Orlando City
Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Player Grades and Man of the Match
How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw at Cincinnati?
Orlando City had the better chances but struggled to finish them on Sunday night. Just when it seemed like the Lions would head home with a loss, Alex Freeman scored his sixth (sixth! as a defender!) goal of the season and the Lions snatched a 1-1 draw from the jaws of a loss.
Earning a point on the road is nice, but Orlando City really should have taken all three points with how many chances it created. One point is better than zero points though, and the Lions now have a chance to put a little daylight between themselves and a play-in spot when they host Columbus next week.
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, 8 (MotM) — El Pulpo’s seven saves were the second most he’s had in any MLS game this season, and if he had not been on top form, the Lions definitely would not have brought a point home. The Peruvian made saves with his legs, hands, and chest, and some of his most impressive leaps did not garner him any statistics, as Cincinnati hit several shots that flashed just wide of the net, but in watching the replay, it was clear that Gallese would have had them covered with one of his eight appendages. The one goal that he allowed was struck perfectly by Cincinnati’s Kevin Denkey into the corner, and even so, Gallese just barely missed tipping it wide. I thought it was an outstanding game by Orlando City’s No. 1, and for me he was the Man of the Match.
D, David Brekalo, 6 — The Slovenian left back generally kept Cincinnati from creating much down the attacking right side, as his partnership with Iván Angulo on Orlando City’s left flank was excellent once again, aside from one barnstorming run from Ender Echenique that created a dangerous chance. Brekalo also got forward more frequently than in many other games, and had a great chance in the first half, but he, like several of his teammates, had his shot blocked by Cincinnati’s Nick Hagglund. He completed 91.7% of his passes and recorded one tackle, two interceptions, and one clearance on defense, before making way for Adrián Marín with Orlando City chasing a goal in the game’s final 10 minutes. His yellow card may have contributed to the substitution as well.
D, Robin Jansson, 6 — It is rare that the Beefy Swede’s player grade focuses initially on his offense, but unfortunately for him, it has to, because Jansson missed an absolutely point-blank sitter in the second half, coughing up a chance for Orlando City to grab a lead on the road early in the second half. The captain was not the only player to fail to score on a great chance on Sunday, but his was the most egregious of the game. Aside from that, he played a good-but-not-great game on defense, sitting back behind the more aggressive Rodrigo Schlegel and cleaning up messes. He did not have any tackles, but he tallied a team-leading four clearances and blocked one shot, and he completed 78.7% of his passes, including two key passes.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — Schlegel was everywhere on Sunday, stuffing the stat sheet with three tackles, four interceptions, three clearances, two blocks, and one yellow card, which unfortunately was displayed via the Ref Cam so all of the viewers could see him plead his case that he won the ball before he took out Dominik Marczuk. I thought he won the ball, barely, but referee Rosendo Mendoza disagreed, and he will miss Orlando City’s match Saturday against Columbus due to yellow card accumulation. The Argentine was involved in Cincinnati’s goal, as Evander’s driving run preoccupied his eyes and he did not see Denkey moving into space behind him, but it was teammate Alex Freeman who had the better opportunity to prevent Denkey’s shot. Schlegel completed 97% of his passes and delivered a strong performance overall.
D, Alex Freeman, 7 — Orlando City’s right back rescued a point for the Lions with his late header, capping off another game when he was on the attack from beginning to end, despite lining up nominally as a defender. Freeman tied for the team lead in shots, with five, and put three on target, forcing Cincinnati goalkeeper Evan Louro to make two difficult saves before finally burying his header in the back of the net deep in stoppage time. Freeman was a step slow to get in front of Denkey on Cincinnati’s goal, but he made up for it with his perfect run to meet Tyrese Spicer’s long cross with his head, and he is now one of only two defenders in MLS that have scored more than five goals this season. He completed 75.8% of his passes and added one tackle, one interception, and one clearance on defense.
