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Orlando City at LA Galaxy: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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9 years ago

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I’m just going to be quick with tonight’s player grades because Orlando City’s 4-2 loss at the LA Galaxy deserves as few words as possible to describe it. Aside from the horrific officiating that allowed the Galaxy to pull ahead by not one goal, but two, the Lions played like a team that’s been away from home all week, which it was.

Let’s get on with this.

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik 5, – Eh, he was hung out to dry on every goal and didn’t make many memorable plays. I don’t think he did anything necessarily wrong but he also didn’t do anything special. He certainly got no help.

D, Luke Boden, 6 – I actually thought Bodz did OK tonight. Some early crosses came in from his side but the majority of the really dangerous stuff came from the flank patrolled by Kevin Alston, including the first and second LA goals. Boden saw a lot of the ball, with the fourth-most touches and combined well down the left with Kevin Molino. There wasn’t enough sharpness in the final third, but you can say that about a lot of players.

D, David Mateos, 4.5 – The center backs didn’t distinguish themselves in this match. Aerial play was lacking from both and they were caught up field too often. The Spaniard will miss Saturday’s match due to yellow card accumulation after he was forced into a tactical foul in this game. He missed an opportunity to score on a free header, sending one just wide that I don’t think Brian Rowe could have gotten to.

D, Jose Aja, 4.5 – Gave up a penalty with a tactical foul, which was outside the box, but hey, why let actual rules decide when a penalty is given? Despite his glaring midfield jog on Robbie Keane’s goal, Aja did some fairly heroic defending at times, finishing with team highs in tackles (5) and clearances (5) with three interceptions and a blocked shot.

D, Kevin Alston, 3.5 – I’ll admit this might be a tad harsh, but the Galaxy cranked it up after the initial goal, which came down his side and he was nowhere in sight. Servando Carrasco was behind the play and Antonio Nocerino was left to try to run down Emmanuel Boateng on his own and strained his hamstring in the process. In addition to getting caught acres from his defensive third on that goal and indirectly getting a teammate hurt, his passing wasn’t great and he added little to the attack.

MF, Servando Carrasco, 5 – Decent passing percentage, five interceptions and two tackles, but Servando was part of a midfield that repeatedly gave the ball away while trying to break out of the defensive third, leading to even more dangerous LA chances. At times he would slow down Orlando City’s forward movement by being a bit too deliberate with the ball.

MF, Antonio Nocerino, 5.5 – The Italian continues to try to direct traffic and break up play in the defensive end and he was having another decent night before it prematurely ended just 40 minutes in. Had an early deflection to deny a scoring chance that came a bit too close to his own goal for my liking, but I won't deduct points for almost own-goals. I think that communication on breakouts was a problem for the entire midfield in this game. As a result of this, his passing accuracy was down a bit tonight (70%).

MF, Kevin Molino 7 (MOTM), – The Trinidadian international was dangerous in the attack, scoring Orlando's first goal, completing 78.7% of his passes, leading the team with five shots, and drawing six free kicks. He took a corner kick,sending in a nice cross that nearly gave David Mateos a goal. He worked well with seemingly all of the players around him.

MF, Kaká, 5 – I'm sure I'll get drilled for this one too, but despite a good passing percentage (85%), the Brazilian seemed a bit off tonight to me. He was dispossessed three times, sometimes failed to combine well with his teammates, particularly when breaking out of the defensive end, and attempted no shots. He got no crosses in and finished without a key pass.

MF, Matias Perez Garcia, 5 – MPG finished with decent stats, but he was nearly invisible for the first hour of the match. He put on a much better performance in the second half, but by then the game was out of reach. He managed to lead the team with an 89.1% passing accuracy and four key passes (as I said, his stats were decent) but he was dispossessed a team-high five times, too, and some of his turnovers launched a few of LA’s most dangerous counter attacks. It looked to me like MPG had tired legs, although, as I said, he was much sharper in the second half.

F, Cyle Larin, 3.5 – The Canadian had only 23 touches in his 61 minutes and many of his first touches were heavy to the point of losing possession or at least breaking up a promising attack. He led the team with five bad touches. This surprises me, as he was the the only member of the team to start the week in the Pacific Time Zone and was coming off a goal in international play. I thought we’d see better from Kid Fantastic. He did manage to set up Molino’s goal by making a great effort to get solid contact on Boden’s cross in the 20th minute.

