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Orlando City vs. Montreal Impact: Final Score 1-0 as Lions Go Through to the Quarterfinals on a Tesho Akindele Goal

Orlando was in control for most of the game but struggled to finish in a match that was closer than it should have been.

Published

6 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Tesho Akindele took advantage of a mistake at the back by Montreal defender Rod Fanni to score the game’s only goal, as Orlando City defeated the Impact 1-0 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The Lions are through to the MLS is Back Tournament quarterfinals after dispatching the Impact, improving to 3-0-1 since the restart, although this match won’t count in the league standings.

Orlando improved to 5-6-2 against Montreal in all competitions.

“Tonight’s match was very difficult opponent, different than the ones that we have faced in the first stage of the tournament,” Pareja said after the game. “The boys had the personality to (establish) conditions and set the tempo of the game early on. We should have scored a couple of goals but those things we need to improve.”

Pareja rested Dom Dwyer and Junior Urso and went with a 4-2-3-1 with goalkeeper Pedro Gallese behind a back line of Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan. The defensive midfield consisted of Uri Rosell and Sebas Mendez, behind an attacking midfield of Nani, Mauricio Pereyra, and Chris Mueller, with Akindele up top.

Orlando City started as the much sharper team and controlled the opening 20 minutes. The Lions, however, squandered multiple opportunities to take the lead in the opening period. The first such chance came in the seventh minute when Ruan found Nani, who back-heeled it to a wide-open Pereyra, but the Uruguayan couldn’t get his shot on target, missing badly from point-blank range.

In the 11th minute, another nice Orlando buildup ended up on Mendez’s foot but he fired a moon shot high into the air without even leaving the field of play, misfiring badly on his shot. Four minutes later, Mueller cut across the top of the box and freed himself up straight out from goal, but rather than ripping a shot on goal, he slipped a pass to Akindele, who was five yards offside at the time.

In the 21st minute, Nani had an exquisite touch on a long ball down the left channel and fizzed a pass into the area. Clement Diop got a finger on it but it came right to Mueller, who couldn’t pull the trigger. It was a similar play to the one Dwyer had in the Miami match, only easier. Somehow he was caught off guard with the ball in front of him and no goalkeeper in sight, and the chance evaporated.

Montreal finally fashioned some danger after that missed opportunity. A free kick conceded by Mendez ended up at the back post for the Impact but Fanni’s foot prevented Romell Quioto from getting to it in the 24th minute. Two minutes later, Quioto sent in a cross from the left that found Samuel Piette and his header was saved by Gallese.

The Lions got back on the front foot after the hydration break and Mendez squandered two more golden opportunities to open the scoring. The first was saved by Diop in the 38th minute, after a great buildup down the right by Ruan and Mueller. The ball was fizzed into the box and fell for Mendez. The Ecuadorian stopped, allowing a sliding defender to glide past, then spun and fired but left his shot too close to the keeper.

Three minutes later, Mueller slipped Mendez a pass and he smashed one just a foot or so over the crossbar.

Mendez again should have scored in the 45th minute. The Lions worked some quick passes down the middle of the box and Mendez put the ball in the net but the flag came up. The assistant referee ruled Akindele offside in the buildup and the video appeared to show him even with the last defender. Because the call on the field was offside, the play was not overturned. Had the flag stayed down — as it should have, and as is the common practice these days — it also would not likely have been overturned. Nevertheless, the call prevented Orlando from taking a deserved lead into halftime.

Orlando led in shots (5-4) with each getting one on target. The Lions held 63.8% of the possession and was the more accurate passing side (90%-81%). Unfortunately, the only AR on the planet who raises his flag on a close play and a few missed golden chances had the sides even at the break.

Thierry Henry made a tactical change at the half, sending Jukka Raitala on for Orji Okwonkwo and going three at the back to try to prevent Ruan and Mueller getting down the right behind Jorge Corrales. It worked for a while until Orlando started figuring out how to break through Montreal’s lines.

“We were sure that they would readjust (at halftime),” Pareja said. “We spoke about that formation and five in the back and trying to get the wingbacks higher, and tried to condense the middle. We didn’t want to move our formation or try to do something different. We just wanted to continue what we had, and it took us five minutes, seven minutes, to adjust to it. I think we did.”

Mendez continued to get the bulk of Orlando’s scoring chances as players continued to put him in good spots, but he failed to play in Akindele in the 55th until Tesho had gotten behind the defense in an offside position and then had a shot blocked out for a corner in the 56th. But the Ecuadorian was partly responsible for the game’s only goal.

In the 60th minute, a ball was played in behind for Mendez but Fanni got there just a split second earlier. But the Montreal defender sent a back pass for Diop who had already come off his line to cut down the angle for a potential shot by Mendez. The touch from Fanni handed Akindele a tap-in and took an offside call completely off the table. Tesho obliged, scoring his second goal of the year.

Following the goal, Orlando looked to stay organized and wait for transition opportunities. Montreal saw a lot more of the ball but could do very little with it, aside from switching sides back and forth around the perimeter.

