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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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5 years ago

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Wednesday was a hell of a day, but we got through it, and part of that is because Orlando City went out and got a 3-1 win at home over Nashville SC. The Lions needed a few minutes to settle into the match but once they figured out what the visitors were all about they controlled the game for the most part.

Nashville SC had been sound defensively entering the game, conceding twice in each of its two Atlanta matches but otherwise allowing only one goal in the team’s other three matches. Last night, the visitors allowed a franchise-high three goals.

Let’s take a look at the individual performances.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — El Pulpo got caught on the bounce on Nashville’s set piece goal. It was a tricky play but I think he could have been a little better on it. He collided with Abu Danladi early in the game and the play went to video review for a potential penalty but none was given. Aside from that, he passed well (94.1%, 2/3 accuracy on long balls). He made three saves on Nashville’s four shots on target, but none of the three were particularly troublesome.

D, Joao Moutinho, 8 — The Portuguese fullback had an outstanding night, creating the first goal with a nice cutback move right to shed Hany Mukhtar, then he cut back to his left to open a passing lane. Seeing Chris Mueller on the ground, Moutinho kept his cross low, allowing Cash an easier finish. The assist was brilliant, but he also got in behind the defense for a shot on target after winning the ball back with a good hustle play in the 30th minute and continuing his run. The shot was right down the middle, unfortunately. He nearly got in on a similar play just before halftime but the whistle blew when the ball took a deflection and bounced up off his arm. He created two scoring chances, made four dribbles, and drew two free kicks. Defensively, he finished with three tackles and an interception. Joao had an 85.4% passing rate. He could have done a tad better with his long ball accuracy (1/4) but it was an otherwise outstanding night. His yellow card was a necessary professional foul.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — The beefy Swede was partially culpable on the visitors’ goal, running with Dave Romney but he never jumped, allowing the Nashville center back to get up and nod a set piece delivery home in the 16th minute. This is the second straight game where Jansson has been beaten for a goal on an aerial ball and it’s a worrisome trend, because he’s generally good in the air, as shown by his team-high three aerials won in this match. Aside from that, his play was solid as usual, passing at an 89.7% rate and completing four of six long balls. He had a tackle, an interception, three clearances, and two blocked shots at the defensive end.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — It’s difficult to slot into a game at center back when you’re not seeing a lot of minutes but Schlegel did well stepping in for Antonio Carlos. Danladi made him look bad in the fourth minute to get off a dangerous shot but luckily fired high. One would expect Nashville to try to isolate Schlegel after that point but the visitors weren’t able to do so and the Argentine settled into the match nicely. He was able to range forward and become part of the possession in the attacking half often — tying Moutinho for second-most touches on the team (73) — and made himself a safe outlet when plays broke down. His passing was just 81%, but he spent a lot of time in the offensive half and was 4/9 on long balls. Defensively, he added two tackles, three interceptions, four clearances, and two blocked shots.

D, Ruan, 7 — The speedy Brazilian was an integral part of Orlando’s attack all night and made some good recovery runs to break up potential counters. He was 2/3 on crossing accuracy. His cross in the 12th should have been finished by Daryl Dike, who missed just wide. His cross to Junior Urso in the 72nd also should have been finished but Dike was there to smash home the rebound of the saved header. Ruan was an 84.4% passer, created two scoring chances, and made three interceptions with one tackle and a clearance.

MF, Uri Rosell, 6 — As usual, the Spaniard was the quiet glue in the middle, tying the lines together and switching play from side to side. He anticipated the play well, finishing with three interceptions and a clearance on the night and his 94.7% passing rate was top among Orlando’s starters and he won two aerials.

MF, Sebas Mendez, 5.5 — Mendez’s unnecessary foul set up the set piece on which Nashville scored its only goal. Central midfielders are going to commit fouls, because it goes with the territory, but the young Ecuadorian takes some silly ones in his own half sometimes, and it cost the Lions early. He also didn’t learn from Saturday night’s blind back-heel pass because he tried one in the attacking third just before he was subbed out and it didn’t come close to working. I appreciate the creativity but…come on. He committed three fouls but only made one tackle. His one shot attempt wasn’t close to goal. It sounds like I hated his game but I thought he did well in helping move the ball around where it needed to be all night, passing at a 93.2% clip and provided a lot of assistance in the buildup. He also did well to steer the opposition into his teammates while defending.

