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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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1 year 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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Orlando City

Flashback Friday: July 4, 2023 vs. Toronto FC

Let’s rewind to an Independence Day affair that had plenty of offensive fireworks.

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2 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The United States Men’s National Team picked up a gritty, resilient 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, and will now face Belgium in a rematch of the 2014 World Cup Round of 16 next Monday. While we patiently wait for that game, it’s time to continue our Friday tradition of revisiting some classic Orlando City games from years past.

Last week, we rewound to a high octane affair against the Chicago Fire in late June 2022, that saw the Lions douse Chicago’s flames and pick up a much-needed 4-2 victory. Today, let’s hop in the time machine and travel back to Independence Day 2023, when Toronto FC came to town.

At the time of Toronto’s visit, things were going relatively smoothly for OCSC. The team was riding a three-match unbeaten streak and had scored five goals across those three games. Oscar Pareja lined up his team in its customary 4-2-3-1, with Pedro Gallese in goal; a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith; Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo in the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres in the attacking midfield; and Duncan McGuire up top.

Orlando very nearly got a goal a little under 10 minutes into the game. Former OCSC goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh knocked down a cross in front of the net, and while Pereyra was first to the ball, he could only blast it over the bar with the goal at his mercy. Fortunately, that miss would not come back to haunt the Lions, who bagged the game’s first goal in the 16th minute. Angulo sucked defenders toward him on the left edge of the box before releasing Santos out wide. The fullback played a peach of a first-time, curling cross to the back post, where Araujo was waiting to power a diving header into the side netting at the far post for his first league goal.

That goal broke the game open, and Orlando got another goal six minutes later to double the advantage. It initially looked like a carbon copy of the first goal, with Santos out in space on the left side of the box, sending in a curled cross. The ball deflected off a defender and came in low toward the goal. Ranjitsingh waited for the ball instead of going to claim it, and that allowed McGuire to nip in front of him and get a touch on the ball to sneak it in at the near post.

Orlando nearly got even more goals inside the half hour, with Torres and McGuire both going close in quick succession. Federico Bernardeschi smashed a shot off the post in the 28th minute, and the Lions seemed to be losing focus a little bit, with the hydration break a welcome pause in play when it came. OCSC came out of the pause well, and Pereyra put Angulo through in the 36th minute, but the Colombian couldn’t bring the ball under control and fashion a shooting chance.

Orlando led in every meaningful statistical category at halftime. The Lions had more possession (55.8%-44.2%), shots (6-2), shots on goal (2-0), corners (4-2), and passing accuracy (89.5%-85%). Most importantly, they led 2-0 on the scoreboard.

Toronto tried to change things at halftime by introducing three substitutes, but Orlando settled back into the game quickly and negated the efforts of interim TFC manager Terry Dunfield. Angulo and Torres forced Ranjitsingh into a pair of saves in the 53rd and 55th minutes, and the Lions tried to press their advantage by sending on Ramiro Enrique and Martin Ojeda in the 57th minute for McGuire and Pereyra.

The game then changed in a big way in the 62nd minute. Cartagena and Bernardeschi exchanged words after a turnover, and the Italian winger put Cartagena on the ground with the help of a little theatrics from the midfielder. Bernardeschi had already been yellow carded in the 47th minute for a foul on Smith, and the altercation with Wilder saw him receive a second yellow and his marching orders to go along with it.

With TFC down to 10 men, the Lions started to tee off at goal. Ojeda came close to getting the team’s third in the 69th minute, with Enrique doing the same in the 71st but missing just wide. When the goal finally came, it was from the unlikely foot of Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, who had been subbed into the game alongside Ercan Kara in the 68th minute.

Thorhallsson made a great run behind the defense in the 77th minute, and Araujo picked him out well. Ranjitsingh came out to try to play sweeper-keeper, but DDT beat him to the ball easily, touched it around the former Lion, and rolled it into the empty net to score his first MLS goal and make it 3-0.

Toronto had a halfway decent chance to pull one back in the 82nd minute, but Brandon Servania’s long-distance attempt at chipping Gallese ended up missing high and settling on the roof of the net. Kara then iced the game in the 84th minute. Araujo fired a pass to Ojeda at the top of the box, and even though he had trouble bringing it under control, he had the presence of mind to backheel it toward goal for the big Austrian to pounce on and fire a low, hard shot into the net for 4-0.

