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2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Ramiro Enrique

The Argentine forward leveled up in his development in his second season with Orlando.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City signed Argentine forward Ramiro Enrique on Jan. 26, 2023, from Club Atletico Banfield. The then-21-year-old attacker was signed as part of the MLS U22 initiative. Enrique had a decent initial year with the Lions, but there was some concern whether his size would prohibit his effectiveness in the league. He put those concerns to bed in his second season, doubling his goal output and seizing the starting spot at the top of Oscar Pareja’s formation while Duncan McGuire was away at the Olympics and never relinquishing it through the rest of the year. The highlight was his six-match scoring streak across all competitions from July 6 to Aug. 4, breaking Daryl Dike’s club record for consecutive games with a goal.

Let’s take a look at Enrique’s second season with Orlando City.

Statistical Breakdown

Enrique appeared in fewer matches in 2024 than he did in his first season with the club, falling 10 games shy of the 30 appearances he made a year ago, owing to an ankle injury that kept him out of action for a good chunk of time in March, April, and May. He also missed a few games dealing with a personal matter in June. The native of Burzaco, Argentina, made 20 appearances, starting 12 and playing 1,082 minutes. Those were career bests in starts and minutes in his first two seasons in Orlando. He scored eight goals — compared to four last year — in league play, and equaled last season’s output of two assists. He fired 37 shots, putting 17 on target, and improved his passing from 72.9% to 78% with 16 key passes and two successful crosses but no completed long balls. Defensively, he recorded five tackles, three interceptions, 15 clearances, and one block. Enrique committed 14 fouls, suffered 20, and picked up four yellow cards on the year without being sent off.

The Argentine started all five of Orlando’s playoff games, playing 312 minutes and scoring one goal but not recording an assist, and he did not participate in either of Orlando’s penalty shootouts in the first round against Charlotte FC. He attempted 12 shots but put just three on target. Enrique passed at an 82.2% rate with four key passes and a successful cross. On the defensive end, Enrique chipped in four tackles, an interception and three clearances. He committed four fouls, suffered seven, and picked up a pair of postseason yellow cards, but those were not both shown in the same game.

Enrique played in all four of Orlando City’s Concacaf Champions Cup matches, starting once and playing 165 minutes. He contributed one goal and one assist — both in the Cavalry FC series — firing nine shots with five on target. He completed 85.4% of his 48 passes in the competition with one key pass but no successful crosses on two attempts. Defensively, Enrique managed three tackles, one interception, and one clearance. He committed two fouls, suffered five, and was not booked in the tournament.

Starting all three of Orlando City’s Leagues Cup games, Enrique played 232 minutes, scoring two goals and adding an assist. He was subbed off each game, so he did not participate in either of the shootouts against Mexican sides Atletico San Luis or Cruz Azul. He attempted nine shots, putting five on target. Enrique completed 79.6% of his 49 passes with four key passes, without attempting a cross. On the defensive end, Enrique logged four tackles, one interception, and four clearances. He committed three fouls, suffered three, and was not booked.

Best Game

Enrique made a big impact in several games this season, including his performance in Orlando City’s Leagues Cup opener against CF Montreal — a 4-1 home win on July 26. Enrique and the rest of the Lions ran over Montreal, posting three first-half goals in what turned out to be an easy win. Enrique contributed to the offensive explosion with a goal and an assist on a season-high six shot attempts. As impressive as his performance was that night, I’m going with his big night against FC Cincinnati in a 3-1 win on Oct. 5 — the team’s final road match of the regular season. The Argentine striker figured in all three goals, scoring two of them himself, as the Lions set a new club record for goals in a season, surpassing the old mark of 55 by scoring the 56th, 57th, and 58th goals of the year.

The striker got the game off to a great start just 10 minutes in, timing his run perfectly to get onto a gorgeous, curling cross from Kyle Smith and getting his right foot onto it to push it past Roman Celentano and open the scoring. It wasn’t an easy goal on the volley, but Enrique made it look that way.