Pareja used his substitutions to keep his troops fresh as time wound down. Those subs included the MLS debuts of rookies Darryl Dike and Joey DeZart. Dike immediately got on the ball and nearly fashioned himself a scoring chance before being cut off, but he was active and throwing his weight around. He looked strong and has good feet, but he’s very raw and will need to develop some. However, DeZart helped shepherd the Impact’s attack from side to side.

Still, it was just a one-goal game and Montreal soon got its best opportunity of the match, as a cross found Quioto, who had gotten in between the two Orlando center backs. The former Houston Dynamo star headed his effort wide of Gallese’s goal and the Peruvian may have had the post covered anyway.

From there, Orlando employed legal and illegal means of seeing out the remaining minutes and six minutes of stoppage time. Gallese was booked for time wasting, while sub Kyle Smith helped keep the ball down in Montreal’s end for a good chunk of the added time.

Orlando out-shot the Impact, 10-7, and had more shots on goal, although it was a wasteful 2-1 advantage. The Lions finished with 56.6% of the possession and was the more accurate passing team (89%-83%)

Akindele talked about the team’s ability to hold onto the lead after scoring first.

“Yeah, that was really important for us. And I think that over the past few games we’ve shown that we’ve done a good job of doing that,” he said. “We’ve had the lead and we’ve held on to the lead a few times in a row. It shows a strong mentality, it shows good organization from the team, and it just shows dedication to the cause from the front to the back.”

Orlando City moves into the quarterfinals next Friday at 7:30 p.m., when it will face what will be by far the team’s greatest challenge of the tournament — against the winner of the LAFC vs. Seattle Sounders match. That battle will take place in the late match Monday night starting at 11 p.m.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 2/11/26

New Orlando City kit drops, Orlando City and Orlando Pride preseasons, MLS club valuations, and more.

Published

21 hours ago

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February 11, 2026

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Image of Haley McCutcheon scoring the opening goal in Orlando's home playoff win over Seattle.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling a bit anxious about the upcoming season. I think it’s because we don’t know much of what is going on. We’re only a few weeks away from the first match for goodness sake. Hopefully, we’ll see some more signings for both clubs, but until then let’s get to the links.

Orlando City’s New Kit

Orlando City dropped the new Sunken Treasure secondary kit yesterday, and it is a stunner. This is the first time the club has used gold as the primary color on a jersey. It looks great with the purple shorts, and the purple stripes. There are some great details like the coin on the collar and sublimated lion head on the chest. This is truly one of the better kits that Orlando City has introduced. The club produced a great reveal video. Check it out.

Orlando Preseasons

There’s not a ton of information to convey regarding Orlando City’s and the Orlando Pride’s preseasons. That seems to be purposeful on the part of the club, but a little news did slip out via social media. New center back Iago is fully participating in practice.

We also learned that goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau is back in training after missing last week. Of course, the Pride got in the action as well with various players trying to run drills. I’ll let you judge how well they did.

MLS Club Valuations

MLS clubs are increasing in value, including Orlando City. Sportico released the list of all MLS club valuations (paywall). Unsurprisingly, the top five were all big market teams with Inter Miami leading the way. When the Wilf family purchased Orlando City, they paid between $400 and $450 million. Now it is estimated to be worth approximately $565 million. That’s pretty good growth.

Chris Mueller’s Lost Year

We missed this last November, but former Orlando City attacker Chris Mueller had a tough time of things in 2025. The player was diagnosed with pericarditis. It meant that he couldn’t sleep laying down, let alone play or practice. He is now on the other side of it and has a new contract. It was a year of lessons for Mueller, and in typical fashion he has bounced back stronger.

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That will do it for today, me hearties. I hope you have a wonderful day. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City Unveils 2026 ‘Sunken Treasure’ Kit

Orlando City unveils the first primarily gold kit in club history.

Published

2 days ago

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February 10, 2026

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Image of Marco Pasalic modeling the new Sunken Treasure Kit.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

The 2026 Lions will be golden. Orlando City unveiled the club’s new ‘Sunken Treasure’ kit ahead of the 2026 Major League Soccer season — to be worn through the 2027-2028 season.
Soccer season. For the first time, Orlando City has used its secondary color as the primary color of a jersey, going primarily gold.

According to the club, the new kit pays homage to the state’s famed Treasure Coast:

The Sunken Treasure Kit draws inspiration from the legend, mystery and enduring allure of Florida’s Treasure Coast, a region known for stories of lost gold and shipwrecked riches. Stretching along Florida’s east coast, the area takes its name from the legendary 1715 Treasure Fleet, a convoy carrying New World wealth back to Spain before a hurricane sank 11 of its 12
ships. Millions of dollars in gold, silver and jewels have been recovered from the wrecks since the 1960s, and coins still occasionally wash ashore today. That sense of history, discovery and lingering mystery anchors the Sunken Treasure Kit’s identity.

“We’re incredibly excited to unveil the first kit in club history to be predominantly Florida Gold, an iconic color inspired by a truly unique and authentic Florida story that reflects the rich history of our home state,” Orlando City Chief Marketing Officer Pedro Araujo said in a club press release. “This kit is a tribute to our fans and supporters, who are the true treasure of this club. It represents the memories we create together each season — moments that endure across time, much like the legends of Florida’s Treasure Coast. For us, real treasure isn’t found beneath the waves; it lives in the stands, in our community, and in the shared moments our players and fans bring to life every time we take the field.”

