Oscar Pareja’s Orlando City are like a ticking clock, with all the gears working seamlessly together. But there’s one player who provides the power for the whole thing.
Mauricio Pereyra, signed on a free transfer from Russian Premier League side Krasnodar last summer, has proved an essential piece of the Orlando City puzzle this season. Perhaps the essential piece, in fact.
Pereyra missed five games in the middle of the regular season with an injury, was rested for three others at various points, and missed the finale due to suspension. In those nine games where the Uruguayan did not feature in the starting XI, Orlando City went 3-3-3.