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Orlando City

2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Facundo Torres

While reports swirl about an upcoming departure, we look back at the club’s all-time leading goal scorer’s most recent season.

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1 month ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City signed Uruguayan winger Facundo Torres as a Young Designated Player on Jan. 24, 2022. After transitioning from a YDP to a standard Designated Player, Torres signed a new contract Jan. 10 through the 2026 season with options for 2027 and 2028. It seemed Torres had embraced the city and the club and was making a commitment to being an Orlando City leader for years to come, but things can, and do, change, and that time may be coming to an end.

For the third straight season, Torres ended up the leader of the Lions’ attack, but he also got off to a slow start in the season’s first half for the third time in as many years in Orlando. The slow starts are perplexing to Torres, the club, and the fan base, but everyone seems to forget that when the summer arrives and he becomes one of the league’s best players — something he did again in 2024.

It’s time to look back at what could be the final season in purple (more on that below) for the club’s all-time leading goal scorer.

Statistical Breakdown

Torres played in 32 of Orlando City’s 34 games during the regular season, starting a career-high 30 and playing a career-high 2,642 minutes. The Uruguayan equaled a career high with 14 goals during the league season to lead the club, adding six assists, which placed him fifth on the team in helpers. His 63 shots and 30 shots on target also led Orlando City. Torres completed 87.9% of his 1,322 passes, and he tied Nico Lodeiro for second on the club with 46 key passes. His 19 completed crosses were a career low, and he added 12 successful long balls, which was by far a career low — 17 below his 2022 total and a whopping 25 fewer than last year. Those low numbers in the last two categories may be a product of playing with a different style striker in Ramiro Enrique for a good chunk of 2024 than he played with the previous two seasons. On the defensive end, he recorded 29 tackles, 13 interceptions, 11 clearances, and one blocked shot. Torres committed 19 fouls, suffered 47 — second most on the team behind Cesar Araujo — and picked up three yellow cards.

In the postseason, Torres appeared in, and started, all five of Orlando’s matches, playing 88 minutes in the opener against Charlotte and going the full 90 the rest of the way for a total of 448 minutes. The Designated Player scored two goals without an assist on 13 shot attempts, with seven on target. He scored in the penalty shootout win in Game 3 against Charlotte after not participating in the Game 2 shootout loss on the road, where he would presumably have been the fifth shooter for Orlando. He completed 87.9% of his 239 passes, including nine key passes and three successful crosses. He provided an interception and three clearances on the defensive end. He committed three fouls, drew five, and wasn’t booked.

Torres played in all four of Orlando’s Concacaf Champions Cup matches, starting three of them and playing a total of 244 minutes. He scored three goals and added an assist, attempting four shots and putting three of those on target. The winger completed 84.3% of his 102 passes, including four key passes and an accurate cross. He chipped in a clearance on the defensive end, committed one foul while drawing three, and was not booked.

In the 2024 Leagues Cup, Torres started all three of Orlando City’s matches and played 240 minutes. He scored a goal, assisted on two others, and scored on his penalty attempt in the shootout loss to Cruz Azul. He wasn’t his usual self in the competition, firing eight shots but only putting one of them on target. He was more accurate in the buildup than his final product in the tournament, completing an impressive 90.3% of his 113 passes, including five key passes and an accurate cross. He didn’t record any defensive statistics. As far as discipline, Torres committed one foul, drew four on his opponents, and wasn’t booked.

Best Game

Torres had a number of candidates for this category, including four matches with braces across the various competitions. I’m going to go with his two-goal effort in a 3-0 home win over Nashville SC on Aug. 31. The Lions were coming off a lethargic and demoralizing 3-0 road loss at Sporting Kansas City out of the Leagues Cup break and needed a spark to regain the form it had during a five-game unbeaten run going into the midseason tournament.

Who better to lead the team to a bounce-back win than the team’s talisman? Torres contributed a strong outing to lead Orlando City to a dominant win, scoring twice and putting three of his four shot attempts on target. He passed well all night, completing 37 of 41 (90.2%). He contributed one clearance on the defensive end to help keep the clean sheet and committed one foul but wasn’t booked for it.

