Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Vancouver Whitecaps: Final Score 1-0 as Rivero Breaks Through Late for Caps

Octavio Rivero’s header in the 96th minute sent Orlando City fans home unhappy and handed the Lions their first MLS loss. It was a harsh result for an Orlando side that largely controlled the game but couldn’t find a break-through goal.

Published

on

Nick Leyva, The Mane Land

The Vancouver Whitecaps Twitter feed asked for the team to steal three points in Orlando and that’s exactly what they did.

Octavio Rivero broke Orlando City hearts with a stoppage-time header to steal a 1-0 victory in the Orlando Citrus Bowl in front of a crowd of 31,072. Vancouver (2-1-0) got a late free kick on a Darwin Ceren foul in the 96th minute that Pedro Morales sent into the area. Rivero got to it and flicked it into the far corner where goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts couldn’t reach it.

It was a harsh result for an Orlando City side that controlled most of the play and simply couldn’t find the final ball, missing a number of very close chances throughout the contest.

It was doubly harsh because it came just after second-half sub Jordan Harvey for Vancouver was booked for time wasting and Ceren’s foul came on the ensuing throw-in. Orlando City had intercepted the initial Harvey throw-in but referee Jorge Gonzalez pulled it back for a second throw.

“Do I think we should have won the game? Probably not. I think a draw would have been a fair result,” said Head Coach Adrian Heath after the game. “But we certainly didn’t deserve to lose it.”

Orlando out-shot Vancouver 12-9, made 21 crosses to Vancouver’s 12, and enjoyed a 62.6%-37.4% advantage in possession but has nothing to show for it due to missing the target. The Lions put only one shot on goal, allowing three — all to Rivero.

The Lions (1-1-1) tasted MLS defeat for the first time, but they came within inches of breaking through a number of times, including a Cyle Larin shot in the 90th minute. Larin took a pass from Kaká, made a nice turn and pushed it just wide.

Eric Avila was lurking just behind Larin unmarked but the Canadian national, making his MLS debut, either didn’t see him or chose to take it himself.

Aside from Larin’s opportunity late, Orlando City nearly scored on Pedro Ribeiro’s final touch, a beautiful curling left-footed shot that went inches high to find the roof of the net.

“Too many ‘nearlies,'” said Heath. “It was nearly a good play, it was nearly a good ball, it was nearly a good cross. Nearly is not going to be enough through the course of this season.”

Orlando City began the game in a 4-4-2 with Kaká playing up top with Ribeiro, starting for an injured Carlos Rivas. The other big change in the lineup was Avila playing in the midfield instead of Lewis Neal, who was left out of the 18 altogether.

The Lions controlled play early, holding a 60-40 possession advantage in the scoreless opening half, but they couldn’t seem to find the final touch or through ball to truly menace David Ousted’s goal. A chance eight minutes in went wanting when Kevin Molino passed when he should have shot off a nice pass from Kaká.

Orlando City’s best opportunity came at the 13-minute mark when Kaká’s shot from the top of the box was deflected just wide. Four minutes later, Ribeiro found himself in good position but the Vancouver defense collapsed on him to snuff out the threat.

At 26 minutes, Avila worked hard down the left side to earn a corner and was nearly — there’s that word again — rewarded on Kaká’s cross. Kendall Waston headed out the corner kick to Avila, who rifled a shot just high on the volley.

Vancouver’s speed posed problems for Orlando City at times, particularly in the later stages of the first half. Seb Hines may have been fortunate to avoid getting sent off and yielding a penalty for pulling back Rivero early, but the referee was well positioned and gave a goal kick. The Whitecaps spent much of the first 30 minutes probing with Kekuta Manneh down Rafael Ramos’ right side but to no avail.

The Whitecaps finally got a toehold in the game 34 minutes in, when Rivero blazed past the offside trap and got on the end of a brilliant through ball. Ricketts came off his line to thwart the chance, knocking it inches wide to make his first save of the season. Moments later, Rivero torched a shot off the crossbar with Hines and Brek Shea both marking Waston and leaving Vancouver’s DP unattended in the box.

Vancouver missed another opportunity in the 38th minute when Morales shot wide off a turnover when Orlando City misplayed a quick free kick deep in their own end.

The visitors played a chippy first 45 minutes, picking up three yellow cards (Gershon Koffie, Sam Adekugbe, Manneh) in the opening half and five in all. Each team had four shots and one shot on goal through the opening half.

The Lions moved to their traditional 4-2-3-1 after halftime, pushing Kaká out to the left side of midfield, and it seemed to work, as Orlando enjoyed even more possession, allowed fewer Vancouver counters, and appeared more dangerous in the final third. Still, that final through ball remains elusive and players are taking extra touches in the box to cut down their angles and making life easier for opposing goalkeepers.

