Orlando City vs. San Jose Earthquakes: Player Grades and Man of the Match

MLS is back, but more importantly Orlando City was back on Wednesday night in San Jose, as the Lions roared right out of the gate with a 4-0 demolition of the Earthquakes. Maybe the Sunken Treasure kits are on the same schedule as former Lion Facundo Torres and do not get going until the second half of the season, or maybe this was just a one-off, but three points and a plus-four in goal differential are in the books after one of the most enjoyable Orlando City games in a long time.

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 a Western Conference opponent.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crépeau (MotM), 9 — Was it a World Cup bounce? Or, perhaps it was due to being named as an MLS All-Star? Either way, Crépeau was on an absolute heater in northern California, making seven saves that he was credited for and also several others that will not show up on the stat sheet because there was an offside call in the buildup. Canada’s No. 1 (not to be confused with Duke Caboom, Canada’s greatest stuntman) used his entire body to help Orlando City keep its first MLS clean sheet since June of 2025, making a kick save, using each hand to palm away shots, blocking another with his midsection, and even coming out of the box and executing a diving header to clear the ball out of danger. His best save might have been when he flew high to deny a header by Beau Leroux from going into the upper corner, but the fact that his save on that shot was not the clear choice for best save tells the story of how well Crépeau played on this night.

D, Adrián Marin, 5 — After a few games playing as a de facto center back in a back three alignment (it was technically a back four, but with Griffin Dorsey pushing high while Orlando possessed the ball) Marin returned to playing left back in a back four and really struggled throughout first half. He was better in the second half, but during the first half San Jose created nearly all of its chances on his side, as his lack of pace allowed the Earthquakes acres of space to set up their attack. The Spaniard battled, however, and while he often was chasing players down from behind, he always was able to get back and help defend. Marin had seven defensive contributions, split among three tackles, two interceptions, and two clearances, while completing 85% of his passes, and he deserves credit for helping keep a clean sheet.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — The Beefy Swede had the kind of game that you hope for from your team’s center back — a mostly quiet evening. Jansson did not make any tackles but he had two interceptions and three clearances, spending most of his time organizing the defense and helping clog up the middle, while also beating San Jose players to several balls that could have become a problem had he not arrived first. This frustrated the Quakes, who fouled him twice. He completed 88.9% of his passes, mostly in the defensive half of the field, and led the back line from the opening kickoff to the final whistle.

D, David Brekalo, 7.5 —Just as he did against Atlanta in the U.S. Open Cup, Brekalo opened the scoring for Orlando City with a headed goal in the game’s opening minutes off of a set piece delivery from Eduard Atuesta. The Slovenian put another header on target later in the game as well, though it was saved, and his two shots on target led the team. Similarly to his center back partner Jansson he did not make any tackles, but he led the game in defensive contributions with 10 (seven clearances and three interceptions). Brekalo completed 83.8% of his passes, and turned in what was one of his best all-around games in an Orlando City jersey, although he allowed a dangerous Timo Werner chance that Crepeau had to dive to push just wide.

D, Griffin Dorsey, 6.5 — Orlando City’s right back was able to balance marauding up the right flank with recovering quickly enough to prevent San Jose from breaking out on his side of the field. Werner was still able to create chances, including a few excellent ones, but Dorsey held his own against one of the league’s best attacking players. Dorsey had nine defensive contributions, with three tackles, one interception, and five clearances, and though he did not have any goal contributions, he was active offensively with two key passes and an 88.9% pass completion rate. Half of his completed passes came in San Jose territory, and the interplay on the right side of the field between Dorsey and all of Orlando City’s attacking players helped generate a lot of chances for the Lions.

MF, Tiago, 4 — The young Brazilian limped off the field with an injury, and not to kick a player who went down hurt, but it was probably time for him to come off anyway. Tiago’s movement was great, giving him chance after chance to score or to set up his teammates, but he did not deliver on any of them, often making the wrong choice on whether to shoot or pass or delaying so long the choice was taken from him altogether. The most egregious might have been in the first half, when he had Justin Ellis wide open but chose to shoot instead. But then again, maybe it was actually in the second half when he inexplicably slowed down while on a breakaway that Ellis had played him into and allowed the defenders to snuff out his chance. The effort and the hustle were there but the playmaking was not, and hopefully his injury is not serious, because the Lions will need him with a busy month coming up. He completed eight of his 10 passes and added two tackles on defense.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 8 — Atuesta’s performance made him a major contender for Man of the Match, and had his one shot attempt dropped in instead of just being palmed away by Angus Gunn at the last second, that might have tipped him past Crépeau. The Colombian played perhaps his best free kick since joining the Lions early in the game, delivering a line drive of a cross from the right sideline directly onto Brekalo’s head for the game’s opening goal. Later in the first half, he assisted Iván Angulo by playing him into an open pocket of space, and his fellow Colombian did the rest with a hammer shot into the far corner. Atuesta made it a hat trick of assists on the game’s final goal, as he took a short corner from Ellis and dropped a cross into the danger zone in the middle of the box, where Braian Ojeda did the rest by putting a header into the lower corner to make it 4-0 Lions. The one downside from Wednesday was that Atuesta picked up his fifth yellow card of the season, meaning he will have to sit out Saturday’s game, but aside from that, he had an excellent all-around game, completing 84.2% of his passes and adding a team-leading four tackles, one interception, and one clearance on defense.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 8 — “Defensive Ojeda” was Defensive and Offensive Ojeda against San Jose, as the midfield destroyer made plays all over the field, including opening his Orlando City scoring account with his headed goal late in the second half. The Paraguayan led the game with nine loose ball recoveries and four interceptions while also adding one tackle, one block, and two clearances on defense. His work rate was part of the reason why neither Brekalo nor Jansson had to make any tackles, as he helped keep San Jose from successfully attacking down the middle of the field. He completed 89.5% of his passes, picking up a secondary assist on Angulo’s goal, and partnered well with all of the Lions who played in the middle of the field at various points of the game.

