Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Player Grades and Man of the Match
How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s wild card loss at Chicago?
The 2025 season came a close on Wednesday night, as the Lions once again forgot to pack their offense when they flew to Chicago and fell flat on their faces, losing 3-1 in a game that was really not even that close. All eyes will now turn to the front office as the club reviews 2025 (started brightly, ended unsightly) and starts to plan for 2026. Before we at The Mane Land move on to our season in review pieces we have one final order of business though, which is our final player grades for the 2025 season.
I have my purple pen out and I am ready to begin, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in the Eastern Conference wild card match.
Starters
GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 (MotM) — Playoff Pulpo showed up on Wednesday, and while it may be strange, and a little sad, to see that I chose him as the Man of the Match when the team gave up three goals, I thought he was excellent and was the only reason the Lions did not get laughed off the field. Gallese showed his full range, coming off his line (and even out of his box) to make saves with his feet and going horizontal and getting down low to push away well-struck shots. He was credited with six saves but it felt like more. While the second goal came directly off of his attempted clearance, he was put into a terrible position by César Araújo playing a late and soft back pass, and I think it was more bad luck than a bad play. He was No. 1 in the program and No. 1 in my gradebook, and I just wish his teammates had been as on as he was.
D, David Brekalo, 5.5 — With the return of Robin Jansson to the starting lineup, Brekalo moved back to left back. While he did not make any tackles, he gave up his body to try to keep the Lions in the game, blocking a game-high four shots and leading Orlando City with six loose ball recoveries. On the flip side, he also allowed Chicago attackers to dribble by him six times, and got caught too far inside on the back-breaking third goal. With Jansson not at 100%, his left side partner had to compensate to help, and it just was not sustainable for 90 minutes. The Slovenian completed 92.2% of his passes on the night but offered little offensive threat, and we all will be left wondering if Orlando City would have been better off had he shifted inside and partnered with Schlegel.
D, Robin Jansson, 4.5 — Credit is due for the Beefy Swede, an Orlando City legend, for gutting out a quick return from a nasty-looking injury, but what he brought in leadership he could not match in fitness. Jansson gave everything he had, but he was perhaps at 80% of his speed and athleticism. His slip that helped Chicago score its first goal was not his fault, as multiple players were falling on the SeatGeek Stadium turf throughout the game, but it kept him from preventing the cross to goal scorer Brian Gutierrez. He went down in apparent pain shortly after the first goal and did not appear able to engage in the way that he normally would. In a game in which he played the full 90 minutes and the opposition dominated the ball, he only recorded one tackle, and that tells you all you need to know about how healthy he was. He completed a team-high 49 passes at an 84.5% completion rate, and while I am sure the team appreciated his effort, the Lions probably would have been better with a replacement for at least some of his minutes on the field.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5 — The burden was larger than usual for Jansson’s partner in the center of the field, and while Schlegel led the team in tackles with three, it was not one of his better performances. Chicago’s attacking group dominated in Orlando City’s defensive third. and Schlegel was caught upfield multiple times, taking unnecessary chances that left his defensive partner vulnerable on counters. The Argentine was active, logging two interceptions, one block, and a team-high five clearances to his three tackles, but he also picked up a yellow card, so despite being far more healthy than Jansson, it was Schlegel who came off with the Lions chasing from behind and needing to bring on a more attacking player. He completed 95.6% of his passes and was credited with Orlando City’s only shot during the first half (on a set piece cross that grazed his head and skipped out of play well wide of the goal), but it a frustrating final game for one of Orlando City’s spiritual leaders.
D, Alex Freeman, 5.5 — The meteoric rise of Freeman’s season came to a crashing halt, as he brought very little to the table on defense (one interception and two clearances) and on offense (72.2% completion rate, zero key passes). He played the pass to Adrián Marín that led to Marín’s assist. It was a nice turn and switch of the field, but the goal was really more about Marín’s pass than Freeman’s. Orlando City’s right back had multiple opportunities in the box but clearly seemed to be looking to pass instead of shoot, and while there is no guarantee he would have scored, at least he would have given his team a chance. It was an unfortunate end to the season for one of the most impressive young players in Orlando City history, but the final product just was not there for Freeman in Chicago.
