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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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4 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: 9/2/26

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

Published

15 hours ago

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September 2, 2026

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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

2 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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