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Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Final Score 3-1 as Lions Get First Win Over Five Stripes

Junior Urso, Chris Mueller, and Nani supplied the offense and Orlando stayed organized in a deserved road win.

Published

5 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Junior Urso, Chris Mueller, and Nani scored to serve as exorcists, banishing the Atlanta United demons in a deserved 3-1 road win by the Lions at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Despite being the team on fewer days of rest, Orlando City (4-2-2, 14 points) showed good energy on the press and in transition and defended well overall to finally beat Atlanta United (3-4-0, 9 points).

Mueller and Urso also added assists in the match.

The Lions won their second straight match and first true road game this season, and Orlando improved to 1-6-2 in the all-time league series against Atlanta — 1-7-2 in all competitions — and 1-2-2 at Atlanta. Now that Orlando has bloodied Atlanta, maybe this series can become a rivalry.

Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the game that he was happy about the team’s commitment and energy on a short turnaround.

“The three points are the most important for the motivation,” he said. “This is the first time we beat Atlanta so we’re happy. We keep going.”

Pareja made four changes to his usual lineup, starting Pedro Gallese in net behind a back line of Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith. The defensive midfield consisted of Uri Rosell and Andres Perea, behind an attacking midfield of Benji Michel, Urso, and Mueller, with Dike up top for the third consecutive match. Ruan, Sebas Mendez, and Nani started on the bench, with Mauricio Pereyra not in the 18 and Tesho Akindele not available for selection for the second consecutive match.

“It’s good news for all, knowing they took the responsibility against a very difficult rival and on a very difficult turf,” Pareja said of his young players starting in the attack. “And they had that character to come out and play that game that way. The young boys today showed the future is bright here. And the core of the players who have been getting results before, we had the opportunity to rest some of them and the boys came in and took that responsibility.”

Dike fired a shot across Atlanta’s bow in the first minute, skipping a shot just wide to the left. The rookie had a couple of players breaking and may have been better served to slip someone through but he didn’t miss by much. The Lions showed early on that they weren’t going to press as persistently as usual on short rest, instead hanging back and taking away options for goalkeeper Brad Guzan and his defenders when they tried to play out of the back.

“Today it was probably too much to ask the boys to go and press all the time,” Pareja said, due to the fixture congestion, traveling and quick turnaround. “So we considered that just giving them the ball sometimes will help us just to save some energy. That’s why I want to remark [about] the discipline defensively of the team. We knew that they would give us some space in the back and we took that.

Atlanta started to control the game about three minutes in and did so for about a solid five minutes, resulting in the game’s first corner. Brooks Lennon got onto the corner kick cross with a thunderous header but Gallese reached out one of his eight arms and made a spectacular goal-line save to keep it scoreless. The play was checked by VAR to see if it had crossed the line but it had not.

Orlando finally regained the ball and earned its own first corner in the 13th minute. Mueller sent in a perfect ball for Urso, who smashed a low header that skipped off the turf in front of Guzan and squirted through his legs for the opening goal — Urso’s first in MLS.

Urso sent a shot from outside the box just a bit wide in the 18th minute as Orlando got more of a hold on the match. Dike won a corner shortly thereafter and Mueller’s delivery found Carlos but the Brazilian was spinning a bit in the run-up and couldn’t make good contact, sending his header over in the 21st minute.

Atlanta’s Manuel Castro got his side’s second good look of the half just seconds later, dragging a shot wide of Gallese’s goal.

Perea fizzed a wicked cross through the top of the six in the 29th minute, but none of his teammates could get onto it. Then Dike won another corner off a good buildup when he took a pass from Michel and had his shot blocked behind. Atlanta cleared Mueller’s service, and as Moutinho was bringing the ball back into the area, the whistle blew for a foul on Urso, but it just looked like two Atlanta players collided with each other.

No matter, after a brief pause for the trainers to come out, Orlando scored its second. Moutinho won a ball off Guzan’s ensuing restart, sending his header to Mueller, who gathered and sent it forward to Dike in the middle. The rookie smartly played to his right for Michel and the second-year Homegrown wisely cut a pass back to Mueller, who had never stopped his run. Mueller finished into the empty net to make it 2-0 in the 35th. Mueller’s career-high sixth of the season — the most on Orlando — was a great way for the winger to celebrate his 24th birthday.

“I looked up and I thought that I was going to have a go at the outside back actually,” Mueller said about the play. “I looked up and I saw Daryl finding some space in between the two center backs, so I picked out a pass to him, and I saw that he turned and laid back [a pass] and I just continued my run and I was screaming to Benji for the ball back across because the space was so wide open and I was right there. And he found me so well and laid one on a platter and gave me the best birthday present I could have asked for.”

