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Orlando City Coach’s Show Recap: Adrian Heath Talks Columbus Crew, Looks Forward to Chicago Fire

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11 years ago

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Tuesday night's Orlando City Coach's Show with Adrian Heath saw the Lions boss review Saturday night's draw with the Columbus Crew and look forward toward next week's trip to Chicago.

Columbus Crew

Heath was disappointed in the result against the 10-man Columbus Crew Saturday night. "To say we left a couple of points on the table would be an understatement," Heath stated. "We've thrown two away." He also stated that "Hopefully that doesn't hurt us down the road."

Heath said that the Crew started well and created trouble, but part of that was Orlando City’s doing. He said his team defended the box poorly on both goals. On the first goal, Heath noted that 6-foot-4 midfielder Tony Tchani got matched up with Orlando City’s 5-foot-8 right back Rafael Ramos, which was an obvious mismatch.

Overall, Heath said that the Lions need to defend better in the box, as that was a cause of both Crew goals. He felt his team got a foothold after the first Crew goal and got them out of their comfort zone. They started pressuring them in the final third. Heath said that it would've been an injustice if they hadn't taken something from the game.

After the game, Columbus head coach Greg Berhalter said that he would love to see these two teams play with 22 players on the field, saying it would be a really good game. He is referencing the fact that both games this season have had players sent off. Heath agreed with that statement.

14 Corners

Orlando City had 14 corners Saturday night, which is something noticed by Heath. He said that they had been working on crowding the goalkeeper, Steve Clark, on set pieces, but that they didn't crowd him as much on Saturday. He said they let Clark off the hook by not getting as many players around him as they should have. He said he likes getting the wide full backs as high as they can and that they created enough chances to win comfortably.

Federico Higuain Substitution

In the 19th minute, following Michael Parkhurst’s red card, Columbus’ number 10 Federico Higuain was substituted. Heath said he wasn’t surprised, because the Crew had done this before. While Higuain is one of the best number 10s in the league, the Crew needed more energy. Heath also stated that when a team is down to 10 men, they need “all hands to the pump.”

50-50 Balls

In the stat dealing with 50-50 balls, Crew were found to have won most of those balls. Heath said that when a team goes down a man, you expect that team to be a bit more desperate for those balls.

Kei Kamara's Goal

The second Crew goal by Kei Kamara was defended poorly according to Heath. Seb Hines moved up toward the ball too early, leaving Luke Boden in the difficult position of defending two players. Heath said you can’t leave a dangerous player like Kamara virtually unmarked.

Rivalry with Columbus

After two emotional games against Columbus, Heath was asked if there was now a rivalry between the two teams. "I like Greg Berhalter, their coach," was Heath's immediate response. Heath said they're one of the few teams in the league with an identity and they cause problems because of their possession and the way they play, which is similar to Orlando City. Because Columbus is so good, Heath quipped "I'd prefer a rivalry with somebody else."

Pedro Ribeiro's Return

Pedro Ribeiro returned to action as a substitute Saturday night, netting the equalizing goal. Heath said he’s worked really hard to get himself “fit and well.” He said the Brazilian has been working with Kaká’s personal fitness coach to get back and has looked “sharp as a tack.” Heath said Ribeiro looked dangerous Saturday night and “could’ve won the game for us.”

Carlos Rivas

Heath was very defensive of Carlos Rivas, who has taken quite a bit of criticism after struggling Saturday night. He said he was better and fitter than he had seen previously after Rivas suffered from some nagging injuries. He felt that Rivas was more of a threat.

As for the criticism, Heath said that it's easy for people to criticize the 20-year-old, but he's living in a new country, speaking a new language, and living a new way of life which is difficult. He told supporters to give him time as he has a great future and has great quality.

Heath also took the time to condemn Orlando City fans stating that they shouldn't be criticizing the players.

Sepp Blatter's Resignation

Earlier on Tuesday, FIFA president Sepp Blatter announced that he’d be resigning his post just four days after being re-elected. Heath called it a “great day for the game” and said that hopefully the right person will take over for Blatter. He praised the fact that several FIFA officials have been brought to justice and stated that he felt that the decision to give Qatar the 2022 FIFA World Cup was the “straw that broke the camel’s back.” He said he didn’t mind the decision to give Russia the 2018 World Cup but that Qatar has no history of the game.

