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Intelligence Report: Orlando City at New York City FC

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8 years ago

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Orlando City takes to the road for only the second time in 2017, this time heading to the foosball table-sized pitch in Yankee Stadium to take on New York City FC. The Sky Blues were the Lions’ first victims in their new stadium, with Orlando City winning, 1-0, over David Villa and company, but losing captain Kaká to injury in the process, just 10 minutes in.

During Orlando City’s 4-1-0 start, New York City FC has put together a 3-2-1 start (2-0-1 at home) and sits just two points behind the Lions in the Eastern Conference standings, although the soccer Yankees have played one more match. The games between the two 2015 MLS expansion sides have historically been close and entertaining so far, and there’s no reason to think these two early playoff contenders won’t do it again.

Here to help us scout tomorrow’s opponents once again is Jake Gofman from SB Nation’s New York City FC blog, Hudson River Blue. And if you want to see how I responded to their questions, you can head over to their place.

Now that New York City FC has played six games, what are the notable differences to last year’s team that finished second in the East and does this year’s model look better or worse than the 2016 edition?

Jake Gofman: It starts with defense. This is a considerably more stout defensive team than the 2016 iteration, which gave up a ton of goals (57, good for second most). So far, we’ve conceded just five goals in our first six games, two of which (by my count) were cheap and came from silly mistakes. Even with the cheapies, that’s less than a goal a game for New York this year. 

Our early defensive effectiveness is coming from two places. First, there’s continuity in our CB pairing. Newcomer Alexander Callens was paired up with 2016 mid-year signing Maxime Chanot in preseason and the two of them have looked very comfortable this season so far. Patrick Vieira has put a little extra insurance at the back as well in converted RB Ethan White, who has played primarily as a central defender in his time in MLS. These three together have given us more cover and allowed LB Ronald Matarrita to play a hybrid wing position and make an impact in the final third. 

The second reason for our early success is new signing Alexander Ring. The Finnish international who came over from Bundesliga 2 over the summer has been the consummate no. 8 for NYC, providing defensive cover for the midfield and igniting the attack from deep. He’s been a godsend after Andoni Iraola’s departure and he’s done the work of 1.5 midfielders with Andrea Pirlo’s deteriorating defensive abilities. 

Offensively, it’s a little too early to tell if New York is going to be better than its 2016 team that scored the most goals in MLS. So far, so good though, as the team has scored 10 goals in its first six matches. Maxi Morales has looked every part the DP we signed him to be, while Rodney Wallace has been an excellent addition to the attack on the wing, and Jack Harrison seems to be getting more comfortable with each game in MLS.  

Orlando City has had a surprising amount of success in this series so far. What is it about the Lions that has made life so difficult for New York’s blue team?

JG: Each of the last few seasons, Orlando City has been a team with talented and dynamic attacking players. As such, they’ve been really good at opening up NYC and making them more vulnerable to counterattacks. Cyle Larin especially is a thorn in our side, year-in, year-out. He’s constantly getting in behind the defense and opening things up for Orlando’s attacking midfielders. Take, for example, Orlando’s first goal against New York this season, where Cyle found a tiny bit of space in our back four and finished clinically. 

In addition to our struggles to slow down their attack, Orlando has been surprisingly strong at stymieing New York’s offense. Orlando has let NYC come to them, and looked to take them on the counter when they turn them over. Credit where credit is due, as old boss Kreis knows the players and has been able to out-fox Patrick Vieira. 

That being said, I’m looking forward to see how Orlando defends New York’s more cohesive attack this Sunday.  

Out of the team’s new additions, which players have lived up to expectations and which haven’t quite panned out yet? And which former player do you think the team misses most?

JG: The new additions, especially the ones that have been looked upon to make an impact, have uniformly performed very well to start the season. I mentioned Ring in the midfield, Callens at CB, Maxi in the 10 role, and Rodney Wallace out wide already, but I left out Sean Johnson, who has been excellent so far in goal. Johnson has organized the team well, been a solid shot stopper and, most importantly, solidified New York in defending the aerial attack of the opposing team (something Josh Saunders struggled mightily with last season). He’s been a big contributor to our improved defense so far this season. 

It’s hard to pick out any new player and say they haven’t panned out, since we’re only six games in and the squad is healthy and performing well. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Sean Okoli, who came over from Cincinnati and scored in bunches there. I’m also hoping winger Jonathan Lewis, who went No. 3 in the SuperDraft, and promising 19-year old Yangel Herrera, on loan from Manchester City, each have a chance to show what they can do in the first team.

