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Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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7 years ago

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Orlando City picked up three points over Real Salt Lake for its sixth straight victory, and once again, the win came in comeback fashion. After a scoreless first half, Orlando City scored three goals in a 20-minute span to take a 3-1 lead, which was eventually the final score of the match. The win streak is both the longest streak for the club in its MLS history and the longest winning streak in MLS so far this season.

With that said, lets see how the lads did individually in yet another victory.

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 8.5 — Despite giving up the goal to Corey Baird in the 12th minute, Bendik had one of his best games of the season. Bendik faced nine shots on goal throughout, saving eight of them, including a stellar kick save in the 62nd minute to keep the game level at 1-1 at the time. He also had a beautiful diving save in the 51st minute that kept RSL’s lead to just one goal early in the second half. Bendik may have given up a goal, but he was a huge reason why Orlando was able to win this game and extend its win streak to six games.

D, Mohamed El-Munir, 7.5 — El-Munir once again had a solid game at left back as he totaled eight tackles, one interception and numerous clearances on scoring chances from Real Salt Lake. He also came up and helped fuel the attack throughout with crosses, mainly in the second half, when Orlando City scored all three of its goals. El-Munir continued his solid campaign at right back for the Lions.

D, Chris Schuler, 6 — In his first start for Orlando City, and first MLS game since last June, Schuler did look rusty, especially in the first half, but he made no astounding errors and played well alongside Lamine Sané. Schuler had not seen playing time at all this season before this game, so it was expected for him to look shaky at times as he was replacing Jonathan Spector and Amro Tarek, who were both out with injuries. Not the greatest game from Schuler, but not a bad one either.

D, Lamine Sané, 7 — Sané was outpaced on the lone goal from Real Salt Lake after Sacha Kljestan’s poor touch in the midfield. But the center back made up for it by netting his first goal in an Orlando City uniform and playing solid defense throughout the second half. Sané was also the only defensive player for the Lions dwith a blocked shot and was all over the pitch. His veteran presence helped the defense regroup after the early goal, which led to better play and a victory.

D, Will Johnson, 6.5 — Will Johnson once again lined up at right back and helped the Lions on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Johnson had a shot on target early on that was saved by Nick Rimando as well as several accurate long balls and crosses that led to near scoring chances. Johnson has had to be a flexible player for Jason Kreis throughout the season, but he is proving himself as a reliable right back week in and week out for Orlando City.

MF, Yoshimar Yotún, 9 (MotM) — Yotún had the most solid game of any player on the pitch against Real Salt Lake. He had 85 touches along with 59 passes, one of those passes being an assist to Lamine Sané off a corner kick for his first goal with the club. Yotún scored a goal of his own off a rebound from Dom Dwyer’s shot to give the Lions a 3-1 lead in the 78th minute to put the game away. Yotún was the Swiss army knife for Orlando City and its midfield, which allowed Orlando to control that part of the pitch throughout the entire game. Yotún had a stellar game as he gets my Man of the Match nod.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 7.5 — Higuita had the most passes (66) and the most touches (86) of any player on the pitch for Orlando City, so he was involved for the entire 90 minutes. Of course, Higuita picked up his usual yellow card, but that was excusable given his notorious physical playing style which always helps Orlando in the midfield. The Colombian had two shots off target but was a force on both sides of the ball. Higuita tallied four successful tackles, two interceptions and two clearances while playing alongside Yotún.

MF, Justin Meram, 5.5 — For some reason, Justin Meram has yet to be able to find the net, something Orlando City expected to be second nature for him when it acquired him from the Columbus Crew. Meram had four total shots, all of them being off target, even though a few were close. He also seemed to have issues with his touches as he was undisciplined on a few, but he was able to throw some passes into the box and create havoc for Real Salt Lake. Jason Kreis needs to continue to find a way to get Meram on the score sheet, because the floodgates will open once that happens.

MF, Sacha Kljestan, 7 — As stated earlier, Kljestan gave away the ball in the midfield that led to the goal from Corey Baird, but he shrugged it off and played a solid game otherwise. He assisted on Orlando’s first goal of the match to Dom Dwyer in the 60th minute, which opened the scoring barrage that ensued for the 20 minutes to follow. Kljestan’s passes consistently led to scoring chances and he also took a few shots on goal as well. Kljestan had a normal game, which is basically what Orlando needed out of him to attain victory.

MF, Chris Mueller, 6 — Mueller had arguably the quietest game of his career as he didn’t record a shot throughout his time on the pitch and only had 38 touches, second to Dom Dwyer, who only had 33. He set up an early opportunity with a tremendous individual effort to put his defender on skates, but the cross was well defended. The rookie really didn’t do anything drastically right or wrong to rightfully grade him up or down, so his game was quiet but not in a bad way to affect the squad as a whole.

