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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 4-3 home win against Philadelphia Union

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2 months ago

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Image of Justin Ellis dribbling the ball trying to beat a Philadelphia Union defender.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

It took all they, had but the Lions got it done after giving up a 3-1 lead, letting Philadelphia come back to tie it up at 3-3, before Martin Ojeda finally put the game away in the 90th minute in a 4-3 home win over the Union. The Orlando offense continues to be a threat, but the defense will need much more bite if the Lions want to have any chance to compete for a playoff spot this year.

Let’s take a look at how the Orlando City players performed individually in this match.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crepeau, 6.5 — The Canadian goalkeeper had another good night for the Lions, helping keep Orlando’s defensive lapses from costing the team points. The Lions gave too much space to Philadelphia’s attacking players in the second half, and failed to track runners into the box. Crepeau did a good job of dealing with what came at him, making four saves, but he was not really at fault for Philadelphia’s goals. He did a decent job on his distribution with 77.3% passing accuracy on 22 attempts, although you wouldn’t know it by completed long balls, as he failed to connect on any of his five attempts. But that had more to do with Philadelphia winning aerial duels than his accuracy. Overall, it was another good night for Crepeau, who made his best of his four saves in the 57th minute, denying a header by Olwethu Makhanya.

D, David Brekalo, 5.5 — Brekalo didn’t make any really glaring mistakes but he could have done better on Philadelphia’s first goal. He shadowed Nathan Harriel as he approached the endline to send in a cutback, but he could have done more to impede his progress into the box and cut off the pass. He was not quite as involved as his other defensive partners either, finishing with one tackle and five clearances. He committed no fouls and was fouled twice himself. His passing accuracy was good at 91.1% on 45 passes. He was subbed off in the 64th minute, so he was not involved with the other Union goals.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Jansson did Jansson things all night. He connected on one really well weighted long ball, out of his three long ball attempts, sending Griffin Dorsey in on goal. He had another beauty of a pass to Martin Ojeda in midfield that was clever, but neither pass produced any end product after connecting. He logged one interception, eight clearances, and two blocks. He was involved in the run of play, making the most passes on the team, with 88, and connected with 93.2% accuracy. He committed no fouls, nor was he fouled.

D, Iago, 6 — Iago was a stable presence and made no major gaffes. He was a competent companion to Jansson and wasn’t directly responsible for any of Philadelphia’s goals. All in all, it was a decent showing on a night where the team gave up three goals. He attempted 82 passes with 95.1% accuracy. He connected on one out of four long balls. Like Jansson, he tallied one interception, eight clearances, and two blocks. He didn’t commit or receive any fouls.

D, Griffin Dorsey, 7 — Griffin had a great night offensively. He scored Orlando’s second goal and made several threatening attacks down his side of the pitch. He passed at 91.7% accuracy on 24 attempts, including one key pass, and he made one long ball attempt that did not connect. He finished with two tackles, one interception, one clearance and a blocked shot. He did not commit, nor did he receive a foul. He was effective in defense overall, but he could have done better to close down Ben Bender on the third Union goal, which took a slight deflection off of him and ended up out of Crepeau’s reach.

MF, Ivan Angulo , 7 — Angulo was his usual, speedy, hard-working self. He was everywhere and broke free to spark Orlando attacks frequently. Of course, he helped out in defense as well, contributing two tackles, one interception and a clearance. He committed three fouls and suffered one. He made one key pass, took a shot he put on target (Yay!), but it was a weak effort straight at the goalkeeper. He also failed to get onto a floating pass in front of an empty net that Martin Ojeda set up for him to finish. Angulo made up for that by picking up a secondary assist on the Argentinian Ojeda’s game-winning goal. The Colombian passed with an 87.5% success rate on 32 tries.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 6.5 — This was one of Atuesta’s better performances this season. It wasn’t spectacular, but he seemed a little more proactive and stable this time out. He did not make any offensive contributions, but he racked up two tackles, one interception, three clearances, and a blocked shot. He committed one foul, and he made 44 passes with 87.8% accuracy. He made five long-ball attempts and connected on one.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 6.5 — The Paraguayan Ojeda put in a good shift overall, although I think he was mostly at fault, along with Dorsey, for being too slow to close down Bender on the Union’s third goal. Otherwise, he did pretty well in helping out the offense, contributing a key pass, passing with 87.8% accuracy on 41 attempts, and connecting on his two long ball attempts. He committed one foul and was fouled twice. Defensively, he made four tackles, and chalked up three clearances.

