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Orlando City vs. Houston Dynamo: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-0 home loss against Houston?

Published

5 months ago

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Image of Braian Ojeda trying to dribble past a Houston defender.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The Lions had opportunities to get on the board first but wasted them in a 1-0 home loss to Houston. Orlando City had a good amount of possession, keeping the ball 56.7% of the time to the Dynamo’s 43.3%, but Orlando’s best chance clanged off the post from a tap-in distance by Tiago. Martin Perelman used many of the roster’s younger players, either starting or as replacements.

There aren’t many good grades to give, but that’s the story of the season. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in a matchup with Houston.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crépeau, 6.5 — While he didn’t have a lot to do in the first half, when the moment came, he was ready. Felipe Andrade put his head on a corner, sending it toward the top of the net, but Crépeau reacted well to tip it over at the 40-minute mark. Crépeau didn’t face another shot on goal until it a mad scramble in the 75th minute, when the ball was pinging everywhere, and he had no chance of stopping Hector Herrera’s shot. Crépeau had three move saves in stoppage time to keep the Lions in it, but as is the curse of goalkeepers, all it takes is one to ruin a night. His distribution was fine with 83% passing accuracy.

D, Adrian Marin, 5.5 — Marin started on the left but found himself beat in transition multiple times by not reading the play right. He was a passive observer on the goal, watching the action from the top of the box after being beat down the field by Houston as he pushed forward more in the second half, leading the Lions in cross attempts. To put it bluntly, he started the transition almost even with Angulo but by the end was just watching from the top of the box when, with just a little more hustle, he could’ve been the one marking Herrera, preventing the follow-up. Marin had three blocks to go with a clearance, but the image of him watching the play unfold sticks in my brain. Of the six Lions in the box, he was the only one above the penalty spot, just watching.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 (MotM) — This will be a familiar refrain from the last MLS game against Columbus. Jansson started and played all 90 minutes while bringing a calm to the defense and an ability to erase mistakes others make (we’ll get to those others later). Not only does Jansson bring his own ability to defend, but he raises the level of those around him. Even if Houston isn’t one of the most dangerous attacks in MLS, the defense played better than most of the games we’ve seen this season. He contributed one interception, one block, and four clearances while completing 95% of his passes. He was beaten on the play that led to the goal, going to ground to block a shot from Lawrence Ennali that never came, and the captain owned that mistake in the postgame press conference.

D, Iago, 6 — In a familiar refrain from the Columbus game, the young Brazilian played maybe his best game as a Lion and I believe it’s because of the influence of having Jansson there. Iago cleared Ezequiel Ponce’s tap-in attempt off the line but couldn’t do anything to stop the follow-up from Herrera. As the Lions were chasing the game after the goal, Iago showed up more up front and had three attempts at goal by the end, putting just one on target. His best chances were a shot on a set piece scramble that was blocked by the defense in front and a header off another set piece that landed in the stands. He added two interceptions, two clearances, and a 66% success rate on his duels while passing at a 92% clip. It wasn’t a great game, but I’m giving him credit for improvement. If he continues to grow from here, he will fulfuill the promise that led to his signing.

D, Zakaria Taifi, 5 — Taifi got the start on the right side and, for better or for worse, was mostly invisible in the first half. That’s good for a defense that has been regularly exposed this season but doesn’t help contribute anything. He was behind the aforementioned Marin on the transition play and despite a good effort, he wasn’t able to quite prevent a cross from going to Ponce for the shot Iago blocked off the line, but he was at least able to affect the shot. He wasn’t able to recover and pick up the wide-open Herrera on the rebound, however. Taifi passed at a 79% rate, recorded one tackle and two interceptions, and presented a cross-field target that went largely ignored by Orlando City when the ball was on the left, but he just didn’t impact the game in a significant way. He was replaced by Harvey Sarajian in the 80th minute.

