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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Final Score 3-1 as Lions Sunk by Controversial Decision

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4 years ago

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A controversial play late in the first half spelled doom for Orlando City (10-7-8, 38 points) as it fell 3-1 to the Philadelphia Union (9-7-8, 35 points) this afternoon. What could’ve been a red card to Union forward Kacper Przybylko ended up as the Union’s first goal. Making matters worse, Przybylko scored a brace in the second half to end Orlando’s chances at a comeback.

Pedro Gallese was between the sticks and the Lions used a five-man back line in this one, with Antonio Carlos, Robin Jansson, and Rodrigo Schlegel as center backs and Ruan and Kyle Smith as the two wingbacks. Junior Urso, Mauricio Pereyra, and Joey DeZart started in the midfield, with Tesho Akindele starting up top alongside Benji Michel. Nani and Andres Perea missed this game after being sent off in the team’s 4-2 loss to Montreal and both Daryl Dike and Silvester van der Water began this game on the bench.

Philadelphia dominated the first half as Orlando City found it difficult to get anything going offensively. In the 11th minute, the Lions had a decent chance when Akindele lost the ball near the end line but won it back. He ended up getting it to Pereyra at the top of the box, who was able to get a shot off, but it was blocked.

The Union nearly opened the scoring in the 14th minute when Jamiro Monteiro found space at the top of the box, using some fancy footwork to lose Junior Urso. His shot was just out of reach of the oncoming Jansson, but Schlegel blocked the shot from distance with his head.

Five minutes later, the Lions were forced into an early substitution when DeZart went down injured and was replaced by Raul Aguilera. Right after the change, Alejandro Bedoya played Monteiro right in front of goal. Fortunately for Orlando City, Monteiro was unable to make good contact and the ball went harmlessly out of play.

The second opportunity for Orlando City came in the 25th minute when Ruan took a shot from close range. Union goalkeeper Andre Blake had the near post covered, but the ball was deflected by Jack Elliott, who had extended his foot. The deflection forced Blake to slap the ball away, his first real action of the game.

Following the save, the Union went back on the attack. In the 30th minute, Bedoya played Olivier Mbaizo through on the right. The Cameroonian sent a dangerous ball across the box, nearly finding Cory Burke in on goal. However, Burke’s half-hearted attempt allowed the Lions to send it toward the top of the box. Leon Flach was waiting to collect it though and shot toward the far post, the ball rolling just wide.

The Union finally broke through in the 37th minute, though it was controversial. A Philadelphia free kick was quickly won by Orlando City, which tried to break out with numbers. However, a poor touch allowed the Union to regain control. With multiple Lions upfield, Burke found Kai Wagner at the top of the box and the midfielder’s shot was deflected past Gallese for the first goal of the game.

Replays showed that during the free kick, Przybylko elbowed Schlegel in the face, which should have been a free kick to Orlando City and possibly a red card for violent conduct for the forward. The assistant referee waved his flag, but was ignored by the referee, who let play go on. It was thought that VAR would’ve seen the infringement and reviewed the play, but the check informed Alan Kelly that he didn’t need to review it on the monitor.

In addition to the foul, it appeared as though there were multiple players offside and standing in front of Gallese during the shot. However, the referee didn’t call any of them offside and allowed the goal to stand.

“What I can tell you is what I saw first was a foul,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the game. “I would consider it a red card. It was flagged by the linesman. He saw it first. Second, the play that he was allowed to have advantage for us, I respect this decision of the referee on that part. But then, what I thought was (a player) well in between the shooter and our keeper. He’s blocking his side and was being part of the play.” 

“We were going to go on a counter attack,” Akindele said about the play. “And unfortunately, we lost the ball and they converted. That’s what good teams are gonna do. They had a couple guys in front of Pedro that could have been called offside or not. They didn’t call it offside.”

Despite the unlucky break, the Lions were fortunate to only be down one at the half. Philadelphia led the first half in possession (60%-40%), shots (8-1), shots on goal (3-1), total passes (209-150), passing accuracy (85.2%-74.7%), corners (4-1), and crosses (15-1).

