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Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Eliminated from Postseason Contention

Benji Michel’s goal in stoppage time rescues a point but the Lions are now winless in seven games.

Published

7 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City’s winless skid reached seven games (0-3-4) after a 1-1 draw to expansion FC Cincinnati at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. However, Orlando’s result ended up being meaningless with New England clinching the final playoff spot at home against New York City FC and eliminating the Lions from postseason contention.

Benji Michel’s stoppage-time goal lifted the Lions (9-14-10, 37 points) out of an embarrassing loss to the expansion side, and gives FC Cincinnati (6-22-5, 23 points) the new MLS record for most goals conceded in a season, with 75 — with one match left to play. Allan Cruz had Cincinnati ahead for much of the game before that late equalizer, when the hosts started to sag deep and absorb pressure in an effort to cling to the one-goal lead (sound familiar?).

James O’Connor was no doubt happy to have Joao Moutinho back in the starting lineup, giving him his preferred back line along with Robin Jansson, Lamine Sané, and Ruan. Will Johnson and Sebas Mendez joined Mauricio Pereyra in the midfield, with Nani, Dom Dwyer, and Tesho Akindele up top.

From the opening kick, Orlando City wasn’t good enough. The Lions couldn’t string passes together, failed to move quickly enough, telegraphed opportunities to allow the hosts a chance to cut them out, and gave too much space to attackers in the box.

Orlando’s first decent attack came in the ninth minute when Nani unlocked the defense with a superb ball to Akindele on the right. But the break melted down when the Canadian’s cross for Dwyer was well behind the striker.

Emmanuel Ledesma barely missed picking out the far corner with a curling effort a minute later, as he was given far too much space at the top of the area.

Disaster struck at the 13-minute mark when Moutinho pulled up lame with an apparent leg injury and had to be subbed off for Kyle Smith, making it a short return for the Portuguese fullback.

Rowe was called into action in the 25th minute after a quick Cincinnati throw-in. After Akindele passed the ball to no one and out of play, the restart was taken quickly and only a good stop by Rowe kept the hosts from opening the scoring.

Johnson smashed an outside-boot effort just wide in the 30th minute as Orlando went through about a five-minute good spell of possession and buildup.

Six minutes later, a ball played into the area found Akindele, who flicked the ball to get past goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton but then couldn’t direct his second touch on frame as he ran out of room at the goalpost and his effort was just wide.

Cincinnati came right back down the field and forced two saves from Rowe. The first was from Roland Lamah’s blast that the goalkeeper parried off his own crossbar and out. Cincinnati sent it back into the middle where Cruz flicked one toward goal but Rowe caught it.

Four minutes later, the hosts opened the scoring. Mendez turned the ball over on one of his now well-known “kick the ball back where it came from with the first touch” efforts and Cincinnati countered. Orlando momentarily fought the counter off but got caught on the recycle, as Cruz ended up with the ball all alone in front and he easily slotted home in the 40th minute.

There were shouts for a penalty from Cincinnati late in the half but no clear and obvious error was found and the half ended 1-0.

Cincinnati led in shots (9-4), shots on goal (4-0), and passing accuracy (83%-80%), while Orlando held a bit more of the possession (54%-46%). Aside from chances and shots on target, the biggest discrepancy between the sides was fouls, with Orlando being called nine times to Cincinnati’s three.

The Lions came out with a lot more intensity in the second half but fantastic goalkeeping helped Cincinnati hold the lead. Tyton denied two excellent shots by Dwyer in the second half and nearly did enough to keep his team in front.

Pereyra did well to send Nani down the left flank in the 48th minute, but the captain couldn’t quite cut his cross back enough to find Dwyer and Tyton collected. Two minutes later, Dwyer sent a point-blank header on target from a Pereyra cross that forced a great reaction save from Tyton to keep it out.

Orlando kept coming, with Ruan fizzing a cross just a bit too far out in front of Dwyer in the 51st minute. Johnson then blasted a shot that appeared to be headed in but deflected off a defender and out for a corner kick in the 54th minute. Nani then fizzed a cross through the area off a short corner give-and-go with Pereyra, which was just out of Dwyer’s reach and no one made a back-post run for the easy tap-in.

Nani found Dwyer again in the 67th minute and the striker made a nice move to stop the ball with his heel, shook his defender, then turned and fired a shot labeled for the corner but Tyton again got down to make the save.

Cincinnati was content to sit back, stay organized, and absorb pressure, resulting in more opportunities for the Lions. If this sounds familiar and if it sounds like a recipe for disaster, it’s only because you’ve seen it several times this season, only the other way around. So the Lions kept coming.

Johnson made a nice run, then made a cheeky no-look flick to Dwyer in the box. Dwyer tried to smash it out of midair but got under the ball and it skied over the bar. Three minutes later, Nani smashed a header just wide. In the 88th, Johnson again continued his run into the area and had a free header off a cross but he mistimed his jump and it sailed high.

Just when it looked like the breakthrough wouldn’t come, it did. Nani sent in a cross nearly a full minute into stoppage time that Dwyer got his head to and nodded backward. Second-half sub Michel ran onto it and smashed home his fourth goal of his rookie season to level the match. Dwyer and Nani each got an assist, giving the captain double figures in helpers (10) this season to go with his team-leading 12 goals.

