Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve had a busy week covering high school playoff water polo and soccer. Our beloved Lions, Pride, and OCB were all in action over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Draw Atlanta United

Orlando City drew Atlanta United 1-1 Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. Griffin Dorsey scored the opener for the Lions in the first half. Orlando was moments away from securing back-to-back wins. However, the Lions could not hold onto the lead, as Jay Fortune scored a late equalizer for Atlanta, and both teams ended up with a point. It will be a busy week for Orlando City, facing Atlanta United again Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup at home, followed by a road trip to take on FC Cincinnati Saturday at TQL Stadium.

Pride Fall to Denver Summit

The Orlando Pride fell 3-1 in their first road match against Denver Summit FC at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday. It’s the second consecutive match in a week the Pride have lost to a 2026 NWSL expansion team on the road, following a defeat to Boston Legacy FC on Tuesday. Orlando conceded the first goal and trailed 1-0 at halftime. In the second half, Janine Sonis scored a penalty kick goal to give Denver a 2-0 lead. Angelina was sent off with a red card before Barbra Banda pulled one back, but Sonis added her second goal immediately after the Pride scored to put away Denver’s first-ever home win. The Pride will look to bounce back on the road, taking on the San Diego Wave Sunday at Snapdragon Stadium.

OCB Concedes Late in 1-0 Road Loss to New England Revolution II

Orlando City B fell 1-0 to New England Revolution II on the road Sunday at Beirne Stadium in Smithfield, RI. Both teams struggled to score throughout the match, and it looked like the match was heading to a 0-0 draw and a shootout. However, Judah Siqueira scored a winner for New England in the dying moments of the match for the hosts. The result ends the Young Lions’ four-match points streak. OCB will return home to face Inter Miami II Sunday at Osceola County Stadium.

Americans Abroad

Auston Trusty played a full 90 minutes and helped Celtic overturn a 1-0 deficit to complete the comeback and defeat Hearts 3-1 to secure the club’s fifth straight Scottish Premiership title. Antonee Robinson scored his first Premier League goal for Fulham in a 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Chris Richards came off the bench and played 29 minutes for Crystal Palace in a 2-2 draw against Brentford but suffered an ankle injury toward the end of the match. Christian Pulisic made his return to AC Milan after being sidelined with a lower back injury and came off the bench in the second half in a 2-1 win against Genoa. Ricardo Pepi scored for PSV Eindhoven in a 5-1 win against FC Twente. George Bello and Sam Adeniran helped LASK capture its first Austrian Bundesliga title since 1965, defeating Austria Vienna 3-0 and booking a spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League playoff round.

Manchester City Defeats Chelsea to Win FA Cup

Manchester City defeated Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley Stadium Saturday to win the English FA Cup. After a scoreless first half, Antoine Semenyo’s lone goal in the second half was enough to pull Manchester City to victory and keep the club’s domestic treble hopes alive. It’s Manchester City’s second FA Cup trophy in four years.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City midfielder Gustavo Caraballo has been called up to the Venezuela U-20 Men’s National Team for the upcoming Maurice Revello Tournament in France.

• Orlando Pride defender Kylie Nadaner gave birth to her first child over the weekend.

• Former Lion Daryl Dike will be leaving EFL Championship side West Bromwich Albion after four years when his contract expires this summer.

• The Columbus Crew fired head coach Henrik Rydstrom Sunday after 14 league matches. Laurent Courtois has been named interim head coach.
• The U.S. Soccer Federation and the National Women’s Soccer League, USL Super League, and WPSL Pro have reportedly engaged in preliminary discussions about an interleague competition that could start as soon as 2028.
• Chelsea has appointed former Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso as its new manager on a four-year contract.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

Orlando City could not see out a game it had led since early in the first half, as Atlanta attacked the Lions relentlessly in the second half and finally scored to tie the game in the final minutes. The Lions will rue some great chances that they did not convert, and this one will feel more like two points lost than one point gained in a 1-1 draw.

Here are my five takeaways from the match.

Dorsey Was On His Horsey

Griffin Dorsey has taken a big step forward in recent weeks, and has now scored three goals in his last five games in all competitions. He scored the third of those against Atlanta, sprinting all the way forward to get on the end of a cross from Iván Angulo and finishing from close range to put the Lions ahead. Dorsey was one of Orlando’s leading attackers on Saturday night, constantly getting forward and into threatening positions, and he probably should have scored a second goal when he shot just wide from a pass from Duncan McGuire late in the second half. The 2026 acquisition delivered on defense as well, finishing second on the team with seven defensive contributions, and his efforts up and down the right side of the field were among the best from any Lion.

