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Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s season-opening 2-1 loss against the New York Red Bulls?

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2 months ago

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Image of Maxime Crepeau making a save against New York.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

One half was brutal and the other was better, but unfortunately the half that was brutal was too much to overcome as Orlando City lost its season opener 2-1 to the New York Red Bulls. The one-goal loss was better than last year’s two-goal loss on opening day, but a loss is a loss and Orlando City will need to play much more of its second game like the second half of Saturday’s game, or else the Lions will be staring at a second straight loss to open the season.

I have my purple pen out and I am ready to issue the first grades of the 2026 season, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their season opener.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crépeau, 8 (MotM) — A goalkeeper tying the club record for saves in a game is not necessarily a good thing, especially when that record is a big number like 11 saves, but all credit is due to the new Orlando City starting goalkeeper as he made some phenomenal stops against New York. His distribution could have been better, not only the 76.1% completion percentage but also some of the decisions about who to attempt to pass to and when, but if the Canadian is going to be able to fly around the goal and get his hands or feet onto just about every shot, then he will be able to quickly put to bed the concerns about replacing Pedro Gallese. Crépeau also showed an infectious intensity as well, pumping his fists after saves and also constantly communicating with the defenders, and pumping them up after they made good plays. He could have done better to push Emil Forsberg wider on New York’s first goal and perhaps he could have gotten to the cross on the second, but in both cases he was stuck on an island and just was not able to make the play. It is rare that a goalkeeper who gives up two goals is the Man of the Match, but for my money Crépeau was the best Lion on the night.

D, Adrián Marín, 6 — The Spaniard was much better in the second half than in the first half, which perhaps may have been due to feeling the need to compensate for playing alongside a left center back in Iago who only just joined the team towards the end of training camp. New York attacked Orlando City’s left side relentlessly during the first half, and ended up with nearly 40% of its attacks going down that channel of the field for the full game. Marín won some tackles in the first half but was dribbled past twice, and was lucky that the Red Bulls, in particular Cade Cowell, did not capitalize on the chances they kept creating on Marín’s side. On the positive side, he was strong in the air, and tied for the team lead in defensive contributions with two tackles, two interceptions and five clearances. He also got forward a lot more than David Brekalo did at left back for most of the 2025 season, contributing two key passes while completing 82.3% of his passes.

D, Iago, 4.5 — There is no sugar coating it, Iago’s debut was not a great one. Or even close to it. The big Brazilian was strong in the air, winning several headers and leading the game in clearances during his 45 minutes on the field, but aside from that he looked like a young player who had just joined the club recently and was thrust into a starting role with no time to gel with his teammates, which is exactly what he is. That does not excuse his mistakes, and he was majorly at fault for both of New York’s goals, but he will improve with time and will benefit greatly from the early minutes when he was thrown into the fire. It is a long season, and the MLS U22 Initiative player deserves the chance to adjust to a new country and a new team. That said, he will need to improve quickly, or he might find himself on the bench during this adaptation period instead of learning on the job. Iago completed 84.4% of his passes and added one interception and five clearances.

D, David Brekalo, 5.5 — The Slovenian international, like many of his teammates, had a rough first half, but improved quite a bit during the second half. Brekalo got beaten badly by Forsberg for New York’s opening goal and was beaten again by Adri Mehmeti on the second goal, so even though he was much better during the second half, he still was not great overall because of how poor the opening half was. Perhaps he too felt like he had to compensate some for Iago, but that does not excuse some of the poor one-on-one defending and getting dribbled past twice in dangerous areas. Brekalo tied with his left back partner Marín for the team lead in defensive contributions, with two tackles, three blocks, and four clearances, and he completed the second-most passes on the team (37) at an 86% completion rate.

D, Griffin Dorsey, 6.5 — Orlando City’s most recent acquisition nearly had a dream debut, but the shot he put into the back of the net early in the second half came after the ball had hit his arm, and so it was correctly, although disappointingly, waived off. It was still a strong debut performance for the former Houston Dynamo player, especially considering he only arrived in Orlando just days prior to the season opener. Dorsey got forward frequently and was dangerous when he did, though he did not track back quite as well as Alex Freeman was doing by the end of last season. Dorsey needs time to integrate into the team’s system and develop chemistry with his teammates, both those who play further forward on the right side of the field as well as those who play with him on the back line, and if he can continue to attack up the right the way he did on Saturday while also ensuring that the opposition cannot take advantage of his forays forward, Orlando City will be in good shape. Dorsey’s almost-goal did not officially count, but he was able to put another shot on target, one that required a fantastic save by New York’s Ethan Horvath, while completing 74.3% of his passes and adding three tackles and one interception on defense.

