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Staff Roundtable Week 8: Orlando City at New England Revolution

Published

10 years ago

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Orlando City completes its two-game road swing on Saturday at New England, with a clash with the Revolution at Gillette Stadium. I’m not even going to say anything bad about MLS referees this week. I’m simply going to assume that we finally get through a match without any real controversy.

The match at New York was disappointing in almost every facet, from finding out Saturday the Lions would be without Kaká to the seemingly nonstop waves of Red Bull attacks that started just seconds after Cyle Larin made it 1-0 for the good guys. Herein, we’ll wrap up that match and look ahead to the Revs. Joining us at the big, purple, round table this week are Daniel McGann, Brent Petkus, and Jeff Milby. Let’s get right to it.

On Sunday, Orlando City once again scored an early goal and then proceeded to spend much of the rest of the game on the back foot. Why can't this team seem to build on early game success?

Daniel: Well, our passing percentage is 77.3% for 2016 and was 81.7% for 2015. So, we are connecting passes at a lower clip, leading to more giveaways and less possession. This becomes exacerbated throughout the match, especially when we score early and the other team begins to pressure. We have not dealt with that type of high pressure from other teams this year, and it has caused issues and teams will continue to exploit Orlando in that fashion.

Brent: This team is still very young and is not used to having an early lead. Last year, this team was having difficulties finding results early in the season. Now they are finding themselves in the lead early in matches and they are playing more defensively. They are sitting back and absorbing pressure, which was successful against NYCFC. They need to be more like the team that played the Portland Timbers than the NYCFC game.

Jeff: This is the proverbial million dollar question for Orlando this season. For me, it comes down to midfield play. In order to compete in the possession game, your midfield must be able to take control. Kaká has been injured, and without him there has been next to no consistency from the middle third. Antonio Nocerino has been a no-show since donning purple and Kevin Molino has been up and down. Of course injuries have played a big role, but there has been little lineup consistency so far from Adrian Heath in this department. Granted, on the whole this is still a young team, and closing out a game positively and professionally can be difficult to learn. Perhaps these sorts of performances will be lessons for the future.

Was the good start to the season a mirage? Are we seeing an average team get exposed the last few games? If not, what's going on?

Brent: The start of the season is not a mirage, it’s a good representation of what this team is. They are able to get points in games that they weren’t going to last year. The one worry I have about this team is the play of the center backs. Tommy Redding has done a great job adjusting to the starting role. Seb Hines had a great preseason but his positioning has been shaky. This team will need to absorb pressure and so far Joe Bendik has done that. The center backs’ play will tell where this team will go.

Jeff: Maybe, but who knows? This answer may sound like a copout, but MLS teams have bad runs all the time. Last year, the New York Red Bulls won the Supporters’ Shield but also had a run of five games without a win from May to June that included four losses in a row. Portland won the MLS Cup, but also had three different four-game runs without a win. Every team has a poor run at some point throughout the season. The good news for Orlando is that it is located on the East Coast, which gives the Lions the benefit of being in the weak Eastern Conference.

Daniel: We are seeing a team that has not defined their type of soccer yet. Last year we were the possession-oriented team. This year, we are not, which is seen by our 48% possession and low passing accuracy. The team needs to identify what type of football they want to play to move forward and start commanding the pitch.

Has the organization built a roster that is too reliant on a healthy Kaká, and, unlike last season, can this team get a win in New England without its captain this time around?

Jeff: Being reliant on a star is a pretty common way to build a team. No team in the league this side of Los Angeles has the kind of depth to overcome the loss of its best player (though the case could be made for Kansas City, which played better without Benny Feilhaber so far this year). Kaká missing games this year has been a major headline for Orlando City, but you can’t really blame the organization for it. Injuries come with age, but blaming management for relying on an aging star is like blaming Orlando City for playing in MLS — it’s just how things are done in this league. The team can get a win without him in New England this week, but it’ll need better play from Kaká’s supporting cast in the midfield to do it.

