Orlando City
Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match
Orlando City looked to be in a good spot when Facundo Torres gave the Lions a 1-0 lead at Red Bull Arena, but New York City FC came back with two late goals to take all three points. The loss keeps the Lions tied at 45 points with the Columbus Crew and Inter Miami for the final two playoff spots with two games remaining.
Let’s take a look at how the Lions performed individually in this loss.
Starters
GK, Pedro Gallese, 5.5 — Orlando City has depended on Gallese several times this year to keep them in games. Usually he’s been solid, but Gallese didn’t have his best game today. While not bad, the team’s number one didn’t commit when coming off his line in the 66th minute, resulting in him being stuck in a tight spot. As a result, NYCFC scored the equalizer. Statistically, Gallese conceded two goals and had three saves. He completed 79% of his 19 passes, including five of his nine long balls.
D, Joao Moutinho, 5.5 — Moutinho was much better than Ruan in this game, completing 78.1% of his 41 passes, three of his six crosses, and three of his seven long balls. Defensively, he recorded two tackles, one interception, and one clearance. But in the 81st minute he got sucked up into the midfield, allowing NYCFC to get behind Orlando’s back line. It resulted in the host’s second and game-winning goal.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Schlegel had a good game, recording two tackles, one interception, a blocked shot, and a team-high six clearances. He completed 75.9% of his 29 passes but failed to complete any of his five long balls.
D, Antonio Carlos, 5 — Defensively, Carlos recorded two tackles, one interception, and had five clearances. However, in the 66th minute, Carlos whiffed on an attempted clearance. It allowed NYCFC to get behind the Lions’ back line and left Carlos out of position. Alexander Callens scored right in front of goal because Carlos wasn’t there to defend him. Going forward, Carlos completed 81.4% of his 43 passes and one of his four long balls.
D, Ruan, 4.5 — Ruan had a terrible game at right back. Defensively, he had two tackles and one clearance. He only completed 47.6% of his 21 passes, one of his two long balls, and didn’t attempt any crosses. He got one off-target shot off and was called offside once.
MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 — Pereyra has been in good form recently and had another good game in this one. The midfielder completed 85.4% of his 48 passes and had four key passes. He completed two of his five crosses, seven of his eight long balls, and took one off-target shot. Defensively, Pereyra recorded one tackle and one interception.
MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — After being out with a non-COVID related illness, Araujo rejoined the lineup and was his old self. The midfielder recorded a team-high four tackles and one interception. He completed 85% of his 40 passes and three of his five long balls. Araujo was also credited with an assist on Torres’ early second-half goal after a great long throw-in that found the head of Ercan Kara.
MF, Ivan Angulo, 5.5 — It wasn’t a bad game by Angulo, but he only had 19 touches. The attacking midfielder completed 81.8% of his 11 passes and his only cross attempt was successful. He didn’t have any key passes or shots in the game but did have one tackle.
MF, Junior Urso, 6 — Urso had a good game but it should’ve been better. He completed 87.8% of his 41 passes, though none were key passes. He drew a team-high four fouls and took two off-target shots, which he should’ve done better with. Defensively, Urso recorded one tackle and had one interception.
MF, Facundo Torres, 6.5 (MotM) — Torres had a really good game, completing 88.9% of his 36 passes, including two key passes. His three crosses were incomplete but he completed his only long ball. He took a team-high five shots with one being on target. The biggest impact by Torres was his 47th-minute goal that gave the Lions an early second half lead.
F, Ercan Kara, 6 — Kara didn’t find the target on any of his three shots, but he completed 88.9% of his nine passes, including two key passes. In the 47th minute, he flicked a long Araujo throw-in to Torres behind him, resulting in the Lions’ goal.
Substitutes
F, Benji Michel (67’), 5.5 — Michel came on in the 67th minute for Kara, right after the equalizing goal by NYCFC. He only had six touches and completed both of his passes. In the 86th minute, Moutinho found Michel on NYCFC’s half of the field and it looked like the Lions would have a chance for an equalizer, but he took a heavy touch and ended up committing a foul to end the attack.
F, Tesho Akindele (74’), 5.5 — Akindele came on for Angulo in the 74th minute. He didn’t have a big impact, only recording five touches, but completed all five of his passes, including one key pass. However, the forward didn’t get any shots off.
