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In Praise of Wilder Cartagena’s Season

Wilder Cartagena has been a key part of Orlando City’s success this season, and it’s time to give him his flowers.

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1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Wilder Cartagena has been a vital part of Orlando City’s 2023 season. He was brought in on loan last August following Sebas Mendez being traded to LAFC, and although he only made eight appearances behind Cesar Araujo and Junior Urso, he showed flashes of what he was capable of. Urso’s departure at the end of the year opened the door for him to compete for a starting spot in defensive midfield, and he seized the opportunity with both hands. The Peruvian has appeared in 24 games this year, starting 23 of those and logging 1,909 minutes alongside Araujo in defensive midfield, and he’s looked damn good doing it.

Passing

A big thing I want to highlight with Cartagena is his passing, which has been exemplary. According to FBref.com, he’s attempted 1,050 of them, which is fifth-most on the team behind Araujo, Robin Jansson, Rafael Santos, and Mauricio Pereyra. He’s completed 88.2% of those, which is the highest mark on the team aside from Favian Loyola and Alejandro Granados, who have only attempted six and nine passes, respectively. What’s been most important is that those passes have traveled 16,007 yards, and 4,849 of those yards have been in the direction of the opponent’s goal, meaning that 30% of his passes have gone forward, or been progressive passes.

That matters, because playing in a 4-2-3-1 that Oscar Pareja prefers, the formation is excellent when your team doesn’t have the ball. The staggered midfield lines make it hard to work the ball through the middle of the field, and you can get the team very compact. When winning the ball though, it’s important for the two holding midfielders to be confident and comfortable on the ball, since they’ll often be the ones trying to probe the other team’s midfield to find ways to progress the ball into the final third so the attacking midfielders can take over.

If your no. 6 and no. 8 are consistently playing passes backwards or sideways because they aren’t confident playing attacking balls, then it’s going to stunt a team’s offense in the so-called “half-court” of the opposing team’s half. Fortunately, Cartagena and Araujo are both great at playing progressive passes, as 36% of Araujo’s passes have been forward. When not one, but both of your defensive midfielders are playing one of every three passes towards goal, it helps keep the offense humming nicely.

Tackling

Since you can’t spell defensive midfielder without the word defensive, tackling factors pretty high up the list of something that you need to be able to do well if you’re part of a double pivot. Wilder has the most tackles of any OCSC player, with 57 to Araujo’s 48. Of those, 20 have come in the defensive third, 31 in the middle third, and six in the attacking third. Those 31 middle-third tackles are also tied for seventh in all of Major League Soccer, and it’s worth mentioning that Aidan Morris and Obinna Nwobodo, the only two players who have more than 40, have played significantly more minutes than Cartagena, with 2,490 and 2,492, respectively.

In fact, of the eight players who either have more than, or the same number of middle-third tackles as Wilder, only two have played fewer minutes than him. Basically, he’s one of the very best in the league at winning the ball back in the hotly contested middle third of the field, and once he gets it, there’s a 30% chance that the ball is getting played toward goal.

Offensive

Unsurprisingly, his offensive numbers have been far from eye-popping this year, as that just isn’t his job. Still, he’s got a goal and two assists in league play, a goal in the Concacaf Champions League, and a goal in Leagues Cup for a total of three goals and two assists in all competitions, which isn’t a bad haul for a defensive midfielder — especially when one of those goals was a 92nd-minute winner against Santos Laguna. He’s also averaging a completed dribble every other game, a key pass every other game, and draws an average of 1.5 fouls per game, which is good for third-most on the team. He’s far from an offensive weapon, but it’s been nice to see him develop that side of his game a little more, which is something we didn’t see at all during his limited minutes last year.

Alongside Araujo, Cartagena has formed one of the best defensive midfield pairings in the whole league. He excels at not just winning the ball back in midfield, but at then accurately distributing it toward goal and into the feet of Orlando City’s chance creators. His consistent level of play has been a big reason for the Lions sitting pretty as the second-best team in the league. If he can be signed on a permanent deal at the end of the season, he absolutely should be. He’s more than earned it.

