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Orlando City vs. Montreal Impact: Final Score 1-0 as Lions are Eliminated from the Postseason

Despite a wealth of possession and a lopsided shot advantage, the Lions can’t find a breakthrough, falling to the Impact for the first time in 2016.

Published

10 years ago

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Nick Leyva, The Mane Land

Orlando City was desperately in need of a win but it was the Montreal Impact that played with desperation. The Impact sat deep and defended for 90+ minutes, hoping for a moment of magic on the counter. They got exactly that with Dominic Oduro’s 56th minute, 1-v-1 opportunity. Oduro beat Joe Bendik and ended Orlando’s playoff hopes in a 1-0 Montreal win.

The Lions finished the season series 2-1-0 against the Impact, but the one loss seems to more than cancel out the two wins — two of only seven times Orlando has collected all three points this season.

In the end, it didn’t matter that the Lions held the ball for 66.8% of the game (74.2% of the second half). It didn’t matter that Orlando (7-11-14, 35 points) out-shot the Impact, 22-4. It didn’t matter that City won more duels, passed more accurately, or had 12 corners to Montreal’s one. All that matters is that it’s another loss for the lads in purple, and this one hurts more than all the others because it puts a finality to even the faintest glimmer of postseason hopes.

“In my opinion we did everything other than finish our chances,” said Head Coach Jason Kreis after the match. “And if we’d have finished one of our chances, I think the game would have been much different.”

Oduro’s one moment of magic was all that Montreal (11-10-11, 44 points) wanted. And Impact Head Coach Mauro Biello even acknowledged after the game that he’d have been satisfied with a single point in a 0-0 draw. But he did get that moment – on his team’s only shot on target of the game, no less – and he has to feel like he’s sneaking out of Orlando having committed the great train robbery.

The Lions peppered 19 second-half shot attempts toward Evan Bush’s goal and not one of them fell favorably. Five of the 22 total OCSC shot attempts were blocked and 12 were off-target, leaving only five on frame, with Bush stopping all of them, including two of the Save-of-the-Week variety.

Give credit to Montreal. The Impact came in with the bus already parked and their game plan worked to perfection, as the Lions missed the target, rushed shots, or hit Bush squarely, with only a couple of exceptions. Only two denied first-half appeals for penalty kicks could have made a difference, but neither was awarded. Even without those, you’d have to think the Lions generated sufficient chances to bulge the net at least once or twice. They didn’t.

Neither team did much through a sleepy first half. Montreal was content to give Orlando City possession, which the Lions were happy to take, holding the ball 62.2% of the first half to the Impact’s 37.8%. To Orlando’s credit, there weren’t a lot of turnovers leading to dangerous counters, but the Lions also failed to threaten goal much, finishing with three first-half shots and none on target.

The Lions also largely wasted five corner kicks, either failing to find a teammate or not even beating the first defender with the cross. However, Jose Aja got onto a Matias Perez Garcia corner cross in the 20th minute and directed his headed shot toward goal. The ball appeared to take a deflection and went over the end line. The Lions protested for a handball but the ref awarded a goal kick.

In the 23rd minute, a nice bit of build-up led to a near chance but Kaká over-hit the pass and Bush came quickly off his line to beat Cyle Larin to the ball.

In the 41st, Kaká got to the end line and tried to cross the ball in. It deflected off a defender and again the captain and the crowd howled for a penalty but to no avail. A minute later the Lions got their best opportunity of the half as Larin turned and blasted from the top of the box, but his shot was just wide. That summarized Larin’s afternoon.

Kreis brought Julio Baptista on for an ineffective Kevin Molino at the half and Orlando’s attacking mentality certainly changed. However, David Mateos sustained a right knee injury and forced a second substitution early in the second period, as Seb Hines came on.

Hines’ first touch served to send Kaká up the left flank, where the Brazilian crossed in for Larin, but the Canadian couldn’t quite get onto it. He may have been pushed, but there was no whistle from Armando Villarreal — a theme that played throughout the day.

