Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw against the Columbus Crew?

Published

10 months ago

October 6, 2025

Marcus Mitchell

Image of Marco Pasalic scoring against the Columbus Crew.

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City hosted the Columbus Crew and neither side was able to claim all three points in a 1-1 draw between two Eastern Conference teams that have already qualified for the postseason. Andres Herrera struck first for Columbus, but the Lions responded well and Marco Pasalic leveled things shortly after with his 12th goal of the season. Both sides had chances to win it but have to settle for a draw as the regular season nears its end.

Let’s dive into how each Lion individually performed in this home game.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 7.5 (MotM)— El Pulpo was denied a clean sheet due to poor defending once again, but he had a great game. Gallese had five saves, including a vital one on Max Arfsten right in front of goal amid a Columbus barrage of attacks near the end of the match. He also did well to come out and deny Diego Rossi early in the match to prevent a disastrous start. The goal that he did concede would’ve required an impressive reaction for him to stop Herrera’s shot while tracking the cross. As far as his distribution went, three of his eight long balls found their target and he was accurate on 78.3% of his 23 passes. Ultimately, Gallese was cool, calm, and collected in goal and helped the Lions avoid defeat at home.

D, Adrian Marin, 6 — With Rodrigo Schlegel suspended due to yellow card accumulation, Marin filled in on the back line and had a game with highs and lows. On the Crew’s goal, he allowed Herrera to cut in front of him and get goalside with ease to connect with Lassi Lappalainen’s cross, tapping it in. Marin redeemed himself soon after though by intercepting the ball and storming forward before laying it off for Luis Muriel in the buildup of Pasalic’s goal. He looked comfortable in those moments when the Lions were on the attack, contributing two key passes and a blocked header off of a corner kick. His only cross was inaccurate, but four of his seven long balls were successful. Marin won all four of his aerial duels and led the Lions with three interceptions, helping out defensively with two clearances and a tackle. His 57 touches were the second most on the Lions and he attempted 43 passes at an 81.4% success rate.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Orlando City’s captain put in a decent performance, stopping Crew attacks by getting in the way of shots and making himself difficult to get past. The Beefy Swede blocked three shots to prevent Columbus from challenging Gallese, and he also racked up four clearances and a tackle. Only one of his four long balls was successful, but he completed 93% of his 43 passes. As the game wore on and Columbus pushed for a win, the visitors had to find ways around Jansson to create chances and he kept pace when defending on breakaways.

D, David Brekalo, 6.5 — It wasn’t always pretty when going up against Rossi, but Brekalo was solid enough defensively and took care of the ball. He completed all but three of his 42 passes for an excellent 92.9% rate, but he didn’t attempt any long balls. His five clearances and two blocked shots helped put out fires. All three of his shots in the match came from corner kicks, with one saved by Patrick Schulte and the other two going off target. Like Marin, he was a force in the air and won four of his five aerial duels.

D, Alex Freeman, 6 — It was a mixed bag for Freeman, as he led the Lions with six clearances and blocked a shot but faded down the stretch. He had a tough matchup against fellow USMNT defender Max Arfsten, who beat him to a cross and put a shot on target. Gallese bailed him out, but Freeman was sluggish late in the match and the Crew went after him. Freeman didn’t have a shot in this match but did have a nice key pass by lobbing an expertly weighted ball to Martin Ojeda before halftime. His lone cross was inaccurate though, and only one of his three long balls was successful. Freeman’s 59 touches were the most on the team and he attempted 38 passes at an 89.5% success rate. Referee Victor Rivas showed him a yellow card following a foul on Arfsten near midfield, with Freeman’s dissent likely being the reason for the booking.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — The highlight of Angulo’s night was his vital defending to poke the ball away from Herrera before he could take a shot late in the first half. It was nice to see that from him after Herrera raced past him to score the opening goal. Although Angulo didn’t have any shots or key passes, things opened for the Lions a bit once he started playing higher up the pitch, as he did well to stretch the defense and press when needed. He only attempted one cross, which missed its mark, but both of his long ball attempts were accurate. Subbed off in the 80th minute, Angulo finished the game with 33 touches and 19 passes at an 89.5% success rate. Defensively, he blocked a shot and also had an interception and a tackle. Angulo needlessly conceded a foul in a dangerous area, but Dylan Chambost’s shot hit the wall.

