Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Player Grades and Man of the Match
How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 3-2 loss against Atlanta United?
Well, that was a pretty disappointing way to watch a 12-game unbeaten streak end. Orlando City was not cruising but definitely seemed to be in control. However, for the third time this season, the Lions had a player receive a red card that changed the complexion of the game, turning their 2-1 lead into a 3-2 loss on the road at Atlanta. We could debate for hours the merits of the red card, but it was an unnecessary escalation of what was a minor foul and those dropped points could turn out to be costly at the end of the season. Hopefully, the Lions use their frustration from this match as fuel, because they will have a short turnaround before hosting Chicago on Saturday night.
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 — There was little Gallese could have done on any of the goals, as the first one was from point blank range, the second caromed in off the post after curving away from him, and the third was also from close range, though perhaps El Pulpo could have been one step quicker off his line on that one. I think that would have been asking a lot though, and I do not fault him for holding his line considering that he had to position himself for a shot from his right from Saba Lobjanidze, who ended up making the extra pass. Gallese recorded two saves and made a valiant effort to try to help the Lions tie the game on a corner kick in the final seconds, but in the end, all he could do was apply a little pressure on a defender and then watch as the ball was booted down the field past him. The best save he made on the night ended up being erased from the stats due to an offside call, as he got down quickly to deny a shot from right in front of the goalmouth. The stats will look bad for Gallese, but they will not be representative of how he played, as I thought he was solid on the night.
D, David Brekalo, 6 —With every game he plays out at left back the Slovenian is creeping consistently further and further up field, and adding more to the Orlando City attack. He likely will not venture as far as his counterpart at right back Alex Freeman, but Brekalo is using his skills to progress the ball more often, as evidenced by his two successful take-ons and his average position on the field being nearly halfway between that of the center backs and Freeman, who is perhaps the most aggressive right back in MLS. Atlanta preferred attacking opposite of Brekalo, with only 33% of their attacks on his side as opposed to 38% down the opposite flank. Their opening goal did come on Brekalo’s side though, as he was a step slow to get out and close down Lobjanidze and was punished for it, as the cross into the middle was converted shortly thereafter. He also had a couple of careless turnovers in his half along the sideline. Orlando City’s left back completed 37 passes at an 84.1% rate and added two tackles and eight clearances for a solid, but not spectacular, game.
D, Robin Jansson, 6 — When a team gives up three goals, it is unlikely that any defender will stand out on the positive side, and while Jansson had some good moments, it was mostly a nondescript game for him. He added another highlight film bomb of a pass to his 2025 collection, but unfortunately, while it led to a shot it did not lead to a goal. The Beefy Swede’s biggest contributions were during the final minutes while Orlando City was under attack, as he ended up with a team high 10 clearances, but clearly those clearances were not quite effective enough because Atlanta was able to overturn their deficit and walk away with the three points. He was caught ball-watching instead of Jamal (Thiare)-watching on the game winner. Jansson’s passing was uncharacteristically poor, with only a 76.7% completion rate and only 33 completed passes, and he also added one tackle and one interception.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5.5 — The Argentinean defender was unlucky to not concede a penalty in the first half — possibly the first time that sentence has ever been written in a player grades column. A ball ricocheted off Schlegel’s outstretched arm and would have been a clear penalty, but the ball bounced right to the feet of Atlanta’s Alexey Miranchuk, who made no mistake from close range, giving Atlanta a goal. A penalty would at least have given Gallese a chance for a save (or a miss by the penalty taker). He could have done much more on the third goal, as he failed to track Lobjanidze and then meekly tried to nick the ball with a toe rather than being more physical and getting shoulder to shoulder to prevent the final ball to Thiare. Other than that, Schlegel played a pretty quiet game in the middle of the defense, mostly playing conservative passes on his way to a team-leading 42 completions. He, like Jansson, had a poor completion rate (79.3%), and with no key passes or offensive contributions. Schlegel tie Jansson with 10 clearances and he also added a team leading three interceptions, though he did not make any tackles.
