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Orlando City vs. LAFC: Five Takeaways

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Orlando City’s 2-2 draw against LAFC feels frustrating, and I’ll be the first one to say it. The Lions were unable to maintain a 2-1 halftime lead and ultimately had to settle for one point instead of all three. While something is better than nothing it still feels like a missed opportunity at a time in the season where chances are dwindling fast. What comes after are my five takeaways from the match.

Dropped Points in a Winnable Game

It’s been the theme for a lot of recent Orlando games and unfortunately it was the theme again last night. It was a great opportunity for Orlando to make big strides up the Eastern Conference standings with LAFC missing a score of players through injury and international duty but it wasn’t to be. The Lions — also missing several key players — were unable to hold on to a 2-1 halftime lead over LAFC and it cost the team two points on a night when the seventh-place New England Revolution lost to New York City FC. It would’ve been the perfect chance for the Lions to move closer to a playoff spot but instead of being a mere two points behind the Revolution, the gap is four. While it was always going to be a crucial match-up, this now makes Orlando’s tilt with New England next week a must-win game.

Big Energy in the Midfield

One of the Lions’ best traits, especially in the first half, was the amount of energy in the midfield. A large part of the Lions going and staying ahead in the first half were the motors of Cristian Higuita and Dillon Powers and the hard work that the two did in pressing LAFC anytime the ball came to the team’s midfielders. Uri Rosell played his part as well, although he tended to sit farther back and provide cover for the back four, allowing Higuita and Powers to be all over the field. Unfortunately, LAFC getting back into the game in the second half was due in big part to the Lions being unable to sustain the kind of high energy play that was present in the first half. Higuita, playing only his second match in months, was forced off the pitch in the 73rd minute due to cramping issues and Powers also slowed late in the game. Even professional players can’t sprint around the field for 90 minutes — especially if they haven’t been playing regularly — and this was a night where being unable to bring on the likes of Will Johnson and Carlos Ascues may have meant the difference between coming away with one point versus all three.

Higuita’s Vision Key

Speaking of Higuita, his vision and ability to pick a pass is the reason for Orlando getting a point out of the game. He played a delightfully weighted ball through to Nani for the equalizer, and did supremely well to spot his run in the first place. His through ball was played exactly where it needed to be for Nani to take a touch and delicately place his chip over and beyond Tyler Miller. For Benji Michel’s goal, Higuita’s pass in behind to find Ruan again showed good vision and anticipation of where the fullback was going to be. He has certainly been missed and will be needed to turn in similar performances in the last few games if Orlando is to make a run at seventh place.

Ruan Immense in His Return

Orlando City SC is a different and better team when Ruan lines up at right back. Period. The team is infinitely more dangerous going forward, and at times his pace amounted to a get-out-of-jail-free card at the back. He picked up an assist on the second goal, beat defenders time after time, and very nearly created another scoring chance after a smart interception at the back which saw him beat four men and play a ball for Dom Dwyer when he maybe should have been selfish and simply continued his run. Regardless, his presence has been sorely missed and its hard not to wonder what recent results would have been like had the speedster been fit and in the starting lineup. If the Lions end up making a late surge towards the playoff line he will surely be a big reason why.

Hold-Up Play and Finishing Much Improved

Two very just criticisms of Orlando in recent weeks has been poor hold-up play and equally poor finishing. The same couldn’t be said about the team last night though. Before being substituted, Dwyer did a good job of backing down defenders and either winning free kicks or bringing the ball down and distributing it to his teammates. After his introduction Santiago Patiño continued right where Dom left off, and showed an excellent first touch on a couple of occasions to keep the ball with the Lions. When it came to finishing, the Lions put two shots on target and scored on both of them, with Patiño hitting the post on another occasion. While the Lions ultimately weren’t able to take all three points they did a lot more with the chances that were presented to them than in previous games. That will need to be continued and improved upon in the coming weeks but it was an encouraging sign.