The Lions did lead some first half statistical categories, but they were all defensive. These included duels won (28-17), tackles won (9-6), and clearances (18-3).

Orlando City came out much better to start the second half, beginning the period on the front foot. In fact, it didn’t take long for the visitors to get the equalizer.

In the 57th minute, Pereyra sent a good ball across the box for Ruan. Concerned about the wingback’s speed, the Union defenders provided plenty of space for him. So, despite Ruan being one of the smallest players on the field, he was able to redirect the cross toward the far post with his head. The header got past Blake and bounced off the far post for the equalizing goal.

The goal had Orlando City thinking of getting out of Philadelphia with at least a point, but that hope didn’t last long. In the 61st minute, Monteiro attempted to dribble down the Orlando City end line. He lost the ball to Smith, but Bedoya immediately won it back for the Union, laying it off to Monteiro. The midfielder found Przybylko, who could’ve been sent off in the first half for striking Schlegel, right in front of goal and the striker slammed it past Gallese, giving Philadelphia a 2-1 advantage.

Orlando City’s best chance after its goal came in the 74th minute. Ruan played a nice ball into the box for Junior Urso, who redirected it on target with his head. However, Blake was up to the task again, making the diving save and keeping the Lions behind by one.

Two minutes later, Sergio Santos had his first of multiple good chances on goal. Sent through behind the Orlando City defense, Gallese did well to cut down his angle. Santos shot but Gallese was right there to make the easy save. Orlando City was fortunate that Santos decided to shoot as he had Przybylko in the middle with no defenders around.

A bad situation almost got worse in the 80th minute. Santos once again was sent behind the defense, though it was questionable whether he was onside. Gallese came out of his box to tackle the midfielder, missing the ball and taking the Brazilian out.  With no defenders around, the referee could’ve considered it denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity, which would’ve been a red card for the Lions’ goalkeeper. But it was decided that Santos was too far toward the touchline, giving him a yellow instead.

In the 88th minute, the Lions did end up getting a player sent off. For the third time late in the game, Santos was able to get behind the defense, this time beating Carlos into the box. The usually solid center back grabbed the midfielder and pulled him down. Kelly immediately pointed to the spot and issued Carlos a red card.

The sending off was Orlando City’s third in its last two games. While the team will get Nani and Perea back next week, it will now be missing a key defender in Carlos.

To put a dagger in a disappointing afternoon, Przybylko stepped up to the spot and converted the penalty. So instead of being sent off in the first half, the Polish striker netted a brace and led his team to a 3-1 win.

It appeared at halftime as though this would be a lopsided affair. Despite the two-goal difference, the Lions made up ground in the second half. Philadelphia ended the game leading in possession (51.5%-48.5%), shots (13-9), shots on goal (8-4), total passes (381-365), passing accuracy (80.3%-80%), corners (4-3), and crosses (18-10). Orlando City led in duels won (51-42) and clearances (21-10).

The once defensively strong Lions have now conceded 12 goals in their last four games. This was the team’s third straight loss, the longest losing streak under Pareja.

“I think overall, especially our reactions in the second half when we tied the game and then we had control of it, we felt good,” Pareja said of the performance. “We could have had more. We have to say what came and take our responsibilities as well to keep improving. Try to get the team out of this moment that is difficult, but we are united and we will keep pushing.”

The Lions will look to end their losing streak Saturday night when they face the first-place New England Revolution in Foxborough, MA.

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Orlando City

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

The Lions head to the West Coast for their third away match in four games, taking on the Galaxy in Los Angeles.

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10 hours ago

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March 29, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (2-2-1, 7 points) and the LA Galaxy (0-3-2, 2 points). This is the only scheduled meeting between the two clubs from opposite conferences this season.

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

History

The Lions are 4-3-0 against LA in MLS play, but have only met twice since 2019. Orlando is 1-2-0 on the road against the Galaxy, although the Lions won in their last trip to Carson, CA back in March of 2022 (more on that below).

