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

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-0 win over Atlanta United?

Published

2 years ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

It was a historic day at Inter&Co Stadium as Orlando City defeated Atlanta United 1-0 to advance to the Eastern Conference final of the MLS Cup playoffs for the first time in club history. A 39th-minute goal by Ramiro Enrique held up while the Lions defended several opposing chances in the second half. Upsets earlier in the playoffs and Minnesota United’s elimination Sunday night mean the Lions will play at home one more time this season.

Let’s take a look at how the players did individually in this memorable win.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — Atlanta didn’t put any of its eight shots on target in this game, so there wasn’t any shot stopping for Gallese. However, he made a crucial play in the 75th minute when Saba Lobjanidze played the ball into the box for a wide open Xande Silva, who had beaten Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Gallese came off his line to intercept the pass, saving an almost certain equalizer. In addition to that key interception, Gallese completed 63.2% of his 19 passes, including seven of his 14 long balls on the way to his third clean sheet of the playoffs.

D, Rafael Santos, 7 (MotM) — Santos had a team-high 83 touches in this game and completed 90% of his team-high 60 passes with two key passes. He completed two of his four crosses and six of his seven long balls. Defensively, the left back recorded a tackle, an interception, and four clearances. It was one of Santos’ best performances before he was replaced by David Brekalo in the 90th minute, and he gets my Man of the Match.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — Making his 200th appearance for Orlando City, the club captain had 59 touches and completed 88.5% of his 52 passes, including four of his five long balls. He had a team-high three interceptions, three clearances, one block, and an aerial duel won. The center back was a major reason why Gallese didn’t have to make any saves.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 7 — Schlegel was also terrific in this game, touching the ball 64 times while completing 92.6% of his 54 passes and four of his five long balls. He recorded a team-high six clearances, blocked a shot, and won two aerial duels.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 5.5 — Thorhallsson was the least involved of the four defenders, touching the ball 38 times and completing 81% of his 21 passes. He didn’t convert either of his two crosses and only one of his four long balls. The right back recorded two tackles, an interception, and two clearances, while his only shot missed the target. He was lucky not to be at fault for an equalizer when he was beaten into the box by Silva in the 75th minute. Fortunately, Gallese made an excellent play. It was the last play by Thorhallsson, as Kyle Smith replaced him in the 79th minute.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 — It was a little surprising that Cartagena stayed out of the book in the final game against Charlotte, making him eligible for this one. The defensive midfielder didn’t disappoint, touching the ball 55 times and completing 91.1% of his 45 passes, including three of his four long balls. His one shot forced Brad Guzan into a save and he was active defensively, recording a tackle and five clearances.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — The other half of the defensive midfield was also solid in this game, touching the ball 66 times and completing 92.3% of his 52 passes, including six of his eight long balls. His only shot was off target, but he won three tackles.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo touched the ball 40 times on the left wing and completed 83.3% of his 24 passes including a key pass. However, he didn’t connect on either of his two crosses. He put one of his two shots on target, and he helped defensively with two tackles and a clearance. The midfielder was replaced by Nico Lodeiro in a 79th-minute defensive change. 

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6 — Ojeda also touched the ball 40 times, but only completed 76.9% of his 26 passes. However, he had three key passes, connecting on three of his seven crosses and three of his five long balls. His only shot was off target and he didn’t record any defensive statistics before being replaced by Duncan McGuire in the 69th minute.

MF, Facundo Torres, 6.5 — Torres was the most involved of the attacking midfielders, touching the ball 66 times. He completed 87.3% of his 55 passes, including three key passes. While he didn’t connect on either of his two crosses, he completed five of his six long balls. His only shot was off target and he recorded a clearance.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 6.5 — Enrique touched the ball 22 times while completing 88.9% of his nine passes, including a key pass. His shining moment came in the 39th minute, when a corner kick was knocked down and he was the first to react, putting it past Guzan for the winning goal. He took five shots in the game and put two on target before being replaced by Luis Muriel in the 69th minute.

Substitutes

F, Duncan McGuire (69’), 5.5 — McGuire came on for Ojeda in the 69th minute and struggled in his appearance. He touched the ball 17 times, completing 75% of his 12 passes, including a key pass. He was dispossessed once and had two unsuccessful touches in his 21 minutes, though he did win an aerial duel.

F, Luis Muriel (69’), 6 — Muriel was the better of the two attacking substitutions in the 69th minute, coming on for Enrique. The Colombian touched the ball 28 times and completed 76.2% of his 21 touches, including three of his four long balls, recording one key pass. His lone shot was off target (blocked), and he won a pair of aerial duels.

D, Kyle Smith (79’), 6 — Smith came on for Thorhallsson in the 79th minute in a defensive change. He touched the ball nine times while completing 87.5% of his eight passes, including one of his two long balls. He came on for his defensive skills and recorded a clearance in the late moments of the game.

