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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Portland Timbers: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-0 victory over Portland?

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11 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City returned to Major League Soccer action after exiting the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and, more importantly, the Lions returned to their winning ways. In a battle of east vs. west, Orlando City defeated the Portland Timbers 1-0. Despite significant schedule congestion in the month of May, Orlando City has now tied a club record with a 12-game unbeaten streak.

Let’s take a look at how the individual Lions performed in this bounce-back win.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — Gallese touched the ball 37 times, completing 65.2% of his 23 passes and seven of his 15 long balls. He was credited with two saves on a night when the Timbers could only muster seven total shot attempts. Overall, Gallese was solid once again, aggressively coming out to catch or punch away crosses and helping the Lions earn another shutout, tying Dayne St. Clair of Minnesota United for the league lead in shutouts (7). He was good, but his teammates left little for him to do most of the game. On a busier night with this performance, he would have scored higher.

D, David Brekalo, 6.5 — Brekalo recorded 43 touches and completed 91.4% of his 35 passes, including one successful long ball on his only attempt. The more defensive-minded of the two outside backs, Brekalo was not afraid to get into the attacking third against Portland and completed multiple runs, which, while not overly successful, did put pressure on the Timbers’ defensive shape. He finished the game with three tackles and two clearances while being whistled for a team-high four fouls. He had one scary moment in the match when he was beaten to the end line by Ariel Lassiter, but the converted center back did well to get his right foot on the ball to knock it out for a corner rather than conceding a penalty.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Orlando City defended for large periods of the second half while Portland searched for an equalizer, which put significant pressure on the center backs, including Jansson. He touched the ball a team-high 64 times and completed 83.7% of his team-high 49 passes. The captain was only accurate on one of his six long ball attempts, as the timing with Duncan McGuire appeared slightly off throughout the match when attempting to unlock passes over the top. Defensively, he contributed two tackles and a team-best nine clearances. Jansson picked up an unnecessary yellow card in the waining moments of the match for dissent.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 7 — Much like Jansson, Schlegel saw periods of extended pressure as the Timbers looked to steal a point on the road. He touched the ball 54 times and completed 92.7% of his 41 passes, but was 0/3 on his long ball attempts, again highlighting the difficulty the team had in attempting to release the attacking players with long passing attempts. Defensively, Schlegel did a little bit of everything as he recorded two tackles, one interception, five clearances, and blocked one shot. He was also shown a yellow card near the end of the match, like Jansson for dissent.

D, Alex Freeman, 7 — After seven matches in May, Freeman continues to be Orlando’s Energizer Bunny. The 20-year-old is racking up the minutes and the miles this month as he plays an integral role in both the attack and the defense. Freeman logged 53 touches against Portland and completed 93.9% of his 33 passes. He tied Eduard Atuesta with a team-high three key passes. Offensively, he recorded one successful dribble but was unable to record a shot attempt against the Timbers. He would have registered a goal contribution with an assist if Ivan Angulo had stayed onside just moments after Duncan McGuire opened the scoring for Orlando. Defensively, he logged two tackles, one interception, three clearances, and a blocked one. If he goes the distance against Atlanta and Chicago to end the month, his legs might need to be physically replaced before he joins the USMNT training camp.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 5.5 — As is usually the case, Angulo contributed his top-notch speed, considerable work rate, and pressure in the match, but struggled in key moments with his precision, wasting opportunities for the Lions to distance themselves from the visiting Timbers. Helping create those opportunities is admirable, but finishing them has been a problem throughout Angulo’s time in Orlando, and providing the final decision and/or ball has been especially problematic in 2025, as he has just two goal contributions nearly halfway through the season. Against Portland, Angulo touched the ball 42 times and completed 82.8% of his 29 passes. He was unsuccessful on his lone cross but was credited with one key pass. Angulo attempted two shots, putting one on target, but he could have done better with that one, as he had a clear-cut breakaway off a Portland corner at the other end. He would have had his first goal of the season in the 42nd minute if he had held his run for a split second. Angulo completed one successful dribble. In the 74th minute, he was careless with the ball again and gave it away in the attacking third, then committed a tactical foul to pick up a yellow card. Defensively, he contributed two tackles and one interception.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — Araujo was solid, bouncing back from an inconsistent performance in the midweek and helping the Lions limit the Portland attack throughout the game. He touched the ball 51 times and completed 85.7% of his 42 passes. He also completed one of his three long balls. With Atuesta back in the starting line-up, Araujo was allowed to function in his more defensive-minded role as he did not record an offensive statistic. Defensively, he recorded three tackles, and he slowed the Timbers down when necessary, committing three fouls while avoiding a booking.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 7.5 (MotM) — Welcome back to the fold, Atuesta! After battling injuries over the last month and a half, Atuesta returned to the starting lineup, played the full 90 minutes, and provided just enough offensive spark to help Orlando City secure the victory. He was also involved in helping Orlando win back the ball and prevent Portland from generating clear-cut chances. He touched the ball 59 times and completed 95.7% of his 47 passes, including a successful long ball and through ball. Atuesta tied Freeman with a team-best three key passes, including the assist on McGuire’s goal in the 39th minute. The midfielder logged one shot attempt, which was not on target, and on defense, he chipped in three tackles and one clearance.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 6 — Pasalic touched the ball 44 times, completed 91.7% of his 24 passes, and was unsuccessful on both of his crosses, however, he did record two key passes. He took a team-high four shots but was only able to put one on frame. Defensively, he covered his space well and contibuted one interception and one clearance.

