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Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw with D.C. United?

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10 months ago

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Image of Martin Ojeda playing the ball against D.C. United
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City was scheduled to play on Saturday night but the offense decided not to show up, leading to another incredibly disappointing 1-1 draw against one of the weakest teams in the entire league. The Lions dominated possession and played with an extra player for more than 30 minutes, but the offense could not take advantage and the team dropped another two points that it should have easily taken.

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 matchup with an Eastern Conference opponent.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — Orlando City’s No. 1 had little to do during this game, especially after the D.C. United red card early in the second half, but he was unable to prevent United’s one big chance, and once again the Lions did not keep a clean sheet. It would have taken an incredible save for Gallese to keep Jackson Hopkins’ shot out of the net, as it was ripped from close range, but El Pulpo had saved shots like that in the past. Alas he could not predict near post vs. far post in that split second, and did not make the save on Saturday night. He subsequently played about 60 more minutes but was not called into action to do much more than play a few passes. He finished the game with two saves and a 93.3% completion percentage on his passes.

D, David Brekalo, 6 — D.C. United’s one goal came on Brekalo’s side, and twice he came close to breaking up the play but he could not get his foot on either pass, and then D.C. scored seconds later. The Lions spent most the rest of the game with the ball and attacking up their right side, opposite of Brekalo, so he did not have much to offer other than serving as a release valve as Orlando City tried to swing the ball back and forth while looking to create an opening. He made one tackle, had two clearances, and completed 93.2% of his passes.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — Saturday night’s game was uncharacteristically poor from Jansson, both in his defensive play and also due to misplays out of the back. D.C.’s goal was not solely his fault, but the Beefy Swede had a chance to close down Hopkins and was not able to get to him in time to prevent his shot. Additionally, in the second half, once via the pass and the other time on the dribble, he gave away the ball far too easily, and both times D.C. had the opportunity to create an attack out of seemingly nothing. D.C. did not create a real threat either time, but the hosts never should have even had those two opportunities. The rest of his night was rather quiet, with one interception and two clearances on defense and simple passes to his back line teammates or defensive midfielders, which helped him finish with a game-high (among starters) 97.7% completion percentage.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — Jansson’s center back partner almost opened the scoring with a diving header in the game’s first 10 minutes, but he hit the ball a little too close to Luis Barraza and the United goalkeeper palmed the shot away. Schlegel ended with with a career-high three shot attempts, putting two on target, and also finished just behind Jansson with a 96.2% completion rate on his passes. D.C. did not have much of the ball, so the Argentine had little to do defensively, but he also had one tackle, one clearance, and one blocked shot.

D, Alex Freeman, 7 (MotM) — There should be a catchy name or acronym for when a player scores a goal and an opposing player receives a red card on the same play, as there are hardly any more devastating occurrences than giving up a goal and having to play the rest of the game down a player. Freeman achieved this against D.C. United, nearly giving up his head (perhaps we could have called him the Headless Freeman?) in order to score the tying goal and get Orlando City back level. The USMNT player came just inches away from winning the game in the dying minutes as well, volleying a Martín Ojeda free kick just wide after getting himself open on the right side of the box. Orlando City played 42% of its attacks down the right third of the field and Freeman was in attack mode, taking four shots and playing two key passes, and finally scoring a goal after a summer-long drought that went back to May 31. He completed 86.7% of his passes, and he added two tackles and one interception on defense.

MF, Iván Angulo, 6 — Hindsight is of course 20/20, but this game was not one that necessitated a left side pairing of the defense-first Brekalo and Angulo. From the opening minute, D.C. was lying deep and bunkering in, and what Orlando City needed was a left wing player who could attack and unlock the defense. Once D.C. went a man down, the need was even more pronounced as the hosts sat back even deeper, and that is what led to Tyrese Spicer being the first sub off the bench to replace Angulo. Disappointingly for the defense-first Angulo, it was his overrun of Conner Antley that allowed Antley to cut inside and play the pass that assisted the D.C. goal, and even though the Colombian ended the game with a team-high five tackles, it is the one tackle that he missed that will be remembered the most. Angulo completed 92.1% of his passes and nearly assisted Ojeda in the fourth minute, but Barraza made a great save to keep it out.

MF, Joran Gerbet, 6.5 — Gerbet deputized for the injured César Araújo and played a cool, calm, and collected defensive midfield for the full 90 minutes. The rookie is not the agitator that Araújo is, and he did not suffer or commit the amount of fouls that his teammate usually does, but he was a solid complement to Eduard Atuesta in the middle of the field, helping Orlando City dominate possession and the middle third. Gerbet completed 72 passes at a 90% completion rate, and on the defensive side he recorded two tackles, one interception, and one clearance.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 6 — Freeman’s goal is officially unassisted, since it came off of a rebound, but Freeman and Atuesta initiated that goal by combining on a pass before the Colombian found Marco Pašalić, and the Croatian’s shot turned into the rebound that Freeman headed into the net. Atuesta had four key passes and completed the third-most passes on the team, going 58/64 (90.6%) while pulling the strings for an offense that racked up 25 shots. He added two tackles and one interception on defense before making way for Dagur Dan Thórhallsson in the final minute of regulation time.

