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Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Final Score 4-3 as Lions See Three-Game Winning Streak Snapped

Orlando City dug a deep hole and tried to climb out of it twice without quite succeeding in a high-scoring road loss.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Two teams that rarely concede gave up a combined seven goals as the Columbus Crew swept the season series against Orlando City with a 4-3 win at Lower.com Field. The Lions (12-11-7, 43 points) were their own worst enemies in this match. They handed the defending MLS champion Crew (16-5-8, 56 points) great scoring chances before improbably making a game of it and then ultimately capitulating a fourth and decisive goal through sheer miscommunication in their own end.

The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Orlando and prevented a chance to clinch a fourth consecutive playoff spot.

Diego Rossi, Christian Ramirez, Cucho Hernandez, and Aziel Jackson scored for the hosts. Down 3-0, Ramiro Enrique’s second-half goal spoiled the Crew’s bid for a third straight shutout, and Luis Muriel added a penalty to make things interesting. But rather than scoring an equalizer, Orlando made a mistake with a giveaway that handed the Crew a fourth goal to ice the game. Muriel added a second goal in the final minute of stoppage time, but there were not heroics at the death this time.

“Very intense match,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the game. “I have to give credit to our players that showed all the time our heart and our willingness to bounce back from adversity that the game put us on, since we couldn’t finalize our chances, especially in the first half. Second half we could have tied the game as well.”

Pareja’s starting lineup saw a couple of changes. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese lined up behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Rookie Jeorgio Kocevski started in place of the suspended Cesar Araujo next to Wilder Cartagena in central midfield behind the usual attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Facundo Torres. Duncan McGuire started instead of Enrique.

The opening 15 minutes were played at a frantic pace, with both teams getting into scoring poition and finding the woodwork. The Crew worked an early ball into the box in the second minute to Jackson but Schlegel blocked his shot. Moments later, a ball pinged around the box and ended up with a soft shot by Jackson that Gallese was able to keep out but the flag came up for offside anyway.

Orlando tried playing over the top a lot early, and in the sixth minute, a great ball over the top found Torres, but his first touch let him down. Two minutes later, the Lions came within inches of opening the scoring. A ball into the area from the left fell to Thorhallsson, who fired off the left post. The rebound came to Torres, who fired a shot that squirted under Patrick Schulte, who spilled it but held it on the line and kept the ball from crossing. McGuire then tried to chip Schulte in the ninth minute off an Orlando takeaway in the attacking half but his shot stayed high and sailed just over the bar.

Mohamed Farsi got down the right behind the defense in the 11th minute as Thorhallsson kept him onside. The Icelandic fullback did well to recover and knock the centering pass behind for a corner. However, the Lions completely ignored Max Arfsten on the set piece. He got a free header as a result but it hit the left upright and rebounded out for a goal kick.

It was Orlando’s turn to get a chance in the 13th minute. McGuire fired a shot inside the box that deflected off a defender for a corner kick. The set piece found Schlegel, who nodded it toward goal but it again hit the left post and stayed out.

“When we proposed to be dense and to be organized, as we did in the first half, we had clear assumptions in behind of them that we couldn’t finalize and change the story of the game,” Pareja said.

Ojeda won a free kick in the 24th minute and the Lions nearly made it pay off. Torres got onto the end of the Argentine’s service but it took a high bounce. He was able to knock a half-volley chance on goal but it hit Schulte in the chest. The ball caromed to McGuire, whose shot hit the outstretched arm of Malte Amundsen and deflected over the bar. The play was reviewed and it was a handball on Amundsen, but Torres was half a yard offside on the delivery of the free kick.

The hosts scored a gift goal in the 30th minute to open the scoring. Tracking back into his own end, Ojeda took a pass from the defense and tried a no-look pass to his right for Santos. Instead, he passed the ball straight to Farsi and the ball was quickly sent forward to Rossi, who touched it to his right and fired a shot that deflected off Jansson’s leg and took the worst possible angle for Orlando.

