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2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Cesar Araujo

The Uruguayan midfielder turned in another solid performance in his third season in Orlando.

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2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City signed Uruguayan midfielder Cesar Araujo on Jan. 7, 2022, from Montevideo Wanderers, making him the club’s first-ever MLS U22 Initiative signing. Araujo inked a three-year contract through 2024 with an additional club option year in 2025. The midfielder has since been moved out of a U22 slot.

The 2024 season was Araujo’s third in Orlando, and he continued to do the kinds of things that we’ve seen since he arrived and immediately seized a spot in the starting XI. Let’s look back at Araujo’s performance during the 2024 MLS season.

Statistical Breakdown

Araujo appeared in 30 of Orlando City’s 34 games during the regular season, starting 28 and playing 2,424 minutes. All of those numbers either set new or equaled career lows, but with more competitions — and more yellow cards — Oscar Pareja wisely got his midfield stopper off the field when he could, even beyond the two matches he missed due to suspensions for accumulation. The Montevideo, Uruguay native also missed a pair of games with an ankle injury. Araujo scored one goal, equaling a career high, and added one assist. He set a new career high in shots (25), but put only two of them on target. He passed at an 89.8% rate with 12 key passes, one successful cross, and 47 completed long balls. Defensively, Araujo chipped in 64 tackles, 29 interceptions, 20 clearances, and eight blocks. He committed 47 fouls, drew 70 on the opposition, and picked up 11 yellow cards but no red cards.

In the playoffs, Araujo started all five of Orlando City’s matches, playing 448 of the 450 available minutes. He did not score a goal, but he provided one assist, attempting six shots without putting any of them on frame. He raised his passing rate to 91.6% — his highest accuracy in three playoff runs — including one key pass, one successful cross, and 20 completed long balls. Defensively, Araujo contributed three tackles, seven clearances, and a block in the postseason. He committed four fouls, drew 10 on the opposition, and saw one yellow card.

Araujo played in three of Orlando City’s four Concacaf Champions Cup matches, starting two and logging 215 minutes. The ankle injury kept him out of the away match at Tigres. He did not make a goal contribution in the competition, attempting five shots and putting one on target. He completed 67 of his 82 passes (81.7%), including one key pass, no cross attempts, and six completed long balls on seven attempts (85.7%). Defensively, the midfielder contributed seven tackles, one interception, and three clearances. He committed seven fouls, drew four, and was shown one yellow card in the competition.

In Leagues Cup, Araujo started all three of Orlando’s games and went the full 270 available minutes. He did not score a goal or assist on one, attempting four shots without putting one on target. He completed an outstanding 141 of his 153 passes (92.2%), including three key passes, one successful cross on his only attempt, and 11 completed long balls on 12 attempts (91.7%). On the defensive end, Araujo contributed two tackles, two interceptions, two clearances, and one block. He committed two fouls, drew 10 on the opposition, and was shown one yellow card.

Best Game

The Uruguayan had a number of standout games this season. It’s tempting to take the 3-0 win at Nashville on July 17, in which Araujo scored his only goal of the regular season, opening the scoring 19 minutes in.

However, I’m going to select the game right before that one. On July 13, the Lions visited the New England Revolution riding a modest two-game winning streak. It was the first time all season Orlando City had posted back-to-back wins. To keep that momentum going, the Lions would have to do something they’d never done before — win a game at Gillette Stadium. Araujo’s performance that evening helped Orlando City do just that, as the Lions captured a 3-1 victory.

Araujo contributed on both sides of the ball that night, but Orlando City still found itself trailing 1-0 at halftime in its house of horrors on a Giacomo Vrioni goal as Dagur Dan Thorhallsson and Rodrigo Schlegel lost communication defensively in the 23rd minute. Facundo Torres scored in the 51st minute to pull the Lions level, and then Araujo helped Orlando take the lead eight minutes later on a set piece. Martin Ojeda sent a corner kick from right of goal to the back post, where three Lions were waiting. Araujo got up and headed the ball down in front of goal, where Ramiro Enrique flicked it in to make it 2-1.

It was a smart play by Araujo, who was not likely to score from that position. By heading it in front, he gave his teammates a chance to make a play on the ball, and Enrique took advantage of the opportunity, giving the Lions a second-half lead. A late second goal by Torres put the match away, giving Orlando City it’s first-ever road win in New England.

