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Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Final Score 3-2 as Junior Urso Scores Late Winner for Lions

The Lions saw their early 2-0 lead evaporate but the Bear came to the rescue.

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4 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Junior Urso’s 84th-minute goal saved Orlando City the embarrassment of having thrown away an early two-goal lead. Tesho Akindele and Nani had staked the Lions (4-1-3, 15 points) to a 2-0 advantage in the first eight minutes, but Toronto FC (1-5-2, 5 points) — technically the home side in this match due to the COVID-19 situation — rallied to draw level at 2-2 before the first half ended. Ultimately, Orlando played a good second half and won 3-2 over the Reds in Exploria Stadium.

City improved to 2-0-0 against Toronto this season and 4-8-2 in the all-time series. Technically it would be the team’s first road win against the Reds, but obviously it’s not the same as winning at BMO Field. The Lions climbed into second in the Eastern Conference for the moment, pending the result of Sunday’s match between Philadelphia and Atlanta.

Head Coach Oscar Pareja dedicated the win to Rodrigo Schlegel, who lost his father recently.

“It was emotional day for us, and we want to share this joy that we have with Rodigo (and) his family,” Pareja said after the match. “We dedicate this to him and also to people who have been dealing with this COVID.

“Regarding the game, exceptional performance for us. It has been a challenge to be together again. The team has been separated in many ways. Today we played against a good team and especially in the second half we had the personality to resolve the game and we scored three goals today. Great victory. Great three points.”

Without Pedro Gallese and Sebas Mendez — both away with their national teams in Copa America — Pareja gave Brandon Austin his first start in goal behind a back line of Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith. Andres Perea slotted into central midfield with Urso, while Uri Rosell made the bench for the first time this season. Silvester van der Water and Mauricio Pereyra dropped into the attacking midfield with Nani roaming and Akindele up top.

The Lions wasted no time jumping on top. Pereyra slotted a gorgeous through ball between the Toronto defense to Akindele, who slipped the ball past Quentin Westberg in the first minute to put Orlando City on top.

“A soon as Mauricio gets the ball with space, I know he can make a pass forward, so my idea was just to take off as soon as Mauricio got the ball, I took off into space,” Akindele said. “He was able to turn quickly and find me.”

The team celebrated on the sideline with Schlegel’s jersey to let the defender know that he’s in his teammates’ thoughts.

“We talked a lot this week about Rodrigo, about his family,” Urso said. “So, I said to Nani, tell the guys when we score a goal, let’s keep Rodrigo’s jersey in your hand. Let’s try to (have) some celebration for him. It was an emotional time for all of us.”

Toronto jumped on Orlando after the early goal with a lot of possession in the attacking third. Orlando players were able to get into passing lanes but it seemed like every blocked pass found a random Toronto player anyway. Alejandro Pozuelo fired off target from just outside the box in the third minute.

Despite that, Orlando doubled the lead in the eighth minute. A promising buildup seemed to evaporate when a ball got in a bit too far and made its way to Westberg. Van der Water pressured the goalkeeper and took the ball away, passing back to Akindele. The Orlando striker sent the ball right to left where Nani headed home to make it 2-0.

“The assist — I think that goes to what Oscar has been drilling into me: What’s the right decision,” Akindele said. “Silvester passed me the ball back and the goalie was out, so I could have tried to shoot. But I didn’t because I didn’t think that was the best decision in that moment. I thought it was better for me to try to put in a cross and we scored. I think if I would have shot in that moment, it would have been blocked or gone over or something, but I kind of calmed myself down and sent a cross and Nani was able to score.”

Akindele’s goal and assist continued his great run of form.

“It is a good sign for the depth of the group, the complexion of the team,” Pareja said of Akindele’s form. “When you have some options there and all of them are very valued and natural. It just makes the team stronger. Tesho’s doing a great job of not just scoring goals but working so hard on the field.”

The Reds pulled a goal back almost immediately. A shot from former Lion Richie Laryea from the left was saved by Austin but the rebound went high in the air and Ayo Akinola out-jumped Jansson to head home in the 10th minute.

Van der Water nearly restored the two-goal cushion in the 15th minute, getting his left foot into a shot that Westberg was able to fight off. The Dutchman then served in a dangerous ball on the ensuing corner but no one from Orlando could get onto it and Westberg dove to keep it from sneaking in the back post.

Pereyra and Perea worked a perfect give-and-go in the 25th minute but the young Colombian-American was bodied cleanly off the ball in the box before he could fire a shot.

Three minutes later, Laryea darted in and fired from a tough angle but Austin kicked the shot away.

Toronto’s tying goal came off a quick free kick after Laryea went down far too easily for about the third time in the game. The AR took the bait and awarded a set piece. The Reds took it quickly and Orlando nearly defused a good passing sequence with a poke from behind, but it ended up falling right back onto a Toronto foot and Osorio finished to even things up in the 39th minute.

Toronto had a great opportunity to counter off an Orlando corner kick in the 44th minute, breaking in 5-on-3 on the Lions, but Smith dispossessed Laryea in space to thwart the chance. A minute later, Pereyra slipped another perfect through ball to van der Water, who scored but the flag came up. He was about half a yard offside, so the call was correct, if unsatisfying.

After three minutes of stoppage, that was it for the first half.

Toronto out-shot Orlando 10-6 in the opening half (4-3 on target) and had more corners (6-4). Possession was nearly dead even, with Orlando holding a slim edge (50.2%-49.8%) and the Reds holding a tiny edge in passing accuracy (87.5%-87.2%).

