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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union?

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2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

It was a bit of a nervy finish — ok, fine, a very nervy finish — but when the whistle blew on Orlando City’s 2-1 home victory over the Philadelphia Union Wednesday night, the Lions had earned a win for the fifth time in their last six matches and kept their spot in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The first half was not one that anyone will want to watch again, aside from maybe the opening 10 minutes, but the second half was exciting, and Luis Muriel continued his torrid play of late with assists on both goals.

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 an Eastern Conference opponent.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — The Union took 16 shots during the match but only put three on goal; El Pulpo saved two and really did not have much of a chance on the goal by Quinn Sullivan as he was screened by the defense and it was very well struck off the underside of the crossbar. I thought there were several balls in the air that he could have claimed but he instead stayed home on his line, but none of them came back to bite him and the Union ended the game with only the one goal. Gallese completed 12 of his 15 pass attempts for an 80% completion rate, and despite being knocked down hard several times, he got up every time and helped the defense close out the win when the Union were throwing bodies forward to try to snatch a tie late in the game.

D, Rafael Santos, 6.5 — Santos was one second too late from getting in front of Sullivan on the Union’s one goal, but that goal was not completely on him (I’m looking directly at you, referee Armando Villareal and your incorrect decision to give the Union a throw-in) and should not detract from what was an otherwise solid game from the Brazilian left back. Santos led the game with 83 touches while completing 52 of his 61 passes for a 85.3% completion rate, and he got a shot off late in the game that left Andre Blake rubbing his wrists and perhaps wishing that he had not made that save. Santos also contributed six recoveries, three clearances, two interceptions, one block and one tackle, and in the face of a Union attack that was 43% on his section of the field, he held his own against a team that had scored 10 goals in their last three games.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — The captain played his usual composed and calm game in the back, but had Wilder Cartagena played him a pass instead of shooting in the 51st minute, we may have seen that calm demeanor disappear in wild celebration as the Viking was perfectly positioned to open the scoring. Jansson was involved in the offense a little more than usual, ranking second on the team in completed passes (53) and completing them at a 96.4% rate, including seven of nine on long balls. On defense, his presence helped push the Union to primarily attack the box away from him and towards the side defended by Rodrigo Schlegel and Kyle Smith, which led to Jansson not registering any tackles, but he did have five recoveries, two clearances and two interceptions.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Alas, there was not a second match in a row with a Schlegoal, but the Argentinean defender played well in the middle of the defense, which is his primary responsibility. He got caught ball-watching and/or a step out of position a little more than normal in this match, particularly on a corner kick in the 79th minute where Nathan Harriel from the Union slipped right behind him and had the goal at his mercy, but thankfully did not head the ball cleanly and tie the game up, although the center back was not the primary defender on Harriel on that play. Schlegel picked up a yellow card while hustling back to slow down a 2-v-2 break, but aside from that he had a perfect 100% completion rate on his 26 passes and added three clearances, one block, and one recovery.

D, Kyle Smith, 6.5 — There were times during the match when I thought the Accountant looked gassed, but that was directly due to the fact that he was tracking up and down the right side of the field all game long, and giving maximum effort while doing so. Smith was involved in the Union’s one goal, as he left Daniel Gazdag for a second to try to double-team the ball and Gazdag cut behind him. Smith’s sliding attempt to block Gazdag’s cross was one millisecond too late and the Union capitalized. Aside from that one play, I thought Smith was solid in his second straight match starting at right back, as he completed 83.3% of his passes and also added three clearances and one recovery on defense.

MF, César Araujo, 6.5 — Araujo is on a hot streak again, which sounds great until I define that as a hothead streak, as he picked up a yellow card in his third straight match and second since consecutive game after returning from a yellow-card suspension. Yellow card aside, the Uruguayan was solid, completing 90.5% of his passes and producing a heatmap of plays all over the field. In a bit of a surprise to me, he was selected to take a free kick from a dangerous area in the first half. It didn’t go well, as his initial attempt hit the wall. Although he hit the rebound squarely and with full power, he just got under the ball and put that shot right into The Wall behind the goal. Araujo also contributed defensively and with his hustle stats, as he had six recoveries, one block, one clearance, and one interception.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 — Cartagena led the team offensively, with 55 completed passes, and defensively, with seven recoveries, but it was a quieter game than usual for him in his midfield role. He put a shot into Carlos Rivas territory (read: way, way over the bar) in the first half and took a shot (on goal) when he should have passed in the second half, but aside from that, he had most of his touches on the defensive side of the field and served more to move the ball with short and medium passes. His defensive partnership with Araujo helped push the Union to attack more out wide than through the middle, as evidenced by whoscored.com’s heatmap below, showing the location of the Union’s touches.

