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Orlando City at Charlotte FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s road shootout loss to Charlotte FC?

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8 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City was offensively challenged in a 0-0 road draw at Charlotte FC and the ensuing penalties that decide who “wins” best-of-three, first-round playoff games. Those challenges included the shootout, in which the Lions made one measly spot kick on four attempts.

Let’s take a look at the individual performances in this disappointing penalty kick loss.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 7 (MotM) — Orlando City might have lost in penalty kicks, but it only got that far thanks to a good night from Gallese. El Pulpo made three huge saves in the match to keep the Lions in the game. In addition to the saves, he did well in owning the box and distributing the ball. Gallese passed at a 76.5% rate on 17 passes with 27 touches. He was successful on four of his eight long balls. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to stop any of Charlotte’s three shots during penalties, guessing correctly once.

D, Rafael Santos, 5.5 — It was a mostly “blah” night for Santos. He was as anemic as the rest of the team in the first half, and most of the second half. He had the most touches of any player with 76, but only managed a 79.4% passing rate on 63 passes and struggled to get through balls to their intended targets to break lines. Santos was accurate on five of his 11 long balls and provided one cross. Defensively, he made two clearances and committed one foul. Santos came off for Kyle Smith in the 74th minute.

D, Robin Jansson, 5.5— I know that Jansson is the captain, but perhaps having a center back go second during penalty kicks isn’t the best decision. When Jansson sent his kick well over the crossbar, he all but guaranteed the return match at Inter&Co Stadium next weekend, as Nico Lodeiro had already seen his attempt saved. He also earned a yellow card for a foul against Patrick Agyemang in the 34th minute. That was the bad stuff. On the good side of the ledger, Jansson had 68 touches, passed at 91.7% rate on 60 passes, and connected on one of his five long balls. Defensively, he recorded two tackles, two clearances, and two interceptions.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Schlegel put in a decent shift on the back line. Defensively, he made three clearances, including one in the 26th minute to keep the ball away from Agyemang, and he made a crucial block in the box. Schlegel touched the ball 69 times with a passing rate of 91.4% on 58 passes, completing one of six long balls. He picked up a yellow card in second-half stoppage time which was his only foul committed.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 5.5 — It was a mixed bag for Thorhallsson in this match. He had one of the few shots taken by Orlando City, though it was not on target. He touched the ball 49 times and passed at an 88.6% rate on 35 passes. Thorhallsson had a few giveaways, although he also contributed two clearances on defense. He made way for David Brekalo in the 84th minute.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 — Cartagena was his usual good self. He patrolled the defensive midfield, stopping potential attacks throughout the match. The Peruvian touched the ball 59 times and passed at an 88.5% rate on 52 passes. More importantly, he finished with four tackles and three clearances defensively. He was a big reason that Charlotte didn’t put the ball in the back of the net before the penalties.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — Araujo put in a solid shift alongside Cartagena. Overall, he was good on the night, though he wasn’t as clean as he usually is, coughing up the ball occasionally. Araujo is also good at earning fouls, drawing three in the match. He managed 67 touches, passed at an 88.1% rate on 59 passes, and was successful on four of his five long balls. Defensively, he recorded one tackle and three clearances.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 5.5 — Angulo had the only shot attempt on target for the Lions in the match, coming on his only shot of the night. Frankly, there wasn’t much behind it, though. He managed 37 touches and passed at an 87.5% rate on 24 passes. He had the same problem that most of the offense had in this game. That problem was a lack of urgency in getting into the attack. It’s pretty telling that he didn’t manage to contribute any crosses. Angulo came off for Luis Muriel in the 88th minute.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 5.5 —  Ojeda was excellent in the first match against Charlotte, but he wasn’t really able to make a big difference in this one. It’s not that he was bad, as he passed at a 93.8% rate on 32 passes with a total of 40 touches. He connected on three of his four long balls and made three crosses. However, he did not take any shots nor provide any assists. Ojeda came off for Lodeiro in the 75th minute.

