Connect with us

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?

Published

2 months ago

on

Image of Tyrese Spicer watching the ball approach him against the Chicago Fire.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

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.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Schlegel Transfers to Atlas; Smith Says Goodbye to Orlando City

Orlando City bids goodbye to the Argentine defender and agent of chaos, while The Accountant says farewell to the City Beautiful on Instagram.

Published

8 hours ago

on

December 16, 2025

By

Image of Rodrigo Schlegel in a goalkeeper kit in Orlando's playoff shootout win over New York City FC in 2020.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City’s back line will look different in 2026 as veterans Rodrigo Schlegel and Kyle Smith are headed elsewhere. The club announced today that Schlegel is headed to to Atlas FC in Liga MX via transfer, while Smith took to Instagram to say goodbye to the City Beautiful and his teammates. 

Screenshot image of Kyle Smith's Instagram announcement saying goodbye to Orlando City.

Schlegel, 28, heads to Mexico after six seasons as a Lion. Smith, 33, was out of contract after the 2025 season, and although the club announced it was negotiating with the versatile defender about a return, he is apparently leaving after spending seven seasons in Orlando purple. The club did not disclose the transfer fee in the transaction sending Schlegel to Mexico.

“Rodrigo has been an incredible part of our history,” Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “His commitment, passion, and leadership have left a lasting mark on this club. From his unforgettable role in our first playoff (penalty shootout) win to helping us lift our first trophy in our MLS era, Rodrigo has given everything to Orlando City. We are deeply grateful for all he has done, both on and off the field, and (we) wish him and his family the very best in this next chapter of his career.”

Orlando City signed Schlegel on Dec. 30, 2019, on loan from Argentina top-flight side Racing Club. The Lions picked up the player’s permanent transfer option following the 2020 season and picked up his option for 2022 on Dec. 1, 2021. Schlegel signed a new contract just over a month later, inking a deal through the 2023 season with clup options for 2024 and 2025. Those options were picked up and at some point in 2025 the defender signed a new deal through 2026 with an option for 2027, but it was not announced.

The Remedios de Escalada, Argentina, native appeared in 180 matches (155 starts) with Orlando City across all competitions — playing in the fourth-most games in club history. He scored four goals and added one assist. He scored two of those goals in MLS play, where he earned a reputation as a rugged (and sometimes reckless) defender with tireless energy and a penchant for taking risks to make a play that led him to 34 career yellow cards and four red cards in the MLS regular season, with six more cautions and one additional sending off in his 11 MLS Cup playoff appearances (10 starts).

Schlegel etched his name into club history and folklore in the Lions’ first-ever MLS playoff game, when he donned a goalkeeper’s jersey and gloves and stepped in for Pedro Gallese after the goalkeeper was sent off with a second yellow for leaving his line early during penalties following a 1-1 draw. Schlegel saved Gudmundur Thórarinsson’s penalty to help Orlando City defeat the Pigeons 6-5 on spot kicks and advance to the conference semifinals.

During his career, Schlegel was part of six consecutive playoff teams and helped the club win its first major trophy of the MLS era, when the Lions captured the 2022 U.S. Open Cup championship. He always seemed to be a Plan B player who fell into a starting spot for a significant portion of each season. He never started fewer than seven matches (2020) in a season and saw double-digit starts in five of his six seasons in Orlando, filling in at various times for Antonio Carlos, Robin Jansson, and David Brekalo.

Former Orlando City coach James O’Connor brought Kyle Smith to Orlando after winning back-to-back USL titles with him at Louisville City. Smith signed on Dec. 21, 2018. He easily outlasted O’Connor in Orlando, signing a second deal through the 2022 season with a club option for 2023 on March 29, 2021. The club signed Smith to a new one-year deal with an option for 2024 on Dec. 5, 2022, before his second deal was complete. That option year was picked up, and Smith was out of contract after the 2024 campaign, but Orlando signed the versatile fullback/center back/midfielder to a new one-year contract through 2025 on Dec. 13, 2024. The Lions announced they were in negotiations to re-sign Smith after the 2025 season, but the Cincinnati native’s Instagram post seems to indicate that will not happen.

