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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Inter Miami CF: Final Score 3-2 as Herons Get First Win vs. Sloppy Lions

OCSC played like the team with the long layoff and got punished in Round 2 of Tropic Thunder.

Published

6 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Nani’s goal in the 80th minute gave Orlando City a shot, but the Lions couldn’t find an equalizer after falling behind by multiple goals for the first time all season. Round 2 of Tropic Thunder went to Inter Miami, 3-2 at Inter Miami CF Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

It was the first gameday road trip under the new MLS pandemic travel rules for Orlando City (2-2-2, 8 points), and the Lions lacked sharpness in allowing two early first-half goals to Julian Carranza and an early second-half goal to Rodolfo Pizarro, giving Miami (1-5-0, 3 points) its first MLS win. It snapped a three-match league unbeaten streak (2-0-1) for the Lions, with all of those coming in the bubble, and knotted the season series between the two teams at one apiece. Hey, at least rookie Daryl Dike scored a goal (and added a hockey assist) in his first professional start.

After the match Head Coach Oscar Pareja said the Lions, as a group, were not sharp enough in their defensive third and promised the team will get back on track.

“We should defend those crosses better, obviously,” Pareja said of one of his biggest criticisms of the team’s performance. “

Pareja went mostly with his preferred MLS is Back Tournament lineup with two notable exceptions. Dike got his first MLS start up top in the striker position in place of Tesho Akindele (who was, himself, taking Dom Dwyer’s spot). Chris Mueller started on the bench rather than the right wing, with Junior Urso filling in. Aside from that, it was the usual suspects: Pedro Gallese in goal; Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan on the back line; Sebas Mendez and Uri Rosell in the holding midfield; and Nani and Mauricio Pereyra on the attacking midfield line with Urso.

“There’s many games coming and we come in also from a difficult tournament,” Pareja said about his decision to start Dike and Urso in place of Akindele and Mueller. “Unfortunately, I have to say as well that we didn’t feel comfortable. And there was minutes in the game where we wanted to have the ball, but we couldn’t occupy the space defensively. That creates a gap there that Miami took advantage.”

The Lions came out looking like the team with the longer layoff. There was a noticeable lack of sharpness in the midfield with passes either offline or a tad late and getting deflected, leading to Miami turning them over and getting forward. Miami’s first goal came just 12 minutes in, when Mendez tried a fancy back-heel pass in the midfield and picked out Miami’s Pizarro instead of his own teammate. Pizarro held the ball and then released Carranza, who beat Gallese with a hard shot from in close to make it 1-0.

Carranza got another opportunity two minutes later but Jansson made an important block to keep it a one-goal game. Lewis Morgan sent a couple of dangerous crosses through the area as Miami kept pressing forward.

The Lions struck back in the 18th minute. Dike made a nice spin move to beat Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, got down the right and sent a cannon shot that Luis Robles fought off. Dike was the first to react and had a second effort blocked, then he spun around, reset, and sent a shot off Andrés Reyes and past Robles for his first MLS goal, making it a 1-1 game.

“It felt phenomenal,” Dike said of scoring his first MLS goal. “I mean throughout the season, through our preseason, throughout my entire life, you know we’ve always worked super hard. Everyone around me has worked super hard with me to have moments like these.”

The game didn’t stay tied long. Ben Sweat sent a cross into the area in the 23rd minute and it looked like Jansson had it covered. But he either didn’t get enough air or jumped a split second early, allowing Carranza to get onto it and head it back across the face of goal and inside the back post to make it 2-1.

The Lions were better after the hydration break but didn’t create a lot on the offensive end. Without Mueller in the game, Ruan had nobody but defensive midfielders to play off of, as Mauricio Pereyra and Nani dropped deeper to get on the ball. Ruan did make a decent cross in the 44th minute, but Miami got a piece of it and Moutinho got under his volley attempt, sending it high into the Fort Lauderdale night.

Both teams had six shot attempts in the opening half but Miami got more on target (3-2). Orlando City held 63.2% of the ball but it was largely unproductive possession as they Lions continuously allowed themselves to get squeezed once they got to midfield. The Lions were the better passing team (88%-82%) but it was Orlando turnovers that gave Miami its chances.

Unfortunately, Miami added to its lead just moments after the restart. The Lions fell asleep defensively, leaving both Pizarro and Matias Pellegrini all alone on the left side of the penalty area. A simple ball in from Miami’s right side was deflected on and fell to the last guy Orlando wanted to see get onto it. Pizarro had only to pick out his spot to make it 3-1 in the 49th minute.

“With that third goal coming out of nowhere, it hurt us,” Pareja said.

Pizarro nearly put the match out of reach a minute later on a 1-v-1 opportunity with Antonio Carlos but he sent a shot off the far post.

Orlando dodged another bullet in the 55th minute when Rosell blocked a Pizarro cross intended for Victor Ulloa, who was all alone in front of goal, as the Lions continued to look a bit confused defensively.

The Lions then started to claw back into the match, settling down and getting the ball through Miami’s low block and into dangerous areas, working from outside in. Pareja said substituting Mueller on for Urso helped the team start creating more chances and using the wider spaces better against Miami’s low defensive block.

Ruan sent in a good cross in the 56th but Nani couldn’t quite get across the front of his defender to put a head on it. Then Nani sent a good ball through the area in the 60th that Dike tried to flick toward goal but he couldn’t pick it out of the air. Dike then nearly got in alone in the 61st, but Reyes made a vital last-ditch tackle.

Moutinho fizzed a dangerous ball just a bit too far out in front of second-half sub Mueller in the 68th minute. Mueller had a shot blocked a minute later, as the Lions continued to try to find a lifeline in the match.

Mueller nearly got that lifeline in the 74th minute. Akindele, who had only come on a few minutes earlier, sent a good cross through the six and Mueller made a sliding lunge at it but the ball hit Robles and stayed out.

Orlando finally pulled within striking distance in the 80th. Dike took a pass from Ruan in the box on the right side but was walled off by Gonzalez Pirez. Rather than force a bad shot or try to do too much, the rookie made a heads-up play to lay it off for Mueller, who sent a cross to the back post. This time Nani timed it well and got in behind his man, heading home to make it 3-2.

Orlando City kept fighting to find an equalizer. Nani fought off a blatant hold by Dylan Nealis in the 83rd minute and fired a shot right at Robles. He may have been better served getting the free kick at the left side of the box, but that’s easy to say after the shot.

The clock wound down and the final good opportunity came in the 91st minute. Nani sent a deceptive shot toward goal from the right that caught the crossbar and bounced over. The Lions appealed for a corner, but the referee ruled that Robles didn’t get a touch. Moments later, the match was over and Miami had its first win.

Orlando out-shot Inter Miami 12-11 (5-4 on target) for the game, out-possessed the hosts (64.6%), and was the more accurate passing side (88%-78%), but it was the Herons claiming the points in their first ever home game.

The Lions had ample opportunities to score but the difference in the game was some poor passing early in the game and a lack of defensive sharpness at the start of the second half.

On the other hand, this was easily Dike’s best performance of his young career, although the decision to start Urso ahead of Mueller didn’t work out quite as well.

The Lions will try to bounce back Wednesday night at home at 7:30 p.m. in their first-ever meeting with Nashville SC.

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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

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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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