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Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Final Score 3-3 as Lions’ Rally Twice

Orlando’s playoff chances have one foot in the grave after earning only one point in a crucial home match.

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Nick Leyva, The Mane Land

Orlando City’s playoff chances are either dead or the vital signs are so faint as to be undetectable after a 3-3 draw against the sixth-place New England Revolution. The Lions (7-14-2, 23 points) rallied from 2-0 and 3-2 deficit against the Revs (7-7-8, 29 points), as Orlando City remains unbeaten at home against New England (2-0-3).

Dom Dwyer and a Matt Turner own goal got the Lions back into the game after sloppy play allowed Juan Agudelo and Cristian Penilla to stake the Revs to an early lead, but a back line that leaked all night did so one too many times, allowing second-half sub Teal Bunbury to put the Revs back on top. Scott Sutter got the last word with a header goal off a set piece in the third minute of stoppage time to pull Orlando level.

“Obviously delighted to get a point, especially so late in the game,” Head Coach James O’Connor said after the match. “Massive, massive thank you to the supporters tonight because I think they really helped us to come back in the game and get that point.”

O’Connor made only one change from the lineup that lost at the Galaxy last weekend, subbing out Chris Schuler in central defense for Shane O’Neill, who returned from his red card suspension.

Although Orlando City looked sharp from the opening whistle, it was New England that scored early off a routine play. Just a regular throw-in was flicked softly toward goal by Agudelo and somehow Earl Edwards Jr. completely whiffed on keeping it out. It was by far the softest goal Edwards has allowed in his MLS career and one that he’ll definitely want back.

After the goal, the Lions became too deliberate and even though they held some possession, they weren’t very threatening. New England, meanwhile, was content to allow possession and press for opportunities. Edwards was forced to come off his line and make a big save on Diego Fagundez in the 16th after the latter split the defense with a good run and Penilla found him with the pass.

New England doubled the lead in the 19th minute when Sutter opted to play a square ball to a well-covered O’Neill instead of trying to turn or passing back to Edwards. O’Neill had virtually no chance, as Caicedo arrived at the same time as the ball. He poked it away and it allowed Penilla to break in and scored uncontested on Edwards to make it 2-0.

Fagundez had a chance to make it 3-0 in the 23rd minute, dancing past the Orlando back line and firing a shot that Edwards saved.

City tried to regroup thereafter and got a few opportunities. In the 25th minute, a Yoshimar Yotún free kick found O’Neill, but his header went just wide of the net. Two minutes later, Dwyer got in behind the defense but tried to go near post and Turner made the save. PC got into the area in the 29th minute but his shot was blocked by the defense.

Those missed opportunities looked like they’d immediately bite the Lions as the Revs shredded the back line again in the 30th minute and Scott Caldwell got around Edwards but saw Amro Tarek save his effort off the line at the last second.

Six minutes later, Edwards had a second major mistake in the game, passing the ball directly to Fagundez, but Cristian Higuita tracked back and somehow dispossessed the Revolution attacker without conceding a penalty.

Sacha Kljestan went down on an ugly challenge from behind by Brandon Bye in the 37th minute. Bye was booked for the infraction but Kljestan had to sub out minutes later for Josué Colmán.

Just before the break the Lions pulled a goal back. Yotún sent Tony Rocha up the left flank and Rocha’s cross picked out Dwyer in front of goal. Dom played it first time and sent it over Turner to make it 2-1 in the 45th minute for his 10th goal of the season.

“It was huge,” O’Connor said of the timely goal. “Really well played ball for him from Tony but I think Dom’s finish is excellent and that gave us a lot of hope.”

“It gave us a little bit of confidence knowing we only needed one goal and we were right back in it,” Rocha said.

Shots were even at the end of the first half at 6-6 (5-2 on target for New England). The Lions held 72% possession and held a passing percentage advantage (86%-69%).

“We really felt at halftime that we could go on and win the game,” said O’Connor.

Orlando City came out aggressively after the break and earned the first decent look at goal. Higuita found Rocha in the box and the midfielder turned and fired just wide, hitting the outside netting in the 51st minute. Six minutes later, Dwyer forced a diving save from Turner on a shot through traffic. A minute later, Colmán fired a shot into the the box that Turner spilled but it fell just a bit wide for Dwyer to get onto it and slam home.

New England continued to try countering whenever possible, with Fagundez fizzing a shot just over the bar in the 61st.

Orlando nearly sprung Dwyer in behind in the 66th minute but the flag went up on a very close play and the whistle blew. You’d expect the assistant referee to keep the flag down on close plays these days and let video review sort out any problems, but in this case the flag went up right away despite replay showing the play was extremely close.

