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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.

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4 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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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Five Takeaways

Here is what we learned from a 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Union.

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13 hours ago

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February 23, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City started its 11th Major League Soccer season by hosting the new-look Philadelphia Union in front of a sea of purple fans at Inter&Co Stadium Saturday night. After a quick start to the match, the Lions started the second half in a disastrous fashion, which ultimately proved too much to overcome and resulted in a 4-2 loss to the Union. What follows are my first takeaways from a season opener that I am already happy is in the rearview mirror.

Pasalic Shines in Debut

It was only one game, but new Designated Player Marco Pasalic did his best to alleviate any concerns that he would be able to take over for the departed Facundo Torres at right wing. Pasalic fired his first shot attempt in less than a minute on his debut, firing just wide with his weaker right foot. He then became the fastest Lion to score on his debut and the first Orlando City player to score in the first half of his debut since Daryl Dike when he blasted a shot past Andre Blake with his favorite left foot in the eighth minute. Pasalic led Orlando in shots (6) and shots on target (4) Saturday night, including his second goal of the night in the 79th minute, finishing his own rebound of a shot off the left post. It’s too soon to say definitively whether Pasalic can fully adapt to MLS after coming over from the Croatian league, but for the time being at least, he looks the part.

A Horrendous Second Half Start

Before much of the Orlando City faithful made their way back from the bathrooms and concession stands, the Lions found themselves down a goal and staring at a 2-1 deficit. Rafael Santos fell asleep only for a moment, but it was enough to start the avalanche. Daniel Gazdag blew past him and it took the Brazilian a second to see the danger. Quinn Sullivan delivered a brilliant back-post ball and the Lions were behind early in the second half. Things got worse three minutes later when a poorly delivered — and taken — back pass (more on that below) led to a third goal. The Union added a fourth before the bleeding stopped. The Lions had allowed the equalizer in the first half off an Ivan Angulo turnover in their own defensive third. The three second-half goals conceded were likewise more to do with awful mistakes than brilliant play by the Union. Orlando allowed only four shots on target and all of them went in.

Jansson’s Absence Tests Depth

Captain Robin Jansson was a late scratch after experiencing tightness during the pregame warmups. The back line’s depth was immediately called into action as David Brekalo was inserted into the starting lineup next to Rodrigo Schlegel and Homegrown center back Thomas Williams was added to the bench. Due to a knock, Brekalo saw sparse minutes in the preseason and was not part of Head Coach Oscar Pareja’s dress rehearsal lineup on Valentine’s Day against Inter Miami. When Brekalo plays in place of Jansson, Oscar Pareja moves Schlegel to the left center back position, which is not his normal side, as both center backs are right-footed. The chemistry was a bit off between the center backs, as shown on the third Union goal. Brekalo’s back pass was a little off line and Schlegel didn’t read it well, sticking out a foot to stop it, falling off balance, and taking a heavy touch that Mikael Uhre was able to reach first for an easy goal that essentially put the match away. Brekalo also tangled with an opponent and fell on the play that became the fourth Philadelphia goal.

Freeman Provides a Spark

Alex Freeman was inserted for Dagur Dan Thorhallson during the first round of second-half substitutions with the Lions facing a hefty deficit. He showcased a lot of potential with the Lions chasing the scoreboard. A few minutes after entering the game, he nearly found the back of the net with a strong header from a tight angle that caught the crossbar. In the 77th minute, he made a good play at the end line to get by the Union defense and pick out Angulo, who blew the opportunity with a poor shot that could have gotten Orlando back in the game earlier. Defensively, Freeman seemed to do well in space and had success on the right flank, however, as the Union were not in attack mode with a big lead on the road, one should take the Homegrown fullback’s defensive effort with a grain of salt. It was an encouraging performance by Freeman, and he looks like a capable substitute with some strong upside who will see more minutes in 2025. 

History Made (Mostly in the Wrong Ways)

Orlando City entered 2025 having never lost an opening day match. While most of the first 10 openers were draws (3-0-7), it was still an amazing accomplishment, as even the worst teams over the years had been able to get a result on opening day. All good things must come to an end, however, and that run is over. The Lions also conceded more goals than in any previous opener. On the bright side, no player for Orlando had ever scored more than one goal in an opener, so Pasalic set a new opening day standard in that category.