Pareja said the team’s defending block was too low in the first half and made an adjustment to start the second.

“We made a mistake in letting them play in between the lines. I think more as a look of the defense, it was a collective difficulty that we had,” Pareja said. “We gave them a lot of space and then we started defending too low. They’re good. They have good players in that phase of the game. When they put you inside of your box, they have people who have a solution and good passers.”

The adjustments worked well, as the Lions looked the more dangerous team for the most part in the second period. Orlando buzzed around the Toronto penalty area in the opening minutes of the second half but couldn’t quite connect that final ball.

With the defensive block positioned higher, Toronto appeared to get more frustrated. Laryea forced a shot from distance in the 51st minute but the attempt was always going high.

Nani sent several good crosses into the area in the second half but either his teammates couldn’t quite get to them or Toronto did a good job of defending. Chris Mavinga in particular played well for the Reds to break up what could have been several dangerous opportunities. The Lions won a few set pieces but, again, couldn’t quite do anything with them.

Shortly after a decent free kick opportunity for Orlando, the Reds got possession and Laryea again went down easily and it nearly gave Toronto the lead. The free kick went short to Laryea on a darting run toward the end line. The former Lion crossed and the ball deflected toward goal already behind Austin. But Smith swept the ball off the line with a timely defensive play to keep the game level.

Carlos got a header on a corner kick in the 59th minute but his shot hit Omar Gonzalez in the back. Gonzalez was turned and knew nothing about it, and Westberg was fortunate to watch that one go off his defender before eventually being cleared.

Daryl Dike checked in for Akindele in the 64th minute and was a menace. He won a few free kicks in good spots and drew a yellow card on Gonzalez, but he didn’t make the score sheet.

Toronto again nearly made something out of nothing in the 72nd minute when a wayward pass was picked off and sent immediately into the area. Patrick Mullins stuck out a foot and the redirection went just over the bar.

Second-half sub Chris Mueller had a mixed outing, badly missing Dike alone in the box and a couple other passes, but he also showed his typical hustle. He tried a curling shot in the 83rd minute but couldn’t get the bend on it and it went wide. But a minute later he set up the game winner.

Auro Jr. sent a terrible pass across the field in his own half and Urso picked it off. He played a quick one-two with Mueller and slotted home past Westberg to restore Orlando’s lead in the 84th minute.

“The last 15 minutes we tried to push to score the goal because if we score it’s done — the game,” Urso said. “So Oscar put Benji on the field and (we) tried to make some long balls to Benji. We waited for some mistake from Toronto and I want to say thank you to Chris (for giving me) a good ball to score the goal.”

Former Lion Dom Dwyer subbed in late and nearly tied the game in stoppage time. In what appeared to be a miscommunication, Jansson let a cross go and Dwyer came flying in to try to get onto it, but he couldn’t quite get good contact on it.

From there, the Lions saw out the final moments of stoppage, including a key clearance on a late Toronto corner.

Toronto ended up out-shooting Orlando, 15-12, but both teams had four on target over the 90-plus minutes. The Reds also held slight advantages in corners (8-6), possession (52.3%-47.7%) and passing accuracy (88.1%-87.6%).

“I thought we showed a lot of mental toughness, just to stay in the game (when Toronto tied it),” Akindele said. “We didn’t just lose our heads. We kept grinding and I thought we grew into the game more and more. Especially in the second half, I thought we looked good and deserved the win.” 

The Lions are right back in action at home on Tuesday night as the San Jose Earthquakes come to town.

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

The Lions kick off their 11th MLS season at home with a match against the Philadelphia Union. Here’s what you need to know.

Published

7 hours ago

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February 22, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday opening night matchup between Orlando City (0-0-0, 0 points) and the Philadelphia Union (0-0-0, 0 points) at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). This is the first of two scheduled regular-season meetings between the Eastern Conference clubs in 2025. The Lions will make the return trip to Chester, PA on April 5.

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

History

Orlando City is 7-7-6 in the 20 MLS meetings with the Union since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2015, and 8-8-7 in all competitions. The Lions are 3-2-4 against the Union at home in league play and 4-2-4 in their home stadium against Philadelphia in all competitions.

The teams last met on Oct. 2, 2024, when the Lions won 2-1 at home. Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire pushed Orlando out to a 2-0 lead. Luis Muriel assisted on both goals. Quinn Sullivan pulled one back but the Lions hung on. The teams met for the first time last year on May 11, with the Lions snatching a 3-2 road win at Subaru Park. Muriel scored his first two MLS goals, McGuire added a strike, and Nico Lodeiro assisted on all three tallies for the Lions to offset an early goal by Mikael Uhre and a penalty by Daniel Gazdag.

The last meeting of 2023 took place in Orlando on June 21, with the Lions blowing a two-goal lead in a controversial 2-2 draw. McGuire and Martin Ojeda scored early in each half, only to see Jack McGlynn score on a cross into the box that missed everyone and got past Mason Stajduhar at the far post, followed by a rocket shot by Jose Martinez from distance. Ivan Angulo’s would-be game winner was chalked off after a questionable foul call in the buildup against Ercan Kara.

The teams met in Philadelphia on March 25, 2023 with the Lions jumping out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Angulo and Ojeda. Former Lion Andres Perea pulled one back, but the Lions held on for a 2-1 road win. The victory snapped Philadelphia’s incredible 24-match home unbeaten streak.