MF, Marco Pašalić, 6.5 — The Croatian’s lethal left foot created Orlando City’s only goal by being too hot to handle for Barraza, and Pašalić was as engaged as he had been in any game this season on Saturday night, taking a game-high seven shots and delivering a game-high five key passes. He completed 81.6% of his passes, including three successful crosses, and he and Freeman partnered together well on the right side of the attack. Unfortunately for Orlando City and Pašalić, all that volume he created resulted in only one goal and the Lions leaving the nation’s capital with only one point.

F, Martín Ojeda, 6.5 — All streaks eventually come to an end, and Ojeda’s goal contribution streak ended on Saturday night after he was unable to score or assist on a goal. It was not for lack of effort, as the Argentine took three shots and had four key passes, and both he and his teammates came within inches of keeping that streak alive. Ojeda left it all on the field, creating chances from the first few minutes through the last, and on another night he might have had a goal and an assist, or more. He completed 84.3% of his passes and added one tackle and two interceptions on defense.

F, Duncan McGuire, 6 — Big Dunc played more minutes than I thought he would, as even with a two-week break prior to Saturday’s game, I figured he would not extend past 60 minutes. Instead he played nearly the full 90, and while his two most impressive plays were wiped away by foul calls (he was just offside before playing a great pass to Ojeda for a point-blank shot attempt and the ball just grazed his arm before he smoked a shot into the net), he started to look more like the McGuire from last season in this game, just in time for the stretch run. There were still hiccups, and despite playing 87 minutes, he only was able to get 19 touches, but he had three key passes with those touches, completed 91.7% of his passes and came agonizingly close to scoring the game-winning goal.

Substitutes

MF, Tyrese Spicer (71′), 5.5 — Spicer entered the game for Angulo in an offense-for-defense switch, but his offensive contribution was minimal. He completed only five of his nine pass attempts, and he did not put either of his two shot attempts on goal. The Trinidad & Tobago international had several opportunities to put in dangerous crosses, but the quality was not there, and while he gave a maximum effort, the production was minimal.

F, Shak Mohammed, (87′), NA — The young striker made his 2025 debut in the final minutes of regular time, coming on for a clearly exhausted McGuire. He completed both of his pass attempts and won one aerial, and had Freeman hit more of a cross than a shot off of Ojeda’s late free kick, he might have scored the game-winner, as he was in position to connect with the ball but it was too high for him.

MF, Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, (90′), NA — The Icelandic utility man came on in the dying minutes of the game for Atuesta, but with so few minutes on the field, he did not contribute very much. He completed all four of his passes and hustled throughout his minutes on the field, but he was unable to help the team get a last-gasp winner.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s wasteful 1-1 draw with D.C. 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: 7/16/26

Orlando City wins friendly, Orlando Pride beaten at home, MLS season returns tonight, and much more.

Published

2 hours ago

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July 16, 2026

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Image of Antoine Griezmann and Martin Ojeda celebrating a goal during Orlando City's 2-1 friendly win at FC Dallas.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

How’s it going, Mane Landers? For those of us in Florida, it looks like some storms could be heading our way this week. While that can be a bit annoying if you have outdoor plans, hopefully it will make some of this oppressive heat a bit more bearable. Both the Orlando Pride and Orlando City B are on the road on Saturday, so we may get to dodge some dreaded weather delays as well. But for now, let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Wins Friendly at FC Dallas

The Lions went to Texas for a friendly against FC Dallas and won 2-1 at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium — home of North Texas SC, FC Dallas’ MLS NEXT Pro side. Antoine Griezmann seems to be settling in nicely with the club, scoring yet again in this friendly after doing so a week ago against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Martin Ojeda also got on the scoresheet in the first half and you can check out both finishes below.

While I don’t put too much stock in friendlies, it sure does feel better to be on the winning side of them. This was the final tune-up for Orlando before the Lions hit the road for a match against the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday in their first league game since May.

Orlando Pride Shut Out At Home

The Orlando Pride hosted the Boston Legacy and weren’t able to get a result in a 1-0 loss at Inter&Co Stadium. Barbara Olivieri scored the game’s only goal in the 17th minute to give Boston the lead. Orlando had its chances to equalize but couldn’t manage to put together a finished product in the end. This was Orlando’s third loss to an expansion side this season (0-3-1) as the Pride picked up only one point out of 12 in four matches against Boston and Denver. It’s been a season of inconsistency for the Pride, but hopefully that means they’ll come back stronger in Saturday’s road match against the Utah Royals.