Luciano Acosta tied the match just before halftime, which could have given the hosts momentum, but the Lions held firm. Enrique helped Orlando seize the momentum back in the 66th minute by setting up the eventual game-winning goal. Smith sent another good cross into the area. Enrique had his back to goal, with a much bigger defender on him. Rather than bring the ball in and try to turn on his defender, Enrique laid off his first touch for Angulo, who didn’t get all of it on his shot, but it somehow squirted through Celentano and in to make it 2-1. Even though Angulo’s placement and power weren’t what he’d likely envisioned, the soccer gods rewarded Enrique, as the layoff was worthy of an assist.

Enrique provided an insurance goal six minutes later, as Angulo returned the favor for the Argentine’s assist. The Colombian turned on the jets to beat Celentano to a soft back pass from Luca Orellano and calmly poked it to Enrique on his right with the goal wide open. The striker knew he had time and space, took a calming touch, and gently tucked the ball home to make it 3-1, completing his brace.

The hosts scrapped to try to get back into the game, ultimately firing 19 shots to Orlando’s six, but City’s defense held firm, and thanks in large part to Enrique’s goal contributions, won the game at TQL Stadium.

Aside from his goal contributions, Enrique fired four shots, putting three of them (75%) on target. He connected on 71% of his passes, including the key pass that turned into Angulo’s goal. He won three of his six aerials, chipped in a recovery on the defensive end, committed a foul, drew a foul, and was not shown a card. It was a strong outing.

2024 Final Grade

The Mane Land awarded Enrique a composite rating of 7 out of 10 for his second season in the City Beautiful. This was a big improvement over the 5.5 we gave the young striker a year ago. In last year’s grade, we cited his inconsistency as an issue. Enrique was much more consistent in his second year, as shown by his six-game goal-scoring streak and ability to hold onto the starting striker spot after McGuire returned from international duty. While some of that inconsistency returned in the postseason — in which he fired eight shots and scored a goal in Orlando’s three wins and failed to attempt a single shot in the two postseason losses — you have to credit two exceptional defensive teams (Charlotte FC and the New York Red Bulls) for some of the latter, while giving Enrique props for being effective against Charlotte twice and scoring the winner against Atlanta in a tightly contested match. Enrique was a bit streaky, which isn’t unusual for a striker, he remained dangerous once he became a starter.

2025 Outlook

Signed through 2025 with two additional option years, the 23-year-old should continue to develop his game with the Lions next season. In fact, due to McGuire’s shoulder surgery this month, Enrique figures to begin the season as the first-choice striker unless the Lions add an important piece in that position group. If he can avoid the injury bug, Enrique showed this year that he is capable of double-digit goals. He had 10 regular-season goal contributions in less than two-thirds of a season in 2024, and he started only a third of Orlando’s MLS games. While his effectiveness is still questionable against certain types of opposing defensive clubs, and his finishing can sometimes let him down on big chances, Enrique’s knack for getting himself into dangerous areas and his quick counter-pressing skills are developing nicely. It will be interesting to see if he can take another step forward as he starts to enter the prime years of his professional career.


Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

Orlando City

Orlando City Was Hot, But Now Is Not — An Explanation

A comparison of the Lions’ start to the season vs. recent form.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Years ago, back during the early days of the new millennium, one of the first websites to ever “go viral” was the matchmaking site AmIHotOrNot.com. I, of course, never visited this site, as I had access to a mirror on the wall and already knew who was the fairest of them all (not me, the mirror was pretty clear about that). But as a college student during those years, I knew of the site and how it quickly was getting millions of views per day. Today’s topic is related to hot and not, but it is the significantly more important topic of Orlando City’s performance on the field during the 2025 season.

During the first six games of the season, the Lions looked better than any previous Orlando City team in the club’s MLS era in terms of early season offensive prowess. The squad led the league in goals scored, the Designated Players were scoring or contributing to nearly every goal, and with Duncan McGuire still to return to add even more firepower, it seemed like there might be the possibility of running out of purple smoke to shoot off in front of The Wall with how many goals Orlando City was scoring.