MF, Iván Angulo, 5.5 — When Tyrese Spicer was on the field, he and Angulo were well-synced and brought some danger to the Orlando city attack. They played off each other well and either made runs to be on the receiving end or cleared space for the other while making opposing runs. Angulo had a nice through ball to Martin Ojeda in the 24th minute that Ojeda failed to put away. He passed at an 85% success rate and attempted one shot that went over the crossbar early in the second half. He also hustled back, as is his tool of the trade, and tried to disrupt the fast break that eventually led to the goal — he started 15 yards behind and was level with Lawrence Ennali by the time they got to Orlando’s penalty area — but it’s fair to point out that his blocked cross attempt ignited that counterattack in the first place. That wasn’t the only instance of Angulo hesitating just long enough to spoil his eventual decision, but it was the most costly. He finished with two key passes, one tackle, and a yellow card drawn on the Dynamo when trying to initiate a break.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 6.5 — The defensive Ojeda was the better Ojeda on the night against Houston. He worked well to link up the back to the front and found himself starting the Orlando possession often, with 12 recoveries on the night. It didn’t show up in tackles, as he wasn’t an enforcer, but he always seemed to be in a lot of right places. He was on the end of the deflected cross in the 66th minute that he put on frame that was saved into Iago’s feet for another blast that was blocked. He passed at a 92% accuracy rate and had one shot. He was one of the players defending the play that led to the goal but couldn’t find the right place to be, so that takes the grade down a bit.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 5 — I’m probably grading Atuesta too high. Time after time, Atuesta found himself on the ground watching as the play left him behind because of a missed tackle. When the goal play started, he dove in to try to dispossess Herrera, but he whiffed and couldn’t make it back to his defensive third to have any impact on the play. He was blown by in transition multiple times and mishit at least two passes to Tiago when the forward had shaken himself loose. He earned his yellow card with a harsh challenge. We’re all waiting to see the Atuesta who can hit the magical passes and at least be present in defense, but against the Dynamo, as in most nights this season, he wasn’t that. The numbers show three tackles with an 88% passing rate. He was replaced in the 90th minute by Ignacio Gomez while showing some shoulder discomfort.

MF, Tyrese Spicer, 6 — The eyes and the stats tell two different stories. The numbers show a 64% passing rate, two shots (both off target), no successful dribbles, and no successful crosses. This is where the disconnect may be. Spicer whipped a blistering pass across the face of the goal in the 45th minute that reached Tiago, who was unable to tap it in. That was one of his two key passes on the night. It was the most dangerous Orlando had been and would be until the very end, so he gets a little tick up in the grade for it. As I mentioned on Angulo’s notes, when the two were on the same side, Spicer made some intelligent runs which don’t show up on the stat sheet either. He was replaced by Justin Ellis in the 58th minute, presumably for minutes management coming off injury.

F, Martín Ojeda, 5.5 — My notes say “Invisible,” which isn’t fair because Martin Ojeda is rarely invisible. However, he’s not living up to the standards of last year, whether that’s because of the composition of the team or him taking a step back. He’s developed a dangerous corner kick delivery that is consistently challenging goalkeepers, and the scramble in the 66th minute was initiated off another dangerous Ojeda corner. He passed at an 88% clip, had an xA of 0.56, which is significant, one key pass and one one shot on target, but we expect more out of the Designated Player.

F, Tiago, 5.5 — The physical skills are there. The young Brazilian is finding open space with his pace. While fast, most of his runs came to nothing. Sometimes, that’s because his teammates fail to connect with his open runs, but that’s the life of a forward. When he does get the ball, it’s got to end up in the back of the net, especially when it’s on the end of a great cross that opened up everything at the back post. Unfortunately, he missed his chance in the 44th minute by blasting his shot off the woodwork. His passing graded out at a 77% rate and he attempted two shots, but you have to get them on target and finish chances when they arrive.

Substitutes

MF, Justin Ellis, (58′), 5.5 — The scoresheet says Ellis subbed in at the 58-minute mark for Spicer. I know I saw a number 22 running around somewhere at times. However, there was none of the skill he’s brought to OCB or the U-20 USMNT and he was mostly invisible. He just didn’t impact the game in any way. His one shot was on target, but it was a soft effort right at the goalkeeper that only rated 0.11 xG and had no shot of going in as it was hit tepidly and easily saved. He also complete five of his six passes.

WB/MF, Harvey Sarajian, (80′), N/A — The rookie did not play enough minutes to fairly issue him a grade in his MLS debut, but what I saw was someone who killed two attacks by losing his dribble to opponents twice. He completed almost twice as many passes as Ellis in half the time, but it was disappointing to see him turn the ball over.

