Orlando City played its final preseason game Saturday night, falling 4-1 to the Colorado Rapids. There were plenty of takeaways from this game, but one stands out above the rest.

Robin Jansson has been a mainstay in the Lions’ starting lineup since arriving at the club in 2019. The Swede was a key component as the club qualified for the MLS Cup playoffs for the first time in 2020 — and every year since. He eventually became vice captain and captain when Mauricio Pereyra’s time in Orlando ended.

Early in his Orlando career, Jansson was quite frustrating for fans. He would inevitably get into altercations with referees resulting in unnecessary yellow cards. The center back was commonly suspended due to yellow card accumulation, making him a potential liability in big games.

However, the 34-year-old has mellowed with age. His ability to keep his calm has made him a much more reliable defender and the obvious choice as Oscar Pareja’s captain when Pereyra departed the club following the 2023 season.

Over the last couple of years, Jansson’s importance to Orlando City has been apparent. Rodrigo Schlegel and David Brekalo were the center back pairing when the captain was missing and his absence was noticeable. While the other options were dependable (most of the time) the back line seemed unstable and disorganized without its leader.

We saw that again on Saturday night.

Jansson is out after undergoing foot surgery earlier this preseason, making Brekalo and Iago the only first-team center backs available with top flight experience. The veteran is expeccted to return later this spring, but Breako and Iago will likely be the starting center backs when the regular season begins Saturday night.

While Brekalo is entering his third season in Orlando, the club signed Iago — a 20-year-old Brazilian — from Flamengo on Feb. 7, making him the club’s newest player.

Just a week after joining his new club, Iago had the most difficult time of all Orlando City defenders against Colorado’s attack. He was beaten twice by Rafael Navarro for goals in the first half, allowing the opposition to take a 2-0 lead into the break.

While the newly signed center back was better in the second half, the pairing still had its troubles. Brekalo got burned by Darren Yapi for the third goal, and the inability of the duo to clear the ball late in the game allowed Lucas Herrington to make it four.

The importance of Jansson is shown not just in his captaincy, but also in the number of games he plays. He’s started at least 30 league games in each of the last three seasons and took part in every MLS contest Orlando City had in 2023. He’s clearly a durable option, but for how much longer?

At 34 years of age, Jansson is past his prime years and might need more time to recover. As a result, Pareja may soon be unable to depend on his captain to play nearly every game.

As we’ve seen over the past few seasons, that could create a significant problem for Orlando City. Regardless of the pairing, the back line has been much weaker when Jansson has not been involved. It’s something that was proven again Saturday night.

This is only one game in a preseason in which the club has produced very little information, so it’s tough to say whether this game is an anomaly or something that should concern fans. But it’s also not like Brekalo and Iago have played much center back.

Brekalo, a 27-year-old Slovenian international, has primarily played left back for the Lions since joining the team two years ago. Despite being a natural center back, only 18 of his 51 starts in all competitions have been in the position. Initially, he was a backup on the bench. Pareja soon preferred Brekalo at left back, resulting in the club trading Rafael Santos to Colorado.

The club signed Adrian Marin from Sporting Braga on Aug. 7, bringing a new left back into the squad. Once acclimating himself to his new home, the Spainard played in the final three games of the regular season. Brekalo started two of those games at center back and was away on international duty for the third. Marin also started Saturday night’s preseason game on the left side of the back line.

Meanwhile, Iago’s lack of experience comes from his age. The 20-year-old came through Flamengo’s academy before joining the first team in 2024. He made 68 appearances for the Brazilian giants’ U-20 and first teams while also captaining Brazil at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

But that experience is minimal compared to the other two center back options. Brekalo has made 65 appearances for Orlando City and played in more professional games for Bravo and Viking. Jansson, on the other hand, has more appearances (237), starts (231), and minutes (20,889) than any player in club history.

While Brekalo and Iago are getting used to regularly playing center back against MLS competition, Jansson has been a regular starter at the position for seven years. That experience allows him to have an unusual knowledge of the league and the opposing attackers in addition to being able to communicate effectively with the rest of his back line.

If Jansson is unable to remain healthy thorughout the coming season or needs more rest than previous years, it could be a problem for the Lions. The team is unlikely to score a large number of goals, making the defensive play essential to Orlando’s success. The captain being out for any period of time is the most troubling scenario.

Orlando City lost multiple starters this off-season, creating questions for the team heading into the season. Some of those include who will start at right back, how will new starting goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau adjust to his new team, and where will the goals come from? But what happens if Jansson is unavailable to play might be the most pressing.

