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Orlando City vs. Colorado Rapids: Final Score 4-3 as Nani Powers Lions to First Home Win

Nani’s brace led Orlando to a pair of comebacks in a wild, rain-soaked affair.

Published

6 years ago

on

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The Lions finally got a home win in 2019, but it was anything but easy. Orlando needed to come from behind twice against the Colorado Rapids to grab a late 4-3 victory at Orlando City Stadium in front of 22,450 on a rainy night.

The Rapids (0-4-2, 2 points) grabbed leads of 1-0 and 3-2 in the match but the resilient Lions were a threat to score all night and eventually put enough goals on the board to win the match when Nani converted a penalty in the 89th minute to lift City (2-2-2, 8 points) to the team’s first home win of the season. Orlando is still unbeaten in the series with the Rapids, improving to 4-0-1 in five meetings (3-0-0 in Orlando).

“You don’t want to be conceding three goals,” said Head Coach James O’Connor after the match. “As exciting and entertaining as it is for everybody to win — and it is, it’s great — but we don’t want to be like that every week. I certainly don’t.”

“Tonight was fantastic because we had so many opportunities and most of them we put inside the goal,” said Nani.

O’Connor made a few changes to the lineup, dropping center back Shane O’Neill and pushing Carlos Ascues to right center back. Tesho Akindele returned from his hamstring issue to start up top next to Dom Dwyer at forward. Nani slid back to the midfield alongside Sebas Mendez, Sacha Kljestan, and wingbacks Ruan and Joao Moutinho.

After the first six minutes were played between the penalty areas, both teams started attacking. Moutinho’s cross into the box in the sixth was the first good opportunity of the game, but it was knocked out for a corner by the defense. Two minutes later, Ruan sent a dangerous cross into the box that was deflected out by a defender but only as far as Kljestan, who had his shot blocked.

A minute later, the Rapids took the lead. Kei Kamara (who else?) pounced to make it 1-0. Dillon Serna’s cross into the box went about an inch over the head of a leaping Sané. Jansson didn’t expect the ball to get through and it bounced off his head and fell in behind, where Kamara won the race to the loose ball and poked it past Brian Rowe in the ninth minute.

The teams then exchanged set piece opportunities. After Dwyer saw a header blocked at the back post, the Rapids nearly scored on a direct free kick, but Keegan Rosenberry’s effort went just wide.

Orlando kept attacking up the wings and nearly scored in the 21st. Moutinho got to the end line and crossed in for Dwyer, but Deklan Wynne deflected it off his own goal post. Shortly after that, the Lions changed shape after Ascues went down with an apparent leg injury. Uri Rosell came on and slotted into the midfield with Orlando going four at the back.

The Lions equalized in the 31st minute, as Nani opened his Orlando City account. Ruan somehow nutmegged teammate Akindele just a couple yards in front of goal with a sizzling cross. Moutinho gathered it at the other side of the area and crossed it in for Nani to head home .

Colorado tried to pull that goal back quickly, earning a corner kick in the 33rd minute. But it was Orlando City that capitalized. The Lions cleared the cross out to Ruan, who blazed down the pitch on the counter attack. He crossed to Dwyer, who fired and saw his shot well saved by a diving Tim Howard, but it fell to the feet of Akindele, who roofed the ball just under the crossbar to make it 2-1 with his second goal of the season.

The Ruan Show continued for the rest of the half. First, he turned Nicolas Mezquida inside out with a dribble (the man has a family, Ruan!) and then drew a yellow card on Kamara, who tried to pull him back by the shirt. Then the speedy Brazilian blew past Serna, only to overcook his cross, hitting it over everyone.

Moutinho’s long ball in the 43rd minute sent Nani down the left. The Portuguese star found Dwyer in the box. Dom had trouble digging the ball out of his feet, but did manage to turn and shoot, but it was blocked. Two minutes later, Dwyer found space at the top of the area and got his shot on frame, but Howard made another diving save, sticking out a palm to keep it 2-1 at the break.