MF, Iván Angulo, 6.5 — During his minutes on the field I thought Angulo was Orlando City’s best player, as he brought more to the attack than usual, with two key passes, two accurate long balls, and one successful take-on, and his defense was excellent as well, in particular when he blazed back to catch up to Echenique and took the ball away from him, simultaneously stopping a Cincinnati attack and initiating an Orlando City counterattack. The Colombian completed 83.3% of his passes and did well on both sides of the ball throughout his shift, before making way for Spicer as Orlando City went offense-for-defense in an attempt to grab all three points on the road.
MF, Kyle Smith, 6.5 — Orlando City’s do-it-all utility man played his minutes in the central midfield on Sunday night and played a solid game, keeping Cincinnati off the scoreboard while he was on the field and hustling box to box throughout his shift. He completed 84% of his passes and took two shots on offense (one blocked, one wide), but as he was playing in the spot where César Araújo usually plays, he was more so focused on defense and delivered one tackle, four clearances, and the aforementioned 70 minutes of middle-clogging play that kept the Orange and Blue scoreless.
MF, Eduard Atuesta, 6.5 — Atuesta led the team in completed passes, pulling the strings for an offense that generated 23 shots and a season high in expected goals. He completed 87.5% of his passes, with two key passes, and if not for the incredible closing speed of Cincinnati’s Miles Robinson, he likely would have had an assist as his perfectly placed through ball seemed to put Martín Ojeda in on goal all alone. However, Robinson was able to run Ojeda down and allow Louro to come out to deflect the ball away. There were a few times when the Colombian could have shot but followed his instincts as a pass-first playmaker, and in retrospect the shot might have been the better option. In the end, it was a solid game from Atuesta, but he was unable to unlock the Cincinnati defense to create a goal that would have changed the complexion of the game.
MF, Marco Pašalić, 6.5 — Freeman’s partner out on the right side of the field played unselfishly, and perhaps overly so, as it seemed that every time he had the ball he was able to run at the Cincinnati defense and find space. He only took one shot, which was blocked, and for a player of his ability he needs to take more shots. He made two key passes, both to Ojeda, and completed 84% of his passes overall. The Croatian also took all of the corner kicks for the Lions from the right side, and all three were well-struck inswinging balls that landed in threatening areas, though his teammates were unable to put any of them on target. The effort was there from Pašalić but nothing materialized from it, and he came off in the 83rd minute for Nico Rodríguez as Orlando City brought on fresh legs to go after the equalizer.
F, Martín Ojeda, 7 — The Argentine was everywhere except on the scoresheet on Sunday night, taking five shots, playing four key passes, and finishing third in completed passes (89.7% completion rate). Alas, he did not bring his finishing shoes with him to Cincinnati, because he had several great chances but was unable to put any of them in the back of the net. It is hard to come down too hard on Ojeda, considering the season he is having and his work rate, but he was unable to get a shot off quickly enough after being played in by Atuesta in the first half, and he did not put a right-footed shot on target after Rodríguez made a great play to set him up in the first minute of second-half stoppage time, and based on his season thus far, I thought he was going to score on both of those plays. It was not to be against Cincinnati, but Ojeda had a great game and hopefully he regresses to the mean in the positive direction Saturday against Columbus.
F, Duncan McGuire, 6 — Orlando City did not run on Duncan on Sunday. Even though the former Creighton Blue Jay took four shots, he could not put any of them in the net. McGuire had two excellent chances in the first half, one on a ball over the top from Ojeda and the other on a short pass inside the box from Ojeda. On the ball over the top, he was unable to dribble by an onrushing Louro, and on the ball inside the box, he took a great first touch, but pushed his left-footed shot just outside of the post. McGuire was active in the first half but disappeared in the second half, recording only 26 total touches and completing seven of his 11 pass attempts. He gave his trademark full hustle for his entire shift, getting all the way back on defense to make two clearances, but he could not capitalize on his chances Sunday.