Both teams had half-chances to find a late winner, but Cincinnati had the best opportunity, as the Lions got caught out and Ledesma ended up behind the defense. Jansson did just enough to put him off, and Ledesma dragged his shot wide in the 95th minute. Mueller then won a corner at the other end but it was cleared and the final whistle blew.

Orlando ended the season series 1-0-1 against FC Cincinnati, despite being out-shot (16-13) and having fewer shots on target (7-3) and a worse passing accuracy (83%-78%). Orlando managed more possession (54.6%-45.4%), largely due to Cincinnati sitting back in the final half hour of the match.

With Columbus beating the Philadelphia Union, the Lions fell to 11th place in the Eastern Conference, so…hey, better draft position, right?

With New England’s 2-0 win over New York City FC tonight, Orlando City will finish up its season at home next Sunday against the Chicago Fire at 4 p.m. ET.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions welcome San Diego FC to Orlando for the first meeting ever between the two clubs.

Published

2 hours ago

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September 5, 2026

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Image of Joran Gerbet playing against Minnesota United.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (7-11-4, 25 points) and San Diego FC (8-8-6, 30 points) at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the first-ever meeting between these two teams from different conferences

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

As mentioned above, tonight’s meeting between the Lions and San Diego is the first in the series history, so there is no history. The Lions are 2-2-1 against Western Conference teams this season, which means little to nothing in this particular match, and San Diego is going to be Orlando City’s final opponent from the opposite conference in MLS regular-season play this season.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a wild 3-3 road draw at Minnesota United a week ago, in which Daryl Dike and Antoine Griezmann scored on either side of halftime on Orlando’s first two shot attempts to put their team up 2-0 in the 64th minute. Minnesota stormed back with three goals off defensive errors in a four-minute span to take a late 3-2 lead. Just when the Loons appeared to be headed for all three points, Tyrese Spicer scored in stoppage time, forcing Minnesota to split the points. Orlando has a modest 1-0-1 unbeaten streak entering tonight, and the Lions are 5-4-2 at home in 2026.

San Diego is coming off a 3-1 home win over the LA Galaxy despite having Jeppe Tverskov sent off. Tonight’s visitors have won two straight games, but both were at home. They lost their last home game 3-1 at Portland on Aug. 19 and are 2-5-3 away from home this season.

The key for Orlando City tonight will be to mark Anders Dreyer, which is far easier said than done, as he has emerged as one of the league’s best playmakers. His eight goals and 11 assists give him 19 total goal contributions to lead his team. Marcus Ingvartsen is Dreyer’s favorite teammate to combine with, as the Danish forward has converted 11 times, leading San Diego in goals, and has added five assists. However, Ingvartsen is listed as out with a lower body injury. Midfielder Onni Valakari has chipped in four goals and seven assists.

“We respect San Diego, but as well we prepare our game,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “We know how strong we are, especially at home, so now we go.”

Orlando City will be without Braian Ojeda (foot) and Adrian Marin (thigh), while Bernardo Rhein (thigh), has been upgraded to questionable. San Diego will be without the aforementioned Ingvartsen (lower body) and Tverskov (suspension).

Match Content

Projected Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Zakaria Taifi, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Joran Gerbet, Eduard Atuesta, Antoine Griezmann.

Forwards: Justin Ellis, Daryl Dike.

San Diego FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: C.J. dos Santos.

Defenders: Kieran Sargeant, Ian Murphy, Manu Duah, Oscar Verhoeven.

Midfielders: Gabriel Pirani, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Anibal Godoy.

Forwards: Elias Achouri, Onni Valakari, Anders Dreyer.

Referees:

REF: Joe Dickerson.
AR1: Corey Parker.
AR2: Justin Howard.
4TH: Rodrigo Albuquerque.
VAR: Daniel Radford.
AVAR: Jeff Muschik.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: 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.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Three Keys to Victory

Here’s what Orlando needs to do in order to return to winning ways against San Diego.

Published

1 day ago

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September 4, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After the disappointment of two dropped points against Minnesota on Saturday, Orlando City is back home with an opportunity to get things back on track. The Lions need to keep picking up points if they want to keep pace in an increasingly crowded Eastern Conference, and Saturday’s game is a good chance to start September off on the right note. San Diego FC stands in the way of that good start, and what follows are three things that I believe Orlando needs to do in order to emerge victorious from this game.

Stay Strong on the Left

The left side of the defense has been a question mark for the Lions for much of the year. Adrian Marin, Bernardo Rhein, and Zakaria Taifi have all spent time at left back lately and have done so with varying degrees of success. Regardless of who suits up there on Saturday, that area of the field will be under scrutiny once again, since they’ll be tasked with stopping San Diego right winger Anders Dreyer. He has eight goals and 11 assists in 21 appearances this year, has played 60 key passes during that time, and is generally the lynchpin through which the San Diego offense operates. He hasn’t quite been on the same pace that saw him bag 19 goals and 19 assists in the regular season last year, but with four goal contributions in his last three MLS appearances, he’s extremely capable of wreaking havoc from the wing. A lot of the goals OCSC has conceded lately have come down the left side of the defense, and if that area of the field can’t be taken care of better, the Lions will likely be in for a difficult night.