Orlando led in shots at the break, 7-5 (4-2 on target). Colorado had the edge in possession (54.5%-45.5%) and passing accuracy (82.1%-74.9%).

Unfortunately, Mother Nature reared her ugly head at the half, with a delay due to lightning in the area lasting an hour before the game restarted.

The Rapids were by far the more energetic team after the long delay, holding possession, winning balls off sloppy midfield passes, and trying to hit quickly on the counter. Rowe stopped a header from Kellyn Acosta in the 47th minute.

Orlando fizzed a couple crosses dangerously through the box after that, but defender Axel Sjoberg blocked Ruan’s pass and Nani’s went harmlessly out the other side as no Lions made a run after he mesmerized the defense out on the left side.

Rowe made a big save to deny Kamara in the 59th off a dangerous cross by Keegan Rosenberry on a play that should have — but didn’t — serve as a warning sign for the Orlando defense in the second half. Two minutes later, Rosenberry got down the right channel on the counter and picked out Mezquida, who scored on a free header in the 61st minute to make it 2-2.

Ten minutes later, the visitors took the lead. Benny Feilhaber played a ball across left to right to Cole Bassett, who faked as if he would drive to his right. Once Jansson committed, Bassett cut back inside on his left foot and curled a shot around Rowe to make it 3-2 Colorado.

As the game moved into the late stages, Nani went down in the penalty area after contact with Acosta. Referee Jair Marrufo saw no foul there, and a heated exchange took place between the two midfielders, but ultimately it was much ado about nothing.

Dwyer headed a ball right at Howard from just a few yards out in the 79th, and it started to look like Orlando would fall at home again. But then O’Connor introduced Chris Mueller for Mendez in the 80th, and he once again lifted the team with his energy.

A minute after coming on, Mueller scored. Moutinho threw in the ball in the final third. It took a high bounce and Nani headed it toward goal. Akindele stuck out a leg and helped it on with a back heel and Mueller collected it, then slotted it home through Howard to tie the game at 3-3 in the 81st minute.

“I just tried to stay alive,” Mueller said. “The ball kind of floated into the box. I think it was Tesho that went up with one of the defenders. It kind of took a weird bounce. I took it down and just kept the ball low, tried to get it on target, and it ended up going right through the goalie’s legs.”

O’Connor spoke after the game about his decision to bring Mueller off the bench as a sub yet again.

“We sat down with Chris and I just said to him, ‘Listen, you’re not going to start this one,’” O’Connor said. “I said, ‘You’re really unlucky.’ But we just felt that there was potential for Chris to be able to come off the bench and impact the game like he has. And when you have a weapon like that and you look at the way the game may go or may not go, the biggest decision for us is, do we start him?

The easiest thing for us to do is start Chris tonight. Everyone would have expected it, including them (the Rapids) to start the game. But when we looked at it, we thought we needed to be brave and we needed to maybe follow what our gut instinct was and bring him off the bench. Now when he goes and he does something like that (score), it’s incredible.”

The goal only urged the Lions on even more. Two minutes after Mueller’s goal, Ruan flashed a cross through the area that was just inches out of Dwyer’s reach at the back post, with a wide-open net in front of him. Four minutes later, another Ruan cross turned the game in Orlando’s favor. The Brazilian sent one into the area that Sjoberg tried to block with his head, but it ended up hitting his arm as well and Marrufo pointed to the spot even as Dwyer improbably missed an empty net from just a couple yards away. Nani stepped up to the spot, sent Howard the wrong way, and coolly completed his brace in the 89th minute, putting Orlando up, 4-3.

