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Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Final Score 4-1 as Giovinco Hat Trick Leads Reds Over Sloppy Lions

No way to sugarcoat this one. Orlando was second best in all aspects in getting thoroughly dominated on the road at BMO Field. Even so, the Lions were within a goal until the 81st minute.

Published

11 years ago

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Austin Warren, The Mane Land

Orlando City had yet another sluggish road effort and failed to come away with a result in a match against an Eastern Conference opponent, falling at Toronto FC, 4-1.

Playing without Kaká, who picked up a knock against Columbus, the Lions were unable to maintain any semblance of possession, complete more than a pass or two forward, or get on the end of passes and crosses in the final third.

Sebastian Giovinco scored a hat trick — getting one from the spot, one on a free kick, and one on a late counter — and Collen Warner added insurance late to offset Luke Boden’s first MLS goal. Games are running out for Orlando City to defy expectations and make the playoffs as an expansion team.

The Lions have now conceded 18 goals in the last six matches and have won just once in the last seven outings. Against Canadian teams, Orlando has been a particularly dire 0-4-1.

Adrian Heath again deployed the 4-3-3 that worked so well against Columbus, but with Eric Avila at right wing for the injured Kaká. It didn’t work out quite so well this time.

Just four minutes into the match, Cyle Larin nearly set the rookie goal-scoring record in front of his friends and family, coming free and firing at close range, only to be denied by a diving Joe Bendik.

Toronto soon got on the board at 12 minutes with a Giovinco penalty after the Toronto DP drew a foul in the box on Aurelien Collin. City’s defender made an ill-advised slide tackle to try to dispossess the Atomic Ant on a counter attack that started with a bad turnover by Tyler Turner on the right side in the attacking half. The right back had two options and misplayed it only to turn it over, igniting the deadly break.

The Lions leveled just five minutes later when Cristian Higuita found Boden at the top of the box. Bodz took a touch with his right and settled it to his left, curling in a beautiful shot that Bendik barely got a touch on but could not keep out.

From that point on, Toronto kept the pressure on Orlando throughout the match. The Lions had trouble possessing and when they did, they gave it right back cheaply. Marky Delgado missed two good chances to extend the Reds’ lead.

Tally Hall kept the game even at 1-1 by denying a 42nd-minute break by Giovinco, who took a gorgeous 25-yard through ball from Benoit Cheyrou and was in free. Hall made himself big and kept the scoreline where it was as the teams went to the break all even.

In the second half, it was more of the same. Orlando had no movement or urgency and conceded possession far too easily, without looking the least bit dangerous on the few counter attacks they sprung.

Giovinco broke the tie with a free kick goal off the left post in the 56th minute after he was fouled just above the box by Darwin Ceren, who was booked for the infraction. Warner missed a sitter four minutes later off a Jonathan Osorio pass. Alone in front, with only Hall to beat, Warner sent the ball well over the bar.

Orlando never seriously threatened to level things up again and Warner scored off a short corner in the 81st minute. Giovinco’s short pass went to Osorio, who abused Seb Hines and came free, chipping it to the far post for an unmarked Warner as Boden scrambled to try to get back. That effectively sealed it, although Giovinco added a third on a late counter attack to provide the final margin.

City likely expected to get a result with Toronto missing Jozy Altidore (red card suspension) and Michael Bradley (leg injury), but the team lacked urgency and the Lions are not good enough or deep enough right now to play that way.

Orlando is back in action Saturday night when the Philadelphia Union visits the Citrus Bowl at 7:30 p.m.

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Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Five Takeaways

Orlando City never plays well at Yankee Stadium, but Saturday’s performance and decision making were particularly dire.

Published

18 hours ago

on

March 8, 2026

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Image of Braian Ojeda taking a corner at Yankee Stadium against New York City FC
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

If you watched that entire game, please take care of your mental health. Orlando City started poorly and things only got worse from there. Everything about the team seems substandard right now, regardless of Orlando City putting together a decent second half against the Red Bulls and another decent first half against Inter Miami. An early red card made things snowball exponentially off the rails on Saturday, and the Lions lost 5-0 at Yankee Stadium to drop to 0-3-0 on the season to continue the club’s worst-ever start to league play.

Here is what stood out to me on a day of awful soccer by Orlando City.

Crepeau WYD?

