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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Final Score 4-1 as Lions Flatten Five Stripes

The goals returned, as four different Lions scored for Orlando City.

Published

6 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

After four matches without a win (0-1-3), the goals finally returned in buckets to Orlando as the Lions thumped Atlanta United, 4-1 at Exploria Stadium. Daryl Dike, Chris Mueller, Tesho Akindele, and Matheus Aias — his first in MLS — scored the goals, with the Lions (9-3-8, 35 points) finishing an unbeaten four-game set against Atlanta (5-12-4, 19 points) for the 2020 season.

Orlando won twice and drew twice without a loss across the four meetings. Tonight’s win was Orlando’s first at home against the Five Stripes, improving to 1-4-1 at home in the all-time series.

“It’s certainly a game that means a lot for our franchise,” Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “First, beating Atlanta, but secondly to see the boys performing so well as a group. Tonight the urgency for us to win those three points [was] big.”

Pareja’s lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Kamal Miller, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan. The midfield featured Nani, Joey DeZart, Junior Urso, and Mueller behind an attacking duo of Akindele and Dike. Neither Uri Rosell — who came off the MLS Injury Report — nor Mauricio Pereyra were on the bench.

Orlando City started the match looking sluggish and indecisive, turning the ball over needlessly and failing to recognize where teammates were going. It was a curious start to the match, but the Lions eventually settled in.

Before that could happen, Atlanta fashioned a few good opportunities, including some early set pieces. Gallese made a diving stop in the third minute on a free kick shot by Ezequiel Barco. Then Barco got free on a counter created by an Orlando turnover in the 13th and was wide open but hit a soft shot right at Gallese.

Fernando Meza headed over the goal on a corner kick in the 16th minute as Atlanta continued to get the game’s only shots. Three minutes later, Jurgen Damm cut in from right to left and curled a shot just inches wide of the far post.

Pareja said that the team was set up tonight to allow Atlanta time on the ball so the Lions could find opportunities to get behind on the counter.

“We knew that with the formation that we had today, it was more planning to be a team who can counter,” Pareja said. “And today the initiative for us to have the ball, it was not as consistent as we’re used to. The boys absorbed that pressure when Atlanta came to us and had possession and started just getting some chances, but we knew that they were going to give us opportunities in the space that was behind them. And that was exactly what happened in the first half.”

Orlando City finally got a shot off in the 23rd minute when Akindele hit Dike in stride. The shot deflected wide off a defender but the referee didn’t see the deflection and awarded a goal kick.

The Lions finally broke through in the 29th minute. Ruan cut in from the right and made a great pass to set up Dike in the middle. The rookie turned brilliantly away from pressure to free himself and fired home his sixth goal of the season.

“Today we might have focused a little bit harder in front of the goal, and you know, dealt with some of those chances better,” Dike said. “I think that’s something that we’ve been kind of stressing — that we need to take advantage of all the chances that we create because I mean every single game we’re creating these chances, and now we just need to start finding the back of the net, which, luckily tonight it was something that was falling for us.”

Orlando nearly doubled the lead two minutes later. Atlanta gifted the Lions a corner kick with an awful back pass for Brad Guzan that was well off target. The ball fell at Urso’s feet and he fired just wide of the far post in the 31st minute.

Dike sliced through seemingly the entire Atlanta defense moments later, then fed Akindele for an apparent goal, but the referee blew the whistle and called an agonizingly soft foul on the rookie striker, who did very little wrong. The Lions were flying at that point. Nani had a shot blocked soon after that from the top of the area and then fizzed a pass to Akindele in the 37th. Tesho fired but had his shot well saved by a diving Guzan.

The final action of the half produced the second goal. Mueller was fouled by Laurence Wyke to set up a free kick in stoppage time. Cash took the free kick himself, beat the wall and buried a brilliant shot inside the near post to make it 2-0. It was his team-leading ninth goal of the year.

