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Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Final Score 2-2 as Lions Blow Two-Goal Lead

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5 years ago

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Orlando City continues throwing away points at Exploria Stadium like they’re junk mail. This time the Lions (12-8-11, 47 points) blew a late two-goal lead at home against Supporters’ Shield winners New England Revolution (21-4-7, 70 points) after an excellent 80 minutes of soccer and lost two vital points in the playoff race.

Nani and Daryl Dike staked the Lions to a 2-0 lead but no one could handle the size of Adam Buksa, who scored in the 81st and 93rd minutes to turn a two-goal lead into another unsatisfying home draw. Both of Orlando’s home games this week end up with a bad taste in the Lions’ mouths after four points dropped from a winning position.

Orlando did manage to run its unbeaten streak to five matches (2-0-3) but the last two draws felt more like losses than wins for a team trying to clinch a spot in the postseason.

“We’re disappointed, obviously, with giving up those two goals at the end and not accomplishing the objective, which is no less than those three points that we were pursuing tonight,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “Difficult as well just to recognize we did such good things today that we could put the game away very early again. And then at the end we just finished with a very tight game with them, sending in crosses, and that’s the way they scored the goals.”

Pareja’s lineup was nearly a first-choice starting XI. Pedro Gallese started behind a back line of Joao Moutinho, Rodrigo Schlegel, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan, with Robin Jansson reportedly suffering from a stiff neck. Junior Urso and Sebas Mendez slotted into the central midfield, with Chris Mueller and Mauricio Pereyra facilitating the attack to Nani and Daryl Dike.

Orlando dominated play in the first half much like Wednesday against Montreal but — also like Wednesday against Montreal — had only a 1-0 halftime lead to show for it. Orlando’s first opportunity came nine minutes in when a fantastic cross from Nani was heading for Dike’s head but Jonathan Bell arrived at the last second to head it away. Nani tried his luck from just inside the top of the box three minutes later but his effort was blocked by the defense.

Mueller tried his luck from just outside the area in the 18th minute but got under the wet ball and hit it well over Matt Turner’s goal. Moutinho got up into the attack in the 28th and fired from the top of the box but his shot skipped right at Turner for the easy save.

The Lions could have opened the scoring in the 34th minute. Urso collected the ball on the left and sent in a cross to Dike but his header was straight at Turner for the save.

On a corner played short, the ball was played around the top of the box and eventually Urso ran it down in the left corner. He passed back to Moutinho, who curled in an inch-perfect cross for Nani to head home to make it 1-0 in the 39th minute. It was the captain’s 10th goal of the season and first since Aug. 7 at FC Cincinnati.

“This is our game. We need to cross the balls, we need to have the players in the box,” Nani said. “The more we cross, the more we have players in the box, we have a chance. We’ve been scoring a lot of goals like that. I think the first half was a great performance from the team. We controlled the game. We were on top of the New England team.”

Nani was shaken up on the play and got a nosebleed but was able to continue.

Orlando had a promising buildup three minutes after the goal that ended on Urso’s foot but the midfielder hit his shot over the bar.

New England won a late corner but committed a foul during the service and the first half ended with the Lions up a goal.

Orlando City led in shots (7-2), shots on target (3-0), possession (67.4%-32.6%), passing accuracy (90.2%-79.9%), and corners (3-2).

Bruce Arena sent Designated Players Buksa and Carles Gil on to start the second half, but unlike the last couple of matches, the Lions didn’t allow their opponents to dictate the game at the beginning of the second half. They did concede a set piece but nothing came of it. Instead, it was Orlando doubling the lead moments later.

Nani was fouled in the box by AJ DeLaGarza, who he had a spirited battle with all evening. Referee Chris Penso pointed to the spot, giving Orlando its third penalty against the Revs in the last three meetings between the teams. Pereyra appeared to be handing the ball to Mueller when Nani got involved and Dike ended up stepping to the spot.

“We players on the field, we are not sure who is going to take it. The players take the ball and ask the others (if they want to take it),” Nani said. “So, what I was telling them in that moment, I said, ‘Just take it. Don’t ask the others if they want to take it.’ Daryl (made) the decision and it was good for us.”

The big forward stepped up and slotted home past Turner just inside the right post to make it 2-0 in the 50th minute. It was Dike’s seventh goal of the season and the second-year player is now two-for-two on penalties.

