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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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4 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

Lion Links: 9/2/26

Orlando Pride’s new direction, Orlando City power rankings, MLS NEXT Pro playoff changes, and more.

Published

16 hours ago

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September 2, 2026

By

Image of Wilder Cartagena playing the ball as Robin Jansson looks on.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s a little odd not having a midweek match this week, but given how congested the schedule is the rest of the month, we should probably enjoy it. Speaking of enjoying things, some have said that season 4 of Ted Lasso hasn’t been as good, but I think that each episode is better than the last. It can be tough to recapture the magic of a beloved show, but I think they’re doing it. Rant over. Let’s get to the links.

Thomas’ Tenure Begins

With the Orlando Pride parting ways with Seb Hines on Monday, Yolanda Thomas begins her stint as interim head coach. Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations & General Manager Caitlin Carducci said that the club believes the pieces are in place to win matches and make the playoffs, and that hopefully Thomas will be able to make that happen. As we said on SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast, that might be a pretty tall order. In the latest ESPN NWSL power rankings, the Pride have fallen to the 12th spot. To be fair, Hines started as an interim head coach as well, so Thomas should be given the opportunity to earn the permanent position. Her first opportunity to prove she has the right stuff comes Sunday against the Houston Dash in Orlando.

Orlando City Falls

Orlando City is on the edge of the playoffs sitting in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, but dropped to 19th in the MLSSoccer.com power rankings after dropping two points to Minnesota United FC in a match that almost saw them drop all three points. I think my feelings on power rankings are well known, but I think they may have gotten it correct this go-around.

MLS NEXT Pro Playoff Changes

With only three matches left until the playoffs begin, MLS NEXT Pro has updated the league’s playoff format for 2026 by adding a play-in round. The top seven teams from each conference on Decision Day will still make the playoffs. The 8th and 9th seeded teams will play for the final spot in the respective conference. The top four teams in each conference will still get to pick their opponent. As of today, the rule change puts Orlando City B one point out of the play-in round.

USWNT Soccer News

The 2027 Women’s World Cup is less than a year away, and while it’s likely that the USWNT will qualify, one shouldn’t take that for granted. Here is what Emma Hayes’ team will need to do to make it. The USWNT lost last time around but are the Yanks once again considered the favorite heading into 2027? We can also take a look at which players Hayes may call up for the World Cup are doing well and which are not. Speaking of call-ups, we now know which players U-17 Women’s National Team Head Coach Katie Schoepfer has chosen for the September training camp.

Free Kicks

  • Gotham has reportedly re-signed Rose Lavelle through 2029 using the High Impact Player rule that allows a team to spend up to $1 million in additional funds outside of the salary cap on a player.
  • The Portland Timbers are reportedly acquiring veteran center back Joel Waterman. Wait a minute. teams can add experienced center backs? Has anyone told Orlando City?

That will do it for today. Check back with The Mane Land as we get you ready for the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

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

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 3-3 road draw against Minnesota United?

Published

3 days ago

on

August 31, 2026

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Image of Antoine Griezmann against Minnesota United.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City took a 2-0 lead on the road at Minnesota only to squander it, falling behind 3-2 late in the match. A stoppage-time equalizer from Tyrese Spicer saved a point on the road as the match ended in a 3-3 draw. Goals from Daryl Dike, Antoine Griezmann, and Spicer were the story of the Orlando City attack, but the defense cost the Lions two points. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated in the draw against Minnesota United.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crepeau, 6.5 — Crepeau almost gave up an easy one early. He was slow and indecisive with Kelvin Yeboah closing him down and his clearance hit the Minnesota striker and went out for a goal kick, though it easily could have deflected in for a goal. He had a big double save in the 21st minute, the first of which he laid out to get his big paw on it, and followed that up with a deflection out for a corner kick. They were the type of saves we’re getting consistently from the Canadian since the World Cup. It wasn’t the last on the night either, as Crepeau made five official saves. He completed 66.7% of his passes including eight long balls.

D, Zakaria Taifi, 5 — Taifi is not a left back, but that is the position he finds himself in with injuries to Adrian Marin and Bernardo Rhein. Minnesota was able to create chances down his side, with the Loons’ opener starting with a switch of play in behind him as he was positioned centrally next to Robin Jansson, allowing acres of space in Minnesota’s right attacking corner. However, given it’s not his normal position I will give him a little grace. He still did some good things, though mostly in the attack. He completed 86.4% of his passes and recorded one tackle, one interception, and two clearances. I can’t fault his lack of effort. He made way for Martin Ojeda’s return in the 81st minute as Orlando City pushed for the equalizer.

D, Robin Jansson, 5 — It was not Jansson’s best night, though that could be said of the entire back line. He was caught out and beaten by the Minnesota offense a few times. He also made the bad pass that resulted in Minnesota’s third goal. It’s hard to feel good about his performance, given the number of goals given up. It wasn’t all bad, as he logged one interception and four clearances. He also completed 89.8% of his passes, including four long balls. He has been playing a lot of minutes, but I still expect more from the captain.