MF, Tyrese Spicer, 5 — Saturday night was a rough night for Orlando City’s starting left wing. While he was on attack mode throughout his minutes on the field, he missed wide-open teammates multiple times while going for goal himself. Being that his passing completion percentage was only 53.9%, perhaps he would not have completed those passes anyway, but Duncan McGuire was wide open on two occasions and Spicer never even looked in his direction while the Lions were on the break. The Trinidad & Tobago international’s work rate was strong, as he led the team in tackles with four while also adding one clearance, but according to sofascore.com’s tracking, he lost the ball 25 times during the game, which was by far the most of any player, and that, combined with some tunnel vision when he had the ball, hurt the Lions as they tried to climb back into the game.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 6 — The man we call “Defensive” Ojeda played, like so many of his teammates, much better as the game went along. However, as one of the two central midfielders, he was responsible for Forsberg, one of the most dangerous players on New York’s roster, being wide open in the middle of the field for the game’s opening goal. Mistakes happen, especially with defensive groups that have not played together before, but that was an egregious one and he will need to work with his partners in the middle to ensure those mistakes are few and far between. Aside from that, Ojeda was solid, though not spectacular, in the middle, completing a team-leading 42 passes at a 91.3% completion rate, and adding three tackles on defense.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, N/A — It was not the return that Cartagena had hoped for, as after just 14 minutes he was clutching his hamstring and walking directly into the tunnel with his hands on his head. Let’s hope that it turns out not to be serious. He completed six of his seven passes while on the field for an 85.7% completion percentage and also had one tackle and one clearance.

MF, Marco Pašalić, 5 — Orlando City struggled to keep any possession during the first half, and that rendered the Croatian nearly invisible while he was on the field. When he did see the ball, he was not on top form, losing 10 possessions and completing only 12 passes, at an 80% completion rate. Pasalic wasn’t the only one doing it, but he dribbled into double teams on multiple occasions, helping New York turn defense into transition opportunities. He put one shot on target but it was from distance, a little rushed, and fairly tame, and he was removed at halftime for Iván Angulo.

MF, Martín Ojeda, 6.5 — Although he, too, was mostly invisible in the first half Orlando City’s other Designated Player had a much better second half. The Argentine came inches away from getting the Lions on the board with a well-struck free kick that was just tipped wide. He also fired a thundering attempt from close range that was blocked. “Offensive” Ojeda led the team with three key passes, but he only completed 10 passes in total (71.4% completion percentage) and Orlando City needs him to have a lot more of the ball if the team is going to have a successful season. Credit New York’s marking in the first half for starving him of the ball, but that’s also partially a failure on the part of Spicer and Pasalic to find him before being closed down. Playing in an advanced position, Ojeda recorded zero defensive contributions, though he had six recoveries of loose balls and put in work on both sides of the ball despite not tallying any defensive statistics.

F, Duncan McGuire, 5.5 — Big Dunc went the full 90, and went hard for the full 90, but came out with nothing to show for it, despite making some of the game’s most impressive runs both offensively and defensively. Spicer missed him twice when he was alone and in a great position to score, and then Angulo played a ball over the top to him but he ended up needing to use his weaker left foot to get the shot off, and it was blocked. Despite playing the whole game, McGuire ended up with fewer touches in the box than second half substitute Tiago and the same amount of touches as midfielders Braian Ojeda and Pasalic, and he needs better service if he is going to be able to get back to his goal-scoring ways of 2023 and 2024. I thought the effort was supreme, especially some of the runs he made while tracking back on defense, but aside from that it was a quiet day for the former Creighton Blue Jay. He completed eight of his 12 pass attempts (66.7%) and added one interception on defense. But he could have done more to clear the ball prior to New York’s second goal.

