Orlando City
2023 Orlando City Season in Review: Gaston Gonzalez
The Argentine was just coming back from one injury in his Orlando City debut season when another one derailed his comeback.
Orlando City signed Argentine winger Gaston Gonzalez from Club Atlético Unión de Santa Fe to an MLS U22 Initiative contract on May 5, 2022 on a deal through the 2024 season with club options for 2025, 2026, and 2027. Gonzalez tore his ACL in his final game with his old club, delaying his debut as a Lion until the 2023 season. Gonzalez started slowly, but just as he was beginning to show signs of the player the Lions were so excited to sign, he injured himself again and missed a good chunk of the middle part of the season. Once he returned, Oscar Pareja had settled on his rotation for the stretch run and he played sparingly in five of Orlando City’s final six matches.
Let’s take a look back at Gonzalez’s first season with Orlando City.
Statistical Breakdown
Gonzalez appeared in 18 regular-season matches with the Lions in 2023, starting seven, and logging 712 minutes on the pitch. Playing primarily at left wing but also seeing time at left wingback, he did not score a goal but tallied two assists, attempting six shots and getting three of them on target. He passed at a 75.1% success rate and registered four key passes and eight successful crosses. Defensively, Gonzalez tallied 13 tackles, five interceptions, 10 clearances, and two blocks. He suffered seven fouls while committing 15 but did not receive a booking in 2023.
The 22-year-old did not appear in any of Orlando City’s three playoff matches, the club’s three Leagues Cup games, however, he did play in both of the Lions’ Concacaf Champions League matches and in Orlando’s U.S. Open Cup game at Charlotte.
In Champions League play, Gonzalez came off the bench in both matches against Tigres, totaling 42 minutes of action. He did not record a goal or an assist, attempting just one shot, which was off target. Gonzalez completed four of his seven pass attempts (57.1%) and did not have a key pass. He finished with two tackles, committed four fouls without drawing one, and received one yellow card.
In the U.S. Open Cup, Gonzalez started at Charlotte and played 69 minutes. He did not have a goal contribution and attempted just one shot, which was off target. Gonzalez completed 64.3% of his 14 pass attempts and did not have a key pass. He did not commit or draw a foul and was not booked.
Best Game
There were two strong candidates for Gonzalez’s best game of the year, but I’ll go with his 90-minute performance in a 1-1 home draw against New York City FC on May 17. It was one of just four matches in which the Argentine went the full 90 minutes and one of his two games in which he made a goal contribution. Gonzalez got the nod at home against the Pigeons and played well, as he was just rounding into his best form of the season.
It didn’t take Gonzalez long to get involved. He set up Ercan Kara’s goal that put the Lions ahead just seven minutes into the match. He was part of the buildup before his assist, smartly heading the ball on his first touch to Facundo Torres. Receiving the ball right back, Gonzalez served in a perfect ball for Kara to head home, giving the young winger his second assist of the season.
Gonzalez attempted one shot in the match but couldn’t steer it on frame. He passed at an 87.5% success rate with a key pass (on his assist) for his second-best passing night of any game in which he played at least 20 minutes. He also contributed a tackle and committed a foul in the match. While it was unfortunate that NYCFC tied the match in the 89th minute, it was a solid performance by the young winger. Our Marcus Mitchell rated him a 7 out of 10 for his performance.
2023 Final Grade
The Mane Land staff gave Gonzalez a composite grade of 5.5 out of 10 for the 2023 MLS season, with pretty much everyone giving him a 5 or a 5.5. The young winger was starting to play his best soccer when he did his hamstring and missed a good chunk of the team’s 2023 campaign, which was a difficult setback. When he returned to training, the Lions were understandably cautious with managing his minutes and the team’s chemistry was so good late in the season that he had trouble displacing anyone in the regular rotation. Aside from a 61-minute appearance in the season finale at Toronto FC — a game in which Pareja rotated his roster heavily — he never eclipsed 16 minutes played after his return on Sept. 20.
2024 Outlook
It’s clear whenever talking to Pareja, Luiz Muzzi, or Ricardo Moreira that the club’s technical staff is very high on Gonzalez. He’s under contract through at least the end of the 2024 season, so he should be back in the mix for minutes and a bigger role next season. The club’s options on Gonzalez’s contract run three more years beyond 2024, so it says a lot about how Orlando City views Gonzalez’s upside. If he can stay healthy and build upon what he started to do prior to his hamstring injury, Gonzalez’s presence and development could mitigate a potential loss of Ivan Angulo, whose loan is up, although OCSC is in talks to bring him back.