Daniel: I actually believe the team is built to survive without Kaká. Unfortunately, the players who were brought in to help in those roles — Nocerino and Baptista — have not been effective so far and continue to be inconsistent.

Brent: This team does not have a central midfielder who can keep possession. If they do not have this piece in the lineup their play becomes direct and more reliant on set pieces. This team is at its best when Kaká is on the field. The Antonio Nocerino transfer was to hopefully fill that role, but unfortunately his play has been mediocre at best. I think this team has a small chance if Kevin Molino or Darwin Ceren can fill Kaká’ s role as a possession-based midfielder.

The Lions travel to New England this weekend for a rematch with the Revolution, a team they thought they had beaten in the 92nd minute just a week and a half ago. What did they learn that they can use against the Revs Saturday?

Daniel: Keep possession and do not take your foot off of the gas pedal. After the first goal, Orlando seemed to play into a defensive shell at times and had a hard time gaining possession, stringing passes together, and going on the attack. Orlando is best when working together small passes, making other teams chase, and then making that dangerous run. But, so far this season, they have not dealt with high pressure well and until that is solved then we will continue to see lackluster performances.

Brent: Orlando City learned that Chris Tierney can be one of the most dangerous outside backs. The good news is he picked a hamstring strain against D.C. United and is questionable. They did fairly well keeping Lee Ngyuen away from goal. They need to not turn the ball over in the defensive third. This causes the defensive shape to be unprepared for the counter attack. The last thing they learned is the refereeing will be bad and they need to continue to play. The referee is something they can’t control and they need to finish the opportunities they get and take the referee out of the match.

Jeff: Don't give up late goals. As our Brad Newton mentioned this week, Orlando City has lost more points in stoppage time than it has won, and that was certainly true against New England. This team needs to be clinical in closing games out, and hasn't been so far. It is fair to say that Orlando has gotten hosed by the refs (including the late penalty last time around against the Revs), but the team can't blame referees if it hopes to improve.

What decides the game on Saturday and who comes out on top? How does it all play out?

Brent: I don't see this team going on the road and winning without Kaká. Lee Ngyuen will control the midfield in Kaká's absence. New England will find the back of the net twice. Orlando will push in the second half, trying to find a goal and I think they might get one at the end. Final Score: New England 2 Orlando City 1.

Jeff: I say it'll be a 1-1 draw. New England has a knack for draws (six so far, which is most in the league) and Orlando will be happy to take a point on the road before returning home for a rematch with the Red Bulls. Orlando takes the lead in the first half, only to see New England tie things up around the hour mark.

Daniel: Possession and passing. Maybe that is too obvious, but Orlando needs to maintain possession and stop giving away the ball on simple passes in the midfield. We can all talk to specific match-ups, but Orlando has been playing well 1-v-1, but it has been the team that has been a bit out of sync. This Saturday I would love to say that OCSC will come away with points but the story so far is not pointing in that direction. Orlando loses 2-1 and continues to look for a spark.

Pride Time

The home opener was a success in all facets for the Orlando Pride. Despite a 3-1 win, there were plenty of nervy moments while the Dash attacked the net. It’s easy to overlook the early exit of Houston’s Carli Lloyd and just focus on the result, but now that we’ve had a couple of games (10% of their inaugural NWSL season) to see them in action, what should our realistic expectations be for the Pride this year?

Jeff: Based on the first two games, it's fair to say that Pride fans can expect this team to play entertaining games. Orlando is tied for first in the NWSL in goals scored (4), but is also tied for second in the league in goals conceded (3). In terms of results, realistically, contention for a playoff spot can be expected. Houston and Portland were the first two teams that missed the postseason last year, so playing competitively with those teams should be a harbinger for a positive first campaign.

Daniel: Fighting for the playoffs. This team is either as talented as or more talented than every team in NWSL. They have international talent in every third of the field and look dangerous. They may need some time to gel on the field and that will be an ongoing issue but there is no reason that this team cannot fight for and make the NWSL playoffs.

