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Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Final Score 1-0 as Late Rochez Goal Lifts Lions on Road

Second half subs Brek Shea, Darwin Ceren and Bryan Rochez combined for a game winner in the 86th to keep the Lions’ playoff hopes alive.

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Austin Warren, The Mane Land

BRIDGEVIEW, IL — Orlando City snuck out of Toyota Park with a 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire on Saturday night, proving the Lions don’t need Kaká in order to succeed. They didn’t even need their 11 starters, with substitutes Brek Shea, Darwin Cerén and Bryan Róchez combining for the winning goal in the 86th minute.

“Makes it look like I know what I’m doing huh?” Adrian Heath said. “We all thought of starting with Bryan Róchez because he gave us a lift last week. Brek’s the same, [because] he’s working really hard in the week. We don’t know how far we can go with him, but obviously in the end it was good that all three subs were involved in the goal.”

Despite the end result, this was a match the Lions (9-13-8, 35 points) were very lucky to win.

David Accam was active for Chicago (7-16-6, 27 points) in the early going, creating several scoring opportunities that tested Orlando City’s back line. He was defended well by David Mateos and Aurélien Collin, who prevented the Ghanaian striker from producing anything Tally Hall couldn’t deal with.

It was a particularly strong outing for Mateos, who showed signs of becoming the defensive stopper Orlando hoped they were getting during the summer transfer window. Whether he was the last man back on Fire counterattacks or roaming in the box off corners, his potential to succeed in MLS was obvious in the early going.

But with most of Orlando’s back line focused on stopping Accam, several other Fire players were allowed to roam freely in the final third. Kennedy Igboananike managed a nice header midway through the first that forced Hall to make a diving save (though the flag was up), while minutes later, Hall had to make a nearly identical stop on a Harry Shipp rocket from just inside the box.

The first-half offense for Orlando was provided by Carlos Rivas, who made a case for more minutes down the stretch this season in a very strong performance. His 19th-minute opportunity rattled the crossbar, as he kept Jeff Larentowicz and friends busy in front of the Fire goal. While not playing the central attacking role that he’s occupied at times this season, Rivas was certainly Orlando’s most active offense player, as even Cyle Larin seemed content to play a facilitating role.

The first half ended without a goal and both of Orlando’s shots on target coming from the club’s Colombian midfielder.

Chicago continued to pressure the Lions in the second half, as Shipp made a nice run to find Accam for a shot that trickled just past the left post. Neither team dominated possession, but it was the Fire that managed to string together passes and dictate the tempo of the match. Still though, the Lions failed to produce anything dangerous.

Kaká’s creativity was desperately missed at times in the central midfield, as Orlando’s offensive strategy consisted mainly of long balls to Larin or Rivas. Any attempt by the Lions to establish some kind of build-up play led to midfield turnovers, as Accam or Igboananike seemed always ready to pounce.

Heath said he believes Orlando City’s captain will be back on the field soon.

“We think that Ricky will be available next week,” he said. “He’s been working really, really hard the last two or three days, but we just felt there was no point risking it. Obviously, he’ll be available for selection next week, as will Corey Ashe.”

With the game still deadlocked late in the second half, Heath brought on Róchez and Shea in an attempt to jump-start the Orlando City attack. It began to pay immediate dividends, as Rafael Ramos found a streaking Róchez on the right post, only for his close-range header to be turned away by Jon Busch.

But just minutes later, the Honduran international would make good.

The play began on a cheeky pass from Shea into the box, where both Cerén and Róchez had snuck behind the Fire defense. Cerén controlled, then found Róchez for the 20-year-old’s second goal as a Lion.

It was Shea’s second assist in as many games since returning from injury.

“I turned around and all of a sudden the ball popped back to me,” Shea said. “I was going to cross it, but didn’t see many options in the box so I pulled it back and started dribbling in. I laid it off and they scored.”

There wasn’t much time for the Fire to work with after the Róchez goal, as the momentum had been sucked right out of Toyota Park. When the game went final a few minutes later, Orlando City had stolen more than just three points from their trip to the Windy City.

They also kept a most unlikely playoff bid alive for one more week, giving fans reason to believe this season might hold something more than just the four games left on the schedule.

“It’s getting to that stage in the season where we’ve got to step up,” Heath said. “We’ve got another huge game for us next week, but I’m confident in this group. When we play well, we can give anybody in the league a game.”

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.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

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:

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 2/12/25

Leagues Cup Schedule released, Sams and Moorhouse called up, Champions League results, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

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.

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That will do it for today. Check back later today for our coverage of the new kit. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 2/11/25

Orlando City signs Eduard Atuesta, MLS news roundup, Americans in midweek action, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

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.

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That does it for me this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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