Substitutes

MF, Colin Guske (14′), 6 — The Homegrown midfielder was thrust into action far earlier than anyone expected. With Eduard Atuesta out with hamstring tightness, Guske was on the bench and forced to come in just 14 minutes into the game after Cartagena went off injured. He showed once again that he is ready to play at the MLS level, and during the second half in particular he dropped back more to help out the defense, which in turn helped his teammates better link to the attacking players. Guske finished with the third-most completions on the team (34) and completed those passes at an 89.5% completion rate while also adding one interception and one clearance. He also made a couple of strong tracking runs in transition to prevent dangerous counters.

MF, Iván Angulo, (46′), 7 — The Colombian came on for Pašalić to start the second half and he played one of his best halves of soccer in his Orlando City tenure, making plays all over the field and really changing the game for the Lions. He did it despite playing more centrally than normal as part of the club’s tactical change at the break. The great pass he played to McGuire could have led to an assist and the pass he played to Zakaria Taifi in stoppage time did lead to an assist. Despite playing for only 45 minutes, he completed the same number of passes (18) as Martin Ojeda and McGuire combined, even though both went the full 90. Angulo completed those passes at an 85.7% completion rate with two key passes, and he nearly scored a goal himself after getting his head on a great cross from Dorsey, but it was just deflected by Justin Che and bounced harmlessly to Horvath. Angulo also added one interception and six loose ball recoveries, and after this performance, I expect we will see him back in the starting lineup shortly.

D, Nolan Miller, (46′), 6 — The rookie from the University of Michigan made his MLS debut, coming on for Iago to start the second half, and he looked completely comfortable on the field. His entrance onto the back line helped steady the ship, and while he did not produce any spectacular plays, he was steady, solid, and composed, helping the Lions deliver a significantly better performance in the second half than the first. Miller completed 80.8% of his passes and had one shot attempt, a header on a corner kick that went over the bar. Defensively, he added one tackle and one clearance, but his most important contribution was his cohesiveness with the back line, which played much better with him in the left center back slot.

MF, Tiago, (76′), 6.5 — Tiago entered late in the second half, coming on for Spicer, and he had a glorious chance to score a goal on his debut but he scuffed the shot, putting it on goal but weakly. He made up for it just moments later, making an excellent off-ball run to put himself in a perfect position to finish a pass from fellow sub Taifi, cutting the lead to 2-1. Aside from those two shots on target, he took a third shot that did not go on target, completed his only pass attempt, and added one tackle and one interception on defense.

D, Zakaria Taifi, (87′), N/A — The Homegrown defender came on late for Dorsey and kept the high level of play at right back trend going by creating Orlando City’s only goal after he made a great run up the right side, took Angulo’s through ball well, and one-timed a perfectly weighted pass across the goalmouth for Tiago to slot home. It was the only pass attempt he made on the night, but it was a key pass, literally and figuratively, as he picked up his first MLS assist and spoiled the shutout on one of the last touches of the match. Taifi made an impact, but he didn’t quite play enough minutes to fairly grade the performance.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s disappointing 2-1 loss against the Red Bulls. 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.

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Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Three Keys to Victory

Checking these three boxes should go a long way toward helping Orlando City pick up all three points against D.C.

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3 hours ago

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April 24, 2026

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Image of Maxime Crepeau catching the ball in front of goal.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City got an unexpected three points midweek when it knocked off Charlotte FC 4-1 at home. The performance and ensuing result continued a trend of improved performances for the Lions now that Robin Jansson is healthy and back in the team. OCSC will now try to build on Wednesday’s victory when it hits the road to take on D.C. United on Saturday. What follows are three things that I believe will go a long way toward helping the Lions bring home all three points from the nation’s capital.

Stop Tai Baribo

I don’t like suggesting that one player is responsible for the entirety of a team’s offense, because when it comes to soccer, that’s rarely a truly accurate statement. The mere fact that there are 11 players on the field at a time means that scoring goals usually involves several different players in order to get the ball into the net. That being said, D.C. United has scored eight league goals on the year and Tai Baribo has six of them. D.C. is 2-1-1 in games in which Baribo finds the back of the net, and 0-2-3 in games when he fails to score. The striker flashed exactly how lethal he can be in his team’s wild 4-4 draw with the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday, as he bagged a hat trick and helped rescue a point for D.C. with an 80th-minute equalizer. OCSC did a good job of neutralizing Idan Toklomati on Wednesday, but Baribo provides an altogether different sort of challenge, and the defense will need to put in another focused and composed performance if it’s going to keep him off the scoresheet.

