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

How did your favorite Lions perform in a 2-2 road draw at Charlotte?

Published

10 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

On the road and up a man for much the midweek match, Orlando City was forced to settle for a 2-2 draw. Looking to build off a good effort that unfortunately was coupled with a bad result the last time out, the Lions headed north to challenge one of the best defensive squads in Major League Soccer.

Let’s take a look at how the players performed individually in the draw.

Starters

GK, Mason Stajduhar, 6 — Making his second consecutive start while Pedro Gallese is away representing Peru, the Homegrown goalkeeper put in a mostly solid effort on the night. The first goal he allowed hardly could blamed on Stajduhar, as a save likely required super human reflexes, as a badly missed clearance from the combination of Felipe and Ivan Angulo led to a wide-open opportunity. He was slow to make a decision to come off his line on the second goal, arrived too late and was chipped easily for a late go-ahead goal. He also had some strange tendencies to wander outside his box on plays the defense had covered and unnecessarily headed what was not a back pass out for a Charlotte throw. It’s best not to take chances when unsure, but that play was a toe poke to knock it away from an attacker, not a pass. Stajduhar made three saves on the night, with his biggest coming on a point-blank chance for Liel Abada on a set piece in the second half. He completed all of his nine passes, which included three long balls, and was credited with a clearance.

D, Rafael Santos, 4.5 — Santos had 101 touches in this game, good for third on the team. He completed 95.3% of his 85 passes, which is good, but his crossing was dreadful to watch, as the Brazilian completed only one of nine, overhitting several of them badly and sending a couple completely out of play. His only shot attempt came nowhere close to the goal frame. One of his passes was a key pass. Defensively, Santos recorded one tackle and committed one foul. He should have prevented Charlotte’s second goal, recklessly taking a wild swing at taking the ball from Patrick Agyemang and falling down to leave Robin Jansson to deal with two attackers. Santos exited the match in the 91st minute for fellow defensemen, Kyle Smith.

D, Robin Jansson, 5 — Jansson was unspectacular on the evening as was a good majority of the defense on the night. The Swedish center back recorded 68 touches and completed 89.8% of his 59 passes, including three of his six long balls. Defensively, he added one interception, two clearances, and one blocked shot while committing one foul. He played a role in both Charlotte goals, getting roasted down the channel to allow Abada’s cross that ended in the opening goal. On the second goal, he was in position to stop Agyemang, but allowed the striker to get past. He almost atoned for his mistakes late, when his shot from point-blank range was saved. It was his only shot attempt of the match and it required a big save from Kristijan Kahlina.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Schlegel was the more sound of the two center backs on the night when he was in position. He was caught up the field a few times, including on the second Charlotte goal. With Cesar Araujo already pushed up, Schlegel was easily beaten by a chipped ball over the top that gave the hosts numbers in transition. The Argentine recorded 62 touches on the night, completing an impressive 97.9% of his 47 passes, including two of his three long balls. Defensively, he contributed a team-high five tackles and one clearance while committing one foul. Offensively, Schlegel added two shots, with one on target that nearly produced a game winner. His shot was saved by Kahlina, who was able to deflect it off the left post.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 5.5 — Thorhallsson started in his usual right back position, but recorded only 25 touches, as the Lions played almost exclusively up the left side. He completed 86.7% of his 15 passes and was unsuccessful on both his lone crossing attempt and his one long ball. Defensively, he added one clearance, two interceptions, and one tackle. Offensively, he recorded one shot, which was not on target. Normally one of the most involved players throughout a match, Thorhallsson’s presence was lacking in this one and he was ultimately sacrificed for a more offensive minded player in Martin Ojeda after halftime.

