Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Colorado Rapids: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Come Back Again
After falling behind, Cristian Higuita and Yoshimar Yotún bring the Cardiac Cats back with second-half goals.

The large traveling contingent of Orlando City fans were treated to another Cardiac Cats performance with the Lions coming back to win 2-1 over the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The announced crowd of 15,702 saw the Rapids take a first-half lead on Dominique Badji’s goal, but Cristian Higuita’s rocket and Yoshimar Yotún’s penalty-kick goal turned the game around and the Lions held on after some nervy late moments.
Orlando City (5-2-1, 16 points) has won its fifth straight game for just the second time in its MLS existence — the league’s longest such streak this season. The Lions handed Colorado (2-3-2, 8 points) its first home loss and improved to 3-0-1 in the series, while winning consecutive road matches for the first time since September of 2015.
Jason Kreis made only one change from last weekend against San Jose, moving Justin Meram into the starting lineup for Stefano Pinho. On the bench, he swapped out former Rapids midfielder Dillon Powers for Richie Laryea.
The Lions started the match sluggishly, spending the first five minutes in their own end, as Colorado pressed high and Orlando failed to string accurate passes together. The Rapids worked for five corner kicks between the 16th and 25th minutes, and there were some nervy minutes as the Lions tried to clear the ball cleanly, but Colorado was unable to find the net with any of them, although Tommy Smith did head one off the post.
Enzo Martinez blasted one from 30 yards out that forced Joe Bendik to parry over the bar.
But the breakthrough started in Colorado’s own end. Badji made a run off the two center backs and Martinez found him over the top as both Lamine Sané and Amro Tarek raised their hands to appeal for offside. The flag stayed down and Bendik got himself caught in between, as he didn’t have enough time to come out but he tried to anyway. Meanwhile, Sané loafed back expecting the call that never came and Badji slotted the ball into the lower right corner. Badji’s score was the first for the Rapids in four meetings with Orlando City.
Whether the play was offside or not, referee José Carlos Rivero never went over to the monitor to review it.
The goal seemed to wake Orlando up, however. After Sané made a good 1-v-1 stop in his own penalty area on Joe Mason at the 32-minute mark, the Lions started to see more and more of the possession.
Chris Mueller started seeing more of the ball and his run forward in the 35th minute broke down when his give-and-go pass attempt to Dom Dwyer was just a tad off line. Two minutes later, Dwyer had a 2-v-1 but his cross for Justin Meram was blocked and Mueller subsequently won a corner. The Lions took it short and got no scoring chance out of their first set piece opportunity of the game. Sigh. #BanShortCorners
In the 39th minute, Meram took a pass at the top of the box and blasted a shot that Jack Price blocked. Yotún followed with a try from at least 35 yards out, but it was well off target. A minute later, Meram centered the ball for Sacha Kljestan, who missed the Lions’ best chance of the half, smashing the ball straight at goalkeeper Zac MacMath, when either side would have produced an equalizer.
Two minutes after that, Kljestan found Dwyer, but the ball wouldn’t settle for him as he tried to cut inside the defender on to his left foot. The ball deflected to Kljestan while bouncing and he couldn’t keep his half-volley attempt on frame. Orlando’s final opportunity of the half came in the 45th minute, when Mueller made a superb turn and crossed in for Dwyer. The ball cleared MacMath, but Dwyer was undercut by Deklan Wynne and he couldn’t get on top of the cross to head it on frame. No foul was given, but then no foul for handball was given on the other end when the ball inadvertently hit Sané’s hand.
The teams went to the break with Colorado leading. Each team had six shots (4-1 on target for the Rapids), Orlando held 56% possession.
Orlando City was the more aggressive and comfortable side through most of the second half. Will Johnson came forward and blasted a shot on goal four minutes after the restart but MacMath was able to save it off the bounce without spilling it. Two minutes later, Meram destroyed a ball that MacMath fought off the goal post to keep the snakebitten City winger off the score sheet.