The Union put the Lions to the sword in the last meeting of 2022, a dominant 5-1 win by Philadelphia on Sept. 10 of that year. That was Orlando’s first match since winning the U.S. Open Cup title three days earlier. Joao Moutinho’s own goal started the scoring and the Union got goals from Uhre, Gazdag (penalty), Alejandro Bedoya, and Jack Elliott. Perea, who was then still a Lion, scored for Orlando, but the team was trailing by 4-0 at the time.

The Eastern Conference foes met on July 23, 2022 at Exploria Stadium. Two controversial video review decisions went against Orlando that night and the Lions were wasteful with their chances in an evenly matched 1-0 Philadelphia win. Gazdag scored the game’s only goal off a set piece.

The teams also met in U.S. Open Cup play on May 10, 2022, with the Lions winning 2-1 at home. Kara and Perea hoisted Orlando to a 2-0 lead. Stuart Findlay pulled one back late, but the Lions saw it out and advanced.

On Sept. 19, 2021 the Union prevailed 3-1 at Subaru Park, largely due to a brace by Kacper Przybylko after he got away with what appeared to be a clear elbow to the face of Rodrigo Schlegel. Instead of being sent off and/or conceding a free kick to Orlando City, the Union scored on the ensuing play and went on to win the match. The teams met in Orlando on July 22, 2021 and the Lions got goals by Benji Michel and Perea on the team’s only two shots on target to win 2-1. Przybylko, who had feasted on Orlando since arriving in Philadelphia, pulled one back for the visitors but the Lions hung on.

The teams faced each other in the group stage of the MLS is Back Tournament in 2020 in the only meeting to date that did not take place in either side’s home stadium. The game ended in a 1-1 draw after a Mauricio Pereyra goal canceled out a strike by Ilsinho. That draw allowed the Lions to win Group A in the competition and they went on to reach the final.

The Lions and Union tangled in what was then known as Talen Energy Stadium on July 7, 2019, with the teams drawing, 2-2. Dom Dwyer and Santiago Patino brought Orlando back from 1-0 down but Przybylko poached a goal in the 90th to capture a share of the points for the Union.

The two teams had met just a few days earlier on July 3, ending in Orlando’s 3-1 home loss against the Union. Chris Mueller and Przybylko swapped goals in the first half before Robin Jansson was sent off just prior to the break. Afterwards, the 10-man Lions gave up two more goals — to Przybylko and Fafa Picault — and then went down another man with Sacha Kljestan seeing red.

In 2018, the teams drew 2-2 on Sept. 1 in Orlando. The Lions prevailed over the Union in Philadelphia on April 13, 2018 by a 2-0 score. Orlando and Philadelphia also met that season in U.S. Open Cup play, with the Union capturing a 1-0 home win back on July 18, 2018 on a goal by Bedoya.

The teams split their two matches in 2017, with the home side prevailing both times. The Lions won 2-1 at Orlando City Stadium on March 18. The rematch was an ugly 6-1 Philadelphia win in the season finale for both teams.

The Lions were 1-1-1 against Philadelphia in 2016. The team’s first road victory in the series came on Oct. 16, 2016, as the Lions roared, 2-0. The teams played to a 2-2 draw on May 25 in Orlando. Tranquillo Barnetta’s free kick gave Philly a 2-1 win.

Orlando drew 0-0 at home and lost on the road, 1-0 (on a penalty kick), against Philadelphia in 2015.

Overview

Neither team lit the world on fire in the preseason, but the games matter now. Orlando City finished fourth in 2024 and reached the Eastern Conference final, but a lot has changed in the off-season. Orlando City sold the club’s all-time leading goal scorer, Facundo Torres, and starting midfield destroyer Wilder Cartagena suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury. Additionally, the team parted ways with key depth midfielder Nico Lodeiro just days ago.

But Orlando City didn’t only lose players this off-season. New Designated Player Marco Pasalic was brought in to become the team’s new right wing, Nico Rodriguez was signed to an MLS U22 Initative contract to provide depth on that side of the attack, and former LAFC central midfielder Eduard Atuesta was signed in the wake of Cartagena’s injury.

Orlando will be looking to improve on last year’s home record of 7-6-4. The Lions are 3-0-7 all-time in league openers (all at home) and are 2-0-3 under Head Coach Oscar Pareja in openers, with all three draws being of the scoreless variety — the worst kind of draw. City is 3-0-1 in the last four meetings between the two sides.

Philadelphia finished 12th in the Eastern Conference in what was a transitional 2024 season that ended with the departure of longtime head coach Jim Curtin. Former St. Louis City coach Bradley Carnell was brought in as a replacement. The Union also parted ways with Elliott, McGlynn, Martinez, Julian Carranza, and others. Last season, the Union were 5-7-5 away from home.

It’s difficult to get a read on this Philadelphia team. The 4-4-2 diamond midfield formation of the Curtin days is gone. Carnell will employ more of a Red Bull approach, and I expect more of a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-2-2 approach. According to reports, new Designated Player Bruno Damiani will not be available for this match, and it’s uncertain whether Indiana Vassilev, who was just acquired from Carnell’s old side, will be dressed after officially being traded Friday.

Regardless of how Philadelphia is deployed, Orlando City must be aware of Uhre, Gazdag, and Tai Baribo at all times. That trio accounted for 36 goals and 11 assists in 2024. Add in young midfielder Sullivan, and that becomes 41 goals and 22 assists. Fullback Kai Wagner is a menace on the attacking left side, posting 13 assists in 2024. In short, the Union have a formidable attack, scoring the third-most goals in the Eastern Conference a year ago. The key to Orlando’s success will be beating Philly’s press and getting at the back line in front of standout goalkeeper Andre Blake. Philadelphia conceded 55 goals a year ago, which was the conference’s fifth-worst total.