MF, Facundo Torres, 6.5 — Torres was average for most of the match. It wasn’t until Oscar Pareja made the late second-half substitutions that Torres really opened up. He didn’t manage to take a shot or provide an assist, though he did have one key pass. He passed at an 85.4% rate on 48 passes and connected on one of his four long balls. He was successful on one of his six crosses, most of which came late in the match. Torres had a bad giveaway in 49th minute that resulted in a chance for Agyemang, but it was saved by Gallese. Defensively, he contributed three clearances. Had the assistant referee’s flag stayed down for Lodeiro’s run, he would have scored a goal that likely would have pushed Orlando through to the next round, and although it was a well-struck shot, it ultimately doesn’t count.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 4.5 — Given how little offense Orlando City generated, it’s not surprising that Enrique didn’t do much in this match. The striker registered no shots or assists and only touched the ball 17 times. His passing rate wasn’t great at 44.4%, but to be fair, he only made nine passes. He managed to make one tackle and provide two clearances, committing one foul and drawing one foul. If you thought he was quiet in the previous match, he was practically invisible in this one. He was replaced by Duncan McGuire in the 56th minute.

Substitutes

F, Duncan McGuire (56’), 5 — McGuire provided a different look for Orlando City’s offense after coming on for Enrique, and he managed to get a shot off, though it wasn’t on target. He finished with just 15 touches, passing at a 55.6% rate on only nine passes. He contributed one clearance and one blocked shot on defense. Most importantly, his penalty kick was saved by Kristijan Kahlina to end the match. Overall, it was a forgettable performance, but his was by no means the only one.

D, Kyle Smith (75’), 5 — Smith came on in the 75th minute for Thorhallsson for defensive help. He seemed somewhat out of sync with his teammates, though he wasn’t horrible. He touched the ball 30 times and completed 78.3% of his 23 passes. Smith completed all three of his attempted long balls and had one key pass. He also didn’t record any defensive statistics in his time on the field. He did, however, help keep Charlotte off the board through the end of the match to send it to penalty kicks.

MF, Nico Lodeiro (75’), 5 — When Lodeiro replaced Ojeda, he was one of the subs that sparked the Lions’ offensive efforts. Though they didn’t get a goal, at least they looked dangerous in Charlotte’s half of the field. Lodeiro attempted four crosses, made one key pass, and was offside three times — this included the play that could have resulted in a late Torres goal. He touched the ball 20 times and completed 68.2% of his 22 passes. On the other hand, he got Orlando City off on the wrong foot in the penalty shootout when he left his shot too close to Kahlina and at a favorable height for the goalkeeper, who guessed correctly and made a good save.

D, David Brekalo (84’), N/A — Brekalo came on in the 88th minute for Thorhallsson as the Lions went to three center backs to see out the game. He only managed six touches, completing one of his two passes. However, he made two clearances, so that’s good.

F, Luis Muriel (88’), N/A — Muriel’s entrance was definitely too little, too late. He came on to help with penalty kicks, and he was the only one to score his attempt. He managed 10 touches and completed 100% of his seven passes.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Friday’s loss for the Lions. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/25/25

Orlando City and OCB play tonight, the Club World Cup continues, and more.

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13 minutes ago

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June 25, 2025

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Image courtesy of Victor Tan / New Day

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It is a busy week here at The Mane Land. Orlando City and Orlando City B play tonight, there are FIFA Club World Cup matches, Concacaf Gold Cup, and USWNT friendlies. It’s a lot, but it also means there’s a ton of soccer to watch, which is a good thing. Let’s get to the links.

Go West, Orlando City

Orlando City heads to Missouri to take on St. Louis City FC tonight. The Lions will be without Alex Freeman (international duty) and Rodrigo Schlegel (yellow card accumulation). Orlando City will need to deal with St. Louis City striker Joao Klauss while finding goals on the road. This is a must-watch midweek match. We will have a preview later today, and you should also listen to The Mane Land PawedCast to prepare.

Orlando City B Returns Home vs. Toronto FC II

Orlando City B hosts Toronto FC II at Osceola County Stadium tonight. Like the first team, we will have coverage for you. The Young Lions are coming off a two-week break after a loss to Carolina Core FC. It will be interesting to see which OCB shows up for the match. You can watch the match on mlsnextpro.com.