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Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Final Score 4-2 as Lions Pick Up First Win of 2025

Lions bounce back from their opening day loss in a big way by drubbing Toronto as four different players found the net.

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12 hours ago

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March 1, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

The Lions found the net four times and avoided most of the mistakes that plagued them a week ago, as Orlando City (1-1-0, 3 points) pounded Toronto FC (0-1-1, 1 point) 4-2 at Inter&Co Stadium. Cesar Araujo and Alex Freeman scored two minutes apart just past the half-hour mark to push Orlando out in front, with Martin Ojeda and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson twice extending the Lions’ lead to three goals. Sigurd Rosted and Deybi Flores scored late for the Reds, but Orlando was in control after Freeman’s strike.

“A great night for us,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “Today, we had a much more complete performance. We played well, we scored goals, and we have our first win in front of our fans. So, it’s very healthy for the group. “

Pareja’s staring lineup included Pedro Gallese in net behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Kyle Smith, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Freeman, as neither Robin Jansson nor David Brekalo dressed. Araujo and Eduard Atuesta started in midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Ojeda, and Marco Pasalic, with Ramiro Enrique up top.

The first half hour was a cagey, probing, and kind of dull affair as the teams sized each other up. Toronto held more of the ball but did less with it than Orlando’s forays up the field.

Freeman had the game’s first shot attempt in the 15th minute. The right back got his head to a good back-post cross from Ojeda but sent his effort well wide of the right post.

Three minutes later, Freeman nearly scored into the wrong net. Tracking back, he did well to chest down a cross for Gallese, but his effort was a bit off line. Gallese did well to get down and get a hand to it to keep it out before collecting it.

Former Lion Richie Laryea picked up a knock and had to sub off for Toronto in the 22nd minute after receiving treatment for a second time. Zane Monlouis came on for the Canadian international, eating up one substitution window for the visitors.

Not much happened between the 20th and 30th minutes but then business picked up when Pasalic was fouled just outside the box in the middle of the field. Unlikely free kick takers Araujo and Santos stood over the ball. When the referee blew his whistle, Araujo smashed a gorgeous shot in off the left post to make it 1-0 in the 33rd minute.

“It was training,” Pareja said, referring to how Araujo got his opportunity on the set piece. “He was spending a lot of time with Eduard (Atuesta), with Rafael (Santos), Martin (Ojeda), Luis (Muriel). And curiously, on Friday here in the stadium, they were practicing with a lot of responsibility. But we as footballers, sometimes it’s casual, But they were not (casual). They were doing it very serious, and when they were going to take that (free kick), we had much more confidence, and it really happened.”

The Lions doubled the lead just two minutes later. A long ball from Smith from left to right found Freeman isolated on his defender. Freeman muscled his way past and got in behind on goal, blasting a left-footed shot past Sean Johnson to make it 2-0 in the 35th minute. It was his first MLS goal on his first MLS start.

“I feel like their line was high all game, and I feel like they pressed too high,” Freeman said. “Me and Kyle talked about it before the game, he’s really got that long ball to be able to just curve it right inside, so it’s toward goal so I can get the run in, and that’s what I did. He looked up, and I already knew. And I was just running, and then I took a good first touch with my thigh. And then it was just looking at the goalie to see where I could place it with my left foot. And then I scored and I went wild. Great ball from Kyle Smith.”

“Alex today is just demonstrating one more time something that we see in the training ground,” Pareja said. “That he’s ready, that he can become one of the best fullbacks in this country. I don’t have any doubt about that.”

“I think it was the intensity,” Angulo said about the change in Orlando City’s play after the half-hour mark. “I think that was something that we were lacking in the first 30 minutes, and it was something where we knew that we were lacking that intensity and that intention to show show who we are and the respect that they need to put on playing in our house, in our stadium. I think it was the intensity and the shift in mindset that we had that really set us apart, and the confidence that we had after scoring that first goal.”

