Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Minnesota United FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions grade out in a come from behind road victory?

Published

2 years ago

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After a two-week hiatus, Orlando City traveled north for what could be considered a frigid clash on the pitch against Minnesota Untied. What started as an uneventful match ended in a flurry of goals during the last half hour and ultimately led to Orlando City returning to the City Beautiful with three much-needed points from a 2-1 road win. Here is how we saw OCSC’s performances in Saturday’s road victory at Minnesota.

GK, Pedro Gallese, 7 – El Pulpo did well for a significant portion of the match to keep the game level. Gallese faced 17 shots, with four of them on target. He recorded three saves in the game and the lone goal that Minnesota scored was so clinical and well placed that he had no shot at getting a body part on the ball. His best save of the game came in the 85th minute of the match, when he used his core to block a shot attempt from point blank range from Fanco Fragapane. With an expected goals against of 2.34, holding Minnesota to one is an accomplishment, although some of that was a lack of ruthlessness by the hosts. Gallese completed 70% of his passes and five of 11 long balls.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 – The new father joined forces with fellow center backs Jansson and Carlos on the back line for Orlando City during the away match, logging a full 90 minutes. Out of the back, Schlegel passed at an 81.1% clip including one accurate long ball on four attempts. He committed two fouls on the night and recorded four successful tackles and five clearances. He was partly responsible on Minnesota’s goal, watching Robin Lod, while Hassani Dotson cut in behind him to take the pass and pull Orlando’s defense out of shape. Dotson took Lod’s pass and was able to send in the dangerous pass across the box for the Loons’ goal.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 – Jansson went the full 90 minutes and completed 86.8% of his passes on the night, including two successful long ball passes, albeit on eight attempts. Jansson recorded one interception and no successful duels, with four clearances and one blocked shot. His error while marking Mender Garcia on a long ball early in the match gave Minnesota a golden opportunity to open the scoring, but Bongokuhle Hlongwane muffed his chance. He was also unable to prevent the cross that led to the Loons’ easy goal in the second half as he tried to cover for Schlegel.

D, Antonio Carlos, 6.5 – A welcome sign for Orlando City fans everywhere, not only was AC back in the starting lineup for the first time this season, but he also went the full 90 minutes. Carlos completed 85.2% of his passes on the night and logged an impressive seven successful long balls in the match on nine attempts. AC also logged two interceptions, two clearances, two blocked shots, and two aerials won. He attempted one shot at the other end. Perhaps his biggest contribution was an excellent switch of play to Gaston Gonzalez that started the sequence on the equalizing goal.

MF, Gaston Gonzalez, 6 – Gonzalez drew the start on the left side for this match. His long crossing pass to Ivan Angulo was responsible for Orlando City’s equalizer, but he struggled at times to free himself up for clean crosses and sent several into the shins of Minnesota fullback DJ Taylor. Gonzalez completed 77.4% of his passes but was dispossessed twice and led the team with four unstable touches. He only completed one successful dribble but won two corners for Orlando City. If Gonzalez is going to be in the starting XI, City will need the winger to be more technical and decisive on the field in the attacking half, but he at least acquitted himself well overall on the defensive end with two tackles, an interception, three clearances, and one blocked shot.

