Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Sporting Kansas City: Final Score 3-0 as Lions’ Unbeaten Run Crashes to a Halt
The Lions made Sporting Kansas City look like the team riding an unbeaten streak in a poor road performance.
Legendary Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes once said, “There’s nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you.” If that’s true, Orlando City’s soul should be clean as a whistle after tonight’s match at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City.
Orlando City’s eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions came to an abrupt stop in a lackluster 3-0 loss to Sporting Kansas City. Even after the hosts went down a man with 23 minutes remaining — a figure that doesn’t include 12 added minutes of stoppage time — the Lions (9-10-7, 34 points) couldn’t muster any attack whatsoever, and a golden opportunity to pick up points against a team low in the Western Conference table was squandered. Jake Davis, Daniel Salloi, and Remi Walter provided the offense for Sporting Kansas City (7-14-6, 27 points).
There weren’t even any positives to take away from the performance, which was substandard across the board.
“Obviously very disappointed (with the) result,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “A great opportunity for us to escalate on the standings and obviously continue with what we had in the last few games, but today was not a good day for us.”
Pareja’s lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Facundo Torres, with Ramiro Enrique up top.
Sporting went for goal on the opening kickoff, with Erik Thommy trying a shot from the center circle, trying to catch Gallese off his line. The effort wasn’t bad, just clearing the crossbar, but Gallese had it covered anyway had it managed to dip.
After the Lions snuffed out another foray into the attacking third by the hosts, they wasted a few good early opportunities to take the lead. The first of those happened in the second minute when Torres sent a long ball for Enrique to track down in the right corner. Enrique cut inside and found Angulo at the top of the box and the Colombian found Torres on his left. The shot from Torres was a poor one, with little pace on it and well wide of the right post.
A minute later, a turnover by the hosts gifted Enrique a chance inside the box, but the Argentine fired his shot straight at goalkeeper Tim Melia. Cartagena fired wide from the top of the box in the fifth minute as Orlando’s bright start continued. A minute later, Ojeda sent a good free kick from distance to Smith making a run at the far post. Smith’s header was off line and went back across the six. Enrique tried to get to it at the left post but it was just beyond his reach with an empty net in front of him.
Ojeda got down the left in the eighth minute and made a great cutback pass into the area for Torres, but it was blocked by defender Tim Liebold and went out for a corner. The service on the ensuing set piece was overhit, ending the threat. Those missed opportunities were costly, eventually allowing the hosts to take a lead into halftime, but the most badly squandered chance came late in the half.
“We started the game sharp,” Pareja said. “Had a few options to score, but after that, I thought we didn’t have a good game. We were low in energy. I didn’t think we had the intensity that has characterized this group all the time.”
“After those first 10 minutes, they started to press us. We weren’t able to to really come out of that pressure clean as much,” Torres said. “And then, once they started to do that, they added more and more. And then at that point, we had trouble kind of finding ourselves back into the game and and they took over from there.”
After all the open play in the game’s first 10 minutes, things settled down a bit. Neither team was able to create a chance for the nesxt 15 minutes. Eventually, the Lions fashioned a chance from the right with Araujo smashing a shot from outside the box in the 26th minute. However, Andreu Fontas blocked it in front.
The Lions got loose with the ball after that, giving up multiple chances. Thommy beat Smith and worked his way for a clear shot from the right, but Gallese made a terrific reaction save in the 27th minute to keep the game scoreless. Angulo then gave the ball away cheaply in the 30th minute, leading to a good long-distance try from Salloi that Gallese parried away.
It looked like the Lions had something going in the 34th minute when an outstanding ball from Cartagena found Torres over the top, but before the winger could gain control, Liebold recovered and knocked the ball off of him and out for a goal kick.
Orlando City caught a break a minute later on another turnover by Angulo — this time deep in his own end. The quick counter ended up with Stephen Afrifa on the right but he fired badly wide of the near post in the 35th minute. Five minuts later, Angulo made another ill-advised pass in his own half. This time he got it to a teammate, but he led Enrique into traffic, where he was easily dispossessed. The ball ended up with Thommy outside the box but he sent his shot just inches wide of the far post, although Gallese may have had it covered anyway.
If all of those warning signs weren’t enough, Angulo turned the ball over yet again in the 43rd minute to ignite a quick counter, that ended up with a good ball to the back post for William Agada, who missed just over the net.
