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Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 0-0 draw against the Chicago Fire?

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1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Twice this season Orlando City players received red cards, and during each occasion the defense was able to buckle down and keep the opponents from scoring while up a player. The Lions returned the favor on Saturday night, allowing Chicago to play down a player for more than half the game without punishment in what ended up as a disappointing 0-0 draw at Soldier Field.

There were not a lot of standout performances in this game, as aside from one major exception the team just seemed to be playing in a bit of a funk — and not the cool James Brown funk, but rather the something-is-rotten-in-the-state-of-Illinois funk. To torture a Hamlet metaphor: to grade or not to grade was never a question, but to do it with or without holding my nose definitely was.

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, 8.5 (MotM) — El Pulpo was simply outstanding in this game, recording eight saves, one below his career high in purple (or yellow, as it often has been), and keeping the game scoreless early when Chicago was relentlessly attacking Orlando City’s defense. He made two double saves, one in each half, and really looked to be the only Lion who actually showed up to play in this game. The Peruvian looked in complete command of his area throughout, extending his shutout streak to more than 500 minutes by the conclusion of this game, and Orlando City has Gallese to thank for escaping with a point, despite playing up a man for more than half of the match.

D, David Brekalo, 6 — The Slovenian defender ventured forward more than usual, with the Fire playing down a player and not offering much of an offensive threat, and he did play a few dangerous balls, but — and this will be a theme of many of the grades for this game — nothing came of it. He completed 60 passes on the night at a 92.3% rate, and Óscar Pareja believed he was playing well enough to leave him on the field and withdraw Rodrigo Schlegel when Orlando City started really pushing forward in the final 10 minutes, but that is not saying much on a night when nobody in the defensive back line was having a great game. Brekalo added one tackle and three clearances, and to his credit, he continued to look more comfortable playing in a position (left back) that he had not played prior to this season.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — The captain was his normal steady self, though he did not have many opportunities to contribute with Chicago so rarely attacking in the the final 50 minutes of the game. His biggest positive contribution was playing the long ball over the top to Duncan McGuire that turned into a red card and a man advantage, and he narrowly avoided a calamitous negative contribution as a second half shot that was going to go well wide deflected off him and nearly tucked inside the near post, but it thankfully hit the outside of the post instead. Jansson led the team in completed passes with 62, including one key pass, and completed those passes at a 91.2% rate, but it is telling that he did not make any tackles and only had two defensive clearances, as much of his game was spent watching the “offense” in front of him and providing a release valve as they reset and tried another tactic.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5.5 — Schlegel owes a massive debt of gratitude to Gallese, as twice in the game the Argentinean defender was beaten by Philip Zinckernagel, and only a save at full stretch kept the Lions from going down 1-0. Shortly thereafter, he was beaten over the top on a ball to Jonathan Bamba, but Gallese once again kept the game scoreless. It was not shaping up to be a good day for the Orlando City defense, but the red card changed everything, and from then on, Schlegel did not have a lot to do aside from transitioning balls played back to him to another player. He completed 49 passes on the night, third on the team, connecting on 87.5% of those passes, and he also added one tackle and five clearances.

D, Alex Freeman, 6 — I expected Freeman to take full advantage of Chicago playing down a man for more than half the game and he did to a degree, taking three shots and playing two key passes, but the final product was not there and he could not add to his goal contribution tally. Freeman and Marco Pašalić also did not seem to have their usual level of interplay, and according to whoscored.com, the Lions actually attacked up the right side far less often (24% of their possessions) than they did the left side (38%). Freeman was engaged defensively, with two tackles, three interceptions, and one clearance, but as with so many of the Lions on this night, he did not execute well enough on offense to help get the one goal Orlando City needed to walk away with the three points. He also owes Gallese a major thank you, as Zinckernagel picked his pocket in the first half and only a fantastic save kept Freeman from having made the turnover that turned into the opening goal.

