Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Fall to RSL for First Time
Odd starting lineup doesn’t pay off on the road.

It took five tries, but Real Salt Lake finally got a win over Orlando City. The Lions decided to rest some starters and played a disjointed game, falling behind 2-0 before throwing Nani and Dom Dwyer onto the pitch to try to rescue something at Rio Tinto Stadium. It was too late, despite some late heroics from Nani.
Sam Johnson and Demir Kreilach put RSL up before the two Orlando stars came on, and by that time Real Salt Lake (2-4-1, 7 points) had wrapped up a home win over the Lions (2-3-2, 8 points). It snapped RSL’s four-game losing streak and gave the Lions their first-ever loss to the Utah club (2-1-2).
James O’Connor ran out an unusual lineup, opting to put all of his Designated Players on the bench, pushing Chris Mueller into the starting XI up top next to Tesho Akindele. Will Johnson returned to the midfield against his old team, alongside Sebas Mendez and Sacha Kljestan, with Ruan and Joao Moutinho as the wingbacks. The back line in front of Brian Rowe consisted of rookie Kamal Miller, Robin Jansson, and Shane O’Neill, with Lamine Sané getting a night off.
The Lions held a lot of the early possession, but couldn’t really do much with it. Orlando had trouble connecting in the final third, and when the Lions did get shots at Nick Rimando’s goal, they didn’t make good contact, making life easy for the veteran goalkeeper.
Orlando should have taken the lead in the 11th minute. Ruan got loose down the right and made a good cross in to a streaking Moutinho, but the Portuguese youngster got his header all wrong, and it ended up going well wide to the right and bounced over the line for a goal kick. Moutinho sent a shot right at Rimando two minutes later from just outside the top of the area.
Four minutes later, Real Salt Lake took the lead. The hosts took a restart quickly on a foul given by Chris Penso and ended up slipping a ball in to Sam Johnson in the penalty area. Johnson slipped, and it looked like an easy clearance for Ruan, but somehow he misplayed the ball in his feet and it popped out behind him. Johnson had just gotten up and was able to smash his shot past Rowe to make it 1-0 at the 17-minute mark.
Kljestan and Demir Kreilach exchanged shots in the 31st and 32nd minute, respectively, with Sacha slipping slightly and dribbling a weak effort in to Rimando and Kreilach firing just wide of goal from distance.
Johnson was played in down the right by Kreilach in the 39th minute but he skipped his shot wide of the far post.
That was about it for a bit of an ugly first half, and the hosts went to the break with a 1-0 lead. Orlando held a slight edge in shots, at 4-3 (3-1 on target), with RSL holding 53% of possession and a slightly better passing rate (79%-78%).
Instead of getting back into the game in the second half, it was Mike Petke’s RSL side that made the better adjustments, seeing more of the ball early in the second half and getting opportunities. The hosts finally took advantage of that just as O’Connor was preparing to send Nani and Dwyer into the game.
Jefferson Savarino was tormenting Orlando at the start of the second half, forcing Rowe into saves in the 52nd and 53rd minutes. Savarino then got down the right side and nobody tracked Kreilach as he made a run into the top of the area. The pass was on target and Kreilach made no mistake with the shot, giving Rowe no chance at a save and making it 2-0 in the 55th minute.
Nani and Dwyer were waiting to enter the game when the second goal went in, making the uphill battle that much tougher. Nani’s volley in the 61st minute was well saved by Rimando, who tipped the blast over the bar.
Mendez missed over the goal in the 64th as Orlando pushed numbers forward into the attack. RSL dug in deep and defended well, often cutting out the final pass or heading a dangerous cross away before it reached its intended target.
The Lions finally got on the board in the 81st minute. Dwyer drew a foul about 25 yards out in front of goal and he, Nani, and Kljestan all stood over the dead ball. It was Nani that fired through a hole in the wall and beat a diving Rimando, who got a hand to the shot but couldn’t keep it out. It was Nani’s third goal in the last two games and he’s now tied with Dwyer for the team lead in goals this season, with three.
The Lions got only a few half chances after the goal and RSL was able to see out the game. Orlando City dug a hole it couldn’t get out of in the thin air at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Orlando out-shot Real Salt Lake, 13-10 (5-5 on target) and held 56% of the possession, finishing with a slight edge in passing accuracy (78%-74%). But the Lions weren’t precise enough in the final third yet again and RSL made them pay for defensive lapses.
