Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City’s Supersonic Defensive Lineup

How Orlando City’s back line groupings have performed against opponents at the top, middle, and bottom of the MLS standings.

Published

6 months ago

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

My parents are in town visiting this week, and on Wednesday night our whole family went in the pool and played a spirited game of Marco…Pašalić. This has nothing to do with my article, but I highly recommend that all Orlando City fans make this switch from Polo to Pašalić when playing that game in the pool. Coincidentally, I wrote about Mr. Pašalić this week in our exclusive newsletter, UpRoar, that you can receive every Monday, 52 weeks a year, by clicking on this link and supporting The Mane Land. And now, on with the show.

Iconic rock band Oasis performed together for the first time in years last Friday evening, literally getting the band back together for a huge concert tour that will likely be one of the biggest tours in the world, if not the biggest, in 2025. Last week, I wrote about mirages, and this week I am bringing up an oasis. Clearly I have deserts on my mind. I have never been through the desert, not even while riding a horse with no name, but this article is brought to you by the letter D, as in deserts, desserts (which I like much more than deserts), and defense.

Writing about soccer defense is much more difficult than writing about soccer offense, because most of the sport’s defensive statistics center around individual defensive plays, and those plays do not tell us a whole lot about how well a team’s defense is performing.

For example, tackles won is clearly a defensive statistic, but does knowing how many tackles a team wins per game clearly indicate whether a defense is good or not? Here are two MLS teams and their tackles won per 90 minutes thus far this season:

  • Team A: 12.3 tackles won, first in MLS.
  • Team B: 7.76 tackles, won, 30th in MLS.

Team A is Philadelphia and Team B is Columbus, two of the league’s top performing teams in the standings, and yet they are at the opposite end of the rankings for tackles won. The top-ranked team in the Eastern Conference, Cincinnati, has the ninth-most tackles won per 90 minutes, The best team in the west, San Diego, ranks 20th. The correlation between tackles won per 90 minutes and points earned per 90 minutes is only 0.15, which means that there is not a strong relationship between the two variables.

Tackles won is a good metric for the evaluation of an individual defender but is not a useful metric to look at for the team as a whole, and if you look through commonly kept defensive statistics, I think they all can be looked at similarly. Blocked shots, clearances, fouls, interceptions (of note here, a certain Team O ranks dead last in the league in interceptions per 90 minutes), and tackles are all important and can tell somewhat of a story, but that story is mostly about that individual defender and not the game itself.

What tells the story about a defense is really quite simple: where does it allow shots from and do those shots go into the back of the net? We often caveat the use of expected goals (xG) on this site, but there is no caveat here this week, because xG is a good measure of the defense’s ability to prevent shots from good goal-scoring locations. Goals are the game’s most important metric, so of course they need to be included as well. As such, let’s take a look at Orlando City’s defensive groupings by expected goals allowed and real goals allowed, adding in a layer of whether the opponent was a team currently ranked in the top third, middle third, or bottom third of MLS teams in points earned per game.

For the tables below I have included every Orlando City back line combination (players ordered from left to right as they played on the field) that played at least 90 minutes together during MLS play. The total minutes for these seven groupings make up 85% of all minutes played for the Lions, and while there are 18 other groups that have played together, it did not seem necessary to include all of them.

Let’s start by looking at expected goals allowed (all data from Opta’s analysis on fbref.com) — the measure of the ability of a defense to limit shots allowed from dangerous locations.

This is a heatmap, so dark green (closer to zero) is good and dark red (higher numbers) is bad. As mentioned in my article last week, Orlando City has been pretty good against the league’s best teams and not as good against teams in the middle. Some of that is clearly on display here with how the defense allowed more shots and/or shots from more dangerous locations per 90 minutes against teams in the middle third of MLS than against the top teams. Allowing expected goals is an indicator of a defense’s performance, but allowing actual goals is just a little more important. Below is the table of actual goals allowed per 90 minutes, and right away you will see some darker red, but don’t miss out on the dark green in the upper left either.