MF, Maurico Pererya, 6.5 – The captain saw the field for the first 87 minutes of the match before eventually being subbed off for Dagur Dan Thorhallsson right before Orlando City scored the go-ahead goal. He completed 83.6% of his passes, was credited with one shot — which was blocked — and committed one foul while drawing two. Pereyra was also credited with an assist, his third of the year, as he had the secondary pass on Angulo’s goal. He had no key passes but two dribbles on the night. Defensively he recorded three tackles, an interception, a clearance, and one aerial won.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 – Araujo put in the type of blue collar effort that Orlando City fans have come to know and expect from the defensive midfielder. A steady force in the midfield is important for a team that tends to build out of the back, and Araujo passed at an 87.7% clip on the night and completed four of his six long balls. Additionally, Araujo drew six fouls while only committing one. He logged two successful tackles and an interception. He has shown time and again that his motor never stops and while the end product is not always sexy or flashy, it is exactly the steadying force that Orlando needs.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 7 (MotM) — Angulo’s growth and development on the year so far was put on display from the opening whistle of the match. When acquired last year, fans came to know Angulo for his speed and desire to take multiple players off the dribble. Playing as a wingback, Angulo had a mixed defensive performance, snuffing out multiple attacks but also getting bested by Hlongwane multiple times down his side of the pitch. One of those nearly resulted in a Lod goal but the Finnish winger got under his shot. After being beaten by Hlongwane on a back-post run in the 58th minute, Angulo switched into a different gear and in the 66th minute slotted home a beautiful shot on a cross from Gonzalez to draw the club level. In the 88th minute, from almost the exact same location, he took a cross from Facundo Torres and found himself 1-v-1 with Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair. This time, instead of smashing a rocket blast, Angulo tried to chip the keeper for what looked to be his second goal of the night. The ball instead clanked off the crossbar, but fell to the head of Duncan McGuire for the go-ahead goal. Angulo passed at 72.7% rate with one key pass and one successful cross on two attempts. He attempted two shots, getting one on target. Defensively, Angulo recorded two tackles and two clearances.

MF, Facundo Torres, 5.5 — Orlando City needs Torres to find his way on the field, as he was invisible throughout most of the match. Going the full 90 for OCSC, Torres passed at 78.4% accuracy, went 0-for-2 on crossing accuracy, 2-for-2 on long-ball accuracy, and created one chance with a key pass. The Uruguayan Young Designated Player recorded only one shot which was well off target. He chipped in defensively with four tackles and a clearance, committing one foul without drawing any, and he was dispossessed once and had two unstable touches. Defenders are ready for Torres’ favorite move, his cut back to the middle of the field, and are taking that motion away from him outside of the box. As the Lions head into the dog days of summer, they desperately need Torres to find his goal-creating form. He helped set one up Saturday in Minnesota, but only because his cross for McGuire was a bit too high.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6.5 — Ojeda logged two shots on the night, one which was blocked and the other off target. He completed a solid 81.5% of his passes and was part of the buildup on the equalizing goal, dropping a layoff for Pereyra to send Gonzalez down the left flank. Ojeda led the Lions with four key passes, and was accurate on three of five cross attempts and one of his two long balls. He was dispossessed once and had three unstable touches. Defensively, he recorded one tackle, one interception, and two clearances on the night. Once Orlando City equalized, Ojeda was subbed off for Felipe in a more defensive-minded move aimed at coming home with at least a point.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 6 — Enrique was given the start up top once again and tried to use his speed and positioning to track down balls and hold up play. He took a team-high three shots but none were on target, having one of them blocked. He scompleted 78.3% of his 23 passes while drawing one foul and committing one as well. He also logged three tackles and a clearance on the defensive end and won four aerials. Enrique was subbed off in the 75th minute for McGuire.

Substitutes

MF, Felipe (70′), 6.5 — Felipe came on for Ojeda in the 70th minute to provide an additional defensive presence in the midfield. In his 20 minutes of game time, Felipe completed 91.7% of his passes, including a ridiculous through ball that the attack should have done more with. Defensively, he contributed a clearance in the game’s late stages.

F, Duncan McGuire (75′), 7 — Orlando runs on Duncan. The MLS Super Draft pick subbed on in the 75th minute for Enrique and once again made his presence known with his smart positioning and his late go-ahead header. One of his more mature moments came in stoppage time, when he found himself 1-v-1 in the penalty area with defender Michael Boxall. Rather than trying to ice the match and potentially giving up possession, the rookie calmly took the ball to the corner and burned up a few more valuable seconds.

D, Luca Petrasso (86′), N/A — Petrasso came on in the 86th minute as an additional defensive substitute to spell Gonzalez and ensure that Orlando would not concede a second goal on the road. He did better than that, working a nifty play up the left sideline with Thorhallsson that broke Minnesota’s pressure and eventually led to the game-winning goal. He completed three of his four passing attempts and only touched the ball those four times.