D, Kyle Smith (74’), 5 — Smith came on with Akindele, replacing Ruan. The defender had seven touches and completed three of his six passes. He attempted one inaccurate long ball and recorded one tackle.
MF, Jake Mulraney (85’), N/A — Mulraney came on in the 85th minute for Araujo and was virtually non-existent. The midfielder only had one touch and he lost possession with it. That was the only statistic for the substitute.
That’s how I saw the individual performances for the Lions in this disappointing loss. Let us know how you saw the game and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match below.
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Facundo Torres | 14 |
| Mauricio Pereyra | 2 |
| Cesar Araujo | 0 |
| Ercan Kara | 1 |
| Rodrigo Schlegel | 0 |
| Other (Tell us in the comments below) | 1 |
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. New England Revolution, U.S. Open Cup: Five Takeaways
Here’s what we learned from the Lions’ exciting U.S. Open Cup victory.
Orlando City defeated the New England Revolution 4-3 to advance to the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open Cup. Both teams played a lot of younger players, but Orlando City showed a lot of maturity coming back three times in the match before finally taking the lead in second-half stoppage time. Here are my five takeaways from a pleasantly surprising result in the midweek match.
Welcome Back, Griffin Dorsey
When Alex Freeman left, there was a sense of dread given the options available to replace him. That dread faded when Orlando City brought in MLS veteran right back Griffin Dorsey. The former Houston Dynamo fullback recently came back from injury and got the start in Wednesday’s match. He played well throughout the game, but his best moment came in the 40th minute. Dorsey combined with Justin Ellis on a nifty give-and-go before smashing the ball into the back of the net to draw the Lions even a second time in the match.
Defense? Never Heard of It.
What happens when you have Colin Guske start at center back? You give up three goals. To be clear, I’m not solely blaming Guske, especially since he is less of a center back than Kyle Smith was in his time with Orlando City. Any time a team gives up three goals you have to assume the defense was not up to par, and that was the case against a New England squad that played even more youngsters than Orlando City. Luckily, it didn’t matter in the end since, it was mostly Orlando’s kids that won the match.
Take a Bow, Justin Ellis
The lack of veteran depth, combined with various injuries, has provided the opportunity for youngsters to get some minutes. No player has made more of that opportunity than Justin Ellis. The striker had an assist and a goal in the previous two MLS matches, and matched that output against New England. He was a part of the pretty give-and-go on Dorsey’s goal, and then scored a poacher’s goal to draw Orlando even for the third time in the match. It really should have been two goals, as Ellis put the ball in the net again a few minutes after the one that counted, but either Tyrese Spicer or Ellis was called offside when neither was offside.
Spicer was Spicy
Tyrese Spicer was a literal game changer in this match. He set up two of the four goals on the night, and as I mentioned above, it should have been three if not for the ridiculously bad offside call. He was a holy terror on the left side of the attack and may have actually injured a defender’s ankles with some of his moves. He wasn’t able to score a goal himself, but he was a crucial part of Orlando City’s ability to keep coming back and ultimately win the match.
Goals on Goals
I have not yet mentioned Orlando City’s first or fourth goal. Center back Iago flew above everyone on the pitch to put a beautiful header in the back of the goal. It was the type of goal we were told to expect from the young defender, and all I can say is “thank you sir, may we have another?” The winning goal came once again from a Spicer cross, which second-half sub Zakaria Taifi finished. Taifi made a well-timed back-post run to beat his defender and score the go-ahead goal. I don’t think anyone had the Lions scoring four goals to advance, with three of those goals coming from the back line.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I did not expect Orlando City to win this match, let alone score four goals while doing so. As such, I’m happy that this was able to be a positive article. Now, the Lions turn their attention to an MLS away match against rival Inter Miami. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 4/30/26
Orlando City advances in U.S. Open Cup, Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines earns praise, NWSL sticks with current calendar, and more.
For the third Thursday morning in a row, we are all basking in the triumph of a midweek win by Orlando City. It feels good, to say the least, and I’m a bit sad that there’s not another Wednesday match next week. Regardless, there’s plenty of Orlando soccer ahead this weekend to look forward to. Now that we have a little optimism to get us through the rest of the week, let’s get to the links!
