Orlando City
Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Final Score 1-0 as Kljestan’s Goal Buries His Old Team
Lions win first road match since April 29, 2018 with a solid defensive game.
Sacha Kljestan came back to haunt his old team, scoring the only goal in Orlando City’s 1-0 win over the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena. Orlando (1-1-2, 5 points) won its first match of the 2019 season and its first road match since April 29, 2018 at Colorado, thanks to Kljestan’s strike in the 73rd minute. It snapped a four-game losing streak at Red Bull Arena, as the Lions improved to 4-5-1 in the all-time series against New York (1-1-1, 4 points).
The Lions didn’t just sit back and bunker. They (mostly) took good care of the ball to avoid giving New York counter opportunities and covered for each other well at the back all night. City also looked to get forward when the opportunities came. Chances were few, but most of the ones the Lions fashioned were good ones. In the end, it only took one goal to grab the win and Kljestan bagged it against his former team.
James O’Connor made some changes to his lineup, going back to a 3-5-2 and giving Robin Jansson and Joao Moutinho their Orlando City debuts and Santiago Patino his first MLS start. Carlos Ascues moved up into the midfield for the injured Will Johnson and Uri Rosell got his first start of the year in place of Sebas Mendez (international duty). The biggest surprise was Dom Dwyer moving to the bench.
The Red Bulls came out as you’d expect, pressing high, taking the ball away in midfield and looking for chances to strike on the counter. This led to a series of early corners and the hosts nearly scored in the sixth minute off such a set piece. Alex Muyl get on the end of a cross and headed a laser on target but Brian Rowe fought it off to keep the game scoreless.
Orlando’s first chance came three minutes later, when Patino made a nice turn in the box and found Rosell, who saw his shot blocked by Tim Parker.
Muyl was forced to move to left back from right wing after Connor Lade was injured after a collision with Ruan. Lade was unable to continue, and since the Red Bulls had no available fullbacks — both Michael Murillo and Kemar Lawrence are away on international duty — Muyl was conscripted for the position and Omir Fernandez came on to take his place in the attacking midfield.
While Lade was still off and the change had yet to be made, Ruan had a golden scoring chance, cutting into the box but firing weakly at Luis Robles. Then Ruan got down the right in the 25th minute and his cross found Patino, but the shot off the rookie’s boot was deflected by former Lion Amro Tarek and flew up in the air. It found Moutinho eventually but the volley attempt was well over the bar.
Rowe made another pair of nice plays on a New York corner in the 29th, punching out the initial cross, and then scrambling back to catch a headed shot on target. Seconds later, Ruan made an error with a bad cross-field pass, which Fernandez cut out. The young midfielder attacked the back line and unleashed a shot but Rowe handled it comfortably.
One of Orlando’s best chances came in the 31st minute. Off a set piece, Shane O’Neill gained possession and sent a long ball for Patino. The rookie was fouled by Kyle Duncan but fought off the New York right back and headed in alone toward Robles’ goal. However, an untidy touch as he tried to set himself up for a shot caused the chance to go away.
The Lions had another good opportunity in the 43rd minute. Nani broke in on goal, but instead of firing, he waited for Kljestan to overlap. Kljestan had little angle to beat Robles but spotted a teammate at the back post. Unfortunately, Tarek knocked his cross attempt out of the air and behind for a corner, and the teams went to the locker rooms locked in a scoreless tie.
New York led in first-half shots, 5-3 (3-0 on target, despite Ruan’s shot seemingly being sent right to Robles in front of goal), possession (51%-49%), and passing accuracy (59%-58%), although neither team passed particularly well in the opening 45 minutes.
The first good opportunity in the second half fell for Ruan, who blazed past the New York defense to get in down the right side. The right back took a loose touch in the box and it allowed Robles to close him down. The keeper blocked the shot with his legs in a desperation sprawl in the 52nd minute.
Three minutes later, the Red Bulls nearly broke the deadlock. Ascues gave the ball away cheaply in the middle of the pitch, and Bradley Wright-Phillips fired a shot toward the back side of goal. Rowe got just a fingertip on it and kept it out.
Dwyer came on in the 60th minute for Patino, and three minutes later the Lions lost Alex De John, who made a nice play to track back, block a cross, and knock it out for a throw. He immediately signaled to the bench for a sub and Lamine Sané made his season debut in his place.
The game turned in the 73rd minute. O’Neill sent a long ball up the middle and Dwyer did well to hold up play, bringing it down with his chest and spraying it wide left to Moutinho. The Portuguese fullback fizzed a cross through the area out of the reach of Parker. Kljestan beat a sliding defender to the ball and slotted home his first goal of the season.
