Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Player Grades and Man of the Match
How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 4-2 road loss to the Philadelphia Union?
Orlando City fell 4-2 to the Philadelphia Union on Saturday night at Subaru Park, as a Milan Iloski hat trick powered the hosts to a 4-0 lead by the six-minute mark of the second half. Late goals from Ivan Angulo and Martin Ojeda trimmed the margin, but the Lions have now conceded 18 goals in their last six road matches and slipped further behind the Union in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Let’s take a look at how the Lions fared in their lopsided loss in Philadelphia.
Starters
GK, Maxime Crepeau, 6 — Crepeau had to face a penalty, and he was left badly exposed on Indiana Vassilev’s finish and on Iloski’s long-range strike into the top corner. The second Iloski goal is the one he would want back, as the forward got in behind the back line and beat him from the left side of the box in a spot where a stop was possible. Still, it was a good finish, so it’s not like he did anything wrong; he simply got beat. Outside of that, Crepeau was the reason the final score wasn’t far worse. He turned away Quinn Sullivan on a breakaway that was created by an Orlando turnover, stopped Ezekiel Alladoh twice in the closing minutes, and handled a steady diet of Union set pieces, including claiming one corner while under pressure. He finished with five saves, three clearances, 90.9% passing accuracy, and nine of 11 long balls completed.
D, Bernardo Rhein, 4.5 — Rhein produced Orlando’s first look at goal, cutting in from the left and having his shot blocked by Japhet Sery Larsen. The Lions appealed for a handball, and although the play was checked, no penalty was awarded, as officials judged the ball hit Larsen’s chest first. From there, his night was defined by loose touches that fed into the constant turnovers across Orlando’s back line, and he was one of three players withdrawn in the 54th minute. He completed 87.9% of his passes and two of three long balls, with two tackles and one shot.
D, Robin Jansson, 5 — Jansson was not the primary culprit on any of the goals, and he blocked two shots — one from Sullivan in the first half and one from Alladoh deep in stoppage time. But as the veteran leader of a defense that looked disorganized for long stretches, particularly on the third and fourth goals, he couldn’t get the group sorted out either. He was bailed out on a bad giveaway in his own third in the 45th minute when the Union made one pass too many and Ojeda intercepted it. Jansson completed 90.5% of his 84 passes and five of 10 long balls, adding two tackles, one interception, and four clearances.
D, Iago, 3.5 — With David Brekalo away on international duty, this was a chance for Iago to make his case. It went the other way. Just before halftime, a poor pass went straight to a Union player and sprang a counterattack. Early in the second half, another pass under pressure gave Philadelphia the ball at the top of the box, and the Union quickly turned it into Vassilev’s goal to make it 3-0. Midway through the half, he lost control in front of his own penalty area and handed Sullivan a clear run at goal that only Crepeau’s save kept out. He was also shown a yellow card in the first half for throwing Bruno Damiani to the ground. He finished with 94.1% passing accuracy, completed all four of his long balls, and logged eight clearances and one blocked shot. The stat sheet can’t capture how costly his two biggest mistakes were, and those weren’t the only giveaways from the Brazilian on the night.
D, Zakaria Taifi, 4.5 — Taifi had a hand in the sequence that produced Philadelphia’s second goal, trying to thread a pass to Daryl Dike through a Union defender. Dike would have been in with a good pass, and there was ample space to play it into, but the ball was cut out, and two passes later Iloski was in alone on Crepeau. He had a couple of other loose touches, but he also got forward well enough to be the target of a dangerous Antoine Griezmann ball into the box, which Nathan Harriel had to put out for a corner. He was withdrawn in the 54th minute after completing just 66.7% of his passes and two of four long balls, missing on his one cross. He added one key pass, one interception, and four clearances.
MF, Ivan Angulo, 6.5 (MotM) — Angulo’s night started poorly, as a careless back pass set up a Union counter that ended in an Iloski shot just wide. He recovered well. He tracked back consistently, helped Orlando play out of pressure, and contributed to several of the Lions’ better second-half attacks. He also played some right back in the second half. His goal came off a short free kick from Griezmann, which he hammered past Andrew Rick from the right inside the box to make it 4-1. That gives him a goal in four straight MLS matches, the one lasting positive for Orlando to carry out of Chester. He was booked late for a foul on Kai Wagner. He completed 77.8% of his passes, one of two crosses, and two of three long balls, adding three tackles and one key pass, and his goal was his only shot. Angulo was one of Orlando’s better performers on a rough night. Angulo’s defensive work put him over the top for Man of the Match honors, with Ojeda possibly the only other Lion in the running.
