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Orlando City vs. Sporting Kansas City: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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9 years ago

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Orlando City will come home from Kansas City without any points, extending the team’s winless streak to six (0-3-3) after a 2-1 loss to Sporting KC. The Lions are still 6-4-3 against the Western Conference since joining MLS, but that and a couple of dollars still won’t get you much at Starbucks.

The Lions — without Head Coach Adrian Heath, who served his suspension, and minus the suspended Cristian Higuita — were completely outclassed in Kansas City, yielding a sickening 34 shots, and putting none of their own seven attempts on target. Herein I’ll try to grade the individual performances of Orlando City players in the match, although the positives were fewer and farther between than we’d all like.

I’m sure I’ll be blasted for rating players too high today. But I have to rate these players individually, when I think the larger issue was team play. Plus, these are lower than my usual ratings, which somewhat follow the scholastic rating system, where a 9 would be the equivalent of an A, and I’m not sure I’ve given more than one of those…ever. Here we go:

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 7 (MotM) -€” Orlando’s goalkeeper made 10 saves and deserved much better support from his teammates than he got. He kept the game level at 0-0- by making a pair of massive saves on Dom Dwyer and Graham Zusi at the end of the first half with Darwin Ceren down injured in his own box, keeping everyone onside. He was relentlessly peppered throughout the match and came close to blocking Dwyer’s tying goal, despite being left to fend off two attackers by his defense. He wins Man of the Match by default, because it was a bad team performance, but he was the brightest spot for Orlando, and he had to be to keep the Lions from being completely embarrassed on the score sheet.

D, Brek Shea, 4 – Cost Orlando a goal in the seventh minute when he went for goal rather than serve a tap-in to Larin. In the 21st minute he sent an aerial cross for Larin instead of keeping it on the ground and the Canadian couldn’t get to it. However, he was the most active attacker for Orlando throughout the first half and only some timely blocks by Tim Melia and his defenders prevented sitters for Lion attackers. Despite his high work rate and ability to get crosses in, he was a liability on the defensive end throughout, getting turned around on one possession by Roger Espinoza and nutmegged by him on another.

D, David Mateos, 5 -€” A mixed day for the Spaniard, who had some uncharacteristic bad moments, such as an easy pass in the 52nd minute that he mishit and it went out of bounds for a cheap turnover. He set up the own-goal with his header back across goal on the corner. Tied with Redding for the team lead in clearances (8). However, he must share some of the blame on both goals. He got caught ball-watching a bit on the Feilhaber scoop pass that led to the first. And on Jacob Peterson’s game-winning goal, he and Tommy Redding both stayed on Dwyer, leaving Ramos to guard two wide players at the back post.

D, Tommy Redding, 5.5 -€” The youngster returned to the lineup and completed all 20 of his passes and had eight clearances, with four interceptions and a blocked shot. He was slow to react to Dwyer’s run on the first Sporting KC goal, allowing the former Lion to get behind him. Redding seems to have a bright future, but as young and inexperienced as he is at this level, you’re bound to see a few of these moments per game.

D, Rafael Ramos, 4.5 -€” Rafa’s best contributions were his two vital blocked shots, which kept the score from being worse than it was. Oh, and he didn’t get booked. He passed at an 81.8% clip. But on the winning goal, when faced with two players to defend on the weak side, Ramos should have been defending from inside-out. So, he should have been on Peterson and took his chances that the ball wouldn’t reach the fullback out wide. Instead, he Peterson have a free run. He was also not alert to Peterson’s run on the Dwyer goal.

MF, Servando Carrasco, 4.5 -€” Led the team with 72 touches and passed at a respectable 85.7% clip, blocked two shots, and had four interceptions, two tackles and two clearances. But his handball just outside the area set up a dangerous free kick and he allowed guys like Zusi, Davis, and Feilhaber too much room to operate and pull strings in front of the Orlando back line.

MF, Darwin Ceren, 4.5 -€”The Salvadoran had a team-high four tackles but no interceptions, completing about 85% of his passes. Kind of a similar game to what Carrasco had, and his grade therefore reflects that. Went down with an injury just before the half and kept the entire population of Kansas City onside by going down where he did. Unfortunately, he had to be stretchered off late in the game with an apparent injury to his left leg.

MF, Antonio Nocerino , 4 – Defended well on the left flank throughout the first half and completed 12 of 17 first-half passes with one key pass. But being pinned in the left defensive corner, defending the wide flank attacker — in this case Saad Abdul-Salaam — prevents Nocerino from giving any kind of support to the attack. Shea was tucked well inside the penalty area often, leaving the Italian as the only wide defense. His three tackles tied for second on the team. Passing rate was just 69%, the lowest among midfielders.