MF, César Araújo, 6 — It was nice to see Araújo’s name back in the starting lineup, but I did not think the Uruguayan looked all the way back to 100%. That may have been because early in the game he appeared to pick up some kind of knock, and was limping around for a few minutes, or perhaps because he was not fully back from the injury that had been keeping him out, but this was a pretty muted performance from a player who usually is a midfield destroyer and never stops running when he is on the field. Araújo completed 47 passes at a 94% clip, took three shots, and recorded three tackles, but what I will remember from him from this game is that he was one of several players who took free kicks from very dangerous locations, and just like many of his teammates, he put his free kick right into the wall.

MF, Kyle Smith, 6 — With Eduard Atuesta out, Smith got the start in the midfield alongside Araújo, and gave a solid, workmanlike performance. Smith did not get forward very much and played conservatively, and while he completed 87.1% of his passes, there were very few of consequence. Smith’s biggest contribution was a hustle play, when he got all the way back on defense to deflect a cross away that was headed into a dangerous area. He also added one tackle on defense before making way for Martín Ojeda in an offense-for-defense substitution in the 56th minute.

MF, Iván Angulo, 6 — The Colombian had a bright start to this game, cutting back into the middle and getting off Orlando City’s first shot of the game, which deflected out for a corner. Later in the first half, he also put a left-footed shot on target, one of only two shots on target for Orlando City all game, but it was not struck with a lot of power and was never really a threat. Angulo also played a fantastic pass to Ojeda that nearly turned into an assist, but Ojeda’s blast hit the post instead of the net. The speedy winger completed 79.5% of his passes on the night, with three key passes, and added one tackle and two interceptions, but on the flip side, he also was dispossessed once in the defensive third, giving Chicago an opportunity, and he also committed the turnover that turned into Gallese’s second-half double save.

MF, Marco Pašalić, 6 — Just when the Croatian winger seemed to finally be getting into the game he was substituted out, and while it was understandable considering how invisible he had been for most of the match, the decision to take off one of the few players who had even threatened the goal was one that I did not agree with. As covered earlier, Orlando City did not attack down the right side very much in this game, and Pašalić had his second-fewest touches in any game this season as a result. He did hit one of his trademark dipping shots from outside the box but did not get quite enough of a dip on it, and it rattled the crossbar but did not ricochet into the net. On the night, he completed 70.8% of his passes and he beat three defenders off the dribble, but he was not able to create much else for himself or his teammates.

F, Luis Muriel, 6.5 — Muriel was by far the most active player among Orlando City’s attackers, and while he had several chances himself, he created even more for his teammates with his team-leading nine shot-creating actions, but nobody brought their shooting shoes, and all those chances went begging. Muriel played some absolutely beautiful balls on the night, from a long ball over the top to McGuire, to a back-post cross towards Araújo, to several crosses into the danger area in front of the goal, and on a different day, perhaps he would have had multiple assists. Or, on a different day, he would have scored on some of his chances, as he led the team with five shot attempts but unfortunately could only put one on target, which was saved. The Colombian had four key passes among his 38 completions, and considering he was one of the few players to look lively and engaged, it is not a surprise that he only completed 71.7% of his passes, as he was trying to create offense for his teammates all game long.

F, Duncan McGuire, 5.5 — McGuire received another start in this match next to Muriel, and went the full 90 minutes in an MLS match for the first time since June of 2024. Unfortunately, he continued his trend of not receiving a lot of service, as despite playing 90 minutes and Chicago playing down a player, he only had 23 touches. Early in the game he had a decent chance on a ball over the top from Muriel that he hit well but wide, but aside from that, he was unable to get any other shots off. His biggest contribution was earning the red card from Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady, which is not be discounted, especially considering that he gave up his just-recovered-from-injury body to do so, but aside from that, there was not a lot else that he offered in this game. He completed 10 passes at a 71.4% completion rate, but unfortunately for Orlando City, his goal contribution drought continued and left me wondering whether it is time for him to return to the bench and his supersub role instead of starting and playing against fresh defenders.

