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Orlando City

Intelligence Report: Orlando City at New York Red Bulls

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Orlando City is off to a pretty decent start to the 2016 MLS season, all things considered. For a second-year club, a 2-1-3 start is nothing to sneeze at, even if a few questionable officiating decisions have kept that record from being a little better.

Meanwhile, the New York Red Bulls have had a nightmare start to their 2016 season, with just one win in the first seven matches for the 2015 Supporters’ Shield winners. This start by Jesse Marsch’s club has raised eyebrows all over Major League Soccer. To me, that’s what is so terrifying about this fixture, and playing the Red Bulls twice in a three-week span — the team is bound to get its act together at some point. With any luck, it’ll take a few more weeks, but the last two matches have shown us that luck isn’t something we can count on.

Here to help us scout the Red Bulls is Pat Glodkowski from SB Nation’s NYRB blog, Once a Metro. Pat gave us the inside scoop on what’s been going on in the greater Harrison, NJ, area this season.

It’s been awhile since these teams have met. We’ve obviously heard of Matt Miazga going to Chelsea, but who are the other main departures and who are the new arrivals for this season that Orlando City fans should be aware of and how have those comings/goings impacted NYRB?

Pat Glodkowski: Interestingly enough, aside from Matt Miazga, there has not been a massive overhaul this year as has been common in the club’s history. Some lesser-used players like Andrew Jean-Baptiste and Anthony Wallace were waived, so Miazga seems to stand out as our biggest loss. One of the better gains we have made this season was Gideon Baah. The defender has Champions League experience, and looked to be a solid replacement for Miazga, as well as filling in for Damien Perrinelle, since his injury in the post-season last year. Our midfield remains intact from last season, especially since Gonzalo Veron, who everyone hoped would make a massive impact given this season would be his first full one at RBNY, has been left out of the lineup due to injury. So, generally the only thing Orlando City fans would want to be aware of is if Jesse Marsch decides to change the lineup once again.

Cyle Larin has scored seven goals in three visits to the New York metro area. How do you think the Red Bulls will try to defend him and do you think they’ll keep him off the score sheet?

PG: Cyle Larin is our absolute nightmare. People still shake from that chilling 5-2 victory Orlando found at Red Bull Arena last season. Based on our shambolic defending as of late, I fear it will be a repeat this season. Not to say I’m convinced that this game will be a loss for us once again, because this bad streak for us has to end eventually (right? RIGHT???), but I think that a fully fit Larin will find his way past keeper Luis Robles.

No one knows better than you about the slow start the Red Bulls have had this season and the lack of scoring has been downright shocking. Who or what is most responsible in your view and how does a team with this much skill get shut out five times in seven games?

PG: I was hoping that after implying in the first response that I’m fuming about the slow start, I would avoid having to explicitly comment on it. I pity you for the mini-rant you’re about to get and urge you to avoid the forums of MetroFanatic. I want to say that after the most successful regular season of our club’s history, we wouldn’t have let ourselves begin slowly. However, it looks to be just that.

As you mentioned, we’ve been shut out in five games, which is lamentable, to say the least, and absolutely depressing on the opposite end of the spectrum. Part of it comes from suffering key injuries from the likes of Ronald Zubar, Damien Perinelle, and Gideon Baah, all of whom are key center backs. Even our newest South American pickup, Gonzalo Veron, has not featured much despite a great preseason, due to injury. I also want to say that it’s just the Metro Gods playing games with us, as they have done for 20 years now, afflicting us with the worst luck possible. I want to say it is just that MLS is such an unpredictable league, that we will go on without a loss for the rest of the season, but I’m not so sure about any of that.

What I do know is that we often out-possess, out-pass, and out-shoot our opponents, but Providence does not gift us with out-scoring our opponents. Our star striker, Bradley Wright-Phillips, is to blame, as the striker does not even have a goal registered for the team, not to mention, missing yet another penalty. It is frustrating to see our top man struggle so much, and thereby reflecting on our team. Moreover, the leadership seems to just not be there. Kljestan, Dax, and Robles, who we look to to lead our team on the field, have not activated their capabilities this season, and it shows in the poor performance on the field.