A minute later, the hosts got the goal that had been coming for so long, and it should never have happened. Somehow both Smith and Araujo failed to take the ball from a prone Afrifa and the referee kept his whistle in his pocket while he played the ball on the ground. It squirted beyond both defenders for Davis, who took it to his left and scored into the upper right corner to make it 1-0 in the 44th minute.
“Tonight was just another one of those games where, once they took that first goal, it kind of got into our heads a little bit, and we had difficulty coming back from that,” Torres said.
Orlando City should have pulled the goal right back two minutes into stoppage time, when Cartagena took the ball into the area and was bundled over. Enrique set a pick so Ojeda could get a free shot at the ball, but the Argentine missed badly over the bar from point-blank range. With that much time and space, and from that position, it was an egregious miss by Ojeda.
Agada missed just off target in the dying seconds of stoppage time and Sporting Kansas City took its 1-0 lead into the break. The hosts held the halftime advantage in possession (54.6%-45.4%), shots (9-8), shots on target (3-1), and passing accuracy (80.5%-75.3%). The Lions won more corners (3-2).
Pareja brought on Rafael Santos at the break for Smith, who had a difficult first half.
Orlando City got forward a couple of times early in the half but the second of those ended up biting them. A good ball down the left set up a cross into the box for Torres. The Uruguayan missed the ball going for a volley and the defense arrived before Thorhallsson could get there. The clearance ignited the break and it ended up with Salloi on the left, who scored to make it 2-0 in the 52nd minute with a powerful shot inside the near post that left Gallese no chance.
Pareja injected Duncan McGuire and Luis Muriel into the game, withdrawing Angulo and Ojeda, who both were well below their usual levels, but they weren’t the only ones by any means. McGuire had a chance to get Orlando back into the game moments after coming on, as the Lions got forward in transition with a 3-v-1 situation. However, he played the ball for an obviously offside Torres, who must have known he was off but never checked his run to re-establish himself, rather than sending it Enrique. Torres laid it off for Enrique, who scored with a great finish in the 65th minute, but the flag came up immediately.
Gallese kept it at 2-0 with a good save on Alan Pulido in the 67th minute, as the hosts continued to outplay Orlando, creating the only real scoring chances.
The Lions should have gotten a lifeline two minutes later when a horror tackle by Agada on Torres saw him initially pick up a second yellow card but Tim Ford changed his mind after reviewing the play and gave a straight red instead in the 67th minute. That gave Orlando City a man advantage for the final 23 minutes and stoppage time. However, Orlando struggled to generate a shot or even maintain possession in the attacking third after going up a man.
“We had time enough to equalize the game, especially when they ended up playing with 10 players,” Pareja said. “We didn’t have that resolution, that eagerness in the last 20 meters. We were moving the ball but we didn’t find spaces just to hurt them. It looks like we could have played longer without succeeding in the last part of the field.”
“Even when they went down to 10 men, and we had a one-man advantage, we still weren’t able to find that space,” Torres added. “We were tight. We were having issues finding each other.”
Kansas City was content to make defensive subs, stay compact and force the Lions to break them down, which Orlando could not do.
The night got more embarrassing in the second minute of stoppage time when Walter scored Sporting’s third. The Lions were badly out of position and several stopped playing completely. Walter’s blast from outside the box was a good one and picked out the upper left corner to put the game to bed.
Muriel had a poor free kick and an even worse shot from distance down the final moments of the 12 minutes of stoppage time and the whistle finally blew on one of the worst performances of Orlando City’s 2024 season.
Despite being up a man for 35 minutes, the Lions barely turned around the possession advantage in their favor (53.1%-46.9%), could only equal Sporting’s 13 shot attempts, and could not put a single effort on target against a team that had given up 52 goals on the season and was playing with 10 men. They managed to win more corners (6-3) and pass more accurately (81.7%-77.3%). Sporting ended the game with more shots on goal (6-1).
“The second half was heartless. I didn’t see us with that willingness that we all have,” Pareja said. “I take responsibility for us, of course, the preparation of the group and the reactions after these two weeks. Today we didn’t look the majority of the time like we are. So, (we’re) disappointed. We’re going to review, but we have to move on.”
“Obviously we’ve got a lot of negative thoughts right now. We leave today’s game with a with a sour taste in our mouths,” Torres said. “You know, the team thinks that that wasn’t us out there tonight. That’s not the the team that we are. That’s not the way that we like to play. We’re a team that has a lot of ambition and a lot of goals and drive together, and we just didn’t show that out there tonight. And so yeah, obviously, leaving this one with with some bad feelings.”