Fresher Legs Made A Difference

It was clear in the second half that one team looked much more energetic than the other, and an obvious reason for that is Atlanta had not played since last weekend while Orlando City had played on Wednesday night. Atlanta attacked in waves and threatened Orlando’s goal repeatedly, outshooting the Lions 16-4 in the second half and finally finding the equalizer late in the game. Orlando City rotated a few players in its starting lineup to try to offset the short turnaround time between games, but Robin Jansson suffered an injury in the first half and had to come off at halftime, and Marco Pašalić looked gassed at the end of the first half but gamely pushed on into the second half, trying to reduce the minutes Tyrese Spicer would need to play after he started last weekend and played more than 30 minutes (including stoppage time) on Wednesday. Braian Ojeda finally came off for the first time this season during MLS play, and at the end of the game all of Orlando City’s players looked exhausted, while Atlanta’s players looked like they could have gone for a while longer.

More Dribbling Than the Orlando Magic

Orlando City has some players that are adept at dribbling, but the Lions leaned heavily on the dribble against Atlanta and probably should have looked to pass more and dribble less. The Lions attempted to dribble by 18 players and were only successful eight times, losing several promising attacks because players went one-on-one with their defender instead of moving the ball. Against Philadelphia on Wednesday, they were more successful, going 13 of 22, so perhaps they were emboldened by that performance or perhaps it was part of the game plan. However, they turned the ball over on the dribble 10 times, which was as many times as Atlanta even attempted to take on an Orlando defender (Atlanta’s players were successful four times). Passing is generally more effective than dribbling, as it can move the ball farther and faster than a dribble can, but Orlando passed 72 fewer times than Atlanta and tried to beat defenders nearly twice as often, which contributed to why Atlanta constantly seemed to be on the attack over the final 60-ish minutes.

Another Dirty Sheet

As the clock ticked past 80 minutes, it seemed that the unlikely was finally about to happen, and Orlando City was going to keep its first clean sheet in an MLS game since shutting out Colorado in June of 2025. The soccer gods said “not today,” however, and Jay Fortune curled a shot past Maxime Crépeau and there was no longer a zero on the scoreboard next to Atlanta. The Lions have one MLS game remaining before the World Cup break, and unless they shut out FC Cincinnati on Saturday, their non-shutout streak in MLS games will extend past a full calendar year, as their next game after Cincinnati is not until late July.

Crepéau Saved a Point

The Canadian gave up that goal late in the game but he made up for it just a few minutes later, as he flew to his left to save a Matías Galarza shot from just outside the box that was headed for the top corner. That shot was literally the last play of the game, so Crépeau saved the Lions from earning nothing on the night despite leading for nearly 70 minutes. He finished the game with four saves, but none were bigger than that one at the death, which clinched one point for Orlando City.

Those are my takeaways from Orlando City’s disappointing 1-1 draw against Atlanta. Coincidentally, the two teams will meet again on Tuesday in the U.S. Open Cup, with a berth in the semifinals on the line. Hopefully Orlando City will get a lead and hold it until the final whistle this time and take one more step towards winning its second cup.

Let us know your thoughts about the Atlanta match in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

Orlando City was moments away from putting together back-to-back wins over teams below it in the standings. But Jay Fortune’s goal with four minutes to play in normal time canceled out Griffin Dorsey’s first-half goal in an unsatisfying 1-1 draw at Inter&Co Stadium.

The Lions (4-8-2, 14 points) had a chance to build on Wednesday’s win over Philadelphia, but they looked tired and sloppy throughout the second half as players racked up minutes and ultimately Atlanta (3-8-2, 11 points), which controlled the bulk of the game after Dorsey’s opener, found a breakthrough and could have taken all three points on a more clinical night.

“We were close, close to a win, which is what we always want when we play, always, but especially at home,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “I think the the guys did a huge effort. We we were able to play the game we wanted for most of the time of the game. There were periods that they played, and we felt a little bit the fatigue, I think, which is normal of having played 48 hours ago, but this is a quick turnaround.”

Perelman started Maxime Crepeau in net behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Dorsey. Braian Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield inside of wingers Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Justin Ellis leading the attack.

The first look at goal for either side wasn’t much of one, as Saba Lobjanidze cut inside on the right and fired off target in the second minute. Over the next 10 minutes, each team won a couple of corners but couldn’t do anything with them.

Martin Ojeda got in behind on a great ball in the 13th minute. He was one-on-one against Atlanta goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos but missed the right post by a couple of yards. The flag came up on the play, but it may have been just onside. Because the shot went wide, there was no need to review it.

Three minutes later, Ojeda took a shot from the top of the area but Juan Berrocal blocked it. A goal seemed to be coming for Orlando City and it happened in the 18th minute.

Marin gave the ball to Martin Ojeda near the top of the area. The Argentine nutmegged a defender with his pass, sending Angulo down the left channel. The Colombian used his speed to turn the corner on his defender and slipped a low pass across the six for Dorsey to tap in, as the right back scored in his second straight game.

“It’s a play that we really trained and worked a lot,” Angulo said. “When, when Martin (Ojeda) or when Justin (Ellis) get the ball, just run into space, try and find that space, and then turn and try and find a teammate on the other extreme of the field, and just very happy for it working, because we’ve trained it a lot. Very happy for it to result in a goal.”

