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

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 3-1 victory over FC Dallas?

Published

7 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

James Brown once sang, “wow, I feel good, I knew that I would,” and while I feel good (duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh) after watching that 3-1 Orlando City win over FC Dallas Saturday night, I definitely cannot say that I knew that I would.

Going into that match, Orlando City had never even scored a single solitary goal in Dallas, but the Lions came out firing and put three in the net in the first 55 minutes, and then took three points after 90 minutes to get their first-ever win in Dallas. Hey Jimmy Johnson, how ’bout them Lions?

I have my purple pen out, and I am ready to issue some grades, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their matchup with a Western Conference opponent.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 7 — El Pulpo will probably feel hard done by that he did not pick up another clean sheet in this match, as Dallas’ one goal came on a penalty kick and the hosts were not even threatening when that foul occurred. Gallese also made several excellent saves during this match, including one on a crazy sequence, when he came way outside of the box to try to clear a ball over the top, and he then had to scramble back into the 18 and make a diving save when Dallas tried a long-range shot into what they thought was an open net. Dallas did have a goal called back during the match, as well as another ball that went in after a foul was whistled, which cannot be held against Gallese, but they are reminders of the fine line between a great night and a tough night for any goalkeeper. On this night, Gallese was more towards the great night with five saves and confident command of the box. 

D, Rafael Santos, 7.5 — Santos once again demonstrated his lethal left foot in this match, as his picture-perfect cross was headed in by Ramiro Enrique to give the Lions their first-ever goal in Dallas. The Brazilian defender led the Lions in touches (82) and was second in completed passes (53), completing those passes at an 86.9% rate. He completed five of his nine long passes and was a threat down the left side all game long. Orlando City attacked down the left side on 47% of its possessions (27% middle and 26% right made up the other two channels), and a primary reason for the left side dominance was Santos and the runs he was making up the field. Dallas countered this by attacking up its right side on 42% of its possessions, and there were some nervy moments late as the hosts did get by Santos and created some chances in his area. On this day though, Dallas did not convert any of those chances, and the overall contributions by Santos were a major reason why the Lions took all three points.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — The Orlando City captain played his normal solid and composed match in the back on Saturday night, and the Beefy Swede should have had his first MLS assist of the season on a beautiful cross in the second half that Duncan McGuire was unable to finish. Jansson had five clearances, three recoveries, two interceptions, and one tackle, and he completed 43 passes at a 97.7% rate. Through much of the game he stayed home in the center of the field so that Rodrigo Schlegel could roam a little more forward, which was successful for the Lions in helping them own the middle horizontally and vertically.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 8 — Schlegel was everywhere during this match, and a serious contender for Man of the Match. His bullet header that doubled the lead for the Lions will be what is remembered most, but he also had three tackles, two clearances, and one interception, and his partnership with Jansson was excellent in keeping FC Dallas’ pairing of Jesus Ferreira and Petar Musa off the scoresheet. I thought Schlegel was excellent throughout the match, and his right side pairing with Kyle Smith was effective in limiting Dallas’ attacks down their left channel.

D, Kyle Smith, 6.5 — Smith once again demonstrated his trademark Kyle-of-all-trades abilities, as after a season of primarily playing left back, he stepped in at right back with Dagur Dan Thórhallsson out and delivered a solid performance. Smith was second on the team with four clearances and had one tackle, and he also completed 87.8% of his passes on the night while going the full 90 minutes. He did get turned around on during the buildup to the Dallas goal that was called back in the 90th minute, but that goal was called back, so that will not be held against him. The Accountant delivered the results in this match, and they were favorable for Orlando City.

MF, César Araujo, 7 — No offense to Jeorgio Kocevski, but having Araujo back in the lineup made a massive difference for Orlando City. The Uruguayan midfielder helped secure the middle of the field throughout the match, completing 50 passes at a 92.6% rate as a midfield fulcrum on offense and helping to force Dallas to push the ball out wide to attack rather than attempt to come down the middle on defense. Araujo did pick up another yellow card trying to slow down a Dallas counterattack in the 67th minute. That foul may have been unnecessary with multiple defenders already behind the ball, however, he was put in a bad spot by Facundo Torres’ wayward pass and decided to take no chances with the lead on the road. On the whole, Araujo showed why the Lions are a better team when he is on the field, and he was a major reason why Orlando City picked up three points in Dallas.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 7 — Sometimes I think I should just write one grade for César Wilder Cartaraujo, as there are games when the two holding midfielders play quite similarly, just on slightly different sides of the field. The FC Dallas match was close to one of those games, but I thought Cartagena was slightly better than his midfield partner, even though he only played 73 minutes. The Peruvian led the team in completed passes, with 55, completing them at a 94.8% rate, with two of them being key passes. Cartagena also had three tackles and one interception, and unlike his midfield partner, he did not pick up a(nother) yellow card. With a midweek game coming up on Wednesday, Cartagena made way for Nico Lodeiro in the 73rd minute, but he was excellent during his time on the field and was a major reason why the Lions owned the center of the field.