Maxime Crepeau is a 31-year-old veteran goalkeeper with nearly 30 caps for his national team. That’s far too much experience for him to do what he did in Yankee Stadium just 16 minutes after the opening kick. On a routine ball over the top, Crepeau caught the ball in the air ahead of Nicolas Fernandez Mercau, then took a step outside his penalty box. Realizing the error, he tried to immediately drop the ball at his feet, but after video review, the red card stood, and it appeared the correct decision. There was no need for Crepeau to lose his mind in that moment. He could have punched it or simply stopped. The red card put his team a man down for more than 74 minutes and essentially ruined Orlando’s chances on the road to take anything from the game. The Canadian has been a good shot stopper early this season, but there is no place in MLS for the kind of mistake he made Saturday. This will not make any Orlando City fan think any more highly of Carlos Coronel’s decision to ghost the club in the off-season.

Back Line In Shambles

Orlando City’s back line has been leaky and poor through three games. One of the reasons Crepeau had to be so excellent on shots the first couple of games is that good chances are being created against the OCSC defense. David Brekalo and Tahir Reid-Brown were particularly poor in marking on Saturday, with Fernandez Mercau and Keaton Parks both getting too much space from the Slovenian, while the Homegrown allowed the cross for the second goal with inattentive marking and often seemed to drift away from the man he was supposed to close down. Griffin Dorsey, who has been a bright spot to this bad start to the season, also struggled at times, gifting Parks his second goal with a terrible giveaway in his own box on a failed clearance. The problems on this back line go deeper than Robin Jansson’s injury. If you’ve noticed that I didn’t single out rookie Nolan Miller, it’s not because his play was flawless, but he continues to look like the least problematic defender on the OCSC back line.

Inauspicious Start

Luis Otavio’s first MLS start was one to forget. Not only did the defensive midfield not shield the back line well in the match, but Otavio also conceded a penalty in first-half stoppage time to add to Orlando’s misery. The Lions gave up a 2-v-1 in transition after a set piece at the other end, but help was arriving defensively. Otavio went to ground, played through his man, and it was an easy call for the referee to point to the spot. Maxi Moralez scored New York’s third, making things even more dire just before halftime. It was always risky to give a teenager his first start in a place like Yankee Stadium, with its numerous quirks, and it turned out to be the wrong decision.

Goal Differential Destroyed

The game was still 0-0 when Crepeau was dismissed, but the best Orlando could realistically have expected was to grind out a scoreless draw or maybe hit for a surprise goal on the counter. The Lions didn’t look to be parking the bus, and if they were, they were bad at it. The score was out of hand before halftime and the defending didn’t look any more compact after the break. Leaving the Pigeons space played nicely into their hands, as they punished Orlando for nearly every yard of space given. Grinding out a narrow loss when down a man for most of the game would at least have accomplished something. Giving up a boatload of goals can only hurt the team later, although that assumes things turn around at some point.

Another Tough Outing for Otero at Yankee Stadium

Javier Otero must have had a sense of deja vu on Saturday. His MLS debut took place two years ago at Yankee Stadium when Mason Stajduhar started and was injured. This time it was a red card that brought Otero into the fray unexpectedly, and things didn’t go any better for him in the Bronx this time around. He perhaps could have done better on the first goal, as he appeared to have a good look at the high bouncer but he made no effort as it dipped over him and under his bar to open the scoring. He was also late off his line and was caught by it on Parks’ first goal. He guessed correctly on the Moralez penalty, but it still got past him as it was hit with good placement and pace. The Homegrown goalkeeper came in under difficult conditions and was put in a difficult position many times by his defense, but he never really seemed to get up to game speed. He’ll need to get up to speed from the start for the next Orlando City game, as Crepeau will be suspended due to that red card.

Those were the big-ticket items that caught my eye in Orlando City’s humiliating defeat at Yankee Stadium. What else stood out to you? Let us know in the comments.

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Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Final Score 5-0 as 10-Man Lions Crushed at Yankee Stadium

Maxime Crepeau’s early red card provided unnecessary help to the hosts as NYCFC throttled Orlando.

Published

1 day ago

on

March 7, 2026

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Orlando City At NYCFC
Image coutesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

In a one-sided affair at Yankee Stadium, Orlando City (0-3-0, 0 points) extended its club-record winless run to start the year with a 5-0 dismantling by New York City FC in an away game fans and players alike would no doubt like to forget. An early red card on Orlando goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau put NYCFC (2-0-1, 7 points) firmly in total control for essentially the entire match. Agustin Ojeda, Nicolas Fernandez Mercau, Maxi Moralez each scored a goal apiece while Keaton Parks earned a brace, and the Lions were shut out for the first time in 25 matches.

“I have been in processes that needed time, but again, I think at this point, the only way that we can overcome is just embrace the reality and detect every day what we need to get better,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I think [that] Orlando has tremendous footballers, [ones] younger than others, but we’re not going to use that as an excuse. They are tremendous professionals that will be able to do the job.”

