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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Grab Another Road Point

The Lions and Pigeons played out their second draw in as many games in an end-to-end battle.

Published

6 years ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City (3-3-3, 12 points) denied New York City FC (2-1-6, 12 points) a third straight win in seven days as the Lions left Yankee Stadium with a point after a 1–1 draw. The result means New York City remains unbeaten at home in 2019 (1-0-4). It was the second time the teams have shared the points in league play this year after an opening weekend 2–2 draw.

Head Coach James O’Connor made only one change to last week’s side, recalling Tesho Akindele up front in place of Dom Dwyer. According to reports on My65, Dwyer picked up a minor knock in training late this week.

It was New York City threatening early, giving Orlando a scare in the sixth minute, courtesy of a lofted ball that put Anton Tinnerholm in behind a scrambling Orlando back line — a cross-field ball New York continually looked for throughout the game. The Swede fired in a low cross before making a half-hearted claim for handball off his sliding countryman, Robin Jansson, but referee Drew Fischer wasn’t interested.

Orlando’s first venture into the box came off a quick counter down the left in the 10th minute, with Akindele holding the ball up well before feeding Chris Mueller at the top of the box but the ball was quickly stolen off his toe as he looked to set himself.

Despite NYC’s domination of possession, it was the Lions who struck first, as they were more clinical in their second visit into the New York area. This time, play came from Ruan off the right wing. The fullback’s cross was cut out by Maxime Chanot, but the clearance was weak and fell kindly at the feet of Nani, who calmly stroked the ball into the bottom corner in the 18th minute, extending the Portuguese international’s scoring run to four consecutive games.

New York City went close in the 25th minute, as a whipped Maxi Moralez free kick found the head of an onrushing Héber, New York’s newest number nine, but the Brazilian didn’t catch the header well and Orlando goalkeeper Brian Rowe was quick to show off his reflexes to push the ball over.

The game continued to stretch as a combination of a sliding Sean Johnson and a Chanot goal-line clearance prevented Nani from doubling his tally a minute later, before Lamine Sané was forced into an outstanding recovery challenge on Héber at the other end, as the home team continued to force the issue and attempt to find an equalizer.

Orlando thought it had doubled its lead in the 33rd minute when Akindele poked home at the back post, as New York City once again was undone by defensive errors, only for it to be chalked off by video review, as Fischer found Nani to be offside in the buildup.

That decision seemed to swing momentum in favor of the home side and drop Orlando heads, with Ismael Tajouri-Shradi agonizingly sending his shot an inch wide of Rowe’s post a minute after the goal was overturned — a moment that would’ve left City fans and a stranded Rowe alike holding their breath.

New York continued to ask questions and, despite surviving the onslaught, Orlando’s defensive efforts were far from convincing. Sané hacked wildly at a cross, nearly slicing it into his own goal, only for Jansson and Rowe to save his blushes. It was then their turn as miscommunication between the aforementioned Jansson and Rowe nearly gifted NYCFC a goal: the Orlando goalkeeper spilled what should have been a routine collection on yet another Moralez cross but a combination of the jumping Swede and a lurking Héber did enough to put off Rowe, who was relieved to fall on the loose ball at the second time of asking.

In the 44th minute, a Mendez long ball found its way through to Nani, who thought he had a strong penalty appeal as he looked to cut inside but was taken out. Fischer was unmoved by the appeals, as Nani sat on the floor throwing his arms up in disbelief, but play continued with no VAR check.

After an entertaining half for the neutrals, Orlando went in at halftime leading 1-0. The coaches would have been less pleased with a blistering end-to-end game riddled with defensive errors that somehow had only produced one goal.

New York’s tenacity paid off early in the second half. Moralez, by far the busiest player on the pitch, drove up the field and forced Rowe into a spectacular diving save from distance. Rowe could only push it onto the post and Héber was there to sweep in the rebound, tying the game up six minutes after the break.

Alexander Callens and Moralez once again tried from distance as the Pigeons went in search of a second and continued to see much of the possession.

Dwyer made his fifth substitute appearance of the season in the 62nd minute, as O’Connor had seen enough of his side’s second-half struggles. The substitution did very little to put Orlando on the front foot, as the defense remained under near-permanent pressure and he was fortunate to avoid a booking in the first few seconds, fouling Callens late after the ball had been cleared.

