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Orlando City vs. St. Louis City: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 4-2 win over St. Louis City?

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10 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City got back to its winning ways on Wednesday night with a 4-2 victory, though it was a much closer game than it needed to be against a team near the bottom of the Western Conference standings. My fellow math people will appreciate that the game was similar to a sine wave from 0 to 5π/2 as Orlando City opened well, faltered badly, but then ended on a high note, taking all three points in the process. If that went over your head, then dust off that Trigonometry textbook. Your teacher told you that you will use trig someday, and today is that day!

It was not the prettiest result, but wins are wins, and the team will fly home hoping to recover quickly with FC Cincinnati coming to Inter&Co Stadium 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 road matchup against a Western Conference opponent.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — Orlando City’s No. 1 could do little about either St. Louis goal, and aside from those two shots, he had little to do for most of the game, as St. Louis was unable to generate many threatening shots. Gallese’s best sequence of the game came in second-half stoppage time when he elevated to palm a shot from Brendan McSorley over the crossbar and then came off his line to punch the subsequent corner kick out of the box — an excellent set of plays to cap what until then had been a quiet night. Gallese also completed 15 passes at a 53.6% completion rate.

D, Kyle Smith, 6 — With Rodrigo Schlegel forced to sit out due to yellow card accumulation, David Brekalo shifted over to center back and it was Smith who got the call at left back, as at least for this game he jumped over Rafael Santos on the depth chart. The Accountant was steady on the left side. He did not venture forward a ton and played conservatively behind Iván Angulo and Luis Muriel for most of the game, though he made a few attacking runs and ended up getting off one shot and making two key passes. He completed 54 passes — fourth most on the team — at a 94.6% completion rate and added two tackles on defense. He was partly culpable for the first goal Orlando City allowed, as a long ball from the midfield line went over his head to a streaking Simon Becher, and had Smith been tucked in a little tighter, he may have been able to head that ball away instead of making me think briefly about Billy Hoyle and White Men Can’t Jump as the ball sailed over his head.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Jansson shared the culpability with Smith for that Becher goal, as he was stuck tightly onto Klauss and allowed Becher to slip into the gap and run onto that long ball, and then he was beat by Becher’s cutback that then became a left-footed shot that put St. Louis on the scoreboard. It was understandable why Jansson was tight to Klauss, and it may have been more on Brekalo or Gallese to communicate to Jansson that Becher was making that run and that Brekalo should have shifted to Klauss so Jansson could get in between the ball and Becher, but ultimately the Swede likely expected Smith to handle the danger on that side. Aside from that play, Jansson was solid though, patrolling the middle while blocking three shots and making a game-high 12 clearances — eight more than any other player. The Beefy Swede also completed 91.4% of his passes, looking comfortable playing with Brekalo instead of his usual central partner Schlegel.

D, David Brekalo, 6 — The Slovenian moved to center back with Schegel out, and while he was not directly at fault for either of the goals Orlando City allowed, he was right there for both of them, and had chances to snuff out each. I think Brekalo could have done more to prevent the second goal than the first, as he did not see Klauss, the most dangerous player on St. Louis, moving into the box and setting up right around the penalty spot. When Eduard Atuesta whiffed on a clearance attempt, Brekalo did not have time to react to the miss, so the ball went right past him to Klauss, who wasted no time putting it into the lower corner past Gallese. Klauss has to have a man on him, and with where he was on the field, it should have been Brekalo, but it’s understandable that the Slovenian thought the defense was sufficiently in position to deal with the ball in from the defensive left. Aside from that, Brekalo acquitted himself well alongside Jansson in the middle, going deuces wild with two tackles, interceptions, clearances, and blocks and completing 50 passes at an 87.7% completion rate.

D, Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, 6 — Alex Freeman’s call-up to the U.S. Men’s National Team meant that the Icelandic Army knife was deployed at right back again, and while St. Louis tried to attack down its left more than the right, the hosts did not initiate many scoring opportunities against Thórhallsson. Klauss’ goal was scored right in front of Thórhallsson, and there were no other attacking players behind him, so perhaps he could have been tighter to the St. Louis striker, but that goal is mostly on Atuesta, not the Orlando City back line. Thórhallsson also took opportunities to get forward, taking two shots and making two key passes, and he will be frustrated with putting one of his shots over and wide of the target as he had a great opportunity to score, but it was not his best effort. He completed 91.8% of his passes and added two tackles, one interception and three clearances.

