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Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Final Score 3-2 as Lions Go from Winners to Losers in a Few Ugly Minutes

Um…what was that exactly?

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7 years ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

I’m sitting here typing, and don’t really know how to put into words what I saw over the final minutes in Orlando City’s 3-2 loss to the Columbus Crew at Mapfre Stadium. Leading 2-1 with just a few minutes to see out, the Lions (7-12-1, 22 points) saw referee Silviu Petrescu call the softest of penalties to allow Gyasi Zardes to level the game in the 88th minute, then the Crew (9-7-6, 33 points) rode that momentum to score on a surefire Goal-of-the-Week candidate by Wil Trapp in stoppage time to steal all three points.

Sacha Kljestan and Stefano Pinho saw their goals go to waste as Zardes completed his brace from the spot and Trapp found the winner.

Instead of jumping Chicago and Philadelphia into seventh place, just two points behind the Montreal Impact, the Lions have lost their 10th game in their last 11 league matches and it shouldn’t have happened. Take nothing away from Trapp’s unstoppable rocket from distance. It was maddeningly good. But the fragile Crew, who had struggled to score goals of late, were frustrated time and again until getting their late lifeline from Petrescu.

Not only was the penalty soft on the most minor of midair jostles between RJ Allen and Patrick Mullins, but then Petrescu relied entirely on the word of video assistant referee Jon Freemon to stick with his initial call rather than looking at it himself at such a crucial moment.

Anyway, let’s get to the recap because I need to drink several strong alcoholic beverages to wash the taste of this one away.

Facing a third game in eight days — and second on the road — James O’Connor chose to rotate some of his squad after Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup loss to the Philadelphia Union, replacing several starters and inserting Cristian Higuita back into the starting lineup upon his return from an adductor injury.

Orlando City wasted no time getting involved in the attack, and Yoshimar Yotún came within inches of putting the Lions ahead in just the second minute, smashing one off the right post.

The Crew put the first of what seemed like a hundred dangerous crosses into the box four minutes in, but it skipped too far in front of Zardes and went out of play. Columbus spent quite a bit of time in Orlando’s end in the first half, getting up the wings and spraying balls in from both flanks. This helped the hosts win 10 first-half corner kicks.

Orlando nearly caught a break in the 10th minute when Allen’s ball into the area arrived at the same time as Higuita and the Crew’s Jonathan Mensah and Zack Steffen. Everyone collided, but Steffen reacted first to collect the ball.

Six minutes later, the Lions grabbed the lead. Allen beat Milton Valenzuela and skipped a cross through the area that found Kljestan. The captain didn’t hit the wet ball cleanly, but he got it up and over Steffen to make it 1-0 on his fifth goal of the season.

In the 23rd, Columbus nearly equalized when Pedro Santos was left all alone on the left and a cross found him in the area. Chris Mueller sprinted back to help break up the play, but he also got a piece of Earl Edwards Jr., and the Lions’ goalkeeper rolled his ankle. After trying to play through it for about 10 minutes, Edwards was subbed out for Joe Bendik.

Orlando worked the ball well to the top of the box in the 38th minute but Kljestan passed up an opportunity for a shot and passed the ball to a defender, thinking he had a runner coming up from behind on his left, wasting the chance.

A minute later, the Crew finally got a shot on target when Zardes cut inside on his right foot and fired a weak shot that Bendik scooped up. Much of the final 15 minutes of the first half was spent in Orlando territory as the Crew pinged the ball around to each other, connecting around the perimeter, but they couldn’t break into good scoring positions, nor could they take advantage of numerous set pieces.

Columbus held 54% of the first-half possession and fired seven shots to Orlando’s three (1-1 on target). The Crew completed an impressive 88% of their passes compared to the Lions’ 78%, but the lads in purple still held the advantage at halftime.

It took just six minutes for the Crew to level after the restart. Left back Tony Rocha got roasted by Niko Hansen, who got to the end line and crossed for Zardes to slot home off of the left post. It was disappointing to see nobody marking Zardes, as he was the only attacker in a dangerous spot and it was one of the first mistakes we’ve seen from new center back Shane O’Neill, making just his second start.

The Lions responded well to the Columbus goal. Pinho fired a shot right at Steffen in the 52nd minute as he had trouble digging Higuita’s pass out of his feet in the penalty area. Two minutes later, Mueller crossed a ball in for a wide-open Pinho, who only needed to get a touch on it to send it home, but the Brazilian couldn’t quite get onto it.

Despite those missed chances, Pinho restored Orlando’s lead in the 58th minute on a fantastic buildup that started with Yotún’s brilliant ball that released Kljestan into the area. The captain — with regular captain Jonathan Spector still out — beat his man and slid the ball over for Pinho’s easy tap-in to make it 2-1 in the 58th minute.

O’Connor replaced Kljestan with Mohamed-El Munir in the 60th minute and then got Will Johnson on for Higuita, who was gassed and cramping up, to try to see the game out. El-Munir had an opportunity to give the Lions some insurance off a counter attack in the 62nd minute when he got into the box but Steffen made a phenomenal one-handed save to keep it a one-goal game.

