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Orlando City vs. Sporting Kansas City: Final Score 3-1 as Winter’s Two Goals Help Lions Snap Skid

Adrian Winter found the net twice, Bryan Rochez scored his first MLS goal, and Brek Shea got an assist in his return in an enjoyable win over Sporting Kansas City.

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10 years ago

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Austin Warren, The Mane Land

For the first time in more than two months, Orlando City looked like the playoff team many expected it to be in mid-June.

Adrian Winter scored his first and second goals in an Orlando City uniform, Bryan Rochez scored the first MLS goal of his career and Brek Shea returned to action to a raving ovation and added an assist as Orlando City defeated Sporting Kansas City 3-1 at the Citrus Bowl.

“Obviously delighted that we got a result. I thought we deserved it,” Head Coach Adrian Heath said after the match. “I thought we started really, really well. When I look at the full 90 minutes, I thought we deserved the win.”

Orlando City (8-13-8, 32 points) got its first goal by an Orlando City player in 526 minutes in the third minute of the match when a Luke Boden free kick found its way to the far post and Winter beat Sporting KC backup keeper Jon Kempin with a header. It was the first match in 10 games in which Orlando City scored first, and helped the team to its first MLS victory without star midfielder Kaká.

Sporting KC (11-8-8, 41 points) keeper Tim Melia was out with an injury he sustained in Wednesday’s match at Portland against the Timbers, but it’s doubtful he could have gotten to Winter’s strike.

Two minutes later, Carlos Rivas sent a dangerous cross into the box for Cyle Larin, whose shot deflected to Lewis Neal with an open net, but Neal missed wide.

Orlando City took its 1-0 lead to the locker room at halftime.

Always dangerous on the counter, Sporting leveled the match with a Krisztian Nemeth goal in the 59th minute. Nemeth received a pass from Benny Feilhaber and took it into the box, eking past Aurelien Collin and finishing an unstoppable shot into the top right corner.

After more than two months of playing without Shea, City welcomed its winger back to action in the 61st minute, and he immediately made his presence felt when he received an accurate long ball from David Mateos and found Rochez with a short cross right in front of goal that the young Designated Player finished for his first career MLS goal.

Rochez had checked in for a fatigued-looking Larin in the 51st minute and continued his run of solid play, which may grant him a few more opportunities to get on the field, with Larin seemingly cooling down from his hot start. The Canadian had a team-low 13 touches in the first half and Heath said he looked “leggy” after returning from international duty in Belize on Wednesday.

“We expected Cyle would be tired,” Heath said. “He’s never played this long in his career and certainly with this intensity. He’s been away all week with the traveling to Belize. I just felt that he looked a little bit leggy for the first time. There wasn’t that zip in his legs. We just thought that it might be a good chance for Bryan to come on and give us a lift, which he did”

With Shea out, Orlando City won just one game, and, upon his return, the team looked considerably looser and more dangerous going forward, even without star midfielder Kaká, Darwin Ceren, and Corey Ashe.

Winter found the back of the net again in the 72nd minute with a nice bit of work between Rochez, Neal, and the Swiss winger. Rochez outworked the SKC defense to retrieve a loose ball and fed Neal, who received his first assist on the season when he slipped a ball through defenders to Winter, who finished near post.

Winter was a menace for Sporting’s defense all evening, with a high work rate and creative runs that have been lacking for Orlando City in recent months.

Much was made of hometown boy Graham Zusi’s return to Orlando, as well as teammate Dom Dwyer’s, as the latter was an Orlando City player during the club’s USL days.

Zusi had one real chance on goal in the game and his shot hit the outside of the net. Dwyer battled Collin all evening to no avail before he eventually was sent off with a red card in the 87th minute, aided by a bit of an acting job from Mateos.

The loss extended SKC’s winless streak to four matches (0-3-1), and snaps a winless streak of six games for the Lions (0-4-2). It is the fifth win for Orlando City against a Western Conference team (Houston, Portland, Los Angeles, Colorado and Kansas City).

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Lion Links: 6/5/25

MLS All-Star voting update, Kerry Abello shines with USWNT, Sergio Zapata earns recognition, and more.

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15 hours ago

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June 5, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope this week has been treating you well as we enjoy some international soccer and prepare for the return of NWSL action this weekend. Before we jump right into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City B midfielder Dylan Judelson!

Pair of Lions Lead MLS All-Star Voting

Voting for this year’s MLS All-Star Game remains underway and an update was provided on which players are leading at each position. Orlando City defender Alex Freeman leads all right backs as he enjoys a breakout season. I was aware of the buzz he’s been getting this year, but it’s still surprising to see a Lion as an All-Star frontrunner. What’s even more surprising is that Pedro Gallese leads the voting for goalkeepers. The Peruvian made a rough gaffe last week, but has otherwise had a stellar season with Orlando that’s included seven clean sheets. Voting will close on June 11, so make sure to get those votes in before then.

Kerry Abello Impresses With USMNT

Orlando Pride defender Kerry Abello made her first appearance for the United States Women’s National Team Tuesday, playing every minute of the 4-0 win over Jamaica. The versatility she’s shown with the Pride translated well in Head Coach Emma Hayes’ system, as she was able to hold things down defensively and contribute to the attack as well. Abello could end up bringing solid depth to the USWNT as Hayes figures out the team’s future core of players. Enjoy this video from the USWNT that provides a look behind the scenes of Abello’s international debut.

Sergio Zapata Named Player of the Month

Sergio Zapata scored a whopping 11 goals for Orlando City’s U-19 team over the course of just four matches in May, winning the honor of MLS NEXT Player of the Month. He had three hat tricks last month, including one against Hoosier Premier at MLS NEXT Fest. Zapata committed to Cornell, so hopefully we’ll get to see him tear it up in the Ivy League over the next couple of years.