Araujo’s evening went far beyond the assist. In his 89 minutes, the Uruguayan attempted a season-high three shots, although none of them found the target. He had one of his best passing performances of the season, completing 94.6% of his attempts, including his one key pass that turned into an assist and three successful long balls. Araujo completed six dribbles in the match, which was one shy of his season high. Aside from his contributions in the attack, Araujo chipped in three tackles and an interception, helping the Lions hold the Revolution at bay and retain the lead once they’d gotten it. The performance helped stretch Orlando City’s winning streak to three games, building momentum that propelled the team into the top four by season’s end.

2024 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Araujo a composite grade of 7 out of 10 for the 2024 MLS season. This is a step down from the 7.5 we gave him last year, although I don’t think he necessarily played worse than he did in 2023. Perhaps it’s a function of the team’s slow start and worse finish in the standings. It’s also a full point below the 8 out of 10 he received from TML in 2022. The midfielder played well and I don’t know that there’s been a lot of variation from him from his arrival, but opinions wax and wane, and perhaps the staff overall simply expects more in his third year. It would be nice if he’d chip in an additional goal here or there, but he at least attempted more shots this season. He could also cut down some of the unnecessary cards, earning a career-high 11 this year. If I’ve got a knock on him in 2024 as opposed to previous seasons, it’s that he conceded three penalties, although the one on Aidan Morris vs. Columbus was one of the softest shirt pulls given in my 10 years of watching OCSC at the MLS level. Pedro Gallese stopped Josef Martinez on one of those penalties.

Araujo was still a solid central midfielder, and his partnership with Wilder Cartagena has been essential to any success the Lions have had the last three seasons. The duo of Araujo and Cartagena limited opponents to the fourth-fewest shots against per match and the sixth-fewest goals per game in MLS in 2024, tying for fifth in MLS in clean sheets. Additionally, the team allowed just one goal in the run of play in the postseason and it had nothing to do with the midfield.

2025 Outlook

Araujo’s option year for 2025 was automatically triggered by performance metrics, so although he’s still under contract for another year, it is open ended on whether he’ll be in Orlando beyond next season. At just 23, Araujo is entering his prime years, but he is costly, as his budget charge of $675,000 in base salary and $714,000 in guaranteed compensation is about $200,000 above that of his more experienced central midfield partner. That said, he was the eighth-highest paid player on the squad, which places him in the middle of the starting XI (three players making more were coming off the bench in the second half of the 2024 season) and one of those starters making more was former Lion Facundo Torres.

Unless the club opts to break up the midfield partnership and go in another direction, or City simply receives a transfer offer too good to pass up, Araujo should still be winning fouls in the Orlando City starting midfield in 2025. A good starting central midfield pairing with effective chemistry is as important as a dependable back line. If the central midfield can pick up where it left off at the end of the season — and it might need to do so quickly if the club can’t replace Torres’ offense — the club should try to lock Araujo in with a new contract. The team is well positioned financially, after all. I am hopeful we will see fit to give Araujo’s final score a bump after another solid campaign in the Orlando midfield in 2025.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions welcome San Diego FC to Orlando for the first meeting ever between the two clubs.

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10 hours ago

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September 5, 2026

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Image of Joran Gerbet playing against Minnesota United.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (7-11-4, 25 points) and San Diego FC (8-8-6, 30 points) at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the first-ever meeting between these two teams from different conferences

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

As mentioned above, tonight’s meeting between the Lions and San Diego is the first in the series history, so there is no history. The Lions are 2-2-1 against Western Conference teams this season, which means little to nothing in this particular match, and San Diego is going to be Orlando City’s final opponent from the opposite conference in MLS regular-season play this season.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a wild 3-3 road draw at Minnesota United a week ago, in which Daryl Dike and Antoine Griezmann scored on either side of halftime on Orlando’s first two shot attempts to put their team up 2-0 in the 64th minute. Minnesota stormed back with three goals off defensive errors in a four-minute span to take a late 3-2 lead. Just when the Loons appeared to be headed for all three points, Tyrese Spicer scored in stoppage time, forcing Minnesota to split the points. Orlando has a modest 1-0-1 unbeaten streak entering tonight, and the Lions are 5-4-2 at home in 2026.