Those are our five takeaways from the opener. What moments stood out to you from the loss to the Union? Let us know in the comments below and as always, vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Final Score 4-2 as Disastrous Second Half Dooms Lions to First Opening-Day Loss

The Lions generously handed out goals to the visiting Union after halftime to flame out spectacularly on opening night.

Published

1 day ago

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February 22, 2025

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The Lions took an early lead but made several costly mistakes in the second half in a 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Union (1-0-0, 3 points) on opening night in front of 22,689 fans at Inter&Co Stadium. It was the first time Orlando City (0-1-0, 0 points) has lost an opening match since joining MLS (3-1-7).

Marco Pasalic scored a brace on his Orlando City and MLS debut, putting the Lions up early. Philadelphia equalized through Tai Baribo before halftime off an Ivan Angulo turnover in the defensive third and took complete control on a series of disastrous plays in the first 20 minutes of the second half. Pasalic added a late second goal to make the score line look a little less horrible. Daniel Gazdag, Baribo, and Mikael Uhre all scored in the second half for the visitors.

Orlando City had a four-game unbeaten run (3-0-1) against the Union snapped and conceded the most goals on opening day in the club’s MLS history.

“It was a beautiful night today with people in the stands, and that increased the disappointment that we have on not getting the result and not (having) the performance we wanted to,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I think Philadelphia was sharper than us, especially in the two boxes. When they had the chances they were lethal. We made mistakes that we could avoid on this level, but we take it as a part of the game also. A game that, for an instant, showed glimpses of things that we want and made us feel optimistic.”

Pareja’s starting lineup was nearly identical to the one he used against Inter Miami in the final preseason match eight days ago, with Pedro Gallese starting in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Rodrigo Schlegel, David Brekalo — a surprise starter after Robin Jansson picked up a knock in warmups — and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Pasalic with Ramiro Enrique up top.

Orlando City played mostly a well-organized game, but individual mistakes were costly, particularly at the defensive end. Those could have been mitigated had the Lions not hit the woodwork a few times and miss a point-blank chance, but in the end, the first 20 minutes of the second half were decisive.

The Lions didn’t take long to fashion the game’s first chance, with good movement down the left leading to a chance for Pasalic on the left side of the box. He took the shot with his weaker right foot but didn’t miss the left post by much, sending his shot just wide in the first minute.

Orlando won a corner five minutes later and Ojeda’s service found Brekalo in the box, but the defender’s header was blocked in front in the seventh minute. The Lions grabbed the lead a minute later anyway.

Breaking down the right, Atuesta sent the ball to Ojeda, who played it to Pasalic on the right. The Croatian cut in and smashed a shot past Andre Blake to make it 1-0 in the eighth minute. Not only was it Pasalic’s first MLS goal, but Atuesta also picked up his first assist as a Lion for the secondary pass to start the play.

“I essentially saw Marco and Ramiro kind of starting to run in behind. And I noticed that I had a little bit of space, and I had good control of the ball,” Ojeda said. “So, I decided to hang on to it a little bit longer to give them time to crash into the box and to make those dangerous runs, and I was able to get it to him. Thank God he was able to have a good strike and able to finish on goal. Really happy for him, and we’re building a good connection together in the way that he likes to play. And there’s still more to be done. There’s still more adaptation for everyone and all of the new players coming in, but really happy for him, because if he’s able to go in with high confidence and he’s doing well, it’s going to raise the entire team, and it’s going to be a good thing for Orlando.”

Orlando City controlled most of the play for the next 15 minutes, with the Union occasionally getting into position to cross a ball into the area but without much success. However, Philadelphia was able to equalize in the 24th minute off a turnover in his defensive third by Angulo.

The Union picked up the ball and sent in a ball that cycled out to Kai Wagner on the left flank. The fullback sent in a cross in front of goal that Baribo touched home to make it 1-1. Baribo’s goal was the first one scored on opening day against the Lions since 2019.

“I think we started good, but after the first goal, we had like a dip,” Pasalic said. “

The match got a bit chippier for a time after the tying goal, with Araujo and Uhre each picking up yellow cards just past the half-hour mark.

Pasalic tried to put Orlando back in front with a cannon shot from distance in the 36th minute that forced a diving save by Blake, who knocked it behind for a corner. Orlando couldn’t do anything with that set piece or another just moments later.

Pasalic set up a shot for Ojeda from the top of the box in the 39th minute, but the Argentine sent his effort straight at Blake.