Another teasing set piece was once again dealt with unconvincingly in the 65th minute. This time, the ball pinballed around the box before Joao Moutinho eventually hoofed clear.

Dwyer eventually got a first look at goal in the 68th minute when a cross from Ruan found him unmarked three yards out. He had the whole goal to aim at, but the English-American, who has regularly come into criticism this season as he has struggled to put away chances, headed wide.

O’Connor’s second change saw him turn to Sacha Kljestan in the 74th minute, sacrificing Sebas Mendez in another attempt to create something further up the pitch.

A quick free kick caught Orlando napping for the second time this season with Sané left one on one with Moralez. The gifted Argentine nutmegged Sané, but Uri Rosell was there to tidy up and boot the ball away for a corner.

Alexandru Mitrita came into the game in the 77th minute, a like-for-like replacement with Tajouri-Shradi as Dome Torrent looked to inject some fresh legs into the game and find a winner with New York City looking dominant over a tiring Orlando, which had spent much of the second half chasing shadows. New York’s possession was still 65% by this point.

As if Torrent’s intentions weren’t clear enough, the Spaniard then took off defender Ben Sweat and gambled for the win with attacking midfielder Valentín Castellanos, who had scored NYC’s winner on Wednesday night against Chicago.

Orlando was once again left questioning Fischer’s refereeing when Jansson picked up a yellow in unusual circumstances. The center back was penalized for holding off Heber and New York was awarded a highly questionable free kick — not for the first time in the game. Fortunately, Mitrita failed to capitalize, blasting it into the wall.

Tempers momentarily flared when Callens aggressively bounced back up and tried to get into the face of an already-apologizing Kljestan, who had tripped the Peruvian, a sign of the frustration as the tempo slowly dropped away from both teams in a testing stalemate that had seen New York City carve out a significant number of chances.

And there was still time for one last chance, with the diminutive Moralez once again snaking his way towards into box before firing into the side netting as precious seconds ticked away and all 11 Lions remained pinned in their own half.

It wasn’t the performance becoming of an Orlando team that has now played teams on short weeks in consecutive games, but a point on the road at conference opponents is never something to turn down. Despite New York’s complete control over possession and the huge disparity in terms of shots (15-3 in favor of NYCFC and 5-2 on target), it was actually Orlando that was perhaps closest to a winner, only for Dwyer to miss an open goal.

Orlando’s attention now turns to next Saturday’s home game and the visit of a resurgent Toronto FC side. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/23/25

Orlando City signs Thomas Williams to new contract, Orlando Pride schedule revealed, USMNT wins against Costa Rica, and more.

Published

9 hours ago

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January 23, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

I hope you all are staying warm as we deal with cold weather across Florida. It’s at least been nice to break out some of my heavier blankets and forgotten hot cocoa packets I’ve had stored away. My cat has also been curling up next to me more, which is always a plus. Still, not shivering while waiting for my car to warm up would be great. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Thomas Williams Signs New Orlando City Contract

Orlando City center back Thomas Williams signed a new contract with the club that lasts through 2026, with an option for 2027 as well. Williams joined the club’s academy back in 2015 and became the youngest Homegrown Player in club history when he signed a first-team contract at 16 years old in 2021. The 20-year-old hasn’t featured much for the first team, and he’ll likely spend most of this year with Orlando City B for consistent playing time. Hopefully Williams can take a step forward in his development and provide the Lions some helpful depth at center back in the event of injuries.

Orlando Pride 2025 Season Schedule Unveiled

The NWSL announced its 2025 season schedule Wednesday, and the Orlando Pride will start their title defense season at home against the Chicago Red Stars on March 14. Their first road game will be the following weekend on March 23 against NJ/NY Gotham FC. Decision Day returns to the schedule this year, with all 14 clubs in action on Nov. 2. The Pride will close out their regular season at home that day against the Seattle Reign, with the postseason set to begin on Nov. 7. There’s also a break in the schedule in July, with no regular-season games scheduled due to international tournaments like the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and Copa America Femenina.