“It’s always good to score goals for the team,” said Nani shortly after netting his first two as a Lion. “It’s always good to help, but obviously it’s not the most important. We wanted to win for our fans. What they’ve been doing all (these) weeks is fantastic. I never saw that in my life. I’ve been playing for many teams, and when the things are not going well, everyone knows how the fans normally react. These fans, they are special, so I wanted so badly to help the team to win and tonight we are very happy because we did and it was a great game, a fantastic game for our team.”

The Lions saw out the final minute, plus four minutes of injury time, without allowing Colorado an opportunity to equalize, and the whistle signaled the end of Orlando’s first 2019 home victory.

City out-shot the Rapids, 16-10 (8-6 on target), with possession finishing about evenly split at 50/50. Colorado did pass slightly better (80%-76%) in the game.

O’Connor praised his star man after the match following Nani’s two-goal, one-assist performance.

“When you look at Nani, he’s a world-class player. We’re blessed to have somebody like that,” he said. “I think it shows you his professionalism and his mentality to have a reaction like that tonight. He’s got a phenomenal leap first half, scored a great header. And then the composure to take the penalty. He was cool as a cucumber and just slid it into the corner. I think when you look at his play and his experience and the way he’s trying to help the players it’s — as we’ve always said — very, very encouraging. It’s not just the technical aspect. It’s the leadership that he shows as well.”

Orlando City will travel west next weekend to take on Real Salt Lake in Utah on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET.

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Lion Links: 5/13/25

Martin Ojeda honored, Americans in midweek action, rivalry games on the horizon, and more.

Published

40 minutes ago

on

May 13, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, everyone. I hope you’ve been on top of things to start the week, because there’s going to be no time to catch our breath with Orlando City taking on Charlotte FC Wednesday, before facing Inter Miami on Sunday. We’ve got plenty to discuss this morning, so let’s jump right into the links.

Martin Ojeda Honored

After his starring role in Orlando City’s 3-3 draw with the New England Revolution on Saturday, Martin Ojeda has been named to the starting XI of the MLS Team of the Matchday. Ojeda was back in the starting lineup after spending the last few matches nursing a knock and he made the most of his return, scoring all three goals for just the third Orlando City hat trick in the club’s MLS existence and first since 2015. It was a shame that the defense couldn’t help him out on his historic night, but he was Sean Rollins’ clear choice for Man of the Match in his Player Grades piece, and it’s nice to see that he’s getting some much deserved wider recognition as well, even though he was snubbed for Player of the Matchday, which went to Emil Forsberg of the New York Red Bulls. Here’s hoping Ojeda’s success continues.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans who will be playing games during the working week, and we have some very high stakes at play. Things start today, when Haji Wright and Coventry City try to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit in the Championship promotion playoff semifinal against Sunderland. AC Milan takes on Bologna Wednesday in the Coppa Italia final, with Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah fighting for a chance to lift a trophy. Finally, Thursday has Johnny Cardoso and red-hot Real Betis visiting Rayo Vallecano in La Liga in a game that will have big ramifications on the race for European places.

Rivalry Games on the Horizon

Major League Soccer’s rivalry week is almost upon us, which means we have some heated matchups that we can start looking forward to. First and foremost, as far as we’re concerned, is Orlando City hitting the road to face Inter Miami in a series that is dead even across the board at 5-5-5 in 15 all-time meetings. There’s plenty more though, as El Trafico is the late game on Sunday, and we also get Hell is Real between FC Cincinnati and the Columbus Crew, as well as a Hudson River River Derby that features two teams in wildly different places. The New York Red Bulls hammered the LA Galaxy on Saturday and have won three of their last four in all competitions, while New York City FC was knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup last week, and has lost three of its last four in all competitions.

Carlo Ancelotti to Coach Brazil

Brazil has officially announced that Carlo Ancelotti will take over as the newest coach of the team. The Brazilian Football Confederation announced on Monday that he will leave Real Madrid after the last league game of the season, with his first day on the job for Brazil coming on May 26. Brazil wanted to have a new coach in place for June’s World Cup qualifiers, and Ancelotti will now become the Selecao’s first foreign head coach. As far as Real Madrid is concerned, the club is reportedly finalizing a deal for former player Xabi Alonso to become the new coach as soon as possible. Madrid would ideally like for him to be on the job before the start of this summer’s Club World Cup, and Alonso has already publicly announced that he will not manage Bayer Leverkusen past the end of this season.

