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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: Final Score 1-0 as Lions Hold On After Early Will Johnson Goal

Orlando City gets an important road win with a stout defensive performance.

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8 years ago

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Nick Leyva, The Mane Land

It’s amazing how much better a game feels when your team wins.

After a five-game stretch with no wins, Orlando City (8-6-5, 29 points) got a crucial road win in Jason Kreis’ second return to Real Salt Lake (5-12-2, 17 points) — and first with Orlando. The game was pretty even until Will Johnson powered in a rebound for a 17th-minute goal. What ensued was an all out defensive performance from the Lions.

The game reminded me a lot of Orlando’s first game of the season against NYCFC, where the Lions got the lead early and just held on for dear life for most of the match.

RSL had plenty of shots and the bulk of possession (61%), but at the end of the day, the Royals just didn’t have what it took to break through the rigid Orlando City defense. Perhaps the stat that sums up the game is RSL’s two shots on target from 11 attempts.

Kreis made four changes from the lineup that came out flat against the Chicago Fire, dropping Tommy Redding, Luis Gil, and PC, with Carlos Rivas missing out due to injury. The Lions played a lopsided 4-4-2 with Cyle Larin and Giles Barnes up front, though Barnes shifted out wide for a lot of the game. In midfield, from left to right, were Kaká, Cristian Higuita, Antonio Nocerino, and Johnson. The back line consisted of Donny Toia, Jose Aja, Jonathan Spector, and Scott Sutter, with Joe Bendik in his customary role in goal.

From the get-go, RSL was on the offensive, primarily attacking down the right wing. While the hosts were getting up the field quite effectively, they weren’t able to carve out any good shooting opportunities.

Orlando City’s first real chance came in the 17th minute off a long free kick which was won by Kaká after he was pulled down by Chris Wingert. Kaká sent a magnificent ball to the back post, which led to a powerful header by Aja that left the crossbar vibrating. The ball then bounced out slowly and fell to the feet of former RSL man Johnson, who rattled it in for the first and only goal of the night and Will’s second of the year. David Horst threw himself in front of the onrushing Johnson, but could only get a touch on the ball which deflected it into the top of the net.

After the goal, RSL had a small surge of chances which amounted to nothing. In the 21st minute, Higuita turned over the ball to Brooks Lennon — a dangerous man on the wing all night — who then sent a tempting ball across the face of goal. Joao Plata was the closest to the ball, after losing Sutter, but luckily he couldn’t get a foot on it. In the 25th minute, there was a free kick for RSL, which after bouncing off a few players, ended up finding Lennon, but he judged the ball wrong and whiffed on it.

As the game went on, Orlando City sat deeper and deeper just as RSL threw more and more players into the attack. It was great to see how Orlando City stayed compact the entire match. You couldn’t really say that RSL’s attack was that weak, it was just that Orlando’s defense was too organized and didn’t allow the Royals any space in the box, which is why they had to settle for bad shots.

As mentioned before, Orlando didn’t have many chances, but the Lions did have one in the 35th minute, when Barnes cut in from the right and fired a long shot straight at Nick Rimando. Then, from about the 36th to 40th minutes, RSL had a few of its best chances. The first one came from a Lennon cross, which went to Jefferson Savarino, who laid it off for Plata, but it ended up in a fairly simple save for Bendik. After that, they had two quick opportunities from Plata and Lennon getting to the byline and trying to square it, but Orlando’s defense stayed tight and dealt with the threat well.

In the 45th minute, Savarino had RSL’s best chance on a shot right outside of the 18 that swerved and caused an awkward save from Bendik, who fought it off for a corner.

The second half was more of the same from RSL except the hosts kept getting braver; it also saw Servando Carrasco come in for Nocerino due to an inflamed right hamstring. At one point late in the half, it seemed as if RSL was playing two in the back with almost everybody in Orlando’s half.

In the 53rd minute, Luis Silva got into the box and was one on one with Spector, but Johnson hustled back to poke it away. RSL then had a great chance to tie it up in the 63rd minute, after Savarino chested a ball down to Silva who was one on one with Bendik. I’m sure every Lions fan can agree that while that moment did evoke lots of nerves, you trusted that Bendik would take care of it. Bendik not only took care of it — as he has on so many occasions — he rushed in confidently and forcefully sent the ball back where it came from.

That was RSL’s last good chance, though it wasn’t for a lack of trying. The hosts pushed their whole team forward and made three offensive substitutions, yet they couldn’t even force Bendik to make one of the heroic saves we are so used to seeing from him. The 71st minute saw Kaká come off for Luis Gil. The Brazilian was likely taken off because of their midweek game with Toronto FC, but he did not look happy at all, walking directly into the locker room immediately without even acknowledging Kreis.

After a silly challenge from behind by Higuita in the 76th minute, Plata hit a low free kick which came dangerously close, but missed just wide to the left. Later on, in the 87th minute, Higuita picked up a yellow card for hitting an RSL player in the face. He will not be available for Orlando’s midweek clash with Toronto FC. He subsequently came off and was replaced by Richie Laryea. It was Laryea’s second appearance for the team and he made it count too by getting a shot off at Rimando’s near post in the 92nd minute.