MF, Nani, 7 — The captain put in a thorough shift, getting on the ball a game-high 93 times. He took four shots, getting one on target, and created a scoring chance. His shot was a surprisingly powerful one-timer off a Moutinho cross in the 19th minute, which forced a save. His overall passing rate was just 74.2% on a team-high 66 attempts. He made two tackles and won an aerial. He got in a nice cross in the 11th minute intended for Mueller but the defense arrived just in time to poke it out for a corner. He steered the attack and directed his teammates like a maestro all night, pointing out where he wanted them to go, sending 3/5 long balls accurately and sending some dangerous crosses into the area. His crafty pass in the 32nd minute sent Ruan clear down the right side but Mauricio Pereyra took a touch in traffic after receiving Ruan’s cross and the defense shut it down. It was a solid, if unspectacular, night for the captain.

MF, Maurcio Pereyra, 7.5 — The Uruguayan was dangerous all night, providing a primary assist on Daryl Dike’s first goal and getting the hockey assist on Mueller’s, as it was Pereyra who found Moutinho out on the left in the buildup. His passing was excellent, finishing at 89.8%, with four key passes, 2/2 accurate long balls, and 2/3 accurate crosses. He didn’t attempt a shot, and should have hit the aforementioned cross from Ruan with his first touch in the 32nd minute, but he was great otherwise on the night. He also pitched in a tackle and an interception defensively.

MF, Chris Mueller, 7 — Cash is back and helping the offense with both his movement and passing. While he surprisingly didn’t chip in any defensive stats, he was important in possession and in the attack. In addition to his goal, on which he first slipped in the box but then had the presence of mind to lunge for the scoring header on Moutinho’s cross, he added another shot attempt, although it wasn’t on target. He made two key passes, and got a hockey assist on Dike’s first goal, sending Pereyra and the rookie on essentially a 2-v-1 break. He passed at an 84.2% rate and won two aerials. He’ll want to do a bit better with his touch, as he had a team-high five unstable touches and was dispossessed twice.

F, Daryl Dike, 8 (MOTM) — The rookie was dangerous all night, firing a game-high six shots and getting two on goal, both of which went in the net. His hold-up and combination play was good and he continues to occupy center backs to allow room for his wingers, fullbacks, and Pereyra to operate. His 83.3% passing rate is good for a striker (especially a rookie), albeit on only 12 attempts, but he did create a scoring chance as well. He takes his defensive responsibilities seriously, with a tackle and an emphatic clearance on the night. If Dike is only scratching the surface of his abilities, his ceiling may end up being higher than Cyle Larin’s — and all he did was score 43 goals in three seasons. The only real blemishes on his night were a failure to haul in a pass that would have sent him in alone in the seventh minute and a shot off target in the 12th that should have resulted in Orlando’s opening goal.

Substitutes

MF, Junior Urso (66’), 6.5 — The Bear got himself into position for two excellent scoring chances but couldn’t put either of them past Joe Willis. His header off a Ruan cross in the 72nd minute led to Dike’s second goal and he had another opportunity off a corner kick that Willis denied, as Urso hit the target with all three of his shot attempts but couldn’t break through. He passed well (91.3%), won an aerial, and had two interceptions, a tackle, and a clearance in a productive appearance off the bench.

MF, Andres Perea (67’), 5.5 — The 19-year-old came on for Rosell and was decent, but he did get pulled out of position defensively a couple of times when Nashville had some prolonged possession, before Orlando switched to a three-center-backs system late. Once the shape changed, he did a good job of helping the Lions play keep-away. He blocked a shot, completed all 19 of his passes, and played safely (no long ball or cross attempts) as game conditions warranted.

MF, Benji Michel (78’), 5 — After coming on for Pereyra, the second-year pro didn’t get too involved in the action in his 12 minutes plus four added minutes. Michel managed only eight total touches and four passes, but at least he completed all four. Benji registered no shots and no defensive stats, but he did earn one free kick. He nearly got away on a 94th-minute counter but he was pulled down from behind by Alistair Johnston, who was booked.

