Happy Friday! All three of Orlando’s soccer teams are in action this weekend and there’s plenty of reasons to watch them. It should be an exciting next few days to say the least, and it’s still kind of crazy to believe that the Orlando Pride could clinch the NWSL Shield on Sunday. Let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Luis Muriel Makes Team of the Matchday Bench

Orlando City forward Luis Muriel landed on the MLS Team of the Matchday bench for his role in the team’s 2-1 win at home against the Philadelphia Union. The 33-year-old came off the bench in the second half and assisted on both of Orlando’s goals in one of his best performances as a Lion. While it’s a bit disappointing that no Lions were named to the starting lineup of this Team of the Matchday after winning, it’s a testament to how the Lions have been able to find goals in a variety of ways as of late. Hopefully Muriel can keep this momentum rolling as the Lions finish out the rest of the season.

Orlando City B Named MLS NEXT Pro Team of the Month

After winning all four of its games in September, Orlando City B was deservedly chosen as the MLS NEXT Pro Team of the Month. The Young Lions did well on both sides of the ball last month, outscoring opponents 11-2 in that four-game stretch. Forward Jack Lynn scored three goals in September, but right back Alex Freeman was the star of the show and was named MLS NEXT Pro Player of the Month. The 20-year-old contributed to seven of the team’s 11 goals last month with four goals and three assists.

“It’s an honor to be Player of the Month and I’m glad I could showcase my talent in this league, but more importantly help my team succeed and gain momentum going into the playoffs,” Freeman said. “Vamos Orlando!”

MLS NEXT Pro Decision Day Looms

The final matches of the MLS NEXT Pro regular season will all take place on Sunday afternoon as teams aim to qualify for the playoffs and jockey for positioning. OCB can’t finish any higher than third in the Eastern Conference, but it can secure hosting in the first round and the right to choose its opponent when it takes on FC Cincinnati 2. Nearly every game between Eastern Conference teams on Sunday can also impact OCB’s path forward. There are still five playoff spots up for grabs, so it should be an exciting day. The Western Conference has one playoff spot still to be claimed and five teams in contention, with none of them facing each other.

Angel City FC Disciplined For Salary Cap Violation

The NWSL has imposed disciplinary actions after an investigation into a salary cap violation by Angel City FC. The club has been docked three points this season and fined $200,000 for five side letters with players that weren’t disclosed to the league and affected multi-year agreements. As a result, Angel City exceeded the salary cap by approximately $50,000 for four weeks this season. President Julie Uhrman and General Manager Angela Hucles Mangano were also suspended from conduct related to player transactions for the rest of the year. It’s a strong statement by the league and Angel City is now 12th in the standings with 19 points.

USWNT Will Take On the Netherlands Abroad

The United States Women’s National Team will play its final game of 2024 in the Netherlands when it takes on the Dutch on Dec. 3. The last time these two sides faced off was in the group stage of the 2023 World Cup, with Lindsey Horan equalizing in the second half of a 1-1 draw. This match will come three days after the USWNT plays against England at Wembley Stadium on Nov. 30. Both of these friendlies are against strong European opponents who were not at the Olympics this summer. We’ll see if Head Coach Emma Hayes can keep the USWNT firing on all cylinders to close out the year.

Free Kicks

• Congratulations to Orlando Pride midfielder Luana on completing her chemotherapy!

• Orlando City’s Heine Gikling Bruseth and Michael Halliday are the only Lions eligible for this year’s 22 Under 22 list. We’ll find out if either made the cut when the list is unveiled on Wednesday, although I would be surprised to see either player on it.
• Orlando duo Colin Guske and Tahir Reid-Brown were called up for the U-19 U.S. Men’s National Team’s training camp that includes friendlies against Sweden and Japan in Spain later this month.
• Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga was named NWSL Player of the Month after scoring four goals in five games in September. NWSL Rookie of the Month honors went to San Diego Wave defender Kennedy Wesley, who helped her team win twice last month.
• Clubs participating in the 2025 Club World Cup won’t be required to release players for international duty during the tournament. As a result, the U.S. could be without some of its best players for the Concacaf Gold Cup.
• Lazio, Tottenham, and Lyon remain perfect in the Europa League after winning their second games. An equalizer by Harry Maguire salvaged a 3-3 draw for Manchester United against Porto in a match that included a red card to Bruno Fernandes.
• Kylian Mbappe, who came off the bench for Real Madrid earlier this week, was left off of France’s roster for its upcoming Nations League matches to help him recover from injury.

