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Orlando City vs. Minnesota United FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 3-2 loss to Minnesota United FC?

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1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City suffered its second consecutive loss in MLS play with a 3-2 home defeat to Minnesota United FC Saturday night. It was a night of blown chances with the Lions having multiple opportunities around the six-yard box. However, they were unable to convert the opportunities, enabling the visitors to grab a late winner and hand City its first home regular-season loss since April 22, 2023.

Let’s take a look at how the individual Lions performed in this frustrating performance.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 4.5 — The Lions’ number one got off to an inauspicious start when, in the fourth minute, he took too long to clear a Rafael Santos back pass. The clearance was blocked by Teemu Pukki, who put the ball in to even the game at 1-1. He gave up another bad goal in the 38th minute, getting beaten to his near post by Pukki from outside of the box. The goalkeeper saved two of the five shots he faced on the night and completed 66.7% of his 18 passes, including four of 10 long passes. Overall, it was a poor night from a usually dependable goalkeeper.

D, Rafael Santos, 6 — Santos was back at his starting left back position in this game. He completed 70.6% of his 51 passes, two of which were key passes, and one of his seven crosses. His 72 touches were second-most on the team, one short of Robin Jansson, and he recorded a tackle and clearance defensively. His biggest contribution came in the first minute when he intercepted a Minnesota pass, made a good run into the attacking third, and played Duncan McGuire through for the earliest goal in Orlando City history.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — Jansson was active in this game, touching the ball a team-leading 73 times. He recorded an interception, blocked shot, and three clearances, all team-leading stats. Going forward, the center back completed 79% of his 62 passes and one of his seven long balls. Additionally, he had one successful dribble and took one off-target shot. He was beaten in the air on the late goal kick that resulted in Minnesota’s game-winning goal.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5.5 — Schlegel’s 65 touches were fourth-most on the team and, like Jansson, he was active on defense. The center back recorded a team-high four tackles and two clearances. He completed 89.8% of his 49 passes, including a key pass, one of his four long balls, and took an off-target shot. Unfortunately, with Jansson having gone forward to try to win the ball in the air, Schlegel was left in a bad spot, and Tanitoluwa Oluwaseyi beat him to a flick-on from a goal kick, enabling the opponent to play Bongokuhle Hlongwane through for the late winning goal. He was also beaten by Hlongwane a few minutes earlier, trying to see a ball over the end line, but the Minnesota attacker was able to keep it in, take control, and get a scoring opportunity. Those defensive errors knock his grade down a bit.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6 — The right back was less active than his left-sided counterpart, recording 45 touches. He completed 75% of his 24 passes with one key pass and one of his four long balls. His key pass should have provided Felipe with an easy goal, but the midfielder couldn’t make good enough contact with the cross. Defensively, Thorhallsson recorded one tackle before being replaced by Mikey Halliday in the 55th minute.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 5.5 — The defensive midfielder’s night was cut short by injury, but he had 13 touches and completed 88.9% of his nine passes, including his only long ball attempt. The most memorable moment of his game came in the 33rd minute when Martin Ojeda’s free kick went beyond the outstretched arm of Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair and found Araujo. Unfortunately, the ball hit off of him, went straight down, and then sailed over the crossbar, blowing a golden opportunity to give the Lions their second lead of the night. The ensuing goal kick resulted in a collision that injured Araujo, forcing him to be replaced by Wilder Cartagena.