MF, Facundo Torres, 7.5 (MotM) — Torres got back on the scoresheet in a big way against Charlotte while being involved in all aspects of the match, recording 107 touches. He put all four of his shot attempts on target, completed 96.3% of his 81 passes, including four key passes. If there was one blemish on his effort it was that only two of his 10 crosses were accurate, but he did complete his lone long ball attempt. His pass into the box off of a well-weighted header became an assist on Orlando’s first goal, as Duncan McGuire was able to flick it home. Later in the second half, again trailing by a goal, Torres collected a corner cross from Lodeiro near the back post, took one touch, and calmly picked out the opposite corner to tie the game. This is the type of outing that Torres, the coaching staff, and fans have been waiting to see and hopefully one he can build on over the summer.

MF, Felipe, 5.5 — Felipe slotted into the starting 11, replacing Cesar Araujo. He recorded 24 touches and completed all of his 21 passes, including one long ball. Defensively, he recorded one clearance. His sliding clearance attempt failed to deal with Abada’s cross on the first goal, and whether he mishit it or was distracted by Angulo’s simultaneous arrival, only he can say, but it dropped his grade a bit. Offensively, Felipe added one shot that was off target. The Brazilian was injured after winning the ball and being tackled late and from behind by Scott Arfield, leading to the latter being sent off. Felipe was in visible discomfort after receiving treatment from the training staff, couldn’t continue, and was subbed off for Araujo in the 40th minute.

MF, Nico Lodeiro, 7 — Lodeiro was the most active player in this game and for the second straight match, he recorded a team-high in touches, with 147. He completed 88.6% of his team-high 131 passes, including an incredible 10 key passes. Lodeiro also completed five of his 11 crosses, three of his six long balls, and one of his two through balls, putting on a passing clinic. The midfielder took one off-target shot and logged a successful dribble. Lodeiro logged an assist with his well-placed corner kick in the 81st minute that found Facundo Torres for the equalizer. He could have had a late shot at a winner in the 86th minute but opted to try to pick out Jack Lynn instead. Lodeiro did not log a statistic defensively as he was too busy making the offense run, which was contributed to Orlando’s problems. With only one true defensive midfielder on the pitch, Lodeiro was often up the field when Charlotte broke dangerously in transition.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 5.5 — The Orlando attack is at its best when Angulo is creating chaos with speed and overlapping runs, yet against Charlotte, there seemed to be less opportunity for the speedy Colombian to stretch his legs. The midfielder had 65 touches. He completed 92% of his 50 passes, including one of his two crosses, a successful long ball and added two key passes. He continues to struggle with decisions and turnovers in the final third, however, and clearly lacks confidence when presented with opportunities to shoot, as he failed to record a shot in the match. Defensively, he contributed two clearances, but he and Felipe both failed to deal with a loose ball on the first goal while not under any pressure from Charlotte in the penalty area. He was replaced by Alex Freeman in the 91st minute.

F, Luis Muriel, 6 — Muriel recorded 54 touches in his active role playing beneath McGuire. He completed 92.9% of his 42 passes, including three key passes. He picked up a secondary assist on Orlando’s first goal when he did well to pick out Torres on the left with a perfect ball. Muriel failed to connect on his one cross but was successful on his only attempted through ball. He was only able to get one of his four shot attempts on target. He was only dispossessed once, however, which is an improvement over previous outings. Defensively, he contributed one tackle and one interception. He was substituted off in the 83rd minute for Lynn.

F, Duncan McGuire, 6 — McGuire slotted into his usual role as the target man up top, recording 31 touches. He completed 83.3% of his 18 passes, including both of his long ball attempts. He only put one of his four shots on frame, which is a low percentage by his usual standards. McGuire had a gorgeous opportunity early in the match to give the Lions an early lead but smashed a shot wide of the net. It was a chance on which he should have done better, and he had another such opportunity in the second half when he knocked a good cross well wide of the near post with an open Torres making a run behind him. His only shot on target came in the 63rd minute and found the back of the net for his first goal since May 11 to tie the game at one. Ultimately, the timing for McGuire and his runs could have been a tad bit tighter but it was a welcome sign to see Big Dunc find the goal. Defensively, McGuire added two clearances.