“It is great to start again…we are good, the boys have been training well, and they’re excited as well to be here in [Inter&Co] Stadium and in front of our fans (tonight),” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “I think it’s time for us to compete again and we will be ready. Once again, we’re good, happy to be here at this point again, and happy to start the season.” 

Orlando City will be without Cartagena (SEI — Achilles), McGuire (shoulder), Yutaro Tsukada (knee), and Favian Loyola (thigh). Philadelphia will be without Markus Anderson (ankle), Nathan Harriel (quad), and Isaiah LeFlore (leg).

Match Content

Projected Lineups:

Orlando City (4-2-3-1),

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Eduard Atuesta.

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

Forwards: Ramiro Enrique.

Philadelphia Union (4-2-2-2)

Goalkeeper: Andre Blake.

Defenders: Kai Wagner, Jakob Glesnes, Ian Glavinovich, Olivier Mbaizo.

Defensive Midfielders: Jovan Lukic, Danley Jean Jacques

Attacking Midfielders: Quinn Sullivan, Daniel Gazdag.

Forwards: Tai Baribo, Michael Uhre.

Referees:

REF: Rubiel Vazquez.
AR1: Nick Uranga.
AR2: Jose Da Silva.
4TH: Alyssa Nichols.
VAR: Kevin Terry Jr.
AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

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

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).

Bluesky Social: We’ll do our best to keep live updates going on our new Bluesky Social account. Follow us at @TheManeLand.bsky.social.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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The Mane Land Roundtable: 2025 Orlando City Preseason Thoughts

The staff weighs in on the season to come in advance of Oscar Pareja’s sixth season in charge of the Lions.

Published

1 day ago

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February 21, 2025

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As we head into the 2025 MLS season this weekend, it’s time to once again get a feel for the hopes and expectations for the campaign that awaits. Orlando City enters the season with more questions about team depth and offense than usual after losing the club’s all-time scoring leader when Facundo Torres transferred to Brazil.

I reached out to The Mane Land staff to find out what everyone is thinking ahead of the Lions’ 11th season in Major League Soccer. Big thanks to the entire staff for submitting their thoughts.

Orlando City came within one game of its first MLS Cup final in 2024. Do you think the club did enough in the off-season to get over the hump and reach the title game?

Nic Josey: Frankly, no. I don’t think that the club did nearly enough to maximize its chance of making the title game in MLS. This is likely the end of the “win now” window for the current iteration of Orlando City, and with an injured McGuire, losing Torres, and still having questions in the midfield and on defense, it would have been more reassuring to see the club take bigger swings this off-season.  

David Rohe: Absolutely not. This is a club that has struggled in the final third, especially early in the season. They sold the all-time leading scorer in Torres, and McGuire is injured. Unless they intend to run the legs off of Ramiro Enrique and hope that Luis Muriel suddenly becomes a typical in-the-box striker at this late stage of his career, things look shaky. The club added a relatively unknown DP in Marco Pasalic. I’m happy to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I’m not expecting him to replace the goal contributions of Torres. This club needed more goals when Torres was here. Now, they are in a bigger deficit. I’m saying they needed to go find a good MLS striker before now, and did not do so.

Ben Miller: Nope. The team lost its best offensive player from a squad that had trouble scoring at times last year, and while we haven’t seen a competitive game yet, the roster is weaker on paper than the one which came up short in the Eastern Conference final. Plus, a lot of teams in the East spent the off-season loading up and stockpiling high octane attacking talent, while Orlando City…just didn’t. Pasalic and Nicolas Rodriguez may prove to be astute signings in the end, but right now they don’t know the league and haven’t lit up their previous homes with the type of numbers that suggest they’ll assimilate immediately. It’s impossible to say what the season will hold, but from where we stand now, I don’t see how the team improves on what it did last year.

Joshua Taylor: It won’t be easy for Orlando City to return to another Eastern Conference final after coming short of making its first MLS Cup last season. With Torres leaving the club for Palmeiras during the off-season, the club was able to add Pasalic and Eduard Atuesta to fill big holes. Orlando has gotten off to slow starts in previous two seasons but turned its form around midseason in the second half. I don’t see Orlando as one of the top four seeds in the East this year, but the Lions can sneak into the playoffs as a lower seed and could do some damage in the playoffs. 

Sean Rollins: Unfortunately, I don’t think the club did enough to improve on last season. If they had kept Torres, the additions they made would have improved the team. However, those are some giant shoes to fill, and I’m not sure anyone currently in the squad can do so.

Marcus Mitchell: Definitely not. The Lions only had four goals in those five playoff games last year and Torres scored two of those, including that clutch equalizer against Charlotte FC. He’s gone, and the team didn’t bring in the necessary worldbeater to make the title game a realistic aspiration this year. Add in the injuries and departures and this team may not make it out of the first round.

Andrew DeSalvo: While I think they can reach the title game with what they have, I do not think that they will, and I do not think that their off-season moves changed the ceiling of this team. The best case scenario from the off-season is that they brought in two starters (Atuesta and Pasalic ) who will be as good as the players they replaced (Wilder Cartagena and Torres), but I do not think either will perform significantly better. Rodriguez is a wild card. He could be a late game offensive threat off the bench or he could be an unused sub, and Joran Gerbet is likely not going to play a lot of minutes behind the double A batteries of Cesar Araújo and Atuesta. The biggest moves of the off-season might end up being moves of returning players moving to play in other positions to get more talent onto the field. I’m thinking in particular of Dagur Dan Thórhallsson perhaps moving to get Alex Freeman on the field or Enrique moving to get McGuire on the field, but there could be others as well.

