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Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls: Final Score 1-0 as Lions Can’t Find a Goal

Brian White’s first-half goal holds up as Orlando can’t beat Luis Robles or the woodwork.

Published

6 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City had about the sharpness you’d expect from a team playing its eighth game in 26 days. The Lions (7-10-5, 26 points) hit every part of the goal except the inside of it, and allowed a silly goal off a turnover to fall 1-0 to the New York Red Bulls (10-8-4, 34 points) at Exploria Stadium. Brian White’s tally was the only score of the game.

“Obviously very disappointed,” Head Coach James O’Connor said about the result. “I think for the first 30 minutes, 35 minutes, we were off. We looked flat. Took us awhile to get going. The last 10 minutes of the [first] half we started to feel like we were coming into it more. Second half I think we’ve absolutely bossed the game and completely dominated. Hit the woodwork — whatever it is, three times — and had some chances. We’re unlucky not to get anything out of the game but it’s obviously very frustrating, especially when you have the ball bouncing off the crossbar and off the post.”

O’Connor went back to pretty much his first-choice lineup, minus Cristian Higuita’s ongoing absence, with Joao Moutinho returning to left back after a month out with a quad problem.

The first half belonged to New York, almost right from the beginning, as the Red Bulls won a corner in the game’s very first minute. They ended up with five more in the first half to Orlando’s none.

Ruan nearly put a ball into his own net trying to cut out a cross in the fourth minute, but it skipped out wide for another corner. Orlando got its first shot of the game three minutes later when Nani launched an effort well over the bar from the top of the area.

Former Lion Amro Tarek got a free header in the 11th minute off another corner but he hit his shot right at Brian Rowe, who caught it cleanly. Michael Murillo fired well over the crossbar from 30 yards out three minutes later off yet another corner kick after the Lions cleared it out of the area.

The sloppy Lions kept giving the ball back to New York. The Red Bulls were pressing but many of the errors were still unforced. Such a play occurred in the 23rd minute when Chris Mueller made a horrible pass that Ruan had to track down. The Brazilian was then fouled by Daniel Royer, who was booked for the infraction.

In the 25th minute, Ruan conceded a free kick out to Rowe’s right side and Tarek again got a free head on the cross. This time Rowe kicked it out of danger.

Orlando should have scored in the 31st minute. The first truly dangerous buildup by Orlando up the right side saw Nani pick up a loose ball and dish to Tesho Akindele in the middle of the area. Akindele turned and found an oncoming Will Johnson but the midfielder’s effort was wide of goal.

It was a costly miss, as the Red Bulls scored a minute later. Carlos Ascues tried to dribble through three Red Bulls on his own side of midfield but his final touch was heavy and Tarek picked it off. The former Lion gave it to Kaku, who sent in a perfect curling ball for White. Rowe got a piece of White’s shot but it trickled over the line to give New York a 1-0 lead in the 32nd minute. The play was reviewed for a possible offside but eventually given.

“As regards the first 30 minutes, we need to be a little bit sharper coming out to start the game, because we got hurt in the first 30 minutes,” O’Connor said. “They’ve had a couple of opportunities, Brian’s made a save, they’ve scored.”

Orlando had a chance to pull the goal back quickly. Mueller was set up on the left side at the top of the area. He dribbled toward the middle and fired but sent his shot well off frame in what must have been a frustrating first half for the second-year attacker.

Nani sent an inside-out shot just wide in the 36th minute and then a free kick wide in the 41st as Orlando continued to be wasteful with opportunities.

New York took its 1-0 lead into the break.

The Red Bulls led in shots (9-5), shots on goal (4-0), and corners (6-0). Orlando held 53% of the possession and neither team passed particularly well, with the Lions holding a 76%-67% edge.

The second half started the same, with New York earning an early corner again, but then the game started to slowly change over the final 45 minutes. The Red Bulls couldn’t maintain their press and the Lions started to get more of the match, eventually pinning in New York for most of the game’s final 20 minutes.

