Orlando City
Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Player Grades and Man of the Match
How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 0-0 draw vs. the New York Red Bulls?
One game is a random event, but two games is the beginnings of the trend, and I am hopeful that Orlando City nips this trend in the bud, because the Lions once again failed to score a goal, drawing the New York Red Bulls 0-0 at home. It was a tale of two halves, with Orlando City dominating the first half but squandering chances before needing to defend for nearly the entirety of the final 35 minutes after going down to 10 players because of a second yellow to Rodrigo Schlegel, which equals a red card.
After a blistering start to the season offensively, it is now the defense that looks strong while the offense is searching for answers, and the Lions did not find those answers in this match. Hopefully a trip to CF Montréal and the chilly northern climate next week will provide a little shock to the system, and the Lions will warm themselves up with some goal celebrations.
I have my purple pen out and I am ready to issue some grades, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their Eastern Conference matchup.
Starters
GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — Even though the Red Bulls were up a man for nearly one-third of the game, they really did not generate on-target opportunities, and so while El Pulpo was under duress for most of the second half, he actually did not have to do very much. I do not mean to discount the communication and presence he provided, but New York was only able to force him into making one save, and that one shot was not struck very well and was right at him. Credit to him for being in position, but it was not a save that will go on any highlight reels. Gallese was able to successfully milk a lot of clock in the late minutes of the game without receiving a yellow card, and he almost was able to put Duncan McGuire in with a well-placed long ball on a quick counter.
D, David Brekalo, 6— The Slovenian looks to have taken over as the first choice left back, but because of Schlegel’s sending off, he shifted to right center back in the second half on Saturday, and he will likely be in that same role Saturday. Then we’ll see what happens when Schlegel returns in the match after that. Brekalo continues to impress in a position he is still learning, and New York could not really muster any significant attacks during the minutes while Brekalo was out on the left. With Schlegel’s exit he moved over to the middle, playing in the right center back spot, and continued his solid play for the final minutes. He completed 73.3% of his passes on the afternoon and had one shot attempt on a header, but his more critical contributions were his four tackles, four clearances, and one interception on defense.
D, Robin Jansson, 6 — The Beefy Swede looks back to himself, as he was excellent in the center of the defense, keeping the Red Bulls from generating any significant opportunities throughout the match. I expect he will replay his one major foray into the offensive area over and over in his head though, as he stayed forward after a corner kick and placed himself perfectly to receive a whipped in cross from Martín Ojeda, only to send the well-struck header directly at New York goalkeeper Carlos Coronel. Jansson did not have any tackles, but he finished with one interception, two clearances, and one block, and completed a team-high 46 passes at a 95.8% completion rate.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 4.5 — There is no way around the fact that Schegel’s dismissal for a second yellow card changed the game, and it is frustrating because both of his fouls were unnecessary. The first half yellow card was perhaps a bit harsh from a referee who was letting players be physical for most of the match, but the second one was deserved and was not a good decision by a player who should have known better since he was already on a yellow card. Schlegel had been playing well, with a 92.3% completion rate on his passes and not many defensive statistics since the Lions had dominated most of the game, but his departure changed everything and turned a very winnable game into one in which Orlando City had to grind out to get a draw.
D, Alex Freeman, 6.5 — Freeman is a right back, but when a right back’s average position on the pitch (according to our friends at whoscored.com) is in the opposing half of the field, is he still a right back? I thought the Homegrown Player was outstanding again, marauding forward in partnership with Marco Pašalić and creating several chances that Orlando City just could not finish. Freeman had some chances himself as well but just could not get everything lined up, however, he remains an absolute threat on the right side of the field and one that I am very glad plays for Orlando City and not another team. He completed 77.1% of his passes, including going five for five on long balls, and had one interception, three clearances, and one blocked shot on defense.