Penilla fired a shot through traffic off a corner kick in the 69th minute that took a deflection, but Edwards was able to track it through the forest of players and make a diving save.

The Lions finally leveled the game in the 71st minute. Yotún delivered a free kick into the box that Tarek headed off the left post. The ball skipped back across the front of goal and Turner knocked it into the net with his hand. The goal was given to Tarek with an assist to Yotún but it’s hard to imagine it won’t be changed to an own goal. If it sticks, it’ll be Tarek’s first MLS goal.

With the game tied, Brad Friedel sent Bunbury into the game for Caldwell in the 74th minute and the move paid dividends almost immediately. Bunbury got on the ball on the right side and roasted Tarek, getting in behind and slotting in the Revs’ third goal of the night in the 76th minute.

“It has to stop,” O’Connor said about the defensive issues of his team, which has given up seven goals in two matches. “You can’t score three goals again and we get a tie this week. You have to stop. You can’t give goals away like that. We’re 2-0 down in the blink of an eye. When you’re giving up the goals that we are giving up — it’s not like teams are having to work for the goals. I’m waiting for a game where a team is so generous and gives us the type of goals that we’re giving teams, and I look forward to when that happens.”

Two minutes later, Penilla rang one off the crossbar as he nearly put the game to bed. The Lions looked a bit shook after the third New England goal and it nearly cost them a fourth. It turned out to be a costly miss for Penilla.

The Revs kept looking more likely to score a fourth than Orlando to score a third, earning another quick corner kick after Penilla’s miss. Agudelo shot wide in the 83rd minute as New England tried to put the game away.

But the Lions stuck around and regained their composure. Yotún found Stefano Pinho in the 89th minute, but the Brazilian headed it well over the bar. Four minutes of stoppage time loomed for Orlando to take something from the game.

The Lions left it late, but the goal finally came in the 93rd minute. Pinho earned a set piece out to the right, and Yotún once again provided superb delivery, finding Sutter for the game-tying header. It honestly looked like a stoppable shot for Turner but he made a mess of it and it found the net to make it 3-3.

“It’s good that we got a point so late,” Sutter said. “Obviously we’re all disappointed because we wanted more from the game.”

On the restart after the goal, Dwyer was booked for a foul away from the ball — one of several fouls away from the ball on the night (making one wonder if Hilario Grajeda would have seen fouls actually on the ball) — and a fracas broke out at midfield. In the wake of a lot of pushing and shoving, Grajeda went to video review and sent off Yotún, who appeared to shove Jalil Anibaba. The replay doesn’t show much, but Yotún will miss next week’s match at D.C. as a result of the decision.

One would hope Grajeda had a different angle than that on which to base such a decision.

After it was all sorted out, neither team got a look at goal and the game finished knotted up at three apiece.

The Lions finished with 65% of the possession but were out-shot 14-13 (7-6 on target). Orlando held an 84%-73% edge in passing accuracy.

“I think the movement was very good. Tonight I thought Yoshi’s delivery was excellent,” O’Connor said. “I think we can still play better than that. We need to be braver…You score six goals in two games and you pick up a point?”


Notes:

  • Higuita made his 87th appearance for Orlando City to pass Cyle Larin for the most in the club’s MLS history.
  • O’Connor said after the match that Kljestan will be evaluated after getting his knee and ankle rolled up on the harsh challenge by Bye.
  • O’Connor also said Yotún was a question mark for the second half after getting fouled several times in the first half.
  • The Lions committed only 11 fouls but saw three yellow cards and a red, while New England committed 23 fouls and saw only one yellow.

The Lions visit D.C. United at Audi Field next Sunday at 8 p.m.

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Inter Miami CF: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 3-0 road win over Inter Miami?

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City went on the road and claimed a huge three points against Inter Miami CF in Fort Lauderdale last night, winning 3-0. The Lions took advantage of Miami’s poor defending, getting behind the back line and scoring three times. It’s the club’s first win against the South Florida team in over two years.

Let’s take a look at how the individual Lions performed in this big win.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 8 (MotM) — Gallese was awesome in this game, keeping the Lions in it and maintaining their lead. The two most notable saves were a 22nd-minute, one-handed stop on Lionel Messi and a second big save in the 62nd minute on the same player from point-blank range. The Lions’ number one saved all four shots he faced for his sixth clean sheet this season. He touched the ball 36 times, completing 58.6% of his 29 passes and seven of his 19 long balls. His most notable pass came in the 43rd minute, when he assisted Luis Muriel’s goal on a long ball up field. Overall, it was a great night for Gallese.

