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2025 Orlando City Season in Review: Rodrigo Schlegel

The Argentine center back once again found himself in a starting role far more often than fans probably expected.

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1 month ago

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Image of Rodrigo Schlegel with the ball at his feet.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City signed center back Rodrigo Schlegel on loan from Racing Club on Dec. 30, 2019. The Argentine defender signed him to a new permanent deal on Jan. 19, 2022 and then re-signed him again a year later on Jan. 25, 2023 on a deal through that season with option years for 2024 and 2025. The club picked up his 2024 option and the 27-year-old native of Remedios de Escalada, Argentina ended up a regular in the starting XI during the team’s strong playoff push in the second half of the season. He turned in his best season in a purple kit a year ago and Orlando City picked up his 2025 option year after the 2024 season.

At 28 years old, Schlegel is in his prime years as a center back, and a continuation of the progress he made the last two years would have been welcome. He again found himself as a regular starter almost from the jump, filling in for Robin Jansson on opening day against Philadelphia when the captain suffered a knock in pregame warmups, followed by David Brekalo suffering a shoulder injury. Brekalo then slotted in at left back to provide solidity there, and from then on, Schlegel was essentially the starting right center back for the rest of the season.

Let’s take a look back at the Argentine’s sixth season in Orlando.

Statistical Breakdown

Schlegel played in all four competitions with the Lions in 2025 — the regular season, playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, and Leagues Cup. He appeared in 31 of Orlando City’s 34 games during the regular season (all starts), playing 2,686 minutes. All of those were new career highs. He did not contribute to a goal in the regular season and still sits on two career goals and no assists. Schlegel attempted 17 shots, putting just five on frame. He passed at a strong 90% rate but provided only one key pass, no accurate crosses, and 35 successful long balls. In his own end, he contributed 45 tackles, 31 interceptions, 24 blocked shots, and a team-high 176 clearances. The defender committed 37 fouls, drew 27 on the opposition, and racked up 10 yellow cards while getting sent off once.

In the only Orlando City playoff game of 2025, Schlegel started and played 76 minutes without a goal contribution or a shot attempt. He completed 94% of his 45 passes without a key pass or a cross, connecting on two long balls. Schlegel contributed three tackles, two interceptions, a block, and five clearances against the Chicago Fire that night. He committed two fouls, drew three on the Fire, and of course was shown a yellow card.

Schlegel also participated in both of Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup matches in 2025 (both starts) and played 152 minutes in the competition. He did not tally a goal contribution or put his lone shot attempt on goal. Schlegel completed 115 of his 124 passes for a stellar 92.7% completion rate with one key pass, six complete long balls on 11 attempts (54.5%), and no cross attempts. The veteran defender logged six tackles, three interceptions, and three clearances in the tournament. He committed five fouls, suffered four, and was surprisingly not booked in either match.

In 2025 Leagues Cup play, Schlegel started and went the distance in all six of Orlando’s games, playing 540 minutes. He scored his only goal of the season in the tournament-opening 1-1 draw against Pumas on July 30, but did not register an assist, putting two of his five shots on target in the competition. The center back completed 239 of his 264 passes for a 90.5% success rate with 70.4% accuracy on long balls and one key pass, but he did not attempt a cross in the tournament. Defensively, Schlegel contributed 13 tackles, three interceptions, three blocks, and 26 clearances. He committed 11 fouls, drew eight on his opponents, and received three yellow cards but was not sent off.

Best Game

Schlegel’s highest rating in an individual game was 7 out of 10, which he accomplished six times in 2025, so there wasn’t a clear-cut top performance, although there were several solid ones. It’s tempting to take the game in which he scored his lone goal of the season — a powerful and perfectly placed header in Leagues Cup. I mean, check this out:

Instead, I’m going to focus on one of his best defensive performances of the season, and one of the aforementioned matches in which we rated him a 7 out of 10 — the 1-0 road win at Colorado on June 14, which our Sean Rollins said Schlegel “was a monster in this game.”