Club World Cup, Orlando-Style

There might not be as many people in the seats at the Club World Cup as FIFA would like, but Orlando is still a big part of it. The group stage finishes this week as the competition heads into the Round of 16. There’s a ton of prize money up for all the competitors no matter where they are currently in the standings. Our Michael Citro was at Camping World Stadium last night to cover LAFC vs. Flamengo in Group D.

USMNT News

The USMNT will face Costa Rica Sunday in a Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinal match in Minneapolis. Malik Tillman has been a bright spot on the roster, though Orlando City fans will be watching Freeman. The perpetual search for a consistent striker continues for the USMNT, though Patrick Agyemang may be the answer — at least for now.

Free Kicks

  • There’s nothing quite like having your number retired after playing for a team for two whole years after playing for another club for six years. It is especially special when the new club has been in existence for a whole four years. Congratulations to former Orlando Pride forward Alex Morgan.

Jesse Marsch cleared of all allegations by Concacaf.MORE: news.canadasoccer.com/jesse-marsch…

— CANMNT (@canmntofficial.bsky.social) 2025-06-24T03:22:25.639Z
  • After the Gold Cup, Agyemang may be making the move from Charlotte FC to Derby County.

🚨🐏 Excl: Derby County are closing in on deal to sign 24 year old striker Patrick Agyemang from Charlotte FC. Talks underway with player’s green light already in place.

— Fabrizio Romano (MIRROR) (@fabrizioromano.yopro20.com) 2025-06-24T23:28:28.124048+00:00
  • You may have seen that the USWNT is celebrating Pride month with rainbow numbers on the team jerseys. I am a supporter and ally, but it means even more to the players.

That will do it for today. Make sure you check back later for our match coverage. You can also follow our live coverage on Bluesky. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/24/25

Orlando City’s upward aspirations, Tim Weah reportedly set for transfer, Club World Cup roundup, and more.

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1 day ago

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June 24, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, everyone. We’ve got a busy week ahead of us with the Club World Cup approaching the end of the group stage, OCB at home on Wednesday, and Orlando City back in action with a pair of games. That means we have plenty to talk about, so let’s get straight into today’s links.

Orlando City’s Lofty Goals

Kyle Smith took some time after training on Monday to speak to the media and shed some light on where OCSC is at right now. The utility player was candid in saying he believes this year’s team is the best one he’s seen since he’s been with the club, and that’s saying something considering he’s the longest-tenured player on the team. Smith said the team is focused on climbing higher in the standings and that the two recent breaks will help the team do just that. He emphasized the importance of handling extra time off between games the right way by making sure the players are taking care of their bodies, getting in the gym, and recovering afterwards. That sort of professionalism paid off in the 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids, so hopefully the same is true of Wednesday’s game against St. Louis City.

Tim Weah Reportedly on the Move

Nottingham Forest has reportedly agreed a deal with Juventus to sign Tim Weah and fellow Juve player Samuel Mbangula for roughly €22 million. That being said, personal terms have not yet been agreed upon with Weah, and that will likely take some time, since he’s playing for them at the Club World Cup, and the Italian side is probably keen to minimize outside distractions. Weah broke out with Lille during a four-season spell with the French side, earning a move to Juventus in 2023 as a result.

Club World Cup Roundup

The Club World Cup continues to roll on, as the tournament entered its final round of group stage games on Monday. Atletico Madrid became the first big name to exit the competition, as it beat Botafogo 1-0 to finish level with the Brazilians on six points but will be going home due to having worse goal difference. Atletico needed to win by at least three in order to overtake Botafogo in the standings and might have managed it if not for some poor finishing. In Group B’s other game, Paris Saint-Germain took down the Seattle Sounders 2-0 to finish top of the group. Seattle was given a brutal draw and accounted itself as well as can be expected, but ultimately, the Sounders exit the competition without picking up a point.

Club World Cup Takeaways

Speaking of the Club World Cup, what are some of the impressions so far of the expanded tournament? There have been plenty of good things, as teams have been taking it seriously with strong lineups, and barring the outlier that is Auckland City, no one team has been consistently getting shelled. On the other hand, making the jump from six teams to 32 simply feels like too much too soon, and that’s probably contributed to fluctuating levels of interest from local fans. High ticket prices and games starting in the heat of the day haven’t helped much either, as weather conditions have been a recurring concern among both fans and players. The competition is still a net positive overall, but there are certainly some things to learn from and improve upon next time around.

