Orlando City
Orlando City’s Depth Will Be Stretched to a New Limit Against Vancouver
Injuries and call-ups will create a different-looking bench for Orlando City on Saturday.
October has arrived, and with it comes two of my favorite postseasons — Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer. It is a major time of year, apparently. Even though this is an article about Orlando City, we will start with baseball, but I promise we will get to soccer shortly thereafter.
In my early teens I attended a summer camp amid the mountains of rugged New Hampshire, and my favorite activity at that camp was baseball. The camp counselors created all kinds of fun games for us to play. One of my favorites was called “Benchball,” when the counselors would hit increasingly more difficult balls to us in the field, and you would stay in the field until you did not field the ball cleanly or throw it back accurately, in which case you were sent to the bench.
In the later rounds of the game you had to start adding some flair to your plays, similarly to how the Savannah Bananas play with fun and fun-damentals. The counselors would take on the role of figure skating judges and could “bench” you, even if you made a good play, if they did not deem your play to have scored high enough on their artistic/creative scale. It was all in good fun, especially when I won, and even when I did not win it was a great way to spend time on a baseball field on a summer morning.
It was better when I won, though.
I was thinking about Benchball because Orlando City has a game Saturday night against Vancouver, and due to player departures, injuries, and international call-ups, several players who are going to start the game on the bench are going to quite possibly be the youngest and least experienced bench players in club history. We will not know the official lineup until about an hour before game time, but we certainly can make some educated guesses as to who will be in the starting lineup, and then take a look at those who are left who likely will be dressed but start on the bench.
Barring a major injury in practice, Pedro Gallese is the nailed-on starter in goal, and three of the four (assuming Óscar Pareja sticks with his usual formation) back line players are pretty easy to slot in as well, as it will likely be Adrián Marín at left back and Robin Jansson and Rodrigo Schlegel as the center backs. The right back will likely be Kyle Smith or Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, and that decision may come down to whether César Araújo is able to return from injury or if he is still out with a back injury.
If Araújo returns, he will start with Eduard Atuesta in the middle, but if he still cannot go, Smith probably partners with Atuesta and Thórhallsson starts as right back. There has not been an update on Joran Gerbet’s status, because soccer teams reveal roughly as much about player injuries as Bill Belichick did when he was the Patriots’ head coach, so in theory Gerbet could be back, but the odds are almost certainly not in his favor based on how that injury looked during the Columbus game.
Orlando City’s attacking midfield group will feature Iván Angulo on the left wing, but the central attacking midfield/secondary striker role that Martín Ojeda has played at an MVP level this season may be filled by Ojeda or perhaps by Luis Muriel, because there is a hole out on the right wing with Marco Pašalić unavailable. Pareja may push Ojeda out wide to try to start as many of his senior players as he possibly can. Muriel could also play out on the right and Ojeda could stay where he has been for most of this season, but I think Ojeda is the more likely candidate to go wide for one game.
If Araújo is healthy, Smith or Thórhallsson both also could be options on the right wing as well, since neither would be needed in the central midfield. Nico Rodríguez is a positionally like-for-like replacement for Pašalić, so he could also start at right wing, but in a game that has huge implications for playoff seeding I expect Pareja will prefer to start more experienced players.
The forwards in the 4-4-2 the Lions have used most of the season will depend on Pareja’s choice at right wing. If he goes with Rodriguez wide on the right, I expect Martin Ojeda and Luis Muriel to start up top with Duncan McGuire becoming one of the few experienced bench players. If Muriel or Ojeda start on the right, the one who doesn’t start on the right will likely play up top with McGuire to start.
What it boils down to is that Angulo, Atuesta, Gallese, Jansson, Marín and Schlegel are pretty much locked in to start and to play at their normal positions, and there are a lot of if/then statements (mathematicians love if/then statements, especially when we get to break out the abbreviation iff, which stands for if and only iff) at the other five positions, but those if/thens will be determined by the availability of Araújo and th positioning of Muriel, Ojeda, Smith, and Thórhallsson.
If you were counting along (and if not, why weren’t you?), that is six players who are locked in as starters at their normal players and six players for five positions, but it might be five players for five positions if Araújo is still injured. So, who does that leave for the bench? Here is the full list of the remaining players on the roster who have dressed for at least one MLS game and are not injured or away on international duty, ranked in order of minutes played for Orlando City in 2025:
| Player | Age | Position | MLS Mins: 2025 | MLS Mins: All-Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nico Rodríguez | 21 | W | 124 | 124 |
| Thomas Williams | 21 | CB | 10 | 191 |
| Shak Mohammed | 22 | W,F | 3 | 7 |
| Favian Loyola | 20 | W | 0 | 1 |
| Carlos Mercado | 26 | GK | 0 | 0 |
| Riyon Tori | 24 | FB | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 137 | 323 |
That is the full list, and respectfully, it is not a list full of players who are likely to come off the bench and make a difference in a close game. Araújo being available to start would push one of the senior players to the bench. Note: both Zakaria Taifi and Tahir Reid-Brown have been on the injured list and were out against the Crew, and without knowing their status, it is probable that neither will be available.
