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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?

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2 weeks ago

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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: 9/14/26

Lions shut out Toronto FC, Pride draws at Kansas City Current, OCB wins, and more.

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56 minutes ago

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September 14, 2026

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Image of Harvey Sarajian working past a Toronto FC II defender.
Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been very busy at work, but I tried to catch some soccer games to watch over the weekend. Let’s wish a happy birthday to Orlando City forward Marco Pasalic, who turns 27 today. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Shut Out Toronto FC

Orlando City defeated Toronto FC 3-0 on Saturday at Inter.co Stadium, keeping a clean sheet and earning three vital points. Antoine Griezmann scored the opener just before halftime. Late in the second half, Harvey Sarajian and Ivan Angulo each scored for Orlando to close out the match. The Lions extended their unbeaten streak to five matches (4-0-1) and won their third straight. Next for Orlando City is a road match against the Columbus Crew in the semifinals of the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, followed by a trip to Foxborough to face the New England Revolution on Saturday.

Daryl Dike Shares Insight on Soccer Journey and U.S Open Cup

Orlando City forward Daryl Dike was interviewed on the U.S. Soccer Podcast, where he shared insight into his soccer journey and the Lions’ upcoming U.S. Open Cup matchup against Columbus. Dike also discussed what it meant to represent Oklahoma, where he excelled with the OKC Energy FC youth program and was named the 2017-2018 Gatorade Oklahoma Boys Soccer Player of the Year. The 26-year-old also discussed his on-field success, his time at West Bromwich Albion dealing with multiple injuries, and why he decided to return to Orlando City. Dike concludes the interview by sharing what the Open Cup tournament means to him and more, as he looks forward to making his first appearance for the Lions in the competition on Wednesday.

Pride Blow Two-Goal Lead in Draw at Kansas City Current

The Orlando Pride could not hold onto a two-goal lead on the road and had to settle for a 2-2 draw against the Kansas City Current on Friday. Barbra Banda scored twice to give Orlando a 2-0 lead. However, Kansas City responded with goals from Temwa Chawinga and Elizabeth Ball in the second half to level the match, and both teams walked away with one point. That result means Orlando remains the only NWSL team to be undefeated at CPKC Stadium. The Pride will face the Portland Thorns at home on Saturday.

OCB Takes Step Toward Playoffs with Win vs. Toronto FC II

Orlando City B defeated Toronto FC II 3-1 on Sunday night at Osceola County Stadium. The Young Lions got off to a great start as Ignacio Gomez scored to give OCB the lead. Gustavo Caraballo doubled the Young Lions’ lead just before halftime. In the second half, Sarajian scored for the second straight night to extend OCB’s lead to 3-0. Toronto pulled one back late in the match from the penalty spot, but the Young Lions picked up a crucial three points and extended their winning streak to three consecutive matches. Issah Haruna had two assists in the game. The win improves OCB sits eighth in MLS NEXT Pro’s Eastern Conference with 44 points. The Young Lions will host Atlanta United 2 on Decision Day on Sunday.

Americans Abroad

Let’s catch up on Americans in action in Europe. Christian Pulisic made his first appearance of the season for AC Milan and recorded an assist in a 2-2 draw against Lazio on Saturday. Antonee Robinson played a full 90 minutes for Fulham in a scoreless draw against Liverpool. Sebastian Berhalter played a full 90 minutes and scored twice for Middlesbrough in a 4-3 win against Norwich City. Jack McGlynn scored his first goal in the EFL Championship for Stoke City in a 2-1 win against Watford.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City forward Yutaro Tsukada, who is on loan at Rhode Island FC in the USL Championship, scored a stellar bicycle kick in a 3-0 win against Sporting Club Jacksonville on Saturday. If you missed it, check it out below.
  • The Houston Dash have reportedly parted ways with head coach Fabrice Gautrat and technical director Twila Kilgore.

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

Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 3-0 home win against the Reds.

Published

21 hours ago

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September 13, 2026

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Image of Iago passing the ball against Toronto FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City picked up another critical three points at home on Saturday night, shrugging off two overturned calls from video review and continuing its march back into the playoff picture with a 3-0 victory. It was nervy for a while, but the defense held firm and the offense finally converted two late chances, and everyone in purple went home happy, just the way we like it.

Here are my five takeaways from the match.

Defensive Starters Bought All the Vowels

With the U.S. Open Cup semifinal coming up on Wednesday, Martín Perelman rotated the back line, dropping Iván Angulo from the wing to left back and bringing in Zakaria Taifi and Iago to replace Griffin Dorsey and Robin Jansson, respectively. David Brekalo kept his starting role in his normal right center back slot. Between Maxime Crépeau and the four starters on the back line, that group of five used all five vowels and went five for five on last names (Iago is a mononym, so we’ll call that a last name) ending in a vowel. The defenders played well for most of the game, getting a little lucky that Toronto blazed a few good chances off target or off the woodwork but holding their own for the most part. In the end, they pitched a shutout (the number zero looks a lot like the vowel “o,” am I right?) — their second in the last three games.