The Lions will look to bounce back when they home to face Nashville SC next Saturday night.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 2/4/25
MLS transfer roundup, Americans in midweek action, court sides with USSF and MLS, and more.
Happy Tuesday, everyone. I hope you’ve had a better start to the week than me, as I’ve been fighting an illness and have been in the trenches big time. Before we get into the news of the day, let’s all wish Orlando Pride forward Simone Charley a happy birthday. We have lots of things to discuss this morning, so let’s jump right into today’s links.
MLS Transfer Roundup
As is usual for this time of year, there are a number of MLS transfer items that we need to catch up on. We start with a huge move, as the Columbus Crew have sold striker Cucho Hernandez to Real Betis for a fee that Tom Bogert says was for $16 million plus add-ons.
Sporting Kansas City had a busy Monday, as the club completed a pair of deals to start the week, signing midfielder Manu Garcia from Aris Thessaloniki, who will occupy a Designated Player slot. SKC also signed winger Shapi Suleymanov from Aris Thessaloniki, with the Russian under contract through 2026 with additional option years for 2027 and 2028. Finally, the Houston Dynamo sent $2.1 million in cash to the Philadelphia Union in exchange for midfielder Jack McGlynn.
Americans in Midweek Action
There are a number of American players who will be taking part in games during the working week, so make sure you have everything marked down on your calendar. Paxten Aaronson and Utrecht will travel to face Heracles in the quarterfinals of the KNVB Cup later today. Wednesday continues the theme of cup action, as Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan host Roma in the quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia. Thursday brings yet more cup action as Cade Cowell and Chivas will travel to the Dominican Republic to face Cibao in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Things then wrap up on Friday with Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus traveling to play Como in Serie A.
MLS & USSF Win Lawsuit
A federal jury has sided with MLS and the U.S. Soccer Federation in the antitrust lawsuit brought against them by the North American Soccer League. The NASL brought the suit against the two parties back in 2017 when the USSF denied the NASL’s application to be recognized as a Division 2 league. The USSF’s division structure provides a set of requirements that a league must meet in order to be classified as part of a certain division, and the NASL alleged that the USSF constantly modified those requirements in order to avoid awarding the NASL a Division 1 and, later, a Division 2 classification. Despite the ruling, the NASL is likely to lodge an appeal, which means that we probably haven’t heard the last of this.
European Deadline Day Roundup
The winter transfer window is now closed in the vast majority of Europe’s leagues, so let’s catch up on the moves that happened on the final day of business. Manchester City made a big splash by signing Nicolas Gonzalez from FC Porto for a fee believed to be around $62 million. Tottenham Hotspur signed Mathys Tel on loan from Bayern Munich, with the deal including an option to make the loan permanent at the end of the season. Aston Villa signed Marco Asensio on loan from Paris Saint Germain until the end of the season. Ben Chilwell has joined Crystal Palace on loan for the rest of the season. Finally, USMNT defender Caleb Wiley has joined Watford on loan until the end of the season.
Free Kicks
- Manchester United is concerned that Lisandro Martinez may have torn his ACL in the team’s loss to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
- Wrexham has revealed plans to build a new 5,500 capacity stand.
- Here’s an inside look at what it’s like to move on the last day of the transfer window.
That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 2/3/25
Orlando City reportedly nears deal for Marco Pasalic, Eduard Atuesta transfer reportedly stalls, Orlando Pride sign Prisca Chilufya, and more.
Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. It’s hard to believe it’s February already, but we’re only a few weeks away from Orlando City’s home opener on Feb. 22. To stay busy over the past week, I’ve been covering high school swimming, basketball, and hockey. Let’s all wish a happy belated birthday to Orlando Pride midfielder Viviana Villacorta, who turned 26 years old on Sunday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.
Orlando City Reportedly Finalizing Deal for Marco Pašalić
According to Tom Bogert, Orlando City is reportedly finalizing a deal to sign Croatian winger Marco Pašalić from HNK Rijeka. A week ago, Orlando reportedly looked set to move on from signing the 24-year-old to focus on other targets as Pašalić was undecided on his future. However, Pašalić will reportedly join the Lions for a $5 million transfer fee, along with add-ons, and will be a Designated Player. He made 26 appearances for HNK Rijeka, scoring six goals and adding three assists.
