Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Player Grades and Man of the Match
How did the players perform in Orlando’s last-gasp victory over Nashville SC?
It was a match that put fans through the full gamut of emotions, but in the end, Orlando City snatched a last-gasp win against Nashville SC and picked up a vital three points in the process. The win keeps Orlando in the race for the top four places in the Eastern Conference, although the Lions have little to no room for error in their final four matches of the season if they want to secure home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Let’s take a look at how the Cardiac Cats performed in Saturday’s 3-2 victory.
Starters
GK, Pedro Gallese, 7 — While he conceded two goals, Gallese couldn’t really do much to keep either one out of the net. What he did was save Orlando’s bacon on several occasions, as he made an excellent save on a Hany Mukhtar header from close range just before halftime, and did well to keep him out again in the 60th minute. El Pulpo finished the game with four saves, 89% passing accuracy, and would have had an assist had Ivan Angulo been able to find a way past Joe Willis after Gallese played a long ball to put the Colombian in on goal after a corner kick.
D, David Brekalo, 6 — If you skim the statistics from this one, you might wonder why Brekalo’s grade isn’t higher. After all, he recorded two tackles, one interception, four clearances, and three aerial duel wins on defense while drawing two fouls, completing a dribble, playing a key pass, and passing with 88.9% accuracy on offense. However, go back and watch the video of Jacob Shaffelburg’s tying goal. The Slovenian defender allowed Shaffelburg to get goalside of him far far too easily, and once that happened, he wasn’t able to cut out the cross which the Canadian slammed into the back of the net. It was bad defending in an instance when OCSC couldn’t afford it, and so his grade suffers. If not for that error, he’s probably sitting at a seven, as he had a pretty good game otherwise.
D, Robin Jansson, 6 — Orlando City’s captain had a quieter, albeit steady and reliable performance. He held things down in the center of defense with three clearances and two interceptions, while passing with 92.7% accuracy and completing three long balls. While he wasn’t the only one, he was guilty of ball watching on Mukhtar’s goal in first-half stoppage time, as he didn’t react to the rebound and the German was able to collect his own rebound off the post and put it past Gallese. He has to lose some points for that, but otherwise it was a solid performance.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — Schlegel was largely effective in his center back partnership with Jansson. He ended the night with one tackle, two clearances, and two blocks on defense, and one aerial duel won, while taking one shot on offense that was off target, completing three long balls, and passing with 100% accuracy. He did commit two fouls and picked up a yellow card, which he has to lose some points for. The Argentine was also extremely lucky to have some questionable defending go unpunished in the 53rd minute. Shaffelburg played a cross for Sam Surridge at the back post, who lost Schlegel far too easily and had a free header in the six-yard box that he somehow contrived to miss. It was poor marking, and the Lions were fortunate to not pay the price for it.
D, Alex Freeman, 6 — There was to be no goal for Freeman in this game, but he still had an active outing. On defense, the young fullback won three aerial duels, recorded two interceptions, made one tackle, and added two clearances. Going forward, he took one shot that was blocked, completed two dribbles, drew two fouls, and passed with 84.6% accuracy while completing one cross and one long ball. On the flip side of things, he was another player who was guilty of ball watching on Mukhtar’s goal, and it was worse for him, since he was probably in the best position to get to the ball when it came back off the post. Still, it was a good game overall if not quite as buccaneering an outing as we’ve seen at times this year.
MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — As is usually the case with Angulo, he was involved on both sides of the ball in this game. On defense, he chipped in with two tackles while also committing a foul. On the other side of the field, he completed two dribbles, drew a foul, passed with 71.4% accuracy, and took one shot which was on target and saved by Joe Willis. He could have done better on it since he was in alone on goal, but he has shown himself to be lacking in the breakaway goal department. He and Luis Muriel couldn’t quite get the timing right on an early second-half pass, as the striker was ultimately offside when Angulo played him in behind, although he failed to hit the target regardless.