Toronto regrouped and went on the attack on its next possession, with Federico Bernardeschi firing well over the bar in the 37th minute from near the left corner of the box.

Atuesta made a great move in the 43rd minute to break Toronto’s lines and then delivered a pass to Angulo on the left. The Colombian cut inside and fired a shot that deflected off a defender and just missed wide of the right post. Atuesta then had the last good look of the half when he hit the left post from the right side of the box in stoppage time, and the Lions took their two-goal edge into the locker room.

At the break, the visitors had the advantage in possession (51.3%-48.7%) and passing accuracy (83.5%-82.8%), while Orlando attempted more shots (5-3) and put more on target (2-0). Each team won one corner in the opening period.

The first half-chance of the second half went Orlando’s way when Ojeda made a great move to fake out Monlouis and get down the left with speed. He had Enrique breaking in front but the cross didn’t quite have enough bend on it, allowing Johnson to catch it in the 50th minute.

Orlando had a couple more half chances before Ojeda made it 3-0 in the 63rd minute. Araujo picked up the ball in his own end and made a great pass to send Ojeda through the gap between the center backs. The Argentine faked Johnson to the turf, stepped around the keeper, and slotted it home with his right foot.

It was an emotional goal celebration for Ojeda, who pulled up his jersey to reveal a t-shirt honoring his late grandmother, who passed away recently.

Toronto pulled one back shortly after a nasty collision between Atuesta and Rosted going for a 50/50 aerial. Both players were able to continue, and it was an unfortunate free kick given to the visitors for two guys arriving at the ball together. That free kick turned into a corner, and that allowed the Reds to get on the board. Rosted had a free header at the back post, leaving Gallese no chance, as the marking on set pieces for Orlando City continues to be poor early in the season. Rosted’s goal cut the lead to 3-1 in the 72nd minute.

Bernardeschi nearly pulled the Reds within a goal two minutes later, firing a shot through traffic from near the top of the area. Gallese didn’t appear to see it initially but was able to get down and make the save.

Thorhallsson made it 4-1 with what may have been his first touch of the match after coming on for Ojeda in the 80th minute. Fellow sub Luis Muriel, who came on for Pasalic, made a perfect pass to send the Icelandic international in behind, and he finished calmly to extend the lead back to three goals.

Freeman had a chance for a brace three minutes later. He got in past the back line on the right but was at a severe angle. The right back unselfishly tried to pick out Enrique at the penalty spot but his pass was a bit too far behind the striker.

Toronto bagged a second goal in the 86th minute. Toronto sent a ball into the box from the right and three Lions converged on it to knock it away. They got in each other’s way a bit, and the ball fell outside the area for Flores to run onto. Taking it in stride, Flores blasted a shot just inside the right post to make it 4-2.

“Our priority as coaches is to see what is that area that we need to get better, and I’m not happy with conceding two goals,” Pareja said. “But we will work on it.”

From there, the Lions had little trouble seeing out the final minutes, although Toronto fought to the end to try to get back into the game, even forcing a nice save from Gallese late in stoppage time off a blast from Bernardeschi.

Gustavo Caraballo was a late subsitute for the Lions, becoming the youngest player to play in a match for Orlando City at just 16 years old.

Toronto finished with the advantage in possession (54.5%-45.5%) and passing accuracy (88.5%-84.8%), while the teams each finished with nine shot attempts, four shots on target, and two corners.

With four goals tonight, the Lions have six across their first two matches of the season. That’s the most goals scored by Orlando in its first two games in the team’s MLS era.

“If we score goals, we’re going to win,” Pareja said. “And six goals in the first two games, that’s great. I’m very happy, and how we scored, and the variety of the players that are participating on the scoring, too. So, very positive.”

After falling at home on opening day, it was imperative to get in the win column before the team heads out of town for the next two matches against difficult opponents in places they have historically not gotten a lot of positive results.

