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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Win Group A

A draw thanks to Mauricio Pereyra was enough to see Orlando City finish at the top of Group A in the MLS is Back Tournament on goal differential.

Published

5 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Mauricio Pereyra’s first goal as a Lion erased a 1-0 deficit and helped Orlando City draw the Philadelphia Union 1-1 in the final Group A match of the MLS is Back Tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Orlando City (2-1-2, 8 points, 2-0-1 in MLS is Back) finishes at the top of Group A by virtue of a slightly better goal differential than the Union (also 2-1-2, 8 points, 2-0-1 in MLS is Back).

Orlando ran its unbeaten streak to three straight (2-0-1) on a night when the Lions weren’t at their best but still did enough to feel they should have taken all three points. Orlando City is 3-4-5 against Philadelphia in league play and 3-5-5 against the Union in all competitions.

“Let me congratulate this group of players that has made a great effort today to bounce back, and even deserve to win it,” Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We had another experience where we were down in the score and we bounced back quickly. That just tells us that the team has personality and desire and that made us feel very confident, playing against a very good team also well-coached, and very dynamic in the middle. We’ll take the point and to qualify as the first of the group is something to be proud of.”

Pareja didn’t have his full arsenal as Dom Dwyer experienced some tightness in his quad and was held out for precautionary reasons. The team instead went with a 4-4-2, moving Nani ostensibly up beside Tesho Akindele, although Nani had the green light to freelance and drop deeper as needed, per usual. Pedro Gallese started in goal behind the preferred back line of Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan. Uri Rosell and Junior Urso joined Pereyra and Chris Mueller in the midfield.

Jim Curtin went with the expected 4-1-2-1-2 (or 4-4-2 diamond) lineup, with Andre Blake in goal; Kai Wagner, Mark McKenzie, Jack Elliott, and Ray Gaddis on the back line; Warren Creavalle — in for the suspended Jose Martinez — Alejandro Bedoya, Jamiro Monteiro, and Brenden Aaronson in the midfield; and Kacper Przybylko and Sergio Santos up top.

Urso had a couple of early opportunities but hit one weakly at Blake and fired the other wide of the left post. The latter was a screamer.

Unfortunately, after a bright start to the match, Urso picked up a knock at a quarter of an hour and left the match. At the time, he was a perfect five-for-five passing with a recovery and an interception in what had been to that point his best play of the tournament. After playing a man down for a few minutes, Sebas Mendez came on to replace him in the 19th minute.

Both teams sent in a few crosses for the next several minutes before Nani finally had a look at goal, but fired right at Blake from outside the area in the 27th minute. Two minutes later, Orlando should have scored. Pereyra found Akindele on the right but the Canadian fired and Blake parried it away. The better play would have been a return pass to Pereyra, who was all alone in front of goal for a tap-in, but it’s hard to fault a striker for having a go from that range when he hasn’t had a good look at goal yet.

Each team squandered a good free kick opportunity, with Nani and Monteiro trading weak bouncers at the keeper. Philadelphia’s best opportunity of the half came just before stoppage time, when Santos was denied by a decent Pedro Gallese save. Santos retrieved the ball and appeared to foul Ruan while doing so but the referee saw nothing wrong and Santos crossed for Aaronson, who should have scored but fired about a foot wide.

The whistle blew on a somewhat unsatisfying half for both teams. Orlando lacked sharpness in the opening 45 minutes. Some of that was due to Philadelphia, but Nani, Mueller, and Ruan were a bit off, and Mendez struggled to get into the game, although he settled in a bit toward the end of the period. Urso’s strong start illustrated the difference between the team before and after his injury.

The Union had more shots (8-5) but Orlando got more on target (4-2). Possession was almost evenly split, with Philly holding a slim edge (50.7%) and the Union passed a bit more crisply (83%-80%).

Philadelphia started the second half on the front foot, getting lots of the ball early. Orlando managed to finally break the pressure and Nani fired well off target in the 49th minute. Just seconds later, Mueller sent Mendez in alone but he went for power rather than a chip over the onrushing Blake or trying to slot it around him and it was saved. Mueller followed but Blake got there just after Mueller did and nothing came of it as the Money Badger tried to finesse around him.