Substitutes

MF, Martín Ojeda (56′), 6 — With Orlando City up a man, I thought Ojeda would enter the game much earlier, but Pareja still waited until nearly two-thirds of the game was complete to bring in the team’s third Designated Player. Ojeda was inches away from adding another goal to his tally, smashing a shot against the post after a great pass from Angulo, but that was really the only serious contribution he made while he was on the field. He competed 14 passes, including one key pass, at an 87.5% rate and also took two additional shots, but placed neither on target.

MF, Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, (81’), N/A — The Icelandic midfielder brought some life to the offense when he entered in an offense-for-defense substitution for Schlegel but was unable to create any serious chances. He completed six of his seven passes and was able to get a shot off, but that shot was not on target.

MF, Ramiro Enrique, (81’), N/A — Enrique entered in a like-for-like swap with Pašalić but really did not have much of an opportunity to contribute to the match as he only had three touches.

D, Rafael Santos, (81′), N/A — The Brazilian replaced Angulo on the left side but was unable to get a chance to play any of his trademark whipped crosses towards the danger zone, and though he completed four passes, nothing came of them.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 0-0 draw on the road against the Chicago Fire. 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.

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Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: Final Score 2-1 as Griezmann’s Brace Lifts Lions to Win

Antoine Griezmann scored twice in the second half to help Orlando City erase a 1-0 deficit and beat RSL at home.

Published

11 hours ago

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August 22, 2026

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Image of Antoine Griezmann and Justin Ellis celebrating a goal against Real Salt Lake.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Antoine Griezmann scored two second-half goals for his first Orlando City brace, leading the Lions to a 2-1 comeback win over Real Salt Lake at Inter.co Stadium tonight. After a lethargic opening 45 minutes that saw the visitors take a 1-0 lead into the half on Dominik Marczuk’s goal, an energetic trio of halftime subs injected life into the attack for Orlando (7-11-3, 24 points).

Griezmann’s two goals pushed the Lions past Real Salt Lake (8-8-4, 28 points), but it’s fair to say Orlando City wasn’t clean enough in the first half and couldn’t turn possession into attacking threat until the introduction of second-half subs Justin Ellis, Joran Gerbet, Daryl Dike, and Tyrese Spicer.

The Lions snapped an 0-2-2 winless streak in all competitions and a 0-2-1 skid in league play with tonight’s win, moving just over the playoff line into ninth spot in the Eastern Conference.

“It was a tough game,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “It wasn’t easy the first half; we tried good and sometimes it happens like that, the game. I think the team in the second half was able to to play in a very difficult moment. It’s not easy and the guys did an amazing job.”

Perelman’s lineup included Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Zakaria Taifi, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Luis Otavio and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield inside of Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Tiago joining Antoine Griezmann up top.

The first half consisted of long spells of Orlando possession that came to nothing against a heavily rotated RSL side, with former Lion Mason Stajduhar having to do nothing in goal, because the Lions couldn’t even manage one first-half shot attempt. The visitors were content to stay in their low block of five at the back and four midfielders, wait for the exhausted-looking hosts to misplace a pass or have a bad touch, and look for chances to hit on the counter or with balls over the top.

Griezmann looked the most in need of a rest, as several of his touches were heavy in the first half, but he was far from the only one.

There was a scary moment early in the game when Jansson collided with Marczuk on an attempted RSL switch of play. The Orlando City captain was fouled and stayed down to get treatment, eventually leaving the field under his own power. He was able to return moments later.

Orlando City won a few set pieces in the opening half but did nothing with them, while the visitors looked dangerous if they could stay onside, which they struggled to do early. When the Lions did manage to find space against RSL’s back line, the crosses were poor, ending up either out of play or in the goalkeeper’s hands.

The visitors broke through the dull affair in the 36th minute. Alexandros Katranis laid off a ball on the left flank for Sam Junqua behind him. Junqua picked up his head and spotted Marczuk’s well-timed run behind Taifi and delivered a nice cross. Marczuk met the ball in the air with his foot and knocked it past Crepeau to make it 1-0.

Crepeau kept things from getting worse just before halftime. Angulo turned the ball over on an attempted recycle of a failed set piece, igniting a Real Salt Lake counter. The ball ended up with Marczuk again on the right and this time Crepeau was able to get a hand on it to palm it out for a corner.