Four minutes later, Orlando nearly made it 3-0 when a set piece delivery from Nani fell for Mueller at the near post. Mueller redirected it but Turner was able to make a diving save. In the 58th, Dike got to the end line and sent a ball toward the back post that was cleared off the line. It fell near Mueller, who swept it inches wide of the right post.

Just past the hour mark, New England sent on Designated Player Gustavo Bou and Tajon Buchanan to get more attackers on the field.

Orlando helped out the visitors by being more cautious in the attack, not wanting to allow the Revs a dangerous counter. Fewer players made runs in the attack and multiple players passed up opportunities to shoot when presented the opportunity and were eventually closed down after trying to work into a better position. Mendez did make a run to get forward in the 73rd minute and fizzed a cross through the 6-yard box, but no one made a back-post run.

“It’s not that we want to sit back and wait,” Pareja said of the late-game play tonight. “We wanted to control the game and when we have those opportunities, we want to just obviously put the game away.”

New England’s comeback started suddenly. Bou slowed play, lulled Orlando to sleep, and sent in a cross to Buksa who timed his run perfectly and got in behind, heading past Gallese in the 81st minute. The play was close, but looked to be onside.

“He’s a very strong player that’s really strong in the area, and we knew that coming into this game,” Gallese said of Buksa. “It caused problems for us tonight, so we know that we had issues, but we’re going to take a look at it, we’re going to fix it and get stronger moving forward.”

Michel got down the left side in the 83rd but didn’t shoot with his left and tried to dance around a defender. Instead, he ended up losing the ball and New England countered, ending in a shot by Buchanan that went just wide. DeJuan Jones then nearly equalized in the 86th minute but Gallese made a huge stop to preserve the lead for the moment.

Another ball up the left found Michel on the left in the 90th minute with Turner out of his goal. Rather than trying to chip the keeper from out wide, the winger carried into the box and got his shot blocked. The tying goal came three minutes later.

Jones got down the left and sent in a cross. Buksa made a run in between the center backs and got airborne before Schlegel could react. The much larger forward easily flicked in the cross to tie the game at 2-2 in the 93rd minute.

Buksa got another header opportunity in the 95th but missed the target or else the end could have gotten even more sour for Orlando.

The Lions finished with more shots (15-13) and shots on target (5-3), more possession (59.4%-40.6%), and better passing accuracy (88.2%-81.6%), while New England’s late flurry had the Revs ahead on corners (8-5).

“We faced a very strong team tonight,” Gallese said. “We came into those last 15 minutes and weren’t fully up to the task to take them on. In those last 15 minutes they were very direct, and we can learn from a few errors that cost us two points tonight. But moving forward, the thing that we need to realize is that this team is still very good. This team is still very strong. And we move on to the next one.”

“The proximity of the game doesn’t let us get too down,” Pareja said. “We have to move on and try to get the points in the three games that we have left.”

Orlando City will hit the road for the penultimate time in the regular season as the Lions head to Ohio to play the Columbus Crew on Wednesday.

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Orlando City vs. New England Revolution, 2026 U.S. Open Cup: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions head to Rhode Island looking to advance in the U.S. Open Cup against the Revs.

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2 hours ago

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April 29, 2026

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Image of Martin Ojeda celebrating a goal against New England.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Wednesday night U.S. Open Cup matchup between Orlando City and the New England Revolution at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, RI (7:30 p.m., Paramount+). This is the first meeting between the two MLS Eastern Conference rivals this season, with two scheduled league matches still left to play in 2026.

Here’s what you need to know for the match.

History

The Lions are 6-7-8 in the regular-season series against New England and 7-8-8 in all competitions. On the road, Orlando City is just 2-6-2 against the Revs, with all of those prior meetings coming in the MLS regular season. Orlando City has faced the Revolution once before in U.S. Open Cup play, winning that prior meeting (more on that below).

The most recent meeting between the teams was also in New England, but it was at Gillette Stadium, the Revs’ usual home. Martin Ojeda’s brace led the Lions to a 2-1 victory on July 19, 2025 — just the team’s second road win in the series. Thomas Chancalay scored for New England.

The first match between the sides last year was a wild 3-3 draw in Orlando on May 10. The Lions squandered two leads in that match, including a 2-0 advantage. Ojeda scored Orlando’s first hat trick since 2015 in that game, but those three goals were offset by strikes by Alhassan Yusuf, Matt Polster, and Carles Gil. One of Ojeda’s goals and Gil’s strike were penalties.

