Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Player Grades and Man of the Match

Orlando City’s 5-0 loss to Inter Miami Saturday at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale tied for the Lions’ worst loss in club history. The Herons took an early commanding lead, going up 2-0 after 10 minutes, and the Lions showed little bite from then on. The rough start to the 2024 MLS regular season continues, only claiming one point in the first two games. 

Here’s how I saw the individual performances in an embarrassing display by the Lions.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 4.5 — Gallese gave up five goals on six shots in this game, the most he’s conceded since joining Orlando City. However, most of the goals were more a result of poor defending than poor goalkeeping. Regardless, giving up five goals on six shots is an awful day for any goalkeeper. The Lions’ number one also completed 77.8% of his 18 passes and five of his nine long balls.

D, Rafael Santos, 5 — Santos’ 61 touches were the second-most on the team in this game. He completed 81.8% of his 44 passes, which were third-most on the team. He also completed one of his two crosses and failed to complete his lone long ball. Defensively, Santos had one interception, but no other defensive stats before being replaced by Kyle Smith in the 58th minute.

D, Robin Jansson, 5.5 — Jansson was the more dependable of the two center backs, even if he didn’t have a great game. The Lions captain finished the game with two tackles, one clearance, and one blocked shot. He completed 92.3% of his 52 passes and two of his five long balls. He was part of the fourth goal but was unlucky when his clearance off the line hit the crossbar, enabling Lionel Messi to scuffle it in.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 4.5 — Schlegel was at fault for two of the first three goals. He stepped up early on the second goal, leaving Luis Suarez behind, and failed to get his head on the chip. He was also at fault on the third goal, keeping Robert Taylor onside by stepping up late. Schlegel was active defensively with one tackle, six interceptions, and five clearances, but his two early mistakes in the back put the game out of reach. Going forward, the center back completed 90.5% of his 42 passes and two of his three long balls.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 5.5 — Thorhallsson was one of the few bright spots for the Lions in this game. Defensively, he had two tackles, two interceptions, and two clearances. He completed 92.5% of his 40 passes, including a key pass, and had three successful dribbles going forward.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 5 — Araujo led the team with 79 touches, but had a tough game defensively. His early pass for Jansson bounced off Suarez and the defensive midfielder failed to pick up the forward’s run, enabling the fellow Uruguayan to open the scoring. He also failed to keep up with Jordi Alba in the second half, contributing to Miami’s fourth goal. Araujo did have five tackles and two interceptions. He completed 91.9% of his 62 passes and three of his four long balls, which brings his grade up a bit.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 5 — It was another short appearance for Cartagena, who was replaced at halftime for the second consecutive game by Nico Lodeiro. While in the game, the defensive midfielder had two tackles and completed 87.5% of his 40 passes. However, all four of his long balls didn’t find their target. He drew two fouls but did little else before leaving the game.

MF, Facundo Torres, 5 — Torres is usually an offensive force for the Lions, but he did little in this rivalry game. He wasn’t very involved in play, recording 46 touches, and completed 86.7% of his 30 passes without any key passes. All three of his crosses were incomplete and he only took one off-target shot.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 5.5 — Ojeda was one of the few bright spots, starting as the number 10. He made the most of his 50 touches, completing 86.2% of his 29 passes with three key passes. He only completed one of his nine crosses, but all four of his long balls. He also hit the target with his only shot, one of only three shots on target by Orlando City. The playmaker played 73 minutes before being replaced by Felipe.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 5 — Angulo was absent for most of the game, recording 40 touches and completing 84.6% of his 26 passes. He had one cross and one long ball, both of which were incomplete. He also contributed once defensively with an interception. At least he wasn’t at fault for any of the goals.

F, Duncan McGuire, 4.5 — Similar to Angulo, McGuire was barely in the game. He only had six touches and completed his four pass attempts. The striker took one off-target shot and was replaced at halftime by Luis Muriel.

Substitutes

F, Luis Muriel (46’), 5 — Muriel was an improvement on McGuire up top, even if he didn’t do much offensively. He had 26 touches and completed 79% of his 19 passes. He took one shot in his 45 minutes, being one of the three players to actually hit the target.

MF, Nico Lodeiro (46’), 6 (MotM) — Lodeiro came on at halftime for Cartagena and did his best to make an impact. He touched the ball 56 times, sixth most on the team and the most by an attacking player. He completed 79.5% of his 39 passes, including one key pass, four of his seven crosses, and two of his four long balls. He didn’t take any shots but had a tackle defensively. Despite only playing the second half, Lodeiro gets my Man of the Match.

D, Kyle Smith (58’), 5 — Smith came on in the 58th minute for Santos, getting 26 touches on the ball. He completed 87% of his 23 passes but didn’t complete his only cross. He recorded a clearance defensively, but no other statistics.

F, Ramiro Enrique (58’), 5 — Enrique came on for Angulo in the 58th minute, recording 15 touches in 32 minutes. He completed nine of his 10 passes (90%), but didn’t complete his one cross. His one shot was on target and one of three to be on frame. Additionally, his three successful dribbles were tied with Thorhallsson for most on the team.

MF, Felipe (73’), 5 — Felipe came on for the final 17 minutes, replacing Ojeda, and had 13 touches. The midfielder only completed 75% of his 12 passes, but had one key pass. He completed one of his three long balls and his one through ball, the only one attempted by Orlando City.

An honorable mention goes to backup goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar, who didn’t play but stood up to Suarez when the Miami striker was verbally attacking the assistant referee heading into halftime. It was one of the few moments of excitement by the Lions.

This is how I saw the individual performances of the Orlando City players in a terrible game. Most players get around a 5 out of 10 because they weren’t at fault for the loss, but did little to contribute to any success. Let us know what you thought of the players and have a go at voting for your Man of the Match.