Free Kicks

  • Check out some of the scenes from the Lions’ training session on Monday.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/23/25

Pride fall to Racing Louisville, Seb Hines and Giles Barnes share insight on path to success in Orlando, USMNT defeats Haiti, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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June 23, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy working and catching up with friends over the past week. Before we get started, let’s wish a belated happy birthday to Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter, who turned 41 on Saturday. The Pride was the lone team in action over the weekend, while the Lions and OCB were off. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Pride Fall at Racing Louisville

The Orlando Pride fell to Racing Louisville 2-0 Friday at Lynn Family Stadium. Arin Wright scored the opening goal in the first half, and former Pride midfielder Taylor Flint converted a penalty kick for Racing Louisville. The Pride struggled offensively and failed to capitalize on their scoring chances. Orlando’s struggles in Louisville continue, as the club is winless in five matches at Lynn Family Stadium. The Pride will be on a long break, and their next match will be Aug. 3, taking on the Utah Royals at Inter&Co Stadium.

Seb Hines, Giles Barnes Share Insight on Path to Success in Orlando

Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines and Assistant Coach Giles Barnes were featured in an interview in The Guardian. Both Hines and Barnes shared insight into their longtime friendship, which began with playing in English youth international camps, their different paths to playing in Major League Soccer, and how they became involved in coaching. Hines discussed his time as interim manager of the Pride in 2022 and how he brought in Barnes to help change the club’s culture. Hines and Barnes helped change the perception of the club and led the Pride to winning both the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship last season.

USMNT Defeats Haiti to Win Group D in Gold Cup

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Haiti 2-1 Sunday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, in their final match in the group stage of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. The USMNT finished atop its group with three wins and nine points. Orlando City defender Alex Freeman made his third consecutive start and played 90 minutes.

Malik Tillman scored the opening goal 10 minutes into the match to give the USMNT the early lead. Haiti tied the match not long after Tillman’s goal. In the second half, Patrick Agyemang pulled the USMNT back in front. The USMNT advances to the quarterfinals as the group winner and will play its next match Sunday against the Group A runner-up which was the late game Sunday night and had yet to conclude as of this writing.

Club World Cup Weekend Recap

Another weekend of matches from the FIFA Club World Cup is in the books. On Friday, Benfica crushed Auckland City FC 6-0, while Flamengo beat Chelsea 3-1. LAFC was eliminated from advancing to the knockout round after a 1-0 defeat to ES Tunis. Bayern Munich edged Boca Juniors 2-1. On Saturday, Borussia Dortmund defeated Mamelodi Sundowns 4-3. Inter Milan needed a late stoppage-time winning goal from Valentin Carboni to edge Urawa Red Diamonds 2-1. Fluminense beat Ulsan HD 4-2, and River Plate and Monterrey ended in a scoreless draw. On Sunday, Juventus cruised to a 4-1 win over Wydad Casablanca. Xabi Alonso secured his first win as manager of Real Madrid with a 3-1 victory against Pachuca. Red Bull Salzburg and Al-Hilal played to a scoreless draw, with Manchester City playing Al-Ain in the late match Sunday. Today’s matches feature Atletico Madrid facing Botafogo, the Seattle Sounders hosting Paris Saint-Germain, FC Porto vs. Al Ahly, and Inter Miami taking on Palmeiras.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride midfielder Ally Lemos and forward Simone Jackson have been called-up to the U-23 U.S. Women’s National Team. The U-23 camp will be led by Orlando Pride Assistant Coach Yolanda Thomas.

USL Championship side San Antonio FC has signed former Orlando City defender Abdi Salim to a 25-day contract.

San Diego Wave winger Maria Sanchez has reportedly reach an agreement to return to her former club, Tigres of Liga MX Femenil, on a four-year contract.

Paul Pogba is reportedly set to return to playing soccer and has signed a two-year contract with Ligue 1 side AS Monaco.

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

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