MF, Tiago, 5.5 — Tiago was involved throughout the match, but without much in the way of tangible output, at least not in the numbers. He put in a lot of hard work, but did not contribute much on offense, although Dorsey could never have scored Orlando’s second goal without the young Brazilian’s work to get the ball into a dangerous position in the box. Tiago helped out defensively with one tackle, two interceptions, and a clearance. He committed and received two fouls and passed at 58.3% on 12 passes. However he picked up an unnecessary yellow card for dissent, although he was understandably upset after heavy contact resulted in his shinguard going flying.

F, Martin Ojeda, 7.5 — Of course, it was a great night for Martin, although he also looked a bit off at times. He had some chances that you would expect him to make more of, but several times he either bobbled the ball, or took an inaccurate shot. But that’s all just relative to what you expect from Orlando’s number 10. His movement was spectacular, as he put himself in position for four (!) breakaways. Unfortunately, he fired two of those over the bar and failed to get a shot off on one after stumbling. His other breakaway forced a foul in the box on Andrew Rick, after which the Designated Player calmly scored on his penalty to open the scoring. Despite his missed chances, he also closed the scoring with a well-placed flicked header from Adrian Marin’s cross for the game winner. Additionally, Martin Ojeda contributed a key pass, three crosses, and one successful long ball on three tries. He attempted six shots, putting two on target. He was fouled twice and committed none. He contributed two tackles as well. Even when he’s a little off, the Argentine is still outstanding.

F, Justin Ellis, 8 (MotM) — Only a little more outstanding than Martin Ojeda on the evening, in my view, was Ellis. The Homegrown forward proved again that he can play at this level, and I think he’s been consistent enough to show he’s capable of making a serious impact for the Lions. Ellis has the combination of technical skill and composure, and a veteran-level vision for the key pass. He was able to dig himself out of difficult situations and executed several instrumental plays to spring the Lions’ attack, including three key passes. He began to fade a little bit toward the end of the match, but it hardly offsets his contributions. Ellis attempted one shot himself (off target), competed six dribbles, passed at 71% accuracy on 31 passes, and completed three out of five long-ball attempts. He wasn’t fouled, but he committed one himself.

Substitutes

D, Luis Otavio (64′), 6 — Otavio came on for Atuesta and needed some time to get up to speed, but he contributed some heads-up blocks and then did well to intercept a pass toward Orlando’s 18-yard box and spring Tyrese Spicer’s counterattack that earned Orlando’s third goal. He also had a nice ball to Spicer again to spring him down the left side in the 90th minute, which eventually led to Orlando’s winning goal. Defensively, Otavio finished with two tackles and one interception. He committed no fouls but was fouled once. He made 15 passes with 66.7% accuracy. He attempted two long balls that did not find their mark.

MF, Tyrese Spicer (64′), 7 — Spicer made a lot out of his time on the pitch, continuing his impact substitute role. He brought energy and grit to the offense. He powered his way through three defenders to break loose and send in the assist on Duncan McGuire’s goal. He was a threat going forward, as he has been all season. In addition to his assist, he sent in one cross and attempted one long ball that did not connect. He took one shot that was on target on a late header that he sent right at the keeper. He did not commit or suffer any fouls.

MF, Adrian Marin (64′), 5.5 — Marin made his mark on this one with his assist on the game-winning goal in the 90th minute. However, he also struggled to lock things down defensively at times. He only attempted 16 passes, achieving 68.8% accuracy. The Spaniard completed his lone cross, attempted four long balls (completing one), and did not commit or suffer any fouls.

F, Duncan McGuire (70′) 7 — McGuire put away Spicer’s feed expertly. He made it look easy, although he did have Philadelphia goalkeeper Andrew Rick to beat. It was his lone shot, and it was a good one, that put the Lions up 3-1 at the time. He also contributed a key pass. He had no other offensive or defensive stats and attempted only six passes, completing four (66.7%). He did not commit or receive any fouls. The big striker brought plenty of energy onto the pitch with him and helped track back and defend when needed.

F, Marco Pasalic (81′) N/A — The Croatian made his return from a thigh injury with a late cameo, but he wasn’t on the pitch long enough to give him a grade. However, his presence could be felt in his short time on the pitch. I think he did a good job helping to close out the match, and it was good to see him back out there.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in a much-needed Orlando win. It would have given me more confidence if it hadn’t been so difficult to beat the worst team in the Eastern Conference, but it is what it is. 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: 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.

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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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