D, David Brekalo, 4.5 — Brekalo caused a little bit of consternation on the part of the Minnesota fans in the 62nd minute when he made a light two-handed shove into the back of Anthony Markanich, who went down a bit easily. There was rightly no call either way, and that may have been the best play he made. Then there were the two goals he was culpable on. He got beat by Marcus Caldeira on Minnesota’s goal in the 71st minute, and then on Markanich’s goal three minutes later. Brekalo recorded one tackle and 10 clearances, but he struggled in defending set pieces at times. His passing rate was decent at 85.7% but he didn’t connect on either of his two long balls.

D, Griffin Dorsey, 6 — Dorsey exhibited his speed and tenacity along the right side, getting into the attack again and again. Defensively, he did well most of the night, though he was part of the leaky Orlando back line. He finished with three tackles, an interception, seven clearances, and one blocked shot. His passing rate was a strong 90.9% and he completed his only long ball. His pass in from the right at the end line led to Dike’s opening goal, although he didn’t get credited for an assist because a defender touched the ball after the striker’s initial touch.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo was only officially dispossessed once, which for him isn’t too bad. There was one breakaway in which he did well to hold up play to allow help to arrive rather than giving the ball away as he usually does. He completed 88.5% of his passes without a key pass and was just one of four on long balls, adding five tackles and three interceptions. Despite the pass percentage, it felt like he had trouble connecting through the press. I felt this was a match where he didn’t do any damage either for or against Orlando City.

MF, Joran Gerbet, 6 — Gerbet had the same troubles as everyone else when it came to dealing with the early press from Minnesota. He contributed two tackles and one interception. He also had a time high 97.2% passing rate. He was better once Orlando City was able to get on the front foot. He was able to contribute without being booked, which is something for a defensive midfielder.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 6 — Atuesta had an average night, contributing on both sides of the ball. There were some good passes, though like nearly everyone he had trouble dealing with Minnesota’s press at times. He was able to complete 83.3% of his passes without a key pass and hit one of his two long balls. Defensively, he finished with two tackles, one interception, and three clearances. He made way in the 81st minute for Marco Pasalic to bolster the attack.

MF, Justin Ellis, 6.5 — Ellis once again had a good night without scoring a goal. He made numerous slick moves to get the ball past his opponents. His scoop pass on a give and go with Griezmann in the first half was just a little too far in front for the Frenchman to be able to get on the end of it. He managed two key passes including the assist on the give and go with Antoine Griezmann for the second goal. He was part of the buildup on the opening goal and completed 83.9% of his passes, committed one foul, and suffered one foul. He also made one clearance. He was subbed off for Tyrese Spicer in the 72nd minute.

F, Antoine Griezmann, 7.5 (MotM) — Griezmann is so good that I don’t think he had his best match and still he was involved in all three goals. There were times when his passing seemed a bit off, but in the end, the passes he connected on were more important. He kept the ball alive with an overhead kick to start the sequence that ended with Dike scoring the opener. He teamed up with Ellis on a long distance give and go to score Orlando City’s second goal on the night. Finally, he provided the long pass to Spicer for the equalizer in second half stoppage. He scored one goal on two shots, both of which were on target. He completed 84.8% of his passes including two key passes. He also committed two fouls earning a yellow card on one of them.

F, Daryl Dike, 7 — Dike got his first MLS goal since returning to Orlando City, scoing in the 28th minute. It was a very Dike type of goal. He used his body to hold off Michael Boxall, stayed on his feet through a three-way collision with Boxall and Drake Callender, turned, and shot at a very tight angle, but it was on target and with enough juice to find the back of the net. He also contributed on the defensive end a few minutes later, clearing a corner kick. He made the most of his one shot that was on target, recorded one clearance, and completed 57.9% of his 11 passes. He came off in the 59th minute for Harvey Sarajian.

Substitutes

F, Harvey Sarajian (59′), 6 — Sarajian came on for Dike in the 59th minute, though it’s hard to replace Orlando City’s big guy. Sarajian dispossessed Boxall to start the play that led to Griezmann’s goal and his run up the field occupied defenders, giving Ellis to make the pass and Griezmann to get in behind the back line. It was one of his best moments with the first team this season. He also won a free kick and drew a yellow card on Boxall in the 66th minute. Sarajian passed at an 88.9% rate and contributed one tackle.

MF, Luis Otavio (59′), 6 — Otavio came on for Gerbet, who is still working back from injury. He passed at an 84.6% rate, and contributed one tackle, one interception, and one clearance. He was solid if unspectacular, which isn’t bad for a teenager playing central midfield.