Win the First 15

Something Orlando City did an especially good job of in the second half was winning the first 15 minutes of the period. The team flew out of the break and created an excellent chance that Martin Ojeda buried in the 49th minute to give OCSC the lead for good. Ivan Angulo should have scored six minutes later, only to put his shot wide, but Ojeda scored another goal in the 61st to put the game to bed. While the opening 15 minutes of the first half weren’t dominant, the Lions still started the game composed and created a couple of good chances for Ojeda and Justin Ellis. It was a welcome departure from previous games that have seen Orlando concede early goals in the opening minutes of both halves. Even if the Lions can’t get on the board in the opening moments of the first and second half, it’s important for the team to come out focused and intense, and establish a strong foothold in the match. Setting a strong early tone is important on the road, and it’s vital that Orlando does so tomorrow.

Toe the Disciplinary Line

While the Lions need to play with the same intensity and effort that we saw in Wednesday’s win, they also need to be careful and not get carried away when it comes to physicality. The team picked up five yellow cards midweek, and while no one is close to being suspended for yellow card accumulation yet, it’s obviously important to not go too far and pick up a red card. OCSC is likely to have another young lineup on Saturday, and some of the team’s youthful exuberance was on display against Charlotte. Iago, Luis Otavio, and Ignacio Gomez were responsible for three of the team’s five yellow cards, with Gomez’s booking coming just one minute after he was subbed onto the field for Zakaria Taifi. The Lions did well to not pick up any further bookings and get reduced to playing with 10 men, but there were moments when it felt like they just barely toed the line without crossing it. Orlando needs to replicate the balancing act of playing with speed and intensity, while not taking things too far and picking up bookings that put the team into a bad situation.

There you have it, folks. Nothing is guaranteed in this sport, but if the Lions can shut down the dangerous Baribo, come out strong to start both halves, and play with a high level of intensity while not crossing the line, I think they’ll be in a very good position to pick up all three points against D.C. United. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 4/24/26

Martin Ojeda and Luis Otavio honored, Orlando Pride play Racing Louisville today, USWNT announces Brazil friendlies, and more.

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6 hours ago

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April 24, 2026

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Image of Haley McCutcheon, Luana, and Angelina celebrating Orlando's win over Portland.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday! I’m still energized from Orlando City’s victory on Wednesday and am hoping the winning trend continues tonight and through the weekend as we get ready for three straight days of Orlando soccer. Let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Martin Ojeda, Luis Otavio Honored on MLS Team of the Matchday

Orlando City forward Martin Ojeda claimed a spot on the latest MLS Team of the Matchday after scoring twice in the second half to lift the Lions to a 4-1 win over Charlotte FC on Wednesday. It was a welcome return to form for Ojeda, who amassed 31 goal contributions last season but was off to a slow start this year. Midfielder Luis Otavio scored his first goal as a Lion in the match and was named to the bench of the MLS Team of the Matchday as well. The 19-year-old’s goal was struck with the outside of his foot and was one of the wilder moments from an exciting night of MLS soccer that included 43 goals across 11 games.

Orlando Pride Play Racing Louisville Today

With the international break over, the Orlando Pride are back in action today at 5:30 p.m. for a road game against Racing Louisville. The Pride last played on April 3, with Haley McCutcheon scoring a pair of late goals in a 2-1 victory at home to hand Angel City FC its first loss of the season. Although Louisville is still searching for its first win of the season, the Pride have never won on the road against Racing. Hopefully the Pride can make some history tonight and take all three points to start this next stretch of games off strongly.

USWNT Will Play in Brazil This June

The United States Women’s National Team will play Brazil in a pair of road friendlies in June. The first will take place in Sao Paulo on June 6 before the two nations meet again on June 9 in Fortaleza. These will be the USWNT’s first matches in Brazil since 2014 and should help the team prepare for the World Cup there next summer. The U-23 team will also be with the senior team in Brazil during this time to play against clubs from Sao Paulo.

European League Races Hit the Final Stretch

Leagues across Europe are entering the home stretch of their seasons and there’s still plenty up for grabs. The title race in England is neck and neck between Manchester City and Arsenal, but the relegation fight is just as enticing as Tottenham remains in the drop zone with five games to go. Another intriguing relegation battle is in Spain, as Sevilla’s 2-0 loss to Levante has the club right in the thick of things near the bottom of the La Liga table.