Prior to that, the teams met on Sept. 14, 2024, with the Lions completing their first-ever sweep of the Revs with a 3-0 win. Rafael Santos, Facundo Torres (from the penalty spot), and Duncan McGuire provided the offense in a dominant performance. The teams also met on July 13 at Gillette Stadium that year, where the Lions won for the first time, handing the Revs a 3-1 home loss. Torres’ brace led the way to an Orlando comeback, with Ramiro Enrique also scoring to overturn an early 1-0 deficit provided by Giacomo Vrioni.

The teams met in Orlando on Oct. 7, 2023, with the Lions winning 3-2 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicates. Orlando City clinched second in the Eastern Conference as McGuire and Torres built a 2-0 lead. Pedro Gallese gave up a soft goal from distance to Gil, but Ivan Angulo pulled that one back three minutes later. Gil added a second goal deep in stoppage time to improve the result cosmetically.

New England got the better of the Lions in the previous matchup of the 2023 season, winning 3-1 at Gillette Stadium on June 17. After a scoreless first half, the Revs went up by two with goals from Emmanuel Boateng and Gustavo Bou 18 minutes apart. McGuire pulled one back late, but Gil scored the dagger five minutes later.

These teams met at Exploria Stadium on Aug. 6, 2022, and the previously struggling Revolution whipped Orlando City, 3-0. New England got goals from unlikely sources, as central midfielders Polster and Wilfrid Kaptoum and center back Henry Kessler provided the offense. The teams met at Gillette Stadium on June 15 of that year, and the Revs went ahead on a Gil goal, but the Lions pulled that back with a Robin Jansson strike en route to a 1-1 road draw.

New England went unbeaten in the 2021 season series. The teams played to a 2-2 draw at Exploria Stadium on Oct. 24, 2021. The Lions built a 2-0 lead through goals by Nani and Daryl Dike, but two late Adam Buksa goals allowed the Revs to steal a point. The teams met at Gillette Stadium just over a month prior to that draw in Orlando, with Nani’s missed penalty a costly one in a 2-1 Revs home win. The Revolution jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a goal by Buksa and an own goal off of Rodrigo Schlegel. Dike pulled one back for the Lions and later won a penalty, but Nani’s attempt to go down the middle was read at the last second by Matt Turner, who got his shoulder to it to preserve the lead.

The Revolution ended the Lions’ season at Exploria Stadium in the 2020 playoffs, knocking Orlando City out of MLS Cup contention in the conference semifinal round on Nov. 29, 2020. That 3-1 win by the Revs was the first road win for either side in the series in any competition. Gil put the Revs up early from the penalty spot after a call against Uri Rosell, and Bou doubled the lead eight minutes later, finishing a play that started with a Nani turnover. Junior Urso pulled a goal back before the halftime whistle, but Mauricio Pereyra was sent off for a studs-up challenge on Polster at the hour mark. Still, Nani had a chance to equalize from the spot, but a poor penalty was saved by Turner. Bou added a late insurance goal.

In the final year of the pre-pandemic times, the Revs went 1-0-1 in the season series. The Lions and Revolution met at Exploria Stadium on Sept. 14, 2019, with Orlando overcoming a Tesho Akindele own goal and two deficits — the second by two goals — and rallying for a 3-3 draw. Shortly after Akindele’s own goal opened the scoring, Nani tied things up. Cristian Penilla and Bou scored goals five minutes apart just before halftime to seemingly give the visitors control. But Dom Dwyer pulled one back after the restart and Nani tied it up.

The teams also met at Gillette Stadium in 2019 on July 27, and the Revs put the Lions on full blast, 4-1. Bou scored within the first two minutes of the game, and the Revolution got goals from Penilla, Gil, and Diego Fagundez. Akindele scored to avoid the shutout.

The teams also met at Exploria Stadium in U.S. Open Cup action that year on June 19, with the Lions scoring twice in a 30-minute extra time session and holding on for a 2-1 victory. Benji Michel and Akindele staked Orlando to a 2-0 lead before Justin Rennicks pulled one back off a Gil back-post cross. City was able to see the game out.

The last meeting of 2018 saw the Revs top a depleted Orlando side, 2-0 in Gillette Stadium on Oct. 13. In the first matchup of 2018, the teams combined for six goals in a 3-3 draw at Orlando City Stadium on Aug. 4.

Orlando City and New England split the season series in 2017. City completed a 6-1 demolition of 10-man New England at home Sept. 27, 2017. New England won at Gillette Stadium that year by a 4-0 count.