It was nearly Michel to Mueller again in the 41st as Benji got to the end line and crossed for Mueller, who was crashing the back post. Guzan stuck out a foot to knock the cross behind for a corner. The Lions should have made it 3-0 on the set piece, with Perea getting a free running header on the back side of the play but he sent his shot agonizingly wide of the net in the 42nd minute.

Atlanta failed to do much with a pair of late set pieces and the teams went to the break with the Lions ahead, 2-0. Orlando led in shots (7-4) and shots on goal (2-1), with both teams completing 84% of their passes and Atlanta holding a slim possession advantage (51.5%).

The Five Stripes dominated possession in the second half. Orlando stayed organized and looked for counter opportunities, coming close a few times before finally getting a late insurance goal.

Pity Martinez was dangerous throughout the second half, shooting from everywhere and nearly breaking in behind the defense multiple times. Jansson denied him getting in alone with a vital tackle early in the second half and good team defending prevented him getting a shot off in the box a few minutes later.

Lennon got off a glancing header in the 55th minute off a corner kick but it was well off target. Martinez then sent in either a shot or a cross. Gallese came off his line to grab it before being fouled by Adam Jahn.

Atlanta continued to look for offense and brought Cubo Torres and Ezequiel Barco on in the 60th minute. Orlando, which had been struggling to keep possession, brought on Nani and Sebas Mendez for Dike and an exhausted-looking Rosell.

Nani quickly got involved, getting whistled for a foul after taking an elbow from Torres that split his lip open. That led to a prolonged spell of possession and set pieces in the attacking third for Atlanta. Gallese made a good play to get up and tip a dangerous shot from Barco over the bar in the 66th minute.

The Lions finally got forward and won a counter shortly after that and this time the cross found Jansson at the near post but his flick skipped wide of the far post in the 69th minute on what would have been a nice goal for the Beefy Swede.

Disaster struck for Orlando in the 75th minute. Mendez headed a ball back toward his own goal and Gallese had time and space to come out and pick it up. Either Moutinho didn’t hear the Octopus calling him off or he just wanted to be safe, and the Portuguese left back sent an emphatic clearance out of play but was injured in the process. He was in obvious pain and holding his groin area and had to be stretchered off the field. Kamal Miller came on to replace him.

Michel put the ball in the net on a quick counter in the 81st minute but he was correctly ruled offside and the game remained at 2-0. That only lasted two more minutes, as the Five Stripes took advantage of Moutinho’s replacement.

Second-half sub Jurgen Damm received the ball on the right for Atlanta and faked toward the end line, then faked back the other way. Miller overplayed to block the cross and Damm went back toward the end line to get his cross in cleanly. Lennon peeled back off of Smith and looped a header inside the post to make it 2-1 in the 83rd minute.

Ruan nearly pulled that goal back a minute later, getting a touch to a good cross right in front, but it skipped wide of the post. But the Lions sealed the game two minutes later. The Atlanta defense played the ball to Martinez, who had been dropping deep to get on the ball and start the attack. Urso recognized this as his moment and pounced, dispossessing Martinez and breaking in on goal. As Guzan faced him up, Nani called for the ball on the left and Urso slid it over for the captain to finish. His third of the season made it 3-1 in the 86th minute.

“I know he don’t like when we pressure behind him,” Urso said of Martinez. “So I just waited for a good moment to try to take the ball, to recover the ball for us. When the defender gave it to him I knew it was a good moment to take the ball for us. So I tried to take it. And when I was in front of the keeper, if Nani doesn’t ask me, 100% I will shoot because I have a good position to score. But when I heard his voice, I know he’s free so I have to think about the team first. So I passed to Nani and he was happy and scored one more goal for us.”

“Today’s performance from Junior — not starting the last game — was incredible and another level of commitment from the team,” Pareja said.

The Lions got a scare in the 88th minute when Carlos cleared a bouncing ball, jumping high into the air. After the clearance, Lennon collided with the Brazilian’s foot and went down. The referee went over to review the replay but ruled that it was a legal play by Orlando City’s center back and no penalty was given.

From there, Orlando survived a few Atlanta set pieces, a shot off the crossbar by Barco in the 96th minute, and 10 minutes of stoppage time. The Lions heard the whistle and finally had their first win of the series.

Atlanta finished with more shots (11-10), shots on target (4-3), possession (61.3%), and corners (9-6), and out-passed Orlando (86%-79%). But the Lions made the most of enough of their opportunities to get the victory.