MF, Iván Angulo, 5 — In what has become a bit of a familiar pattern, Angulo hustled and gave maximum effort throughout his minutes on the field but did not have the touch to match his effort. He had multiple giveaways in the opening 25 minutes and had a wonderful opportunity to open the scoring in the 37th minute but put his shot well over the bar. The Colombian completed 21 passes at an 80.8% completion rate and had one recovery and one block on defense, but he was replaced at halftime by Muriel, and the game completely changed immediately after that, which was likely not a coincidence.

MF, Martín Ojeda, 7 — Even though he only played 60 minutes of the match, Ojeda was one of the best players on the field, and I was a little surprised it was he who came off at the time that he subbed out. He was really the only bright spot on the field during the first half of the game, and then in the second half he continued to deliver as the central playmaker for the offense, eventually picking up his 13th assist of the season by playing the initial ball to Muriel that was then played off to Torres for the opening goal of the match. He completed 89.7% of his passes, including four key passes, six of his seven long ball attempts, and four of his seven crosses.

MF, Facundo Torres, 7.5 — Hot Facu Summer continued against Philadelphia, as the winger scored for the fourth time in the last five games on a ball struck so well that Blake could only get his hands on it but could not keep it out of the net. Torres also completed all 32 of his passes, including one key pass, and led the team by drawing four fouls by Union defenders. As he usually does, Torres had touches all over the field and led the team with nine successful progressive passes (passes of 10+ yards on the attacking side of the field) received, and his interplays with Ramiro Enrique, Muriel and Ojeda were fun to watch throughout the match.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 6.5 — It was an active night for Enrique as he got five shots off, but he was unable to get any of them on target, so he couldn’t make it three games in a row on the scoresheet. His presence and hustle was definitely felt by the Union throughout his 77 minutes on the field though, and he helped play a role in the opening goal as Muriel initially targeted him with a pass before eventually playing the ball to Torres, and then he was also involved in the second goal as he shielded off a Union defender to allow Muriel to pick up the ball and go up the sideline before playing Duncan McGuire in on a through ball. Enrique also played the final part of his shift out on the wing with McGuire up top — the second time the Lions have used that lineup recently instead of just interchanging he and McGuire directly. I thought he played well in both positions and had a solid game overall.

Substitutes

MF, Luis Muriel (46′), 8 (MotM) — The NBA season may be yet to start but there was definitely some magic in Orlando on Wednesday, because when Muriel came in, he made an ineffective offense disappear and then come back into view as the offense we had seen from Orlando City since the beginning of the summer. Muriel assisted on both goals — one by playing the simple ball to lead Torres right into a smashed shot and the other by playing a perfectly curved through ball to McGuire, who then finished on the breakaway. He should have had a third assist deep in stoppage time, but McGuire couldn’t beat Blake on his second breakaway. Muriel looked a cut above everyone on the field during the second half, as his touch was exquisite and his passing was outstanding. I compared Muriel to Chris Paul while writing the grades during the FC Dallas match, and the dust has not even settled on that comparison before I am bringing it out again for this match. Muriel was outstanding at initiating the offense and delivering the pass exactly where it needed to go. Hopefully, Jalen Suggs was watching and taking notes.

F, Duncan McGuire (61′), 6.5 — The backflip was back in this match, as Big Dunc came on in the 61st minute and was showing off his finishing ability and high-level athleticism just three minutes later after running onto Muriel’s through ball and finishing past Blake. While the final 26 minutes of his shift did not contain any moments as exciting as that goal, Duncan brought his normal high work rate and had some good hold-up play as well. There were just two downsides. The first was that he picked up a late yellow card, meaning he will be suspended for the next match at FC Cincinnati. The second was that he couldn’t reward Muriel for his final seeing-eye pass in the game by finishing it. It was a strong performance off the bench and a reminder that Orlando still runs on Duncan.