Akindele said the team discussed at halftime, “just to go and impose ourselves on the game.”

“We said ‘we’re playing at home, we know we’re a good team, we have good players, go and impose ourselves on the game.’ And I think the second half we did just that. We were camped in their half the entire second half. We couldn’t score but I think it was a big change.”

Akindele finally put Orlando’s first shot on target in the 51st minute, taking a delicious pass from Lamine Sané, turning, and forcing a decent save from Luis Robles.

The Lions then started to earn a series of what eventually turned into nine corner kicks, completely reversing the trend of the first half, but Orlando couldn’t get many decent scoring chances off of them.

The first shot off the woodwork came in the 60th minute off the foot of Carlos Ascues. The Peruvian ran onto a gorgeous cross from Moutinho and volleyed it off the bar.

Ascues and Mueller departed in the 67th minute for Sacha Kljestan and Robinho and the Lions had their second shot off the woodwork three minutes later. This time Akindele took a pass from Ruan, found some space, and fired off the crossbar. The ball hit Robles off the ricochet but stayed out.

Nani, who was down on the field behind the play for Akindele’s shot off the bar, came off in the 71st minute without putting any weight on his left foot. O’Connor said after the match that there was no update but they would evaluate the Portuguese Designated Player. Santiago Patino came on in his place.

It became apparent in the 77th minute that the ball was just not interested in going in the net. Moutinho sent a fantastic ball across the field for Akindele, who laid off for Kljestan. The midfielder struck it first touch but it hit the far post and bounced back into the penalty area. Kljestan lost his footing trying to sweep it back in but it hit off Robles and it deflected back off of Sacha’s head. The ball fell to Robinho, who tried a flying scissor kick but he couldn’t make contact. The bouncing ball then found its way to Patino, who tried to settle it instead of hitting it first time, and he was closed down by two defenders. The rookie then lost possession trying to clear himself for a shot and the entire sequence evaporated.

A minute later, the Lions should have tied the match. Kljestan sent a beautiful through ball to send Ruan down the right. With Akindele breaking free to the top of the six, the Brazilian took the shot himself from a tough angle and Robles had no trouble with it. Akindele had started the play by feeding the ball back to Kljestan in space. It was a good play that deserved a better finish.

Akindele found Patino in the 81st in the middle of the penalty area. Covered by two defenders, the rookie tried to spin free for a shot and nearly succeeded but lost his balance before he could shoot. Two minutes later Patino tried to go for a difficult move to free himself to shoot with Robinho breaking into space. The rookie didn’t see him, or chose not to pass it, and another great opportunity was wasted.

Johnson forced a Robles save in the 87th minute as the Lions kept knocking at the door. After a couple more corners, Robinho sent a weak shot right at Robles from the left side. That was about all she wrote for Orlando and the whistle eventually went in New York’s favor.

Orlando turned around the stats significantly in the second half, finishing with more shots (18-13), but one fewer shot on target (5-4). The Lions held 62% of the game’s total possession and out-passed the Red Bulls, 81%-68%. Orlando even finished with more corners (9-8).

“The Red Bulls, to be fair, started bright and end up getting a goal. But after that I don’t think we could have done much more to win the game. When you look at the chances and off the bar and off the post. There was only one team second half that was trying to really go and get after it. So, I think when we look at that it’s obviously really frustrating.”

The Lions get a little breather now, as their next game isn’t until next Saturday night when they visit the New England Revolution at 7 p.m.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 3/4/25

Lions earn weekly recognition, U.S. women announce friendlies against China, Americans in midweek action, and more.

Published

45 minutes ago

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March 4, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, everyone! What a happy Tuesday it is, too, as Orlando City bounced back in a big way to earn its first victory of the season on Saturday. As if that wasn’t enough, the Lions will be back in action again on Saturday, while the Orlando Pride will return to competitive action in the NWSL Challenge Cup against the Washington Spirit on Friday, and OCB kicks off its season Sunday against Columbus. Before we get started, let’s wish Pride midfielder Ally Lemos a happy 21st birthday! We’ve got plenty to talk about this morning, so let’s get cracking.