MF, Kaká, 6 – Completed 20 of his 21 first-half passes and had one of Orlando’s two shots in the first 45 minutes, although it was well off target. In the second half, it was a different story, as the Brazilian completed just of eight of 14 after the break and two of his corner kicks went over the end line before coming back in, wasting two valuable set pieces. His one good corner from the left side resulted in Orlando’s only goal, though.

MF, Kevin Molino, 5.5 -€” Kevin completed 81.4% of his passes and was one of the few Lions contributing to the attack, but I can’t overlook that he was also dispossessed a team-high five times. The Trinidadian contributed one shot, one key pass, three tackles and an interception, but he wasn’t the dangerous presence he had been over the last month.

F, Cyle Larin, 4.5 -€” It’s hard to even grade the Canadian International. He had only five first-half touches and only six in the second half before being subbed off for Julio Baptista in the 71st minute. Some of that can be attributed to poor service, but you have to blame some of it on movement and being offside a four times. He lost the ball in his feet on a 1-v-1 with Matt Besler in the 30th minute and failed to get a shot off. In fact, he failed to even attempt a shot.

Substitutes

D, Luke Boden (65′), 6 -€” On what may have been the first of his 12 touches, he sent a cross into the box that earned a corner instead of the penalty that should have been awarded for a clear handball on Zusi. The Lions did capitalize on the corner by scoring on a Jimmy Medranda own-goal. His passing accuracy (75%) was a tad worse than Shea’s (79.5%) but he brought a calmer approach to defending the left flank.

F, Julio Baptista (71′), 4 -€” It’s hard to even grade the Brazilian. He got eight touches in his 19 minutes (plus five minutes of stoppage) but wasn’t able to do much with them, as his passing accuracy was only 60 percent. Like Larin, he didn’t attempt a shot.

MF, Carlos Rivas (86′), N/A -€” Didn’t have a lot of time to make an impact, and had only five touches, but he still came within a couple of feet of being a hero. With his first touch, the Colombian sent a curling shot off the volley that sailed just wide of goal in the 87th minute.

* * *

That’s the way I saw the individual performances at Children’s Mercy Park. Be sure to vote for your Man of the Match below and let’s hope the winless streak stops at six.

Polling Closed

Player Votes
Kaká 11
Kevin Molino 3
Joe Bendik 212
Tommy Redding 6
Other 9
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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/3/25

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

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4 hours ago

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April 3, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

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

Martin Ojeda’s MVP Credentials

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

Pride Players Won’t Join Zambia For International Duty

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

Fan Banned For Hateful Language Towards Banda

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

USWNT Defender Tierna Davidson Out for the NWSL Season

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

Free Kicks

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

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/2/25

Orlando Pride players on International duty, NWSL power rankings, USWNT friendlies, and more.

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1 day ago

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April 2, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. There is plenty of Orlando Pride news today, which is good considering we’re heading into an international break. That means we can look forward to some women’s international matches in addition to Orlando City’s next bout against the Philadelphia Union. Before we jump into today’s news, please join us in wishing Orlando City midfielder Cesar Araujo a happy 24th birthday. Let’s get to the links.

International Duty, Pride Edition

Four players from the Orlando Pride have been called up for international duty. Anna Moorhouse (England), Angelina (Brazil), Emily Sams (U.S.), and Zara Chavoshi (U.S. U-23 training camp) will all head to their respective national teams. Moorhouse’s England will compete in the UEFA Women’s Nations League, while Angelina and Sams will face off in a pair of friendlies between the USWNT and the Brazil Women’s National Team.

Pride Still on Top

It seems that there are more outlets providing NWSL power rankings every week, but as long as they keep the Pride on top, I’ll keep letting you know about it. Given that the Pride are undefeated, with the most goals scored and the best goal differential, it isn’t surprising that the club is sitting atop the official standings along with these “highly scientific” power rankings. Goal.com, Sports Illustrated, and All For IX all rank the Pride in first place just above the Kansas City Current. I suppose even power rankings are occasionally correct.

Orlando’s Various World Cup Ties

You probably know that Orlando wasn’t selected to be one of the host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. As disappointing as that was, there’s still a chance that the city, and Orlando City SC’s training grounds at Osceola Heritage Park will host team training during the event. The top notch facilities, plus the relatively close proximity to host cities Miami and Atlanta, make Orlando a good option.