With so many players unavailable this weekend, it is likely that at least one OCB player not on the list above will have to sign a short-term contract. If we sort those remaining who played at least 500 minutes by their season-long FotMob ranking the list goes:
| Player | Age | Position | 2025 FotMob Rating (MLS NEXT Pro) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Platts | 18 | CB | 6.58 |
| Thalles | 20 | F | 6.57 |
| Bernardo Rhein | 18 | W | 6.55 |
| Dyson Clapier | 23 | W | 6.54 |
| Hayden Sargis | 23 | CB | 6.29 |
| Dylan Judelson | 17 | CM | 6.25 |
For perspective, Justin Ellis led OCB with a FotMob rating of 7.43, and Platts’ 6.58 rated him ninth on the team and tied for 314th in the league. That 314 is delicious when you put a decimal after the three, but it is otherwise a very low ranking.
If any of these players sign a short-term contract — and Thalles would seem unlikely as he did not dress vs. FC Cincinnati 2 on Sunday in a must-win game — it would only be to fill out the full roster for Saturday night’s game. None of them would be serious candidates to make anything more than a last-second cameo appearance unless there were injuries or other unforeseen circumstances.
With this set of options on the bench, Pareja is likely to ride his starters even longer than he usually does, and that is saying something for the coach who plays his starters the fourth-most minutes in MLS. Even with the players who are unavailable, the Lions should still have a competitive starting lineup, but the giant concerns will be if a starter picks up an early injury and who, if anyone, is trusted to come on to help the team hold a lead over Vancouver (glass half full) or try to catch the Whitecaps if the Lions are trailing (glass half empty).
Let’s hope that on Saturday night the decisions over who to sub in off the bench are difficult, iff Orlando City is so far ahead that the difficulty is high because they are deciding which young player(s) deserve to get their debut minutes for the senior club.
Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 11/18/25
Orlando City roster update, a USMNT vs. Uruguay preview, World Cup qualifying galore, and more.
Good morning, everyone. All three of Orlando’s soccer teams have now finished their seasons, but that doesn’t mean things slow down around here. Off-season machinations are in full swing, the United States Men’s National Team plays later today, and World Cup qualifying is still ongoing. That means we have a lot of things to talk through today, so let’s get into the links. But first, let’s wish Orlando City goalkeeper Javier Otero a happy birthday.
Orlando City Announces Roster Decisions
Orlando City announced its end-of-season roster decisions on Monday afternoon. For the most part, things look as expected, as we already knew the two biggest departures in the out-of-contract duo of Pedro Gallese and Cesar Araujo. The most surprising bit of news was Robin Jansson’s contract option being declined, although the team is in negotiations with both he and Kyle Smith regarding their returns. Another eyebrow-raising choice was Ivan Angulo’s option year being picked up, particularly after a season in which he did not score a single league goal despite having multiple breakaway opportunities. Currently there are 22 players under contract, although some of those are clear backups, youth players, or currently injured, so the front office is going to have a lot of work to do during the off-season.
Previewing USMNT vs. Uruguay
The United States Men’s National Team will play its final game of 2025 later today, when it takes on Uruguay at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. It will be the 10th meeting between the two teams and the first since Uruguay’s 1-0 win knocked the USMNT out of the 2024 Copa America in the group stage. The mercurial Marcelo Bielsa manages the side and helped guide Uruguay to a fourth-place finish in World Cup qualifying earlier this fall. Uruguay will be without big names like Darwin Nunez, Federico Valverde, and Nicolas Fonseca, but the side still has plenty of star power with the likes of Ronald Araujo, Rodrigo Bentancur, Manuel Ugarte, and of course, former Lion Facundo Torres. Look for Bielsa to use a 4-3-3 with an energetic press and either the fullbacks or wingers inverting.
World Cup Qualifying Results
UEFA’s World Cup qualifying continued on Monday and there were several eye-catching results. Germany dismantled Slovakia 6-0 to secure a first-place finish in Group A and the World Cup spot that comes with it. Not to be outdone, Czechia beat Gibraltar by the same score but only managed to finish second in Group L. The Netherlands beat Lithuania 4-0 to finish top of Group G and also punch a ticket to next summer’s tournament, while Orlando City’s Marco Pasalic was an unused substitute in Croatia’s dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Montenegro, which ensured his team finished an undefeated run through Group L.