We’ve seen what this back line looks like when the captain is out and it doesn’t look pretty. It’s been a concern over the past few seasons and, judging from the performance Saurday night, is one again this year. Orlando City fans can only hope he’ll be able to be a consistent and healthy part of the team in 2026.

Hello, Mane Landers, and happy President’s Day! I hope all is well with you down in Florida over the holiday weekend. I’ve been busy covering high school playoff basketball and hockey over the past week. Orlando City’s home opener is Saturday, and like many of you, I look forward to seeing what the Lions can do during the 2026 MLS season. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Fall to Rapids in Final Preseason Match

In its final preseason match, Orlando City fell 4-1 to the Colorado Rapids Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions trailed 2-0 at halftime before Eduard Atuesta curled his shot around the wall and into the back of the net to make it 2-1 in the second half. The Rapids quickly responded with a goal from Darren Yapi extend their lead to 3-1. Lucas Herrington scored the final goal of the night for Colorado to seal the victory on the road. Orlando City finishes its preseason and the 2026 MLS season will kick off this weekend as the Lions host the Red Bulls on Saturday night.

Orlando Pride Release Preseason Schedule

The Orlando Pride dropped their preseason schedule Friday, and all matches will be closed-door scrimmages. The Pride have one preseason match in the books, a recent scrimmage against the Washington Spirit Friday, the day they dropped their schedule, but they did not provide information about it, as has become the team’s custom. The club shared some photos of the match on social media.

The Pride’s upcoming preseason matches are Friday against Racing Louisville, Sunday against the University of Florida, and March 1 against NJ/NY Gotham FC.

Orlando Pride Announce Preseason Fan Events

The Orlando Pride unveiled the list of events ahead of the 2026 season Saturday. Many of the events offer fans opportunities to engage with the team ahead of the Pride’s home opener on March 15 against the Seattle Reign at Inter&Co Stadium. The first event is Tuesday with Pour Overs With Pride at Qreate Coffee Creative Village, where fans can interact with Simone Jackson and Nicole Payne as baristas. The Pride will reveal their new secondary jersey at The Final Whistle at Thornton Park Pub on Feb. 26. The Pints with Pride event is March 3 with Summer Yates and Cori Dyke as bartenders, and the club’s annual Scarf the City event is March 10.

MLS Transfer News

Minnesota United has signed defender Kyle Duncan. The 28-year-old previously played eight seasons for the New York Red Bulls and is under contract through 2026 with an option through June 2027. FC Dallas has acquired midfielder Joaquin Valiente from Uruguayan top flight club Defensor SC. The 24-year-old Uruguayan international has signed a deal through 2027-2028 with options through the 2029-2030 season. The Houston Dynamo have loaned midfielder Sebastian Rodriguez to CF Monterrey through the 2026 season. Meanwhile, Atlanta United is reportedly finalizing the signing of winger Fafa Picault.

Lastly, Nashville SC is reportedly close to finalizing a deal to acquire wingback Reed Baker-Whiting from the Seattle Sounders.

Americans Abroad

Former Lion Alex Freeman came off the bench and played 12 minutes, but Villarreal fell 2-1 to Getafe. Johnny Cardoso played 63 minutes, but Atletico Madrid fell 3-0 to Rayo Vallecano. Weston McKennie recorded two assists, but Juventus fell 3-2 to rival Inter Milan over the weekend. Timothy Weah played a full 90 minutes as Marseille secured a 2-2 draw against Strasbourg. Patrick Agyemang scored his 10th goal of the season as Derby County defeated Swansea City 2-0 in the EFL Championship. Later today, we’ll have two Americans square off as Aidan Morris and Middlesbrough take on Haji Wright and Coventry City.

Fourth Round FA Cup Recap

The fourth round of the FA Cup has begun. On Friday, Wrexham beat Ipswich Town 1-0 and advanced to the fifth round for the first time since 1997. Chelsea defeated Hull City 4-0. On Saturday, Mansfield Town edged Burnley 2-1 to move on. Former Lion Daryl Dike was on the bench and did not play as West Bromwich Albion fell 3-1 to Norwich City. Manchester City beat Salford City 2-0, and Liverpool defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0. On Sunday, Leeds United needed penalties to beat Birmingham City 4-2 after a 1-1 draw to advancd to the fifth round. Sunderland defeated Oxford United 1-0, Fulham edged Stoke City 2-1, and Arsenal dominated Wigan Athletic 4-0. Later today, Macclesfield FC takes on Brentford.