MF, Joran Gerbet, 7 (MotM) — The rookie midfielder started his second consecutive game for the Lions, but in this match he did not look like a rookie at all. Gerbet looked confident and poised in partnering with Dagur Dan Thórhallsson to boss the center of the midfield, and I thought it was telling that it was Thórhallsson and not Gerbet that came off the field when Eduard Atuesta came on in the 79th minute, although it was a like-for-like swap at the No. 8 position. The French midfielder also snuffed out a great opportunity late in the match when a through ball got in behind Rafael Santos, and a ball was crossed right in front of the goal. Gerbet was positioned perfectly and intercepted the ball and immediately got it on a highway right out of the danger zone. Gerbet was second on the team with 42 completed passes at a strong 93.3% completion rate, and he also led the team with five tackles.
MF, Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, 6.5 — Thórhallsson is a huge asset to have on this roster, as he once again started as a defensive midfielder and played perhaps his best game of the season in this match against New York. The Icelandic Army knife showed off his versatility by seamlessly switching to left back for a few minutes right after Schlegel departed and then casually returned right back to the middle of the field like he had never been gone when Santos entered to take over on the left side of the back line. His partnership with Gerbet looked like one of two players who had been playing together for months, and not one that is only days in the making since right before last week’s game against Philadelphia. Thórhallsson gave his trademark maximum effort while on the field and made way for Atuesta for the final minutes when Óscar Pareja wanted to get some fresh legs on the field to close out the game. He completed 92.3% of his passes and had two clearances on defense, but his major contribution was in keeping New York from generating much of a threat at all down the middle.
MF, Iván Angulo, 6 — Angulo had one of his better games of the season against New York, but he had the opportunity to make it his best game and just could not close the deal. He had a great opportunity in the first half but pushed his shot wide right, and in the second half he just could not control a seeing-eye pass from Ojeda that could have put him in on goal. In the end, he only got off a deflected shot that turned out to be harmless at the end of the latter play. I thought he looked a lot better than previous weeks though, and in a game when Orlando City was down a player, Angulo’s ability to track back and defend made a big difference in keeping the Red Bulls off the scoreboard. The Colombian completed 72% of his passes, including one key pass, and added one tackle on the defensive side before making way for fresh legs for the final minutes of the game.
MF, Martín Ojeda, 7 — Schlegel’s red card held back Ojeda from being my Man of the Match, because up until that moment the Argentinean Designated Player was clearly the best player on the field and creating opportunities all across the pitch for everyone. Ojeda still ended up with an incredible six key passes, and I am certain that he would have had even more had Orlando City played 11 on 11 for the full game. As it was, Ojeda was outstanding, and even though his passing completion rate (54.3%) was ugly, the offense he created with those completed passes and four successful take-ons should have netted the Lions at least one goal. He came off the field in a defense-for-offense substitution in the final minutes, and it is a shame he did not leave the field with a goal contribution to his name.
MF, Marco Pašalić, 6 — The Croatian is a great match with right side partner Freeman, and had they had more time together on the field, there is a good chance they would have created at least one goal in this game. Unfortunately, Pašalić had to make way for Santos due to the red card and the need for a defensive focus, because up until that point he was getting shots off and looking dangerous. Only one of his shots was on target, but another was just wide and it felt to me that he was the player on the field most likely to break on through and put a ball on the other side of Coronel in net. Pašalić completed 79.3% of his passes and also added two tackles and one interception before departing for Santos in the 61st minute.
F, Luis Muriel, 6 — One of the first articles I wrote for The Mane Land was about how Muriel is more of a playmaker than a finisher, and unfortunately that was on full display against New York. Muriel had several great chances in the box, and all of them ended up either shot right at Coronel or no shot was taken at all. The Colombian is one of the most talented and skilled players to ever wear the purple of Orlando City, but I was left wondering if we will see McGuire in a starting role sooner rather than later, with Muriel dropping back into a role behind him, because Orlando City needs a finisher up top and Muriel is a better provider than finisher. Muriel contributed four key passes against New York, showing off his incredible vision and playmaking touch, but when the Lions needed him most, he could not convert his chances into a goal.