Substitutes

MF, Cesar Araujo (40’), 6 — Araujo entered the match in the first half due to Felipe’s injury, and the Uruguayan managed 63 touches. He completed 94.6% of his 55 passes and was accurate on two of his three long balls. He also added three tackles and blocked a shot.

MF, Martin Ojeda (46’), 5.5 — Ojeda came on in the 46th minute for Thorhallsson and was unable to make the immediate impact that he had previously against LAFC, but it allowed the Lions to change shape. The attacking midfielder had 34 touches and completed 95.5% of his 22 passes. Ojeda was only accurate on one of his six crosses but did complete both of his long balls. He recorded three shots, which all failed to find the target, including a header which he certainly should have done better with.

F, Jack Lynn (83’), N/A — Lynn came on with seven minutes to go for Muriel. Orlando was looking for a game-winning goal, but Lynn was unable to help. He was able to get into a few dangerous spots, but his best chance was his only shot attempt, which he sent wide after he was sent in behind the defense. Lynn gathered the ball and slowed for some reason, allowing the defense to recover on the play and preventing him from going more directly to goal. Lynn had three touches on the night and completed his only pass.

D, Kyle Smith (90’ + 1), N/A — Smith came on in stoppage time for Santos to try to help secure the draw. He logged nine touches and completed 88.9% of his nine passes. The Accountant failed to record a defensive stat in limited stoppage time minutes.

MF, Alexander Freeman (90’ + 1), N/A — The young fullback came on in the 91st minute, replacing Angulo. Freeman put his lone shot attempt on target, earned a corner, and ended the game with four touches.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s draw against Charlotte FC. Let us know how you saw the game and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match below.

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Opinion

Orlando City’s Start to the Season a Pleasant Surprise So Far

The Lions have started the new season well enough, but we shouldn’t get too carried away just yet.

Published

22 hours ago

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April 18, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

While Orlando City didn’t have a ton of roster turnover to deal with during the off-season, it was really anybody’s guess as to what sort of start the Lions would make to the 2025 Major League Soccer season. There was obviously the loss of all-time leading goal scorer Facundo Torres to deal with, then Wilder Cartagena was lost for the year in preseason, although the club did a great job in landing Eduard Atuesta to replace him. There were also questions about depth at left back, center back, and central midfield. It was anyone’s guess on how Marco Pasalic would adjust to life in MLS, and there were serious questions about whether the Lions had enough firepower up front with Duncan McGuire unavailable to start the season while he recovered from shoulder surgery.

While the club returned the vast majority of the guys who played key roles in helping reach the Eastern Conference final, on paper, the roster didn’t improve and arguably got weaker, so was it truly realistic to expect the team to go a step farther and make the final this year?

Despite all of those concerns, and despite a confidence-shaking 4-2 opening game loss to the Philadelphia Union, Orlando has largely made a good start to the campaign. The Lions have compiled a respectable 3-2-3 record and have 12 points to show for it, currently sitting in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, six points behind the first-place Columbus Crew.

Even in the two losses, it’s hard to make the argument that OCSC played truly bad games on the whole. Rather, the Lions were undone by moments of bad defending and losses of concentration that led to silly mistakes, particularly against the Union. The shaky defending has certainly been one of the bigger concerns, especially on an Oscar Pareja-coached team, but things have begun to look better after keeping two straight clean sheets.

Ironically, even though the offense seemed to be most people’s biggest concern before the season started, it’s been the part of the team that has consistently functioned at the highest level. Before the two 0-0 draws, Orlando had scored the most goals in the league, and despite being held scoreless twice in a row, they still have the third-most goals scored. Out of OCSC’s six games played with a first choice XI, the Lions have scored more than one goal four times. Even in the games when they haven’t been as prolific, or have largely been on the back foot, the Lions have still managed to carve out a healthy number of chances. While their finishing has let them down at times, they’ve still managed to get several good looks at goal in every game, and that’s half the battle.