In the 54th minute, Kevin Alston’s long throw found Baptista in the box, but he couldn’t control it and it was cleared as far as Luke Boden, who shot just over the bar from the top of the box. Within a minute, Larin turned around Laurent Ciman and sped toward goal. Ambroise Oyongo appeared to foul Larin just outside the box but Villarreal saw nothing in the challenge and what was more or less a breakaway went without even an attempt at goal. A minute later, Kaká tried a shot but it went straight at Bush, much like his attempt late at Toronto found Alex Bono.

A minute after that, Oduro ripped the hearts out of the 26,041 at Camping World Stadium, finishing a 1-v-1 opportunity against Bendik. Patrice Bernier found room on the right side and centered for Matteo Mancosu. The Italian’s one-time pass took an unlucky deflection off Hines and right into the path of the onrushing Oduro, who easily out-paced Boden and found the upper right corner of the net.

Kreis didn’t fault Hines on the goal or suggest that had he not been forced to sub out the inured Mateos the outcome would have been any different.

“I honestly don’t think that had much to do with (the goal),” Kreis said. “We let that break happen with the player on the ball where he was allowed a little too much time and space. And then Oduro makes a run that we should have held our line and we didn’t hold our line. When you do that and you end up with a player with that kind of pace behind you, you’re going to be in trouble.”

Orlando had an opportunity in the 60th with the ball pinging around in Montreal’s box after a corner kick, but every Lion shot or pass attempt was deflected by a Montreal boot and you just knew it wasn’t City’s day.

That became even more evident in the 62nd minute. Antonio Nocerino sent a lovely ball to the left corner for Boden, who one-timed a perfect cross into the six-yard box for Larin. The Canadian got it on frame but Bush made a point-blank save to somehow keep it out.

Kreis withdrew Servando Carrasco for Carlos Rivas in the 64th minute, going all-out in the attack. Just four minutes later, Rivas sent in one of his incredible crosses from the left flank that found Baptista’s head but he nodded off target. Baptista again missed the target in the 69th, firing just over the bar after an Alston cross into the box deflected right onto the Brazilian’s foot.

Rivas sent a free kick just inches over the bar in the 72nd minute, as it looked for all the world like a shot eventually had to find the net. He fired just over the bar again in the 80th, however, and you started to realize that Bush could leave the stadium and somehow the ball would stay out. But he didn’t leave the stadium, instead robbing Larin on a header off a corner kick in the 88th.

There were six minutes of stoppage time to try to at least pull a goal back, but the best chances were already behind the Lions and the Impact saw out the clean sheet for Bush.

“Obviously we’re all very, deeply disappointed,” Kreis said. “I think we all put in a tremendous amount to that game, really gave our hearts and souls to it in the buildup the past several days. I couldn’t be happier with the work everybody’s done and the effort everybody’s given, but soccer can be a cruel game and that’s what we saw today.”

The Lions are left to play two lame duck matches – two weeks from today at Philadelphia and again three weeks from today at home against D.C. United.

“We want to finish well,” Kreis said. “This group has worked extremely hard and it would be a real shame not to not give ourselves the respect and our fans the respect to do everything we can to get points and wins in these last two matches. I think we’re all too good of professionals to ever look at these games this way.”

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to win back-to-back matches against Atlanta United?

Published

14 hours ago

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May 14, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

This is a two-for-one deal since Orlando City plays Atlanta United in back-to-back matches in a four-day span. First up is a regular-season match at Inter&Co Stadium followed three days later by a U.S. Open Cup match — also at home. The Lions are coming off a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Union. What must the Lions do to earn all three points against Atlanta Saturday evening and advance in the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday night?

Find a Defense

Atlanta United has scored 13 goals this season. That is the same amount that the Philadelphia Union scored after Wednesday’s match against Orlando City. As I’m certain you remember, the Union scored three goals in that match. It was an indictment on the defense to give up that many goals to the bottom team in the Eastern Conference that had scored just 10 all season entering Wednesday. The Lions now face a similar challenge of stopping a bad offensive team from scoring heaps of goals. Orlando City was not able to do that against Philadelphia.

