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Orlando City vs. Portland Timbers: Final Score 3-2 as Lions Roar Back from Two-Goal Deficit

Down 2-0, Orlando City got three late strikes to win its second straight game.

Published

8 years ago

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Carlos Romero, The Mane Land

These late-game comebacks are fun, but how many of these can our hearts take? Orlando City scored three times in a span of seven minutes to erase a 2-0 deficit and beat the Portland Timbers, 3-2. The smallest MLS crowd so far at Orlando City Stadium (22,337) was treated to a wild finish with goals from Chris Mueller, Sacha Kljestan, and Dom Dwyer in the 80th, 82nd, and 87th minutes, respectively.

Those three markers allowed the Lions to overcome strikes by Diego Valeri (pen.) and Bill Tuiloma.

The Lions (2-2-1) won consecutive games for the first time in 2018 and, indeed, in about a year, improving to 3-1-0 all-time in MLS play against the visiting Timbers (0-3-2, 2 points). And even though Orlando City out-passed, out-possessed, and out-shot Portland, Head Coach Jason Kreis said he was pleased with the result and effort but not the overall performance.

“I kind of feel like this week is very similar to last week in many ways,” Kreis said. “Incredible work rate by the guys, incredible that they stick together, incredible that they come back from two goals down. The effort and all those things are fantastic. I still think we’ve got a long way to go. We’ve got a lot of improvement to make. So we cannot kind of let this result take us to a place where we start to feel comfortable. We have to improve.”

With nearly everyone available, Kreis started a 4-2-3-1 lineup full of expected starters. Only Oriol Rosell was not in the lineup.

Orlando City started on the front foot, with lots of possession in the attacking half and great movement in building up from the midfield. The Lions earned a corner in the first minute and Kljestan’s service fell to Lamine Sané, whose header flew just a foot or so wide of the back post.

Portland got the next good opportunity, as Scott Sutter was caught upfield on the attack. Will Johnson tried to cover for him but Andy Polo blew past him with a burst of speed and fired a shot that Joe Bendik got a piece of but the ball still went through his legs. Jonathan Spector was there to clear it off the line for a corner in the fourth minute.

Kljestan went for goal in the seventh minute on a free kick and got his shot through the wall, but it was straight at goalkeeper Jake Gleeson. Four minutes later, Justin Meram found Josué Colmán in the penalty area, but the Paraguayan’s shot was blocked by a defender. Seconds after that, Kljestan passed up a good opportunity to shoot and instead tried to find Colmán, but the pass didn’t get through.

Disaster struck in the 19th minute, when an initial call for embellishment and what would have been a second yellow card to Sebastian Blanco was overturned by video review and instead Portland was awarded a penalty due to a foul in the area on Mohamed El-Munir. Valeri stepped up and put the visitors ahead, 1-0, even though Bendik guessed the correct direction of the kick.

After the goal, it took Orlando City about 10 minutes to settle down again, with a period of sloppy play keeping the Lions from getting anything going.

Dwyer went just wide with a free kick that took a deflection in the 31st as Orlando looked to get back into rhythm. Kljestan’s shot in the 41st was tough for Gleeson to handle but he did just enough to make the save and concede a corner.

The last good opportunity came in first-half stoppage time, when a corner kick delivery from Kljestan was headed on by Spector and fell for Meram at the back post, but his shot was saved by a diving Gleeson.

Portland took its 1-0 lead to the break.

The Lions held 57% of the first half possession, passed at an 83% rate compared to Portland’s 78%, and out-shot the Timbers (14-4) in the opening period (but only 3-2 on target). The Lions had nine first-half corners compared to just one for Portland. Aside from an inability to finish off a play, it was a mostly dominant half, but the visitors led on the Valeri penalty.

If the Timbers were fending off most of the attack in the first half, they came out of the locker room looking in the mood to score again. Portland twice hit the woodwork in the first five minutes through Blanco and Valeri, and had another shot blocked by the defense that surely would have doubled the lead.

Orlando started to settle down and earn some set pieces, and Kljestan nearly tied the game in the 56th when he went for goal on a free kick to the left of the penalty area. However, his shot fizzed just wide of the back post. But it was a set piece at the other end three minutes later that allowed Portland to double its lead.

Sané was whistled for bundling over Blanco in the 59th minute, and Valeri’s cross found defender Tuiloma, who went over two Lions to head home his first goal and double the visitors’ lead.

The Lions brought on offensive reinforcements in Mueller and Stefano Pinho and pressed numbers into the attack. That allowed the Timbers a few half chances on the counter, but good recovery runs from El-Munir, Spector, and Sané preserved the score as it stood.