MF, Joran Gerbet, N/A — The rookie’s night came to an unfortunate end early due to an injury. There wasn’t much contact involved in the incident, which usually isn’t a good sign. Gerbet wasn’t stretchered off and left the field with the assistance of the team’s trainers in the fifth minute. Kyle Smith came on to replace him as Orlando’s injury woes in the midfield continued.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 6.5 — It was another solid performance from Atuesta, who fought hard on defense and delivered some nice passes to spark counter attacks for the Lions. He was accurate on six of his eight long ball attempts and completed 93% of his 43 passes in this match. Defensively, Atuesta had a tackle, an interception, and two clearances, but the stats don’t reflect just how much of a pain in the Crew’s side he was in the midfield. There was a chance for him to get an assist on a counter, but Nicolas Rodriguez got closed down quickly after receiving the pass with a heavy touch. Atuesta also sent a lovely ball over the top for Muriel to go score, but that chance was squandered as well. Regardless, Orlando needed Atuesta to have a good game after Gerbet’s injury and he delivered.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 7 — After a fairly quiet start to the match, Pasalic made his presence known by scoring Orlando’s only goal of the match. Muriel fired a low, driven shot at Schulte from distance and the goalkeeper couldn’t handle it, with Pasalic darting toward goal to put away the rebound. His only other shot in the match was blocked, but that talented left foot of his still generated some good chances. Pasalic had a key pass, was accurate on his one attempted cross, and was successful on three of his five long balls. He was subbed out for fresher legs in the 80th minute, but momentum shifted in the Crew’s favor once he was off the pitch. Of his 21 passes, 71.4% of them were successful and he contributed defensively with two interceptions. Orlando looked dangerous when Pasalic was on the ball and forcing Crew defenders into tough decisions, it just didn’t happen often enough for him to really bend the game to his will beyond the goal.

F, Luis Muriel, 5.5 — He reasonably won’t be credited with an assist on Pasalic’s goal, but his shot created the chance, and it was a nice effort from distance that Schulte couldn’t deal with. Muriel showcased his skill by being able to quickly control the ball and set up the shot before the Crew could do anything about it. Unfortunately, it was his only shot of the night, despite a pair of great opportunities to score in the second half. He lost a duel in the box to Sean Zawadski by trying to outfox the defender and later tried to slip a pass through to Ojeda rather than just smashing the ball towards goal from pretty close range. The Designated Player was subbed out shortly after that chance. He didn’t have any key passes in the match and had just 13 passes at a 61.5% success rate. It wasn’t exactly the performance one would expect from a star forward, but he did make an impact. It was his reluctance to shoot that leaves fans wondering what could have been.

F, Martin Ojeda, 6 — It was an off night for Ojeda, who only completed 63.9% of his 36 passes and had three unstable touches. Of his three shots, two were blocked and the one on target was comfortably saved by Schulte on a free kick. Ojeda could have given Orlando the lead on a breakaway, but decided to pass instead of shoot and his pass missed an open Duncan McGuire charging towards goal. All of that being said, an off night for Ojeda is still a pretty productive one. He led the Lions with four key passes and four of his eight crosses were accurate. Of his four long balls, two were successful as well. The Argentine playmaker also had a team-high three tackles to help win the ball back for Orlando. The opportunities for goals and assists were there, Ojeda just needed to be a bit more clinical in this one.

Substitutes

MF, Kyle Smith, (5’), 6 — Smith came on much earlier than expected to replace Gerbet due to his injury. He did well enough, completing 94.1% of his 34 touches and chipping in defensively with a tackle and an interception. He didn’t block any shots or kickstart counter attacks with long balls, but Smith was there to help out with the little things and stabilize things at a position ravaged by injuries this year. Smith was subbed out himself in the 80th minute for some fresher legs.

F, Duncan McGuire (64′), 5 — The American came on for Muriel and had a couple of chances to score a winner but the final product just wasn’t there. The first was on a breakaway with Ojeda, with McGuire open in the box but just unable to get on the end of the pass. He had a similar opportunity later with Tyrese Spicer, but McGuire’s attempt at chesting down the pass sent it skidding away from him for Arfsten to knock away for a corner. In the end, McGuire finished without any shots or key passes and had just six touches while completing two of his three passes.

MF, Tyrese Spicer, (80′), 6 — Spicer was once again electric off the bench, driving Orlando’s attack forward in the latter stages of the match and nearly recording his third assist in as many games after finding McGuire open in the box. He didn’t have any shots himself, but was successful on both of his long ball attempts and had two successful dribbles while completing all three of his passes. For a player who only had five touches in the match, he was impactful.

