Orlando City
Orlando City vs. LA Galaxy: Final Score 4-0 as Lions Earn First Home Win in Dominating Fashion
The streak is over. Orlando City finally got its elusive first home victory by completely owning the defending champion LA Galaxy at the Citrus Bowl.

It took a while, but Orlando City (3-5-3, 12 points) finally got its first home win in MLS and it was a dominating performance. Unlike other dominant matches in which the club hasn’t gotten results, the Lions had no trouble filling the nets in front of 40,122 fans at the Citrus Bowl in a 4-0 drubbing of the LA Galaxy (3-4-5, 14 points).
Eric Avila, Cyle Larin, Kaká, and Darwin Ceren found the net and goalkeeper Tally Hall was rarely tested in his Orlando City debut. Speaking of debuts, striker Martin Paterson finally saw the field in a purple kit, subbing in for Brek Shea in the 83rd minute.
Shea, who was sensational at times, assisted on the first goal to pick up his first service for City. The entire midfield dominated the game, particularly defensive mids Ceren and Cristian Higuita. The back line was resolute in the absence of Aurelien Collin, with veterans Sean St. Ledger and Seb Hines — the latter returning from a quad injury — turning in solid, workmanlike efforts.
“It was a special day all around, not the least of all getting our first MLS (home) win,” said Head Coach Adrian Heath.
Sloppy play in the opening minutes produced a chance for Larin on a cross by Shea, but he was bodied to the turf before he could shoot. On the resulting counter, Hines made a last-minute tackle to prevent a golden chance for Bradford Jamieson.
Orlando took its first home lead of the season on a great team goal to open the scoring. Kaká played a crafty through ball to Rafael Ramos, who crossed it in to Shea. The U.S. international headed it to Avila, who easily nodded it home for a 1-0 advantage just 12 minutes in.
The hosts nearly gave up their goal advantage in the 19th when a Jamieson cross sailed just beyond Gyasi Zardes’ head. The Galaxy came close again five minutes later when Ramos slipped, allowing Ignacio Maganto to shoot from close range, but Hines blocked it behind for a corner.
The game opened up after that for the rest of the half. The Lions nearly doubled the lead when defender Leonardo slipped, giving Orlando a two-on-the-goalie break, but Larin’s long-range chip went over the bar. Then Stefan Ishizaki turned Luke Boden inside out, but his left-footed effort was just wide.
It was a costly miss for LA, because two minutes later, Larin doubled Orlando’s lead. The Canadian international gave the ball to Kaká, who faked Tommy Meyer to the ground and crossed to give Larin an easy tap in on the back post to make it 2-0 in the 34th minute. It was Larin’s third goal in as many matches and four straight in all competitions if you include the Ponte Preta friendly.
Minutes later, Larin was clipped in the face in the box but there was no foul called and therefore no penalty given.
LA had the first half’s best final chance in the 45th, when Zardes got a cross from Ishizaki and missed badly on the volley. The Lions took their 2-0 lead to the locker room at the break.
Orlando was content to hold the ball and look for counter attacks in the second half. Kaká put the game out of reach from the spot after Higuita played him in and the Brazilian was alone on goalkeeper Jaime Penedo. Kaká tried to chip the keeper and the sliding Penedo took out the captain’s feet instead of the ball. The Brazilian sent Penedo the wrong way and picked up his fourth goal of the season.
Ceren’s goal was just reward for a well-played game, as his low drive on target was deflected off Meyer’s foot and wrong-footed Penedo.
“I thought Darwin Ceren was the best player on the field today,” Heath said.
The win snaps an 0-3-1 streak and the team’s home 0-2-3 streak. City climbed to fifth in the Eastern Conference table with 12 points, two ahead of Toronto FC, albeit with two more games played. Columbus Crew SC, which has one game in hand, is in fourth with 14 points.
The team now gets a full week before next Sunday night’s game in San Jose against the Earthquakes.
Orlando City
Orlando City Unveils New Perfect Storm Kit Ahead of 2025 MLS Season
The Lions’ new kits are meant to represent the uniqueness and intensity of the Central Florida weather.