F, Luis Muriel, 5.5 — Muriel started up top with McGuire in a 4-4-2 but played beneath his strike partner in a role similar to what Martin Ojeda has been playing of late. Muriel’s work rate was good, but he struggled with his final decision and his final product despite working hard to create in the attacking half. There were instances of dribbling into three defenders without dropping the ball off to a nearby teammate, turning down openings to shoot, and failing to hit the target when he did fire. He touched the ball 41 times but completed only 57.1% of 28 passes. While Muriel managed to record two key passes, his overall success rate needed to be better against Portland for the Lions to run the attack through him. His three shots were all off target, but he contributed one successful dribble. Defensively, Muriel did not record a statistic.

F, Duncan McGuire, 7.5 — Orlando runs on Duncan once again! McGuire’s biggest contribution came when he found the back of the net in the 39th minute, taking Atuesta’s excellent through ball and correctly opting to turn on the ball and shoot with his first touch with multiple defenders closing. He touched the ball 29 times and completed 77.8% of his 18 passes while earning one key pass. McGuire put one of his two shots (Orlando’s lone goal) on target — narrowly missing a second goal wide late in the first half — and was credited with one successful dribble. The main knock on McGuire against the Timbers is that he was called for two offside infractions, which seemed to highlight the timing issue that I mentioned earlier, however, it’s understandable that the big striker wasn’t in rhythm, as he has been coming on late in a reserve role in recent weeks. Defensively, McGuire recorded one tackle, an interception, and a clearance. He gave fans a nervy moment on the pitch as he was sandwiched between two defenders and went down hard, holding his wrist. After an off-season shoulder procedure, the contact was enough to prompt evaluation by the training staff, but McGuire was able to continue.

Substitutes

F, Martin Ojeda (67’), 6 — Ojeda came off the bench for Muriel in an attempt to deploy fresher legs for the final 20 minutes of the match. He touched the ball 11 times and completed all seven of his passes, including both of his long balls. Offensively, he put his lone shot attempt on target, forcing a decent save in the 82nd minute. Defensively, he did not record a statistic.

F, Ramiro Enrique (67’), 5.5 — Enrique replaced McGuire up top and provided his usual spark off the bench, picking and choosing his moments to press the back line. He had great jump in his legs and should have brought the team some much-needed energy, but too often he was isolated and reduced to merely heading long balls back to the Portland defense to alleviate pressure. He logged 13 touches, completed just 57.1% of his seven passes, and won a team-high four aerial duels in the final 23 minutes, plus stoppage time. He took one shot, which was blocked by the defense on the rebound of Ojeda’s aforementioned shot on target. Enrique also added a tackle and a clearance while helping Orlando City see out the victory.

MF, Kyle Smith (78’), 5.5 — The human Swiss Army knife was deployed in the midfield, replacing Angulo. Smith touched the ball nine times and completed 83.3% of his six passes, including a well-placed ball which unlocked Ojeda behind the defense. He contributed three clearances on defense. He was solid, but wasn’t able to have much impact on the match at the left wing spot, as the Lions struggled to maintain any possession or break out of their own end in the second half.

MF, Joran Gerbet (78’), 6 — After playing admirably over the last several matches, the 2025 MLS SuperDraft pick came off the bench for Araujo for the final minutes. He touched the ball nine times and completed all eight of his passes. He also contributed one clearance and helped clog up the middle to prevent Portland from creating much danger while chasing the game.

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (86’), N/A — Thorhallsson was the final sub of the match, replacing Pasalic in the midfield. He touched the ball eight times, completed all four of his passes and logging one interception. The energy he brought was noticeable, and he could perhaps have been brought on a bit earlier.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 1-0 win over the Portland Timbers. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/1/26

Orlando City will host Atlanta United in USOC, Lions prepare for Inter Miami, Pride play the Spirit on Saturday, and more.

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1 hour ago

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May 1, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to May, Mane Landers! April flew by in the blink of an eye for me and I’m hoping May goes a little slower so that I can enjoy being outside before the Florida heat really sets in. Then again, I can’t wait until the World Cup arrives in June. But for now, let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world.