Orlando had several crosses that were just a little bit off in the second half. Moutinho had one in the 60th that only needed a touch from Akindele or Mueller but his pass had too much spice and skipped out in front of both of them. Ruan did the same to Akindele in the 64th in a 2-v-1 situation in front of Blake on what should have been a goal.

Antonio Carlos nearly got his first MLS goal in the 66th as he blasted a header on goal off a corner kick cross. Blake got a touch on the ball and then it crashed off the crossbar.

Two minutes after Carlos nearly opened the scoring, the Union took the lead against the run of play. Philadelphia ended up with numbers on the right side and second-half sub Ilsinho got the ball on the right side. From a severe angle he sent a perfect shot off the inside of the far post and in to make it 1-0 in the 68th minute. The Lions have still scored first only once in 2020.

Philadelphia’s lead didn’t last long. Pereyra sent the ball out wide to the left for Nani, who surveyed the scene in front of goal and sent in a perfect ball back to Pereyra at the near post. The Uruguayan nodded home his first MLS goal to level things in the 70th minute.

“I think we didn’t deserve this goal in our net,” Pereyra said of Ilsinho’s strike. “But after we conceded that goal we started with the same energy that we started the second half and had a good combination. And then, when Nani gets the ball, something different can happen and I went inside the box feeling that this was coming for me, and it was like that, so I’m very happy to score my first goal in Orlando.”

From that point on the teams exchanged a couple of crosses through the box and some near connections but nothing came of it and the match finished at 1-1. There was a late handball scare deep in stoppage as a ball came back at Ruan quickly but the referee blew the final whistle and replays weren’t conclusive.

The Union ended up with more shots (12-10) but took some of those from downtown Orlando. The Lions got more of their efforts on target (7-4). Orlando took over the possession battle, keeping 53.7% of the ball for the game, and the passing got a bit closer, with the Union holding an 83%-82% advantage in accuracy. The Lions created more and seemed to have plenty of opportunities to put two or three in the net but Blake was outstanding when he had to be and a few crosses were hit just a bit too hard or too far in front of the attacking line.

Rosell talked about how the team was able to keep the Union’s big names — Przybylko and Aaronson — mostly quiet on the night.

“Yeah, honestly, before the game, we knew that they were very good players. They know what they were doing, and they had success in the last games. So we really focused on ourselves first, but then keeping an eye on them and and putting the work in,” he said. “At the end, when you are well organized and everybody gives their best and they know their role, things come through.”

Now we wait to see who Orlando will play on Saturday in the Round of 16. It could be Atlanta.

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Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Final Score 3-3 as Lions Squander Lead Twice at Home

The Lions finally had an offensive outburst like they had earlier in the year, but the defense was as leaky as the attack was strong in a wasteful home loss.

Published

1 hour ago

on

May 10, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Orlando City led twice — by two goals in the first half and again by a goal inside the final 10 minutes of normal time, but the Lions couldn’t hold onto either lead in a frustrating 3-3 draw at Inter&Co Stadium. Martin Ojeda fired home Orlando’s first hat trick in a decade, and the first of his professional career, but it wasn’t enough for the Lions (4-2-6, 18 points) to get all three points against the New England Revolution (5-4-2, 17 points) in front of an announced crowd of 18,505 on a rainy night.

Alhassan Yusuf and Matt Polster brought the Revs back from 2-0 down in the final minutes of the first half, and a Carles Gil penalty just moments before the end of normal time allowed the visitors to steal a point in Orlando and deny two more to the Lions’ tally in a game reminiscent of the start of the season.

“I think it was obviously very entertaining for the intensity of the game to people that came to the stadium, but at the end, the frustration is the same.,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “What we left on the field was another two points that we let go in a game that I think we had all (the opportunities) to close it and win it. But this is the game. We’re scoring goals but we conceded too. But I have to say as well that our team was always bringing the initiative. I think we really proposed the game all the time.”

Pareja’s lineup featured Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Cesar Araujo and Joran Gerbet were the central midfielders supporting attacking midfielders Ivan Angulo, Ojeda, and Marco Pasalic, with Luis Muriel up top.

The Lions opened the match as the protagonists of the game, winning the ball and finding spaces to send Angulo down the left or Freeman (surprisingly) down the middle up top. Ojeda, Muriel, and Pasalic facilitated moving the ball and then themselves up the field to join the play. However, once Orlando City built its two-goal lead, there were breakdowns on the defensive end that allowed the visitors to climb back into it before halftime.