D, Alex Freeman, 6.5 — Should is probably too strong of a word, but Freeman could have scored his first goal in weeks on Wednesday night, as he was in front of his defender but just could not extend enough to get to a back-post cross from Martín Ojeda that would have put Orlando City up 3-1 in first half stoppage time. He was unlucky that the ball skipped off the turf and likely would have scored on a grass field. Freeman bombed forward as he usually does, but did not have his best touch on this night, as he was only able to complete 78.4% of his passes, including a few cheap giveaways when he was not under a lot of pressure. At the same time, he did put a lot of pressure on Atlanta’s defense with his movement and his runs, but the final product escaped him. On the defensive side, he was active, adding two tackles, two interceptions, and six clearances.
MF, Iván Angulo, 6 — Angulo had one of his prettiest plays of the season in this game, cutting inside from the left wing before playing a perfectly placed through ball for Ojeda, but the subsequent cross went untouched across the goal. The Colombian also added one shot on goal, but it did not really threaten Brad Guzan. Aside from those two plays it was a relatively quiet game for Angulo, who was better in the first half than the second. He completed 87.5% of his passes and added two tackles and one clearance before making way for Kyle Smith in the 73rd minute.
MF, César Araújo, 5 — The game completely changed after the Uruguayan’s red card, and while Atlanta might have come back even had he been on the field, the task was much easier for the hosts with one of Orlando City’s best defensive players gone and one fewer defender on the field. This was noticeable on the tying goal, where Joran Gerbet was trying to deputize for the missing midfielder and was too deep to close down Bartosz Slisz. It is a shame, because up until that point, Araújo had been playing at a Man-of-the-Match level, scoring the game’s opening goal on a beautiful shot in the opening minutes and playing a great ball over the top to Ojeda that could have gotten him an assist had Ojeda done better with his shot. Despite only playing 77 minutes, Araújo was second on the team with 41 completed passes, including two key passes, and he was the only player on the team to complete at least 90% of his passes, finishing at 91.1%. His thoughtless red card was just a killer though, and while Óscar Pareja said the club will address it with MLS, it is unlikely to change, and it will not help the Lions get back the point or points they could have had on the road.
MF, Joran Gerbet, 5.5 — Gerbet’s hustle play at the end of the game to prevent Atlanta from scoring an open net goal was admirable and emblematic of the effort he put in nearly all game long in the center of the field. I said nearly all game long because he was caught ball watching on Atlanta’s first goal, as he let up for one second and allowed Miranchuk to sneak past him, and the Russian scored a moment later. In fairness to Gerbet, the ball did deflect up and onto Schlegel’s outstretched arm, so he may have immediately thought the play was about to be whistled for a penalty and was not expecting the ball to bounced back off Schlegel and into a the area where it did. Gerbet was also the player nearest to the ball on Atlanta’s second goal, but with Orlando City down a player, he had sunk deeper into the 18 to help defend and I do not think it would be fair to call him out for not getting all the way out to a player shooting from around 22-23 yards away. He was simply not where he would have been with a full complement of Lions on the pitch. I don’t want to minimize his effort and play all the way down to a few specific plays though, Gerbet did have a solid game all around, completing 86.5% of his passes and adding one tackle and four clearances on defense.
MF, Marco Pašalić, 6 — After some plays early in the season when he showed off his right foot, the Croatian has become a nearly exclusively left-footed player as the season has progressed, and that was on display in this game when he ran onto a long ball from Ojeda and, despite having a wide-open opportunity to take a touch and attempt a right-footed shot, he cut back into the middle and hit a shot right at Guzan. In fairness, it was impressive dribbling to get that shot off, and a shot from the middle is better than a shot from the right, but the defender was overplaying him to allow him to go right and he still went left, even though he was inside the 18 and has a good right foot. Though he did not force Guzan into any difficult saves, Pašalić was dangerous in this game, earning an assist on his short layoff pass to Araújo and attacking the Atlanta defense throughout. He won two take-ons and completed 87.9% of his passes, including one key pass, and also added a team-leading four tackles, one interception, and one clearance on the defensive end.