MF, Iván Angulo, 5 — Both of Orlando City’s wing players struggled offensively against Chicago. While offense is rarely Angulo’s strong suit, he combined his usual limited offensive contributions with minimal defensive successes as well, and it was of little surprise when he came off early in the second half for Tyrese Spicer. Angulo failed to close down Jonathan Dean on the Fire’s opening goal, allowing him enough space to whip in a dangerous cross, and throughout the game he did not look like his usual electric self. When he is on, the Colombian is usually the fastest player on the field, but he constantly looked to be stuck in the mud, tracking back slower than usual and only once breaking out with an attacking run off the dribble, but even then he didn’t create enough separation for his crosses to get into the box. He completed only 14 passes (77.8%), and with Orlando City down two goals early in the second half, the Lions went offense for defense and brought Spicer on to take over on the left wing.
MF, César Araújo, 5.5 —Araújo joined the aforementioned Jansson in pushing himself to return from an injury. While he too deserves credit for giving his all, he probably had 45 good minutes in his legs, but instead was asked to play 75. The Uruguayan rarely played his aggressive brand of pressing defense (no yellow card and only two fouls committed), and looked a step slower than usual, which of course makes sense since he was coming back from a medium-term injury. He completed 91.9% of his passes, though most were of the short variety, and made way for Colin Guske in a like-for-like substitution with 15 minutes left in the game. His most memorable play won’t be for good reasons, as his soft, short back pass to Gallese led to the second Fire goal when a safer play would have been to send the ball out of play.
MF, Eduard Atuesta, 5.5 — The Lions had very little connectivity between their defense and offense against Chicago. With Araújo a step slow it fell on Atuesta to take on more in the center of the field, but he was unable to shoulder that burden. The Colombian was unable to orchestrate much of an attack, completing only 37 passes (88.1%) with only one completed long ball. He led the team with two key passes, a stat that is telling about the Orlando City offense, and when he had the ball on his feet, it never felt like the next play might turn into a moment of magic. The work rate was strong but the execution was not, continuing a pattern from many recent games.
MF, Marco Pašalić, 5.5 — There were two specific moments when Pašalić looked like the player he had had been for most of the season — a well-struck volley that forced Chicago’s Chris Brady into full extension to palm the ball away and a perfectly placed cross from out on the wing that Duncan McGuire headed on goal. Aside from those two moments, however, Marco was off the marc, sorry, mark, and offered so little that even with the Lions trailing in an elimination game it was he who came off for Luis Muriel with 21 minutes remaining. He only attempted 16 passes, completing 12 (75%) and was not involved for most of the game.
F, Martín Ojeda, 5.5 — The player who made Orlando City go for much of the season never got it going, taking only two shots (both from long distance) and contributing season-lows of one shot-creating action and zero key passes. The interplay that often happened between Angulo and Ojeda on the left side of the attacking third never happened against Chicago, and after such a bright start to the season it is unfortunate that the final memories of his year will be frustrating ones. Ojeda completed 83.9% of his passes and gave 100% effort, but like so many of his teammates, he was unable to unlock the mojo that had made the team go-go for the first two-thirds of the season.
F, Duncan McGuire, 5 — Chicago dominated the ball for most of the game, and while the overall completed pass numbers were similar between the two teams, Orlando City completed nearly 100 fewer passes in the attacking half of the field and had half as many touches in the opposition box as Chicago did. The combination of those two things meant that McGuire had little chance to influence the game. Big Dunc only touched the ball 28 times, the fewest of any starter (and only two more than Spicer, who played only 34 minutes) and was only able to get one shot off, a headed attempt that he put on goal but that never really troubled Brady in Chicago’s net. He completed 80% of his 15 pass attempts, and as always, he played with maximum intensity, but he was starved of service and could not create anything on his own either. He also had trouble knocking long balls down to his own teammates, allowing Chicago to quickly recover and go back on the attack.
Substitutes
MF, Tyrese Spicer (56′), 6 —Spicer provided the only offense for the Lions, blasting a missile past Brady in the final minutes of the game to avoid a shutout. The Trinidadian scored that goal but did not offer much more, completing only seven passes at a 63.6% completion rate and creating zero chances for any of his teammates. He deserves credit for finishing his one opportunity, which is more than any of his teammates can say, but he did not bring enough game-changing offense off the bench as Óscar Pareja might have hoped.
