Orlando City celebrated Decision Day by deciding to play decidedly dreadfully in Toronto on Saturday evening, making the wrong choice over and over and getting blown out 4-2 by one of the worst teams in the league. I was tempted to give the Man of the Match to anyone who sat through the full game without giving up and changing the channel to something else, because from the opening kickoff the Lions seemed slightly off and it never really got any better.

The good news is that once the playoffs begin every team starts with a clean slate, but Orlando City will have a steep climb ahead as with this loss and results in other locations the Lions fell into ninth place and the play-in game.

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 the final game of the 2025 MLS regular season.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 4.5 — Saturday’s game will be on the shortlist for the worst games in El Pulpo’s career, as even octopi have days when it seems like they need more limbs. The Peruvian made two saves during the game. The first and fourth goals were ones that few goalkeepers could have stopped, but had he dived instead of just put his hand out he could have saved Đjorđje Mihailovic’s free kick, and Mihailovic’s second goal, Toronto’s third, was the result of a poor effort by Gallese, who was caught off balance and tried to extend a leg to make the save and could only deflect the ball into his own net. In fairness, the Mihailovic free kick had a ton of curve to it and may have fooled him, and the second Mihailovic goal came through a defender, so he may not have picked it up until he committed too far to his post. Regardless, this will be a match he quickly wants to forget.

D, Adrián Marín, 4.5 — With Robin Jansson out, the Lions shifted around their defensive personnel, and Marín got the start at left back. The Spaniard did not impress, completing only 79.3% of his passes and adding zero defensive statistics. He was taken off after 45 minutes because Orlando City needed goals to get back in the game. Marín has shown that he can play much better than he did on Saturday, but it was telling that he was removed at halftime for more offense when he was supposed to be a fullback who provided an offensive threat.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5 —The Argentine moved over from his usual spot at right center back to take over Jansson’s spot at left center back, but the defense certainly missed the Beefy Swede as the partnership between Schlegel and David Brekalo looked just like it was: two players playing positions that they had not played very much this season. Schlegel worked hard and gave his trademark full effort for every minute, but when the opponent puts six shots on target and converts four of them into goals, it means there were issues on the back line. Schlegel got pulled out of position on the third goal trying to help Kyle Smith out wide, which left Brekalo to cover two men in the box by himself. He also left the eventual goal scorer on the fourth Toronto goal, thinking he had help behind him, but he did not. The Argentine completed 55 passes — second on the team — completing them at a 93.2% rate, and he also added one tackle and one clearance.

D, David Brekalo, 6 (MotM) — After playing left back for most of Orlando City’s season, Brekalo played right back for Slovenia during the international break and then started Saturday’s game at right center back, showing some Smith-like versatility. Brekalo also showed off his offensive abilities as well, scoring his first goal of the season by clinically finishing a cross from Marco Pašalić to cut the Toronto lead to 3-1. He completed a team-leading 67 passes at a 94.4% completion rate, and also made two tackles, one interception, three clearances and had one blocked shot. He looked a little rusty playing in the middle of the field but played well overall, and was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise dreary night for the Lions, although he perhaps could have done more to get in front of Mihailovic’s shot on the Designated Player’s second goal, although he was left defending two attackers.

D, Alex Freeman, 6 — Freeman has put a lot of minutes on his legs this season, and there were moments when he clearly looked a little tired against Toronto, which makes sense since he played the full 90 minutes for the U.S. Men’s National Team on Tuesday evening at altitude in Denver in an important game for his hopes of making next year’s World Cup roster. He then had to fly back across the country and play in another crucial game on Saturday night. He still gutted out a solid performance, and perhaps I am holding him to too high a standard based on his outstanding season, but I thought he just was not at his sharpest against the Reds. He was caught up the pitch on counterattacks multiple times and he often held the ball a little too long while looking for something instead of making a play to keep possession and continue the attack. Still, he completed 83.3% of his passes, including five key passes, and one well-played assist to Duncan McGuire for Orlando City’s second goal. He also added two tackles, two interceptions and one clearance.

MF, Iván Angulo, 5.5 — We saw the full spectrum from the Colombian, from wayward passes and loose touches to explosive driving runs down the side of the field and speedy recoveries to track back and slow down the Toronto offense. The Reds only attacked down Angulo’s side on 27% of their possessions, favoring the other two-thirds of the field for most of the game, but even so, Angulo was still involved in both the first and fourth goals, being a step late to get back to prevent a pass to José Cifuentes, who assisted the first goal, and then not controlling a pass and turning it over to Toronto, which led to Deandre Kerr scoring Toronto’s fourth goal. Angulo is most valuable when Orlando City has a lead, and as the Lions were chasing all game long, I thought he did a good job trying to be more offensive, but that is not his strong suit. He completed 20 of 21 passes (95.2%), including three key passes, and also contributed one tackle and one clearance before coming off for César Araújo after 62 minutes.