Lions Earn Weekly Plaudits

A pair of Lions have been rewarded for their performances in Orlando City’s 4-2 triumph over Toronto FC with places in the MLS Team of the Matchday. Cesar Araujo finds himself in the starting lineup after notching a spectacular goal and assist, while Alex Freeman makes the bench after marking his first senior start with his first professional goal. Freeman also earned a shoutout as one of the standout Young Players of the Matchday. Both men turned in impressive performances during the win, with Sean Rollins grading Araujo a 7.5 out of 10 and naming him the Man of the Match, with Freeman close behind on a 7 out of 10. Congrats and keep up the good work!

U.S. Women Announce China Matches

The United States Women’s National Team has announced that it will play a pair of friendlies against China at the end of spring. The USWNT will play the Steel Roses on Saturday, May 31 at Allianz Field in St. Paul, MN, and then on Tuesday, June 3 at Energizer Park in St. Louis. While China is the team that the U.S. has played second most behind only Canada, it will be the first meeting between the two nations since the end of 2023. The St. Louis game will also have a pre-match celebration for Becky Sauerbrunn, who announced her retirement at the end of last year.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans taking part in games during the working week, with European cup action once again featured prominently. Gio Reyna and Borussia Dortmund will host Lille in the Round of 16 tomorrow, while Richy Ledezma and PSV Eindhoven will welcome Arsenal. Thursday sees Tanner Tessman and Lyon traveling to face Steaua Bucharest in the UEFA Europa League, while Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis take on Vitória Guimarães in the UEFA Conference League. Things finish on Friday with the red-hot Josh Sargent and Norwich City hosting Oxford in Championship play, while Mark McKenzie and Toulouse face off against Moncao.

Women’s Club World Cup Could be Delayed

FIFA had intended on starting a 16-team Women’s Club World Cup in 2026, but that plan may be facing delays. While the tournament reportedly has plenty of support within FIFA and its various federations, there are said to be ongoing discussions about pushing the start date back a couple years to allow more time for preparations to be made. Initial plans called for the tournament to take place between January and February 2026, but that date is fast approaching and no concrete plans have been made. A possible solution could be holding a four-team mini-tournament in 2026, with the full 16-team version then debuting later down the road. Who knows, if the Orlando Pride can have a 2025 campaign similar to last year’s, maybe we’ll see them there.

Free Kicks

  • Forgive my language, but Eduard Atuesta positively ran his ass off on Saturday, covering 8.18 miles — the most of any MLS player on Matchday 2.

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

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 4-2 home win over Toronto FC?

Published

21 hours ago

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March 3, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City bounced back after a disappointing season opener by defeating Toronto FC 4-2. Alex Freeman scored his first MLS goal and Gustavo Caraballo made history by becoming the youngest player to appear for the Lions’ first team. It’s the first win of the year after the team suffered through a winless preseason and opening night loss.

Let’s take a look at the individual performances in this heartwarming win.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 5.5 — Gallese didn’t have a lot to do in this game because Toronto only put four shots on target. He made two saves on the night, neither of which were particularly difficult. He also conceded two goals, though both would have required outstanding saves to keep out. Additionally, he completed 85% of his 20 passes, including eight of his 11 long balls.

D, Rafael Santos, 6 — Santos touched the ball 59 times and completed 86.4% of his 44 passes. His lone cross was incomplete, but he connected on three of his six long balls. The left back wasn’t involved much in the attack of his game without a shot. He recorded one interception and a team-high eight clearances.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — Schlegel touched the ball 66 times and completed 96.3% of his 54 passes, including one of his three long balls. He wasn’t involved in the attack at all but was the most active defender with a tackle, three interceptions, seven clearances, and a blocked shot. It was a big improvement from the first game.