As I said up top, I can’t help but be frustrated after this one. LAFC was missing a number of key players and Orlando City was in prime position to take advantage of that fact and move closer towards a playoff spot. While it isn’t a bad thing to draw with the best team in the league, how many times this season have Lions fans said “well if you’d offered me a draw before the game I would have taken it?” If Orlando had won even half of those games then the team is probably comfortably above the playoff line. Right now these sorts of games are the difference between OCSC being below the line as opposed to above it.

All the same, I think there were a score of positives to take away from this game and if Orlando can perform the way it did for the first 60 minutes for the remainder of the season then who knows what might happen?

That’s how I saw this one, please let me know your thoughts on the game down in the comments section.

Orlando City

Orlando City Unveils New Perfect Storm Kit Ahead of 2025 MLS Season

The Lions’ new kits are meant to represent the uniqueness and intensity of the Central Florida weather.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City unveiled the club’s new home “Perfect Storm” kit today. The new home purple kit is meant to evoke the intensity of the Central Florida weather, and features a lightning bolt (called a “thunderbolt” by the club) made out of the Orlando area code, 407, on the back of the neck and a jocktag with a doppler radar storm icon. Per the club, no two kits will have the exact same pattern.

The Perfect Storm kit will be available on MLSStore.com and on OCMobileShop.com, with pick-up at The Den at Inter&Co Stadium starting Thursday during regular business hours.

“This kit is a tribute to our fans who have supported us day in and day out, through everything, rain or shine,” said Orlando City Chief Marketing Officer Pedro Araujo in a club press release. “It is also inspired by our players’ ability to thrive in adverse weather conditions, and a reminder that Inter&Co Stadium is one of the toughest environments in Major League Soccer for visiting teams to compete in.”

The Perfect Storm Kit will be first available to fans at the club’s official jersey launch tonight at 6 p.m. at Canvas (1401 Florida Mall Ave.). Fans can purchase the new shirt and have it customized. The first 200 fans in attendance to purchase the new kit will receive an exclusive CITYiD patch

The Lions will first wear the new kit at their home opener against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, Feb. 22.

Here are some shots of the new kit:

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 2/12/25

Leagues Cup Schedule released, Sams and Moorhouse called up, Champions League results, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers! It’s new home kit reveal day, so get ready to potentially spend some money. I may end up getting one regardless of how it looks. I’ve lost some weight, and while that is good, none of my jerseys fit anymore. I hope it’s a good one.

We want to wish a very happy birthday to Orlando City B midfielder Jhon Solis. Additionally, I want to wish my son Chris a very happy birthday. Now, let’s get to the links.

Orlando City’s Leagues Cup Fixtures Revealed

The official Leagues Cup 2025 Phase One schedule dropped Tuesday, meaning we now know Orlando City’s first three matches of the competition. All three matches will be played at Inter&Co Stadium against Liga MX squads. The Lions will face Pumas UNAM in the first match on July 30, followed by Atlas FC on Aug. 2, and then Necaxa on Aug. 6. Phase One of the competition is effectively a group stage. If Orlando City can advance out of Phase One, the Lions will head to the knockout rounds.

Pride International Call Ups

The Orlando Pride’s Emily Sams and Anna Moorhouse received call-ups for the USWNT and the England Women’s National Team, respectively. USWNT Coach Emma Hayes included Sams on her 23-player roster for the 2025 SheBelieves Cup later this month. The U.S. will play matches against Japan, Australia, and Colombia.

Moorhouse was selected by Lioness coach Sarina Wiegman for the UEFA Women’s Nations League. England’s first two matches are against Portugal on Feb. 21 and against Spain on Feb. 26. After that, the competition continues in April.

MLS Transfer Round Up

With Orlando City finally signing some new players, other MLS clubs continue to make moves in the off-season. Former Orlando City midfielder Junior Urso signed with the Houston Dynamo through 2025 with an option for 2026. Houston is the Bear’s third MLS club.