Gallese had already committed to the original trajectory of the shot and the Peruvian had no chance of keeping it from sneaking just inside the left post to make it 1-0. The goal ended Orlando’s shutout streak at 300 minutes and was Rossi’s third against the Lions this season.

After taking the lead, the Crew held most of the possession and took the air out of the ball. Orlando didn’t get a single shot attempt off after falling behind for the final 15 minutes of the half, plus five minutes of stoppage time.

The Lions’ best opportunity to pull one back came off a quick takeaway and a brilliant pass by Ojeda to send Angulo down the left with numbers in the attack. The chance evaporated when the Colombian took a heavy touch and lost it to the defense in the 40th minute.

Columbus went fishing for a penalty in the 44th minute off a good stop in the box by Schlegel. Alexandru Matan went down easily and, rather than winning a penalty, received a yellow card for simulation. Schlegel had a terrific first half, putting out several fires when the Crew got forward.

Arfsten had the last look at goal in the half, cutting in from the left and trying to curl a shot inside the right post. He left the shot well wide and the hosts took their 1-0 lead into the break.

Columbus held the halftime advantage in possession (66.3%-33.6%), shots (5-4), corners (2-1), and passing accuracy (90.6%-84.8%). Each team put one shot on target. After Torres was ruled offside, his second shot off Schulte didn’t count.

The Lions made no halftime subs but the Crew brought on MLS MVP candidate Hernandez. Orlando’s first foray up the field ended with a Thorhallsson cross from the end line right at Schulte.

The Crew put the game to bed early in the second half on the counter. Schlegel cheated high to try to win the ball back but didn’t. Columbus broke with numbers and Thorhallsson tried to cut a pass to Jackson out but he didn’t make good contact and it fell favorably for the Crew attacker, who sent it wide into the space Dagur vacated on the defensive right to Arfsten. His cross was in to a wide-open Ramirez, as Santos was too slow to pick out a man to mark and Gallese could do nothing with the point-blank header in the 51st minute.

The Crew then had a shooting gallery for a few minutes, with Jackson missing wide in the 55th minute and Hernandez fizzing one over the bar in the 59th, just after Pareja sent on substitutes Nico Lodeiro, Luis Muriel, and Ramiro Enrique. Ojeda, McGuire, and Kocevski were sacrificed.

Muriel fired a left-footed shot toward goal in the 63rd minute, snapping a lengthy drought. The shot deflected out for a corner off a defender. However, the Lions elected to play the corner short and got nothing out of the set piece.

Hernandez seemingly put the game out of reach in the 71st minute, blazing past Schlegel and blasting a one-time shot from Arfsten’s cross past Gallese to make it 3-0.

Orlando pulled the goal back quickly. Muriel made a fantastic pass to send Angulo in behind down the right, but the speedy winger fired his shot off the right post. The rebound came straight to Enrique, who blasted it into the empty net to make it 3-1.

Three minutes later, a good cross in from Torres on the left nearly found Angulo, but he was shoved from behind by Yaw Yeboah as the ball arrived. The referee awarded a penalty immediately. Muriel waited Schulte out and sent a soft shot into the net after the goalkeeper dove to his right. The Lions were suddenly within 3-2 in the 78th minute.

Just two minutes later, the Lions came within inches of tying the game. Enrique stole the ball off the Crew defense and took it into the right side of the penalty area, looking for trailing runners. He sent the ball to Lodeiro just to the right of goal and the midfielder shot. The attempt deflected off a knee in front and skipped just wide of the far post. Orlando played the corner short but couldn’t create anything off the set piece.

With time winding down, the Lions ended up costing themselves again. Felipe, who had come on moments earlier for Cartagena, tried to lay off a pass for Thorhallsson while under pressure from behind. There was an obvious miscommunication between the two, as Thorhallsson probably didn’t expect the soft return ball. Hernandez picked up the ball and fed Jackson, who fired home the Crew’s fourth goal in the 85th minute.

“Their fourth goal hurt us, especially with that short field and turning it over right there,” Muriel said. “But with the momentum that we had, with the inertia that we had, we really felt like we were in a position to equalize before that.”

