As a mathematician, I like to use real numbers to tell a story and try not to stray too far into the hypothetical or the imaginary with my analysis. That is, unless I am taking everyone back to their days in Algebra 2 and that time their teacher blew their minds by introducing the concept of imaginary numbers, which of course is a concept that, no matter how hard the teacher tries, will always be complex. That is a math joke, and I will not apologize for it.

I am not going to write about imaginary numbers in this article, but I am going to ask you to use your imagination a little bit with me in my final article before the season opener this weekend. During the last few months, Orlando City has not completely overhauled its roster, but there have been significant changes — to the point that there is not one lineup group that played during the 2024 season that could play again in 2025. Every lineup that Orlando City used — and there were 156 unique lineups that played together for at least one minute — has at least one player who is no longer with the club at the outset of the 2025 season.

The big losses were Facundo Torres, via his transfer to Brazilian club Palmeiras, and Wilder Cartagena, who is out with a season-ending injury, but the club also saw the departures of key reserve and sometimes starter Nico Lodeiro (2,095 minutes), backup midfielder Felipe (505 minutes), backup goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar (479 minutes), depth striker Jack Lynn (287 minutes), depth defender Michael Halliday (194 minutes), depth midfielder Jeorgio Kocevski (155 minutes), depth left back/winger Luca Petrasso (45 minutes), and depth defender Abdi Salim (26 minutes). In addition, Yutaro Tsukada (25 minutes) was injured in the preseason and may be out for a long time, if not the full season, and Duncan McGuire (1,875 minutes) does not yet have a return date from his injury.

All of a sudden the club is only returning 15 of the 26 players who played any minutes last season, and two of those players (Shak Mohammed and Alex Freeman) combined for only 64 total minutes. I covered some of this in an article a few weeks ago, but that article is already now out of date with the news of the last few weeks. Thanks a lot for making me look bad, Orlando City front office.

Now, back to what I mentioned about using your imagination. The club is still returning a lucky 13 players who played significant minutes in 2024, and of the group that started the games during the stretch run of the season they are bringing back nine of the usual starting 11. The two missing players are Cartagena and Torres, but now let’s use our imagination, squint really hard, and play a little make believe.

Orlando City acquired defensive midfielder Eduard Atuesta in early February, and let’s imagine he is an approximation of Cartagena while playing next to César Araújo. I do not think this is a major stretch, as Atuesta is an experienced player who has been successful in MLS with LAFC, and he looked good during the preseason Tropic Thunder friendly against Inter Messi. Sorry, Inter Miami. The club also replaced Designated Player Torres with newly signed Designated Player Marco Pasalić, and he is an approximation of Torres in the position he likes to play and the foot he likes to use. As to whether he can step in and score 20 goals as Torres did last year…this is why we are using our imagination.

Is it a coincidence that Orlando is also the home of the Figment ride at EPCOT, which is all about using your imagination? Was that an excuse to mention Figment to see if my wife actually reads my articles like she says she does, since she loves that ride? Let’s move on.

In our world, where Atuesta and Pasalić are approximations of the players they replaced, what does that say about the probable starting lineup for Saturday’s season opener? I am assuming that it will be the nine returning players from the group who started the Eastern Conference final (Pedro Gallese, Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, César Araújo, Iván Angulo, Martín Ojeda, and Ramiro Enrique), plus Atuesta in the Cartagena spot and Pasalić in the Torres spot. Let’s look at how that group (with Cartagena and Torres) did last season when playing together:

Since Orlando City came into Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2015, only two teams have had a season-long goal difference per 90 minutes of better than +1.23: LAFC in 2019 and the Philadelphia Union in 2022. Unsurprisingly, both teams had the best regular-season record in MLS during those two respective seasons, so Orlando City’s most frequently used lineup definitely played at an elite level last year.