The Lions dealt with the set piece and the half came to an end with Orlando’s starters trailing 1-0 to an RSL B-squad that dien’t allow a single shot attempt.

At the break, Orlando City had the advantage in possession (59.4%-40.6%) and passing accuracy (89.7-84.2%), while Real Salt Lake led in shots (3-0) and shots on target (2-0) and each team won one corner.

“it was a complicated game,” Griezmann said. “It’s never easy starting off with with a negative mark like that, but we made changes at halftime and put more more guys further up the field, and we were able to to get that goal and really kind of give ourselves some time of tranquility to create more opportunities to create those occasions to go out and get the winner.”

Looking to injuct some life into the game, or at least some fresh legs, Perelman sent Gerbet, Dike, and Ellis into the game at halftime for Otavio, Tiago, and Pasalic. It took a few minutes for the subs to settle in, but it made a difference in the Lions’ energy level.

Marczuk had the first look at goal in the second half, however, firing from distance from the right side, but it caused no trouble for Crepeau in the 50th minute.

Gerbet and Atuesta worked well together in the middle, keeping the ball better and allowing Taifi to jump into the play on the left. Taifi had a shot blocked out for a corner in the 51st minute. A minute later, Atuesta played a slick through ball for Griezmann. With Stajduhar coming off his line, the Frenchman chipped a shot over him but it went inches wide of the left post.

Orlando scored seconds after Stajduhar put the ball back into play. Atuesta won the ball to Gerbet at midfield, and he turned and found Ellis on the right. Ellis sent it in front to Dike for the shot, but it was blocked to Griezmann, who cleaned up in front, making it 1-1 in the 53rd minute.

Taifi got down the left in the 55th minute and did well to cut back a cross for Griezmann entering the box. Griezmann hit his shot immediately but it fizzed just over the bar. Three minutes later, Taifi cut inside and fired but hit the outside of the left post.

Real Salt Lake sent on Diego Luna, Saba Lobjanidze, and Morgan Guilavogui to try to counter the energy Orlando’s subs had brought into the game, and things opened up a bit. Dorsey did well to stick out a foot to deny a pass that would have put Luna in on goal in the 64th minute.

Spicer came on for Taifi in the 69th minute and injected even more energy into the match. He quickly won a set piece on the left just moments after coming on near the left corner flag. Atuesta sent his delivery on target toward the near post but it was headed behind for a corner kick. The ensuing corner bounced out to Ellis near the top of the area. The Homegrown forward used some deft footwork to work his way past two defenders before getting his shot blocked out for another corner.

Real Salt Lake broke the other way after the set piece and Luna ended up with it. He fired on target but Crepeau blocked it out of play for a corner. Orlando partially cleared the set piece delivery and Katranis tried a shot from long range that was well off target.

Orlando City took the lead moments later. Jansson sent the ball long out of the back to Spicer on the left. The Trinidad & Tobago international did well to get a cross in for Griezmann in the box. The first touch got away from the Frenchman but he picked up the rebound and slotted it past Stajduhar to make it 2-1 in the 81st minute.

“I think it’s a very good cross from ‘Spice’ and I was thinking to do one touch to score but I did very bad,” Griezmann said. “The defender touched the ball and the ball came to me, and yeah I saw a lot of legs and I tried to just make a pass between the legs of the defender and here is where you need to be patient just for one or two seconds. And today I was very patient in this time and this is why I scored.”

“It’s mandatory for us to enjoy Griezmann,” Perelman said. “We are lucky to be in the moment that he’s here with us. He’s one of the best players in the history of this sport. We have the privilege to see him. It’s just about enjoying him, watching him and enjoying him.”

Real Salt Lake threw bodies forward into the attack, but aside from some corner kicks, the visitors couldn’t produce much. Any time it looked like RSL might create something in the final third, Orlando was able to block crosses or head them out of danger. Orlando City also kept the ball well for spells down the stretch, taking the pressure off and allowing the Lions to see out the game.

