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Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Final Score 3-1 as Kevin Molino’s Brace Lifts Orlando In Jason Kreis’ Debut

A brace and assist from Kevin Molino helped lift Orlando City to a 3-1 win over the New England Revolution in Jason Kreis’ coaching debut for his new club.

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Nick Leyva, The Mane Land

Kevin Molino was not an All-Star, but Andrea Pirlo was.

Already putting together one of the better campaigns for a winger in MLS this season, Molino added to his impressive numbers with two goals and an assist, leading Orlando City’s comeback effort in a 3-1 win over the New England Revolution in front of 27,768 at Camping World Stadium.

With a win in Jason Kries’ Orlando City debut, the Lions (5-5-11, 26 points) picked up their first win in the month of July since joining MLS.

“Obviously very, very happy,” Kreis said of his team’s performance on the evening. “The week of work the players and staff have put in was excellent. It was one of the best weeks I’ve ever been involved with in training sessions. To see that work culminate in a really good performance makes me extremely happy. It was a very good week of work, and a very good performance.”

New England (6-8-8, 26 points) was quick to expose Orlando City’s defensive flaws, striking a goal from the not-well-liked-in-Orlando Kei Kamara in the 19th minute. On a counter attack, Kamara picked up the ball along the right sideline and took it straight up the field to beat Joe Bendik for his fourth goal since joining the Revolution back in May.

The Lions spent the first 45 minutes at their same old game, putting together plenty of opportunities, but not finding the final ball to fabricate many real chances.

Cyle Larin came close to putting the Lions on the board in the 27th minute, when a shot inside the box deflected off a defender and missed just inches from the near post.

The real breakthrough finally came in the second half when Kreis brought on Brek Shea to start the second half.

Not 60 seconds in, Larin beat Bobby Shuttleworth to level the score and pick up his 11th goal of the season. Molino assisted on the play, adding his eighth of the year, sending the Canadian international into the left side of the box.

“I really don’t think it was about me, to be honest. I think it was about the players starting to learn what we were asking for,” Kreis said about what impact he might have had on the team at halftime. “In the first half we just weren’t getting the numbers and right players involved into the attack.

“And so, to be at halftime, to show them a little tactical adjustment I thought we could make in order to get more numbers involved in the attack, that made better chances for us.”

Shea, who completed 93 percent of his passes and made a noticeable impact on the right side, assisted Molino on his go-ahead goal, sending a cross into the box that Molino finished off with a header to make it a 2-1 game in the 64th minute.

Shea had another great chance to add to the score in the 76th with a one-on-one against Shuttleworth before blasting the shot off the keeper — a chance he should have buried.

Molino doubled the lead for Orlando roughly 20 minutes later, basically putting the game away with goal No. 9, his second of the night, and ending any chance of another 2-2 draw between the two sides — a scoreline we’ve already seen twice this season, and three times since Orlando City joined MLS.

All things considered, Molino is making himself a strong case to put himself in the running for league MVP, carrying this team for most of the season — and much of it without the often-injured Kaká.

Speaking of, Kaká, the Lions’ captain picked up his sixth assist of the season on the final goal, adding to what has been a productive season for the Brazilian, who is also putting together a fairly good season in his own respect, given that he’s missed most of Orlando City’s game this season.

The win pulls Orlando even closer to climbing back above the red line, as even though the Lions are now tied with New England in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 26 points, the Revs still hold the first tiebreaker with one more win over Orlando. The Lions do, however, have a game in hand.

After a challenging last month for the club — firing Adrian Heath, playing three straight road games under an interim coach, and now having to adjust to another new coach — the Lions picked up a much-needed victory in terms of not only moral support but keeping themselves in the playoff hunt, as well.

“When you look at the spell we had, we had a difficult July month and to end it in such a great way and a great manner, but most importantly we must build from here,” Molino said after the match. “And here is the point for us to keep our mindset and move forward collectively as a team.”


The Lions will stay right here in Orlando to host the struggling Seattle Sounders next Sunday. Cristian Higuita will not be available for the Lions in that one after picking up another yellow card less than five minutes after coming on late in the match, meaning he’ll have to serve another yellow card accumulation suspension.

Opinion

Orlando City’s Lack of Off-Season Signings Starting to Become a Concern

The Lions’ roster hasn’t gotten any bigger in the last few weeks, so it’s understandable if fans are getting a bit antsy.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Three weeks ago I wrote that there was no reason to panic about Orlando City’s lack of off-season signings. It was early in January, and the club typically does a lot of its business throughout the first month of the year. Since then, the club signed Nicolas Rodriguez, but the Lions also traded Mason Stajduhar, and forward Jack Lynn retired. That is more subtraction than addition for a team looking to make it to the next level. Is it now time to panic?