USMNT Shuts Out Costa Rica in Orlando

The United States Men’s National Team beat Costa Rica 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando Wednesday night to stay perfect at the home of the Lions and Pride at 7-0-0. Goalkeeper Zack Steffen truly earned his clean sheet, coming up with some great saves to deny Costa Rica. It was also a solid attacking performance from the Yanks, and Patrick Agyemang put a bow on what’s been a great month for him with his second goal in as many games. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has some time to assess things before the USMNT plays Panama in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals on March 20

Keeping Up With MLS Transfer News

San Diego FC added another Designated Player ahead of its inaugural season, signing Danish winger Anders Dreyer from Anderlecht for a transfer fee reportedly near $5 million. He recorded 31 goals and 23 assists in 87 appearances across all competitions for Anderlecht and joins San Diego on a three-year deal. Charlotte FC officially added Wilfried Zaha on loan from Galatasaray. He’ll occupy a DP spot and the loan lasts through Jan. 16, 2026, with an option to extend it through June of that year as well.

LAFC made a trade with its rival to strengthen its midfield, acquiring Mark Delgado from the LA Galaxy in exchange for $400,000 in General Allocation Money. The Portland Timbers signed Venezuelan forward Kevin Kelsy from Shakhtar Donetsk as an MLS U22 Initiative player, with FC Cincinnati receiving GAM for his discovery rights. Real Salt Lake, which signed Mason Stajduhar from Orlando City earlier this month, continued to make changes to its goalkeeping group. The club signed veteran goalkeeper Rafael Cabral as a free agent and transferred 19-year-old American Gavin Beavers to Brondby IF in Denmark.

UEFA Champions League Roundup

The penultimate round of the UEFA Champions League’s league phase wrapped up this week. Paris Saint-Germain beat Manchester City 4-2 in the heavyweight matchup of the round, with all six goals coming in the second half. Joao Neves gave PSG the lead in the 78th minute before Goncalo Ramos put the game on ice in stoppage time. City now needs to win its final game against Club Brugge on Wednesday in order to advance.

Real Madrid cruised to a 5-1 win against RB Salzburg to advance, with both Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. scoring braces. Celtic also booked its spot in the next round after a 1-0 win against Young Boys. Feyenoord pulled off an upset by winning 3-0 against Bayern Munich as well. Elsewhere in the tournament, AC Milan won 1-0 at home against Girona, Arsenal beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0, and RB Leipzig did well in a 2-1 victory over Sporting CP.

Free Kicks

  • American goalkeeper Michelle Betos announced her retirement from professional soccer after a career that included winning the 2016 NWSL Shield with the Portland Thorns and the 2023 NWSL Championship with Gotham. Betos was also named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year with the Thorns in 2015.
  • Arsenal and Chelsea are among the multiple clubs reportedly keeping an eye on American forward Trinity Rodman, whose contract with the Washington Spirit ends after this year.
https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1882171400481542482

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a great Thursday and rest of your week!

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Orlando City

Orlando City Signs Defender Thomas Williams Through 2026

Orlando City signs Homegrown center back Thomas Williams to a new contract through 2026 with a club option for 2027.

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1 day ago

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January 22, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Orlando City announced this morning that the club has signed defender Thomas Williams through the 2026 season with a club option for 2027. The Homegrown Player has been with the first team since 2021 and will continue for at least two more years.

“Thomas is someone whose future we’re still very excited about and we’re happy to get him locked in with us for a couple more years,” Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi said in a club press release. “He’s shown a lot of growth these last few seasons, continuing to get game action with Orlando City B and proving the importance of our development pathway, and we’re looking forward to having him with us for the foreseeable future.”

The Titusville native joined the Orlando City Academy in 2015 and made his professional debut for the club on Aug. 7, 2020 against New England Revolution II. He played in 13 games that year with 10 starts and recorded 844 minutes. His play on the Young Lions’ back line earned him a first-team contract on June 15, 2021, at just 16 years old, making him the youngest player in club history to sign a Homegrown contract.

The 20-year-old center back made his MLS debut on April 16, 2022 in a 2-0 win over the Columbus Crew in Ohio. He made five appearances with three starts in all competitions that season, recording 271 minutes. To date, those are the only appearances he’s made with the first team.