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, (80′), N/A — Thorhallsson only had one touch in the match, blocking a shot by Herrera in stoppage time. The versatile player mostly served as fresh legs and another body for the Crew to have to work around when attacking. It was the latest in a series of late cameos for Thorhallsson in recent weeks, and he didn’t play long enough to warrant a grade.

MF, Nico Rodriguez, (80′), N/A — The MLS U22 Initiative player came on and had two touches in the match. The most notable one was unfortunately a heavy one, as Atuesta got him the ball in the box, but Darlington Nagbe saw it out of play for a corner before he could shoot. Rodriguez also conceded a foul at the end of the game while trying to win back possession, earning a yellow card for angrily booting the ball away after the whistle and giving the Crew a set piece to work with. Thankfully nothing came of it and the whistle blew shortly after. Like Thorhallsson, Rodriguez wasn’t on long enough to evaluate.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw at home against the Columbus Crew. 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!

Related Topics:Featured Orlando City Player Grades

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Orlando City

Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati

Get up to speed on FC Cincinnati, courtesy of some people who know the team best.

Published

16 hours ago

August 14, 2026

Ben Miller

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City endured a fairly disappointing Leagues Cup campaign over the past week and a half, but given how things went after making a run in the tournament last year, I can’t say I’m too upset about that. The Lions have a chance to get back to winning ways Saturday, but in order to do so they’ll need to avenge the 6-2 walloping they received at the hands of FC Cincinnati back in May.

A visit from Cincy means I spoke to the good people at the outstanding Cincinnati Soccer Talk. As always, they did a great job of helping us get up to speed on how things have been going for the Knifey Lions, and we appreciate their help.

FC Cincinnati has been scoring for fun this year, and its 45 goals scored is joint-most in the league alongside Miami. What has made the offense so potent?

Cincinnati Soccer Talk: Through 18 league play matches, these 45 goals translate into 2.5 per match, the highest in the league alongside Miami. A big reason is the influence of Evander, who leads the club with 11 goals and 10 assists through 17 matches. Other contributors have been Kevin Denkey with 11 scores, substitute Tom Barlow with six, Pavel Bucha and Kenji Mboma Dem with four (each), and several others. Essentially this means that while Evander has provided the creativity, drive, and orchestration, there have been other contributors that last year were just not present. Also, Evander, Denkey, and Bucha have now played together for at least a year and fully understand their roles and tactical positioning.

In a nutshell, what stands out tactically is that Cincinnati can hurt opponents in multiple ways:

Quick transition attacks.
Aggressive wingback play (which is only now starting to bear fruit).
Dangerous service into the box.
Midfield progression through players like Evander and Bucha.
A willingness to commit numbers forward.

The 6-2 victory over Orlando earlier this season was a perfect example. FCC repeatedly exploited space behind Orlando’s defense and punished mistakes in transition.

The irony is that many of the same traits that make FCC dangerous offensively also contribute to the team’s defensive issues. There is no one reason why this has been a huge headache for Pat Noonan but a combination of injuries, underperforming of players such as Teenage Hadebe, aging players (e.g., Nick Hagglund), a midfield that left too much space and gave the ball away in dangerous situations (e.g., Obi Nwobodo not starting due to injury or other reasons), and wingbacks that either didn’t cover back fast enough or were exploited because of their lack of defensive skills relative to other wingbacks in the league, have contributed to the poor form of the back line.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t check in on Kyle Smith, who was a cult favorite in Orlando for a long time. How has he been doing this season?

CST: Kyle has been a substitute for the most part but has started when the team had to plug holes due to injury or congested schedules that forced rotation. He has played in 14 matches, logging 768 minutes (54.9 minutes per match). He is more of a veteran (in a) rotational role rather than an automatic starter. He plays one of three center backs in Nonna’s system (his preferred tactical lineup) and is seen as someone who can provide veteran leadership and dependability. Even if FCC has struggled defensively, he does bring experienced depth, but his lack of speed at times has been a liability. The bottom line is that he does his job but many don’t see him as the solution to FCC’s back line problems.

This is a team that both scores and concedes a lot of goals, Cincinnati games are never boring! Based on what you’ve seen up to this point, what should the minimum expectations be for the rest of the year?

