Orlando City ended its 2026 regular-season campaign with a 1-0 win over the New England Revolution at Inter.co Stadium. The victory — combined with other results — secured the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and at least one more home game for Orlando. Here are my five takeaways from this regular-season finale.

Some Players Will Still Surprise You

Orlando City fans have become used to seeing fantastic goals by Martin Ojeda and Antoine Griezmann. With the duo providing the majority of the team’s offense, it’s easy to forget that other players can produce some magic. But we saw that against New England. In the 45th minute, Braian Ojeda brought a short clearance down with his thigh before volleying a rocket past Matt Turner for the game’s only goal. It’s a strike you’d expect to see from a double-digit goal scorer rather than a defensive midfielder. It’s a reminder that even players you don’t expect can show flashes of offensive brilliance.

Lions See Out The Win

Seeing out games has been a problem for Orlando City this season. You don’t have to look any further than the 2-2 draw against New York City FC or the 2-2 draw against the Chicago Fire the following game in recent weeks. But this one was different. Rather than desperately defending, the Lions held possession well during the final 15 minutes, often keeping the ball for several minutes. Instead of searching for the equalizing goal, the Revolution were racing around trying to get the ball back. In my view, this was the best the team has done all year at seeing out the game with a one-goal lead.

Clean Sheet Despite Missing Defenders

Orlando City secured its fifth clean sheet of the regular season despite missing some key players. Robin Jansson was missing after undergoing foot surgery and, while he returned in the second half, Griffin Dorsey was out of the starting lineup again. Despite starting defensive midfielder Wilder Cartagena at center back and young Zakaria Taifi at right back, the team did well to keep the visitors off the board. Even better, it didn’t require goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau to make any miraculous saves. Overall, it was one of the best performances by the back line. The fact that you can’t point out many remarkable defensive plays shows how well they performed.

What If?

Unfortunately, one of my takeaways from this game is what if they could have played more like this during the season. While you can do this with many teams, it’s hard not to look back at previous games and notice all the lost points. Had the Lions been able to hold leads or get that one piece of magic from an unexpected player, they might not have been fighting to host the wild card game. Instead, they could’ve been playing for hosting rights in later rounds. This might be an unnecessary negative in what was otherwise an enjoyable day, but it’s hard not to wonder what could’ve been.

Lions Must Play At Home For Success

This might be my least surprising takeaway, but Orlando City is a different team at home than it is away. From the defensive solidarity and holding onto the late lead to offensive contributions from unexpected players, you would never expect to see this from the team away from Orlando. Instead, you’d expect to see an early goal and the game unravel by halftime. Anything less than a three- or four-goal loss would be a pleasant surprise. The main takeaway from this? The Lions have to play at home, where they finished the regular season 10-4-3 as opposed to 3-10-4 on the road, for any success. Of course, considering they only have home field for the wild card game, it will likely be a short postseason.

Bonus Takeaway: Orlando Loves Robin Jansson

I have to add a specific bonus takeaway for this game. Club captain Robin Jansson announced his retirement on Nov. 6, ending his eight-year stay with the club. Orlando City held a postgame ceremony to honor its long-time leader and many fans stuck around. Additionally, the whole team, staff, and front office was there to honor the Beefy Swede. It stood out to me how much everyone who cares about the club loves Jansson and will miss him dearly.

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Those are my takeaways from Orlando City’s 1-0 win over the New England Revolution on Decision Day. Fortunately, we’ll have another set of takeaways following the Nov. 19 match, when the Lions host FC Cincinnati in the wild card round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

What are your takeaways from the last game of the regular season? Let us know in the comments below.

Braian Ojeda scored late in the first half and Orlando City turned in an excellent defensive performance to blank the New England Revolution 1-0 at Inter.co Stadium this afternoon in the regular-season finale. The Lions (13-14-7, 46 points) needed to win and get help to improve their playoff positioning, and in shutting out the Revolution (18-12-4, 58 points), they took care of their part of it.

It was the first shutout for the Lions since a 3-0 home win over Toronto FC on Sept. 12.

Unfortunately for Orlando City, the Chicago Fire conceded a stoppage-time goal against Columbus, so the Lions will have to settle for hosting the play-in game.

“We faced a really good team that we respect, but we did our game plan with our players. I think the effort of the player was there,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the game. “They were able to defend without the ball, and they were able to play as well through some moments of the game, scoring (on) a set piece, which for us is very important. We work a lot on that, so I think it was a very hard game.”

Perelman’s final regular-season lineup included Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Vinicius Nogueira, Wilder Cartagena, David Brekalo, and Zakaria Taifi. Braian Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic with Martin Ojeda and Antoine Griezmann up top.