Yes, it is indeed the case that in 248 minutes against teams in the top 10 — in this case, Philadelphia, Miami, and Portland — Orlando City’s top defensive grouping of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman held all three opponents scoreless while playing as a back four. I said it in that way because the Philadelphia game on April 5 was a tight one, with Kyle Smith coming on for the final 22 minutes and, in my eyes, joining the back four as a back five, and so I coded it that way.

Regardless, Philadelphia did not score in that match, so whether as a back four or back five the defense held the Union scoreless, and aside from the season opener, when Robin Jansson unexpectedly was injured during pregame warmups, the story all season long in games against the top teams has been a story about great defense. Orlando City shut out the three teams I mentioned in the prior paragraph, and while the Lions allowed two goals by Cincinnati, one of those was a free kick from 35 yards away that Pedro Gallese saves nearly every time, but unfortunately did not that time.

Excluding Evander’s free kick, the team gave up one goal in 360 minutes against top 10 opponents, and even that one goal was a product of a Lions defense that was pushed up the field trying to get an equalizer and got caught on a counterattack. The back line is not solely responsible for the defense, but it is a critical component, and perhaps it is that those players rise to the occasion against the best opponents or maybe it is something else. Whatever it is, I hope it is sustainable, because the schedule still has seven games remaining against top 10 teams, and it sure would be nice to keep those top teams to limited numbers of goals.

The trio of Brekalo, Jansson, and Schlegel primarily played with Freeman but also with Dagur Dan Thórhallsson and Kyle Smith at points, and those three together with any other right back have played 1,052 minutes and only allowed 1.03 goals per 90 minutes in MLS play (1.03 goals allowed per 90 minutes, which ranks second in MLS. Only Philadelphia at 1.00 is better). It should not be a surprise that the team’s three best defenders play extremely good defense together, and while we will not see them together against Montréal on Saturday due to Jansson being out with yellow card accumulation, they should be back together, likely with Freeman, for the game next Wednesday against New York City FC.

On the season, the Lions are allowing 1.33 goals per game, 12th in the league, but they have been extremely leaky in recent games, giving up 12 goals in the last six matches. Prior to that, they were averaging 1.07 goals allowed per game, and I think it is high time they get back to playing binary defense, only giving up zero or one in every game.

Computer scientists loved that reference.

Defensive statistics are not yet as advanced in soccer as offensive statistics are, so while I spent a lot of time with the available defensive data from sites like fbref.com, whoscored.com, and fotmob.com, what ultimately stood out to me the most was the simple measure of goals allowed by opponent (I know, I know, who would have thought?). I wanted to give the Orlando City defense some love with creative data, but instead what I think is that they just need to keep the band of Brekalo, Jansson, and Schlegel playing together, as they make pretty great music when Óscar Pareja puts them in the lineup.

In honor of Oasis, a seminal band for those of us born in the early 1980s, some (read: I) might say that if Pareja acquiesces, they will not often have to look back in anger, and at the end of the season there might be a champagne supernova waiting for the Lions by The (wonder) Wall.

Vamos Orlando!

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/14/26

The Orlando Pride hire a new GM, Luis Muriel departure rumors heat up, USMNT news, and more.

Published

24 hours ago

on

January 14, 2026

By

Image of Luis Muriel bringing the ball forward against the LA Galaxy.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It has felt like the off-season has been in slow motion despite several signings. Recent developments make it feel like things are going to start speeding up. So keep your head up as the preseason is underway, and the season is just around the corner. For now, let’s get to the links.

Orlando Pride Name Caitlin Carducci VP & GM

The Orlando Pride hired Caitlin Carducci as the club’s new vice president of soccer operations and general manager. Carducci was most recently the general manager for the Kansas City Current. Like the recently departed Haley Carter, Carducci is proven commodity, having built trophy-winning teams. She has an impressive resume, having worked at multiple levels of soccer including with U.S. Soccer, the NWSL, and as an attorney and former compliance officer. This is a move that proves the commitment of the Wilf family regarding the Orlando Pride.

Muriel Exit Rumors Heat Up

It’s one of those things where everyone knows something is coming, but we still have to wait for it to actually happen (see Carlos Coronel). It’s a known secret that Orlando City and Luis Muriel want to mutually move on from each other, and now it looks like it might be happening. Of course, we don’t have anything confirmed by the club yet, but when Tom Bogert posts something like this, it’s usually a good indication.