Schlegel started and went the distance at center back, leading the Lions with 86 touches. He did not contribute to Martin Ojeda’s winning goal in the 24th minute, but he managed to put his only shot attempt on target that night, forcing a good save from Nicholas Hansen. He also completed 88% of his passes that night, finishing second only to central defense partner Jansson (93%) among all players from both teams, although he did not contribute a key pass and connected on only one of his five long balls. Where the Argentine shone was in his own defensive third, where he did not record a tackle, but he did finish with one interception, two blocks, and an incredible 21 clearances, with 12 of those coming off his head. He committed two fouls and was booked in the match, but he one three of his six aerial duels and helped Orlando City earn a road shutout in one of the most difficult environments in MLS.

2025 Final Grade

Schlegel received a composite rating of 6 out of 10 from The Mane Land staff for his season-long performance. This is the same score he received from us back in 2020, which was his first season with the club, and equals his lowest single-season rating in his six years with the Lions. His 6/10 rating is a full point lower than he received from us in 2024 and in 2023. It’s half a point lower than the 6.5 we gave him in 2022 and in 2021. Part of the reason for his drop was the overall dip in quality of the entire team defense. Everyone suffered a bit for that. But he also played inconsistently. He’d look the part of a top tier MLS starter one week, only to follow that with a couple of poor-to-meh performances. He was also part of a couple of maddeningly poor goals that deflected into Orlando’s own net.

Schlegel continued to have moments of madness, such as the penalty he gave up to Montreal, allowing the Canadian side to salvage a draw on what turned out to be its only shot on target of the match. He was also sent off against the Red Bulls and is nearly a guarantee of a yellow card in any given match. In six seasons, he still has not curbed his tendency to be overly aggressive, getting caught up the pitch to exacerbate transition opportunities and putting his teammates in a position to take a yellow card to make up for him not being in position. As such, his season rating is in line with his average grade in our player grade pieces for the individual matches (6.02), which was one of the lowest averages among Orlando City’s regular starters.

2026 Outlook

Unless there’s an automatically triggered option year we don’t know about, Schlegel is out of contract as of this writing. The 28-year-old is in his prime years and will have interested suitors, but it’s likely up to Orlando City whether he returns or not. Schlegel is well-liked by his teammates and coaching staff and seems to be a good fit for Oscar Pareja’s culture. He was previously one of the better bench center backs in the league, but as a long-term starter, the Lions are in flux with who to put next to Jansson — that is assuming Jansson’s contract option is picked up, which might not be a foregone conclusion after the Beefy Swede seemingly lost a step this year. Brekalo has picked up periodic knocks and has yet to claim the right center back position as his own on a permanent basis. One would have to think Brekalo isn’t the best solution at left back moving forward, so the Slovenian international will likely get a long look as Jansson’s partner again in preseason camp. And all of the center back decisions might hinge on whether Alex Freeman returns in 2026 or transfers out, because he gives the club a unique weapon at right back that essentially lets Pareja play a three-man back line.

Orlando City is at a crossroads and must decide whether to rebuild the center back position now entirely, continue with Jansson and Schlegel (or hope Brekalo rises to the challenge and takes the right CB spot), or split the difference by keeping one of Schlegel or Jansson and letting the other go, requiring a new signing before next season. Schlegel is still a solid backup center back choice, but he comes with a host of concerns as a regular starter. He made a base salary of $500,000 and total compensation of nearly $610,000 in 2025. That’s just under what Brekalo makes and well short of Jansson’s salary.

It will be interesting to see how the Lions approach central defense in the off-season and it might be the biggest area of concern in the buildup to 2026.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

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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.

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7 hours ago

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December 16, 2025

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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.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/16/25

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

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17 hours ago

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December 16, 2025

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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!

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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.

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2 days ago

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December 15, 2025

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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.

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