The first good look for either side came in the 11th minute when Dor Turgeman fired a shot through traffic that deflected just wide off Cartagena for a corner. Ilay Feingold followed with a shot off the set piece but Angulo blocked it. A minute later, Martin Ojeda blocked another Feingold attempt.

Orlando’s first shot on target came off Pasalic’s foot in the 24th minute, but he sent it right at Matt Turner for the save.

Crepeau did well to get down and make a diving stop on Daniel Gazdag in the 28th minute and allowed no rebound. Two minutes later, Ethan Kohler’s header went off Brekalo off a corner kick and Crepeau helped it over the crossbar.

The Lions got back on the ball finally and worked it around the top of the box in the 33rd minute but no one seemed to want to take the shot. Martin Ojeda finally did, sending his effort wide of the left post. Taifi then sent a shot wide and Kohler blocked a Griezmann shot as the Lions looked for an opening.

Martin Ojeda lined up a blast at the top of the area in the 40th minute that was blocked by a sliding defender. The Argentine shouted for a handball but the referee wasn’t interested and there was no real delay seconds later for a review.

The Lions finally broke through off a corner kick that the Revs headed out of the box. The ball fell to Braian Ojeda, who took a touch to set up his shot and then sent a screamer into the upper right corner to make it 1-0 in the 44th minute.

That's a rocket from Braian Ojeda 😱

As it stands, Orlando is in the host position of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs Wild Card.

📺 : https://t.co/qvIvyPq3sR pic.twitter.com/wndVdgFTsE

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 7, 2026

“I’m really happy for the goal,” Braian Ojeda said. “It surprised me, but really really happy for the goal and to take the win.”

The goal was the last look of the half for either side and Orlando took its slim lead to the break.

At the break, New England was dominating possession (60.9%-39.1%) and had the advantage in corners (6-5) and passing accuracy (93%-86.4%). Orlando led in shots (9-6) and shots on target (3-1) but had the only goal of the opening period.

The second half started like much of the first, with New England dominating the ball and Orlando City giving it away too often. Feingold got the first shot attempt of the half off a recycled corner, sending his half-volley effort high.

Pasalic got forward in the 52nd minute and picked out Martin Ojeda at the top of the area, but his shot fizzed just inches wide of the right post. Two minutes later, off an attempted long ball to pick out Angulo, Turner came way out of his box to clear it. The ball fell to Griezmann near midfield and the Frenchman hit his shot from extreme range well with Turner out, but the goalkeeper was able to scramble back just in time to knock it down in front of goal.

Angulo blazed down the left flank in the 57th minute and cut inside to free up a shot but the defense arrived from the other side to block it.

Much of the next 20 minutes settled into a lot of New England possession with Orlando unable to recover the ball most of the time, or to keep it when the Lions did get hold of it. On one of the rare occasions when Orlando got forward in the 60th minute but Atuesta took an impatient shot and sent it well over the goal.

About 10 minutes later, second-half sub Daryl Dike had a chance to break in transition but was pulled back from behind. Referee Guido Gonzalez Jr. played an Orlando advantage that never materialized, and moments later when there was a stop in play, he showed no yellow card for the obvious tactical foul.

The Revs kept the pressure on and sent in a good cross in the 70th minute with multiple attackers making runs. Taifi made a huge headed clearance to prevent a scoring chance. New England kept coming, winning corners and sending in crosses that didn’t quite connect.

Orlando City went to five at the back, sending Griffin Dorsey on and moving Taifi to left wingback, giving the team a back three of Brekalo, halftime sub Adrian Marin, and Nogueira. In the end, it was just enough, as the Lions held on for the shutout.

New England’s dominance of the ball grew to a 62.4%-37.6% advantage at full time. The Revs also led in passing accuracy (93.8%-86.2%) and corners (8-5). Orlando attempted more shots (13-8) and put more on target (4-2).

“Happy with with the win, happy with the win. Obviously, that was the main focus for tonight, controlling what we can in the circumstances that we had,” Crepeau said. “Gotta give it to the staff that we we did some tactical change that maybe not a lot of people could have seen how to manage Carles (Gil) and the speed that they have. But obviously the defensive effort from everybody, starting with Antoine to me it was a collective effort and you can see that we could manage their threats tonight.”

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The Lions will get at least one more home game, as FC Cincinnati will visit for the Wild Card play-in match. The winner of that will face Nashville SC, which defeated Cincinnati today.

Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Saturday afternoon Decision Day matchup between Orlando City (12-14-7, 43 points) and the New England Revolution (18-11-4, 58 points) at Inter.co Stadium (4 p.m., Apple TV). This is the third meeting between the two MLS Eastern Conference rivals this season, the second of the two league matches in 2026, and the only meeting in Orlando.

Here’s what you need to know for the match.

History

The Lions are 6-8-8 in the regular-season series against New England and 8-9-8 in all competitions. At home, Orlando City is 4-1-6 against the Revs in the MLS regular season and 5-2-6 in all home matches.

