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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Final Score 2-2 as Lions Rally from Two Goals Down

Orlando City fell behind two goals through 66 minutes, but the Lions were able to find two late goals, including one from Kevin Molino seconds before the final whistle, to walk away from New York City with a point in hand.

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9 years ago

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Nick Leyva, The Mane Land

BRONX, NY — It’s not an Orlando City match without a crazy late finish, right?

After falling behind 2-0 midway through the second half, Orlando City was able to rally with a pair of goals in the final 20 minutes, including a late equalizer in stoppage time from Kevin Molino, to leave New York City with a point in hand and a 2-2 draw in their back pocket heading into the two-week Copa America break.

The Lions were down five regular starters heading into the match, with David Mateos and Cristian Higuita both suspended for the game, adding to the injuries of Rafael Ramos and Darwin Ceren, and Kaká’s call-up to the Brazilian national team. But Orlando was still able to manage a result in front of the announced of 25,039 at Yankee Stadium.

“I was delighted with the effort of the players because it was a tough game on the back of what they had just done here (the 3-2 loss to the New York Red Bulls). We knew they’d come out firing,” Adrian Heath said after the game. “So it was a big game for us, considering it was the third game in (nine) days. I thought the players put a great shift in.”

Molino, who scored the second goal for Orlando, also assisted on Julio Baptista’s first MLS goal in the 72nd minute.

Orlando City had its fair share of chances early on. Coming off their match just four days ago against the Philadelphia Union at Camping World Stadium, the Lions were quick to jump out of the gate, looking a lot less like a team that traveled 1,000 miles on short rest — although, I’m sure that will happen when a handful of starters from that lineup against Philly didn’t play in this contest.

Cyle Larin nearly replicated what he did here back in March, coming inches away from putting Orlando City on the board just seven minutes into the match, when he headed a cross whipped in by Adrian Winter on goal, where Josh Saunders was waiting to knock it away just off the goal line.

But after the rocket start, NYCFC started to gain control of the match, and Orlando City, like most teams that visit the Bronx, found it tough to hold possession and build any sort of dangerous attacks.

David Villa was front and center for NYCFC in this one. In the 28th minute, he nearly put his side ahead on a 1-v-1 break past the Orlando City back line, but his shot sailed to the left of Joe Bendik and out of play.

Roughly six minutes later, Larin came up with another good opportunity for Orlando. After taking a through ball from Molino, the Canadian international broke around an NYCFC defender to clear just enough before his shot was blocked in the end.

Larin struggled to be a real threat in the game for Orlando City. The 21-year-old had a couple of key opportunities that he couldn’t put away, and arguably his biggest moment of the game was the assist on Molino’s goal. Heath admitted to almost resting Larin for the match, but because of his goal-scoring ability, he had no choice but to give him start up top.

“On a different day, I expect him to put away a couple of chances that he had,” Heath said of Larin’s tired legs coming into the match.

With the chances coming from both sides, it was New York that broke through first, just minutes before the halftime whistle, when Frederic Brillant headed home a great cross into the box from R.J. Allen to put the home side up, 1-0.

Villa and Andrea Pirlo teamed up to double New York City’s lead in the 66th minute when the Spanish striker brought down a perfectly placed through ball from the Italian and chipped it over Bendik on a volley — a world-class finish from the former World Cup winner — just a few minutes after Larin was denied on the break by Saunders in a 1-v-1 situation.

Controversy was at the front of NYCFC’s chance to put the game away, when Seb Hines was whistled for a handball in the box after he was fouled by Khiry Shelton and fell on top of the ball inside the penalty area. Villa, however, looking for his second goal of the afternoon, slipped on the run-up and sent the ball floating into orbit above the goal, keeping Orlando City in the game.

“I don’t think it was a penalty, so I think justice was served there,” Heath said of the call on Hines.

Off the heels of Villa’s missed opportunity to seal the game, The Lions pulled themselves right back into the match when Baptista took in a delivery from Molino, turned around a defender, and deflected a shot off an NYCFC defender to beat Saunders, making it a one-goal game.

And Orlando City wasn’t done there.

As things headed into stoppage time and the Lions were running out of opportunities to find a late goal, Carlos Rivas sent a cross to the back post, where Larin floated a header into the middle of the penalty box, finding the head of a charging Molino. The Trinidadian ran right through Baptista’s attempt of a bicycle kick to knock in the game-tying goal. The atmosphere at Yankee Stadium, needless to say, changed immediately in the moment from celebration to heart break.

“The players don’t quit. They give us everything they’ve got and they keep going,” Heath said of the team’s resilience. “They have a belief that they can score late because they’ve done it so often. I don’t know how many times this year we’ve scored after the 90 minutes, but it’s a testament to them that they don’t give in and keep going.