Orlando City Will Host Atlanta United in U.S. Open Cup

The draw for the rest of the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is complete and Orlando City is set to host Atlanta United in the quarterfinals on either May 19 or 20. That match will take place just a few days after the two rivals square off in Orlando in league play on May 16. Hopefully the Lions can get the job done against an Atlanta side that has also struggled this season.

At home for the Quarterfinals 🏆

— Orlando City SC (@orlandocitysc.com) 2026-04-30T13:51:51.159Z

Should the Lions advance to the semifinals, they’ll go on the road to face the winner between the Columbus Crew and New York City FC. Whichever team wins that semifinal would have hosting rights in the final. On the other side of the bracket, the Houston Dynamo will play St. Louis City while the Colorado Rapids will host the San Jose Earthquakes.

Lions Prepare for Tropic Thunder Match

Orlando City will play against Inter Miami on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. in the first Tropic Thunder match at Nu Stadium. It’s already the second meeting between the two rivals this season, with Orlando falling 4-2 at home to Miami on March 1. Hopefully having Robin Jansson available this time around will help keep Miami’s offense in check, although the Lions are still struggling to reach full health. Although Orlando has yet to win a road game in MLS play this season, Miami has yet to win at home, so we’ll see if either trend comes to an end or if a draw is in store for us on Saturday.

Orlando Pride Host Washington Spirit Saturday

The Orlando Pride will also be in action on Saturday when they play the Washington Spirit at 4 p.m. at Inter&Co Stadium. The Spirit are coming off of a 1-0 win at home against Racing Louisville on Wednesday, while the Pride haven’t played since losing 3-2 on the road to Louisville last Friday. While I think it’s a bit of a stretch to call these two teams rivals, they’ve played some notable games against each other in recent years and it should be a great game. Head Coach Seb Hines and midfielder Summer Yates both spoke on the matchup against one of the league’s top teams.

Las Vegas Group Bids On Vancouver Whitecaps

An investor group by Grant Gustavson made an offer to buy the Vancouver Whitecaps and move the team to Las Vegas. Gustavson, who is the grandson of the founder of Public Storage, is a Vegas resident and the offer includes a plan to build a stadium. The club has been up for sale since December of 2024 and the club released a statement on Monday that there has not been a viable offer that would keep the team in Vancouver despite talks with over 100 interested parties. Any offer would need to be accepted by the owners and approved by the MLS Board of Governors. Hopefully a better solution than moving the team to the middle of the desert presents itself.

Free Kicks

That’s all I have for you all this time around. I hope you have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend. Save the Caps!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New England Revolution, U.S. Open Cup: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from the Lions’ exciting U.S. Open Cup victory.

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22 hours ago

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April 30, 2026

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Image of Tiago and Zakaria Taifi celebrating Tiago's first MLS goal vs. the Red Bulls.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City defeated the New England Revolution 4-3 to advance to the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open Cup. Both teams played a lot of younger players, but Orlando City showed a lot of maturity coming back three times in the match before finally taking the lead in second-half stoppage time. Here are my five takeaways from a pleasantly surprising result in the midweek match.

Welcome Back, Griffin Dorsey

When Alex Freeman left, there was a sense of dread given the options available to replace him. That dread faded when Orlando City brought in MLS veteran right back Griffin Dorsey. The former Houston Dynamo fullback recently came back from injury and got the start in Wednesday’s match. He played well throughout the game, but his best moment came in the 40th minute. Dorsey combined with Justin Ellis on a nifty give-and-go before smashing the ball into the back of the net to draw the Lions even a second time in the match.

Defense? Never Heard of It.

What happens when you have Colin Guske start at center back? You give up three goals. To be clear, I’m not solely blaming Guske, especially since he is less of a center back than Kyle Smith was in his time with Orlando City. Any time a team gives up three goals you have to assume the defense was not up to par, and that was the case against a New England squad that played even more youngsters than Orlando City. Luckily, it didn’t matter in the end since, it was mostly Orlando’s kids that won the match.

Take a Bow, Justin Ellis

The lack of veteran depth, combined with various injuries, has provided the opportunity for youngsters to get some minutes. No player has made more of that opportunity than Justin Ellis. The striker had an assist and a goal in the previous two MLS matches, and matched that output against New England. He was a part of the pretty give-and-go on Dorsey’s goal, and then scored a poacher’s goal to draw Orlando even for the third time in the match. It really should have been two goals, as Ellis put the ball in the net again a few minutes after the one that counted, but either Tyrese Spicer or Ellis was called offside when neither was offside.

Spicer was Spicy

Tyrese Spicer was a literal game changer in this match. He set up two of the four goals on the night, and as I mentioned above, it should have been three if not for the ridiculously bad offside call. He was a holy terror on the left side of the attack and may have actually injured a defender’s ankles with some of his moves. He wasn’t able to score a goal himself, but he was a crucial part of Orlando City’s ability to keep coming back and ultimately win the match.