MF, Kyle Smith, 5.5 — Once again the Transylvania University graduate showed off his well-rounded game, playing the first half as a defensive central midfielder and then the second half as past of what amounted to be a three man back line, with Freeman pushed up even more than usual and Smith playing similar to where Brekalo usually played when he started at left back. Like many of his teammates though, he just was a little off his game, in particular in the first half when he decided to shoot from just outside the box instead of passing to a wide-open Freeman, and in the second half, when tried to muscle Theo Corbeanu off the ball but failed, and then Toronto scored moments later after Corbeanu’s cross made its way to Mihailovic. While it was not one of his better games, he looked better than Marín when he was playing in the back. If Jansson does not return and Araújo is healthy enough to start, I wonder if Smith might get the start at left back in the play-in game. Smith completed 93.2% of his passes and added two tackles, one interception, two clearances, and one blocked shot.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 4.5 — Atuesta’s performance was not as poor as Gallese’s, but I think both were among the poorest of the season for each player, as it seemed like on nearly every 50/50 decision the Colombian chose the wrong play. He was less accurate than usual with his passes, completing 83.9%, and despite having a team-high 0.64 expected goals, he was unable to place any shots on target (usually getting them blocked), let alone score a goal. Defensively he was active, with two tackles, one interception, and two clearances, but he also committed a team-high four fouls and was lucky to not be booked for some fouls that were clearly borne of frustration in the second half. He played 87 minutes before making way for Colin Guske in a like-for-like swap in the game’s final minutes.

MF, Marco Pašalić, 6 — The Croatian gave what he could after flying across the ocean to rejoin the team after the international window before being taken off with the Lions trailing by three goals with approximately 30 minutes left on the clock. During his minutes he was the most dangerous Lion, and had some of his six shots flown just a foot or so differently, he might have had a brace or even a hat trick. Alas he was not clinical enough on Saturday, ending up with no goals. However, he placed a cross on a platter for Brekalo in the second half to pick up an assist. Pašalić was also involved in a play that completely changed the game, throwing a hand up to protect his face and handling the ball while doing so. That is not supposed to be called a handball, but one was called anyway, and Toronto scored on the free kick and doubled its lead. On the whole, he put in a solid shift, completing 75% of his passes, including his one assist, and making one tackle before coming off for Luis Muriel in the 62nd minute.

F, Martín Ojeda, 6 — Orlando City’s leading scorer is in a slump, with only three goal contributions in the team’s last 10 games. Despite taking six shots and making five key passes, he did not contribute to either goal against Toronto. He completed 85.7% of his passes and frequently made runs behind the defense to get open in the left side of the box, but like many of his teammates he did not have his best offensive stuff, although he put a team-high three shots on target on his team-high six shot attempts. Orlando City’s playoff run will be short if he cannot break out of this slump, so hopefully the change from regular season to postseason will energize Ojeda and we will see the player we saw for most of the season when the Lions take the field in Chicago.

F, Duncan McGuire, 6.5 — Few forwards in the league play with the energy and passion of the former Creighton player, and that was on display again in this game. Even when his team was down by three goals, he made a lung-busting 60-yard run to get back to try to slow down a Toronto attack. Late in the game he made an excellent run in the box and smashed a pass from Freeman past Sean Johnson to cut the Toronto lead in half. In a game of huge magnitude the coaching staff trusted McGuire to start over Muriel. Based on how both players played, that was the right decision. It could have been even more impactful, but a call in the first half did not go Orlando City’s way after McGuire was brought down in the box. Many penalties have been given for less (often against Orlando City), and had the call on the field been for a penalty, it would have been hard to overturn due to the presence of an arm on McGuire’s back. Alas, that call did not go Big Dunc’s way, but he finished with four key passes and one goal, putting both of his shots on target. He looks back to full health as the calendar turns to playoff season.

Substitutes

MF, Tyrese Spicer (46′), 5.5 — Orlando City turned to Spicer earlier than usual, in hopes that he would once again be a supersub and help the Lions find some offense against his former team. Perhaps there was something he did not like about playing at BMO Field though, because he did not look like the player we have seen in recent weeks, completing only 10 passes at an 83.3% clip and taking three shots (one on target) but never really threatening to score.

F, Luis Muriel, (63′), 4.5 — By the time the Designated Player entered the fray the game was nearly out of hand. Muriel did not bring his “A” game with him to Toronto, completing only eight passes at a 72.7% rate and losing the ball multiple times off the dribble. He was not credited with a secondary assist on McGuire’s goal, but he should be, because his one positive moment was the 1-2 connection with Freeman that led to the second Orlando goal. Muriel generally performs better in longer stints than shorter ones, and that was evident against the Reds as he just never seemed to get into the flow of the game.

MF, César Araújo, (63′), 5.5 — The Uruguayan finally made his return to the field, but the game was effectively over by the time he entered. Despite only playing 28 minutes, Araújo completed 31 passes (at an 88.6% completion rate), putting him on pace for exactly 100 over a full 90 minutes. He only had one defensive contribution, an interception, but he looked healthy, pressing high at full speed and running well in his return from a back injury.

D, Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, (79′), NA — Orlando City swapped one utility player for another, with Thórhallsson coming on for Smith and taking over on the back line. He had one real opportunity to impact the match, but he was unable to take a pass from Freeman and put it on frame, despite being in a good shooting position. He completed 14 passes during his short stint on the field, connecting on 87.5% of his attempts. Just as with Smith, I wonder if the coaching staff will consider him for a start at left back for Wednesday’s game against Chicago if Jansson is unavailable.

MF, Colin Guske, (87′), NA — The 18-year-old came on for Atuesta for the game’s final three minutes and stoppage time and completed all nine passes to finish with a perfect 100% completion rate.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s disappointing 4-2 loss to Toronto. 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.