Substitutes
D, Rafael Santos (62′), 5.5 — Santos entered the game a few minutes after Schlegel’s red card, assuming his preferred left back role and pushing Brekalo to center back next to Jansson. With Orlando City down a man, he did not have any chances to run forward and contribute his normal output of crosses whipped into the box, and he spent most of his time in a defensive stance and working to get the ball out of dangerous areas. He got beat on dangerous through ball in the 87th minute and was lucky that the ensuing ball into the middle was intercepted by Gerbet. On the day, he completed two of his five pass attempts and contributed two tackles, and he helped Orlando City successfully close out the final minutes without giving up a goal. However, much of New York’s attack notably shifted to Santos’ side until the late insertion of Kyle Smith stabilized Orlando’s defensive left.
F, Duncan McGuire (68′), 5.5 — McGuire was a man on an island for most of his minutes on the field, as even though he played more than 20 minutes, he only was able to touch the ball six times. As always, he worked extremely hard all across the field, making runs and trying to find space, but with Orlando City down a man and focused nearly exclusively on being compact defensively, there just was not a lot for him in this game. The MLS website did not give him credit for any completed passes, but he did complete one of his three attempts, and his main contribution was keeping New York’s defenders busy and not letting them advance up the field to press their man advantage.
MF, Eduard Atuesta, (79’), N/A — The Colombian entered the game for Ojeda, but he really came in for Thórhallsson, taking over his role as a defensive midfielder. Atuesta did not have an opportunity to do very much, as the Red Bulls had the ball for most of his time on the field, but he did make one mistake, conceding an unnecessary free kick late from a good position. He completed three of his four passes and had one interception on defense.
MF, Ramiro Enrique, (79’), N/A — Enrique came on for Thórhallsson but played as more of an attacking midfielder, as Orlando City went to what almost looked like a 5-2-2 or a 5-2-1-1 formation in the final minutes, with Enrique and McGuire as the two players who played most forward. His main contribution was his hustle, as he only had five touches and did not complete any passes.
D, Kyle Smith, (79′), N/A — The Accountant entered the game for Angulo, but dropped back into a role as a center back playing in between Santos and Jansson, as Orlando City went to five in the back to try to keep New York off the score sheet in the final minutes. He contributed one tackle and two clearances, and completed one of his two passes.
That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 0-0 draw at home against the Red Bulls. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.
Orlando City
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New York City FC
Get up to speed on this year’s NYCFC team, courtesy of someone who knows them best.
Another weekend brings another opportunity for Orlando City to pick up its first points of the still-young 2026 Major League Soccer season. To do that, OCSC will need to beat a team that is unbeaten through its first two games, as the Lions are heading to Yankee Stadium to take on New York City FC on Saturday.
A trip to the baseball diamond means I took the time to catch up with Matthew Mangam, who is one of the senior writers over at the independent and always excellent Hudson River Blue. He was kind enough to help us refamiliarize ourselves with the Pigeons, and I also answered some of his questions about Orlando City, which you can find over at their place.
Talk me through NYCFC’s off-season transfer business. Who went out the door, and who arrived to replace them?
Matthew Mangam: NYCFC’s biggest loss this off-season was Justin Haak, who joined the LA Galaxy as a free agent. Defensive midfielder and center back Kai Trewin joined the club from Melbourne City, serving as the unofficial replacement for Haak. Alonso Martínez, who tore his ACL, and Andrés Perea, who fractured his lower right leg, aren’t official departures but will spend most of the season recovering from their respective injuries. NYCFC also loaned out Julián Fernández and Mitja Ilenič.
Of those new arrivals, who has been the most impressive through the first two games of the season?
