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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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3 months ago

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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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Lion Links: 7/20/26

Pride fall to Utah Royals, OCB draws Chattanooga FC, Orlando City signs Clovis Archange, and more.

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1 hour ago

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July 20, 2026

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Image of Pedro Leao taking a penalty against Carolina Core FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at work, but I checked out a Noah Kahan concert and watched the World Cup final while catching up with friends over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando Pride Fall at Utah Royals

The Orlando Pride fell 1-0 to the Utah Royals at America First Field Saturday night. Narumi Miura scored the lone goal for Utah to secure the win, while the Pride have lost back-to-back matches after losing to Boston Legacy Wednesday. That result also dropped Orlando below the playoff line, as the club sits ninth in the NWSL table with 20 points. The Pride will return home for their next match against the Chicago Stars Friday at Inter&Co Stadium.

OCB Wins Penalty Shootout After 1-1 Draw vs. Chattanooga FC

Orlando City B drew Chattanooga FC 1-1 on the road at Finley Stadium Saturday. Pedro Leao scored the opener for the Young Lions in the first half. However, in the second half, Chattanooga FC scored the equalizer. The Young Lions won the penalty shootout 4-3 to earn a second point. OCB will be back in action at home Sunday, facing Huntsville City FC at Osceola County Stadium.

Orlando City Signs Clovis Archange to Homegrown Player Contract

Orlando City announced Friday that the club has signed defender Clovis Archange to a Homegrown Player contract with the first team. The deal is a three-year contract lasting through the 2027 calendar year, with club options in 2028 and 2029. Archange has made six appearances across all competitions for OCB during the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro season.

Latest MLS Transfer Roundup

According to Tom Bogert of The Athletic, there is no movement on the rumored Orlando City forward Marco Pasalic’s potential transfer to Hull City, but the English Premier League side has reportedly inquired about a loan deal.

The Columbus Crew have signed former Manchester United and Real Oviedo center back Eric Bailly. The contract runs through June 2027, with club options for the 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 seasons. Liga MX side CF Monterrey is reportedly finalizing a deal to sign Chicago Fire forward Hugo Cuypers.

LAFC has reportedly reached an agreement with Hammarby on a transfer fee to move midfielder Amin Boudri to the Swedish club. Lastly, San Diego FC is reportedly finalizing a deal to sign winger Elias Achouri from FC Copenhagen.

🇹🇳 Sources: San Diego FC is finalizing a deal to sign Tunisia int'l winger Elias Achouri from FC Copenhagen.Achouri, 27, joins San Diego as a Designated Player. He had 5g/7a in 2,368 mins (37 apps) last year & played in all 3 games for Tunisia at the World Cup

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-18T16:37:04.314Z

Spain Wins World Cup

Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, Sunday to win the World Cup for the second time since 2010. Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez was sent off in stoppage time after committing a foul on Spain defender Pau Cubarsi. The match went to extra time, and Ferran Torres scored the winning goal for Spain in the 106th minute. Argentina was unable to find a late equalizer to send the match to penalties. Argentina was looking to repeat as champions but had only two shots in the game (both in extra time) and failed to record a shot on goal. As for the FIFA World Cup awards, Spain midfielder Rodri took the Best Player Award, while France striker Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot Award with 10 goals, the Golden Glove Award went to Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon, and Cubarsi won the Young Player Award.

Free Kicks

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

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Orlando City

Daryl Dike Returns to Orlando City, Signs Deal Through 2027

Daryl Dike is back with the Lions after being out of contract with West Bromwich Albion.

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3 days ago

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July 17, 2026

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Image of Daryl Dike posing in his Orlando City kit after re-signing with the club on July 17, 2026.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Striker Daryl Dike has returned to the club that gave him his professional start. Orlando City announced today that it has signed Dike as a free agent through the 2027 MLS “sprint season” with an option for 2027-2028. The club also had to send $75,000 in 2027 General Allocation Money (GAM) to the Seattle Sounders in exchange for Dike’s Discovery Priority and could owe the Western Conference side another $75,000 in GAM if Dike meets undisclosed performance metrics.

