Connect with us

Uncategorized

Staff Roundtable: Toronto FC Visits Orlando City SC; Pride Prepare for Portland Thorns FC

Published

10 years ago

on

It was an emotional night last Saturday, and the Lions found a 2-2 draw to be the result against the Earthquakes. Up next, Toronto FC comes to the Campground and looks to take a positive result back north. The Pride traded Lianne Sanderson, and Portland Thorns FC is next for the ladies in purple.

Michael Citro, Austin SIegel and Dave Rohe join us to discuss all this in more in this week's edition of The Mane Land Roundtable.

The Lions fought to a 2-2 draw against the Wondo-less San Jose Earthquakes Saturday night, scoring once again in stoppage time. How can that sense of urgency and precision in the attack be drawn out of the club during regulation?

Michael: I felt like Orlando City did a decent job in the attack in regulation, actually. Cyle Larin was a threat and should have done better with the opportunity that he shot into a diving David Bingham. Adrian Winter sent a good opportunity into the lake north of Camping World Stadium. San Jose can be a frustrating team to play against because they are very well organized defensively and have a good goalkeeper. But it was the same old problem for the Lions — it’s not about not getting chances. It’s about not taking those chances when they’re there.

Austin S.: I think it probably has something to do with Orlando’s ability to effectively counterattack against opponents who park the bus towards the end of the matches. The Lions have scored six stoppage time goals through their first 14 games of 2016 and (until last Saturday) every single one helped the club salvage a draw. Against teams trying to kill off the final minutes of a game, Orlando City’s attack has looked downright unstoppable. During regulation, Orlando must look to create chaos. While it’s tempting to try and let the offense flow through Kaká, that’s worked exactly once this season in a 4-1 win over the Portland Timbers. A far more promising strategy would be looking to create turnovers in the midfield that result in odd-man attacks, regardless of which player is on the ball. When a ticking clock hasn’t forced the Lions to push the pace, they’ve looked far less threatening in 2016.

Dave: Orlando has a 2 wins, 2 losses, and 4 draws record when scoring first. Many teams have a habit of parking the bus once up by one goal, no matter how it frustrates fans. I think there needs to be a mental switch that must be flipped to keep pressing, even if the team does ease up a bit. Stay on the front foot! That being said, staying on the front foot of any game can be a challenge. Orlando has six stoppage time goals, and every single one of them resulted in a draw until last week. Additionally, they've conceded four goals after the 80th minute going 1 win, 1 loss, and 2 draws in those games. The only win was the 4-1 Portland game, where a late goal made no difference. So, while we've managed to salvage some points with those late goals, we've also lost points with defensive breakdowns late in some games. Since we're tied for second in MLS on goals scored, I feel shoring up our defense late in games might be more helpful. It's natural for players to get more tired as the game goes on, timely substitutions could go a long way towards keeping up the urgency and precision on both sides of the ball.

Luke Boden played great against the Quakes. We saw him and Brek Shea form the Killer Bees tandem out left at times last season — is it time to revisit that lineup?

Dave: Absolutely! We know Brek can move up into the midfield and be effective on the left side. Indeed, if he's playing further up, it will allow him to attack with more crosses and shots on goal. Remember that beauty he had against Portland? Of course you do. Additionally, I think with Boden's form where it is, that tandem would allow both Luke and Brek to be more free flowing along the left with each able to push forward or drop back as needed. This would be a solid pairing that I hope we see sooner than later.

Michael: That was certainly the best we’ve seen from Boden this season. He has had a few opportunities and for the most part has not taken advantage of them. Inconsistent is the word I’m looking for. Despite the fact that he played well, I’m not convinced he’s more than a nice backup in MLS. In Heath’s system, a more pacey option is preferred. And playing the two of them keeps Carlos Rivas on the bench, which…did you see that sick cross to Baptista? Personally I’d prefer to see more of the Colombian because I feel like Rivas will only get better and more consistent if his minutes increase, but he’s got to earn that every day in training and perhaps he’s not doing that, I don’t know.

Austin S.: I think Luke Boden’s in a tough spot. He’s looked impressive in the starting XI, but isn’t likely to hear his name called when Orlando’s at full strength. And as a bench option, he’s not a player who’s going to change the tenor of a match. For a team languishing outside playoff position, Orlando never seems content to allow guys like Boden to provide quality depth off the bench. With red card suspensions, injuries and international duty, Bodz is going to see plenty of action this season. I think Orlando is still at their best with Brek Shea at left back and either Carlos Rivas or Kevin Molino providing service on the left wing.

Orlando City will welcome Toronto FC to the campground June 25. It will have been almost one month since Cyle Larin scored a goal in purple. Can the Lions do anything differently to put him in position to score?

Austin S.: That’s actually a little bit misleading because Orlando’s been off for the group stage of the Copa America, so Larin’s only gone two matches without finding the back of the net. As long as he’s been playing FIFA during the break, I think he’ll be fine. But having Kaká back should certainly help, taking pressure off Larin to create offensive opportunities and allowing him to serve as more of a target.

Dave: I think this has been on everyone's mind lately, including Larin. I'm going to go back to the Brek/Boden question, as a possible solution. Having Brek feed balls from the left would help. Additionally, getting Kaká back and healthy will help. As good as Molino has been, we'd be better with the Captain in the center and Molino on the right. If Cyle is getting balls from Shea, Kaká and Molino, with each of them able to be scoring threats as well, things will open up and allow Cyle to score more goals.

