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Orlando City vs. Vancouver Whitecaps: Five Takeaways

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9 years ago

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In one of Orlando’s most entertaining games of the season, the Lions settled for a 2-2 draw on the road against Vancouver. It’s a result that sounds great on paper and could be huge as the club looks to grab one of the last playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, but anyone who watched the match has to be a little disappointed given the chances Orlando had to claim a season-defining win.

Here are my five takeaways from a compelling evening north of the border.

Two Minutes Changed This Game

Two minutes. Two plays. Not a single goal. Yet, everything that happened in Saturday night’s match came down to what happened in the 59th and 60th minute.

Júlio Baptista’s penalty kick sailed into the Vancouver night (still waiting for reports of a confirmed landing) and wasted Orlando’s best chance to grab all the points against seemingly impossible odds. But one minute later, Joe Bendik’s point-blank save on Masato Kudo helped the Lions cheat death.

It feels like a perfect snapshot of Orlando’s season. This club simply isn’t good enough to take advantage of chances that the game presents, yet fantastic individual performances have managed to keep the Lions in games that should be out of reach. So, Orlando has the players, but it’s going to take another gear for this team to be taken seriously in Major League Soccer.

Perhaps whoever the front office appoints to manage this bunch can help Orlando get there.

Kevin Molino and Júlio Baptista might have something here

Orlando City fans tuning in early to Saturday’s match could be forgiven for adjusting their TV sets. For 20 minutes in the first half against Vancouver, Baptista and Molino looked like they’d been leading the line together for years. It was an attacking midfield created out of necessity, but it’s a trio that Bobby Murphy and company may look to go back to.

With Molino luring the Whitecaps towards the end line, the 34-year-old Brazilian was able to sit back and look for space along the edge of the box. When he found it, the results were pretty. Baptista’s 14th-minute strike gave the Lions plenty of life against a Vancouver side that looked downright lazy in the first half.

When these two suddenly learned to play fabulous one-touch soccer is a mystery, but it could be the spark Orlando has been missing in the final third. Of course, it didn’t last once Vancouver sniffed out the strategy, but it’s something postive from another frustrating result.

Larin Back

It’s impossible to blame Cyle Larin for Orlando’s recent struggles, because the guy’s had everyone short of the groundskeeping staff providing him service. But on Saturday night, the Canadian made life easy for his teammates.

His equalizer came early in the second half, with Vancouver looking for a third goal and, let’s be honest, an insurmountable lead against this Orlando City team. Larin’s always been something of an aerial threat (go watch his goal against NYCFC from back in March. The ball just finds this dude’s head) and he showed why against the Whitecaps.

It was a goal that came when neither team had managed any sort of sustained offensive pressure. Orlando may have lacked some of its playmakers on offense, but when all else fails, just have Larin run towards the goal and aim for the man’s head (direct quote from my Orlando City managerial application. Your move, Phil Rawlins).

Servando Carrasco Got Owned by a Middle Schooler

Watching one of the better role players on this Orlando City team get dispossessed by 15-year-old Alphonso Davies was one of the more surreal moments of this match. The kid unleashed a screamer from well outside the box just minutes later that didn’t miss by much and acquitted himself well in his MLS debut.

Major League Soccer might just have their next big thing. And he’s named after the guy who played Carlton in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Positive Result, but at This Point Draws Won’t Get it Done

After everything Orlando City has gone through in the last week, Saturday night’s draw was a really solid result. Flying across the continent on short rest, with an interim manager and banged up roster? Sign me up for a point.

At the same time, this match wasn’t played in a vacuum. And the fact remains, Orlando City hasn’t won in almost a month and now has 10 draws on the season. That’s not good enough for a playoff spot, which has been this organization’s stated goal for almost two years now.

Listening to the Vancouver broadcast of last night’s match, I was taken aback by how little respect the announcers seemed to have for the guys in purple. They called Saturday night the end of an easy week for the Whitecaps and talked about Orlando City as if the Lions were just a speed bump the home team shouldn’t overlook.