MF, Joran Gerbet, 4.5 — Gerbet blocked a Jesús Bueno shot in the opening minute and drew several fouls in the first half, with Damiani repeatedly bringing him down. His evening soured just before halftime when a heavy first touch on a pass from Eduard Atuesta forced him into a tactical foul and a yellow card. But he was part of a central midfield that allowed far too much space to the Union, especially on Iloski’s third goal. He came off at the 54th-minute mark as Martin Perelman tried to change the game, having completed 88.6% of his passes and all three of his long balls, with one tackle, two clearances, and one blocked shot.
MF, Eduard Atuesta, 4.5 — Atuesta’s first 10 minutes set the tone for Orlando’s night. He was dispossessed in midfield, then beaten by Iloski and called for the foul in the box that produced the opening penalty. The decision was debatable, as the contact appeared to come at the edge of the area, perhaps just outside the left side of the box, but he put himself in a position where the referee could make that call. He was booked moments later for dissent. He was better after the break, playing a part in several of Orlando’s attacking moves, including the buildup to Ojeda’s late goal. He was busy, finishing with 98 touches, 87.7% passing accuracy on 73 passes, going four of eight on long balls with one cross that didn’t find a teammate, one key pass, six tackles, three interceptions, and one clearance. The tackles and interceptions were real contributions, but they don’t outweigh a conceded penalty and a first half full of giveaways.
MF, Martin Ojeda, 6.5 — Ojeda was one of the few Lions who looked comfortable on the ball, escaping pressure to launch attacks and hitting a terrific ball over the top for Harvey Sarajian in the second half. But he wasn’t immune to the turnover bug that bit the Lions all night. His finishing was uneven, as he mishit a shot well wide and had two other attempts blocked, but he got his reward late, collecting a feed from Sarajian after a Griezmann dummy and finishing left-footed into the bottom right corner to make it 4-2. He finished with four shots, with one on target, made two key passes, had a 76.9% passing accuracy, and connected on two of three crosses and six of seven long balls.
F, Daryl Dike, 4.5 — Dike got a rare start, and for most of the night he struggled to hold onto the ball. Several poor touches in the first half ended Orlando possessions, and when he got into the box, he forced the play into a defender instead of shooting early or finding Griezmann. In the second half, he lost control in the Union box and was slow to react as Philadelphia cleared. He improved late, holding the ball up more effectively and spinning onto Griezmann’s one-touch pass before being fouled by Sery Larsen just outside the box, which earned the free kick that led to Angulo’s goal. He was replaced by Tiago in the 89th minute after completing 53.3% of his passes and his one long ball, with one shot taken and one blocked shot at the other end.
F, Antoine Griezmann, 6 — Back in the lineup after missing time with a thigh injury, Griezmann was quiet in the first half, and his corner deliveries didn’t trouble Rick. He grew into the match after halftime. He set up Dike’s shot, combined with him on the move that drew a free kick, and then played the short free kick to Angulo for the assist. His clever dummy also let the ball run through to Ojeda for Orlando’s second goal. He finished with three shots, but put none on target, with three key passes, three tackles, and 74.5% passing accuracy, though none of his five crosses or three long balls found a teammate. Griezmann’s influence late is a reminder of how much the Lions have missed him, but even he looked a little off for a significant portion of the match. That’s not too surprising, given that he’s coming off a thigh injury, but he did have a bit of a mixed night.
Substitutes
D, Vinicius (54′), 5 — Vinicius made his MLS debut in place of Taifi — with Angulo dropping to right back — and did well defensively for most of his time on the field. He made some efforts at offense as well, sending a half-volley shot over the bar and doing well in the latter stages to win the ball and carry it forward. His worst moment came late, when a careless play out of the back handed possession to Philadelphia and led to one of Alladoh’s chances. He completed 80.6% of his passes and one of three long balls, didn’t connect on any of his three crosses, and added one tackle, one interception, and one off-target shot. It was a reasonable first outing in a difficult spot.