Ignatius Ganago got the first sight of goal in the match in the fifth minute, firing shot from the top of the box, but Jansson was there to block it for Orlando.

The first good look for the Lions came four minutest later. Pasalic did well to slip Freeman behind the defense through the right half of the box. Freeman fired a shot that forced a good diving save from Aljaz Ivacic. The goalkeeper could not control the rebound, but the ball was offline for a charging Angulo to finish into the empty net.

That kicked off a good spell for Orlando. Araujo fired a blast from outside the area in the 11th minute, but Ivacic again made a good diving save, sending it out for a corner, but the Lions couldn’t pay off the set piece, as Brekalo got under his header attempt.

New England struggled early to break down Orlando’s defense. Campana fired a shot from outside the area in the 15th minute. The former Inter Miami striker hit it well, but Gallese did well to get to his left and make the save.

A minute later, Pasalic unlocked New England’s defense down the left, sending Angulo down the flank. Angulo picked out Ojeda at the top of the box, but the Argentine blasted his shot over the bar. Pasalic should have opened the scoring four minutes later. In the 20th minute, Muriel nodded a cross in the box down for the Croatian, who had time and space, but opted to hit the shot with power, fizzing it just over the crossbar.

Ojeda earned a corner in the 23rd minute that the Revs cleared but only out to Pasalic, who fired a shot back through. It took a deflection off a defender and went out for a corner. The Lions made the second set piece pay off. Ivacic made a big save on Araujo’s shot and the follow from Gerbet was blocked by the defense. Ojeda picked it up, dribbled toward goal and smashed a shot off the underside of the crossbar and in to make it 1-0 in the 24th minute with his fifth goal of the season — one more than he scored in MLS all of last season and equaling his 2023 output.

Moments after the goal, the Revs won a corner and it was nearly a costly one, with Ganago getting his head to it at the near post. However, the header went wide.

Ojeda doubled the lead in the 33rd minute. Gerbet sent the ball over the top, putting Ojeda in a 1-v-1 with the defense. A second New England defender recovered, but Ojeda did well to pull the ball back and fire it inside the right post to make it 2-0. His sixth of the year was the most he’s scored in a season for Orlando City.

“We’ve watched their film. When we review those opponents, I like to look for the spaces that I can try and find to create an advantage for us in the games,” Ojeda said. “And so, you know that was key tonight, to being able to find those spaces. But also what was key was my teammates finding spaces of their own and creating additional spaces for me in the run of play.”

The two-goal lead lasted only five minutes. After Orlando City ended New England’s long shutout streak, it was only fair for the Revs to return the favor. Ganago ended up with the ball out wide on the left and made a dangerous cross between the back line and Gallese that went through to the right side. Ilay Feingold was first to it, centering for Yusuf to blast home past a helpless Gallese from point-blank range in the 38th minute, halting the shutout streak in MLS play at 488 minutes and 578 minutes in all competitions.

“After the (game was) 2-0, we had low energy for some reason,” Gerbet said. “So like, we conceded two goals, which we shouldn’t. The guy, like, crossed it. He put it back on top of the box. So, like, that’s maybe also my zone. So, I didn’t watch back.”

Buoyed by the goal, New England stayed on the front foot for most of the remainder of the first half. However, it was at the end of the first period when the next chance came, and the Revolution made the most of it. New England earned a late penalty and took it short. The cross went to the back post, where Polster got his head to it and nodded home to make it 2-2 in the 45th minute.

“I think the first two goals that they scored was essentially a lack of concentration on all of our parts,” Ojeda said. “After the 30 minutes that we had played, and we went up two goals, we started to let them hit transitions on our defense, in areas that I myself take charge of. As attackers, we have to make sure that we’re helping out our defenders, that we’re helping out Pedro, and I think in those in those minutes, the we faltered in that.”

Neither side was able to produce a goal in three minutes of injury time and the teams went to the break tied at 2-2.

At the break, the Revs had the advantage in possession (57%-43%) and passing accuracy (85.5%-82.6%). Orlando City finished the first half with more shots (11-6), shots on target (4-3), and corner kicks (3-2).

