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Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Final Score 1-0 as Benji Michel Lifts Weary Lions to Sweep of Crew

The Lions get a late goal from the rookie to grind out a victory.

Published

6 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Benji Michel’s 84th-minute goal — the rookie’s first in MLS play — was Orlando City’s only shot on target of the night, but it was just enough to lift the Lions to a 1-0 win over the Columbus Crew at Exploria Stadium. Orlando (7-9-4, 25 points) completed the season sweep of the Crew (5-14-2, 17 points) although the game was far from perfect, due in large part to it being the team’s third match in a single calendar week.

Orlando did not allow a single goal in the two meetings against the Crew, holding on late after conceding a tying goal in the 90th minute last Sunday and in the 96th minute on Wednesday. This time, the Lions held on and kept their fifth clean sheet of the season. The Crew has now lost five straight, are winless in nine (0-8-1) and have won just once in the last 15 matches (1-13-1).

“Massive, massive win for us tonight,” said Head Coach James O’Connor after the match. “I think we showed another great side, very positive, to be able to show that kind of toughness. I don’t think we played particularly well. I thought we looked very tired, which we knew. We expected that, so I think in a game like that, with the emotion of the other night we were always very wary of just what kind of energy we were going to have. So, we needed to have some grit. And I thought the boys showed tremendous character tonight.”

O’Connor made only four changes from Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup lineup, keeping Tesho Akindele and Chris Mueller up top, Sebas Mendez and Will Johnson in the midfield, and Ruan, Lamine Sané, and Robin Jansson on the back line. Brian Rowe returned to the starting lineup, with Adam Grinwis on the bench instead of Greg Ranjitsingh. Kamal Miller replaced Kyle Smith at left back, Carlos Ascues replaced Sacha Kljestan in the midfield, and Michel replaced Nani, who was unavailable as a precautionary measure due to food poisoning.

Columbus saw much of the possession in the opening half hour, fashioning the game’s first chance five minutes in. Pedro Santos torched Miller down the flank and sent in a ball for Gyasi Zardes, who rattled the crossbar with his shot.

Orlando’s only shot attempt of the first half came in the 11th minute when Miller smashed a shot just a little wide of the left post.

Much of Orlando’s attack came on the counter but the Lions were wasteful, missing open teammates or keeping their heads down and dribbling into traffic. Akindele had opportunities to find Michel and Mueller in the area but the former was cut out by the defense and the latter was too far out in front and all he could do was dribble a weak deflection in toward former teammate Joe Bendik.

Much of the half was spent in Orlando’s end setting up for corner kicks. Columbus got seven such opportunities in the first half, but poor service was a problem for the visitors.

Neither team got a shot on target in the opening half, with Columbus holding a 6-1 advantage in attempts. The Crew held 56% of the possession and out-passed the Lions, 85%-83%.

The Lions were a tiny bit better in the second half, notching three shots and conceding only five, but still had a big hole in the midfield, sagging back defensively and trying to spring counters that never quite materialized. While the sagging midfield and the quality of central defenders Sané and Jansson prevented the Crew from generating much of a threat, the Orlando attack was nearly nonexistent. As a result, the visitors seemed the more likely team to score.

Without any grip in the center of the pitch, O’Connor’s option to bring on Dom Dwyer as a substitute was unlikely to bear fruit, but the fatigue of the week was apparent. Santiago Patino came on for Will Johnson and the team switched to a 4-2-3-1 for a bit, but that went away when Uri Rosell checked in for Akindele in the 78th minute.

Before leaving, Akindele created a chance by sending a ball in for Patino, but the shot was deflected away for a corner in the 73rd.

Patino brought some much-needed energy to the proceedings, winning balls in his own defensive third and generating a bit of hold-up play down the right.

In the 84th minute, the game finally turned Orlando’s way. Sané sent a fabulous ball up the right sideline for Ruan to run onto. The speedy fullback got past the defense and fizzed an inch-perfect cross for the onrushing Michel to slam home to break the scoreless deadlock.

Michel called his first MLS goal “a dream come true,” scoring it in front of The Wall.

“I just knew right away I had to get there, because I know Ruan,” said the Homegrown Player of his thoughts on seeing Sané serve the ball up the right wing. “He’s a pacey player and I knew he was going to get to the ball, so I had to make sure I went to the first post. I knew the ball was coming and I got my chance.”

Orlando then had to see the game out and the Crew threw numbers forward and generated a few good chances. Harrison Afful forced Rowe to make a diving save in the 88th minute as the visitors finally put their first shot on target.