D, David Brekalo, 6.5 — Brekalo is the more defensive of the two outside backs, allowing Alex Freeman to go further forward. The natural center back was terrific defensively, helping his team earn a clean sheet on the road. He had 45 touches and completed 90.9% of his 22 passes. The left back didn’t have an impact offensively, but he was great defensively. He finished the game with two tackles, a blocked shot, an aerial duel won, and a team-high eight clearances.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Orlando City was on the back foot for much of the game, conceding a significant amount of possession. It put a lot of pressure on the center backs, including Jansson. The Swede had 35 touches in the game and completed 66.7% of his 24 passes, including three of his 10 long balls. He didn’t push into the attack at all but was part of a center back pairing that was excellent. He recorded a tackle, a blocked shot, and five clearances.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 7 — While Jansson was good in this game, Schlegel was the better of the two Orlando City center backs. He touched the ball 30 times and completed 89.5% of his 19 passes, but his lone long ball didn’t find its target. The Argentine also took one off-target shot, but it was his defense that shone. Schlegel ended the game with two tackles, an interception, three clearances, a blocked shot, and two aerial duels won.

D, Alex Freeman, 7 — This was one of Freeman’s best games since joining the first team. He had a team-high 64 touches and completed 83.8% of his 37 passes, including a team-high four key passes and three of his five long balls. The right back put one of his three shots on target and nearly set up a goal in the 88th minute, but Ramiro Enrique hit the post. Defensively, Freeman had an interception, four clearances, two blocked shots, and two aerial duels won while defending primarily Jordi Alba.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo didn’t have much of an impact on this game, only recording 18 touches and completing 80% of his 10 passes. However, he did have a key pass and completed his lone long ball. His only shot was on target, though it was on a breakaway and he perhaps could have done better. He helped defensively with two tackles and a blocked shot before being replaced by Kyle Smith in the 61st minute.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — The defensive midfielders played key roles in this game and were one of the team’s strengths. Araujo — the veteran of the two — had 52 touches and completed 85.7% of his 42 passes, including a key pass and two of his five long balls. He didn’t take any shots but was active defensively with a tackle, two clearances, a blocked shot, and two aerial duels won.

MF, Joran Gerbet, 7 — The rookie had a tough task defending Messi in this game and was terrific in doing so. He registered 47 touches and completed 90.9% of his 33 passes, including two key passes and his lone long ball. He didn’t take any shots but was excellent defensively with three tackles, an interception, four clearances, a blocked shot, and an aerial duel won.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 6.5 — Pasalic had 33 touches, completing 68.4% of his 19 passes. He was in the right place at the right time and had a little bit of luck in the 53rd minute, when a Martin Ojeda cross was deflected right to him. The midfielder sent a hard shot that deflected off Maximiliano Falcon’s leg and headed right at Oscar Ustari, who should’ve stopped it. But the ball slipped through and in to make it 2-0. It wasn’t a pretty goal, but it was an important one. Pasalic also helped defensively with an interception and was replaced by Dagur Dan Thorhallsson in the 70th minute.

F, Luis Muriel, 7.5 — Muriel had 35 touches and completed 78.6% of his 14 passes, including two key passes and his lone cross, but not his only long ball. He put two of his three shots on target and did well to finish the breakaway in the 43rd minute that gave the Lions the lead. He added a tackle, a blocked shot, and an aerial duel won before being replaced by Enrique in the 70th minute.

F, Martin Ojeda, 6.5 — Ojeda had a good game, touching the ball 37 times and completing 68.2% of his 22 passes, including three key passes, two of his four crosses, and three of his four long balls. He added a tackle and would’ve had a much higher grade if he hadn’t missed two golden opportunities to score. His night ended in the 89th minute when he came off for Duncan McGuire.

Substitutes

D, Kyle Smith (61’), 5.5 — Smith came on in the 61st minute for Angulo and made an impact. He had 14 touches but only completed 28.6% of his seven passes, missing on his lone long ball. However, he got a secondary assist by sending McGuire down the left on Thorhallsson’s late goal. Smith also didn’t record any defensive statistics in his 29 minutes of play.

F, Ramiro Enrique (70’), 5 — Enrique replaced Muriel in the 70th minute. He touched the ball 12 times, completing 60% of his five passes. The striker nearly had a chance in the 78th minute, but his touch was too heavy. In the 88th minute, his shot was saved off the post on what should’ve been the third goal. Overall, it was the missed chances that doomed Enrique’s performance in this game.

