Orlando City
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?
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.
Orlando City
Orlando City Relies on Starters More Than Any Other MLS Team
An analysis of Óscar Pareja’s early lineup choices and substitution patterns and how that compares to the 2024 season.
Legendary swordsman Inigo Montoya, a man who is not lefthanded, once opened a conversation by asking the Dread Pirate Roberts if, by any chance, he had six fingers on his right hand. Nobody will need to prepare to die by the end of this column, but I will ask a similar question: I don’t mean to pry, but did you by any chance happen to realize that we are already more than one-sixth of the way through the MLS regular season? Six fingers, one-sixth of the season…close enough. Let’s go.
Time flies when you are having fun, and somehow Orlando City has already played 540 minutes of MLS soccer this season. I consider 500 minutes played to be a cutoff amount when looking at player and lineup performance, and with the conclusion of the most recent game in Los Angeles, the team has now surpassed that 500-minute threshold.
In looking at the opening 540 minutes, I was surprised to see how much continuity I found in the minutes played, considering how many injuries the Lions have had to work around during these first six games. In just the first six games, Orlando City has already had full games missed due to injury by César Araujo (1), David Brekalo (2), Robin Jansson (2), Duncan McGuire (3) and Nico Rodriguez (5). Brekalo and Pedro Gallese both missed a game for international duty as well. McGuire was not expected back during the first set of games, but all of those other players, with the possible exception of Rodriguez, were expected to contribute during the early part of the season.
These absences led to games where the substitutes list was full of players who will play big minutes for Orlando City B this year, but not players who Óscar Pareja was likely to turn to off the bench unless the game was out of hand or he was absolutely desperate. According to Opta’s tracking through the opening six games, Orlando City ranks last in MLS in the average minutes played by its substitutes, as the average amount of time per appearance for the players off the bench for the Lions is only 12 minutes. For context, 16 teams have an average amount of time per substitute appearance of 20 minutes or greater, and Inter Miami and Toronto are tied with a league-leading 27 minutes per substitute appearance.
The interesting thing about those two teams, Miami and Toronto, is that Miami leads the league in points per match with 2.6 and Toronto is second from the bottom with a scant 0.33 points per match. I think a lot of this data will even out over time, as right now there are several teams, including Miami, that are playing in multiple competitions and trying to keep players fresh for all of their matches.
When it comes to Orlando City, however, that is not the case, and thus far there has just been the standard one game per week on six consecutive Saturdays. The players are rested for each game. The issue has just been that Pareja has not had the depth and variety of players he thought he would have to bring off the bench to protect a lead or chase a deficit.
We often joke in articles or on The Mane Land PawedCast about how “Óscar gonna Óscar,” and once he finds a lineup he likes, he sticks with it. Even with all the injuries he has somehow managed to do this again this season, as you can see from the chart below. I started tracking lineup data last season, and even though the 2025 season is only six games old and there have been so many absences from key players this season, it was striking to see that the 11-man lineup that has played the most minutes together this season already outranks all but two lineups from the entire 2024 MLS season (including the five playoff games!):
Now, it is a little unfair to the one 2025 lineup on the above chart that it has such a negative goal differential per 90 minutes, because if it is only the 10 field players, with goalkeeper excluded, then that lineup has played 215 minutes together and has a +0.84 goal differential per 90 minutes. That group is +4 with Javier Otero in net in 74 minutes together, and removing the goalkeepers from the calculation turns that negative goal differential into a positive.
What that also tells us, however, is that when it comes to the 10 field players, Pareja has played the same unit in the field for 40% (215/540) of the team’s minutes already. Granted it is early in the season, but after six MLS games last season, the lineup that had played together the most had played a grand total of 74 minutes together (14% of all minutes). The top five most used lineups in last season’s opening six MLS games combined to play 302 minutes, or 56% of all minutes, and in 2025 it is 402 minutes, or 80%. My math, and everyone else’s math, says that is a much higher percentage and indicates that the team is focused on continuity early.