Pareja’s starting XI featured Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Tahir Reid-Brown, Nolan Miller, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Luis Otavio —making his first MLS start — and Braian Ojeda started in central midfield with wingers Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Tyrese Spicer and Martin Ojeda in the attack.

Orlando City began the match with high energy and purpose, while New York City FC looked to exploit the counter. NYCFC remained composed early on, absorbing Orlando’s pressure and keeping play largely confined to its own half.

However, New York was in control and fashioned a few attacks in the opening minutes. A reckless foul by Tahir Reid-Brown in the seventh minute drew an early yellow card, putting the young defender and Orlando at an immediate disadvantage. The resulting free kick sailed just wide, narrowly missing Hannes Wolf, who might have had simple tap-in if not for a little Lion luck.

Orlando quickly responded, winning a corner that ultimately led to nothing more than a half-hearted NYCFC counter. Ever the dangerous team in possession, NYCFC started to apply pressure and created some chances and half-chances, including a sitter for Moralez, who fired over the crossbar in the 14th minute.

In an absolutely inexplicable turn of events, Crepau was shown a red card for handling the ball just outside the 18-yard box and denying a goal-scoring opportunity as a result of the infraction, putting the Lions in a desperate situation. Javier Otero replaced Crepeau in goal, with Spicer making way as the sacrificial substitution.

NYCFC then managed a spectacular shot in the 21st minute through sheer effort and a smart finish. Agustin Ojeda redirected a Moralez lob into the ground and over Otero to make it 1-0 in the 21st minute.

The match briefly settled into a lull, with NYCFC crafting the better of the chances and Orlando making occasional trips into the New York half, but lacking any real threat without any numbers in the attack.

A New York City corner caused chaos in the box, leaving goal scorer Agustin Ojeda on the ground for a few minutes after a knock. Taking advantage of the restart, NYCFC struck again, this time through a header by Fernandez Mercau, catching Orlando flat-footed. The lead was 2-0 in the 42nd minute.

Orlando’s defense was stretched to its limits, relying on last-ditch heroics to stay in the game. Griffin Dorsey’s individual brightness offered a rare positive, but it was far from enough. Desperation set in, and Otávio made an ill-advised sliding tackle in the box, which gifted Morález a penalty—and NYCFC a third goal—deep in stoppage time.

The first half ended 3-0 and NYCFC held the advantage in possession (67.9%-32.1%), shots (12-1), shots on target (5-0), corners (2-1), and passing accuracy (91.3%-72.9%).

Little changed in the second half with another near-miss connection for Moralez which was ultimately called offside anyway. New York struck with a fourth goal in the 49th minute through quality buildup and a touch by Parks past Otero, who perhaps could have come off his line a bit earlier.

For Orlando, the first and only shot on goal came in the 51st via a header by substitute Duncan McGuire, but it was an easy save for goalkeeper Matt Freese.

Only three minutes later Parks scored another goal off a very poor clearance attempt by Dorsey which made it 5-0.

McGuire took a long-distance shot in the 58th that was deflected out for a corner. The resulting set piece fell to Dorsey, who fired wildly over the endline.

It was just a day in the park for New York City from that point on and the hosts started resting their veterans and giving time to the youngsters. New York decided to let the Lions play around in its attacking half for a while, but the Lions couldn’t fashion a shot.

NYCFC regained control and started to casually work in the Orlando half with the Lions parking the bus and trying not to concede any more goals.

New York made a triple substitution in the 71st to rest some vets and give more time to the kids. Nothing changed with the substitutions, as the kids nearly scored in the 75th with Magno putting one in the net but he was correctly ruled offside.

The Lions found a way to create an 83rd-minute Brekalo header which was sent off target and right to Freese. Nothing came of the final remaining minutes and, mercifully, no added time was given.

“I understand we’re also frustrated in how we’re playing, and we want to win more than anyone, so I think just be patient with us,” McGuire said. “There’s been times where we haven’t started off the season well before, and we’ve come back and ended the season [on a] high. So, I think just be patient with us, and we’ll start getting results.”

NYCFC dominated the final stats with the advantage in possession (68.3%-31.7%), shots (14-4), shots on target (6-1), corners (5-2), and passing accuracy (91.9%-76.3%).

“I don’t know any other road but just working…just wake up in the morning and trying to improve things,” Pareja said. “I think this is a responsibility from all of us as a footballers, the coaches, people who belong to this competition, and there is nothing else. I don’t know any formula that can be successful, other than work and trying to just [turn] the corner and improve the team.”