MF/D, Kamal Miller (85’), N/A — Miller came on for Mueller and slotted in as a bit of a hybrid wingback/fullback as the Lions changed shape to try to get more possession to see out the match. The tactic by Oscar Pareja worked, as Orlando City was able to keep possession for long stretches after the switch, preventing Nashville from getting back into the match. Miller was a contributor to that but it’s difficult to give someone a grade for just five minutes plus stoppage time.

D, Kyle Smith (85’), N/A — Smith came on for Moutinho late as Orlando switched to three at the back (or five at the back, if you prefer to think of it that way). He did well to break up an attack, conceding a corner, but didn’t have enough time to warrant a grade.

That’s how I saw Wednesday night’s performances. Ultimately, Orlando spent most of the match in complete control once the Lions settled in a bit from a bit of a nervy start. Vote for your Man of the Match below and let us know in the comments where you agree/disagree.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Nani1
Joao Moutinho14
Ruan0
Mauricio Pereyra7
Daryl Dike90
Chris Mueller0
Other1

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions head north looking to find their offense and continue their recent defensive form.

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7 hours ago

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April 19, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City and CF Montreal at Stade Saputo (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). It’s the first of two scheduled meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals in 2025. The Canadian side is scheduled to make the return trip to Orlando on July 12.

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

History

The Lions are 8-9-5 against Montreal in the all-time regular-season series and 10-10-5 in all competitions since they joined MLS. OCSC is 4-5-2 in away games against Montreal, 3-5-2 in the city of Montreal, and 4-6-2 in away matches in all competitions, which includes an MLS playoff meeting in 2022. The teams drew both regular-season meetings a year ago, with Orlando going 1-0-2 in all competitions against CF Montreal in 2024.

The teams met most recently in Orlando in the 2024 Leagues Cup competition on July 26 of last year, with the Lions running rampant in a 4-1 home victory. Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Facundo Torres, Ramiro Enrique, and Martin Ojeda staked Orlando to a 4-0 lead. Josef Martinez scored for Montreal, although his bid for a brace was denied when Pedro Gallese stopped his penalty kick attempt.

The two sides last met in Montreal on April 20, 2024 trading goals back and forth in a 2-2 draw at Stade Saputo. Mason Toye opened the scoring early but Torres equalized from the spot a few minutes later. Ariel Lassiter appeared to win it late in normal time for the hosts, but Ivan Angulo struck in stoppage time to earn Orlando City a road point. These teams opened the 2024 season against each other in Orlando and played to a 0-0 draw. The Lions dominated the stat sheet but had a goal waved off for offside and simply weren’t lethal enough.

The teams met twice in 2023, completing the season series on Sept. 30, 2023, with the Lions winning 3-0 in dominant fashion. Jonathan Sirois’ own goal opened the scoring, and Thorhallsson and Torres added strikes for Orlando City. That was a good measure of revenge for OCSC, after Montreal defeated Orlando City 2-0 and handed the Lions their first road loss of the 2023 MLS season on May 6 at Stade Saputo. A Robin Jansson own goal got Montreal started in the second half and Romell Quioto added a second goal four minutes later.

These two sides played their biggest game against each other in the 2022 MLS playoffs, with CF Montreal knocking Orlando City out of the postseason by a 2-0 scoreline on Oct. 16, with goals by Ismael Kone and Djordje Mihailovic — the latter coming deep in stoppage time from the penalty spot.

Each team won at home in the two-game, regular-season series in 2022, with Montreal thumping Orlando 4-1 on May 7. Joel Waterman, Mihailovic, Joaquin Torres, and Zachary Brault-Guillard did the damage on the scoreboard and Orlando City managed just two shot attempts, with Joao Moutinho’s goal on a set piece helping the Lions avoid a shutout. Orlando City did not have either starting center back for that match, and it showed. The teams also met on opening day of the 2022 season, when Orlando City captured a 2-0 home win behind second-half goals from Alexandre Pato and Benji Michel.

