Defenders
CB – Maxime Chanot – 6
Maxime Chanot had an uneven match. He had a couple of crucial moments. He blocked a shot and cleared a ball off the line, which would have put Orlando City up 2-0. But despite some good play, Chanot was caught cheating inside on several occasions. He also allowed Nani’s goal in the 18th minute after failing to properly clear a ball. Anton Tinnerholm, the right wing-back, played very high, leaving a lot of space where Chanot should have been. Nani exposed this space and threatened on the counter numerous times this match.
In all, Chanot had one tackle, one interception, three clearances, one blocked shot, while fouling just once. He was good in distribution, connecting on four of his seven long passes; his passing average was 82.8%. He won three aerial duels.
CB – James Sands – 6.5
James Sands struggled this match. He muffed a pass that would have led to a Nani goal if not for Sean Johnson’s heroics. He did make a great challenge on Tesho Akindele early in the match, after the Orlando City striker was released on a break, but he often seemed overpowered by Akindele, who held up play very well for Orlando. Sands is just 18, but strength is a concern when he goes up against bigger strikers.
He made only a single tackle this match; he also tallied an interception and a clearance. He was very good in distribution, though. His passing accuracy was 90.8% and seven of his eight long pass attempts were successful.
CB – Alexander Callens – 6
Alexander Callens played on the left-hand side, which is the side Orlando City most often attacked from. As a result, he was often pushed far to the left. That made Sands and Chanot cheat inside, and opened up space on the right. Callens had two tackles and a clearance this match. He was on the ball more than either of his center-back partners, receiving 94 touches, but just four of his eight long passes found a teammate.