Roster newcomers join Thorhallsson for Orlando City SC effort | OneFootball

Two newcomers to the full Orlando City SC roster earned minutes in the hard-fought draw at the Philadelphia Union.

Orlando City SC coaches and players knew they had a fight on their hands heading to the Philadelphia Union for a match. To start the MLS regular season, the Union came to Orlando and beat the home team 4-2.

Now came Round 2. To add to the pre-game tension, midfield duo Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta felt tightness late in the week in training.

So roster newcomer Joran Gerbet and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson answered the call to start. Thorhallsson hadn’t started in the midfield since 2023, but was initially acquired for that role.

The Union had been practicing for a fierce offensive show, so the Lions’ backline had to be sharp. Head Coach Oscar Pareja studied the situation and called on David Brekalo to start alongside Rodrigo Schlegel and Robin Jansson.

Feb 22, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando City forward Luis Muriel (9) and Philadelphia Union defender Jakob Glesnes (5) battle for the ball in the second half at Inter&Co Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The Orlando City defense, then, had the look of three center backs. That meant at times the Lions would give the Union the back-five treatment, with the fourth defender Alex Freeman, serving with Ivan Angulo as wingbacks.

Orlando’s most powerful and effective defensive performance of the young MLS season made it difficult to pull players forward to create scoring chances. But it also ruined the Union’s efforts to score any of their 20 shots at Pedro Gallese’s net. They only got four of those shots on target.

The Lions drew Philadelphia 0-0.

Gerbet took advantage of his opportunity on the pitch, getting in two tackles, winning two aerials, and unleashing 30 passes.

The other newcomer is midfielder Colin Guske, who substituted for Martin Ojeda in the 89th minute and served to finish disrupting the Union in their desperate, late attacks.

Dagur Dan Thorhallsson didn’t appear to have missed much since his last midfield start. He got in two tacks and 34 touches while attempting 27 passes, 20 of them accurate.

Pareja said of both Thorhallsson and Gerbet that they adapted to the game as it evolved on the pitch. They effectively absorbed the Union’s pressure.

Without those contributions, the Union would have scored. Orlando City SC didn’t score either. But the Lions showed they’ve developed enough to match a squad on their home pitch that had previously beaten them 4-2. This time, they won a point.