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

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Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 3-3 draw against the New England Revolution?

Published

21 hours ago

on

May 12, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City saw a 2-0 lead wash away just before halftime and took the lead in the second half. It looked like the Lions were on their way to a big three points, but a late penalty and a disallowed goal resulted in a 3-3 draw. It’s a draw that feels like a loss for the Lions.

Let’s take a look at how the individual players did in this disappointing game.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — Gallese had a difficult night, though it wasn’t all his fault. He faced six shots and conceded three goals. However, two were primarily because of bad defending, and one was a penalty. He made three saves and blocked away a rocket late.  The Orlando City goalkeeper touched the ball 25 times and completed 77.8% of his 18 passes, including four of his eight long balls.

D, David Brekalo, 6 — Brekalo had a good game at left back, touching the ball 65 times, second most on the team. He completed 90.7% of his 43 passes, including a key pass. However, his lone cross and long ball were incomplete. The defender took two shots, putting one on target, and nearly had a goal in the 48th minute with a strong run into the box, but a defender deflected it off the woodwork. Defensively, he recorded two tackles, one interception, three clearances, and a blocked shot. He was a little late trying to deny Ignatius Ganago’s cross through the box to Ilay Feingold, and his sliding effort to do so took him out of position to deny Feingold’s centering pass for New England’s first goal. It was one of his few missteps of the match, and the effort was there if not the execution. He moved from left back to center back for the closing minutes.

D, Robin Jansson, 5 — Jansson is usually rock solid on the back line, but he was a liability in this game. He touched the ball 57 times and completed 86.3% of his 51 passes, including four of his seven long balls. He made three clearances and blocked two shots. His poor grade was due to his contribution to two New England goals. He allowed Matt Polster to get goal side in the 44th minute for the equalizer and stuck his foot out in an ill-advised challenge in the 85th minute, resulting in a game-tying penalty. It was a game the Orlando City captain would rather forget.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — Schlegel is usually the higher-risk player at center back, but he had a good game. He touched the ball 49 times and completed 91.4% of his 35 passes, including his lone long ball. He also recorded a tackle, a team-high six clearances, and two blocked shots. Most surprisingly, he managed to end the game without an unnecessary booking. Schlegel’s night ended in the 87th minute when he was replaced by Rafael Santos.

D, Alex Freeman, 6.5  — Freeman started at his usual right back position, touching the ball a team-high 66 times. He completed 76.7% of his 43 passes and his lone cross but not his long ball. His lone shot was on target and he had three key passes. The 20-year-old was also active defensively, recording two tackles, two interceptions, and four clearances.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo only touched the ball 28 times in this game, but his speed caused problems for the New England back line as he pushed into the attack. The left-sided midfielder completed 82.6% of his 23 passes, including two key passes. He didn’t take any shots, because he was mainly on the wing, but he helped defensively with a tackle and two interceptions. Angulo was replaced by Ramiro Enrique in the 74th minute.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — Araujo had 57 touches in this game while completing 91.7% of his 36 passes. He had a key pass but failed to complete either of his two long balls. The defensive midfielder took four shots, putting one on target that forced Aljaz Ivacic into a good save. He nearly scored off a corner kick in the 24th minute, but hit the post. Defensively, Araujo had two tackles and a clearance.