Orlando City Wins U.S. Open Cup Thriller
Orlando City has reached the quarterfinals of the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after winning 4-3 on the road against the New England Revolution in the round of 16. It was truly a back-and-forth affair and Orlando didn’t have the lead at any point of the match until scoring the winner in stoppage time. Just like in the previous round against FC Naples, it wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but all that matters is advancing, and the Lions are through to the quarterfinals. The draw for the rest of the bracket will take place this morning starting at 9:30 a.m.
Seb Hines Receives High Praise
Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines placed eighth in ESPN‘s rankings of the top 20 women’s club soccer coaches in the world. Orlando’s transformation with him at the helm has been historic, as he coached the Pride to winning both the NWSL Championship and the Shield in 2024. The only other current NWSL coaches above him on the list are Angel City FC’s Alex Straus and Gotham FC’s Juan Carlos Amoros. Jonatan Giraldez, who left the Washington Spirit for OL Lyonnes last summer, tops the list, while former Pride head coach Marc Skinner missed the cut.
NWSL Will Stick With Current Calendar For Now
In a league statement, the National Women’s Soccer League announced that it will continue with its spring-to-fall schedule through 2030. This news comes after evaluation by the league of making a similar move as MLS and switching to a calendar that aligns with European leagues.
This should give all parties a decent amount of time to explore long-term options. It also means we will get to enjoy domestic soccer all year long for at least a couple of years once MLS makes the switch in 2027. We’ll see what happens in the NWSL in 2031, which is also when the U.S. will cohost the Women’s World Cup that summer.
Keeping Up With Americans Abroad
European soccer is winding down and many American players will aim to finish strongly after struggling a bit this season. Fulham defender Antonee Robinson only has one assist this season, while Christian Pulisic has recorded just one goal contribution in 2026. In more positive news, former Lion Alex Freeman played every minute of Villarreal’s 2-1 win over Celta Vigo and hopefully more minutes are ahead of him to close out the season. Forward Folarin Balogun was named AS Monaco’s Player of the Month after scoring in three of his four appearances this month. Another star-spangled storyline to keep an eye on is in the EFL Championship as Aidan Morris and Middlesbrough fight for promotion.
Free Kicks
- New York City FC’s Maxi Moralez had three assists in his team’s 3-1 win against the New York Red Bulls in the U.S. Open Cup, with all three of NYCFC’s goals coming from corner kicks.
- Nashville SC forward Ahmed Qasam won MLS Goal of the Matchday for his strike against Charlotte FC. I’m still not sure how Tyrese Spicer’s goal wasn’t nominated.
- Atletico Madrid and Arsenal each scored a penalty in a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal matchup. Antoine Griezmann, who will join Orlando this summer, hit the crossbar in what was likely his final Champions League game at the Metropolitano.
- Afghan Women United, a women’s soccer team of Afghan refugees, has been allowed by FIFA to take part in international competitions.
- FIFA is in talks over implementing a rule that would require soccer teams to field a young Homegrown player during games. The idea would make more sense to me if players didn’t already have options available to get playing time through loans or tournaments outside of league play.
- English defender Millie Bright announced her retirement from professional soccer. The 32-year-old has played for Chelsea since 2014, but injuries have plagued her over the years and she will continue to be part of the club in the future.
- Paris Saint-Germain right back Achraf Hakimi is out for the next few weeks due to a thigh injury sustained in the club’s wild 5-4 win over Bayern Munich in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. New England Revolution, 2026 U.S. Open Cup: Final Score 4-3 as Lions Advance to Quarterfinals
The Lions overcame three one-goal deficits and saw a goal incorrectly disallowed for offside in a wild USOC match in Rhode Island.
Orlando City overcame three separate deficits and a would-be winning goal that was called offside (but wasn’t) in a wild 4-3 win over New England at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, RI. The Lions moved into the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup on a night of firsts, as three Orlando City defenders — Iago, Griffin Dorsey, and Zakaria Taifi — each scored their first goal as Lions, while Justin Ellis stayed hot with a goal and an assist in the contest.