MM: I’m going to cheat a little bit here and say Keaton Parks — he missed most of last season after undergoing surgery to address blood flow issues in his right leg. Since appearing in the season opener and starting the last game against Philadelphia, Parks looks like he hasn’t missed a beat. He’s contributed on both sides of the ball, bringing great energy and consistency.
Who is an NYCFC player with the potential to be an X factor in this game, and why?
MM: Hannes Wolf. He scored the opening goal against Philadelphia in true Hannes Wolf fashion: opportunistically pouncing on a deflection in the box and burying it in the back of the net. The only issue is that Wolf struggles with consistency, but in his two seasons at NYCFC, he started each year in good form. I would say Nico Fernández Mercau could also be an X-factor, but he’s playing as the No. 9 — not his natural position — which has clearly affected him a bit.
Will anyone be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?
MM: Besides Martínez and Perea being out with long-term injuries, NYCFC is healthy. Talles Magno is coming off a calf injury, which happened in preseason, but he will likely play at least 10 minutes off the bench. Jonny Shore is also working back to full fitness, so it’s unclear if he’ll get any time as a substitute on Saturday.
I expect NYCFC to keep its lineup the same from the win over Philadelphia:
Matt Freese; Kevin O’Toole, Raul Gustavo, Thiago Martins, Tayvon Gray; Aiden O’Neill, Keaton Parks; Agustin Ojeda, Maxi Moralez, Hannes Wolf; Nicolas Fernández Mercau.
I think NYCFC wins 2-0, with Wolf and Parks getting on the score sheet.
Thank you to Matthew for the excellent info on NYCFC. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 3/6/26
Leagues Cup schedule unveiled, Orlando Pride sign Reagan Raabe, USWNT prepares for Colombia, and more.
Happy Friday! It’s been a bit of a hectic week but I’m looking forward to spending the weekend enjoying some soccer and visiting my family for a birthday. Hopefully Orlando City can get a win on the road on Saturday and bring points back to the City Beautiful. Before we get started, we want to give a shout out to “Flip,” the latest subscriber at the TAM Player level in our Buy Me a Coffee membership program. Thanks for your support and welcome to The Mane Land family! Now, let’s jump right into today’s links!
Orlando City’s Leagues Cup Schedule Revealed
The schedule for this summer’s Leagues Cup is out and we now know which Liga MX teams Orlando City will play against. All three of Orlando’s games in the first phase of the tournament will be at Inter&Co Stadium, starting with a match against Monterrey on Aug. 5. The Lions will then take on Club Leon on Aug. 8 before playing San Luis on Aug. 12. Of the 18 MLS clubs taking part in the Leagues Cup, only the top four will advance to the knockout stage. Last year, the Lions went unbeaten across their four matches against Mexican teams before falling in the semifinals and the third-place match.
Orlando Pride Sign Reagan Raabe
The Orlando Pride signed forward Reagan Raabe to a short-term contract that will last through June of this year. The 24-year-old has been with the club throughout its preseason as a non-roster invitee. Raabe joins the Pride following a collegiate career with the University of Nebraska, recording four goals and six assists in her final season after missing a couple of years due to injury. Hopefully she can continue to impress the coaching staff and make an impact this year.
Analyzing Colombia Ahead of USWNT Match
The United States Women’s National Team will play Colombia on Saturday in the final game of this year’s SheBelieves Cup. Colombia lost 4-1 to Canada in its first match but bounced back with a 1-0 win over Argentina. One of the top nations in South America, Colombia finished second in last year’s Copa America and boasts a versatile attack that does well with possession or in transition. The U.S. will need to limit Real Madrid forward Linda Caicedo as much as possible. The 21-year-old has scored in both of Colombia’s games this tournament and has the talent to create opportunities out of seemingly nothing.