Philadelphia pinged the ball around the box a couple of times in the late stages of the half, but couldn’t make it pay off. There was a missed chance from in close late and a free header Danley Jean-Jacques on a corner kick.

At the break, the Lions had the advantage in possession (51.1%-48.9%), shots (10-6), shots on goal (4-1), and passing accuracy (82.7%-81.5%). The Union won more corners (4-3).

Philadelphia seized control of the game early in the second half as mistakes at the back by the Lions allowed the Union to take the lead and then add to it. Just two minutes after the restart, Quinn Sullivan sent in a good back-post cross from the left to Gazdag, who blazed past an inattentive Santos and redirected it in from a tight angle to make it 2-1.

It only took another couple of minutes to extend the lead to 3-1. Brekalo sent a back pass to Schlegel, who stuck out a foot to take it but his touch was heavy. Uhre ran onto it and blasted it into the net in the 50th minute.

Orlando had an opportunity to pull one back in the 60th minute when Ojeda sent a blast toward goal that Blake did well to fight off for a corner. Two minutes later, the Lions came within inches of a second goal when substitute Alex Freeman got his head to a cross and put it off the crossbar.

Things got worse for the Lions when Brekalo tangled with a Union player and both went down outside the box with Philadelphia on the ball. That gave the Union an odd-man rush down low and Baribo finished the play to make it 4-1 in the 64th minute.

“I think we had a really strong first half, and then the second half, we had a lapse of about 15-20 minutes that ended up costing us the game,” Ojeda said. “And those are things that we have to we have to fix, we have to improve on.”

Angulo could have pulled one back in the 66th minute when a ball from Pasalic was dummied through to the Colombian on the left. The winger had room but fired with his weaker left foot toward the near post, only to see Blake make the save. Orlando kept coming, with Santos finding Luis Muriel in the 70th minute with a great cross but Blake made an outstanding save to deny his header.

Orlando City should have scored in the 77th minute. Freeman shook free at the end line on the right and picked out a pass to Angulo in front. There was a lot of net to shoot at, but Angulo shanked his shot wide to the right and got a fortunate corner out of it as Blake may have gotten a fingertip to it on its way out of play.

The Lions finally got their second in the 79th minute on a wild scramble in front. A ball fell for Muriel in front and he smashed a shot off the crossbar. The ball came to Pasalic, who made an acrobatic, spinning shot that hit the left post. The rebound caromed right back to him and this time the Croatian smashed it home to make it 4-2. There was a delay for the video assistant referee to see if Muriel was offside in the buildup, but the goal was confirmed.

“Marco was very good news for the fans, for us, for the group,” Pareja said. “The most difficult part in the game is scoring and today, he did twice in a short period of time training with us, so that made us feel very optimistic on his performance, and he grew in with a group too.”

“It’s nice to score two goals in your first game, but when you lose 4-2, then it’s not so good,” Pasalic said. “I’m a team player. Today for me it is not important that I scored two goals because we lost 4-2.”

The Lions could get no closer in the final moments or the six minutes of added time, and the whistle blew on Orlando’s first loss to open an MLS season.

In the end, Orlando held the advantage in nearly every meaningful statistical category, including possession (55.6%-44.4%), shots (23-10), shots on target (10-4), and passing accuracy (84.1%-79.7%). Philadelphia managed more corners (8-7).

“We still have habits that we need to correct, and just in this competition (it) showed us today that we still have one or two more gears to go,” Pareja said.

“I think we have to improve more, and maybe God will give us a little bit more luck next time,” Pasalic said. “But they deserve the win, because they played really well.”

The Lions will try to bounce back in their next match a week from tonight against Toronto FC at home.

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

The Lions kick off their 11th MLS season at home with a match against the Philadelphia Union. Here’s what you need to know.

Published

2 days ago

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February 22, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday opening night matchup between Orlando City (0-0-0, 0 points) and the Philadelphia Union (0-0-0, 0 points) at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). This is the first of two scheduled regular-season meetings between the Eastern Conference clubs in 2025. The Lions will make the return trip to Chester, PA on April 5.

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

History

Orlando City is 7-7-6 in the 20 MLS meetings with the Union since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2015, and 8-8-7 in all competitions. The Lions are 3-2-4 against the Union at home in league play and 4-2-4 in their home stadium against Philadelphia in all competitions.