Smith departs with a high rank in the club’s all-time lists of appearances (second, with 216), starts (tied for sixth, with 122), and minutes (fifth, with 11,116). He made 178 of those appearances and 102 of those starts in the MLS regular season, with an additional 10 playoff appearances and two postseason starts. Smith posted four goals and nine assists in the regular season but did not have a postseason goal contribution. He leaves Orlando having produced a total of five goals and 12 assists across all competitions.

What It Means for Orlando City

Both defenders were popular among the fans, so it’s a bit of a shock to lose both in the same off-season. Smith jerseys may be spotted in the stands at Inter&Co Stadium for years to come, while Schlegel may deserve a statue for what he did in that penalty shootout vs. NYCFC.

However, after Orlando failed to secure a clean sheet after June, it’s little surprise that changes are happening at the back. Schlegel made $500,000 in base salary and just over $600,000 in total guaranteed compensation in 2025, while Smith hauled in $270,000 in base salary and $318,000 in total guaranteed compensation. That clears nearly a million bucks off Orlando City’s books, and it will be interesting to see how that — plus any profit from Schlegel’s transfer — is used to shore up the back line.

Moreira will want to put his own stamp on the roster, and with the departures of Gallese, Schlegel, and Smith, there will obviously be a different look in the defensive end. At the moment, Brekalo and Jansson would seem to be the starting center backs, with Alex Freeman on the right and Adrian Marin on the right.

That said, Moreira could have something more ambitious in the works. Another center back has to be on the off-season shopping list with Homegrown Thomas Williams also recently leaving the club. Orlando City would do well to bring in one or two athletic center backs to push Jansson and Brekalo for playing time. Another left back is also necessary, as Smith would often deputize as the first-choice backup left back, although Marin backed up Brekalo in that spot in 2025 while Schlegel was in the middle. Tahir Reid-Brown may get a good look in preseason camp, but left back is a position of need.

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/16/25

Orlando City close to new goalkeeper, Michael Bradley lands big coaching job, MLS transfer news, and more.

Published

17 hours ago

on

December 16, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Good morning, everyone. I have no idea how we’re just a little over a week away from Christmas, but somehow it’s right around the corner. Hell, the MLS SuperDraft is just two days away, and that frankly seems absurd. Nonetheless, we have an absolute glut of news to sort through today, so let’s jump into today’s links.

Orlando City Closing on Carlos Coronel

Orlando City will reportedly have its new starting goalkeeper soon. On Monday, Tom Bogert stated that the Lions ae finishing up a deal to sign free agent shot stopper Carlos Coronel, formerly of the New York Red Bulls. The 28-year-old Paraguayan international has been one of the best goalkeepers in the league during the last two seasons, and landing him is a great move on paper for OCSC. Mr. Scoops also noted that the team is still finishing up deals to sign Tiago and Luis Otavio.

New Coach for New York

The New York Red Bulls announced on Monday morning that the club has hired Michael Bradley to be its next head coach. Bradley had been the head coach of New York Red Bulls II for the last six months and now takes over the top job from Sandro Schwarz, who departed in October after the Red Bulls missed the playoffs. This will be the 38-year-old Bradley’s first senior head coaching job, although he did spend time with Norwegian side Stabaek as an assistant. The Red Bulls will need to sign a new starting goalkeeper and also have an open Designated Player slot, while Eric Maxim Choupo-Mouting and Emil Forsbeg fill the other two DP positions.

