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2025 Orlando City Season in Review: Adrian Marin

The Spanish fullback arrived in the summer and saw limited action with the Lions.

Published

10 months ago

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Image of Adrian Marin dribbling the ball against the Columbus Crew.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City signed Spanish left back Adrian Marin from Portuguese top-flight side Braga on Aug. 7, filling an area of need. Rafael Santos failed to find his form in his third season with the Lions and Oscar Pareja had shifted center back David Brekalo out wide on the left to help provide stability to the position. At the time of his signing, it was thought that Marin could come in and stabilize the spot with a more traditional left back. However, after Santos shipped out to the Colorado Rapids, Marin never really seized the starting left back spot either, and Brekalo remained the first choice for the position the rest of the season.

Marin showed glimpses of what he could do in his first half-season in Orlando but perhaps needs a little more time to settle into the new league and new culture. It didn’t help that he missed a few games with some minor knocks after his arrival.

Let’s look back on his 2025 campaign after arriving in Orlando midseason.

Statistical Breakdown

Marin made his Orlando City debut and got his first start as a Lion on Aug. 23 at Nashville SC in a 5-1 beatdown loss on the road as Pareja rotated his lineup ahead of Orlando’s trip to Miami in Leagues Cup. The Spaniard was by no means the only reason that lopsided loss happened, but as a member of the back line, playing in his first MLS game, he also didn’t distinguish himself. The 28-year-old went on to appear in five regular-season games, starting four, and playing 326 minutes. He did not score or assist on a goal in the regular season, attempting four shots but putting none of them on frame. Marin completed 83% of his 164 passes including three key passes. He completed none of his three crosses, nine of his 18 long balls (50%), and his lone through ball (100%). Defensively, the Spaniard chipped in two tackles, two blocks, seven interceptions, and 14 clearances — nine (a team high) of which came in the Vancouver game, when the Lions were pinned in their end for nearly the entire match. The fullback committed four fouls, suffered one, and was shown one yellow card.

In Orlando City’s playoff match at Chicago, Marin played 14 minutes off the bench and picked up his first goal contribution as a Lion — an assist on Tyrese Spicer’s shutout-spoiling late goal on a terrific through ball. Feast your eyes on this scrumptious pass, his lone key pass of the postseason.

He did not attempt a shot, but he passed at a 91% rate on 11 attempts, including completing his lone long ball and through ball attempts. He did not attempt a cross in the match. Defensively, he contributed one interception and two clearances. Marin did not commit or suffer a foul in the playoff match and was not booked.

Marin arrived in Orlando too late to be involved in the club’s two U.S. Open Cup games, but he saw action in two Leagues Cup matches, starting one and playing a total of 91 minutes against Inter Miami and the LA Galaxy. He recorded only one touch in his 10 minutes at Inter Miami, so most of his Leagues Cup stats came at the Galaxy. He did not register a goal contribution and missed the target on his only shot attempt. Marin completed 76.3% of his 38 passes in the competition, but he did not register a key pass, went 0-for-3 on his crosses, and completed two of his four long balls (40%). On the defensive end, Marin logged four tackles and three clearances. He committed one foul and drew one on the opposition and was not booked.

Best Game

In his limited game time in 2025, Marin’s best game was Orlando City’s 1-1 home draw against the Columbus Crew on Oct. 4. It was Marin’s first home match since joining the Lions, and he turned in a solid performance. While he could have done better to prevent the Crew’s goal, Marin was instrumental in setting up Marco Pasalic’s equalizer, although he did not get a secondary assist on it, because the Croatian scored on the rebound of a Luis Muriel shot. The Spanish fullback intercepted a pass and bombed forward, dishing it off to Muriel and continuing his run to make himself available in the attack and to provide a distraction to the defense. The goal video below initially picks up the action after Marin’s involvement, but the replay (starting around the 29-second mark) shows the full play and the extent to which the Spaniard impacted it, including his run, his brilliant pass, and the way he occupies the right center back, who can’t react to Pasalic or the rebound as a result of Marin’s continued run.

Marin recorded two key passes in the match, had his only shot attempt blocked, won all four of his aerial duels, and passed at a rate of 81.4% on 43 attempts. He also led all Lions with three interceptions, adding a tackle and two clearances on the defensive end. His 1-v-1 defending off the ball on the Crew goal was a blemish, but one of very few on the night.

2025 Final Grade

Because Marin played only a grand total of 431 minutes across all competitions, he fell 19 minutes shy of meeting the minimum requirement for a season grade, so The Mane Land staff gives him an incomplete for his first half-season in purple. The left back could hardly be judged fairly given his lack of time to settle into the team, few regular-season appearances, and a Leagues Cup start that came on a makeshift back line with two starters suspended.

2026 Outlook

Marin is signed through the 2026 season with an option year in 2027, so he’ll be back with the Lions unless there is a transfer or the club buys out his contract. Pareja and his staff will get a full preseason to evaluate Marin and get him comfortable in his role with the team. The Spaniard showed signs of what he can do, narrowly missing the net with a couple of shots and sending some good balls forward for his teammates. He’ll need to improve upon his crossing, as it’s not a good to go 0-for-6, but some of that can be contributed to not fully knowing where his teammates like to more and attack the net.