We have to use our imaginations to insert Atuesta and Pasalić into Cartagena’s and Torres’ spots and expect the same outputs as both of those outstanding players, but I do not believe it is unreasonable to think that the two new players could provide at least some of what the former players did. Atuesta has the MLS pedigree and Pasalić’s stock rose dramatically from the summer of 2023 to when he was acquired by Orlando City a few weeks ago, a time frame that included five appearances in 2024 for a Croatian national team that is currently ranked 13th in the FIFA men’s rankings. It is a lot to ask these two players to replace Cartagena and Torres, but I think it is possible.

I am aware it is also possible that I could win the lottery. I am on board with both of these things happening, posthaste.

We are just days away from the season opener and dealing with reality instead of our imaginations, but the lineup that Head Coach Óscar Pareja put together for the stretch run last year was highly successful during their minutes together, and it appears like there are two ready-made replacements for the two swaps that would need to happen. They could, of course, go with a different look or a different lineup, but based on Pareja’s history, he likes to find a lineup that performs and sticks with it, and with most of the stretch run players back and healthy and their two best new players bedded in and ramped up, I think that group will be the starting 11 on Saturday night.

I will be in the stands watching and cheering on the Lions, and if Orlando City goes with this lineup and it is as successful as I think it will be, I imagine you will hear me saying I told you so.

Vamos Orlando!

Orlando City opens the 2025 MLS regular season against the Philadelphia Union Saturday night at Inter&Co Stadium. This is an Orlando team that has shipped off more personnel than it has signed. That has me worried, but I’m open to be proven wrong, especially in this first match.

The Lions have the opportunity to start off on the front foot against an Eastern Conference opponent. What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points at home against Philadelphia?

The Goal is More Goals

Orlando City might not have much — or any — depth at the striker position, but I still need the club to score goals. It is how you win matches after all. Martin Ojeda and Ramiro Enrique did that against Inter Miami, and I hope they keep that train running. Philadelphia’s Andre Blake will quite literally be standing in the way on Saturday night. Blake is good keeper with plenty of MLS and international experience.

I expect that Ojeda and Enrique will start, so having them score at least one goal between the two is essential. Without a prototypical striker, Orlando City will need to create a different type of scoring chance, and the Lions will need to finish any they get.

New Kids on the Block

Despite limited practice time with his new team, we saw some really good play from Eduard Atuesta against Inter Miami. With Wilder Cartagena out for the season, I’m going to need a lot more of what we saw from Atuesta all season, including this weekend against Philadelphia. He did well enough to be considered for Man of the Match last week. Please sir, may we have some more?

Meanwhile, Marco Pasalic had some good moments in the last match, but with the Designated Player tag I want even more from the left-footed winger. Perhaps he could also use his right foot? Regardless, he is the one being tasked with filling Torres’ role in Orlando City’s attack. I know it takes time for some players to adjust to MLS, but the Lions don’t have the luxury of that when it comes to Pasalic. Show us the goods, Marco.

Gimme Good Rafa

At times, Rafael Santos is an excellent left back. He can defend well, contribute in the attack, and read the game. That’s Good Rafa. Other times — like last weekend against Inter Miami — Bad Rafa shows up. Bad Rafa gets beat to the end line or into the box, he loses the player he should be marking, and gives up goal opportunities to the opposition.

Much like Torres, it can take some time for Santos to get into the rhythm of the season, but I don’t think Orlando City has the time for that to be the case against Philadelphia’s Tai Baribo or Daniel Gazdag. I need Santos to turn on the light switch, eat a good breakfast, and get his head on straight for the match this weekend.

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

How’s it going, Mane Landers? We’re only a few days away from the start of Orlando City’s 2025 season and I can’t wait. There’s also plenty of women’s soccer to enjoy thanks to the SheBelieves Cup. It’s a great time to be a soccer fan here in the U.S. Let’s dive right into today’s links!

Marco Pasalic Noted as MLS Newcomer to Watch

Orlando City signed Marco Pasalic as a Designated Player this off-season to help fill the void left by Facundo Torres, and he was noted as one of the top newcomers in the league for 2025. While I don’t think he’s expected to fully replace the goal contributions Torres provided, I’m hoping he can unlock defenses and am looking forward to seeing some overlapping runs between him and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson on the right wing.