Orlando City got into the box again moments later. Enrique got in against two defenders and cut back, looking for a shooting lane. He probably took too many touches and allowed a third defender to arrive before he turned and shot, but the effort was blocked in front. Felipe followed on the rebound but his shot was blocked as well and he was called for a foul on the follow-through.

Columbus nearly scored a fifth in the 89th when Herrera got in behind into the box, but Gallese made a big save.

Down two goals, it didn’t seem to matter that there were seven minutes of stoppage time added, but it did affect the final score. Although the Lions struggled to keep the ball and create in injury time, Muriel added a late goal with a shot from outside the area. The Colombian fired a curler that bounced in front of Schulte, who misjudged it. The goalkeeper got a touch but couldn’t keep it out and Orlando was back within a goal at 4-3 with about a minute remaining.

“Obviously happy for my goals, but we were really looking to tie it up or win the game tonight,” Muriel said.

Time ultimately ran out on Orlando City and the final whistle blew on a wild match in Columbus.

The Crew finished the match with the edge in possession (63.7%-36.3%), corners (5-3), and passing accuracy (88.8%-83.7%). Orlando City attempted more shots (13-12), and both teams put five shots on target.

Ultimately, the hole the Lions dug themselves was too deep to climb out of against the defending champs, but nearly climbed out of it anyway.

“It was a very complicated game against a really tough rival,” Muriel said. “I think they put us on the back foot and put us on the counter really quickly with with a lot of their pressure. But moving past that, looking at the end of the second half, we really showed that we’re a team that really likes to fight and wants to fight to be at the top of this league. I think we learned, especially in those last 15 or 20 minutes, the type of team that we can be and the strength that we can show together, especially against one of the best teams in the league. We were at the point where we were about to equalize from three goals down and put ourselves in a position to win the game.”

“In the second half, we chose to push much more and regardless of the spaces that we left in behind,” Pareja said. “We conceded two goals, but also we scored three. It’s that thing of the game that we have to balance. Today they scored one more than us and they take the result. But we had a good game. I thought that we were very competitive and we could have been leading (at) the half easily with the chances that we had.”


The Lions will be back on the road a week from tonight at FC Dallas, looking to bounce back.

Orlando City

Orlando City’s Usage Rate and Shot Creation Through Seven Games

An analysis of Orlando City’s usage and shot-creation rates and a comparison of their top performers to the rest of MLS.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

As so often happens in articles about soccer, I am going to open by writing about…not soccer. The NBA regular season is in its final days, and so a lot of the discourse on podcasts or TV shows about basketball is about who deserves what awards for the 2024-2025 season. This is not the place for that discussion, though I do think my son’s favorite Orlando Magic player, Paolo Banchero, has had a great season. What I want to explore as it relates to basketball awards is how the concept of “usage” plays a big role when comparing players against one another.

Usage in basketball is essentially a measure of what percent of a team’s possessions were finished by a given player, whether it was via a shot, turnover, or offensive foul. There are different formulas for usage, as some get even more intricate as it relates to the definition of a possession, but we are going to change the subject to soccer momentarily so let’s not dwell on the basketball metric any longer than necessary. The critical part of usage is that it is easier to put up scoring numbers — the numbers fans often default to when evaluating who are the best players, when you have a much higher usage rate. If most possessions end with the ball in your hands, then the offense is likely designed around you, and the opportunities will be there for more baskets.