I think New York is going to miss the consistency and durability of Andoni Iraola this year. He’d be playing behind Ring this season no doubt, but he’d be an excellent substitute to shore up the defense and he’s capable of playing both fullback and in the midfield.   

What injuries/suspensions will keep players out Saturday, and what is your projected starting lineup and final score prediction?

JG: Khiry Shelton is going to miss the game with a hamstring problem and Matarrita (ankle) is out, but nothing else beyond that.  

Sean Johnson; R.J. Allen, Alexander Callens, Maxime Chanot, Ethan White; Maxi Moralez, Alexander Ring, Andrea Pirlo; Rodney Wallace, David Villa, Jack Harrison

New York gets a little revenge at home in an evenly contested match: 2-1 to NYCFC. 

Big thanks to Jake from Hudson River Blue for taking time to answer some questions about the Sky Blues.

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Orlando City vs. Colorado Rapids: Final Score 1-0 as Ojeda’s Goal Snatches Road Win for Lions

Pedro Gallese and Martin Ojeda were the deciding factors in a tightly contested match in Colorado.

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2 hours ago

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June 15, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Pedro Gallese came up huge in goal and Martin Ojeda found the net to lead Orlando City to a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. For the Lions (8-4-6, 30 points) it snapped a two-game losing streak at the end of May, but it still wasn’t the sharpest performance. Gallese made two saves — officially, anyway, because he certainly palmed away some “shrosses” by Colorado (6-8-4, 22 points) that would have been goals without his quick reactions — to earn his eighth clean sheet of the season.

Orlando improved to 6-1-2 in the all-time series and 2-1-2 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

“We are very pleased with the result of the game. We came with the intention to bounce back after last two games, and this was a game that we all declared that is a must-win, not just for the three points but also for the confidence that we needed to have back,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “The effort of the players in this place was great. Playing in the altitude is not an easy task.”

Pareja’s lineup featured Gallese in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson — starting with Alex Freeman away with the USMNT. Although Cesar Araujo was back from suspension, the Uruguayan started on the bench, with Joran Gerbet joining Eduard Atuesta in central midfield with wingers Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic and Luis Muriel and Ojeda up top.

Orlando City started off the more active team in the attack, but they couldn’t do much with their chances. The first look at goal feel to Muriel in the sixth minute. The Colombian found space outside the area and blasted a shot wide of the left post. A minute later, Angulo sent Ojeda down the left. The Lions’ No. 10 tried to thread a pass to the middle but a defender deflected it to Colorado goalkeeper Nico Hansen.

Muriel slipped Pasalic down the right in the eighth minute. The pass was a little off line, so the Croatian had to gather it before smashing a shot toward the right post. He just missed opening the scoring as his effort hit the outside of the upright.

Colorado’s first bit of attacking danger in the 11th minute with a good cross in from the right. Schlegel did well to head it behind for a corner. Orlando dealt with the initial set piece but conceded a throw-in. The Rapids sent a long throw into the area that pinged around and found Rafael Navarro, who fired wide in the 13th minute.

Thorhallsson showed some rust getting his first start at right back in a long while, missing Schlegel with a headed pass attempt in the 19th minute and gifting the ball to Sam Vines, who sent a chipped shot wide of goal. Two minutes later, the Icelandic fullback made a poor back pass intended for Schlegel that went out for a corner.

Orlando dealt with the set piece and then quickly opened the scoring at the other end. Pasalic sent the ball from right to left, finding Ojeda at the top of the box. Ojeda needed a touch to settle it before smashing a shot toward goal. Hansen got an arm to it, but there wass too much power behind it and he couldn’t keep it out. The Lions led 1-0 in the 24th minute. It was Ojeda’s ninth goal of the season, equaling his total output from his first two seasons in Orlando combined.

“I saw that the past months or weeks that (opponents) try to stop my left foot for the shot,” said Pasalic, who picked up the assist. “And there are many people around me, so two, three people every time, and I get a ball on the left foot, and I try to see who is in better position. And I see if Lucho (Muriel) or Tincho (Ojeda) is better to play, because it’s important that we score the goal, not only me. I think the chemistry is good.”

The goal gave Orlando some confidence, as the Lions started playing a bit better afterward. A gift corner kick nearly paid off in the 28th minute when Ojeda’s cross found Schlegel, who contorted to get his head to the ball and the shot was headed into the top right corner if not for a good save by Hansen. Pasalic overcooked his service on the ensuing corner, ending the threat.