“It kind of gave us the momentum to continue our play into the second half,” Dike said of Mueller’s goal. “Obviously, phenomenal goal as it was, it lifted the team. I think sometimes maybe we’ve fallen a little bit asleep after our first [goal] but I think today we did a really good job of keeping the momentum going.”

That was it for the opening period. Orlando was out-shot 11-7 in the first half, but the Lions had a 3-2 edge in shots on target. Atlanta had more corners (3-1) and more possession (55.1%-44.9%), and both teams were accurate with 88% of their passes in the first half.

The Five Stripes tried to jump on Orlando quickly after the break but couldn’t muster much in the final third aside from some shots off target from distance. It took Orlando about seven minutes to settle in again and start to get chances in transition. Urso fired wide in the 51st after the Lions cleared a corner kick opportunity and a minute later Ruan nearly picked out Dike in front with a chipped cross.

The lead bulged to 3-0 in the 60th minute when Dike found Akindele in front and with his last involvement of the match the Canadian beat Guzan before subbing off for Andres Perea.

Orlando kept turning around the Atlanta attack and getting chances. Substitute Benji Michel fired on target from a tight angle, but Guzan made the save in the 67th minute. Four minutes later, Michel fed Perea for what should have been a goal but the 19-year-old Colombian sprayed his shot just wide of the far post.

Aias entered the match in the 79th minute for Dike, and Alexander Alvarado made his MLS/Orlando City debut at the same time, coming on for Mueller. Both newcomers played a role in the Lions’ final goal of the night.

However, Atlanta pulled one back before that happened. Marcelino Moreno was able to find Cubo Torres on a corner kick cross in the 87th minute. Torres got inside of Miller and Jansson couldn’t quite get up high enough to prevent the cross from finding its target. Torres’ header went off of Gallese from point-blank range and into the net to make it 3-1.

But Orlando had the last laugh. Alvarado was fouled by Mohammed Adams in the 91st minute just outside the Atlanta penalty area. Mendez fired a shot with the ensuing free kick and it hit an Atlanta defender, bounced off of Aias and trickled in behind Guzan, who was left leaning the wrong way. Aias’ goal was his first in MLS in only his second appearance and in about his 12th or so minute of play, although he knew little about it.

“It’s been a little over three months since I last really played and got a lot of minutes,” Aias said through an interpreter. “It was a great goal because I haven’t scored in a while. It’s my girl’s birthday, so to be able to do that today, it was just a great win for a team that’s working really hard and we’re happy to get the win here at home.”

The Lions ended up out-shooting Atlanta, 15-14 (6-3 on goal). Atlanta won more corners (9-2) and held more possession for the game (54.4%-45.6%). Both teams passed at an 89% rate.

City now has three matches left in the regular season. Orlando cannot win the Supporters’ Shield, because even winning out would only get the Lions even on points with Philadelphia. The first tiebreaker is wins and the best Orlando can do is win 12, while Philly has already amassed 13.

But tonight’s win was a much-needed step toward finishing in the top four and getting a home playoff game. City pulled level with Columbus on points but the Crew have one more win, setting up a huge match next Wednesday in Orlando. New York City lurks just two points behind the Lions with Orlando holding an extra game in hand.

Orlando City’s next match will be Sunday at Red Bull Arena when the Lions visit the Montreal Impact in their temporary home at 7:30 p.m.

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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

9 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

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Joran Gerbet, Eduard Atuesta, Justin Ellis.

Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Daryl Dike.

Bench: Javier Otero, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Tiago, Marco Pasalic, Martin Ojeda, Tyrese Spicer.

San Diego FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: C.J. dos Santos.

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

Midfielders: Gabriel Pirani, Anibal Godoy, Alejandro Alvarado.

Forwards: Elias Achouri, Onni Valakari, Anders Dreyer.

Bench: Duran Ferree, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Christopher McVey, Bryan Zamble, David Vazquez, Ian Pilcher, Alex Mighten, Bryce Duke, Amahl Pellegrino.

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

on

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

2 days ago

on

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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