USMNT News

Josh Sargent has been doing very well with Norwich City scoring 13, 16, and 15 goals for the Canaries in the last few seasons. Now, he may be on his way to MLS as Toronto FC is trying to bring him to North America for an $18 million fee. In other news, Timothy Weah spoke out about the costs of World Cup tickets being too high. It’s not exactly a hot take, but good on him for addressing the issue.

NWSL Notes

Now that the Orlando Pride have a new general manager, we eagerly await the new player signings. Until then, let’s check out other NWSL happenings. Seattle Reign FC signed head coach Laura Harvey to a new contract through the 2028 season. Angel City decided that having Emily Sams wasn’t enough, so the club signed rookie forward Riley Tiernan to a contract extension through the 2028 season. The disturbing trend of Brazilian players signing with clubs other than Orlando City continued, as Ludmila was traded by Chicago to the San Diego Wave for $800,000 in transfer fee funds and up to an additional $200,000 in conditional transfer fee. She signed a three-year contract with the club.

Free Kicks

  • I think we may get the 2026 NWSL season schedule on Thursday, but I’m just speculating.
  • It’s called the City Beautiful for a reason.
  • Orlando City had a special guest at training, as Brazilian legend Zico stopped by to visit.

That will do it for today. Check back with The Mane Land as there’s going to be plenty of news as the new seasons for Orlando City and the Orlando Pride get closer. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Opinion

An Orlando City 2026 Preseason Wishlist

Here are three things that I’m hoping to see during Orlando City’s preseason preparations.

Published

2 days ago

on

January 13, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The preseason has begun, and we know about Orlando City’s four tuneup matches during the 2026 training camp. The season opener is just over six weeks away on Feb. 21. This seems like a good time to discuss a few things that I’m hoping for from this edition of the Lions’ preseason.

A Clean Bill of Health

I would trade every other item on this list if it means getting through the preseason without any injury setbacks like the one the Lions experienced last year. When Wilder Cartagena tore his left Achilles tendon against Atletico Mineiro on Jan. 25, it broke up the previously established and successful duo of himself and Cesar Araujo and had a big impact on the start of the season. Of course, OCSC pivoted magnificently as Eduard Atuesta was signed just a little over two weeks later on Feb. 10, but the timing of Cartagena’s injury and Atuesta’s subsequent arrival meant that he was playing catch-up when it came to integrating with his new teammates. The Colombian still put together a solid season with seven assists (good for third-best on the team), but not having Cartagena in 2025 was a blow, particularly when considering his versatility in being able to play at midfield or center back. If the Lions can get to opening day this year with no repeats of that incident or Yutaro Tuskada’s 2025 season-ending knee injury, then I’ll be a very happy man.

Timely Reinforcements

It’s been pretty well established that more additions need to be made to the roster before it’s ready for opening day. Luis Muriel is likely about to be moved and at least one striker will be needed to replace him, while convincing arguments can be made for signing a left back, a couple of center backs, and a right back. Not only would I love those signings to be made, but there’s also a lot to be said for any new arrivals to join up with the team sooner rather than later. Some of that is out of the Lions’ hands, particularly in the case of using the Designated Player spot if/when Muriel exits, but the more time any new faces have to begin integrating with their new teammates, the better. Of course, there’s also something to be said for Orlando doing its homework and ensuring that it makes the correct call when pulling the trigger on a new signing, but with how tough the Eastern Conference was last year, a fine balance is going to need to be struck between patience and urgency to ensure OCSC isn’t playing catchup in the standings.