MF, Ignacio Gomez (90′), N/A — The Orlando sideline scrambled for a sub when Atuesta motioned to the bench that he needed to come off for a shoulder injury. Gomez got the call, making his MLS debut. In the six minutes of stoppage time, he completed five passes, which is decent, but he also missed an open Martin Ojeda which could’ve sprung him loose.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 1-0 loss to Houston. 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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Lion Links

Lion Links 9/22/26

Cosette Morche up for weekly honors, lessons from matchday 27, key players in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, and more.

Published

21 hours ago

on

September 22, 2026

By

Image of Cosette Morche during her NWSL debut vs. Washington.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Good morning, everyone. It was a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad weekend for Orlando’s three soccer teams, as they all lost and did so by an aggregate score of 12-5. Fortunately, we’ve got lots to talk about this morning, so let’s not dwell any further on the horror show that was the weekend slate, and instead dive into today’s links.

Cosette Morche up for Weekly Honors

Despite the Orlando Pride falling at home against the Portland Thorns, a bright spot has emerged from the game in the form of Cosette Morche being nominated for the NWSL Save of the Week. She made a fantastic triple save in the 17th minute to frustrate both Sophia Wilson and Pietra Tordin and keep the score at 1-0. Unfortunately, the Pride went on to lose 4-1, but Morche continued a trend of strong performances in net since taking over for the loaned-out Anna Moorhouse. Make sure you go vote for her to win!

Lessons from Matchday 27

Matchday 27 is in the books for Major League Soccer, and there are plenty of things to be learned from the weekend’s action. A number of young players called up by the United States Men’s National Team turned in impressive performances, as Cavan Sullivan had a goal and an assist, Frankie Westfield and Neil Pierre helped Sullivan and the Union overturn a 4-3 deficit against Sporting Kansas City, and Julian Hall scored the winner in the Hudson River Derby. Elsewhere, Nashville clinched a playoff spot and did so in style by knocking off a good Chicago Fire team 3-0. Finally, St Louis City beat Toronto FC 3-1 and now has a mind-boggling 16-game unbeaten streak in the league that grows to 18 games unbeaten in all competitions.

Women’s Champions League Key Players

The UEFA Women’s Champions League kicks off today, so this is an excellent time to familiarize yourself with some of the most important players in the competition. Some of them may be familiar to you already, like Real Madrid’s Colombian attacker Linda Caicedo or Chelsea midfielder Lauren James. Midfielder Patri Guijarro will be an important piece for Barcelona following the summer departures of Alexia Putellas and Salma Paralluelo, while Annamaria Serturini, Remina Chiba, and Redondo are in a similar situation for Juventus. Finally, there are players on less heralded teams, like Uka Modesta for Austria Wien and Lowiese Seynhaeve for OH Leuven.

Granit Xhaka Dropped by Switzerland

We finish our main story section today with an odd one, as Granit Xhaka has been left out of the latest Switzerland squad after he admitted to using a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate. Amid an investigation into a Swiss doctor who was allegedly producing false certificates for unvaccinated individuals, Xhaka has admitted to using falsified paperwork. Not only has he been left out of the Swiss squad, but he could also face legal repercussions, and the player confirmed that he is currently in the process of speaking to the authorities. Xhaka is Switzerland’s all-time leader in appearances, and has been a key member of the team for a number of years.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City somehow rose two spots to no.10 in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
  • The Orlando Pride held fast at no. 12 in the same outlet’s NWSL power rankings.
  • For better or worse, Orlando City will be back in the red kits for Saturday’s match against the Philadelphia Union.

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s road loss to the New England Revolution?

Published

2 days ago

on

September 21, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City was minutes away from drawing the New England Revolution Saturday night, which would’ve been a big point in the Lions’ quest for the postseason. But two second-half injury-time goals saw that point dissipate. Instead, they followed their U.S. Open Cup semifinal defeat with a crushing 4-2 loss.

Let’s take a look at how the individual players fared in the disappointing result.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crepeau, 5 — None of the four goals were specifically Crepeau’s fault, with one being a deflection and the other three coming from poor defense. But the goalkeeper’s four goals conceded matched his number of saves. It can also be argued he should’ve come out earlier on some of the goals to cut down the attacker’s angle. In addition to his four goals conceded and four saves, he ended the game with 39 touches and completed 74.1% of his 27 passes, including seven of his 14 long balls.

D, Bernardo Rhein, 5.5 — The teenager got the start at left back in this game, touching the ball 58 times. He completed 83.3% of his 42 passes, but neither of his two long balls nor his lone cross. Defensively, Rhein recorded a tackle and a blocked shot before being replaced in the 77th minute by Harvey Sarajian in an attacking change.