On a more positive note, Orlando was chosen as a host city for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Camping World Stadium will see Club León vs. CR Flamengo, and Juventus vs. Manchester City. The Group H runner-up vs. Group G winner match and one of the quarterfinal round matches will also be in Orlando. There’s plenty to see and do in the City Beautiful, including some great soccer.

USWNT Youth Movement

Sams won’t be the only younger player in Emma Hayes’ lineup for the friendlies against Brazil. Hayes wants to deepen the player pool, which means bringing in players with an average age of just over 25 years old, and the average number of appearances is less than 35. Hayes also believes this is a chance for the younger players who appeared in the loss to Japan in the SheBelieves Cup. The first of the two matches is this Saturday at 5 p.m., with the second coming up Tuesday at 10:30 p.m.

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That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Orlando City and OCB matches this weekend. Hopefully, you have two screens since the match start times overlap. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/1/25

Barbra Banda’s continued importance, Americans in midweek action, USWNT announces friendly, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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April 1, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Good morning everyone! It was a great weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams as Orlando City and the Orlando Pride both won, meaning that we got treated to a six-point weekend (OCB was off). As always we have plenty to talk through this morning, so let’s get into today’s links.

Barbra Banda Keeps Rolling in 2025

After a wildly successful debut season with the Orlando Pride in 2024, Barbra Banda has showed no signs of slowing down this year. A brace in the season opener meant that she picked up right where she left off last year, and the team has continued to be successful too. The Pride have made it three wins from three to start the 2025 season, and while Banda hasn’t scored since the opener, her blend of pace, power, dribbling, passing, and movement have continuously helped open things up for her teammates, and she drew a penalty that led to the Pride’s game-winning goal Saturday. She isn’t the Pride’s only offensive weapon, but the team clicks into a different gear when she’s at her best.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans who will be playing in games during the working week, and there are some very important clashes on hand. Things get going later today when Antonee Robinson and Fulham visit Arsenal in Premier League play as the Cottagers are in hot pursuit of a coveted European place. Wednesday has Chris Richards, Matt Turner and Crystal Palace facing Southampton, while Tyler Adams and Bournemouth take on Manchester City. Also on Wednesday, Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan will face Inter Milan in a Coppa Italia semifinal. Things finish up on Friday as Aidan Morris and Middlesborough travel to Blackburn Rovers in the EFL Championship.

USWNT Announces Canada Match

The United States Women’s National Team has announced another friendly taking place this summer, as the team will face Canada on July 2 in Washington, D.C. The match will be the third that the USWNT will play during the window, following a pair of friendlies against Ireland in late June. The neighboring countries will meet at Audi Field with the match designated as the Allstate Continental Clasico, with this being the first time that the match will feature the USWNT. The U.S. faced Canada twice in 2024, with both matches ending in 2-2 draws and the USWNT emerging victorious in shootouts.

Concacaf Champions Cup Preview

The Concacaf Champions Cup returns this week, with the first legs of the four quarterfinal matches set to be played today and tomorrow. Things get started tonight with what should be an exciting match between Club America and Cruz Azul, with the crosstown rivals two of the winningest teams in the competition. Cruz Azul’s Angel Sepulveda leads the CCC’s golden boot race with four tallies. The late game sees the LA Galaxy taking on Tigres as the Galaxy will try to distract themselves from a difficult start to their MLS Cup title defense. Wednesday’s slate has the Vancouver Whitecaps taking on Pumas UNAM in Canada in what will be the second-ever meeting between the two teams. The late game will be an all-MLS affair as LAFC hosts Inter Miami in the first meeting between the two sides in CCC play.

Sporting Kansas City Fires Peter Vermes

The longest-tenured coach in Major League Soccer is out of work, as Sporting Kansas City announced the firing of Peter Vermes on Monday morning. It’s an end of an era in Kansas City, as Vermes was the head coach since 2009, back when the team was still called the Kansas City Wizards, and he had been named the club’s technical director three years earlier in 2006. He guided the team to an MLS Cup win in 2013; claimed U.S. Open Cup titles in 2012, 2015, and 2017; and helped the team be consistently competitive for a majority of his tenure. Despite all of that, SKC missed the playoffs in two of the last three seasons and was mired in the midst of a 13-game winless streak in all competitions that stretched back to Sept. 18 of last year. After being an assistant on Vermes’ staff, Kerry Zavagnin will take over as interim head coach.

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That’s all I have for this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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