D, Kyle Smith, 6 — Smith had 63 touches in this game while completing 88.1% of his 59 passes, including a key pass and five of his 11 long balls. Smith connected with one of his long balls, resulting in the second goal and an assist for the versatile defender. Defensively, Smith had three clearances.

D, Alex Freeman, 7 — Freeman got his first career MLS start at right back and played well. He had a team-high 74 touches and completed 88.6% of his 44 passes. He took two shots, scoring his first MLS goal in the 35th minute after taking a long ball from Smith well and placing it past Sean Johnson. Freeman was also strong defensively, recording a tackle, three interceptions, and four clearances.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 5.5 — Atuesta tied Freeman with a team-leading 74 touches. He completed 82.8% of his 58 passes, including a key pass and three of his seven long balls. However, none of his three crosses met their target. Additionally, his lone shot was off target. Defensively, he had two tackles, an interception, two clearances, and a blocked shot. Unfortunately, Sigurd Rosted outjumped the midfielder in the 72nd minute for the first Toronto goal,, which hurt his grade a little.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 7.5 (MotM) — Araujo touched the ball 61 times and completed 96.4% of his 53 passes, including a key pass for an assist and one long ball. His lone shot was a fantastic free kick in the 33rd minute that caromed off the inside of the post and in. Later, he assisted Martin Ojeda’s 63rd-minute goal with a great through ball into space. Defensively, he had a tackle and an interception. His grade would’ve been a little higher, but he backed out of the play on Rosted’s goal, contributing to it. However, it was a great performance overall and he is unquestionably my Man of the Match.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 5.5 — Angulo had 42 touches and completed 88% of his 25 passes. His only shot was off target, but he contributed defensively with three tackles and a blocked shot. The Colombian wasn’t bad but didn’t make much of an impact before being replaced in the final minutes by Joran Gerbet.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6.5 — Ojeda touched the ball 31 times in this game and completed 85% of his 20 passes, including a key pass and one of his three crosses. His lone shot was his 63rd-minute goal. He did well to force Sean Johnson to make the first move, rounded him, and put it away to make it 3-0. If the Argentine had kept his head while darting down the left, he might’ve found Ramiro Enrique, who had a step on his defender, and recorded an assist. But it was a solid performance overall by the attacker. He was replaced in the 80th minute by Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 5.5 — It’s hard to top a brace in your debut, and Pasalic didn’t. He touched the ball 39 times, completing just 69.6% of his 23 passes. However, he had a key pass and completed one of his three crosses. He also drew the foul that led to Araujo’s free kick goal. Additionally, he recorded two tackles before being replaced by Luis Muriel in the 65th minute.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 5.5 — Enrique touched the ball 37 times while completing 88% of his 25 passes. He didn’t take any shots, but he recorded a secondary assist on Thorhallsson’s 81st-minute goal. He wasn’t detrimental to the team, but he didn’t make much of an impact either.

Substitutes

F, Luis Muriel (65’), 6  — Muriel came on for Pasalic in the 65th minute, touching the ball 17 times. He completed 83.3% of his 12 passes, including a key pass and one of his two long balls. He played a beautiful pass for Thorhallsson in the 81st minute that resulted in the fourth and final goal of the game for the Lions. He didn’t take any shots or do anything defensively but made his presence known with his assist.

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (80’), 6 — Thorhallsson had the best entrance possible after coming on in the 80th minute. After watching Freeman have a strong performance in his place, the usual starting right back scored less than two minutes after entering on just his second touch of the ball. It was a nice finish after a great ball by Muriel. Other than the goal, Thorhallsson had nine touches and completed 87.5% of his eight passes. The goal was his only real moment of the game, but it was good enough to give him a solid grade.

MF, Gustavo Caraballo (90+7’), N/A — Caraballo entered the game for Enrique in the seventh minute of stoppage time, becoming Orlando City’s youngest-ever player to appear in a league game. But he didn’t have any touches in his short appearance.

MF, Joran Gerber (90+7’), N/A — Gerbet came on for Angulo at the same time as Caraballo and had the same impact on the game, not touching the ball once.