Free Kicks

• Former Lion Benji Michel has signed a contract with K-League 1 side Ulsan HD FC in South Korea for the upcoming 2026 season.
• Former Pride forward Ally Brazier (née Watt) set up the first goal for the Denver Summit in its preseason match Sunday. Former Pride defender Carson Pickett was also in action as the Summit defeated the Utah Royals 2-0.

• Former Orlando City goalkeepers coach Stewart Kerr has a new job, joining Canadian Premier League side Calvary FC as its head of goalkeeping and coaching the netminders for both the first team and the reserve team.
• Boston Legacy FC has unveiled its inaugural kit for its NWSL debut in 2026.

• The San Diego Wave are reportedly in negotiations to sign Chelsea midfielder Catarina Macario.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

The final test of the preseason came with a failing grade for Orlando City. Although both Marco Pasalic and Eduard Atuesta said after the game that it was perhaps a good thing for the Lions to suffer defeat to stay grounded after getting some positive results throughout the preseason, the team’s 4-1 loss to the Colorado Rapids Saturday night at Inter&Co Stadium wasn’t a lot of fun for Orlando City’s season ticket members to watch, considering the 2026 regular season starts in six days.

Here are some of the takeaways I had from the match.

Orlando Has Little to No Experienced Depth

One look at the bench from Orlando City’s match lineup Saturday was concerning. Of the 10 players on the bench for Saturday’s friendly against Colorado, nine of them — everyone not named Duncan McGuire — had made a combined 17 appearances for just 289 total minutes in MLS play. If you remove Javier Otero from that total, the entire bench had made just 14 MLS appearances for just 48 total minutes. Four of the bench players (Dylan Judelson, Pedro Leao, Nolan Miller, and Tahir Reid-Brown) have combined for zero MLS appearances, while Justin Ellis has just a two-minute runout in one match to his name.

Aside from captain Robin Jansson, the team was missing Designated Player Martin Ojeda, second-year central midfielder Joran Gerbet (knee), rookie Harvey Sarajian (back tightness), right back Zakaria Taifi (tight hamstring), and new MLS U22 Initiative signing Luis Otavio (undisclosed injury, although Head Coach Oscar Pareja said the news on Otavio is positive and he should return soon). That means of the unavailable players not named Jansson, Ojeda, or Gerbet, the club’s players who missed the match have a combined six appearances for 34 minutes in MLS play — all from Taifi, and not all at right back where he is expected to play.

Ricardo Moreira appears to be letting the kids play, but it’s fair to ask if it’s wise to have that many kids as a safety net during rotation, injuries, and suspensions? Going young is one way to look at it; completely lacking depth is another.

Back Line Not Ready for Prime Time

Without Jansson (foot) and the only true right back on the roster, Zakaria Taifi (tight hamstring), Orlando City’s back line did nothing Saturday to discourage feelings that the club did not do enough to address the defense in the off-season. It’s easy to rip on Iago, who had a brutal night, but the young Brazilian has only been with the club for a week, so it’s fair to say he’s still learning his teammates’ names, let alone how they play, Orlando City’s system, and how to play against MLS attacking players.

“We are a young team. We have a lot of young guys,” Atuesta said. “That’s the rhythm of the league, so it was good for them to know, because they are new in the league. They are new in the team. It was good for them to know that’s the rhythm we’re going to play every game this season.”

Aside from Iago’s issues defensively — he got roasted by Rafael Navarro on the second Colorado goal, allowing a point-blank header and got caught too high up the pitch a few times — he looks like a bright young talent. He was a problem for the Rapids in the box on set pieces, nearly getting onto an Atuesta corner kick in the first half despite fighting through traffic.

Ivan Angulo worked his tail off, as usual, but he does not appear to be the answer at right back. He was, perhaps filling in for Taifi, but that shows how thin the back line is after the departures of Alex Freeman, Kyle Smith, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Thomas Williams. The first two Colorado goals were served in from Angulo’s area of defense.

“He’s a winger, and we’re trying to fill in a spot that is empty at the moment,” Pareja said. “We have Taifi there, but Taifi had some difficulties during the week, his hamstring was tight, so couldn’t (play), so we have been trying with Ivan to see if we can have some solutions there. That’s the reality. And the game exposes sometimes the lack of experience in the position, and that’s what happened.”

David Brekalo, presumably the one stalwart who started Saturday, was caught flatfooted in transition multiple times, and taking into account how much he has to cover for a non-defender to his right and a kid who only came to the U.S. a week ago, it’s hard to judge him too harshly.