“These are the kind of results,” they said, “That could cost Vancouver at the end of the season.”

It was a hard-earned draw. It could have gone better and it certainly could have been worse. The key thing moving forward is to turn these draws into wins.

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Orlando City

Orlando City Unveils New Perfect Storm Kit Ahead of 2025 MLS Season

The Lions’ new kits are meant to represent the uniqueness and intensity of the Central Florida weather.

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20 hours ago

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February 12, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City unveiled the club’s new home “Perfect Storm” kit today. The new home purple kit is meant to evoke the intensity of the Central Florida weather, and features a lightning bolt (called a “thunderbolt” by the club) made out of the Orlando area code, 407, on the back of the neck and a jocktag with a doppler radar storm icon. Per the club, no two kits will have the exact same pattern.

The Perfect Storm kit will be available on MLSStore.com and on OCMobileShop.com, with pick-up at The Den at Inter&Co Stadium starting Thursday during regular business hours.

“This kit is a tribute to our fans who have supported us day in and day out, through everything, rain or shine,” said Orlando City Chief Marketing Officer Pedro Araujo in a club press release. “It is also inspired by our players’ ability to thrive in adverse weather conditions, and a reminder that Inter&Co Stadium is one of the toughest environments in Major League Soccer for visiting teams to compete in.”

The Perfect Storm Kit will be first available to fans at the club’s official jersey launch tonight at 6 p.m. at Canvas (1401 Florida Mall Ave.). Fans can purchase the new shirt and have it customized. The first 200 fans in attendance to purchase the new kit will receive an exclusive CITYiD patch

The Lions will first wear the new kit at their home opener against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, Feb. 22.

Here are some shots of the new kit:

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Lion Links: 2/12/25

Leagues Cup Schedule released, Sams and Moorhouse called up, Champions League results, and more.

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24 hours ago

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February 12, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers! It’s new home kit reveal day, so get ready to potentially spend some money. I may end up getting one regardless of how it looks. I’ve lost some weight, and while that is good, none of my jerseys fit anymore. I hope it’s a good one.

We want to wish a very happy birthday to Orlando City B midfielder Jhon Solis. Additionally, I want to wish my son Chris a very happy birthday. Now, let’s get to the links.

Orlando City’s Leagues Cup Fixtures Revealed

The official Leagues Cup 2025 Phase One schedule dropped Tuesday, meaning we now know Orlando City’s first three matches of the competition. All three matches will be played at Inter&Co Stadium against Liga MX squads. The Lions will face Pumas UNAM in the first match on July 30, followed by Atlas FC on Aug. 2, and then Necaxa on Aug. 6. Phase One of the competition is effectively a group stage. If Orlando City can advance out of Phase One, the Lions will head to the knockout rounds.

Pride International Call Ups

The Orlando Pride’s Emily Sams and Anna Moorhouse received call-ups for the USWNT and the England Women’s National Team, respectively. USWNT Coach Emma Hayes included Sams on her 23-player roster for the 2025 SheBelieves Cup later this month. The U.S. will play matches against Japan, Australia, and Colombia.

Moorhouse was selected by Lioness coach Sarina Wiegman for the UEFA Women’s Nations League. England’s first two matches are against Portugal on Feb. 21 and against Spain on Feb. 26. After that, the competition continues in April.

MLS Transfer Round Up

With Orlando City finally signing some new players, other MLS clubs continue to make moves in the off-season. Former Orlando City midfielder Junior Urso signed with the Houston Dynamo through 2025 with an option for 2026. Houston is the Bear’s third MLS club.

French second-division side Amiens SC is in a selling mood. The club sent defender Osaze Urhoghide to FC Dallas. Minnesota United FC signed midfielder Owen Gene from Amiens SC to an MLS U22 Initiative contract.