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (70’), 6.5 — Thorhallsson replaced Pasalic in a double substitution, entering with Enrique. He touched the ball 16 times, completing 90.9% of his 11 passes, though his lone long ball was incomplete. His big moment came in second-half stoppage time, when he placed a perfect McGuire pass behind Ustari to make it 3-0.

F, Duncan McGuire (89’), N/A — It was a short appearance for McGuire, entering for Ojeda just before stoppage time. But the big striker took advantage of his minutes, touching the ball four times. He only had two passes, but he completed both, including a perfect pass across the six-yard box for Thorhallsson, providing the fellow substitute with an easy tap-in. McGuire took one shot of his own, but it was off target.


That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 3-0 win over Inter Miami. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from an enjoyable 3-0 victory over Inter Miami.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After dominating Tampa Bay in the U.S. Open Cup and now Inter Miami in MLS play, I think it is safe to remind everyone that, as we all have always known, Florida is purple. Orlando City thrashed the Herons 3-0 on Sunday night, and the Lions could, and probably should, have scored five or even six goals with all the breakaway chances they squandered during this game. Nevertheless, they still walked away from the greater Miami area with three big, beautiful points, and here are my five takeaways from the latest edition of Tropic Thunder.

El Pulpo Pulverized the Herons

Orlando City fans have come to expect great performances from Pedro Gallese in terms of keeping the ball out of his own net, but on Sunday night El Pulpo not only did that, but he also created the game’s opening goal with a perfectly placed bomb of a pass that looked like it might have been thrown by Dan Marino in his Miami Dolphins heyday. But this was Fort Lauderdale, not Miami, and it was Gallese, not Marino, who arced the ball through the night right onto the foot of Luis Muriel, and Muriel’s first touch was just as perfect as Gallese’s aim. Then the Colombian was off to the races before giving the Lions the lead with a well-placed shot to the far post. Gallese collected his second career assist with that pass and then went back to his standard practice of saving everything, stopping four shots and partnering with the stout back line to shut out Miami — only the second time all season Miami was held without a goal.

Miami Block Party

Speaking of that stout back line, Orlando City’s defenders looked more like the Orlando Solar Bears out there with how they were giving up their bodies all over the field to block shots. Our friends at fotmob.com tracked a season-high nine blocked shots by Orlando City defenders on the evening, and it felt like there were even more. Every starting defender had one block except Alex Freeman, who had two, and Iván Angulo, César Araújo, Joran Gerbet, and Muriel each chipped in one as well. Orlando City’s defenders did an excellent job of keeping their hands behind them or out of the way while blocking all of those shots, and the frustration on the faces of the Miami players was evident, as despite taking 21 shots, they were only able to put four on goal. Sunday night was definitely not the kind of Miami block party the Herons were hoping to attend.

Pašalić Goes Five-Hole

I did not plan to work in multiple hockey references when I started this article, but hey, at least Miami fans can be happy that their NHL team won on Sunday. Their, well, Fort Lauderdale’s team most certainly did not, and Marco Pašalić’s early second-half goal doubled Orlando City’s lead when he took a slightly deflected Martín Ojeda pass and powered it through the legs of goalkeeper Óscar Ustari. All three Designated Players participated in the goal, with Muriel showing some fancy footwork before playing it to Rodrigo Schlegel, who gave it to Ojeda, and then his deflected cross fell perfectly for the left foot of Pašalić, and Orlando City had a two-goal cushion.

Firepower From the Bench

Óscar Pareja has always been a coach who likes to ride a hot lineup, and the same is true for how he chooses who comes off the bench — the hot player gets the first opportunity. Ramiro Enrique had scored more recently than Duncan McGuire, so it was not surprising to see Enrique enter before McGuire in this game, and Enrique nearly made it three goals in his last four games, but a fingertip save by Ustari pushed his shot off the post. McGuire eventually entered in the dying minutes of the game, and he clearly showed his desire to get back up in the pecking order, because he was flying all over the field, and it paid off for him when he sprinted onto a ball from Kyle Smith and played a perfectly weighted left-footed cross to fellow substitute Dagur Dan Thórhallsson for the third and final goal, one where all three goal contributors (secondary assist, primary assist, and goal scorer) were substitutes.