French second-division side Amiens SC is in a selling mood. The club sent defender Osaze Urhoghide to FC Dallas. Minnesota United FC signed midfielder Owen Gene from Amiens SC to an MLS U22 Initiative contract.

Elsewhere, the Philadelphia Union signed Homegrown forward Eddy Davis III, and D.C. United signed midfielder Brandon Servania. Out west, the San Jose Earthquakes have signed goalkeeper Daniel to a contract extension, and Nashville SC signed midfielder Matthew Corcoran from USL Championship side Birmingham Legion FC.

Champions League Results

UEFA Champions League continued Tuesday, with Paris Saint-Germain getting things going with a 3-0 win over Brest. Ousmane Dembélé scored a brace in the match to cement the victory. Borussia Dortmund also managed a 3-0 victory over Sporting Lisbon. All three goals came in the second half, including Serhou Guirassy’s 10th in the competition to equal Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski.

Real Madrid scored two goals to come from behind and defeat Manchester City 3-2. Jude Bellingham scored the winning goal in second-half stoppage time. Weston McKennie got things going for Juventus in its 2-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven. Samuel Mbangula scored the winning goal.

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That will do it for today. Check back later today for our coverage of the new kit. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 2/11/25

Orlando City signs Eduard Atuesta, MLS news roundup, Americans in midweek action, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, gang! It was a long weekend for me but an interesting one, as I attended an event at St. Louis City’s Energizer Stadium on Saturday night. It was a fun time, but personally I prefer Orlando City’s home digs. We have plenty of things to discuss this morning, so let’s get into the links.

Orlando City Signs Eduard Atuesta

Orlando City has found its replacement for the injured Wilder Cartagena, as the club announced the signing of Colombian midfielder Eduard Atuesta from Palmeiras on Monday. Atuesta’s deal runs through the end of the 2025 season and also contains a club option for 2026. While the Lions still have some depth issues that need to be addressed at various positions, Atuesta will pair alongside Cesar Araujo in midfield, and if his previous numbers in Major League Soccer are any indication, he may even provide more goal scoring and creation from the position than Cartagena usually did.

MLS News Roundup

With the start of the MLS season under two weeks away, the off-season news is still flying thick and fast. First up, the Colorado Rapids have signed midfielder Ted Ku-DiPietro from D.C. United in exchange for up to $1.4 million in cash, with United also maintaining a sell-on percentage in the player. The trade was executed using the league’s cash-based trade system, with Colorado becoming the latest team to make use of the new mechanism. Up next, San Diego FC has signed defender Willy Kumado from Lyngby Boldklub in the Danish Superliga. The right back joins on a two-year deal that also contains option years for 2027 and 2028. Finally, Tom Bogert is reporting that Joseph Paintsil is expected to be out of action for over a month after sustaining an injury to his quadriceps.

Americans in Midweek Action

As always, there are a number of Americans taking part in games during the working week, and there’s a heavy emphasis on UEFA Champions League play. Things get started later today, as Tim Weah, Weston McKennie, and Juventus face a PSV Eindhoven side that has all four of Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Sergino Dest, and Malik Tillman injured. Meanwhile, Gio Reyna, Cole Campbell, and Borussia Dortmund will travel to face Sporting CP. Wednesday has Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah traveling with AC Milan to take on Feyenoord, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic will be sorely tested at home against Bayern Munich. Thursday will wrap up European play with Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis squaring off against Gent in the Conference League.

Josh Sargent’s Opportunity

Josh Sargent had a difficult end to 2024, as he spent several months on the sideline while recovering from a groin injury that eventually required surgery. There were some natural moments of wondering what he’d be like when he made his return, but he’s hit the ground running since his first game back on Jan. 25, as he has four goals in three games for Norwich City. Not only is he getting his chance at the club level, but with Pepi and Folarin Balogun both currently injured, Sargent looks almost certain to lead the line for the United States Men’s National Team for March’s Concacaf Nations League semifinal matches. Sometimes timing is everything, and right now Sargent’s timing is pretty damn good.

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That does it for me this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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