Things are fairly settled in Germany and Italy beyond squabbling for Champions League qualification, but the Ligue 1 title race may center around a May 13 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lens if PSG stumbles over the next few weeks. Last, but definitely not least, the Scottish Premiership title fight is as tight as can be. Hearts slightly leads over Rangers and Celtic, but there are juicy matchups between the three over the next month.

Free Kicks

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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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 4-1 home win over Charlotte?

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1 day ago

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April 23, 2026

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

Orlando City finally managed to score more than two goals thanks to a 4-1 victory over visiting Charlotte FC. If I’m being honest, I wasn’t looking forward to writing or even watching this game, but boy was I wrong. As a whole, the team played well, and there are some good grades for many, unlike the last several weeks. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in a matchup with Charlotte.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crépeau, 6.5— This was a pretty good match for the Orlando City keeper, though it almost wasn’t. He made three saves, two of which were difficult. He got big and cut off the angle in the 28th minute on the first save. He got caught inside on Charlotte’s goal, but Braian Ojeda also made a mess of defending Morrison Agyemang at the back post. In the 64th minute, he celebrated a block by Tiago a bit early when he thought the ball had gone out, but it hadn’t. Fortunately, Iago was there to make a play and Charlotte was offside anyway, so the third attempt didn’t count. He made a point-blank save in the 81st and another leaping save deep in stoppage time to keep Charlotte at bay.

D, Adrian Marin, 5.5 — Marin almost got the Lions off to a bad start when he lost a 50/50 ball in the sixth minute but Charlotte couldn’t capitalize. After that, he settled in, though he still scares me a bit. He completed 87.7% of his 65 passes, including three of his seven long balls. Defensively, he contributed four tackles and four clearances. Again, he wasn’t bad, but he also wasn’t impressive.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — Jansson continues to show excellent form after his return from injury. The captain is a calming presence that keeps the defense organized. Since his return, Orlando City has allowed only three goals. He did his usual job of stopping attacks up and down the field. He completed 92% of his 50 passes, including one of his four long balls. Defensively, he logged one tackle, one interception, and a team-high eight clearances. It was the same type of performances that has earned him Man of the Match honors before, but this time the Lions created some offense.

D, Iago, 6 — Iago seems to be settling in now that he has Jansson next to him on the back line. He made some key defensive plays, including a clearance while Crepeau was celebrating too early. He completed 83.3% of his 36 passes, including one of his four long balls. Defensively, he logged one interception, three blocked shots, and two clearances. Thankfully, he didn’t lead Orlando City on shot attempts in this match.

D, Zakaria Taifi, 6 — Thank goodness Taifi muffed his shot attempt in the 21st minute. That’s not something one would normally say, but since it ended up as a Luis Otavio goal, it’s all good. Technically, it didn’t count as a shot, but he did get credit for the assist. He did take one other shot that was on goal, but it was easily saved, and he had two key passes. The Homegrown fullback made a good toe poke to stop an attack in 14th minute and a good recovery run in the 43rd minute to deflect a cross out for a corner. He finished with two tackles, an interception, and two clearances on the defensive side, passing at a 95.2% success rate. He was subbed off for Ignacio Gomez in the 78th minute.

MF, Iván Angulo, 6 — This was a very Ivan Angulo performance, by which I mean he did some good things, some bad things, and some inexplicable things. He did well tracking back on defense and occasionally taking the ball back in the midfield. He earned a yellow card in the 23rd minute keeping breaking up a counter off Braian Ojeda’s blocked ball into the box on a corner kick. He also missed an excellent opportunity after Ojeda put him in on goal in the 56th minute. It’s the type of play that he should at least put the shot on frame, but he was unable to even come close. He made up for it a bit with his excellent pass for the assist on Gomez’s late goal. He completed 91.7% of his 36 passes, including the one key pass. Defensively, he contributed two tackles. He subbed off for Harvey Sarajian in second-half stoppage time .

MF, Braian Ojeda, 5.5 — Braian Ojeda made one really bad play in this match that cost Orlando City a clean sheet. He was bowled over by Agyemang while defending the back corner on Charlotte’s lone goal. Other than that, he wasn’t too bad. He completed 91.3% of his 46 passes, including one cross. Defensively, he made three tackles and one clearance, while committing two fouls. He was more aggressive in the midfield this match, and that made a difference in limiting Charlotte’s attack.