Brent: The realistic expectation for this team is mid-table. This team is not ready for the playoffs yet. Ashlyn Harris let this team off the hook with her excellent goalkeeping. The back line is not experienced enough to be in a top four playoff spot. This team is about growing and preparing for next year. Alex Morgan will bring excitement to the Camping World Stadium but it won’t be enough to make the playoffs.

* * *

And thus concludes your roundtable discussion for Week 8 as Orlando City prepares for a date with the Revs and the Pride head to Chicago to face Christen Press and the Red Stars.

Feel free to add your answers to the questions above or explain why our staff is right/wrong in their predictions or analysis in the comments section below.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Jose Earthquakes: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

Orlando City restarts its 2026 MLS campaign late tonight out west at San Jose.

Published

2 weeks ago

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July 22, 2026

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Image of Braian Ojeda taking a shot in a friendly against FC Dallas.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

Welcome to your match thread for a late night midweek matchup tonight between Orlando City (4-9-2, 14 points) and the San Jose Earthquakes (10-3-2, 32 points) at PayPal Park (10:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the only scheduled meeting between the teams in 2026 and the first time the teams have met since 2024.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of tonight’s match.

History

Orlando City is 3-1-3 in the previous seven MLS meetings with the Quakes since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2015. The Lions got their only away win in the series in the last meeting and enter tonight 1-1-2 on the road against San Jose.

The teams last met on May 18, 2024, with Jack Lynn coming off the bench to score the game’s only goal. Lynn’s strike in the 89th minute broke the scoreless deadlock and lifted the Lions to a 1-0 victory.

The teams met in Orlando most recently way back on June 22, 2021, with the Lions beating the Quakes down, 5-0. Orlando got things started with an early penalty kick goal by Nani, followed by braces from Benji Michel and Daryl Dike to easily put the game away. The lasting memory from the game is Michel’s celebratory dance wearing a cowboy hat that came out of the stands.

Prior to that Orlando City romp, the last time the teams met was on Aug. 31, 2019 when the Lions got freight trained 3-0 at Avaya Stadium, giving the Quakes their first win in the series. San Jose’s offense came via a Chris Wondolowski brace and an early opening goal by Magnus Eriksson. Orlando looked flat and weary out of the gate.

The Lions were victorious in Exploria Stadium in the 2018 meeting on April 21, a 3-2 Orlando win. It was the first win in the series for either side after three straight draws. Chris Mueller, Sacha Kljestan, and Dom Dwyer gave the Lions a 3-0 lead before Florian Jungwirth pulled two back in the game’s late stages.

The Lions led all of the first three matches in the second half only to see San Jose pull level, with two of those tying goals coming late. In the 2017 meeting, Carlos Rivas finally broke the scoreless tie and gave Orlando City the lead in the 81st minute, but Wondolowski spoiled the Lions’ night with an equalizer two minutes later as the teams drew at Avaya Stadium, 1-1.

In 2016, the Lions were gut-punched in the 94th minute in an emotional match that ended in a 2-2 draw. It was the first home match following the Pulse nightclub tragedy and what appeared to be a storybook ending to a cathartic win turned sour on a last-gasp equalizer by Shea Salinas. Seb Hines — now the Orlando Pride’s head coach — opened the scoring for Orlando, only to see Chad Barrett tie it up. Julio Baptista restored the lead in stoppage time, but Salinas ruined everything.

The two teams also drew in the first meeting, a 1-1 affair at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, with the Lions down to 10 men after Brek Shea was sent off in the first half. Kaká and Wondolowski each scored from the penalty spot four minutes apart in that initial meeting.

Overview

The teams meet tonight to get their post-World Cup portion of the season started. Orlando City has been terrible on the road all season long, keeping only one MLS opponent under two goals all year away from home and allowing five goals twice (at New York City FC and Nashville) and six goals twice (at LAFC and in the team’s most recent match away at FC Cincinnati just before the break).