World Cup Qualifying Preview
There’s even more qualifiers taking place today, with both UEFA and Concacaf in action and big stakes on the line. Scotland faces Denmark, and needs to win at home in order to leapfrog the Danes into first and the automatic qualifying spot, while a draw for the Danes will be enough for them to retain the top spot. Austria vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a similar situation, as a draw or win will see Austria stay in first, while Bosnia and Herzegovina must win to overtake the Austrians. In Concacaf, Group C has a ton of drama with three teams still able to secure automatic qualification. Honduras is currently top with eight points and better goal differential than Haiti, which also has eight points, while Costa Rica is in third with six. Costa Rica will play Honduras, while Haiti takes on Nicaragua, and there’s any number of ways this could all shake out.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Osceola County for the further development of Osceola Heritage Park. The club would like to move all of its teams to the facility when it’s all said and done.
- Barcelona will finally play a match at the renovated Camp Nou this weekend, although limited attendance will be in effect.
- World Cup ticket holders from other countries will be able to get priority interviews for visas.
- Norway has qualified for a first World Cup in 27 years and has done so in style.
That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City
Orlando City Announces Roster Update Following 2025 MLS Season
The club has announced the roster decisions and contract statuses following the 2025 campaign.
Orlando City has finally released the club’s roster status update and let us know the decisions on contract options following the 2025 campaign — the Lions’ 11th season in Major League Soccer. The biggest news had mostly already happened with the departures of goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and midfielder Cesar Araujo, who were both out of contract after the season. The writing had been on the wall in terms of both departures.
The most surprising news from today’s announcement is that the club declined the option year on captain Robin Jansson’s contract, but the club is in negotiations with both the veteran center back and out-of-contract defender/midfielder Kyle Smith.
Orlando City already had 14 players currently under contract for the 2026 season: forwards Duncan McGuire, Luis Muriel, Marco Pašalić, and Nico Rodríguez; midfielders Gustavo Caraballo, Colin Guske, and Dagur Dan Thórhallsson; defenders David Brekalo, Adrián Marín, Tahir Reid-Brown, Rodrigo Schlegel, Zakaria Taifi, and Thomas Williams; and goalkeeper Javier Otero.
Additionally, the Lions exercised the contract options on Iván Angulo, Tyrese Spicer, and Yutaro Tsukada; midfielders Eduard Atuesta, Joran Gerbet, and Martín Ojeda; and defender Alex Freeman. The club declined Jansson’s option year, as well as options for three players who were regulars for OCB: goalkeeper Carlos Mercado, midfielder/forward Shak Mohammed, and midfielder/forward Favian Loyola.
Smith is out of contract, along with Gallese and Araujo, but it’s not surprising that the Lions are trying to bring him back as he is a versatile depth player who can fill in at a number of spots.
Midfielder Wilder Cartagena was to be out of contract as well, but he signed a new contract five days ago that will keep him in Orlando through 2026 with an option in 2027.
What It Means for Orlando City
If Jansson isn’t re-signed, the Lions will have to go shopping for a top-notch center back. Jansson may have lost a step this season, but he was still the best and most consistent defender on Orlando City’s back line when he was in the lineup. Entering 2026 with a plan to start Schlegel and Brekalo is at best a lateral step to what the club had in 2025, which wasn’t good enough, as the Lions did not record a clean sheet after June 14. The back line wasn’t solely to blame, as Gallese and the central midfield have to shoulder some of that burden, but the critical breakdowns defensively in 2025 occurred more often than in previous seasons.
The biggest surprise to me was the club picking up Angulo’s option. The Colombian didn’t score a single goal in MLS for the first time since 2022, when he only appeared in nine games at the end of the season. It’s not as if Angulo didn’t have multiple golden opportunities to score, as he failed to finish on multiple clear-cut breakaways with only the goalkeeper back throughout the season. At more than $500,000 in annual base salary, the club can afford a defensive-minded player scoring five goals a season — as he did in both 2023 and 2024 — but cannot afford to have a left wing who can’t score a single goal, given the opportunties his speed affords him.
Tsukada and Gerbet are promising young players who are coming off serious injuries, and it’s nice to see the club make a commitment to helping them get healthy and continue their development. Atuesta’s return was made more important by Araujo’s departure, and although Cartagena signed a new deal, more depth will be needed in central midfield.
The club’s biggest off-season need right now is to replace Gallese in goal.