Orlando City unveiled the club’s new home “Perfect Storm” kit today. The new home purple kit is meant to evoke the intensity of the Central Florida weather, and features a lightning bolt (called a “thunderbolt” by the club) made out of the Orlando area code, 407, on the back of the neck and a jocktag with a doppler radar storm icon. Per the club, no two kits will have the exact same pattern.
The Perfect Storm kit will be available on MLSStore.com and on OCMobileShop.com, with pick-up at The Den at Inter&Co Stadium starting Thursday during regular business hours.
“This kit is a tribute to our fans who have supported us day in and day out, through everything, rain or shine,” said Orlando City Chief Marketing Officer Pedro Araujo in a club press release. “It is also inspired by our players’ ability to thrive in adverse weather conditions, and a reminder that Inter&Co Stadium is one of the toughest environments in Major League Soccer for visiting teams to compete in.”
The Perfect Storm Kit will be first available to fans at the club’s official jersey launch tonight at 6 p.m. at Canvas (1401 Florida Mall Ave.). Fans can purchase the new shirt and have it customized. The first 200 fans in attendance to purchase the new kit will receive an exclusive CITYiD patch
The Lions will first wear the new kit at their home opener against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, Feb. 22.
Here are some shots of the new kit:

















Lion Links
Lion Links: 2/12/25
Leagues Cup Schedule released, Sams and Moorhouse called up, Champions League results, and more.

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers! It’s new home kit reveal day, so get ready to potentially spend some money. I may end up getting one regardless of how it looks. I’ve lost some weight, and while that is good, none of my jerseys fit anymore. I hope it’s a good one.
We want to wish a very happy birthday to Orlando City B midfielder Jhon Solis. Additionally, I want to wish my son Chris a very happy birthday. Now, let’s get to the links.
Orlando City’s Leagues Cup Fixtures Revealed
The official Leagues Cup 2025 Phase One schedule dropped Tuesday, meaning we now know Orlando City’s first three matches of the competition. All three matches will be played at Inter&Co Stadium against Liga MX squads. The Lions will face Pumas UNAM in the first match on July 30, followed by Atlas FC on Aug. 2, and then Necaxa on Aug. 6. Phase One of the competition is effectively a group stage. If Orlando City can advance out of Phase One, the Lions will head to the knockout rounds.
Pride International Call Ups
The Orlando Pride’s Emily Sams and Anna Moorhouse received call-ups for the USWNT and the England Women’s National Team, respectively. USWNT Coach Emma Hayes included Sams on her 23-player roster for the 2025 SheBelieves Cup later this month. The U.S. will play matches against Japan, Australia, and Colombia.
Moorhouse was selected by Lioness coach Sarina Wiegman for the UEFA Women’s Nations League. England’s first two matches are against Portugal on Feb. 21 and against Spain on Feb. 26. After that, the competition continues in April.
MLS Transfer Round Up
With Orlando City finally signing some new players, other MLS clubs continue to make moves in the off-season. Former Orlando City midfielder Junior Urso signed with the Houston Dynamo through 2025 with an option for 2026. Houston is the Bear’s third MLS club.
French second-division side Amiens SC is in a selling mood. The club sent defender Osaze Urhoghide to FC Dallas. Minnesota United FC signed midfielder Owen Gene from Amiens SC to an MLS U22 Initiative contract.
Elsewhere, the Philadelphia Union signed Homegrown forward Eddy Davis III, and D.C. United signed midfielder Brandon Servania. Out west, the San Jose Earthquakes have signed goalkeeper Daniel to a contract extension, and Nashville SC signed midfielder Matthew Corcoran from USL Championship side Birmingham Legion FC.
Champions League Results
UEFA Champions League continued Tuesday, with Paris Saint-Germain getting things going with a 3-0 win over Brest. Ousmane Dembélé scored a brace in the match to cement the victory. Borussia Dortmund also managed a 3-0 victory over Sporting Lisbon. All three goals came in the second half, including Serhou Guirassy’s 10th in the competition to equal Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski.
Real Madrid scored two goals to come from behind and defeat Manchester City 3-2. Jude Bellingham scored the winning goal in second-half stoppage time. Weston McKennie got things going for Juventus in its 2-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven. Samuel Mbangula scored the winning goal.
Free Kicks
- Sam Kerr has been found not guilty of causing racially aggravated harassment in an incident with a Metropolitan Police officer in London on Jan. 30, 2023.
- Lucho Acosta is reportedly headed to FC Dallas. Would have been cooler if he went to Orlando City, but whatever.
- It seems that Lionel Messi will stop ducking Orlando City — at least in the preseason.
That will do it for today. Check back later today for our coverage of the new kit. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 2/11/25
Orlando City signs Eduard Atuesta, MLS news roundup, Americans in midweek action, and more.