MF, Nico Lodeiro, (77’), N/A — Lodeiro came in as part of a double substitution and took over from Torres out on the right wing. He was engaged throughout his time on the field, getting 14 touches on the ball and completing all 12 of his passes, including two key passes.

MF, Luca Petrasso, (77’), N/A — Petrasso was the other player who entered as part of the double substitution, and he replaced Enrique, who had shifted out to the left wing when McGuire subbed in for Ojeda. The Canadian did not see a lot of the ball, but he did get a shot on target and was able to complete four of his six passes. He started the late corner kick covering Harriel but completely lost track of the Union fullback, which could have been costly.

D, Michael Halliday, (80’), N/A — Orlando City’s final substitute was Halliday, who replaced Smith in a like-for-like change, taking over at right back. It was his first game since early May, but in a high pressure situation while helping to protect a one goal lead, he did not look rusty, completing five of his seven passes and recording one clearance.

That’s how I saw the individual performances on Wednesday 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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/21/26

Takeaways from MLS matchday eight, USWNT stock watch, transfer rumor roundup, and more.

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8 hours ago

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April 21, 2026

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Image of Ignacio Gomez making his MLS debut with Orlando City vs. Houston.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone. It was a frustrating weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams, as Orlando City lost a close game to the Houston Dynamo, and Orlando City B blew a two-goal lead against Carolina Core FC, and had to settle for the two points that come with a shootout victory after a draw. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your viewpoint), OCSC will have a chance to get right back on the horse when Charlotte FC comes to town on Wednesday. We’ve got lots to talk about this morning, so let’s have a look at the links.

MLS Matchday Eight Takeaways

Major League Soccer’s eighth round of matches is in the books, and there are plenty of talking points to go over. The San Jose Earthquakes ended the weekend on an emphatic note by dismantling LAFC 4-1 on the road, adding to an impressive list of scalps that also includes the Vancouver Whitecaps and San Diego FC. They’re tied with Vancouver atop the Western Conference and continue to look like one of the league’s best teams. Meanwhile, Charlotte FC, Orlando City’s next opponent, kept things organized in a 4-4-2 block and scored from two of its three shots on goal to take down NYCFC 2-1. That result puts the club in third place in the Eastern Conference.

USWNT Stock Watch

The United States Women’s National Team wrapped up its three game slate against Japan over the weekend, so let’s check in on how the matches affected the standing of several players. Lindsey Heaps was name-dropped by Emma Hayes as having had a great run of three matches, while 20-year-old Claire Hutton wore the captain’s armband during the series and looked far more poised and ready than one would expect given her age. At the opposite end of the spectrum, winger Emma Sears struggled to make an impact in the final third, and while her speed makes her a tempting option to have in the squad, the depth at her position means she’s always going to face a battle for a place.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

The summer transfer window will be here before we know it, and that means the rumors are already flying thick and fast. We begin with Arsenal, which is said to be interested in signing Julian Alvarez this summer, but will likely face competition from Barcelona. Speaking of Barcelona, club president Joan Laporta has reportedly held talks with Robert Lewandowski about extending his stay with the team, while the Chicago Fire also interested and reportedly having submitted a bid to the striker’s representatives. Liverpool is said to be ready to spend in excess of  €100 million to sign Red Bull Leipzig forward Yan Diomande as a replacement for the outgoing Mohamed Salah. Finally, center backs Hiroki Ito and Min-Jae-Kim could both reportedly leave Bayern Munich this summer if interested teams are willing to meet the German club’s valuations of them.

Jonathan Klinsmann Suffers Broken Neck

American goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann suffered a broken neck while playing for Serie B side Cesena on Saturday. The son of former United States Men’s National Team manager Jurgen Klinsmann, the shot stopper was stretchered off the field after colliding with a Palermo player and was diagnosed with a fractured first cervical vertebra after being taken to the hospital. Klinsmann confirmed on social media that his season is over, which will leave him unavailable for Cesena’s promotion push. The team is currently eighth in the second division, which is the final playoff promotion spot.