“I don’t know why, but I thought we deserved something from the game today so I was pleased with the players.”

For Orlando City, the draw was huge. The team will head into the two-week break having captured five points from the last nine days — enough to keep the Lions in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff race. They will take this time to recover and rest up for the next match, which will come in the U.S. Open Cup on June 15, with their opponent yet to be determined between Charleston Battery and the Jacksonville Armada.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/21/25

The U.S. Open Cup journey resumes tonight, Javier Otero signs a new contract, Pride’s Sams and Abello called up, and more.

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3 hours ago

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May 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It is match day with Orlando City hosting Nashville SC tonight in Inter&Co Stadium. I hope you are able to make it out to support the club, since I will have to watch it on television. If you listen to The Mane Land PawedCast you know how much I want Orlando City to focus on the U.S. Open Cup — even at the expense of the Leagues Cup. For now, let’s get to the links.

Nashville is Next

As I mentioned above, the Lions take on Nashville SC in a U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 match tonight. Orlando City is riding a 12-match unbeaten streak through all competitions and has scored 14 goals in the past four games going back to its 5-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The Lions will look to continue their goal scoring ways to advance to the quarterfinals.

Javier Otero Has a New Contract

Orlando City signed goalkeeper Javier Otero to a new contract through the 2026 season with options for 2027 and 2028. Otero joined the Orlando City Academy in 2017, moving his way up to Orlando City B and, eventually, the first team. The signing secures Orlando City’s backup keeper for the immediate future.

Pride USWNT Call-Ups

Emily Sams and Kerry Abello were both called up to the USWNT training camp. This is Abello’s first call-up to the U.S. Women’s National Team. Sams and Abello make up two of Emma Hayes’ 24-player roster for the upcoming friendlies against China and Jamaica. Other notable players include Naomi Girma, Lynn Biyendolo, and Lo’eau LaBonta.

FIRST USWNT CALL UP FOR BELLO 🗣️

— Orlando Pride (@orlpride.com) 2025-05-20T15:06:37.081Z

USMNT Gold Cup News

Mauricio Pochettino has yet to name the final 26-player list for the Gold Cup. He has even put out there that he may give playing time to a goalkeeper other than Matt Turner. Pochettino sees the Gold Cup as a great opportunity for the team to bond during the last competition before the World Cup. Prior to the Gold Cup, the team has friendlies with Türkiye and Switzerland.

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  • The Kansas City Current may have defeated the Pride last match, but they paid dearly for it.
  • In sad news, former Sporting Kansas City player Gadi Kinda passed away. Kinda had been dealing with “a complex medical battle.”
  • In the “I’m not at all surprised” category, Lionel Messi was not fined by the league for any of his antics during or after the loss to Orlando City, including his criticism of officials, which is usually an automatic fine.

That will do it for today. Check back for our pre-match and post-match coverage tonight. You can also follow The Mane Land on Bluesky for match updates. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City Signs Homegrown Goalkeeper Javier Otero to New Deal

Homegrown goalkeeper Javier Otero has inked a new contract through 2026 with two option years.

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15 hours ago

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May 20, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The Lions addressed the future of the goalkeeping position today with the club announcing that Orlando City has signed Homegrown Player Javier Otero to a new deal. Otero’s contract runs through the 2026 season and includes club options for 2027 and 2028. This contract eliminates the need for OCSC to pick up Otero’s 2026 option, as his original Homegrown contract was through 2024 with two option years, and the club exercised the 2025 option in December.

“We’re delighted to offer a new contract to Javi, who has been a prime example of our developmental pathway at work,” Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “We look forward to seeing Javi further his growth here with the club.” 

Otero, 22, originally signed as the club’s 14th Homegrown Player on July 10, 2023 out of the Orlando City Development Academy, becoming the backup to starter Pedro Gallese in 2024 after Mason Stajduhar suffered a season-ending lower leg injury. Stajduhar subsequently left Orlando City prior to the 2025 season, making Otero the primary backup.

Thus far, Otero has appeared in three matches for Orlando across all competitions (two starts), keeping one clean sheet. He made his Major League Soccer debut on June 28, 2024, when Stajduhar sustained his injury on the road against New York City FC. Otero entered the match in the 29th minute with the Lions already trailing and conceded three goals in a 4-1 loss, although he was largely hung out to dry by the team in front of him throughout the match, and one of those goals deflected off defender Robin Jansson and changed direction on him.

In MLS play, Otero has one start and one relief appearance, winning his only career regular-season start earlier this season in a 4-1 home victory over D.C. United on March 22. He also started and backstopped Orlando to a 5-0 U.S. Open Cup victory two weeks ago at the Tampa Bay Rowdies for his first shutout with the senior side.