Eduard Atuesta Transfer Talks Reportedly Stall
Orlando City is reportedly close to finalizing the signing of midfielder Eduard Atuesta from Palmeiras as well, according to Bogert. However, another report from Globo.com states that Orlando City sent a proposal to sign Atuesta, but Palmeiras was not pleased with the terms and has reportedly halted negotiations. You’ll need a translation tool for the full details, but the reported holdup is that the Lions prefer a loan move for Atuesta with Palmeiras paying part of his salary. Atuesta recorded four goals and added two assists in 41 appearances across all competitions while on loan with LAFC last season.
Orlando Pride Sign Zambian Forward Prisca Chilufya
The Orlando Pride signed Zambian forward Prisca Chilufya Friday on a three-year contract through the 2027 NWSL season. Chilufya joins the Pride from FC Juarez in Mexico, where she scored 14 goals in 48 appearances. Chilufya is the third Zambian player the Pride have signed within the last year, joining Barbra Banda and Grace Chanda. By adding another attacker in Chilufya, the Pride added depth to the roster after Adriana’s move to the Saudi Women’s Premier League.
Latest MLS Transfer Roundup
We had some big transfer moves across Major League Soccer to catch you up on from the weekend. The Houston Dynamo have reportedly acquired midfielder Jack McGlynn in a cash-for-trade deal from the Philadelphia Union for $2 million. The Union will also retain a sell-on percentage. In another cash-for-trade move, Sporting Kansas City has reportedly acquired forward Dejan Joveljic from the LA Galaxy for a fee of $4 million. Joveljic will be a Designated Player on a three-year deal through the 2027 season, with a club option for 2028. Minnesota United signed midfielder Hoyeon Jung from Gwangju FC, while Inter Miami FC added defender Maximiliano Falcon from Chilean side Colo Colo. The New York Red Bulls are reportedly close to finalizing a deal for center back Tim Parker to return to his former club after he played for the New England Revolution and St. Louis City last season.
Crystal Dunn Signs With Paris Saint-Germain
After announcing her departure from NJ/NY Gotham FC last week, United States Women’s National Team defender Crystal Dunn has signed a deal to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer. It will be Dunn’s second stint abroad in Europe, as she previously played with Chelsea in 2017-2018. She was part of the squad that won the Women’s Super League title in 2018. Dunn spent the 2024 season with Gotham FC, scoring one goal and adding two assists in 23 matches across all competitions. She had previously played for the Portland Thorns, North Carolina Courage, and the Washington Spirit in the NWSL as well. Paris Saint-Germain is third in the Division 1 Feminine, eight points behind league leader Olympique Lyon.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City wrapped up its preseason training camp in Mexico. The Lions’ next preseason match will be a closed-door scrimmage on Wednesday against Atlanta United.
- Barcelona has requested an extension to the lease at the Olympic Stadium through the end of May to cover its final two home matches for the La Liga season against Real Madrid and Villarreal.
- United States Men’s National Team forward Ricardo Pepi has agreed to extend his contract with PSV Eindhoven through 2030.
- Arsenal crushed Manchester City 5-1 on Sunday and is now six points behind Liverpool.
- Heerenveen manager Robin van Persie was upset after match officials mistakenly allowed Fortuna Sittard to field 12 players late in the second half while leading 2-1. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.
- Former Real Madrid and Sevilla defender Sergio Ramos is reportedly set to join Liga MX side Monterrey.
- Marcus Rashford has agreed to join Aston Villa on loan from Manchester United until the end of the season. The deal includes an option for Aston Villa to make the transfer permanent.
- Adidas announced the official match ball to be used this summer for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.
Orlando City
Orlando City’s Minutes Played in 2024 and What That May Tell Us About 2025
A look back at Orlando City’s minutes played in 2024 may offer hints on what we can expect in 2025.
A few weeks ago I wrote about how the Orlando Pride were bringing back the players who scored all of their goals and played nearly all of their minutes from their amazing 2024 season. Subsequent to that article, the Pride transferred Adriana to a club in Saudi Arabia, blowing up the statistics I had cited, but still leaving the premise intact.
I was thinking about that premise when I saw an article on the MLS website about the biggest roster questions facing Eastern Conference teams, and saw a chart in that article that showed Orlando City is bringing back the fifth-highest percentage of minutes played of any club in MLS.