My Take: The sentiments of my colleagues is more pessimistic this year. I can’t find fault with that. If you are that close to a championship game and don’t take a big swing, when do you take one? I realize that it’s not always easy to pull off the moves you want to make, and there is a responsibility to be financially smart for sustained success, but again, if this wasn’t the year to let some dollars fly, when is it time? Pasalic isn’t likely to be as good as Torres, and he couldn’t get the team over the hump.

Photo of Facundo Torres.
El Cuervo, you will be missed. – The Mane Land staff
The Facundo Torres sale was a bit surprising due to his signing a new contract prior to 2024 and adopting the No. 10 shirt. Do you think the Lions’ technical staff adequately replaced the team’s best player?

Andrew: I would really like to use a wishy-washy term here like maybe or possibly, but nobody wants to read an answer like that. I think that the club adequately replaced Torres, but they did not go out and, to mix sports metaphors, hit a home run with their personnel moves. They could have moved Enrique out to the wing and gone after a top tier striker, or moved Martin Ojeda back out to the wing and found an attacking midfielder who could play in the middle, but instead they opted for a like-for-like replacement by bringing in two left-foot dominant wing midfielders to replace the left-foot dominant Torres. The team was solid but not great last year, and I think that with the players they brought in, their range is something similar in 2024, making their acquisitions adequate but not electrifying. The top end of their range is still pretty high though.

Nic: Palasic seems to have good technical skills and athleticism, but my gripe with the pick-up on the heels of Torres’ departure is that we lost a now club legend who only had a left foot and added a lesser known commodity who also only has a left foot. Maybe it will work out. I am glad the club got a record sale out of Torres, but I don’t think OCSC did enough to replace him.

Dave: I somewhat addressed this in the first question, but the short answer is no. The more nuanced answer is that Ojeda will likely play a much bigger role, and that Pasalic doesn’t necessarily need to be a one-for-one replacement for Torres. It’s Torres’ goal contributions that will be missed. I think Ojeda will play the 10 role more effectively, and hopefully Pasalic will be able to adapt quickly and start scoring goals. How quickly that happens will determine whether the club adequately replaced Torres. I’m skeptical but open to being proven wrong.

Ben: I hinted at my feelings in my answer to the first question, but no I don’t. Early looks at Pasalic seem to suggest he’s even more one-footed than Torres was, and that’s saying something. If he doesn’t show himself to be capable of offering some sort of threat with his weak foot, then I just don’t see how he’s going to provide the type of threat and production Orlando needs from a DP winger. Rodriguez gets more leash as an MLS U22 Initiative player, but when you came within one win of playing for a trophy last year, it feels like you need more surefire offensive talent than Orlando went out and got.

Joshua: Replacing Torres’ goal-scoring production from last season will be tough. McGuire, Enrique, and Ivan Angulo were the Lions’ next top three goal scorers in league play from the 2024 season with 10, nine, and five, respectively. McGuire will miss the first few months of the season due to a shoulder injury, so Orlando will turn to Enrique to be the main striker. Ojeda can dictate the match with his playmaking ability as an attacking midfielder to help the Lions attack. The only other concern would be potential injuries, so the club may have to turn to its young players, such as Rodriguez, to fill in key positions when called upon during the season.

Sean: While the Lions made some solid additions this off-season, you’re looking to replace the club’s all-time top goal scorer. That’s not an easy feat. I think the player most likely to replace the production of Torres is Ojeda, especially if he can improve the way he did late last year. However, I don’t even see him making the impact Torres did.

Marcus: They haven’t this season, though I do think Pasalic and Rodriguez can provide adequate enough cover to serve as a bandage this season. I don’t think the club had to fully replace him ahead of this season and Ojeda’s contract is up after this year. [Editor’s note: the club has options for 2026 and 2027 on Ojeda.] Bringing in a right winger now and then taking a big swing at a star No. 10 for 2026 makes plenty of sense to me.

My Take: No. I don’t think enough was done this off-season. Even if the club had overpaid for Evander, Lucho Acosta, or Alex Zendejas as that third DP, it would have been worthwhile to do so if it meant a trophy.

Is Marco Pasalic capable of replacing Torres?
What newcomer to the team are you most excited to see play in 2025?

Marcus: I’m pretty excited to see what Gerbet can bring to this team. There’s plenty of opportunity for him in the midfield, and the Lions have a decent track record at developing defensive-minded midfielders and nailing draft picks. If he can become a solid enough player to help mitigate what feels like Araujo’s inevitable departure in the future, it would go a long way for Orlando.

Andrew: Pasalic. As odd as it might be to see a player wearing the number 87 flying down a soccer field, I am excited to see what he can do. Going into the summer of 2023, Pasalic was playing with Borussia Dortmund II and valued at around $365,000, and in just over 18 months his value went up more than 10 times and he is now playing with the Croatian Men’s National Team in qualifying matches. I believe he has not peaked and he can continue to improve, and while I do not expect him to match other 87s like Sidney Crosby or Rob Gronkowski, I think he will have a solid debut season for Orlando City.

Nic: I am most excited to see Atuesta play in 2025. While I love the pairing of Cartagena and Araujo, I think that Atuesta will provide a bit more of a offensive spark which Orlando will sorely need.