F, Harvey Sarajian (54′), 5.5 — Sarajian went in for Rhein and had a good chance to create something when Ojeda found him over the top, but his first touch got away from him and the defense recovered. He made up for it at the end, laying the ball off for Ojeda’s goal and picking up the assist. He completed 75% of his 12 passes with two key passes and one cross that did not connect.
MF, Luis Otavio (54′), 5 — Otavio entered for Gerbet and drew a pair of fouls in the second half, helping Orlando keep the ball in midfield once the game had been decided. He was also involved in the sloppy sequence out of the back that gave Philadelphia a late chance, which Crepeau saved. He completed 80% of his passes and two of three long balls, with three tackles.
F, Tiago (89′), N/A — Tiago came on for Dike in the final minutes of regulation and stoppage time and was involved in a move that won Orlando a late corner. That was not enough time to grade him fairly, so he doesn’t get one for this match.
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.
Opinion
Orlando City’s Final Playoff Push Filled with Challenges
The Lions will need to contend with a busy schedule, tricky opponents, and injury concerns while pushing to secure a playoff spot.
Orlando City has seven games remaining in the 2026 MLS season, which means that crunch time is officially upon us. The Lions currently sit seventh in the Eastern Conference with 34 points but are only one point ahead of FC Cincinnati in 10th place. As a result, OCSC’s final matches of the season are of massive importance, but the men in purple will need to deal with a number of different hurdles if they want to keep the longest active postseason streak in the league alive for another year.
Fixture Congestion
As has been the case with much of a season that went on a two-month break for the 2026 World Cup, Orlando City is staring down the barrel of another busy month. Of the Lions’ seven remaining matches, six will take place in a jam-packed 21-day stretch during the month of October, before Decision Day against the New England Revolution on Nov. 7. Things get started Saturday at home against the Columbus Crew, and then OCSC plays away against Toronto on Wednesday, home against D.C. United on Saturday, Oct. 17, home against New York City FC on Saturday, Oct. 24, before finishing the month with back-to-back away games against the Chicago Fire on Oct. 28, and against Charlotte FC on Halloween. While there’s an even split of home and away matches, it’s still an absolutely hellish stretch.
Fortunately, most teams are in the same boat, and there’s a week in between the home matches against D.C. and NYCFC that may help a little, but it’s still a lot of games in a short amount of time. That won’t be anything new to this team after how busy August and September were, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be any easier to deal with.
Tricky Opponents
Let’s talk more about the games themselves, specifically the teams Orlando will be up against, because it’s an interesting mix. I wouldn’t classify the set of teams that the Lions will face down the stretch as either easy or difficult. Rather, it’s a tricky bunch that should both provide some good opportunities to pick up points, while also throwing up some pretty unappetizing matchups. First up is the Crew. The bad news is that they knocked Orlando out of the U.S. Open Cup in fairly convincing fashion, but on the flip side, the game is at home and the team will be well-rested — two conditions that usually lend themselves to OCSC playing fairly well. Hitting the road to Toronto on short rest feels like a recipe for disaster, but the Reds haven’t been playing great after losing 3-0 to Orlando back in September. Then it’s another game on short rest, but it comes against a D.C. side sitting in 11th and is winless in its last three.
After that, there’s a week off before welcoming an NYCFC team that has been in the midst of a free fall down the table, and then road trips to two strong teams in Chicago and Charlotte, both of which are on short rest. The team gets a week to prepare before facing another strong side on Decision Day in the Revs.
On paper, the games against Columbus, D.C., and NYCFC feel winnable. While Orlando lost to the latter two teams on the road earlier in the year, I think this version of Orlando is better than what it was in March and April when it lost to those teams, and the Lions have been infinitely better at home than on the road.
Conversely, I’ll be thanking my lucky stars if any points are picked up from back-to-back road trips to Chicago and Charlotte on short rest, while playing the Revs on Decision Day feels like a tough task even at home.
The backdrop of all this is the fact that the six teams immediately below Orlando in the table are all within at least five points of it. Plus, the Lions play four of those six teams in NYCFC, D.C., Columbus, and Toronto. At this point in the season, every game matters, but each of those contests takes on added importance because of how much of an impact they can have on the table. Win, and you put distance between yourself and one of the teams below you. Lose, and that team reels you in a little bit more if not outright leapfrogging you altogether.
Health and Availability
While Orlando’s list of unavailable players doesn’t look nearly as bad as it has at times this season, there are still some big absences that the team will have to contend with.