“We knew that we had to come out tonight and take a win,” Angulo said. “And it was really important for us to go out there and play the way that we did, to play like that in front of our fans, and take this win in front of our fans and get the three points tonight. We knew that there’s going to be a lot of really difficult games coming up in the season, so it was important for us to go out and put three (points) on the board tonight.”

“Three points is what we needed,” said Freeman, who was voted Man of the Match by the fans. “A very good bounce back from last week. And now we’re just looking forward to next week away.”

The Lions hope to carry some momentum with them when they hit the road for their first away match of the season next Saturday at New York City FC.

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Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions look to bounce back from their first-ever MLS season-opening loss as the Reds visit Orlando.

Published

24 hours ago

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March 1, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City FC

Welcome to your preview and match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (0-1-0, 0 points) and Toronto FC (0-0-1, 1 point) at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). It’s the first of two scheduled meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals this season, with the Lions making the return trip to Toronto on Decision Day, Oct. 18.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

Orlando is 9-9-3 in the evenly split all-time, regular-season series. The Lions are 5-5-0 at home in the series.

The teams last met on July 3, 2024, at BMO Field in Toronto, with the Lions earning a 2-1 revenge win on a Martin Ojeda goal and an own goal by Nicksoen Gomis forced by Facundo Torres to come from behind after Derrick Etienne, Jr. had given the Reds an early lead.

The Lions and Reds also met in Orlando on April 27 and the Lions led most of the match on a Duncan McGuire goal. However, the Reds flipped the game on its head late, scoring twice in the final three minutes of normal time. Tyrese Spicer and Prince Owusu scored to lift Toronto to a 2-1 win.

The final meeting of 2023 took place in Toronto on Decision Day, Oct. 21, when McGuire came off the bench and scored twice to beat the Reds 2-0. The teams met in Orlando on July 4, 2023, with Orlando City putting the Reds to the sword on Independence Day, beating the Canadian side, 4-0. Cesar Araujo, McGuire, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, and Ercan Kara scored for the Lions, and Toronto finished with 10 men after Federico Bernardeschi was shown his second yellow card just past the hour mark.

Orlando City also romped 4-0 over the Reds in the previous meeting, Sept. 17, 2022 at Exploria Stadium. Torres, Kara, and Tesho Akindele scored for the Lions to go along with a Lukas MacNaughton own goal. The Lions won on May 14, 2022 at BMO Field, 1-0, thanks to a 92nd-minute goal from Kyle Smith, who flicked a header from a corner kick cross inside the far post to lift the Lions to victory.

The Lions went 2-0-1 in three meetings with Toronto FC in 2021. The teams played to a 1-1 draw at BMO Field on July 17, 2021. Jozy Altidore came off the bench to score the opener but Nani equalized from the penalty spot minutes later. Benji Michel drew the penalty, which was originally ruled a foul on the Orlando winger but was overturned after video review by referee Marcos de Oliveira.

The other Toronto “home match” in the 2021 season series came on June 19 at Exploria Stadium. The Reds were dealing with pandemic restrictions in Canada that forced the team to play home games in the United States. Orlando City built a 2-0 early lead on goals by Akindele and Nani, only to see Toronto tie the match by halftime on goals by Ayo Akinola and Jonathan Osorio. Junior Urso scored late to lift the Lions to a 3-2 victory. The teams first met that year on May 22, with Orlando City claiming a 1-0 win on Akindele’s goal.

The teams did not play in 2020 due to the pandemic. Prior to the MLS stoppage for the pandemic, the teams met most recently in Toronto on Aug. 10, 2019, with the Lions grabbing a point at BMO Field in a 1-1 draw. Michel opened the scoring in the 69th minute but the Reds equalized off a scramble following a set piece in the 77th. The other matchup between the sides that season came on May 4, 2019, when the Reds walked out of Orlando with a 2-0 win on goals by Osorio and Jay Chapman.

