Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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.