Do Damage in Transition

Orlando’s current style of positionless, fluid, attacking soccer is at its best when it comes up against teams that want to come out and play. It struggles mightily against defensive bunkers but shines when the Lions can get out and run, target open spaces, and combine with teammates in unexpected areas. Fortunately for OCSC (in theory), San Diego is a team that likes to have the ball, as it has the highest average possession in the league. That means the Lions will have opportunities to force turnovers and break the other way at pace. In order to make that happen though, OCSC will need to be both disciplined and effective when it comes to applying its press. Then, if/when the Lions win the ball, correct decision-making and clinical execution in the final third will be key to avoid letting any chances slip through their fingers (paws?).

Clean Up the Self-Inflicted Errors

Orlando has dealt with more than its fair share of general defensive struggles this year, but avoidable errors have been a particular problem in recent weeks. Whether it’s been an ill-advised challenge, passing to the opposition in the defensive third, or leaving men unmarked in the box, unnecessary mistakes have cost OCSC points time and again. Against lesser opposition it hasn’t always mattered, as the Lions were able to rescue three points against Real Salt Lake, but if Orlando wants to make a playoff push, it needs to make a habit of playing cleaner games, plain and simple. San Diego is a good team with dangerous offensive players, and Saturday’s visitors will very likely take advantage of any opportunities that the Lions gift-wrap for them. Keeping things mistake-free will go a long way.

We’ve got ample proof this season that nothing is guaranteed, but if the Lions can lock down the left side of the defense, make hay in transition moments, and limit unforced errors, then they should be in a good position to take all three points from Saturday’s game. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 9/4/26

Martin Ojeda details his recovery from injury, Anna Moorhouse loaned to Manchester City, Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup journey, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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September 4, 2026

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Image of Martin Ojeda celebrating a goal against New England.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Three straight days of Orlando soccer starts tonight with Orlando City B’s road match against Inter Miami II at 7 p.m. Hopefully, Orlando’s teams do well over the next few days as crunch time is upon us when it comes to making the playoffs, especially for MLS NEXT Pro. For now though, let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Prepares for San Diego FC

Orlando City will take on San Diego FC on Saturday in the first-ever game between the two clubs, and one of the storylines to keep an eye on is how much Martin Ojeda plays as he works his way back from injury. The Designated Player came off the bench late in Orlando’s 3-3 draw against Minnesota United in his first appearance since May 23. Not often injured, Ojeda spoke on how being off the field for over a month has shifted his perspective while training to return.

“You learn to value the moment much more. You learn to value every training session because, when you’re training on your own and you’re not available to your teammates, you feel uncomfortable,” Ojeda said. “You value being healthy more. It’s like everything in life. When you feel good, you live life almost on autopilot, so to speak. You go to work, you go home, you come back, you sleep. However, when you or someone close to you goes through an illness or something like that, you value the moment much more and become more conscious of what you’re experiencing.”

Pride Loan Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City through January of 2027. Moorhouse joined the Pride prior to the 2022 season and helped the club win both the NWSL Championship and Shield in 2024. However, she has struggled this year alongside the rest of the Pride’s defense. Moorhouse hasn’t played in the past two games for the Pride, with Cosette Morche starting in her place. Her current contract with the Pride lasts through the 2027 NWSL season, so we’ll have to wait and see what her future with the club is when the loan ends.

Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup Journey

Between the World Cup, regular season, and Leagues Cup this summer, it can be easy to forget that Orlando City is still in contention to win this year’s U.S. Open Cup. The Lions are in the semifinals of the tournament after crushing Atlanta United 4-1 in the quarterfinals back on May 19. The Lions won much tighter affairs prior to that win, with Javier Otero coming up with seven saves in a 1-0 win over FC Naples and Zakaria Taifi scoring in stoppage time to beat the New England Revolution 4-3 in the following match. Orlando will be on the road for its semifinal match against the Columbus Crew on Sept. 16, but the offense has received a boost due to the arrivals of Antoine Griezmann and Daryl Dike this summer.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

MLS signings continue to pour in as teams look to improve their squads for the rest of this season and beyond. The Colorado Rapids signed Ghanaian winger Ibrahim Sadiq from AZ Alkmaar, where he recorded 18 goals and seven assists in 85 appearances across three seasons with the Dutch club. San Diego also added an attacker by signing forward Cedric Bakambu, who joins as a free agent after playing at Real Betis. As for other notable moves from across the league, Real Salt Lake signed winger Dusan Zagar as an MLS U22 Initiative player, forward Lyle Foster joined the Houston Dynamo on loan, and the Columbus Crew continued to improve on offense by signing Moroccan winger Anass Zaroury on loan from Panathinaikos.

Free Kicks

  • Former Orlando Pride player Christina Burkenroad is retiring from professional soccer and Monterrey will have Saturday’s game against Toluca be a send-off match for her.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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