The teams split their season series in 2018. Orlando City captured a 2-1 win at home in James O’Connor’s first home game as head coach of the Lions on July 14, 2018. Chris Schuler and Dom Dwyer staked City to a 2-0 lead and Nick Hagglund ruined the shutout in the 94th minute off a Sebastian Giovinco free kick delivery. The 2018 meeting in Toronto saw the Reds get a 2-1 win at BMO Field on Ryan Telfer’s 87th-minute goal.

Toronto shredded Orlando in a 3-1 win on July 5, 2017. Altidore and Giovinco combined to score Toronto’s three goals. Carlos Rivas gave Orlando a consolation goal. In the first meeting of 2017, Orlando out-possessed, out-shot, and out-passed the hosts, and played like the better team on the night. However, the Lions could not overcome a two-goal deficit and Giovinco’s first-half brace led Toronto to a 2-1 win.

The Lions got their first victory in the series on June 25, 2016, winning 3-2 at Camping World Stadium. Kaká scored from the spot in the 10th minute of stoppage time to win it. Cyle Larin and Adrian Winter each gave OCSC leads in the game, only to see Jordan Hamilton and Justin Morrow equalize until the captain’s late winner. The Reds took the second 2016 matchup in Orlando with a 2-1 victory and the teams also drew 0-0 on Sept. 28 of that year.

In 2015, Toronto took home all nine points in the three meetings, beating Orlando by a combined score of 11-1.

Overview

Coincidentally, this is the second consecutive meeting between the Reds and Lions in which Orlando City enters on the heels of a brutal 4-2 loss. Last time out, it was a 4-2 loss at New York City FC. This year, the matchup comes a week after the Lions fell 4-2 at home to the Philadelphia Union in the season opener. Individual mistakes — especially in the first 20 minutes of the second half — spoiled an otherwise decent performance. At least new Designated Player Marco Pasalic was able to get off to a quick start, scoring both of Orlando’s goals.

The Lions are 0-1-0 at home this season and need to turn things around quickly to avoid a third consecutive poor start to the season on their home ground.

Toronto FC is 0-0-1 on the road and is coming off a 2-2 road draw at D.C. United a week ago. Boris Enow gave Toronto an early lead, only to see United score two straight. Bernardeschi scored from the penalty spot with 20 minutes remaining to rescue a point.

The Lions will have to keep tabs on Bernardeschi, as the Italian can create danger seemingly out of nothing. In addition to scoring in the opener, he posted eight goals and eight assists in 2024. New coach Robin Fraser has committed to fixing a Toronto defense that allowed 61 goals last year.

“After our analysis of last week’s game, we are very aware of what happened and how to improve,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “When we see the function of our team, it seems like we are going in a good direction. In this sport and industry, we are here to win games, and we are ready to get back into good results and to keep increasing our performances.” 

Orlando City will be without Duncan McGuire (shoulder), Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), Yutaro Tsukada (knee), and Favian Loyola (thigh), with captain Robin Jansson (thigh) listed as questionable after being a late scratch last week.

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Rodrigo Schlegel, Kyle Smith, Alex Freeman.

Defensive Midfielders: Eduard Atuesta, Cesar Araujo.

Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, Marco Pasalic.

Forward: Ramiro Enrique.

Bench: Javier Otero, Zakaria Taifi, Thomas Williams, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Colin Guske, Joran Gerbet, Gustavo Caraballo, Shak Mohammed, Luis Muriel.

Toronto (4-2-2)

Goalkeeper: Sean Johnson.

Defenders: Henry Wingo, Kevin Long, Sigurd Rosted, Richie Laryea.

Midfielders: Markus Cimermancic, Deybi Flores, Alonso Coello, Federico Bernardeschi.

Forwards: Theo Corbeanu, Jonathan Osorio.

Bench: Luka Gavran, Kosi Thompson, Deandre Kerr, Kobe Franklin, Matty Longstaff, Zane Monlouis, Tyrese Spicer, Lazar Stefanovic, Kosi Thompson.

Referees

REF: Alexis Da Silva.
AR1: Jason White.
AR2: Gianni Facchini.
4TH: Elvis Osmanovic.
VAR: Carol Anne Chenard.
AVAR: Joshua Patlak.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish).

