2023 MLS Regular Season Record: 18W - 9D - 7L
What I said last winter:
Didn’t get to this one
What happened:
Orlando played their first ever Concacaf Champions’ League tournament and were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Tigres
Despite scoring struggles early on and some fan angst, the Lions found there rhythm in part thanks to Superdraft pick Duncan McGuire
Orlando finished second in the overall Supporters’ Shield standings. Their best ever finish
In the playoffs they were knocked out at home by eventual champions Columbus Crew
Key Takeaways from 2023
Orlando Runs on Duncan
Orlando has come a long way in the last few years. After nearly a decade of mediocrity, the club has built a solid roster and clinched their first-ever trophy by winning the US Open Cup in 2022. While the 2023 season had a rocky start, they once again set records and ruffled feathers with a style of soccer that had The Athletic asking, “Is Orlando City MLS’ most hated team?” But, hey, sometimes it's okay to embrace the role of the villain, especially if it leads to victories.
Orlando lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Duncan McGuire up top, Mauricio Pereyra as their CAM, and Facundo Torres on the wing with Iván Angulo on the opposite side most often. Their midfield usually featured César Araújo and Wilder Cartagena, and a four-man backline included Robin Jansson and Rafael Santos all season. Dagur Dan Thórhallson and Rodrigo Schlegel started most the second half of the year.
Orlando’s goal scoring was one of their best attributes this year. Mainly because despite an average amount of shot-taking they had sixth-most goals, third-most assists, and least amount of big chances missed.
The Lions also boasted the fourth-best Goal minus Expected Goals (G - xG) performance in the league, with a positive margin of +11.2.
McGuire scored the second-most goals for the club, tallying 13, with the highest differential in all of MLS at +7.7! That's an fantastic level of productivity from the Superdraft pick. Torres led the team in scoring with 14 goals, surpassing the expected 10.2.
The only underperformers were Pereyra (0 goals vs. 2.4 xG) and Araujo (1 goal vs. 1.4 xG).
In terms of possession, Orlando ranked average in most categories but finished tenth for final third passes. They held the majority of possession in just over half of their MLS matches, with most of those instances occurring at home.
Pedro Gallese had another standout season as the starting goalkeeper for Orlando, starting in all but four matches, while backup Mason Stajduhar performed well in his absence. The team finished in the top ten for the least goals conceded, save percentage, and opponent shots on target.
Gallese was closer to average in post-shot expected goals at +1.4, and Stajduhar finished with -0.4.
Outside of not winning any trophies this season, this should be considered a successful year for the club. Many squads will win a trophy and regress the next season in MLS, but Orlando continued to improve. This offseason has been a bit of a whirlwind for them, mainly due to external factors.
Top Sorare Fantasy Performers
Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese | L15: 51 | 60+ pts games: 15 | Clean sheets: 13 | Penalties saved: 1
Defender: Rafael Santos | L15: 49 | 60+ pts games: 9 | Goals: 1| Assists: 3 | Clean sheets: 9
Midfielder: Facundo Torres | L15: 51 | 60+ pts games: 12 | Goals: 14 | Assists: 3
Forward : Duncan McGuire | L15: 38 | 60+ pts games: 6 | Goals: 6 | Assists: 1
Extra: César Araújo | L15: 54 | 60+ pts games: 10 | Goals: 2 | Assists: 5
2024 Outlook
Last updated 2/6/2024
GIF Rating:
Outgoing Players
Mauricio Pereyra - Attacking Midfielder - Mutual contract termination
Wilfredo Rivera - Centre-forward - Option declined
Júnior Urso - Central Midfielder - Option declined
Adam Grinwis - Goalkeeper - Out of contract
Antônio Carlos - Centre-back - Transfer to Fluminese
Luca Petrasso - Left-back - Loan to Triestina
Gastón González - Winger - Loan to Nacional
Incoming Players
Wilder Cartagena - Defensive Midfielder - Transfer from Ittihad Kalba FC
Iván Angulo - Winger - Transfer from Palmeiras
Nicolás Lodeiro - Attacking Midfielder - Signed as a free agent
Tahir Reid-Brown - Left-back - Homegrown signing
Luis Muriel - Centre-forward - Transfer from Atalanta
David Brekalo - Centre-back - Transfer from Viking
Can they take the next big step?
Orlando retained almost everyone from last year, and most of the players they parted ways with weren't meeting expectations. Duncan McGuire was set for a loan to Blackburn Rovers, but Blackburn messed up the paperwork, and he is on his way back to Orlando. I won’t delve into the other elements of idiocracy Blackburn exhibited during this saga, but give Tom Bogert’s Twitter feed a read if interested.
In terms of additions, they secured Iván Angulo and Wilder Cartagena permanently and added Seattle Sounders legend Nicolás Lodeiro. They've also addressed depth in their backline with the impending transfer of David Brekalo and are rumored to sign Atalanta striker Luis Muriel. There aren’t many other areas I can find fault with in this roster. Perhaps at the right-back position, but I thought Dagur Dan Thórhallson played well in the latter half of the season.
The biggest question is, with McGuire's return, what will they do with him and Muriel? Perhaps Orlando considers a two-striker formation, but I wouldn’t expect them to immediately adopt that tactic.
Overall, this is a solid squad and should at least make deeper runs in multiple tournaments this season if they pick up where they left off from last year
I did it, I said nice things about Disney FC.