Orlando City has a week to prepare for a struggling CF Montreal side at home a week from today. With his red card, Crepeau will be suspended for the match.

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Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions hit the road for the first time in 2026, hoping to turn things around and get their first win of the season.

Published

2 days ago

on

March 7, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread and preview for a Saturday matinee matchup between Orlando City (0-2-0, 0 points) and New York City FC (1-0-1, 4 points) at Yankee Stadium (2:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the first of the two scheduled meetings between the Lions and Pigeons this season with the return leg in Orlando set for Oct. 24.

Here is what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

The Lions are 7-11-8 in 26 meetings with NYCFC in the all-time series in MLS play and 7-11-10 including one playoff match and one U.S. Open Cup meeting (remember, games that go to penalty shootouts in knockout competitions officially count as draws). Orlando is 2-8-2 on the road in regular-season games in the all-time series. Things have trended the Pigeons’ way the last few years, as the Lions are 0-5-2 in the last seven meetings between the teams.

The teams met twice last year and NYCFC swept the season series. In the most recent matchup, Orlando City blew a late 1-0 lead at home on July 16 through Robin Jansson’s goal. But Rodrigo Schlegel smashed a clearance attempt off Kyle Smith and into his own net just a few minutes before the end of normal time, tying the game. Alonso Martinez scored the winner on a counterattack in stoppage time to end the game 2-1 in favor of the visitors.

In Orlando City’s first road game of the 2025 season, the Lions fell 2-1 at Yankee Stadium on March 8. Martinez opened the scoring in the second half, with Luis Muriel equalizing. However, just two minutes after Muriel’s goal, Hannes Wolf scored what turned out to be the game winner.

In Orlando, on July 20, 2024, the two 2015 expansion rivals played to a 1-1 draw. Ramiro Enrique and Wolf traded goals five minutes apart in the second half to account for all the scoring. The Lions and Pigeons met at Yankee Stadium on June 28, 2025, with New York City FC winning 4-2. An early Santiago Rodriguez goal opened the scoring and then things went horribly wrong when an obviously offside Malachi Jones collided hard with Orlando goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar. Both players left the game and both had season-ending surgery to repair broken tibias and fibulas. Javier Otero made his MLS debut in goal off the bench and the Lions allowed two goals in first-half stoppage time to let a close game get out of hand. Orlando pulled two goals back through Dagur Dan Thorhallsson and Duncan McGuire, but Mounsef Bakrar sealed the game late for NYCFC.

The teams met at Citi Field — a different baseball stadium than NYCFC’s usual one — on Sept. 20, 2023. The Pigeons were rude hosts, winning 2-0 on goals by Bakrar and Talles Magno. It snapped Orlando’s five-game unbeaten run but the Lions clinched a playoff spot that day anyway due to other results around the league. These teams also met in Orlando on May 17, and with the Lions poised for a 1-0 win, NYCFC eked out a late 1-1 draw with an 89th-minute Gabriel Segal goal out of nowhere. Ercan Kara scored for Orlando City early.

The teams faced off at Red Bull Arena (one of NYCFC’s many homes away from home) on Oct. 2, 2022, with the Pigeons erasing a 1-0 halftime deficit that Facundo Torres provided. The “hosts” got second-half goals from Alex Callens and Magno to complete the comeback and win, 2-1. Earlier in the year at Exploria Stadium, the Lions got a Tesho Akindele goal at the death, stunning NYCFC as Orlando City won 2-1 on Aug. 28, 2022. Junior Urso and Maxi Moralez had scored early in the first and second half, respectively.

Orlando City had a five-game unbeaten streak in the series (1-0-4) absolutely demolished on July 25, 2021 in a 5-0 OCSC loss at Yankee Stadium. The Lions started a makeshift lineup, and it showed, as the Pigeons got goals from Jesus Medina, Ismael Tajouri-Shradi, Moralez, Malte Amundsen, and Valentin Castellanos. Why the makeshift lineup? That match was sandwiched between home games against Philadelphia and Atlanta, with quick turnarounds for each. The strategy was sound, as Orlando won the other two games in that nine-day span.

The teams met in Orlando on May 8, 2021 and drew 1-1. Nani smashed a golazo in the second half to put the Lions on top, but Joao Moutinho fouled Tajouri-Shradi in the box and Castellanos scored from the spot to equalize.

The last meeting of the 2020 season happened in the postseason and things got weird. Orlando City ultimately prevailed in penalties after a 1-1 postseason draw on Nov. 21, 2020. Nani put Orlando ahead from the penalty spot, only to see Maxime Chanot equalize on a set piece. Extra time couldn’t settle it, so to penalties we went, and the Lions advanced thanks to a save by Schlegel — after goalkeeper Pedro Gallese was sent off with a second yellow for coming off his line early. Benji Michel’s blast was the difference in the shootout. (Seriously, just click the above link in this paragraph and relive that madness.)

