Rafael Santos is the remedy to Orlando City's imbalance | OneFootball

Orlando City's matchup with FC Cincinnati was always going to be a barometer of its Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup chances this season, and it wasn't exactly a glowing endorsement.

A third defeat in five MLS outings will leave Orlando 10 points adrift of Philadelphia Union if Bradley Carnell's side defeats the Columbus Crew on Sunday evening.

Orlando's defense has been an unpredictable mistress. The team has remained resolute at times, but has done so almost always by sacrificing any sort of attacking potency.

Indeed, while Pedro Gallese leads the way in the league's shutout charts, four of his eight MLS clean sheets have come in 0-0 stalemates. Another two of those came in nervy 1-0 wins. Orlando certainly suffers from a lack of balance.

It's not just as a defensive unit that Orlando has struggled this campaign, though. A worrying number of mistakes from individuals has consistently seen the team drop valuable points.

A miscued clearance from Eduard Atuesta on Wednesday ultimately went unpunished as Orlando's attack rallied to overcome St. Louis, but Gallese was not to be so lucky against Cincy.

Lackluster positioning from the Peruvian 'keeper made it all too easy for Evander to open the scoring from a free kick, eventually proving costly as Orlando fell 2-1 at home.

However, there was one beacon of encouragement at the back for the Lions: left-back Rafael Santos completely changed the game when he entered the fray in the 70th minute.

The Brazilian hasn't enjoyed a straightforward 2025 so far, but he will be crucial if Orlando is to remedy the lack of balance in the team.

Unrivalled attacking threat

Santos' crossing ability from the left flank has always been a threat, and it gave Orlando an unlikely route back into the game on Saturday.

His deflected cross was kept alive by Ramiro Enrique and then Martín Ojeda for Marco Pašalić to reduce the arrears, before a wonderful whipped delivery to the near post should've been directed on goal by Enrique.

In a game where Orlando created few clear-cut goalscoring opportunities, Santos injected some much-needed energy and quality in attack.

The Brazilian is simply Orlando's best crosser, something that is most evident when head coach Óscar Pareja can deploy the aerial prowess of striker Duncan McGuire.

The problem is, McGuire has hardly been fit all season, so Santos' quality hasn't been fully utilized.

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Does Santos deserve more minutes?

After two almost ever-present campaigns in 2023 and 2024, Santos has barely featured this season. He hasn't started in MLS since March's trip to LA Galaxy, and his red card from the bench three weeks later at CF Montréal hardly helped his case.

This has largely been down to the form of Slovenian center-back David Brekalo, who has since replaced Santos as Pareja's first-choice left-back.

"What happened is that Brekalo has given us that consistency," Pareja clarified in his post-match interview.

It's true, defending has never been Santos' strong point. He is often caught out of position, allowing the opposition winger time and space to inflict damage. But Orlando fans know that, and Santos' attacking qualities have remained entirely consistent since signing in 2023.

"There are these things in the game when players make you feel, 'Hey, I'm here, I can do that'. And that's good, I like what Rafa did today," Pareja continued.

The Colombian coach hinted that Santos could play his way back into his plans, but it's clear Pareja demands more from him.

"I think Rafa came into the game, and then he produced a lot of actions on the left that we used to see with him [...] That talent that he has to cross, we need to use it."

If Santos can rediscover his form of old, Orlando will be all the better for it.

"We will work it out and see, but that's a good problem to have."

Santos improves the team structure

Brekalo has improved the team defensively, but it's clear he doesn't offer the sort of attacking threat that Santos does.

The Slovenian definitely doesn't deserve to lose his starting spot, so a backline of Santos, Brekalo, Robin Jansson, and Alex Freeman (once the latter returns from USMNT duty) has got to be the optimal way forward.

With Santos and Freeman at full-back, Orlando has reliable attacking outlets on both wings. If Pareja wants someone to stay deep alongside the two center-backs when in possession, a role Brekalo has been performing of late, then César Araújo can easily fill that hole.

In turn, a deeper role for Araújo reduces overcrowding in midfield, something that often restricts Orlando's attacking output due to Luis Muriel's tendency to drop deep to receive the ball.

Santos' presence on the left flank will also allow Ojeda to remain central rather than drifting out wide, which reduced his influence on the game when Iván Angulo was withdrawn at the half on Saturday.