The signing gives Dike a new start after an injury-plagued career at West Bromwich Albion.

“Daryl is a player our club and our fans know well, and we’re very excited to welcome him back to Orlando,” Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “He brings a powerful combination of strength, speed, and physical presence, and his ability to hold up play, bring teammates into the attack, and finish chances gives us another important option up front. Daryl has already shown what he can do in our league and in this city, and we look forward to helping him make an impact again in purple.” 

Dike, who will wear No. 9 for the Lions, returns nearly five years since Orlando City sold him to West Brom on Jan. 3, 2022, for a fee reported by The Athletic to be around $10 million.

The Edmond, OK native was Orlando City’s first-round selection with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. As a rookie, he started to see minutes on the pitch during the MLS is Back Tournament, making his professional debut against the Montreal Impact in the competition’s round of 16. From there, the striker out of the University of Virginia blossomed, playing in 35 regular-season matches with Orlando, including 30 starts, for a total of 2,547 minutes. He contributed 18 goals and seven assists on 63 shots, getting 27 on target. He passed well (71.1% in 2020 and 72.1% in 2021), providing 14 key passes. Dike drew 71 fouls while committing 40 and was never booked during the regular season in his time in MLS.

He also played in all three of Orlando City’s playoff games during his first stint with the club, starting all three and scoring one goal on five total shots (two on target). He suffered seven fouls and committed four, and picked up one yellow card in the 2020 postseason.

Following his rookie season, Dike went on loan to Barnsley, where he scored nine goals in 22 matches from February to May of 2021.

Dike’s play with the Lions in his first two professional seasons quickly put him on the USMNT radar and before he was sold to West Brom he made eight appearances and scored three goals for the United States at the senior level. He has added two more caps since for a total of 10.

After his sale to West Brom in the EFL Championship, Dike struggled to stay on the pitch, dealing with Achilles injuries that kept him off the pitch for long stretches. Dike managed to score 11 goals in 68 matches when healthy. He scored twice and added an assist in 24 matches in 2025-2026, starting six times, as he was finally able to get a stretch of games in.

“I’m thrilled to be back where it all started,” Dike said in the club’s press release. “Orlando is where I first got the opportunity to play professionally, and returning here feels like coming home. From the moment I arrived the first time, I felt welcomed, and that same feeling has only grown since I’ve come back. Everyone has been incredibly supportive, and I’m grateful to be back in Orlando.” 

What It Means for Orlando City

Dike fills a hole vacated by the trade of Duncan McGuire to the Houston Dynamo a week ago. It will be interesting to see where his salary slots in when the MLS Players’ Association reveals its next salary information. McGuire, who had his own injury struggles in recent years, made a base salary of $600,000 and a total guaranteed annual compensation of over $920,000.

The hope will be that Dike can both stay healthy and contribute at a higher level than McGuire was prior to his trade to Houston. The new scenery may do McGuire good and a return to familiar surroundings may similarly help Dike regain his footing. At just 26 years old, Dike is still in his prime years and there are plenty of miles left in Dike’s legs if he can stay on the pitch. Fans will remember how he tossed center backs around like rag dolls during his two previous seasons in Orlando. That kind of physicality will open a lot of room underneath for Antoine Griezmann and Martin Ojeda.

With just a year and a half on the base deal, this is a low-risk and potentially very high-reward signing for the Lions.

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Flashback Friday: July 15, 2023 at Atlanta United

Let’s rewind to a tense battle up in Atlanta that took place a little over three years ago.

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3 days ago

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July 17, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Well everyone, Major League Soccer is officially back. The league returned from its summer hiatus with three games Thursday night (four were scheduled but air quality from the Canadian wildfires caused Chicago vs. Vancouver to be postponed), and two more games are set to be played later today. Orlando City won’t take the field until Wednesday night against the San Jose Earthquakes though, so that means we have time for one more trip down memory lane. Last week, we went four years into the past and reminisced on a weird 1-0 win over Inter Miami that came courtesy of a Damion Lowe own goal. Today, we go back to mid-July 2023 and a road trip against Atlanta United.