Mueller looked dangerous from the time he stepped onto the pitch for Colmán in the 67th minute, and he freed himself up for a shot in the 78th that went inches wide and found the outside netting. Three minutes later, the rookie finally found his first MLS goal. Dwyer earned a corner kick and Yoshimar Yotun delivered a perfect near-post ball for Mueller to flick home with his head to throw the Lions a lifeline.

“You dream about your first goal but most importantly we got the three points,” Mueller said. “I’m happy to have gotten the goal that kind of catapulted us forward. Just a great day.”

Just one minute after Mueller’s goal, Orlando came on the attack again and Dwyer was fouled in the box by Alvas Powell, who threw a shoulder into Dwyer and knocked him down, prompting referee Baldomero Toledo to point to the spot.

Kljestan, not Yotun, stepped up and sent Gleeson the wrong way to level the score. It was Kljestan’s first goal as a Lion and it was a new game for the final eight minutes plus stoppage time.

In the 85th minute, there was a delay as both Powell and Gleeson needed treatment, possibly both for cramping issues. During the stoppage, Dwyer was screaming encouragement to his teammates. They responded, and so did he.

Second-half sub RJ Allen read Dwyer’s timed run and floated a perfect long ball over the back line. Dwyer looked to be in alone but the Portland center backs recovered and converged on the Orlando City striker. Dwyer slipped and went to ground, but maintained possession, got up, switched feet and blasted home the eventual game-winning goal with his right foot in the 87th minute.

“Tremendous character from the boys to come back from two down,” Dwyer said.

Portland nearly pulled the goal right back. Dairon Asprilla managed to get in behind the defense on the right side, but he fired his shot right at Bendik. After four tense minutes of stoppage time, the Lions had their second win of the season and second on the bounce.

City ended up with more possession (58.2%-41.8%), better passing (84.5%-78.1%), more corners (12-1), and more shots (24-13, 7-6 on target), but there were still moments of missed opportunities, as players like Kljestan, Meram, and Colmán continue to figure out where the others are about to go while in transition or in the final third.

“I think we need to bundle up all the positivity from the performance — again, just the effort and the commitment and the work rate — and we need to remember that and put that in our pocket, because that could be really useful as the season goes along,” Kreis said. “But then we also have to be humble and know that we need to make some improvements from front to back. A lot of work to be done.”

Orlando City’s next match will be Friday at Philadelphia against the Union at 8 p.m.

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Orlando City

Schlegel Transfers to Atlas; Smith Says Goodbye to Orlando City

Orlando City bids goodbye to the Argentine defender and agent of chaos, while The Accountant says farewell to the City Beautiful on Instagram.

Published

9 hours ago

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December 16, 2025

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Image of Rodrigo Schlegel in a goalkeeper kit in Orlando's playoff shootout win over New York City FC in 2020.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City’s back line will look different in 2026 as veterans Rodrigo Schlegel and Kyle Smith are headed elsewhere. The club announced today that Schlegel is headed to to Atlas FC in Liga MX via transfer, while Smith took to Instagram to say goodbye to the City Beautiful and his teammates. 

Screenshot image of Kyle Smith's Instagram announcement saying goodbye to Orlando City.

Schlegel, 28, heads to Mexico after six seasons as a Lion. Smith, 33, was out of contract after the 2025 season, and although the club announced it was negotiating with the versatile defender about a return, he is apparently leaving after spending seven seasons in Orlando purple. The club did not disclose the transfer fee in the transaction sending Schlegel to Mexico.

“Rodrigo has been an incredible part of our history,” Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “His commitment, passion, and leadership have left a lasting mark on this club. From his unforgettable role in our first playoff (penalty shootout) win to helping us lift our first trophy in our MLS era, Rodrigo has given everything to Orlando City. We are deeply grateful for all he has done, both on and off the field, and (we) wish him and his family the very best in this next chapter of his career.”

Orlando City signed Schlegel on Dec. 30, 2019, on loan from Argentina top-flight side Racing Club. The Lions picked up the player’s permanent transfer option following the 2020 season and picked up his option for 2022 on Dec. 1, 2021. Schlegel signed a new contract just over a month later, inking a deal through the 2023 season with clup options for 2024 and 2025. Those options were picked up and at some point in 2025 the defender signed a new deal through 2026 with an option for 2027, but it was not announced.

The Remedios de Escalada, Argentina, native appeared in 180 matches (155 starts) with Orlando City across all competitions — playing in the fourth-most games in club history. He scored four goals and added one assist. He scored two of those goals in MLS play, where he earned a reputation as a rugged (and sometimes reckless) defender with tireless energy and a penchant for taking risks to make a play that led him to 34 career yellow cards and four red cards in the MLS regular season, with six more cautions and one additional sending off in his 11 MLS Cup playoff appearances (10 starts).