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (87′), N/A — Thorhallsson was a late sub replacing the captain in the 87th minute. He completed 63% of his six passes on eight touches and successfully completed one dribble. He and Petrasso worked their play along the sideline to perfection and unleashed Torres down the left flank on the game-winning play.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in the come from behind road victory over Minnesota United FC. Let me know how you saw things in the comments, and be sure to vote in the Man of the Match poll below.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City Relies on Starters More Than Any Other MLS Team

An analysis of Óscar Pareja’s early lineup choices and substitution patterns and how that compares to the 2024 season.

Published

3 hours ago

on

April 3, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Legendary swordsman Inigo Montoya, a man who is not lefthanded, once opened a conversation by asking the Dread Pirate Roberts if, by any chance, he had six fingers on his right hand. Nobody will need to prepare to die by the end of this column, but I will ask a similar question: I don’t mean to pry, but did you by any chance happen to realize that we are already more than one-sixth of the way through the MLS regular season? Six fingers, one-sixth of the season…close enough. Let’s go.

Time flies when you are having fun, and somehow Orlando City has already played 540 minutes of MLS soccer this season. I consider 500 minutes played to be a cutoff amount when looking at player and lineup performance, and with the conclusion of the most recent game in Los Angeles, the team has now surpassed that 500-minute threshold.

In looking at the opening 540 minutes, I was surprised to see how much continuity I found in the minutes played, considering how many injuries the Lions have had to work around during these first six games. In just the first six games, Orlando City has already had full games missed due to injury by César Araujo (1), David Brekalo (2), Robin Jansson (2), Duncan McGuire (3) and Nico Rodriguez (5). Brekalo and Pedro Gallese both missed a game for international duty as well. McGuire was not expected back during the first set of games, but all of those other players, with the possible exception of Rodriguez, were expected to contribute during the early part of the season.

These absences led to games where the substitutes list was full of players who will play big minutes for Orlando City B this year, but not players who Óscar Pareja was likely to turn to off the bench unless the game was out of hand or he was absolutely desperate. According to Opta’s tracking through the opening six games, Orlando City ranks last in MLS in the average minutes played by its substitutes, as the average amount of time per appearance for the players off the bench for the Lions is only 12 minutes. For context, 16 teams have an average amount of time per substitute appearance of 20 minutes or greater, and Inter Miami and Toronto are tied with a league-leading 27 minutes per substitute appearance.

The interesting thing about those two teams, Miami and Toronto, is that Miami leads the league in points per match with 2.6 and Toronto is second from the bottom with a scant 0.33 points per match. I think a lot of this data will even out over time, as right now there are several teams, including Miami, that are playing in multiple competitions and trying to keep players fresh for all of their matches.

When it comes to Orlando City, however, that is not the case, and thus far there has just been the standard one game per week on six consecutive Saturdays. The players are rested for each game. The issue has just been that Pareja has not had the depth and variety of players he thought he would have to bring off the bench to protect a lead or chase a deficit.

We often joke in articles or on The Mane Land PawedCast about how “Óscar gonna Óscar,” and once he finds a lineup he likes, he sticks with it. Even with all the injuries he has somehow managed to do this again this season, as you can see from the chart below. I started tracking lineup data last season, and even though the 2025 season is only six games old and there have been so many absences from key players this season, it was striking to see that the 11-man lineup that has played the most minutes together this season already outranks all but two lineups from the entire 2024 MLS season (including the five playoff games!):

Now, it is a little unfair to the one 2025 lineup on the above chart that it has such a negative goal differential per 90 minutes, because if it is only the 10 field players, with goalkeeper excluded, then that lineup has played 215 minutes together and has a +0.84 goal differential per 90 minutes. That group is +4 with Javier Otero in net in 74 minutes together, and removing the goalkeepers from the calculation turns that negative goal differential into a positive.

What that also tells us, however, is that when it comes to the 10 field players, Pareja has played the same unit in the field for 40% (215/540) of the team’s minutes already. Granted it is early in the season, but after six MLS games last season, the lineup that had played together the most had played a grand total of 74 minutes together (14% of all minutes). The top five most used lineups in last season’s opening six MLS games combined to play 302 minutes, or 56% of all minutes, and in 2025 it is 402 minutes, or 80%. My math, and everyone else’s math, says that is a much higher percentage and indicates that the team is focused on continuity early.