F, Luis Muriel, (69′), 4.5 — The Colombian came on as the Lions were desperately pushing for goals, but he brought little to the game, completing only 10 passes and creating zero shots for any of his teammates. Perhaps I am holding him to unfairly high standard, but he did not play like a Designated Player coming off the bench. For most of his 21 minutes on the field he was invisible, ending the game, and his season, with a whimper.
D, Adrián Marín, (75′), 6 — Marín combined with fellow summer acquisition Spicer to produce the only goal, playing a perfectly weighted through ball to set up his teammate for his howitzer of a shot. The Spaniard was energetic and attack-minded during his 15 minutes, begging the question of why Pareja waited so long to bring on a more threatening player to play out of the back. He completed 10 of his 11 pass attempts, including his assist, and was one of the few bright spots for Orlando City on Wednesday night.
MF, Colin Guske, (75′), N/A — Guske played his longest shift in MLS play, replacing Araújo both physically and spiritually, as evidenced by the team-leading three fouls he committed in only 15 minutes. He completed eight of his nine pass attempts, adding two interceptions on defense and showing that even though he was Orlando City’s youngest player on the field, he was not in over his head.
That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s season-ending loss against Chicago. 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.
Orlando City
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New York City FC
Get up to speed on the Pigeons ahead of Saturday’s game, courtesy of someone who knows them best.
Happy Friday, everyone. Orlando City got a week of rest after taking care of business against D.C. United at home, and it returns to the purple palace Saturday night to face a New York City FC team with its back against the wall in the race for a playoff place.
A showdown with the Pigeons means I caught up with Matthew Mangam of New York Soccer Journal. As always, he was helpful in getting us up to speed on NYCFC, and we appreciate his help. I also answered some of his questions about Orlando City, so make sure you check them out over at their place!
Talk me through NYCFC’s summer transfer business. Who’s out, who’s in to replace them, and how have they performed?
Matthew Mangam: NYCFC’s summer business wasn’t anything groundbreaking. The club brought in striker Luighi on loan from SE Palmeiras and got back midfielder/defender James Sands, whose loan with St. Pauli ended.
Luighi started off well, bagging four goals in his first seven league appearances. But since then, the 20-year-old is on a five-game drought. To his credit, Luighi started only two of his last five games. As for Sands, this is his third stint at NYCFC, so the versatile 26-year-old was welcomed back with open arms.
The biggest acquisition this summer, though, was Bénie Traoré. The winger joined the club as a Designated Player from FC Basel in Switzerland, but it hasn’t gone well. In 15 league appearances, Traoré has one goal — a penalty kick that hit off the post and went in — and no assists.
The club’s last move that didn’t happen in the summer surprised everyone: adding free agent Matt Miazga. The veteran defender hasn’t made his debut yet, and I’m honestly not sure when he will.
New York City has been a wildly different team since the league restarted after the World Cup. What’s happened to cause the change in form?
MM: I honestly don’t know where to start with this one. There’s so much I could say, but if I did then I’d be here all day. I’ll narrow it down to this: NYCFC can’t play a complete 90 minutes.
NYCFC has conceded six goals in stoppage time this season, is 0-4-12 after falling behind 16 times, and is 4-5-6 at home. So, they can’t hang onto leads — they’ve lost seven points after the 75th minute — they have no come-from-behind wins, and they’re poor at home.
There are other smaller factors, like injuries, individual mistakes from usually solid players (Matt Freese and Sands), and players struggling, but, as I said, it’s a lot.
The playoffs are still in reach, as NYCFC is just two points out of eighth. What needs to happen in order to get above the line and stay there?
MM: Simply put, NYCFC needs to win all four remaining games, or, at the very least, go 3-1-0. Teams around them, like Toronto, Columbus, and Cincinnati, are picking up wins and building separation, so NYCFC is in a do-or-die situation.
Getting Alonso Martínez back and starting again is huge, but you can’t expect him to return from a brutal injury and save the team immediately; it’s not fair. Traoré has to step up and show why the club paid DP money for him — one lone goal that, in my opinion, fortunately went in, and no goals from open play is extremely concerning.
Also, Nico Fernández Mercau hasn’t scored in five matches. He’s getting double- and triple-marked because teams are now well aware of how talented the Argentine is, but he has to find a way back on the scoresheet in this stretch. NYCFC needs him to. So, so badly.
Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?
MM: The only players out are the ones with long-term injuries: Keaton Parks, Kai Trewin, Maxi Moralez, Arnau Farnós, and Drew Baiera.
Given that NYCFC needs to win or the season is practically over, I expect Head Coach Pascal Jansen to leave it all out there with his best possible lineup:
Matt Freese; Kevin O’Toole, James Sands, Thiago Martins, Tayvon Gray; Andres Perea, Aiden O’Neill; Hannes Wolf, Nico Fernández Mercau, Agustin Ojeda; Alonso Martínez.
I think Nico Fernández Mercau and Alonso Martínez score, but it won’t be enough, as Antoine Griezmann gets a brace and both teams settle for a 2-2 draw.
Thank you to Matt for his excellent refresher on NYCFC. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 10/23/26
Orlando City prepares for New York City FC, Antoine Griezmann’s impact in Orlando, U.S. will host FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, and more.
Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a pretty nice week for me, as I was able to watch all of Slow Horses and finish reading Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson, both of which were brilliant. Attention now turns to this weekend’s soccer, with both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride playing at home over the next couple of days. Let’s get to the links!
Orlando City Prepares for New York City FC
The Lions host New York City FC on Saturday in one of the marquee matchups in MLS as the regular season nears its conclusion. Plenty has changed since Orlando’s 5-0 loss to NYCFC on March 7. The Lions have clawed their way up the table while the Pigeons have only won once in their past 13 league games. NYCFC enters this match after a 1-1 draw with LAFC that included an equalizer by former Lion Andres Perea to give the team a valuable point amid the playoff race. Nicolas Fernandez Mercau, Luighi, and Benie Traore are all NYCFC players the Lions will need to keep in check, or else it could end up being another high-scoring affair in the City Beautiful.
Antoine Griezmann’s Impact on Orlando’s Offense
Orlando’s wait for Antoine Griezmann to join in the summer has proven to be well worth it, as he’s transformed Orlando’s attack into a force to be reckoned with just as the playoffs near. Although Griezmann wasn’t able to enjoy a fairytale ending with Atletico Madrid by lifting the Copa del Rey or Champions League trophies this year, he’s breathed life into an Orlando side that struggled mightily prior to his arrival. The 35-year-old has recorded 12 goals and seven assists in just 14 appearances this season. Not only has he excelled when it comes to getting the ball in the net, but he’s done well in terms of defensive metrics and intangibles as well.
U.S. Will Host Women’s Club World Cup
The inaugural FIFA Women’s Club World Cup will be held in the U.S. in January of 2028 with the host cities still to be determined. There will be 19 clubs taking part, with Gotham, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Club America having already qualified along with three other teams so far. This tournament is sandwiched between the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, so there’s plenty of exciting women’s soccer to look forward to in the coming years.
U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team Wins at World Cup
The United States U-17 Women’s National Team won 6-1 against Kenya in the group stage of the FIA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, clinching a spot in the round of 16. Maggie DiMaria scored four goals to bring her total to 10 across just two games. The U.S. will play its final group game on Sunday against China PR, which also won both of its games against Kenya and Samoa to secure a spot in the knockout stage. The winner of this group will get to avoid a match with Spain in the round of 16, so there’s still plenty to play for before the next round gets underway.
Free Kicks
- The first leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal between the United States Men’s National Team and Haiti has been moved from Kingston to Miami. Haiti has had to play games outside of the country due to unrest and submitted a request to Concacaf to play in the country of its opponent.
- American center back Naomi Girma is now dealing with a calf injury that may sideline her for a few weeks according to Chelsea Head Coach Sonia Bompastor. She missed out on the team’s recent friendlies against Spain and may be absent for the Concacaf W Championship quarterfinal against El Salvador next month too.
- The United States Women’s Cerebral Palsy National Team beat Ireland 15-0 to advance to the IFCPF Women’s World Cup final, which takes place today against Australia. Annie Wickett scored five goals with four other players scoring braces.
- The San Diego Wave signed defender Mimi Van Zanten to a contract extension through the 2029 season. She’s made 27 appearances for San Diego during her rookie season, helping the club keep pace in the NWSL Shield race.
- After being stretchered off the field due to a head injury in the U.S. Open Cup final, St. Louis City goalkeeper Roman Burki is alert and in good spirits, according to the club.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!
