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Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Player Grades and Man of the Match

Here’s how your favorite Lions performed in Orlando City’s 3-2 road loss to D.C. United.

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3 months ago

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Image of Ivan Angulo playing against D.C. United.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The Lions gave away an early opening goal, stormed back in the second half to take the lead, and then gave the game away in the last few minutes in a 3-2 road loss Saturday night at D.C. United. Once again, Orlando City led possession, keeping the ball 58.1% of the time to D.C.’s 41.9%, but it wasn’t enough to put a result on the board. Martin Perelman chose to roll out a repeat of Wednesday’s lineup, but the lack of focus cost the Lions at the end.

How did each player perform? Let’s dive in on how Orlando City’s players rated individually in a matchup with Houston.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crépeau, 5.5 — Three goals allowed is never a good night for a goalkeeper, but it’s hard to fault him for any of them. He couldn’t really pick up the ball until it was on the way for the first one and it was perfectly placed, the second was a deflection, and he had no chance on the third with how it came in from point-blank range. You want to see an experienced goalkeeper prevent one of those, but he also had three others that he had to work to save. He finished with 82% passing (but 0-for-3 on long balls) and three saves, but the team needed a moment of brilliance that never came from him to preserve a result.

D, Adrian Marin, 5.5 — Marin was mostly responsible for the opening goal as he tried to hand off Jackson Hopkins to Robin Jansson but left Hopkins too much room. He also gave away an attack in the 19th minute by trying to head the ball on a promising switch instead of controlling it. Regularly, he was beaten down his side, leading to dangerous crosses or shots. In one moment of light, his through ball in the 67th minute opened up Tyrese Spicer for a goal from a bad angle. If we add one assist to being responsible for the first goal, those wash at best, and we’re left with the rest of the game, which wasn’t notable. Marin finished with two tackles, one block, an assist, and 84% passing for the night.

D, Robin Jansson, 5.5 — Jansson wasn’t able to react to Hopkins in time to close him down for the opening goal. Other than that, Jansson wasn’t asked to emergency defend as much this game, but three goals went in, so no one gets any kudos on the defense for this match. Jansson was accurate as usual with his passing at 94% but only contributed one block and no tackles. He’s also credited with a secondary assist on the Spicer goal, but it wasn’t a particularly insightful pass.

D, Iago, 5.5 — Iago picked up a yellow card in the fourth minute for a professional foul breaking up an attack, which is a rough way for a central defender to live for the rest of the game. He was a little slow reacting to Louis Munteanu’s run in the 80th, allowing the forward a crack at goal that went just wide. Iago is going to grow into a problem for opposing set-piece defenses as he gets more experience, because he’s definitely able to use his big frame to work his way open on corners. He’ll need to be more clinical with them though. Iago finished with one block, two tackles, a 92% passing rate, and, oddly, five touches in the opposition box — the most on the team.

D, Zakaria Taifi, 5 — The most I can say about Taifi is that he was subbed out at halftime for Griffin Dorsey. D.C. United tested him regularly in the first half and, while he didn’t fail the test, at best he gets a “present” grade. He’s been inconsistent at right back, which is not unusual for a younger player, but seeing Dorsey come in for the second half was a relief. Taifi finished with a 70.6% passing rate and one tackle.

MF, Tiago, 5.5 — It wasn’t Tiago’s night, and he made a quick exit in the 61st minute, giving way for Spicer. Tiago turned the ball over in the 27th minute in the defensive third, leading to a promising attack by Munteanu that he didn’t get enough on to worry Crepeau. The Brazilian also dribbled himself into trouble in the 33rd on a promising break and turned it over. He never found himself in a place to put any pressure on D.C. He found himself with no shots, only two touches in the box, two tackles, and an 88% passing percentage.

MF, Luis Otavio, 5.5 — The most excitement Otavio brought to the game was in the 74th minute with a two-footed tackle that almost brought out a red card. He later had another two-footed tackle but got the ball cleanly. He’s going to need better form or he will start seeing red cards. His deflection on the second goal wasn’t really his fault, as he was trying to close down an open Munteanu and block the shot. He made way for Wilder Cartagena in the 88th minute and finished with two tackles and 83% passing accuracy.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 5.5 — Braian was not as visible as he has been the past couple of games. He’s usually breaking up plays and coordinating through the midfield, but it just wasn’t as apparent in this game. Ojeda was pulled out of position in the 27th minute, allowing Munteanu an open crack at goal that Crepeau had to parry away. For D.C.’s second goal in the 84th minute, he let Munteanu get space, which caused Otavio to scramble to try to block it. The deflection by Otavio fooled Crepeau enough to allow the ball into the net. As befits a mostly invisible performance, he passed at an 88% rate and logged one tackle and two interceptions.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Hermann Hesse in Steppenwolf (the book, not the band) said “There is in every one of us…a terrible inner duality, a battle between the angel and the devil.” Thus is the situation with Angulo almost every game. He will make intelligent passes and runs with his hustle, opening up a defense like a surgeon, and then have a heavy touch here or a sloppy tackle there to cause problems for his own team. His skill opened up the D.C. defense for Justin Ellis’ goal in the 57th minute. Digging into the numbers, Angulo finished with 78% passing, one tackle, and two interceptions. The box score doesn’t credit him with an assist on the Ellis goal, but that goal doesn’t happen without his involvement, as he made a great move to get to the end line and sent the ball across for Dorsey to head on goal. Sean Johnson’s save rebounded to Ellis for the finish. On the other side, while we don’t have giveaway stats, he was dispossessed once and was only successful on two of his four attempted dribbles.