Substitutes
MF, Tyrese Spicer (70′), 6.5 — The supersub did it again, coming off the bench to help create a late Orlando City goal and earn the team a point. The Trinidad & Tobago international also helped create Cincinnati’s goal with an errant pass to start their attack, but he made up for that with his inch-perfect cross to Freeman for the game-tying goal. Spicer completed five of his eight pass attempts (62.5%) and was not given credit for a shot attempt, but he nearly scored a goal himself when he took what looked to be a shot but must have been coded as a cross attempt off of a pass from fellow sub Marín that Louro had to save. Spicer has been a huge addition since joining Orlando City from Toronto, providing strong depth on the left side of the lineup.
MF, Joran Gerbet, (70′), 5.5 — The rookie midfielder came on for Smith in the midfield and went 10/10 with his passes, helping support the offense as the Lions tried to tie the game after the Denkey goal that occurred just minutes after Gerbet came on. He did not tally any statistics on defense, but he was a deterrent in the middle of the field, and while slotting in behind Freeman as he attacked up the right side, helping to keep Cincinnati from scoring what would have been a backbreaking second goal.
D, Adrián Marín, (79′), NA — Marín was not credited with a secondary assist, but he played the ball ahead to Spicer that became Orlando City’s goal, though Spicer dribbled for a bit before playing his cross, so it was probably the correct decision not to give Marín an official assist. Just moments earlier, the Spaniard almost scored his first goal for the Lions, as his shot flashed just wide after the ball caromed out towards him. Marín looked dangerous on the left side after coming in off the bench, completing 84.6% of his passes (including a team-high seven progressive passes) and partnering well with Spicer, and we may see him in the starting lineup at left back next weekend with Schlegel out.
F, Luis Muriel, (79′), NA — I thought Óscar Pareja waited about 10 minutes too long to bring in Muriel, as the Orlando City offense was struggling to combine at the halfway point of the second half and the Lions could have used the Colombian’s passing ability to help unlock the Cincinnati defense. Orlando then gave up a goal and needed a shot in the arm, and Muriel came in and nearly provided that during his short shift, coming close to scoring the equalizer on a pass from Ojeda that was a bit behind him and hustling all over the field to try help the team get on the scoreboard. He completed both of his pass attempts and looked dangerous with the ball, and I will not be surprised to see him back in the starting lineup next week with Ojeda as Pareja looks to find the hot foot between McGuire and Muriel.
MF, Nico Rodríguez, (83′), NA — The Colombian winger came on for Pašalić in the final minutes of regular time and he was lively, sprinting all over the field and attacking every time he touched the ball. He nearly had an assist after making a nice run deep into the right side of the box and crossing the ball back in to Ojeda, but the Argentine could not convert. He completed one of his two passes, and if he can bring the same energy in future games that he did on Sunday then he will start to earn more minutes from the coaching staff.
That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw with Cincinnati. 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.
Opinion
Orlando City’s Final Playoff Push Filled with Challenges
The Lions will need to contend with a busy schedule, tricky opponents, and injury concerns while pushing to secure a playoff spot.
Orlando City has seven games remaining in the 2026 MLS season, which means that crunch time is officially upon us. The Lions currently sit seventh in the Eastern Conference with 34 points but are only one point ahead of FC Cincinnati in 10th place. As a result, OCSC’s final matches of the season are of massive importance, but the men in purple will need to deal with a number of different hurdles if they want to keep the longest active postseason streak in the league alive for another year.
Fixture Congestion
As has been the case with much of a season that went on a two-month break for the 2026 World Cup, Orlando City is staring down the barrel of another busy month. Of the Lions’ seven remaining matches, six will take place in a jam-packed 21-day stretch during the month of October, before Decision Day against the New England Revolution on Nov. 7. Things get started Saturday at home against the Columbus Crew, and then OCSC plays away against Toronto on Wednesday, home against D.C. United on Saturday, Oct. 17, home against New York City FC on Saturday, Oct. 24, before finishing the month with back-to-back away games against the Chicago Fire on Oct. 28, and against Charlotte FC on Halloween. While there’s an even split of home and away matches, it’s still an absolutely hellish stretch.