MF, Joran Gerbet, 5.5 — Gerbet had an up and down night, making him difficult to grade. He let Alhassan Yusuf get goal side of him in the 38th minute to score New England’s first goal. But his excellent first touch sent Ojeda on a partial breakaway in the 33rd minute for the Lions’ second goal, and his fearlessness earned a penalty for Orlando City’s third goal. The rookie touched the ball 43 times and completed 88.9% of his 36 passes, including a key pass and one of his two long balls. He didn’t take any shots but added an interception defensively. He probably should get a higher grade for participating in two goals, but I can’t get over the defensive midfielder’s error that might’ve cost the Lions two points. Gerbet was replaced in the 69th minute by Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 6.5 — Pasalic had a solid night, touching the ball 39 times and completing 73.9% of his 23 passes. He had two key passes and completed one of his three long balls. He put one of his three shots on target, but his offensive performance will be remembered for his 20th minute shot, when Luis Muriel headed the ball down perfectly for him and the midfielder sent it over the open goal. Despite the miss, it was a good game for the attacking midfielder, who also had an interception on the defensive side.

F, Luis Muriel, 6.5 — Muriel started up top but dropped behind Ojeda as the game progressed. He had 36 touches and completed 73.3% of his 15 passes, including four key passes and three of his four crosses. He should’ve had an assist on Pasalic’s miss, and he should’ve scored, especially in the 68th minute, when he made multiple defenders miss before dribbling the ball into the arms of Ivacic instead of shooting. He added two tackles and would’ve had a higher grade if he had any desire to score.

F, Martin Ojeda, 8.5 (MotM) — There can’t be a question about who the Man of the Match was for this game. In his first league start since April 19, Ojeda led the way. He touched the ball 43 times, completing 84% of his 25 passes with two key passes. He completed two of his five crosses but didn’t connect on his long ball. However, the attacker converted on three of his team-high seven shots, scoring the club’s first hat trick since 2015. His first goal was a thing of beauty, as he rocketed a shot off the bottom of the cross bar, creating no chance for the goalkeeper. The midfielder also took his second goal well and converted the penalty that gave his team the lead in the 55th minute. Defensively, Ojeda added an interception in a clear Man of the Match performance.

Substitutes

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (69’), 5.5 — Thorhallsson came on in the 69th minute for Gerbet in the defensive midfield. He touched the ball 13 times, completing all of his 10 passes, though they were all of the shorter variety. He picked up a yellow card late in the match.

F, Duncan McGuire (73’), 5.5 — McGuire came on for Muriel in the 73rd minute with his team up a goal. He touched the ball only five times, completing all three of his passes with a key pass and his lone cross. His only shot was off target and he didn’t add any defensive stats. He should have had an assist with a good ball into the box for Enrique, who made a mess of the shot, firing it high over the goal. Unfortunately, his game will be remembered for the 90th minute, when Enrique’s shot hit his back while the striker was in an offside position. The ball went in, and the flag went up to disallow the goal that would’ve been the game winner.

F, Ramiro Enrique (74’), 5.5 — Enrique entered the game in the 74th minute for Angulo. He touched the ball 14 times and completed 45.5% of his 11 passes without any key passes or crosses. He took one off-target shot (officially) but had a great chance to score in the 90th minute when he received a pass from Pasalic at the top of the box with no one on him. His shot hit the back of an offside McGuire, spoiling a potential late winner.

D, Rafael Santos (87’), 5.5 — Santos replaced Schlegel in the 87th minute as the Lions brought on a natural left back and moved Brekalo to his usual center back position. Despite coming on late, the 10 minutes of stoppage time gave him plenty of action. He touched the ball 12 times and completed 83.3% of his six passes, including one of his three crosses. He didn’t take any shots and didn’t record any defensive stats as the Lions pushed hard for the late winner that never came. On the defensive end, he got roasted by Luis Diaz Espinoza in the second minute of stoppage time, allowing a wicked shot on goal that Gallese was able to parry away awkwardly.

That’s how I saw Orlando City 3-3 draw against the New England Revolution. Let us know what you thought of the performance in the comment below and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match.