Z to A Works, Too

Orlando City’s opening goal came on a beautiful play between Zakaria Taifi and Antoine Griezmann, as the French attacker signaled to the young defender that he was making a run into the box and Taifi then delivered a perfectly placed cross to Griezmann, who finished it with style off the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net. Griezmann is a savant on the field, drawing the best out of all his teammates, and while Taifi played a perfect pass, the whole play was set up by Griezmann, as he essentially cut backdoor while calling for an alley-oop, and then hammered in soccer’s version of a dunk to finish the play and put the Lions in the lead.

Harvey Pulled a Rabbit Out of His Hat

The Lions held the lead for the first 35 minutes of the second half, but Toronto actually took the lead on the expected goals tracking early in the second half and came close to tying the game several times. Perelman used his final sub in the 80th minute, sending on Harvey Sarajian. Just two minutes later, Sarajian doubled Orlando City’s lead through an incredible individual effort. The rookie attacker leapt high in the air to bring a ball down, lost control of it briefly but sprinted to get it back, blew through two Toronto defenders like a bull in a china shop to get a pass to Daryl Dike, and then kept going towards goal. Dike gave Sarajian a return pass, and the rookie rewarded the striker with an assist, scoring his first MLS goal by placing his shot into the far corner. The Wake Forest product celebrated his goal with a backflip that would have made former Lions Dom Dwyer and Duncan McGuire proud, and that goal finally gave the Lions some breathing room.

Ellis Changed the Game

For the first time since he joined Orlando, Griezmann was actually subbed off during a game, but unfortunately for Toronto, he came off for Justin Ellis. The well-rested Ellis absolutely bossed the game during his 20-minute shift. The young American was in complete control throughout, playing slicing balls through gaps in the Toronto defense and taking the ball wherever he wanted to take it when he decided to dribble. He had one assist and probably should have had more, and he also had 10 progressive plays (six passes and four carries) during his short stint on the field. It is not a coincidence that the Lions were +2 during his time on the field. Toronto’s defenders looked sapped from the hot Florida night, and Ellis came on fresh and made play after play, helping Orlando City to secure all three points in the final minutes of the game.

Well-Rested for the U.S. Open Cup

The ABCs of Angulo, Brekalo, and Crépeau played the full 90 against Toronto (I am not sure if Angulo is human — he was still running at his top speed when he scored his goal in stoppage time). But among the likely starters for the Lions in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal, they were the only three to do so. Eduard Atuesta, Dorsey, and Jansson did not feature, Ellis played 20 minutes, Bernardo Rhein played 26 minutes, Gerbet 45 minutes, Ojeda 64 minutes, and Griezmann 70. It was a gamble to try to rotate while still in the thick of a playoff race, but the players who started instead of the usual starters delivered, and now the Lions will be positioned about as well as they could be for a midweek road game for a spot in a cup final.

Those are my takeaways from Orlando City’s 3-0 home win against Toronto. The Lions have picked up 13 points from their last five games, and join the Philadelphia Union as one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference. They will head to Columbus for the U.S. Open Cup semifinal on Wednesday, and if they can extend their hot streak into that tournament and get a win on the road, they will host the championship game on Oct. 21.

Let us know your thoughts about the Toronto match in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Final Score 3-0 as Lions Keep Rolling

The Lions are unbeaten in five games after a win over previously red-hot Toronto.

Published

1 day ago

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September 12, 2026

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Image of Harvey Sarajian celebrating his goal with Zakaria Taifi.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City and Toronto FC battled in a match of two of the hottest teams in MLS at Inter.co Stadium, with the lads in purple coming out on top 3-0 in a game that was both closer than the final score indicated and one that the Lions could have won by a wider margin. Antoine Griezmann gave the Lions (10-11-4, 34 points) a 1-0 lead just before the break, with Harvey Sarajian and Ivan Angulo adding late goals to put it away.

The win extended Orlando City’s winning streak to three games and its unbeaten run to five games (4-0-1). Toronto (6-8-11, 29 points) saw a seven-match unbeaten run end tonight against one of the teams it’s chasing for an MLS playoff spot.

“It was a tough game, but I think the team did a good effort, a huge effort,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the game. “The guys jumped into the field and they fight. We had moments and difficulties during the game, but we were able to solve it and win at home, which is very important for us.”

Perelman’s lineup featured little rotation with Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Angulo, Iago, David Brekalo, and Zakaria Taifi. Luis Otavio joined Joran Gerbet in central midfield between wingers Tyrese Spicer and Marco Pasalic with Griezmann and Martin Ojeda up top.

After a cagey opening 10 minutes, Spicer got the game’s first look at goal, blasting a shot just over the crossbar in the 12th minute. Toronto then went the other way and Josh Sargent headed over a minute later.

Derrick Etienne Jr. smashed a shot from the left moments later but Crepeau fought it off with a kick save in the 14th minute.

Griezmann got his first look at goal in the 15th minute when a ball ricocheted to his feet on the left. He fired quickly, but Luka Gavran made the save. The set piece deflected out of the area to Taifi, who tried to shoot with his first touch but sent it far from the target.

Otavio conceded a free kick in the 20th minute near the left corner of the box, but Niklas Dorsch sent a one-hopper right at Crepeau on the set piece.