MF, Felipe, 5.5 — Similar to Araujo, Felipe’s night will be remembered for a squandered opportunity to score. Two minutes into first-half stoppage time, a Thorhallsson pass into the box found Felipe inside the six and nobody between him and goal. It seemed like an impossible miss, but the midfielder found a way to miss the target high and wide. Apart from that disastrous play, Felipe completed 87.5% of his 24 passes and one of his two long balls. He also had one tackle in addition to his one painfully off-target shot. In an attacking change, the defensive midfielder was replaced at halftime by Nico Lodeiro.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo quietly had a strong night for the Lions. He only touched the ball 28 times, but completed 84.6% of his 13 passes, including one key pass, and his only cross. His lone shot was on target and he had a successful dribble. The attacking midfielder also helped out defensively, winning two tackles, before being replaced by Luis Muriel in the 54th minute.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 7 (MotM) — Ojeda had an excellent game, recording 66 touches and an assist. He completed 84.2% of his 38 passes, including three key passes, two of his 10 crosses, and all five of his long balls. He put one of his three shots on target — although it was right at the goalkeeper from just around the penalty spot — assisted Ducnan McGuire’s second goal with a nice play to win the ball in the midfield, and should’ve had a second assist on Araujo’s miss. The attacking midfielder also had a strong defensive night, recording two tackles, an interception, and a clearance.

MF, Ramiro Enrique, 5.5 — Enrique got the start with Facundo Torres out due to a shoulder injury suffered against Tigres in the Champions Cup last week. The attacker had 42 touches in 90 minutes and completed 78.6% of his 28 passes but neither of his two crosses. His one shot was off target and he added two clearances defensively.

F, Duncan McGuire, 6.5 — McGuire was the star of the night with a brace. He scored the earliest goal in Orlando City history in the first minute and equalized with a long-distance strike in the 83rd minute.  He completed 82.1% of his 28 passes, including one key pass, but didn’t complete his only cross. Three of his four shots were on target, but I knocked him down from Man of the Match because of his miss in the 64th minute. Muriel sent a hard ball across that found McGuire at the top of the six yard box. It was an easy tap-in attempt, but the striker messed it up, sending it just wide. Strikers have to convert those easy chances, which McGuire obviously knew as he put his head in his hands after the miss. He did make up for it with his second goal and was replaced by Kyle Smith four minutes later.

Substitutes

MF, Wilder Cartagena (41’), 5.5 — Cartagena came on in the 41st minute for Araujo and had arguably his best game of the young season. The defensive midfielder completed 84.9% of his 33 passes, including three key passes, and three of his five long balls. Both of his shots were off target, but he recorded two tackles and a clearance in 49 minutes. His score is a bit lower than it would be had he not foolishly picked up an unnecessary red card after the final whistle after coming together with Joseph Rosales of Minnesota, who was also shown a red card.

MF, Nico Lodeiro (46’), 6 — Lodeiro came on for Felipe at halftime in an attacking change. He completed 75% of his 36 passes, including one key pass, one of his three crosses, and three of his five long balls. One of the midfielder’s three shots were on target and he had a defensive clearance.

F, Luis Muriel (54’), 6 — Muriel came on in the 54th minute for Angulo and made an impact on the game. Orlando City’s newest Designated Player completed nine of his 10 passes, including two key passes, and his lone cross. He should’ve also had an assist when McGuire failed to convert on a golden opportunity in front of goal. He missed the target on his only shot (on a free kick attempt), but it was an impactful performance by the Colombian.

D, Mikey Halliday (55’), 5.5 — The Homegrown product came on in the 55th minute for Thorhallsson and had a team-high three tackles. Going forward, he completed 77.8% of his 18 passes, but his biggest contribution was a negative play. He got caught flat-footed in second-half stoppage time, enabling Hlongwane to get behind him and score the winning goal.

D, Kyle Smith (87’), N/A — Smith was a late substitution, replacing McGuire and sliding into the central midfield, pushing Lodeiro into the attacking midfield line of Pareja’s 4-2-3-1. He had 15 touches in the final minutes and completed nine of his 10 passes, including his only long ball attempt. Defensively, he recorded one tackle.

This is how I saw the performances in Orlando City’s devastating 3-2 loss to Minnesota United. I would’ve given McGuire Man of the Match had he scored the second-half sitter and the club’s first hat trick since 2015, but gave it to Ojeda for his impact on the game. Let us know how you saw the individual performances and who you think was the Man of the Match.

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Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New England Revolution

Get to know this year’s New England Revolution team courtesy of someone who knows them best.