MF, Iván Angulo, 6 — The Colombian winger was a key participant in one of the game’s best plays and one of the game’s most frustrating plays — a continuation of his season-long trend of inconsistent play on the left side for the Lions. On the positive side, he made a perfect pass to a cutting Martín Ojeda early in the game for a secondary assist on the game’s opening goal, but on the frustrating side he made a brilliant run up the left side, but then dribbled too deep into the box before trying to pass the ball to a wide-open Enrique, who would have easily scored to make it 4-1. There was no reason to dribble as far as he did, and after watching it five times, I am still not sure what he was thinking or why he did not pass the ball earlier so Enrique could complete his hat trick and restore the three-goal lead. He completed 86.5% of his passes on the night, but he and all of Orlando City’s fans wish he had completed one more pass on that attack. On the defensive side, he was second on the team with three tackles while adding one interception and clearance. But both St. Louis goals came on plays that happened right in front of him, as he was unable to close down the attacker and prevent the passes that led to the shots.

MF, César Araújo, 7.5 — Araújo was excellent on both sides of the ball on Wednesday, doing yeoman’s work in the middle of the field for the Lions. The Uruguayan made a game-leading six tackles and completed the second-most passes in the game (65) at a 95.6% completion rate. His midfield partner, Atuesta, may have walked away with three assists, but Araújo was the better two-way player on the evening, quietly dominating the center of the field and triggering attack after attack for Orlando City, who on a different night could have easily scored six or seven goals. He put both of his shot attempts on target with a pair of headers on set pieces.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 8 — It is rare that a player who made such a gaffe defensively can still earn a score as high as I gave Atuesta, but the Colombian’s passing against St. Louis City was so good that even with that mistake he is in contention for Man of the Match. Atuesta was involved in all four goals for the Lions, and the ball he played to Angulo for the first goal might have been his best pass of the night. That was the one goal on which he did not get an assist. The other pass that I consider in contention for his best pass was the little flick he had to Enrique for the third goal, as he had to weight it perfectly while rushing in to take advantage of a defensive miscue. He did just that, setting up Enrique to smash a shot into the far corner and put Orlando City up 3-0. Atuesta completed 59 passes on the night at an 88.1% completion rate. Seven of those were key passes, a season high for the midfielder. He attempted three shots, putting one on target. He swung and missed on a simple clearance opportunity that allowed St. Louis back into a game it did not deserve to be in, and turned the ball over in the attacking third that led to a dangerous chance on the counter by Klauss, but aside from that, Atuesta was outstanding.

MF, Marco Pašalić, 8.5 (MotM)— What a performance by the Designated Player, with two brilliant strikes from distance that were absolute arrows into the lower corner of the net. The Croatian now has eight goals on the season, and both of these will go on the end-of-season highlight video because of how pure the strikes were. Pašalić was a threat every time he had the ball in this game, as he rampaged down the field at speed multiple times, flying by defenders and putting the St. Louis defenders on their heels. He beat three defenders off the dribble, but it felt like even more, and every time he had the ball it felt like something good was going to happen for the Lions. He completed 40 passes at an 83.3% completion rate and put three of his four shots on target before making way in the 84th minute for Zakaria Taifi in an offense-for-defense substitution.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 8 — I have the receipts on my hope that Orlando City would start Enrique in this game, and I was vindicated just minutes in when Ojeda played a perfect cross into the middle of the box and Enrique timed his run so he could slide right into that cross and get Orlando City on the scoreboard. The Argentine was not done though, as he added a second after Atuesta stole the ball and put him in, and he made no mistake with the shot, blasting it into the far corner. Enrique should have had his hat trick on the play when Angulo did not make the pass in time, and he almost got it in the second half anyway if not for a leaping save by Roman Bürki to keep his shot out of the net. I thought Enrique was excellent at the top of the lineup for the Lions, leading the press on defense and constantly making runs into space on offense. If not for Bürki, he could have had four or even five goals, but he got his brace and hopefully this kicks off a hot streak now that summer is officially here on the calendar. He completed 90.3% of his passes and put three of his shots on target, narrowly missing the net on two other occasions before coming out in stoppage time for Nico Rodríguez.