WAFCON Postponed Until July
The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which was set to begin on March 17, has been postponed until July 25 and is set to last through Aug. 16. This decision comes amid reports that Morocco wished to withdraw as the tournament’s host and it’s unclear at this time if Morocco will still host it later this year. Many NWSL players are impacted by this change, including Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda, whose Zambian side will face Nigeria, Malawi, and Egypt in the group stage. The tournament doubles as qualifying for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, with the quarterfinalists directly securing a spot in Brazil next summer.
Free Kicks
- We have some rumored numbers to put to how much Orlando City was offering to pay Atletico Madrid attacker Antoine Griezmann. Even if the move doesn’t come to pass, I can appreciate the club taking a big swing.
- Nothing is official yet, but the United States Men’s National Team’s jersey for the upcoming World Cup may have been spotted in the wild. It looks like the Waldo kit with a twist, literally.
- Toronto FC officially added center back Benjamin Kuscevic on loan from Fortaleza in Brazil’s second division.
- Walid Regragui stepped down as Morocco’s head coach with only a few months to go before the World Cup. Mohamed Ouahbi will take over for Regragui and it will be his first time coaching a senior team.
- Relegation is growing into a real possibility for Tottenham, which lost its fifth-straight match after a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.
- Cristo Fernandez, who plays Dani Rojas on Ted Lasso, made a splash with a pair of goals in an exhibition match while training with Chicago Fire II.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend. Go Orlando!
Orlando City
How Orlando City’s Roster Construction Compares to Rest of MLS
Let’s look at Orlando City’s roster configuration to see how it compares to the rest of Major League Soccer.
Last week was an exciting one for nerds fans of salary cap minutiae like me, as Major League Soccer (MLS) released the club roster profiles for all 30 teams. Every sports league has its own set of intricate rules and regulations, and MLS is no different. For a league that seemingly embraced a lack of transparency for years, it has been a breath of fresh air that MLS is starting to share more information. Later this year, we will find out each player’s salary for the 2026 season, but for now, we know the status of every player as of Feb. 26, plus the few official transfers that are listed on the transfer tracker on the MLS website.
If you click on that link you will note that the transfer tracker is not accurate for Orlando City, as it neglects to mention that Alex Freeman was transferred to Villarreal. As far as I am concerned, that means that Freeman can suit up for the Lions on Saturday, so Alex, get on that yellow submarine and head west to the Bronx. We will see you there, in a baseball stadium. Sigh.
Freeman could use the minutes, having played only 31 across six games since joining Villarreal, but Griffin Dorsey is doing a great job out on the right side in his stead, and if not for bad luck, he would have a goal and an assist in his first two games as a Lion. Dorsey was acquired in late February in a GAM-for-player deal with the Houston Dynamo, and that brings us back to the club roster profiles which were released a week ago.
I went through each club’s profile and aggregated the counts of players in each roster designation, and the results are in the table below. The long list of rules for roster construction can be found here, and I will remind you that reading these rules is only slightly less effective than counting sheep if you are trying to grab some sleep. And now, without another peep, let us plunge into the end that is deep and take a look at the table that my aggregation reaped.
| Roster Designation | Orlando City | MLS Avg. | MLS Max. | MLS Min. | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Roster | 18 | 17.9 | 20 | 14 | 536 |
| Supplemental Roster | 6 | 7.9 | 12 | 3 | 237 |
| Active Roster Total | 24 | 25.8 | 29 | 21 | 773 |
| International Slots Used | 6 | 7.3 | 11 | 2 | 219 |
| Designated Players | 3 | 2.3 | 3 | 1 | 69 |
| MLS U22 Initiative | 3 | 2.4 | 4 | 0 | 71 |
| TAM Players | 3 | 5.0 | 9 | 2 | 151 |
| Homegrowns* | 6 (4) | 5.6 (3.4) | 14 (8) | 2 (0) | 103 |
| Generation Adidas | 0 | 0.4 | 2 | 0 | 11 |
A few notes on this table:
- These counts come directly from the club roster profiles on Feb. 26 but also include the few official transactions that have occurred since then.