The game ended 1-0, with Orlando City leaving with a well-deserved three points. The Lions will return home on Wednesday to face Toronto FC at 7:30 p.m.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/23/25

Orlando City signs Thomas Williams to new contract, Orlando Pride schedule revealed, USMNT wins against Costa Rica, and more.

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8 hours ago

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January 23, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

I hope you all are staying warm as we deal with cold weather across Florida. It’s at least been nice to break out some of my heavier blankets and forgotten hot cocoa packets I’ve had stored away. My cat has also been curling up next to me more, which is always a plus. Still, not shivering while waiting for my car to warm up would be great. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Thomas Williams Signs New Orlando City Contract

Orlando City center back Thomas Williams signed a new contract with the club that lasts through 2026, with an option for 2027 as well. Williams joined the club’s academy back in 2015 and became the youngest Homegrown Player in club history when he signed a first-team contract at 16 years old in 2021. The 20-year-old hasn’t featured much for the first team, and he’ll likely spend most of this year with Orlando City B for consistent playing time. Hopefully Williams can take a step forward in his development and provide the Lions some helpful depth at center back in the event of injuries.

Orlando Pride 2025 Season Schedule Unveiled

The NWSL announced its 2025 season schedule Wednesday, and the Orlando Pride will start their title defense season at home against the Chicago Red Stars on March 14. Their first road game will be the following weekend on March 23 against NJ/NY Gotham FC. Decision Day returns to the schedule this year, with all 14 clubs in action on Nov. 2. The Pride will close out their regular season at home that day against the Seattle Reign, with the postseason set to begin on Nov. 7. There’s also a break in the schedule in July, with no regular-season games scheduled due to international tournaments like the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and Copa America Femenina.

USMNT Shuts Out Costa Rica in Orlando

The United States Men’s National Team beat Costa Rica 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando Wednesday night to stay perfect at the home of the Lions and Pride at 7-0-0. Goalkeeper Zack Steffen truly earned his clean sheet, coming up with some great saves to deny Costa Rica. It was also a solid attacking performance from the Yanks, and Patrick Agyemang put a bow on what’s been a great month for him with his second goal in as many games. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has some time to assess things before the USMNT plays Panama in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals on March 20

Keeping Up With MLS Transfer News

San Diego FC added another Designated Player ahead of its inaugural season, signing Danish winger Anders Dreyer from Anderlecht for a transfer fee reportedly near $5 million. He recorded 31 goals and 23 assists in 87 appearances across all competitions for Anderlecht and joins San Diego on a three-year deal. Charlotte FC officially added Wilfried Zaha on loan from Galatasaray. He’ll occupy a DP spot and the loan lasts through Jan. 16, 2026, with an option to extend it through June of that year as well.

LAFC made a trade with its rival to strengthen its midfield, acquiring Mark Delgado from the LA Galaxy in exchange for $400,000 in General Allocation Money. The Portland Timbers signed Venezuelan forward Kevin Kelsy from Shakhtar Donetsk as an MLS U22 Initiative player, with FC Cincinnati receiving GAM for his discovery rights. Real Salt Lake, which signed Mason Stajduhar from Orlando City earlier this month, continued to make changes to its goalkeeping group. The club signed veteran goalkeeper Rafael Cabral as a free agent and transferred 19-year-old American Gavin Beavers to Brondby IF in Denmark.

UEFA Champions League Roundup

The penultimate round of the UEFA Champions League’s league phase wrapped up this week. Paris Saint-Germain beat Manchester City 4-2 in the heavyweight matchup of the round, with all six goals coming in the second half. Joao Neves gave PSG the lead in the 78th minute before Goncalo Ramos put the game on ice in stoppage time. City now needs to win its final game against Club Brugge on Wednesday in order to advance.

Real Madrid cruised to a 5-1 win against RB Salzburg to advance, with both Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. scoring braces. Celtic also booked its spot in the next round after a 1-0 win against Young Boys. Feyenoord pulled off an upset by winning 3-0 against Bayern Munich as well. Elsewhere in the tournament, AC Milan won 1-0 at home against Girona, Arsenal beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0, and RB Leipzig did well in a 2-1 victory over Sporting CP.

Free Kicks

  • American goalkeeper Michelle Betos announced her retirement from professional soccer after a career that included winning the 2016 NWSL Shield with the Portland Thorns and the 2023 NWSL Championship with Gotham. Betos was also named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year with the Thorns in 2015.
  • Arsenal and Chelsea are among the multiple clubs reportedly keeping an eye on American forward Trinity Rodman, whose contract with the Washington Spirit ends after this year.
https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1882171400481542482

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

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Orlando City

Orlando City Signs Defender Thomas Williams Through 2026

Orlando City signs Homegrown center back Thomas Williams to a new contract through 2026 with a club option for 2027.

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1 day ago

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January 22, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Orlando City announced this morning that the club has signed defender Thomas Williams through the 2026 season with a club option for 2027. The Homegrown Player has been with the first team since 2021 and will continue for at least two more years.

