Orlando City hosted Atletico San Luis in the third Leagues Cup match at Inter.co Stadium Wednesday night. The match ended in a 2-2 draw with the Lions winning the shootout 5-3. It was a match between a team that was already eliminated and one that was all but eliminated. Naturally, that meant multiple goals scored. Here are my five takeaways from the match.

Everyone Gets a Start

If you’ve been starting regularly for Orlando City, then you get a break because this starting lineup was full of youngsters, the recently returned, and the positionally displaced. Given that the Lions needed to win by at least four goals and get help from other results to advance in the tournament, resting the regular starters was probably the best decision interim head coach Martin Perelman has made since taking over. It’s no secret I’m not a fan of Leagues Cup — U.S. Open Cup for life — so I’m not heartbroken that the Lions get to focus on the regular season and the Open Cup.

Dike Strikes

It had been1,723 days (or about four years, eight months, and 20 days) since Daryl Dike last scored a goal for Orlando City. It’s also been that long since his last start for the Lions. That all changed when he started Wednesday’s match and then put in the first goal of the night. In the 31st minute of the match, Tiago’s header was spilled by the keeper right to the feet of Dike, who calmly put it in the back of the net. It’s the type of goal that a prototypical striker like Dike gets in position to make. It was his 20th goal as a Lion with many more hopefully to come.

El Capitan Cartagena

Wilder Cartagena was given the captain’s armband to start the match and he did his usual good job as a defensive midfielder, making things difficult for the opposition, stopping attacks before they could develop. When needed, his was in his own box blocking shots, or on the other end putting in service for the offense, such as the cross to Tiago that eventually resulted in Dike’s goal. He was also six inches from a banger of a goal in the first half, but the goalkeeper got a piece and it deflected off the outside of the left post.

Terrific Tiago

Tiago was everywhere on the left side of the attack for Orlando City. He was causing all kinds of problems for the San Luis defense. The Brazilian youngster made end line runs to put in crosses, provided passes into the box, and had the header that Dike put into the back of the net. He also provided the assist to Justin Ellis for the second goal of the match. He made a run down the left into the box, turned, found Ellis coming across from the right, and put the ball right on his head. It was an excellent match for the Brazilian.

Griezmann Needs to be Greedy

Antione Griezmann should not have been on the pitch. There was no good reason for him to make an appearance in this match other than he probably wanted to do so. Sadly, he had two opportunities to score after coming on but was decidedly too unselfish. I get that he is trying to raise the level of play for his teammates, but this is Orlando City not Atletico Madrid. The level of his teammates is not the same. The first instance he had a one on one with the keeper on the left and tried to square it to Ellis who had defenders around him rather than taking the shot himself. The second time was when Gustavo Caraballo forced the keeper to come almost all the way out to midfield to stop a breakaway. Griezmann followed up the challenge and had the opportunity to put in a long distance shot over the retreating keeper. Instead, he squared the ball to absolutely nobody, turning it over, which ended with the equalizer from San Luis. Hopefully, it’s a lesson learned for the veteran.

That is what I saw in Orlando City’s draw with Atletico de San Luis. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

Orlando City has a third kit for the first time since joining Major League Soccer. The club unveiled its new “Orlando Original” third kit today as part of the final Adidas x MLS Archive
Collection release of the year. According to the club, the new kit, which is predominantly red, “celebrates the city’s rich soccer heritage by combining elements from the club’s history with inspiration from the 1994 World Cup, which brought the global game to Orlando.”

The Lions will wear these new kits for the first time on Saturday against FC Cincinnati.

“Soccer has been part of Orlando’s identity for decades, and this kit is a tribute to the moments
that helped build that legacy,” Orlando City Chief Marketing Officer Pedro Araujo said in a club press release . “From the city’s role as a host of the 1994 World Cup to the championship teams that laid the foundation for our club, the Archive Collection celebrates the people and milestones that shaped Orlando soccer and inspires the next generation of supporters to carry that tradition forward.”