“Even with a loss we had a lot of good things in this game,” Kaká said. “We have to improve a lot of things, we have to get better, to work some movements, most of our forwards, because we create a lot of opportunities but we couldn’t score tonight.”


Next up comes a trip to Canada to play Montreal Impact without several international players, including Larin, Shea, Molino and Ceren.

Opinion

Predicting Orlando City’s June Results

It’s time to take a glimpse into the future and predict how Orlando City will fare during the month of June.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

We’re almost to the end of what’s been an extremely packed month of May for Orlando City. After the conclusion of Saturday’s match against the Chicago Fire, the Lions will have played nine matches in the span of 28 days. OCSC has basically played a match every three days, which is an absurd pace. Other than two recent blemishes, Orlando has mostly handled it exceedingly well though, and June presents a much lighter schedule for our brave heroes.

The Lions play just three games next month and will have two weeks off between Saturday’s match against the Fire and their next game. Without any further ado, I will now attempt to peer into the crystal ball and predict the results of Orlando’s three games in June.

Saturday, June 14 — at Colorado Rapids

Orlando will return to action after a two-week layoff by hopping on the purple plane and flying west to take on Colorado. The Rapids are currently eighth in a crowded Western conference table with 22 points, and they are 10 points off the Vancouver Whitecaps at the top of the table. They’ve put together a pretty even season so far with a record of 6-6-4 (W-L-D). The biggest problem for Colorado has been scoring goals, as the Rapids only have 18 goals in 16 games and have been held scoreless five times in the league. They have this week off, and won’t return to action until June 7, when they host Austin FC. I give Orlando City the edge in this match, and hopefully that extra rest will help the good guys hang tough at altitude. The Lions have been defensively sound recently — when they’ve had all 11 men on the field — while also still being able to put the ball in the back of the net several times a game. Shutting down Djordje Mihailovic is going to be key, but I like Orlando’s chances given its recent form and the fact that the Lions will be well rested.

Prediction: Orlando City 3-1 Colorado Rapids.


Wednesday, June 25 — at St. Louis City

I refuse to capitalize every letter in “City” in St. Louis City’s name, because frankly I think it’s a ridiculous stylistic choice. The team also hasn’t been very good this year, so it doesn’t deserve me catering to it in that manner. St. Louis is currently 2-8-5 and only truly woeful campaigns by CF Montreal and the LA Galaxy are saving it from leading the Wooden Spoon race with 11 points. It makes Colorado look like an offensive juggernaut, as it’s only scored 11 goals in 15 games. St. Louis isn’t bad defensively, as it’s only conceded 20 goals, but it’s always going to be a struggle when you average scoring just 0.73 goals a game. Its form was enough to get Head Coach Olof Mellberg fired, and he lasted just over six months on the job. The club hasn’t won since a March 15 match against the Galaxy and has a tricky upcoming slate, with a home match against the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, an away game against the Portland Timbers on June 8, and a home match against the Galaxy on June 14. With a week and a half between the Colorado match and this one, I once again like Orlando City in this game. Unless St. Louis can find its shooting boots, I don’t see it offering much threat against a rested Orlando defense that has come on strong since a shaky start to the year.

Prediction: Orlando City 2-0 St. Louis City.


Saturday, June 28 — vs. FC Cincinnati

OCSC wraps up June by returning home to play one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference on short rest. It isn’t ideal, but it isn’t the worst thing in the world either. Cincy has been good this year, compiling a record of 9-4-3 and 30 points to sit second in the East. New signings Evander and Kevin Denkey have been as good as you would expect, as Evander has seven goals and five assists in 14 appearances, and Denkey has nine goals in 15 games. As a team, Cincinnati has scored 24 goals and conceded 22, so it’s been a balanced campaign to this point. It’ll be coming to the end of a stretch of three straight road games, as Cincy will be away to the New England Revolution on June 14 and then at CF Montreal on June 25, so it’ll also be traveling on short rest. That said, aside from the Philadelphia Union, Cincy is the toughest team the Lions will have faced in MLS play, and stopping both Evander and Denkey is far from an easy task. This reeks of a draw that has a couple of goals for each team, so that’s what I’ll be going with.

Prediction: Orlando City 2-2 FC Cincinnati.


There you have it. I’ve scrutinized the tea leaves and you now know what the path ahead holds for the Lions. Be sure to check back in at the end of June so you can marvel at how stunningly accurate my forecast was. Until then, feel free to either disagree or tell me how crystal clear my visions are down in the comments. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/30/25

Orlando City players called up, Orlando Pride sign Simone Jackson, USWNT gets ready to play China, and more.