The Lions went 1-0-2 in the series in 2016, winning 3-1 at home on July 31. The teams played a controversial 2-2 draw in Orlando on April 17, 2016. The second 2016 meeting reached the same final score on April 30 in New England.

The teams met twice in 2015, with Orlando City rallying from a 2-0 deficit in the final 17 minutes to draw 2-2 at the Citrus Bowl in April. The Sept. 5 rematch at Gillette Stadium didn’t go as well, with New England taking a 3-0 win. Fagundez, Agudelo and Chris Tierney scored for the Revolution.

Overview

Orlando City is coming off a road loss at D.C. United on Saturday. The Lions came from behind to take a 2-1 second-half lead, but then Orlando melted down in the final six minutes, allowing two goals to throw away all three points. City’s only win away from home this season came in the team’s 1-0 round-of-32 U.S. Open Cup match at FC Naples on April 15, but that was far from easy as the USL League One side dominated the game’s final 30 minutes.

The Lions are 19-11-5 all-time in the U.S. Open Cup, 11-7-5 since becoming an MLS side. Away from Orlando, the Lions are 8-6-2 in the U.S. Open Cup, 5-2-2 since joining Major League Soccer.

The Revolution are coming off a 1-1 draw at Inter Miami over the weekend, with Gil scoring for New England. The Revs are 4-0-2 in their last six matches in all competitions and reached this round of the U.S. Open Cup by outlasting USL Championship side Rhode Island FC in penalties after a 1-1 draw on April 14. Fagundez scored shortly after halftime, but Rhode Island’s J.J. Williams equalized in the 11th minute of stoppage time to send the match to extra time and, ultimately, spot kicks.

It seems a bit of a flex for the Revs to return to Rhode Island FC’s stadium to host its round-of-16 match, but they earned the right, so fair play to New England.

“Of course it’s different playing in the U.S. Open Cup, or in every match that is do or die, win or go home,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “It’s a different context that changes the game, but we have experience in these kinds of competitions and we’re ready for it. We like to compete, we are competitors, so we’re happy and excited.”

Match Content

Projected Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Javier Otero.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, Iago, Zakaria Taifi.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Colin Guske, Braian Ojeda, Tiago.

Forwards: Tyrese Spicer, Justin Ellis.

New England Revolution (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Matt Turner.

Defenders: Will Sands, Mamadou Fofana, Ethan Kohler, Ilay Feingold.

Midfielders: Alhassan Yusuf, Carles Gil, Brooklyn Raines.

Forwards: Peyton Miller, Dor Turgeman, Griffin Yow.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Centreville Bank Stadium — Pawtucket, RI.

TV/Live Stream: Paramount+.

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!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/29/26

Orlando City plays New England tonight, the Orlando Pride are recognized, USMNT news, and more.

Published

6 hours ago

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April 29, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s match day with Orlando City taking on the New England Revolution in the U.S. Open Cup tonight. The fixture congestion is real as this is the third match for the Lions in just eight days. I’m sure that it will be fine since Orlando City doesn’t have any injury or depth issues…err…let’s get to the links.

Orlando City’s Open Cup Continues

Orlando City is in Rhode Island to take on the New England Revolution in the next round of the U.S. Open Cup. As always, it will be interesting to see which regular starters play and which youngsters get the start, though the difference between those two is not as stark as in the past. The Lions also have a trip to play Inter Miami this weekend to consider. I don’t think it will happen, but I say go all in on the Open Cup and play Orlando City B against Miami.

Orlando Pride Earns Recognition

Zara Chavoshi is the Orlando Pride’s nominee for the Lauren Holiday Impact Award for 2026. Chavoshi’s chosen community partner is Habitat for Humanity Seminole-Apopka. Each of the 16 NWSL teams are represented with a panel of judges, including Holiday, determining the winner. In other news, the Pride are still in the top three of SI.com’s NWSL power rankings. Shockingly — I say with tongue planted firmly in cheek — Barbra Banda didn’t make CBSsports.com’s NWSL Team of the Week despite scoring a brace.

Griezmann Continues Champions League Chase

Orlando City’s next Designated Player, Antoine Griezmann, has unfinished business with current club Atletico Madrid. Griezmann and Atletico face Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League semifinals this afternoon. As much as I’m looking forward to Griezmann’s arrival in Orlando, I am also all for him winning hardware before he leaves Atletico.