“It was a tough grind,” Mueller said. “I think that we put in a really good team performance. Obviously we had some guys rotated in there and I think everybody from top to bottom played an unbelievable game and I’m just so happy for the guys as well.”

It’s another quick turnaround for Orlando as the Lions will make the trip to Tennessee to face Nashville SC away on Wednesday night.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 2/17/26

Predictions for the 2026 MLS season, UEFA Champions League returns, transfer rumor roundup, and more.

Published

15 hours ago

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February 17, 2026

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Image of Adrian Marin dribbling the ball against the Columbus Crew.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

It feels a little strange to be saying this after what feels like a couple minutes since the end of last season, but happy match week everyone! The Lions are set to take on the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, and hopefully the final preseason match was simply Orlando City’s time to get out all of the mistakes when the games don’t matter. We’ve got plenty to discuss this morning, so let’s get into the links.

MLS Preseason Predictions

With the 2026 MLS season due to get underway this weekend, now is a good time to make predictions on how the various teams will fare this year. When it comes to Orlando City, a lot of the on-air talent at Apple TV who cover the league don’t seem particularly positive about the Lions’ chances. The general consensus has the Lions finishing the year at ninth in the Eastern Conference, although a couple individuals have them sinking as low as 12th, and Max Bretos has the good guys as high as third. Inter Miami and LAFC are the picks to win their respective conferences, while CF Montreal and Sporting Kansas City occupy the cellar spots.

UEFA Champions League Preview

The UEFA Champions League is back this week as the play-off round kicks off later today. The Tuesday slate of games is highlighted by Benfica hosting Real Madrid in a rematch of the dramatic game on matchday eight that saw the Portuguese outfit sneak into the knockout round with a last-minute goal. The match between Weston McKennie’s Juventus team and Galatasaray should also be a great spectacle, and the Istanbul outfit’s intimidating atmosphere could make the difference against the Italian side. Wednesday sees Bodo/Glimt host Inter Milan in its frozen home above the Arctic Circle, while Club Brugge will try to use its own home-field advantage to grab a result against Atletico Madrid.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

The winter transfer window might be over for European teams, but that isn’t stopping the transfer rumors from continuing to fly. We start with Manchester United, as the Red Devils are reportedly eyeing up a move to sign Alexis Mac Allister from Liverpool this summer to help solve some of their midfield struggles. Meanwhile, Brighton and Hove Albion is said to have made another offer to sign promising young winger Said El Lama from FC Koln, despite the German team’s reluctance to sell him. Elsewhere in England, Chelsea and Tottenham are both reportedly interested in signing Bayern Munich center back Kim Min-Jae. Finally, Tom Bogert says St. Louis City is close to signing forward Sergio Cordova on loan from BSC Young Boys.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/2023415011188916575

FA Cup Fifth Round Draw

The draw has been completed for the fifth round of the FA Cup, and it’s thrown up some intriguing matchups. The one that’s grabbed a lot of the headlines is Wrexham hosting Chelsea at the Racecourse Ground after making it to the round of 16 for the first time in 29 years. Newcastle United will host Manchester City in another big clash, while West Ham United will take on a Brentford side that was given a real scare by National League side Macclesfield Town on Monday in a 1-0 win that took an own goal to send the Bees through. League One side Mansfield Town has been given a tortuously tough test in Arsenal, but the lower division outfit does have the benefit of playing the match at home.

Free Kicks

  • Despite being the new away jersey, Orlando City will be wearing the Sunken Treasure kit when it kicks off the season at home on Saturday.
https://twitter.com/OrlandoCitySC/status/2023511311402103093
https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/2023511459079348344

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Start manifesting all three points and a winning start to the season on Saturday, or I’ll send Kingston after you. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Robin Jansson’s Availbility Critical For Orlando City This Season

Orlando City’s lack of center back depth and experience makes Robin Jansson’s availability crucial to the team’s success this season.

Published

1 day ago

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February 16, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City played its final preseason game Saturday night, falling 4-1 to the Colorado Rapids. There were plenty of takeaways from this game, but one stands out above the rest.

Robin Jansson has been a mainstay in the Lions’ starting lineup since arriving at the club in 2019. The Swede was a key component as the club qualified for the MLS Cup playoffs for the first time in 2020 — and every year since. He eventually became vice captain and captain when Mauricio Pereyra’s time in Orlando ended.

Early in his Orlando career, Jansson was quite frustrating for fans. He would inevitably get into altercations with referees resulting in unnecessary yellow cards. The center back was commonly suspended due to yellow card accumulation, making him a potential liability in big games.