All in all, it’s been a perfectly respectable start to the season, and the team honestly has performed higher than my (probably slightly pessimistic) expectations. While the start hasn’t been white hot, it’s been nice to not see the sort of slow start that so often has seemed to plague this club during Pareja’s tenure at the helm.

That being said, I think it’s important to place the beginning of the year in the proper context. It’s worth noting that of the teams that Orlando has played to this point, Philadelphia is the only one currently above the playoff line (although the New York Red Bulls occupy the last play-in spot). The Lions have beaten an LA Galaxy team that is the worst in the West; Toronto FC, which is second from the bottom in the East; and D.C. United, which is third from the bottom in the East. They drew the fifth-place Union on the road, and lost to NYCFC at the baseball stadium. But it has to be said that Orlando has faced a noticeable lack of top shelf opponents so far.

Essentially, Orlando has played three bad teams, two decent ones, and one that started very well but has cooled off in recent weeks (twice). Of course, OCSC can’t do anything about that, but it’s worth asking if the solid start to the season is due to the Lions legitimately being a good team, or if it’s more of a paper tiger situation where they just haven’t had to play many tough opponents yet.

There isn’t really any way of knowing for sure, and there won’t be any hints for awhile. With the way the standings currently look, Orlando won’t face a team above the playoff line until they go up against Charlotte FC on the road on May 14. I don’t bring all of this up to try to dampen the mood, but I just don’t think we have a truly accurate idea of this team’s level yet. Which is fair and totally fine, after all we’re only eight games into the season.

That doesn’t mean that we can’t give OCSC its due for a solid start to the year. It hasn’t been perfect by any means, but the team has done more good than bad, and the Lions’ current place in the standings reflects that. We should still keep things in perspective and resist the urge to dole out too much praise just yet, but we can be happy with what we’ve seen so far.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/18/25

Orlando City set to play the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Lions reach Generation Adidas Cup semifinals, Angel City hires Alexander Straus, and more.

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1 day ago

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April 18, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday! I hope today finds you well as we gear up for another Saturday filled with soccer to enjoy. I don’t have many plans this Easter weekend beyond working, catching soccer when I can, and playing Baldur’s Gate 3 for the first time if I find some spare hours. Let’s dive right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Learns U.S. Open Cup Opponents

Orlando City’s 2025 U.S. Open Cup campaign will begin on the road against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on May 7 at 7:30 p.m. in what will be the latest edition of the I-4 Derby. It will be Orlando’s first game of this year’s tournament, while the Rowdies joined in the previous round and got past FC Naples in penalties. The Rowdies have lost four of their five games so far this season in the USL Championship and fired Robbie Neilson as head coach earlier this month. The Lions also notably would have hosting priority if they reach the round of 16, where they will play either Nashville SC or the Chattanooga Red Wolves.

Here’s the full schedule for the round of 32, which includes some interesting matchups across the country. The Tacoma Defiance are the only MLS NEXT Pro side left and will face the Portland Timbers, while the New York Red Bulls will have a long road trip to take on the Colorado Springs Switchbacks.

Lions Advance to Generation Adidas Cup Semifinals

Orlando City’s U-18 team beat Real Salt Lake 1-0 in the Generation Adidas Cup to secure a spot in the semifinals. The Young Lions have won four of their five games of the tournament and will take on Santos Laguna in the semifinal on Saturday. The winner of that match will face whichever team becomes victorious in the other semifinal between Atlanta United and the Colorado Rapids.

The U-16 team’s run in the Premier bracket is also going strong after a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich, and Orlando will take on the New England Revolution in the semifinals on Saturday.

Angel City FC Hires Alexander Straus

Bayern Munich’s Alexander Straus was named Angel City FC’s next head coach and will officially join the club on June 1. The Norwegian coach has won back-to-back Bundesliga titles and has Bayern positioned well to make it three straight this season. He’ll join an Angel City team that’s unbeaten in its first four games of the season under interim head coach Sam Laity, who will stay on as an assistant coach once Straus joins.