MF, Nico Lodeiro (79’), 6 — Entering with Smith, Lodeiro replaced Angulo in another defensive change. The veteran touched the ball 12 times and completed eight of his 10 passes (80%), including his only long ball. His purpose on the field was to help the team see out the game and he recorded a tackle in that effort.

D, David Brekalo (90’), N/A — Brekalo came on in the 90th minute for Santos to add some more defense in the team. He touched the ball four times and completed two of his three passes (66.7%) while recording a clearance defensively.

That’s how I saw Orlando City’s 1-0 win over Atlanta United in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote on the Man of the Match.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions welcome San Diego FC to Orlando for the first meeting ever between the two clubs.

Published

12 hours ago

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September 5, 2026

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Image of Joran Gerbet playing against Minnesota United.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (7-11-4, 25 points) and San Diego FC (8-8-6, 30 points) at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the first-ever meeting between these two teams from different conferences

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

As mentioned above, tonight’s meeting between the Lions and San Diego is the first in the series history, so there is no history. The Lions are 2-2-1 against Western Conference teams this season, which means little to nothing in this particular match, and San Diego is going to be Orlando City’s final opponent from the opposite conference in MLS regular-season play this season.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a wild 3-3 road draw at Minnesota United a week ago, in which Daryl Dike and Antoine Griezmann scored on either side of halftime on Orlando’s first two shot attempts to put their team up 2-0 in the 64th minute. Minnesota stormed back with three goals off defensive errors in a four-minute span to take a late 3-2 lead. Just when the Loons appeared to be headed for all three points, Tyrese Spicer scored in stoppage time, forcing Minnesota to split the points. Orlando has a modest 1-0-1 unbeaten streak entering tonight, and the Lions are 5-4-2 at home in 2026.

San Diego is coming off a 3-1 home win over the LA Galaxy despite having Jeppe Tverskov sent off. Tonight’s visitors have won two straight games, but both were at home. They lost their last home game 3-1 at Portland on Aug. 19 and are 2-5-3 away from home this season.

The key for Orlando City tonight will be to mark Anders Dreyer, which is far easier said than done, as he has emerged as one of the league’s best playmakers. His eight goals and 11 assists give him 19 total goal contributions to lead his team. Marcus Ingvartsen is Dreyer’s favorite teammate to combine with, as the Danish forward has converted 11 times, leading San Diego in goals, and has added five assists. However, Ingvartsen is listed as out with a lower body injury. Midfielder Onni Valakari has chipped in four goals and seven assists.

“We respect San Diego, but as well we prepare our game,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “We know how strong we are, especially at home, so now we go.”

Orlando City will be without Braian Ojeda (foot) and Adrian Marin (thigh), while Bernardo Rhein (thigh), has been upgraded to questionable. San Diego will be without the aforementioned Ingvartsen (lower body) and Tverskov (suspension).

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Joran Gerbet, Eduard Atuesta, Justin Ellis.

Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Daryl Dike.

Bench: Javier Otero, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Tiago, Marco Pasalic, Martin Ojeda, Tyrese Spicer.

San Diego FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: C.J. dos Santos.

Defenders: Kieran Sargeant, Ian Murphy, Manu Duah, Oscar Verhoeven.

Midfielders: Gabriel Pirani, Anibal Godoy, Alejandro Alvarado.

Forwards: Elias Achouri, Onni Valakari, Anders Dreyer.

Bench: Duran Ferree, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Christopher McVey, Bryan Zamble, David Vazquez, Ian Pilcher, Alex Mighten, Bryce Duke, Amahl Pellegrino.

Referees:

REF: Joe Dickerson.
AR1: Corey Parker.
AR2: Justin Howard.
4TH: Rodrigo Albuquerque.
VAR: Daniel Radford.
AVAR: Jeff Muschik.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Three Keys to Victory

Here’s what Orlando needs to do in order to return to winning ways against San Diego.

Published

1 day ago

on

September 4, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After the disappointment of two dropped points against Minnesota on Saturday, Orlando City is back home with an opportunity to get things back on track. The Lions need to keep picking up points if they want to keep pace in an increasingly crowded Eastern Conference, and Saturday’s game is a good chance to start September off on the right note. San Diego FC stands in the way of that good start, and what follows are three things that I believe Orlando needs to do in order to emerge victorious from this game.

Stay Strong on the Left

The left side of the defense has been a question mark for the Lions for much of the year. Adrian Marin, Bernardo Rhein, and Zakaria Taifi have all spent time at left back lately and have done so with varying degrees of success. Regardless of who suits up there on Saturday, that area of the field will be under scrutiny once again, since they’ll be tasked with stopping San Diego right winger Anders Dreyer. He has eight goals and 11 assists in 21 appearances this year, has played 60 key passes during that time, and is generally the lynchpin through which the San Diego offense operates. He hasn’t quite been on the same pace that saw him bag 19 goals and 19 assists in the regular season last year, but with four goal contributions in his last three MLS appearances, he’s extremely capable of wreaking havoc from the wing. A lot of the goals OCSC has conceded lately have come down the left side of the defense, and if that area of the field can’t be taken care of better, the Lions will likely be in for a difficult night.