MF, Luis Otavio, 7 — This was easily Luis Otavio’s best match so far. He only took one shot, but it was on target and in the back of the net to start the scoring on the night. The ball fell perfectly to Otavio after Taifi’s errant shot attempt. He settled it and took a powerful shot with the outside of his right foot that froze everyone, including Charlotte keeper Kristijan Khalina, to give Orlando the 1-0 lead. It was a perfect time to score his first professional goal. Defensively, he compiled three tackles, two interceptions, and one bicycle kick clearance in the 29th minute. He earned a yellow card in the 42nd minute. Otavio subbed off in second-half stoppage time for Colin Guske.

MF, Justin Ellis, 6 — Ellis was a bit of a surprise start due to Tyrese Spicer falling ill on game day, but the young forward played well. He took one shot in the 12th minute, on which he tried to turn in the box, but it went wide right. His big moment came in the 50th minute, when he took a pass from Tiago, made his way into the box, and laid the ball off to Martin Ojeda for the second goal of the match. Ellis’ aforementioned shot was his only one, but he did have an excellent assist on what turned out to be the winning goal. He completed 82.8% of his 29 passes with three key passes. Defensively, he made one tackle and committed one foul, earning a yellow card in the 67th minute. He was subbed off in second-half stoppage time for Bernardo Rhein.

F, Martín Ojeda, 7.5 (MotM) — Welcome back, Martin Ojeda! The Designated Player took four shots and put two on target, both of which went in. The first was a perfectly placed shot into the top right corner from Ellis’ pass. The second was an absolutely beautiful set-piece shot from just outside the box. He completed 91.3% of his 46 passes, including three key passes, two crosses, and six successful long balls. He received a yellow card in first-half stoppage time for arguing about a soft foul he was called for. This was the type of match that Orlando City needs from Martin Ojeda.

F, Tiago, 6.5 — Tiago should have been credited with the secondary assist on Orlando City’s first goal, but he was not. He made a long run to the end line and then put the ball back across the box perfectly for Taifi, who clipped it out to the top of the box where Otavio put it away. Tiago took one shot that was on target and earned a secondary assist on Ojeda’s first goal. He completed 77.8% of his 27 passes, made one key pass, and had three successful crosses. Defensively, he logged three clearances, blocked one shot, and committed two fouls, earning a yellow card in the 67th minute. Like many of his teammates, this was one of his best showings this season. He subbed off in 74th minute for Tahir Reid-Brown.

Substitutes

MF, Tahir Reid-Brown (75′), 5.5 — Tahir Reid-Brown came on for Tiago, who was sitting on a yellow card, to help protect the lead. He didn’t do much with his time on the pitch, but he also wasn’t asked to with the two-goal lead the club had at the time. He didn’t hurt Orlando City, and had some critical interventions to break up Charlotte’s attack near the top of the area. He completed 66.7% of his six passes with one cross. Defensively, he contributed one clearance.

MF, Ignacio Gomez (78′), 6.5 — Gomez decided he was going to make sure he received a grade for his performance. Almost immediately after entering the match, he earned a yellow card for a tussle with Charlotte star attacker Wilfried Zaha. He made up for it in the 87th minute by scoring his first MLS goal. He helped set the play up by finding Angulo with a good pass to the middle and then continued his run, finishing like a veteran. It was his only shot of the match, and he completed all three of his passes. Defensively, he contributed one tackle and two clearances while committing two fouls.

MF, Colin Guske (90+3′), N/A — Guske was brought on for Luis Otavio as Martin Perelman decided that everyone should get to play in this match. Guske wasn’t on long enough, nor did he do enough, to earn a grade.

F, Harvey Sarajian (90+3′), N/A — Harvey Sarajian came on for Ivan Angulo. Like Guske, Sarajian wasn’t on long enough, nor did he do enough, to earn a grade, although he gave up a dangerous free kick in stoppage time.

MF, Bernardo Rhein (90+3′), N/A — Congratulations to Bernardo Rhein for making his first MLS appearance. He came on for Justin Ellis. Sadly, like the other two guys he came on with, he wasn’t on long enough, nor did he do enough, to earn a grade.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 4-1 victory over Charlotte. 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.

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