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Orlando City vs. Sporting Kansas City: Final Score 2-2 as Lions See Go-Ahead Goal Pulled Back in First Draw

Orlando City picked up its first draw of the season in a 2-2 contest with Sporting KC on Saturday night at Orlando City Stadium.

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8 years ago

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Nick Leyva, The Mane Land

Orlando City played a game at home and did not win. Unfortunately, that was not a typo.

Coming off of a point-less, two-game road trip in the last week, Orlando City couldn’t recapture its winning ways at home in a 2-2 draw with Sporting Kansas City. The Lions dropped their first points at Orlando City Stadium after starting the season a perfect 5-0-0 in their new building in front of yet another sold out crowd of 25,527 — but they remain unbeaten here.

Orlando City fell behind a goal less than 10 minutes into the match, trailing at home for the first time this season on a Latif Blessing goal. The Lions answered later in the first half with a pair of goals from Cyle Larin and Kaká to take over the lead before Blessing scored a second in the second half. Jose Aja controversially had a goal waved off in the 76th minute that would have put the team back ahead but the assistant referee ruled that Will Johnson’s service curled over the end line before returning to the field of play for Aja to nod home.

Instead, Orlando (6-3-1, 19 points) walks away with its first draw of the season.

“Difficult game. Really difficult game against a really quality opponent,” Head Coach Jason Kreis said after the match. “Really pleased with the guys’ work rate and effort, and their togetherness. I think at the end of the day I have to say that the draw was a fair result, and very pleased to take a point.”

Blessing opened the scoring early for Kansas City (5-2-4, 19 points) with a ninth-minute goal. Ricardo Salazar awarded SKC a free kick just outside Orlando’s penalty area after what appeared to be a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge by Jonathan Spector. After the Lions cleared the initial free kick, KC picked up the ball and recycled in another chance, with Gerso Fernandes centering a cross into the box that hit a slew of sliding bodies in front of Joe Bendik before finding Blessing for his first goal of the season.

After the match, Kreis said he expected Sporting Kansas City to start Soony Saad over Blessing and the speedy forward caught them slightly off guard.

Orlando’s first best chance of the night came in the 16th minute, when Carlos Rivas lofted a cross forward from the left wing, finding Larin running forward into the box. The Canadian timed his run perfectly and put his foot up to poke in the ball past Tim Melia for his seventh of the season after going scoreless for three games for the first time in 2017.

Just 10 minutes later, Rivas again found himself with the ball on the left side and sent in another cross for Larin that sailed over everybody and rolled towards the right sideline, where Scott Sutter was there to pick it up and send the ball back in. This time the only Lion in the box was Kaká, who chested the ball down, took one step forward, then curled a shot around two defenders and the goalkeeper to put the Lions ahead, 2-1. It was a top class goal for the captain, who now has three in five games this season — all since returning from injury four games ago.

“He’s been showing up at the right spots at the right time.” Kreis said of Kaká. “Tonight’s goal was special; to take it down that calmly and around that much traffic to be able to get it to the far post, there are not too many players capable of those types of goals.”

Orlando City came into the second half and put up a good opportunity right away in the 48th minute, when Johnson found Cristian Higuita on a sailing run up top with a great ball forward. Higuita was able to bring the ball down, but was fouled at the top of the box by Graham Zusi, who picked up a yellow card on the play. Kaká took the ensuing free kick, sending it just over the bar.

Moments later, on the other end, as Sporting KC mounted another attack on Orlando’s defense, with Bendik coming up with a big save on Roger Espinoza to preserve the lead for the time being — one of six saves on the night for Bendik, as United States Men’s National Team Head Coach Bruce Arena watched above from the club suites.

Larin was presented with another great opportunity in the 71st minute when Luis Gil, who had come into the game about five minutes earlier for Higuita, sent a nifty through ball forward to the Canadian, who had no one to beat but Melia, as both men reached the ball at about the same time. Melia made a sprawling save and Larin stayed down in pain for several moments.

Meanwhile, Kansas City continued to pressure, and finally broke through with a game-tying goal in the 74th minute from Blessing again. After Bendik saved Benny Feilhaber’s initial shot, Blessing was right there, a couple of feet away, to clean up the rebound and tuck it home, making it a 2-2 scoreline.