From that point on, the traffic was all one way, as the Crew sent waves of attack into the Orlando end, while the Lions tried to hold on. It looked like Orlando City’s night when Bendik made a fantastic save to deny Mullins’ headed shot in the 76th minute.

Then, disaster struck in the 86th minute, when a routine ball in the area ended up giving Columbus life. Mullins and Allen went up for a ball and the Crew striker went down easily looking for a call. Petrescu obliged. After going to his earpiece, Petrescu didn’t go take a look for himself. He just pointed to the spot again.

If that was a penalty, both teams should have been shooting from the spot all night.

After the match, the pool reporter in Columbus asked for an explanation on why a penalty was given. Here is the response, as reported by Jordan Culver of the Orlando Sentinel:

“As the Columbus player was about to head the ball in the Orlando penalty area, the Orlando player charged him from behind. Therefore a penalty kick was called.”

I’m not a physicist, but if Allen “charged him from behind,” why did Mullins fall backward and land on his back, rather than falling forward onto his stomach? I just can’t even.

Bendik guessed correctly on Zardes’ effort, but it was well placed and had a lot of steam on it, giving the Lions’ keeper no chance. The game was tied at 2-2 in the 88th minute.

The Lions nearly got an opportunity after the restart to retake the lead, but couldn’t quite connect with Mueller in the box.

With just a few minutes to see out, the Lions packed in tightly and looked to hold onto their road point, but the Crew were now riding the wave of momentum and found the late winner on the kind of shot that only happens against Orlando City late in games. From about 30 yards out, Trapp tried his luck and fired a missile into the upper 90.

A last-gasp Orlando set piece was flicked right at Steffen and the game ended in about as much of a gut-punch fashion as we’ve seen in the team’s four-year MLS existence.

The Lions held only 43% of the possession, as they tried to absorb pressure for much of the second half, nursing the lead and looking to counter. Columbus out-shot Orlando City, 15-9 (6-5 on target) and connected on 87% of its passes, compared to Orlando’s 79%.

The Lions were just minutes from their first-ever win at Mapfre Stadium and took nothing away from the game.

The Lions return to action Thursday at home when New York City FC comes to Orlando in search of a three-game season sweep.

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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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8 seconds 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.

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3 hours 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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/21/25

Orlando Pride release preseason camp roster, scouting Costa Rica, women’s soccer transfer grades, and more.

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1 day ago

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January 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone! If you had yesterday off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, then I hope you enjoyed some restful time off. If not, then I hope you got your week started off on a good and productive note. There’s a lot going on around here this week as the United States Men’s National Team is in town, and Orlando City will play its first preseason match on Saturday. That means we have plenty to discuss, so let’s dig into today’s links.

Orlando Pride Drop Preseason Roster

Monday might have been a holiday but the Orlando Pride were busy, as they announced the roster for their upcoming preseason camp. Almost all of the usual suspects from the 2024 season are back, as the Pride return 98% of the player-minutes from last season and every single scorer. Mariana Larroquette is on the list although she’s currently on loan in Argentina, and Amanda Allen is likewise included after her loan at Lexington Sporting Club was terminated due to a torn labrum. The biggest intrigue comes from the trio of non-roster invitees: goalkeeper DeAira Jackson, midfielder Aryssa Mahrt, and forward Simone Jackson.

Scouting Costa Rica

The USMNT takes on Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium to wrap up the team’s annual January camp. Like the U.S., Costa Rica is bringing a roster devoid of the majority of its important players. Costa Rica also has a new manager at the helm in Miguel Herrera, who will take charge of the team for the very first time on Wednesday. Herrera typically lines his teams up in a 5-3-2 where the wingbacks take on a very important role and the team looks to hit on the counter while staying compact at the back. This will be the last time we see the USMNT in action until the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in early March.

Women’s Soccer January Transfer Grades

January has been a busy time for transfers in the women’s soccer world, so which teams have done the best business? Well, the Orlando Pride received an A grade for signing Marta to a new two-year deal, retaining a player who helped the team win its first ever trophies. Liverpool got an A for signing Julia Bartel on loan from Chelsea. Leicester City made an interesting call by transferring goalkeeper Lize Kop to Tottenham despite just being a point above the relegation zone. The Foxes get a C for the move, while Spurs get a B+ for adding a capable netminder.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans taking part in some very important games over the course of this week. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus face Club Brugge today in the UEFA Champions League, while Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Esmir Bajraktarević, Malik Tillman and PSV Eindhoven take on Crvena Zvezda in the same competition. Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan will play Girona in the UCL on Wednesday, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic take on Young Boys. On Friday, John Tolkin could make his Bundesliga debut when his new team, Holstein Kiel, travels to face Wolfsburg.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride players reported for their preseason physicals on Monday.
  • Meanwhile, Orlando City took on the dreaded beep test during Monday’s training session.

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

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