D, Robin Jansson, 5.5 — The Orlando City captain had 65 touches in this game and completed 98.1% of his 53 passes, including three of his four long balls. Defensively, he had an interception, a team-high six clearances, and an aerial duel won. But his age showed as he was unable to keep up with the counterattacks the other way. While it wasn’t a bad game for Jansson, I can’t give a higher grade to a key component of a back line that conceded four times.

D, David Brekalo, 5.5 — Jansson’s center back partner had 52 touches and completed 95% of his 40 passes, including one of his two long balls. He took one shot in the game, but it was off target. Defensively, Brekalo recorded a tackle and six clearances, and won two aerial balls. Similar to Jansson, Brekalo wasn’t necessarily bad, but was part of a center back pairing that helped concede four goals.

D, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo started this game at right back and moved to left wing and left back as the game progressed. As you would expect, the Colombian pushed forward quite a bit. He ended the game with 69 touches and completed 81.3% of his 48 passes, including one of his three long balls. His most impactful play came in the 62nd minute, when he shielded his defender to tuck away the Lions’ first goal, cutting the deficit to 2-1. That was his lone shot of the night. Defensively, he added five tackles and two interceptions, providing one of the team’s best performances.

MF, Tyrese Spicer, 5 — In the team’s third game in eight days, Spicer got the start in the midfield. He touched the ball 20 times and completed 72.7% of his 11 passes, including his lone long ball. Other than that, he did little offensively before being replaced by Zakaria Taifi at halftime, allowing Angulo to go forward. Defensively, he added a tackle and an interception, but the Lions could’ve used much more from the speedster.

MF, Joran Gerbet, 6 — Gerbet once again was in the lineup for the Lions, playing his typical defensive midfield role. The Frenchman had a team-high 72 touches and completed 98.5% of his 67 passes, including two key passes and both of his long balls. The midfielder’s only shot was blocked, but it bounced off Peyton Miller’s hand for a penalty. He also contributed defensively with a tackle and an interception. Gerbet was replaced by Tiago in second-half stoppage time to bring on an attacker after the team fell behind again.

MF, Luis Otavio, 5.5 — The quick turnaround gave Otavio a chance to start, though he only played 45 minutes. The Brazilian had 21 touches and completed 94.1% of his 17 passes, including one of his two long balls. He didn’t contribute any shots in the attack and only recorded a clearance defensively in what was a rather forgettable performance. His night ended at halftime when he was taken off for regular starter Eduard Atuesta.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 5.5 — With Antoine Griezmann injured, Pasalic got a rare start. He touched the ball 35 times and completed 91.7% of his 24 passes, including one of his two long balls. The attacking midfielder took two shots and put one on target. Defensively, he recorded two tackles and a clearance before being replaced by Daryl Dike in the 71st minute.

F, Martin Ojeda, 6 (MotM) — Ojeda is starting to look more like his old self since returning from injury and was the primary attacker for the Lions in this game. The Argentinian had 59 touches and completed 79.6% of his 44 passes, including a key pass, two of his three long balls, and two of his four crosses. He also put two of his three shots on target. Ojeda was instrumental in the attacking movement that ended with Angulo’s goal, working a give-and-go straight up the middle with Justin Ellis. In the 88th minute, he converted the game-tying penalty, keeping his record from the spot perfect and pulling him to within one goal of Facundo Torres for the club record. He was the best player for me and earned my Man of the Match.

F, Justin Ellis, 5.5 — Ellis was active in this game, touching the ball 67 times and completing 76.1% of his 46 passes, including one of his two long balls and one of his two crosses. His only shot was off target. The forward added two tackles in his last game before heading out on international duty.

Substitutes

D, Zakaria Taifi, 5.5 (45’) — Taifi came on at halftime for Spicer, allowing Angulo to move forward into his natural position. The Homegrown Player had 24 touches in his 45 minutes while completing 85.7% of his 14 passes. He had three key passes, completed his lone cross, and didn’t complete either of his two long balls. The defender didn’t do anything else offensively, but added a tackle and a clearance.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 5.5 (45’) — A regular starter, Atuesta got the first half off before coming on for Otavio. The Colombian touched the ball 41 times and completed 94.1% of his 34 passes, including a key pass and two of his three long balls, but neither of his two crosses. Additionally, his only shot was on target. Defensivley, Atuesta didn’t record any statistics.