At $50,000 less than what Santos was making this season, the club can afford to use Marin as a backup if necessary, but it seems likely the move to bring him in was done with an eye on him seizing the starting role. To become an MLS starter, Marin will need to be better in his wide defending, more physical when defending inside the area, and in sync with his teammates when getting forward in the attack.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions welcome San Diego FC to Orlando for the first meeting ever between the two clubs.

Published

9 hours ago

on

September 5, 2026

By

Image of Joran Gerbet playing against Minnesota United.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (7-11-4, 25 points) and San Diego FC (8-8-6, 30 points) at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the first-ever meeting between these two teams from different conferences

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

As mentioned above, tonight’s meeting between the Lions and San Diego is the first in the series history, so there is no history. The Lions are 2-2-1 against Western Conference teams this season, which means little to nothing in this particular match, and San Diego is going to be Orlando City’s final opponent from the opposite conference in MLS regular-season play this season.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a wild 3-3 road draw at Minnesota United a week ago, in which Daryl Dike and Antoine Griezmann scored on either side of halftime on Orlando’s first two shot attempts to put their team up 2-0 in the 64th minute. Minnesota stormed back with three goals off defensive errors in a four-minute span to take a late 3-2 lead. Just when the Loons appeared to be headed for all three points, Tyrese Spicer scored in stoppage time, forcing Minnesota to split the points. Orlando has a modest 1-0-1 unbeaten streak entering tonight, and the Lions are 5-4-2 at home in 2026.

San Diego is coming off a 3-1 home win over the LA Galaxy despite having Jeppe Tverskov sent off. Tonight’s visitors have won two straight games, but both were at home. They lost their last home game 3-1 at Portland on Aug. 19 and are 2-5-3 away from home this season.

The key for Orlando City tonight will be to mark Anders Dreyer, which is far easier said than done, as he has emerged as one of the league’s best playmakers. His eight goals and 11 assists give him 19 total goal contributions to lead his team. Marcus Ingvartsen is Dreyer’s favorite teammate to combine with, as the Danish forward has converted 11 times, leading San Diego in goals, and has added five assists. However, Ingvartsen is listed as out with a lower body injury. Midfielder Onni Valakari has chipped in four goals and seven assists.

“We respect San Diego, but as well we prepare our game,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “We know how strong we are, especially at home, so now we go.”

Orlando City will be without Braian Ojeda (foot) and Adrian Marin (thigh), while Bernardo Rhein (thigh), has been upgraded to questionable. San Diego will be without the aforementioned Ingvartsen (lower body) and Tverskov (suspension).

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Joran Gerbet, Eduard Atuesta, Justin Ellis.

Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Daryl Dike.

Bench: Javier Otero, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Tiago, Marco Pasalic, Martin Ojeda, Tyrese Spicer.

San Diego FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: C.J. dos Santos.

Defenders: Kieran Sargeant, Ian Murphy, Manu Duah, Oscar Verhoeven.

Midfielders: Gabriel Pirani, Anibal Godoy, Alejandro Alvarado.

Forwards: Elias Achouri, Onni Valakari, Anders Dreyer.

Bench: Duran Ferree, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Christopher McVey, Bryan Zamble, David Vazquez, Ian Pilcher, Alex Mighten, Bryce Duke, Amahl Pellegrino.

Referees:

REF: Joe Dickerson.
AR1: Corey Parker.
AR2: Justin Howard.
4TH: Rodrigo Albuquerque.
VAR: Daniel Radford.
AVAR: Jeff Muschik.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Three Keys to Victory

Here’s what Orlando needs to do in order to return to winning ways against San Diego.

Published

1 day ago

on

September 4, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After the disappointment of two dropped points against Minnesota on Saturday, Orlando City is back home with an opportunity to get things back on track. The Lions need to keep picking up points if they want to keep pace in an increasingly crowded Eastern Conference, and Saturday’s game is a good chance to start September off on the right note. San Diego FC stands in the way of that good start, and what follows are three things that I believe Orlando needs to do in order to emerge victorious from this game.

Stay Strong on the Left

The left side of the defense has been a question mark for the Lions for much of the year. Adrian Marin, Bernardo Rhein, and Zakaria Taifi have all spent time at left back lately and have done so with varying degrees of success. Regardless of who suits up there on Saturday, that area of the field will be under scrutiny once again, since they’ll be tasked with stopping San Diego right winger Anders Dreyer. He has eight goals and 11 assists in 21 appearances this year, has played 60 key passes during that time, and is generally the lynchpin through which the San Diego offense operates. He hasn’t quite been on the same pace that saw him bag 19 goals and 19 assists in the regular season last year, but with four goal contributions in his last three MLS appearances, he’s extremely capable of wreaking havoc from the wing. A lot of the goals OCSC has conceded lately have come down the left side of the defense, and if that area of the field can’t be taken care of better, the Lions will likely be in for a difficult night.