On the bench, Marsch seems to struggle to motivate our boys to lift their heads and play like their livelihoods depend on it. I wish to see a little more of the fire Mike Petke showed in the halftime interview when the team was tied 0-0 with Toronto FC. Problem is, he truly believes in his system, and he just sees the bad form coming from bad luck, and the bad luck coming from a source he can’t deal with. A fire needs to be lit under this team to wake some key players up.

What is your anticipated starting XI, key injuries/suspensions, and final score prediction for Sunday?

PG: I imagine our lineup will include: (GK): Luis Robles, (DEF): Kemar Lawrence (LB), Karl Ouimette (CB), Ronald Zubar (CB), Chris Duval (RB), (MID): Dax McCarty (CDM), Felipe (CDM), Mike Grella (LM), Sacha Kljestan (CAM), Lloyd Sam (RM), (ATT): Bradley Wright-Phillips.

A couple notes on this: Chris Duval may still be being eased into the squad, and we may see either Connor Lade or Sal Zizzo fill the spot. The midfield has been tinkered with all season, as Sean Davis, Alex Muyl, Shaun Wright-Phillips, and Tyler Adams have all featured there, and could be rotated in as Marsch continues to find the winning formula. BWP up top is also in question. If Jesse wants to, he may switch him out for Antole Abang, but something tells me he will want to keep BWP on in order to possibly boost his confidence from a potential goal on Sunday.

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Big thanks to Pat from Once a Metro for giving us some insight on the defending Supporters’ Shield-winning New York Red Bulls.

Opinion

Orlando City’s Start to the Season a Pleasant Surprise So Far

The Lions have started the new season well enough, but we shouldn’t get too carried away just yet.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

While Orlando City didn’t have a ton of roster turnover to deal with during the off-season, it was really anybody’s guess as to what sort of start the Lions would make to the 2025 Major League Soccer season. There was obviously the loss of all-time leading goal scorer Facundo Torres to deal with, then Wilder Cartagena was lost for the year in preseason, although the club did a great job in landing Eduard Atuesta to replace him. There were also questions about depth at left back, center back, and central midfield. It was anyone’s guess on how Marco Pasalic would adjust to life in MLS, and there were serious questions about whether the Lions had enough firepower up front with Duncan McGuire unavailable to start the season while he recovered from shoulder surgery.

While the club returned the vast majority of the guys who played key roles in helping reach the Eastern Conference final, on paper, the roster didn’t improve and arguably got weaker, so was it truly realistic to expect the team to go a step farther and make the final this year?

Despite all of those concerns, and despite a confidence-shaking 4-2 opening game loss to the Philadelphia Union, Orlando has largely made a good start to the campaign. The Lions have compiled a respectable 3-2-3 record and have 12 points to show for it, currently sitting in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, six points behind the first-place Columbus Crew.

Even in the two losses, it’s hard to make the argument that OCSC played truly bad games on the whole. Rather, the Lions were undone by moments of bad defending and losses of concentration that led to silly mistakes, particularly against the Union. The shaky defending has certainly been one of the bigger concerns, especially on an Oscar Pareja-coached team, but things have begun to look better after keeping two straight clean sheets.

Ironically, even though the offense seemed to be most people’s biggest concern before the season started, it’s been the part of the team that has consistently functioned at the highest level. Before the two 0-0 draws, Orlando had scored the most goals in the league, and despite being held scoreless twice in a row, they still have the third-most goals scored. Out of OCSC’s six games played with a first choice XI, the Lions have scored more than one goal four times. Even in the games when they haven’t been as prolific, or have largely been on the back foot, the Lions have still managed to carve out a healthy number of chances. While their finishing has let them down at times, they’ve still managed to get several good looks at goal in every game, and that’s half the battle.