F, Dom Dwyer, 8.5 — Dwyer once again scored for Orlando City for the sixth time in as many games and he also was responsible for the rebound goal by Yoshimar Yotún that gave Orlando a two-goal cushion in the 78th minute. Dwyer took three shots on goal, two of which led to goals and the other also being a shot on target. He once again proved he can wreak havoc on opposing defenses and he also made passes that led to other scoring chances, as well as demonstrating standout hold-up play. Dwyer was the fire Orlando City needed in the second half after a scoreless first, and he once again put himself all over the score sheet and helped Orlando City continue scoring goals at will.

Reserves

F, Stéfano Pinho (72’), 6 — Pinho was relatively quiet for being on the pitch for about 18 minutes, as he only recorded a tackle and 11 touches. He came on for Chris Mueller, who was also quiet, so the Brazilian did about as much as Mueller did, which was nothing absurdly right or wrong.

MF, Uri Rosell (80’), 6.5 — Rosell came on for Yotún and made some noise as he took two shots, one being on target that almost gave him his first goal of the season. Uri wasn’t on the pitch long, but he made his presence felt throughout those 10 minutes and gave Orlando City a strong finish to a solid second half.

D, RJ Allen (87’), N/A — It would be unfair to grade RJ Allen as he barely saw the pitch. He made a tackle and an interception but he did not have enough time to truly make an impact on the game itself.

Vote for your Man of the Match or comment your thoughts on these game grades.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Yoshi Yotún114
Joe Bendik111
Dom Dwyer10
Lamine Sané2
Cristian Higuita24
Other (comment below)0

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/6/25

Alex Freeman called up for Concacaf Gold Cup, Orlando Pride get ready for the Houston Dash, Orlando City B plays tonight, and more.

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1 hour ago

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June 6, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday! I’ll be spending this weekend celebrating my birthday by beating my friends at mini golf with no mercy but still hope to catch some soccer over the next few days. I’ve also been on a bit of a movie kick and plan on catching Wes Anderson’s new flick at some point soon. But for now, let’s dive into today’s links!

Alex Freeman Called Up For Gold Cup

Orlando City defender Alex Freeman was officially called up by the United States Men’s National Team for the Concacaf Gold Cup this summer. He’s the only Lion who will be at the tournament and is one of seven uncapped USMNT players on the roster. The 20-year-old could receive more playing time than expected, as right back Sergino Dest is not on the roster so that he can recover over the summer. Left back John Tolkin was added to replace Dest, so Freeman has a real shot at making a claim for the position this month. The U.S. will take on Turkey Saturday in the first of two friendlies before its first Gold Cup match against Trinidad & Tobago on June 15.

Orlando Pride Prepares to Host the Houston Dash

With the international break for women’s soccer over, the Orlando Pride return to action Saturday with a home game against the Houston Dash. It should be a great opportunity for the Pride to ease back into the swing of things against a Dash team that’s only scored 10 goals this season. Pride midfielder Ally Lemos spoke on the benefit of being able to rest heading into this match while maintaining a winning mindset from a 3-1 victory on May 23.

Anna Moorhouse Called Up For 2025 Euros

Orlando Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was named to England’s final roster for the 2025 UEFA European Women’s Championship. She’s one of three goalkeepers on the squad following Mary Earp’s surprise retirement from international soccer, and she will likely compete with fellow uncapped player Khiara Keating for the backup position behind Hannah Hampton. Moorhouse has started in every game for the Pride this season and was an NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year finalist for her record-breaking season last year. England’s Euro run will begin July 5 against France before other group matches against the Netherlands and Wales.

Orlando City B Takes On Huntsville City FC

The Young Lions are riding high after a 2-1 win over Chattanooga FC and will take that momentum into tonight’s road match against Huntsville City FC. Midfielder Noah Levis scored his first career goal in that home win, with Justin Hylton providing the assist in his OCB debut. Orlando’s offense has been hot and cold this season but has a variety of attacking talent that can create chances in different ways. The Young Lions have only won once on the road, but a win tonight would lift them to third in the Eastern Conference.

Free Kicks

  • FIFA Club World Cup action is coming to the City Beautiful this month and Orlando City legend Kaká spoke on how it’s nice for Orlando to host games.
  • San Diego Wave Head Coach Jonas Eidevall was named NWSL Coach of the Month. The Wave were undefeated in May, winning three of their four matches to climb to second in the league standings.
  • The NWSL will allow intraleague loans for all teams, with the players needing to consent to the move in order for it to happen. Denver and Boston’s expansion teams will have access to potentially over $1 million in Allocation Money starting on July 1 to build their rosters before the 2026 season.
  • Atletico Madrid is reportedly close to signing American midfielder Johnny Cardoso from Real Betis.
  • South Korea, Uzbekistan, and Jordan all qualified for the 2026 World Cup, while China was eliminated from contention. Australia beat Japan 1-0 and will qualify so long as it doesn’t lose heavily to Saudi Arabia on June 10.
  • Spain beat France 5-4 in a wild game to reach the UEFA Nations League final against Portugal on Sunday. Lamine Yamal continues to take the world by storm, but a late rally by France nearly completed a comeback.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/5/25

MLS All-Star voting update, Kerry Abello shines with USWNT, Sergio Zapata earns recognition, and more.

