Limited by injuries and squad rotation, Orlando City fielded a makeshift lineup against the Houston Dynamo Saturday night, best illustrated by a bench on which the most experienced non-goalkeeper player was rookie defender Nolan Miller. Despite player availability issues, Orlando City played well enough to get a result against a similarly struggling Dynamo squad, but failed to get that result, falling 1-0 at home.

Both teams struggled to finish the chances they created in a match that probably deserved to finish 0-0 as a result. Orlando created a chance in the 10th minute on a good cross from Tiago, but Tyrese Spicer mistimed his jump and put his header over the crossbar. Despite earning a few corners over the middle part of the half, the next chance for Orlando didn’t occur until the 45th minute, when Spicer and Tiago reversed positions on the earlier play. Spicer found Tiago with a low cross in a similar location about six yards out, but Tiago missed the gaping right half of the net and rang his shot off the post, wasting the best opportunity for either side in the opening half.

The second half brought a similar scarcity of clear-cut chances. A corner kick in the 66th minute resulted in a flurry of shots that could have produced an opener for the Lions if not for some bodies inconveniently in the way. The ball fell kindly for Braian Ojeda, who saw his shot blocked by a defender. The rebound found Iago, but his effort was also blocked — by former Lion Antonio Carlos — and finally Martín Ojeda fired from a tight angle that Jimmy Maurer saved.

The game’s only goal came on the counterattack from the Dynamo after Ivan Angulo’s cross attempt was blocked, allowing the visitors to break the other way in transition in the 75th minute. Robin Jansson did well to track Lawrence Ennali to his own six-yard box, but the Swede bought a fake and went to ground to block a shot or cross that never came. Ennali sidestepped the sliding defender and centered it for Ezequiel Ponce. Zakaria Taifi got a piece of the pass and Iago cleared Ponce’s redirect toward goal off the line. Unfortunately, the rebound found Hector Herrera unattended in front, and the Mexican international buried his chance.

Playing from behind, the Lions did not increase their chance production and there was a dearth of attacking help on the bench, though 2026 first-round pick Harvey Sarajian made his MLS debut, as did academy midfielder Ignacio Gomez. Second-half substitute Justin Ellis fired a weak shot at Maurer from just inside the box on one of Orlando’s final looks, with Iago following with an attempt from distance right at the goalkeeper and a header well over the crossbar.

Houston saw out the game, and Orlando furthered a disastrous start to the 2026 compaign. Despite the result, we hope you enjoy the photos from the game.

Orlando Pride hosted Angel City FC at Inter&Co stadium for a Friday night game, eventually coming away with a 2-1 victory on two scrappy, late goals from Haley McCutcheon. It was a hard-fought affair, with excellent matchups all night with Barbra Banda vs. Sarah Gorden in one direction, and Sveindis Jónsdóttir vs. Hailie Mace and Rafaelle in the other.

The Pride did a good job of stifling the visitors through the first 75 minutes of the game, pressing well when their shape dictated, but executing a solid block when they couldn’t. As a result, the possession stats favored the visitors. Orlando did well with chance-creation however, generating the majority of their opportunities both line skipping to find Banda and advancing through the midfield via Jacquie Ovalle. Banda got in behind in the 10th minute but didn’t get a great shot off. Later, Rafaelle got a good look in the 30th minute but Angel City goalkeeper Angelina Anderson was there to make a good save for another corner.

On the ensuing set piece, Ovalle and Rafaelle executed an almost mirror image of the same combination, with Rafaelle finding the net this time, but a foul was called and the play was blown dead early, preventing the play from going to review. Banda managed to open space and get off a well-placed shot just inside the post in the 45th minute, but she didn’t get enough on it and it was saved by Anderson.

The second half continued with more of the same, with more physical play and smart defensive matchups. Banda got in behind immediately off the restart, but she was at a tight angle on the right and sent her shot straight at Anderson. McCutcheon netted in the 52nd minute off a great cross from Banda, but it was called back for offside.

Unfortunately, the trainers are going to have some new additions to the already significant injury list, as Ovalle needed assistance off the pitch in the 55th minute after trying to run down a break by Jónsdóttir, and Oihane was replaced on a concussion sub in the 75th minute due to head contact from earlier in the game.

As the game wore on and legs started to tire, the match loosened up and play was not as sharp, with both sides creating more set pieces and chances. Eventually, Banda fed in a dangerous cross from the left that pinged around the box. McCutcheon pounced on it in the defensive confusion for the final touch in the scrum, scoring the opening goal in the 84th minute. After a lengthy review, the goal was upheld.

Unfortunately, the lead did not stand long, as Angel City evened the score early in stoppage time. Giselle Thompson rattled the bottom of the crossbar on a recycled set piece, and the ball fell behind the goal line on the only shot on target of the night for the visitors.

But the Pride showed the grit that has been the hallmark of the Seb Hines era, earning a corner in the eighth minute of added time. The ball rattled around the box in traffic until McCutcheon eventually poked home her second goal of the night. The referee allowed a few more minutes beyond the originally allotted 10, but the teams mostly played aerial balls back and forth until the final whistle.

We hope you enjoy these photos of Orlando’s hard-fought victory over the (formerly) last unbeaten team in the NWSL.

In a reversal of Orlando City’s game on opening night, the Lions outplayed their visitors on Sunday for the opening 45 minutes, only to be undone in the second half. Turnovers in the defensive end and lapses in marking let Inter Miami climb out of a 2-0 hole and ultimately win 4-2, marking the first time the Herons have taken all three points out of Orlando.

While much has been made of Miami’s three previous trips that Lionel Messi skipped, the Argentine legend made the trip this time and his presence was felt, particularly in the second half, when he scored twice and set up a goal in the comeback. Only one pitch invader marred events, and that came late in the match.

Orlando City fans will fondly remember the first half, as the Lions appeared on their way to another regular-season win over their rivals when Marco Pasalic and Martin Ojeda powered the team to a two-goal lead inside the first half an hour. Maxime Crepeau made some excellent stops to preserve that lead into the half, despite playing behind two first-time MLS starters along the back line in Nolan Miller and Tahir Reid-Brown.

On the other side of halftime, substitute Matteo Silvetti pulled Miami back into the game after a defensive third giveaway and no one close enough to close down his blast from outside the area. Dayne St. Clair kept the Orlando lead from growing again at the other end of the pitch, and disaster struck when Messi scored the equalizer and Miller went down with an injury, requiring Iago to replace him.

Orlando City was unable to break out much in the second half once Miami pulled level, although St. Clair made a vital stop on Pasalic before the Croatian departed late in the game for fresher legs. Miami then scored the winner late when David Brekalo’s slip allowed a quick transition goal. Messi squashed hopes of an equalizer with a 90th-minute free kick goal, and the Lions fell for the second game to open the season.

Despite the result, Inter&Co Stadium was electric on Sunday night. We hope you enjoy these images from the match and that they bring to life some of the buzz that those in attendance felt until those fateful final minutes.

Images: Dan MacDonald
Words: Michael Citro