“One of the games that we took advantage of those spaces that we create,” Pareja said. “And sometimes we create (space) but we don’t use it. But tonight, we created and used it all the game, and especially in that first half.”

Ojeda’s hat trick nearly came in the 47th minute when he took a pass on the left and fired quickly. He would have had the goalkeeper beaten, but Brayan Ceballos made a huge play to stick out a leg and block the shot.

The Lions kept coming. Muriel showed off some excellent skill to round his defender on the left, setting up Ojeda at the near post. Ojeda’s first touch was a shot but he pulled it wide of the left upright in the 48th minute. Seconds later, Brekalo brought the ball up the middle and continued his run. The Lions built the attack well and the ball ended up back on Brekalo’s foot. The defender slipped in and fired a shot that a defender blocked onto the post and out for a corner. Orlando couldn’t make the set piece pay off.

Gerbet took a high boot from Mamadou Fofana in the box moments later. Nothing was initially called, but referee Rubiel Vazquez was sent to the monitor for a second look. The penalty was correctly given.

Ojeda took the spot kick, waited for Ivacic to make his move, and fired down the middle to make it 3-2 in the 55th minute with his seventh goal of the MLS season. The successful penalty moved Ojeda to within one of the golden boot lead.

The goal gave Orlando City its first hat trick since September of 2015, when Cyle Larin netted three times against the New York Red Bulls. It was also Orlando’s first hat trick at home in the club’s MLS era in all competitions, as the previous three took place at New York City FC, at the Red Bulls, and at the Charleston Battery in U.S. Open Cup play — all in 2015.

“I think he came up in a very good moment,” Pareja said of his No. 10. “He was facing some tightness in his body, and we rested him and let him recover. And last game in the Cup game that we played, we started seeing that spark on him again. And today, it was a phenomenal game for Martin. I think he’s showing us all those things that he can do more frequently, but my admiration for such a game that he played today for us, it was great.”

The game stayed somewhoat open after the third goal. The Revolution nearly found a gift in the 62nd minute on a long-range free kick from Gil that was nodded toward goal from the top of the box. Gallese was alert and was able to make the stop.

Orlando should have done better with a chance in the 68th minute that Ojeda set up with an incredible pass to send Muriel in transition. The Colombian took too many touches to try to finesse around Ivacic instead of shooting, and the goalkeeper was able to take the ball right off his foot.

“We should have been lethal when we were (up) 3-2, and we had a few chances just to put the game away, and we let it go,” Pareja said.

Both teams begane making substitutions shortly after that opportunity, and New England’s worked out a bit better than Orlando’s. Ramiro Enrique, in particular, got into good areas but either couldn’t get good contact on his shot or turned the ball over trying to pass to a teammate. A good cross found Enrique on a corner kick in the 76th minute. The Argentine got his head to it and got it on goal, but his downward headed shot was soft enough for Ivacic to get a hand on it to keep it out.

The Lions tried to slow the match down and see out the win, while the Revs tried to push numbers forward. Orlando drew several yellow cards from Vazquez, who had been lenient most of the night both with foul calls and bookings. Still, things seemed to be under control until the 82nd minute. Ganago cut in front of Jansson in the box, while running away from goal on the right. Jansson was trying to play the ball but made light contact with the Revs forward with his foot. Ganago went down and Vazquez immediately pointed to the spot to award the penalty. Unlike the Gerbet play, video assistant referee Daniel Radford did not send Vazquez to the monitor for a second look, despite a lengthy check.

Gil took the spot kick and beat Gallese to score the game’s final goal in the 85th minute.

Orlando had some half chances to find a winner but could not convert. Second-half sub Duncan McGuire fired over the bar in the 87th minute from a shot outside the area. Two minutes later, McGuire got down the right flank and picked out a pass for Enrique in front, but he got well under the ball on his shot and sent it high over the goal and into The Wall. In the 90th minute, Enrique mishit his shot from the top of the box that hit McGuire and went in, but the big striker was offside when the ball found him and the goal was immediately disallowed.

Neither side created much in the 10 minutes of stoppage time. Substitute Rafael Santos was beaten badly by Luis Diaz Espinoza, who fired from outside the area. It was an awkward shot for Gallese, but the Peruvian made the save and his defense was able to clear the rebound in the second minute of injury time.