MLS Season Returns Tonight

MLS is back! While the Lions aren’t in action until Wednesday, the season resumes tonight with an exciting slate of games. Many eyes will be on the match between the Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps, as it could include Robert Lewandowski’s MLS debut. While it’s a brand new team and league for the forward, he’d be going up against a familiar face in former Bayern Munich teammate Thomas Muller, who has helped Vancouver climb to the top of the Western Conference. Other intriguing matchups tonight include a Canadian clash between CF Montreal and Toronto FC and a rivalry game between the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers. On Friday, Nashville will host Atlanta United before the LA Galaxy and LAFC square off in the latest edition of El Trafico.

Argentina Will Face Spain in World Cup Final

Argentina orchestrated yet another dramatic victory this World Cup, beating England 2-1 to advance to the World Cup final to face Spain. After a scoreless first half, Anthony Gordon gave England the lead in the 55th minute with his first goal of the tournament. England shifted gears and parked the bus to defend its lead, but Enzo Fernandez scored an equalizer in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martinez gave Argentina its winner in stoppage time. Lionel Messi assisted on both goals, and Argentina is now just one game away from winning its second consecutive World Cup. Sunday’s final should be a great match pitting Argentina’s potent offense up against a Spanish defense that has only conceded once all tournament.

Free Kicks

  • Former Lion Alex Freeman was noted as one of many players whose stock likely went up due to their World Cup performance. Hopefully, a solid summer translates to more playing time with Villarreal and an eventual transfer for Orlando City to benefit from due to the sell-on percentage.
  • Duncan McGuire wasted no time scoring for his new team, putting the ball in the back of the net early on in the Houston Dynamo’s 2-1 friendly win against America de Cali.
  • The Galaxy added Finnish forward Robert Taylor as a free agent, signing him to a contract through the end of the year with an option for all of 2027 as well.
  • The Philadelphia Union are reportedly finalizing the return of Kai Wagner, who only just left the Union for Birmingham City in January.
  • The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly close to signing Australian forward Luka Jovanovic, who scored 11 goals last season for Adelaide United.

🇦🇺 Sources: San Jose Earthquakes are finalizing a deal to sign Australia youth int'l forward Luka Jovanovic from Adelaide UnitedJovanovic, 21, was co-Golden Boot winner of the A-League with 11g/3a in 1,639 mins last season. Joins on a U-22 initiative deal.

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-15T16:58:50.262Z

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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/15/26

Daryl Dike’s potential return, Orlando Pride prepare for Boston, World Cup news, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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July 15, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Oh boy, do we have some news for you today. Between the Orlando Pride match tonight, the World Cup this afternoon, and some potential big signings, we have a lot to get to. We also want to wish a very happy birthday to Orlando City B goalkeeper Tristan Himes. Now, let’s get to the links.

The Return of Dike(?)

Forget “It’s coming home,” rather he’s coming home! Per Tom Bogert, Daryl Dike is set to return to Orlando City after his multi-year stint with West Bromwich Albion. Dike had a rough go of it in England, mainly due to injuries he sustained. I figure he just needs some Florida sunshine and the team at Orlando Health to help find the form that made him a terror to Orlando City’s opponents.

It also seems that the departure of Marco Pasalic is not a done deal. There has not been an official bid as of yet, and if Orlando City’s valuation isn’t met, then he may be staying. If he stays, he bolsters the attack. If not, well that’s what Dike is coming back to do and it would supply the Lions with plenty of coin to bolster the roster.

Orlando Pride Set for Boston Legacy

The Orlando Pride host expansion side Boston Legacy FC at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. The Pride will look to avenge a 2-1 loss earlier this season in Boston. After defeating the Kansas City Current over the weekend, Seb Hines’ squad will want to keep the home winning streak going. This may be Barbra Banda’s last match before heading out for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament later this month, so take the opportunity to head to the match if you are in the Orlando area.

World Cup News

France was unable to keep things going as Spain defeated Les Bleus 2-0 on Bastille Day. La Roja now wait to see whether Argentina or England will be the opponent in the final. As they have done so many times this World Cup, the Spanish did not allow a goal and did enough offensively to advance. Lamine Yamal earned a penalty that Mikel Oyarzabal slotted home to give Spain a lead in the 22nd minute. Pedro Porro added another in the second half and France was unable to muster any magic.

Later today, England and Argentina square off to see which team will play the Spaniards. The amount of history between these teams at World Cups is enough to make most watch the match. I think the bigger question is which team does Gianni Infantino want to win, and will we see the same shenanigans we’ve seen in previous matches featuring these two teams? Don’t worry, England. I’m sure it’ll be fine.