Orlando City is a putrid 1-6-1 on the road this season, and now the Lions must face the Western Conference co-leaders tonight before coming home to face Supporters’ Shield-leading Nashville SC at home on Saturday. They’ll have to play at least tonight’s game without Martin Ojeda, who is out with a thigh injury sustained some time between his first-half goal a week ago in a friendly against FC Dallas and the time the availability report dropped on Tuesday.

But it isn’t all bad news for the Lions, who should have both Antoine Griezmann and Dike in the lineup. Griezmann was the club’s highly prized and widely publicized summer Designated Player signing, while Dike’s return to Orlando came together more recently, following his departure from West Bromwich Albion. They’ll help the club’s offense, but the attack hasn’t been the issue in 2026 — it’s been the historically porous defense, which is on pace to shatter the MLS record for goals conceded.

Meanwhile, San Jose is one of the first half of the season’s biggest surprises, as the Quakes have been outstanding in 2026. Scoring 34 goals while conceding just 15, San Jose is among the league leaders in goals scored (tied for third), goals conceded (third), and goal differential (+19, third).

The Earthquakes are 4-2-1 at home and are coming off a 3-1 road win at Portland in their last game prior to the World Cup break. San Jose boasts Golden Boot challenger Preston Judd, who leads the Quakes with 11 goals, adding two assists in his 15 appearances. Ousseni Bouda has chipped in five goals and three assists. Niko Tsakiris leads the team with seven assists to go along with his two goals, but he’s still recovering from a lower body injury and is not available tonight. However, the arrival of Timo Werner (four goals and five assists in just seven games) has truly elevated Bruce Arena’s Quakes, and he’ll need to be one of the main focal points for the Orlando defense.

To have any shot at taking something from this game, the Lions will need to play better road defense than they have all season. Orlando can score goals, but with Ojeda out, Griezmann will need to adapt quickly, and someone other than the team’s leading scorer will need to find the net.

The Lions will play without Ojeda (thigh), Joran Gerbet (knee), Nolan Miller (knee), Colin Guske (international duty), and Clovis Archage (international duty). In addition, Marco Pasalic may or may not have returned to the team after the World Cup. He was not in training Monday, although interim head coach Martin Perelman said he expected the Croatian back soon. The Earthquakes will be without Nonso Adimabua (lower body), former Lion Earl Edwards Jr. (lower body), DeJuan Jones (lower body), and Tsakiris (you guessed it, lower body…come on, San Jose).

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Tiago.

Forwards: Justin Ellis, Antoine Griezmann.

Bench: Javier Otero, Bernardo Rhein, Tahir Reid-Brown, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Harvey Sarajian, Tyrese Spicer

San Jose Earthquakes (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Angus Gunn.

Defenders: Jamar Ricketts, Reid Roberts, Daniel Munie, Benjamin Kikanovic.

Defensive Midfielders: Beau Lerouox, Ronaldo Vieira.

Attacking Midfielders: Timo Werner, Nick Fernandez, Ousseni Bouda.

Forwards: Preston Judd.

Bench: Jonathan Gonzalez, Dave Romney, Paul Marie, Jack Skahan, Jack Jasinski, Ian Harkes, Francesco Montali, Max Floriani, Darius Johnson.

Referees

REF: Elijio Arreguin.
AR1: Adam Wienckowski.
AR2: Mike Nickerson.
4TH: Timothy Ford.
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.

How to Watch

Match Time: 10:30 p.m.

Venue: PayPal Park — San Jose, CA.

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 Media: 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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Podcasts

PawedCast Episode 542: Tampa Bay Friendly, McGuire Traded, OCB Beats Cincinnati, and More

Lions maul the Rowdies in friendly action, OCB wins on the road, and it’s transfer season.

Published

3 weeks ago

on

July 14, 2026

By

Image of Antoine Griezmann and Ivan Angulo celebrating a goal in a friendly against the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City welcomed I-4 Derby rival Tampa Bay to Inter&Co Stadium for a friendly match on Wednesday and then proceeded to bludgeon the Rowdies with a couple of hammers named Antoine Griezmann and Justin Ellis. The two attackers combined for a goal and four assists in a 6-0 beatdown of the team from the Gulf Coast, with five different Lions scoring and Griffin Dorsey forcing an own goal. We discuss Griezmann’s first minutes with Orlando City, what the team showed in its formation, and how good Justin Ellis’ vision is.