Goals on Goals

I have not yet mentioned Orlando City’s first or fourth goal. Center back Iago flew above everyone on the pitch to put a beautiful header in the back of the goal. It was the type of goal we were told to expect from the young defender, and all I can say is “thank you sir, may we have another?” The winning goal came once again from a Spicer cross, which second-half sub Zakaria Taifi finished. Taifi made a well-timed back-post run to beat his defender and score the go-ahead goal. I don’t think anyone had the Lions scoring four goals to advance, with three of those goals coming from the back line.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I did not expect Orlando City to win this match, let alone score four goals while doing so. As such, I’m happy that this was able to be a positive article. Now, the Lions turn their attention to an MLS away match against rival Inter Miami. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/30/26

Orlando City advances in U.S. Open Cup, Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines earns praise, NWSL sticks with current calendar, and more.

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1 day ago

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April 30, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

For the third Thursday morning in a row, we are all basking in the triumph of a midweek win by Orlando City. It feels good, to say the least, and I’m a bit sad that there’s not another Wednesday match next week. Regardless, there’s plenty of Orlando soccer ahead this weekend to look forward to. Now that we have a little optimism to get us through the rest of the week, let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Wins U.S. Open Cup Thriller

Orlando City has reached the quarterfinals of the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after winning 4-3 on the road against the New England Revolution in the round of 16. It was truly a back-and-forth affair and Orlando didn’t have the lead at any point of the match until scoring the winner in stoppage time. Just like in the previous round against FC Naples, it wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but all that matters is advancing, and the Lions are through to the quarterfinals. The draw for the rest of the bracket will take place this morning starting at 9:30 a.m.

Seb Hines Receives High Praise

Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines placed eighth in ESPN‘s rankings of the top 20 women’s club soccer coaches in the world. Orlando’s transformation with him at the helm has been historic, as he coached the Pride to winning both the NWSL Championship and the Shield in 2024. The only other current NWSL coaches above him on the list are Angel City FC’s Alex Straus and Gotham FC’s Juan Carlos Amoros. Jonatan Giraldez, who left the Washington Spirit for OL Lyonnes last summer, tops the list, while former Pride head coach Marc Skinner missed the cut.

NWSL Will Stick With Current Calendar For Now

In a league statement, the National Women’s Soccer League announced that it will continue with its spring-to-fall schedule through 2030. This news comes after evaluation by the league of making a similar move as MLS and switching to a calendar that aligns with European leagues.

An update from the NWSL on the competition calendar.

— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) 2026-04-29T15:01:48.017Z

This should give all parties a decent amount of time to explore long-term options. It also means we will get to enjoy domestic soccer all year long for at least a couple of years once MLS makes the switch in 2027. We’ll see what happens in the NWSL in 2031, which is also when the U.S. will cohost the Women’s World Cup that summer.

Keeping Up With Americans Abroad

European soccer is winding down and many American players will aim to finish strongly after struggling a bit this season. Fulham defender Antonee Robinson only has one assist this season, while Christian Pulisic has recorded just one goal contribution in 2026. In more positive news, former Lion Alex Freeman played every minute of Villarreal’s 2-1 win over Celta Vigo and hopefully more minutes are ahead of him to close out the season. Forward Folarin Balogun was named AS Monaco’s Player of the Month after scoring in three of his four appearances this month. Another star-spangled storyline to keep an eye on is in the EFL Championship as Aidan Morris and Middlesbrough fight for promotion.

Free Kicks

  • New York City FC’s Maxi Moralez had three assists in his team’s 3-1 win against the New York Red Bulls in the U.S. Open Cup, with all three of NYCFC’s goals coming from corner kicks.
  • Nashville SC forward Ahmed Qasam won MLS Goal of the Matchday for his strike against Charlotte FC. I’m still not sure how Tyrese Spicer’s goal wasn’t nominated.
  • Atletico Madrid and Arsenal each scored a penalty in a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal matchup. Antoine Griezmann, who will join Orlando this summer, hit the crossbar in what was likely his final Champions League game at the Metropolitano.
  • Afghan Women United, a women’s soccer team of Afghan refugees, has been allowed by FIFA to take part in international competitions.
  • FIFA is in talks over implementing a rule that would require soccer teams to field a young Homegrown player during games. The idea would make more sense to me if players didn’t already have options available to get playing time through loans or tournaments outside of league play.
  • English defender Millie Bright announced her retirement from professional soccer. The 32-year-old has played for Chelsea since 2014, but injuries have plagued her over the years and she will continue to be part of the club in the future.
  • Paris Saint-Germain right back Achraf Hakimi is out for the next few weeks due to a thigh injury sustained in the club’s wild 5-4 win over Bayern Munich in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals.

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

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