All in all, it’s been a perfectly respectable start to the season, and the team honestly has performed higher than my (probably slightly pessimistic) expectations. While the start hasn’t been white hot, it’s been nice to not see the sort of slow start that so often has seemed to plague this club during Pareja’s tenure at the helm.

That being said, I think it’s important to place the beginning of the year in the proper context. It’s worth noting that of the teams that Orlando has played to this point, Philadelphia is the only one currently above the playoff line (although the New York Red Bulls occupy the last play-in spot). The Lions have beaten an LA Galaxy team that is the worst in the West; Toronto FC, which is second from the bottom in the East; and D.C. United, which is third from the bottom in the East. They drew the fifth-place Union on the road, and lost to NYCFC at the baseball stadium. But it has to be said that Orlando has faced a noticeable lack of top shelf opponents so far.

Essentially, Orlando has played three bad teams, two decent ones, and one that started very well but has cooled off in recent weeks (twice). Of course, OCSC can’t do anything about that, but it’s worth asking if the solid start to the season is due to the Lions legitimately being a good team, or if it’s more of a paper tiger situation where they just haven’t had to play many tough opponents yet.

There isn’t really any way of knowing for sure, and there won’t be any hints for awhile. With the way the standings currently look, Orlando won’t face a team above the playoff line until they go up against Charlotte FC on the road on May 14. I don’t bring all of this up to try to dampen the mood, but I just don’t think we have a truly accurate idea of this team’s level yet. Which is fair and totally fine, after all we’re only eight games into the season.

That doesn’t mean that we can’t give OCSC its due for a solid start to the year. It hasn’t been perfect by any means, but the team has done more good than bad, and the Lions’ current place in the standings reflects that. We should still keep things in perspective and resist the urge to dole out too much praise just yet, but we can be happy with what we’ve seen so far.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/18/25

Orlando City set to play the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Lions reach Generation Adidas Cup semifinals, Angel City hires Alexander Straus, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday! I hope today finds you well as we gear up for another Saturday filled with soccer to enjoy. I don’t have many plans this Easter weekend beyond working, catching soccer when I can, and playing Baldur’s Gate 3 for the first time if I find some spare hours. Let’s dive right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Learns U.S. Open Cup Opponents

Orlando City’s 2025 U.S. Open Cup campaign will begin on the road against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on May 7 at 7:30 p.m. in what will be the latest edition of the I-4 Derby. It will be Orlando’s first game of this year’s tournament, while the Rowdies joined in the previous round and got past FC Naples in penalties. The Rowdies have lost four of their five games so far this season in the USL Championship and fired Robbie Neilson as head coach earlier this month. The Lions also notably would have hosting priority if they reach the round of 16, where they will play either Nashville SC or the Chattanooga Red Wolves.

Here’s the full schedule for the round of 32, which includes some interesting matchups across the country. The Tacoma Defiance are the only MLS NEXT Pro side left and will face the Portland Timbers, while the New York Red Bulls will have a long road trip to take on the Colorado Springs Switchbacks.

Lions Advance to Generation Adidas Cup Semifinals

Orlando City’s U-18 team beat Real Salt Lake 1-0 in the Generation Adidas Cup to secure a spot in the semifinals. The Young Lions have won four of their five games of the tournament and will take on Santos Laguna in the semifinal on Saturday. The winner of that match will face whichever team becomes victorious in the other semifinal between Atlanta United and the Colorado Rapids.

The U-16 team’s run in the Premier bracket is also going strong after a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich, and Orlando will take on the New England Revolution in the semifinals on Saturday.

Angel City FC Hires Alexander Straus

Bayern Munich’s Alexander Straus was named Angel City FC’s next head coach and will officially join the club on June 1. The Norwegian coach has won back-to-back Bundesliga titles and has Bayern positioned well to make it three straight this season. He’ll join an Angel City team that’s unbeaten in its first four games of the season under interim head coach Sam Laity, who will stay on as an assistant coach once Straus joins.