Orlando had been in mostly good form heading into the team’s trip up I-75 to take on the Five Stripes but had hit a sizable bump in the road in the previous match in the form of a 4-0 hammering out west against Real Salt Lake. Oscar Pareja went to his usual 4-2-3-1 in an effort to get back to winning ways, with Pedro Gallese in goal; Rafael Santos, Antonio Carlos, Robin Jansson, and Kyle Smith at the back; Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena at the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres in attacking midfield, and Duncan McGuire leading the line.

The Lions seemed determined to put the previous game’s woes behind them and fashioned a chance with not even a minute played. McGuire played a slick pass behind the defense for Pereyra, but a poor first touch let him down and Brad Guzan came off his line well to save from point-blank range. Torres, McGuire, and Araujo then tried shots in the fifth, sixth, and eighth minutes, respectively, but none of them troubled Atlanta’s goalkeeper.

Orlando then took its foot off the gas a bit after trying to come out of the gates and overwhelm the hosts, but some self-inflicted errors gave the Five Stripes some life and eventually led to them opening the scoring. The Lions took a poor throw-in during the 22nd minute which turned the ball over deep in their own defensive third. Miguel Berry drew four OCSC players to him before flicking a ball over the top for Machop Chol. Carlos saved Chol’s deflected shot off the line but Caleb Wiley was first to the loose ball and did well to lift his shot into the net over a recovering Gallese.

Fortunately, the good guys were able to find a quick response. Orlando had a dangerous free kick just three minutes after conceding, and Pereyra curled in a dangerous ball toward the penalty spot. Carlos rose highest and powered a vicious header into the far corner with Guzan left helpless.

Leveling the game gave Orlando a needed injection of belief. McGuire tried his luck at catching Guzan off his line in the 35th minute, and Angulo put a powerful shot just outside the post two minutes later. Smith even had a pop from distance in the 42nd minute, but it went high and that was the last meaningful action of the half.

Atlanta ended the opening 45 minutes with more of the ball (52.1%-47.9%) and more corners (2-0), while OCSC took more shots (7-5) put more shots on target (3-2), and passed more accurately (81.3%-78.2%).

The two teams traded chances after a slow start to the second half, with a deflected ball trickling just wide of the Atlanta net in the 51st minute, before Santiago Sosa put a ball onto the roof of Gallese’s goal four minutes later.

Orlando then went ahead in the 60th minute. Pereyra split Atlanta’s center backs with a great ball for McGuire, who held off Luis Abram’s recovery efforts, and put a low shot past Guzan and into the side netting.

The good guys really should have bagged an insurance goal in the 68th minute, but Ramiro Enrique’s diving header went off the post and out after a great cross from Torres. Pareja then switched to five at the back to try to see out the game, and Atlanta managed to generate some chances. Thiago Almada and Matheus Rossetto had chances in the 88th and 90th minutes, but nothing came of them. The most dangerous moment occurred deep in stoppage time. Atlanta had a dangerous free kick in the 98th minute, and Almada sent a wicked-looking effort on net, but Gallese got over well and put two strong hands on it to parry away.

Atlanta took the resulting corner, but the Lions cleared successfully and the final whistle blew to give the visitors a 2-1 win and all three points.

Atlanta finished with more possession (59.2%-40.8%), corners (7-1), and shot attempts (17-10), but each side put four shots on target. The hosts were also more accurate when it came to passing the ball (84%-76.3%).

Marcus Mitchell was on Player Grades for this one, and he gave Carlos the Man of the Match nod with a grade of 7.5 out of 10. Other high scorers on the evening were Pereyra and McGuire, who each earned grades of 7 out of 10.

Here’s hoping the Lions can pick up some road points in a similar fashion when they return to play next Wednesday. Vamos Orlando!

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