And then, with apologies to Prince, purple flames were doused by purple rain, and we found out what it sounds like when Lions fans cry. To understand why the offense went from 2.5 goals scored per game to being shut out in three straight matches for the first time since 2018 we need to first consider whether the start to the season was an aberration itself, and had our expectations misaligned for how this team would perform for the rest of the season. Let’s take a look at how the first six games of 2025 compared with the second half of the 2024 regular season (17 games):

Metric2024 Final 172025 First 6
Goals per Game2.52.5
Shots on Target per Game5.65.5
Shots on Target %40%35%
Goal Conversions per Shot on Target44%45%
Medium + Long Passes Completed per Game215208
Medium + Long Pass Completion %81%80%
Completed Crosses + Switches per Game21.421.0
Progressive Carries + Passes per Game64.657.3
Points Earned per Game2.061.67

For the most part it looks like the beginning of the 2025 season picked right up where the 2024 regular season ended (I intentionally excluded the 2024 playoffs from the data because playoff games tend to be played differently than regular-season games). There were some major changes in personnel from 2024 to 2025, but even with the changes in players, the style of play and the formation used by Orlando City remained the same, and most of the offensive stats are nearly exactly the same. Six games is a decent enough sample size to say that those stats from 2025 were not a fluke, and the offensive output that we saw in the second half of the 2024 season could be reasonably expected to continue at a similar pace.

But then it did not. Oh boy has it not. Looking at the same chart, but comparing the 2025 first six games to the 2025 most recent three matches gets an immediate “not hot” vote and is as ugly as a Bubba Sparxxx song.

Metric2025 First 62025 Last 3
Goals per Game2.50.0
Shots on Target per Game5.53.0
Shots on Target %35%31%
Goal Conversions per Shot on Target45%0%
Medium + Long Passes Completed per Game208171
Medium + Long Pass Completion %80%74%
Completed Crosses + Switches per Game21.012.6
Progressive Carries + Passes per Game57.342.0
Points Earned per Game1.671.0

The sharp-eyed observer will note that red cards are not noted anywhere above, and in those last three games Orlando City played nearly 50 minutes with only 10 players. In both of the games when a red card (the ultimate sum of two yellow cards by the same player) was given, Orlando City was ahead in expected goals at the moment the red card was issued, and while those do not count for anything officially, they indicate who was getting shots off from more dangerous locations. I thought Orlando City seemed more likely to score and take all three points in both games up until the dismissal of a player. Instead, of course, the Lions went down a player and immediately had to pivot to a more defensive posture, and with one fewer player on the field, they could not play (or at least maintain) the same style as they had been.

In addition to playing far more conservatively, in both games Orlando City substituted on a defender for a key attacking player within four minutes of the red card, removing Marco Pašalić in the game against New York and Luis Muriel in the game against Montréal. This was effectively a double negative, and not in the way that turns two negatives into a positive. It was more like f(x) = -2x, a function with a slope of -2 and…let me stop right there. It was bad, and hurt the offense to remove a key playmaker and goal scorer.

Another major issue is that the midfield engine of César Araújo and Eduard Atuesta have played a combined 11 minutes in the last three games, and all 11 of those minutes were played by Atuesta in the game against New York and after the red card. Araújo’s absence has definitely been felt, but as he is more of a deep-lying player and defensive destroyer, the team has been able to adequately replace him, but Atuesta’s offensive talents have been sorely missed. Atuesta may not have many goal contributions, but he is second on the team in shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (4.62) and first on the team in goal-creating actions per 90 minutes (1.20). That 1.20 is the highest in club history (fbref.com only has tracking back to 2018, so apologies to the legend Kaká) among players who played at least 500 minutes in a season, and it is nearly 50% higher than the player in second place in that stat, Mauricio Pereyra in 2020, when he averaged 0.82.

Might it be nice to be able to play a player who is creating a goal every 90 minutes? I think so. Joran Gerbet has played well, especially for a rookie, and specially especially (just go with it) for a rookie in the mentally and physically demanding role of a central midfielder. He has a ton of potential, but he is not yet as productive a player as Atuesta and when the Colombian playmaker returns the offense will get back a key cog that will help to create good shots, and in a game like soccer the difference between a goal and a miss is often a matter of inches, and a slightly better delivery on the pass can turn a shot into a shot on target and a shot on target into a goal.

Is it really as simple as just red cards and injuries, and that if Orlando City can keep its full complement of players on the field and get back some injured players, everything will go from not hot to hot again? Perhaps, but I think there is a style of play change that has also been causing some of the recent issues. I included rows on the charts above on the aggregation of completed crosses and switches (as in switches of the field) per game and medium and long passes completed per game, and from that chart you can see that the numbers are much lower in the last three games as compared to the beginning of this season and the final half of last season.