The teams last met on April 29, 2023 at Exploria Stadium, with Orlando City winning 2-0 on goals by Ercan Kara and Facundo Torres. Current Orlando starting right back Alex Freeman made his MLS debut in that match.

Orlando City and LA last met at Dignity Health Sports Park on March 19, 2022 and the Lions won their first match ever in the state of California, 1-0. Torres scored his first career MLS goal on a header off a beautiful Kara cross for the game’s only goal. Pedro Gallese set a new club record with his 14th clean sheet across all competitions.

The Galaxy came to Exploria Stadium and got a smash-and-grab 1-0 win on May 24, 2019. Jonathan dos Santos provided the game’s only goal in the opening 20 minutes, with the Lions out-shooting the Galaxy 19-4 (7-1 on target).

Before 2019, the home team had won all four prior meetings. In Orlando’s visit to LA in 2018, the Lions fell 4-3 after blowing the lead three times. It was a case of too much Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who figured in every goal, notching his first MLS hat trick and adding an assist. Cristian Higuita and Dom Dwyer scored for Orlando and Sacha Kljestan forced an own goal by Michael Ciani with a pass intended for Yoshimar Yotún.

Back in 2017, the Lions prevailed 2-1 in Orlando. Will Johnson and Cyle Larin provided the offense to offset a goal by Romain Alessandrini.

The Galaxy captured the lone 2016 contest, 4-2. Giovani Dos Santos scored twice as LA put together four straight goals to erase a 1-0 deficit provided by Kevin Molino. Alan Gordon and Robbie Keane scored the other two Galaxy goals. Brek Shea tacked on a cosmetic goal late for Orlando.

The Lions won 4-0 at home in 2015 in the first meeting against the then-defending champions. It was Orlando City’s first-ever home win in MLS. Eric Avila, Larin, Kaká and Darwin Ceren found the net for the Lions and Tally Hall got a shutout in his first Orlando City appearance.

Overview

Orlando City continues to score goals, but the defense played arguably its best 90-minute stretch of the season a week ago in the Lions’ 4-1 destruction of D.C. United. All three Designated Players — Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda, and Marco Pasalic (I’m just going to start calling them the M&Ms to save time) — scored in that game, marking the first such occasion that has happened in club history. Freeman provided the other goal that night. The Lions entered the weekend leading MLS in goals (13) and assists (15).

Unfortunately, while the offense has been hot, the defense has decidedly been…not. The stoppage-time goal United tacked on to spoil the shutout a week ago was the 11th Orlando has conceded in 2025 through five matches, which is one shy of Toronto’s league-worst 12. The Lions will be looking for their first road win of the year after going 0-1-1 against the two New York teams in consecutive weeks prior to the D.C. match.

The defending champion Galaxy have struggled out of the gate, whether due to players missing, featuring in Concacaf Champions Cup, or both reasons. LA has conceded 10 goals in five matches and has scored just four times this season. So, only two teams have conceded more goals than the Galaxy, while just three clubs have scored fewer goals than LA. The Galaxy are yet to win or even draw at home (0-2-0) in 2025, however, the defending champs have scored three of their four goals in the last two matches, while earning their first two points of the season in those games, so that may be a sign of things starting to turn around for Greg Vanney’s side.

Striker Christian Ramirez has half of LA’s four goals and has found the net in each of the last two matches, so he’ll be a threat for tonight’s hosts. Orlando has struggled to contain Ramirez in the past. Gabriel Pec is another threat. Though he’s scored just once this season, Pec is averaging five shots per match, so he’s getting opportunities. He has tallied 13 shots in his last three games, along with his goal and an assist.

The Galaxy will get offensive chances. LA leads the league in passes completed, averaging more than 500 per game. Compared to Orlando’s 373 per match, that’s a lot. LA will have the ball, because the Galaxy are also second in MLS in passing accuracy (88.9%). Orlando will look to attack in transition. Although the Lions don’t string together nearly as many passes, they are second in the league in shot attempts (82) and third in shots on target (31), while leading MLS in key passes (68).