That continuity thus far this season has paid dividends, with the Lions earning 10 points from the first six games, twice as nice as last season’s five points after the first six games. Last year, the team was balancing midweek Concacaf Champions Cup games in addition to injuries and an international break during the opening weeks of the MLS season, so there were some good reasons for the lineup rotation and the slow start. This year’s squad will have to navigate two upcoming cup tournaments in the coming months, and so we likely will see a lot of new lineup configurations or more rotation once the U.S. Open Cup starts in May and then again when Leagues Cup starts in July.

Thus far though, Pareja has been able to stick with his starters deep into matches, and has only given playing time to 20 players, which is tied for third fewest across all of MLS. Fan bases often clamor for the coach to “play the kids,” but while Pareja has had young and inexperienced players on the senior roster for every game, he really has only given significant minutes to Alex Freeman from the group of players that could be referred to as “the kids.” Gustavo Caraballo has played nine minutes, which is incredible for a 16-year-old (15-year-old Cavan Sullivan of Philadelphia is the only player younger than Caraballo to have played this season, and he has also played only nine minutes), and new signing Nico Rodriguez (20 years old) has played 11 minutes, but the next three youngest players to play are all at least 22 and were with the senior club last season (Otero and Ramiro Enrique) or came to the club after four seasons of college soccer (23-year-old, but nearly 24-year-old, Joran Gerbet).

The team’s record thus far shows that Pareja has been right to limit the minutes to the small group of players he trusts, and with one game per week for the next six weeks it will be interesting to see if the early trend of starters playing long minutes and only a few players getting all the minutes off the bench continues. The next match is on the road against Philadelphia, which so rudely came into Orlando and defeated the Lions 4-2 in the season opener, and my expectation is that while we likely will not see any players make their season debut in this game, I do think we will see a different starting lineup than the season opener and probably a different one than the game last weekend against the Galaxy.

No matter who the Lions go with, I am sure they will want to avenge the season-opening loss and bring three points back home to Orlando.

As we wish.

Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City at Philadelphia Union: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to earn all three points on the road against Philly?

Published

4 hours ago

on

April 3, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City is on the road yet again, this time heading to Pennsylvania to take on the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park Saturday night. The Lions will look to get a second road win in a row after the smash-and-grab victory against the LA Galaxy. Things don’t get any easier with the Union sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference, but a win would catapult Orlando City above Philadelphia in the standings. Here’s what Orlando City needs to do to earn all three points against the Philadelphia Union.

Tie up Tai

Tai Baribo leads the way-too-early-to-call Golden Boot race with six goals in five matches. The Union striker has taken 13 shots, putting eight on target and the aforementioned six in the back of the net. He scored a brace in the season opener against Orlando to bag a third of those goals. It’s a pretty easy call to say stopping the league leader in goals is an important part of shutting down the Philadelphia attack.

It will be up to Cesar Araujo and whichever center back pairing we get to shut Baribo down. Of course, he’s not the only one the Lions need to worry about since the Union also have striker Mikael Uhre, and midfielders Daniel Gazdag and Jovan Lukic providing goals and assists. The point is that Philadelphia is second only to the Lions in offensive production with 13 goals compared to Orlando City’s 15 goals.

Formation Change

In the last match against the LA Galaxy, the Lions struggled to get things going with Luis Muriel up top, Ojeda at the No. 10 spot and Ivan Angulo on the left. Once Duncan McGuire came on, Muriel shifted back, Ojeda went wide, and Angulo subbed off. That really opened up the attack and allowed the Lions to get the two goals needed to secure the victory.

Perhaps Oscar Pareja could start things off like that against Philadelphia. Angulo hasn’t been great the last few matches, and perhaps some time on the bench will get his head straight. McGuire is still early in his return from injury, but Ramiro Enrique can start up top with Big Dunc coming in later as he has the last few matches. I think making this change could help Orlando City get an early goal on the road.

Vengeance is Thine

When the two teams met on opening day, the Union dropped four goals on Orlando City in Inter&Co Stadium. You would think it a completely dominating performance, but the Lions actually had more shots, more shots on target, and more possession than the Union. Philadelphia simply put each of its four shots on target past Pedro Gallese. That type of luck is unlikely to happen again.