The teams last met on Oct. 2, 2024, when the Lions won 2-1 at home. Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire pushed Orlando out to a 2-0 lead. Luis Muriel assisted on both goals. Quinn Sullivan pulled one back but the Lions hung on. The teams met for the first time last year on May 11, with the Lions snatching a 3-2 road win at Subaru Park. Muriel scored his first two MLS goals, McGuire added a strike, and Nico Lodeiro assisted on all three tallies for the Lions to offset an early goal by Mikael Uhre and a penalty by Daniel Gazdag.

The last meeting of 2023 took place in Orlando on June 21, with the Lions blowing a two-goal lead in a controversial 2-2 draw. McGuire and Martin Ojeda scored early in each half, only to see Jack McGlynn score on a cross into the box that missed everyone and got past Mason Stajduhar at the far post, followed by a rocket shot by Jose Martinez from distance. Ivan Angulo’s would-be game winner was chalked off after a questionable foul call in the buildup against Ercan Kara.

The teams met in Philadelphia on March 25, 2023 with the Lions jumping out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Angulo and Ojeda. Former Lion Andres Perea pulled one back, but the Lions held on for a 2-1 road win. The victory snapped Philadelphia’s incredible 24-match home unbeaten streak.

The Union put the Lions to the sword in the last meeting of 2022, a dominant 5-1 win by Philadelphia on Sept. 10 of that year. That was Orlando’s first match since winning the U.S. Open Cup title three days earlier. Joao Moutinho’s own goal started the scoring and the Union got goals from Uhre, Gazdag (penalty), Alejandro Bedoya, and Jack Elliott. Perea, who was then still a Lion, scored for Orlando, but the team was trailing by 4-0 at the time.

The Eastern Conference foes met on July 23, 2022 at Exploria Stadium. Two controversial video review decisions went against Orlando that night and the Lions were wasteful with their chances in an evenly matched 1-0 Philadelphia win. Gazdag scored the game’s only goal off a set piece.

The teams also met in U.S. Open Cup play on May 10, 2022, with the Lions winning 2-1 at home. Kara and Perea hoisted Orlando to a 2-0 lead. Stuart Findlay pulled one back late, but the Lions saw it out and advanced.

On Sept. 19, 2021 the Union prevailed 3-1 at Subaru Park, largely due to a brace by Kacper Przybylko after he got away with what appeared to be a clear elbow to the face of Rodrigo Schlegel. Instead of being sent off and/or conceding a free kick to Orlando City, the Union scored on the ensuing play and went on to win the match. The teams met in Orlando on July 22, 2021 and the Lions got goals by Benji Michel and Perea on the team’s only two shots on target to win 2-1. Przybylko, who had feasted on Orlando since arriving in Philadelphia, pulled one back for the visitors but the Lions hung on.

The teams faced each other in the group stage of the MLS is Back Tournament in 2020 in the only meeting to date that did not take place in either side’s home stadium. The game ended in a 1-1 draw after a Mauricio Pereyra goal canceled out a strike by Ilsinho. That draw allowed the Lions to win Group A in the competition and they went on to reach the final.

The Lions and Union tangled in what was then known as Talen Energy Stadium on July 7, 2019, with the teams drawing, 2-2. Dom Dwyer and Santiago Patino brought Orlando back from 1-0 down but Przybylko poached a goal in the 90th to capture a share of the points for the Union.

The two teams had met just a few days earlier on July 3, ending in Orlando’s 3-1 home loss against the Union. Chris Mueller and Przybylko swapped goals in the first half before Robin Jansson was sent off just prior to the break. Afterwards, the 10-man Lions gave up two more goals — to Przybylko and Fafa Picault — and then went down another man with Sacha Kljestan seeing red.

In 2018, the teams drew 2-2 on Sept. 1 in Orlando. The Lions prevailed over the Union in Philadelphia on April 13, 2018 by a 2-0 score. Orlando and Philadelphia also met that season in U.S. Open Cup play, with the Union capturing a 1-0 home win back on July 18, 2018 on a goal by Bedoya.

The teams split their two matches in 2017, with the home side prevailing both times. The Lions won 2-1 at Orlando City Stadium on March 18. The rematch was an ugly 6-1 Philadelphia win in the season finale for both teams.

The Lions were 1-1-1 against Philadelphia in 2016. The team’s first road victory in the series came on Oct. 16, 2016, as the Lions roared, 2-0. The teams played to a 2-2 draw on May 25 in Orlando. Tranquillo Barnetta’s free kick gave Philly a 2-1 win.