MF, Tyrese Spicer (72′), 7 — Super sub Spicer is back! Spicer did what Spicer does off the bench, which is spread the defense, create chances, and, more often than might be expected, scoring late goals. Spicer scored in the third minute of stoppage time to equalize for Orlando City after getting on a ridiculously amazing pass from Griezmann. He contributed an interception and passed at a 77.8% rate.

MF, Martin Ojeda (81′), N/A — Welcome back, Martin Ojeda. Orlando City’s No.10 got a run out at the end of the match while the Lions were chasing the game, coming on for Taifi. He managed one shot that was on target, though it went right to the keeper. He didn’t have enough time to truly impact the match, but I’m happy he got some minutes.

MF, Marco Pasalic (81′), N/A — Pasalic came on for Atuesta as the Lions chased the match. He committed a professional foul earning a yellow card. It was an obvious, if necessary, foul. Pasalic searched several times for a left-footed goal as he worked his way across the top of the box. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to make it happen, getting his one shot attempt partially blocked. He made one key pass but his overall success rate of 62.5% on eight attempts is less than stellar.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in the match. Let us know how you saw 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: 8/31/26

Lions draw Minnesota United, Pride fall to Utah Royals, OCB finally wins, and more.

Published

3 days ago

on

August 31, 2026

By

Image of Tyrese Spicer looking to cross the ball against New York.
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 covering high school football. Let’s wish a happy belated birthday to OCB forward Gustavo Caraballo, who turned 18 on Saturday, and Orlando Pride forward Julie Doyle, who turned 28 on Sunday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Draw at Minnesota United

Orlando City blew a two-goal lead late in the second half, fell behind on the road, and scored in stoppage time to draw Minnesota United 3-3 on Saturday at Allianz Field. Daryl Dike scored the opener in the first half. Antoine Griezmann doubled the lead in the second half on a nice transition opportunity. It looked like Orlando was going to win two games in a row, however, Minnesota scored three goals in four minutes to take a 3-2 lead. In stoppage time, Tyrese Spicer buried a late equalizer for the Lions to salvage a road draw. Orlando City will face San Diego FC at home on Saturday.

Pride Fall to Utah Royals at Home

The Orlando Pride fell 2-1 to the Utah Royals on Saturday at Inter.co Stadium after leading at the half. Barbra Banda put the Pride in front just before halftime. Utah equalized just minutes after the restart, and Paige Cronin added another for the Royals, who swept the season series. Orlando’s back line struggled in the second half as the club couldn’t hold on to the lead and slipped to 12th place in the NWSL table. The Pride will take on the Houston Dash at home on Sunday.

OCB Defeat Crown Legacy

Orlando City B defeated Crown Legacy FC 3-2 Sunday at Osceola County Stadium despite falling behind early. Crown Legacy struck first early in the first half, but Issah Haruna leveled the match for the Young Lions just before halftime. Matthew Belgodere and Gustavo Caraballo scored a few minutes apart to give OCB a 3-1 lead early in the second half. Crown Legacy pulled one back through an own goal by OCB midfielder Ignacio Gomez, but the Young Lions held on for the three points and snapped a five-match losing streak. OCB will be on the road for its next match on Friday, taking on Inter Miami II.

Latest MLS Transfer Roundup

The New England Revolution are reportedly finalizing a deal to sign Daniel Gazdag from the Columbus Crew.

St. Louis City is reportedly close to acquiring forward Rafael Navarro from the Colorado Rapids for a record transfer fee. The New York Red Bulls are close to finalizing a deal with D.C. United to bring back midfielder Caden Clark.

🇺🇸 Sources: Red Bull New York finalizing a deal to acquire midfielder Caden Clark from D.C. United.Clark, 23, broke through with RBNY before moving to RB Leipzig when he was a teenager. Back at the club he started at after time with Montréal and D.C. United in MLS.

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-08-29T01:11:02.441Z

EFL Championship side Stoke City has reportedly reached an agreement with San Diego FC to acquire left back Luca Bombino.

🇺🇸🔴 BREAKING: Stoke City has agreed to a deal to sign USYNT left back Luca Bombino from San Diego FC, per sources.Fee is north of $5m.Bombino, 20, made 56 apps the last season and a half for San Diego. Off to England now.www.nytimes.com/athletic/liv…

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-08-28T17:25:32.374Z

Lastly, Portland Timbers forward Kevin Kelsy has traveled to Europe to undergo a medical and seal his transfer to Rangers in the Scottish Premiership.

Free Kicks

  • The Lions had fun at the Minnesota Vikings’ training facility before Saturday’s match, where Griezmann showed off his passing game playing quarterback.
  • FK Zalgiris, a Lithuanian women’s first-division club, has reportedly invited Jason Sudeikis, who plays Ted Lasso in the hit Apple TV show, to coach its women’s team in a real game to help bring global attention to the club.

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

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