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

It was a bit of a nervy finish — ok, fine, a very nervy finish — but when the whistle blew on Orlando City’s 2-1 home victory over the Philadelphia Union Wednesday night, the Lions had earned a win for the fifth time in their last six matches and kept their spot in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The first half was not one that anyone will want to watch again, aside from maybe the opening 10 minutes, but the second half was exciting, and Luis Muriel continued his torrid play of late with assists on both goals.

I have my purple pen out and I am ready to issue some grades, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their matchup with an Eastern Conference opponent.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — The Union took 16 shots during the match but only put three on goal; El Pulpo saved two and really did not have much of a chance on the goal by Quinn Sullivan as he was screened by the defense and it was very well struck off the underside of the crossbar. I thought there were several balls in the air that he could have claimed but he instead stayed home on his line, but none of them came back to bite him and the Union ended the game with only the one goal. Gallese completed 12 of his 15 pass attempts for an 80% completion rate, and despite being knocked down hard several times, he got up every time and helped the defense close out the win when the Union were throwing bodies forward to try to snatch a tie late in the game.

D, Rafael Santos, 6.5 — Santos was one second too late from getting in front of Sullivan on the Union’s one goal, but that goal was not completely on him (I’m looking directly at you, referee Armando Villareal and your incorrect decision to give the Union a throw-in) and should not detract from what was an otherwise solid game from the Brazilian left back. Santos led the game with 83 touches while completing 52 of his 61 passes for a 85.3% completion rate, and he got a shot off late in the game that left Andre Blake rubbing his wrists and perhaps wishing that he had not made that save. Santos also contributed six recoveries, three clearances, two interceptions, one block and one tackle, and in the face of a Union attack that was 43% on his section of the field, he held his own against a team that had scored 10 goals in their last three games.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — The captain played his usual composed and calm game in the back, but had Wilder Cartagena played him a pass instead of shooting in the 51st minute, we may have seen that calm demeanor disappear in wild celebration as the Viking was perfectly positioned to open the scoring. Jansson was involved in the offense a little more than usual, ranking second on the team in completed passes (53) and completing them at a 96.4% rate, including seven of nine on long balls. On defense, his presence helped push the Union to primarily attack the box away from him and towards the side defended by Rodrigo Schlegel and Kyle Smith, which led to Jansson not registering any tackles, but he did have five recoveries, two clearances and two interceptions.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Alas, there was not a second match in a row with a Schlegoal, but the Argentinean defender played well in the middle of the defense, which is his primary responsibility. He got caught ball-watching and/or a step out of position a little more than normal in this match, particularly on a corner kick in the 79th minute where Nathan Harriel from the Union slipped right behind him and had the goal at his mercy, but thankfully did not head the ball cleanly and tie the game up, although the center back was not the primary defender on Harriel on that play. Schlegel picked up a yellow card while hustling back to slow down a 2-v-2 break, but aside from that he had a perfect 100% completion rate on his 26 passes and added three clearances, one block, and one recovery.

D, Kyle Smith, 6.5 — There were times during the match when I thought the Accountant looked gassed, but that was directly due to the fact that he was tracking up and down the right side of the field all game long, and giving maximum effort while doing so. Smith was involved in the Union’s one goal, as he left Daniel Gazdag for a second to try to double-team the ball and Gazdag cut behind him. Smith’s sliding attempt to block Gazdag’s cross was one millisecond too late and the Union capitalized. Aside from that one play, I thought Smith was solid in his second straight match starting at right back, as he completed 83.3% of his passes and also added three clearances and one recovery on defense.

MF, César Araujo, 6.5 — Araujo is on a hot streak again, which sounds great until I define that as a hothead streak, as he picked up a yellow card in his third straight match and second since consecutive game after returning from a yellow-card suspension. Yellow card aside, the Uruguayan was solid, completing 90.5% of his passes and producing a heatmap of plays all over the field. In a bit of a surprise to me, he was selected to take a free kick from a dangerous area in the first half. It didn’t go well, as his initial attempt hit the wall. Although he hit the rebound squarely and with full power, he just got under the ball and put that shot right into The Wall behind the goal. Araujo also contributed defensively and with his hustle stats, as he had six recoveries, one block, one clearance, and one interception.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 — Cartagena led the team offensively, with 55 completed passes, and defensively, with seven recoveries, but it was a quieter game than usual for him in his midfield role. He put a shot into Carlos Rivas territory (read: way, way over the bar) in the first half and took a shot (on goal) when he should have passed in the second half, but aside from that, he had most of his touches on the defensive side of the field and served more to move the ball with short and medium passes. His defensive partnership with Araujo helped push the Union to attack more out wide than through the middle, as evidenced by whoscored.com’s heatmap below, showing the location of the Union’s touches.