New England took leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 on goals by Malcolm Fry, Andrew Farrell, and Marcos Zambrano, but the Lions fought back each time and eventually found a way to put a foot in front in stoppage time. Taifi’s winner in the second minute of injury time avoided sending the two teams to their second extra time session in as many USOC meetings. Second-half super sub Tyrese Spicer provided assists on the last two goals and what should have been a second Ellis goal.
“A lot of happiness because of the result, especially, like I said last week, the effort of the players,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the game. “I think the effort of the players a couple of days ago, today, every game, I think that’s the biggest point to highlight. I think we have an amazing group of players. When they need to show up, they do it.”
Perelman’s starting lineup featured Javier Otero in goal behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Iago, Colin Guske, and Dorsey. Ignacio Gomez joined Braian Ojeda in central midfield with wingers Ivan Angulo and Tiago, with Martin Ojeda and Ellis leading the attack.
New England went extra young, with no veterans on the bench of the game day squad, and only elder statesmen Diego Fagundez and Farrell on the pitch with nine young players. Despite all that youth for the Revs, it was Orlando’s young players — Homegrowns Ellis and Taifi and MLS U22 Initiative signings Iago and Tiago — who ultimately stole the show.
Ellis had the first couple of scoring chances in the game. His shot from outside the area seven minutes into the match from Gomez’s pass was easily saved by Donovan Parisian. Seven minutes later, Ellis could have taken an early shot with his left in transition, but instead he cut inside on his right and his shot was deflected out for a corner.
The next 10 minutes saw the Lions start turning the ball over in their own half and Fry sent a warning shot wide of the left post in the 19th minute with two runners at the back post just waiting on a cross. However, that warning shot went unheeded.
Fry opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a shot from the left channel. Gomez trailed Eric Klein on the play but appeared to be running at half speed and never came close to running down the opposing attacker. Guske got caught between two minds, stepping up, but leaving too much room. Klein sent a chipped pass by Guske to Fry, Iago was a step slow to cover for his central defense partner, and Otero opened up his legs, allowing Fry to slip it in from a tight angle to make it 1-0.
The Lions quickly gave the ball away after the restart and nearly fell behind by a second goal on two occasions. The first was within a minute of Fry’s goal, when Fagundez found Allan Oyirwoth in transition but Otero was there to make the save on a 1-v-1 chance. Zambrano then hit the post in the 26th minute on another dangerous opportunity.
That was an important storm to weather, because the Lions pulled one back in the 31st minute off a set piece. The ball in from the left was cleared out to the right and recycled in by Tiago, who sent a nice curling cross into the area on the far side. Iago leaped over everyone and headed it back toward the right, beating Parisian to make it 1-1 with his first goal as a Lion.
This time it was Orlando City nearly scoring twice in quick succession. A good ball from Dorsey sent Tiago to the end line on the left. His pass to Martin Ojeda was late and hard, bouncing just before reaching the Argentine, who got under it as a result, sending his shot over the bar. A minute later, Ellis tried to connect with Ojeda’s run between defenders but it was just out of the Designated Player’s reach.
New England regained the lead off a set piece in the 37th minute that should have been cleared. The ball into the box landed amidst several bodies and only one of them was wearing Revs colors. Gabe Dahlin had no trouble taking it away from Gomez and Guske and sent it to Farrell near the top of the area. The defender smashed it through the traffic and in to make it 2-1, scoring his first goal since 2018.
Much like each of the previous goals, the next good chance came immediately for the scoring team. Zambrano forced Otero into a save just seconds after the go-ahead goal. Seconds later, another dangerous cross in from Fagundez, who was given too much space by Angulo, found Zambrano in front, but he sent his bicycle kick well off target.
Orlando City responded to that flurry of Revolution attacks with its second goal of the game. Dorsey took a pass from Angulo and worked a give-and-go with Ellis at the top of the box, with the forward giving Dorsey a clean look at goal. The right back blasted it home to make it 2-2 in the 39th minute.
Otero nearly created more problems for himself in the 42nd minute, overrunning Fagundez’s delivery on yet another set piece. He managed to extend his arm far enough to get a touch on the ball to send it out for a corner. A dangerous scramble in front of goal with one New England player on five defenders resulted in another corner, before the danger subsided with the ensuing set piece delivery swerving out of play.
Oyirwoth got a late free header in the box but couldn’t make good contact, sending it out of play. That was the last good look at goal of the opening 45 minutes and the teams went to the locker room tied up at 2-2.