Free Kicks

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/20/26

Lions fall to Houston Dynamo, OCB draws Carolina Core, Pride players on international duty, and more.

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1 day ago

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April 20, 2026

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Image of the starting XI from OCB's home match against Carolina Core FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Justin Glatt

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been staying busy at work. Let’s wish a happy belated birthday to Orlando City defender Iago, who turned 21 Saturday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Lose to Houston Dynamo at Home

Orlando City fell 1-0 to the Houston Dynamo Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. After a scoreless first half, Hector Herrera’s goal in the second half was enough for the visitors to walk out of Orlando with a win on the road. Despite conceding one goal, the Lions put up a better defensive performance, but the attack was hardly a threat and Orlando couldn’t score a late equalizer. With that result, Orlando City drops to last in the MLS table with four points through eight matches. It will be another busy week for the Lions, taking on Charlotte FC Wednesday at home before traveling to face D.C. United Saturday at Audi Field.

Orlando City Hires Sebastian Setti as Interim Assistant Coach

Orlando City announced Friday that the club has hired Sebastian Setti as interim assistant coach, adding to Martin Perelman’s interim technical staff. Setti was previously an assistant coach with Club Necaxa in Liga MX in 2025. He was also an assistant coach with K.M.S.K. Deinze in Belgium in 2024 and with CF Montreal in 2023, and he led CD Laudio in Spain from 2018 to 2021.

OCB Wins Penalty Shootout After 2-2 Draw vs. Carolina Core

Orlando City B drew Carolina Core 2-2 at Osceola County Stadium Sunday after throwing away a 2-0 lead in the second half. Gustavo Caraballo converted a penalty kick to give the Young Lions the early lead in the first half. Pedro Leao added a goal to make it 2-0 just before halftime. However, in the second half, Carolina rallied and scored two goals in three minutes to tie the match, with the second coming off a mistake by goalkeeper Tristan Himes. OCB won the penalty shootout 6-5 to earn a second point. After six matches, the Young Lions are eighth in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference standings with 10 points. OCB will be on the road against Chicago Fire II Sunday at SeatGeek Stadium.

Pride Players on International Duty

Multiple Pride players were in action for their national teams over the weekend, bringing the international break to a close. Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda scored a goal for Zambia in a 1-1 draw against South Korea in a friendly. Midfielder Angelina came off the bench for Brazil in the second half in a 1-0 win over Canada, also in friendly competition. Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was on the bench as England beat Iceland 1-0 in a UEFA World Cup qualifying match. Forward Solai Washington started for the Reggae Girlz, as Jamaica defeated Guyana 2-0 in a 2026 Concacaf Women’s Championship qualifier match.

USWNT Bounces Back to Win Third Friendly vs. Japan

The U.S Women’s National Team rebounded from a 1-0 loss with a 3-0 win against Japan Friday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO. After a scoreless first half, Naomi Girma scored the opening goal in the second half. Rose Lavelle extended the Yanks’ lead 2-0, and Kennedy Wesley scored her first international goal to put it away. The USWNT closed out the April international window by winning two of three matches against Japan.

Free Kicks

  • Former Lion Daryl Dike scored his first EFL Championship goal since May 2025 in the second half as West Bromwich Albion defeated Preston North End 2-0 Saturday.
  • Former OCB forward Shak Mohammed scored his first goal in Major League Soccer for Nashville SC Saturday.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Houston Dynamo: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-0 home loss against Houston?

Published

2 days ago

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April 19, 2026

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Image of Braian Ojeda trying to dribble past a Houston defender.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The Lions had opportunities to get on the board first but wasted them in a 1-0 home loss to Houston. Orlando City had a good amount of possession, keeping the ball 56.7% of the time to the Dynamo’s 43.3%, but Orlando’s best chance clanged off the post from a tap-in distance by Tiago. Martin Perelman used many of the roster’s younger players, either starting or as replacements.