New York nearly answered three minutes later. Off a set piece, the ball pinged toward goal off a Daniel Royer shot and surely would have gone in if Ascues hadn’t bicycle-kicked it off the line to preserve the lead.
Orlando brought Kyle Smith on for Nani to try to see the game out, making a defense-for-offense substitution in the 77th minute. New York’s next scoring chance came in the 81st, when Royer headed wide off a set piece.
The Lions nearly got a second to put the game away in the 88th minute. Dwyer sent in a wicked cross that nearly found Ruan, only to see Muyl make a desperation sliding block to keep the Brazilian from doubling the lead.
Unlike the Chicago game two weeks ago, the Lions held firm, defended resolutely, pushed the ball to the corners and out for throw-ins whenever possible, and held their focus to the end — an end that for some reason included seven (!) minutes of stoppage time.
New York edged out Orlando in shots, 9-6 (4-2 on target) and increased its possession advantage (55%-45%). The Red Bulls hit 61% of their passes while Orlando completed just 58%, with both teams playing safely out whenever possible.
City’s tactics were sound against New York on the road and the game plan was mostly executed well. Jansson was a calm and solid defender all night, looking like he’d been playing for Orlando for years rather than only having been with the team a couple weeks and making his MLS debut. De John and O’Neill played a safe match, with Ruan opting to concede throw-ins out on the right rather than try anything fancy with the ball.
Aside from a couple of loose passes across the field, Orlando executed what it wanted to against last year’s Supporters’ Shield winners, and eventually hit on one of its attacking forays. In the end, one is all it took.
The Lions won’t have an easy time turning tonight’s win into two straight. They return home for a game next Sunday against D.C. United at 6:30 p.m.
Opinion
Likes and Dislikes from the Second Week of Orlando City Preseason
Lets go through some positives and negatives from Orlando’s second week of preparations.
Another week of preseason preparations for Orlando City are in the books, so I’m back once again to bring you things what I liked, and what I didn’t from the week that was.
Likes
The Rumored Pursuit of Iago
Tom Bogert started the week off on a good note for OCSC fans with the news that Orlando City is reportedly well along in talks to sign a center back.
On the face of it, there’s plenty to like about this rumored signing. Iago is a young player with lots of upside, but who’s already captained a Brazilian youth side at an international tournament. He would also fill a position of need for the Lions, as center back depth is practically non-existent at the moment following Orlando’s off-season moves. If he does get signed, then more work would still need to be done to address the position, perhaps by signing a proven MLS-level player, but it’s a good rumor to hear right now.
Sarajian Signs
Technically, this happened last Friday, but it was after my column published. It’s still good to see Orlando sign Harvey Sarajian, its first selection in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft. The young midfielder was the first of four first-round selections for OCSC this year and the first of the picks to be signed. While he likely represents a more longterm project rather than an immediate contributor, he’s still pretty young and should get plenty of time with Orlando City B and potentially some reserve minutes with the first team as well. The Lions have a solid history with draft picks under Oscar Pareja, and whether Sarajian follows in that mold or not, it’s still nice to see that he showed enough to land himself a place in the Orlando City setup for the foreseeable future.
Dislikes
No U22 for Alex
The downside of the rumored Iago signing is that if he does join the team as an MLS U22 Initiative player, then it almost certainly scuppers the possibility of putting Alex Freeman on a U-22 deal. In turn, that makes the young USMNT fullback signing a new contract with the team unlikely. Make no mistake, if Freeman continues his level of play from 2025 or improves on it, then he won’t be in Orlando much longer — and rightfully so. That being said, if he’s on a longer-term deal, then it increases the amount of money that the Lions would get in a potential sale. The nightmare scenario would be losing such a talented player for free, although I think the most likely case is that he gets a move in the summer, especially if he makes the World Cup roster and shows well on a global stage. Either way, his contract status and how it affects an eventual sale is something to watch, and not having him on a new or extended deal is a blow.
Torres Goes to Texas
While nothing is official yet, it looks like Facundo Torres will be coming back to Major League Soccer…to join Austin FC.