In 2021, the teams met in Montreal on Decision Day, with the Lions earning a 2-0 road victory at Stade Saputo to clinch a playoff spot. Sebas Mendez and Daryl Dike provided the goals. That season’s matchup in Orlando came on Oct. 20, 2021, with the visitors managing a 1-1 draw. Chris Mueller struck for the Lions just before halftime, but Rudy Camacho answered on a corner kick header shortly after the restart. The first meeting of 2021 took place Sept. 15 in Orlando with the Lions falling 4-2 and finishing the game with just nine men after both Nani and Andres Perea were sent off. Quioto led Montreal with a goal and two assists. Mathieu Choiniere and Quioto put Montreal up 2-0, but despite already being down one man, Jansson and Ruan tied things up. The visitors got two more from Lassi Lappalainen and Sunusi Ibrahim.

The teams met at Red Bull Arena in late 2020 as the team then known as the Montreal Impact played home games in New Jersey due to the pandemic. Orlando City got a Dike goal in the 39th minute to win 1-0 on Nov. 1, 2020. It was the second meeting of the 2020 season, with Orlando also beating Montreal 1-0 in the MLS is Back Tournament knockout rounds on July 25 to advance to the quarterfinals. Tesho Akindele scored the game’s only goal on a Montreal defensive mistake.

Orlando City snapped a six-game winless streak against Montreal (0-5-1) in MLS regular-season play dating back to 2016 when the Lions put the Impact to the sword in a 3-0 drubbing at Stade Saputo on June 1, 2019. Nani (penalty), Akindele, and Will Johnson supplied the offense that day. The Lions fell 3-1 at Exploria Stadium back on March 16, 2019, and Ignacio Piatti was a big reason why, scoring his ninth and 10th career goals against Orlando, adding to a strike by Orji Okwonkwo. Dom Dwyer added a cosmetic goal late for Orlando City to spoil the clean sheet.

Montreal did not allow a goal against the Lions in 2018, sweeping the two-game set from Orlando, and the Impact shut out Orlando City in three of the six meetings in that 5-0-1 run. The lone draw in that time frame was a 3-3 shootout in Orlando in 2017, in which the Impact led deep in stoppage time, only to see Jonathan Spector’s well-placed header steal the Lions a point.

Orlando won the first two meetings in 2016 by a combined score of 6-2. The teams split three meetings in 2015, with each going 1-1-1.

Match Overview

Orlando City enters this match on a five-game unbeaten run (2-0-3). The Lions are coming off two consecutive scoreless draws — at Philadelphia two weeks ago and home against the New York Red Bulls last weekend. The latter of those draws came despite Orlando City being down a man for most of the second half. While the league’s best offense entering play two weeks ago has falledn off a cliff, the most porous defens in MLS has strung together consecutive clean sheets. Orlando will look for a bit more balance tonight, although the back line will need to shuffle slightly with Rodrigo Schlegel’s suspension.

The Lions are 1-1-2 on the road this season, and are playing their fifth road match out of the last seven games.

Montreal sits last in Major League Soccer on just two points from eight matches after a 1-0 home defeat to Charlotte seven days ago. That was, however, the Canadian side’s first home match of the 2025 campaign, after starting the season 0-5-2 on an extended road trip. It is unclear how good or bad Montreal is, but despite being winless on the year, the club has lost one-goal games against contenders Charlotte and Columbus the last two weeks, following a 1-1 draw at Chicago. Only Nashville (3-0) and MLS-leading Vancouver (2-0) have managed to beat Montreal by more than a goal, despite the Canadians scoring only a league-worst four times all year.

With Montreal playing well defensively over the last three matches, Orlando will need to find its scoring boots against a solid unit in front of Sirois that includes center backs Waterman and George Campbell and central midfielder Samuel Piette. Former Lion Luca Petrasso is a starter on the Montreal back line as well, and he’ll no doubt want to show Orlando what it is missing without him. While Montreal has the ball, the Lions will need to track Prince Owusu, who leads his club with two goals. Caden Clark and Sunusi Ibrahim can also be a threat in the attack.

“It’s a tricky moment in the season, where teams are adjusting movements and players, and in this case, with Montréal even changing staff. But we are still serious about approaching the game with our intention to go and win it,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “It is an important match for us and it’s a match that can give us the possibility to add points in the standings. It’s much more important that we keep this road of ascending of the level of the group.”

