 12 goals and added 15 assists. Of those, 10 goals and 11 assists came in 42 appearances (40 starts) with the Tigers in his final two years. So, while he played in six more games at Clemson, starting four more and playing 236 more minutes, his offensive numbers still took a big jump.

That could be natural development from a younger player to a more experienced one, but it could also be that the Tigers placed him in a more advantageous role, as he attempted 14 shots and put five on target in two years at Oregon State before firing 54 and putting 18 on target at Clemson.

As a senior, Gerbet scored on all four of his penalty kick attempts — the only four he attempted in his college career.

It appears Gerbet projects as a No. 8 at the professional level, but perhaps with some attacking upside. The Lions parted ways with 2024 draft pick Jeorgio Kocevski after the season, and Gerbet figures to possibly take his roster spot. He may see time with OCB in 2025 if he can earn a contract.

This isn’t the best highlight reel, but it’s the best we saw.

The Lions used the pick they got from Real Salt Lake when they traded Benji Michel’s re-entry right to select Sandy, a 6-foot center back from Charlotte, NC, who played his entire four-year college career with Clemson.

Sandy, 22, played in 48 matches, starting 24, with 17 of those starts coming his senior season. He played 2,520 minutes and did not score a goal with the Tigers, but he did manage four assists — all in his final year. He attempted five shots and put two on target for his entire career.

Along with his teammate, Gerbet, Sandy was part of the Tigers team in 2023 that won the ACC and NCAA tournaments. He earned 2023 Academic All-ACC honors.

As a second-round pick, he’s statistically a longshot to make the first team, but the Lions will give him a long look in camp, and if he shows promise, he could be signed and sent to OCB to see if he can continue to develop his game. Center back is an area of need for Orlando, and if Sandy can show enough, he may be able to land a deal with a strong camp.

Here’s some video on Sandy:

Toward the bottom of the second round, Orlando selected Oduro, a 5-foot-7 Ghanaian forward out of Indiana, the co-Big Ten champions in 2024. The 20-year-old played only two seasons with the Hoosiers before entering the SuperDraft, appearing in 44 games (41 starts) and playing 3,062 minutes. Oduro scored eight goals and added seven assists, firing 92 shots in those two seasons and putting 33 on target. Four of his eight goals were game winners.

He also helped the Hoosiers win the Big Ten regular season in 2023, making him a two-time conference champion, and he and his teammates won the 2023 Big Ten Tournament as well. He was a Top Drawer Soccer Best XI Freshman Team honoree following the 2023 season, a 2023 Big Ten All-Freshman Team member, and a 2024 Academic All-Big Ten selection.

Before arriving at Indiana, Oduro captained The Phelps School as a prep player, where he was named Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022 and the PrepSoccer.com Philadelphia Area Player of the Year.

If Sandy is a longshot to make the team, Oduro may be even a longer shot. As a younger player, he’s a good candidate to see if he can develop with the MLS NEXT Pro side.

Finally, the Lions grabbed another defender in Fujita, a 6-foot-2 Japanese-born defender out of 2024 national runner-up, Marshall. Like Oduro, Fujita is a younger player, coming out of college after his sophomore year. He was part of a Thundering Herd defense that kept 11 clean sheets and conceded only 20 goals this season en route to the NCAA final.

Fujita, 20, appeared in 40 matches in his two seasons at Marshall, starting 27 games and playing 2,423 minutes. He scored one goal and added four assists in his two years, attempting 23 shots and putting seven on target.

This is another player the club may try to develop at OCB.

Continue Reading

Trending