Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Miami FC: Five Takeaways

Published

8 years ago

on

After sleeping on it, there’s still no two ways around what we saw last night from Orlando City — the Lions’ 3-1 dismissal from the U.S. Open Cup at the hands of Miami FC at home was shameful.

If you were fortunate enough to miss the match, we’ve got you covered with a full recap as well as player grades. Right now, it’s time for the takeaways, which, as you can imagine, weren’t overwhelmingly positive.

Orlando’s Biggest U.S. Open Cup Disappointment Since…Last Year

Wednesday marked the second year in a row that Orlando City was eliminated from U.S. Open Cup play by an NASL side, after falling 2-1 to Ft. Lauderdale in 2016.

This loss was perhaps even more disappointing, however, as it took a heroic extra-time goal from then-Striker PC to lift Ft. Lauderdale over Orlando last year. Miami FC, on the other hand, didn’t need the help of any red cards and it sure as hell didn’t need extra time, looking superior from the opening minute and embarrassing Orlando on its way to a 3-0 lead. It took former Ballon d’Or winner Kaká and Carlos Rivas coming on in the second half to create much of anything for the Lions against NASL competition, and even then the only goal of the match for City came off a header on a set piece from a difficult angle, hardly an indictment of the Miami defense.

Miami is currently five points clear at the top of the NASL table, so it’s a quality NASL side to be sure. But getting so thoroughly out-played at home by a lower-division side is unacceptable, and the fact that it’s the second home loss to an NASL club in a row to end Orlando’s U.S. Open Cup hopes makes it all the more frustrating.

Orlando’s Defense Pulled a 180 from Chicago Performance

The same back line that started Orlando’s recent 0-0 draw with Chicago took the pitch to start Wednesday night’s Open Cup match. Perhaps the Lions should’ve had a man sent off as they did with Rafael Ramos in what would eventually be a nine-man defensive stand against the Fire, because that back line turned in a very different effort vs. Miami FC.

There is a very different atmosphere for a home league match with 24,469 fans and a fourth-round U.S. Open Cup match in front of a sparse crowd of 5,838, but the effort was very, very poor from the Lions overall, starting with the back line. As great as City’s home-field advantage has been in league play, the Lions shouldn’t have to have such a crowd to inspire better effort.

Miami was on the front foot from the start, and by the time Stefano Pinho slid to tap home the visitors’ first goal of the night half an hour in — the low cross he finished having easily gotten past PC, Jonathan Spector, and a sliding Ramos — Miami already had a 7-0 advantage in shots. Pinho skied over Spector to head home a second goal just six minutes later, and Kreis was prompted to change things up at the half by inserting Tommy Redding into the defense and sliding Ramos forward in more of a 3-5-2 look. Miami immediately put two shots on target within the first two minutes of the second half, so it’s safe to say things didn’t get too much better despite the shift.

Miami was still clearly the better side and would go on to make it 3-0 with a laugher of a tap-in from Pinho to complete his hat trick, having made a run unmarked behind the Orlando back line with Leo Pereira notably jogging behind him, seemingly unaware and helpless. Spector didn’t deputize in his usual manner, while neither Servando Carrasco nor Antonio Nocerino put in the kind of inspiring shift that Will Johnson did in the central midfield vs. Chicago, and things were just bad in general, which Miami happily took advantage of.

Speaking of Pinho

You might have expected the star man for Miami to be former NYCFC attacker Kwadwo Poku, who registered five goals and seven assists and flashed star potential at times in his year-and-a-half stint in MLS. On Wednesday, though, it was former NASL Golden Ball winner Stefano Pinho who stole the spotlight.

The Brazilian single-handedly put Orlando City down 3-0, setting up all three of his scores with direct runs at goal followed by sure finishes. He never ceased working and made the City defense look flat-out bad at times, and he was rewarded with a fairly easy three-goal night that eclipsed his current league-goal tally of two so far in 2017. Minnesota United shipped Pinho off before its ascent to MLS this season, but he notched 15 NASL goals in 2015 for Ft. Lauderdale, and the former Fluminense man showed out against an MLS side on Wednesday when he got the chance.

The last Brazilian to doom Orlando City in the U.S. Open Cup (the aforementioned PC) wound up in purple the following season, so who knows, maybe Pinho chose the perfect club to audition against with a hatty.

The Lions Were Toothless in Attack

The Lions rolled out a somewhat-experienced starting lineup against Miami, but there was a notable lack of firepower up front that became glaring as the evening went on. Hadji Barry and Giles Barnes started up top for the Lions in the 4-4-2 and, along with their supporting teammates, looked mostly harmless in attack. While Orlando’s defense was under-performing and allowing Miami to get shot after shot at Josh Saunders’ net, there was zero support on the other end.

Barry deflected a PC cross wide of the goal in what was probably Orlando’s best chance of the first half (which is saying something, and not in a good way), but he made way for Carlos Rivas in minute 69 in an effort to get some forward momentum in what was already a lost game. Barnes did notch a goal with less than 15 minutes to go, and it was a beauty — coming off a flick on from a Rivas corner at a tight angle — but Barnes was not much of an open-play threat up front despite that effort.

