orlando city sc 2024 preview: can the lions win a trophy?
Kevin Gonzalez
February 20th, 2024
The MLS season is less than 24 hours away.
There’s been a lot of buzz on the strength of the East Coast teams. One team we are excited about is Orlando City.
As the 21st team in the league, Orlando City SC broke into the MLS in 2015. The Lions were first a USL Pro team, but dissolved to become the team it is today. This team’s first signing as a new expansion team was Ballon d’Or and World Cup winner Kaka. Orlando’s first 5 seasons as an organization were difficult. They failed to qualify for the MLS Play Offs all those years and went thru three different head coaches (Adrian Heath, Jason Kreis, and James O’Connor). They even had Bobby Murphy as interim head coach twice. Oscar Pareja was appointed before the start of the 2020 season, where they would go on to be runner up in the MLS is Back Tournament. Since Pareja’s tenure started, Orlando has qualified to the playoffs each season and won the 2022 US Open Cup.
season recap
While they did not win silverware like their previous 2022 season, the Lions finished 2nds place in the conference. Overall, they ended the season with 63 points. Their records were 18W, 9D, and 7L. Orlando had the best away record in the league tallying 31 points on the road. They would go on to be eliminated in Conference semifinals in a single match round by losing in extra time to then MLS Cup winners, Columbus Crew. In the first half of the season, Orlando was in the 7th place playoff spot with a total of 28 points, and a record of 7W, 7T, and 5 Loses. After Week 21 of the season, Orlando would then go on with a record of 11W, 2T, and 2L for a total of 35 points. The Lions former captain Mauricio Pereyra left the club in the offseason via mutual termination.
Orlando had a great defensive record conceding 1.1 goals per match, only Nashville and Seattle had a better record of 0.9 goals conceded. Orlando also had 13 clean sheets this season, ranking number 5 in the League. One thing to note about this Orlando Team is that they performed much better than their xG. They scored 55 goals while having a xG of 42.1 goals. Only St. Louis, Atlanta Utd, and New England had a larger gap in their Actual Goals for vs. XG this season.
To highlight how critical the Lions were in front of the goal this season, they ranked number 1 in Big Chances (Situations where a player should score) vs. Big Chances completed. They had 63 chances this season and only 27 Big chances missed (Situations where the player misses the goal entirely or doesn’t shoot). In the graph below, Orlando had 36 big chances completed. Compared to Houston Dynamo, they had the same amount of completed attempts but had 18 less big chances.
For much of his time at the club, Oscar Pareja has played in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Last season he only deviated from this formation in 4 games. Pareja’s team likes to soak up pressure and either play from the back or use long balls to get it up the field. He likes to rely on the wingers or the forward to score, in quick 1v1 situations, or by getting players isolated quickly into the box in counter-attacking transitions.
Roster:
New Signings so far for this upcoming season are David Brekalo (Viking, Eliteserien), Luis Muriel (Atlanta BC, Serie A), Nicolás Lodeiro (Seattle, MLS), Riyon Tori (Charlotte 49ers, Draft), Javier Otero (Orlando City B, MLS Next Pro, and Tahir Reid-Brown (Orlando Academy)
Transfers Completed after Loans: Ivan Angulo (Palmeiras, Serie A), Wilder Cartagena (Ittihad Kalba, UAE Pro League)
David Brekalo
David Brekalo
David Brekalo was signed for €2.60 million, from Vikings FK. He signed a four-year contract with the Lions. Brekalo debuted for his national team in March 2022. He has played a total of 11 games for the Slovenia nation team so far. Brekalo has been a part of the Slovenia youth system, representing his country since the U-16 team. Although he is right footed, he played as the left-center back for Vikings, started 23 games, and had a total of 1,953 minutes. Brekalo is good inside the box, scoring a couple of goals from corners. He has scored 7 goals in 60 appearances. He is talented at playing long balls up the field, something this Orlando team really likes to play off of. This season, we could see the Slovenian play on the right side, pairing up with Orlando captain Robin Jansson. Jansson, now 32 years old, could be rotated more and Brekalo could be slotted in playing that left-center back role, like he did for Vikings.
Luis Muriel
Luis Muriel
Luis Muriel is one of the most exciting signings in the MLS this off-season. He signed a three-year contract as a designated player. He was brought in to replace the 2023 MLS SuperDraft 6th overall pick Duncan McGuire, whos’ deal collapsed last minute on transfer deadline. He played 5 seasons under Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta BC. During his time at Atalanta, they broke a series of club records, such as qualifying for Champions league 3 times consecutively. He has been apart of the Colombian national team since 2012, playing in the 2018 World cup and featured in the 2015, 2019, and 2021 Copa America. Luis Muriel will play as the starting forward for Orlando, even if McGuire is still on this team. He can play as a winger or second striker. However, this Orlando team, does like to play in a 4-2-3-1, so it is likely we will not see him in another role. He is known for his flashy plays and ability to dribble thru players. He has also scored some screamers from outside the box.