The biggest challenge for the Lions — other than poor passing — is stopping Atlanta’s top scorer Aleksei Miranchuk. He has scored five goals and added two assists this season. His fellow Designated Player, Emmanuel Latte Lath, has produced only two goals and two assists but is still a threat. This is likely a historically bad Orlando City defense, but the players need to pull it together to win a match they should win and, hopefully, advance to the Open Cup semifinals.

Keep the Offense Rolling

Orlando City has scored 14 goals in the last five MLS matches and 18 goals across all competitions in the last six. As a result, the goal differential which was in the upper 20s at one point is now “only” -17. That is obviously still extremely bad but loads better than before. Given the shoddy defense I mentioned above, it is crucial that Orlando City continues to find the back of the net in these two matches against Atlanta.

Martin Ojeda is tied for fourth in the league with nine goals. Duncan McGuire, Tyrese Spicer, Justin Ellis, and Marco Pasalic all have three goal contributions so far this season. Scoring four goals against lower ranked opponents isn’t something to brag about, but it is helpful in getting results. Orlando City is likely to give up some goals and will need to overcome that with offensive firepower as the Lions did against Philadelphia.

180 Minutes

Coaches will tell you that they take things one game at a time. That is, of course, coach speak, though at least partially true. However, the idea that coaches don’t plan out farther than one match at a time is ludicrous. If Martin Perelman isn’t at least somewhat combining the planning for these two matches, then that is a problem. While he cannot predict what will happen in the first match, he has hopefully made contingencies for various general outcomes.

Having the two matches be against the same opponent makes the task both easier and more difficult. If the two matches were against different teams, lineups could be adjusted based on the tactics needed to approach the different players and styles of each team. With it being the same team, that is less of an option. There will be some rotation through the two matches, but given there are the same sets of players available — barring injuries or red cards — tactics are likely similar for each match. Orlando City has occasionally put together 45 minutes of decent play. Now, the Lions need to quadruple that.

That is what I will be looking for on both Saturday and Tuesday nights. This is an opportunity to build momentum heading into the World Cup break. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 4-3 home victory vs. Philadelphia.

Published

17 hours ago

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May 14, 2026

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Image of Duncan McGuire celebrating his goal against the Philadelphia Union.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City won a topsy-turvy and very nervy match on Wednesday night, giving away a two-goal lead but rallying to score a late winner and defeat Philadelphia 4-3. The Lions could have put the game to bed several times, but they clearly wanted kids to stay up extra late on a school night. Wins are wins, however, and earning three points is worth staying up all the way until the final whistle.

Here are my five takeaways from the match.

Ojeda Opened and Closed

Martín Ojeda probably could have scored five goals against the Union, but while he only scored two, the brace was enough to help get the win. Ojeda failed to score on two early breakaways but the third one was a charm, as he ran onto a Justin Ellis through ball and was subsequently fouled by Philadelphia goalkeeper Andrew Rick in the box, earning a penalty kick. The Argentine converted the penalty, giving Orlando City the early lead. Ojeda then had two decent chances to score midway through the second half but failed to convert either, and Philadelphia took that opportunity to score two of its own in rapid succession and tie the game. As the clock ticked toward stoppage time, Ojeda made a near-post run and headed Adrián Marin’s cross past Rick, restoring Orlando City’s lead for good and earning the Lions all three points.

Supersub Spicer Strikes Again

Our Five Takeaways from the previous game against CF Montréal noted that Tyrese Spicer generally performs better off the bench than as a starter, and wouldn’t you know it but the Trinidad & Tobago man came off the bench against the Union and made it four consecutive games with a goal contribution as a sub. Spicer led a three-on-one counterattack with Ojeda on his left and Duncan McGuire on his right, and drew in the defender just enough to open up space for McGuire, who took Spicer’s pass and converted it with a low driving shot to turn that three-on-one on the field into a score of 3-1 on the scoreboard. A dash of Spice was quite nice, as it has been in most of his appearances off the bench since joining Orlando City.