At the final whistle, the Lions held the advantage in possession (59.6%-40.4%), shots (13-9), passing accuracy (88.8%-82%), and corners (5-4). Real Salt Lake put more shots on target (4-3). Ultimately, the Lions were sharp enough in the second half to make up for the slow start, although RSL helped out by being offside seven times to just once for Orlando.

“In the final zone, we were a lot more aggressive,” Griezmann said of the second half. “We were pressing more and more aggressive with our press, and it was a really good way to to get the win tonight.”

“The players were wanting to give us that control of the game against a team who sat back a little bit,” Perelman said. “I think the guys did a huge effort. Fortunately we could come back, win, because we really need it, and now we need to rest and think (about) the next one.”

“Just so happy to have the win at home,” Gerbet said. “It’s been like a gritty one, but a necessary one, an important one towards like the end of the season to get some momentum, because we’re going to start to go away as well, so we need to start to gain momentum, and I think that was a great way to do it.”

The Lions now get an honest-to-goodness normal work week. Their next match will be a week from tonight at Minnesota United.

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Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions look to finish their long homestand with a bounce-back performance against RSL.

Published

24 hours ago

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August 22, 2026

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Image of the starting Orlando City lineup prior to playing a home game vs. the Chicago Fire.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

Welcome to your match thread and preview for a Saturday night showdown between Orlando City (6-11-3, 21 points) and Real Salt Lake (8-7-4, 28 points) at Inter.co Stadium (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the first and only scheduled meeting between the two teams from opposing conferences and the first time they’ve met since 2023 in Utah.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

The Lions are 2-2-3 in seven previous MLS meetings with RSL, including a 1-0-2 mark at home. However, Orlando City is 0-2-1 in their last three games against tonight’s visitors.

The last time the teams met, it was a forgettable result for Orlando City fans. But if you do remember, it’s not for good reasons, because it was a 4-0 beatdown that Real Salt Lake laid on the Lions on July 8, 2023. Cristian Arango, Justen Glad, Jefferson Savarino, and Anderson Julio did the damage.

During the most recent matchup in Orlando, most of us had no idea what COVID-19 was yet. The Lions and Real Salt Lake met on opening day of the 2020 MLS season, playing to a 0-0 draw at Exploria Stadium on Feb. 29. Despite it being a Leap Day, no one wanted to leap onto the scoresheet.

Orlando City lost the previous meeting, a 2-1 Real Salt Lake win in Utah on April 13, 2019. Nani scored Orlando’s only goal that day, but it came late in the match after Sam Johnson and Demir Kreilach had staked RSL to a 2-0 lead.

The May 6, 2018 meeting in Orlando was a wild 3-1 win for the Lions in which RSL missed multiple good scoring chances, hitting the woodwork and forcing Joe Bendik into some big saves. Dom Dwyer, Lamine Sané, and Yoshimar Yotún provided Orlando’s offense to offset Corey Baird’s early strike.

When the teams met in 2017 at Rio Tinto, Will Johnson provided all the offense against his old club in a 1-0 Orlando City victory. Johnson’s tally in the 17th minute was all Orlando City needed to take the first win of the series after two draws the previous two seasons.

In 2016, the teams played a memorable opening day match in which the Lions roared back with a frantic rally, as Cyle Larin and Adrian Winter pulled City level in a 2-2 draw at the Citrus Bowl. Joao Plata scored both RSL goals — one from the penalty spot — and RSL led 2-0 despite going down a man for 25 minutes, prior to Chris Penso evening things out by sending off Darwin Ceren.

Orlando drew 1-1 on the road in 2015 while down to 10 men after Kaká was sent off at the end of the first half. The captain opened the scoring. Sebastian Jaime found the equalizer in the 28th.