Nicolás Lodeiro
Nicolás Lodeiro
Nicolás Lodeiro signed as a free agent for one year and then an option for one more year. Lodeiro previous played for the Seattle Sounders for 7 years. Under that time, he won 2 MLS Cups and 1 CONCACAF Champions League. Nicolás plays as a number 10 by supporting the attack in the final third. At 34 years of age, Lodeiro still managed to play 33 games for the Sounders last season, for a total of 2,478 minutes. Lodeiro will be an important player this upcoming season for Orlando, if Martin Ojeda continues to come off the bench as a super sub. I believe that with the departure of Mauricio Pereyra to Nacional he will be the new starting 10 for this Orlando team.
Designated players
Facundo Torres
Facundo Torres, is the star player of this Orlando organization, he just recently signed a contract extension that will tie him to the team till 2026 with a 1-year option. Facundo was signed prior to the start of the 2022 MLS season, with a club record fee of $7.5 million from Penarol. Since signing with the Lions, Torres has a record of 23 goals, 14 assists in 64 regular season games. Last season he was the Lions top goal scorer with 14 goals and exceeded his xG of 10.2. He also has been a part of the Uruguay national team since the age of 21 and has been a part of the 2021 Copa America and 2022 FIFA World Cup squad. Facundo plays on the right wing, he is good at progressing the ball up the field by either carrying into the final third or through progressive passes. While he can play as a number 10, his shot created actions are not his strongest output. Most of Torres’ goals last season came from inside the box, where he is good at finding space and scoring from either headers or low crosses into the box. He also times his runs to arrive late at the box during counter-attacking transitions. It was a pattern with Ivan Angulo or Martin Ojeda dribbling the ball up the field and then squaring it to Torres. This following season, Torres will continue to be the star player of this team. He has a talented team around him, and a coach that utilizes him in his preferred role.
Martín Ojeda
Martín Ojeda
Martín Ojeda was signed from Godoy Cruz last season; he signed a three-year contract with an option of two additional years. He played every game this past season, however he only started in 16 games in the regular season. He played 1,757 minutes last season, where he scored 6 goals and 7 assists. Ojeda played multiple positions throughout the season. He would be substituted in for either Pereira, Facundo or Angulo. Ojeda will hope to win the number 10 position over Nico Lodeiro this season, if not we can assume he will play a similar super sub role like last season.
Key Players
Iván Angulo
Iván Angulo was originally on an 18-month loan from Palmeiras. At the start of the 2024 year, he finalized a two-year contract with one optional year. Angulo played every game this season; he started 29 games in the regular season. Angulo is an important player for how Orlando like to play. He adds pace on the ball and can draw out defenders. Iván can play on both wings. Oftentimes we see Facundo and him swap sides. When swapping sides, he cuts in more often from the right as an inside forward. He formed an overperforming front three with Duncan McGuire and Facundo Torres. Angulo will continue to be a starter for this team.
Pedro Gallese
Pedro Gallese is going into his 5th year as the number one goalkeeper for the Lions. El Pulpo is one of the strongest goalkeepers in the league. He is also Peru’s record goalkeeper with over 100 performances for la Blanquirroja. Gallese outperformed his xGOT of 37.97, he was only scored on 34 times this past season.
César Araújo
César Araújo was signed under the U22 Initiative in 2022; this will be his third year with Orlando. César Araújo is a center-defensive midfielder that likes to drop deep in the buildup play. He likes to play long balls into the attacking third. Araújo is also a great tackler and reads the game very well to avoid situations where opposing teams can counter. Araújo and Cartagena continue to be the midfield pair for this Orlando team. Araújo was recently called up for the Uruguay U23 team.
breakout players to watch
Ramiro Enrique
Ramiro Enrique was also signed under the U22 Initiative. He played in 30 games this season but only started in 7 games. He recorded 4 goals and 1 assist. Enrique will not have much game time at the start of the season. It is rumored that McGuire will try to leave in the summer transfer window. Until then, Ramiro drops as the third forward in the pecking order.
upcoming season expectations
This upcoming season Orlando will look to win some silverware. They just had their best season yet as an organization, and they managed to keep all their talented players this offseason. They also signed talented players this offseason such as David Brekalo, Luis Muriel, and Nicolas Lodeiro to add further depth to this team.
This roster might have one of the strongest attacking teams this season. They are clinical finishers and can create chances from nothing. The Orlando depth chart for the front end of this team is Duncan McGuire, Iván Angulo, Facundo Torres, Martin Ojeda, Luis Muriel, and Nicolás Lodeiro. These are all players that can start in any top MLS team. The only issue this team can have this upcoming season is if Lodeiro and Ojeda do not provide attacking chances for this squad. Orlando definitely overperformed their xG, so creating chances will be critical for this team if they want to win it all.
The midfield this season is not as strong as last season. They have a strong two-man pairing in Wilder Cartagena and César Araújo. The depth chart for the midfield decreased with long time player, Urso, leaving. Felipe is older now at 33 and the depth coverage are Orlando City youth players.
The defense did improve this offseason with the signing of Brekalo. As we now know, Brekalo can provide coverage to either center-backs. Schlegel is still on the team; he is a solid second-string center back. Santos was solid on the left side and Thórhallsson is continuing to improve and develop. Pedro Gallese will continue to be the starting keeper for this team.
summary
Orlando City SC will look to chase the MLS Cup. They broke franchise records last season, and they look stronger this offseason. They have a strong starting 11 and some of the best squad depth in the league. If this team can create more chances than last season, and the new number 10 works out, they can make it to the final stages of the playoffs.