Ojeda nearly got a goal of his own two minutes later but had a great effort saved in what was the last truly dangerous moment of the game.

As was the case at halftime, when the final whistle blew, the Lions had created plenty of fireworks on both the scoreboard and the stat sheet. OCSC finished with more possession (59.6%-40.4%), shots (18-6), shots on target (9-0), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (91%-84.8%).

Marcus Mitchell had Player Grades for this one, and he named Araujo the Man of the Match with a grade of 8 out of 10 for his one-goal/one-assist effort. The other high performers on the night were Antonio Carlos, and Cartagena, who each graded out at 7.5 out of 10.

That’ll do it for this week’s trip down memory lane. We’ve been getting spoiled lately, with Orlando putting up four goals in back-to-back time machine games, and it’s made for an enjoyable glimpse into years gone by. With any luck, next week’s edition will be similarly entertaining. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/3/26

Orlando Pride visit Angel City tonight, NWSL free agents to watch, Portugal and Spain advance, and more.

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2 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! I don’t have many plans this holiday weekend beyond enjoying some soccer and indulging myself in a few hot dogs to celebrate. It should be a fun weekend, but make sure to stay safe out there if you plan on setting off any fireworks. For now though, let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Take On Angel City FC Tonight

The NWSL resumes today and the Orlando Pride will play against Angel City FC at 10 p.m. in their first match since a 3-1 win over Bay FC on May 29. That win capped off a six-game month for the Pride, including a stretch of three straight road games. Meanwhile, Angel City parted ways with Alex Straus over the break after only winning once in May, and tonight’s match will be Leif Gunnar Smerud’s first since being named interim head coach. It can be tough playing an opponent with a new coach, but hopefully the Pride can bring all three points back to Orlando.

Top NWSL Free Agents to Watch

Free agency is officially underway in the NWSL and the list of players with contracts expiring at the end of the year includes some of the league’s best players. Orlando Pride star Marta was listed as one of the top free agents to watch, though I would be pretty shocked if she plays for another NWSL club if she leaves Orlando after this season. Leicy Santos, Debinha, and Rose Lavelle are other skilled attackers who will become free agents, but Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger is sure to have plenty of clubs reaching out for her talents as well.

Portugal and Spain Advance in World Cup

This World Cup hasn’t been short on excitement and that continued with Portugal’s 2-1 win against Croatia. After a scoreless first half, Croatia took the lead thanks to a goal from Ivan Perisic, but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized from the penalty spot and the game was moments away from heading to extra time. Goncalo Ramos gave Portugal the goal it needed to advance deep in stoppage time, but Croatia nearly came back with a goal that was disallowed due to an offside call. Spain cruised to a 3-0 win against Austria to book its spot in the round of 16 as well. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice for his second brace of the tournament, with Marc Cucurella assisting on both of his goals. Spain and Portugal will square off in the next round in what should be a fantastic match. Switzerland and Algeria kicked off late.

The round of 32 wraps up today with a trio of matches, starting with Egypt’s game against Australia. Cape Verde will then look to shock the world when it plays Argentina, and the late game will be between Colombia and Ghana.

Columbus Crew Sign New Designated Player

The Columbus Crew have signed Spanish midfielder Brais Mendez to a Designated Player contract through the 2028-2029 season with a club option for the 2029-2030 season. Mendez has spent the past four La Liga seasons with Real Sociedad, recording 33 goals and 24 assists in 166 appearances. He gives the crew some additional firepower as reports swirl regarding Diego Rossi’s departure for CF Monterrey. While maybe not in the same headline-grabbing tier of MLS summer signings like Antoine Griezmann or Robert Lewandowski, Mendez is a big addition to the league as the Eastern Conference arms race continues.