For one thing, barring a run all the way to the MLS Cup final, Tyrese Spicer’s season is over after he had surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his right foot. For those of you keeping score at home, that is now the third Jones fracture suffered by an Orlando City player this season, after Robin Jansson had surgery to repair one before the season started, and Braian Ojeda went under the knife to fix one back on Aug. 6. While the attacking positions aren’t looking as thin as they once were now that Martin Ojeda is fit and Marco Pasalic is staying put, Spicer was in the midst of an excellent season and had six goals and two assists in just 869 league minutes. Not having his spark off the bench is a big miss, and it also provides less options when it comes to rotation.
Then there’s the cases of Griffin Dorsey, and more recently, Justin Ellis. Let’s start with Dorsey, who hasn’t played since going off at halftime of the 3-2 win over Atlanta United due to a back issue, and while he carried a questionable designation for Orlando’s most recent game against the Philadelphia Union, he ultimately did not play. Presumably, two extra weeks of recovery will see him ready to go this weekend, but even if he does make a much-needed return to the field, Orlando needs to be careful with managing him.
Even after missing four games through injury, Dorsey has still played the fifth-most league minutes on the team behind Ivan Angulo, Maxime Crepeau, David Brekalo, and Robin Jansson — in that order. Angulo is the type of physical specimen that should be studied in a lab, while Crepeau, Brekalo, and Jansson aren’t asked to do nearly as much running as Dorsey is when he’s healthy. The Lions’ defense hasn’t been great all season, but it was mostly doing enough to keep the team in games before the right back went onto the shelf. Without him, it’s given up 10 goals in four games across all competitions and has won just one of those contests. I understand the temptation to keep Dorsey on the field as much as possible, given what he adds both offensively and defensively, but Martin Perelman needs to use him in tandem with Zakaria Taifi or risk losing the defender for another extended period of time when Orlando can least afford it.
That brings us to Justin Ellis. If you watched the United States Men’s National Team take down Canada 1-0 on Tuesday, then you probably got an almighty scare when Ellis went down after a physical play during the first half and had to leave the field after receiving treatment. He eventually returned in style and scored the game’s only goal, but he was visibly hobbled in the minutes after he came back on, and left the stadium at halftime to have an MRI done.
While we haven’t heard any updates since then and no news is presumably good news, caution may be needed when it comes to Saturday’s match against the Crew in order to prevent the injury turning into a more long-term issue.
Outside of Spicer, Braian Ojeda, and any lingering issues for Dorsey and Ellis, the team should have a clean bill of health to begin the final run-in, so that’s good news.
At the end of the day, the home stretch of this season is not going to be easy. The Lions will need to contend with fixture congestion, games against tricky opponents that have huge implications in the standings, and the ever-present injury and availability challenges. The Eastern Conference table has razor thin margins at the moment, and there’s very little room for error. We’re about to learn a lot about what this team is really made of over the course of the next seven games, for better or worse. Here’s hoping we like what we see. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 10/9/26
Daryl Dike’s soccer journey, Orlando City B signs Landon Okonski and Matthew Belgodere, analyzing Spain before USWNT match, and more.
Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a bit of a hectic week for me, but I’m looking forward to a weekend filled with soccer. Both Orlando City and the United States Women’s National Team are in action on Saturday, so be sure to plan your day accordingly. Let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!
A Day in the Life of Daryl Dike
Orlando City forward Daryl Dike was the latest MLS player to be featured as part of the league’s “Off the Ball” video series that shows what life is like for them outside of soccer. Dike, who returned to Orlando this summer, spoke on how the facilities in MLS were better than many in England but that the level of play was vastly different. Dike also gave insight into the toll the multiple injuries he dealt with had on him while abroad, although he also detailed how that adversity helped him learn more about himself and what makes him happy apart from soccer. It’s great to see Dike out and about in Orlando doing things we all do, although his anime taste is a bit basic in my opinion.
Orlando City B Signs Pair of Academy Players
Orlando City academy players Landon Okonski and Matthew Belgodere were both signed to Orlando City B contracts as they progress through the club’s pathway for young players. Okonski made his professional debut with the Young Lions this year and started 16 games as part of OCB’s defense. Belgodere also made his professional debut this season, recording five goals and two assists across 25 appearances. The 16-year-old was also named MLS NEXT Pro Rising Star of the Week for his role in OCB’s 3-2 comeback win over Carolina Core FC after scoring his first OCB goal in style.
