Welcome to your Major League Soccer Matchday 5 installment of How We Voted, a weekly rundown of my MLS Player of the Matchday ballot as filed with the North American Soccer Reporters.
After every Matchday, writers get two ballot lines to fill as we vote for Player of the Matchday. After every Matchday, I use this space to explain why I chose my latest two-player combination, to share the actual winner of the final Player of the Matchday vote, and to share the list of names on this week's Team of the Matchday (which, spoiler for our New York City FC-focused readers, includes Matt Freese as starting goalkeeper).
Following Matchday 5, I've decided to single out two international attacking players who starred in 4-1 home wins for each of their respective teams, with both guys scoring one goal and adding two assists. How's that for consistency? You know one name based on the headline above but read on for further explanation of my latest ballot.
The HRB Ballot, Matchday 5
1. Pep Biel, Charlotte FC
Charlotte ran away from San Jose Earthquakes in the first half, dropping three goals on Bruce Arena's team in the match's first 40 minutes. Pep Biel had a direct hand in two of those three goals, scoring the first and assisting the third. He added a second assist in the second half by picking out Kerwin Vargas, who finished his chance neatly in the 52nd minute.
Biel's passing and chance creation were what separated him from my runner-up and earned him my vote. His pass to Brandt Bronico was another display of his line-breaking vision when his teammates are making the runs, which isn't a new development for Biel – as pointed out nicely in this below clip from Ben Wright of Six One Five Soccer, which compares Biel's pass to Bronico to an almost identical one played against Inter Miami CF on Matchday 3.
What if the whole plane was made out of this ball from Pep Biel??
— Ben Wright (@benwright.bsky.social) March 23, 2025 at 9:22 AM
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In Matchday 5's big win over San Jose, Biel played four key passes and five progressive passes, both figures highest among Charlotte players. He only had 30 touches, second-least among Charlotte starters, but he made so much happen when it came his way. Charlotte is up to Second Place in the MLS Eastern Conference with 10 points after five matches, and it's easy to see them sticking around in the top four as the season progresses.
2. Martín Ojeda, Orlando City SC
Same stat line as Pep Biel for the Orlando No 10, but Martín Ojeda placed second for me despite his similar role in a 4-1 win at home. Ojeda's goal made it 2-0 Orlando and benefited from a big deflection, but was a pay-off for the attacker after he'd had two other decent looks that were saved after Ojeda put his shots directly at DC United goalkeeper Kim Joon Hong. His first assist was a perfectly whipped-in free-kick delivery that was headed home by defender Alex Freeman, while on the Argentine's second assist, the heavy lifting was done by Marco Pasalic, who produced a powerful, emphatic finish from distance.
Ojeda attempted six shots and put three on target and also completed 88.9% of his 36 attempted passes, which were often of the forward and dangerous variety. He was credited with two key passes, seven progressive passes, and completed six passes into the final attacking third. Productive game for Ojeda and his Orlando teammates, as striker Luis Murriel and the aforementioned Alex Freeman also had big nights in Central Florida.
Official Player of the Matchday: Pep Biel
Congrats to Pep Biel of Charlotte FC who was voted by our members as MLS Player of the Matchday!
— North American Soccer Reporters (@soccerreporters.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 4:56 PM
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My vote for a third time this season mirrors the majority of the voting populace, with Pep Biel a deserving Player of the Matchday winner. He's been excellent to start the season for Charlotte, who look like one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference based on their early form. His passing picked apart the Quakes and extended Charlotte's dominant start while playing at home at Bank of America Stadium – the team's third straight home win so far in 2025, with Charlotte holding an early +7 home goal differential, and their sixth game in a row at home without tasting defeat.
Clinical finishing and unreal vision! pic.twitter.com/eBGFP3UUgs
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 24, 2025
Official MLS Team of the Matchday
Starters: Matt Freese (NYC) - Walker Zimmerman (NSH), Aaron Long (LAFC), Alex Freeman (ORL) - Evander (CIN), Emil Forsberg (RBNY), Owen Wolff (ATX), Pep Biel (CLT) - Martín Ojeda (ORL), Kelvin Yeboah (MIN), Philip Zinckernagel (CHI)
Coach: Gregg Berhalter (CHI)
Bench: Hugo Lloris (LAFC), Ian Glavinovich (PHI), Emiro Garcés (LA), Ashley Westwood (CLT), Luciano Acosta (DAL), Jonathan Pérez (NSH), Antony (POR), Saba Lobjanidze (ATL), Luis Muriel (ORL)
There's Matt Freese, the first New York City FC player to earn a spot in a Team of the Matchday Starting XI in 2025. The goalkeeper came up huge in a five-save performance while facing 24 shot attempts in Columbus, a performance that drew rave reviews from the readers who voted for our latest NYCFC Player Ratings, and now from the Team of the Matchday voters. Evander and his brace for FC Cincinnati had him an unofficial Honorable Mention on my Player of the Matchday ballot, but he got a spot in Team of the Matchday as consolation. Orlando placed three players in this week's squad, the most of any team, it's what a 4-1 home win can do for you.