Match Overview

Orlando City enters on a poor run of form in a congested fixture schedule. The Lions lost 2-1 at home against the Chicago Fire on Wednesday, making it four games without a win in all competitions (0-2-2) and they haven’t won in MLS play in their last three (0-2-1). While the defense is leaking just one or two goals per game of late, the offense has been less tidy in finishing chances, which could be attributed to some players, including Antoine Griezmann, not getting much rest during this stretch of seven games in 22 days. Orlando is a pedestrian 4-4-2 at home this season and is winless in its last two home matches (0-1-1).

Real Salt Lake sits eighth in the Western Conference after going 0-3-3 in its last six league matches, including a 4-3 home loss to FC Dallas on Wednesday. But, oddly enough, that stretch of matches sandwiches a 2-0-1 run in Leagues Cup, and RSL advanced to the knockout rounds, where it will play Club Leon on Tuesday, so we may see some rotation, assuming the Utah-based club is going all in on trying to win Leagues Cup or at least one of the three coveted Concacaf Champions Cup spots. Tonight’s match will be RSL’s first on the road since Aug. 1, where the team is 1-5-3 in 2026 in league play.

Sergi Solans leads tonight’s opponents in goals (9) and goal contributions (12), with Diego Luna leading in assists (6) while adding five goals for 11 total goal contributions. The departure of Zavier Gozo and his six goals and five assists is a tough break for RSL, because beyond those three, 10 goals are spread across eight different players.

The Lions must rediscover their scoring boots for this game, as the Orlando defense pitches precious few shutouts, and if RSL plays its starters, either Solans, Luna, or both could do some damage on the other end.

The Lions will be without Braian Ojeda (foot), Martin Ojeda (thigh), and Bernardo Rhein (thigh), while Adrian Marin (thigh) is questionable, so left back may be an adventure, with Zakaria Taifi, Ivan Angulo, and David Brekalo as the leading candidates to play there, and all of them are right-footed. Real Salt Lake will be without Zach Booth (hamstring), Griffin Dillon (foot), Emeka Eneli (knee), Glad (adductor), and Ariath Piol (Achilles).

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Zakaria Taifi, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Luis Otavio, Eduard Atuesta, Marco Pasalic.

Forwards: Tiago, Antoine Griezmann.

Bench: Javier Otero, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Joran Gerbet, Gustavo Caraballo, Harvey Sarajian, Tyrese Spicer, Justin Ellis, Daryl Dike.

Real Salt Lake (5-4-1)

Goalkeeper: Mason Stajduhar.

Defenders: Alexandros Katranis, Sam Junqua, Juan Arias, Kobi Henry, Domink Marczuk.

Midfielders: Aiden Hezarkhan, Luca Moisa, Pablo Ruiz, Lineker Rodrigues.

Forward: Victor Olatunji.

Bench: Rafael Cabral, Juan Sanabria, Philip Quinton, Lukas Engel, Noel Caliskan, Colin Guske, Morgan Guilavogui, Saba Lobjanidze, Diego Luna.

Referees

REF: Fotis Bazakos.
AR1: Brian Dunn.
AR2: Jose Da Silva.
4TH: Marcos DeOliveira.
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Orlando City Loans Colin Guske to Real Salt Lake

Homegrown midfielder Colin Guske is leaving on loan to Real Salt Lake, where he’ll stand a better chance of getting minutes with the first team.

Published

2 days ago

on

August 21, 2026

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Image of Colin Guske playing the ball through the midfield.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The previously reports are official as Orlando City announced today that the club has loaned Homegrown midfielder Colin Guske to Real Salt Lake for the remainder of the 2026 season in exchange for $50,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM). Real Salt Lake has the option to make the transfer permanent at the end of the loan deal.

“This is a great opportunity for Colin and an important step in his development,” Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “As a club, we are committed to doing right by our players and creating opportunities that help them continue to grow. Colin has worked hard throughout our development pathway and this loan gives him the chance to gain valuable experience and consistent minutes at a high level in the short term. It also reflects our continued belief in the pathway from the academy to the professional game. Every player’s journey looks different and we remain focused on providing the right opportunities to help our young players reach their potential, whether that path unfolds in Orlando or through experiences like this one.”