Otero joined the Orlando City Academy in 2017, making his professional debut with Orlando City B in 2020, backing up second-round draft pick Austin Aviza that season. He became the OCB starter in 2022 after OCB took 2021 off in between changing leagues from USL League One to MLS NEXT Pro.

He led MLS NEXT Pro with 100 saves in the league’s inaugural season of 2022. His first-team contract in 2023 made him the second goalkeeper — behind Stajduhar — to earn a Homegrown Player deal.

On the international stage, Otero made his debut with the Venezuelan Men’s National Team in a friendly against Colombia on Dec. 10, 2023. He was recently called up for Venezuela’s friendly against the U.S. in January, along with La Vinotinto’s FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in March. 

What It Means for Orlando City

It is likely that Otero will remain the backup for a while longer, but Gallese’s contract option for 2025 was triggered by performance metrics after last season. So, Orlando’s No. 1 in the position is uncertain beyond the end of the current season. Gallese, however, has played well, despite a narrative that he could/should have done better at the beginning of the season, when individual mistakes in front of him were leaving him little chance to stop the vast majority of the goals that opponents scored. Orlando City may not be quite ready for Gallese to depart, but the Peruvian himself may have other thoughts.

If Gallese isn’t re-signed before the end of the season, it would make things interesting. Moreira may feel Otero is ready to take on the mantle of starter next season or at least to battle for it. But even if Gallese returns or a different player is signed to be the starter, Otero has impressed enough for the club to invest in him as the primary backup. That’s an important position at all times, because injuries and suspensions happen. But it’s especially vital to have a trustworthy backup to a goalkeeper who is representing his country during the MLS season at times, as Gallese has done with Peru over the years.

Of course, Otero could also be called up regularly by Venezuela if his development continues, taking him away for the same tournaments that currently call Gallese back home. If that becomes the case, Orlando City would have an interesting problem on its hands.

In the meantime, it’s a good sign for Orlando City that, in Otero, the academy has produced another player the club values.

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Lion Links: 5/20/25

Lions earn weekly recognition, preliminary Gold Cup rosters released, Americans in midweek action, and more.

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1 day ago

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May 20, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Life always feels a little brighter after your team wins a soccer game, even more so when it’s against a hated rival, so I hope you’ve had as good a start to your week as I have. We have no time to rest on our laurels though, because Orlando City is straight back into action tomorrow with a U.S. Open Cup match at home against Nashville SC. Let’s get into today’s links.

Lions Earn Weekly Recognition

Several Orlando City players are getting some deserved plaudits following the team’s 3-0 win over Inter Miami on Sunday. Pedro Gallese has been named to the starting XI of the MLS Team of the Matchday, while Joran Gerbet is on the bench and Oscar Pareja is the coach of the side. Gallese made four saves while keeping a clean sheet and also assisted Luis Muriel on the first goal of the game. Gerbet did an excellent job of helping to minimize the impact of Lionel Messi, while Oscar Pareja was the man who who masterminded it all. Alex Freeman got some love as one of the standout young players of the matchday, and also had a nice piece written about him in The Athletic (paywall). All the Lions are deserving of their praise, and here’s hoping this isn’t the last time we see them getting some love.

Freeman Named to USMNT Preliminary Gold Cup Roster

The preliminary rosters have been announced for the 16 teams set to participate in this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup. Most of the usual suspects are present for the United States Men’s National Team, with the exceptions of Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Gio Reyna, whose teams are participating in the FIFA Club World Cup this summer. Of note for Orlando City fans is Alex Freeman’s inclusion on the preliminary roster. That being said, this early list contains 60 names and will need to be cut down to 26 by June 4. With Sergino Dest and Joe Scally both on the 60-man list, Freeman is probably an outside shot to be included, but you never know.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans playing matches during the working week, so make sure you have everything marked down on your calendar. Chris Richards, Matt Turner, and Crystal Palace host Wolverhampton Wanderers in their penultimate Premier League game later today, while Tyler Adams and Bournemouth do the same against Manchester City. Wednesday has Jordan Pefok and Reims visiting Metz in a playoff to decide which team will play in Ligue 1 next season. Alex Zendejas and Club America take on Toluca in the first leg of the Liga MX Clausura final on Thursday, and Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis host Valencia in La Liga play on Friday.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

The summer transfer window will be upon us before we know it, so let’s take a look at what the transfer rumor mill is saying these days. Manchester United is said to be on the verge of signing Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers, and has reportedly agreed to terms on a deal. Man City has reportedly ended its interest in signing Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, and has instead turned the club’s attention to Barcelona’s Dani Olmo. Finally, Rodrygo is reportedly considering leaving Real Madrid in the summer, with some outlets saying that he “has one foot out of Real Madrid”.

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That does it for me today. Vamos Orlando!

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