That’s how I saw Orlando City’s first win of the 2025 season. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 3/3/25

Lions defeat Toronto FC, MLS weekend recap, Americans abroad, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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March 3, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I got a break from covering high school sports, and I finally got to see Captain America: Brave New World and catch up on some shows. It was a fantastic weekend for our Lions to get their first win of the 2025 season. This weekend, we have the Lions, Orlando Pride, and Orlando City B are all in action. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Defeat Toronto FC for First Win of MLS Season

Orlando City bounced back from its opening day loss with a 4-2 win against Toronto FC on Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium and secured its first win of the 2025 season. Cesar Araujo, Alex Freeman, Martin Ojeda, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson scored for the Lions. Toronto FC scored two late goals in the second half, but Orlando was in control at that point. The Lions scored six goals across their first two matches this season, the most scored in their first two games since the team joined Major League Soccer. Orlando City will have its first road test of the season on Saturday at Yankee Stadium, taking on New York City FC.

Orlando City Signs Three Players to Short-Term Deals

Before Saturday’s match against Toronto FC, Orlando City announced that the club had signed midfielders Colin Guske and Gustavo Caraballo and defender Zakaria Taifi to short-term contracts. All three players were on the bench for Saturday’s match. Caraballo came off the bench late in the second half to make his MLS debut, becoming the youngest player to ever get MLS minutes with OCSC. Taifi and Guske did not get into the game. Guske and Caraballo were signed to short-term contracts the previous week and were on the bench for the Lions’ opening day match against the Philadelphia Union but didn’t play.

MLS Weekend Recap

Week two is in the books after another exciting weekend of Major League Soccer action. Wilfried Zaha scored his first MLS goal and added an assist as Charlotte FC defeated Atlanta United 2-0. Real Salt Lake and the New York Red Bulls won their matches with the Seattle Sounders and Nashville SC, respectively, by the same score. The Columbus Crew, Minnesota United, LAFC, and the Portland Timbers all won 1-0 matches over the New England Revolution, CF Montreal, New York City FC, and Austin FC, respectively. The Philadelphia Union cruised past FC Cincinnati 4-1, while the San Jose Earthquakes edged Sporting Kansas City 2-1. The Colorado Rapids had a 2-0 lead with Rafael Navarro scoring twice, but FC Dallas fought back in a thrilling 3-3 draw. Hugo Cuypers scored twice for the Chicago Fire, but D.C. United grabbed a late equalizer for a 2-2 draw, while San Diego FC and St. Louis City ended scoreless. On Sunday, the Vancouver Whitecaps defeated the LA Galaxy 2-1, while former Lion Nico Lodeiro scored his first goal for the Houston Dynamo, but Inter Miami won 4-1 on the road.

Americans Abroad

Two Americans squared off in the EFL Championship as former Lion Daryl Dike and West Brom battled Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United. Aaronson played 72 minutes while Dike came off the bench late in the second half as the match ended in a 1-1 draw. In the FA Cup, Antonee Robinson and Fulham defeated Manchester United 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the round of 16. Matt Turner started in goal, and Chris Richards recorded an assist as Crystal Palace defeated Millwall 3-1 and advanced to the quarterfinals. Fulham will face Crystal Palace in the quarterfinals on March 29. Ethan Horvath started in goal, but Cardiff City fell 2-0 to Aston Villa while, Tyler Adams’ Bournemouth side defeated Wolverhampton 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw and will face Manchester City in the quarterfinals. Johnny Cardoso scored his first league goal in La Liga as Real Betis defeated Real Madrid 2-1 on Saturday. Naomi Girma made her debut for Chelsea in the Women’s Super League on Sunday but suffered an injury and came off the pitch in the second half in a 2-2 draw against Brighton.

Free Kicks

  • The Orlando Pride wrapped up their preseason over the weekend. The Pride will open their 2025 season against the Washington Spirit on Friday at Inter&Co Stadium in the NWSL Challenge Cup.

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

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