But just one minute after that, the Lions equalized. Kljestan intercepted a clearance in space at the top of the area and dished off for Higuita, who blasted one into the upper right corner to knot the game at 1-1 in the 52nd minute. Higuita’s goal was Orlando’s first in Colorado since joining MLS, albeit in only two trips there.
Orlando nearly found a break to take the lead in the 55th minute when Mueller unlocked the defense with a pass for Dwyer, but it had just a bit too much mustard on it and Dom couldn’t run it down. Meram fired over the bar two minutes later, and Mueller’s ball for Dwyer was too high off the ground to be controlled in the 61st minute. By the time Dom settled it, the defense had made a sliding tackle to dispossess him as the striker was winding up for the shot.
From that point on, Colorado made a series of fouls in what had already been a physical game, with several Rapids booked. In the midst of that, Sané nearly gifted the Rapids a goal when he ignored an open Johnson and instead made an awful back pass intended for Bendik that was intercepted by Yannick Boli, forcing Joe to make a point-blank save.
In the 76th minute, it was one foul too many for Colorado as Dillon Serna clipped Yotún as Meram played him in with a back heel pass to set up a possible 2-v-1 with Dwyer. Before Yoshi could reach the ball, Serna clipped his leg and sent him to the turf for a penalty.
Yotún took the spot kick himself and sent MacMath the wrong way, but it’s doubtful the Rapids’ keeper could have stopped it if he guessed correctly, as the Peruvian blasted it confidently into the inside netting just inside the right post. The 77th-minute strike pushed Orlando into the lead for the first time.
Yotún’s goal served as a wake-up for Colorado, as the Rapids started threading in passes, finding heads with crosses, and just generally being extremely dangerous for the remainder of the match. Serna ripped a laser shot wide in the 80th minute and a minute later Bendik had to get off his line quickly to beat Boli to a ball over the top.
Mueller could have put the game out of reach in the 82nd, as Meram slipped him down the right side of the penalty area. The rookie’s first touch took him a bit wider and then he fired wide of the near post on what could have been the insurance marker.
The Rapids got the ball in behind in the 87th minute but it was knocked wide for a goal kick, then Serna sent another rocket over the bar on a Tarek turnover in the 88th. In the 92nd minute, Serna thought he’d tied the game when he slipped through the defense but Mohamed El-Munir came out of nowhere to make a sliding block of the shot with Bendik well beaten.
Two more glancing headers went wide in the 93rd and 96th minutes, and the whistle finally blew on Orlando City’s fifth consecutive victory.
The late flurry allowed the Rapids to out-shoot the Lions, 16-12 (and 6-5 on target). Orlando held 56% of the possession and completed 82% of its passes compared to Colorado’s 79%. The concerning thing would be the 11-1 advantage the Rapids enjoyed on corner kicks.
Still, it’s a road win in a difficult environment, and not a game previous Orlando City teams would have likely won. With tougher opponents on the horizon, any away win is a good one, and Orlando will need to continue to work on dead ball situations and fix a few things the Rapids were able to do before more talented teams start doing those things.
The Lions return to action next Sunday at home against Real Salt Lake at 5 p.m. ET.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Player Grades and Man of the Match
How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw against CF Montreal?

A late penalty saw Orlando City drop two points against CF Montreal, drawing 1-1 at Inter&Co Stadium Saturday. It was a disappointing result against a team sitting last in the Eastern Conference and tied for last in the Supporters’ Shield standings. Despite missing two key players in Pedro Gallese and Robin Jansson to suspension, the Lions should’ve easily come away with three points. Instead, they’ll see it as a missed opportunity.
Let’s take a look at the individual performances in this forgettable game.
Starters
GK, Javier Otero, 6 — It’s tough to grade Otero in this game because he didn’t have much to do. Montreal’s goal was a penalty, which you can hardly blame on the young goalkeeper. However, he did well with his feet and showed poise despite seeing few minutes for the first team. Statistically, Otero touched the ball 19 times, completing 93.8% of his 16 passes, including two of his three long balls. Since the penalty was the only shot on target, he didn’t make any saves.