Two minutes later, Orlando City thought it had grabbed back the lead when Aja headed home a corner attempt from Johnson, but the goal was waved off. Gil would go on to put a decent shot on goal in the 95th minute, but it wouldn’t be enough for Orlando to grab all three points.

“Honestly, I was really sad,” Aja said of the goal that was waved off. “I thought it was a goal, and it would have been my first goal here with this club, and I can’t express how sorry I am about it.”

Even on the road, Sporting controlled a good deal of possession throughout the half and the match, finishing the night with 61.7% of the possession. Sporting out-shot Orlando, 14-7 (8-4 on target). An odd statistic was fouls. Salazar called eight first-half fouls — all on Orlando City. In the second half, he evened things up by calling seven on SKC to the Lions’ one.

The players, who were visibly exhausted and unhappy after the game, will have another short turnaround as the Lions travel to San Jose Monday after training for a Wednesday night game against the Earthquakes (10:30 p.m. ET).

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/5/25

MLS All-Star voting update, Kerry Abello shines with USWNT, Sergio Zapata earns recognition, and more.

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47 minutes ago

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June 5, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope this week has been treating you well as we enjoy some international soccer and prepare for the return of NWSL action this weekend. Before we jump right into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City B midfielder Dylan Judelson!

Pair of Lions Lead MLS All-Star Voting

Voting for this year’s MLS All-Star Game remains underway and an update was provided on which players are leading at each position. Orlando City defender Alex Freeman leads all right backs as he enjoys a breakout season. I was aware of the buzz he’s been getting this year, but it’s still surprising to see a Lion as an All-Star frontrunner. What’s even more surprising is that Pedro Gallese leads the voting for goalkeepers. The Peruvian made a rough gaffe last week, but has otherwise had a stellar season with Orlando that’s included seven clean sheets. Voting will close on June 11, so make sure to get those votes in before then.

Kerry Abello Impresses With USMNT

Orlando Pride defender Kerry Abello made her first appearance for the United States Women’s National Team Tuesday, playing every minute of the 4-0 win over Jamaica. The versatility she’s shown with the Pride translated well in Head Coach Emma Hayes’ system, as she was able to hold things down defensively and contribute to the attack as well. Abello could end up bringing solid depth to the USWNT as Hayes figures out the team’s future core of players. Enjoy this video from the USWNT that provides a look behind the scenes of Abello’s international debut.

Sergio Zapata Named Player of the Month

Sergio Zapata scored a whopping 11 goals for Orlando City’s U-19 team over the course of just four matches in May, winning the honor of MLS NEXT Player of the Month. He had three hat tricks last month, including one against Hoosier Premier at MLS NEXT Fest. Zapata committed to Cornell, so hopefully we’ll get to see him tear it up in the Ivy League over the next couple of years.

Zack Steffen Sustains Knee Injury

Goalkeeper Zack Steffen injured his knee at the United States Men’s National Team’s training camp and will reportedly miss this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup. It’s rough news for the 30-year-old, as he was expected to compete with Matt Turner for the starting job with the USMNT. He’s been having a great season with the Colorado Rapids and returned to the club for further evaluation on the injury.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/4/25

USWNT wins as Abello gets first cap, Orlando Pride’s Concacaf W Champions Cup draw, Club World Cup in Orlando, and more.

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1 day ago

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June 4, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Tuesday was a busy soccer day, especially on the women’s side. We have plenty of Orlando Pride news, and the USWNT secured yet another victory. I’m hoping the good vibes continue since I’ll be coming down to Orlando for the Pride’s match this Saturday. If you’re going to the match, let me know, as I’d love to meet as many of our readers as possible. For now, let’s get to the links.

USWNT Blanks Jamaica

The USWNT defeated Jamaica 4-0 in a friendly at Energizer Park in St. Louis. The Orlando Pride’s Kerry Abello got her first start and her first cap in the match. She went the full 90 minutes and almost had her first international goal in the second half, but the chance went a bit wide of the right post. Ally Sentnor and Lynn Biyendolo each scored a brace as the U.S. rolled to an easy win.