MF, Iván Angulo, 6.5 — Despite Orlando City’s focus on attacking down the left side of the field, Angulo did not really contribute to any of the three goals or other big scoring opportunities, though he did track back well on defense and gave his trademark full effort throughout his 90 minutes. Angulo completed 41 passes at an 89.1% rate and had three interceptions, two tackles, one clearance, and one block. His contributions were more on the defensive side than the offensive side against Dallas, especially with Dallas attacking down the right more often than the left. And while the Colombian winger may not have been involved in any of the goals I do think it was one of his better recent games overall.

MF, Martín Ojeda, 7 — I have long been a fan of how hockey includes secondary and primary assists in assist totals, and although most of soccer doesn’t follow suit, MLS does. As such, Ojeda finished with two assists on the night in Dallas. His perfect pass to Santos led to the cross that produced Orlando City’s first goal, giving the Argentine a secondary assist, and his corner kick early in the second half was headed in by Schlegel for the second goal, providing him with a primary assist. What mattered most is that both goals were scored and Ojeda played a major role in each, and those passes, in addition to his skillful and creative play to hit a well-struck volley on goal in the first half, were three major highlights for the Lions in this match. Ojeda completed 32 passes on the night, with two key passes, and he was involved and dangerous on offense throughout his 65 minutes on the field.

MF, Facundo Torres, 7.5 — The hot streak continued for Torres, as he made it five goals in his last five MLS games with his well-placed finish off a through ball from Enrique to make the score 3-0 for Orlando City. Just a few minutes earlier, I will admit that I was muttering words of frustration when he had a similar breakaway opportunity on a through ball but chose to slow down to get it onto his left foot, and subsequently had his shot saved, but he took full advantage of his second chance and gave the Lions an even bigger cushion. Orlando City attacked down the left side far more often than Torres’ right side on Saturday night, but he was still able to be involved in the offense, completing 90.2% of his passes and taking 24 touches in the attacking third of the field. Torres made way for Felipe in the 81st minute in a defense-for-offense substitution, but it was another excellent match for the Uruguayan Designated Player, who is now the Orlando City record holder for career MLS goal contributions, with 50.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 8.5 (MotM) — Enrique is back in form again, and it is a wonderful thing to watch. Despite being short in stature as compared to the FC Dallas back line, it was he who opened the scoring with a header on a cross from Santos, and then later it was his tackle and steal that turned into his through ball assist to Torres for the third Orlando City goal. He also played another key pass and drew four fouls and was generally a menace all over the attacking third of the field for his entire 65-minute shift. I thought Enrique was outstanding, and despite a challenge from his fellow Argentinean Schlegel, I thought he was the Man of the Match.

Substitutes

F, Duncan McGuire (65′), 6 — On another Saturday night Big Dunc could have had multiple goals and been in contention for Man of the Match, but he was just off ever so much with his finishing touch and was unable to get any of his shots into the net. His work rate was tremendous and he put Dallas under major pressure after subbing in for Enrique, but he missed a massive chance on a ball from Jansson that was perfectly set up for him to put the game away by making it 4-0, and on two other breakaway opportunities he had a shot saved and blocked. The effort was there, the final touch just let him down during this match.

MF, Luis Muriel (65′), 6.5 — Muriel was once again excellent off the bench on Saturday night after subbing in for Ojeda, and could have had multiple assists if his teammates could have finished a little better. He was involved in three plays that McGuire didn’t finish, giving Jansson a seeing-eye pass in the 66th minute and sending McGuire behind the back line in the 71st and 97th minutes. As I was making notes on the match I was thinking about a comparison to NBA player Chris Paul, as Muriel, who was a usual starter earlier in his career, seems to have embraced a role off the bench and comes in delivering perfect passes all over the field when he does sub into the game. Muriel had two key passes and completed 92% of all of his passes, and looked dangerous every time he had the ball.

MF, Nico Lodeiro, (73’), N/A — This will not be a game that Lodeiro looks fondly upon when he reflects on the 2024 season. The headline for him will be that he gave away a penalty, and although I do believe it was a foul, I think it was harsh since the attacking player was moving away from goal in the far corner of the box, but it was a deserved penalty and it did breathe some life back into FC Dallas. He uncharacteristically only completed 75% of his passes, and did not bring his steady and positive presence off the bench as he usually has done this season.

MF, Felipe, (81’), N/A — Felipe came on as a late defensive replacement for Torres to help see the game out. He only had three touches but did complete both of his passes, and because he is Felipe and this is what he does, he also committed one foul.

That’s how I saw the individual performances on Saturday night. What did you think? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and vote in the poll below for your Orlando City 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

3 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

7 hours ago

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May 9, 2025

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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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