Continued Chances for Young Players

It’s no secret that a big storyline for Orlando City during 2025 was the eye-wateringly fast rise of Alex Freeman. He’s a shining example of what MLS teams want to get out of their academies — rising up through the youth systems, starring for the reserve side, earning a spot on the first team, and going even farther beyond that. The big question now is whether or not other young players can follow in his footsteps. It would be unreasonable to expect other Young Lions to hit the heights that Freeman did in 2025, but there’s no reason that guys like Gustavo Caraballo, Tahir Reid-Brown, and Colin Guske can’t earn some more minutes after making their debuts last season. Likewise, as Sean Rollins noted several days ago, there are some current Orlando City B players who could realistically make their senior debuts this year. That process begins during the preseason, when the coaching staff is trying to get a good sense of what it has to work with, and if any of the youngsters show well, then Oscar Pareja and his staff have shown themselves to be more than willing to hand them opportunities. Hopefully, some of the more promising young faces get plenty of chances to prove themselves.

There you have it. If Orlando City can keep everyone healthy, get new signings in the door sooner rather than later, and hand promising youngsters the chance to show what they can do, then I’ll be a happy man during this preseason. Keep your fingers crossed, people. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/13/26

Orlando City opens preseason training, Orlando City B signs a striker, MLS transfer news, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

January 13, 2026

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Good morning, everyone! As strange (and soon) as it seems, we’ve now got day one of Orlando City’s preseason in the rearview mirror. The season opener will be here before we know it, but for now we’ve got a lot of things to talk through today. Let’s wish a happy birthday to OCSC goalkeeping coach Cesar Baena, and get started on today’s links!

Orlando City Begins Preseason Training

Things looked a little different than they did the last few years when Orlando City opened preseason training on Monday. The new faces include Maxime Crepeau, Braian Ojeda, and Tiago, but the team is more than ready to get to work despite the off-season changes. Oscar Pareja says the club has high expectations for the year and took a moment to acknowledge all the people at the club who helped make the Lions into a playoff staple over the last six seasons, saying, “We’re ready to keep pushing with this journey, and it looks different, for sure, because we have had those players who have been here for many years and have brought a long, big, big history here. So again, our respect to them, and we promise that we will keep pushing together, because the most important thing is the team.” Of the new signings, Luis Otavio was the only one not present at Monday’s training, while several Orlando City B players were training with the first team, with Justin Ellis, Titus Sandy Jr., and Juan Rojas among them.

OCB Adds Brazilian Striker

Not to be outshone by the senior side, Orlando City B got the week started on a strong note by announcing the signing of striker Pedro Leao from Flamengo’s U-20 team. Leao came up through Flamengo’s academy before making his debut for the U-20 team in August of 2024. He then proceeded to score 20 goals and provide six assists in over 3,000 minutes for the U-20 side, and helped it win the 2024-2025 iteration of the U-20 Intercontinental Cup. The striker was also called up three times to represent Brazil’s U-16 side, logging three assists across those friendly matches. Welcome to Orlando!

MLS Transfer Moves

With the beginning of the Major League Soccer season creeping closer and closer, teams are completing transfer business in every direction you look. We start with FC Cincinnati, which has signed free agent forward Tom Barlow on a contract that runs through the end of 2027. Continuing the theme of free agent signings, the New York Red Bulls have signed defender Robert Voloder, with the former Sporting Kansas City player joining on a deal that runs through the end of 2028. The Houston Dynamo signed midfielder Agustin Bouzat from Velez Sarsfield on a deal that runs through June 2028 and has an option through June 2029. Up north, 38-year-old Maxi Moralez is back yet again for New York City FC, as he has signed a new contract that runs through the 2026 season. Finally, the San Jose Earthquakes are said to be closing in on a deal to sign Timo Werner as a Designated Player.

Americans in Midweek Action

As usual, a number of American players will be in action during the working week, so let’s take a look at some of the matchups. Things get going today when Malik Tillman and Bayer Leverkusen travel to Hamburger SV in Bundesliga action. Gio Reyna, Joe Scally, and Borussia Monchengladbach hit the road to take on Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Wednesday, while Kevin Paredes and Wolfsburg host James Sands’ St. Pauli side in the same competition. Thursday has Christian Pulisic and AC Milan in a road tilt against Como in Serie A play, and the week finishes up Friday with Folarin Balogun and Monaco squaring off against Lorient in Ligue 1.

Free Kicks

  • Check out some of the scenes from the first day of preseason training.

That’s all I’ve got for today. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Trending