After that, Zardes got a couple of free headers but couldn’t place them on frame. The first he headed directly into the ground and it bounced over the crossbar. The second was a lot closer, as Jansson tried desperately to hold him off.

After a nervy six minutes of stoppage time — which included the sending off of Dwyer for throwing an elbow up that caught Josh Williams — the final whistle blew on three hard-fought points for the Lions.

“It was a good battle,” Miller said. “Towards the end, Columbus brought everything.”

“Really, to be able to defend, put their bodies on the line, and the guys who have played so many minutes, to be able to push like that, is fantastic,” O’Connor said. “Great commitment from the players tonight.”

After conceding late goals twice this week already, Miller said the Lions were desperate to keep that from happening again.

“You could just tell (by) everyone’s demeanor and attitude and the tone in everyone’s voice, that we were not going to let that happen tonight, especially in front of our home fans who supported us the whole way,” Miller said. “We owed it to them and to ourselves not to let anyone slip.”

The Crew out-shot Orlando City, 11-4 (1-1 on target), possessed the ball 56.6% of the time, and was the better passing side (86%-83%), earning 10 corners to one for the Lions. But Michel’s blast was the game’s lone score and it was a gritty effort for a team playing its third match of the week. The Lions improved to 4-5-3 in the all-time series against the Crew (3-2-2 at home).

The Lions will finally get a breather. Kind of. Orlando City plays again in five days…at Portland.

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Lion Links: 11/18/25

Orlando City roster update, a USMNT vs. Uruguay preview, World Cup qualifying galore, and more.

Published

23 hours ago

on

November 18, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone. All three of Orlando’s soccer teams have now finished their seasons, but that doesn’t mean things slow down around here. Off-season machinations are in full swing, the United States Men’s National Team plays later today, and World Cup qualifying is still ongoing. That means we have a lot of things to talk through today, so let’s get into the links. But first, let’s wish Orlando City goalkeeper Javier Otero a happy birthday.

Orlando City Announces Roster Decisions

Orlando City announced its end-of-season roster decisions on Monday afternoon. For the most part, things look as expected, as we already knew the two biggest departures in the out-of-contract duo of Pedro Gallese and Cesar Araujo. The most surprising bit of news was Robin Jansson’s contract option being declined, although the team is in negotiations with both he and Kyle Smith regarding their returns. Another eyebrow-raising choice was Ivan Angulo’s option year being picked up, particularly after a season in which he did not score a single league goal despite having multiple breakaway opportunities. Currently there are 22 players under contract, although some of those are clear backups, youth players, or currently injured, so the front office is going to have a lot of work to do during the off-season.

Previewing USMNT vs. Uruguay

The United States Men’s National Team will play its final game of 2025 later today, when it takes on Uruguay at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. It will be the 10th meeting between the two teams and the first since Uruguay’s 1-0 win knocked the USMNT out of the 2024 Copa America in the group stage. The mercurial Marcelo Bielsa manages the side and helped guide Uruguay to a fourth-place finish in World Cup qualifying earlier this fall. Uruguay will be without big names like Darwin Nunez, Federico Valverde, and Nicolas Fonseca, but the side still has plenty of star power with the likes of Ronald Araujo, Rodrigo Bentancur, Manuel Ugarte, and of course, former Lion Facundo Torres. Look for Bielsa to use a 4-3-3 with an energetic press and either the fullbacks or wingers inverting.

World Cup Qualifying Results

UEFA’s World Cup qualifying continued on Monday and there were several eye-catching results. Germany dismantled Slovakia 6-0 to secure a first-place finish in Group A and the World Cup spot that comes with it. Not to be outdone, Czechia beat Gibraltar by the same score but only managed to finish second in Group L. The Netherlands beat Lithuania 4-0 to finish top of Group G and also punch a ticket to next summer’s tournament, while Orlando City’s Marco Pasalic was an unused substitute in Croatia’s dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Montenegro, which ensured his team finished an undefeated run through Group L.

World Cup Qualifying Preview

There’s even more qualifiers taking place today, with both UEFA and Concacaf in action and big stakes on the line. Scotland faces Denmark, and needs to win at home in order to leapfrog the Danes into first and the automatic qualifying spot, while a draw for the Danes will be enough for them to retain the top spot. Austria vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a similar situation, as a draw or win will see Austria stay in first, while Bosnia and Herzegovina must win to overtake the Austrians. In Concacaf, Group C has a ton of drama with three teams still able to secure automatic qualification. Honduras is currently top with eight points and better goal differential than Haiti, which also has eight points, while Costa Rica is in third with six. Costa Rica will play Honduras, while Haiti takes on Nicaragua, and there’s any number of ways this could all shake out.