Happy Tuesday, gang! It was a long weekend for me but an interesting one, as I attended an event at St. Louis City’s Energizer Stadium on Saturday night. It was a fun time, but personally I prefer Orlando City’s home digs. We have plenty of things to discuss this morning, so let’s get into the links.
Orlando City Signs Eduard Atuesta
Orlando City has found its replacement for the injured Wilder Cartagena, as the club announced the signing of Colombian midfielder Eduard Atuesta from Palmeiras on Monday. Atuesta’s deal runs through the end of the 2025 season and also contains a club option for 2026. While the Lions still have some depth issues that need to be addressed at various positions, Atuesta will pair alongside Cesar Araujo in midfield, and if his previous numbers in Major League Soccer are any indication, he may even provide more goal scoring and creation from the position than Cartagena usually did.
MLS News Roundup
With the start of the MLS season under two weeks away, the off-season news is still flying thick and fast. First up, the Colorado Rapids have signed midfielder Ted Ku-DiPietro from D.C. United in exchange for up to $1.4 million in cash, with United also maintaining a sell-on percentage in the player. The trade was executed using the league’s cash-based trade system, with Colorado becoming the latest team to make use of the new mechanism. Up next, San Diego FC has signed defender Willy Kumado from Lyngby Boldklub in the Danish Superliga. The right back joins on a two-year deal that also contains option years for 2027 and 2028. Finally, Tom Bogert is reporting that Joseph Paintsil is expected to be out of action for over a month after sustaining an injury to his quadriceps.
Americans in Midweek Action
As always, there are a number of Americans taking part in games during the working week, and there’s a heavy emphasis on UEFA Champions League play. Things get started later today, as Tim Weah, Weston McKennie, and Juventus face a PSV Eindhoven side that has all four of Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Sergino Dest, and Malik Tillman injured. Meanwhile, Gio Reyna, Cole Campbell, and Borussia Dortmund will travel to face Sporting CP. Wednesday has Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah traveling with AC Milan to take on Feyenoord, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic will be sorely tested at home against Bayern Munich. Thursday will wrap up European play with Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis squaring off against Gent in the Conference League.
Josh Sargent’s Opportunity
Josh Sargent had a difficult end to 2024, as he spent several months on the sideline while recovering from a groin injury that eventually required surgery. There were some natural moments of wondering what he’d be like when he made his return, but he’s hit the ground running since his first game back on Jan. 25, as he has four goals in three games for Norwich City. Not only is he getting his chance at the club level, but with Pepi and Folarin Balogun both currently injured, Sargent looks almost certain to lead the line for the United States Men’s National Team for March’s Concacaf Nations League semifinal matches. Sometimes timing is everything, and right now Sargent’s timing is pretty damn good.
Free Kicks
- Daryl Dike ticked off another box on his road to making his return from injury, as he played for West Bromwich Albion’s under-21 team on Monday.
- The Houston Dash have signed former Orlando Pride midfielder Evelina Duljan.
- USL Championship side Miami FC has signed former USMNT and D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid.
- Plymouth Argyle’s reward for beating Liverpool in the FA Cup is a trip to face Manchester City.
- Barcelona defender Mapi Leon has been accused of “violating the privacy” of Espanyol’s Daniela Caracas during Sunday’s game between the two teams.
- Finally, the U-17 U.S. Men’s National Team destroyed the Virgin Islands in group play, 22-0, as part of U-17 World Cup qualifying Monday night. The 22-goal win was the largest margin of victory ever by a U.S. team (men’s or women’s) in a qualifier. Chase Adams of Columbus Crew 2 scored 10 goals in the match. The United States will face St. Kitts & Nevis Wednesday before wrapping up Group F play Saturday against Cuba.
That does it for me this morning. Vamos Orlando!
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