MF, Kyle Smith, 7.5 — With Cesar Araujo and Joran Gerbet both unavailable, Smith got the start in midfield, and he did a little bit of everything. On defense he contributed two tackles and two interceptions, while on offense he drew a foul, completed two long balls, recorded one key pass, and distributed the ball with 81.8% accuracy. His best moment of the night however, came on Martin Ojeda’s second goal. Smith took the ball off Patrick Yazbek in midfield, played the ball to Luis Muriel, got it back, and then fed a nice ball in behind for Ojeda who dispatched it past Joe Willis. That means he also ended the game with an assist, which was the finishing touch on a well-rounded evening.
MF, Eduard Atuesta, 6.5 — Atuesta partnered Smith in midfield, and while he was quieter than his counterpart, he still turned in a good performance on the defensive side of the ball with two tackles, one interception, one clearance, one aerial duel won, and one foul committed. Going forward, he drew two fouls, took one shot, which was blocked, and delivered two long balls while passing with 89.1% accuracy. It wasn’t as impactful of an offensive performance as he’s shown himself to be capable of, but it was still the sort of solid outing that we’re used to seeing from him.
MF, Marco Pašalić, 7 — While he didn’t manage to make an impact on the scoresheet, Pasalic was far from quiet. He didn’t do much on defense, although he registered one interception. Instead, as expected, he put in work going forward and finished with a game-high five completed dribbles, one long ball, one foul drawn, one key pass, 81% passing accuracy, and one shot on target. He was unlucky to not score with that shot, which was a beautiful curling effort that Willis saw late and ultimately did well to save. As suggested by the dribbling stat, he was constantly looking to keep the ball at his feet and probe the Nashville defense by going on mazy runs. He’ll hope to get back on the scoresheet soon as its now been four league games without a goal.
F, Martin Ojeda, 8.5 (MotM) — Surely you had to know this was coming right? As he so often has been this year, Ojeda was the man at the center of it all for the Lions. Let’s start with the stats you probably don’t know, as he registered one tackle, one clearance, and one foul, while also playing a game-high three key passes, connecting on three crosses and one long ball, and passing with 81.8% accuracy. He took four shots and put two of them on target, and he scored from each of those two shots on target. His free kick goal for the opener was nothing short of spectacular, as he found the gap that Schlegel and Jansson created in the wall, and banged a shot in off the post. His second goal was all about pinpoint finishing, as he shot first time from Smith’s pass and unerringly hit the far corner. He’s a worthy Man of the Match, and continues to force his way into the MVP conversation.
F, Luis Muriel, 6.5 — Although it wasn’t a bad performance, it wasn’t one of the Colombian’s better outings either. He wasn’t able to impact the game with his dribbling or vision and passing range, although he contributed the secondary assist on Ojeda’s second goal. Other than that and some moments where he flashed his mind-meld understanding with his strike partner, he had a pretty quiet evening. His stat line reads two shots with one off target and one on target that forced an excellent save from Willis, two fouls drawn, and 69.2% passing accuracy.
Substitutes
F, Duncan McGuire (63′), 7 — Brought on to replace Muriel, McGuire had an effective 27 minutes on the field. He injected energy and a desire to press from the front into the team, and he managed to get on the ball in dangerous areas. He took two shots, with one off target and one on target, and played one key pass while distributing the ball with 88.9% precision. Then there was the obvious, as he scored the all-important winning goal with a fantastic first-time finish as the game was entering its final moments. It was great to see Dunc back among the goals after his injury struggles this season, and the departure of Ramiro Enrique means the Lions are going to need him if they want to make any noise in the postseason.
MF, Tyrese Spicer (72′), 7 — Like McGuire, Spicer made the most of his 18-minute substitute appearance after he came on for Angulo. Some of his dribbling wasn’t as crisp as it usually is, but he chipped in defensively with one tackle, drew a foul, passed with 100% accuracy, delivered one cross, one key pass, and had the all-important assist on the winning goal. He was brought on to help change the game and give the Lions more offensive juice and he did exactly that. If he can become a reliable weapon off the bench, then it makes OCSC a much more dangerous team as we enter the final stretch of the regular season.
D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (86′), N/A — With just four minutes on the field after replacing David Brekalo, it wouldn’t be fair to assign DDT a grade in this game. He contributed one tackle and two clearances in his limited minutes, and passed with 100% accuracy. It should be noted that while he was the man who fed Spicer before the winger streaked down the left flank and assisted McGuire, Thorhallsson was not credited with an official secondary assist.