F, Justin Ellis, 6.5 (MotM) — Ellis is starting to grow more comfortable in MLS and we’re seeing some hold-up play abilities in only a six-foot frame, which brings something that is missing when Duncan McGuire isn’t on the field. He also has some poacher instincts, finding spaces to pounce on the ball. He kept himself onside and was able to hold off the defender to control the rebound off Dorsey’s header and score his first MLS goal in the 56th minute, tying the game at the time. He tested Johnson in the 78th with a near-post blazer that he created with his own pace and hustle. A forward doesn’t show up on the stat sheet as much as other players — you want them to show up on the score sheet — but Ellis finished with one goal, 68% passing, and three shots on target.

F, Martín Ojeda, 5.5 — This may have been a game to get Ojeda a rest as he was loose with the ball most of the game and didn’t have his normal impact. He turned the ball over in the 80th with a switch that led to a great shot by Munteanu that he squeezed just wide. It was the best pass of the night for Ojeda, just to the wrong team. He finished with 82% passing and one shot (off target), which is a small stat line for someone who usually drives the attack. He scored a goal that would have made it 3-1, but an offside in the buildup was called.

Substitutes

MF, Griffin Dorsey, (46′), 5.5 — Dorsey came in at the halftime break for Taifi and, not five minutes later, dribbled his way through the defense to create an opening and earn a corner. He got caught up too high on the field in the 55th minute, allowing D.C. a break in the gap left by him, but it didn’t lead to a goal. It was Dorsey’s header in the 56ht minute that Sean Johnson saved but to Ellis for the first goal. Unfortunately, on the other side, it was Dorsey’s mark, Kye Rowles, that found space in the 90th to head home the winning goal. Dorsey let him get ball-side and Rowles headed in the winner. The veteran fullback gets a significant downgrade for that mistake but otherwise had a positive impact on the game. He finished with one shot and two tackles to go with 73% passing.

MF, Tyrese Spicer, (61′), 5.5 — Spicer brought his pace in for Tiago. His impact was immediate. He kept himself onside and sent a rocket to the far post for Orlando City’s second goal in the 67th minute and, just two minutes later, carved D.C. open again, eventually leading to Martin Ojeda’s goal that was called back for Spicer not quite staying onside. He burned the D.C. defense and delivered a cross to Ellis’ head for an open attempt in the 74th. It was a Man of the Match performance in just 30+ minutes until the very end. A D.C. corner went to the far post and Spicer was too passive in trying to flick it over his head to clear. It ended up bouncing off Jacob Murell right to Rowles, who finished off the winning goal. Spicer ended up with one goal, one tackle, and a paltry 33% passing.

D, Tahir Reid-Brown (82′), N/A — Reid-Brown came in for Ellis to add more defense and preserve the lead. He had one instance in the 89th minute where he was 15 yards behind the play when D.C. intercepted a pass but was able to hustle back and break up a cross. That recovery was the only significant stat on his sheet. He didn’t have any of the bad plays we sometimes see from him, but he was only on the field for 18 minutes — not enough to earn a grade — and he made a couple of late mistakes that led to promising attacks fizzling.

MF, Wilder Cartagena (88′), N/A — It was good to see Cartagena back on the field and working his way back to game fitness as the schedule is packed over the next week. Cartagena picked up a yellow card for a high tackle in the eighth minute of added time. Cartagena wasn’t on the field long enough to earn a grade but contributed one tackle and 9-for-12 passing in just 10 minutes. But it’s good that he doesn’t get a grade, because he looked a step slow for the duration he was on the pitch, and it was his unforced turnover via errant pass that turned into the corner kick on which D.C. scored the winning goal. It’ll be interesting to see if Perelman uses him as a starter for the upcoming U.S. Open Cup game mid-week against New England.

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: 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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