Schlegel etched his name into club history and folklore in the Lions’ first-ever MLS playoff game, when he donned a goalkeeper’s jersey and gloves and stepped in for Pedro Gallese after the goalkeeper was sent off with a second yellow for leaving his line early during penalties following a 1-1 draw. Schlegel saved Gudmundur Thórarinsson’s penalty to help Orlando City defeat the Pigeons 6-5 on spot kicks and advance to the conference semifinals.

During his career, Schlegel was part of six consecutive playoff teams and helped the club win its first major trophy of the MLS era, when the Lions captured the 2022 U.S. Open Cup championship. He always seemed to be a Plan B player who fell into a starting spot for a significant portion of each season. He never started fewer than seven matches (2020) in a season and saw double-digit starts in five of his six seasons in Orlando, filling in at various times for Antonio Carlos, Robin Jansson, and David Brekalo.

Former Orlando City coach James O’Connor brought Kyle Smith to Orlando after winning back-to-back USL titles with him at Louisville City. Smith signed on Dec. 21, 2018. He easily outlasted O’Connor in Orlando, signing a second deal through the 2022 season with a club option for 2023 on March 29, 2021. The club signed Smith to a new one-year deal with an option for 2024 on Dec. 5, 2022, before his second deal was complete. That option year was picked up, and Smith was out of contract after the 2024 campaign, but Orlando signed the versatile fullback/center back/midfielder to a new one-year contract through 2025 on Dec. 13, 2024. The Lions announced they were in negotiations to re-sign Smith after the 2025 season, but the Cincinnati native’s Instagram post seems to indicate that will not happen.

Smith departs with a high rank in the club’s all-time lists of appearances (second, with 216), starts (tied for sixth, with 122), and minutes (fifth, with 11,116). He made 178 of those appearances and 102 of those starts in the MLS regular season, with an additional 10 playoff appearances and two postseason starts. Smith posted four goals and nine assists in the regular season but did not have a postseason goal contribution. He leaves Orlando having produced a total of five goals and 12 assists across all competitions.

What It Means for Orlando City

Both defenders were popular among the fans, so it’s a bit of a shock to lose both in the same off-season. Smith jerseys may be spotted in the stands at Inter&Co Stadium for years to come, while Schlegel may deserve a statue for what he did in that penalty shootout vs. NYCFC.

However, after Orlando failed to secure a clean sheet after June, it’s little surprise that changes are happening at the back. Schlegel made $500,000 in base salary and just over $600,000 in total guaranteed compensation in 2025, while Smith hauled in $270,000 in base salary and $318,000 in total guaranteed compensation. That clears nearly a million bucks off Orlando City’s books, and it will be interesting to see how that — plus any profit from Schlegel’s transfer — is used to shore up the back line.

Moreira will want to put his own stamp on the roster, and with the departures of Gallese, Schlegel, and Smith, there will obviously be a different look in the defensive end. At the moment, Brekalo and Jansson would seem to be the starting center backs, with Alex Freeman on the right and Adrian Marin on the right.

That said, Moreira could have something more ambitious in the works. Another center back has to be on the off-season shopping list with Homegrown Thomas Williams also recently leaving the club. Orlando City would do well to bring in one or two athletic center backs to push Jansson and Brekalo for playing time. Another left back is also necessary, as Smith would often deputize as the first-choice backup left back, although Marin backed up Brekalo in that spot in 2025 while Schlegel was in the middle. Tahir Reid-Brown may get a good look in preseason camp, but left back is a position of need.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/16/25

Orlando City close to new goalkeeper, Michael Bradley lands big coaching job, MLS transfer news, and more.

Published

19 hours ago

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December 16, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Good morning, everyone. I have no idea how we’re just a little over a week away from Christmas, but somehow it’s right around the corner. Hell, the MLS SuperDraft is just two days away, and that frankly seems absurd. Nonetheless, we have an absolute glut of news to sort through today, so let’s jump into today’s links.

Orlando City Closing on Carlos Coronel

Orlando City will reportedly have its new starting goalkeeper soon. On Monday, Tom Bogert stated that the Lions ae finishing up a deal to sign free agent shot stopper Carlos Coronel, formerly of the New York Red Bulls. The 28-year-old Paraguayan international has been one of the best goalkeepers in the league during the last two seasons, and landing him is a great move on paper for OCSC. Mr. Scoops also noted that the team is still finishing up deals to sign Tiago and Luis Otavio.