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1 day ago

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June 5, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope this week has been treating you well as we enjoy some international soccer and prepare for the return of NWSL action this weekend. Before we jump right into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City B midfielder Dylan Judelson!

Pair of Lions Lead MLS All-Star Voting

Voting for this year’s MLS All-Star Game remains underway and an update was provided on which players are leading at each position. Orlando City defender Alex Freeman leads all right backs as he enjoys a breakout season. I was aware of the buzz he’s been getting this year, but it’s still surprising to see a Lion as an All-Star frontrunner. What’s even more surprising is that Pedro Gallese leads the voting for goalkeepers. The Peruvian made a rough gaffe last week, but has otherwise had a stellar season with Orlando that’s included seven clean sheets. Voting will close on June 11, so make sure to get those votes in before then.

Kerry Abello Impresses With USMNT

Orlando Pride defender Kerry Abello made her first appearance for the United States Women’s National Team Tuesday, playing every minute of the 4-0 win over Jamaica. The versatility she’s shown with the Pride translated well in Head Coach Emma Hayes’ system, as she was able to hold things down defensively and contribute to the attack as well. Abello could end up bringing solid depth to the USWNT as Hayes figures out the team’s future core of players. Enjoy this video from the USWNT that provides a look behind the scenes of Abello’s international debut.

Sergio Zapata Named Player of the Month

Sergio Zapata scored a whopping 11 goals for Orlando City’s U-19 team over the course of just four matches in May, winning the honor of MLS NEXT Player of the Month. He had three hat tricks last month, including one against Hoosier Premier at MLS NEXT Fest. Zapata committed to Cornell, so hopefully we’ll get to see him tear it up in the Ivy League over the next couple of years.

Zack Steffen Sustains Knee Injury

Goalkeeper Zack Steffen injured his knee at the United States Men’s National Team’s training camp and will reportedly miss this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup. It’s rough news for the 30-year-old, as he was expected to compete with Matt Turner for the starting job with the USMNT. He’s been having a great season with the Colorado Rapids and returned to the club for further evaluation on the injury.

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That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/4/25

USWNT wins as Abello gets first cap, Orlando Pride’s Concacaf W Champions Cup draw, Club World Cup in Orlando, and more.

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2 days ago

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June 4, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Tuesday was a busy soccer day, especially on the women’s side. We have plenty of Orlando Pride news, and the USWNT secured yet another victory. I’m hoping the good vibes continue since I’ll be coming down to Orlando for the Pride’s match this Saturday. If you’re going to the match, let me know, as I’d love to meet as many of our readers as possible. For now, let’s get to the links.

USWNT Blanks Jamaica

The USWNT defeated Jamaica 4-0 in a friendly at Energizer Park in St. Louis. The Orlando Pride’s Kerry Abello got her first start and her first cap in the match. She went the full 90 minutes and almost had her first international goal in the second half, but the chance went a bit wide of the right post. Ally Sentnor and Lynn Biyendolo each scored a brace as the U.S. rolled to an easy win.

Pride Internationals

Abello wasn’t the only Pride player to make an international appearance. Marta returned to international duty for Brazil getting the start and the captain’s armband in a 2-1 win over Japan. Both Grace Chanda and Barbra Banda started for Zambia in the 2-0 loss to South Africa in the Three Nations Challenge. Congratulations are also due to Zara Chavoshi, who earned her first cap with the Canadian Women’s National Team in the match against Haiti.

Concacaf W Champions Cup Draw

The Concacaf W Champions Cup draw happened yesterday and the Orlando Pride are in Group A with Club America Femenil, CF Pachuca Femenil, LD Alajuelense, and Chorrillo FC. Group B consists of NJ/NY Gotham FC, the Washington Spirit, CF Monterrey Femenil, Vancouver Rise FC Academy, and Alianza Women FC. The competition kicks off Aug. 19-21.

FIFA Loves Orlando

FIFA President Gianni Infantino sat for an interview with Jamie Seh of WKMG Orlando. Infantino spoke about the upcoming Club World Cup matches at Inter&Co Stadium and Camping World Stadium. FIFA loves Orlando enough for the city to host the Club World Cup, but not the actual World Cup. Here is the schedule for the matches in Orlando. We will be bringing you coverage of these matches.

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That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the return of the Orlando Pride this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

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