Orlando came close in the sixth added minute. Pasalic lined up a shot from well outside the area that Ivacic could only fight off. Freeman picked up the rebound on the right side and did well to lift a cross in front for Ojeda. The Argentine came close to a fourth goal, but a defender deflected the shot just wide of the right post. Nothing came of the corner kick and that was it for the good opportunites in the match.

New England finished with the advantage in possession (53.1%-46.9%) and passing accuracy (85.7%-85.2%). Orlando City ended the game with the edge in shots (23-16), shots on target (8-6), and corners (6-3).

“The pain that we have is the game allowed us to kill the game and we let it go on key moments that we have to do better,” Pareja said. “But there is a bunch of positive things. I see a team, probably the way we attacked today and the way we proposed it, this is the team that we want to see.”

“It’s a shame that tonight we we gave up three goals, because we had come in with with five games, six games of clean sheets,” Ojeda said. “And so, it’s a surprise to see three goals (conceded), but we go back into the week to work and to try and fix those errors that cause those goals on our side.”

The Lions are back in action Wednesday night when Charlotte FC visits Inter&Co Stadium.

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Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The recently offensively challenged Lions return home to face a red-hot Revolution side with the best defense in MLS.

Published

12 hours ago

on

May 10, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (4-2-5, 17 points) and the New England Revolution (5-4-1, 16 points) at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). This is the first of the two scheduled meetings between the two MLS Eastern Conference rivals this season with the Lions scheduled to make the return trip to Massachussetts on July 19.

Here’s what you need to know for the match.

History

The Lions are 5-7-7 in the regular-season series against New England and 6-8-7 in all competitions. At home, Orlando City is 4-1-5 against the Revs in the regular season and 5-2-5 in all competitions.

The last meeting between the teams took place on Sept. 14, 2024, with the Lions completing their first-ever sweep of the Revs with a 3-0 win. Rafael Santos, Facundo Torres (from the penalty spot), and Duncan McGuire provided the offense in a dominant performance. The teams previously met on July 13 at Gillette Stadium, where the Lions won for the first time, handing the Revs a 3-1 home loss. Torres’ brace led the way to an Orlando comeback, with Ramiro Enrique also scoring to overturn an early 1-0 deficit provided by Giacomo Vrioni.

The teams met in Orlando on Oct. 7, 2023, with the Lions winning 3-2 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicates. Orlando City clinched second in the Eastern Conference as McGuire and Torres built a 2-0 lead. Pedro Gallese gave up a soft goal from distance to Carles Gil, but Ivan Angulo pulled that one back three minutes later. Gil added a second goal deep in stoppage time to improve the result cosmetically.

New England got the better of the Lions in the previous matchup of the 2023 season, winning 3-1 at Gillette Stadium on June 17. After a scoreless first half, the Revs went up by two with goals from Emmanuel Boateng and Gustavo Bou 18 minutes apart. McGuire pulled one back late, but Gil scored the dagger five minutes later.

These teams met at Exploria Stadium on Aug. 6, 2022, and the previously struggling Revolution whipped Orlando City, 3-0. New England got goals from unlikely sources, as central midfielders Matt Polster and Wilfrid Kaptoum and center back Henry Kessler provided the offense. The teams met at Gillette Stadium on June 15 of that year, and the Revs went ahead on a Gil goal, but the Lions pulled that back with a Robin Jansson strike en route to a 1-1 road draw.

New England went unbeaten in the 2021 season series. The teams played to a 2-2 draw at Exploria Stadium on Oct. 24, 2021. The Lions built a 2-0 lead through goals by Nani and Daryl Dike, but two late Adam Buksa goals allowed the Revs to steal a point. The teams met at Gillette Stadium just over a month prior to that draw in Orlando, with Nani’s missed penalty a costly one in a 2-1 Revs home win. The Revolution jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a goal by Buksa and an own goal off of Rodrigo Schlegel, in which the referee was quite lenient with Buksa’s treatment of the Orlando defender in the lead-up to Tajon Buchanan’s cross. Dike pulled one back for the Lions and later won a penalty, but Nani’s attempt to go down the middle was read at the last second by Matt Turner, who got his shoulder to it to preserve the lead.