MF, Iván Angulo, 5 — In what has become a bit of a familiar pattern, Angulo hustled and gave maximum effort throughout his minutes on the field but did not have the touch to match his effort. He had multiple giveaways in the opening 25 minutes and had a wonderful opportunity to open the scoring in the 37th minute but put his shot well over the bar. The Colombian completed 21 passes at an 80.8% completion rate and had one recovery and one block on defense, but he was replaced at halftime by Muriel, and the game completely changed immediately after that, which was likely not a coincidence.

MF, Martín Ojeda, 7 — Even though he only played 60 minutes of the match, Ojeda was one of the best players on the field, and I was a little surprised it was he who came off at the time that he subbed out. He was really the only bright spot on the field during the first half of the game, and then in the second half he continued to deliver as the central playmaker for the offense, eventually picking up his 13th assist of the season by playing the initial ball to Muriel that was then played off to Torres for the opening goal of the match. He completed 89.7% of his passes, including four key passes, six of his seven long ball attempts, and four of his seven crosses.

MF, Facundo Torres, 7.5 — Hot Facu Summer continued against Philadelphia, as the winger scored for the fourth time in the last five games on a ball struck so well that Blake could only get his hands on it but could not keep it out of the net. Torres also completed all 32 of his passes, including one key pass, and led the team by drawing four fouls by Union defenders. As he usually does, Torres had touches all over the field and led the team with nine successful progressive passes (passes of 10+ yards on the attacking side of the field) received, and his interplays with Ramiro Enrique, Muriel and Ojeda were fun to watch throughout the match.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 6.5 — It was an active night for Enrique as he got five shots off, but he was unable to get any of them on target, so he couldn’t make it three games in a row on the scoresheet. His presence and hustle was definitely felt by the Union throughout his 77 minutes on the field though, and he helped play a role in the opening goal as Muriel initially targeted him with a pass before eventually playing the ball to Torres, and then he was also involved in the second goal as he shielded off a Union defender to allow Muriel to pick up the ball and go up the sideline before playing Duncan McGuire in on a through ball. Enrique also played the final part of his shift out on the wing with McGuire up top — the second time the Lions have used that lineup recently instead of just interchanging he and McGuire directly. I thought he played well in both positions and had a solid game overall.

Substitutes

MF, Luis Muriel (46′), 8 (MotM) — The NBA season may be yet to start but there was definitely some magic in Orlando on Wednesday, because when Muriel came in, he made an ineffective offense disappear and then come back into view as the offense we had seen from Orlando City since the beginning of the summer. Muriel assisted on both goals — one by playing the simple ball to lead Torres right into a smashed shot and the other by playing a perfectly curved through ball to McGuire, who then finished on the breakaway. He should have had a third assist deep in stoppage time, but McGuire couldn’t beat Blake on his second breakaway. Muriel looked a cut above everyone on the field during the second half, as his touch was exquisite and his passing was outstanding. I compared Muriel to Chris Paul while writing the grades during the FC Dallas match, and the dust has not even settled on that comparison before I am bringing it out again for this match. Muriel was outstanding at initiating the offense and delivering the pass exactly where it needed to go. Hopefully, Jalen Suggs was watching and taking notes.

F, Duncan McGuire (61′), 6.5 — The backflip was back in this match, as Big Dunc came on in the 61st minute and was showing off his finishing ability and high-level athleticism just three minutes later after running onto Muriel’s through ball and finishing past Blake. While the final 26 minutes of his shift did not contain any moments as exciting as that goal, Duncan brought his normal high work rate and had some good hold-up play as well. There were just two downsides. The first was that he picked up a late yellow card, meaning he will be suspended for the next match at FC Cincinnati. The second was that he couldn’t reward Muriel for his final seeing-eye pass in the game by finishing it. It was a strong performance off the bench and a reminder that Orlando still runs on Duncan.

MF, Nico Lodeiro, (77’), N/A — Lodeiro came in as part of a double substitution and took over from Torres out on the right wing. He was engaged throughout his time on the field, getting 14 touches on the ball and completing all 12 of his passes, including two key passes.

MF, Luca Petrasso, (77’), N/A — Petrasso was the other player who entered as part of the double substitution, and he replaced Enrique, who had shifted out to the left wing when McGuire subbed in for Ojeda. The Canadian did not see a lot of the ball, but he did get a shot on target and was able to complete four of his six passes. He started the late corner kick covering Harriel but completely lost track of the Union fullback, which could have been costly.

