After César Araújo announced his departure via social media on Friday, Orlando City SC officially confirmed today that the midfielder is leaving the club after his contract expired. Known for his tireless energy, tough tackling, and mastery of the dark arts, Araújo is a difficult asset to replace this off-season.
César Araújo departs after four successful seasons at Inter&Co Stadium. Making 152 appearances across all competitions, Araújo helped City win the U.S. Open Cup in 2022. Despite being a ‘walking yellow card’, Araújo and Wilder Cartagena formed one of the strongest midfield partnerships in MLS. A dynamic duo that is now broken, they were instrumental in our rise under Oscar Pareja.
— César Araújo (@cesararaujoo5) November 14, 2025
Forever a Lion 🫶
Thank you for everything, César 💜 pic.twitter.com/1IWliI26xQ
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) November 17, 2025
César Araújo’s final Orlando City SC stats (MLS)
2022 MLS regular season
- 31 games played
- 28 games started
- 2,462 minutes played
- 0 goals
- 1 assist
- 2 shots on target
- 8 yellow cards
- 1 red card
MLS Cup Playoffs – 2022 season
- 1 game played
- 1 game started
- 87 minutes played
- 0 goals
- 0 assists
- 0 shots on target
- 0 yellow card
- 0 red cards
2022 – Memorable goal
vs. New York Red Bulls (H) – July 27, 2022
Orlando City SC 5 New York Red Bulls 1 – Highlights – July 27, 2022 (Credit: Mega Sports Mania)
2023 MLS regular season
- 33 games played
- 31 games started
- 2,733 minutes played
- 1 goal
- 4 assists
- 6 shots on target
- 8 yellow cards
- 0 red cards
MLS Cup Playoffs – 2023 season
- 3 games played
- 3 games started
- 290 minutes played
- 0 goals
- 1 assist
- 0 shots on target
- 2 yellow cards
- 0 red cards
2023 – Memorable goal
vs. Inter Miami (A) – August 2, 2023
Inter Miami 3 Orlando City SC 1 – Highlights – August 2, 2023 (Credit: Major League Soccer)
2024 MLS regular season
- 30 games played
- 28 games started
- 2,424 minutes played
- 1 goal
- 1 assist
- 2 shots on target
- 11 yellow cards
- 0 red cards
MLS Cup Playoffs – 2024 season
- 5 games played
- 5 games started
- 448 minutes played
- 0 goals
- 1 assist
- 0 shots on target
- 1 yellow card
- 0 red cards
2024 – Memorable goal
vs. Nashville SC (A) – July 17, 2024
Nashville SC 0 Orlando City SC 3 – Highlights – July 17, 2024 (Credit: Major League Soccer)
2025 MLS regular season
- 22 games played
- 20 games started
- 1,801 minutes played
- 2 goals
- 3 assists
- 7 shots on target
- 6 yellow cards
- 1 red card
2025 MLS Cup Playoffs
- 1 game played
- 1 game started
- 75 minutes played
- 0 goals
- 0 assists
- 0 shots on target
- 0 yellow cards
- 0 red cards
2025 – Memorable goal
vs. Toronto FC (H) – March 1, 2025
Orlando City SC 4 Toronto FC 2 – Highlights – March 1, 2025 (Credit: Major League Soccer)
Orlando City SC supporters’ view
Following news of César Araújo’s exit, Orlando City UK gathered the best of what Lions supporters are saying on Twitter (X).
Cesar officially says goodbye. We knew this was coming but it looks official now! Thank you for everything Cesar. #OrlandoCity #OCSC #VamosOrlando https://t.co/uEWgNm5lzE
— David (@Fladoodler18) November 14, 2025
This makes me sad. He was a hard worker.
— Todd Schenck (@ToddSchenck) November 14, 2025
Thank you for everything Cesar🫡 https://t.co/nJs54vhWEq
— Tony (@Thony_0812) November 14, 2025
Forever A Lion. 🦁 Gracias Cesar.
— John Rawlins (@JohnRawlinsOCSC) November 15, 2025
Thank you @cesararaujoo5 https://t.co/08i7xWtKon
— RUCKUS (@RuckusOrlando) November 14, 2025
Hard worker but we can improve that position with his replacement.
— John Dickens (@JohnDickens16) November 15, 2025
He had some great moments for us.
Best of like Cesar! https://t.co/FqjYNsBSV0
— x- Eddie Biggio 🏆 (@EddieTheCommish) November 14, 2025
Good luck for the future Cesar 👌 pic.twitter.com/nHsBPWj0Iw
— The English Lion (@TheEnglishLion1) November 15, 2025
…
Support Orlando City UK
Passionate about what we do, Orlando City UK content will always be free. The most important thing for us is sharing our love of Orlando City SC with you all and donations are by no means expected. However, if you enjoy our content, a token towards the regular maintenance of Orlando City UK is hugely appreciated!