Ojeda’s smart defensive play and first-touch pass set up Ivan Angulo to score the opening goal early, setting the stage for Torres to take over and finish off Nashville. Just four minutes after Angulo opened the scoring, Torres was part of the buildup for his first goal of the night, sending a clever and perfectly weighted ball out wide on the right to Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, who sent a cross toward the back post near the top of the six. Angulo was waiting for it, but Torres had continued his run to that spot and met the ball in the air, volleying it down off the ground and past Joe Willis to make it 2-0 in the 14th minute.

But one wasn’t enough for Torres, who nearly scored in the 51st minute on a chip shot that Willis just got a piece of, knocking it onto the roof of the net.

Torres killed off the game in the 85th minute. The play started in the back, with Pedro Gallese sending a long ball to the right, where he had both Duncan McGuire and Nico Lodeiro against a pair of Nashville defenders. McGuire did well to wall off his defender and Lodeiro took the ball into the right corner before cutting it back to the striker. McGuire spotted the late-arriving Torres on the left and sent in a great pass, putting him 1-v-1 against Willis. Torres hit the shot above Willis, but with power and perfect placement, putting it under the crossbar to make it 2-0.

It was a memorable night for Orlando City fans and one of Torres’ strongest performances in his time in purple.

2024 Final Grade

The Mane Land awarded Torres a composite rating of 8.5 out of 10 for the 2024 season, which is a slight step forward from the 8 out of 10 he received both last year and in 2022. If Torres could ever start a season the way he plays from summer until the end of the year, he’d truly have a special season. As it is, 20 regular-season goal contributions is a solid return, considering how the first half of the year went. One improvement this year was that there were a few — not many, but some — moments when he produced with his weaker right foot, which is not something he has done much in the past.

It was a historic season for Torres as well, as he became the club’s all-time leading goal scorer in the MLS era on Oct. 2 against the Philadelphia Union with his 45th across all competitions, breaking Cyle Larin’s mark. On Nov. 9, he scored against Charlotte to take sole ownership of the club’s all-time combined USL and MLS goal-scoring mark, breaking Dom Dwyer’s record by notching his 47th across all competitions.

2025 Outlook

While Torres is under contract for 2025 and beyond, it’s impossible to ignore the reports of great interest from both Brazilian top flight side Palmeiras and Liga MX club Cruz Azul. Orlando City may not want to lose its career leader in goals, but ultimately these things are up to the player in our game. Although the Lions got closer than ever to a championship this season, Torres may feel that the club can’t get over the hump and it’s time for a change. Aside from financially, there doesn’t seem to be an advantage in going from Orlando City to either team if his ultimate goal is to play in Europe, but a financial incentive might be enough. Palmeiras would at least offer a shorter trip home for international competition for the Uruguayan. It seems like it’ll be Palmeiras — and soon.

Amid reports from reliable members of the media, it’s fair to assume Torres will not be back with Orlando City in 2025, although as we’ve seen, a deal isn’t done until it’s done, and even when it’s seemingly done, it can still fall apart (especially if that deal is with Blackburn Rovers). On last week’s episode of The Mane Land PawedCast, I put his departure at 50/50, but it seems likelier every day, so I’ll put the current likelihood around 85% and possibly higher.

If Torres returns for 2025, he’ll be the team’s talisman once again and I wouldn’t expect anything to change about his role. If he transfers out, the club will use its record transfer fee to bolster the squad however it can. The profit would be a tidy one for Orlando City, and selling players for higher fees than the Lions paid is a good way to lure a new Designated Player to the City Beautiful to take Torres’ place. A sale might give Orlando a way to play Muriel and Ojeda together, which would be great for whoever is playing striker, the two play makers would both need to increase their goal production in 2025 to replace what the team would lose with Torres. This is especially critical in the first half of the season, when McGuire is recovering from shoulder surgery.

For now, we wait for the other shoe to drop (or not) on what Torres is going to do next year. It seems particularly cruel to lose the 24-year-old as he’s just entering the prime of his career and has turned in such a productive season, but that’s part of life as the supporter of an MLS team.

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Orlando City

Orlando City Signs Colombian Winger Nicolas Rodriguez

The Lions add a skilled young winger ahead of the 2025 season.

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17 hours ago

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January 17, 2025

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City has announced the previously reported signing of Colombian forward Nicolas Rodriguez from Fortaleza CEIF through 2027 with a club option for 2028. Rodriguez, 20, will occupy an MLS U22 Initiative slot.