The rest of the list has multiple players on Eastern Conference teams who could have Orlando fans reaching for the liquor cabinet this season, including Charlotte FC’s Wilfried Zaha, FC Cincinnati striker Kevin Denkey, and Atlanta United’s shiny new striker, Emmanuel Latte Lath.

Nico Lodeiro Signs With the Houston Dynamo

Midfielder Nico Lodeiro, who mutually agreed to terminate his contract with Orlando City earlier this week, has officially signed with the Houston Dynamo on a deal through 2025 with an option for 2026. This signing was reported leading up to his departure from Orlando, and he should be able to get some solid playing time with the Dynamo. Lodeiro had 11 assists with the Lions last season and is great from set piece situations, so he should be able to help a Houston team that made the playoffs last season but only scored 47 goals.

USWNT Takes On Colombia Today

The 2025 SheBelieves Cup kicks off today and the United States Women’s National Team will face off against Colombia at 8 p.m. in Houston. It will be the USWNT’s first match of the year and Head Coach Emma Hayes’ first time coaching the U.S. during the SheBelieves Cup. The team will be without star players like Trinity Rodman, Naomi Girma, and Sophia Wilson (née Smith) but still has plenty of talented players to get the job done. Colombia should present a solid challenge for the U.S., as it reached the quarterfinals of both the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Olympics. After this match, the USWNT is set to take on Australia in Arizona on Sunday before closing out the tournament in San Diego on Wednesday against Japan.

MLS Clubs Begin Champions Cup Campaigns

The Concacaf Champions Cup is underway and there are many MLS sides aiming to start the tournament off on the right foot. The Seattle Sounders’ new signings from FC Dallas linked up for a goal just three minutes into their match with Guatemalan club Antigua GFC, with Jesus Ferreira teeing up Paul Arriola’s goal at the top of the box. Antigua equalized later in the first half, but the Sounders struck twice in the second half for a 3-1 victory. In Costa Rica, Real Salt Lake and Herediano battled to a scoreless draw. Lionel Messi scored the lone goal in Inter Miami’s 1-0 win against Sporting Kansas City in a bitter cold game that exemplifies why MLS should not switch to a winter schedule.

UEFA Champions League Roundup

Only 16 teams remain in the UEFA Champions League after the latest round of matches. Most of Wednesday’s drama was in PSV Eindhoven’s 3-1 win over Juventus. American forward Tim Weah scored for Juventus, but PSV advanced thanks to a goal from defender Ryan Flamingo in extra time. In Spain, Kylian Mbappe had a hat trick in Real Madrid’s 3-1 victory against Manchester City, eliminating the English club from the tournament. Paris Saint-Germain booked its spot in the round of 16 in convincing fashion as well, with seven different players finding the back of the net in a 7-0 home win over Brest. After a 3-0 win in the first leg, a scoreless draw at home against Sporting CP was enough for Borussia Dortmund to advance to the next round too.

The draw for the round of 16 is on Friday and should deliver on some fun matchups. Either Barcelona or Liverpool will face PSG, with the other getting Benfica. We may also get Real Madrid against Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich against Bayer Leverkusen.

Free Kicks

• The LA Galaxy added Brazilian striker Matheus Nascimento on loan from Botafogo through 2025. The 20-year-old will take up a U22 Initiative spot and the loan has an option to buy.
• Denver’s NWSL team is considering its options for a name and unveiled a poll for the community to weigh in. I obviously did not vote, but Colorado Summit FC is probably my favorite of the bunch. Denver FC is the clear loser.
• According to the U.S. Travel Association, the U.S.’s air travel system is not ready for the 2026 World Cup or 2028 Summer Olympics.
• Robin van Persie is reportedly close to becoming Feyenoord’s next head coach, with Rene Hake expected to join him as an assistant. Feyenoord recently took down AC Milan in the Champions League but is fourth in the Eredivisie.
• Here’s everything to keep an eye on in today’s Europa League games. The second leg between AS Roma and Porto after a 1-1 draw in Portugal is the premier matchup in my eyes.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Thursday and rest of your week!