The Lions had 16 players who played at least 1,500 minutes in 2024 (including all competitions), and 15 of those 16 players are returning. There was a steep dropoff to the 17th player on that list, Felipe, who played only 505 minutes across all competitions, and then every other player played fewer than 500 minutes. Looking at this data purely as numbers makes it seem like there is a lot of continuity, and that a team that was successful in 2024 should be primed for success again in 2025. Here are all the players who played last year, their minutes played, and whether they are with the club in 2025:
| Player | 2024 Minutes | On 2025 Roster |
|---|---|---|
| Robin Jansson | 3607 | Yes |
| Pedro Gallese | 3600 | Yes |
| Iván Angulo | 3592 | Yes |
| Facundo Torres | 3580 | I Wish |
| César Araújo | 3357 | Yes |
| Dagur Dan Thórhallsson | 3335 | Yes |
| Wilder Cartagena | 3209 | Yes, but… |
| Rodrigo Schlegel | 2972 | Yes |
| Martín Ojeda | 2719 | Yes |
| Rafael Santos | 2704 | Yes |
| Nicolás Lodeiro | 2095 | Yes |
| Luis Muriel | 1929 | Yes |
| Duncan McGuire | 1875 | Yes, but… |
| Ramiro Enrique | 1796 | Yes |
| Kyle Smith | 1631 | Yes |
| David Brekalo | 1588 | Yes |
| Felipe | 505 | No |
| Mason Stajduhar | 479 | No |
| Jack Lynn | 287 | No |
| Michael Halliday | 194 | Yes |
| Jeorgio Kocevski | 155 | No |
| Shak Mohammed | 49 | Yes |
| Luca Petrasso | 45 | No |
| Abdi Salim | 26 | No |
| Yutaro Tsukada | 25 | Yes |
| Alex Freeman | 15 | Yes |
Aggregating all the minutes together we get a team that is bringing back 88.8% of its minutes, although not the player (Felipe) who wore number 8 on his jersey. However, there are two “Yes, but” players listed, and that is because both Wilder Cartagena and Duncan McGuire have injuries that seem like will keep them off the field for at least the opening months of the season. While the club’s timeline would put McGuire back in training around May or so, Cartagena’s injury has not been officially announced by Orlando City, so there is no timeline on the Peruvian’s return.
Cartagena and McGuire are going to be out for a while, so that 88.8% is likely inflated, and probably closer to something like 85%, if each player is only able to play around two-thirds of the season and we pro-rate their returning status to 67% returning instead of 100% returning. Hopefully they can play more than 67% of the season, but there is also the chance that each could play less than that as well, depending on how they heal, and reports on Cartagena’s status are less favorable even than that. As a result, it feels like 85% is still a high percentage, but please allow me to put little cold water on that idea.
During the 2024 season, the Lions scored 76 goals, putting 73 in the net themselves and benefitting from three own goals by their opposition. Facundo Torres was on the field for 66 of those 76 goals, scoring 20 himself, adding nine assists, and being actively involved in the buildup for many of the other 37. One player does not make an offense in soccer, and if another player had been out on the right wing, Orlando City still would have scored some of those goals, but after three years with the club and establishing himself clearly as “The Man” for the Lions, it will be a major change to play without Torres on the field.
Being that Torres played 3,580 minutes last season, there were few offensive lineups without him, and in fact, only five offensive groupings played more than 40 minutes together on the field without Torres, and those groups scored just three total goals:
| Attacking Group | Minutes Played | Goals Scored |
|---|---|---|
| McGuire Angulo – Muriel – Ojeda Lodeiro – Smith | 74 | 0 |
| Lynn Angulo – Muriel – Ojeda Lodeiro – Smith | 73 | 2 |
| Enrique Angulo – Lodeiro – Ojeda Araújo – Cartagena | 45 | 0 |
| Muriel Mohammed – Ojeda – Enrique Cartagena – Felipe | 45 | 0 |
| McGuire Angulo – Ojeda – Enrique Araújo – Felipe | 40 | 1 |
Of those five lineups, only the first and third could be used in 2025, since Lynn retired and Felipe left the club. Cartagena’s injury puts a crimp into the third, though if he does return healthy at some point in the season, I do not mind that grouping playing together. The lineup that played the most from this table is the first (McGuire, Ivan Angulo, Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda, Nico Lodeiro, and Kyle Smith), but with Cesar Araújo as the first-choice defensive midfielder, I hope Orlando City does not have a lot of minutes when he is not on the field. It does bring me some joy to see a lineup with Smith in the midfield, though. He really is a “Smith Army Knife” out there with his ability to line up in so many different places.