Guske, 19, signed as the club’s 16th Homegrown Player on Dec. 16, 2024, on a deal through 2027 with a club option for 2028. The St. Johns native followed older brothers Owen and Liam into Orlando City’s academy, training with the first team during the 2024 preseason, including the club’s preseason training camp in Mexico. Guske became a starter with OCB during the 2024 season, making his professional debut against Atlanta United 2 on March 16 of that year.

The midfielder impressed, making 24 appearances (23 starts) with OCB in 2024, logging 2,044 minutes and scoring one goal while adding two assists, helping the Young Lions reach the playoffs. One of that season’s highlights was Guske participating in the 2024 MLS NEXT All-Star Game and signing multiple short-term loans to become available for the first team, although he did not play with the senior squad that season.

Guske made his first-team debut during the 2025 season on April 5 in a scoreless draw at Philadelphia, subbing on for Martin Ojeda in stoppage time. As an 18-year-old, Guske appeared in five MLS matches — all off the bench — playing a total of just 13 minutes in the regular season. He made his MLS playoff debut in Orlando City’s 3-1 road loss to the Chicago Fire in the wild card game, playing 15 minutes to eclipse his regular-season total. He also played in the U.S. Open Cup for 45 minutes against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on May 7, 2025, in Orlando City’s 5-0 road win. The bulk of his season was spent with OCB in 2025, playing 18 games (all starts) and logging 1,376 minutes and recording one assist. He also helped the OCSC Development Academy win the 2025 U-18 Generation Adidas Cup, assisting on Gustavo Caraballo’s game-winning goal in extra time.

The midfielder appeared in six matches in MLS play with Orlando City this season (two starts), logging a career-high 284 minutes, but is still seeking his first goal contribution. He started and played all 90 minutes in the Lions’ Aug. 12 Leagues Cup draw against San Luis and played the full 90 in the 4-3 U.S. Open Cup victory at New England on April 29. He also played 45 minutes off the bench in the team’s 1-0 win at FC Naples on April 15. With OCB, Guske started all three matches in which he appeared with the Young Lions in 2026, playing 228 minutes and providing one assist. He had started playing more center back in 2026, likely due to a logjam of central defenders ahead of him on the depth chart.

“Orlando City has been my home for a long time, and I’m thankful to everyone at the club who has supported me throughout my journey,” said Guske. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue my development through this move and for the trust the club has shown in helping me take this next step. My focus is on improving every day, earning opportunities on the field and helping the team however I can. I’m excited and looking forward to this next challenge.”

On the international stage, Guske has been part of the U.S. youth setup, recently helping the United States U-20 side finish second to Mexico in the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship. The midfielder assisted on a goal in a win over Haiti in that tournament. He has represented his country at the U-18, U-19, and U-20 levels.

What It Means for Orlando City

This move is more about what it means for Guske than the club. Guske found himself behind five other guys in the central midfield depth chart when everyone is healthy — Eduard Atuesta, Braian Ojeda, Luis Otavio, Wilder Cartagena, and Joran Gerbet. As he has progressed past playing that position in a way that will further develop him at the MLS NEXT Pro level, he was getting some minutes at center back, which he played at both levels in an area where the club lacks game-ready depth for the first team.

The question became whether the club could keep Guske around long enough for others on the club to leave. Cartagena and Atuesta are nearing their final pro seasons at age 31 and 29, respectively, but they’re by no means old, even by professional soccer standards. Ojeda is just 26 and in his prime, and he’s a player the club seems to like, even naming him a Designated Player temporarily prior to Antoine Griezmann’s arrival. Otavio has come into his own since the league returned to play after the World Cup, and has at times been one of the better players on the field in recent weeks. Gerbet has just recovered from a serious knee injury and has shown promise almost from the jump after being drafted in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft. That’s a lot of talent ahead of Guske.

The club ultimately decided the logical move was a loan deal to help the player further his career, rather than hoarding central midfielders and letting him stagnate for lack of minutes or play at a level from which he’s already graduated. Orlando City takes a minor hit in its deepest position group by making this deal, while Guske gets a better chance to get first-team minutes, so everyone wins.

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