The departure of Stajduhar hits Orlando City supporters in the feels given how long he was with the club, but one may assume the coaches have seen enough from Javier Otero to be confident in his ability to back up Pedro Gallese. The club still needs to bring in another keeper [Editor’s note: this story was written prior to the club signing Carlos Mercado this morning], but Stajduhar’s departure isn’t as big of a problem as it might first seem.

We don’t know how long Duncan McGuire will be unavailable once the season starts. Even if he’s back sooner than expected, Orlando City will still be lacking at the striker position. Ramiro Enrique has proven he can be a starter, but with Jack Lynn’s departure, there isn’t anyone behind him. While Luis Muriel is technically a striker, he tends to play further back in a facilitator role rather than as an actual No. 9. We haven’t seen any transfer moves for a new striker.

The Lions got a big influx of cash, thanks to the Facundo Torres deal. Replacing the goal production of Orlando City’s all-time leading goal scorer is a priority. So far, the club has brought in Rodriguez as an MLS U22 Initiative player. Despite the similarities between the two, Rodriguez is not a replacement for Torres. It is unrealistic to expect the young man to score double-digit goals his first year in MLS.

I’m not even worried about the attacking midfield. As I mentioned above, Muriel is best as a facilitator, Martin Ojeda is now wearing the No. 10 jersey, and Ivan Angulo can play on either side. It’s Torres’ goal contributions I’m worried about missing. Orlando City needs to replace that production sooner rather than later or another slow start seems certain.

I’m not going to address the Wilder Cartagena injury until we know more, but that is also potentially very bad news. That brings us to today. The team is already deep into its preseason trip to Mexico. This is the trip that in the past has been the time when the team truly bonds. Any players brought in at this point will obviously miss that valuable time.

Additionally, unless a signing is someone who has already played in MLS — which is incredibly rare for this front office — it is going to take them time to adapt to the league as well as the club and their new teammates. That brings us back to the real potential for another slow start to the season.

When you have roster turnover, the idea is to bring in players that are better than the players that departed. We know that the ownership is serious about winning. The 2022 Open Cup victory and the Orlando Pride’s two 2024 trophies are a testament to that. Now, it’s time to see that commitment with some substantial signings for City. In some ways, I feel the club has left it a little late, but I’ll take what I can get at this point.

I’m not saying it’s time to panic — though I won’t tell you not to do so — but I’m definitely getting a bit concerned. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/30/25

Orlando City reveals kickoff events, women’s transfer market grows, Tanner Tessmann named U.S. Young Male Player of the Year, and more.

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

We’re all another day closer to the return of Orlando soccer and I can’t wait. I’ve been whittling the days away with reading, writing, and taking far too many photos of my cat. This month has flown by for me, and I’m not complaining too much about it. Let’s dive right into today’s links from around the soccer world.

Orlando City Announces Kickoff Events

In preparation for Orlando City’s 2025 season, the club announced various events before the season opener at home against the Philadelphia Union on Feb. 22. The launch for the team’s new primary kit will take place on Feb. 12 at the Canvas Event Venue, with fans in attendance able to get the jersey and meet players. Other events throughout February include a chalk talk, musical bingo night, and plenty of ways to get merch ahead of the season. However, the Purple Pride 5K is not listed, which is a bit disappointing considering it would have been the 10th annual edition of the event.

Analyzing the Women’s Soccer Transfer Market

American defender Naomi Girma’s move from San Diego Wave FC to Chelsea was the first to break the $1 million threshold for transfer fees in women’s soccer and The Athletic ($) dove into which players could warrant similar spending from clubs in the future. Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda was one such player noted. Banda did fantastic in her first season in the league last year, starred in the past two Olympics, and is still only 24 years old. Only time will tell if Europe can entice her before her contract in Orlando is up, but clubs would likely pay seven figures for her services. Americans Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman could also surpass that $1 million mark, along with NWSL MVP Temwa Chawinga and Paris FC’s Clara Mateo.

Tanner Tessmann Named U.S. Young Male Player of the Year

U.S. Soccer announced that midfielder Tanner Tessmann was voted 2024 U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year after a solid year for both club and country. The 23-year-old captained the U.S. at the Olympics last summer and started for the senior team in both Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal games against Jamaica. A regular starter for Venezia last year, Tessmann scored in the promotion playoffs to help the team earn a spot in Serie A. He was then transferred to Olympique Lyon in August and has taken part in the Europa League. Tessmann received 70% of the vote, winning the award over Gianluca Busio and Niko Tsakiris.

