2023 Orlando City Season in Review: Cesar Araujo

Orlando City signed Cesar Araujo back in January of 2022. The Uruguayan joined the club on a three-year-deal that had an option year for 2025, and was the Lions’ first ever MLS U22 Initiative signing. While he was only expected to compete for playing time in central midfield during his first season in purple, he quickly became a starter and key piece for the team. Unsurprisingly, he continued to be one of the first names on the team sheet in 2023, and his performances loomed large for OCSC.

Let’s take a look back at his second year with Orlando City.

Statistical Breakdown

Araujo played in 33 of Orlando’s 34 regular season matches, starting 31 of them and accruing 2,733 minutes on the field. On defense he had 58 tackles, 23 interceptions, 30 clearances, and nine blocks. He was fouled a whopping 100 times while committing 47 fouls of his own and picked up eight yellow cards. At the offensive end of the field he took 21 shots and put six of them on target, scoring one goal while providing four assists. He passed the ball with 86% accuracy and completed 20 key passes and 114 long balls.

In the MLS Cup playoffs, Araujo started all three matches and totaled 300 minutes on the field. He had nine tackles, two blocks, and a clearance on defense, while drawing six fouls, committing four, and picking up two yellow cards. On offense he took four shots and put none on target. Araujo did not score a goal but provided an assist and four key passes, and he completed 12 long balls while passing with 89% accuracy.

He started both of Orlando’s games in the Concacaf Champions League and was on the field for 174 minutes. He recorded one interception on defense and drew three fouls while committing four of his own and picking up one yellow card. He did not score a goal, as both of the shots he took were off target, and he passed with 87% accuracy while completing one key pass and seven long balls, but he did not register an assist.

He started all three of the team’s Leagues Cup matches and totaled 270 minutes of play. He had two interceptions and drew eight fouls while committing six fouls of his own, but he was not booked. On offense he took three shots and put two of them on target, scoring one goal. He passed with 87% accuracy and completed two crosses and 11 long balls, registering three key passes and one assist.

Araujo started OCSC’s one match in the U.S. Open Cup and played the full 90 minutes. He recorded one interception and drew seven fouls while committing one of his own, which he was yellow carded for. He distributed the ball with 89% accuracy, completed three long balls, one key pass, and took one shot, which was off target. He did not supply a goal contribution as the Lions were shut out.

Best Game

The midfielder had plenty of great games for Orlando City this year, but the pick of the litter came in the Lions’ 4-0 home win over Toronto FC on July 4. Araujo got the game’s opening goal and the first MLS goal of his career in the 16th minute, when he got on the end of a curled cross from Rafael Santos and powered home an outstanding diving header to give Orlando the lead.

He wasn’t finished though, and as the clock ticked into the 77th minute he delivered a perfectly weighted ball over the top which Dagur Dan Thorhallsson ran onto, took around Greg Ranjitsingh, and calmly slotted home.

In total, he finished with a goal, an assist, eight accurate long balls, 93% passing accuracy, three tackles, and an interception, while putting both of his shot attempts on target. His efforts saw him awarded an 8 out of 10 grade by Marcus Mitchell in our Player Grades piece, a score that also meant he took home the Man of the Match award.

2023 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Araujo a grade of 7.5 out of 10 for the 2023 season. Some of his defensive numbers dropped off slightly following an outstanding debut campaign, although he added more punch to his offensive game during his second year with the team. At the end of the day, he had another extremely strong campaign and he remains one of the best signings of the Oscar Pareja-Luiz Muzzi era.

His grade did drop a half-point from the 8 out of 10 he was given for the 2022 season, but the slight downgrade isn’t really due to a dip in performances. Rather, he didn’t do a ton to build on a fantastic debut campaign, and his level was more or less the same. He didn’t have to do quite as much this season as he was paired with Wilder Cartagena in central midfield and the duo provided the Lions with a stable double pivot. With players of his age, you hope to see growth from year-to-year, and that’s something to keep an eye on going forward.

2024 Outlook

After two excellent seasons in Orlando, Araujo will be back again next year, barring a team from abroad coming in for him. He and Cartagena have formed one of the very best defensive midfield pairings in Major League Soccer, and the youngster still has plenty of room to grow and continue to improve his game. There are undoubtedly teams interested in his services, but the acquisition of Nico Lodeiro seems to point to a front office that wants to get the band back together and make another run at MLS Cup, so unless the Lions get a massive offer, expect to see him in purple next season.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

• Alex Freeman: (11/29/23)
• Abdi Salim: (12/1/23)
• Kyle Smith (12/1/23)
• Junior Urso (12/5/23)
• Favian Loyola (12/7/23)
• Jack Lynn (12/8/23)
• Mason Stajduhar (12/9/23)
• Antonio Carlos (12/13/23)
• Felipe (12/14/23)
• Luca Petrasso (12/15/23)
• Ramiro Enrique (12/18/23)
• Gaston Gonzalez (12/20/23)
• Michael Halliday (12/21/23)
• Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (12/22/23)
• Ivan Angulo (12/25/23)
• Rodrigo Schlegel (12/28/23)
• Martin Ojeda (12/29/23)
• Rafael Santos (12/29/23)
• Duncan McGuire (12/30/23)
• Wilder Cartagena (1/1/24)
• Facundo Torres (1/4/24)