Kaká came on in minute 63 in a swap for Spector, but the duo of Kaká and Rivas couldn’t have realistically been expected to erase the three-goal deficit at that point with less than half an hour to work. Cyle Larin continues to carry the brunt of the scoring load for Orlando in MLS, and his absence on Wednesday was noticeable, as the Lions don’t have anything close to a formidable replacement for the Canadian up front, which doesn’t bode well for the upcoming games that Larin will undoubtedly miss following his DUI arrest Thursday morning.

Orlando Must Rebound Quickly

We could keep talking about Wednesday’s loss, but it would only further improve the chances of nausea at this point. Orlando City welcomes Montreal Impact on Saturday, so the Lions can’t afford to let this result linger at all otherwise they risk letting it affect their league campaign in addition to their cup run.

The Lions sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings at the moment, level on points with third-place NYCFC and are only behind due to goal difference. As uninspired as Wednesday night’s showing was vs. Miami, Orlando’s last home showing in MLS was about as inspired as they come, making a 0-0 draw feel like a triumph due to two red cards. The crowd will be back to its usual level — both in numbers and in terms of noise — and Orlando City has a chance to keep itself sitting nicely in the table while burying the memory of their lone 2017 U.S. Open Cup match as soon as possible.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions head north looking to find their offense and continue their recent defensive form.

Published

7 hours ago

on

April 19, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City and CF Montreal at Stade Saputo (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). It’s the first of two scheduled meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals in 2025. The Canadian side is scheduled to make the return trip to Orlando on July 12.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

The Lions are 8-9-5 against Montreal in the all-time regular-season series and 10-10-5 in all competitions since they joined MLS. OCSC is 4-5-2 in away games against Montreal, 3-5-2 in the city of Montreal, and 4-6-2 in away matches in all competitions, which includes an MLS playoff meeting in 2022. The teams drew both regular-season meetings a year ago, with Orlando going 1-0-2 in all competitions against CF Montreal in 2024.

The teams met most recently in Orlando in the 2024 Leagues Cup competition on July 26 of last year, with the Lions running rampant in a 4-1 home victory. Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Facundo Torres, Ramiro Enrique, and Martin Ojeda staked Orlando to a 4-0 lead. Josef Martinez scored for Montreal, although his bid for a brace was denied when Pedro Gallese stopped his penalty kick attempt.

The two sides last met in Montreal on April 20, 2024 trading goals back and forth in a 2-2 draw at Stade Saputo. Mason Toye opened the scoring early but Torres equalized from the spot a few minutes later. Ariel Lassiter appeared to win it late in normal time for the hosts, but Ivan Angulo struck in stoppage time to earn Orlando City a road point. These teams opened the 2024 season against each other in Orlando and played to a 0-0 draw. The Lions dominated the stat sheet but had a goal waved off for offside and simply weren’t lethal enough.

The teams met twice in 2023, completing the season series on Sept. 30, 2023, with the Lions winning 3-0 in dominant fashion. Jonathan Sirois’ own goal opened the scoring, and Thorhallsson and Torres added strikes for Orlando City. That was a good measure of revenge for OCSC, after Montreal defeated Orlando City 2-0 and handed the Lions their first road loss of the 2023 MLS season on May 6 at Stade Saputo. A Robin Jansson own goal got Montreal started in the second half and Romell Quioto added a second goal four minutes later.

These two sides played their biggest game against each other in the 2022 MLS playoffs, with CF Montreal knocking Orlando City out of the postseason by a 2-0 scoreline on Oct. 16, with goals by Ismael Kone and Djordje Mihailovic — the latter coming deep in stoppage time from the penalty spot.

Each team won at home in the two-game, regular-season series in 2022, with Montreal thumping Orlando 4-1 on May 7. Joel Waterman, Mihailovic, Joaquin Torres, and Zachary Brault-Guillard did the damage on the scoreboard and Orlando City managed just two shot attempts, with Joao Moutinho’s goal on a set piece helping the Lions avoid a shutout. Orlando City did not have either starting center back for that match, and it showed. The teams also met on opening day of the 2022 season, when Orlando City captured a 2-0 home win behind second-half goals from Alexandre Pato and Benji Michel.

In 2021, the teams met in Montreal on Decision Day, with the Lions earning a 2-0 road victory at Stade Saputo to clinch a playoff spot. Sebas Mendez and Daryl Dike provided the goals. That season’s matchup in Orlando came on Oct. 20, 2021, with the visitors managing a 1-1 draw. Chris Mueller struck for the Lions just before halftime, but Rudy Camacho answered on a corner kick header shortly after the restart. The first meeting of 2021 took place Sept. 15 in Orlando with the Lions falling 4-2 and finishing the game with just nine men after both Nani and Andres Perea were sent off. Quioto led Montreal with a goal and two assists. Mathieu Choiniere and Quioto put Montreal up 2-0, but despite already being down one man, Jansson and Ruan tied things up. The visitors got two more from Lassi Lappalainen and Sunusi Ibrahim.