Do Damage in Transition

Orlando’s current style of positionless, fluid, attacking soccer is at its best when it comes up against teams that want to come out and play. It struggles mightily against defensive bunkers but shines when the Lions can get out and run, target open spaces, and combine with teammates in unexpected areas. Fortunately for OCSC (in theory), San Diego is a team that likes to have the ball, as it has the highest average possession in the league. That means the Lions will have opportunities to force turnovers and break the other way at pace. In order to make that happen though, OCSC will need to be both disciplined and effective when it comes to applying its press. Then, if/when the Lions win the ball, correct decision-making and clinical execution in the final third will be key to avoid letting any chances slip through their fingers (paws?).

Clean Up the Self-Inflicted Errors

Orlando has dealt with more than its fair share of general defensive struggles this year, but avoidable errors have been a particular problem in recent weeks. Whether it’s been an ill-advised challenge, passing to the opposition in the defensive third, or leaving men unmarked in the box, unnecessary mistakes have cost OCSC points time and again. Against lesser opposition it hasn’t always mattered, as the Lions were able to rescue three points against Real Salt Lake, but if Orlando wants to make a playoff push, it needs to make a habit of playing cleaner games, plain and simple. San Diego is a good team with dangerous offensive players, and Saturday’s visitors will very likely take advantage of any opportunities that the Lions gift-wrap for them. Keeping things mistake-free will go a long way.

We’ve got ample proof this season that nothing is guaranteed, but if the Lions can lock down the left side of the defense, make hay in transition moments, and limit unforced errors, then they should be in a good position to take all three points from Saturday’s game. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 9/4/26

Martin Ojeda details his recovery from injury, Anna Moorhouse loaned to Manchester City, Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup journey, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

September 4, 2026

By

Image of Martin Ojeda celebrating a goal against New England.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Three straight days of Orlando soccer starts tonight with Orlando City B’s road match against Inter Miami II at 7 p.m. Hopefully, Orlando’s teams do well over the next few days as crunch time is upon us when it comes to making the playoffs, especially for MLS NEXT Pro. For now though, let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Prepares for San Diego FC

Orlando City will take on San Diego FC on Saturday in the first-ever game between the two clubs, and one of the storylines to keep an eye on is how much Martin Ojeda plays as he works his way back from injury. The Designated Player came off the bench late in Orlando’s 3-3 draw against Minnesota United in his first appearance since May 23. Not often injured, Ojeda spoke on how being off the field for over a month has shifted his perspective while training to return.

“You learn to value the moment much more. You learn to value every training session because, when you’re training on your own and you’re not available to your teammates, you feel uncomfortable,” Ojeda said. “You value being healthy more. It’s like everything in life. When you feel good, you live life almost on autopilot, so to speak. You go to work, you go home, you come back, you sleep. However, when you or someone close to you goes through an illness or something like that, you value the moment much more and become more conscious of what you’re experiencing.”

Pride Loan Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City through January of 2027. Moorhouse joined the Pride prior to the 2022 season and helped the club win both the NWSL Championship and Shield in 2024. However, she has struggled this year alongside the rest of the Pride’s defense. Moorhouse hasn’t played in the past two games for the Pride, with Cosette Morche starting in her place. Her current contract with the Pride lasts through the 2027 NWSL season, so we’ll have to wait and see what her future with the club is when the loan ends.

Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup Journey

Between the World Cup, regular season, and Leagues Cup this summer, it can be easy to forget that Orlando City is still in contention to win this year’s U.S. Open Cup. The Lions are in the semifinals of the tournament after crushing Atlanta United 4-1 in the quarterfinals back on May 19. The Lions won much tighter affairs prior to that win, with Javier Otero coming up with seven saves in a 1-0 win over FC Naples and Zakaria Taifi scoring in stoppage time to beat the New England Revolution 4-3 in the following match. Orlando will be on the road for its semifinal match against the Columbus Crew on Sept. 16, but the offense has received a boost due to the arrivals of Antoine Griezmann and Daryl Dike this summer.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

MLS signings continue to pour in as teams look to improve their squads for the rest of this season and beyond. The Colorado Rapids signed Ghanaian winger Ibrahim Sadiq from AZ Alkmaar, where he recorded 18 goals and seven assists in 85 appearances across three seasons with the Dutch club. San Diego also added an attacker by signing forward Cedric Bakambu, who joins as a free agent after playing at Real Betis. As for other notable moves from across the league, Real Salt Lake signed winger Dusan Zagar as an MLS U22 Initiative player, forward Lyle Foster joined the Houston Dynamo on loan, and the Columbus Crew continued to improve on offense by signing Moroccan winger Anass Zaroury on loan from Panathinaikos.

Free Kicks

  • Former Orlando Pride player Christina Burkenroad is retiring from professional soccer and Monterrey will have Saturday’s game against Toluca be a send-off match for her.

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

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