Zack Steffen Sustains Knee Injury

Goalkeeper Zack Steffen injured his knee at the United States Men’s National Team’s training camp and will reportedly miss this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup. It’s rough news for the 30-year-old, as he was expected to compete with Matt Turner for the starting job with the USMNT. He’s been having a great season with the Colorado Rapids and returned to the club for further evaluation on the injury.

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That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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Lion Links: 6/4/25

USWNT wins as Abello gets first cap, Orlando Pride’s Concacaf W Champions Cup draw, Club World Cup in Orlando, and more.

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2 days ago

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June 4, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Tuesday was a busy soccer day, especially on the women’s side. We have plenty of Orlando Pride news, and the USWNT secured yet another victory. I’m hoping the good vibes continue since I’ll be coming down to Orlando for the Pride’s match this Saturday. If you’re going to the match, let me know, as I’d love to meet as many of our readers as possible. For now, let’s get to the links.

USWNT Blanks Jamaica

The USWNT defeated Jamaica 4-0 in a friendly at Energizer Park in St. Louis. The Orlando Pride’s Kerry Abello got her first start and her first cap in the match. She went the full 90 minutes and almost had her first international goal in the second half, but the chance went a bit wide of the right post. Ally Sentnor and Lynn Biyendolo each scored a brace as the U.S. rolled to an easy win.

Pride Internationals

Abello wasn’t the only Pride player to make an international appearance. Marta returned to international duty for Brazil getting the start and the captain’s armband in a 2-1 win over Japan. Both Grace Chanda and Barbra Banda started for Zambia in the 2-0 loss to South Africa in the Three Nations Challenge. Congratulations are also due to Zara Chavoshi, who earned her first cap with the Canadian Women’s National Team in the match against Haiti.

Concacaf W Champions Cup Draw

The Concacaf W Champions Cup draw happened yesterday and the Orlando Pride are in Group A with Club America Femenil, CF Pachuca Femenil, LD Alajuelense, and Chorrillo FC. Group B consists of NJ/NY Gotham FC, the Washington Spirit, CF Monterrey Femenil, Vancouver Rise FC Academy, and Alianza Women FC. The competition kicks off Aug. 19-21.

FIFA Loves Orlando

FIFA President Gianni Infantino sat for an interview with Jamie Seh of WKMG Orlando. Infantino spoke about the upcoming Club World Cup matches at Inter&Co Stadium and Camping World Stadium. FIFA loves Orlando enough for the city to host the Club World Cup, but not the actual World Cup. Here is the schedule for the matches in Orlando. We will be bringing you coverage of these matches.

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That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the return of the Orlando Pride this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 6/3/25

Orlando City B announces signings, details of Concacaf W Champions Cup, UEFA Nations League preview, and more.

Published

3 days ago

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June 3, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Good morning, everyone. It’s been a pretty brutal last two games for Orlando City, there’s no getting around that fact. While it’s never fun to not have the team in action, a two-week break between games maybe isn’t the worst thing in this particular case. Even though it’ll be a minute before the Lions are back in action, we still have plenty of things to talk about, so let’s get into today’s links.

Orlando City B Announces Signings

Orlando City B announced on Monday that it has signed Clovis Archange and Jackson Platts to MLS NEXT Pro contracts. The pair are graduates of the Orlando City Development Academy and were part of the team that won the U-18 Generation Adidas Cup earlier this year. The 18-year-old Platts captained the team in the final, while Archange was named as one of the players to watch before the tournament started. They’ve both featured for their countries at the youth level, with Platts appearing for the United States U-16 and U-18 teams, and Archange suiting up for Canada’s U-17 side. Congratulations to both players!

Concacaf Announces W Champions Cup Details

Concacaf has named the 10 teams that will participate 2025-2026 Concacaf W Champions Cup and has announced the pots for tonight’s draw. The Orlando Pride are one of three American teams participating in the second year of the competition, and have been placed into Pot 2. Teams will be divided into two groups of five, with each team facing every club in its group once, and the top two sides from each group then advancing to the semifinals. The winner gets a spot in the 2027 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, and the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, which is set to be held for the first time in 2028. The draw takes place tonight at 8 p.m.

UEFA Nations League Preview

The UEFA Nations League returns this week, with the semifinals set for tomorrow and Thursday, and the third-place game and final taking place on Sunday. Things get started on Wednesday afternoon with Germany facing off against Portugal in Munich. Germany put away Italy 5-4 on aggregate in the quarterfinals to get to the semis for the first time, while Portugal beat Denmark 5-2, and is hunting for its second Nations League trophy. Thursday has Spain taking on France in Stuttgart. The Spanish beat the Netherlands on penalties in the semis to get here, while France took out Croatia on penalties to punch its ticket. There’s plenty of recent history in this one as these teams also met in the semifinals of Euro 2024 last year, with Spain claiming a 2-1 win.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

The transfer rumor mill has kicked into full swing, so let’s catch up on some of the big talking points. Starting in England, Manchester United has reportedly increased its interest in Brian Mbuemo, with the Brentford forward said to also be interested in moving to the club. There are said to be a number of Premier League teams interested in signing Southampton midfielder Tyler Dibling after his team was relegated to the Championship this season. Jobe Bellingham will reportedly follow in his brother Jude’s footsteps, as he’s reportedly decided to join Borussia Dortmund. Finally, Inter Milan is reportedly interested in signing Marcus Rashford as the Italians look to rebuild the squad following a brutal defeat in the UEFA Champions League final.

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  • Here’s a first look at Alex Freeman in his USMNT kit:

That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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