Fortunately, most teams are in the same boat, and there’s a week in between the home matches against D.C. and NYCFC that may help a little, but it’s still a lot of games in a short amount of time. That won’t be anything new to this team after how busy August and September were, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be any easier to deal with.
Tricky Opponents
Let’s talk more about the games themselves, specifically the teams Orlando will be up against, because it’s an interesting mix. I wouldn’t classify the set of teams that the Lions will face down the stretch as either easy or difficult. Rather, it’s a tricky bunch that should both provide some good opportunities to pick up points, while also throwing up some pretty unappetizing matchups. First up is the Crew. The bad news is that they knocked Orlando out of the U.S. Open Cup in fairly convincing fashion, but on the flip side, the game is at home and the team will be well-rested — two conditions that usually lend themselves to OCSC playing fairly well. Hitting the road to Toronto on short rest feels like a recipe for disaster, but the Reds haven’t been playing great after losing 3-0 to Orlando back in September. Then it’s another game on short rest, but it comes against a D.C. side sitting in 11th and is winless in its last three.
After that, there’s a week off before welcoming an NYCFC team that has been in the midst of a free fall down the table, and then road trips to two strong teams in Chicago and Charlotte, both of which are on short rest. The team gets a week to prepare before facing another strong side on Decision Day in the Revs.
On paper, the games against Columbus, D.C., and NYCFC feel winnable. While Orlando lost to the latter two teams on the road earlier in the year, I think this version of Orlando is better than what it was in March and April when it lost to those teams, and the Lions have been infinitely better at home than on the road.
Conversely, I’ll be thanking my lucky stars if any points are picked up from back-to-back road trips to Chicago and Charlotte on short rest, while playing the Revs on Decision Day feels like a tough task even at home.
The backdrop of all this is the fact that the six teams immediately below Orlando in the table are all within at least five points of it. Plus, the Lions play four of those six teams in NYCFC, D.C., Columbus, and Toronto. At this point in the season, every game matters, but each of those contests takes on added importance because of how much of an impact they can have on the table. Win, and you put distance between yourself and one of the teams below you. Lose, and that team reels you in a little bit more if not outright leapfrogging you altogether.
Health and Availability
While Orlando’s list of unavailable players doesn’t look nearly as bad as it has at times this season, there are still some big absences that the team will have to contend with.
For one thing, barring a run all the way to the MLS Cup final, Tyrese Spicer’s season is over after he had surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his right foot. For those of you keeping score at home, that is now the third Jones fracture suffered by an Orlando City player this season, after Robin Jansson had surgery to repair one before the season started, and Braian Ojeda went under the knife to fix one back on Aug. 6. While the attacking positions aren’t looking as thin as they once were now that Martin Ojeda is fit and Marco Pasalic is staying put, Spicer was in the midst of an excellent season and had six goals and two assists in just 869 league minutes. Not having his spark off the bench is a big miss, and it also provides less options when it comes to rotation.
Then there’s the cases of Griffin Dorsey, and more recently, Justin Ellis. Let’s start with Dorsey, who hasn’t played since going off at halftime of the 3-2 win over Atlanta United due to a back issue, and while he carried a questionable designation for Orlando’s most recent game against the Philadelphia Union, he ultimately did not play. Presumably, two extra weeks of recovery will see him ready to go this weekend, but even if he does make a much-needed return to the field, Orlando needs to be careful with managing him.