Dave: It has to be Atuesta. I thought he looked excellent in the preseason match against Inter Miami. With Cartagena out for the season, his arrival is just what the midfield needed to maintain the high defensive standards of the past few seasons. It was also nice to see the club bring in a player with MLS experience, which is something they usually seem adverse to doing. Atuesta is the new player that will have the biggest impact for the club this season. 

Ben: I really like what I’ve seen out of Atuesta so far. It’s a damn shame that Cartagena got hurt and his season is over. I, and this team, will miss him terribly. That being said, Atuesta looks to be about as good of a replacement as Orlando could have hoped for. Early viewings seem to indicate that he might offer more going forward than Wilder did, which would be very welcome given my concerns about the capabilities of Orlando’s more conventional attacking players.

Joshua: I’m excited about Orlando City’s recent addition of Atuesta. With Cartagena sidelined with a torn Achilles injury, Atuesta will get a chance to make an impact on the pitch immediately. He can control the midfield, pick out key passes to help the Lions’ attack on offense, and push the ball forward. He’ll get to work alongside Araujo and can create goal-scoring chances. Atuesta has won trophies with his previous stops at Independiente Medellin, LAFC, and Palmeiras. Hopefully, he can help Orlando win the big trophy we want, and that’s an MLS Cup. 

Sean: I’m most excited to see Pasalic play this season. We saw a glimpse of him during a couple of preseason games, just enough to whet our appetite. He played well enough to excite me about seeing him more when the regular season begins.

My Take: I am excited to see Pasalic. I want to see what it was about him that made the technical staff select him as the replacement for Torres. I hope he shows us that.

Much of the staff is excited to see central midfielder Eduard Atuesta this season.
Which player do you think will make the biggest jump from 2024 to 2025?

Sean: I think Ojeda will make the biggest jump from 2024 to 2025. He improved quite a bit last year but was still second in the attack to Torres. He’ll be the go-to man in the attacking midfield this year and I think he’ll make a much bigger impact.

Marcus: I’ll go with Shak Mohammed. It’s a contract year and he should get more minutes with Jack Lynn retired. He led OCB with 11 goals last year and I could see him carving out a role as a super sub. I would be surprised if he makes the MLS 22 Under 22 list, but I do think it’s in the realm of possibility. 

Andrew: I think Muriel provides much more offense in 2025 than he did in 2024 and makes a big jump in goal contributions. He seemed more and more comfortable as the season went along last year, and I think that translates into a sizeable jump in performance. I think with Muriel it is likely to be more with assists than goals, though with Torres gone, he may take over as the penalty taker when he is on the field as well.

Nic: I think Ojeda will have the biggest jump this year based upon what he showed down the stretch last season and also because frankly the team needs him to make the biggest jump if the season is going to be successful. He needs to finish the year with a minimum of at least 10 goals and 10 assists, which would only be four additional goal contributions over what he put up each of the last two seasons (16). 

Dave: While I hope it’s Enrique because he doubles his goal contributions, I’ll say I think Freeman will make the biggest jump. The youngster is going from mostly playing for OCB to challenging Thorhallsson for minutes at right back. Even before the departure of Michael Halliday, I think he had cemented the number two spot at that position. In fact, if he improves enough, he may get the start so Oscar has Thorhallsson to use in the midfield.

Ben: I think we’ll see more of Freeman this year. Halliday is now a member of the Houston Dynamo, leaving Freeman and Kyle Smith as the only two backup fullbacks on the roster. He only made two league appearances last year, but I think we’ll be seeing a lot of him off the bench for either Thorhallsson or Rafael Santos. He and Smith will also rotate in for those two if they have knocks or the fixtures are piling up, and I really think we’ll see some good things from him.

Joshua: Enrique will be a player I’m keeping my eye on this season. He finished third last season with 12 goals across all competitions. His form dipped at times throughout last season, but he has proven to be a double-digit goal scorer. Enrique will enter his third season with the Lions and continue developing his game. He gets a huge opportunity to take that next step now, leading the attack for Orlando at the start of the season, and hopefully, he can capitalize on this chance and score more than the 12 goals he had with Orlando last season. 

My Take: I agree with those above who expect Freeman and Ojeda to take a step forward, but it feels like Enrique is just starting to hit his prime and is growing in confidence. I like the diminutive Argentine striker to step up his offensive output if he can stay healthy.

Who makes a bigger leap in 2025 — Ramiro Enrique or Alex Freeman?
Based on the squad under contract at this point, where do you see Orlando City finishing in the Eastern Conference at the end of the 2025 season?

Joshua: Orlando will finish sixth in the Eastern Conference and make the playoffs. 

Sean: In terms of where they’ll finish in the regular season, I think they’re still good enough to finish fourth. I don’t think they’ll finish any higher and the squad is still too good to finish lower in the Eastern Conference.

Marcus: I’ll say sixth in the Eastern Conference. For me, the Lions hover in a second-tier group with clubs like Charlotte and the New York teams. I’m a bit bullish on the rebuilds by the New England Revolution and Chicago Fire, but ultimately I think Oscar Pareja is great at grinding out results and managing a congested schedule. It will be nailbiting at times and won’t be pretty, but I do think the Lions will take care of business when they need to.

Andrew: I have a feeling I am going to end up the most optimistic among my fellow lions of the roundtable, but I think the Lions are going to use their disappointing defeat in the 2024 playoffs and their lack of a distracting second competition early in the season to earn a third-place finish in the Eastern Conference.