In soccer, usage can be looked at similarly, with goals instead of baskets, and I will draw on the work of several other authors in how they have calculated usage, or, as they often refer to it, possession-ending actions. In soccer it is similar to basketball, but we will get more nuanced with the definition. Here are the possession-ending actions I used, with all data coming from Opta’s tracking on fbref.com:

  • Shots
  • Incomplete passes
  • Failed Ttake-ons
  • Dispossessions
  • Miscontrols

I looked at this data in two ways: first by normalizing the data by taking the total number of possession-ending actions and calculating it on a per-90-minutes-played basis (PEA / 90) , and then also by taking a player’s possession-ending actions and dividing them by the total number of possession-ending actions for the whole team, to see their percentage (usage rate). Here is a look at Orlando City’s performance thus far this season (I’m only including field players who have played at least 300 minutes, but a quick shout out to Gustavo Caraballo for generating a PEA per 90 minutes of 40 in his nine minutes played thus far this season. Gustavo was really goosing the throttle when he had the ball. I’ll see myself out.):

PlayerMins PlayedPEA / 90Usage Rate
Rodrigo Schlegel6307.35.5%
Alex Freeman57515.210.5%
Martín Ojeda57115.410.5%
Marco Pašalić55015.410.2%
Iván Angulo52312.98.1%
Eduard Atuesta51416.19.9%
Luis Muriel49016.39.5%
César Araujo4505.63.0%
Robin Jansson4506.63.6%
Rafael Santos42018.59.4%

It is nice when data backs up the eye test, and the eye test thus far this season definitely shows that Cesar Araujo, Robin Jansson, and Rodrigo Schlegel play conservative soccer, which is critical being that they generally possess the ball in the center of the field near their own goal, whereas the attacking players and the fullbacks are much more likely to be trying to create something on offense, and therefore ending a possession.

I was a little surprised to see Rafael Santos as the player who is ending the most possessions on a per-90-minute basis, but he is someone who is constantly looking to switch the field or play in a cross, and those are low-probability passes that have a low completion rate, meaning they often end a possession.

Usage rate depends heavily on minutes played, as despite the name, it has elements of a counting statistic in it, and it was not surprising to see the top three players in usage rate being non-central defenders who had played a lot of minutes. Santos is again high here because of his style of play, but as it appears that he may be fighting for his starting position, that number will likely drop over the next few games, unless he wins back the left back role.

As a quick aside, only one Orlando City player had a usage rate in double digits during MLS regular-season play in 2024, and as you may have guessed, that player was indeed Facundo Torres, with exactly 10%.

Usage rate is really a statistic that helps identify players who are trying to make something happen (shots, incomplete passes, failed take-ons, dispossessions) or who are targets for teammates trying to make something happen (miscontrols of a ball passed to them), but ultimately what is the most impactful when trying to make something happen is whether a shot gets created, because shots turn into goals, and that is how games are won. If we look at the same group of Lions and focus specifically on creating shots (shot-creating actions + shots taken), the story looks a little different in terms of where those come from:

PlayerMins PlayedShots Created / 90Shots Created %
Rodrigo Schlegel6301.02.4%
Alex Freeman5754.29.4%
Martín Ojeda5718.618.9%
Marco Pašalić5505.712.2%
Iván Angulo5233.16.3%
Eduard Atuesta5146.011.9%
Luis Muriel4907.013.3%
César Araujo4502.84.9%
Robin Jansson4500.20.3%
Rafael Santos4203.86.3%

Alex Freeman, Martin Ojeda and Marco Pašalić lead the way in usage rate, but they are closely grouped together, and Eduard Atuesta, Luis Muriel, and Santos were not too far behind. Ojeda is in a class by himself when it comes to creating shots though — significantly ahead of Muriel and Pašalić. Freeman is well ahead of his defensive teammates too, and if you look at the scatterplot below of all MLS defenders from 2024 and 2025, you can see that there are very few defenders who are as attack minded and who help create as high a percentage of their team’s shots as he does (Freeman’s 2025 season is in the purple bullseye, 2024 defenders played at least 500 minutes and 2025 defenders played at least 300 minutes):

I know someone who was driving the Freeman bandwagon last year, and that person, who may or may not have written the words you are are reading right now, is pretty fired up about how much he is contributing for the Lions this season.