The big question is why both Nani and Dwyer sat to start the game when there is no midweek match. Additionally, Johnson hadn’t played in weeks due to his concussion, but was left to play the full 90 at altitude. Still, it wasn’t the starting forwards who dug the early hole and if the Lions can’t stop finding ways to concede weird goals early (like the odd bounce off Jansson’s head last week and the failed clearance by Ruan tonight), they’re in for a long year.
The Lions return home next Saturday to host the Vancouver Whitecaps at 3 p.m. ET.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 4/22/25
Pedro Gallese earns recognition, Americans in midweek action, English promotion update, and more.

Well it wasn’t the worst weekend that Orlando soccer has ever had, but it certainly wasn’t the best either. Fortunately, all three of Orlando’s teams will be back in action soon, so there’s no need to dwell on the past too much. Let’s take a moment to wish a happy birthday to the Orlando Pride’s Brianna Martinez, as well as to Kaká! Now, it’s time to turn our attention to today’s links.
Pedro Gallese Earns Weekly Recognition
Pedro Gallese kept a third clean sheet in a row and Orlando City’s third clean sheet of the year in the team’s scoreless draw on the road against CF Montreal. In recognition of his efforts during the match, Gallese was named to the bench of the latest edition of the MLS Team of the Matchday. El Pulpo made six saves to blank a Montreal team that intently searched for a breakthrough, and made a couple of truly excellent second half stops that kept the score level. Congrats to Pedro and keep up the good work!
Americans in Midweek Action
A number of Americans will be playing games during the working week, and there are some big matches to keep an eye on. The main event is on Wednesday, when Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan face Inter Milan in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal, which is tied 1-1 after the first leg. Also on Wednesday, Chris Richards, Matt Turner, and Crystal Palace will play Arsenal in the Premier League. Thursday then has Malik Tillman, Richy Ledezma, and PSV Eindhoven playing FC Twente in the Eredivisie, while Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis play Valladolid in La Liga action.
English Promotion Update
Following results in the EFL Championship on Monday, Leeds United and Burnley have both secured promotion to the Premier League for next season. Both teams won their respective games and are each on 94 points, and with just two matches left, third-placed Sheffield United has no way to catch them. The other promoted side will be determined after the promotion playoffs, which would feature Sheffield United, Sunderland, Bristol City, and Coventry City if the season ended today. Meanwhile in League One, Wrexham’s 2-1 victory over Blackpool meant the Dragons retook second place and the automatic promotion spot that comes with it. If they beat Charlton on Sunday and Wycombe Wanderers drop points against Leyton Orient, then Wrexham would secure promotion to the Championship.
Transfer Rumor Roundup
Transfer rumors continue to fly thick and fast as we approach the business end of most European seasons, so let’s take a look at a few items worth catching up on. Manchester United is said to be keen on signing 17-year-old Argentine Franco Mastantuono from River Plate. Liverpool is reportedly interested in signing winger Ademola Lookman from Atalanta, although the Reds would likely face competition from several other Premier League teams. Finally, Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has revealed that he and Xabi Alonso have a gentleman’s agreement that if a team the Spaniard used to play for is interested in hiring him as its coach, then the club will not hinder the process. The statement has led to renewed speculation that Alonso will be named Real Madrid coach if Carlo Ancelotti leaves in the summer.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City dropped three spots to no. 15 in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
- The Orlando Pride dropped all the way to no. 3 in ESPN.com’s NWSL power rankings.
- Monday’s four scheduled Serie A matches were postponed following the announcement of Pope Francis’ death, with the games set to be played Wednesday instead.
That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City
Orlando City’s Focus On Youth Development Showing In The First Team
Orlando City is seeing more and more players promoted from the academy, through OCB, and into the first team.

Orlando City began its academy in the USL Pro days with the goal of developing players for the first team. It took nearly a decade to begin seeing youth development bear fruit, but it’s becoming apparent early in the 2025 season.
Prior to 2019, Orlando City signed four players to Homegrown Player contracts. Tommy Redding, Tyler Turner, and Harrison Heath never played in the academy and the other, Mason Stajduhar, developed primarily at Chargers Soccer Club in Tampa.