Orlando City will be without Schlegel (suspension), Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), Yutaro Tsukada (knee), Favian Loyola (thigh), while Cesar Araujo (lower leg), Eduard Atuesta (thigh), Ramiro Enrique (upper extremity), and Nico Rodriguez (thigh) are listed as questionable. Per Montreal’s game notes, every player is available.

Match Content

Projected Lineups:

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Alex Freeman.

Defensive Midfielders: Joran Gerbet, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, Marco Pasalic.

Forward: Luis Muriel.

CF Montreal (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Jonathan Sirois.

Defenders: Luca Petrasso, Joel Waterman, George Campbell, Aleksandr Guboglo.

Midfielders: Samuel Piette, Victor Ioturi, Nathan Saliba.

Forwards: Caden Clark, Prince Owusu, Dante Sealy.

Referees:

Ref: Fotis Bazakos.
AR1: Lyes Arfa.
AR2: Micheal Barwegen.
4th: Mathieu Souare.
VAR: Ramy Touchan.
AVAR: Claudiu Badea.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Stade Saputo — Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

TV/Live Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English); Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish).

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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Opinion

Orlando City’s Start to the Season a Pleasant Surprise So Far

The Lions have started the new season well enough, but we shouldn’t get too carried away just yet.

Published

1 day ago

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April 18, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

While Orlando City didn’t have a ton of roster turnover to deal with during the off-season, it was really anybody’s guess as to what sort of start the Lions would make to the 2025 Major League Soccer season. There was obviously the loss of all-time leading goal scorer Facundo Torres to deal with, then Wilder Cartagena was lost for the year in preseason, although the club did a great job in landing Eduard Atuesta to replace him. There were also questions about depth at left back, center back, and central midfield. It was anyone’s guess on how Marco Pasalic would adjust to life in MLS, and there were serious questions about whether the Lions had enough firepower up front with Duncan McGuire unavailable to start the season while he recovered from shoulder surgery.

While the club returned the vast majority of the guys who played key roles in helping reach the Eastern Conference final, on paper, the roster didn’t improve and arguably got weaker, so was it truly realistic to expect the team to go a step farther and make the final this year?

Despite all of those concerns, and despite a confidence-shaking 4-2 opening game loss to the Philadelphia Union, Orlando has largely made a good start to the campaign. The Lions have compiled a respectable 3-2-3 record and have 12 points to show for it, currently sitting in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, six points behind the first-place Columbus Crew.

Even in the two losses, it’s hard to make the argument that OCSC played truly bad games on the whole. Rather, the Lions were undone by moments of bad defending and losses of concentration that led to silly mistakes, particularly against the Union. The shaky defending has certainly been one of the bigger concerns, especially on an Oscar Pareja-coached team, but things have begun to look better after keeping two straight clean sheets.

Ironically, even though the offense seemed to be most people’s biggest concern before the season started, it’s been the part of the team that has consistently functioned at the highest level. Before the two 0-0 draws, Orlando had scored the most goals in the league, and despite being held scoreless twice in a row, they still have the third-most goals scored. Out of OCSC’s six games played with a first choice XI, the Lions have scored more than one goal four times. Even in the games when they haven’t been as prolific, or have largely been on the back foot, the Lions have still managed to carve out a healthy number of chances. While their finishing has let them down at times, they’ve still managed to get several good looks at goal in every game, and that’s half the battle.

All in all, it’s been a perfectly respectable start to the season, and the team honestly has performed higher than my (probably slightly pessimistic) expectations. While the start hasn’t been white hot, it’s been nice to not see the sort of slow start that so often has seemed to plague this club during Pareja’s tenure at the helm.

That being said, I think it’s important to place the beginning of the year in the proper context. It’s worth noting that of the teams that Orlando has played to this point, Philadelphia is the only one currently above the playoff line (although the New York Red Bulls occupy the last play-in spot). The Lions have beaten an LA Galaxy team that is the worst in the West; Toronto FC, which is second from the bottom in the East; and D.C. United, which is third from the bottom in the East. They drew the fifth-place Union on the road, and lost to NYCFC at the baseball stadium. But it has to be said that Orlando has faced a noticeable lack of top shelf opponents so far.