MF, Iván Angulo, 8 —Maybe he just needed to move off of the left side of the field? Orlando City’s speed burner ostensibly started the game as the right wing, but his heat map shows a player who played all over the field on Wednesday, and the Colombian was outstanding in all facets and across all locations. Angulo’s first half was probably his best half of the season, and he was solid in the second half as well for an excellent all-around performance. His cannon shot in the first half broke a nearly 50-game scoreless streak in MLS regular-season play, and his work rate, as usual, was unmatched. Angulo recorded four tackles and intercepted two passes on defense while also collecting six loose balls and completing 72.4% of his passes before coming off for a well-deserved rest in the 79th minute.

F, Antoine Griezmann, 8.5 — After years of our staff joking publicly about him coming to Orlando, the legendary French superstar actually is officially a Lion, and he celebrated his first official game by living out Denny Green’s famous “they are who we thought they were” quote by being everything we thought he would be. Griezmann was everywhere, from pressing the opposing goalkeeper to defending inside Orlando City’s six-yard box, and his passing vision opened up so many chances for his teammates. He was credited with five key passes, but he probably created at least 10 chances, though not all actually turned into shots. The MLS broadcast team awarded Griezmann its player of the match, and though he did not have gaudy official statistics (78.4% passing completion rate, two defensive contributions, one goal, and zero assists) he was clearly the best all-around player on the field, and it was not particularly close. His first goal with Orlando City gave the Lions breathing room and he showed his maturity in staying onside and calmly beating a defender and the goalkeeper with a well-placed shot. It was only one game, but the entire flow looked different for Orlando City and much of that came directly from Griezmann’s addition to the lineup.

F, Justin Ellis, 8 — The stats only moderately show the impact Ellis had on this game, but make no mistake, he was outstanding. The Homegrown Player displayed intelligent movement, and tremendous vision, and he reminded me often of a post player in basketball with how he would get a defender on his back and still be able to turn and create something offensively. Ellis had two assists — a secondary assist on Atuesta’s cross to Ojeda and a primary assist on Griezmann’s goal — and he could have bested Atuesta’s three assists had other players (in particular, Tiago) been more clinical with their finishing. He finished the game with an 81.8% passing completion rate, and might have gone the full 90 if not for what appeared to be some cramping late in the match.

Substitutes

MF, Tyrese Spicer (59′), 5 — Spicer entered for Tiago in a like-for-like swap, and it was like-for-like in position and also production, as the Trinidad & Tobago winger also was unable to convert, even though he was provided several excellent opportunities. Despite playing more than 30 minutes, Spicer only completed one pass and did not have any defensive contributions, and was mostly just a passenger for his time on the field. His failure to beat the goalkeeper on a clean breakaway cost Griezmann an assist to go with his goal.

D, Bernardo Rhein (79′), N/A — Rhein made his second appearance of the season after signing a short-term agreement earlier in the day and acquitted himself well during his 11 minutes on the field. He completed six of his seven passes (85.7%) and recorded one tackle. He clearly showed more zip in his legs at left back than Marin did.

MF, Luís Otávio (79′), N/A — The Brazilian midfielder came on for Atuesta and quickly engaged in the game, completing 12 of his 13 passes (92.3%) in only 11 minutes of game time. He added one tackle, one interception, and one clearance for a strong performance off the bench.

MF, Harvey Sarajian (79′), N/A — The former Wake Forest player may have been inspired by the golden Sunken Treasure kits, as he made a a play for a Golden Globe with his attempt to win a penalty kick with a dive just moments after coming onto the field. The referee did not fall for it, and gave him a yellow card, but that did not slow Sarajian down, as the rookie competed aggressively for all 11 minutes, and nearly scored on a well-struck left-footed shot that Gunn parried away. He completed all five of his passes, turning in a solid and energetic performance off the bench.

MF, Zakaria Taifi (84′), N/A —Orlando City’s final substitute came on for Ellis but shifted out to play most of his minutes on the right wing. Taifi completed only one pass, but it set up Sarajian’s shot and almost garnered him an assist. He added one tackle on defense and looked comfortable at right wing, even though most of his appearances with the senior team have been on the defensive side of the field.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s dominating 4-0 win on the road at San Jose. 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.