Published

12 hours ago

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May 9, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City remembered how to score on Wednesday night, as the Lions put five goals past the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the U.S. Open Cup. OCSC will try to carry that sort of offensive performance over to league play Saturday, when the New England Revolution come to town.

A match against the Revs means I caught up with Jake Catanese, one of the writers over at The Blazing Musket. As always, he was extremely helpful in bringing us up to speed on what this year’s version of the Revolution looks like.

Talk me through the Revolution’s off-season transfer business. Who are some of the new names to know?

Jake Catanese: Okay, so some of the new faces are from the end of last year: winger Luca Langoni and midfielder Alhassan Yusuf were both acquired back in August. Yusuf is a Nigerian international and has cemented himself in the lineup as one of the holding midfielders, and Langoni had a great spell at the end of the last year but was dropped to make room for the Revs’ newfangled 5-3-2 wingback setup — more on that in a bit. Also, Tomas Chancalay isn’t a new face but is fresh off the season-ending injury list from an ACL injury last May and is working his way back up to full fitness, and both he and Langoni started the USOC win against Rhode Island (Wednesday) along with MLS veterans Maxi Urruti and Jackson Yueill, who were picked up this off-season.

The big off-season stuff happened up front, with the Revs making a record GAM trade with Miami for Leo Campana and making an interesting short-term loan for Ligue 1’s Ignatius Ganago out of Nantes. In the Revs’ 4-2-3-1 setup to start the year, it was Campana as a lone striker and Ganago in what I’ll call the “Gustavo Bou” winger/striker role, but both have moved up top with the formation change and it’s been fairly successful. Campana did miss a month with a hamstring injury, which did not help the Revs early on, but the strike partnership is starting to blossom with productivity.

The Revs have been the best defensive team in the entire league, with just seven goals conceded in 10 games. What’s been the secret sauce there?

JC: To finish the rest of the question above, the Revs absolutely hit a massive home run with two new center backs in the off-season. Malian international Mamadou Fofana (age 27) and Colombian Brayan Ceballos (age 23) entered the starting lineup together and basically have been there ever since, and they’ve been tremendous. Ceballos got a Team of the Week nod on debut in Week 1 against Nashville and has been a solid aerial presence, which is something the Revs have struggled with in recent years. Fofana is tremendous on the ball and he’s passing at a 90% clip with an over 50% clip on long balls, as well with several deeper, line-breaking passes that have opened up the defense.

League veteran Tanner Beason was added as the third center back to go with Homegrown Peyton Miller and Israeli youngster Ilay Feingold as the wingbacks/fullbacks, and the Revs have pulled off effectively changing over their entire back line in one off-season, which, given the success this group is having, is rather unheard of. Combine that with keeper Aljaz Ivacic having a top season and his back line blocking a lot of shots for him as well, the Revs have a foundation that looks set for many years to come unless some big transfer offers come in.

The opposite side of that coin is the fact that New England has scored the third-fewest goals in the league with nine in 10 games. The Revs have come on stronger in recent weeks though, with six tallies in their last five matches. What’s changed for the Revs that has allowed the goals to start going in a little easier?

JC: Let me explain…no, there is too much, let me sum up. The Revs in a 4-2-3-1 to start the year were horrific. Campana’s injury didn’t help, but they weren’t moving the ball effectively up field to the attacking group, and turnovers often caught the fullbacks too high as well — almost a carbon copy of 2024, when the Revs were second to last in the East and more or less were to start this year as well. The solution was to drop the struggling Langoni and add a third center back and put Ganago into a second striker role, which on paper I had a lot of doubts about. However, Carles Gil is still a magician and the Revs did solve a major problem with the formation switch.

Having the wingbacks allows one of them to get forward without exposing the defense, so New England is able to switch the point of attack easier and not compromise their center back duo, because Beason is there to help put out any fires. Now the Revs get their width and deep support from the wingback spot and are able to use Miller and Feingold more effectively and confidently going forward, because they have enough strength in the back of the formation. It also helps that the two wingbacks have been really good with high passing numbers despite not registering any official assists yet. Feingold essentially had the assist on the Revs’ opener in Toronto last weekend, but his very dangerous initial cross into the box was half-cleared only to have Gil volley it top bins from the top of the box. Feingold isn’t the pure speedster Miller is, but as a duo they complement each other very well and bring back a 1-v-1 element the Revs really haven’t had since Tajon Buchanan.