MF, Colin Guske (86′), N/A — The injuries to Orlando’s other midfielders meant it was Guske who came on for Smith, but he also wasn’t on the field long enough to be assigned a fair grade. Similar to Thorhallsson, he was plenty involved though. Guske had one tackle and one clearance, while committing one foul and drawing a foul. He completed all four of his passes for an accuracy rate of 100%.
There you have it. Ojeda shone again, Smith had one of his best games of the year, and McGuire came to the rescue to prove that Orlando does in fact, still run on Duncan. Do you agree with my pick for Man of the Match, or should the honors go to someone else? Be sure to vote in our poll, and have your say down in the comments. Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New York City FC
Get up to speed on the Pigeons ahead of Saturday’s game, courtesy of someone who knows them best.
Happy Friday, everyone. Orlando City got a week of rest after taking care of business against D.C. United at home, and it returns to the purple palace Saturday night to face a New York City FC team with its back against the wall in the race for a playoff place.
A showdown with the Pigeons means I caught up with Matthew Mangam of New York Soccer Journal. As always, he was helpful in getting us up to speed on NYCFC, and we appreciate his help. I also answered some of his questions about Orlando City, so make sure you check them out over at their place!
Talk me through NYCFC’s summer transfer business. Who’s out, who’s in to replace them, and how have they performed?
Matthew Mangam: NYCFC’s summer business wasn’t anything groundbreaking. The club brought in striker Luighi on loan from SE Palmeiras and got back midfielder/defender James Sands, whose loan with St. Pauli ended.
Luighi started off well, bagging four goals in his first seven league appearances. But since then, the 20-year-old is on a five-game drought. To his credit, Luighi started only two of his last five games. As for Sands, this is his third stint at NYCFC, so the versatile 26-year-old was welcomed back with open arms.
The biggest acquisition this summer, though, was Bénie Traoré. The winger joined the club as a Designated Player from FC Basel in Switzerland, but it hasn’t gone well. In 15 league appearances, Traoré has one goal — a penalty kick that hit off the post and went in — and no assists.
The club’s last move that didn’t happen in the summer surprised everyone: adding free agent Matt Miazga. The veteran defender hasn’t made his debut yet, and I’m honestly not sure when he will.
New York City has been a wildly different team since the league restarted after the World Cup. What’s happened to cause the change in form?
MM: I honestly don’t know where to start with this one. There’s so much I could say, but if I did then I’d be here all day. I’ll narrow it down to this: NYCFC can’t play a complete 90 minutes.
NYCFC has conceded six goals in stoppage time this season, is 0-4-12 after falling behind 16 times, and is 4-5-6 at home. So, they can’t hang onto leads — they’ve lost seven points after the 75th minute — they have no come-from-behind wins, and they’re poor at home.
There are other smaller factors, like injuries, individual mistakes from usually solid players (Matt Freese and Sands), and players struggling, but, as I said, it’s a lot.
The playoffs are still in reach, as NYCFC is just two points out of eighth. What needs to happen in order to get above the line and stay there?
MM: Simply put, NYCFC needs to win all four remaining games, or, at the very least, go 3-1-0. Teams around them, like Toronto, Columbus, and Cincinnati, are picking up wins and building separation, so NYCFC is in a do-or-die situation.
Getting Alonso Martínez back and starting again is huge, but you can’t expect him to return from a brutal injury and save the team immediately; it’s not fair. Traoré has to step up and show why the club paid DP money for him — one lone goal that, in my opinion, fortunately went in, and no goals from open play is extremely concerning.
Also, Nico Fernández Mercau hasn’t scored in five matches. He’s getting double- and triple-marked because teams are now well aware of how talented the Argentine is, but he has to find a way back on the scoresheet in this stretch. NYCFC needs him to. So, so badly.
Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?
MM: The only players out are the ones with long-term injuries: Keaton Parks, Kai Trewin, Maxi Moralez, Arnau Farnós, and Drew Baiera.