Pride Internationals

Abello wasn’t the only Pride player to make an international appearance. Marta returned to international duty for Brazil getting the start and the captain’s armband in a 2-1 win over Japan. Both Grace Chanda and Barbra Banda started for Zambia in the 2-0 loss to South Africa in the Three Nations Challenge. Congratulations are also due to Zara Chavoshi, who earned her first cap with the Canadian Women’s National Team in the match against Haiti.

Concacaf W Champions Cup Draw

The Concacaf W Champions Cup draw happened yesterday and the Orlando Pride are in Group A with Club America Femenil, CF Pachuca Femenil, LD Alajuelense, and Chorrillo FC. Group B consists of NJ/NY Gotham FC, the Washington Spirit, CF Monterrey Femenil, Vancouver Rise FC Academy, and Alianza Women FC. The competition kicks off Aug. 19-21.

FIFA Loves Orlando

FIFA President Gianni Infantino sat for an interview with Jamie Seh of WKMG Orlando. Infantino spoke about the upcoming Club World Cup matches at Inter&Co Stadium and Camping World Stadium. FIFA loves Orlando enough for the city to host the Club World Cup, but not the actual World Cup. Here is the schedule for the matches in Orlando. We will be bringing you coverage of these matches.

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That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the return of the Orlando Pride this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/3/25

Orlando City B announces signings, details of Concacaf W Champions Cup, UEFA Nations League preview, and more.

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2 days ago

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June 3, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Good morning, everyone. It’s been a pretty brutal last two games for Orlando City, there’s no getting around that fact. While it’s never fun to not have the team in action, a two-week break between games maybe isn’t the worst thing in this particular case. Even though it’ll be a minute before the Lions are back in action, we still have plenty of things to talk about, so let’s get into today’s links.

Orlando City B Announces Signings

Orlando City B announced on Monday that it has signed Clovis Archange and Jackson Platts to MLS NEXT Pro contracts. The pair are graduates of the Orlando City Development Academy and were part of the team that won the U-18 Generation Adidas Cup earlier this year. The 18-year-old Platts captained the team in the final, while Archange was named as one of the players to watch before the tournament started. They’ve both featured for their countries at the youth level, with Platts appearing for the United States U-16 and U-18 teams, and Archange suiting up for Canada’s U-17 side. Congratulations to both players!

Concacaf Announces W Champions Cup Details

Concacaf has named the 10 teams that will participate 2025-2026 Concacaf W Champions Cup and has announced the pots for tonight’s draw. The Orlando Pride are one of three American teams participating in the second year of the competition, and have been placed into Pot 2. Teams will be divided into two groups of five, with each team facing every club in its group once, and the top two sides from each group then advancing to the semifinals. The winner gets a spot in the 2027 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, and the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, which is set to be held for the first time in 2028. The draw takes place tonight at 8 p.m.

UEFA Nations League Preview

The UEFA Nations League returns this week, with the semifinals set for tomorrow and Thursday, and the third-place game and final taking place on Sunday. Things get started on Wednesday afternoon with Germany facing off against Portugal in Munich. Germany put away Italy 5-4 on aggregate in the quarterfinals to get to the semis for the first time, while Portugal beat Denmark 5-2, and is hunting for its second Nations League trophy. Thursday has Spain taking on France in Stuttgart. The Spanish beat the Netherlands on penalties in the semis to get here, while France took out Croatia on penalties to punch its ticket. There’s plenty of recent history in this one as these teams also met in the semifinals of Euro 2024 last year, with Spain claiming a 2-1 win.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

The transfer rumor mill has kicked into full swing, so let’s catch up on some of the big talking points. Starting in England, Manchester United has reportedly increased its interest in Brian Mbuemo, with the Brentford forward said to also be interested in moving to the club. There are said to be a number of Premier League teams interested in signing Southampton midfielder Tyler Dibling after his team was relegated to the Championship this season. Jobe Bellingham will reportedly follow in his brother Jude’s footsteps, as he’s reportedly decided to join Borussia Dortmund. Finally, Inter Milan is reportedly interested in signing Marcus Rashford as the Italians look to rebuild the squad following a brutal defeat in the UEFA Champions League final.

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  • Here’s a first look at Alex Freeman in his USMNT kit:

That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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