Post-2025 Orlando City Roster Status (Current club players in italics)
- Iván Angulo: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026
- César Araújo: Out of contract
- Eduard Atuesta: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026
- David Brekalo: Under contract through 2027, with a club option in 2028
- Gustavo Caraballo: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
- Wilder Cartagena: Signed new contract through 2026, club option in 2027
- Alex Freeman: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026
- Pedro Gallese: Out of contract
- Joran Gerbet: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026, club options through 2028
- Colin Guske: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
- Robin Jansson: Option declined – In negotiations
- Favian Loyola: Option declined
- Adrián Marín: Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
- Duncan McGuire: Under contract through 2027, with a club option in 2028
- Carlos Mercado: Option declined
- Shak Mohammed: Option declined
- Luis Muriel: Under contract through 2026
- Martín Ojeda: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
- Javier Otero: Under contract through 2026, club options in 2027 and 2028
- Marco Pašalić: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
- Tahir Reid-Brown: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
- Nico Rodríguez: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
- Rodrigo Schlegel: Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
- Kyle Smith: Out of contract, in negotiations
- Tyrese Spicer: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
- Zakaria Taifi: Under contract through 2026, club options through 2029
- Dagur Dan Thórhallsson: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
- Yutaro Tsukada: Under contract through 2025, with club options in 2026 & 2027
- Thomas Williams: Under contract through 2026, club options in 2027 and 2028
Lion Links
Lion Links: 11/17/25
Pride fall to Gotham FC in NWSL semifinals, Lions in action abroad, USMNT defeats Paraguay, and more.
Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been staying busy at work and covering high school basketball. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.
Pride Fall to Gotham FC in NWSL Semifinals
The Orlando Pride fell 1-0 to NJ/NY Gotham FC in the NWSL semifinals Sunday at Inter&Co Stadium. The match was scoreless for 90 minutes, and it looked like it was heading for extra time. Jaedyn Shaw converted a last-minute free kick for the game-winning goal in stoppage time. The Pride had one last chance towards the end of the match to get a late equalizer when Oihane put her header on goal, but Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger made a clutch save to seal the win. Gotham FC will play in the NWSL Championship for the second time in three years. The Orlando Pride’s 2025 season ends just short of making a second consecutive NWSL Championship.
Lions in Action Abroad
Several Orlando City players were in action during the international break. Defender David Brekalo played a full 90 minutes, but Slovenia fell 2-0 to Kosovo in UEFA World Cup qualifying. Forward Marco Pasalic started and played 62 minutes as the Croatians defeated the Faroe Islands 3-1 in UEFA World Cup qualifying and qualified for the 2026 World Cup.
Croatia will be in action again later today against Montenegro. Gustavo Caraballo came off the bench late in the second half, but Venezuela fell 2-1 to North Korea in the round of 32 in the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Thomas Williams started for the U-21 U.S. Men’s National Team in its 1-1 draw against Denmark.
Fullback Tahir Reid-Brown came off the bench in the second half for the U-20 U.S. Men’s National Team in a 2-1 win against Costa Rica.
USMNT Defeats Paraguay in Friendly
The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Paraguay 2-1 Saturday at Subaru Park in Chester, PA. Orlando City defender Alex Freeman was in action for the USMNT, coming off the bench and playing 23 minutes. Gio Reyna scored the opener in his return to the starting XI for the USMNT for the first time in 16 months to give the Yanks an early lead. Alex Arce scored the equalizer for Paraguay. In the second half, Falorin Balogun scored the winning goal to help the USMNT edge Paraguay. The Americans are unbeaten in their last four matches. The next match for the U.S. will be Tuesday against Uruguay in Tampa.
Washington Spirit Return to NWSL Championship
In the other NWSL playoff semifinal match from the weekend, the Washington Spirit returned to the NWSL Championship for the second consecutive time, securing a 2-0 win against the Portland Thorns Saturday at Audi Field. Gift Monday and Croix Bethune scored for Washington. Trinity Rodman returned to play for the first time since spraining her right MCL on Oct. 15. Before the match, multiple reports stated that Rodman had received lucrative transfer offers from European clubs as her contract expires next month. The Spirit will face Gotham FC in the NWSL Championship Saturday at PayPal Park in San Jose, CA.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja was in Europe over the weekend to watch Maro Pasalic play for the Croatia Men’s National Team, while also checking in with AFC Bournemouth to observe operations, share knowledge on coaching, and check out the club’s front office management as part of the partnership between the two clubs.
- Major League Soccer and Apple have revised their broadcast media rights deal following the announcement of the end of MLS Season Pass last week. The new deal will now run through 2029, after Apple agreed to waive its contractual right to opt out after 2027.
- Kansas City Current Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski is reportedly stepping down from his current role and will shift his focus to the sporting director position.
- U.S. Soccer announced its 2026 National Soccer Hall of Fame Inductees, featuring Kevin Crow, Tobin Heath, Heather O’Reilly, Tony Sanneh, Kari Seitz, and Chris Wondolowski.
- Erling Haaland scored twice as Norway defeated Italy 4-1, qualifying for its first World Cup since 1998.
- Nigeria fell to Congo DR 4-3 in penalties after a 1-1 draw in the CAF World Cup playoff final and will miss a second straight World Cup.
- One Knoxville SC defeated Spokane Velocity 2-0 to win the USL League One Championship.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.
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