Nic: I see the team hovering around the wild card spot all season and eventually sneaking into the playoffs at spot 6 or 7.

Dave: If I only consider the squad under contract, I’ll put them finishing in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a chance to make the playoffs in the play-in match. It’s quite the drop from a team that almost made the final last season, but I don’t feel the club did enough in the off-season to get better and other teams did. I really hope I’m wrong. I hope McGuire has a full yet speedy recovery. I hope that Pasalic produces at the DP level despite not doing so at his last club. I hope Enrique levels up to a starting MLS striker. I hope for a lot of things, but I’m not convinced any of them will happen.

Ben: Seventh. I don’t think Orlando’s roster is necessarily bad, but I absolutely don’t think it has enough to keep pace with what teams like Cincinnati, Atlanta, Miami, Columbus, Charlotte, and even the Red Bulls are going to be working with. That being said, if the defense can rebound from an uncharacteristically porous 2024, the new signings can adjust quickly and outperform current expectations, then the Lions could absolutely creep a few spots higher.

My Take: I’m going to say seventh, but even that’s entirely dependent on staying healthy. The depth took a hit, and even though I think some of the kids are ready to get more minutes, it doesn’t mean they’re going to perform at the same level as the starters.

Squaaaaaaad!
What is the team’s most glaring weakness?

Ben: Offensive production. McGuire isn’t back from injury yet, and although Enrique didn’t have a bad 2024 with 8g/2a in 1,082 minutes, it would be really nice for him to push his scoring numbers higher. Luis Muriel’s 5g/7a in 1,582 minutes is nowhere near good enough for a DP striker, and while he offers a level of passing and dribbling that no one else on the team can match, Orlando really needs him to settle in properly and start piling up goal contributions consistently. Both men have shown themselves to be capable of really good things, but we have no evidence of either being able to do so on a consistent basis. Add in the question marks around Pasalic and Rodriguez, and there are some very real concerns about where the goals are going to come from for this team.

Joshua: My concern with Orlando is who will step up to carry the attack on this team after the departure of Torres this off-season. McGuire will be out for the first few months of the season. The Lions brought in Pasalic as a Designated Player to replace Torres, but he only scored four goals in 19 matches for HNK Rijeka. Many fans will focus on Facu’s replacement, but it will take time for him to adjust from playing in Croatia to playing in Major League Soccer. Pasalic will need time to develop chemistry with his fellow midfielders. Enrique will be the main striker up front, but players like Angulo, Muriel, and Pasalic will need to step up to score goals if Enrique gets off to a slow start early on in the season. 

Sean: The most glaring weakness to me is the striker position. We’re still not sure how long McGuire will be out, and while Enrique played better last year, nobody has really scared opposing defenses since Daryl Dike left.

Marcus: While I can’t call this team a glass cannon due to my worries about it scoring a lot of goals, the fragility of things heading into the season is concerning. There’s not much depth at key positions. An injury to Pedro Gallese could spell doom after the club traded away Mason Stajduhar; the team did not bring in a safety net fourth center back; and things could get hairy if Enrique or Muriel go down. Cartagena is already done for the year, and things could get ugly fast if the team’s youth is thrown from the frying pan into the fire.

Andrew: Besides an insistence on taking short corners? I think there is a lack of MLS quality depth out on the wings. Ojeda and Enrique could slot in as attacking wing midfielders, but they are ensconced in their starting roles in the middle to open the season, and behind Angulo and Pasalic there are only question marks. Just like in Super Mario, question marks can turn into stars, but for now, my concern is that if there is an injury or if Pasalic has trouble adjusting to the league, then the next players up have all basically never played any minutes in a league of this caliber, or the team will be forced into making major structural changes across the attacking group.

Nic: I think the most glaring weakness is the same as it has been for the last few years, putting shots on frame and scoring goals.

Dave: It should be obvious from my other answers, but the lack of striker options is the most glaring weakness. Enrique is not a prototypical striker or even currently a starting level MLS striker, but he’ll get the start for Pareja at least until McGuire returns. Speaking of McGuire, we don’t know when he’ll return, nor how long it will take him to get back to form. Like Enrique, but for different reasons, Muriel is not a prototypical striker. He very obviously prefers to hang out outside of, or at the top of, the 18-yard box. Orlando City needs a big body that can occupy space in front of goal, and until McGuire returns, the Lions simply do not have such a player.

My Take: I echo those lamenting the team’s lack of scoring and depth, and if pressed for an answer, I’ll say depth. Losing Nico Lodeiro and Stajduhar could be an issue. There’s no true 10 behind Ojeda (and many would argue even he is not a true 10, although I think he’s fine in that role). Until McGuire returns, your backup striker might be Mohammed. If injuries hit the center backs, and David Brekalo has been injury prone since arriving, Thomas Williams is not ready to step into the top flight and hold his own. Depth is weakness No. 1. The ability to finish in front of goal is weakness No. 2.

Get well soon, Duncan McGuire!
Bold prediction time: what is your spiciest prediction for Orlando City in the 2025 season?

Dave: Right now it feels a little bold to predict the Lions to make the playoffs, but that’s not very spicy. Instead, I’ll say the club wins the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for a second time. The trophy salvages what will be an otherwise disappointing MLS campaign. Even spicier, Pareja obviously tanks the Leagues Cup competition to make sure we win the Open Cup. Take that, Don Garber!