CST: Minimum is making the playoffs. FCC sits six^th in the Eastern Conference and is already in a playoff spot. Missing the postseason from this position would not only be a major disappointment but would trigger all manner of questions around roster, talent, coaching, and front office. A lot of money has been spent on the roster (not all of it has resulted in expected performance from certain players and injuries have also added to that lack of performance) and ownership (not to mention the fan base) would want answers.

A realistic expectation is at least one home playoff match, but we are also cognizant of the fact that this could disappear unless improvements are made in the back line. The attack is strong enough to push the team into the upper half of the Eastern bracket, possibly challenging for a top-four finish nut only if defensive performances improve. This version of FCC has only had two clean sheets in league play, which compares to five last year at this stage of the season.

If FCC can become just average, defensively speaking, and that is a big if at the moment without new acquisitions, the attack is good enough to make them a dangerous playoff team that nobody may want to face.

Will anyone be unavailable due to injuries, suspensions, etc.? What is your projected starting XI and score prediction?

CST: As of today, only Dado Valenzuela won’t be available because of a two-match ban due to a red card in the Hell is Real match against the Columbus Crew on July 25. No injuries have been reported, so Noonan should have the full roster (other than Valenzuela) to form his lineup.

Possible lineup would be: Roman Celentano; Samuel Gidi, Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson; Bryan Ramirez, Ender Echenique, Pavel Bucha, Obi Nwobodo, Evander; Kevin Denke, Kenji Mboma Dem.

We’d like to think Andrei Chirila, who has been performing well as a left center back, would get the call, but with Antoine Greizmann in the lineup, Noonan may decide for experience, especially given the porous back line FCC currently has.

This could be a high-scoring match or both teams, knowing their defensive weaknesses, might decide to play it safe and not risk too much. We believe a draw is very possible, either 2-2 or 3-3 (but we wouldn’t be surprised if FCC loses).

Thank you to the good people over at CST for the excellent refresher on Cincinnati. Vamos Orlando!

Image of the famous "The more you know" graphic from TV.

Lion Links

Lion Links: 8/14/26

Tahir Reid-Brown traded to St. Louis City, Orlando City unveils new kit, Lions host FC Cincinnati Saturday night, and more.

Published

20 hours ago

August 14, 2026

Marcus Mitchell

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a hectic week, but we’ve thankfully reached the tail end of it and there’s plenty of Orlando soccer awaiting us tomorrow. Beyond working and keeping every finger crossed for Orlando’s teams on Saturday, I plan on catching up on the new season of Ted Lasso. But for now, let’s get to the links!

Tahir Reid-Brown Traded to St. Louis City

Orlando City traded defender Tahir Reid-Brown to St. Louis City in exchange for $150,000 in 2027 General Allocation Money, with another $300,000 in GAM heading Orlando’s way if conditions are met. The 20-year-old climbed the ranks of Orlando’s academy over the years and was signed as the club’s 15th Homegrown Player in January of 2024. Bernardo Rhein’s rise to the first team limited Reid-Brown’s playing time, so hopefully he’ll be able to get more minutes and continue to improve in St. Louis.

Orlando City Reveals New Third Kit

Orlando City unveiled its new “Orlando Original” kit, which is the club’s first third kit since joining MLS. The design is a nice mix of elements from Orlando’s USL days and the city’s hosting of 1994 FIFA World Cup games, while paying tribute to the original Orlando Lions. I didn’t expect it to be quite as red as it is, but I like it, along with the soccer ball pattern that mirrors the match ball from that World Cup. The logo is a bit odd and the sponsor being on the lower back of the kit even odder, but I’m excited to see what it looks like when the Lions wear them on Saturday. Speaking of which…

Orlando City Hosts FC Cincinnati on Saturday

The Lions are back in action on Saturday with a home game against FC Cincinnati in one of the more enticing MLS matchups this weekend. Both teams have conceded goals like a sieve this season, setting up a potential shootout given the talented attacking players expected to take the field. Antoine Griezmann has improved the Lions since joining this summer and hopefully forwards like Marco Pasalic, Justin Ellis, and Daryl Dike can step up and give Orlando an edge against a Cincinnati offense that boasts Evander, Kevin Denkey, and Pavel Bucha.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

The Houston Dynamo are reportedly set to transfer Ezequiel Ponce to Elche in La Liga. Houston signed Ponce for a club-record transfer fee in 2024 and he led Houston with 10 goals last season. However, he has yet to score this season despite starting in 17 games. His departure should open the door even wider for former Lion Duncan McGuire to make an impact.

