Orlando City drafted midfielder Joran Gerbet with the No. 27 overall selection in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft. The Lions signed their first-round pick on Feb. 17, inking the French midfielder out of Clemson through the 2025 season with option years for 2026, 2027, and 2028. It didn’t take long for the 24-year-old (then 23) to get on the field, as he made his first MLS start in the Lions’ fourth game of the season on the road against the New York Red Bulls.

Gerbet earned the trust of the coaching staff in his first year, as he was often called upon in critical situations to start or to come off the bench to protect a starter who had been booked. The situation never seemed too big for the Frenchman despite a lack of professional experience.

Unfortunately for Gerbet, his season was marred by injuries. A midseason thigh problem forced him out of the lineup for several weeks, and his rookie campaign was cut short when he suffered an ACL injury early in the Oct. 4 match against the Columbus Crew. He underwent surgery to repair his left knee, which will likely have him out for several months, including the start of next season.

Let’s take a look back at Gerbet’s first season as a professional soccer player.

Statistical Breakdown

Gerbet appeared in 20 regular-season matches (13 starts), logging 1,115 minutes. He did not score a goal in his first pro season but he notched one assist, setting up Martin Ojeda’s second goal in Orlando City’s 3-3 home draw against the New England Revolution on May 10. The midfielder attempted just three shots but didn’t get any on target. However, he passed at a 92% rate with five key passes and connected on 31 of his 40 long balls. He recorded 23 tackles 14 interceptions, nine clearances, and six blocks. Gerbet committed 12 fouls, drew 25 from the opposition, and picked up a pair of yellow cards on the season. Because of the timing of his injury, the rookie did not appear in Orlando’s playoff match.

In the U.S. Open Cup, Gerbet made one appearance, starting and playing 90 minutes in the home game against Nashville SC without making a goal contribution in the 3-2 loss. He attempted one shot but did not put it on target. On the defensive end, he contributed a block and a clearance. Gerbet completed 88% of his 49 passes and four of his five long balls but did not register a key pass. He committed one foul and drew two from Nashville and was not booked.

Gerbet appeared in two Leagues Cup matches, coming off the bench both times for a total of 34 combined minutes against Toluca and Inter Miami. He made his mark in the Toluca match, scoring from the penalty spot in Orlando City’s 6-5 shootout win after a scoreless draw in Carson, CA. He completed 12 of his 16 passes (75%) in the competition without a key pass. On the defensive end, he chipped in a tackle and an interception.

Best Game

While it’s tempting to go with the match in which he made his lone goal contribution, I am going with his defensive effort against Inter Miami on May 18 on the road, as he helped Orlando City win 3-0 at Chase Stadium. The rookie played like a veteran All-Star central midfielder in the match against Lionel Messi and Co., starting and playing all 90 minutes. He was one of the best players on the field in helping shut out the potent Miami offense, earning the second-highest grade of all outfield players from Fotmob only to Luis Muriel (Pedro Gallese was the highest overall both from Fotmob and our website).

On the defensive end, Gerbet contributed four clearances, three tackles, an interception, and a block. Gerbet wasn’t only helpful in defending his own goal. He completed 30 of his 33 passes that night (91%), including his only long ball, and created two scoring chances in the match. He gave as good as he got, committing two fouls and drawing two from the Herons.

2025 Final Grade

Gerbet received a composite 6 out of 10 rating from The Mane Land staff for his rookie season. It is a strong rating for a first-year player out of college playing a difficult position that doesn’t rack up a lot of glamorous statistics. The better you play in his position, the less you stand out (to a point…there is a tipping point when an amazing central midfield performance becomes quite noticeable). There were some inconsistent games, which is to be expected from a first-year player, but it was a strong season to build on for the Clemson product, and it’s a shame that it will be awhile before he is back on the pitch to build on it.

2026 Outlook

The Lions would be wise to exercise Gerbet’s option for 2026, despite his long road to recovery. As I wrote in Colin Guske’s Season in Review piece yesterday (link below), there is some uncertainty in central midfield beyond 2025 for Orlando City.

Cesar Araujo’s 2022 deal was through 2024 with an option year in 2025, which was automatically triggered by his performance last season. The Uruguayan has been the subject of reports of him returning to South America, and it’s unusual for the Lions not to re-sign a player of Araujo’s caliber before he’s out of contract. It’s possible there was another option that could be triggered, but it was not in the initial press release we received. The press release for Cartagena’s deal through 2025 did not mention option years and the 31-year-old Peruvian will be returning from an Achilles injury. Atuesta’s contract was only through this season, albeit with an option year for 2026. It’s possible that all three veterans could be back, none of them, or any one or two of them.

As such, Gerbet would seem to have a bright future. He’s just 24 years old, inexpensive, and has already put the league’s MVP in his pocket on the road in MLS play. While he has put a lot more performances on film since that match, he has the upside to be a strong No. 8 in the league. Although he doesn’t seem to possess the physicality to start as the No. 6, he can fill in at that spot. He is also adept at taking set pieces, giving him an additional skill the Lions could use.

One should reasonably expect Orlando City to pick up Gerbet’s option for 2026 unless the player expresses the desire to leave this off-season.

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