New England had a dominant advantage on the stat sheet at the break, leading in possession (51%-49%), shots (12-5), shots on target (4-3), and passing accuracy (90%-86%), while Orlando City won more corners (3-2).
Tyrese Spicer entered the match at halftime for Tiago.
After the Lions conceded an early set piece, Spicer got forward for the first time in the 49th minute, racing down the left channel and blazing a rocket just over the crossbar. A few minutes later, he destroyed Damario McIntosh on the left wing and got into the box but got his cross wrong, sending it straight to a Revs player.
Another spell of give-away ball and passive midfield play by Orlando eventually led to the third New England lead of the night. Zambrano took a pass out on the right, took a touch and beat a passive Marin — and Otero — to make it 3-2 in the 58th minute.
The Lions quickly won a free kick just wide of the box on the left but could do nothing with it.
Fagundez came close to a fourth New England goal in the 68th minute when given acres of space outside the penalty area. The veteran winger sent the shot just wide of the left post.
Two minutes later, the Lions again tied things up. Spicer got down the left again and sent a cross in front that was just out of Parisian’s reach at the top of the six. The ball went through and Ellis slotted home to make it 3-3 in the 70th minute.
Ellis scored again in the 74th minute but the flag came up. Martin Ojeda sent a beautiful ball just over the defender for Spicer to run onto. Spicer sent it to Ellis in front for the finish but the flag came up immediately. The replay showed from two angles that Spicer and Ellis both appeared to be onside. With questionable call, the game remained tied.
Spicer forged another chance in the 80th minute. He put a move on McIntosh and the New England defender went down. Spicer seemed a bit mesmerized by the sudden appearance of space and waited too long to get his shot away, which Farrell blocked. McIntosh had to leave the match with what appeared to be an ankle injury.
The Lions continued to press for a winner down the stretch. Martin Ojeda’s back-post ball fell behind substitute Taifi in the 89th minute. The Homegrown fullback tried a spinning shot but hit Ellis with it in front.
New England came the other way, winning a throw-in on the left. Orlando City’s defense got out of sync on the play and the Revs worked the ball to Fry alone on the right inside the box. The opening goal scorer was poised to be the game’s hero but fired his shot over Otero’s crossbar.
With seven minutes of stoppage time left to decide things before sending the game to extra time, the Lions needed only two to finally get their first lead of the match. Spicer again got down the left side with his speed to get to a perfect pass over the top from Ojeda. The Trinidad & Tobago international cut a menacing ball back across the area. Taifi made the back-post run and redirected it in for his first goal with the MLS side
“Today we were able to spread the goals (among) different players, and that helped raise the confidence,” Perelman said. “That’s always something positive. If they are scoring it’s because they are on the field, and if they are on the field, it’s because they are performing, growing.
Although he didn’t put the ball in the net himself, it’s impossible to understate Spicer’s role in the win, creating a threat that the Revs struggled to cope with down the left flank throughout the second half.
“Spicy, first of all, is an amazing person. I’m so happy for him,” Perelman said. “He’s an amazing boy, respectful, and then the talent he has, because he’s accurate when he shoots, when he crosses, when he finishes…and he has 1-v-1 capacity. I mean, a lot of qualities.”
Across the final minutes, Orlando City lived dangerously, setting New England up with multiple opportunities from set pieces, but the Lions managed to do just enough to clear their lines and see out what turned into more than nine added minutes. Eventually, the final whistle came and the Lions were through to the U.S. Open Cup
At full time, the Lions had the advantage in possession, (51.6%-48.4%), while New England had the edge in shots (15-14) and passing accuracy (85.1%-84.2%). Both teams put five shots on target and each side won three corners.
“The cup is not easy,” Perelman said. “I respect the Open Cup, and I respect the opponents, so happy, happy for the result. The game was tough. They played really well with their 4-3-3. We were trying to find a way to adjust to that. I think in the second half mainly we did it, even though we conceded one more goal in the second half.”
Orlando City is back in action Saturday at Inter Miami as league play continues.
Pride Must Finish More Chances
Orlando City vs. New England Revolution, U.S. Open Cup: Five Takeaways
Lion Links: 4/30/26
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