“We’re very excited to have Nico join us here in Orlando. With the characteristics he has as a player, he’s someone that we feel really fits our model and culture at the club,” Orlando City Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi in a club press release. “Nico has a skilled left foot that makes him a challenge to defend, likes to take defenders on one-on-one, and has a promising future. We’re excited for all he’ll achieve here during his time in purple.”

Rodriguez made 19 appearances (all starts) in the 2024 Primera A Clausura season with Fortaleza, compiling 1,607 minutes, scoring five goals, and adding three assists.

“It’s an honor and a point of pride to be able to wear this kit, to be able to represent this badge, and it’s very important to me and to my family,” Rodríguez said in the club’s press release. “I’m excited about this next step along my journey.”

The San Jose del Guaviare, Colombia native joined Fortaleza’s youth team in 2021, making his debut in the Categoria Primera B against Boyaca Chico. After rarely appearing in his first two years, the 5-foot-8 winger became a regular starter in 2023, appearing in 44 matches and scoring eight times, helping the club earn promotion to Primera A. He played in 42 games in all competitions for Fortaleza in 2024, scoring eight goals.

What It Means for Orlando City

The Lions get a talented, young offensive-minded player who can help the club while developing. If things go well, Orlando City will be able to move him in the future for a great deal more than what the club is investing in him now, which is good business, but not at the expense of the team on the field. Rodriguez isn’t a like-for-like replacement for Facundo Torres — at least not yet — but he doesn’t have to be. The Lions could play Martin Ojeda or Luis Muriel opposite Ivan Angulo, allowing Rodriguez time to develop with minutes off the bench and spot starts during heavy fixture congestion. And, with an open Designated Player slot, there may still be a forward or winger brought in before the 2025 season starts.

In addition to playing right wing, Rodriguez can also play the right side in a three-man midfield and even the No. 10 spot. In Oscar Pareja’s system, he would likely project as the right attacking midfielder in the 4-2-3-1.

Rodriguez will occupy an international and U22 Initiative slot for the Lions. He’s a player with a lot of upside and with the financial investment of the transfer fee, coupled with the reports that Fortaleza will retain as much as 30% of a future sale, the club must feel good about his future. Fans should as well after seeing the video below, which shows Rodriguez has plenty of confidence and finishing ability, even from outside the box.

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Opinion

Likes and Dislikes from the First Week of Orlando City’s Preseason

Here are a few things that stood out from the first week of preseason — some good and some bad.

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21 hours ago

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January 17, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The 2024 Major League Soccer season has barely had time to breathe, but Orlando City opened preseason training on Monday. If it feels like time has flown by, that’s because it has. Hell, we’ve already got a whole working week’s-worth of practices in, and things are only going to pick up from here. With that being the case, I wanted to stop and reflect on a couple things that I liked, and a couple things that I disliked from the first week of the Lions’ preseason.

Likes

The Boys Are Back in Town

First and foremost, it’s good to be back in soccer mode. Its always nice to reflect on fond memories from the most recent season — particularly when its a successful one like the Lions just had, but reminiscing only takes you so far. But now we’re getting daily looks at OCSC’s preseason work and are able to check in with the familiar faces we know and love while also getting to know a few new ones. Videos like this one are always nice and help build excitement for the games to come.

Games Just Around the Corner

Speaking of games, we aren’t too far from Orlando’s first game of 2025. The Lions will play a preseason match a little over a week from today on Jan. 25, when they take on Atletico Mineiro at home in the FC Series. It may be only a preseason game but it still provides us with our first glimpse of what Orlando City will look like during the 2025 season. We’ll presumably get to see some of the team’s draft picks in action and should get some clues as to how the positional pecking order is starting to shape up.

Dislikes

The Wait for Reinforcements

It isn’t out of the norm for Orlando City to take its time making off-season signings when compared to its fellow MLS teams, and that’s been the case once again this year. Granted, there are plenty of teams that have more spots to fill than the Lions and some teams are in the midst of outright rebuilds. Still, OCSC has several spots that are in need of strengthening, depth, or both, not to mention a Facundo Torres-sized hole out on the right wing. There’s absolutely work to be done, and while I’m all for taking the time to make sure you sign the right players, there’s also something to be said for giving those players as much time in preseason as possible to adapt to their new teammates and unfamiliar surroundings. Here’s hoping that some moves start getting made soon.