The teams last met on Sept. 19 at Gillette Stadium with the Revs winning 4-2. New England led 2-0 on goals by Carles Gil and Peyton Miller, but Ivan Angulo and Martin Ojeda (from the spot) brought the Lions level just before the end of normal time. Unfortunately, both Gil and Miller scored again in stoppage time, spoiling the comeback.

The Lions and Revs met in U.S. Open Cup play on April 29 at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, RI, with Orlando City coming from behind three times and eventually winning 4-3. It barely counts as a game against the Revs, who rotated heavily and played a lot of prospects in the match, not even dressing several of the team’s top players. Malcolm Fry, Andrew Farrell, and Marcos Zambrano each gave New England the lead in the game, but the Lions fought back on strikes from Iago, Griffin Dorsey, and Justin Ellis. Zakaria Taifi scored the winner in stoppage time.

The two clubs’ last meeting in the regular season also took place in New England, but it was at Gillette Stadium, the Revs’ usual home. Ojeda’s brace led the Lions to a 2-1 victory on July 19, 2025 — just the team’s second road win in the series. Thomas Chancalay scored for New England.

The first match between the sides last year was a wild 3-3 draw in Orlando on May 10. The Lions squandered two leads in that match, including a 2-0 advantage. Ojeda scored Orlando’s first hat trick since 2015 in that game, but those three goals were offset by strikes by Alhassan Yusuf, Matt Polster, and Gil. One of Ojeda’s goals and Gil’s strike were penalties.

Prior to that, the teams met on Sept. 14, 2024, with the Lions completing their first-ever sweep of the Revs with a 3-0 win. Rafael Santos, Facundo Torres (from the penalty spot), and Duncan McGuire provided the offense in a dominant performance. The teams also met on July 13 at Gillette Stadium that year, where the Lions won for the first time, handing the Revs a 3-1 home loss. Torres’ brace led the way to an Orlando comeback, with Ramiro Enrique also scoring to overturn an early 1-0 deficit provided by Giacomo Vrioni.

The teams met in Orlando on Oct. 7, 2023, with the Lions winning 3-2 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicates. Orlando City clinched second in the Eastern Conference as McGuire and Torres built a 2-0 lead. Pedro Gallese gave up a soft goal from distance to Gil, but Ivan Angulo pulled that one back three minutes later. Gil added a second goal deep in stoppage time to provide a cosmetic improvement to the result for the Revs.

New England got the better of the Lions in the previous matchup of the 2023 season, winning 3-1 at Gillette Stadium on June 17. After a scoreless first half, the Revs went up by two with goals from Emmanuel Boateng and Gustavo Bou 18 minutes apart. McGuire pulled one back late, but Gil scored the dagger five minutes later.

These teams met at Exploria Stadium on Aug. 6, 2022, and the previously struggling Revolution whipped Orlando City, 3-0. New England got goals from unlikely sources, as central midfielders Polster and Wilfrid Kaptoum and center back Henry Kessler provided the offense. The teams met at Gillette Stadium on June 15 of that year, and the Revs went ahead on a Gil goal, but the Lions pulled that back with a Robin Jansson strike en route to a 1-1 road draw.

New England went unbeaten in the 2021 season series. The teams played to a 2-2 draw at Exploria Stadium on Oct. 24, 2021. The Lions built a 2-0 lead through goals by Nani and Daryl Dike, but two late Adam Buksa goals allowed the Revs to steal a point. The teams met at Gillette Stadium just over a month prior to that draw in Orlando, with Nani’s missed penalty a costly one in a 2-1 Revs home win. The Revolution jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a goal by Buksa and an own goal off of Rodrigo Schlegel. Dike pulled one back for the Lions and later won a penalty, but Matt Turner read Nani’s attempt to go down the middle at the last second and got his shoulder to it to preserve the lead.

The Revolution ended the Lions’ season at Exploria Stadium in the 2020 playoffs, knocking Orlando City out of MLS Cup contention in the conference semifinal round on Nov. 29, 2020. That 3-1 win by the Revs was the first road win for either side in the series in any competition. Gil put the Revs up early from the penalty spot after a call against Uri Rosell, and Bou doubled the lead eight minutes later, finishing a play that started with a Nani turnover. Junior Urso pulled a goal back before the halftime whistle, but Mauricio Pereyra was sent off for a studs-up challenge on Polster at the hour mark. Still, Nani had a chance to equalize from the spot, but Turner saved his poor penalty. Bou added a late insurance goal.