D, Rafael Santos, 6 — Jansson’s suspension moved David Brekalo to his natural center back position, opening left back for Santos. He touched the ball 43 times in his return to the starting lineup, completing 92% of his 25 passes, including one of his two crosses. He logged one interception, three clearances, and an aerial duel won on the defensive end. He didn’t do much with the ball, not taking any shots and being dispossessed twice. He came off in the 76th minute for Kyle Smith.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5.5 — Schlegel had a team-leading 101 touches, completing 94.2% of his 86 passes, including four of his eight long balls. Defensively, he recorded five interceptions, five clearances, and two aerial balls won. He didn’t get into the attack. The Argentine would’ve had an excellent grade, hoowever, he left his leg out in the 81st minute, allowing Prince Owusu to go down, drawing a penalty and allowing Montreal to equalize. The fact that Schlegel single-handedly cost his team two points undoes much of the good he did in the game.
D, David Brekalo, 6 — Brekalo returned center back, touching the ball 58 times. He completed 95.9% of his 49 passes, including one of his three long balls. The Slovenian added two tackles, an interception, three clearances, and two aerial wins. In the attack, Brekalo had one off-target shot, a header late in the first half.
D, Alex Freeman, 6 — Freeman returned from the Gold Cup and had a solid performance. The young right back had 68 touches, completing 85.7% of his 49 passes, including two key passes and one of his three long balls. He had four tackles defensively, won an aerial ball, and took two off-target shots (one of them was blocked on a potential game-winner late in the match).
MF, Martin Ojeda, 6.5 (MotM) — Ojeda had 56 touches, completing 87.5% of his 40 passes, including two key passes and one of his four crosses. He put one of his three shots on target, scoring on a free kick in the 28th minute. He contributed defensively with two tackles and an interception. He wasn’t far and away the best player, but he played well, and his goal earns him my Man of the Match.
MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — Araujo was active, touching the ball 77 times and completing 89.4% of his 66 passes, including two of his five long balls. He only had one tackle defensively and didn’t do much offensively except drawing a team-high five fouls. The defensive midfielder came off in the 88th minute for Nico Rodriguez with the Lions needing a goal.
MF, Eduard Atuesta, 6.5 — Atuesta’s 91 touches were second on the team, and he completed 97.3% of his 75 passes, including two key passes, his lone cross, and both long balls. Defensively, he logged two tackles, two interceptions, and an aerial duel won. The defensive midfielder didn’t take any shots in one of Orlando City’s few strong performances. Without Ojeda’s goal, Atuesta could’ve very well been my Man of the Match in this game.
MF, Marco Pasalic, 6 — Pasalic touched the ball 45 times, completing 84.9% of his 33 passes, including his lone long ball. He didn’t have any key passes or take any shots in a quiet night for the attacker. However, he did add two interceptions defensively, and he drew multiple free kicks in good spots for Orlando, including the one that led to Ojeda’s goal and a late first-half opportunity that was headed off target by Brekalo.
F, Ramiro Enrique, 5 — Enrique had 21 touches, completing 66.7% of his 12 passes without any key passes, crosses, or long balls. His one shot was a late first-half header into the arms of Jonathan Sirois. The forward also didn’t do anything defensively before being replaced by Dagur Dan Thorhallsson in the 76th minute. In addition, he lost the ball trying to dribble through defenders on multiple occasions, which was a factor in Orlando City’s inability to develop much rhythm in possession.
F, Luis Muriel, 5.5 — Muriel had 28 touches in this game, completing 66.7% of his 15 passes, including two key passes and his only cross, but neither of his two long balls. His only shot was a 24th-minute attempt that didn’t cause Sirois any trouble. Meanwhile, he had two unstable touches and was dispossessed twice in dangerous positions as he tried to dribble through the entire Montreal defense. While Muriel did have an assist, he doesn’t get much credit because all he had to do was stop the slow-rolling ball for Ojeda to put away. Muriel’s night ended in the 59th minute when he was replaced by Ivan Angulo.
Substitutes
MF, Ivan Angulo (59’), 5.5 — Angulo came on in the 59th minute for Muriel, touching the ball 17 times and completing all nine of his passes. However, none of them were long or crossed. He took one shot that was blocked and did little else to make his appearance noticeable.
MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (76’), 6 — Thorhallsson came on in the 76th minute for Enrique as the Lions looked to hang onto their 1-0 lead. He had 10 touches in his 14 minutes, completing 87.5% of his eight passes. He didn’t have any key passes or take any shots, adding a tackle defensively.
D, Kyle Smith (76’), 6 — Smith came on for Santos in the 76th minute in a defensive change. He touched the ball 15 times, completing nine of his 10 passes, including a key pass. Defensively, he added a clearance. Also, a tip of the cap to Smith who made his 200th appearance across all competitions for the club, becoming the second player to do so.
MF, Nico Rodriguez (88’), N/A — Rodriguez was a late replacement for Araujo as the Lions looked to push forward after Montreal tied the game. He completed three of his four passes and took one shot that was on target. He didn’t have any other stats in his short appearance.
That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw with CF Montreal. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 7/14/25
Lions draw against CF Montreal, Pride players in action abroad, OCB wins, and more.

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you in Florida. I’ve been keeping myself busy at work. Our Lions and OCB were both in action over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.
Lions Drop Points in Home Draw against CF Montreal
Orlando City picked up a 1-1 draw against CF Montreal on Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions got off to a good start in the first half as Martin Ojeda scored the opening goal. In the second half, defender Kyle Smith came off the bench and became the second player in club history to make 200 appearances for the club across all competitions.
However, Orlando was unable to hold onto the lead as Rodrigo Schlegel fouled Prince Owusu, and Montreal was awarded a penalty kick late in the second half. Owusu buried his shot from the spot to tie the match as the teams split the points. Orlando is winless in its last three matches and dropped to sixth in the Eastern Conference standings with 35 points. Orlando City will face New York City FC Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium.
Pride Players in Women’s AFCON, Euros, and Copa America
Orlando Pride forwards Barbra Banda and Prisca Chilufya were in action for Zambia in their final group stage match in the 2025 Women’s African Cup of Nations against Congo DR over the weekend. Grace Chanda did not play, but Zambia defeated Congo 1-0 with a goal from Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji to book a spot in the quarterfinals.
Zambia finished second in the group behind host Morocco on goal difference with seven points. The Copper Queens will take on Nigeria Friday in the quarterfinals at Stade Larbi Zaouli. On Sunday, England crushed Wales 6-1 in the third match of the group stage in the 2025 UEFA Women’s Euros in Switzerland. Orlando Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was on the bench. England finished second in its group and will face Sweden Thursday in the quarterfinals. Lastly, Brazil was in action Sunday in the group stage of the 2025 Copa America Feminina against Venezuela. Orlando Pride forward Marta and midfielder Angelina played as Brazil defeated Venezuela 2-0.
OCB Beats Carolina Core FC at Home
Orlando City B beat Carolina Core FC 3-1 Sunday at Osceola County Stadium. The Young Lions struck first with a goal from Justin Ellis. OCB held onto the lead through halftime. In the second half, Orlando City B won a penalty kick, and Ellis converted to give the Young Lions a 2-0 lead. Carolina Core FC scored to pull within one, but Thalles scored his first goal for OCB late in the second half to clinch the three points. OCB won its first home match since June 6 and remains unbeaten in its last three matches. The Young Lions will be on the road to face New England Revolution II Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
Chelsea Wins the FIFA Club World Cup
Chelsea defeated Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 to win the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Chelsea dominated PSG in the first half, as Cole Palmer scored twice and Joao Pedro added one. Palmer also assisted on Pedro’s goal. Palmer scored three goals and recorded two assists throughout the competition and won the Best Player of the Tournament Award. Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez won the Golden Glove Award as the best goalkeeper in the tournament. Paris Saint-Germain forward Desire Doue won the Best Young Player Award, and Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Garcia won the Golden Boot, scoring four goals in the tournament.
Free Kicks
- FIFA and the Global Football Players Union have reached an agreement on the need for a mandatory rest period for players.