The Revolution ended the Lions’ season at Exploria Stadium in the 2020 playoffs, knocking Orlando City out of MLS Cup contention in the conference semifinal round on Nov. 29, 2020. That 3-1 win by the Revs was the first road win for either side in the series in any competition. Gil put the Revs up early from the penalty spot after a call against Uri Rosell, and Bou doubled the lead eight minutes later, finishing a play that started with a Nani turnover. Junior Urso pulled a goal back before the halftime whistle, but Mauricio Pereyra was sent off for a studs-up challenge on Polster at the hour mark. Still, Nani had a chance to equalize from the spot, but a poor penalty was saved by Turner. Bou added a late insurance goal.

In the final year of the pre-pandemic times, the Revs went 1-0-1 in the season series. The Lions and Revolution met at Exploria Stadium on Sept. 14, 2019, with Orlando overcoming a Tesho Akindele own goal and two deficits — the second by two goals — and rallying for a 3-3 draw. Shortly after Akindele’s own goal opened the scoring, Nani tied things up. Cristian Penilla and Bou scored goals five minutes apart just before halftime to seemingly give the visitors control. But Dom Dwyer pulled one back after the restart and Nani tied it up.

The teams also met at Gillette Stadium in 2019 on July 27, and the Revs put the Lions on full blast, 4-1. Bou scored within the first two minutes of the game, and the Revolution got goals from Penilla, Gil, and Diego Fagundez. Akindele scored to avoid the shutout.

The teams also met at Exploria Stadium in U.S. Open Cup action that year on June 19, with the Lions scoring twice in a 30-minute extra time session and holding on for a 2-1 victory. Benji Michel and Akindele staked Orlando to a 2-0 lead before Justin Rennicks pulled one back off a Gil back-post cross. City was able to see the game out.

The last meeting of 2018 saw the Revs top a depleted Orlando side, 2-0 in Gillette Stadium on Oct. 13. In the first matchup of 2018, the teams combined for six goals in a 3-3 draw at Orlando City Stadium on Aug. 4.

Orlando City and New England split the season series in 2017. City completed a 6-1 demolition of 10-man New England at home Sept. 27, 2017. New England won at Gillette Stadium that year by a 4-0 count.

The Lions went 1-0-2 in the series in 2016, winning 3-1 at home on July 31. The teams played a controversial 2-2 draw in Orlando on April 17, 2016. The second 2016 meeting reached the same final score on April 30 in New England.

The teams met twice in 2015, with Orlando City rallying from a 2-0 deficit in the final 17 minutes to draw 2-2 at the Citrus Bowl in April. The Sept. 5 rematch at Gillette Stadium didn’t go as well, with New England taking a 3-0 win. Fagundez, Agudelo and Chris Tierney scored for the Revolution.

Overview

Orlando City is coming off its fourth scoreless draw in five matches. The 0-0 result at Chicago was a hard pill to swallow, as the Lions were up a man for more than half the match. While the lineup hasn’t exactly been the same for all of the recent scoreless draws, the common denominator is that midfielder Eduard Atuesta has missed time. He had tightness the first time but shortly after returning to the lineup for Orlando’s 3-0 win over Atlanta United, he sustained a neck injury in training and was listed as out again tonight on the club’s availability report.

The Lions are unbeaten in eight games (3-0-5), but a lack of offense has cost them two points four times during that run, as 0-0 draws could easily have become 1-0 (or better) wins with more lethal finishing. Orlando City has shut out five consecutive MLS opponents and a heavily rotated side also blanked the Tampa Bay Rowdies in St. Petersburg 5-0 on Wednesday for a sixth straight shutout in all competitions.

The Revolution are ninth in the Eastern Conference and sit just one point behind Orlando City. New England may be the league’s hottest team, arriving in Central Florida riding a four-game winning streak in the league without allowing a goal in that span, as well as a five-match winning streak in all competitions after Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup road victory over Rhode Island SC. Goals won’t be easy to come by, as the Revs boast the league’s best defense, allowing just seven goals in 10 matches this season. The team’s weak spot has been offense, with just nine goals to New England’s credit in 2025 — the third fewest in the Eastern Conference. However, the Revs have scored six of those goals during this four-game run, which has been sparked by a formation change to a 5-3-2, with the wingbacks pushing up while in possession.