- The max and min columns reflect the number of players that at least one team has in that category, not the allowable maximum or minimum.
- The Homegrowns row has an asterisk because, frankly, the rules are a little complicated with how teams can use and pay players they either developed themselves or acquired from another club’s youth setup. That said, I put two numbers in each column to try to simplify it: the first value is the total number of players listed as a Homegrown Player and the number inside the parentheses is the number of Homegrowns who are on the active roster. Orlando City, for example, has six total Homegrowns but only four (Gustavo Caraballo, Colin Guske, Javier Otero, and Zakaria Taifi) on the active roster. Justin Ellis and Tahir Reid-Brown are Homegrowns but are not on the active roster, even though both were dressed against Miami and Reid-Brown went the full 90, while Caraballo did not dress for either of the first two games. That is how MLS rolls.
- I did not count, but dozens of players are listed on rosters but are currently unavailable due to being on loan, on the injured list, or in one case due to visa issues. I excluded all of these players from the counts in the table.
All right, enough of that, what does this mean for Orlando City?
First and foremost, it means that the Lions have room on their roster for acquisitions. The maximum number of players on an active roster is 30 (Senior Roster + Supplemental Roster), and Orlando City is only using 24 of those 30 spots. That leaves six spots available for roster maneuvering, and it is overwhelmingly likely that the front office will sign a few more players before the season ends.
No team is using all 30 active roster spots at the moment, which makes sense as it is early in the season and teams want roster flexibility, but the 24 spots currently being used by Orlando City ranks 22nd in the league. Our David Rohe wrote about the team’s depth issues in the latest edition of our weekly newsletter, which you too can receive by signing up here, and while playing the kids will help in the long run, in the short run Orlando City needs to get some points, and using those available spots to sign some proven veterans could help.
Another interesting item to note is that Orlando City went big on Ojedas, with both Braian and Martín occupying Designated Player spots on the roster at the moment. The third Designated Player, Marco Pašalić, is the only one of the three who cannot be bought down to become a TAM player, however, and so if Orlando City is able to acquire a certain French player, or another player of his ilk, the team can easily convert one of the Ojedas (most likely Braian) to a TAM player and offer that third Designated Player slot to an incoming player.
It is not shown in the table above, but it also appears from the club profiles that the Lions have one international slot available to them that they have yet to use, which would fit very nicely on that theoretical Designated Player signing.
Moving on, I am not here to tattle on anyone but…Orlando City’s opponent this weekend landed one too many Pigeons on its Supplemental Roster, as league rules state that “a club may have no more than 11 players on its Supplemental Roster, subject to the Season-Ending Injury, Injured List, and Loan exceptions.” NYCFC shows none of those as it relates to its Supplemental Roster players, and as the official league document shows that the Pigeons have 12 players on their Supplemental Roster, I think their punishment should be an automatic forfeit, with three points going to Orlando City. Who is with me?
Nothing will happen, of course, as NYCFC is owned by City Football Group, which has a vast amount of experience with (allegedly) flouting league rules (*cough* Manchester City *cough*). And realistically, that Supplemental Roster oversight has already been addressed and fixed, but until MLS issues an updated document, NYCFC appears to be out of compliance and the only games on baseball fields in New York City this weekend should be, you know, baseball games.
That will not be the case, and there will be soccer in Yankee Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Lions have not fared well on the road against NYCFC this decade, and are on a run of five straight losses when playing away against the Pigeons. Preferably they do not match those six open active roster spots with a sixth straight loss, and they take their 24 players plus the extra Homegrowns up to the Big Apple and give NYCFC a little of the old “how do you like them apples?” and come back with all three points.
And then maybe go out next week and sign three more players.
Vamos Orlando!
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New York City FC
Lion Links: 3/6/26
How Orlando City’s Roster Construction Compares to Rest of MLS
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