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

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Orlando City

Orlando City Announces Roster Update Following 2025 MLS Season

The club has announced the roster decisions and contract statuses following the 2025 campaign.

Published

2 days ago

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November 17, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City has finally released the club’s roster status update and let us know the decisions on contract options following the 2025 campaign — the Lions’ 11th season in Major League Soccer. The biggest news had mostly already happened with the departures of goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and midfielder Cesar Araujo, who were both out of contract after the season. The writing had been on the wall in terms of both departures.

The most surprising news from today’s announcement is that the club declined the option year on captain Robin Jansson’s contract, but the club is in negotiations with both the veteran center back and out-of-contract defender/midfielder Kyle Smith.

Orlando City already had 14 players currently under contract for the 2026 season: forwards Duncan McGuire, Luis Muriel, Marco Pašalić, and Nico Rodríguez; midfielders Gustavo Caraballo, Colin Guske, and Dagur Dan Thórhallsson; defenders David Brekalo, Adrián Marín, Tahir Reid-Brown, Rodrigo Schlegel, Zakaria Taifi, and Thomas Williams; and goalkeeper Javier Otero.

Additionally, the Lions exercised the contract options on Iván Angulo, Tyrese Spicer, and Yutaro Tsukada; midfielders Eduard Atuesta, Joran Gerbet, and Martín Ojeda; and defender Alex Freeman. The club declined Jansson’s option year, as well as options for three players who were regulars for OCB: goalkeeper Carlos Mercado, midfielder/forward Shak Mohammed, and midfielder/forward Favian Loyola.

Smith is out of contract, along with Gallese and Araujo, but it’s not surprising that the Lions are trying to bring him back as he is a versatile depth player who can fill in at a number of spots.

Midfielder Wilder Cartagena was to be out of contract as well, but he signed a new contract five days ago that will keep him in Orlando through 2026 with an option in 2027.

What It Means for Orlando City

If Jansson isn’t re-signed, the Lions will have to go shopping for a top-notch center back. Jansson may have lost a step this season, but he was still the best and most consistent defender on Orlando City’s back line when he was in the lineup. Entering 2026 with a plan to start Schlegel and Brekalo is at best a lateral step to what the club had in 2025, which wasn’t good enough, as the Lions did not record a clean sheet after June 14. The back line wasn’t solely to blame, as Gallese and the central midfield have to shoulder some of that burden, but the critical breakdowns defensively in 2025 occurred more often than in previous seasons.

The biggest surprise to me was the club picking up Angulo’s option. The Colombian didn’t score a single goal in MLS for the first time since 2022, when he only appeared in nine games at the end of the season. It’s not as if Angulo didn’t have multiple golden opportunities to score, as he failed to finish on multiple clear-cut breakaways with only the goalkeeper back throughout the season. At more than $500,000 in annual base salary, the club can afford a defensive-minded player scoring five goals a season — as he did in both 2023 and 2024 — but cannot afford to have a left wing who can’t score a single goal, given the opportunties his speed affords him.

Tsukada and Gerbet are promising young players who are coming off serious injuries, and it’s nice to see the club make a commitment to helping them get healthy and continue their development. Atuesta’s return was made more important by Araujo’s departure, and although Cartagena signed a new deal, more depth will be needed in central midfield.

The club’s biggest off-season need right now is to replace Gallese in goal.

Post-2025 Orlando City Roster Status (Current club players in italics)