Having any success against New England usually demands that the opposition keeps tabs on Gil, one of the league’s most lethal playmakers and a guy who can score goals of his own as well. Gil has five goals and an assist for six goal contributions — two-thirds of those the Revolution have scored this season. Leo Campana has two of the other three goals after arriving in New England via trade from Inter Miami.

“New England is a team that we have seen in the last four or five games that has changed their structures,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “We have seen noticeable changes from the way they played before in the first part of the season. But a reference of the players that we also know. So, we’re trying to be prepared for it.”

Orlando City will be without Atuesta (neck), Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), and Yutaro Tsukada (knee), while Joran Gerbet (lower leg) and Favian Loyola (thigh) are questionable. New England will be without Malcolm Fry (leg), while Tomás Chancalay (groin) and Luca Langoni (quad) are questionable.

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Alex Freeman.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Cesar Araujo, Joran Gerbet, Marco Pasalic.

Forwards: Luis Muriel, Martin Ojeda.

Bench: Javier Otero, Rafael Santos, Kyle Smith, Colin Guske, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Gustavo Caraballo, Justin Ellis, Ramiro Enrique, Duncan McGuire.

New England Revolution (5-3-2)

Goalkeeper: Aljaz Ivacic.

Defenders/Wingbacks: Peyton Miller, Mamadou Fofana, Brayan Ceballos, Tanner Beason, Ilay Feingold.

Midfielders: Matt Polster, Carles Gil, Alhassan Yusuf.

Forwards: Leo Campana, Ignatius Ganago.

Bench: Alex Bono, Brandon Bye, Wyatt Omsberg, Will Sands, Keegan Hughes, Luis Diaz Espinoza, Jackson Yueill, Cristiano Oliveira, Maxi Urruti.

Referees

Ref: Rubiel Vazquez.
AR1: Cory Richardson.
AR2: Rhett Hammil.
4th: Elton Garcia.
VAR: Daniel Radford.
AVAR: Jonathan Johnson.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30p.m. ET.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

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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Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New England Revolution

Get to know this year’s New England Revolution team courtesy of someone who knows them best.

Published

2 days ago

on

May 9, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City remembered how to score on Wednesday night, as the Lions put five goals past the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the U.S. Open Cup. OCSC will try to carry that sort of offensive performance over to league play Saturday, when the New England Revolution come to town.

A match against the Revs means I caught up with Jake Catanese, one of the writers over at The Blazing Musket. As always, he was extremely helpful in bringing us up to speed on what this year’s version of the Revolution looks like.

Talk me through the Revolution’s off-season transfer business. Who are some of the new names to know?

Jake Catanese: Okay, so some of the new faces are from the end of last year: winger Luca Langoni and midfielder Alhassan Yusuf were both acquired back in August. Yusuf is a Nigerian international and has cemented himself in the lineup as one of the holding midfielders, and Langoni had a great spell at the end of the last year but was dropped to make room for the Revs’ newfangled 5-3-2 wingback setup — more on that in a bit. Also, Tomas Chancalay isn’t a new face but is fresh off the season-ending injury list from an ACL injury last May and is working his way back up to full fitness, and both he and Langoni started the USOC win against Rhode Island (Wednesday) along with MLS veterans Maxi Urruti and Jackson Yueill, who were picked up this off-season.

The big off-season stuff happened up front, with the Revs making a record GAM trade with Miami for Leo Campana and making an interesting short-term loan for Ligue 1’s Ignatius Ganago out of Nantes. In the Revs’ 4-2-3-1 setup to start the year, it was Campana as a lone striker and Ganago in what I’ll call the “Gustavo Bou” winger/striker role, but both have moved up top with the formation change and it’s been fairly successful. Campana did miss a month with a hamstring injury, which did not help the Revs early on, but the strike partnership is starting to blossom with productivity.

The Revs have been the best defensive team in the entire league, with just seven goals conceded in 10 games. What’s been the secret sauce there?