Europa League Quarterfinals End In Dramatic Fashion

Old Trafford hosted one of the wildest games in Europa League history, with Manchester United and Lyon battling for a spot in the quarterfinals. United scored twice in the first half, then conceded twice in the second, sending the game to extra time. Lyon took the lead despite being a man down and then the teams traded penalty kicks as the madness continued. Casemiro orchestrated Manchester’s victory in the end, assisting on two late goals within a minute of each other to beat Lyon 5-4 and advance. This United fan pretty much sums up just how much of a rollercoaster this match was.

There was also drama in Italy, as Lazio came back in the second leg to force extra time against Bodo/Glimt. The match went to penalties and Bodo/Glimt goalkeeper Nikitka Haikin denied former New York City FC player Taty Castellanos from the spot to book his team’s place in the semifinals. Although Tottenham was without Son Heung-Min, it got the job done in a 1-0 road win against Eintracht Frankfurt, while Athletic Club beat Rangers 2-0 in Spain to advance as well. In the semifinals, Tottenham will face Bodo/Glimt and Manchester United will take on Athletic Club.

Free Kicks

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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Orlando City

Orlando City at CF Montreal: Three Keys to Victory

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

Published

2 days ago

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April 17, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City heads to the Great White North to take on CF Montreal. The Canadian squad sits in last place in not just the Eastern Conference but also the entire MLS, with only two points from a pair of draws. To say it’s not been a good start to the season is an understatement. Of course, it’s exactly that type of situation that makes it feel like a trap. What does Orlando City need to do to take all three points against CF Montreal?

Designated Goal Scorers

What do you do if you haven’t scored a goal in the last two matches? You play a team that has given up 13 goals in eight matches with a -9 goal differential. Montreal doesn’t have the worst defense in the league — I’m looking at you, D.C. United — but it’s not far off. That presents an opportunity for Orlando City to get back on track when it comes to scoring goals.

Through the first six matches of the season, Orlando City was leading the league in scoring with 15 goals. Over the last two matches, the spigot has dried up. The Lions must seize on this opportunity to create and finish their chances. Much like earlier in the season, I want to see Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda, and Marco Pasalic lead the way. If anyone can get the first goal, then I’m hopeful the dam will break and the scoring drought will be over.

Keep it Clean

There is some good news of late when it comes to the Orlando City defense. The club has two clean sheets over the last two matches, and that is without Cesar Araujo. There is also some bad news, given Rodrigo Schlegel will be serving his red card suspension this match. That means David Brekalo will move back to center back with Robin Jansson, and Oscar Pareja will have to employ either Rafael Santos or Kyle Smith at left back. Santos has been less than good so far this season.

Montreal has scored a paltry four goals so far in 2025, but two of them have come from striker Prince Owusu. The defense will also need to deal with Caden Clark facilitating in the midfield. I get that this isn’t a prolific attack. Montreal has not looked very good this season and is looking for both its first win and its first points of any sort at home. That means the hosts may be desperate for a result, and desperate is often dangerous. How well the defense does — in particular, how well Santos does if he plays — may determine if Montreal is able to break out of its slump. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.

Give the Midfield Time

Before the last match, I was a little worried about the midfield. Having both Araujo and Eduard Atuesta out at the same time seemed to be a concern. Now, after seeing how well Joran Gerbet and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson worked together against the New York Red Bulls, I’m way less worried. If Araujo and Atuesta need a little more time to get fully healthy, then let them. The Franco/Icelandic combo seems to be a potent one.

Of course, if the normal starters are ready, then by all means bring them back, but maybe not until the 60th minute. Perhaps Pareja could even mix and match. One never knows how yellow card suspensions or minor injuries will affect player availability. This is a good match for Gerbet and Thorhallsson to work their magic.

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

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