There aren’t many good grades to give, but that’s the story of the season. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in a matchup with Houston.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crépeau, 6.5 — While he didn’t have a lot to do in the first half, when the moment came, he was ready. Felipe Andrade put his head on a corner, sending it toward the top of the net, but Crépeau reacted well to tip it over at the 40-minute mark. Crépeau didn’t face another shot on goal until it a mad scramble in the 75th minute, when the ball was pinging everywhere, and he had no chance of stopping Hector Herrera’s shot. Crépeau had three move saves in stoppage time to keep the Lions in it, but as is the curse of goalkeepers, all it takes is one to ruin a night. His distribution was fine with 83% passing accuracy.

D, Adrian Marin, 5.5 — Marin started on the left but found himself beat in transition multiple times by not reading the play right. He was a passive observer on the goal, watching the action from the top of the box after being beat down the field by Houston as he pushed forward more in the second half, leading the Lions in cross attempts. To put it bluntly, he started the transition almost even with Angulo but by the end was just watching from the top of the box when, with just a little more hustle, he could’ve been the one marking Herrera, preventing the follow-up. Marin had three blocks to go with a clearance, but the image of him watching the play unfold sticks in my brain. Of the six Lions in the box, he was the only one above the penalty spot, just watching.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 (MotM) — This will be a familiar refrain from the last MLS game against Columbus. Jansson started and played all 90 minutes while bringing a calm to the defense and an ability to erase mistakes others make (we’ll get to those others later). Not only does Jansson bring his own ability to defend, but he raises the level of those around him. Even if Houston isn’t one of the most dangerous attacks in MLS, the defense played better than most of the games we’ve seen this season. He contributed one interception, one block, and four clearances while completing 95% of his passes. He was beaten on the play that led to the goal, going to ground to block a shot from Lawrence Ennali that never came, and the captain owned that mistake in the postgame press conference.

D, Iago, 6 — In a familiar refrain from the Columbus game, the young Brazilian played maybe his best game as a Lion and I believe it’s because of the influence of having Jansson there. Iago cleared Ezequiel Ponce’s tap-in attempt off the line but couldn’t do anything to stop the follow-up from Herrera. As the Lions were chasing the game after the goal, Iago showed up more up front and had three attempts at goal by the end, putting just one on target. His best chances were a shot on a set piece scramble that was blocked by the defense in front and a header off another set piece that landed in the stands. He added two interceptions, two clearances, and a 66% success rate on his duels while passing at a 92% clip. It wasn’t a great game, but I’m giving him credit for improvement. If he continues to grow from here, he will fulfuill the promise that led to his signing.

D, Zakaria Taifi, 5 — Taifi got the start on the right side and, for better or for worse, was mostly invisible in the first half. That’s good for a defense that has been regularly exposed this season but doesn’t help contribute anything. He was behind the aforementioned Marin on the transition play and despite a good effort, he wasn’t able to quite prevent a cross from going to Ponce for the shot Iago blocked off the line, but he was at least able to affect the shot. He wasn’t able to recover and pick up the wide-open Herrera on the rebound, however. Taifi passed at a 79% rate, recorded one tackle and two interceptions, and presented a cross-field target that went largely ignored by Orlando City when the ball was on the left, but he just didn’t impact the game in a significant way. He was replaced by Harvey Sarajian in the 80th minute.