However, the 34-year-old has mellowed with age. His ability to keep his calm has made him a much more reliable defender and the obvious choice as Oscar Pareja’s captain when Pereyra departed the club following the 2023 season.

Over the last couple of years, Jansson’s importance to Orlando City has been apparent. Rodrigo Schlegel and David Brekalo were the center back pairing when the captain was missing and his absence was noticeable. While the other options were dependable (most of the time) the back line seemed unstable and disorganized without its leader.

We saw that again on Saturday night.

Jansson is out after undergoing foot surgery earlier this preseason, making Brekalo and Iago the only first-team center backs available with top flight experience. The veteran is expeccted to return later this spring, but Breako and Iago will likely be the starting center backs when the regular season begins Saturday night.

While Brekalo is entering his third season in Orlando, the club signed Iago — a 20-year-old Brazilian — from Flamengo on Feb. 7, making him the club’s newest player.

Just a week after joining his new club, Iago had the most difficult time of all Orlando City defenders against Colorado’s attack. He was beaten twice by Rafael Navarro for goals in the first half, allowing the opposition to take a 2-0 lead into the break.

While the newly signed center back was better in the second half, the pairing still had its troubles. Brekalo got burned by Darren Yapi for the third goal, and the inability of the duo to clear the ball late in the game allowed Lucas Herrington to make it four.

The importance of Jansson is shown not just in his captaincy, but also in the number of games he plays. He’s started at least 30 league games in each of the last three seasons and took part in every MLS contest Orlando City had in 2023. He’s clearly a durable option, but for how much longer?

At 34 years of age, Jansson is past his prime years and might need more time to recover. As a result, Pareja may soon be unable to depend on his captain to play nearly every game.

As we’ve seen over the past few seasons, that could create a significant problem for Orlando City. Regardless of the pairing, the back line has been much weaker when Jansson has not been involved. It’s something that was proven again Saturday night.

This is only one game in a preseason in which the club has produced very little information, so it’s tough to say whether this game is an anomaly or something that should concern fans. But it’s also not like Brekalo and Iago have played much center back.

Brekalo, a 27-year-old Slovenian international, has primarily played left back for the Lions since joining the team two years ago. Despite being a natural center back, only 18 of his 51 starts in all competitions have been in the position. Initially, he was a backup on the bench. Pareja soon preferred Brekalo at left back, resulting in the club trading Rafael Santos to Colorado.

The club signed Adrian Marin from Sporting Braga on Aug. 7, bringing a new left back into the squad. Once acclimating himself to his new home, the Spainard played in the final three games of the regular season. Brekalo started two of those games at center back and was away on international duty for the third. Marin also started Saturday night’s preseason game on the left side of the back line.

Meanwhile, Iago’s lack of experience comes from his age. The 20-year-old came through Flamengo’s academy before joining the first team in 2024. He made 68 appearances for the Brazilian giants’ U-20 and first teams while also captaining Brazil at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

But that experience is minimal compared to the other two center back options. Brekalo has made 65 appearances for Orlando City and played in more professional games for Bravo and Viking. Jansson, on the other hand, has more appearances (237), starts (231), and minutes (20,889) than any player in club history.

While Brekalo and Iago are getting used to regularly playing center back against MLS competition, Jansson has been a regular starter at the position for seven years. That experience allows him to have an unusual knowledge of the league and the opposing attackers in addition to being able to communicate effectively with the rest of his back line.

If Jansson is unable to remain healthy thorughout the coming season or needs more rest than previous years, it could be a problem for the Lions. The team is unlikely to score a large number of goals, making the defensive play essential to Orlando’s success. The captain being out for any period of time is the most troubling scenario.

Orlando City lost multiple starters this off-season, creating questions for the team heading into the season. Some of those include who will start at right back, how will new starting goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau adjust to his new team, and where will the goals come from? But what happens if Jansson is unavailable to play might be the most pressing.

