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Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Player Grades and Man of the Match

Here’s how your favorite Lions performed in Orlando City’s 4-3 road win at Miami.

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3 months ago

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

Tropic Thunder was everything we hoped it would be and more on Saturday night, as Orlando City reminded the soccer world that Florida is purple with a 4-3 comeback victory in Nu Stadium, the house that Lionel Messi built but has yet to win in. The first 30 minutes were rough for the Lions, but the last 60 were as enjoyable as any stretch this season, and Orlando City picked up its third victory of the MLS season and its first on the road.

I have my purple pen out and am ready to issue some grades, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their matchup with their downstate rival.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crépeau, 8 — Wow. Orlando City fans will revel in the glory of the second half, but the game would have been out of reach for the Lions if not for the Canadian’s heroics in the first half. Crépeau was officially credited with seven saves, but it felt like a dozen, especially in the opening minutes of the game when the Lions were under siege from Miami. At one point Crépeau made four saves on the same possession, looking more like an octopus than Pedro Gallese, as he seemed to have arms everywhere making saves. While he gave up three goals, it’s hard to fault him for them as one was a free header on a set piece, one was a point-blank redirect, and the other was perfectly placed by Messi. However, it is easy to give Crepeau the plaudits he deserves for keeping Miami to three, which allowed Orlando City to stay in the game and make the incredible comeback that it did. On any other day he almost certainly would have been the Man of the Match, but unfortunately for Crépeau, his teammate had a hat trick.

D, Adrián Marin, 6.5 — The Spaniard did not go forward often in this game, but he did midway through the second half and it led directly to Orlando City’s second goal. Marin juked his way up into the 18 and squared a pass to Martín Ojeda to cut the lead to 3-2 and earn himself his second assist for the season. Marin completed 73.3% of his passes, including the one key pass for his assist, and added one tackle, one block, and one clearance on the defensive side of the ball before coming off for David Brekalo in the game’s final minutes.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Jansson perhaps was inspired by fellow Inter&Co Stadium tenants the Orlando Storm, as after he was dispossessed while dribbling forward, he had to turn and and chase down Messi from behind and eventually tackled him like an American football player. Being that it was Messi in Miami, he was lucky he was not immediately suspended for the rest of the season and only received a yellow card. Perhaps the edge of playing with a yellow card sharpened his focus, because after that play Jansson was solid for the rest of the game. He led all players with nine defensive contributions, racking up three tackles, two interceptions, and four clearances, and he picked up a hockey assist with his header to Justin Ellis that led to Orlando City’s first goal. The Beefy Swede only completed 66.7% of his passes, but his assist was a big one, and he led the defense that clamped Miami down for the final 55 minutes.

D, Iago, 6 — The big man had a rough first half but was much better in the second, and showed once again how dangerous he is in the attack by winning the penalty kick that tied the game at 3-3. Just minutes before he played a great header back into the middle off of a free kick, though it turned out that he had been just inches offside when the ball was played. Iago seems completely settled now alongside Jansson, and though he still makes youthful mistakes, like the foul he committed right after Tyrese Spicer’s goal to give Messi a late free kick from a dangerous position, the positives outweighed the negatives for the Brazilian. He completed 73.3% of his passes, including a pass that started the sequence which gave Orlando City the lead, but more importantly, he finished with one interception, two blocked shots, three clearances, and four duels won.

D, Griffin Dorsey, 6 — Dorsey followed up his excellent U.S. Open Cup performance with another strong game on the right side. His heatmap was bright up the entire right side of the field, as he defended all the way down to his own goal line and then made several strong runs all the way up toward Miami’s goal line as well. Early in the game he made a great run up the right side but elected to keep the ball himself instead of finding an open Martin Ojeda at the top of the box, but after that play, he was unselfish for the rest of the game, looking for teammates on crosses or cutbacks. He completed 68% of his passes and also one nose-to-nose confrontation with Miami’s Telasco Segovia late in the game when both players stood almost directly at midfield and looked like Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots ready to throw down after bumping each other for much of the second half. Dorsey turned in a strong defensive game, with two tackles, one interception, and a game-high five clearances, and though he turned the ball over a little more than desired (13 possessions lost) he played a solid game out on the right side of Orlando’s flexible modified 4-4-2.

MF, Iván Angulo, 6.5 — The Colombian was not at his best, or even his normal, self in the first half, but like so many of his teammates, he was much better in the second half. Angulo completed 92.7% of his passes, including a team-high three key passes, but he started off ice cold and it was his poor pass that led directly to Miami’s second goal. After that play, he started to play a lot better, especially defensively, where he led all players with four tackles and tied for the game lead with 10 loose ball recoveries. Angulo’s speed was devastating on those recoveries, as he beat Miami players to the ball time after time to help frustrate its attacks. The last recovery helped run out the clock for Orlando City, as he won the ball and dribbled it about 60 yards up the field, leaving almost no time on the clock for Miami to try to get the equalizer. Absent the opening 20-25 minutes, Angulo was solid in this one and deserves credit for tracking back again and again to help hold Messi off from creating much of anything during the second half.