Elsewhere, the Philadelphia Union signed Homegrown forward Eddy Davis III, and D.C. United signed midfielder Brandon Servania. Out west, the San Jose Earthquakes have signed goalkeeper Daniel to a contract extension, and Nashville SC signed midfielder Matthew Corcoran from USL Championship side Birmingham Legion FC.

Champions League Results

UEFA Champions League continued Tuesday, with Paris Saint-Germain getting things going with a 3-0 win over Brest. Ousmane Dembélé scored a brace in the match to cement the victory. Borussia Dortmund also managed a 3-0 victory over Sporting Lisbon. All three goals came in the second half, including Serhou Guirassy’s 10th in the competition to equal Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski.

Real Madrid scored two goals to come from behind and defeat Manchester City 3-2. Jude Bellingham scored the winning goal in second-half stoppage time. Weston McKennie got things going for Juventus in its 2-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven. Samuel Mbangula scored the winning goal.

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That will do it for today. Check back later today for our coverage of the new kit. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 2/11/25

Orlando City signs Eduard Atuesta, MLS news roundup, Americans in midweek action, and more.

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2 days ago

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February 11, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, gang! It was a long weekend for me but an interesting one, as I attended an event at St. Louis City’s Energizer Stadium on Saturday night. It was a fun time, but personally I prefer Orlando City’s home digs. We have plenty of things to discuss this morning, so let’s get into the links.

Orlando City Signs Eduard Atuesta

Orlando City has found its replacement for the injured Wilder Cartagena, as the club announced the signing of Colombian midfielder Eduard Atuesta from Palmeiras on Monday. Atuesta’s deal runs through the end of the 2025 season and also contains a club option for 2026. While the Lions still have some depth issues that need to be addressed at various positions, Atuesta will pair alongside Cesar Araujo in midfield, and if his previous numbers in Major League Soccer are any indication, he may even provide more goal scoring and creation from the position than Cartagena usually did.

MLS News Roundup

With the start of the MLS season under two weeks away, the off-season news is still flying thick and fast. First up, the Colorado Rapids have signed midfielder Ted Ku-DiPietro from D.C. United in exchange for up to $1.4 million in cash, with United also maintaining a sell-on percentage in the player. The trade was executed using the league’s cash-based trade system, with Colorado becoming the latest team to make use of the new mechanism. Up next, San Diego FC has signed defender Willy Kumado from Lyngby Boldklub in the Danish Superliga. The right back joins on a two-year deal that also contains option years for 2027 and 2028. Finally, Tom Bogert is reporting that Joseph Paintsil is expected to be out of action for over a month after sustaining an injury to his quadriceps.

Americans in Midweek Action

As always, there are a number of Americans taking part in games during the working week, and there’s a heavy emphasis on UEFA Champions League play. Things get started later today, as Tim Weah, Weston McKennie, and Juventus face a PSV Eindhoven side that has all four of Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Sergino Dest, and Malik Tillman injured. Meanwhile, Gio Reyna, Cole Campbell, and Borussia Dortmund will travel to face Sporting CP. Wednesday has Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah traveling with AC Milan to take on Feyenoord, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic will be sorely tested at home against Bayern Munich. Thursday will wrap up European play with Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis squaring off against Gent in the Conference League.

Josh Sargent’s Opportunity

Josh Sargent had a difficult end to 2024, as he spent several months on the sideline while recovering from a groin injury that eventually required surgery. There were some natural moments of wondering what he’d be like when he made his return, but he’s hit the ground running since his first game back on Jan. 25, as he has four goals in three games for Norwich City. Not only is he getting his chance at the club level, but with Pepi and Folarin Balogun both currently injured, Sargent looks almost certain to lead the line for the United States Men’s National Team for March’s Concacaf Nations League semifinal matches. Sometimes timing is everything, and right now Sargent’s timing is pretty damn good.

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That does it for me this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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