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC). We’ll also provide updates over on Bluesky Social (@TheManeLand.bsky.social).

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. Toronto FC

Get to know this year’s version of Toronto FC, courtesy of someone who knows them best.

Published

2 days ago

on

February 28, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

I think its fair to say that the first match of the 2025 Major League Soccer season didn’t go how any of us wanted it to, but the good thing about the start of a season is that you have a chance to bounce right back. Orlando City’s bounce-back opportunity comes in the form of a visit from Toronto FC Saturday night.

A match against TFC means I spoke to Corey Brady, one of the writers over at the always excellent Waking the Red. Corey was kind enough to help us familiarize ourselves with this year’s Toronto team, and we greatly appreciate his assistance.

Robin Fraser is in his first year as head coach of Toronto. How does he want this team to play?

Corey Brady: Robin Fraser takes over from a team that has been a defensive disaster.  As a former defender, Fraser wants to bring defensive stability and to stop conceding as many goals as possible moving forward. In the last match, TFC lined up in a 4-4-2 formation and will probably use this formation. Additionally, Fraser might employ a 3-5-2 formation as it was the preferred option when he was last in Toronto as an assistant under Greg Vanney. In this system, Fraser needs to emphasize building the attack from the back and through the midfield, which is a departure from last year under John Herdman, who tended to rely on wing backs and wingers to progress the ball forward.

Take us through some of the off-season business for TFC. Who were some notable departures and arrivals?

CB: TFC management promised big changes through a rebuild, but there have not been any significant departures. The biggest name that left the club was former head coach John Herdman, who abruptly resigned at the end of November amid the drone spying scandal that rocked Canada Soccer. Also, striker Prince Owusu, who led the team with nine goals in the MLS regular season, was out of contract and signed with rival CF Montreal. Some other departures included bench players like Shane O’Neill, Brandon Servania, and Aime Mabika. The two biggest additions, apart from Fraser, are two players loaned from European sides. Toronto native and TFC academy grad Theo Corbeanu is a winger on loan from Spanish club Granada and played most of the game against D.C. United. TFC has recently acquired Norwegian international striker Ola Brynhildsen from Danish Superliga club Midtjylland, and he is yet to see any minutes with the club. One recent signing is Zane Monlouis, who is signed to a permanent deal from Arsenal. Monlouis was captain of the Arsenal U-21 squad and came on for the closing minutes of TFC’s opening match. 

There’s been a lot of uncertainty with Lorenzo Insigne this off-season, with the Italian reportedly rejecting moves away from the club but also being spotted in training with the team this week. Can you give us some insight into what’s going on with his situation? Is there a chance he’ll play this weekend?

CB: It was a bit of surprise last week to learn that Insigne did not make the trip with the team to Washington. However, he’s been spotted training with the team this week and leaves some room for speculation as to what Toronto FC’s management is doing with him currently. In the preseason matches, Insigne was not featured with any of the starting XIs and tended to see the pitch with the reserves and younger players. Multiple reports indicate that Insigne is not in the club’s plans for this year and that it is trying to move on from the Italian. Whether that means a complete buyout, a mutual contract termination, or something else remains to be seen. I wouldn’t bet on Insigne playing on Saturday night.

Are there any players who will be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting XI and score prediction?

CB: Central defender Nicksoen Gomis missed the season opener due to a calf injury and may not be available. New signing Ola Brynhildsen is working on regaining match fitness and might not be included in the lineup.

Fraser will probably roll out a 4-4-2 lineup again this weekend in Orlando. Here’s my starting XI: Sean Johnson; Richie Laryea, Kevin Long, Sigurd Rosted, Raoul Petretta; Federico Bernardeschi, Deiby Flores, Alonso Coello, Tyrese Spicer; Theo Corbeanu, Jonathan Osorio.

*Score prediction not provided.

Thank you to Corey for helping get us caught up on this year’s iteration of Toronto FC. Vamos Orlando!

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