Champions League First Stage Wraps Up

The UEFA Champions League’s league phase is finally over, with eight clubs already through to the round of 16 and 16 set to take part in a knockout round. Manchester City escaped elimination after a 3-1 win over Club Brugge that resulted in both teams advancing to the knockout stage. A hat trick from Ousmane Dembele lifted Paris Saint-Germain to a 4-1 win against Stuttgart and secure 15th in the standings. Aston Villa, Lille, and Bayer Leverkusen all won to clinch a spot in the round of 16, all three benefiting from Atalanta coming up short in a 2-2 draw with Barcelona. AC Milan lost 2-1 to Dinamo Zagreb in a match that included Christian Pulisic scoring and Yunus Musah being sent off. Liverpool’s perfect run came to an end following a 3-2 loss to PSV Eindhoven, but it still topped the standings.

While I found the new league phase to be a bit underwhelming, the knockout stage should provide some intriguing matchups. The draw will take place on Friday, but we already know that Manchester City will play either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich and Juventus will face either AC Milan or PSV Eindhoven.

Free Kicks

  • MLS Season Pass will broadcast a featured game with enhanced production on Sunday nights. It’s a solid strategy and hopefully it can catch on and become something fans across the country look forward to each week.
  • The Chicago Fire are set for a nice payday if Jhon Duran completes his move from Aston Villa to Al-Nassr.
  • Giovanni Reyna earned some style points for this assist in Borussia Dortmund’s 3-1 win against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/29/25

Orlando City’s cup competitions, Orlando Pride’s new home kit leak, NWSL’s top 2025 matches, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Orlando City’s preseason continues in Mexico, where the Lions played a closed door match against Canadian Premier League club Forge FC in Cancun on Tuesday. The club didn’t release any details on the match (more on that below), but the feature image is from the scrimmage. For now, let’s get to today’s links!

Orlando City Cup Competitions

Orlando City will compete in two of the four North American cup competitions in 2025. After a year away, the Lions return to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup along with 15 other MLS clubs and 10 MLS Next Pro participants. Orlando City will also take part in the Leagues Cup with 17 other MLS clubs and 18 Liga MX clubs. The Lions did not qualify for the Concacaf Champions Cup, nor will they compete in the Canadian Championship for obvious geographical reasons.

Lions Remain Scoreless in Preseason

While Orlando City didn’t release any details from Tuesday’s scrimmage, the folks at TrueNorthFoot reported that the Lions and Forge FC played to a 0-0 draw in Cancun Tuesday. The photos released by the club mostly featured younger players, and it’s not surprising that the offense isn’t sharp at this stage, but at least the defense is doing well through two matches. The next scrimmage will take place Feb. 5 against Atlanta United.

Pride Home Kit Leak?

From now on, all Orlando Pride kits will have a star above the crest (or more, pending future results). Like many of you, I’ve eagerly awaited what the next home kit will look like. We now have a glimpse, if a leak from Footy Headlines is accurate.

ohwww.footyheadlines.com/2025/01/mass…

andré (@838carlisle.bsky.social) 2025-01-28T15:14:13.357Z

I really hope that picture doesn’t convey how purple the kit is supposed to be. I’m also not a big fan of the crest in the center thing, but they don’t let me make those decisions. If the new kit doesn’t float your boat, you can pick up some previous Pride kits from the club’s official shop at a nice discount.

The Orlando Pride are Must-Watch TV

As the defending NWSL Shield and NWSL Cup winners, it’s not a surprise that the Orlando Pride earned three spots on All for XI’s Top 10 Must-Watch NWSL Games in 2025 list, including the top spot. The matches against NJ/NY Gotham FC, the Kansas City Current, and of course, a rematch against the Washington Spirit will certainly draw big viewership numbers.

NWSL Expansion Update

An official announcement adding Denver to the cities with an NWSL club is expected in the near future. Prior to that commissioner Jessica Berman hinted that there are plans to further expand the league. If Denver joins as planned, the team’s ownership will pay a record $110 million franchise fee. You can expect those fees to continue to grow as the league does the same.

Free Kicks

  • Remember Amro Tarek? He made 20 appearances for Orlando City back in 2018. If you don’t remember him, that’s all right since Austin FC supporters will almost certainly remember him for this fun fact.
  • Some pretty big names have left the NWSL for other shores. While the story includes the Pride’s Mariana Larroquette, she’s not quite the biggest name on the list, and she’s also only on loan until July 1.
  • The U.S. Open Cup has tweaked the competition rules so that teams must use primary venues when possible. If they cannot, the team will be on the hook for any differences in the cost to broadcast the match.

That will do it for today. Have a great rest of the week. Vamos Orlando!

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