Those drops coincide with Rafael Santos playing only 59 minutes in the last three games, and with Alex Freeman not being able to get into the attack in the same way as he was in the season-opening games. There definitely is some overlap here with playing down a player and needing to keep defensive players back, but Santos’ offensive contributions (he is currently 20th in MLS in completed crosses + switches per 90 minutes), and even just the threat of him playing a long ball across the field to change the point of attack, have been missed by the Orlando City offense with him off the field. David Brekalo is an excellent defender, but his offensive contributions are more tied to his ability to win balls in the air, whereas Santos is among the league leaders in crosses and switches per 90 minutes, with Freeman one of his primary targets.

Brekalo playing left back certainly helped shore up a defense that had been leaking goals, and Santos was a major contributor to that with some poor defensive performances, but that tradeoff has removed a major threat to the Orlando City offense. Freeman’s reduction in offensive contributions has not helped, but I think the loss of Santos’ early crosses, long switches, and overlapping runs contributed more to the nearly 400-minute dry spell without a goal from open play. The Lions need him to find his form again, though he will not be able to do it against Atlanta, as he will be suspended.

Three games without a goal is unpleasant as a fan, but Orlando City battled in all three games and at least came away with a point. The defense is playing well, and despite many injuries, the Lions are still very much in the playoff hunt as the season approaches the one-third mark. There are legitimate reasons for the recent offensive swoon, and Araújo and Atuesta will likely be back shortly, and McGuire also may soon be able to start a game and offer a different offensive look. Ramiro Enrique heated up once spring turned to summer in 2024, and when all four of those players are back to full health, the team will once again have a deep roster full of players aggressively competing for minutes.

Óscar Pareja historically has used the first half of a season to find his preferred lineup for the stretch run of the season, and I believe this is another season when he will be playing the long game and seeing what he has at his disposal. The red cards and injuries provided short-term pain in terms of points dropped, but they will likely also provide long-term gain with the view into how the players play in different positions and combinations.

It is a long season, with two cup competitions still to start, in addition to 25 more regular-season games, and summer does not even start until June. I expect that a lot of the issues from the recent run of games will work themselves out with time. We just need to keep our cool and wait for the inevitable Orlando City late season hot streak.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to earn all three points against Atlanta United at home?

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City returns to Inter&Co Stadium to host Atlanta United on Saturday after a 0-0 draw at Montreal over the weekend. Orlando City’s rivals from the north sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, but that doesn’t ensure a victory. The Lions are coming off three straight scoreless draws and need to get some goals and a win. What does Orlando City need to do to take all three points against Atlanta United?

Lock Down Latte Lath

I’m not entirely sure how to pronounce Emmanuel Latte Lath’s name. Is it Latte as in the coffee drink and Lath as in bath? I don’t want to get it wrong, but I suppose it doesn’t matter in print. Regardless, the Orlando City defense will need to keep him off the scoresheet.

With Rafael Santos serving a red card suspension and Rodrigo Schlegel returning from a red card suspension, I suspect we will see a back line of Alex Freeman on the right, Schlegel and Robin Jansson at center back, and David Brekalo on the left. That is Orlando City’s strongest back line so far in 2025. The only other defensive question is who will play in the defensive midfield?

Defensive Midfield Shuffle

Will we see the return of Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta? Will Dagur Dan Thorhallsson and Joran Gerbet get the start yet again? Who we see in the defensive midfield may determine the outcome of the match.

When healthy, Araujo and Atuesta are first choice, but if one or the other is still unable to start, then it will be up to Thorhallsson and Gerbet to deal with Miguel Almiron and Aleksei Miranchuk on the right side of Atlanta’s attack. If the pair can play like they did against the New York Red Bulls, then another clean sheet is possible. Of course, that isn’t the only assignment.

Find the Attack

It’s been three matches since the Lions conceded a goal. Sadly, it’s also been three matches since Orlando City has scored a goal. That has to change this week. Atlanta has given up 16 goals this season, which is second worst only to D.C. United with 19. There is opportunity here if the Lions can be more clinical around the net.