“Thomas is someone whose future we’re still very excited about and we’re happy to get him locked in with us for a couple more years,” Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi said in a club press release. “He’s shown a lot of growth these last few seasons, continuing to get game action with Orlando City B and proving the importance of our development pathway, and we’re looking forward to having him with us for the foreseeable future.”

The Titusville native joined the Orlando City Academy in 2015 and made his professional debut for the club on Aug. 7, 2020 against New England Revolution II. He played in 13 games that year with 10 starts and recorded 844 minutes. His play on the Young Lions’ back line earned him a first-team contract on June 15, 2021, at just 16 years old, making him the youngest player in club history to sign a Homegrown contract.

The 20-year-old center back made his MLS debut on April 16, 2022 in a 2-0 win over the Columbus Crew in Ohio. He made five appearances with three starts in all competitions that season, recording 271 minutes. To date, those are the only appearances he’s made with the first team.

Since joining OCB in 2021, Williams has made 69 appearances with 61 starts and recorded 5,132 minutes. He’s been booked 19 times and sent off twice, both times after receiving second yellow cards.

What It Means for Orlando City

Williams is the fourth natural center back for Orlando City on the current squad behind Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Rodrigo Schlegel. He played well early in his OCB and MLS career, but has struggled recently. Last year, he played exclusively with the second team, partnering with Nabi Kibunguchy.

While Williams hasn’t made much of an impact on the first team so far, he’s only 20 years old and still has plenty of time to develop. Extending his contact shows that the club still has faith that he can turn into a key player for the MLS side.

It’s unlikely that Williams will see any time with the first team in 2025 (barring injuries and/or suspensions), considering that he’s also been behind versatile defender Kyle Smith at the center back position. He’ll likely spend the upcoming season with OCB, continuing to develop and earn his spot with the first team. As a Homegrown Player, there isn’t much risk in signing Williams to a new contract, especially if the club’s technical staff thinks he can develop into a quality defender.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/22/25

Orlando City transfer rumors, Orlando Pride preseason begins, USMNT at Inter&Co, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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January 22, 2025

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Dan MacDonald, The ManeLand

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Up here in Tallahassee, I’m waking up to snow/sleet, closed schools, closed government offices, and potentially icy roads. Many people will get an extra day off of work, however, I still get to go to work. I’m sure you can imagine how happy I am about that. Enough of my winter grumbling. Let’s get to the links but not until after we wish Orlando City fullback Michael Halliday a happy 22nd birthday.

Orlando City Reportedly Targeting Croatian International

While I can no longer say that Orlando City hasn’t signed any new players, the club is still moving at its traditionally slow speed as compared to other MLS clubs. We had the signing of Nicolas Rodriguez last week. Now, we have Tom Bogert report of yet another winger prospect for the club in Croatian Marco Pasalic from HNK Rijeka, though it is not a done deal. Hopefully the other targets Bogert mentions are of the striker variety.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881755961125449765?s=46&t=pMoq7Wulqfb35D7C8ydroA

Pride Preseason Begins

The 2024 NWSL champions are back to defend their title. The Orlando Pride returned to training on Tuesday. The club hasn’t needed to add many pieces, though some of the players already here, like Simone Charley and Grace Chanda, haven’t actually played any minutes for the Pride yet. Most of the chemistry is in place for Seb Hines, but reinforcing those bonds will be the challenge as the Pride look to repeat.

USMNT at Inter&Co Tonight

Hopefully you have tickets to the USMNT friendly match versus Costa Rica at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. The match starts at 7 p.m. and there are television and streaming options if you’re not going in person. Despite the squad having 14 players with three or fewer caps, Mauricio Pochettino does not consider this an “alternative” squad, nor does he want the players to think of themselves like that.

Girma Reportedly Nearing Completion of Chelsea Move

USWNT defender Naomi Girma is reportedly headed to Chelsea FC Women for a record $1.1 million transfer fee. That is a very big chunk of change for San Diego FC to use to try to replace one of the best defenders in the world. The deal is not complete as of Tuesday evening, but according to the original report from The Athletic, it is close to being done. Girma would be the first women’s soccer player to earn a transfer fee of over $1 million.

MLS Transfer Updates

Other MLS clubs keep on putting pen to paper when it comes to new players. The Chicago Fire are bringing in Jonathan Bamba on a Designated Player deal from La Liga side Celta de Vigo. The Luca de la Torre loan from Spain’s RC Celta de Vigo to San Diego FC is also official.

https://twitter.com/sandiegofc/status/1881741042904350864

Cucho Hernandez evidently wants to stay with the Columbus Crew, though he is still waiting on a new offer.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881786193693823104

Free Kicks

https://twitter.com/weareangelcity/status/1881749040863588770?s=12&t=_WZBNG4ILAyRLdwBeB4mpQ
  • Keep your eyes peeled later today for the NWSL schedule drop.
https://twitter.com/nwsl/status/1881749035218042954?s=46&t=pN-YJp3s7ZQlCXqnTAgSfw

That will do it for today. Stay warm out there, my friends. Vamos Orlando!

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