Orlando City

2025 Orlando City Season in Review: Martin Ojeda

The Argentine attacker made a case for being one of the best in MLS in 2025.

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6 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City signed Martin Ojeda to a three-year deal with two additional option years on Jan. 9, 2023. In each of the past three seasons he has been one of the team’s three Designated Players — this year with Luis Muriel and Marco Pasalic. The Argentinean midfielder earned the starting role in 2024 but raised his game to another level in 2025, flirting with becoming an MLS MVP finalist for much of the year.

Let’s take a look back at Ojeda’s third season with Orlando City.

Statistical Breakdown

Ojeda played in all four competitions with the Lions in 2025 — the regular season, playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, and Leagues Cup. He appeared in 33 of Orlando City’s 34 games during the regular season (30 starts), playing 2,687 minutes, which was the most of any outfield player. He scored 16 goals and added 15 assists, leading Orlando City in both categories and finishing one goal off the team’s single-season record of 17 set by Cyle Larin in 2015. His combined goals and assists were the most in one season by any player in Orlando’s MLS history. Ojeda attempted 103 shots, putting 40 on frame. He passed at a strong 83.7% rate and provided 101 key passes, 61 crosses, 59 free kicks, and 45 accurate long balls. In his own end, he contributed 27 tackles, 11 interceptions, and seven clearances. He committed 18 fouls, drew 26 on the opposition, and did not earn any yellow or red cards.

In the only Orlando City playoff game of 2025, Ojeda started and played all 90 minutes without a goal contribution and only two shot attempts, putting neither on target. He completed 81% of his 32 passes without a key pass, no successful crosses on three attempts, and three completed long balls on five attempts. Ojeda contributed one interception and one clearance against the Chicago Fire that night. He committed and suffered no fouls and was not booked.

Ojeda also participated in both of Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup matches in 2025 (both starts) and played 150 minutes in the competition. He did not score a goal but notched an assist, putting only one of his three shot attempts on goal. Ojeda completed 32 of his 37 passes for a stellar 86% completion rate with five key passes, one complete long ball on two attempts (50%), and three successful crosses on 13 attempts. The Designated Player logged one tackle, committed one foul, suffered none, and was not booked in either match.

In 2025 Leagues Cup play, Ojeda started all six matches and played all but one available minute for a total of 539 minutes. He scored four goals and added three assists in the competition, taking 20 shots and putting nine on target. The attacker completed 150 of his 184 passes for an 81.5% success rate with 84% accuracy on long balls, 15 key passes, and 15 successful crosses in the tournament. Defensively, Ojeda contributed three tackles, two interceptions, and three clearances. He committed one foul, drew six on his opponents, and received one yellow card but was not sent off.

Best Game

Ojeda was named Man of the Match six times in our Player Grades posts. He was named Man of the Match a combined total of 14 times between Michael Citro and myself on The Mane Land PawedCast. There were five matches in which he was a unanimous pick. One of those matches was his brace against Nashville SC on September 20. Here’s a reminder of that lovely first goal.

It was a great performance and I was there to see it in person, but I still can’t pick it as his best game since he scored a hat trick against the New England Revolution on May 10. That match ended in a draw, but it was the first Orlando City hat trick since 2015, making it Ojeda’s best match. The first goal of the day was an absolute banger.

His second goal came on a breakaway set up by a nice pass from Rodrigo Schlegel. Ojeda split the defenders and the keeper to get the brace.

The third goal came on a well-taken penalty kick.

Ojeda completed  84% of his 25 passes including two key passes. He completed two of his five crosses but didn’t connect on his only long ball. He took a team-high seven shots, with the three on target finding the back of the net. Defensively, he contributed an interception. He was the Man of the Match in our Player Grades, and on The Mane Land PawedCast.

2025 Final Grade

The Argentine attacker received a composite rating of 8 out of 10 from The Mane Land staff for his season-long performance. That is up from the 7 out of 10 he received last year, which is fair considering how much his minutes and production increased in 2025. If his goal contributions hadn’t fallen off near the end of the season, he might have scored higher, been in the MLS Best XI, and taken Orlando City deeper into the playoffs. Regardless, it was a banner year for Ojeda.

2026 Outlook

Ojeda’s contract is up at the end of 2025, but he has two option years through 2027. Ricardo Moreira will certainly be willing to pick up his 2026 option based on Ojeda’s 2025 performance, but it may also be time to work on a new contract entirely. There will be interest from other leagues in Ojeda’s services after a season like he just had. Ojeda started finding his footing in 2024 and really poured it on in 2025. He will continue to command respect from the opposition as he leads Orlando City’s attack. If he can improve just a little on this season, then the accolades should follow.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

This concludes our 2025 Orlando City player-by-player Season in Review series. We hope you’ve enjoyed looking back on the Lions’ performances from the past year as we move closer toward seeing what lies ahead in 2026.

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