Since joining OCB in 2021, Williams has made 69 appearances with 61 starts and recorded 5,132 minutes. He’s been booked 19 times and sent off twice, both times after receiving second yellow cards.

What It Means for Orlando City

Williams is the fourth natural center back for Orlando City on the current squad behind Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Rodrigo Schlegel. He played well early in his OCB and MLS career, but has struggled recently. Last year, he played exclusively with the second team, partnering with Nabi Kibunguchy.

While Williams hasn’t made much of an impact on the first team so far, he’s only 20 years old and still has plenty of time to develop. Extending his contact shows that the club still has faith that he can turn into a key player for the MLS side.

It’s unlikely that Williams will see any time with the first team in 2025 (barring injuries and/or suspensions), considering that he’s also been behind versatile defender Kyle Smith at the center back position. He’ll likely spend the upcoming season with OCB, continuing to develop and earn his spot with the first team. As a Homegrown Player, there isn’t much risk in signing Williams to a new contract, especially if the club’s technical staff thinks he can develop into a quality defender.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/22/25

Orlando City transfer rumors, Orlando Pride preseason begins, USMNT at Inter&Co, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

January 22, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The ManeLand

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Up here in Tallahassee, I’m waking up to snow/sleet, closed schools, closed government offices, and potentially icy roads. Many people will get an extra day off of work, however, I still get to go to work. I’m sure you can imagine how happy I am about that. Enough of my winter grumbling. Let’s get to the links but not until after we wish Orlando City fullback Michael Halliday a happy 22nd birthday.

Orlando City Reportedly Targeting Croatian International

While I can no longer say that Orlando City hasn’t signed any new players, the club is still moving at its traditionally slow speed as compared to other MLS clubs. We had the signing of Nicolas Rodriguez last week. Now, we have Tom Bogert report of yet another winger prospect for the club in Croatian Marco Pasalic from HNK Rijeka, though it is not a done deal. Hopefully the other targets Bogert mentions are of the striker variety.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881755961125449765?s=46&t=pMoq7Wulqfb35D7C8ydroA

Pride Preseason Begins

The 2024 NWSL champions are back to defend their title. The Orlando Pride returned to training on Tuesday. The club hasn’t needed to add many pieces, though some of the players already here, like Simone Charley and Grace Chanda, haven’t actually played any minutes for the Pride yet. Most of the chemistry is in place for Seb Hines, but reinforcing those bonds will be the challenge as the Pride look to repeat.

USMNT at Inter&Co Tonight

Hopefully you have tickets to the USMNT friendly match versus Costa Rica at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. The match starts at 7 p.m. and there are television and streaming options if you’re not going in person. Despite the squad having 14 players with three or fewer caps, Mauricio Pochettino does not consider this an “alternative” squad, nor does he want the players to think of themselves like that.

Girma Reportedly Nearing Completion of Chelsea Move

USWNT defender Naomi Girma is reportedly headed to Chelsea FC Women for a record $1.1 million transfer fee. That is a very big chunk of change for San Diego FC to use to try to replace one of the best defenders in the world. The deal is not complete as of Tuesday evening, but according to the original report from The Athletic, it is close to being done. Girma would be the first women’s soccer player to earn a transfer fee of over $1 million.

MLS Transfer Updates

Other MLS clubs keep on putting pen to paper when it comes to new players. The Chicago Fire are bringing in Jonathan Bamba on a Designated Player deal from La Liga side Celta de Vigo. The Luca de la Torre loan from Spain’s RC Celta de Vigo to San Diego FC is also official.

https://twitter.com/sandiegofc/status/1881741042904350864

Cucho Hernandez evidently wants to stay with the Columbus Crew, though he is still waiting on a new offer.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881786193693823104

Free Kicks

https://twitter.com/weareangelcity/status/1881749040863588770?s=12&t=_WZBNG4ILAyRLdwBeB4mpQ
  • Keep your eyes peeled later today for the NWSL schedule drop.
https://twitter.com/nwsl/status/1881749035218042954?s=46&t=pN-YJp3s7ZQlCXqnTAgSfw

That will do it for today. Stay warm out there, my friends. Vamos Orlando!

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