F, Martín Ojeda, 7.5 — Ojeda will only be credited with one goal contribution — the assist on Enrique’s opener — but he was deeply involved in the offense all game long, and, just like with Enrique, if not for Bürki we would have seen his name on the scoresheet with goals of his own. The Argentinean led all players with 68 completed passes, and he completed them at a 90.7% rate, including going eight for eight on long balls and making three key passes. His offensive strike partners may have gotten all the counting statistics in this game, but make no mistake, it was Ojeda who was pulling the offensive strings, and with the Lions scoring four goals, he definitely pulled the correct ones in a midweek game in Missouri.

Substitutes

F, Luis Muriel, (68′), 5 — Muriel played 22 minutes but was basically a non-factor, even with St. Louis City stretched out while trying to make a comeback to tie the game. He completed eight of his nine pass attempts, but his biggest contribution was in the humor category, when his shorts were pulled off when he got pulled down to prevent a counterattack. He was going to be in on goal if not for that foul, so he could have contributed more, but alas he was pantsed, a sentence I know I have never typed before while delivering grades.

MF, Zakaria Taifi, (84’), N/A — Taifi entered the game for Pašalić and was a bundle of energy for the final minutes, and though he only completed one of his three pass attempts, he added one tackle and one clearance and suffered one foul on a run up the right sideline.

MF, Rafael Santos (90 + 1′), N/A — Santos came on in stoppage time but did not touch the ball or make any plays on defense.

F, Nico Rodríguez (90 + 1), N/A —Rodríguez came on in stoppage time but did not touch the ball or make any plays on defense.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 4-2 win on the road against St. Louis City. 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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/21/26

Takeaways from MLS matchday eight, USWNT stock watch, transfer rumor roundup, and more.

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6 hours ago

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April 21, 2026

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Image of Ignacio Gomez making his MLS debut with Orlando City vs. Houston.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone. It was a frustrating weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams, as Orlando City lost a close game to the Houston Dynamo, and Orlando City B blew a two-goal lead against Carolina Core FC, and had to settle for the two points that come with a shootout victory after a draw. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your viewpoint), OCSC will have a chance to get right back on the horse when Charlotte FC comes to town on Wednesday. We’ve got lots to talk about this morning, so let’s have a look at the links.

MLS Matchday Eight Takeaways

Major League Soccer’s eighth round of matches is in the books, and there are plenty of talking points to go over. The San Jose Earthquakes ended the weekend on an emphatic note by dismantling LAFC 4-1 on the road, adding to an impressive list of scalps that also includes the Vancouver Whitecaps and San Diego FC. They’re tied with Vancouver atop the Western Conference and continue to look like one of the league’s best teams. Meanwhile, Charlotte FC, Orlando City’s next opponent, kept things organized in a 4-4-2 block and scored from two of its three shots on goal to take down NYCFC 2-1. That result puts the club in third place in the Eastern Conference.

USWNT Stock Watch

The United States Women’s National Team wrapped up its three game slate against Japan over the weekend, so let’s check in on how the matches affected the standing of several players. Lindsey Heaps was name-dropped by Emma Hayes as having had a great run of three matches, while 20-year-old Claire Hutton wore the captain’s armband during the series and looked far more poised and ready than one would expect given her age. At the opposite end of the spectrum, winger Emma Sears struggled to make an impact in the final third, and while her speed makes her a tempting option to have in the squad, the depth at her position means she’s always going to face a battle for a place.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

The summer transfer window will be here before we know it, and that means the rumors are already flying thick and fast. We begin with Arsenal, which is said to be interested in signing Julian Alvarez this summer, but will likely face competition from Barcelona. Speaking of Barcelona, club president Joan Laporta has reportedly held talks with Robert Lewandowski about extending his stay with the team, while the Chicago Fire also interested and reportedly having submitted a bid to the striker’s representatives. Liverpool is said to be ready to spend in excess of  €100 million to sign Red Bull Leipzig forward Yan Diomande as a replacement for the outgoing Mohamed Salah. Finally, center backs Hiroki Ito and Min-Jae-Kim could both reportedly leave Bayern Munich this summer if interested teams are willing to meet the German club’s valuations of them.