Couldn’t Control Cavan

Philadelphia had to make an early substitution, removing Jovan Lukic and bringing on young phenom Cavan Sullivan. The 16-year-old was electric against Orlando, creating five chances while scoring his first MLS goal and picking up an assist as well. The Lions could not contain him as he attacked down their left flank, and they were lucky that he did not pick up a second assist when Nathan Harriel’s shot beat Maxime Crépeau but was just a bit high and went off the crossbar. Neither David Brekalo or Marin could lock Sullivan down on the left side, and it was easy to see why Manchester City has high hopes for Sullivan in the future. Orlando City did just enough to hold him off and eke out the win, but Sullivan’s entrance changed the game for the Union as they outscored Orlando City 3-2 during his 46 minutes running Philadelphia’s offense.

D&D Played Their Roles Well

I do not play Dungeons and Dragons, but I am familiar with the role-playing game. And speaking of playing their roles, both Griffin Dorsey and Duncan McGuire fulfilled theirs on Wednesday. Dorsey got the start and constantly made aggressive runs up the right side, and could, and perhaps should, have scored two goals on the night. He “only” scored one, but it was a great instinctive play as he took the ball off of Tiago’s foot in traffic and roofed it past Rick to give Orlando City a 2-0 lead. Dorsey stretched the defense in a major way with how he played on the right side, and McGuire did the same when he came on for Ellis. McGuire was all gas during his appearance, scoring his first goal since mid-March and nearly creating a second with a great hustle play to block an attempted clearance from Rick. The D&D boys scored the two non-Ojeda goals and delivered max effort all game long, and if they can produce like this in future games, Orlando City may well be able to get this ship turned around.

Ellis Was On Point

He finished the game with nothing to show for it in the box score, but the Homegrown attacker had one his best games of the season against Philadelphia. Ellis was in complete command of the ball and constantly played dangerous balls to his teammates, giving the Orlando offense a dimension that it did not have early in the season. Ellis created two big chances and three chances total, and had Ojeda not been fouled in the box Ellis would have picked up his third assist, as it was his through ball that put Ojeda in on goal. Speaking of three, the Orlando City Development Academy product produced a moment of magic late in the first half, as he showed all the youthful confidence in the world by beating not one, not two, but three Philadelphia players off the dribble inside his own box (you might say he left them on Ellis Island), and just missed springing a breakaway with the long ball he attempted afterwards. Despite not racking up any goal contributions, Ellis was outstanding, looking completely comfortable running the offense while playing with and against MLS veterans, despite being only 18 years old (until today that is, when he turned 19).

Those are my takeaways from Orlando City’s “drunk OCB”-esque 4-3 victory over Philadelphia. Congratulations as well to Dorsey, who celebrated his goal with a demonstration that usually indicates a baby is on the way, which he confirmed after the game. The Lions do not have a long break, but at least they will play at home again Saturday night, when Atlanta United comes to Inter&Co Stadium in another matchup of teams currently outside of the playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/14/26

Orlando City beats the Philadelphia Union at home, MLS All-Star voting begins, Luan Silva called up, and more.

Published

21 hours ago

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May 14, 2026

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Image of Justin Ellis after he scored a goal against Chicago Fire II.
Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Justin Glatt

I’m not sure if my heart can take much more of these Wednesday wins by Orlando City, but it will have to persevere if it means the Lions keep winning. Now, if only we could find a way to trick the team into thinking every day is Wednesday. Before we get to today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City forward Justin Ellis! The Homegrown Player started in last night’s game and turns 19 today.

Orlando City Wins in Dramatic Fashion

The Cardiac Cats were back in full force Wednesday night, with Orlando City scoring late to beat the Philadelphia Union 4-3 at home. The Lions never trailed at any point of the match, but it was a rollercoaster of emotions as they created plenty of chances but allowed the Union to come back time and time again. The defense continues to bleed goals, even if against one of the worst offenses in the league this season. Regardless, a win is a win, and Orlando will look to carry this momentum into Saturday’s rivalry match against Atlanta United.