Essentially, Orlando has played three bad teams, two decent ones, and one that started very well but has cooled off in recent weeks (twice). Of course, OCSC can’t do anything about that, but it’s worth asking if the solid start to the season is due to the Lions legitimately being a good team, or if it’s more of a paper tiger situation where they just haven’t had to play many tough opponents yet.

There isn’t really any way of knowing for sure, and there won’t be any hints for awhile. With the way the standings currently look, Orlando won’t face a team above the playoff line until they go up against Charlotte FC on the road on May 14. I don’t bring all of this up to try to dampen the mood, but I just don’t think we have a truly accurate idea of this team’s level yet. Which is fair and totally fine, after all we’re only eight games into the season.

That doesn’t mean that we can’t give OCSC its due for a solid start to the year. It hasn’t been perfect by any means, but the team has done more good than bad, and the Lions’ current place in the standings reflects that. We should still keep things in perspective and resist the urge to dole out too much praise just yet, but we can be happy with what we’ve seen so far.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/18/25

Orlando City set to play the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Lions reach Generation Adidas Cup semifinals, Angel City hires Alexander Straus, and more.

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1 day ago

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April 18, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday! I hope today finds you well as we gear up for another Saturday filled with soccer to enjoy. I don’t have many plans this Easter weekend beyond working, catching soccer when I can, and playing Baldur’s Gate 3 for the first time if I find some spare hours. Let’s dive right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Learns U.S. Open Cup Opponents

Orlando City’s 2025 U.S. Open Cup campaign will begin on the road against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on May 7 at 7:30 p.m. in what will be the latest edition of the I-4 Derby. It will be Orlando’s first game of this year’s tournament, while the Rowdies joined in the previous round and got past FC Naples in penalties. The Rowdies have lost four of their five games so far this season in the USL Championship and fired Robbie Neilson as head coach earlier this month. The Lions also notably would have hosting priority if they reach the round of 16, where they will play either Nashville SC or the Chattanooga Red Wolves.

Here’s the full schedule for the round of 32, which includes some interesting matchups across the country. The Tacoma Defiance are the only MLS NEXT Pro side left and will face the Portland Timbers, while the New York Red Bulls will have a long road trip to take on the Colorado Springs Switchbacks.

Lions Advance to Generation Adidas Cup Semifinals

Orlando City’s U-18 team beat Real Salt Lake 1-0 in the Generation Adidas Cup to secure a spot in the semifinals. The Young Lions have won four of their five games of the tournament and will take on Santos Laguna in the semifinal on Saturday. The winner of that match will face whichever team becomes victorious in the other semifinal between Atlanta United and the Colorado Rapids.

The U-16 team’s run in the Premier bracket is also going strong after a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich, and Orlando will take on the New England Revolution in the semifinals on Saturday.

Angel City FC Hires Alexander Straus

Bayern Munich’s Alexander Straus was named Angel City FC’s next head coach and will officially join the club on June 1. The Norwegian coach has won back-to-back Bundesliga titles and has Bayern positioned well to make it three straight this season. He’ll join an Angel City team that’s unbeaten in its first four games of the season under interim head coach Sam Laity, who will stay on as an assistant coach once Straus joins.

Europa League Quarterfinals End In Dramatic Fashion

Old Trafford hosted one of the wildest games in Europa League history, with Manchester United and Lyon battling for a spot in the quarterfinals. United scored twice in the first half, then conceded twice in the second, sending the game to extra time. Lyon took the lead despite being a man down and then the teams traded penalty kicks as the madness continued. Casemiro orchestrated Manchester’s victory in the end, assisting on two late goals within a minute of each other to beat Lyon 5-4 and advance. This United fan pretty much sums up just how much of a rollercoaster this match was.

There was also drama in Italy, as Lazio came back in the second leg to force extra time against Bodo/Glimt. The match went to penalties and Bodo/Glimt goalkeeper Nikitka Haikin denied former New York City FC player Taty Castellanos from the spot to book his team’s place in the semifinals. Although Tottenham was without Son Heung-Min, it got the job done in a 1-0 road win against Eintracht Frankfurt, while Athletic Club beat Rangers 2-0 in Spain to advance as well. In the semifinals, Tottenham will face Bodo/Glimt and Manchester United will take on Athletic Club.

Free Kicks

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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