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  • CF Montreal sent $2.1 million in General Allocation Money to Austin FC in exchange for midfielder Dani Pereira. Selected with the first overall pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, Pereira has contributed six goals and 23 assists in 165 appearances across all competitions for Austin.
  • Real Salt Lake reportedly rejected a transfer bid around $3.5 million from CF Monterrey for midfielder Diego Luna.
  • American winger Emma Sears reportedly requested a trade from Racing Louisville, although the club is not reportedly interested in a midseason transfer.
  • The United States Men’s National Team’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina had record viewership. Understandably so, too, as I spent most of the match pacing around my living room.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/2/26

USMNT shuts out Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kat Asman loaned to Denver Summit FC, MLS transfer news, and more.

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3 days ago

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July 2, 2026

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Image of Pride goalkeeper Kat Asman
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Wednesday nights are starting to feel magical. Orlando City has thrived this year when playing on Wednesdays, and now the United States Men’s National Team has provided us with a reason to tackle this Thursday at full force. Before we dive into that result and the rest of today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City defender Tahir Reid-Brown!

USMNT Survives Red Card to Advance

The U.S. won 2-0 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in an emotional rollercoaster of a match in the World Cup’s round of 32. Folarin Balogun got the U.S. on the board at a crucial time right before halftime by scoring his third goal of the tournament. But the game flipped on its head in the second half when Balogun was shown a harsh red card by the referee after video review for a foul when he accidentally came down on the back of an opponent’s foot. The Yanks fought hard to make up for the difference of being down a player and doubled their lead after earning a free kick right outside the box. Malik Tillman’s shot went up and over the wall and into the net for a goal U.S. fans will be replaying over and over again.

The U.S. did well to grind out the win after that second goal, with former Lion Alex Freeman doing his part on defense to help shut out Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a memorable win, and now the U.S. will turn its focus to its round-of-16 matchup against Belgium on Monday.

Pride Loan Goalkeeper Kat Asman to Denver Summit

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Kat Asman to the Denver Summit for the remainder of the 2026 NWSL season. Asman is coming off of a loan with Lexington SC in the Gainbridge Super League, where she played every minute of the season to help Lexington win the title. She posted 11 clean sheets with Lexington last season and won the league’s Golden Glove as well. Asman has yet to make an appearance for the Pride since joining prior to the 2025 season, and her contract expires at the end of the season. She now heads to Denver, where Abby Smith has done well in goal as the expansion team’s starter.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

Real Salt Lake sent $625,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to Atlanta United in exchange for winger Saba Lobjanidze and a third-round pick in the 2028 MLS SuperDraft, with another $100,000 in GAM going Atlanta’s way if he re-signs with Real Salt Lake. The Columbus Crew fully acquired defender Andres Herrera from River Plate after an extended loan, signing him to a contract through the 2028-2029 season. The LA Galaxy transferred defender Mauricio Cuevas to Santos Laguna, the New England Revolution added forward Wilson Harris, and Sporting Kansas City signed center back Moises Mosquera from FC Juarez. The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly close to signing Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn, with Daniel heading to FC Dallas in a trade if that happens. It’s somewhat surprising considering Daniel has done well to help San Jose only concede 15 goals this season.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Sources: San Jose Earthquakes closing in on a deal to sign Scotland int'l GK Angus Gunn.🇧🇷 Sources: FC Dallas has agreed to a deal to acquire GK Daniel from San Jose.➕ Daniel trade is contingent on Gunn signing being formalized.

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-01T16:34:02.297Z

European Nations Move On After Dramatic Comebacks

This World Cup continues to deliver thrilling games during this new round-of-32 phase. Senegal looked certain to go through to the next round until Belgium scored a pair of goals after the 85th minute to knot the game at 2-2 and send it into extra time. The game was decided by a penalty, but not in a shootout, as a foul in the box resulted in Youri Tielemans scoring from the spot to give Belgium the victory. In Atlanta, Harry Kane scored twice to rescue England in a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Brian Cipanga gave the Congo an early lead, but Kane struck twice in the second half, with his winner being one of the best goals of the tournament so far.

England is now set to face Mexico at the Azteca on Sunday in what should be a great game. As for today’s action, Orlando City winger Marco Pasalic and Croatia will take on Portugal in a matchup between European heavyweights. The winner of that match will face whoever prevails today between Spain and Austria, with Switzerland and Algeria squaring off in the late night match.

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That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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