Analyzing Spain Ahead of USWNT Friendlies
The United States Women’s National Team will take on Spain in a pair of friendlies this month, starting with Saturday’s match at Audi Field in the nation’s capital. While Spain’s roster for these friendlies will be without notable players like Aitana Bonmati, Mariona Caldentey, and Esther Gonzalez, there are still plenty of stars who could give the U.S. trouble. Alexia Putellas is more than capable of creating chances and putting them away, while Claudia Pina and Edna Imade are other attackers the U.S. will have to find ways to stop. We may also get to see Orlando Pride defender Oihane, who is the only NWSL player called up by Spain for this window.
NWSL Transfer News Roundup
The NWSL roster freeze took place Thursday and various teams that aren’t the Orlando Pride made moves right before the deadline. The Chicago Stars sent $700,000 in intraleague transfer funds to Bay FC for forward Racheal Kundananji, who recorded 12 goals and 11 assists across 63 games for Bay FC. She’s not the only forward on the move, as the Washington Spirit traded Nigerian forward Gift Monday to Boston Legacy FC in exchange for $500,000 in intraleague transfer funds. The North Carolina Courage made a pair of trades as well, adding defender Ella Hase from Racing Louisville for $35,000 in intraleague transfer funds and transferring forward Olivia Wingate to Gotham FC for free.
Free Kicks
- Barbra Banda and Zambia lost 2-1 to Uganda in the first leg of the series between the two nations in Africa’s Olympic qualifying tournament. Banda assisted on Zambia’s goal to open the scoring, connecting with former Pride player Prisca Chilufya.
- Portland Thorns forward Sophia Wilson was suspended for an additional game for violent conduct after pulling the hair of Boston Legacy player Lais Araujo.
- This year’s Best XI was announced for the MLS NEXT Pro, and there are unsurprisingly no OCB players listed.
- The U.S. U-23 Women’s National Team will be without midfielder Jaedyn Shaw for its upcoming friendlies due to injury precautions.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your week!
Orlando City
By the Numbers: Orlando’s Top Goal Contributors of 2026
Barbra Banda sits atop Orlando’s 2026 goal contribution leaderboard, but Justin Ellis and several other attackers are closing quickly as the season comes to a conclusion.
October is here, and while in most recent years that meant Orlando City and the Pride working to lock in a good playoff seed and actual playoff games for Orlando City B (OCB), that is not the case this year.
OCB went ahead and dressed up as a pumpkin well in advance of Halloween, failing to make the playoffs after a strong early start to their season. The Pride need, I don’t know, just about everything to go their way (you can create scenarios at this link; it is possible but exceedingly unlikely) in order to make the playoffs, and Orlando City is in a tight battle to qualify, with playoffstatus.com giving it just a 34% chance of making it this year.
October could indeed live up to its scary billing if the Pride do not get their miracle and the Lions falter and drop below the line. Not since 2019 have all three Orlando teams missed their respective playoffs during the same year, and the Lions are realistically the City Beautiful’s only hope for postseason soccer.
I generally prefer optimism to pessimism, so with that in mind, I wanted to look at something more on the glass-half-full side this week, with that glass being half full of goals. Goalkeepers and defenders can have fun too, but their fun is often more like that of an actuary or accountant — clinical and black and white. Goals are expressive and explosive and full of color (in this case, a heavy helping of purple) and joy. I like thinking happy thoughts while I write.
The three Orlando teams have scored more than 150 goals this season across all competitions, and the chart below details the makeup of all three teams and where those goals came from, using data from fbref.com for Orlando City and the Pride and from the MLS NEXT Pro website for OCB:
| Team | Players Used | Goal Scorers | Goal Contributors* | Leading Contributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando City | 33 | 17 | 20 | Martín Ojeda – 15 |
| Orlando City B | 37 | 15 | 22 | Issah Haruna – 14 |
| Orlando Pride | 26 | 10 | 17 | Barbra Banda – 21 |
| All Three Clubs | 83 | 38 | 55 |
*Goal contributors are the players that scored or provided the primary assist on the goal
More than 80 players have appeared in at least one game for an Orlando team thus far, with 13 players appearing for both Orlando City and OCB. Seven players are goalkeepers, and if you remove them from the players used count, that leaves 76 field players, of which 54 (goalkeeper Juan Rojas had an assist for OCB) contributed to at least one goal (71%, not bad).