MF, Iván Angulo, 5.5 — When Tyrese Spicer was on the field, he and Angulo were well-synced and brought some danger to the Orlando city attack. They played off each other well and either made runs to be on the receiving end or cleared space for the other while making opposing runs. Angulo had a nice through ball to Martin Ojeda in the 24th minute that Ojeda failed to put away. He passed at an 85% success rate and attempted one shot that went over the crossbar early in the second half. He also hustled back, as is his tool of the trade, and tried to disrupt the fast break that eventually led to the goal — he started 15 yards behind and was level with Lawrence Ennali by the time they got to Orlando’s penalty area — but it’s fair to point out that his blocked cross attempt ignited that counterattack in the first place. That wasn’t the only instance of Angulo hesitating just long enough to spoil his eventual decision, but it was the most costly. He finished with two key passes, one tackle, and a yellow card drawn on the Dynamo when trying to initiate a break.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 6.5 — The defensive Ojeda was the better Ojeda on the night against Houston. He worked well to link up the back to the front and found himself starting the Orlando possession often, with 12 recoveries on the night. It didn’t show up in tackles, as he wasn’t an enforcer, but he always seemed to be in a lot of right places. He was on the end of the deflected cross in the 66th minute that he put on frame that was saved into Iago’s feet for another blast that was blocked. He passed at a 92% accuracy rate and had one shot. He was one of the players defending the play that led to the goal but couldn’t find the right place to be, so that takes the grade down a bit.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 5 — I’m probably grading Atuesta too high. Time after time, Atuesta found himself on the ground watching as the play left him behind because of a missed tackle. When the goal play started, he dove in to try to dispossess Herrera, but he whiffed and couldn’t make it back to his defensive third to have any impact on the play. He was blown by in transition multiple times and mishit at least two passes to Tiago when the forward had shaken himself loose. He earned his yellow card with a harsh challenge. We’re all waiting to see the Atuesta who can hit the magical passes and at least be present in defense, but against the Dynamo, as in most nights this season, he wasn’t that. The numbers show three tackles with an 88% passing rate. He was replaced in the 90th minute by Ignacio Gomez while showing some shoulder discomfort.

MF, Tyrese Spicer, 6 — The eyes and the stats tell two different stories. The numbers show a 64% passing rate, two shots (both off target), no successful dribbles, and no successful crosses. This is where the disconnect may be. Spicer whipped a blistering pass across the face of the goal in the 45th minute that reached Tiago, who was unable to tap it in. That was one of his two key passes on the night. It was the most dangerous Orlando had been and would be until the very end, so he gets a little tick up in the grade for it. As I mentioned on Angulo’s notes, when the two were on the same side, Spicer made some intelligent runs which don’t show up on the stat sheet either. He was replaced by Justin Ellis in the 58th minute, presumably for minutes management coming off injury.

F, Martín Ojeda, 5.5 — My notes say “Invisible,” which isn’t fair because Martin Ojeda is rarely invisible. However, he’s not living up to the standards of last year, whether that’s because of the composition of the team or him taking a step back. He’s developed a dangerous corner kick delivery that is consistently challenging goalkeepers, and the scramble in the 66th minute was initiated off another dangerous Ojeda corner. He passed at an 88% clip, had an xA of 0.56, which is significant, one key pass and one one shot on target, but we expect more out of the Designated Player.

F, Tiago, 5.5 — The physical skills are there. The young Brazilian is finding open space with his pace. While fast, most of his runs came to nothing. Sometimes, that’s because his teammates fail to connect with his open runs, but that’s the life of a forward. When he does get the ball, it’s got to end up in the back of the net, especially when it’s on the end of a great cross that opened up everything at the back post. Unfortunately, he missed his chance in the 44th minute by blasting his shot off the woodwork. His passing graded out at a 77% rate and he attempted two shots, but you have to get them on target and finish chances when they arrive.

Substitutes

MF, Justin Ellis, (58′), 5.5 — The scoresheet says Ellis subbed in at the 58-minute mark for Spicer. I know I saw a number 22 running around somewhere at times. However, there was none of the skill he’s brought to OCB or the U-20 USMNT and he was mostly invisible. He just didn’t impact the game in any way. His one shot was on target, but it was a soft effort right at the goalkeeper that only rated 0.11 xG and had no shot of going in as it was hit tepidly and easily saved. He also complete five of his six passes.

WB/MF, Harvey Sarajian, (80′), N/A — The rookie did not play enough minutes to fairly issue him a grade in his MLS debut, but what I saw was someone who killed two attacks by losing his dribble to opponents twice. He completed almost twice as many passes as Ellis in half the time, but it was disappointing to see him turn the ball over.

MF, Ignacio Gomez (90′), N/A — The Orlando sideline scrambled for a sub when Atuesta motioned to the bench that he needed to come off for a shoulder injury. Gomez got the call, making his MLS debut. In the six minutes of stoppage time, he completed five passes, which is decent, but he also missed an open Martin Ojeda which could’ve sprung him loose.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 1-0 loss to Houston. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

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