F, Daryl Dike, 4.5 (71’) — Dike came on for Pasalic in the 71st minue with the Lions looking for a goal. It was another disappointing performance for the striker, who only had six touches and completed two of his four passes. Despite coming on to score, his only shot was off target and he didn’t contribute anything defensively.

F, Harvey Sarajian, 5 (77’) — Sarajian came on for Rhein in the 77th minute, another move aimed towards finding an equalizer. The rookie had seven touches in 13 minutes while completing 83.3% of his six passes. Sarajian also didn’t contribute much in this game, failing to take a shot or build an attack.

MF, Tiago, N/A (90+5’) — Tiago came on in the dying minutes for Gerbet after Orlando CIty fell behind again. The attacker only recorded three touches, completed his lone pass, and drew a foul in his brief stint on the field.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in this disappointing loss. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 9/21/26

All of Orlando’s soccer teams lose, Lions unveil Vinicius Nogueira, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

September 21, 2026

By

Image of Martin Ojeda playing the ball against Inter Miami.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been staying busy at work over the weekend. Let’s wish a happy belated birthday to Orlando Pride defender Cori Dyke, who turned 26 on Sunday, and a happy birthday to Orlando City defender Bernardo Rhein, who turns 19 today. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Concede Two Late Goals in Loss at New England

Orlando City fell 4-2 to the New England Revolution on the road on Saturday at Gillette Stadium, conceding twice in stoppage time to drop a point. After trailing 2-0, the Lions came back with second-half goals from Ivan Angulo and Martin Ojeda, with the latter from the penalty spot just before the 90 minutes were up. However, in stoppage time, the Lions imploded, with Peyton Miller and Carles Gil closing out the night with two goals each for the Revolution. The loss snapped Orlando’s five-game unbeaten streak in league play, and the Lions left Foxborough with no points instead of at least one. Orlando City will be back on the road for its next match on Saturday against the Philadelphia Union.

Lions Unveil Vinicius Nogueira

Orlando City unveiled left back Vinicius Nogueira on Friday with a photo shoot at Inter.co Stadium.

The Lions signed Nogueira on Aug. 27 on loan from Bulgarian First League side PFC Ludogorets through the end of the 2027 MLS Sprint Season, with an option to make the move permanent. The 24-year-old Brazilian was on the bench during Orlando City’s match against the New England Revolution on Saturday but did not play.

Pride Fall at home to Portland Thorns

The Orlando Pride lost 4-1 to the Portland Thorns on Saturday at Inter.co Stadium, and while the team is still mathematically alive for the postseason, the home defeat made things even more of a longshot than they were. The Pride started slowly and were down 2-0 before Ally Lemos pulled one back in the first half. Orlando missed several scoring chances, and in the second half, Portland scored two goals to put the match away. Orlando will travel to the West Coast to take on Bay FC on Sunday.

OCB Falls to Atlanta United 2 on Decision Day

Orlando City B lost 4-2 to Atlanta United 2 on Decision Day Sunday at Osceola County Stadium, falling all the way to 10th and out of the playoff places. Atlanta struck first early before Issah Haruna tied it up for the Young Lions. However, Atlanta got an own goal when Tristan Himes punched a set piece deliver in off Harvey Sarajian to retake the lead, and Ignacio Saurez-Couri added another to make it 3-1. Justin Hylton scored for OCB to cut the deficit to one before halftime. In the second half, Dominik Chong-Qui scored the final goal to secure Atlanta’s win. For the Young Lions, the season ends in disappointment again, missing the MLS NEXT Pro postseason for the second straight season.

Free Kicks

  • Just two days after Gabi Nunes and the Orlando Pride mutually agreed to part ways on Wednesday, Nunes signed with Liga F side Atletico de Madrid Femenino on Friday.
  • New York City FC is reportedly signing defender Matt Miazga after he was waived by FC Cincinnati earlier this month.

🇺🇸 BREAKING: NYCFC set to sign center back Matt Miazga, per sources.- Miazga waived by FC Cincinnati earlier this month- Miazga, 31, is former MLS Defender of the Year. Boosts defensive options for NYCFC down the stretchwww.nytimes.com/athletic/760…

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-09-18T13:17:04.926Z

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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