D, Michael Halliday, (80’), N/A — Orlando City’s final substitute was Halliday, who replaced Smith in a like-for-like change, taking over at right back. It was his first game since early May, but in a high pressure situation while helping to protect a one goal lead, he did not look rusty, completing five of his seven passes and recording one clearance.

That’s how I saw the individual performances on Wednesday night. What did you think? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and vote in the poll below for your Orlando City Man of the Match.

Orlando City returned to Inter&Co Stadium for a midweek clash against a perennial powerhouse and playoff hopeful in the Philadelphia Union. Just a few days after clinching a playoff spot on the road against FC Dallas, Head Coach Oscar Pareja rolled out a familiar lineup in the hopes of securing the seventh home victory of the season.

A back-and-forth first half resulted in no goals for either side and a slew of second-half substitutes made all the difference for Orlando as the Lions saw out a 2-1 victory and completed a season sweep of the Union for the first time in club history. What follows are my five takeaways from a result that Orlando desperately needed to maintain control over the final home playoff position.

Missed Chances

Too often this year, Orlando has looked like the more dangerous team on the pitch only to waste golden opportunities and then wind up losing or being forced to settle for a draw. Think of the first half in Columbus just a few matches ago and the multiple shot attempts off the framework. In the first half against the Union, Orlando once again flirted with the goal but couldn’t find the promised land as Ramiro Enrique and Ivan Angulo wasted point-blank opportunities that could have put the match out of reach early on. Instead, Orlando was forced to enter halftime 0-0 after firing 11 total shots in the first half but putting none on target. To take the next step forward and find success in the playoffs, the Lions have to start making opponents pay when they have open opportunities.

Muriel Magic

Designated Player and Colombian international Luis Muriel was inserted into the match after the halftime break for the struggling Angulo and single-footedly changed the momentum of the match. His vision, pace, and passing have dramatically improved over the last month, and his skillset was on full display against the Union as he bagged his sixth and seventh assists on the year, including his third assist against Philly on the season. Before unlocking Facundo Torres in the 57th minute for the opening goal of the match, Muriel had already played several ridiculous balls to various teammates, but his layoff assist to Torres and then his long through ball to Duncan McGuire for the team’s second goal were truly delightful to watch. I mean just look at this pass!

If Muriel continues to see the field this well, then he may force Pareja into a difficult decision as to who should comprise the starting 11 heading into the playoffs.

Record-Setting Goal

After a quiet first half, Torres ran onto a perfectly weighted pass from Muriel in the 57th minute and picked out the opposite corner for the opening goal of the match. In doing so, Torres passed Cyle Larin for the club’s all-time, goal-scoring record (across all competitions) in the club’s MLS era. Torres also achieved a personal best against the Union as his goal now gives him 20 total goal contributions on the year, a single-season high in his three years with the club.

I have followed Torres’ career closely since he joined Orlando City and am no longer surprised by his slow start to each and every season, but I have been thoroughly and pleasantly surprised with the run that he has put forward over the last six matches. Since facing Nashville on Aug. 31, Torres has contributed six goals and an assist and the Lions are 5-1 over that span. Torres is leading by example, claiming records, and continuing to propel his team to victory.

Slam Dunc

McGuire entered the match for Martin Ojeda in the 61st minute and needed approximately 180 seconds of game time to find the back of the net. McGuire has now scored double-digit goals in back-to-back seasons to start his MLS career. The goal gave Orlando a bit of breathing room and solidified the notion that Pareja pulled the right substitution strings at the right times. There were two small blemishes on the night for Big Dunc — the first being that he picked up a yellow card in the 95th minute and will now be forced to miss the weekend fixture due to accumulation, and the second being that he failed to convert another breakaway opportunity in the closing moments of the match in a 1-v-1 situation.

Set Piece Marking

If there is one negative to take away on the night that needs to be cleaned up before the playoffs, it is the marking on corners and set pieces. While a win is a win, there were some nervy moments over the final 10 to 15 minutes marking Union players. Nathan Harriel jumped out of his cleats on multiple occasions for open headers, all of which had serious chances to find the back of the net and bring the match level. It should be noted that on the season, Orlando ranks near the top of the league when it comes to conceding from set pieces and corner kicks, but with the injury bug plaguing the back line and players like Dagur Dan Thorhallsson and David Brekalo missing extended time, the team cannot afford lapses in concentration or communication which result in open looks for the competition.

Those are my takeaways from a strong 2-1 home victory over the Union in a match that saw the Lions take one step closer to having home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. What were your biggest takeaways from the game? Let us know in the comments below and as always, vamos Orlando!