In the final year of the pre-pandemic times, the Revs went 1-0-1 in the season series. The Lions and Revolution met at Exploria Stadium on Sept. 14, 2019, with Orlando overcoming a Tesho Akindele own goal and two deficits — the second by two goals — and rallying for a 3-3 draw. Shortly after Akindele’s own goal opened the scoring, Nani tied things up. Cristian Penilla and Bou scored goals five minutes apart just before halftime to seemingly give the visitors control. But Dom Dwyer pulled one back after the restart and Nani tied it up.

The teams also met at Gillette Stadium in 2019 on July 27, and the Revs put the Lions on full blast, 4-1. Bou scored within the first two minutes of the game, and the Revolution got goals from Penilla, Gil, and Diego Fagundez. Akindele scored to avoid the shutout.

The clubs met at Exploria Stadium in U.S. Open Cup action that year on June 19, with the Lions scoring twice in a 30-minute extra time session and holding on for a 2-1 victory. Benji Michel and Akindele staked Orlando to a 2-0 lead before Justin Rennicks pulled one back off a Gil back-post cross. City was able to see the game out.

The last meeting of 2018 saw the Revs top a depleted Orlando side, 2-0 in Gillette Stadium on Oct. 13. In the first matchup of 2018, the teams combined for six goals in a 3-3 draw at Orlando City Stadium on Aug. 4.

Orlando City and New England split the season series in 2017. City completed a 6-1 demolition of 10-man New England at home Sept. 27, 2017. New England won at Gillette Stadium that year by a 4-0 count.

The Lions went 1-0-2 in the series in 2016, winning 3-1 at home on July 31. The teams played a controversial 2-2 draw in Orlando on April 17, 2016. The second 2016 meeting reached the same final score on April 30 in New England.

The teams met twice in 2015, with Orlando City rallying from a 2-0 deficit in the final 17 minutes to draw 2-2 at the Citrus Bowl in April. The Sept. 5 rematch at Gillette Stadium didn’t go as well, with New England taking a 3-0 win. Fagundez, Agudelo and Chris Tierney scored for the Revolution.

Overview

Orlando City is coming off a poor road trip that saw the Lions blow a 2-0 lead at Chicago in a 2-2 draw against the Fire on Oct. 28 and get blown out 4-0 at Charlotte FC a week ago. City is on a three-game winless skid (0-1-2), with a pair of late blown leads in the two draws. As evidenced in the last meeting between these teams, conceding late goals has been a problem for the Lions this season, and had the club not blown late leads against Chicago, New York City FC, and Toronto FC in the last month, Orlando would have already clinched a spot above the play-in game. As it stands, the Lions need a win today, a loss from FC Cincinnati, and a draw or a loss from Columbus to avoid the play-in. Orlando is 9-4-3 at home in league play this year.

New England has been one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference all season, but the Revs enter tonight on the heels of a 2-1 home loss to Inter Miami one week ago. However, the Revolution won the previous four games prior to that loss, and all five of those matches were one-goal games, so today’s opponents won’t be fazed by a close match. New England has been dangerous on the road as well, entering today with a 7-7-2 record away from home.

The assignment against New England rarely changes in recent years. Orlando City will have to find Gil wherever he goes and keep him marked, otherwise it could be a big night for New England. The Spaniard leads MLS in key passes (95) and leads his club in goals (13), assists (13), and total goal contributions (26). Israeli forward Dor Turgeman, just 22 years old, has also been a weapon for the Revolution, scoring 12 goals and adding seven assists. Miller has chipped in seven goals and nine assists.

The Lions will be without Iago (suspension), Robin Jansson — who announced his retirement after the 2026 season on Friday — (foot), and Tyrese Spicer (foot), while Griffin Dorsey (back) has been upgraded to questionable. New England will be missing Leo Campana (lower body) and Jack Harrison (quad), while Miller (lower body) is questionable. 

Match Content

• Our Ben Miller spoke with Jake Catanese from The Blazing Musket to find out more about New England in our Intelligence Report.
• Our most recent PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for the match.
• Our David Rohe provides his three keys to an Orlando City victory in today’s game.

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Projected Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Vinicius Nogueira, Wilder Cartagena, David Brekalo, Zakaria Taifi.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Luis Otavio, Eduard Atuesta, Justin Ellis.

Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Antoine Griezmann.

New England Revolution (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Matt Turner.

Defenders: Will Sands, Joshua Wynder, Ethan Kohler, Ilay Feingold.

Defensive Midfielders: Jackson Yueill, Brooklyn Raines.

Attacking Midfielders: Daniel Gazdag, Carles Gil, Peyton Miller.

Forward: Dor Turgeman.

Referees

Ref: Guido Gonzales Jr.
AR1: Logan Brown.
AR2: Walt Heatherly.
4th: Deny Kulasinac.
VAR: Lukasz Szpala.
AVAR: Tom Supple.

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How to Watch

Match Time: 4 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Live Stream: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

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Enjoy the match. Go City!