That continuity thus far this season has paid dividends, with the Lions earning 10 points from the first six games, twice as nice as last season’s five points after the first six games. Last year, the team was balancing midweek Concacaf Champions Cup games in addition to injuries and an international break during the opening weeks of the MLS season, so there were some good reasons for the lineup rotation and the slow start. This year’s squad will have to navigate two upcoming cup tournaments in the coming months, and so we likely will see a lot of new lineup configurations or more rotation once the U.S. Open Cup starts in May and then again when Leagues Cup starts in July.
Thus far though, Pareja has been able to stick with his starters deep into matches, and has only given playing time to 20 players, which is tied for third fewest across all of MLS. Fan bases often clamor for the coach to “play the kids,” but while Pareja has had young and inexperienced players on the senior roster for every game, he really has only given significant minutes to Alex Freeman from the group of players that could be referred to as “the kids.” Gustavo Caraballo has played nine minutes, which is incredible for a 16-year-old (15-year-old Cavan Sullivan of Philadelphia is the only player younger than Caraballo to have played this season, and he has also played only nine minutes), and new signing Nico Rodriguez (20 years old) has played 11 minutes, but the next three youngest players to play are all at least 22 and were with the senior club last season (Otero and Ramiro Enrique) or came to the club after four seasons of college soccer (23-year-old, but nearly 24-year-old, Joran Gerbet).
The team’s record thus far shows that Pareja has been right to limit the minutes to the small group of players he trusts, and with one game per week for the next six weeks it will be interesting to see if the early trend of starters playing long minutes and only a few players getting all the minutes off the bench continues. The next match is on the road against Philadelphia, which so rudely came into Orlando and defeated the Lions 4-2 in the season opener, and my expectation is that while we likely will not see any players make their season debut in this game, I do think we will see a different starting lineup than the season opener and probably a different one than the game last weekend against the Galaxy.
No matter who the Lions go with, I am sure they will want to avenge the season-opening loss and bring three points back home to Orlando.
As we wish.
Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City
Orlando City at Philadelphia Union: Three Keys to Victory
What do the Lions need to do to earn all three points on the road against Philly?
Orlando City is on the road yet again, this time heading to Pennsylvania to take on the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park Saturday night. The Lions will look to get a second road win in a row after the smash-and-grab victory against the LA Galaxy. Things don’t get any easier with the Union sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference, but a win would catapult Orlando City above Philadelphia in the standings. Here’s what Orlando City needs to do to earn all three points against the Philadelphia Union.
Tie up Tai
Tai Baribo leads the way-too-early-to-call Golden Boot race with six goals in five matches. The Union striker has taken 13 shots, putting eight on target and the aforementioned six in the back of the net. He scored a brace in the season opener against Orlando to bag a third of those goals. It’s a pretty easy call to say stopping the league leader in goals is an important part of shutting down the Philadelphia attack.
It will be up to Cesar Araujo and whichever center back pairing we get to shut Baribo down. Of course, he’s not the only one the Lions need to worry about since the Union also have striker Mikael Uhre, and midfielders Daniel Gazdag and Jovan Lukic providing goals and assists. The point is that Philadelphia is second only to the Lions in offensive production with 13 goals compared to Orlando City’s 15 goals.
Formation Change
In the last match against the LA Galaxy, the Lions struggled to get things going with Luis Muriel up top, Ojeda at the No. 10 spot and Ivan Angulo on the left. Once Duncan McGuire came on, Muriel shifted back, Ojeda went wide, and Angulo subbed off. That really opened up the attack and allowed the Lions to get the two goals needed to secure the victory.
Perhaps Oscar Pareja could start things off like that against Philadelphia. Angulo hasn’t been great the last few matches, and perhaps some time on the bench will get his head straight. McGuire is still early in his return from injury, but Ramiro Enrique can start up top with Big Dunc coming in later as he has the last few matches. I think making this change could help Orlando City get an early goal on the road.
Vengeance is Thine
When the two teams met on opening day, the Union dropped four goals on Orlando City in Inter&Co Stadium. You would think it a completely dominating performance, but the Lions actually had more shots, more shots on target, and more possession than the Union. Philadelphia simply put each of its four shots on target past Pedro Gallese. That type of luck is unlikely to happen again.