Future World Cup Hosts

Heath said that he felt Australia would be a good host for a future World Cup. He said that he believes Russia will keep the tournament in 2018 because they have history with the sport but that Qatar might not because they don't have much history with the sport. He also said that the United States could "handle it in a minute."

Stadium Funding

On Friday, Orlando City owner Flavio Augusto da Silva announced that the club would be rejecting all public funds and would finance the entirety of the new soccer-specific stadium themselves. After Adrian corrected host Tom Traxler who called it “the stadium” by stating “our home,” Orlando City Vice President of Communications Lenny Santiago took over. Santiago stated that no public money would be used, referencing the team’s average attendance of over 30,000 a game, which is second behind the Seattle Sounders. He said now they can “build a proper stadium, a proper home.” With the club owning the stadium, they can now provide the amenities and technology to create a better experience for fans. The stadium will now also provide property taxes for the city which can go to fund other programs.

Heath chimed in by saying that stadiums can be as iconic as the teams they hosts citing Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, and Boston Garden. He said this is one of the best things that has ever happened to Orlando City.

Stadium Changes

When asked what changes Heath would like to see from the Citrus Bowl, he had a few ideas. Heath said he'd like to see tailor-made locker rooms and two or three more locker rooms, so Orlando City's wouldn't be used for other events. He'd like to see better coach's offices and staff offices, as well as a players lounge.

Something that Heath was adamant about was honoring past players that helped the club reach MLS. He said he'd like to see photos of ex-players like Miguel Gallardo, Rob Valentino, and Jamie Watson somewhere because they played a huge part in the team and they need a little piece of the stadium.

Comparison with Promoted English Teams

Heath was asked by an AFC Bournemouth fan how Orlando City would compare with the newly promoted English clubs Bournemouth, Watford, and Norwich City. Heath agreed with new Houston Dynamo coach, Owen Coyle, who said that MLS teams could compete in the Football League Championship, England’s second division. But Heath said that MLS clubs were not yet ready to compete in the Premier League due to the lack of squad depth.

How Strong Can MLS Get?

Heath said that within 10 years, he believes that MLS will be the third or fourth biggest league in the world. His reason was that people want to live in this country. He said that even before he came to America to coach, he'd thought about how he'd love to live in this country. Since the club's been in MLS, Heath said he's had several players tell him they'd love to play in Orlando. However, he reiterated that the club has to make sure they are getting players who want to come for the right reasons.

Goal Celebrations

Kaká had another memorable celebration Saturday night following his penalty as we climbed the capo stand to celebrate with fans. Heath said he's fine with Kaká's celebration but it depends on who is doing the celebrating. If a player who goes in for hard tackles, like Aurélien Collin, takes his shirt off and gets cautioned, he wouldn't like that because he has a greater chance of being sent off later on.

Goal Line Technology

There was a close play Saturday night where Columbus goalkeeper Steve Clark caught the ball on the goal line. Heath said that he would like to see goal line technology (which has been instituted in several countries) and potentially replay at the 18-yard box. However, he said that he does not want any replay between the boxes.

Orlando City Soccercast
Last season, Heath made a weekly appearance on Orlando City SoccerCast with Tom Vann and Dennis Daniels, but this year he has yet to appear. Heath said he has not been asked yet and jokingly said he thought he'd been banned for something he said, but he hopes to be on soon.

Young Players

Heath was asked about young players like Harrison Heath, Tommy Redding, and Conor Donovan, and when they could see playing time. Heath said that the younger Heath is the closest, stating the Redding has had a rough start with injuries but that their time would come.

Status of Aurélien Collin

Heath said that Aurélien Collin is fit and well after sustaining an injury on May 13 at D.C. United. Heath said that he has to make sure that players believe if they get in the team, they have a chance to stay in the team. Sean St. Ledger and Seb Hines, who have filled in for Collin, have done well in his absence. Heath said by easing him back in, they don’t have to push Collin. He also said he owes it to other players who have played well to allow them to stay in the team.