“The positive part of our last game is not just winning the game but scoring the goals. It gives us the opportunity now to raise our confidence and go to Los Angeles, a place that we don’t frequently go to, and play against a team who did a great job last year,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “Now we’re competing in a very good, demanding match, and we will be ready for it. We are trying to get the details on the game and try to get a good performance and a good result for us too.”

Orlando City will be without Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), Yutaro Tsukada (knee), Nico Rodriguez (thigh), and Favian Loyola (thigh). The Galaxy’s game notes indicate no LA players are suspended or on international duty, but the club does not list injuries there, and as of this writing, the MLS availability report for the weekend had not yet published. Galaxy players who missed the team’s last match include Mauricio Cuevas (hamstring), Joseph Paintsil (quad), Riqui Puig (knee), and Lucas Sanabria (collar bone). Marco Reus (knee) and John Nelson (thigh) were listed as questionable at Minnesota but neither dressed.

Match Content

Projected Lineups:

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Alex Freeman.

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Eduard Atuesta.

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

Forward: Luis Muriel.

LA Galaxy (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: John McCarthy.

Defenders: Julian Aude, Maya Yoshida, Zanka, Miki Yamane.

Midfielders: Elijah Wynder, Edwin Cerrillo, Tucker Lepley.

Forwards:  Diego Fagundez, Christian Ramirez, Gabriel Pec.

Referees

REF: Jon Freemon.
AR1: Stefan Tanaka-Freundt.
AR2: Kevin Lock.
4TH: Gerald Flores.
VAR: Michael Radchuk.
AVAR: Fabio Tovar.

How to Watch

Match Time: 10:30p.m.

Venue: Dignity Health Sports Park — Carson, CA.

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 along at our Bluesky Social account (@themaneland.bsky.social), as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).

Enjoy the match! Go City!

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Orlando City

Orlando City Showed Defensive Improvement Against D.C. United

The Lions looked much better defensively last game, but now they have to prove that they can build on that performance.

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1 day ago

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March 28, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

As the 2025 Major League Soccer season has gotten underway, one of the bigger topics surrounding Orlando City has been the team’s struggles on the defensive side of the ball. Andrew DeSalvo called on the team to get its defensive game up to scratch last week, and with good reason. The Lions have conceded 11 goals in five games, a mark that is good for second-worst in the league and is only eclipsed by Toronto FC’s 12. Given how Oscar Pareja’s Orlando sides have typically been built on the backs of a strong defensive foundation, its been a startling departure, particularly when paired with an offense whose output would usually be enough to get results as long as the defense isn’t leaking like a sieve.

Fortunately, OCSC had a much-improved defensive showing in Saturday’s 4-1 victory over D.C. United. Despite a consolation goal in stoppage time preventing the Lions from keeping a first clean sheet of the season, it was the team’s first time holding an opponent under two goals in 2025. A low bar to clear maybe, but that’s where we are right now.

Including the goal, D.C. took 14 shots and put five on target, with eight shots coming from inside the box. Those eight shots resulted in one goal, one attempt missed, three shots blocked, and two shots saved. The Lions managed to block nearly half of the shots taken within their own box without Javier Otero needing to be called into action. He took care of another two, and the Lions got lucky with one wayward shot before their luck ran out on the goal. All things considered, that’s not bad, and Orlando’s five blocks on the night tied for second-most this season, with the high water mark of six set against the Philadelphia Union in the opening game. Blocks aren’t a tell-all defensive statistic. For example, OCSC only had one in the 4-2 win over Toronto FC — probably due to TFC only managing nine shots on the night. Still, it’s nice to see bodies getting in the way to disrupt potentially dangerous opportunities.

D.C. ended the night with 1.60 expected goals (xG), and while that stat isn’t perfect, it’s good to see that D.C. didn’t vastly underperform the statistic, which would mean they should have scored more and simply didn’t take good chances. Of the visitors’ 1.60 xG, 45% came from Lukas McNaughton’s goal, with another 29% coming from Dominique Badji’s 68th-minute attempt that Otero saved. The next highest attempts were 17% from a Derek Dodson attempt in stoppage time, which was blocked, and 16% from a Christian Benteke header in the 54th, which was saved by Otero. Essentially, Orlando mostly did a good job in preventing D.C. from getting off dangerous attempts, and the opposition’s only big chance of the night came on McNaughton’s goal.

