Orlando City
2025 Orlando City Season in Review: Adrian Marin
The Spanish fullback arrived in the summer and saw limited action with the Lions.
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.