Playoff Chances

Heath once again stated that he believes they can make the playoffs. “Have we had a game where we haven’t been the better team, [other than the Toronto FC game]?” Heath asked. “I don’t think we have.” He also stated that once in the playoffs, he doesn’t think the other teams will look forward to playing them.

Jim Philips Question of the Week

For the weekly "Jim Philips Question of the Week", the radio host asked if offside calls tell a coach anything about his players. Heath said that they have to work with players staying onside. He singled out striker Cyle Larin, who Heath said takes a five second rest before getting back onside.

Previewing the Chicago Fire

On Saturday, the Lions will take on the Chicago Fire. Heath said that Orlando City assistant coach Mark Watson worked with Fire head coach Frank Yallop with the San Jose Earthquakes, and the two are quite close. He noted that the Fire have had a “revamp” of their team, overhauling the squad. He said they’ve brought pace into the team by adding David Accum and Kennedy Igboananike.

However, Shaun Maloney will be on international duty, which Heath said will help the Lions. Heath stated that this will be a critical game for the team, as both teams are looking for the final few playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Saturday night's game will be played at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois at 8:30 p.m.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Jose Earthquakes: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

Orlando City restarts its 2026 MLS campaign late tonight out west at San Jose.

Published

4 days ago

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July 22, 2026

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Image of Braian Ojeda taking a shot in a friendly against FC Dallas.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

Welcome to your match thread for a late night midweek matchup tonight between Orlando City (4-9-2, 14 points) and the San Jose Earthquakes (10-3-2, 32 points) at PayPal Park (10:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the only scheduled meeting between the teams in 2026 and the first time the teams have met since 2024.

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

History

Orlando City is 3-1-3 in the previous seven MLS meetings with the Quakes since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2015. The Lions got their only away win in the series in the last meeting and enter tonight 1-1-2 on the road against San Jose.

The teams last met on May 18, 2024, with Jack Lynn coming off the bench to score the game’s only goal. Lynn’s strike in the 89th minute broke the scoreless deadlock and lifted the Lions to a 1-0 victory.

The teams met in Orlando most recently way back on June 22, 2021, with the Lions beating the Quakes down, 5-0. Orlando got things started with an early penalty kick goal by Nani, followed by braces from Benji Michel and Daryl Dike to easily put the game away. The lasting memory from the game is Michel’s celebratory dance wearing a cowboy hat that came out of the stands.

Prior to that Orlando City romp, the last time the teams met was on Aug. 31, 2019 when the Lions got freight trained 3-0 at Avaya Stadium, giving the Quakes their first win in the series. San Jose’s offense came via a Chris Wondolowski brace and an early opening goal by Magnus Eriksson. Orlando looked flat and weary out of the gate.

The Lions were victorious in Exploria Stadium in the 2018 meeting on April 21, a 3-2 Orlando win. It was the first win in the series for either side after three straight draws. Chris Mueller, Sacha Kljestan, and Dom Dwyer gave the Lions a 3-0 lead before Florian Jungwirth pulled two back in the game’s late stages.

The Lions led all of the first three matches in the second half only to see San Jose pull level, with two of those tying goals coming late. In the 2017 meeting, Carlos Rivas finally broke the scoreless tie and gave Orlando City the lead in the 81st minute, but Wondolowski spoiled the Lions’ night with an equalizer two minutes later as the teams drew at Avaya Stadium, 1-1.

In 2016, the Lions were gut-punched in the 94th minute in an emotional match that ended in a 2-2 draw. It was the first home match following the Pulse nightclub tragedy and what appeared to be a storybook ending to a cathartic win turned sour on a last-gasp equalizer by Shea Salinas. Seb Hines — now the Orlando Pride’s head coach — opened the scoring for Orlando, only to see Chad Barrett tie it up. Julio Baptista restored the lead in stoppage time, but Salinas ruined everything.

The two teams also drew in the first meeting, a 1-1 affair at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, with the Lions down to 10 men after Brek Shea was sent off in the first half. Kaká and Wondolowski each scored from the penalty spot four minutes apart in that initial meeting.

