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Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Final Score 1-1, As Lions Fail To Capitalize On Man Advantage

Cyle Larin scored in the fourth minute, Chicago went down to 10 men in the 26th minute, and Orlando City got out with only a point against the Fire.

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9 years ago

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Austin Warren, The Mane Land

What if I told you Orlando City played two-thirds of a game a man up and failed to score?

Well, that was the case on this Friday night, as the Lions (0-0-2, 2 points) played to a 1-1 draw against Eastern Conference foes the Chicago Fire (0-1-1, 1 point) in front of 29,041 loud fans at the Orlando Citrus Bowl.

After saving the goals for late in the match five days ago, Orlando and Chicago got them out of the way early, scoring both in the first 15 minutes before playing scoreless for the remainder of the match.

“Obviously, I’m disappointed with the final score.” head coach Adrian Heath said during his postgame press conference. “We had plenty of opportunities again tonight. I thought we were nearly very good a lot of times, but unfortunately I thought we had three of four players under par tonight.”

Cyle Larin broke the scoreless deadlock before it ever really started, firing a second chance effort into the top right corner past Chicago goalkeeper Matt Lampson for his second goal of the season — No. 19 on his young career — to put the Lions up in just the fourth minute of the match. Counting the final minute of last weekend’s match, it was Larin’s second goal in a span of just five minutes, and the second fastest goal for Orlando City in MLS — you might recall Adrian Winter’s third-minute goal against Sporting Kansas City last September.

Though for as quickly as Orlando City grabbed the lead, the Fire wasted little time pulling one back less than 10 minutes later.

A long-range pass down the field by John Goossens in the 14th minute had just enough length on it to reach David Accam, who got to the ball while blowing past Seb Hines, and eventually beating Joe Bendik 1-on-1 for his second goal of the season, as well.

“The kid’s quick, it was a great goal.” Heath said of Accam’s goal. “I’d be easy to mention Tommy [Redding] and Seb [Hines] have to do better. The ball is three quarters of the way off, and they didn’t expect it 10 seconds later, to look in the back of the net.”

Both teams continued to trade chances following Accam’s goal.

Kevin Molino, who assisted on Larin’s goal, came up with a great opportunity hardly a minute later, firing a shot on target that Lampson made a good save on to his right. About 10 minutes later, Accam rattled a headed shot off the post that would have given his team the advantage.

What should have been a big turning point in the match turned out to be a detail hardly worth mentioning, when Chicago was forced down to 10 men in the 32nd minute for a rough challenge on Brek Shea by defender Michael Harrington. Just as they did against RSL, the Lions failed to capitalize on the advantage, as they struggled to create chances in the final third of the pitch, a problem that haunted the team much of last season.

Even as Orlando City dominated possession, and completed a large majority of its passes, Chicago made it seem as if there was no man advantage at all.

Pedro Ribeiro nearly put the Lions in front in the 78th minute, blasting a deep shot off the post. And less than a minute later, Larin dinged a shot of his own off the post, saving Lampson and Chicago once again.

The Lions continued to push, but couldn’t push far enough for the decisive goal.

“I don’t think we were good enough.” Heath said. “I thought we were at least worthy of a point, we had enough to probably have won the game. But if you’re them, you’re probably disappointed if you hadn’t taken anything from the game.”

Antonio Nocerino, who arrived in town exactly a week ago, made his MLS debut with Orlando City, appearing in the starting lineup and playing the first 63 minutes before coming off for Ribeiro. Nocerino didn’t have any significant moments in the match, and turned in pretty much the kind of performance you’d expect from a guy who hasn’t played a competitive match since August and probably doesn’t yet know most of his teammates’ names.

With two draws at home under their belts to start the season, Orlando City will hit the road for another Friday night match-up next week against New York City FC at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

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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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1 hour 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

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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1 day 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

Lion Links: 6/3/25

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

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2 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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