USMNT News

The World Cup is just around the corner, and there are many players in MLS who will be representing their respective countries. Matt Turner is making an excellent case that he should be the first-choice keeper for the USMNT. Stepping outside of MLS, is Weston McKennie the player who the U.S. can least afford to lose heading into the World Cup? McKennie has been playing well this year for club and country. Meanwhile, Christian Pulisic has been in a bit of a slump. Hopefully, he can turn it around before the World Cup.

Free Kicks

  • Rodrigo Schlegel visited Orlando City’s training this week. I’m not saying I want him to start, but a short-term contract for depth might be nice.

🚨 Jose Mourinho preferred candidate of Florentino Perez to become next Real Madrid head coach. Support not universal inside #RMFC but president driving process so 63yo strong contender. Time-sensitive ~€3m break clause in Benfica contract 🚨@theathleticfc.bsky.socialwww.nytimes.com/athletic/723…

— David Ornstein (@david-ornstein.bsky.social) 2026-04-28T11:49:11.588Z
  • Sometimes there’s a light of hope in the dark forest that we’re travelling through. Believe.

That will do it for today. Check back for our coverage of Orlando City’s match tonight. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/28/26

Takeaways from MLS matchday 10, Americans in midweek action, Vancouver Whitecaps may be relocated, and more.

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1 day ago

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April 28, 2026

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Image of Martin Ojeda with the ball against Nashville.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone. It was a mixed bag for Orlando’s soccer teams over the weekend, as Orlando City B was the only one of the three sides to get a result. We’ve got another busy week ahead of us as Orlando City will be in action twice, the Orlando Pride face the Washington Spirit on Saturday, and OCB takes on Crown Legacy to round off the week on Sunday. We’ve got plenty to discuss today, so let’s jump into the links.

MLS Matchday 10 Lessons

Matchday 10 is officially in the books for Major League Soccer, so what did we learn from the weekend’s action? For one thing, the Vancouver Whitecaps seem to have done a very good job of reloading from the off-season losses of Ali Ahmed and Jayden Nelson. New faces Cheikh Sabaly and Bruno Caicedo have been finding their feet and both had goal involvements in Vancouver’s 3-1 win over the Colorado Rapids. Matt Turner looks to be rediscovering some of his best form as he made nine saves in the New England Revolution’s 1-1 draw with Inter Miami. New York City FC’s Matt Freese has been the frontrunner to start in goal for the United States Men’s National Team at the World Cup this summer, but based on his league performances, Turner could make a late charge.

Americans in Midweek Action

Plenty of Americans will be taking part in games during the working week, so let’s have a look at the schedule. Things get started Wednesday, when Tim Ream, Luca de la Torre, and Charlotte FC play Atlanta United in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16. Wednesday has Johnny Cardoso and Atletico Madrid hosting Arsenal in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals. On Thursday, Chris Richards and Crystal Palace will travel to Shakhtar Donetsk for the first leg of a UEFA Conference League semifinal. The action wraps up on Friday when Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United host Burnley in a Premier League tilt.

Relocation Possible for Vancouver Whitecaps

A special committee of MLS owners reportedly met earlier in April to discuss the potential relocation of the Vancouver Whitecaps. Specifically, Las Vegas is said to have been the primary relocation option discussed at the meeting. It’s been two decades since a team was relocated, as the last franchise to move were the San Jose Earthquakes, who went to Houston and became the Dynamo before being replaced with another San Jose expansion team two years later. Other cities said to be interested in landing a team include Phoenix, Indianapolis, and Sacramento, with Phoenix reportedly one of the main candidates being considered for relocation alongside Vegas. In the meantime, the Whitecaps remain up for sale while the team tries to find an in-market stadium solution, as the team’s lease with BC Place expires at the end of the year.

High Profile Injuries Continue

The 2025-2026 European season has seen a number of high profile injuries, and that’s a trend that unfortunately continued over the weekend. Xavi Simons suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, and he will undergo surgery that will sideline him for a significant amount of time. Real Madrid confirmed on Monday that Kylian Mbappe has a left hamstring injury, and he could reportedly miss the May 10 Clasico match against Barcelona as well as the rest of the La Liga season. AC Milan midfielder Luka Modric fractured his left cheekbone in the team’s 0-0 draw with Juventus on Sunday and had surgery to repair the damage. His club season is over, but Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic is confident that he will be healthy in time for the World Cup.

Free Kicks

  • FIFA will reportedly increase the number of times that yellow cards are wiped away at this summer’s World Cup.

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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