Michael: Part of the reason it's been almost a month is a three-week Copa America break, so I'm not too concerned about the number of days. Larin got himself into dangerous areas and had scoring chances against San Jose. If he hadn't I might be more apt to raise an eyebrow. I think Kid Fantastic is fine and the best thing for his game would be a healthy Kaká to pull defenders away from him and provide quality through balls.

One name immediately comes to mind when talking Toronto FC — Sebastian Giovinco. How does Adrian Heath gameplan for the Atomic Ant?

Michael: It's got to be a team effort, with multiple defenders involved. It's a bit how successful teams have defended Lionel Messi. You have to start with a man on him. You can't just wait for him to get the ball and then try to surround him. Denying him the ball in the first place by choking the passing lanes between the ball and him is paramount. But once he has it, you've got to get players to step to him in concert, so that he doesn't simply shake one and then the other. It's not easy.

Austin S.: If I knew the answer to that question, I’d be shopping my resume around MLS. But I think Orlando’s best shot may be to have Tommy Redding mark the Italian anytime he crosses midfield. The 19-year-old shut down David Villa when Orlando beat NYCFC back in March, and he may be Orlando’s best shot at keep Seba under control.

Dave: It’s funny, we just answered a question about Larin needing to score more goals since he only has seven this season. Giovinco has eight. The first part of the plan is Joe “You Shall Not Pass!” Bendik. He has 49 saves on the season, meaning Julio Baptista is not the only Beast on the team. I’m going to go back to the Brek/Boden pairing again. Boden has been excellent, and if he is in the left back position he’ll shore up that side. Additionally, Rafael Ramos should be back in the lineup. A healthy back line with Ramos will go a long way towards defending against the Atomic Ant. Finally, win the time of possession. While it isn’t necessarily a good indicator of wins or losses, keeping the ball off Giovinco’s feet can’t hurt.

Pride Time

How do you feel about Lianne Sanderson being traded to Western NY?

Austin S.: I’m in Western New York right now, and I think Lianne’s going to like it here just fine. But this seems like a player-initiated deal that won’t have much of a net impact on the Pride. I don’t think Sanderson was the dynamic attacking partner the club needed alongside Alex Morgan, so why not take their chances on an international slot.

Michael: It saddens me because I felt she was the team's best distributor of the ball and it wasn't even close. Ultimately, I'm not sure if Tom Sermanni simply wanted a player with more pace to play in the middle of his 4-3-3, but he wasn't giving her the minutes she wanted and she asked to be moved. To the team's credit, they didn't hold her back and found a place to send her where she can't hurt the Pride this year unless both teams are in the postseason. I'd have like to have seen a 4-4-2 diamond with Sanderson at the top, feeding the ball to Morgan and Hagen. But what I would like doesn't matter. Sermanni has to do what he feels gives the team its best chance to win and he preferred Sanderson off the bench. She didn't like that and all parties have moved on, so we should too.

Dave: Seems to me that it will be a good thing for all parties concerned. While I'm always sad to see a good player leave, especially one than can contribute off the bench, I can also understand her desire to get some more playing time. As for the Pride, it opens up an international spot, and I'm sure we'll have no problem using that to fill a need, and we have those on offense (helping Alex out with the attack) and defense (shoring up the back line).

Portland Thorns FC visits the Pride this Sunday, and look to continue their season-long unbeaten streak. Are the Pride capable of snapping this streak? How?

Michael: They’re certainly capable. Orlando has been a better, more confident team at home. Everyone seems more at ease and the offense has obviously worked much better, but some of that involved Sanderson. Beating Portland means slowing down Tobin Heath and Lindsey Horan, although the Thorns have gotten even better since the Pride played in Portland to open the season. Amandine Henry stepped right in and was productive. Allie Long and Nadia Nadim can both be dangerous, as can Dagny Brynjarsdottir and Meghan Klingenberg and Christine Sinclair and OH MY GOD ARE THEY LOADED. But seriously, the key is generally to control Heath and Horan. Oh, and the Pride should also score some goals if they want to win. They’ll need Alex Morgan to be her best and finish her chances — something she hasn’t always done (see also: the last two road matches).

Dave: Any Given Sunday. The Pride have shown flashes of what they can become this season, and Alex Morgan has been healthy and productive, but she can't do it all. With Sanderson being traded it falls to the next woman up. Someone has and opportunity to step up and contribute. Jasmyne Spencer is certainly a possibility, or perhaps one of the younger players, like Jamia Fields. It is a short turnaround from the game against the Houston Dash on Thursday, but Portland is coming off a Wednesday night game against Chicago, and they have to travel. Hopefully that can help the Pride be more relaxed and productive. It certainly won't be easy, but that's why they play the game.

Austin S.: Why not? Orlando's won every home game they've played this season and the Thorns will be coming off a seven-hour flight from the Pacific Northwest. My gut says that Orlando is able to fight for a draw.

***

And this edition of the roundtable is adjourned. Let your opinions be heard below, and remember to get your Serge Ibaka jerseys as soon as you can.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

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

on

July 22, 2026

By

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!

Continue Reading

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.

Continue Reading

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.

Continue Reading

Trending