The Rapids got back on the front foot before the end of the half, catching Orlando napping a couple of times with quick passes forward. Djordje Mihailovic got wide of Schlegel in the 31st minute and the Argentine took him down just outside the area, picking up a booking that will see him suspended for the Lions’ next game on July 25 at St. Louis. Orlando cleared the set piece, but the Rapids kept coming.

Thorhallsson’s turnover in the corner gave Colorado a quick transition opportunity with numbers forward and Jansson made a vital clearance to keep a cross from reaching an attacker out front, instead conceding a corner in the 36th minute. Orlando cleared but blocked a shot out for another corner on the set piece. The Rapids played it short and Muriel went to ground to make concede yet another corner with a good tackle.

Orlando’s last look of the first half should have been a good one. Pasalic did well to pick out Muriel, who had managed to sneak into some space just outside the box in the middle. However, Muriel’s first touch was a poor one, and by the time he regathered it, he was on his left foot, firing well off target in the 42nd minute.

The Lions were fortunate not to concede late. An incisive run by Mihailovic saw the Rapids attacker blaze past a complacent Atuesta. Pasalic tried to track back and disrupt, but Mihailovic was able to fire a blast just wide of the right post in the 44th minute.

Orlando saw out a minute of stoppage time and took its slim lead into the break.

At the break, the Lions held the advantage in possession (52.3%-47.7%), shots on target (2-0), and passing accuracy (79.4%-73.2%). Colorado attempted more shots (6-5) and won more corners (5-2).

Colorado dominated play after the restart, keeping the Lions penned in their own end. Theodore Ku-Dipietro fizzed a dangerous cross through the area in the 48th minute but couldn’t find a teammate and it went out for a goal kick. Two minutes later, the Rapids finally put a shot on target and it was a good one. Navarro sent a header toward the upper left corner. Gallese made a diving save to keep it out. The Peruvian then had to palm away a couple of dangerous crosses in that didn’t make contact with anyone and were headed inside the right post without his intervention in the 53rd and 54th minutes.

“The confidence that we have with Pedro is intact. We have one of the best goalkeepers in the league,” Pareja said. “What happened in (the) Chicago (game) is in the past, and what happened today, I think, is a lot of kudos to him. He made two great saves today and we’re happy for Pedro and obviously for all of us.”

“They have good players in the front and good counterattacks, but our defense was good today,” Pasalic said when asked about how the Rapids were able to maintain pressure.

Angulo had to make an important tackle in the box in the 57th and just got it right, only to be fouled, taking the pressure off for the moment.

With the one-way traffic in the Rapids’ favor, Pareja made his first sub, sending Araujo on for the largely ineffective Muriel in the 58th minute.

The move settled things down a bit as the Lions were able to slow play down for a spell.

“We had difficulties with Cesar during the week. He had a spasm in his back and he couldn’t train the last two days,” Pareja said. “He was even doubtful to come to Colorado, and we really value his effort to come. He wanted to be part of the game still, so we wanted to limit his minutes. But also, we knew that in the second half, in a place like this one, we may need those legs and that experience. It seemed like we were losing too much territory there, and they were coming with many other players. We couldn’t sustain the ball enough, and when Cesar came in, we looked different, more solid. We could have had the ball better, but I thought the inclusion of Cesar in the game helped us a lot.”

Orlando City even got forward a couple of times, with Ojeda firing wide from a tight angle in the 69th minute. Pasalic then tried his luck from about 35 yards out in the 71st minute. It was a good effort but Hansen was easily able to get down to make the save from that distance.

Mihailovic got inside in the 72nd minute but Gallese did well to make a big save, knocking it wide of the onrushing Darren Yapi.

Pareja sent on Kyle Smith and Ramiro Enrique on before the corner kick, withdrawing Thorhallsson and Pasalic.

The final minutes were difficult ones, with the Lions suffering a lot of Colorado pressure in their defensive third. However, the Rapids only fashioned one chance with that possession. The ball was pinballing around the area and found its way to Navarro on the right side of the box. Orlando did well to pressure him on his jump and the Brazilian sent his header wide in the third minute of injury time.

Orlando saw out the remaining stoppage time and picked up a huge road win.

Colorado finished with the advantage in possession (51%-49%), shots (14-7), and corners (9-2). The Lions put more shots on target (3-2) and passed more efficiently (79.2%-76.1%).

With the win, the Lions climbed to fifth in the tight Eastern Conference race.