Ben: Orlando City finishes the season in the top five in the goals against category. As I mentioned earlier, the 2024 version of the Lions gave up an uncharacteristically high number of goals for a Pareja team. The Lions were on the end of a few ugly results (5-0, 4-3, 3-0, 3-2) that pushed that number higher than we usually see, but otherwise they had a solid defense for the most part. If the team does struggle to score, then it wouldn’t surprise me to see Papi go ultra-conservative, pack things in, and look to play on the counter and grind out 1-0 wins. I really like what Atuesta can offer in defensive midfield, and if Brekalo can break into the team, then I expect him and Robin Jansson to form a really effective partnership. If this team is going to do well this year, I think a resurgent defense will be a huge reason why.  

Joshua: Orlando City will win both the U.S. Open Cup and the Leagues Cup.

Sean: My spicy prediction for this year is that Angulo will score on a breakaway. It’s a bold take because he’s shown absolutely no ability to do so, but it has to happen eventually. Right?

Marcus: Orlando City will win the U.S. Open Cup. The Lions could arguably be considered the favorite. None of the MLS teams in the field seem particularly difficult to take down on paper, Pareja and his guys know how to win this tournament, and the Lions have a proven track record when it comes to shootouts. 

Andrew: I think the back line group that starts the season, which will likely be (from left to right) Santos, Jansson, Schlegel, and Thórhallsson, will see three of those starting spots filled by a different player by the time the team gets into the homestretch of the season. I think Freeman will prove himself to be worthy of a starting role and take over as right back, allowing Thórhallsson to be a plug-and-play player who could get minutes all over the field in the mold of Smith. I also think Brekalo will seize a starting role from Schlegel at some point this season. And then, on the left side, it could be the aforementioned Thórhallsson who moves from right to left, or it may be Angulo who drops back and takes over the role and is used in the way that Pareja used Ruan when he was with the club. I can also see Santos as a possible candidate to move up to the midfield, so it may simply be that they try a switch of Santos and Angulo’s positions. You wanted spice, where does that rank on the Scoville scale of heat units?

Nic: I have two bold and spicy predictions for the season: the first is that Orlando will make the U.S. Open Cup final but ultimately lose in the championship match, and second, Orlando will not record a rivalry win this year, dropping all matches against Miami and Atlanta.

My Take: First of all, I want a hit of whatever Joshua is ingesting. This doesn’t feel like a two-trophy team to me. The boldest take I can conjure is that Enrique scores 20 goals in the regular season to set a new Orlando City single-season record. Starting from wire to wire could get him in that neighborhood if he takes a step forward and gets great service from Ojeda and Muriel.

If you made it to the end of this roundtable discussion, wow. Good job! It was a long one. But there were many more questions I wanted to ask. Maybe we should do a two-parter next year.

Let us know in the comments where you agree and disagree with us, and give us your own bold predictions.

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Orlando City

Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union

Get caught up on a Philly squad that looks very different from the 2024 season.

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1 day ago

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February 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

We’ve made it everyone! I don’t know how everyone else experienced it, but for me it felt like this off-season flew by, and we’ve officially arrived at the first Purple Friday of the 2025 season with Orlando City set to open its regular season slate tomorrow against the Philadelphia Union at home.

A visit from the Union means I chopped it up with Matt Ralph, the managing editor of the excellent Philadelphia Soccer Now. He was kind enough to bring us up to speed on a Union side that looks very different from the way it has in recent years.

It’s a new day for the Union, with longtime manager Jim Curtin replaced by Bradley Carnell. How do you expect the Union to try to play under Carnell, what does he want this team to look like?

Matt Ralph: Carnell is all in on the Red Bull way and seems to be fully committed to the high press. While Curtin employed the 4-4-2 diamond and had a similar emphasis on transition play and scoring goals off opponents’ mistakes, Carnell has rolled out both a 4-2-3-1 and 4-2-2-2 formation in preseason that seems to play more to the strengths of the personnel in place. Carnell is also known for subbing earlier and more often to keep fresh legs pressing late into games. 

Curtin isn’t the only one gone, as Jack McGlynn, Jack Elliott, and Leon Flach have all exited the club. Who has been brought in to replace them, and do you think the club did a good job with who they landed?

MR: Ian Glavinovich was brought in on loan to fill Elliott’s large shoes but you could also argue he was brought in to replace the departure of Damion Lowe last summer. Sporting Director Ernst Tanner has also replaced last summer’s departures of Jose Martinez and Julian Carranza with Jovan Lukic and new striker Bruno Damiani. Damiani won’t be available for Saturday, but he broke the club’s previous transfer record ($2.8 million for Mikael Uhre) with his recent $3.4 million signing. All three transfers look promising, and when you add in summer purchase of Danley Jean Jacques there’s a lot of firepower and promise that’s been added.

You mentioned club-record signing Damiani, who was inked to a deal earlier this week. What sort of expectations do you have for him once he arrives?

MR: The club certainly is high on him and made a big splash out of his signing, but he’s also coming off a season where he scored just seven non-penalty goals, so there is still going to be the question of how he adjusts to a new league. That said, the system seems to fit him well, so whether he’s scoring goals or not, he should be able to put his stamp on the team.

Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?

MR: Nathan Harriel, Olivier Mbaizo and Glavinovich have all been out with injuries in preseason, so they are questionable. 

Projected Lineup: Andre Blake; Kai Wagner, Jakob Glesnes, Ian Glavinovich, Olivier Mbaizo; Jovan Lukic, Danley Jean Jacques, Daniel Gazdag, Quinn Sullivan; Mikael Uhre, Tai Baribo.

Score prediction not provided.

Thank you to Matt for helping get us all up to speed on the Union. Vamos Orlando!

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