San Diego is coming off a 3-1 home win over the LA Galaxy despite having Jeppe Tverskov sent off. Tonight’s visitors have won two straight games, but both were at home. They lost their last home game 3-1 at Portland on Aug. 19 and are 2-5-3 away from home this season.

The key for Orlando City tonight will be to mark Anders Dreyer, which is far easier said than done, as he has emerged as one of the league’s best playmakers. His eight goals and 11 assists give him 19 total goal contributions to lead his team. Marcus Ingvartsen is Dreyer’s favorite teammate to combine with, as the Danish forward has converted 11 times, leading San Diego in goals, and has added five assists. However, Ingvartsen is listed as out with a lower body injury. Midfielder Onni Valakari has chipped in four goals and seven assists.

“We respect San Diego, but as well we prepare our game,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “We know how strong we are, especially at home, so now we go.”

Orlando City will be without Braian Ojeda (foot) and Adrian Marin (thigh), while Bernardo Rhein (thigh), has been upgraded to questionable. San Diego will be without the aforementioned Ingvartsen (lower body) and Tverskov (suspension).

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Joran Gerbet, Eduard Atuesta, Justin Ellis.

Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Daryl Dike.

Bench: Javier Otero, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Tiago, Marco Pasalic, Martin Ojeda, Tyrese Spicer.

San Diego FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: C.J. dos Santos.

Defenders: Kieran Sargeant, Ian Murphy, Manu Duah, Oscar Verhoeven.

Midfielders: Gabriel Pirani, Anibal Godoy, Alejandro Alvarado.

Forwards: Elias Achouri, Onni Valakari, Anders Dreyer.

Bench: Duran Ferree, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Christopher McVey, Bryan Zamble, David Vazquez, Ian Pilcher, Alex Mighten, Bryce Duke, Amahl Pellegrino.

Referees:

REF: Joe Dickerson.
AR1: Corey Parker.
AR2: Justin Howard.
4TH: Rodrigo Albuquerque.
VAR: Daniel Radford.
AVAR: Jeff Muschik.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Three Keys to Victory

Here’s what Orlando needs to do in order to return to winning ways against San Diego.

Published

1 day ago

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September 4, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After the disappointment of two dropped points against Minnesota on Saturday, Orlando City is back home with an opportunity to get things back on track. The Lions need to keep picking up points if they want to keep pace in an increasingly crowded Eastern Conference, and Saturday’s game is a good chance to start September off on the right note. San Diego FC stands in the way of that good start, and what follows are three things that I believe Orlando needs to do in order to emerge victorious from this game.

Stay Strong on the Left

The left side of the defense has been a question mark for the Lions for much of the year. Adrian Marin, Bernardo Rhein, and Zakaria Taifi have all spent time at left back lately and have done so with varying degrees of success. Regardless of who suits up there on Saturday, that area of the field will be under scrutiny once again, since they’ll be tasked with stopping San Diego right winger Anders Dreyer. He has eight goals and 11 assists in 21 appearances this year, has played 60 key passes during that time, and is generally the lynchpin through which the San Diego offense operates. He hasn’t quite been on the same pace that saw him bag 19 goals and 19 assists in the regular season last year, but with four goal contributions in his last three MLS appearances, he’s extremely capable of wreaking havoc from the wing. A lot of the goals OCSC has conceded lately have come down the left side of the defense, and if that area of the field can’t be taken care of better, the Lions will likely be in for a difficult night.

Do Damage in Transition

Orlando’s current style of positionless, fluid, attacking soccer is at its best when it comes up against teams that want to come out and play. It struggles mightily against defensive bunkers but shines when the Lions can get out and run, target open spaces, and combine with teammates in unexpected areas. Fortunately for OCSC (in theory), San Diego is a team that likes to have the ball, as it has the highest average possession in the league. That means the Lions will have opportunities to force turnovers and break the other way at pace. In order to make that happen though, OCSC will need to be both disciplined and effective when it comes to applying its press. Then, if/when the Lions win the ball, correct decision-making and clinical execution in the final third will be key to avoid letting any chances slip through their fingers (paws?).