Midfield Did Not Get Messi’d

It is hard to ever write about Inter Miami without writing about Lionel Messi, and while he played well and created opportunities, the Orlando City midfield duo of Araújo and Gerbet more than held their own against Messi. Miami dominated possession (64%), but it was Orlando City that created far more chances, creating eight big chances (defined as chances where the analyst could reasonably expect a player to score) to only two for Miami, according to Fotmob’s tracking. Messi’s heatmap shows a player who played most of the game attacking down the right side of the field, but Angulo, Araújo, Gerbet, and Smith, the four midfielders/defenders — Smith came on for Angulo but was essentially a fifth man on the back line — who played in the middle or on the defensive left all contained him and rarely let him get loose, despite his 97 touches. The Argentinean did take nine shots, but only two were on target, and of course, none went in the goal — a testament to the entire defensive unit. Gerbet continues to impress, not just for a rookie but as a player in general, and when Eduard Atuesta returns from injury, he may find himself coming off the bench if Gerbet continues this run of form.


Those are my takeaways from Orlando City’s 11th straight MLS game without a loss, an excellent and deserved road win that vaulted the team over Miami into fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

Let us know your thoughts about the Inter Miami match in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/19/25

Lions defeat Inter Miami, Pride fall to Kansas City Current, OCB wins, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. Over the weekend, I was catching up with my former coworkers during Chicago House AC’s home opener against Czarni Jaslo in Midwest Premier League action. Let’s wish Orlando Pride goalkeeper Kat Asman, who turns 26 today, a happy birthday. The Pride lost, but OCB and our Lions picked up wins over the weekend. We have plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Defeats Inter Miami on the Road

Orlando City defeated Inter Miami 3-0 on the road Sunday at Chase Stadium and extended its unbeaten run to 11 league matches. Luis Muriel scored to put the Lions in front just before halftime. In the second half, Marco Pasalic scored and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson added the final goal for the Lions in stoppage time to seal the 3-0 win against their in-state rivals. Orlando moved ahead of Miami in the Eastern Conference standings into fifth with 24 points, while Miami drops to sixth, albeit with a game in hand. Miami has lost five out of its last seven matches. It will be a quick turnaround for Orlando City with a home match on Wednesday as Nashville SC visits Inter&Co Stadium.

Lions Sign Defender Zakaria Taifi to First Team Contract

Orlando City announced Saturday the club has signed Orlando City B defender Zakaria Taifi to a first-team contract as a Homegrown Player. The deal is through the 2026 season with club options for the 2027, 2028, and 2029 seasons. Taifi has made 44 appearances for OCB in MLS NEXT Pro. He has started 23 matches, scored one goal, and added three assists. Taifi was also part of the Orlando City Academy U-17 team that won the MLS NEXT Cup in 2021. Taifi made his first-team debut with Orlando City last month in a scoreless draw against CF Montreal. He also played in the Lions’ 5-0 victory against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the Round of 32 in the U.S. Open Cup.

Pride Fall to Kansas City Current at Home

The Orlando Pride fell 1-0 to the Kansas City Current Friday at Inter&Co Stadium. Temwa Chawinga scored the lone goal in the second half to seal the win for Kansas City. The Current have won two in a row, while the Pride have lost their second match at home this season. Orlando is on a three-match winless streak. The Current stayed atop the NWSL table with 21 points, while the Pride dropped to third with 16 points. The Pride will be on the road for their next match on Friday at the Utah Royals.

OCB Defeats Inter Miami II at Home

Orlando City B defeated Inter Miami II 3-0 Saturday at Osceola County Stadium. Gustavo Caraballo, Shak Mohammed, and Justin Ellis all got on the scoresheet for the Young Lions. Ellis also added two assists in this match. The win also snapped OCB’s five-match winless streak against Inter Miami II, and now the Young Lions are seventh in the Eastern Conference standings with 14 points. OCB will be on the road to take on Atlanta United 2 Friday.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City defender Alex Freeman has been in stellar form so far this season for Orlando, scoring three goals in 15 matches with one assist across all competitions.
  • The U.S. Soccer Federation and Major League Soccer have reached an agreement on a 10-day transfer window beginning June 1. This window will only be for MLS clubs participating in the FIFA Club World Cup.
  • Crystal Palace defeated Manchester City 1-0 Saturday to win the FA Cup and lift its first-ever major trophy in club history. Defender Chris Richards and goalkeeper Matt Turner became the first Americans to win the FA Cup since goalkeeper Tim Howard won it in 2004.
  • Chelsea beat Manchester United 3-0 to win the Women’s FA Cup. USWNT midfielder Catarina Macario scored, and Sandy Baltimore netted two goals and added an assist to seal Chelsea’s domestic treble this season.
  • Jamie Vardy scored his 200th goal for Leicester City in his final appearance for the club, helping his side beat Ipswich Town 2-0 in the final home match of the season.
  • Angel City FC shared an update on social media, announcing defender Savy King was discharged from the hospital Saturday following her collapse on the pitch over a week ago during an NWSL match against the Utah Royals.

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

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