The lone player who looked OK on the back line was left back Adrian Marin, who appeared more comfortable and sturdy than in his few appearances last season. This team needs Jansson healthy as soon as possible, and it needs more depth.

Strikers Gotta Strike

With an open Designated Player slot, many fans are hoping the club signs a potent striker — one who creates his own chances and finishes them. That was not on display Saturday, although one match does not a season make. The two who took turns in the position were MLS U22 Initiative signing Tiago, who started, and McGuire, who came off the bench early in the second half to replace him.

Tiago was virtually invisible, though he pressed well, looks to have good quickness and speed, and seems to understand what he’s being asked to do. However, Colorado’s defenders spent 54 minutes putting Tiago in their pocket, even when a great ball seemed all but certain to unlock the young Brazilian for a scoring chance. Tiago got no help at times, however, including an overcooked back-post pass from Spicer he couldn’t get to, which would have given him an easy tap-in during the first half.

McGuire was given much better service to work with, but his troubles Saturday were somewhat self-inflicted. Teammates gave him a couple of glorious long balls that should have put the striker in alone on goal. McGuire’s first touch let him down on both, taking him wide to the left on the first. He still got a shot off and put it on target, but the angle made it easy for Zack Steffen to stop. The second heavy touch took him too far to the right on an incredible curling pass from rookie defender Miller, who deputized as a reserve right back. McGuire didn’t even get a shot away on the second, although he did win a corner. Given McGuire’s track record, he’ll likely have better games ahead, and at least he was putting himself in dangerous positions.

A Moment of Magic from Edu

As this column is no doubt seemingly focused on the negative thus far, it’s time to turn things around. I have to mention Atuesta’s superb free kick that accounted for Orlando City’s lone goal on the night. Tyrese Spicer (more on him in a moment) set the play up by winning a free kick just outside the box just left of center, midway between the semicircle and the top corner of the penalty area. Atuesta and Pasalic both stood over the ball, provding both a right-footed and left-footed threat on the set piece.

The two players discussed the set piece while Steffen set up his wall, placing a defender on the ground in case Orlando tried a hard, low shot when the wall jumped. Pasalic told Atuesta to take it because the position of the kick was better for a right-footed player. The two conferred, and Atuesta had to choose between going near post and far post.

“I just asked (Pasalic) if he was seeing the same thing that I was seeing about the first or second post,” Atuesta said. “But when I see one of (Steffen’s) players going to the first post, I know that the keeper was too worried about that post, so he chose for me at that moment. I just tried to put the ball to the second (post), that’s all.”

Atuesta could hardly have delivered a better curling effort around the wall and inside the right post for the only goal the Lions scored in the match.

Spicer the Slicer

Drawing the free kick that led to the only Orlando City goal was far from Spicer’s only involvement in the game. The Trinidad & Tobago international was probably Orlando City’s most active player. Playing his usual left wing spot, Spicer was one of the most creative attackers in the match. Though he lacked accuracy on the night, he led Orlando’s attack in shots in the first half (there were no stats for the game, but anecdotally, he had three shots but none were on frame. He also got down the flank a few times and sent in some dangerous crosses, but just put a bit too much on the aforementioned opportunity to set up Tiago. Colorado played a well-organized defensive game and did well to cut out a few other tries. Although Spicer was a bit impatient at times, sending balls into the area without support or numbers, he learned from it and curled back, allowing his teammates to join the attack more in the second half. Spicer’s combination of speed and power is impressive, and when he gets a bit more locked in, he’s going to be a problem for Orlando City opponents.

Those are the things that stuck out to me watching Orlando’s final preseason match of 2026. It’s fair to say that fans should have concerns with the roster construction and the overall lack of experience. There will be growing pains as the new guys get settled in. However, there were some positives. In addition to those mentioned above, Wilder Cartagena and Braian Ojeda both looked good. Orlando controlled the match between the boxes. The struggles came in transition defending and precision in the quality third — the latter being an area that is commonly the last piece to come together for most MLS teams early in the year.

Additionally, Atuesta, Pasalic, and Pareja all came across as extremely confident that the team has plenty of talent, is getting better every day, and just needs time for the chemistry to build.

“We were not ready to be the champion last week, when we won against Cincinnati, and (Saturday), for sure, we’re not the worst team in the league,” Atuesta said.

There’s also still a Designated Player slot to fill, so at some point — and it may not be until summer — more help is on the way.