I mentioned earlier that Ojeda is well ahead of his teammates in 2025 in shot-creation percentage, but there are some other MLS players who are far more of a focal point of their team’s offense than he is. The below chart is formatted similarly (the y-axis is on the same scale but the x-axis is not, as attacking players generally create a much higher percentage of shots), and is for midfielders and strikers for for the 2024 and 2025 MLS seasons (Ojeda’s 2025 season is in the purple bullseye, and the same minimum minutes played requirements are in place):

As you might have guessed from the pink bullseye, that is indeed Lionel Messi, with his 25.6 possession-ending actions per 90 minutes and 24% of his team’s shots created thus far this season. Messi’s metrics existing above and to the right of Ojeda’s on this chart is not an indication that he is better than Ojeda (although to be fair, he might be), but what it shows is that he initiates more attacking plays and is involved in more of Miami’s shots than Ojeda is in Orlando City’s.

The age-old quantity vs. quality conversation exists as it relates to looking at usage rate and the percentage of shots created by a player. Whether it be basketball or soccer, teams are not looking for players who create or take shots. They want players who will create and make shots. Taking on defenders every time you receive the ball or constantly trying to hit risky passes will increase the various counting and rate stats, but unless a player is successful with those take-ons and passes, what they will more likely get is a seat on the bench and a pause on accumulating any new stats.

I will be tracking the usage numbers throughout the season, and we will revisit them later in the year to see what has changed. With the return of Duncan McGuire to fitness, it will be interesting to see what that does to Ojeda’s usage if he starts to play more minutes out on the wing — and also to that of Muriel if he more frequently plays as the number 10 instead of playing as a striker. The insertion of David Brekalo into the starting lineup may unleash Freeman even more and evoke more comparisons to his wide receiver father as he flies up the sideline looking to receive a long bomb and turn it into a score.

In the end, the stats from this article are not ones that players will be trying to improve. They are more descriptive statistics that explain how the team — and particularly the offense — has interacted thus far this season. Usage rate may be important, but what is more important is that Orlando City gives the opposing net some serious usage in the match this weekend.

Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to secure a victory at home Saturday?

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City returns to Inter&Co Stadium Saturday night. For the second week in a row, the Lions close out the regular-season series with an Eastern Conference opponent. This time it is the New York Red Bulls. Orlando City is coming off its first clean sheet of the season but also the first time the club did not score a goal. Ideally, the Lions repeat the former but change the latter. Here’s what Orlando City needs to do to earn all three points against the New York Red Bulls.

Break on Through (Part Deux)

When these two teams last met I wasn’t sold on the Orlando City offense, particularly against a stubborn Red Bulls defense. Of course, I did manage to include this little nugget:

“On paper this looks like a low-scoring match, so it will probably be a barn burner.”

The resulting 2-2 draw told me that Orlando City could indeed score goals, and it was the beginning of four matches unbeaten, so far. Following last week’s anemic showing, I want the Lions to find their scoring boots once again.

It won’t be easy with Carlos Coronel in goal for the Red Bulls and a stout defense in front of him. New York has only allowed seven goals so far this season, though two of those came against Orlando City. Defenders like Tim Parker and Noah Eile are difficult to break down. They also have Dylan and Sean Nealis — I know “Nealii” is not the plural for referring to the pair, but it is in my heart.

To match the previous multi-goal output against the Red Bulls, Orlando City needs the three Designated Players to return to getting goal contributions. We know this team knows how to score, given it still leads the league despite not scoring last week. I want at least one goal (and preferably more) from Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda, or Marco Pasalic.

Return of the Midfield

Last match, both Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta were kept out as a precautionary measure due to experiencing tightness during training late in the week. Hopefully, things have loosened up and we can have them back on the pitch. I’m not saying anything about the performances of Dagur Dan Thorhallsson and Joran Gerbet. Those two were a big part of why Orlando City held the Philadelphia Union scoreless, but I think Araujo and Atuesta are better able to facilitate the ball from the defense to offense, thus increasing scoring opportunities.

As of now, we’re not sure who will be available, but I expect the starters to return. Hopefully, there aren’t any lingering knocks that make them less effective. That goes double for Araujo, as he is the enforcer that is tasked with shutting down transition opportunities for the Red Bulls.