While many fans have been waiting for a red kit that mirrored the club’s old red kit from the USL days, the shade is not quite the same as the 2011 USL Championship team’s kit, and a glaring difference is that instead of the club’s jersey sponsor across the front, the shirt features a wordmark that says “Lions” to pay tribute to the old Orlando Lions from the 1980s. The kit also uses design elements inspired by the 1994 World Cup match ball, reminding fans that the City Beautiful was a host city and placed a soccer ball on top of City Hall, and an Adidas World Cup ball pattern.

The original MLS logo is on the back of the neck and the crest features the tri-lion crest as another throwback to the original Orlando City kits. Jersey sponsor Orlando Health’s logo is placed on the lower back of the shirt.

The 2026 Archive Collection kit is available now at MLSStore.com and OCMobileShop.com, and will be available at The Den at Inter.co Stadium starting Friday. Fans can also purchase the kit at tonight’s launch party at the stadium, which starts at 7 p.m. and is free to the public. The club will screen Orlando City’s 2011 USL championship match, club legends will be on hand, and fans will have photo ops with the championship trophy. Society XXI members can enter as early as 6:30 p.m.

Here’s what the new kit looks like:

Orlando City has acquired $150,000 in guaranteed 2027 General Allocation Money (GAM) from St. Louis City in exchange for Homegrown defender Tahir Reid-Brown. The club made the announcement today, sending the club’s 15th Homegrown Player to the Western Conference in a deal that could net Orlando City up to $300,000 in additional GAM if certain performance metrics are met. The club will also retain a percentage of a fee if St. Louis City sells Reid-Brown in the future.

“Tahir has been a valued part of our club for many years, progressing through our academy, Orlando City B and into the first team,” Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “We’re proud of the work he’s put in throughout his development and grateful for the commitment he’s shown while representing Orlando City. Our goal in developing young players is to prepare them for the next level, whether that opportunity is with our club or elsewhere, while also positioning Orlando City for long-term success. We believe this move accomplishes both, and we wish Tahir all the best in this next chapter of his career.”

Reid-Brown, 20, made his first start with the senior team earlier this year on Sunday, March 1, in the Lions’ 4-2 home loss to Inter Miami. He seemed poised for a bigger role with Adrian Marin struggling with consistency and the team looking to get younger and faster, but he wasn’t able to lay claim to a starting spot.

The defender joined the Orlando City Development Academy at age 14 in 2020 and quickly rose through the ranks, signing an academy contract with OCB for the 2022 season at age 17. After two seasons with OCB, Orlando City signed Reid-Brown to a Homegrown Player contract on Jan. 23, 2024, through the 2027 season with a club option for 2028. While still on his MLS NEXT Pro contract, Reid-Brown also made 13 appearances for the OCSC Academy U-17 team during 2023, helping that squad reach the MLS NEXT Cup semifinals for the third consecutive year. His time with the academy team saw him named to the 2023 MLS NEXT All-Star Game, the third Orlando City player to receive the honor.

Reid-Brown leaves after appearing nine times with Orlando City’s first team across all competitions. With OCB, he made 65 appearances, scoring two goals.

Internationally, Reid-Brown has been a part of the United States Men’s National Team youth setup. He made his debut for the U.S. in November 2022 and was named to the 2023 FIFA Under-17 World Cup squad, making three appearances in the competition. He has also represented his country at the U-19 and U-20 levels.

What It Means for Orlando City

This move is not surprising, given the quick ascendance of Bernardo Rhein, who has obviously passed Reid-Brown on the depth chart this season. Rhein not only passed Reid-Brown, but he has presented a challenge to veteran Marin with his defensive play, ball-winning skills, and ability to jump up into the play with pace that the Spaniard lacks. Reid-Brown has gotten some play at center back with OCB, but he’s a bit of a “tweener,” with the height of a center back but a slender build better suited for a wide player on the back line. With his playing time dwindling, it made sense to move the young fullback so that he can get developmental minutes elsewhere.

Reid-Brown has sometimes struggled with consistency in his perimeter defending, and although his pace has gotten him into good positions up the left flank, he has struggled with his service at times both with OCB and the senior team. If he can develop that further, or if he fills out and can learn the center back position, he may find his future with St. Louis City.