F, Ramiro Enrique, 6.5 (MotM)— Enrique is doing a little bit of a Facundo Torres impression, getting hot along with the weather, scoring his fourth goal in the last three weeks in this game. He never gave up on a long ball from Ojeda, and when Atlanta defender Derrick Williams could not control the ball, Enrique blew by him to take possession and smashed a low shot past Guzan to give Orlando City a 2-1 lead. Although he was almost invisible prior to his goal, Enrique delivered his customary effort, leading the team by winning five aerial balls and hustling all over the field. He completed 88.2% his passes and recorded one tackle and one clearance before he was sacrificed in a defense-for-offense substitution after the Araújo red card.
F, Martín Ojeda, 6.5 — The Argentinian Designated Player played a game of close, but no cigar during this game, coming teasingly close to scoring on multiple shots and close to adding an assist on one excellent cross that was inches away from being put away by Freeman. Ojeda collected a secondary assist on the game’s opening goal, playing the initial ball into Pašalić, who laid it off for Araújo that led to the Uruguayan’s wonderful shot. He also played the ball over the top that turned into Enrique’s goal, though he did not get credit for the assist as the ball went off an Atlanta defender before Enrique picked it up and took it to goal. Ojeda will probably rue the chances he had but did not finish, and so while he registered an assist, he could have had another goal contribution and possibly two. He completed 78.6% of his passes and added two clearances on defense.
Substitutes
F, Luis Muriel, (73′), 5.5 — This game is in contention for the game in which the Colombian contributed the least to the Lions, but as the solitary attacking player when playing down a player, there was little that Muriel could do as he saw almost none of the ball during his time on the field. I think he was partially culpable for Atlanta’s second goal, as with Gerbet dropping deeper into the defense Muriel could have dropper deeper as well and might have disrupted that play, but at the same time, if he dropped deeper, then Orlando would have had nobody on the field to keep Atlanta’s defenders from playing all the way up into Orlando’s defensive third. Muriel completed three of his four pass attempts and drew a yellow card on Ajani Fortune with a slick move to get behind him, but he had little opportunity to contribute in any meaningful way.
MF, Kyle Smith, (74’), 5 — Smith came on in what has become his new role, a late sub for Angulo out on the left wing. He did not see much of the ball, getting only eight touches, and he completed one of his four pass attempts. He added three clearances on defense as well. His most memorable moment was committing the foul that produced the stoppage in play in which Araújo’s scuffle with Mateusz Klich occurred, changing the end of the game for the Orlando defense and, likely, the result of the match, although it was ultimately through no fault of Smith’s.
MF, Eduard Atuesta, (74’), 4.5 — Atuesta came on at the same time as Smith, and in what will become a theme with all of the substitutes, he too did not have a lot of the ball, only receiving nine touches and completing three of his five pass attempts. One of those incomplete passes was costly, as he tried to make a difficult pass with the outside of his foot to Dagur Dan Thórhallsson instead of continuing on with the ball, passing it across the field to a wide-open Smith, or simply smashing it down the field to relieve the pressure. That turnover became the backbreaking third goal for Atlanta. He also picked up a yellow card for a nasty late challenge on Edwin Mosquera. The ref played advantage and Atlanta nearly scored, although it would not have counted because Thiare was offside on the final ball in front. It was a disappointing substitute appearance following his Man-of-the-Match performance on Saturday.
MF, Dagur Dan Thórhallsson (80′), N/A — The Icelandic midfielder entered just after the red card, replacing Enrique to bring on fresh legs to try to see the game out while playing with 10 players. He barely had any of the ball, getting only three touches and completing one of two pass attempts and mostly just desperately defended during his shift.
F, Duncan McGuire (90′ +6), N/A —McGuire came on in the dying minutes after Atlanta took the lead, but was unable to contribute anything other than hustling after a long ball, forcing Atlanta to dump it out of bounds, and committing one foul while going for a ball in the air.
That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s frustrating 3-2 loss on the road against Atlanta. 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
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.
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.
Orlando City
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.
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
- The most recent episode of the PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for tonight’s match.
- David Rohe gave his three keys to an Orlando City victory in tonight’s match.
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!
Orlando City
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.
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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