Orlando City signed arguably its first true Homegrown Player when the club inked Benji Michel to a first-team contract. The following off-season, the Lions added David Loera and Jordan Bender. Mikey Halliday signed in July 2020. All of the players came through the academy before signing first-team deals.
So what changed?
Part of it was the growth of the academy. It takes several years to begin producing players. Another major factor was the hiring of Luiz Muzzi on Dec. 18, 2019. Muzzi came from FC Dallas, a club known for promoting from its academy. He brought in Ricardo Moreira, who shares his vision of developing young talent for the first team.
And it’s not only Muzzi and Moreira. Former Orlando City head coach Adrian Heath rarely attended OCB games. James O’Connor only went to one, and that was to see his former teammate, Dennis Chin, who was playing with the opposing Richmond Kickers. The Orlando City boss left when Chin came off.
Oscar Pareja and other first-team coaches have been at several games, far more than their predecessors. That’s largely to do with the games’ location at the training facility, which is another factor in OCB’s development. The 2019 team trained over 40 miles away from the first team. The move to Kissimmee has the first team, OCB, and the development academy under one roof. It’s another display of the club’s more recent commitment to youth development.
Undoubtedly, the transformation of OCB under Muzzi and Moreira has also impacted Homegrown talent coming through. The team’s 2016 and 2017 rosters were primarily made up of first-team reserves and USL lifers. The 2019 team had many players from the Soccer Institute at Montverde Academy (SIMA), many of which were young but ineligible for Homegrown status.
Things began to change in 2020. The roster shifted to include more academy players and that’s only grown. This year, 15 OCB players came out of the academy, two were drafted, and eight are outside signings on MLS NEXT Pro deals. Other than Jhon Solis and first-team goalkeeper Carlos Mercado, everyone to appear for the team is 23 years old or younger.
The focus on giving OCB spots to academy graduates is now seen in the first team. Players like Thomas Williams, Javier Otero, Alex Freeman, Colin Guske, and Gustavo Caraballo have been regulars on the MLS team sheet. Injuries to first-team regulars has seen them receiving regular playing time.
The poster boy for this change is Freeman. The right back came out of the academy and spent a couple of years at OCB before signing his first-team contract. He won the starting role early in the 2025 regular season.
Many players joined the club later in their development, but we’re seeing some come through having been nearly fully developed at the Orlando City Academy. Guske and Caraballo joined at 13 years old, the youngest age group of the development academy. Both signed first-team deals for this year.
The midfield duo continue to play with OCB most games but are also on the first-team roster almost weekly. The only reason they weren’t in Montreal Saturday night is because they were helping the club’s U-18 team reach (and then win) the Generation Adidas Cup final.
With Muzzi and Moreira at the helm, more players continue to come through. U-18 captain and OCB starter Jackson Platts appears to be well on his way to a first-team contract. So does fellow U-18 and OCB starting forward Justin Ellis.
This past weekend saw another academy product make his first-team debut. Zakaria Taifi took over at right back for OCB when Freeman moved up to the first team this year. Signing a short-term deal Saturday, he came on as a late substitute to help the 10-man Lions see out the scoreless draw.
First-team absences have provided opportunities for many young players. If several weren’t at the Generation Adidas Cup, it could be more. Regardless, the last few years have shown a big step forward for the club.
The shift in recent years is more than the pride of seeing local kids representing the hometown team. They’ve been an essential part of the 2025 campaign. The club hasn’t had to use a short bench or dip into outside emergency signings. Instead, the Lions call up kids they know, making it easier to seamlessly place them into the team.
There will be times where several injuries will occur to experienced players. Orlando City is prepared for this more now than ever before, and it’s because of the players coming through the academy and playing with OCB. We’re already seeing it early in this 2025 season.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 4/21/25
Another scoreless draw for Orlando City, a home loss for the Pride, a championship for the OCSC U-18 squad, and more.

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope you all had a great holiday weekend with family and friends. I managed to watch a few soccer games while work kept me busy. Our Lions picked up another draw for the third week in a row, the Pride lost, and OCB was off this weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.