  • Iván Angulo: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026
  • César Araújo: Out of contract
  • Eduard Atuesta: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026
  • David Brekalo: Under contract through 2027, with a club option in 2028
  • Gustavo Caraballo: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
  • Wilder Cartagena: Signed new contract through 2026, club option in 2027
  • Alex Freeman: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026
  • Pedro Gallese: Out of contract
  • Joran Gerbet: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026, club options through 2028
  • Colin Guske: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
  • Robin Jansson: Option declined – In negotiations
  • Favian Loyola: Option declined
  • Adrián Marín: Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
  • Duncan McGuire: Under contract through 2027, with a club option in 2028
  • Carlos Mercado: Option declined
  • Shak Mohammed: Option declined
  • Luis Muriel: Under contract through 2026
  • Martín Ojeda: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
  • Javier Otero: Under contract through 2026, club options in 2027 and 2028
  • Marco Pašalić: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
  • Tahir Reid-Brown: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
  • Nico Rodríguez: Under contract through 2027, club option in 2028
  • Rodrigo Schlegel: Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
  • Kyle Smith: Out of contract, in negotiations
  • Tyrese Spicer: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
  • Zakaria Taifi: Under contract through 2026, club options through 2029
  • Dagur Dan Thórhallsson: Option exercised – Under contract through 2026, club option in 2027
  • Yutaro Tsukada: Under contract through 2025, with club options in 2026 & 2027
  • Thomas Williams: Under contract through 2026, club options in 2027 and 2028

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Lion Links: 11/17/25

Pride fall to Gotham FC in NWSL semifinals, Lions in action abroad, USMNT defeats Paraguay, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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November 17, 2025

By

Image of Anglina preparing to take a shot against Gotham FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been staying busy at work and covering high school basketball. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Pride Fall to Gotham FC in NWSL Semifinals

The Orlando Pride fell 1-0 to NJ/NY Gotham FC in the NWSL semifinals Sunday at Inter&Co Stadium. The match was scoreless for 90 minutes, and it looked like it was heading for extra time. Jaedyn Shaw converted a last-minute free kick for the game-winning goal in stoppage time. The Pride had one last chance towards the end of the match to get a late equalizer when Oihane put her header on goal, but Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger made a clutch save to seal the win. Gotham FC will play in the NWSL Championship for the second time in three years. The Orlando Pride’s 2025 season ends just short of making a second consecutive NWSL Championship.

Lions in Action Abroad

Several Orlando City players were in action during the international break. Defender David Brekalo played a full 90 minutes, but Slovenia fell 2-0 to Kosovo in UEFA World Cup qualifying. Forward Marco Pasalic started and played 62 minutes as the Croatians defeated the Faroe Islands 3-1 in UEFA World Cup qualifying and qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

Croatia will be in action again later today against Montenegro. Gustavo Caraballo came off the bench late in the second half, but Venezuela fell 2-1 to North Korea in the round of 32 in the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Thomas Williams started for the U-21 U.S. Men’s National Team in its 1-1 draw against Denmark.

Fullback Tahir Reid-Brown came off the bench in the second half for the U-20 U.S. Men’s National Team in a 2-1 win against Costa Rica.

USMNT Defeats Paraguay in Friendly

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Paraguay 2-1 Saturday at Subaru Park in Chester, PA. Orlando City defender Alex Freeman was in action for the USMNT, coming off the bench and playing 23 minutes. Gio Reyna scored the opener in his return to the starting XI for the USMNT for the first time in 16 months to give the Yanks an early lead. Alex Arce scored the equalizer for Paraguay. In the second half, Falorin Balogun scored the winning goal to help the USMNT edge Paraguay. The Americans are unbeaten in their last four matches. The next match for the U.S. will be Tuesday against Uruguay in Tampa.

Washington Spirit Return to NWSL Championship

In the other NWSL playoff semifinal match from the weekend, the Washington Spirit returned to the NWSL Championship for the second consecutive time, securing a 2-0 win against the Portland Thorns Saturday at Audi Field. Gift Monday and Croix Bethune scored for Washington. Trinity Rodman returned to play for the first time since spraining her right MCL on Oct. 15. Before the match, multiple reports stated that Rodman had received lucrative transfer offers from European clubs as her contract expires next month. The Spirit will face Gotham FC in the NWSL Championship Saturday at PayPal Park in San Jose, CA.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja was in Europe over the weekend to watch Maro Pasalic play for the Croatia Men’s National Team, while also checking in with AFC Bournemouth to observe operations, share knowledge on coaching, and check out the club’s front office management as part of the partnership between the two clubs.
  • U.S. Soccer announced its 2026 National Soccer Hall of Fame Inductees, featuring Kevin Crow, Tobin Heath, Heather O’Reilly, Tony Sanneh, Kari Seitz, and Chris Wondolowski.
  • Erling Haaland scored twice as Norway defeated Italy 4-1, qualifying for its first World Cup since 1998.
  • Nigeria fell to Congo DR 4-3 in penalties after a 1-1 draw in the CAF World Cup playoff final and will miss a second straight World Cup.
  • One Knoxville SC defeated Spokane Velocity 2-0 to win the USL League One Championship.

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

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