Now, it’s not that I necessarily wanted Torres to return to Orlando City. Marco Pasalic had a solid first year as his replacement, and given how one-footed they both are, there isn’t much chance of one of them moving to the left wing. It’s still going to be odd seeing him playing for Austin though —sort of like seeing your ex with a new significant other for the first time. Just because you don’t want them back doesn’t mean you don’t get a weird feeling about it. Plus, the $9.5 million fee is significantly less than the $25-30 million that was getting tossed around last week when he was linked with a move to Benfica. The Lions still stand to net around $1.4 million due to the sell-on fee that was negotiated when he was sold to Palmeiras, but if 15% of 30 million was on the table…well, you do the math. This is just a strange one all around, and I’m glad Orlando and Austin aren’t set to play each other this year.
There you have it, folks. I’ll see you back here next week, and hopefully we’ll have a lot of good things to talk over. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 1/23/26
Inter&Co Stadium announces premium seating improvements, MLS transfer window changes, USWNT prepares for Paraguay, and more.
Happy Friday! This Florida winter has some whiplash in store for us, as temperatures are expected to rise this weekend before plunging again next week. I’ll be spending the weekend baking in preparation for a competition in a couple of weeks, but am hoping to enjoy the warm weather outdoors here and there as well. Let’s get to the links!
Inter&Co Stadium Upgrading Premium Seating
Changes are coming to Inter&Co Stadium’s premium seating options ahead of Orlando City’s and the Orlando Pride’s seasons. The West Club will have renovations, including an increase in its seating capacity and upgrades to its interior. The dining will also be revamped to focus on live cooking stations and all-inclusive selections. There will also be two open-air seating areas called Concourse Boxes added to the east side of the stadium. Sideline Social, a 245‑seat area with swivel seats and armrests, is also a new addition for 2026. While I don’t think I’ll be enjoying a game in this kind of comfort anytime soon, it’s nice to know what my options would be if I won the lottery.
MLS Announces Transfer Window Changes
MLS announced the transfer window dates and amendments to the league’s roster rules and regulations for the 2026 season. The secondary transfer window in the summer will now notably last through Sept. 2, which lines up with some of the world’s top leagues to help give MLS clubs a better opportunity to bring in players in the summer. The primary transfer window will run from Jan. 26 to March 26, with the roster compliance deadline date set for Feb. 20. Changes to the rules include removal of the limitations on how many times clubs can make cash for player trades and intraleague loans each season.
USWNT Gets Ready to Face Paraguay
The United States Women’s National Team will take on Paraguay on Saturday night in California in the first of two friendlies this month. This will be the third meeting between the two nations, with the U.S. beating Paraguay twice in September of 2021. While there are some notable names missing from Paraguay’s roster, it does include 18-year-old attacker Claudia Martinez. She scored six goals at last year’s Copa America Femenina and is reportedly joining the Washington Spirit for a $950,000 transfer fee. Following Saturday’s friendly, the USWNT will play Chile on Tuesday to close out its January camp.
Trinity Rodman Re-Signs With the Washington Spirit
The Washington Spirit signed American forward Trinity Rodman to a new contract that will last through 2028, ending one of the biggest sagas of the off-season regarding whether or not she would stay in the league. The deal will reportedly make Rodman the highest-paid women’s soccer player in the world. Selected by the Spirit with the second overall pick in the 2021 NWSL College Draft, Rodman was named Rookie of the Year and helped Washington win the NWSL Championship that year. Washington Spirit President of Soccer Operations Haley Carter, who left the Pride this off-season to join the Spirit, confirmed that the league’s new High Impact Player played a factor in the contract as well.
Keeping Up With the Europa League
The league phase of this year’s Europa League is nearing its conclusion and we’re getting a better idea on how the field will shake out. Aston Villa secured its spot in the round of 16 after a 1-0 win over Fenerbahce, with Jadon Sancho scoring the game’s only goal. Lyon is the only other team already through to the round of 16, winning 1-0 against Young Boys. Elsewhere across Europe, Niccolo Pisilli scored a brace in Roma’s 2-0 win over VfB Stuttgart, PAOK beat Real Betis 2-0 in Greece, and RB Salzburg stayed in contention with a 3-1 win over Basel.
Rangers and Nice finally won their first games of the tournament but were eliminated regardless. Celtic scored twice, went down to 10 men, and then held on for dear life in a 2-2 draw against Bologna. Despite its rollercoaster of a campaign, the Scottish side will qualify for the knockout phase with a victory against winless Utrecht next week.
Free Kicks
- Inter&Co Stadium is hosting Orlando Storm games for their inaugural season in the United Football League, and their season will kick off at home on March 29 against the Columbus Aviators.
- The New York Red Bulls are reportedly close to signing American goalkeeper Ethan Horvath from Cardiff City.