JC: To finish the rest of the question above, the Revs absolutely hit a massive home run with two new center backs in the off-season. Malian international Mamadou Fofana (age 27) and Colombian Brayan Ceballos (age 23) entered the starting lineup together and basically have been there ever since, and they’ve been tremendous. Ceballos got a Team of the Week nod on debut in Week 1 against Nashville and has been a solid aerial presence, which is something the Revs have struggled with in recent years. Fofana is tremendous on the ball and he’s passing at a 90% clip with an over 50% clip on long balls, as well with several deeper, line-breaking passes that have opened up the defense.

League veteran Tanner Beason was added as the third center back to go with Homegrown Peyton Miller and Israeli youngster Ilay Feingold as the wingbacks/fullbacks, and the Revs have pulled off effectively changing over their entire back line in one off-season, which, given the success this group is having, is rather unheard of. Combine that with keeper Aljaz Ivacic having a top season and his back line blocking a lot of shots for him as well, the Revs have a foundation that looks set for many years to come unless some big transfer offers come in.

The opposite side of that coin is the fact that New England has scored the third-fewest goals in the league with nine in 10 games. The Revs have come on stronger in recent weeks though, with six tallies in their last five matches. What’s changed for the Revs that has allowed the goals to start going in a little easier?

JC: Let me explain…no, there is too much, let me sum up. The Revs in a 4-2-3-1 to start the year were horrific. Campana’s injury didn’t help, but they weren’t moving the ball effectively up field to the attacking group, and turnovers often caught the fullbacks too high as well — almost a carbon copy of 2024, when the Revs were second to last in the East and more or less were to start this year as well. The solution was to drop the struggling Langoni and add a third center back and put Ganago into a second striker role, which on paper I had a lot of doubts about. However, Carles Gil is still a magician and the Revs did solve a major problem with the formation switch.

Having the wingbacks allows one of them to get forward without exposing the defense, so New England is able to switch the point of attack easier and not compromise their center back duo, because Beason is there to help put out any fires. Now the Revs get their width and deep support from the wingback spot and are able to use Miller and Feingold more effectively and confidently going forward, because they have enough strength in the back of the formation. It also helps that the two wingbacks have been really good with high passing numbers despite not registering any official assists yet. Feingold essentially had the assist on the Revs’ opener in Toronto last weekend, but his very dangerous initial cross into the box was half-cleared only to have Gil volley it top bins from the top of the box. Feingold isn’t the pure speedster Miller is, but as a duo they complement each other very well and bring back a 1-v-1 element the Revs really haven’t had since Tajon Buchanan.

Now, do I still think that Caleb Porter’s possession system is too slow and hampers the offense? Yes. Do I think the Revs should counterattack a lot more than they do currently? Also yes. Their two goals against Toronto were very direct — a turnover sent out wide to Feingold set up Gil and then a semi-broken play leading to a long through ball to Campana. I think this is when the Revs are at their most dangerous, because they generally have opponents on their back foot and not in an established and/or set back line. But they are improving and against Toronto were generating better chances and doing so more frequently. And despite their win streak, big chances have been a rarity so far this year. If New England is able to consistently counter and create chances inside the box, the defense is going to carry them very far and you will see this team protecting a lot of leads.

Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting XI and score prediction?

JC: No suspensions to talk about, and most of the longterm injuries are off the board as well with Chancalay and Campana back in action. Andrew Farrell and Wyatt Omsberg were listed as questionable last week, but Farrell started in the midweek Open Cup game and Omsberg was on the bench and subbed on for the final 15 minutes. Youngster Malcolm Fry is likely the only person that will still be listed as out come gameday.

5-3-2: Aljaz Ivacic; Peyton Miller, Mamadou Fofana, Brayan Ceballos, Tanner Beason, Ilay Feingold; Alhassan Yusuf, Matt Polster, Carles Gil; Ignatius Ganago, Leonardo Campana.

Same lineup as last week in Toronto — the midfield triangle sees Carles Gil work his magic as the roaming No. 10, so you might see the wingbacks listed with the holding mids in a 3-4-1-2 looking thing. The running joke with the PawedCast demands I predict a 2-2 draw, but given the defensive stinginess of these two teams in the last month or so, I find it highly unlikely this game will have four goals in it…which is exactly why it will happen. We’ll add another to Carles’ tally and I think Mr. Ganago is due for another one. He’s been robbed a few too many times this year.

Thank you to Jake for the excellent primer on this year’s Revolution team. Vamos Orlando!



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