MF, Luis Otávio, 4.5 — The young Brazilian showed some feistiness in trying to get physical with Messi throughout the first half, but César Araújo he was not as Messi got the better of Otávio with his dribbling and passing. This is not something to be ashamed of, considering Messi’s abilities, but it was not a big surprise that there was a switch at halftime and Eduard Atuesta came on to replace Otávio. While he was on the field, he completed 86.7% of his passes, but he was far more involved on the defensive side of the field, making three tackles and adding two clearances, though he also was dribbled past three times.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 7 — Orlando City’s Iron Man went another full 90 on Saturday night, continuing his streak of playing every minute of every MLS game. Defensive Ojeda was on his game, contributing three tackles, one interception, one block, and one clearance, and he tied Angulo for the most loose-ball recoveries with 10. The Paraguayan also led the team with 39 completed passes at a 95.1% completion rate, and he assisted on the game-winning goal, hitting a long pass on the ground that put Spicer in on goal and the Orlando fans in Nu Stadium into delirium. On the whole, it was one of Braian Ojeda’s best performances in an Orlando City jersey, which rhymed nicely with the performance from Martín Ojeda, who also had one of his best games as well.

MF, Tiago, 4.5 — The fact that Tiago had more tackles (2) than completed passes (1) says everything about the Brazilian’s contribution to this game. He only had 11 touches and five pass attempts and was involved more on defense than offense during his 45 minutes. Miami dominated the ball, so perhaps it was a bit unfair that Tiago was removed at halftime for Spicer, as there was little that he could have done offensively with so few touches and very little service. But given Spicer’s impact on the game, it’s difficult to argue with the decision, too.

F, Martín Ojeda, 9 (MotM) — It was a big day for both of Orlando City’s Ojedas, but in particular for the man they call Tincho, who scored a hat trick to dig Orlando City out of a 3-0 deficit. Messi played well, but his fellow Argentine No. 10 played better, with two rockets during open play and an unstoppable penalty kick goal as well. After a slow start, Offensive Ojeda now has seven goals on the season and joins Cyle Larin as the only two Orlando City players with multiple hat tricks. I am not going to say should, but Ojeda could have become the first Lion to ever score four goals in a game as he had a great chance after cutting the ball back past Maxi Falcón, but his shot just was not quite high enough and bounced off of Dayne St. Clair’s head. Ojeda was outstanding in this game and was the Man of the Match, completing 74.1% of his passes, including two key passes, scoring the three goals, and hustling to block one shot on defense.

F, Justin Ellis, 6.5 — Orlando City’s academy product had a goal contribution in his fourth consecutive game, as he assisted Martin Ojeda with his goal near the end of the first half. Ellis looked competent and comfortable with the starters and put in a solid shift during his 59 minutes. Orlando City did not have much of the ball, especially in the first half, but the Lions looked dangerous when Ellis was involved in the buildup. He completed 90% of his passes and put his one shot on target, but his big contribution was the assist to Ojeda before he came off for Duncan McGuire for the final third of the game.

Substitutes

MF, Eduard Atuesta, (46′), 6 — Saturday night was by far Atuesta’s best performance of the season, as his arrival in the midfield turned the game around for Orlando City. The Colombian only played 45 minutes but had the second-most defensive contributions, tallying three tackles, two interceptions, one block, and two clearances. Orlando struggled to hold the midfield in the first half but Atuesta and Braian Ojeda locked it down in the second half, changing the flow of the game. Atuesta completed 82.3% of his passes and probably should have had an assist after a deft touch set up Martín Ojeda for a shot, but Ojeda took an extra touch and was unable to put the shot away. Hopefully his health continues to improve and he can extend his minutes to even longer than 45 by next week, as the Lions could use more performances like that in their central midfield.

F, Tyrese Spicer, (46′), 6.5 — Spicer sealed the game with an incredible stoppage time winner, going five-hole to score Orlando City’s fourth goal. Orlando played much better after he entered the game as he contributed on offense and defense, completing six of his seven passes and defending well with two tackles, one block, and two loose-ball recoveries. The big moment was the final one though, as he timed his run perfectly onto Braian Ojeda’s through ball and took it directly to goal before putting the winner past St. Clair.

F, Duncan McGuire, (59′), 6 — Big Dunc made his first appearance after being injured for a few weeks and looked lively, though a little rusty. He put his one shot on target — an ambitious effort to sneak a shot in at the near post — and he looked fully healthy and raring to go during his 31 minutes. He completed six of his eight passes and picked up a secondary assist on the game-winning goal due to hustling to receive a pass from Iago and dropping it back to Braian Ojeda. With three games in a week starting next Saturday, it will be huge for the Lions to have him back on the field.

D, David Brekalo, (87′), N/A — The Slovenian came on for Marin with a few minutes remaining and completed two of his three passes and won his only aerial duel.

MF, Zakaria Taifi (90′), N/A — Taifi entered in stoppage time for Martín Ojeda and did not touch the ball, but he ran his tail off during his few minutes on the field.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s amazing 4-3 win over Miami. 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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