It will start with whichever players start in the defensive midfield (I told you they had another assignment). After that, it will be up to Orlando City’s playmakers. I feel that the Orlando City attack is better with Duncan McGuire on the pitch, but who do you take off? Ivan Angulo finally found some decent form the last couple of matches, but I still think you put him on the bench.

I’ve been calling for McGuire up top with Luis Muriel dropping deeper and Martin Ojeda and Marco Pasalic on either side. Put the best players on the pitch at the same time. With Brekalo locking down the left side of the defense, the need for Angulo’s speed is less urgent. I hope that Orlando City’s four best attacking players can break the scoring dam the Lions find themselves in.


That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 4/24/25

Orlando Pride prepare for Angel City FC, MLS deadline day deals, OCB slips in power rankings, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

How’s it going, Mane Landers? It’s been a few days since a rough weekend for Orlando City and the Orlando Pride. Time heals all wounds, but let’s also hope it heals offenses considering both teams were shut out. Let’s go ahead and manifest some good officiating this weekend as well while we’re at it. That might be a tall order, but I’m feeling optimistic. Let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Prepare for Angel City FC

The Orlando Pride will look to bounce back when they welcome Angel City FC to the City Beautiful for a home game Friday night. Orlando lost its first game of the year and first home game since 2023 last week against the Washington Spirit, falling 1-0. Angel City is also coming off of its first loss of the season, falling 4-0 at home to NJ/NY Gotham FC at home. Pride defender Kerry Abello spoke on how the Pride will need to create better chances compared to last week as they prepare to right the ship with a home victory.

Orlando City B Drops a Spot in Power Rankings

Although OCB fell from third to fourth in the latest MLS NEXT Pro power rankings, the Young Lions are solidly in the top five teams in the league. OCB was on a bye last weekend, so not moving too much in the rankings can be expected. While the Young Lions fell 3-2 in their last league game against Inter Miami II, spirits are likely high with the team due to the Orlando City U-18 team’s success in the Generation Adidas Cup. Let’s hope the Young Lions can ride that momentum into Sunday night’s match with New York Red Bulls II.

MLS Deadline Day Transfer News

The MLS transfer deadline day has come and gone and there were some notable moves to catch up on. Real Salt Lake’s deal with Boavista for forward Robert Bozenik reportedly collapsed, but the club still added striker William Agada from Sporting Kansas City in exchange for $500,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money and another $350,000 in GAM if he re-signs. Inter Miami traded winger Robert Taylor to Austin FC in exchange for up to $750,000 in GAM, with only $50,000 of that being conditional. Atlanta United traded winger Xande Silva to St. Louis City SC for up to $250,000 in GAM as well.

The Houston Dynamo also have a new forward, signing Toyosi Olusanya from Scottish club St. Mirren. The New England Revolution traded Noel Buck to the San Jose Earthquakes for up to $650,000 in cold, hard cash, reuniting the 20-year-old with Bruce Arena. Frankie Amaya is back in MLS, joining LAFC on loan from Toluca. As of this writing, Minnesota United are reportedly in hot pursuit of Miami’s Julian Gressel.

Sources: Minnesota United in advanced talks to acquire Julian Gressel from Inter Miami.Nothing done yet. Still details to figure out. Optimism something gets done, but not there yet.

Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2025-04-24T00:25:26.971Z

Keeping Up With the Americans Abroad

The race for a place in the English Premier League is heating up in the EFL Championship and Americans are right in the thick of it. Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United have already secured promotion, along with Burnley. Forward Haji Wright has scored 12 goals for Coventry City this season, and his club currently holds the final playoff spot. Midfielder Aidan Morris and Middlesbrough are three points behind, while former Lion Daryl Dike and West Brom will need to win their remaining two matches for a shot at sneaking in.

In Italy, Christian Pulisic started in AC Milan’s 3-0 victory over rival Inter to book a spot in the Italian Cup final on May 14. Fellow American Yunus Musah was an unused substitute. Catarina Macario scored twice and Mia Fishel added a goal as well in Chelsea’s 4-0 win against Crystal Palace, helping their team get ever closer to winning its sixth straight Women’s Super League title.

Free Kicks


That’s it for today’s links! Make sure to stay hydrated out there as we get closer and closer to summer. Have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week.

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