MLS Transfer Roundup

The MLS news doesn’t stop there though, because we have a couple items of MLS transfer business to go over. We begin with Inter Miami, as the Herons have announced the signing of free agent fullback Sergio Reguilon. The Spanish defender joins the team on a deal through 2027 with an option year for 2028. We then move to the Western Conference, where FC Dallas has signed Ran Binyamin from Hapoel Tel Aviv. The 21-year-old is under contract through the 2028-2029 season and has options for the 2029-2030, and 2030-2031 seasons. We then move to the Vancouver Whitecaps, as the MLS Cup runners-up signed defender Nikola Djordjevic from Vancouver Whitecaps 2. The 23-year-old fullback has a deal through the 2026 season, with option years for 2027 and 2028. We finish with the LA Galaxy, which acquired Jakob Glesnes and homegrown priority for Jamir Johnson from the Philadelphia Union. In exchange, the Galaxy sent the Union $1.1 million in guaranteed General Allocation Money with up to another $1.1 million in conditional GAM going to Philly if certain incentives are hit.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of American players taking part in matches during the working week, and domestic cup action is the prevailing theme. Ricardo Pepi, Sergino Dest, and PSV Eindhoven host GVVV Veenedaal in the second round of the KNVB Cup on Tuesday, while Antonee Robinson and Fulham travel to face Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday. Thursday sees Christian Pulisic and AC Milan take on Napoli in the Italian SuperCup semifinals, before things finish on Friday with Gio Reyna, Joe Scally, and Borussia Monchengladbach playing Borussia Dortmund in Bundesliga action.

Free Kicks

  • The installation of new grass has been completed at Inter&Co Stadium.

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/15/25

Former Lion Mauricio Pereyra retires, Orlando City assistant coach Fabian Bazan departs the club, Americans abroad, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

December 15, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you in Florida. I’ve been busy at work as we get close to Christmas and covered some high school bowling and basketball over the past week. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Mauricio Pereyra Retires

Orlando City posted on social media over the weekend that former Orlando City captain and midfielder Mauricio Pereyra has retired from professional soccer.

Pereyra spent five seasons with Orlando City after joining the club from FC Krasnodar in 2019, scoring seven goals and adding 29 assists in 136 appearances across all competitions. The 35-year-old recently played for his former club, Nacional, in Uruguay. He also spent time at Lanus, and we here at The Mane Land wish him all the best in his retirement.

Orlando City Assistant Coach Fabian Bazan Departs After Six Seasons

Orlando City and Assistant Coach of Fitness and Performance Fabian Bazan have mutually agreed to part ways after six seasons. Orlando City announced the news Saturday. Bazan joined Head Coach Oscar Pareja’s coaching staff prior to the 2020 season after working with him at previous clubs since 2015. During his tenure, Bazan was part of Orlando City’s coaching staff during its successful run, winning the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, qualifying for two Concacaf Champions Cup tournaments, and making six consecutive MLS Cup playoff appearances.

Americans Abroad

Plenty of Americans were in action in Europe over the weekend. Christian Pulisic played 73 minutes for AC Milan in a 2-2 draw against Sassuolo, while Weston McKennie played a full 90 minutes as Juventus beat Bologna 1-0. Antonee Robinson made his return to the starting XI for Fulham and played a full 90 minutes as his side defeated Burnley 3-1 on the road. Two Americans squared off in Ligue 1 as Tim Weah and Marseille faced Folarin Balogun and AS Monaco Sunday. Both players played a full 90 minutes as Marseille edged Monaco 1-0. Ricardo Pepi became the first USMNT player to score in four straight appearances in all competitions in the Eredivisie since Aron Johannsson did it in 2013-2014, as PSV Eindhoven defeated Heracles Almelo 4-3. Tyler Adams and AFC Bournemouth will face Manchester United in Premier League action later today.

Free Kicks

  • A biopic film focusing on Orlando Pride forward Marta’s soccer journey is reportedly in development.
  • In local college soccer news, the Rollins College Tars fell 2-0 to Midwestern State in the NCAA Division II men’s soccer national championship. Meanwhile, the Florida Tech Panthers defeated Franklin Pierce 3-0 to win the NCAA Division II women’s soccer national championship over the weekend.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

Continue Reading

Trending