Overview

The teams meet tonight to get their post-World Cup portion of the season started. Orlando City has been terrible on the road all season long, keeping only one MLS opponent under two goals all year away from home and allowing five goals twice (at New York City FC and Nashville) and six goals twice (at LAFC and in the team’s most recent match away at FC Cincinnati just before the break).

Orlando City is a putrid 1-6-1 on the road this season, and now the Lions must face the Western Conference co-leaders tonight before coming home to face Supporters’ Shield-leading Nashville SC at home on Saturday. They’ll have to play at least tonight’s game without Martin Ojeda, who is out with a thigh injury sustained some time between his first-half goal a week ago in a friendly against FC Dallas and the time the availability report dropped on Tuesday.

But it isn’t all bad news for the Lions, who should have both Antoine Griezmann and Dike in the lineup. Griezmann was the club’s highly prized and widely publicized summer Designated Player signing, while Dike’s return to Orlando came together more recently, following his departure from West Bromwich Albion. They’ll help the club’s offense, but the attack hasn’t been the issue in 2026 — it’s been the historically porous defense, which is on pace to shatter the MLS record for goals conceded.

Meanwhile, San Jose is one of the first half of the season’s biggest surprises, as the Quakes have been outstanding in 2026. Scoring 34 goals while conceding just 15, San Jose is among the league leaders in goals scored (tied for third), goals conceded (third), and goal differential (+19, third).

The Earthquakes are 4-2-1 at home and are coming off a 3-1 road win at Portland in their last game prior to the World Cup break. San Jose boasts Golden Boot challenger Preston Judd, who leads the Quakes with 11 goals, adding two assists in his 15 appearances. Ousseni Bouda has chipped in five goals and three assists. Niko Tsakiris leads the team with seven assists to go along with his two goals, but he’s still recovering from a lower body injury and is not available tonight. However, the arrival of Timo Werner (four goals and five assists in just seven games) has truly elevated Bruce Arena’s Quakes, and he’ll need to be one of the main focal points for the Orlando defense.

To have any shot at taking something from this game, the Lions will need to play better road defense than they have all season. Orlando can score goals, but with Ojeda out, Griezmann will need to adapt quickly, and someone other than the team’s leading scorer will need to find the net.

The Lions will play without Ojeda (thigh), Joran Gerbet (knee), Nolan Miller (knee), Colin Guske (international duty), and Clovis Archage (international duty). In addition, Marco Pasalic may or may not have returned to the team after the World Cup. He was not in training Monday, although interim head coach Martin Perelman said he expected the Croatian back soon. The Earthquakes will be without Nonso Adimabua (lower body), former Lion Earl Edwards Jr. (lower body), DeJuan Jones (lower body), and Tsakiris (you guessed it, lower body…come on, San Jose).

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Tiago.

Forwards: Justin Ellis, Antoine Griezmann.

Bench: Javier Otero, Bernardo Rhein, Tahir Reid-Brown, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Harvey Sarajian, Tyrese Spicer

San Jose Earthquakes (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Angus Gunn.

Defenders: Jamar Ricketts, Reid Roberts, Daniel Munie, Benjamin Kikanovic.

Defensive Midfielders: Beau Lerouox, Ronaldo Vieira.

Attacking Midfielders: Timo Werner, Nick Fernandez, Ousseni Bouda.

Forwards: Preston Judd.

Bench: Jonathan Gonzalez, Dave Romney, Paul Marie, Jack Skahan, Jack Jasinski, Ian Harkes, Francesco Montali, Max Floriani, Darius Johnson.

Referees

REF: Elijio Arreguin.
AR1: Adam Wienckowski.
AR2: Mike Nickerson.
4TH: Timothy Ford.
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.

How to Watch

Match Time: 10:30 p.m.

Venue: PayPal Park — San Jose, CA.

TV/Live Stream: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Podcasts

PawedCast Episode 542: Tampa Bay Friendly, McGuire Traded, OCB Beats Cincinnati, and More

Lions maul the Rowdies in friendly action, OCB wins on the road, and it’s transfer season.

