During Saturday night's broadcast, it was announced that Swedish defender Robin Jansson became the first player in Orlando City history to surpass 10,000 minutes played for the club. It was also his 113th appearance for the club, second all time in the MLS era.
It's time for us to all recognize Jansson for everything he's brought to the club since he arrived from Swedish giant AIK in the winter of 2019. Orlando City fans actually give tons of praise to Jansson on a near daily basis, but the big Swede is one of the best players in club history and deserves the acclaim he receives.
As stated before, Jansson is second in club history in appearances with 113, only behind Chris Mueller's 126. By season's end, hopefully, the Swede will be the club's all-time appearance leader. The consistent availability and dependability of Jansson is one of the most impressive things about his tenure in purple. He's piled up so many minutes in the backline and is one of the most consistent faces in the lineup for the Lions.
Aside from just always being there, Jansson is the best defender in Orlando City history. He brings a ton of toughness and tactical IQ that's rare in Orlando's history. The Lions weren't great defensively in his first MLS season, but it's hard to pin that all on the Swede who was seen as an unanimously great addition to the squad. Once Orlando put together a stronger roster and coaching staff around Jansson, he and this defense have become one of the better units in the league.
Especially this season but throughout his Orlando career, Jansson's been one of the best passing center backs in MLS. With his wand of a left foot, the Swede can ping dimes all over the field and can break a defense down with one pass over the top. This year there've been game when Jansson is arguably Orlando's best offensive player because of his ability to open up the game and create opportunities in the attacking phase of play.
Jansson is now 30 years old and who knows how long he'll stay in Orlando, but I hope he remains a Lion the rest of his career. He's a passionate, gifted and gritty defender who embodies everything I love in a team. The Swede is now an all-timer for Orlando City and it's time to give him his flowers.