Even after missing four games through injury, Dorsey has still played the fifth-most league minutes on the team behind Ivan Angulo, Maxime Crepeau, David Brekalo, and Robin Jansson — in that order. Angulo is the type of physical specimen that should be studied in a lab, while Crepeau, Brekalo, and Jansson aren’t asked to do nearly as much running as Dorsey is when he’s healthy. The Lions’ defense hasn’t been great all season, but it was mostly doing enough to keep the team in games before the right back went onto the shelf. Without him, it’s given up 10 goals in four games across all competitions and has won just one of those contests. I understand the temptation to keep Dorsey on the field as much as possible, given what he adds both offensively and defensively, but Martin Perelman needs to use him in tandem with Zakaria Taifi or risk losing the defender for another extended period of time when Orlando can least afford it.
That brings us to Justin Ellis. If you watched the United States Men’s National Team take down Canada 1-0 on Tuesday, then you probably got an almighty scare when Ellis went down after a physical play during the first half and had to leave the field after receiving treatment. He eventually returned in style and scored the game’s only goal, but he was visibly hobbled in the minutes after he came back on, and left the stadium at halftime to have an MRI done.
While we haven’t heard any updates since then and no news is presumably good news, caution may be needed when it comes to Saturday’s match against the Crew in order to prevent the injury turning into a more long-term issue.
Outside of Spicer, Braian Ojeda, and any lingering issues for Dorsey and Ellis, the team should have a clean bill of health to begin the final run-in, so that’s good news.
At the end of the day, the home stretch of this season is not going to be easy. The Lions will need to contend with fixture congestion, games against tricky opponents that have huge implications in the standings, and the ever-present injury and availability challenges. The Eastern Conference table has razor thin margins at the moment, and there’s very little room for error. We’re about to learn a lot about what this team is really made of over the course of the next seven games, for better or worse. Here’s hoping we like what we see. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 10/9/26
Daryl Dike’s soccer journey, Orlando City B signs Landon Okonski and Matthew Belgodere, analyzing Spain before USWNT match, and more.
Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a bit of a hectic week for me, but I’m looking forward to a weekend filled with soccer. Both Orlando City and the United States Women’s National Team are in action on Saturday, so be sure to plan your day accordingly. Let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!
A Day in the Life of Daryl Dike
Orlando City forward Daryl Dike was the latest MLS player to be featured as part of the league’s “Off the Ball” video series that shows what life is like for them outside of soccer. Dike, who returned to Orlando this summer, spoke on how the facilities in MLS were better than many in England but that the level of play was vastly different. Dike also gave insight into the toll the multiple injuries he dealt with had on him while abroad, although he also detailed how that adversity helped him learn more about himself and what makes him happy apart from soccer. It’s great to see Dike out and about in Orlando doing things we all do, although his anime taste is a bit basic in my opinion.
Orlando City B Signs Pair of Academy Players
Orlando City academy players Landon Okonski and Matthew Belgodere were both signed to Orlando City B contracts as they progress through the club’s pathway for young players. Okonski made his professional debut with the Young Lions this year and started 16 games as part of OCB’s defense. Belgodere also made his professional debut this season, recording five goals and two assists across 25 appearances. The 16-year-old was also named MLS NEXT Pro Rising Star of the Week for his role in OCB’s 3-2 comeback win over Carolina Core FC after scoring his first OCB goal in style.
Analyzing Spain Ahead of USWNT Friendlies
The United States Women’s National Team will take on Spain in a pair of friendlies this month, starting with Saturday’s match at Audi Field in the nation’s capital. While Spain’s roster for these friendlies will be without notable players like Aitana Bonmati, Mariona Caldentey, and Esther Gonzalez, there are still plenty of stars who could give the U.S. trouble. Alexia Putellas is more than capable of creating chances and putting them away, while Claudia Pina and Edna Imade are other attackers the U.S. will have to find ways to stop. We may also get to see Orlando Pride defender Oihane, who is the only NWSL player called up by Spain for this window.