Given that NYCFC needs to win or the season is practically over, I expect Head Coach Pascal Jansen to leave it all out there with his best possible lineup:
Matt Freese; Kevin O’Toole, James Sands, Thiago Martins, Tayvon Gray; Andres Perea, Aiden O’Neill; Hannes Wolf, Nico Fernández Mercau, Agustin Ojeda; Alonso Martínez.
I think Nico Fernández Mercau and Alonso Martínez score, but it won’t be enough, as Antoine Griezmann gets a brace and both teams settle for a 2-2 draw.
Thank you to Matt for his excellent refresher on NYCFC. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 10/23/26
Orlando City prepares for New York City FC, Antoine Griezmann’s impact in Orlando, U.S. will host FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, and more.
Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a pretty nice week for me, as I was able to watch all of Slow Horses and finish reading Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson, both of which were brilliant. Attention now turns to this weekend’s soccer, with both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride playing at home over the next couple of days. Let’s get to the links!
Orlando City Prepares for New York City FC
The Lions host New York City FC on Saturday in one of the marquee matchups in MLS as the regular season nears its conclusion. Plenty has changed since Orlando’s 5-0 loss to NYCFC on March 7. The Lions have clawed their way up the table while the Pigeons have only won once in their past 13 league games. NYCFC enters this match after a 1-1 draw with LAFC that included an equalizer by former Lion Andres Perea to give the team a valuable point amid the playoff race. Nicolas Fernandez Mercau, Luighi, and Benie Traore are all NYCFC players the Lions will need to keep in check, or else it could end up being another high-scoring affair in the City Beautiful.
Antoine Griezmann’s Impact on Orlando’s Offense
Orlando’s wait for Antoine Griezmann to join in the summer has proven to be well worth it, as he’s transformed Orlando’s attack into a force to be reckoned with just as the playoffs near. Although Griezmann wasn’t able to enjoy a fairytale ending with Atletico Madrid by lifting the Copa del Rey or Champions League trophies this year, he’s breathed life into an Orlando side that struggled mightily prior to his arrival. The 35-year-old has recorded 12 goals and seven assists in just 14 appearances this season. Not only has he excelled when it comes to getting the ball in the net, but he’s done well in terms of defensive metrics and intangibles as well.
U.S. Will Host Women’s Club World Cup
The inaugural FIFA Women’s Club World Cup will be held in the U.S. in January of 2028 with the host cities still to be determined. There will be 19 clubs taking part, with Gotham, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Club America having already qualified along with three other teams so far. This tournament is sandwiched between the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, so there’s plenty of exciting women’s soccer to look forward to in the coming years.
U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team Wins at World Cup
The United States U-17 Women’s National Team won 6-1 against Kenya in the group stage of the FIA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, clinching a spot in the round of 16. Maggie DiMaria scored four goals to bring her total to 10 across just two games. The U.S. will play its final group game on Sunday against China PR, which also won both of its games against Kenya and Samoa to secure a spot in the knockout stage. The winner of this group will get to avoid a match with Spain in the round of 16, so there’s still plenty to play for before the next round gets underway.
Free Kicks
- The first leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal between the United States Men’s National Team and Haiti has been moved from Kingston to Miami. Haiti has had to play games outside of the country due to unrest and submitted a request to Concacaf to play in the country of its opponent.
- American center back Naomi Girma is now dealing with a calf injury that may sideline her for a few weeks according to Chelsea Head Coach Sonia Bompastor. She missed out on the team’s recent friendlies against Spain and may be absent for the Concacaf W Championship quarterfinal against El Salvador next month too.
- The United States Women’s Cerebral Palsy National Team beat Ireland 15-0 to advance to the IFCPF Women’s World Cup final, which takes place today against Australia. Annie Wickett scored five goals with four other players scoring braces.
- The San Diego Wave signed defender Mimi Van Zanten to a contract extension through the 2029 season. She’s made 27 appearances for San Diego during her rookie season, helping the club keep pace in the NWSL Shield race.
- After being stretchered off the field due to a head injury in the U.S. Open Cup final, St. Louis City goalkeeper Roman Burki is alert and in good spirits, according to the club.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!
Orlando City
Orlando’s October Outburst Originated Months Ago
Orlando City’s October offensive surge may look like a recent development, but the Lions have been scoring at an impressive rate for months.