Jonathan Klinsmann Suffers Broken Neck

American goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann suffered a broken neck while playing for Serie B side Cesena on Saturday. The son of former United States Men’s National Team manager Jurgen Klinsmann, the shot stopper was stretchered off the field after colliding with a Palermo player and was diagnosed with a fractured first cervical vertebra after being taken to the hospital. Klinsmann confirmed on social media that his season is over, which will leave him unavailable for Cesena’s promotion push. The team is currently eighth in the second division, which is the final playoff promotion spot.

Free Kicks

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/20/26

Lions fall to Houston Dynamo, OCB draws Carolina Core, Pride players on international duty, and more.

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1 day ago

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April 20, 2026

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Image of the starting XI from OCB's home match against Carolina Core FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Justin Glatt

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been staying busy at work. Let’s wish a happy belated birthday to Orlando City defender Iago, who turned 21 Saturday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Lose to Houston Dynamo at Home

Orlando City fell 1-0 to the Houston Dynamo Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. After a scoreless first half, Hector Herrera’s goal in the second half was enough for the visitors to walk out of Orlando with a win on the road. Despite conceding one goal, the Lions put up a better defensive performance, but the attack was hardly a threat and Orlando couldn’t score a late equalizer. With that result, Orlando City drops to last in the MLS table with four points through eight matches. It will be another busy week for the Lions, taking on Charlotte FC Wednesday at home before traveling to face D.C. United Saturday at Audi Field.

Orlando City Hires Sebastian Setti as Interim Assistant Coach

Orlando City announced Friday that the club has hired Sebastian Setti as interim assistant coach, adding to Martin Perelman’s interim technical staff. Setti was previously an assistant coach with Club Necaxa in Liga MX in 2025. He was also an assistant coach with K.M.S.K. Deinze in Belgium in 2024 and with CF Montreal in 2023, and he led CD Laudio in Spain from 2018 to 2021.

OCB Wins Penalty Shootout After 2-2 Draw vs. Carolina Core

Orlando City B drew Carolina Core 2-2 at Osceola County Stadium Sunday after throwing away a 2-0 lead in the second half. Gustavo Caraballo converted a penalty kick to give the Young Lions the early lead in the first half. Pedro Leao added a goal to make it 2-0 just before halftime. However, in the second half, Carolina rallied and scored two goals in three minutes to tie the match, with the second coming off a mistake by goalkeeper Tristan Himes. OCB won the penalty shootout 6-5 to earn a second point. After six matches, the Young Lions are eighth in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference standings with 10 points. OCB will be on the road against Chicago Fire II Sunday at SeatGeek Stadium.

Pride Players on International Duty

Multiple Pride players were in action for their national teams over the weekend, bringing the international break to a close. Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda scored a goal for Zambia in a 1-1 draw against South Korea in a friendly. Midfielder Angelina came off the bench for Brazil in the second half in a 1-0 win over Canada, also in friendly competition. Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was on the bench as England beat Iceland 1-0 in a UEFA World Cup qualifying match. Forward Solai Washington started for the Reggae Girlz, as Jamaica defeated Guyana 2-0 in a 2026 Concacaf Women’s Championship qualifier match.

USWNT Bounces Back to Win Third Friendly vs. Japan

The U.S Women’s National Team rebounded from a 1-0 loss with a 3-0 win against Japan Friday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO. After a scoreless first half, Naomi Girma scored the opening goal in the second half. Rose Lavelle extended the Yanks’ lead 2-0, and Kennedy Wesley scored her first international goal to put it away. The USWNT closed out the April international window by winning two of three matches against Japan.

Free Kicks

  • Former Lion Daryl Dike scored his first EFL Championship goal since May 2025 in the second half as West Bromwich Albion defeated Preston North End 2-0 Saturday.
  • Former OCB forward Shak Mohammed scored his first goal in Major League Soccer for Nashville SC Saturday.

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

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Houston Dynamo: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-0 home loss against Houston?

Published

2 days ago

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April 19, 2026

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Image of Braian Ojeda trying to dribble past a Houston defender.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The Lions had opportunities to get on the board first but wasted them in a 1-0 home loss to Houston. Orlando City had a good amount of possession, keeping the ball 56.7% of the time to the Dynamo’s 43.3%, but Orlando’s best chance clanged off the post from a tap-in distance by Tiago. Martin Perelman used many of the roster’s younger players, either starting or as replacements.