NWSL Transfer News Roundup
The NWSL roster freeze took place Thursday and various teams that aren’t the Orlando Pride made moves right before the deadline. The Chicago Stars sent $700,000 in intraleague transfer funds to Bay FC for forward Racheal Kundananji, who recorded 12 goals and 11 assists across 63 games for Bay FC. She’s not the only forward on the move, as the Washington Spirit traded Nigerian forward Gift Monday to Boston Legacy FC in exchange for $500,000 in intraleague transfer funds. The North Carolina Courage made a pair of trades as well, adding defender Ella Hase from Racing Louisville for $35,000 in intraleague transfer funds and transferring forward Olivia Wingate to Gotham FC for free.
Free Kicks
- Barbra Banda and Zambia lost 2-1 to Uganda in the first leg of the series between the two nations in Africa’s Olympic qualifying tournament. Banda assisted on Zambia’s goal to open the scoring, connecting with former Pride player Prisca Chilufya.
- Portland Thorns forward Sophia Wilson was suspended for an additional game for violent conduct after pulling the hair of Boston Legacy player Lais Araujo.
- This year’s Best XI was announced for the MLS NEXT Pro, and there are unsurprisingly no OCB players listed.
- The U.S. U-23 Women’s National Team will be without midfielder Jaedyn Shaw for its upcoming friendlies due to injury precautions.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your week!
Orlando City
By the Numbers: Orlando’s Top Goal Contributors of 2026
Barbra Banda sits atop Orlando’s 2026 goal contribution leaderboard, but Justin Ellis and several other attackers are closing quickly as the season comes to a conclusion.
October is here, and while in most recent years that meant Orlando City and the Pride working to lock in a good playoff seed and actual playoff games for Orlando City B (OCB), that is not the case this year.
OCB went ahead and dressed up as a pumpkin well in advance of Halloween, failing to make the playoffs after a strong early start to their season. The Pride need, I don’t know, just about everything to go their way (you can create scenarios at this link; it is possible but exceedingly unlikely) in order to make the playoffs, and Orlando City is in a tight battle to qualify, with playoffstatus.com giving it just a 34% chance of making it this year.
October could indeed live up to its scary billing if the Pride do not get their miracle and the Lions falter and drop below the line. Not since 2019 have all three Orlando teams missed their respective playoffs during the same year, and the Lions are realistically the City Beautiful’s only hope for postseason soccer.
I generally prefer optimism to pessimism, so with that in mind, I wanted to look at something more on the glass-half-full side this week, with that glass being half full of goals. Goalkeepers and defenders can have fun too, but their fun is often more like that of an actuary or accountant — clinical and black and white. Goals are expressive and explosive and full of color (in this case, a heavy helping of purple) and joy. I like thinking happy thoughts while I write.
The three Orlando teams have scored more than 150 goals this season across all competitions, and the chart below details the makeup of all three teams and where those goals came from, using data from fbref.com for Orlando City and the Pride and from the MLS NEXT Pro website for OCB:
| Team | Players Used | Goal Scorers | Goal Contributors* | Leading Contributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando City | 33 | 17 | 20 | Martín Ojeda – 15 |
| Orlando City B | 37 | 15 | 22 | Issah Haruna – 14 |
| Orlando Pride | 26 | 10 | 17 | Barbra Banda – 21 |
| All Three Clubs | 83 | 38 | 55 |
*Goal contributors are the players that scored or provided the primary assist on the goal
More than 80 players have appeared in at least one game for an Orlando team thus far, with 13 players appearing for both Orlando City and OCB. Seven players are goalkeepers, and if you remove them from the players used count, that leaves 76 field players, of which 54 (goalkeeper Juan Rojas had an assist for OCB) contributed to at least one goal (71%, not bad).
Barbra Banda, Martín Ojeda, and Issah Haruna are the leaders for their respective teams thus far. OCB’s season is over, so Haruna — and his seven goals and seven assists — is locked in as the leading contributor for OCB. Ojeda has been in the lead for nearly the entire season for Orlando City, but Antoine Griezmann started playing after the World Cup break and has been rapidly cooking up escar-goal contributions ever since. As for the Pride, it was Agatha Barbra all along, and as our Sean Rollins noted earlier this week, it has not even been close.