Barbra Banda, Martín Ojeda, and Issah Haruna are the leaders for their respective teams thus far. OCB’s season is over, so Haruna — and his seven goals and seven assists — is locked in as the leading contributor for OCB. Ojeda has been in the lead for nearly the entire season for Orlando City, but Antoine Griezmann started playing after the World Cup break and has been rapidly cooking up escar-goal contributions ever since. As for the Pride, it was Agatha Barbra all along, and as our Sean Rollins noted earlier this week, it has not even been close.
I mentioned earlier that 13 players have played for both men’s teams this season, and even though Ojeda leads the Lions and Haruna led the Young Lions, neither are the leading contributor on the men’s side of the club. In fact, neither are the leader or the player in second place, as it is Justin Ellis who sits in first place and Harvey Sarajian who trails him on the men’s side.
Both players have delivered goals for the senior Lions and Young Lions this season, and if you throw in the two goals from his recent stint with the U.S. Men’s National Team, Ellis has crested 20 goal contributions in 2026. Those do not count for the graph below, even though the first was in Inter.co Stadium and the second came from an assist from Alex Freeman, both of which feel very much like they should count as Orlando goal contributions. Alas, Freeman is “Forever A Lion” but not currently on the Lions, but the following 10 players are and coincidentally they are both the top 10 and only 10 with at least 10 goal contributions thus far this season:
| Player | Goal Contributions | Goal Contributions per 90 (GC/90) | GC 90/Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbra Banda | 21 | 1.05 | 1 |
| Justin Ellis | 19 | 0.80 | 5 |
| Harvey Sarajian | 15 | 0.85 | 4 |
| Martín Ojeda | 15 | 0.68 | 7 |
| Issah Haruna | 14 | 0.66 | 8 |
| Antoine Griezmann | 13 | 0.96 | 2 |
| Gustavo Caraballo | 12 | 0.73 | 6 |
| Tyrese Spicer | 12 | 0.93 | 3 |
| Iván Angulo | 10 | 0.32 | 18 |
| Pedro Leão | 10 | 0.44 | 12 |
Banda jumps out as the leader and the only Pride player in the top 10, Haley McCutcheon (a defensive midfielder!) is second on the team and 11th overall with eight goal contributions, and Jacquie Ovalle is third on the Pride and tied for 13th overall with six. The Pride have once again really been a one-woman band(a), as evidenced by how the low numbers are for their second- and third-leading goal contributors.
Back on the men’s side, Daryl Dike only has three goal contributions, so he is down at 23rd in those rankings, but his 0.58 goal contributions per 90 minutes has him ninth on the per-90 chart. Tiago, who may become a lot more important now that Tyrese Spicer is likely out for the season with a Jones fracture, is the other player not in the top 10 for actual goal contributions but in there per 90 minutes, as he sits 10th at 0.51.
It is not surprising that the two players with the highest pedigree rank in the top two on the per-90-minutes chart. Both Banda and Griezmann have been as advertised all season, and if both had been available all season, each team would likely be higher in the standings.
The Pride have three games remaining (though their next one is not until Oct. 18 due to an international window) and Orlando City has seven, so there is still ample time for movement on this top 10 chart. Perhaps McCutcheon goes McClutcheon and bags a few more braces, or Ovalle or Ally Lemos (fourth on the Pride, also as a defensive midfielder) go on a late heater and catch Pedro Leão. More likely, however, is that no other Pride player makes a leap and Banda just adds to her totals, and we see if Ellis, with four more games left to play than the Zambian, can catch her for the number one spot.
Ojeda has a chance to follow his 31 goal contribution season in 2025 with a 20+ season in 2026, and if any of those goal contributions come from goals, he will pass Facundo Torres and take sole possession as the club’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Orlando City’s season resumes Saturday against Columbus, and hopefully the Lions will return from the international break locked and loaded for the stretch run. Whether the goal contributions come from a top 10 performer or someone well off the list is irrelevant. All that matters is that the Lions can score at least one more than their opponents.
And if they can do that a few more times, that will contribute to extending their playoff run to a seventh consecutive year.
Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City’s Final Playoff Push Filled with Challenges
Lion Links: 10/9/26
By the Numbers: Orlando’s Top Goal Contributors of 2026
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