Substitutes

MF, Tony Rocha (40′), 5.5 – I thought Rocha’s night was a big bag of adequacy. He took two shots and finished with three tackles, and an interception and took a necessary tactical yellow card for breaking up a counter attack. However, his shots were off target and his link-up play in the attacking third wasn’t good enough at times, although he finished with a decent 80% passing accuracy.

F, Carlos Rivas (61′), 3.5 – No shots on target, not much in the way of using his speed, and no sign of the guy who played Wednesday. That’s my take on the Colombian’s night. He had only 12 touches in the final half hour of the game and messed up a promising attack shortly after being introduced when he could have played in Molino but his pass was off target and easily cut out by the defense.

MF, Brek Shea (73′), 6.5 – Brek provided a bit of a spark for Orlando City in nearly 20 minutes of action. In addition to scoring a consolation goal in stoppage time, he forced an amazing save from Brian Rowe to prevent a goal and also hit the post. His passing accuracy was higher than usual (85.7%) and he looked like the team’s most dangerous player for the final 15 minutes of the match. Brek has goals in consecutive games for the first time as a Lion and if he can continue to play like he did tonight, good things will happen.

Those are the grades as I saw them. I know there weren't as many examples or stats as I usually provide by way of explanation but I think we're all ready to move on to the next game after this debacle. Feel free to give your grades in the comment section and vote in the poll below.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Luke Boden13
Servando Carrasco15
Kevin Molino47
Brek Shea58
Tony Rocha0
Other7

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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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19 hours 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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/3/25

Orlando City B announces signings, details of Concacaf W Champions Cup, UEFA Nations League preview, and more.

Published

3 days ago

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June 3, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Good morning, everyone. It’s been a pretty brutal last two games for Orlando City, there’s no getting around that fact. While it’s never fun to not have the team in action, a two-week break between games maybe isn’t the worst thing in this particular case. Even though it’ll be a minute before the Lions are back in action, we still have plenty of things to talk about, so let’s get into today’s links.

Orlando City B Announces Signings

Orlando City B announced on Monday that it has signed Clovis Archange and Jackson Platts to MLS NEXT Pro contracts. The pair are graduates of the Orlando City Development Academy and were part of the team that won the U-18 Generation Adidas Cup earlier this year. The 18-year-old Platts captained the team in the final, while Archange was named as one of the players to watch before the tournament started. They’ve both featured for their countries at the youth level, with Platts appearing for the United States U-16 and U-18 teams, and Archange suiting up for Canada’s U-17 side. Congratulations to both players!

Concacaf Announces W Champions Cup Details

Concacaf has named the 10 teams that will participate 2025-2026 Concacaf W Champions Cup and has announced the pots for tonight’s draw. The Orlando Pride are one of three American teams participating in the second year of the competition, and have been placed into Pot 2. Teams will be divided into two groups of five, with each team facing every club in its group once, and the top two sides from each group then advancing to the semifinals. The winner gets a spot in the 2027 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, and the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, which is set to be held for the first time in 2028. The draw takes place tonight at 8 p.m.

UEFA Nations League Preview

The UEFA Nations League returns this week, with the semifinals set for tomorrow and Thursday, and the third-place game and final taking place on Sunday. Things get started on Wednesday afternoon with Germany facing off against Portugal in Munich. Germany put away Italy 5-4 on aggregate in the quarterfinals to get to the semis for the first time, while Portugal beat Denmark 5-2, and is hunting for its second Nations League trophy. Thursday has Spain taking on France in Stuttgart. The Spanish beat the Netherlands on penalties in the semis to get here, while France took out Croatia on penalties to punch its ticket. There’s plenty of recent history in this one as these teams also met in the semifinals of Euro 2024 last year, with Spain claiming a 2-1 win.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

The transfer rumor mill has kicked into full swing, so let’s catch up on some of the big talking points. Starting in England, Manchester United has reportedly increased its interest in Brian Mbuemo, with the Brentford forward said to also be interested in moving to the club. There are said to be a number of Premier League teams interested in signing Southampton midfielder Tyler Dibling after his team was relegated to the Championship this season. Jobe Bellingham will reportedly follow in his brother Jude’s footsteps, as he’s reportedly decided to join Borussia Dortmund. Finally, Inter Milan is reportedly interested in signing Marcus Rashford as the Italians look to rebuild the squad following a brutal defeat in the UEFA Champions League final.

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  • Here’s a first look at Alex Freeman in his USMNT kit:

That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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