Published

2 weeks ago

on

July 14, 2026

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Image of Antoine Griezmann and Ivan Angulo celebrating a goal in a friendly against the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City welcomed I-4 Derby rival Tampa Bay to Inter&Co Stadium for a friendly match on Wednesday and then proceeded to bludgeon the Rowdies with a couple of hammers named Antoine Griezmann and Justin Ellis. The two attackers combined for a goal and four assists in a 6-0 beatdown of the team from the Gulf Coast, with five different Lions scoring and Griffin Dorsey forcing an own goal. We discuss Griezmann’s first minutes with Orlando City, what the team showed in its formation, and how good Justin Ellis’ vision is.

Oh, and it’s also transfer season now. Duncan McGuire is on his way out and Marco Pasalic reportedly will follow soon, while a new left back may be headed from Spain to Orlando.

Following all of that, we discuss Maxime Crepeau being added to the MLS All-Star Team and the announcement that he’ll participate in the 2026 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge.

Our mailbagbox asked us about which World Cup semifinalist players we’d want to join Orlando this season (if we could only pick one), and more. Remember, if there’s anything — and we do mean anything — you want us to address on the show, just ask us by tweeting it to us at @TheManeLand with the hashtag #AskTMLPC, or hitting us up on Bluesky Social with that same hashtag.

After the mailbagbox, we dive into OCB’s 2-1 road win at FC Cincinnati 2. It wasn’t the prettiest game by the Young Lions, but they managed to do enough to earn three points on the road, where they’ll stay to face Chattanooga on Saturday. We briefly preview that game.

Finally, Orlando City will be in Dallas Wednesday for the second of two friendlies leading up to the restart of the MLS season. It’s unlikely we’ll get a lot of details about that one, but we’ll see what happens. Maybe the FC Dallas folks will help us out.

Be sure to rate and review our show wherever you get your podcasts. Remember, we’ll read any five-star reviews we get on Apple Podcasts on the next show.

If you’d like to support our independent writing and podcasting efforts, we’d love to have you as a subscriber or donor over at our Buy Me a Coffee site.

Here’s how No. 542 went down:

0:15 – Orlando City crushed the Rowdies, the transfer season is in full swing, plus: hey now, Crepeau’s an all-star.

28:50 – The mailbagbox is always good for a hypothetical scenario.

36:54 – The Young Lions slipped past Cincy and head to Chattanooga, while the senior Lions head to Dallas.

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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 119: International Break, USWNT, Louisville Preview, and More

The Pride return from a long international break looking to get their first-ever road win against Racing Louisville.

Published

3 months ago

on

April 22, 2026

By

Image of Haley McCutcheon scoring the opening goal in Orlando's home playoff win over Seattle.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

It feels like months since the Orlando Pride last took the field, but the calendar says otherwise. If you believe calendars, it’s only been a little less than three weeks, but time moves strangely in the post-pandemic apocalyptic world.

Anyway, we don’t have a match to recap, so we touched on a couple of Pride players putting the ball in the net during the international break and chat a bit about the United States Women’s National Team’s three-game friendly series against Japan. Emma Hayes used a lot of players, and the team looked solid for two of the three matches, but the rotated middle game seemed a bit disjointed. Hayes has greatly expanded the player pool and will have plenty of options when the World Cup approaches.

Our mailbagbox had questions about a potential change in the NWSL schedule, as the league explores adopting the fall-to-spring slate, and opposition own goals. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

After the mailbagbox, we turned our attention toward Friday’s late afternoon tussle with Racing Louisville in Kentucky. The Pride have never won on the road against Louisville, and it’s about high time they did. This match begins a congested push to the June World Cup break, and although Friday’s hosts aren’t high in the table, the Pride must be at their best to get a road result in this fixture. We look back at the series history, compare the two sides, provide our key matchups in the game, and make our final score predictions.

If you’d like to support our independent writing and podcasting efforts, we’d love to have you as a subscriber or donor over at our Buy Me a Coffee site.

Here’s how Episode 119 went down:

0:15 – We open the show with a little banter about the Pride in the international break and the USWNT’s series vs. Japan.

9:03 – The mailbagbox features questions via both eletronic mail and social media. We welcome all modes of delivery.

19:59 – The Pride travel to Louisville to face Racing. They’ve never won in Kentucky, but we inform them how to do so.

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