There aren’t many good grades to give, but that’s the story of the season. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in a matchup with Houston.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crépeau, 6.5 — While he didn’t have a lot to do in the first half, when the moment came, he was ready. Felipe Andrade put his head on a corner, sending it toward the top of the net, but Crépeau reacted well to tip it over at the 40-minute mark. Crépeau didn’t face another shot on goal until it a mad scramble in the 75th minute, when the ball was pinging everywhere, and he had no chance of stopping Hector Herrera’s shot. Crépeau had three move saves in stoppage time to keep the Lions in it, but as is the curse of goalkeepers, all it takes is one to ruin a night. His distribution was fine with 83% passing accuracy.

D, Adrian Marin, 5.5 — Marin started on the left but found himself beat in transition multiple times by not reading the play right. He was a passive observer on the goal, watching the action from the top of the box after being beat down the field by Houston as he pushed forward more in the second half, leading the Lions in cross attempts. To put it bluntly, he started the transition almost even with Angulo but by the end was just watching from the top of the box when, with just a little more hustle, he could’ve been the one marking Herrera, preventing the follow-up. Marin had three blocks to go with a clearance, but the image of him watching the play unfold sticks in my brain. Of the six Lions in the box, he was the only one above the penalty spot, just watching.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 (MotM) — This will be a familiar refrain from the last MLS game against Columbus. Jansson started and played all 90 minutes while bringing a calm to the defense and an ability to erase mistakes others make (we’ll get to those others later). Not only does Jansson bring his own ability to defend, but he raises the level of those around him. Even if Houston isn’t one of the most dangerous attacks in MLS, the defense played better than most of the games we’ve seen this season. He contributed one interception, one block, and four clearances while completing 95% of his passes. He was beaten on the play that led to the goal, going to ground to block a shot from Lawrence Ennali that never came, and the captain owned that mistake in the postgame press conference.

D, Iago, 6 — In a familiar refrain from the Columbus game, the young Brazilian played maybe his best game as a Lion and I believe it’s because of the influence of having Jansson there. Iago cleared Ezequiel Ponce’s tap-in attempt off the line but couldn’t do anything to stop the follow-up from Herrera. As the Lions were chasing the game after the goal, Iago showed up more up front and had three attempts at goal by the end, putting just one on target. His best chances were a shot on a set piece scramble that was blocked by the defense in front and a header off another set piece that landed in the stands. He added two interceptions, two clearances, and a 66% success rate on his duels while passing at a 92% clip. It wasn’t a great game, but I’m giving him credit for improvement. If he continues to grow from here, he will fulfuill the promise that led to his signing.

D, Zakaria Taifi, 5 — Taifi got the start on the right side and, for better or for worse, was mostly invisible in the first half. That’s good for a defense that has been regularly exposed this season but doesn’t help contribute anything. He was behind the aforementioned Marin on the transition play and despite a good effort, he wasn’t able to quite prevent a cross from going to Ponce for the shot Iago blocked off the line, but he was at least able to affect the shot. He wasn’t able to recover and pick up the wide-open Herrera on the rebound, however. Taifi passed at a 79% rate, recorded one tackle and two interceptions, and presented a cross-field target that went largely ignored by Orlando City when the ball was on the left, but he just didn’t impact the game in a significant way. He was replaced by Harvey Sarajian in the 80th minute.