USMNT Reflections

There’s been a bit of space and time for all of us to process the USMNT’s performance at the World Cup and it isn’t all doom and gloom. None other than Carli Lloyd said that despite the way it ended, it was a successful outing for the U.S. Matt Freese is trying to see the positives even though he made a costly mistake that gave up a goal to Belgium. Folarin Balogun said what I was thinking in that a certain phone call about his red card did affect the USMNT’s nerves heading into the match against Belgium. Lastly, the future could be bright thanks to these five USMNT prospects.

Free Kicks

🇨🇱 Atlanta United has signed Chile int'l defedner Paulo Diaz. Versatile but likely to play center back.Joins on a free transfer after spending years at River Plate. Diaz, 31, has 56 caps for Chile.

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-14T14:06:23.290Z

That will do it for today. Check back later for our coverage of the Orlando Pride’s match against Boston Legacy FC. You can follow The Mane Land on Bluesky for updates. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/14/26

Marco Pasalic transfer rumor, Marta up for weekly award, MLS transfer roundup, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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July 14, 2026

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Image of Marta looking for an outlet in action against Kansas City.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone. I write to you from Texas, specifically Dallas, as I was in Austin to see friends over the weekend and decided to pop up the road to take in the energy of the World Cup semifinal that will be played in the city later today. I won’t be attending the game, since I don’t wish to sell one of my kidneys but am looking forward to mingling with some of the fans who have traveled here for it. We’ve got a lot to talk about this morning, so let’s get into the links.

Marco Pasalic Transfer Rumor

There have been some quiet rumblings for awhile now that Marco Pasalic may leave Orlando City during the summer transfer window. We now have a more concrete report regarding a potential departure, as the streets are saying that the winger is set to sign for newly promoted Hull City, with a price tag of at least €7 million.

If the move does come to pass, it would reunite him with manager Sergej Jakirovic, who he briefly played for during his time at HNK Rijeka. Jakirovic also stated in a recent interview that he wants to sign Pasalic, so this is a rumor that could have some legs.

Marta Up for Weekly Honors

The Orlando Pride picked up an excellent win on Friday by knocking off the Kansas City Current 3-0, and Marta has been rewarded for her efforts in the victory with a nomination for the NWSL Player of the Week. The Brazilian legend bagged the team’s first goal shortly after halftime, when she found herself in space well outside the box and unleashed a low left-footed drive into the bottom corner for her 50th goal as a Pride player. For some reason, she was snubbed in the Goal of the Week voting despite her impressive strike, so make sure you go vote for her for Player of the Week!

MLS Transfer Roundup

With the MLS summer transfer window opening on Monday, we’ve got a slew of moves to get caught up on. We begin with confirmation of an item that we covered in Monday’s Links, as Nathan Ordaz has officially moved to D.C. United in exchange for up to $2.875 million. The New England Revolution have extended Matt Turner’s loan from Lyon, with the new deal lasting through December. It also has an option to extend the loan again until December 2027, after which the Revs have a purchase option. Atlanta United has signed Paraguayan center back Junior Alonso on a free transfer, with his deal running through the 2028-2029 season. Finally, Charlotte FC has announced the signing of forward Allan Saint-Maximin as a Designated Player. He will occupy the DP slot vacated by Wilfried Zaha.

USWNT Announces Fall Friendlies

The United States Women’s National Team has announced that it will play a pair of October friendlies against Spain in a matchup of the reigning World Cup champions against the reigning Olympic champions. The USWNT will face the top-ranked team in the world on Oct. 10 at Audi Field in Washington D.C., and again on Oct. 13 at Subaru Park in Chester, PA. The Oct. 10 match will also have a pregame retirement celebration for USWNT defender Crystal Dunn. This will be just the fourth time that the two teams have faced each other, with the U.S. winning two of the three previous meetings. The two friendlies will be the last games that the USWNT plays before beginning World Cup qualifying.

Previewing France vs. Spain

The World Cup semifinals begin today, with France and Spain set to throw down in Dallas. For France, the stars are too many to count, with Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Michael Olise all taking turns lighting up both the field and the scoreboard for the team that has made back-to-back appearances in the final. As far as Spain goes, all the focus is on Lamine Yamal, as the young winger has been key to Spain’s success despite scoring just one goal. If Nico Williams is able to start on the opposite wing, the French won’t be able to key so heavily on Yamal, and it could open up more space for him in which to operate. The matchup between the youngster and Lucas Digne will be key, as will the ability of either Mikel Oyarzabal or Ferran Torres to be effective up top for Spain.

Free Kicks

  • Former Lion Daryl Dike is leaving West Bromwich Albion. We know a team that just traded a striker.

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

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