We do not watch nearly enough Sesame Street in my house, but ever since the summer we say that A is for Antoine when the show discusses the alphabet. Sadly, this replaced A is for Andrew, which is my name, because Antoine Griezmann is more popular than me in my house. I cannot say that I am surprised, but I can say that it hurts just a little bit. More than a little bit.
For the past few years, O has been for Ojeda, as in Martín Ojeda, the man who is now Orlando City’s all-time leading goal scorer. This October, however, O is for offense, as the Lions have scored 10 goals during their three October matches, and that tally leads all of MLS this month. Orlando City’s offense has actually been on point for several months now, as you can see from the chart below (MLS games only):
| Month | Goals Scored | Games Played | Goals per Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| March | 4 | 4 | 1.0 |
| April | 7 | 5 | 1.4 |
| May | 11 | 5 | 2.2 |
| July* | 5 | 2 | 2.5 |
| August | 9 | 5 | 1.8 |
| September | 11 | 5 | 2.2 |
| October | 10 | 3 | 3.3 |
| Total | 58 | 30 | 1.9 |
- *There were no games in June due to the FIFA Men’s World Cup
Griezmann arrived for the July games, but even before that, the offense had started to heat up in May. Although May 1 is an arbitrary date, if we use it as a benchmark it allows us to capture two-thirds of Orlando City’s season, as the first 10 games happened before May and the team has now played 30 in total. Since May, the Lions rank fourth in MLS in goals scored with 46, sitting behind only Miami (54), Philadelphia (52), and St. Louis (47).
In a matter of perfect symmetry, the Lions also rank fourth in goals allowed, and by rank fourth I most certainly do not mean they are among the best defensive teams in the league. Orlando City has allowed 41 goals in the last 20 games, which is an average of more than two goals allowed per game but is also fewer than the 46 the team has scored. I know you already did the math in your head, but 46 – 41 = 5, and that +5 goal differential since May puts the Lions at eighth overall in MLS.
Perhaps we are now in the Inception timeline, because in yet another matter of symmetry Orlando City has also earned the eighth-most points (34) since May 1. This is yet another reminder of how poor of a start the club had this season, with seven losses in those first 10 games.
Since then, however, the 2026 team has performed like the teams of the past few years, but even with a top 10 performance for two-thirds of the season, it has not been able to climb above seventh in the Eastern Conference. This is because four of the five best teams since May are in the same conference, and the ninth and 10th hottest teams, right behind Orlando City, are also in the East. For those of you counting, hopefully in a voice like The Count’s (“Ah, ah,ah!”), that makes seven of the top 10 Eastern teams, so it is no wonder that the Lions are still in a precarious playoff position.
Saturday’s game against New York City FC is, on paper, the easiest of the remaining four games, but then again, the Pigeons did dirty pigeon things all over the Lions in the first matchup, winning that game 5-0. A repeat performance would wipe away the +5 goal differential Orlando has since May, but in addition to the fact that this game will be played on an actual soccer field, there is another pretty major difference between the early season Lions and the current Lions: Griezmann.
The French superstar is up to 12 goals scored and six primary assists (to go with one secondary assist in only 14 MLS games, which is wild), and he and Ojeda make up one of only seven tandems in the league in which both players have at least 12 goals each (Ojeda has 15). Only three tandems have at least 13 goals each (Miami’s Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, Cincinnati’s Kévin Denkey and Evander, and Nashville’s Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar), and with another goal from Griezmann, the two Lions would become the second pair in club history to each score at least 13 goals in a season, joining Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire in 2023.
Marco Pašalić scored in the most recent game, and both Iván Angulo and Justin Ellis have recorded double-digit goal contributions, so let’s hope the team’s recent offensive onslaught continues, because with all the injuries on the back line and some difficult opponents coming up on the schedule, the Lions will likely need to put up multiple goals if they are going to get results and qualify for the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.
And considering how poor the start to the season was, if they can orchestrate that it would be outstanding. Let’s gooooooooo.
Vamos Orlando!
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New York City FC
Lion Links: 10/23/26
Orlando’s October Outburst Originated Months Ago
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