“I think it was important that we won this game today, because we lost three points at home and get the three points back today here away,” Pasalic said. “And I think it tastes better when you win away. And under these circumstances, you know, when it’s so, so difficult to breathe and difficult to adapt, you know? And, yeah, I’m really happy that we won this game. Now we have this rest, and I think everybody’s going (into) this rest with a good feeling, and I can’t wait to be back and to win games again.”

“Today, the most important (thing) was to get a result here in the altitude against a good rival that provide us again, more confidence,” Pareja said. “I know we can play better, especially in the second half, but we’re good. We needed these three points and we’re proud of the boys.”

The Lions are off until Wednesday, July 25, when they’ll visit St. Louis City.

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Orlando City vs. Colorado Rapids: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions return to action after the international break looking to snap a two-game losing streak.

Published

15 hours ago

on

June 14, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (7-4-6, 27 points) and the Colorado Rapids (6-7-4, 22 points) at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (9:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). It’s the one and only scheduled meeting between the two sides this season.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

Orlando City is 5-1-2 in the all-time series (1-1-2 on the road). The most recent meeting took place on June 10, 2023 in Orlando, when the Lions won 2-0 on goals by Facundo Torres and Ramiro Enrique. It was Enrique’s first MLS goal. Orlando’s job was made easier by a pair of red cards to the Rapids, with both Braian Galvan seeing red in the 39th minute and Lalas Abubakar picking up a second yello in the 75th. Torres’ goal came with a one-man advantage, and Enrique put the game away a few minutes after Abubakar hit the showers.

The last time the teams met in Colorado was in 2022, with the teams playing to a 1-1 draw on July 13. Torres gave the Lions the lead in the first half but Gyasi Zardes equalized in the second half.

Before 2022, the previous meeting also took place in Colorado on March 7, 2020, just prior to MLS shutting down for the pandemic. The Lions fell 2-1 to the Rapids on a 90th-minute goal by Drew Moor off a Colorado corner kick. It spoiled a good road effort by the Lions, who were playing without suspended captain Nani at the time. The winning goal came just eight minutes after Chris Mueller’s goal had leveled things and canceled out a Younes Namli strike.

Before that, the teams met in Exploria Stadium in a wild match won 4-3 by the Lions on April 6, 2019. Orlando came from behind twice in the game — from deficits of 1-0 and 3-2 — to claim all three points. Kei Kamara opened the scoring early, because of course he did. Nani tied things up just past the half-hour mark, and Tesho Akindele gave Orlando the lead two minutes later. But Nicolas Mezquida and Cole Bassett scored 10 minutes apart in the second half to put the Rapids back in front. Mueller knotted the game up at 3-3 as the game approached its end, and Nani scored on a penalty just before stoppage time to bring the Lions back.

The Lions came from behind to win 2-1 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on April 29, 2018. Cristian Higuita and Yoshimar Yotún (pen.) provided the offense in the victory.

Orlando City won 2-0 at home as part of a four-game winning streak in 2017, which was also the fifth consecutive victory to open Orlando City Stadium. Carlos Rivas and Kaká provided all the offense in that 2017 game. The 2016 meeting ended in a 0-0 draw at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The 2015 meeting at the Citrus Bowl saw the Lions defeat the Rapids, 2-0. Rivas came on for an injured Brek Shea in that match and turned the game around. Kaká and Cyle Larin scored for Orlando City.

Overview

Orlando City has lost two straight entering tonight, so the Lions were in dire need of the international break. It was a strong May for Orlando up until the final week and the team needed to regroup. The Lions are 2-2-4 on the road, so they’ve been good at getting results away from home, even if those results are mostly a point at a time. It’s always difficult for most teams around the league to win at altitude, which becomes a bigger problem as the game wears on. Orlando will most likely only find success if it can score early in the game and hold on when the legs and minds tire and the lungs feel every inch of the mile-high elevation.

The Rapids are off to a decent start, sitting in the last playoff play-in game position entering tonight. Colorado is 4-3-2 at home in 2025 but has lost its last two matches, including a 2-0 defeat at home to Austin a week ago. The Pids created chances in the match but struggled to score, which probably sounds familiar to fans of Orlando City — a team that creates a lot of big chances but often fails to convert them.

Chris Armas was not the Colorado manager the last time these teams met, but he is the one that has the Rapids among the playoff places at the season’s halfway point. Djordje Mihailovic is the obvious danger man the Lions must contend with, as he leads Colorado with seven goals and is tied for the club lead in assists, with three. Rafael Navarro isn’t far behind with five goals and an assist. Darren Yapi has three goals, and no one else on the Pids has more than one.