I mentioned earlier that 13 players have played for both men’s teams this season, and even though Ojeda leads the Lions and Haruna led the Young Lions, neither are the leading contributor on the men’s side of the club. In fact, neither are the leader or the player in second place, as it is Justin Ellis who sits in first place and Harvey Sarajian who trails him on the men’s side.
Both players have delivered goals for the senior Lions and Young Lions this season, and if you throw in the two goals from his recent stint with the U.S. Men’s National Team, Ellis has crested 20 goal contributions in 2026. Those do not count for the graph below, even though the first was in Inter.co Stadium and the second came from an assist from Alex Freeman, both of which feel very much like they should count as Orlando goal contributions. Alas, Freeman is “Forever A Lion” but not currently on the Lions, but the following 10 players are and coincidentally they are both the top 10 and only 10 with at least 10 goal contributions thus far this season:
| Player | Goal Contributions | Goal Contributions per 90 (GC/90) | GC 90/Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbra Banda | 21 | 1.05 | 1 |
| Justin Ellis | 19 | 0.80 | 5 |
| Harvey Sarajian | 15 | 0.85 | 4 |
| Martín Ojeda | 15 | 0.68 | 7 |
| Issah Haruna | 14 | 0.66 | 8 |
| Antoine Griezmann | 13 | 0.96 | 2 |
| Gustavo Caraballo | 12 | 0.73 | 6 |
| Tyrese Spicer | 12 | 0.93 | 3 |
| Iván Angulo | 10 | 0.32 | 18 |
| Pedro Leão | 10 | 0.44 | 12 |
Banda jumps out as the leader and the only Pride player in the top 10, Haley McCutcheon (a defensive midfielder!) is second on the team and 11th overall with eight goal contributions, and Jacquie Ovalle is third on the Pride and tied for 13th overall with six. The Pride have once again really been a one-woman band(a), as evidenced by how the low numbers are for their second- and third-leading goal contributors.
Back on the men’s side, Daryl Dike only has three goal contributions, so he is down at 23rd in those rankings, but his 0.58 goal contributions per 90 minutes has him ninth on the per-90 chart. Tiago, who may become a lot more important now that Tyrese Spicer is likely out for the season with a Jones fracture, is the other player not in the top 10 for actual goal contributions but in there per 90 minutes, as he sits 10th at 0.51.
It is not surprising that the two players with the highest pedigree rank in the top two on the per-90-minutes chart. Both Banda and Griezmann have been as advertised all season, and if both had been available all season, each team would likely be higher in the standings.
The Pride have three games remaining (though their next one is not until Oct. 18 due to an international window) and Orlando City has seven, so there is still ample time for movement on this top 10 chart. Perhaps McCutcheon goes McClutcheon and bags a few more braces, or Ovalle or Ally Lemos (fourth on the Pride, also as a defensive midfielder) go on a late heater and catch Pedro Leão. More likely, however, is that no other Pride player makes a leap and Banda just adds to her totals, and we see if Ellis, with four more games left to play than the Zambian, can catch her for the number one spot.
Ojeda has a chance to follow his 31 goal contribution season in 2025 with a 20+ season in 2026, and if any of those goal contributions come from goals, he will pass Facundo Torres and take sole possession as the club’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Orlando City’s season resumes Saturday against Columbus, and hopefully the Lions will return from the international break locked and loaded for the stretch run. Whether the goal contributions come from a top 10 performer or someone well off the list is irrelevant. All that matters is that the Lions can score at least one more than their opponents.
And if they can do that a few more times, that will contribute to extending their playoff run to a seventh consecutive year.
Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City’s Final Playoff Push Filled with Challenges
Lion Links: 10/9/26
By the Numbers: Orlando’s Top Goal Contributors of 2026
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