Oh, and it’s also transfer season now. Duncan McGuire is on his way out and Marco Pasalic reportedly will follow soon, while a new left back may be headed from Spain to Orlando.

Following all of that, we discuss Maxime Crepeau being added to the MLS All-Star Team and the announcement that he’ll participate in the 2026 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge.

Our mailbagbox asked us about which World Cup semifinalist players we’d want to join Orlando this season (if we could only pick one), and more. Remember, if there’s anything — and we do mean anything — you want us to address on the show, just ask us by tweeting it to us at @TheManeLand with the hashtag #AskTMLPC, or hitting us up on Bluesky Social with that same hashtag.

After the mailbagbox, we dive into OCB’s 2-1 road win at FC Cincinnati 2. It wasn’t the prettiest game by the Young Lions, but they managed to do enough to earn three points on the road, where they’ll stay to face Chattanooga on Saturday. We briefly preview that game.

Finally, Orlando City will be in Dallas Wednesday for the second of two friendlies leading up to the restart of the MLS season. It’s unlikely we’ll get a lot of details about that one, but we’ll see what happens. Maybe the FC Dallas folks will help us out.

Be sure to rate and review our show wherever you get your podcasts. Remember, we’ll read any five-star reviews we get on Apple Podcasts on the next show.

If you’d like to support our independent writing and podcasting efforts, we’d love to have you as a subscriber or donor over at our Buy Me a Coffee site.

Here’s how No. 542 went down:

0:15 – Orlando City crushed the Rowdies, the transfer season is in full swing, plus: hey now, Crepeau’s an all-star.

28:50 – The mailbagbox is always good for a hypothetical scenario.

36:54 – The Young Lions slipped past Cincy and head to Chattanooga, while the senior Lions head to Dallas.

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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 119: International Break, USWNT, Louisville Preview, and More

The Pride return from a long international break looking to get their first-ever road win against Racing Louisville.

Published

3 months ago

on

April 22, 2026

By

Image of Haley McCutcheon scoring the opening goal in Orlando's home playoff win over Seattle.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

It feels like months since the Orlando Pride last took the field, but the calendar says otherwise. If you believe calendars, it’s only been a little less than three weeks, but time moves strangely in the post-pandemic apocalyptic world.

Anyway, we don’t have a match to recap, so we touched on a couple of Pride players putting the ball in the net during the international break and chat a bit about the United States Women’s National Team’s three-game friendly series against Japan. Emma Hayes used a lot of players, and the team looked solid for two of the three matches, but the rotated middle game seemed a bit disjointed. Hayes has greatly expanded the player pool and will have plenty of options when the World Cup approaches.

Our mailbagbox had questions about a potential change in the NWSL schedule, as the league explores adopting the fall-to-spring slate, and opposition own goals. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

After the mailbagbox, we turned our attention toward Friday’s late afternoon tussle with Racing Louisville in Kentucky. The Pride have never won on the road against Louisville, and it’s about high time they did. This match begins a congested push to the June World Cup break, and although Friday’s hosts aren’t high in the table, the Pride must be at their best to get a road result in this fixture. We look back at the series history, compare the two sides, provide our key matchups in the game, and make our final score predictions.

If you’d like to support our independent writing and podcasting efforts, we’d love to have you as a subscriber or donor over at our Buy Me a Coffee site.

Here’s how Episode 119 went down:

0:15 – We open the show with a little banter about the Pride in the international break and the USWNT’s series vs. Japan.

9:03 – The mailbagbox features questions via both eletronic mail and social media. We welcome all modes of delivery.

19:59 – The Pride travel to Louisville to face Racing. They’ve never won in Kentucky, but we inform them how to do so.

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