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Wilder Cartagena grows in value to Orlando City SC

• Cartagena gets special assignments on the pitch
• He makes for busy scouting reports
• Still finding room to grow and create spaces

By Chuck Wharton

Nov 24, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Atlanta United midfielder Bartosz Slisz (6) and Orlando City midfielder Wilder Cartagena (16) battle for control of the ball during the second half in a 2024 MLS Cup conference semifinal match at Inter&Co Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Nov 24, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Atlanta United midfielder Bartosz Slisz (6) and Orlando City midfielder Wilder Cartagena (16) battle for control of the ball during the second half in a 2024 MLS Cup conference semifinal match at Inter&Co Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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In the aggressive system of Orlando City SC, key players have to stay focused, flexible, and tough. That fits Wilder Cartagena.

Early this MLS season, Orlando City SC got beaten a lot. Teams learned that if they employed versions of the three-defender system, it threw the Lions off their beam. Head Coach Oscar Pareja tried some drills that showed Orlando could also play this system.

So when opponents pulled out the back three (three-defender formations), Orlando City did it also. In this system, it’s necessary to have wingers who can drop back and fill in the backline. Midfielder Wilder Cartagena proved an effective hybrid defender.

Orlando went 2-1-0 favoring the back-three when other teams tried it. They allowed only two goals in those three games. Moving forward, they steadily rose in the ranks to 10th in the MLS Eastern Conference.

Cesar Araujo vs. Pep Biel
Nov 9, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Charlotte FC midfielder Pep Biel (10) plays the ball defended by Orlando City midfielder Cesar Araujo (5) in the first half in a 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs Round One match at Inter&Co Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Teams have backed off their old back-three tricks. Yet Cartagena remains a necessary, aggressive, impact player on offense and defense on the Orlando pitch. After the team’s playoff win against Atlanta United, Pareja acknowledged the growth he’s seen since those early season struggles to now.

He’s teamed Cartagena with midfielder Cesar Araujo for special assignments in matches. The result has been brilliant.

For the Atlanta game, Cartagena and Araujo were sent to neutralize attacking midfielder/striker Aleksei Miranchuk. Pareja’s scouting report expected this forward to unleash a lot of damage. After all, United beat Orlando twice in the regular season.

One of those Atlanta victories was a shutout.

If anything, Cartagena and Araujo overperformed in the Atlanta playoff match. United got off exactly zero shots on target and lost 1-0. The coach also credited both players for helping create spaces necessary to play forward.

Scouting reports get a little confused in tracking Cartagena. He’s a center defender. He’s a center-midfielder. He’s a defensive midfielder.

With Orlando City SC, he’s all those things. Most importantly, he’s part of an organization preparing to win it all in MLS.

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