Clean Up the Self-Inflicted Errors

Orlando has dealt with more than its fair share of general defensive struggles this year, but avoidable errors have been a particular problem in recent weeks. Whether it’s been an ill-advised challenge, passing to the opposition in the defensive third, or leaving men unmarked in the box, unnecessary mistakes have cost OCSC points time and again. Against lesser opposition it hasn’t always mattered, as the Lions were able to rescue three points against Real Salt Lake, but if Orlando wants to make a playoff push, it needs to make a habit of playing cleaner games, plain and simple. San Diego is a good team with dangerous offensive players, and Saturday’s visitors will very likely take advantage of any opportunities that the Lions gift-wrap for them. Keeping things mistake-free will go a long way.

We’ve got ample proof this season that nothing is guaranteed, but if the Lions can lock down the left side of the defense, make hay in transition moments, and limit unforced errors, then they should be in a good position to take all three points from Saturday’s game. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 9/4/26

Martin Ojeda details his recovery from injury, Anna Moorhouse loaned to Manchester City, Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup journey, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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September 4, 2026

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Image of Martin Ojeda celebrating a goal against New England.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Three straight days of Orlando soccer starts tonight with Orlando City B’s road match against Inter Miami II at 7 p.m. Hopefully, Orlando’s teams do well over the next few days as crunch time is upon us when it comes to making the playoffs, especially for MLS NEXT Pro. For now though, let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Prepares for San Diego FC

Orlando City will take on San Diego FC on Saturday in the first-ever game between the two clubs, and one of the storylines to keep an eye on is how much Martin Ojeda plays as he works his way back from injury. The Designated Player came off the bench late in Orlando’s 3-3 draw against Minnesota United in his first appearance since May 23. Not often injured, Ojeda spoke on how being off the field for over a month has shifted his perspective while training to return.

“You learn to value the moment much more. You learn to value every training session because, when you’re training on your own and you’re not available to your teammates, you feel uncomfortable,” Ojeda said. “You value being healthy more. It’s like everything in life. When you feel good, you live life almost on autopilot, so to speak. You go to work, you go home, you come back, you sleep. However, when you or someone close to you goes through an illness or something like that, you value the moment much more and become more conscious of what you’re experiencing.”

Pride Loan Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City through January of 2027. Moorhouse joined the Pride prior to the 2022 season and helped the club win both the NWSL Championship and Shield in 2024. However, she has struggled this year alongside the rest of the Pride’s defense. Moorhouse hasn’t played in the past two games for the Pride, with Cosette Morche starting in her place. Her current contract with the Pride lasts through the 2027 NWSL season, so we’ll have to wait and see what her future with the club is when the loan ends.

Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup Journey

Between the World Cup, regular season, and Leagues Cup this summer, it can be easy to forget that Orlando City is still in contention to win this year’s U.S. Open Cup. The Lions are in the semifinals of the tournament after crushing Atlanta United 4-1 in the quarterfinals back on May 19. The Lions won much tighter affairs prior to that win, with Javier Otero coming up with seven saves in a 1-0 win over FC Naples and Zakaria Taifi scoring in stoppage time to beat the New England Revolution 4-3 in the following match. Orlando will be on the road for its semifinal match against the Columbus Crew on Sept. 16, but the offense has received a boost due to the arrivals of Antoine Griezmann and Daryl Dike this summer.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

MLS signings continue to pour in as teams look to improve their squads for the rest of this season and beyond. The Colorado Rapids signed Ghanaian winger Ibrahim Sadiq from AZ Alkmaar, where he recorded 18 goals and seven assists in 85 appearances across three seasons with the Dutch club. San Diego also added an attacker by signing forward Cedric Bakambu, who joins as a free agent after playing at Real Betis. As for other notable moves from across the league, Real Salt Lake signed winger Dusan Zagar as an MLS U22 Initiative player, forward Lyle Foster joined the Houston Dynamo on loan, and the Columbus Crew continued to improve on offense by signing Moroccan winger Anass Zaroury on loan from Panathinaikos.

Free Kicks

  • Former Orlando Pride player Christina Burkenroad is retiring from professional soccer and Monterrey will have Saturday’s game against Toluca be a send-off match for her.

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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