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Lion Links: 5/12/25

Lions and Pride each draw, Pride wins 2024 Golden Brick Award of Excellence, MLS weekend recap, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

May 12, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida and belated happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there. I’ve been busy at work and catching up with friends all week. Our Lions and Pride both picked up draws over the weekend, while OCB was off.  We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Draw New England Revolution at Home

Orlando City blew a lead twice and ended up settling for a 3-3 draw against the New England Revolution on Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions got off to a great start as Martin Ojeda scored two goals in the first half. The Revolution replied with two goals to tie the match just before halftime. Ojeda added a penalty kick goal in the second half to secure his first hat trick of his career. It was also the first hat trick for Orlando in a decade, and he joins former Lion Cyle Larin as the only players in club history to score a regular-season hat trick.

However, late in the second half, the Lions conceded a penalty to New England, and Carles Gil converted from the spot to get the equalizer as the teams split the points. The Lions will have a quick turnaround with their next match on Wednesday at home against Charlotte FC.

Pride Draw North Carolina Courage on the Road

The Orlando Pride needed a late equalizer to escape WakeMed Soccer Park with a 1-1 draw against the North Carolina Courage on Saturday. The Courage struck first, but Prisca Chilufya scored her first goal of the NWSL season late in stoppage time to secure a draw and keep Orlando from losing two matches in a row. The Pride grabbed a crucial point on the road and are second in the NWSL standings. The next match for the Orlando Pride will be Friday as they face the Kansas City Current at Inter&Co Stadium.

Orlando Pride Wins 2024 Golden Brick Award of Excellence

The Orlando Pride were named winners of the Downtown Orlando Partnerships 2024 Golden Brick Award of Excellence on Friday for the club’s historic 2024 NWSL Championship season and downtown victory parade. The Pride broke the league record for the most points (60), most wins in a season (18), and most clean sheets (13), while finishing the 2024 season unbeaten at home. Orlando Pride President of Business Operations Jarrod Dillon expressed his thoughts on Pride winning this award.

“On behalf of our entire Club, I’d like to thank the Downtown Orlando Partnership and its Board of Directors for selecting our organization for this incredible award,” said Orlando Pride President of Business Operations, Jarrod Dillon. “We are incredibly honored to receive this award — a testament to the passion, dedication, and excellence that define our team. Our Club is proud to represent this city, and we hope every Orlando resident shares in this moment of pride. There’s no place we’d rather call home than downtown Orlando — the heart of our community and now the home of the best women’s soccer team in the United States.”

MLS Weekend Recap

The weekend’s slate of Major League Soccer matches ended with some notable results. Minnesota United cruised past Inter Miami with a 4-1 win. The Chicago Fire, FC Cincinnati, San Diego FC, and Nashville SC all won 2-1 matches over Atlanta United, Austin FC, St. Louis City, and Charlotte FC, respectively. Toronto FC defeated D.C. United 2-0 at home, while the San Jose Earthquakes beat the Colorado Rapids 2-0 on the road. Prince Osei Owusu scored the lone goal as CF Montreal beat New York City FC 1-0 and secured its first win of the season. Santiago Moreno scored a late goal in the second half as the Portland Timbers defeated Sporting Kansas City 1-0. Albert Rusnak scored twice as the Seattle Sounders beat the Houston Dynamo 3-1. FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake ended in a 1-1 draw, while the Philadelphia Union and Columbus Crew match ended in a 2-2 draw. The LA Galaxy remain winless through 12 matches this season after getting crushed 7-0 by the New York Red Bulls in a rematch of last year’s MLS Cup final. On Sunday, Brian White scored twice as the Vancouver Whitecaps and LAFC match ended in a 2-2 draw.

Free Kicks

  • Check out this video on Orlando City’s social media pages featuring some players giving their moms a surprise phone call on Mother’s Day.
  • Orlando Pride defender Kylie Nadaner completed 108 passes on Saturday in their match against the North Carolina Courage, which is the most in Pride history.

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

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