Since that time, the Orlando City defense has stiffened — at least a little bit — and the team has been more difficult to break down. I’m not saying the defense is as stalwart as last season, but it has improved. Orlando City needs to use that four-goal drubbing at the hands of the Union to galvanize the defense to enact revenge with a multi-goal victory of its own.
That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 4/3/25
Martin Ojeda in the MLS MVP mix early, Orlando Pride players won’t play for Zambia this window, Tierna Davidson out for the NWSL season, and more.
How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope this week has been going well for you as we gear up for a busy Saturday filled to the brim with soccer to enjoy. Despite my blender’s protests, I’ve finally figured out how to make frozen coconut mojitos and plan on having those get me through the rest of the week. Before we dive into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy 28th birthday to Orlando City legend Rodrigo Schlegel!
Martin Ojeda’s MVP Credentials
Orlando City’s Martin Ojeda placed second in Sacha Kljestan’s MLS MVP power rankings this week. With four goals and three assists so far this season, Ojeda leads the league in goal contributions and is a major reason why the Lions have scored a league-high 15 goals. It’s great to see the 26-year-old take the reins of the offense after Facundo Torres’ departure. Inter Miami’s Luis Suarez tops Kljestan’s rankings, despite only having a goal in five games this season. Tai Baribo, Evander, and Lionel Messi round out the top five in what could be an interesting MVP race this year.
Pride Players Won’t Join Zambia For International Duty
Zambia will be without four NWSL players when it takes part in the Yongchuan International Tournament in China this month. Along with Bay FC forward Rachael Kundananji, Orlando Pride trio Barbra Banda, Grace Chanda, and Prisca Chilufya were withdrawn from international duty, with the Football Association of Zambia stating it was due to additional travel measures by the current U.S. administration. FAZ General Secretary Reuben Kamanga expects the quartet to be available for future matches and both Banda and Kundananji played in friendlies in Zambia in February. Restrictions like this may limit the appeal of the NWSL to foreign players in the future.
Fan Banned For Hateful Language Towards Banda
NJ/NY Gotham FC announced that the fan who directed hateful language towards Banda has been banned following an investigation that included interviewing witnesses and reviewing security footage. The incident took place at the Pride’s match against Gotham on March 23 at Sports Illustrated Stadium. The fan was found to be in violation of the NWSL Code of Conduct and their season ticket was revoked as well. Gotham also encouraged fans to report inappropriate behavior through the team’s encrypted text message service to inform the stadium’s incident management team.
USWNT Defender Tierna Davidson Out for the NWSL Season
American center back Tierna Davidson will miss the remainder of the 2025 NWSL season after tearing the ACL in her left knee in the club’s draw against the Houston Dash. It’s tough news for her, Gotham, and the United States Women’s National Team, as she captains the NWSL club and featured heavily in the Olympics last year. Davidson sustained an ACL injury in her right knee back in 2022, which contributed to her missing out on the 2023 World Cup. Gisele Thompson replaced Davidson for the USWNT’s upcoming friendlies with Brazil, and Pride defender Emily Sams will likely receive more playing time as the team prepares for the 2027 World Cup.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City received $100,000 in General Allocation Money in exchange for former academy goalkeeper Zack Campagnolo’s Homegrown Player rights. The Lions will receive another $100,000 in GAM if conditions are met, and they retain a sell-on percentage if Campagnolo is transferred.
- San Diego FC added Milan Iloski on loan from FC Nordsjaelland in Denmark through July of this year. Iloski is a San Diego native and won the USL Golden Boot for Orange County SC in 2022.
- New England Revolution midfielder Carles Gil won MLS Goal of the Matchday for his free kick against the New York Red Bulls.
- El Farolito SC, which is named after a burrito chain and bar local to San Francisco, has reached the third round of the U.S. Open Cup for the second straight year. The National Premier Soccer League side took down Monterey Bay FC to reach this point of the tournament.
- Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 to book its ticket to the Copa del Rey final, where it will face rival Real Madrid on April 26.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a terrific Thursday and rest of your week!
Orlando City Relies on Starters More Than Any Other MLS Team
Orlando City at Philadelphia Union: Three Keys to Victory
Lion Links: 4/3/25
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