Elsewhere in the league, the New England Revolution bolstered their defense by adding Tylon Smith on loan from Queens Park Rangers, LAFC signed 23-year-old forward Armando Sieb from Bayern Munich, and midfielder Aziel Jackson is already back in MLS on loan with Minnesota United from Jagiellonia Bialystok. Rangers reportedly made a $10 million bid for Portland Timbers forward Kevin Kelsy, who has scored nine goals so far this season.

Free Kicks

Former Orlando Pride forward Simone Charley was signed by Brooklyn FC and then immediately transferred to the Chicago Stars.
The Pride dropped a spot to 11th in All For XI‘s NWSL power rankings following their 3-1 loss to Racing Louisville.
Nigeria will miss out on the 2027 Women’s World Cup after a 2-1 loss to South Africa.
Former Pride player Kaylyn Kyle announced that she is leaving Apple TV’s MLS coverage after spending the past four years as a host and analyst.
Belgian winger Jeremy Doku signed a new five-year contract with Manchester City.
The La Liga season kicks off this season, but Celta Vigo’s match against Osasuna has been postponed due to a fungus outbreak on its field.

That’s all I have for you this time. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atletico de San Luis: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s draw with San Luis.

Published

2 days ago

August 13, 2026

David Rohe

Image of Tiago celebrating a goal with Justin Ellis against Atlanta.

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper.

Orlando City hosted Atletico San Luis in the third Leagues Cup match at Inter.co Stadium Wednesday night. The match ended in a 2-2 draw with the Lions winning the shootout 5-3. It was a match between a team that was already eliminated and one that was all but eliminated. Naturally, that meant multiple goals scored. Here are my five takeaways from the match.

Everyone Gets a Start

If you’ve been starting regularly for Orlando City, then you get a break because this starting lineup was full of youngsters, the recently returned, and the positionally displaced. Given that the Lions needed to win by at least four goals and get help from other results to advance in the tournament, resting the regular starters was probably the best decision interim head coach Martin Perelman has made since taking over. It’s no secret I’m not a fan of Leagues Cup — U.S. Open Cup for life — so I’m not heartbroken that the Lions get to focus on the regular season and the Open Cup.

Dike Strikes

It had been1,723 days (or about four years, eight months, and 20 days) since Daryl Dike last scored a goal for Orlando City. It’s also been that long since his last start for the Lions. That all changed when he started Wednesday’s match and then put in the first goal of the night. In the 31st minute of the match, Tiago’s header was spilled by the keeper right to the feet of Dike, who calmly put it in the back of the net. It’s the type of goal that a prototypical striker like Dike gets in position to make. It was his 20th goal as a Lion with many more hopefully to come.

El Capitan Cartagena

Wilder Cartagena was given the captain’s armband to start the match and he did his usual good job as a defensive midfielder, making things difficult for the opposition, stopping attacks before they could develop. When needed, his was in his own box blocking shots, or on the other end putting in service for the offense, such as the cross to Tiago that eventually resulted in Dike’s goal. He was also six inches from a banger of a goal in the first half, but the goalkeeper got a piece and it deflected off the outside of the left post.

Terrific Tiago

Tiago was everywhere on the left side of the attack for Orlando City. He was causing all kinds of problems for the San Luis defense. The Brazilian youngster made end line runs to put in crosses, provided passes into the box, and had the header that Dike put into the back of the net. He also provided the assist to Justin Ellis for the second goal of the match. He made a run down the left into the box, turned, found Ellis coming across from the right, and put the ball right on his head. It was an excellent match for the Brazilian.

Griezmann Needs to be Greedy

Antione Griezmann should not have been on the pitch. There was no good reason for him to make an appearance in this match other than he probably wanted to do so. Sadly, he had two opportunities to score after coming on but was decidedly too unselfish. I get that he is trying to raise the level of play for his teammates, but this is Orlando City not Atletico Madrid. The level of his teammates is not the same. The first instance he had a one on one with the keeper on the left and tried to square it to Ellis who had defenders around him rather than taking the shot himself. The second time was when Gustavo Caraballo forced the keeper to come almost all the way out to midfield to stop a breakaway. Griezmann followed up the challenge and had the opportunity to put in a long distance shot over the retreating keeper. Instead, he squared the ball to absolutely nobody, turning it over, which ended with the equalizer from San Luis. Hopefully, it’s a lesson learned for the veteran.

That is what I saw in Orlando City’s draw with Atletico de San Luis. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!