Orlando City
Orlando’s October Outburst Originated Months Ago
Orlando City’s October offensive surge may look like a recent development, but the Lions have been scoring at an impressive rate for months.
We do not watch nearly enough Sesame Street in my house, but ever since the summer we say that A is for Antoine when the show discusses the alphabet. Sadly, this replaced A is for Andrew, which is my name, because Antoine Griezmann is more popular than me in my house. I cannot say that I am surprised, but I can say that it hurts just a little bit. More than a little bit.
For the past few years, O has been for Ojeda, as in Martín Ojeda, the man who is now Orlando City’s all-time leading goal scorer. This October, however, O is for offense, as the Lions have scored 10 goals during their three October matches, and that tally leads all of MLS this month. Orlando City’s offense has actually been on point for several months now, as you can see from the chart below (MLS games only):
| Month | Goals Scored | Games Played | Goals per Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| March | 4 | 4 | 1.0 |
| April | 7 | 5 | 1.4 |
| May | 11 | 5 | 2.2 |
| July* | 5 | 2 | 2.5 |
| August | 9 | 5 | 1.8 |
| September | 11 | 5 | 2.2 |
| October | 10 | 3 | 3.3 |
| Total | 58 | 30 | 1.9 |
- *There were no games in June due to the FIFA Men’s World Cup
Griezmann arrived for the July games, but even before that, the offense had started to heat up in May. Although May 1 is an arbitrary date, if we use it as a benchmark it allows us to capture two-thirds of Orlando City’s season, as the first 10 games happened before May and the team has now played 30 in total. Since May, the Lions rank fourth in MLS in goals scored with 46, sitting behind only Miami (54), Philadelphia (52), and St. Louis (47).
In a matter of perfect symmetry, the Lions also rank fourth in goals allowed, and by rank fourth I most certainly do not mean they are among the best defensive teams in the league. Orlando City has allowed 41 goals in the last 20 games, which is an average of more than two goals allowed per game but is also fewer than the 46 the team has scored. I know you already did the math in your head, but 46 – 41 = 5, and that +5 goal differential since May puts the Lions at eighth overall in MLS.
Perhaps we are now in the Inception timeline, because in yet another matter of symmetry Orlando City has also earned the eighth-most points (34) since May 1. This is yet another reminder of how poor of a start the club had this season, with seven losses in those first 10 games.
Since then, however, the 2026 team has performed like the teams of the past few years, but even with a top 10 performance for two-thirds of the season, it has not been able to climb above seventh in the Eastern Conference. This is because four of the five best teams since May are in the same conference, and the ninth and 10th hottest teams, right behind Orlando City, are also in the East. For those of you counting, hopefully in a voice like The Count’s (“Ah, ah,ah!”), that makes seven of the top 10 Eastern teams, so it is no wonder that the Lions are still in a precarious playoff position.
Saturday’s game against New York City FC is, on paper, the easiest of the remaining four games, but then again, the Pigeons did dirty pigeon things all over the Lions in the first matchup, winning that game 5-0. A repeat performance would wipe away the +5 goal differential Orlando has since May, but in addition to the fact that this game will be played on an actual soccer field, there is another pretty major difference between the early season Lions and the current Lions: Griezmann.
The French superstar is up to 12 goals scored and six primary assists (to go with one secondary assist in only 14 MLS games, which is wild), and he and Ojeda make up one of only seven tandems in the league in which both players have at least 12 goals each (Ojeda has 15). Only three tandems have at least 13 goals each (Miami’s Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, Cincinnati’s Kévin Denkey and Evander, and Nashville’s Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar), and with another goal from Griezmann, the two Lions would become the second pair in club history to each score at least 13 goals in a season, joining Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire in 2023.
Marco Pašalić scored in the most recent game, and both Iván Angulo and Justin Ellis have recorded double-digit goal contributions, so let’s hope the team’s recent offensive onslaught continues, because with all the injuries on the back line and some difficult opponents coming up on the schedule, the Lions will likely need to put up multiple goals if they are going to get results and qualify for the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.
And considering how poor the start to the season was, if they can orchestrate that it would be outstanding. Let’s gooooooooo.
Vamos Orlando!
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New York City FC
Lion Links: 10/23/26
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