The Lions thought they’d taken the lead in the 32nd minute when Griezmann’s set piece delivery was headed into the Toronto net by defender Walker Zimmerman. Instead of an own goal, Jon Freemon went to the monitor and determined Otavio was offside and interfering with Zimmerman on the play.

Toronto nearly broke the deadlock five minutes later with a slick passing move that ended up with Derrick Etienne Jr. behind the defense, but the Toronto forward sent his shot just wide of the right post. Theo Corbeanu fired wide in the 40th minute off a transition attempt as Toronto continued to look dangerous.

Griezmann struck in the first minute of added time at the end of the half. With the ball out wide on Taifi’s foot, Griezmann started a run at the top of the box, pointing out where he wanted the young fullback to deliver it. Taifi delivered it to the perfect spot and Griezmann made a lunging poke at it and sent it past Gavran and into the net. For Griezmann, it was his fifth straight game with a goal, tying an overall club record set by Dom Dwyer across two seasons and established a new club record for consecutive games with a goal in a single season.

“I mean, now that I think about it, it’s kind of like stuff I dreamed of as a kid,” Taifi said of his assist. “You know, it’s Griezmann. I’ve watched him for my whole life. In warmups and training, I always practice that ball with him, because I know he just likes to fly and get his foot, get his head on the ball, and I know he’s going to be there. At first, I saw no one was in there, so I hesitated, and then I took another touch. I see him making the run, and then I just put it in there because I knew he was going to get it.”

As stoppage time wound down, Ojeda got to a ball in the Toronto box and went down after contact with Gavran. Freemon pointed to the spot immediately but then went to the monitor. Gavran had touched the ball prior to contact with Ojeda so the penalty and yellow card to Gavran were wiped out. That was it for the half.

At the break, Orlando held the advantage in possession (58.5%-41.5%), passing accuracy (87.8%-82.7%), and corners (3-2), while Toronto attempted more shots (6-4). Both teams put two shots on target in the opening period.

Perelman made one change at halftime, sending Wilder Cartagena on for Gerbet.

Toronto looked to get the goal back immediately, with Markus Cimermancic forcing Crepeau into a big save just after the restart.

The Reds could do nothing with their ensuing corner to end the threat. The visitors created another moments later with a good switch of play from left to right for Etienne, who fired wide with Crepeau out of position after the goalkeeper dove to try to get a hand to the cross. Sargent then fired over the bar in the 52nd minute on a Toronto 3-v-2 break.

The Lions finally got their first look at goal of the second half in the 56th minute. Ojeda shook free just outside the box and fired but sent his effort straight at Gavran.

Dorsch stole the ball from a lackadaisaical Otavio in the 63rd minute but fired over the bar. The play earned Otavio a tongue lashing from Crepeau after the miss.

Perelman sent Daryl Dike and Bernardo Rhein on for Ojeda and Spicer a minte later.Podcasts

In the 71st minute, the Lions worked a well-worked attack from second-half sub Justin Ellis turned Angulo loose down the left. Angulo sent a good cross in front for a tap-in, but Dike couldn’t set his feet and missed the opportunity. Eight minutes later, Pasalic sent a pass through a defender’s legs to send Angulo down the left, but Gavran made a huge save to keep the game at 1-0.

Three minutes later, the Lions doubled their lead. Sarajian, who came off the bench for Pasalic in the 80th minute, kept a play alive by winning a couple of challenges, then gave the ball to Dike. The big striker gave it back to Sarajian on the right and the rookie slipped his first MLS goal past Gavran inside the left post in the 82nd minute.

“It’s a surreal moment for me,” Sarajian said. “It’s been a long time, me playing with the second team and grinding out there, getting a chance to play with the first team. So, I’m super grateful for Dike’s pass, but I’ve just got to keep working to get a couple more.”

Four minutes after the goal, Gavran made a huge stop to deny a rocket from Cartagena. Toronto then went the other way and Daniel Salloi headed off the crossbar but the play was offside anyway.

Sargent blasted a shot from the top of the area off the crossbar in the third minute of stoppage time as Toronto looked for a way back into the game. A minute later, the Lions survived a dangerous sequence in their own end with a block from Brekalo, a save from Crepeau, and another block from Iago to preserve the 2-0 lead.

Orlando put the game to bed just seconds into the sixth minute of stoppage time. Sarajian found Ellis and the young forward set up Angulo, who finished past Gavran to make it 3-0. It was Angulo’s second straight game with a goal — the first such streak in his Orlando City career .

Moments later, the final whistle blew.

Orlando finished the match with the edge in possession (54.8%-45.2%), shots on target (8-4), corners (4-3), and passing accuracy (85.8%-85.6%). Toronto finished with more shot attempts (18-13).

“Every player is very important for us,” Perelman said about the way his younger players stepped up and filled in tonight. “I think in this locker room, in this roster, every player that we have is ready. I respect the players because they do a huge effort giving everything for their teammates.”

Orlando City is back in action Wednesday night with a U.S. Open Cup semifinal match on the road against the Columbus Crew. The next league game will be a week from tonight when the Lions visit the New England Revolution.

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