I poured some cold water on the returning lineups and their effectiveness, but my expectation is that when the 2025 season ends and we are looking back, it will be an offensive lineup that did not play together in 2024 that ends up having played the most minutes in 2025. The most used offensive lineup for Orlando City in 2024 was the pairing of Araújo and Cartagena in the defensive midfield, and attacking midfield of Angulo, Ojeda, and Torres from left to right with Enrique at striker. I was not tracking the lineups in 2023 but I don’t think that lineup played together at all that season, yet by the second half of 2024 they started together in nearly every game, playing 928 minutes as a group and ending up +8 in goal differential.
There are battles taking place all over the field in preseason, and I expect that only Araújo, Ojeda, and Enrique can be confident that they have starting positions locked in for the offensive group. Angulo may as well, but I think we need to see more preseason lineups first. Multiple players will be eyeing the second defensive midfield role next to Araújo and an attacking midfield role replacing Torres, and it is possible that one or maybe even both of those roles will be filled by someone not on the roster right now, especially if Cartagena’s injury is a long-term one. The rumor mill is back on again about a wing player coming in from Croatia in a Designated Player role, but as always in MLS, nothing is official until it is announced by the club.
Orlando City also has a pipeline of young players the staff believes in and who may have shown enough improvement that they merit more first-team minutes. Colin Guske, a defensive midfielder, was selected to the MLS NEXT All-Star Game in 2024, so perhaps some of Cartagena’s minutes go to him. Tsukada played 25 minutes with the first-team in 2024 and made Honorable Mention for the 2024 MLS NEXT Best XI, and perhaps he has taken a step forward since last season. During the recent preseason FC Series match against Atletico Mineiro, the Lions started 16-year old Gustavo Caraballo out on the wing, and perhaps he is preternaturally skilled and is actually threatening to earn a place on the full roster, or perhaps they just wanted to see how he would do playing with full professionals in a game environment. First-round pick Joran Gerbet has also shown promise in the limited minutes we saw of him in the midfield.
Young players who have yet to play are easy to overhype and assume they are the next big thing, but at the same time, the club has shown belief in these players by signing them to contracts and investing in their development (except Gerbet, but rookies often sign during preseason camp once they’ve proven themselves worthy of a roster spot). We will know pretty quickly who the club really values once the games start, and it would be great if the talent pipeline is producing new starters or key reserves. Óscar Pareja’s history tells us he’s willing to give chances to young players, but as with Michael Halliday and others, the leash can be short if the performance isn’t sustained.
With the coming schedule congestion during the summer months, Pareja may have no choice but to rely on youth at times, as Orlando City will be playing in the Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup as well as the MLS regular season, and soccer in the summer months is a draining sport. At one point in July and August the Lions will play eight games in 29 days, or about a game every three to four days, and no matter how fit some of the starting players are, they will need a break in there to come off the bench at least once or twice.
At this point, we know that the team is bringing back a lot of players who played a good amount of minutes last season, but with two significant-looking injuries and one major departure, there are still a lot of questions around how those minutes will be replaced. A new Designated Player signing and the already completed MLS U22 Initiative signing of Nico Rodriguez may answer some of those questions, but I think there are still more questions than answers as of today at striker, winger, and defensive midfield.
Looking back at 2024’s minutes is somewhat instructive as to how 2025’s minutes will play out, especially with so many veteran players returning, but I think when the dust settles on the 2025 season there will be several players high on the list of minutes played who were not at the top in 2024. Between replacing the club’s all-time leading scorer, covering for injuries, and players improving or declining from last season, 2025 will likely look a lot different than 2024, even with so many players returning. Different does not mean bad, it just means different, and I am excited to see the lineups used in the next few preseason games and then to see the big reveal on opening night.
To paraphrase Rick Pitino and his famous quote about the Boston Celtics, “Facundo Torres will not be walking through that door. Mauricio Pereyra will not be walking through that door. Cyle Larin will not be walking through that door.” An Orlando City starting lineup will be walking through that door though, and I cannot wait to cheer them on.
Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links: 2/4/25
Seb Hines Has Decisions To Make For Orlando Pride’s Back Line
Lion Links: 2/3/25
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