“Colorado Rapids is a team that has been finding its best version. Right now, we’re focusing on what strengths they have offensively, as well as weaknesses, and combining all of that information,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “We are trying to do our best and put our team at an advantage with the way we play so we can defend them. It is a game in a place that we respect, but we are very optimistic. Our preparation has been really good so far.”

Orlando City will be without Alex Freeman (international duty), Duncan McGuire (shoulder), Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), and Yutaro Tsukada (knee), while Nico Rodriguez (thigh) is questionable. Colorado will be without Zack Steffen (knee), Ali Fadal (knee), Wayne Frederick (international duty), and Alex Harris (ankle).

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Joran Gerbet, Eduard Atuesta, Marco Pasalic.

Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Luis Muriel.

Bench: Javier Otero, Rafael Santos, Kyle Smith, Zakaria Taifi, Cesar Araujo, Colin Guske, Gustavo Caraballo, Nico Rodriguez, Ramiro Enrique.

Colorado (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Nicolas Hansen.

Defenders: Sam Vines, Ian Murphy, Andreas Maxso, Reggie Cannon.

Midfielders: Djordje Mihailovic, Oliver Larraz, Josh Atencio, Theodore Ku-Dipietro.

Forwards: Darren Yapi, Rafael Navarro.

Bench: Adam Beaudry, Jackson Travis, Keegan Rosenberry, Chidozie Awaziem, Connor Ronan, Sam Bassett, Cole Bassett, Calvin Harris, Kevin Cabral.

Referees

REF: Ramy Touchan.
AR1: Andrew Bigelow.
AR2: Eduardo Jeff.
4TH: Elton Garcia.
VAR: Sorin Stoica.
AVAR: Jonathan Johnson.

How to Watch

Match Time: 9:30 p.m. ET.

Venue: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park — Commerce City, CO.

TV/Live Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM.

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 game. Go City!

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Orlando City vs. Colorado Rapids: Three Keys to Victory

What does Orlando City need to do in order to pick up three points on its trip out west?

Published

2 days ago

on

June 13, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

After playing its last game all the way back on May 31, Orlando City will return to action Saturday night when it takes on the Colorado Rapids out in Denver. What follows are three things that I think will go a long way towards helping the Lions get back to winning ways out on the edge of the Rocky Mountains.

Respond Well After Time Off

Having an extended break between games can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can give a team time to get healthy, rest up tired legs, and fix any issues that have become evident over the last few games. You might see an energized and focused performance after being able to recharge, implementing some tactical tweaks, and using the extra time to extensively prep for the upcoming match. On the other hand, you might also see a team with its fair share of ring rust. There’s a difference between practice intensity and game intensity, and sometimes it can be hard to ramp back up to the necessary levels after having an extended period of time without games. For Orlando City, it needs to be the former and not the latter. We were treated to an uncharacteristically sloppy performance during the 3-1 loss to the Chicago Fire in the team’s most recent game, and much of what we saw can probably be attributed to fatigue after a grueling May schedule. With any luck, the two weeks that the Lions got between games will help bring back the kind of performances that we saw during the extended unbeaten run.

Maintain Defensive Structure

The Rapids are currently ninth in the Western Conference with 22 points from 17 games. Goal-scoring issues are the primary reason for Colorado occupying the spot that it does, as it has scored just 18 goals in 17 games. The Rapids have scored more than two goals twice this season — in a 3-3 draw against FC Dallas, and a 3-2 home win against San Diego FC. Orlando City has largely tightened things up on defense after an oddly sloppy start to the season, although the defensive issues returned with a vengeance in the loss to Chicago. If the Lions can regain their usual stability at the back, then it’ll go a long way towards picking up three points against a team that’s tied for the seventh-fewest goals scored in the league.

Mute Mihailovic

The best way to go about neutralizing the Rapids on offense is to shut down Djordje Mihailovic. He has seven goals and three assists in 17 games and leads Colorado in both categories. Rafael Navarro is next on the goal contributions list with five goals and one assist, and there’s then a steep drop-off to Oliver Larraz, Cole Bassett, and Darren Yapi, all of whom have three goal contributions. Mihailovic also leads the team with 49 key passes, which is more than double what second-place Navarro has, with 22. Anybody can hurt you on any given day, and the Lions have an unfortunate habit of conceding goals to guys who never seem to score, but the numbers say that if you manage to contain Mihailovic, then it takes away a bulk of Colorado’s danger on offense.

So there you have it. If the Lions can have the right response after their time off, maintain the sort of defensive stability we’ve seen from them most of the year, and put a muzzle on Mihailovic, they should be well set up to claim all three points from their trip out to Denver.

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