The Departure of Mason Stajduhar

I won’t lie to you guys, when the news came through on Wednesday afternoon that the Lions had traded Mason Stajduhar to Real Salt Lake for General Allocation Money and a draft pick, it was a tough blow and one that I’m still having trouble coming to terms with. Professional soccer is a business, and I understand that, but it’s tough to see a guy like Mason head out the door. The team’s fourth Homegrown Player had been around since 2015 and beat cancer, made his MLS debut, got his first MLS wins and shutouts, helped OCSC hoist the club’s first silverware as an MLS team, and got engaged and then married — all while wearing Orlando purple. As our editor Michael Citro put it, we watched him grow up from a teenager into a young man, and it’ll always be tough to watch someone leave who has been around for 10 years and has been a consummate professional for each one of them. I’ll miss him but wish him all the best.

What did you guys make of the first week of the 2025 preseason? Are there any things that you’re keeping a particularly close eye on as we begin building towards the match against Atletico Mineiro? Be sure to have your say down in the comments, and I’ll see you next week. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/17/25

Orlando Pride loan out Mariana Larroquette, USMNT gets ready for Venezuela, MLS transfer news, and much more.

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1 day ago

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January 17, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Happy Friday! Maybe it’s just because I’m a San Jose Sharks fan when it comes to hockey, but I sure do miss being able to watch Orlando City and the Orlando Pride win games. Thankfully it won’t be much longer until Orlando’s soccer teams are back in action, although I wish the Lions would make some moves to get us excited for 2025. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Mariana Larroquette Heads to Argentina on Loan

The Pride have loaned forward Mariana Larroquette to Newell’s Old Boys Women in Argentina. The loan lasts through July 1, so Larroquette may still provide some attacking depth for the Pride later in the season. This should be a good opportunity for her to get some minutes in her home country after only making four appearances for the Pride last season. Larroquette joined the Pride back in July of 2023 on a contract through 2025, so this is a solid chance for her to get some consistent playing time to showcase her talent before her current contract ends.

USMNT Prepares for Friendly Against Venezuela

The United States Men’s National Team will play its first game of 2025 when it takes on Venezuela Saturday at 3 p.m. in Fort Lauderdale. This is just the seventh meeting between the two nations, with Venezuela winning the most recent match 3-0 back in 2019. Goalkeeper Wuilker Farinez started for Venezuela in that shutout and is expected to get the nod in goal again, with Orlando City’s Javier Otero backing him up. The Yanks will be without multiple players who were called up, as Jesus Ferreira, John Tolkin, Jalen Neal, and Drake Callender will no longer be available. The USMNT will be back in action on Tuesday for a friendly against Costa Rica at Inter&Co Stadium.

Catching Up On MLS Transfer News

Every MLS team apart from Orlando City seems to be making major moves in preparation for the 2025 season. Austin FC is reportedly signing Albanian forward Myrto Uzuni as a Designated Player, which would trigger a $12.3 million release clause in his contract with Granada. Uzuni has scored 14 goals in 18 appearances for the Spanish club this season. Austin also added midfielder Nicolas Dubersarsky from Instituto in Argentina’s top flight. He will be a U22 Initiative Player and signed a five-year contract with the club.

New York Red Bulls left back John Tolkin was officially transferred to Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga for a reported $3 million transfer fee. The New England Revolution continued to strengthen their attack, signing veteran forward Maxi Urruti to a one-year deal with an option for 2026. Atlanta United and Middlesbrough have reportedly reached a verbal agreement on a deal for forward Emmanuel Latte Lath, although Atlanta still has to finalize personal terms with him.

Chelsea Reportedly Leads Race for Naomi Girma

One of the biggest questions this NWSL off-season is whether or not San Diego Wave defender Naomi Girma will remain with the club. The 24-year-old is under contract through 2026, but European teams are reportedly willing to pay up to secure her talents. Chelsea is the reported frontrunner, with Arsenal and Lyon also in the mix to sign her. Girma is one of the best defenders in the world and was a major reason behind the United States Women’s National Team winning Olympic gold last year. Speaking of Girma, she will not be in attendance for the USWNT training camp in Florida due to a minor injury.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter followed through on her promise to dye her hair after a historic season.
  • In news that impacts Orlando City duo Pedro Gallese and Wilder Cartagena, Jorge Fossati is no longer Peru’s head coach. Peru only won one of its six CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers with Fossati at the helm and is last in the standings.
  • Former Lion Chris Mueller spoke on the importance of mental health and the resources available to help.

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

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