Orlando City
Orlando City Announces Roster Decisions Following 2024 Season
The club has announced roster decisions and contract statuses as it heads into the off-season.
Orlando City has announced roster decisions made and the status of all players following the 2024 Major League Soccer season. The club already had 18 players under contract for the 2025 season, and the Lions exercised options on eight more. Two players are out of contract — one with whom the club is negotiating for a potential return — and five players had their option years declined.
The 18 players who were already under contract for the 2025 season include forwards Ivan Angulo, Ramiro Enrique, Duncan McGuire, Luis Muriel, Facundo Torres, and Yutaro Tsukada; midfielders Heine Gikling Bruseth, Wilder Cartagena, Favian Loyola, Shak Mohammed, Martin Ojeda, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson; defenders David Brekalo, Alex Freeman, Michael Halliday, Robin Jansson, and Tahir Reid-Brown; and backup goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar.
Options based on performance were triggered automatically for goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and midfielders Cesar Araujo and Nico Lodeiro. The Lions also exercised options on forward Jack Lynn; defenders Rafael Santos, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Thomas Williams; and goalkeeper Javier Otero.
Two players saw their contracts expire following the 2024 MLS season. Felipe’s deal expired after two seasons with the Lions and Kyle Smith’s contract expired following his sixth season with the club. The club announced negotiations are ongoing to bring Smith back for 2025, but Felipe apparently won’t be returning for a third season in purple.
Finally, the club declined options on five players, signaling the end of their tenures in Orlando. Those players include midfielders Gaston Gonzalez — who spent the entire season on loan — and Jeorgio Kocevski; defenders Luca Petrasso and Abdi Salim; and goalkeeper Carlos Mercado.
What It Means for Orlando City
There aren’t any big surprises with these decisions. Probably the biggest surprise is the club picking up the option of Homegrown center back Williams, who hasn’t appeared for the first team since 2022 and has been inconsistent with Orlando City B. Of the other eight players on option years, four are regular starters and Lodeiro appeared in every game. Lynn made a career-high 11 appearances for the first team and Otero is a young Homegrown goalkeeper.
Negotiating Smith’s return isn’t a surprise either. The versatile defender can play any position across the back line and even appeared as a defensive midfielder this season. He’s been with the club since 2018, making him one of the longest-serving players at the club. Meanwhile, Felipe only played 348 minutes this season and mostly when Head Coach Oscar Pareja was resting key players.
None of the declined options are a surprise. Gonzalez was sent out on loan before the season and Sailm was sent away before he could make an appearance. Petrasso came back from a loan during the season and only played 22 minutes, while Kocevski played sparingly and Mercado was signed in September to replace Stajduhar after his season-ending injury.
It’s worth noting that some of these players could return to the club’s second team next year. The club declined Wilfredo Rivera’s option following the 2023 campaign, only to see him return to the Young Lions in 2024. A veteran like Felipe is gone, but others could be signed to MLS NEXT Pro contracts. Mercado played well for the Young Lions this year and Kocevski has shown promise at times. It wouldn’t be surprising too see them sign for the reserve side and use the open spots to improve the first-team roster.
Post-2024 Orlando City Roster Status (Current club players in italics)
- Ivan Angulo: Under Contract
- Cesar Araujo: Option Exercised
- David Brekalo: Under Contract
- Heine Gikling Bruseth: Contract Exercised
- Wilder Cartagena: Under Contract
- Ramiro Enrique: Under Contract
- Felipe: Out of Contract
- Alex Freeman: Under Contract
- Pedro Gallese: Option Exercised
- Gastón González: Option Declined
- Mikey Halliday: Under Contract
- Robin Jansson: Under Contract
- Jeorgio Kocevski: Option Declined
- Nico Lodeiro: Option Exercised
- Favian Loyola: Under Contract
- Jack Lynn: Option Exercised
- Duncan McGuire: Under Contract
- Carlos Mercado: Option Declined
- Shak Mohammed: Under Contract
- Luis Muriel: Under Contract
- Martín Ojeda: Under Contract
- Javier Otero: Option Exercised
- Luca Petrasso: Option Declined
- Abdi Salim: Option Declined
- Rafael Santos: Option Exercised
- Rodrigo Schlegel: Option Exercised
- Kyle Smith: Out of Contract
- Mason Stajduhar: Under Contract
- Tahir Reid-Brown: Under Contract
- Dagur Dan Thórhallsson: Under Contract
- Facundo Torres: Under Contract
- Yutaro Tsukada: Under Contract
- Thomas Williams: Option Exercised