Jeff Radcliffe, Original Voice of Orlando City, Loses Battle with Cancer

Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Jeff Radcliffe following his passing. Radcliffe was the original broadcast voice of the club, starting in Orlando’s inaugural USL season and continuing for many years across multiple platforms. Radcliffe had fought an initial cancer diagnosis that went into remission, but he soon faced another battle with the disease. We here at The Mane Land were appreciative of Radcliffe’s time and encouragement in our earliest days and we consider him a friend. We are saddened by his loss. The club honored Radcliffe prior to Wednesday night’s win over Philadelphia.

MLS All-Star Voting Begins

Voting for this year’s MLS All- Star team has officially begun and will stay open through May 21. This year’s MLS All-Star Game will take place in Charlotte on July 29 and will once again pit the best in MLS against the best players from Liga MX. Of the 26 players who will make up this year’s team, 11 will be voted in, 13 will be selected by Charlotte FC Head Coach Dean Smith, and the other two will be picked by MLS Commissioner Don Garber. Former Lion Alex Freeman was voted in last year and Martin Ojeda may be the Lion with the best chance at earning the honor in 2026. Make sure to vote!

Luan Silva Called Up for International Tournament

Orlando City academy goalkeeper Luan Silva was called up for the United States U-15 National Team’s roster for the 2026 Vlatko Marković International Tournament in Croatia. Silva has been stellar for Orlando’s youth teams and it’s nice to see him continuing to earn international attention as well. The U.S. will face South Korea in the tournament’s group stage on May 19 before facing Switzerland on May 20 and Portugal on May 22. The Chicago Fire’s Alex Bayraktarov is the only other goalkeeper on the roster, so hopefully Silva can get some solid playing time in Europe.

Keeping Up With European Title Races

All of the drama is in Great Britain, with the Scottish Premiership and English Premier League title races coming down to the wire. It looked as if Hearts would’ve clinched things in Scotland with a game to spare after a 3-0 win over Falkirk, but Celtic scored deep in stoppage time after American defender Auston Trusty won a penalty to beat Motherwell 3-2 and remain just a point behind Hearts. Celtic and Hearts play for the title on Saturday.

Manchester City won 3-0 against Crystal Palace to stay two points behind Arsenal in the EPL title race with two games left for both teams. At the other end of the table, the relegation fight between Tottenham and West Ham remains tight. Elsewhere in Europe, Paris Saint-Germain beat Lens 2-0 to clinch the Ligue 1 title, Inter Milan won 2-0 against Lazio to lift the Italian Cup trophy and complete the double, and Barcelona’s ambitious quest for 100 points in a season fell short after a 1-0 loss to Alaves.

Free Kicks

  • Julian Hall became the youngest player in MLS history to score a hat trick, lifting the New York Red Bulls to a 3-2 win over the Columbus Crew. The 18-year-old now has nine goals so far in this breakout season for him.
  • The NCAA announced that the Division I men’s soccer season will be split so that it takes place in both the fall and spring, starting in the fall of 2027.
  • The Chicago Fire’s new stadium, which is set to open in 2028, will be known as McDonald’s Park after a partnership between the club and the fast-food giant. Forgive the pun, but I think this makes St. Louis City their archrival.
  • Just a few months after resigning from the position due to a family health issue, Dick Advocaat was hired by Curacao once more to serve as its head coach before the World Cup. The 78-year-old will be the oldest head coach in World Cup history when Curacao makes its tournament debut against Germany on June 14.
  • If you’re a tactic fanatic, you’ll love this analytical dive into the impediment of goalkeepers on corner kicks in the EPL. From the graphics to the term “meat wall era,” the article is a fantastic read.
  • FIFA is reportedly axing the single-player walkouts that were done before Club World Cup games, although another new format may be coming. I have no clue why FIFA is intent on fiddling with that part of the proceedings, but I’m sure it will end up being sponsored by the time the World Cup gets here.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a good Thursday and rest of your week!

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