Now, do I still think that Caleb Porter’s possession system is too slow and hampers the offense? Yes. Do I think the Revs should counterattack a lot more than they do currently? Also yes. Their two goals against Toronto were very direct — a turnover sent out wide to Feingold set up Gil and then a semi-broken play leading to a long through ball to Campana. I think this is when the Revs are at their most dangerous, because they generally have opponents on their back foot and not in an established and/or set back line. But they are improving and against Toronto were generating better chances and doing so more frequently. And despite their win streak, big chances have been a rarity so far this year. If New England is able to consistently counter and create chances inside the box, the defense is going to carry them very far and you will see this team protecting a lot of leads.

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

JC: No suspensions to talk about, and most of the longterm injuries are off the board as well with Chancalay and Campana back in action. Andrew Farrell and Wyatt Omsberg were listed as questionable last week, but Farrell started in the midweek Open Cup game and Omsberg was on the bench and subbed on for the final 15 minutes. Youngster Malcolm Fry is likely the only person that will still be listed as out come gameday.

5-3-2: Aljaz Ivacic; Peyton Miller, Mamadou Fofana, Brayan Ceballos, Tanner Beason, Ilay Feingold; Alhassan Yusuf, Matt Polster, Carles Gil; Ignatius Ganago, Leonardo Campana.

Same lineup as last week in Toronto — the midfield triangle sees Carles Gil work his magic as the roaming No. 10, so you might see the wingbacks listed with the holding mids in a 3-4-1-2 looking thing. The running joke with the PawedCast demands I predict a 2-2 draw, but given the defensive stinginess of these two teams in the last month or so, I find it highly unlikely this game will have four goals in it…which is exactly why it will happen. We’ll add another to Carles’ tally and I think Mr. Ganago is due for another one. He’s been robbed a few too many times this year.

Thank you to Jake for the excellent primer on this year’s Revolution team. Vamos Orlando!



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Lion Links: 5/9/25

Orlando City’s next U.S. Open Cup match date revealed, MLS matches to watch, top soccer club valuations, and more.

Published

15 hours ago

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May 9, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Friday! I hope the week has treated you well as we get ready for a Mother’s Day weekend packed with soccer. Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are both in action at the same time on Saturday, so make sure to plan accordingly depending on how you want to enjoy the action. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Orlando City Will Face Nashville in USOC on May 21

Orlando City will officially host Nashville SC on May 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the U.S. Open Cup’s Round of 16. That match is sandwiched between a road game against Inter Miami on May 18 and a home game against the Portland Timbers May 24, so at least there won’t be much travel during that week during an already jam-packed month. The Lions reached this stage of the tournament after beating the Tampa Bay Rowdies 5-0 Wednesday, while Nashville won 1-0 against the Chattanooga Red Wolves on Tuesday.

What to Watch In MLS This Weekend

We’ll all be tuned in for Orlando City’s match on Saturday against the New England Revolution, but there’s plenty more MLS action to look forward to as well. Before Orlando’s match, Inter Miami will head to St. Paul to take on a Minnesota United team that leads the league with six clean sheets this season. Another notable match this weekend is a clash between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings when the Philadelphia Union host the Columbus Crew. That game has Daniel Gazdag written all over it. Sunday night’s match should be a doozy between two heavyweight Western Conference teams, as LAFC will hit the road to take on the league-leading Vancouver Whitecaps.

MLS Clubs Listed Among World’s Most Valuable

Sportico announced the valuations for the top 50 most valuable soccer clubs in the world, and a whopping 19 MLS teams made the list. The Lions aren’t included, but it’s still neat to see some clubs like Minnesota, Sporting Kansas City, and Charlotte FC listed. LAFC is the highest listed MLS side, coming in at 16th with a $1.28 billion valuation. Real Madrid tops the list at $6.53 billion, and six of the top 10 are from the English Premier League. While valuations aren’t exactly hard evidence of success or influence, I think this is a testament to the growth and parity of MLS through an international lens.