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday! It’s been a bit of a brutal week, but we’ve made it through. Our reward is an exciting weekend of soccer to enjoy to close out the month. I’ll be spending most of the weekend working, but it should still be a nice next few days. Let’s dive right into today’s links from around the soccer world.

Lions Called Up For International Duty

Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese was predictably called up for Peru’s CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers. Peru is ninth in the standings and will take on Colombia June 6 before hosting Ecuador on June 10.

Defender David Brekalo was called up by Slovenian for a pair of friendlies against Luxembourg and Bosnia and Herzegovina. These matches will help prepare Slovenia for World Cup qualifying this fall against Sweden, Switzerland, and Kosovo.

A few Young Lions are also heading to Europe for the UEFA Friendship Cup in Switzerland. The U.S. will represent Concacaf at the U-18 tournament, and OCB players Justin Ellis, Colin Guske, and Jackson Platts were called up for it.

Orlando Pride Sign Simone Jackson

The Orlando Pride signed forward Simone Jackson to a contract through the 2028 season. Jackson played at the University of Southern California for four years, recording 22 goals and 13 assists in 75 games, and trained with the Pride during the preseason. Internationally, she’s represented the U.S. at various youth levels and scored a goal in the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. The 22-year-old gives Orlando some helpful depth up front and can develop her game learning from some of the best attackers in the sport as well.

USWNT Prepares For Friendly Against China

The United States Women’s National Team will take on China Saturday at Allianz Field in St. Paul, MN in the first of two friendlies during this international window. Orlando Pride defenders Emily Sams and Kerry Abello were both called up to join a young roster as the team builds a foundation before the 2027 Women’s World Cup. Goalkeeper will continue to be a position to watch, as opportunity knocks for Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Mandy McGlynn, and Claudia Dickey to stake a claim as the team’s starter. Following this match, the USWNT will take on Jamaica in St. Louis on Tuesday before a pair of friendlies against Ireland later in June.

Denver’s NWSL Team Hires First General Manager

Denver’s NWSL team hired Curt Johnson to serve as the club’s first general manager. He will have the opportunity to build the team’s roster and staff from the ground up before the team takes the field as an expansion side in 2026. Johnson left the North Carolina Courage in December and was the chief soccer officer when the club dominated the league in 2018 and 2019. It looks like a solid hire in my opinion and I’m interested to see what kind of team he puts together in Denver.

Free Kicks


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

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to secure a victory against Chicago at home?

Published

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City ends May the way it began, with a match against the Chicago Fire. The Lions are coming off a wild and disappointing match against rival Atlanta United. I always worry about a team after such an emotional outing, and on short rest to boot, especially since the Fire were off during the midweek. How the team reacts will determine the result. What does Orlando City need to do to take all three points from Chicago at home?

Defend this House

Much like the last time, Orlando City will need to deal with Hugo Cuypers and the rest of Chicago’s attack. The Lions likely won’t get the benefit of having Chris Brady sent off in the 36th minute again, meaning they will need to defend more attacks for a longer time. In the last match, Chicago took 16 shots, putting eight of those on target. Limiting those chances will be critical.

I expect to see Alex Freeman, Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and David Brekalo starting on the back line despite having done so Wednesday night. No cheap giveaways, no errant arms away from the body in the box, just solid defending for 90 plus minutes. The Lions will have to do it without Cesar Araujo, thanks to his sending off against Atlanta. I think they can, but it will be more difficult without him.

Atuesta Ahoy

Eduard Atuesta played the full 90 minutes against the Portland Timbers, and then played limited minutes against Atlanta United. I completely agreed with that strategy, because he did not need to be playing too many minutes so soon after returning. He is also working back to full fitness. He will be rested for this home match, and the pitch conditions will be much better.

We were reminded of how good he is in the attacking midfield in that match against Portland. I need him to provide those slicing passes through tiny windows against the Chicago defense. Joran Gerbet has proven to be a steal in the draft, but he doesn’t yet have that extra bit of quality you see from Atuesta. Look for him to break Chicago’s lines.

Early and Often

Orlando City will come in on three days rest, whereas Chicago will be on six days rest. This match will also be the Lions’ ninth match in May — their seventh in the league and two more in the U.S. Open Cup. To say that tired legs will be a concern is an understatement. As such, Orlando City needs to jump out to an early lead as it did against Atlanta.

Fortunately, there was more rotation in the attack on Wednesday for Orlando City with Ramiro Enrique getting the start. That means Luis Muriel will be fresh for a start on the much nicer grass at Inter&Co Stadium. I’ll take a goal from Muriel, or frankly any Orlando player. Heck, Jansson is due for one, right? Multiple goals will likely be needed to secure a victory.


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

Continue Reading

Trending