This also all came with Orlando City having slightly less of the ball than D.C., with 48% possession to the opponent’s 52%. The imbalance isn’t huge, but it’s a good sign that Orlando was largely able to limit dangerous chances even while spending periods of time without the ball and while being peppered with a whopping 10 corner kicks.

It wasn’t a perfect performance, as evidenced by the late goal, but frankly I’d have been surprised to see a sudden leap in defensive play given the struggles of the first four games. The D.C. win showed a lot of good things though, and gave the Lions a performance that they can build off of. Next up is an LA Galaxy team that has struggled for goals with only four in five games, but LA has attackers like Christian Ramirez and Gabriel Pec that are capable of doing plenty of damage on the offensive end. It’ll be a good test of whether the defensive unit is on the right trajectory, and hopefully it’s one that the defense can pass with flying colors. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 3/28/25

Orlando Pride prepare for the San Diego Wave, NWSL weekend matches, USMNT roster predictions, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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March 28, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

We made it to Friday! Celebrate however you see fit, whether that’s an indulgent breakfast or just your favorite cup of coffee. This week has flown by a bit for me and I’m looking forward to a weekend filled with soccer. I’ll be spending the next few days working, reading a new book or two, and working out the kinks of making a frozen coconut mojito. My blender hates me. Let’s get to today’s links!

Orlando Pride Prepare for the San Diego Wave

The Orlando Pride will look to extend their 2025 win streak to three games — and their overall win streak to seven — on Saturday when they host the San Diego Wave at noon. Orlando has looked the part of a defending champion so far, leading the league with eight goals without conceding a single one in two games. The Pride will take on a revamped San Diego team that is unbeaten under Head Coach Jonas Eidevall. Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke about how Orlando will need to set the tone early on at home against the Wave and keep up the momentum.

NWSL Provides Entertaining Slate of Weekend Matches

While it’s far too early to think about the NWSL Shield race, it never hurts to check out how the Pride’s competitors are doing while enjoying some great soccer. Tonight features a pair of matches at the same time, with the Washington Spirit hosting Bay FC and the Houston Dash playing on the road against NJ/NY Gotham FC. Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga will have a chance to tie her own record of scoring in eight straight games when her team plays the Utah Royals on Saturday. On Sunday, we’ll get to see if the Seattle Reign’s solid start continues against an unbeaten Angel City FC team searching for its first win of the season.

USMNT Roster Predictions for Concacaf Gold Cup

The pressure is on United States Men’s National Team Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino to turn things around after a rough showing in the final four of the Concacaf Nations League. This summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup will be an opportunity for the USMNT to impress in preparation for the 2026 World Cup, and Pro Soccer Wire dove into how the roster could look for the tournament. Injuries to Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun complicate things up top, but we could see Brenden Aaronson or Alex Zendejas could return to the attack. The Gold Cup will likely also determine which goalkeeper between Matt Turner, Zack Steffen, and Patrick Schulte emerges as the true starter. Players like Sergino Dest, Malik Tillman, and Johnny Cardoso are other notable names to keep an eye out for leading into the tournament.

FA Cup Quarterfinals Kick Off This Weekend

Only eight teams remain in the FA Cup and the action returns with enticing quarterfinal matchups. Preston North End is the only team outside of the English Premier League still fighting, but Manchester City is the only traditional giant left in the field as well. City will face off against a Bournemouth side that beat it 2-1 back in November, while Preston will have to get past Aston Villa, which has only won two of its last eight games. Nottingham Forest forward Chris Wood’s injury adds an obstacle to overcome when the team travels to play Brighton and Hove Albion. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace gets star striker Jean-Philippe Mateta back from injury for its clash with Fulham.

Free Kicks

That’s all I have for you for today’s links. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend. Go Orlando!

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