English Clubs Reach Europa League Final

This year’s Europa League final will feature a pair of EPL teams as Manchester United and Tottenham breezed through the semifinals. United overcame a shaky first half to beat Athletic Club 4-1 at Old Trafford, with Mason Mount scoring two of the team’s four goals in the second half. Tottenham avoided an upset in Norway by winning 2-0 against Bodo/Glimt. The final will take place on May 21 in Spain, and there’s both a trophy and Champions League qualification on the line. Both United and Tottenham struggled this season and are respectively 15th and 16th in the league standings, but winning the Europa League is all that matters now.

Free Kicks

  • American midfielder Johnny Cardoso played every minute of Real Betis’ 2-2 result against Fiorentina to advance to the Europa Conference League final, where the Spanish club will face Chelsea on May 28. Enjoy this goal from Antony to help his side prevail.
  • In honor of Mother’s Day, AC Milan players will wear their mothers’ last names on the back of their jerseys in today’s match against Bologna. I love this idea and hope more clubs follow suit moving forward.
  • An ownership group led by David Beckham and Gary Neville acquired Salford City of England’s League Two.
  • Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra’s MMA debut will have to wait, as the 43-year-old’s fight set for May 23 in Paris was postponed.
  • We’ll end our links with what looks to be some unexpected Orlando Pride representation in Vatican City!

That’s all I have for you this time around. Have a fantastic Friday and enjoy the holiday weekend!

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Orlando City vs New England: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to score some goals and secure a victory against New England?

Published

1 day ago

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May 8, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City might have the scoring woes in MLS matches as of late, but the Lions broke out against the Tampa Bay Rowdies Wednesday night in the U.S. Open Cup match. Of course, the Rowdies are not a very good team this year and are not a top flight team, so take it all with a grain of salt. What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points at home against the Revolution?

Stop Gil/Campana

New England has scored eight goals this season. Seven of those goals have come from Carles Gil (5) and Leonardo Campana (2). Gil has also contributed one of New England’s four assists on the season. The vast majority of the Revolution’s offense goes through these two players, meaning stopping the duo is priority number one.

I fully expect Oscar Pareja to field his first-team defense, including a back line of Alex Freeman, Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and David Brekalo. Orlando City will also need whoever is playing in the defensive midfield to be the first line of defense. Pedro Gallese cannot be expected to have eight saves every match. The defense needs to step up.

Streak vs. Streak

Orlando City is on an eight-match unbeaten streak. New England is on a four-match winning streak in league play and five in all competitions. One of these streaks will end Saturday night. The Revolution have scored six goals in the last four MLS matches with at least one goal in each match without conceding a goal during the streak. The Lions have only scored three goals in the last five MLS matches with all three coming in one match against Atlanta United. Orlando City has shut out five straight MLS opponents and six consecutive in all competitions.

Orlando City has given away too many points during the unbeaten run. The Lions have missed Eduard Atuesta’s ability to create opportunities for his teammates to score. I’m hoping he will be available, but if not, Pareja will need to figure a better adjustment than he has in previous matches.

No More Nil

Orlando City may be on an eight-match unbeaten streak, but the offense has been absent in four of those matches. In those 0-0 draws, Orlando City took 53 shots with only 12 on target (23% rate). Contrast that with the four matches in which they scored, when Orlando City took 68 shots with 25 on target (37% rate). The Lions will need as many chances as possible given New England has only allowed seven goals so far this season. This is a defensively solid team.

Marco Pasalic did not play in the Open Cup victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies, meaning he will be well rested and ready to start scoring goals again. He seemed to be dialing in during the Chicago match but he was taken off before he could convert. I want him to pick up where he left off, so he and many others can score goals against the Revolution. Hopefully, the goals scored against the Rowdies will kickstart the offense.

That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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