We’ve seen what this back line looks like when the captain is out and it doesn’t look pretty. It’s been a concern over the past few seasons and, judging from the performance Saurday night, is one again this year. Orlando City fans can only hope he’ll be able to be a consistent and healthy part of the team in 2026.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 2/16/26

Lions fall to Rapids in final preseason match, Pride release preseason schedule, MLS transfer news, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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February 16, 2026

By

Image of Orlando City's starting lineup prior to a preseason match vs. Colorado.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers, and happy President’s Day! I hope all is well with you down in Florida over the holiday weekend. I’ve been busy covering high school playoff basketball and hockey over the past week. Orlando City’s home opener is Saturday, and like many of you, I look forward to seeing what the Lions can do during the 2026 MLS season. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Fall to Rapids in Final Preseason Match

In its final preseason match, Orlando City fell 4-1 to the Colorado Rapids Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions trailed 2-0 at halftime before Eduard Atuesta curled his shot around the wall and into the back of the net to make it 2-1 in the second half. The Rapids quickly responded with a goal from Darren Yapi extend their lead to 3-1. Lucas Herrington scored the final goal of the night for Colorado to seal the victory on the road. Orlando City finishes its preseason and the 2026 MLS season will kick off this weekend as the Lions host the Red Bulls on Saturday night.

Orlando Pride Release Preseason Schedule

The Orlando Pride dropped their preseason schedule Friday, and all matches will be closed-door scrimmages. The Pride have one preseason match in the books, a recent scrimmage against the Washington Spirit Friday, the day they dropped their schedule, but they did not provide information about it, as has become the team’s custom. The club shared some photos of the match on social media.

The Pride’s upcoming preseason matches are Friday against Racing Louisville, Sunday against the University of Florida, and March 1 against NJ/NY Gotham FC.

Orlando Pride Announce Preseason Fan Events

The Orlando Pride unveiled the list of events ahead of the 2026 season Saturday. Many of the events offer fans opportunities to engage with the team ahead of the Pride’s home opener on March 15 against the Seattle Reign at Inter&Co Stadium. The first event is Tuesday with Pour Overs With Pride at Qreate Coffee Creative Village, where fans can interact with Simone Jackson and Nicole Payne as baristas. The Pride will reveal their new secondary jersey at The Final Whistle at Thornton Park Pub on Feb. 26. The Pints with Pride event is March 3 with Summer Yates and Cori Dyke as bartenders, and the club’s annual Scarf the City event is March 10.

MLS Transfer News

Minnesota United has signed defender Kyle Duncan. The 28-year-old previously played eight seasons for the New York Red Bulls and is under contract through 2026 with an option through June 2027. FC Dallas has acquired midfielder Joaquin Valiente from Uruguayan top flight club Defensor SC. The 24-year-old Uruguayan international has signed a deal through 2027-2028 with options through the 2029-2030 season. The Houston Dynamo have loaned midfielder Sebastian Rodriguez to CF Monterrey through the 2026 season. Meanwhile, Atlanta United is reportedly finalizing the signing of winger Fafa Picault.

Lastly, Nashville SC is reportedly close to finalizing a deal to acquire wingback Reed Baker-Whiting from the Seattle Sounders.

Americans Abroad

Former Lion Alex Freeman came off the bench and played 12 minutes, but Villarreal fell 2-1 to Getafe. Johnny Cardoso played 63 minutes, but Atletico Madrid fell 3-0 to Rayo Vallecano. Weston McKennie recorded two assists, but Juventus fell 3-2 to rival Inter Milan over the weekend. Timothy Weah played a full 90 minutes as Marseille secured a 2-2 draw against Strasbourg. Patrick Agyemang scored his 10th goal of the season as Derby County defeated Swansea City 2-0 in the EFL Championship. Later today, we’ll have two Americans square off as Aidan Morris and Middlesbrough take on Haji Wright and Coventry City.

Fourth Round FA Cup Recap

The fourth round of the FA Cup has begun. On Friday, Wrexham beat Ipswich Town 1-0 and advanced to the fifth round for the first time since 1997. Chelsea defeated Hull City 4-0. On Saturday, Mansfield Town edged Burnley 2-1 to move on. Former Lion Daryl Dike was on the bench and did not play as West Bromwich Albion fell 3-1 to Norwich City. Manchester City beat Salford City 2-0, and Liverpool defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0. On Sunday, Leeds United needed penalties to beat Birmingham City 4-2 after a 1-1 draw to advancd to the fifth round. Sunderland defeated Oxford United 1-0, Fulham edged Stoke City 2-1, and Arsenal dominated Wigan Athletic 4-0. Later today, Macclesfield FC takes on Brentford.

Free Kicks

  • Former Lion Benji Michel has signed a contract with K-League 1 side Ulsan HD FC in South Korea for the upcoming 2026 season.
  • Former Pride forward Ally Brazier (née Watt) set up the first goal for the Denver Summit in its preseason match Sunday. Former Pride defender Carson Pickett was also in action as the Summit defeated the Utah Royals 2-0.
  • The San Diego Wave are reportedly in negotiations to sign Chelsea midfielder Catarina Macario.

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

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