Europa League Quarterfinals End In Dramatic Fashion

Old Trafford hosted one of the wildest games in Europa League history, with Manchester United and Lyon battling for a spot in the quarterfinals. United scored twice in the first half, then conceded twice in the second, sending the game to extra time. Lyon took the lead despite being a man down and then the teams traded penalty kicks as the madness continued. Casemiro orchestrated Manchester’s victory in the end, assisting on two late goals within a minute of each other to beat Lyon 5-4 and advance. This United fan pretty much sums up just how much of a rollercoaster this match was.

There was also drama in Italy, as Lazio came back in the second leg to force extra time against Bodo/Glimt. The match went to penalties and Bodo/Glimt goalkeeper Nikitka Haikin denied former New York City FC player Taty Castellanos from the spot to book his team’s place in the semifinals. Although Tottenham was without Son Heung-Min, it got the job done in a 1-0 road win against Eintracht Frankfurt, while Athletic Club beat Rangers 2-0 in Spain to advance as well. In the semifinals, Tottenham will face Bodo/Glimt and Manchester United will take on Athletic Club.

Free Kicks


That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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Orlando City

Orlando City at CF Montreal: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to earn all three points on the road against Montreal?

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City heads to the Great White North to take on CF Montreal. The Canadian squad sits in last place in not just the Eastern Conference but also the entire MLS, with only two points from a pair of draws. To say it’s not been a good start to the season is an understatement. Of course, it’s exactly that type of situation that makes it feel like a trap. What does Orlando City need to do to take all three points against CF Montreal?

Designated Goal Scorers

What do you do if you haven’t scored a goal in the last two matches? You play a team that has given up 13 goals in eight matches with a -9 goal differential. Montreal doesn’t have the worst defense in the league — I’m looking at you, D.C. United — but it’s not far off. That presents an opportunity for Orlando City to get back on track when it comes to scoring goals.

Through the first six matches of the season, Orlando City was leading the league in scoring with 15 goals. Over the last two matches, the spigot has dried up. The Lions must seize on this opportunity to create and finish their chances. Much like earlier in the season, I want to see Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda, and Marco Pasalic lead the way. If anyone can get the first goal, then I’m hopeful the dam will break and the scoring drought will be over.

Keep it Clean

There is some good news of late when it comes to the Orlando City defense. The club has two clean sheets over the last two matches, and that is without Cesar Araujo. There is also some bad news, given Rodrigo Schlegel will be serving his red card suspension this match. That means David Brekalo will move back to center back with Robin Jansson, and Oscar Pareja will have to employ either Rafael Santos or Kyle Smith at left back. Santos has been less than good so far this season.

Montreal has scored a paltry four goals so far in 2025, but two of them have come from striker Prince Owusu. The defense will also need to deal with Caden Clark facilitating in the midfield. I get that this isn’t a prolific attack. Montreal has not looked very good this season and is looking for both its first win and its first points of any sort at home. That means the hosts may be desperate for a result, and desperate is often dangerous. How well the defense does — in particular, how well Santos does if he plays — may determine if Montreal is able to break out of its slump. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.

Give the Midfield Time

Before the last match, I was a little worried about the midfield. Having both Araujo and Eduard Atuesta out at the same time seemed to be a concern. Now, after seeing how well Joran Gerbet and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson worked together against the New York Red Bulls, I’m way less worried. If Araujo and Atuesta need a little more time to get fully healthy, then let them. The Franco/Icelandic combo seems to be a potent one.

Of course, if the normal starters are ready, then by all means bring them back, but maybe not until the 60th minute. Perhaps Pareja could even mix and match. One never knows how yellow card suspensions or minor injuries will affect player availability. This is a good match for Gerbet and Thorhallsson to work their magic.


That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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