The Lions and Pigeons wrapped the 2020 season series on Oct. 14 at Exploria Stadium, playing to a 1-1 draw. Chris Mueller opened the scoring but Keaton Parks equalized just before halftime. The first meeting of 2020 also took place in Central Florida in the MLS is Back Tournament on July 14, when Mueller’s brace and a late Akindele insurance goal led Orlando to a 3-1 win. Medina scored for NYCFC. That win snapped Orlando City’s 0-4-3 streak in the previous seven competitive meetings with the Pigeons. The last match in that winless streak against NYCFC was a 1-1 draw, with the Lions then dispatching NYCFC from the U.S. Open Cup in a penalty shootout on July 10, 2019. That night has been immortalized for the running of The Wall and Adam Grinwis’ heroics in goal.

The teams drew both regular-season meetings in 2019, 1-1 on April 27 at Yankee Stadium, and 2-2 on opening day at Exploria Stadium. NYCFC took all three meetings in a dismal 2018 season series. The Lions went 2-1-0 against New York City FC in 2017, including a win to christen the stadium now known as Exploria with Cyle Larin scoring the only goal in a 1-0 OCSC win. Orlando was 3-1-2 in 2015 and 2016 in the first six meetings with NYCFC.

Overview

Orlando City opened the season with two consecutive losses for the first time in club history. The Lions have played one good half and one bad one in each match but have yet to put a full 90 minutes together. Perhaps getting away from home would be a recipe to change the energy, but in this case, the club travels to one of its least-successful away venues. Orlando has been a decent road team since Oscar Pareja took over, but Yankee Stadium is still a difficult place for the Lions to pull points out of.

New York City FC, meanwhile, has opened the season unbeaten through two games with a win and a draw, and the Pigeons will be at home for the first time. This start is despite Martinez being out of the lineup due to injury. NYCFC opened the season with a road draw against the LA Galaxy and followed with a 2-1 win at Philadelphia. Like Orlando, the Pigeons have had three different goal scorers through two matches.

The Lions must try to keep Wolf at bay, as he’s hurt Orlando before and has one of his team’s goals already this season. Nicolas Fernández Mercau is another attacking player to watch. Moralez is always a dangerous provider and he too has hurt the Lions in the past. Defensive midfielder Keaton Parks has returned after blood clot issues a year ago and has picked up where he left off. In the back, Matt Freese is one of the league’s top goalkeepers, and Orlando will need to be clinical to beat him.

“First, we know in terms of results that we can bounce back. I think our team, in the last game, already gave us signs of improvement, cohesiveness, and doing what we need much more efficiently in order to win,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the game. “Now we need to keep doing that but win games. And there’s no doubt that we are urgent to get results, and on a field this weekend that is a challenge, but I think we have a good mentality and that the boys are ready.”

Orlando City will be without Colin Guske (suspension), Joran Gerbet (knee), Wilder Cartagena (thigh), and Jansson (foot), while Adrian Marin (thigh) remains questionable. The good news is that center back Nolan Miller, who left last weekend’s game with a knock, is not on the availability report. NYCFC will be without Martinez (leg), Malachi Jones (leg), and former Lion Andres Perea (leg).

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Tahir Reid-Brown, Nolan Miller, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Luis Otavio, Marco Pasalic.

Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Tyrese Spicer.

Bench: Javier Otero, Adrian Marin, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Dylan Judelson, Eduard Atuesta, Harvey Sarajian, Tiago, Duncan McGuire.

New York City FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Matt Freese.

Defenders: Kevin O’Toole, Kai Trewin, Thiago Martins, Tayvon Gray.

Midfielders: Keaton Parks, Maxi Moralez, Aiden O’Neill.

Forwards: Hannes Wolf, Nicolas Fernández Mercau, Agustin Ojeda.

Bench: Tomas Romero, Nico Cavallo, Drew Baiera, Strahinja Tanasijevic, Raul Gustavo, Jonathan Shore, Maximo Carrizo, Seymour Reid, Talles Magno.

Referees:

REF: Guido Gonzales Jr.
AR1: Gerard-Kader Lebuis.
AR2: Ben Pilgrim.
4TH: Ricardo Montero Araya.
VAR: Geoff Gamble.
AVAR: Tom Supple.

How to Watch

Match Time: 2:30 p.m.

Venue: Yankee Stadium — The Bronx, NY.

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: 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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