The gold kit’s accents are in the club’s traditional deep purple primary hue as well as white. Whereas the jersey is gold with the iconic three Adidas stripes in purple on the shoulders, the shorts are purple with gold Adidas stripes. While you need to be up close and personal with the kit to see it, a lion motif stretches across the kit, a touch inspired by old-time ship figureheads.

A coin on the back of the neck symbolizes Spanish doubloons, bearing the words “The treasure is the memories we make.” Another saying adorns the front hem jock tag around the outline of an ornate nautical compass bearing the year 2026: “Our anchors we will weigh, our sails we will set, 90 minutes with our City family we shall never forget.”

As usual, Orlando Health is the jersey sponsor, continuing a partnership dating back to 2011, the club’s first year in the USL.

The Sunken Treasure Kit is available at the Major League Soccer online store (MLSStore.com) and at OCMobileShop.com, with in‐person pickup at The Den at Inter&Co Stadium beginning Wednesday. Fans will have their first opportunity to purchase the kit at the club’s official jersey launch at The Final Whistle at Thornton Park Pub tonight, with the festivities starting at 6 p.m. There will also be live music, giveaways, player appearances, and a visit from club mascot Kingston. Attendees who purchase the jersey at tonight’s event will receive an exclusive CITYiD patch (while supplies last), along with a limited-edition coin (also while supplies last). The coin is inspired by the new kit. It will be a big year for coin collectors, as today’s is one of five exclusive coins the club is giving away as part of a campaign throughout 2026.

You can check out the kit in all its glory in the gallery of images below:

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Lion Links: 2/10/26

Harvey Sarajian interview, checking in on former Lions, Americans in midweek action, and more.

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2 days ago

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February 10, 2026

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Image of Harvey Sarajian and Ricardo Moreira posing with an Orlando City jersey.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone. It’s hard to believe that we’re under two weeks away from the start of the Major League Soccer season, but time shows absolutely no sign of slowing down anytime soon. We’ve got a whole lot of things to discuss this morning, so let’s get right into the links.

Getting to Know Harvey Sarajian

Harvey Sarajian was born in Naples, and the first professional soccer game that he ever went to was when Orlando City took on the Chicago Fire all the way back in 2015. After becoming Orlando’s first pick in this year’s MLS SuperDraft, he’s now earned a contract with the team he watched 11 years ago, and he did so just four days after starting to train with the Lions. He spent a lot of time as a left winger in college, and spoke about his desire to beat defenders out wide and either get service into the box or cut onto his right foot and try to score. He also highlighted Duncan McGuire and Tyrese Spicer as two individuals who have helped him as he settles into his new surroundings.

Monitoring Former Lions Abroad

It’s been a busy few days for some of Orlando City’s former players who have taken their talents overseas. Cyle Larin got his debut for Southampton started with a bang on Saturday, as he entered the game as a substitute in the 67th minute and promptly scored the game’s only goal just three minutes later to lift the team to victory over Watford. The more recently departed Alex Freeman made his debut for Villareal on Monday, when he entered the game in the 73rd minute of a 4-1 win over Espanyol in La Liga action. Finally, Benji Michel has seemingly concluded his time with Finnish side HJK Helsinki, as he posted a farewell to the club on his Instagram page.

Americans in Midweek Action

As is usually the case, there are a number of American players taking part in games during the working week. Things will get started today when Brenden Aaronson and Leeds face Chelsea in the Premier League. Action in England rolls on Wednesday when Antonee Robinson and Fulham face Manchester United, while Chris Richards and Crystal Palace take on Burnley. The Wednesday action concludes when Alejandro Zendejas and Club America attempt to maintain their 2-1 first leg advantage over CD Olimpia, and advance to the next round of the Concacaf Champions Cup. Things then finish up on Friday when Folarin Balogun and Monaco host Nantes in Ligue 1 action.

MLS Transfer Roundup

Monday brought a fresh wave of movement in the transfer market for Major League Soccer, so let’s catch up on what happened. CF Montreal has signed forward Noah Streit from FC Basel on a deal that runs through the 2028-2029 season, with an option for 2029-2030. Moving to the Western Conference, Real Salt Lake signed defender Juan Jose Arias on loan from Atletico Nacional as an MLS U22 Initiative signing. The center back’s loan runs until July 13 and contains a purchase option. San Diego FC has signed free agent midfielder Bryce Duke on a contract that runs through June of 2027 and contains options for the 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 seasons. Finally, Nashville SC has signed center back Jeisson Palacios to a contract extension through the 2027-2028 season, with an option for the 2028-2029 campaign.

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  • Take a look at the Orlando Pride’s continuing preseason preparations.
  • We got another teaser from OCSC ahead of today’s jersey release.
  • The Young Lions have been getting in some preseason preparations of their own.
  • Orlando City youth player Lennox Alvarado got a callup to the U-16 National Team training camp.

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

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