Lions Draw CF Montreal on the Road
Orlando City and CF Montreal split the points in a scoreless draw at Stade Saputo on Saturday. It’s the third consecutive week that the Lions could not get a win with another scoreless draw. It’s the second straight match that Orlando had to play down a man as Rafael Santos was sent off in the second half after receiving a second yellow card. Still, the Lions extended their unbeaten run to six matches and are seventh in the Eastern Conference table with 13 points. After the match, Major League Soccer issued a statement after being informed a fan used discriminatory language towards a player during the match.
Orlando City will return to Inter&Co Stadium Saturday to take on Atlanta United.
Orlando City Signs Two Players to Short-Term Deals
Before Saturday’s match against CF Montreal, Orlando City announced the club had signed defender Zakaria Taifi and midfielder Riyon Tori to short-term contracts. Both players were on the bench for Saturday’s match. Tori did not play, but Taifi came off the bench late in the second half to make his MLS debut. Tori has played with OCB and has made three appearances. Taifi has made 42 appearances, starting 21 matches for OCB, scoring one goal and adding three assists.
Orlando City Signs Four Assistant Coaches to New Contracts
Orlando City announced on Friday that the club has renewed the contracts of First Assistant Coach Diego Torres, Second Assistant Coach Martin Perelman, Goalkeeper Coach Cesar Baena, and Fitness & Performance Coach Fabian Bazan. This news comes just days after the club announced that Head Coach Oscar Pareja will remain with the Lions under a new three-year contract through the 2028 MLS season. Together, the coaching staff has played a key part in the recent success of the Lions over the last five seasons, making five consecutive MLS Playoff appearances, two appearances in the Concacaf Champions Cup, and winning the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Lions also set club records for wins and points, scoring 308 goals across all competitions with a plus-44 goal differential in 202 competitive matches.
Pride Fall to Washington Spirit at Home
The Orlando Pride fell to the Washington Spirit 1-0 at Inter&Co Stadium Saturday to suffer their first loss of the season. The Pride dominated most of the match, but in the 63rd minute, Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse gave the ball away in front of the goal, and Gift Monday capitalized to score the winning goal for the Spirit. Late in the second half, it looked like the Pride had scored the equalizer; however, after video review, it was determined that Kylie Nadaner backed into Aubrey Kingsbury on the play, impeding the goalkeeper from catching the ball, and the tying goal was waved off. With the Kansas City Current’s win over the Houston Dash over the weekend, Orlando drops to second in the NWSL table. The Pride will return to action Friday at Inter&Co Stadium to face Angel City FC.
Orlando City U-18 Team Wins Generation Adidas Cup Championship
The Orlando City U-18 and U-16 squads played over the weekend in playoff matches in the Generation Adidas Cup at IMG Academy. In the quarterfinals on Friday, Omar Robbana scored the lone goal in the U-18 squad’s 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake.
The U-18 squad followed that up by defeating Santos Laguna 3-0 in the semifinals. Justin Ellis scored twice and Gustavo Caraballo added a goal.
On Sunday, Caraballo scored the winning goal in extra time to seal a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids in the U-18 Championship final.
On Friday, the U-16 team defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 in the quarterfinals.
The U-16 squad defeated the New England Revolution 4-3 on penalties after a scoreless draw in the semifinals on Saturday.
The U-16 squad’s run for a championship trophy came to an end with a 3-1 loss to Inter Miami in the U-16 Championship final on Sunday.
Free Kicks
- Orlando Youth Soccer Network announced the integration of the Orlando Pride into its network and plans to launch 11 Orlando Pride soccer schools across Central Florida.
- Inter Miami has acquired an international roster spot from the Portland Timbers for the 2025 season in exchange for $270,000 in General Allocation Money.
- David Blitzer and Ryan Smith’s Smith Entertainment Group have reached an agreement to sell the Utah Royals and Real Salt Lake to former Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller and Miller Sports & Entertainment for $600 million.
- LAFC Head Coach Steve Cherundolo announced over the weekend that he will step down from his role with the club at the end of the 2025 MLS season.
- The San Jose Earthquakes have reached an agreement to acquire left back DeJuan Jones from the Columbus Crew; however, the deal still needs to be finalized.
- Leicester City became the second club to be relegated from the Premier League this season after a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.
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