- Inter Miami signed goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo to a permanent deal after he spent last season on loan from Lanus in Argentina’s top flight. The 23-year-old replaced Oscar Ustari down the stretch for the Herons and started in the MLS Cup final.
- The Houston Dash signed goalkeeper Caroline DeLisle, who played collegiately at the University of Central Florida. DeLisle’s 31 shutouts are the most in UCF program history.
- Manchester United announced that Brazilian midfielder Casemiro will leave the club following this season. Signed by United in 2022, Casemiro scored 21 goals in 146 appearances and helped United win the 2024 FA Cup and 2023 EFL Cup.
- Schalke signed forward Edin Dzeko from Fiorentina, giving the club a boost up top as it aims for promotion. The 39-year-old should get some more playing time in Germany to prepare for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup qualifier against Wales in March.
- We’ll end our links with some Jeopardy!, since the game show had a category devoted to MLS. Not only did each contestant get at least one question correct, but there were no wrong answers. Kudos to them and best of luck playing along.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!
Orlando City
A Look at Left Back for Orlando City and the Orlando Pride
How does the left side of Orlando City’s and the Orlando Pride’s defense stack up?
Left back seems to be an issue for many teams in many leagues. Right backs are a dime a dozen. I suppose left-footed players are harder to come by, making good ones all the more valuable. There have been challenges for both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride when it comes to filling the role. Let’s look at the current state of things for both teams.
Orlando City
Oscar Pareja prefers to have one or both of his fullbacks move forward into the offense. For two years, Orlando City tried to have Rafael Santos shore up the left side of the back line. He was quick enough, and effective enough on offense to play the position in Pareja’s system. However, the results were mixed. It took Santos quite a bit of time each season to round into form, making him a liability early in the year. He would then start to show signs of improvement, even having the occasional excellent performance. Sadly, it wouldn’t last. He was inconsistent and eventually lost the starting role in 2025 to center back David Brekalo. He lost the starting role to a player whose primary position was not left back.
Brekalo was a defensive improvement over Santos, which Orlando City needed, but he was not as effective moving forward. The added problem of having him at left back was that it diminished the depth at center back. It forced Rodrigo Schlegel into the starting role, meaning you never knew if you were getting good Rodri or bad Rodri, but you were always guaranteed a booking. With his departure, it looks like Brekalo will have a chance to earn a starting spot next to Robin Jansson at center back.
That paves the way for Adrian Marin to assume the starting role at left back. Marin was brought in last season for that reason, but joining a club mid-season often presents challenges. As such, Pareja stuck with Brekalo more often than not. It will be Marin’s spot to lose. That puts Homegrown Tahir Reid-Brown as a potential back up, but Pareja might still utilize Brekalo if necessary. There is still a need for more depth.
Orlando Pride
Things are a little more stable on the Orlando Pride side of the ledger. Kerry Abello has been, and continues to be, the starting left back. Abello is a solid if not spectacular defender. After that, there are a bunch of right backs and a center back who can play on the left. Kylie Nadaner has player there but is more likely to be at center back. More importantly, she won’t be available until summer after her baby is born.
Oihane is the starting right back. Cori Dyke has also spent time as a backup on the left, but her natural position is on the right. The list of defenders who could play on the left also includes Hailie Mace, Zara Chavoshi, and Hannah Anderson. Again, none of these players are natural left backs. I know that Seb Hines loves players who are versatile, but perhaps a natural left back to challenge or at least back up Abello would be better. We will have to see what Caitlin Carducci has up her sleeve with all that money from the Emily Sams deal.
I know that my being left-handed has nothing to do with the lack of depth on the left side of the defense, but it still feels like right-handed bias. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Likes and Dislikes from the Second Week of Orlando City Preseason
Lion Links: 1/23/26
A Look at Left Back for Orlando City and the Orlando Pride
-
Orlando City1 week agoOrlando City Will Probably Look South To Replace Luis Muriel
-
Orlando City1 week agoOrlando City Parts Ways with Designated Player Luis Muriel
-
Orlando Pride2 weeks agoOrlando Pride Trade Emily Sams to Angel City
-
Opinion2 weeks agoAn Orlando City 2026 Preseason Wishlist
-
Lion Links1 week agoLion Links: 1/14/26
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoNew Year, Same Coach: It’s Time to Appreciate Óscar Pareja
-
Orlando Pride1 week agoOrlando Pride Announce 2026 NWSL Schedule
-
Lion Links2 weeks agoLion Links: 1/12/26