Following Dorsey’s goal, Atlanta controlled play for most of the rest of the first half, not creating a lot of clear-cut chances but keeping Orlando pinned in its half. However, before that happened, Martin Ojeda tried his luck from outside the box in the 24th minute, but he sent his shot right at Hoyos for an easy save on the Lions’ last shot on target of the half.

Atlanta kept a lot of the ball the rest of the opening period, creating a lot of corner kicks and set pieces but few shots. Aleksey Miranchuk took a pass and slipped in behind the defense in the 34th minute. Crepeau made a huge save with his right foot but the play was offside anyway.

Five minutes later, Crepeau went to ground to deny Lobjanidze on one of Atlanta’s best looks at goal of the opening period.

Orlando City survived a few more corners and saw out the half without conceding, but Atlanta carried momentum into the break.

The visitors held the halftime advantage in possession (55.3%-44.7%), shots (5-3), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (85.7%-82.3%). The Lions put more shots on target (2-1).

“I need to review the game, but now with the feelings I have, I have the sensation that we played a good 30-35 minutes,” Perelman said. “More or less, we were able to control, to find the spaces we were looking for to hurt and to score. Then at the end of the first half, they pushed a little bit, which is normal, it’s expected as well.”

Iago subbed on for Jansson at the break, possibly due to a knock that the captain picked up late in the half defending a corner kick. It took Atlanta only about 20 seconds to get a shot from the right side of the box, with Lobjanidze misfiring and sending his effort well off target.

Pasalic was involved in the next two Orlando attacks, but both were squandered. On the first, Pasalic dribbled the ball down the middle of the pitch, darting back and forth, but as he approached the box, he made one move too many and lost control. Moments later, Martin Ojeda took a pass and darted down the left flank, sending in a good cross that Pasalic muffed on his header attempt. However, Ojeda was clearly offside in the buildup so it wouldn’t have counted anyway.

Lobjanidze got to the end line in the 50th minute but sent his cross attempt right at Crepeau. Six minutes later, Miranchuk got a decent look but his shot deflected out off the defense for a corner. Orlando partially cleared the corner but only as far as Tristan Muyumba just outside the box. The midfielder fired a shot that caught Pasalic on the arm, setting up a dangerous free kick straight out from goal.

Miranchuk went for goal with the free kick but didn’t get a lot of power on it. The placement was good, but Crepeau got over to his right to make the save in the 58th minute.

The Lions then had a short spell of control and the ball cycled to Braian Ojeda just outside the box. The midfielder blasted a shot a few yards wide of the right post, wasting a good opportunity.

Dorsey created a good scoring chance in the 66th minute getting the ball out wide ot the right and sending a good outside-of-the-foot cross to the left side. Martin Ojeda got to the ball first but the defense arrived in time to deflect his shot wide. Orlando City played the ensuing corner short but failed to execute properly, with the flag coming up for offside on the return pass.

The Lions’ best chance to double the lead came in the 72nd minute. Martin Ojeda unselfishly turned down a shooting opportunity on the left to send it into the middle to second-half sub Duncan McGuire. The big forward also was unselfish, laying off for Dorsey, but the fullback wasted the chance by firing wide of the left post.

Atlanta tried coming straight at Orlando down the middle. Cayman Togashi saw his shot blocked at the top of the area in the 83rd minute. A minute later, Muyumba’s shot from a similar spot was blocked and Crepeau claimed it. However, the keeper was ruled to have held it too long, and referee Tori Penso awarded Atlanta a corner.

Orlando survived the corner but Atlanta kept the pressure on and broke through in the 86th minute. Fortune found himself in space in the box on the right side. The closest Lion to Fortune was substitute Wilder Cartagena, who was late closing him down, leaving plenty of room for the Atlanta attacker to shoot. He hit it where Crepeau couldn’t reach it and yet another shutout bid by Orlando was gone.

From the equalizer on, only one team looked likely to find a winner and it was Atlanta, which continued to control possession. Miranchuk fired over the bar in the 89th minute. Matías Galarza fired a late blast that Crepeau did well to save. Miranchuk forced another save in the seventh minute of stoppage time, and that was the last look for either team.

Atlanta dominated the stat sheet, finishing with the advantage in possession (55.2%-44.8%), shots (22-7), shots on target (5-3), corners (10-4), and passing accuracy (87.6%-83.9%).

“I think our team is growing. We are in a transitional process. Every time I come here, I speak about it. We were able to improve in many things, and if this is one more, we will fix it as well,” Perelman said, referring to the team giving up late goals.

“It was a very complicated match, a match that was disputed between the two sides,” Angulo said. “Obviously, we have a bad taste in our mouth for finishing with the tie, because we put in a lot of work in all the phases of the game to come out with a victory tonight, but then it wasn’t that, and you know it was a good game and a very disputed game between the two.”

“It’s a tight game, it’s a draw. So, in two days from tomorrow, two days, we play against the same opponent,” Pasalic added. “We have to learn from our mistakes, do the things good, what we did good, and give the fans and the club a good game on Tuesday.”

These two teams will play in the same place on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup. Orlando City’s next MLS match is a week from tonight at FC Cincinnati.