Orlando drew 0-0 at home and lost on the road, 1-0 (on a penalty kick), against Philadelphia in 2015.

Overview

Neither team lit the world on fire in the preseason, but the games matter now. Orlando City finished fourth in 2024 and reached the Eastern Conference final, but a lot has changed in the off-season. Orlando City sold the club’s all-time leading goal scorer, Facundo Torres, and starting midfield destroyer Wilder Cartagena suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury. Additionally, the team parted ways with key depth midfielder Nico Lodeiro just days ago.

But Orlando City didn’t only lose players this off-season. New Designated Player Marco Pasalic was brought in to become the team’s new right wing, Nico Rodriguez was signed to an MLS U22 Initative contract to provide depth on that side of the attack, and former LAFC central midfielder Eduard Atuesta was signed in the wake of Cartagena’s injury.

Orlando will be looking to improve on last year’s home record of 7-6-4. The Lions are 3-0-7 all-time in league openers (all at home) and are 2-0-3 under Head Coach Oscar Pareja in openers, with all three draws being of the scoreless variety — the worst kind of draw. City is 3-0-1 in the last four meetings between the two sides.

Philadelphia finished 12th in the Eastern Conference in what was a transitional 2024 season that ended with the departure of longtime head coach Jim Curtin. Former St. Louis City coach Bradley Carnell was brought in as a replacement. The Union also parted ways with Elliott, McGlynn, Martinez, Julian Carranza, and others. Last season, the Union were 5-7-5 away from home.

It’s difficult to get a read on this Philadelphia team. The 4-4-2 diamond midfield formation of the Curtin days is gone. Carnell will employ more of a Red Bull approach, and I expect more of a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-2-2 approach. According to reports, new Designated Player Bruno Damiani will not be available for this match, and it’s uncertain whether Indiana Vassilev, who was just acquired from Carnell’s old side, will be dressed after officially being traded Friday.

Regardless of how Philadelphia is deployed, Orlando City must be aware of Uhre, Gazdag, and Tai Baribo at all times. That trio accounted for 36 goals and 11 assists in 2024. Add in young midfielder Sullivan, and that becomes 41 goals and 22 assists. Fullback Kai Wagner is a menace on the attacking left side, posting 13 assists in 2024. In short, the Union have a formidable attack, scoring the third-most goals in the Eastern Conference a year ago. The key to Orlando’s success will be beating Philly’s press and getting at the back line in front of standout goalkeeper Andre Blake. Philadelphia conceded 55 goals a year ago, which was the conference’s fifth-worst total.

“It is great to start again…we are good, the boys have been training well, and they’re excited as well to be here in [Inter&Co] Stadium and in front of our fans (tonight),” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “I think it’s time for us to compete again and we will be ready. Once again, we’re good, happy to be here at this point again, and happy to start the season.” 

Orlando City will be without Cartagena (SEI — Achilles), McGuire (shoulder), Yutaro Tsukada (knee), and Favian Loyola (thigh). Philadelphia will be without Markus Anderson (ankle), Nathan Harriel (quad), and Isaiah LeFlore (leg).

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-2-3-1),

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Rodrigo Schlegel, David Brekalo, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Eduard Atuesta.

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

Forwards: Ramiro Enrique.

Bench: Javier Otero, Kyle Smith, Alex Freeman, Colin Guske, Joran Gerbet, Gustavo Caraballo, Nicolas Rodriguez, Luis Muriel.

Philadelphia Union (4-2-2-2)

Goalkeeper: Andre Blake.

Defenders: Kai Wagner, Jakob Glesnes, Olwethu Makhanya, Frankie Westfield.

Midfielders: Jovan Lukic, Danley Jean Jacques

Attacking Midfielders: Quinn Sullivan, Daniel Gazdag.

Forwards: Tai Baribo, Michael Uhre.

Bench: Andrew Rick, Ian Glavinovich, Olivier Mbaizo, Jesus Bueno, Alejandro Bedoya, Chris Donovan, Neil Pierre, Jeremy Rafanello, Cavan Sullivan.

Referees:

REF: Rubiel Vazquez.
AR1: Nick Uranga.
AR2: Jose Da Silva.
4TH: Alyssa Nichols.
VAR: Kevin Terry Jr.
AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

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

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).

Bluesky Social: We’ll do our best to keep live updates going on our new Bluesky Social account. Follow us at @TheManeLand.bsky.social.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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