- La Liga President Javier Tebas has rejected Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’ plea to postpone the club’s opening match against Osasuna and give the players more rest following their semifinal exit in the 2025 FIFA World Cup to Paris Saint-Germain last week.
- Former Arsenal and Villarreal midfielder Santi Cazorla has signed a new one-year contract to stay at Real Oviedo as the club returns to La Liga after securing promotion for the first time in 24 years.
- Atletico Madrid has Thiago Almada on its radar, as the club has reportedly made contact for a possible transfer move.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.
Opinion
Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Five Takeaways
Here’s what we learned from a 1-1 home draw against CF Montreal.

Orlando City welcomed Eastern Conference bottom dwellers CF Montreal to the City Beautiful on a night that fell significantly short of expectations, as the home side was only able to muster one point. The 1-1 draw against the Wooden Spoon candidates from the Great White North, who were also short on rest, is more than likely the lowest point of the Orlando City season to date. What follows are my takeaways from a match which needed to be a victory for OCSC (but wasn’t).
Welcome Back, Alex
Alex Freeman as the Orlando City right back just feels so correct to type, and yet the Orlando City faithful have been without their first-choice attacking defender for over a month, as he has been with the USMNT in the Gold Cup. The young Lion slotted into his usual spot and did well throughout the match to both contain the Montreal attack while trying to contribute from an offensive perspective. There have been whispers about Freeman potentially being sold, but I believe that he will be with Orlando City for the duration of the 2025 season, and fans should feel comfortable in the fact that the connection between Freeman and the other attacking pieces for Orlando will continue to gel as the season progresses.
Set Piece Success
After a largely uneventful first 25 minutes of the match, Orlando City took the lead in the first half on the heels of what appeared to be a well-rehearsed set-piece goal. After a free kick was awarded in the 27th minute, Martin Ojeda, Luis Muriel, and Cesar Araujo all lined up over the ball. Ojeda elected to play the ball short and quickly to Muriel, who simply stopped the ball to tee it up for the No. 10, who fired a shot inside the near post, propelling Orlando City to a 1-0 lead. It was a cheeky and quick strike from Orlando City but exactly the type of play that someone would want to see from a team playing a vulnerable away squad. Ojeda became just the third player in club history to record double-digit goals and assists in a single season across all competitions, and the schedule is barely past the halfway point of the MLS season.
Failure to Launch
Orlando City finished the first half up by one goal and looked the part of the attacking home side. The problem was that the Lions were unable to find any additional goals to stretch the lead. Despite having a majority of the possession, the starters or substitutes were just not capable of being clinical enough to break down Montreal and find the back of the net. Without finding a second goal, Orlando allowed itself to be vulnerable to a less-than-ideal outcome as the end of the match approached.
Penalty Kick Misery
Orlando City clung to a 1-0 lead with less than 10 minutes to go in the match when Prince Owusu took the ball into the Orlando City box and dribbled past a few defenders before being met by the thigh of Rodrigo Schlegel in the 80th minute of the match. By the game’s standards to that point, it was a soft foul, and in real time it appeared Owusu had anticipated the contact and started to go to ground before any physical contact was made. There was no ruling of an obvious error, and the call on the field stood. Owusu took the ensuing penalty kick and successfully converted, tying the game at a goal apiece with little time remaining.
Unacceptable Ending
Orlando wound up with a home draw and earned only a single point. Against many other adversaries in the Eastern Conference, that result would be nothing to turn a nose up at. However, against a CF Montreal team that has struggled to find results throughout the whole season, and that Orlando City already played to a draw in Montreal (down a man for part of that match), a home draw is downright unacceptable for a team with playoff aspirations. In two weeks and two consecutive draws, Orlando City has lost ground in the playoff race and hardly appears to the eye test like a team ready to challenge the best of MLS.
Orlando City will face a quick turnaround as the Lions will face New York City FC at home on Wednesday. After Saturday’s result, the stakes are that much higher in a matchup against a strong team that sits directly below Orlando City on the table. The squad must refocus in a narrow window and move forward. Let us know your takeaways in the comments below and as always, Vamos Orlando!
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