New Coach for New York

The New York Red Bulls announced on Monday morning that the club has hired Michael Bradley to be its next head coach. Bradley had been the head coach of New York Red Bulls II for the last six months and now takes over the top job from Sandro Schwarz, who departed in October after the Red Bulls missed the playoffs. This will be the 38-year-old Bradley’s first senior head coaching job, although he did spend time with Norwegian side Stabaek as an assistant. The Red Bulls will need to sign a new starting goalkeeper and also have an open Designated Player slot, while Eric Maxim Choupo-Mouting and Emil Forsbeg fill the other two DP positions.

MLS Transfer Roundup

The MLS news doesn’t stop there though, because we have a couple items of MLS transfer business to go over. We begin with Inter Miami, as the Herons have announced the signing of free agent fullback Sergio Reguilon. The Spanish defender joins the team on a deal through 2027 with an option year for 2028. We then move to the Western Conference, where FC Dallas has signed Ran Binyamin from Hapoel Tel Aviv. The 21-year-old is under contract through the 2028-2029 season and has options for the 2029-2030, and 2030-2031 seasons. We then move to the Vancouver Whitecaps, as the MLS Cup runners-up signed defender Nikola Djordjevic from Vancouver Whitecaps 2. The 23-year-old fullback has a deal through the 2026 season, with option years for 2027 and 2028. We finish with the LA Galaxy, which acquired Jakob Glesnes and homegrown priority for Jamir Johnson from the Philadelphia Union. In exchange, the Galaxy sent the Union $1.1 million in guaranteed General Allocation Money with up to another $1.1 million in conditional GAM going to Philly if certain incentives are hit.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of American players taking part in matches during the working week, and domestic cup action is the prevailing theme. Ricardo Pepi, Sergino Dest, and PSV Eindhoven host GVVV Veenedaal in the second round of the KNVB Cup on Tuesday, while Antonee Robinson and Fulham travel to face Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday. Thursday sees Christian Pulisic and AC Milan take on Napoli in the Italian SuperCup semifinals, before things finish on Friday with Gio Reyna, Joe Scally, and Borussia Monchengladbach playing Borussia Dortmund in Bundesliga action.

Free Kicks

  • The installation of new grass has been completed at Inter&Co Stadium.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/15/25

Former Lion Mauricio Pereyra retires, Orlando City assistant coach Fabian Bazan departs the club, Americans abroad, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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December 15, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you in Florida. I’ve been busy at work as we get close to Christmas and covered some high school bowling and basketball over the past week. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Mauricio Pereyra Retires

Orlando City posted on social media over the weekend that former Orlando City captain and midfielder Mauricio Pereyra has retired from professional soccer.

Pereyra spent five seasons with Orlando City after joining the club from FC Krasnodar in 2019, scoring seven goals and adding 29 assists in 136 appearances across all competitions. The 35-year-old recently played for his former club, Nacional, in Uruguay. He also spent time at Lanus, and we here at The Mane Land wish him all the best in his retirement.

Orlando City Assistant Coach Fabian Bazan Departs After Six Seasons

Orlando City and Assistant Coach of Fitness and Performance Fabian Bazan have mutually agreed to part ways after six seasons. Orlando City announced the news Saturday. Bazan joined Head Coach Oscar Pareja’s coaching staff prior to the 2020 season after working with him at previous clubs since 2015. During his tenure, Bazan was part of Orlando City’s coaching staff during its successful run, winning the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, qualifying for two Concacaf Champions Cup tournaments, and making six consecutive MLS Cup playoff appearances.

Americans Abroad

Plenty of Americans were in action in Europe over the weekend. Christian Pulisic played 73 minutes for AC Milan in a 2-2 draw against Sassuolo, while Weston McKennie played a full 90 minutes as Juventus beat Bologna 1-0. Antonee Robinson made his return to the starting XI for Fulham and played a full 90 minutes as his side defeated Burnley 3-1 on the road. Two Americans squared off in Ligue 1 as Tim Weah and Marseille faced Folarin Balogun and AS Monaco Sunday. Both players played a full 90 minutes as Marseille edged Monaco 1-0. Ricardo Pepi became the first USMNT player to score in four straight appearances in all competitions in the Eredivisie since Aron Johannsson did it in 2013-2014, as PSV Eindhoven defeated Heracles Almelo 4-3. Tyler Adams and AFC Bournemouth will face Manchester United in Premier League action later today.

Free Kicks

  • A biopic film focusing on Orlando Pride forward Marta’s soccer journey is reportedly in development.
  • In local college soccer news, the Rollins College Tars fell 2-0 to Midwestern State in the NCAA Division II men’s soccer national championship. Meanwhile, the Florida Tech Panthers defeated Franklin Pierce 3-0 to win the NCAA Division II women’s soccer national championship over the weekend.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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