Since that time, the Orlando City defense has stiffened — at least a little bit — and the team has been more difficult to break down. I’m not saying the defense is as stalwart as last season, but it has improved. Orlando City needs to use that four-goal drubbing at the hands of the Union to galvanize the defense to enact revenge with a multi-goal victory of its own.

That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/3/25

Martin Ojeda in the MLS MVP mix early, Orlando Pride players won’t play for Zambia this window, Tierna Davidson out for the NWSL season, and more.

Published

9 hours ago

on

April 3, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope this week has been going well for you as we gear up for a busy Saturday filled to the brim with soccer to enjoy. Despite my blender’s protests, I’ve finally figured out how to make frozen coconut mojitos and plan on having those get me through the rest of the week. Before we dive into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy 28th birthday to Orlando City legend Rodrigo Schlegel!

Martin Ojeda’s MVP Credentials

Orlando City’s Martin Ojeda placed second in Sacha Kljestan’s MLS MVP power rankings this week. With four goals and three assists so far this season, Ojeda leads the league in goal contributions and is a major reason why the Lions have scored a league-high 15 goals. It’s great to see the 26-year-old take the reins of the offense after Facundo Torres’ departure. Inter Miami’s Luis Suarez tops Kljestan’s rankings, despite only having a goal in five games this season. Tai Baribo, Evander, and Lionel Messi round out the top five in what could be an interesting MVP race this year.

Pride Players Won’t Join Zambia For International Duty

Zambia will be without four NWSL players when it takes part in the Yongchuan International Tournament in China this month. Along with Bay FC forward Rachael Kundananji, Orlando Pride trio Barbra Banda, Grace Chanda, and Prisca Chilufya were withdrawn from international duty, with the Football Association of Zambia stating it was due to additional travel measures by the current U.S. administration. FAZ General Secretary Reuben Kamanga expects the quartet to be available for future matches and both Banda and Kundananji played in friendlies in Zambia in February. Restrictions like this may limit the appeal of the NWSL to foreign players in the future.

Fan Banned For Hateful Language Towards Banda

NJ/NY Gotham FC announced that the fan who directed hateful language towards Banda has been banned following an investigation that included interviewing witnesses and reviewing security footage. The incident took place at the Pride’s match against Gotham on March 23 at Sports Illustrated Stadium. The fan was found to be in violation of the NWSL Code of Conduct and their season ticket was revoked as well. Gotham also encouraged fans to report inappropriate behavior through the team’s encrypted text message service to inform the stadium’s incident management team.

USWNT Defender Tierna Davidson Out for the NWSL Season

American center back Tierna Davidson will miss the remainder of the 2025 NWSL season after tearing the ACL in her left knee in the club’s draw against the Houston Dash. It’s tough news for her, Gotham, and the United States Women’s National Team, as she captains the NWSL club and featured heavily in the Olympics last year. Davidson sustained an ACL injury in her right knee back in 2022, which contributed to her missing out on the 2023 World Cup. Gisele Thompson replaced Davidson for the USWNT’s upcoming friendlies with Brazil, and Pride defender Emily Sams will likely receive more playing time as the team prepares for the 2027 World Cup.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City received $100,000 in General Allocation Money in exchange for former academy goalkeeper Zack Campagnolo’s Homegrown Player rights. The Lions will receive another $100,000 in GAM if conditions are met, and they retain a sell-on percentage if Campagnolo is transferred.
  • San Diego FC added Milan Iloski on loan from FC Nordsjaelland in Denmark through July of this year. Iloski is a San Diego native and won the USL Golden Boot for Orange County SC in 2022.
  • New England Revolution midfielder Carles Gil won MLS Goal of the Matchday for his free kick against the New York Red Bulls.
  • El Farolito SC, which is named after a burrito chain and bar local to San Francisco, has reached the third round of the U.S. Open Cup for the second straight year. The National Premier Soccer League side took down Monterey Bay FC to reach this point of the tournament.
  • Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 to book its ticket to the Copa del Rey final, where it will face rival Real Madrid on April 26.

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

Continue Reading

Trending