Do Damage in Transition

Orlando’s current style of positionless, fluid, attacking soccer is at its best when it comes up against teams that want to come out and play. It struggles mightily against defensive bunkers but shines when the Lions can get out and run, target open spaces, and combine with teammates in unexpected areas. Fortunately for OCSC (in theory), San Diego is a team that likes to have the ball, as it has the highest average possession in the league. That means the Lions will have opportunities to force turnovers and break the other way at pace. In order to make that happen though, OCSC will need to be both disciplined and effective when it comes to applying its press. Then, if/when the Lions win the ball, correct decision-making and clinical execution in the final third will be key to avoid letting any chances slip through their fingers (paws?).

Clean Up the Self-Inflicted Errors

Orlando has dealt with more than its fair share of general defensive struggles this year, but avoidable errors have been a particular problem in recent weeks. Whether it’s been an ill-advised challenge, passing to the opposition in the defensive third, or leaving men unmarked in the box, unnecessary mistakes have cost OCSC points time and again. Against lesser opposition it hasn’t always mattered, as the Lions were able to rescue three points against Real Salt Lake, but if Orlando wants to make a playoff push, it needs to make a habit of playing cleaner games, plain and simple. San Diego is a good team with dangerous offensive players, and Saturday’s visitors will very likely take advantage of any opportunities that the Lions gift-wrap for them. Keeping things mistake-free will go a long way.

We’ve got ample proof this season that nothing is guaranteed, but if the Lions can lock down the left side of the defense, make hay in transition moments, and limit unforced errors, then they should be in a good position to take all three points from Saturday’s game. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 9/4/26

Martin Ojeda details his recovery from injury, Anna Moorhouse loaned to Manchester City, Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup journey, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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September 4, 2026

By

Image of Martin Ojeda celebrating a goal against New England.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Three straight days of Orlando soccer starts tonight with Orlando City B’s road match against Inter Miami II at 7 p.m. Hopefully, Orlando’s teams do well over the next few days as crunch time is upon us when it comes to making the playoffs, especially for MLS NEXT Pro. For now though, let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Prepares for San Diego FC

Orlando City will take on San Diego FC on Saturday in the first-ever game between the two clubs, and one of the storylines to keep an eye on is how much Martin Ojeda plays as he works his way back from injury. The Designated Player came off the bench late in Orlando’s 3-3 draw against Minnesota United in his first appearance since May 23. Not often injured, Ojeda spoke on how being off the field for over a month has shifted his perspective while training to return.

“You learn to value the moment much more. You learn to value every training session because, when you’re training on your own and you’re not available to your teammates, you feel uncomfortable,” Ojeda said. “You value being healthy more. It’s like everything in life. When you feel good, you live life almost on autopilot, so to speak. You go to work, you go home, you come back, you sleep. However, when you or someone close to you goes through an illness or something like that, you value the moment much more and become more conscious of what you’re experiencing.”

Pride Loan Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City through January of 2027. Moorhouse joined the Pride prior to the 2022 season and helped the club win both the NWSL Championship and Shield in 2024. However, she has struggled this year alongside the rest of the Pride’s defense. Moorhouse hasn’t played in the past two games for the Pride, with Cosette Morche starting in her place. Her current contract with the Pride lasts through the 2027 NWSL season, so we’ll have to wait and see what her future with the club is when the loan ends.

Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup Journey

Between the World Cup, regular season, and Leagues Cup this summer, it can be easy to forget that Orlando City is still in contention to win this year’s U.S. Open Cup. The Lions are in the semifinals of the tournament after crushing Atlanta United 4-1 in the quarterfinals back on May 19. The Lions won much tighter affairs prior to that win, with Javier Otero coming up with seven saves in a 1-0 win over FC Naples and Zakaria Taifi scoring in stoppage time to beat the New England Revolution 4-3 in the following match. Orlando will be on the road for its semifinal match against the Columbus Crew on Sept. 16, but the offense has received a boost due to the arrivals of Antoine Griezmann and Daryl Dike this summer.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

MLS signings continue to pour in as teams look to improve their squads for the rest of this season and beyond. The Colorado Rapids signed Ghanaian winger Ibrahim Sadiq from AZ Alkmaar, where he recorded 18 goals and seven assists in 85 appearances across three seasons with the Dutch club. San Diego also added an attacker by signing forward Cedric Bakambu, who joins as a free agent after playing at Real Betis. As for other notable moves from across the league, Real Salt Lake signed winger Dusan Zagar as an MLS U22 Initiative player, forward Lyle Foster joined the Houston Dynamo on loan, and the Columbus Crew continued to improve on offense by signing Moroccan winger Anass Zaroury on loan from Panathinaikos.

Free Kicks

  • Former Orlando Pride player Christina Burkenroad is retiring from professional soccer and Monterrey will have Saturday’s game against Toluca be a send-off match for her.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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