The teams met at Red Bull Arena in late 2020 as the team then known as the Montreal Impact played home games in New Jersey due to the pandemic. Orlando City got a Dike goal in the 39th minute to win 1-0 on Nov. 1, 2020. It was the second meeting of the 2020 season, with Orlando also beating Montreal 1-0 in the MLS is Back Tournament knockout rounds on July 25 to advance to the quarterfinals. Tesho Akindele scored the game’s only goal on a Montreal defensive mistake.

Orlando City snapped a six-game winless streak against Montreal (0-5-1) in MLS regular-season play dating back to 2016 when the Lions put the Impact to the sword in a 3-0 drubbing at Stade Saputo on June 1, 2019. Nani (penalty), Akindele, and Will Johnson supplied the offense that day. The Lions fell 3-1 at Exploria Stadium back on March 16, 2019, and Ignacio Piatti was a big reason why, scoring his ninth and 10th career goals against Orlando, adding to a strike by Orji Okwonkwo. Dom Dwyer added a cosmetic goal late for Orlando City to spoil the clean sheet.

Montreal did not allow a goal against the Lions in 2018, sweeping the two-game set from Orlando, and the Impact shut out Orlando City in three of the six meetings in that 5-0-1 run. The lone draw in that time frame was a 3-3 shootout in Orlando in 2017, in which the Impact led deep in stoppage time, only to see Jonathan Spector’s well-placed header steal the Lions a point.

Orlando won the first two meetings in 2016 by a combined score of 6-2. The teams split three meetings in 2015, with each going 1-1-1.

Match Overview

Orlando City enters this match on a five-game unbeaten run (2-0-3). The Lions are coming off two consecutive scoreless draws — at Philadelphia two weeks ago and home against the New York Red Bulls last weekend. The latter of those draws came despite Orlando City being down a man for most of the second half. While the league’s best offense entering play two weeks ago has falledn off a cliff, the most porous defens in MLS has strung together consecutive clean sheets. Orlando will look for a bit more balance tonight, although the back line will need to shuffle slightly with Rodrigo Schlegel’s suspension.

The Lions are 1-1-2 on the road this season, and are playing their fifth road match out of the last seven games.

Montreal sits last in Major League Soccer on just two points from eight matches after a 1-0 home defeat to Charlotte seven days ago. That was, however, the Canadian side’s first home match of the 2025 campaign, after starting the season 0-5-2 on an extended road trip. It is unclear how good or bad Montreal is, but despite being winless on the year, the club has lost one-goal games against contenders Charlotte and Columbus the last two weeks, following a 1-1 draw at Chicago. Only Nashville (3-0) and MLS-leading Vancouver (2-0) have managed to beat Montreal by more than a goal, despite the Canadians scoring only a league-worst four times all year.

With Montreal playing well defensively over the last three matches, Orlando will need to find its scoring boots against a solid unit in front of Sirois that includes center backs Waterman and George Campbell and central midfielder Samuel Piette. Former Lion Luca Petrasso is a starter on the Montreal back line as well, and he’ll no doubt want to show Orlando what it is missing without him. While Montreal has the ball, the Lions will need to track Prince Owusu, who leads his club with two goals. Caden Clark and Sunusi Ibrahim can also be a threat in the attack.

“It’s a tricky moment in the season, where teams are adjusting movements and players, and in this case, with Montréal even changing staff. But we are still serious about approaching the game with our intention to go and win it,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “It is an important match for us and it’s a match that can give us the possibility to add points in the standings. It’s much more important that we keep this road of ascending of the level of the group.”

Orlando City will be without Schlegel (suspension), Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), Yutaro Tsukada (knee), Favian Loyola (thigh), while Cesar Araujo (lower leg), Eduard Atuesta (thigh), Ramiro Enrique (upper extremity), and Nico Rodriguez (thigh) are listed as questionable. Per Montreal’s game notes, every player is available.

Match Content

Projected Lineups:

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Alex Freeman.

Defensive Midfielders: Joran Gerbet, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, Marco Pasalic.

Forward: Luis Muriel.

CF Montreal (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Jonathan Sirois.

Defenders: Luca Petrasso, Joel Waterman, George Campbell, Aleksandr Guboglo.

Midfielders: Samuel Piette, Victor Ioturi, Nathan Saliba.

Forwards: Caden Clark, Prince Owusu, Dante Sealy.

Referees:

Ref: Fotis Bazakos.
AR1: Lyes Arfa.
AR2: Micheal Barwegen.
4th: Mathieu Souare.
VAR: Ramy Touchan.
AVAR: Claudiu Badea.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Stade Saputo — Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

TV/Live Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English); Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

Continue Reading

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.

Published

1 day ago

on

April 18, 2025

By

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.

Continue Reading

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.

Published

1 day ago

on

April 18, 2025

By

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!

Continue Reading

Trending