MF, Iván Angulo, 5.5 — When Tyrese Spicer was on the field, he and Angulo were well-synced and brought some danger to the Orlando city attack. They played off each other well and either made runs to be on the receiving end or cleared space for the other while making opposing runs. Angulo had a nice through ball to Martin Ojeda in the 24th minute that Ojeda failed to put away. He passed at an 85% success rate and attempted one shot that went over the crossbar early in the second half. He also hustled back, as is his tool of the trade, and tried to disrupt the fast break that eventually led to the goal — he started 15 yards behind and was level with Lawrence Ennali by the time they got to Orlando’s penalty area — but it’s fair to point out that his blocked cross attempt ignited that counterattack in the first place. That wasn’t the only instance of Angulo hesitating just long enough to spoil his eventual decision, but it was the most costly. He finished with two key passes, one tackle, and a yellow card drawn on the Dynamo when trying to initiate a break.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 6.5 — The defensive Ojeda was the better Ojeda on the night against Houston. He worked well to link up the back to the front and found himself starting the Orlando possession often, with 12 recoveries on the night. It didn’t show up in tackles, as he wasn’t an enforcer, but he always seemed to be in a lot of right places. He was on the end of the deflected cross in the 66th minute that he put on frame that was saved into Iago’s feet for another blast that was blocked. He passed at a 92% accuracy rate and had one shot. He was one of the players defending the play that led to the goal but couldn’t find the right place to be, so that takes the grade down a bit.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 5 — I’m probably grading Atuesta too high. Time after time, Atuesta found himself on the ground watching as the play left him behind because of a missed tackle. When the goal play started, he dove in to try to dispossess Herrera, but he whiffed and couldn’t make it back to his defensive third to have any impact on the play. He was blown by in transition multiple times and mishit at least two passes to Tiago when the forward had shaken himself loose. He earned his yellow card with a harsh challenge. We’re all waiting to see the Atuesta who can hit the magical passes and at least be present in defense, but against the Dynamo, as in most nights this season, he wasn’t that. The numbers show three tackles with an 88% passing rate. He was replaced in the 90th minute by Ignacio Gomez while showing some shoulder discomfort.

MF, Tyrese Spicer, 6 — The eyes and the stats tell two different stories. The numbers show a 64% passing rate, two shots (both off target), no successful dribbles, and no successful crosses. This is where the disconnect may be. Spicer whipped a blistering pass across the face of the goal in the 45th minute that reached Tiago, who was unable to tap it in. That was one of his two key passes on the night. It was the most dangerous Orlando had been and would be until the very end, so he gets a little tick up in the grade for it. As I mentioned on Angulo’s notes, when the two were on the same side, Spicer made some intelligent runs which don’t show up on the stat sheet either. He was replaced by Justin Ellis in the 58th minute, presumably for minutes management coming off injury.

F, Martín Ojeda, 5.5 — My notes say “Invisible,” which isn’t fair because Martin Ojeda is rarely invisible. However, he’s not living up to the standards of last year, whether that’s because of the composition of the team or him taking a step back. He’s developed a dangerous corner kick delivery that is consistently challenging goalkeepers, and the scramble in the 66th minute was initiated off another dangerous Ojeda corner. He passed at an 88% clip, had an xA of 0.56, which is significant, one key pass and one one shot on target, but we expect more out of the Designated Player.

F, Tiago, 5.5 — The physical skills are there. The young Brazilian is finding open space with his pace. While fast, most of his runs came to nothing. Sometimes, that’s because his teammates fail to connect with his open runs, but that’s the life of a forward. When he does get the ball, it’s got to end up in the back of the net, especially when it’s on the end of a great cross that opened up everything at the back post. Unfortunately, he missed his chance in the 44th minute by blasting his shot off the woodwork. His passing graded out at a 77% rate and he attempted two shots, but you have to get them on target and finish chances when they arrive.

Substitutes

MF, Justin Ellis, (58′), 5.5 — The scoresheet says Ellis subbed in at the 58-minute mark for Spicer. I know I saw a number 22 running around somewhere at times. However, there was none of the skill he’s brought to OCB or the U-20 USMNT and he was mostly invisible. He just didn’t impact the game in any way. His one shot was on target, but it was a soft effort right at the goalkeeper that only rated 0.11 xG and had no shot of going in as it was hit tepidly and easily saved. He also complete five of his six passes.

WB/MF, Harvey Sarajian, (80′), N/A — The rookie did not play enough minutes to fairly issue him a grade in his MLS debut, but what I saw was someone who killed two attacks by losing his dribble to opponents twice. He completed almost twice as many passes as Ellis in half the time, but it was disappointing to see him turn the ball over.

MF, Ignacio Gomez (90′), N/A — The Orlando sideline scrambled for a sub when Atuesta motioned to the bench that he needed to come off for a shoulder injury. Gomez got the call, making his MLS debut. In the six minutes of stoppage time, he completed five passes, which is decent, but he also missed an open Martin Ojeda which could’ve sprung him loose.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 1-0 loss to Houston. 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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