Another Clean Sheet

Orlando City earned the first clean sheet of the season last week and I want the team to do it again. The Red Bulls have a pair of attackers who are very dangerous in Emil Forsberg and Eric Choupo-Moting. Each have contributed three goals so far this season, and each has contributed one assist. Shutting them down will go a long way to stopping the Red Bulls’ attack.

I expect we will once again see a back line consisting of Robin Jansson and Rodrigo Schlegel in the center with Alex Freeman at right back, and David Brekalo at left back. This allows Oscar Pareja to feel better about Freeman moving up the field into the attack while having three of his best defenders in front of Pedro Gallese.


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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Lion Links: 4/10/25

Orlando City’s transfer needs, Orlando Pride get ready for the Seattle Reign, Orlando City B wins at home, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

How’s it going, Mane Landers? Yesterday was the anniversary of adopting my cat, so I spent most of the day giving him whatever he wanted. Thankfully, that turned out to just be quite a bit of napping for both of us. It’s been nice to just hang out with him and enjoy some soccer throughout the week. We have even more soccer to look forward to this weekend, but let’s get this Thursday started with today’s links!

Transfer Priorities for Eastern Conference Teams

The current transfer window is open until April 23 and Tom Bogert of GiveMeSport dove into what MLS Eastern Conference teams should focus on this window and in the summer. While he noted that adding some depth at center back would be nice, for Orlando City, he chose re-signing midfielder Cesar Araujo as the biggest priority before his contract expires at the end of the year. The 24-year-old has been an integral part of Orlando City’s turnaround under Head Coach Oscar Pareja, so it will be interesting to see if he sticks around in the City Beautiful after this season.

Orlando Pride Prepare for the Seattle Reign

With the international break now over, the Orlando Pride will hit the road for a match against the Seattle Reign on Saturday. The Pride have won their first three matches of the year, conceding just once in the process. Meanwhile, the Reign will aim to right the ship at home this weekend after a 2-1 loss on the road against Angel City FC last month. Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke on how winning in Seattle is difficult, even if the team is undergoing a rebuild of sorts.

Pride midfielder Summer Yates, who is a Washington native and played collegiate soccer in Seattle, also spoke on what it will be like to return to her home state for this match. She also discussed the team’s depth, which is a strength for the Pride as players return from international duty.

Orlando City B Beats New England Revolution II

Orlando City B picked up a win at home Wednesday night, beating New England Revolution II 1-0, thanks to a late goal from Shak Mohammed. Great passing sent Mohammed in on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat, and he handed New England its first conceded goal of the season. That goal proved to be the difference, as the Young Lions did well defensively to secure their third win and second clean sheet this season. OCB’s next game will be Tuesday against Inter Miami II at IMG Academy in Bradenton.

Philadelphia Union Reportedly Trading Daniel Gazdag

Despite a strong start to the season, the Philadelphia Union are reportedly set to trade away one of their best players to a fellow Eastern Conference team. Designated Player Daniel Gazdag will reportedly be traded to the Columbus Crew for cash. I don’t entirely hate the trade. Trading away a 29-year-old on the last guaranteed year of his contract while undergoing a rebuild makes sense. It also opens the door for Cavan Sullivan or David Vazquez to earn valuable minutes, with Indiana Vassilev available as well. However, Gazdag is the club’s all-time leading scorer and already has two goals and two assists this year. Trading him within the conference to an unbeaten Crew team this early in the season feels a bit like a white flag in regards to Philadelphia’s aspirations this year.

Free Kicks

  • The Europa League quarterfinals kick off today, with Manchester United taking on Lyon and Tottenham facing off against Eintracht Frankfurt. Bodo/Glimt, which leads the tournament so far with 24 goals, will play Lazio, and Rangers will host Athletic Club in Scotland.
  • Following talks with its fan advisory board, Manchester City announced that it will freeze ticket prices for next season.
  • Fabio Cannavaro was fired by Dinamo Zagreb after just 14 competitive matches. The Italian soccer legend was Zagreb’s third coach this season and won five of his 10 league matches at the helm in Croatia.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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