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Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Final Score 1-0 as Lions get Road Win on Mauricio Pereyra’s Goal

It’s another shutout for Pedro Gallese as the Lions win in D.C. for only the second time ever and the first time at Audi Field.

Published

5 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Mauricio Pereyra’s goal just seven minutes into the match propelled Orlando City to a 1-0 win over D.C. United at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. The Lions (2-0-3, 9 points) are unbeaten in five matches to start the season, which is the team’s best run since joining MLS. It was also just the team’s second road win over D.C. United (2-4-0, 6 points) and first at Audi Field.

Orlando City is now 5-6-1 in the all-time series against D.C. in league play and 5-6-2 in all competitions. On the road, the Lions improved to 2-4-0 on the road against United in league games and 2-4-1 in all competitions. It wasn’t pretty, but the Lions were able to grind out a game in which they were under pressure much of the night.

“I’m very happy, very proud about the effort of the players,” Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I think today we needed much more than football, and the boys did it. They defended well.”

Pareja made a couple changes to the lineup in front of goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. Ruan didn’t make the lineup after picking up a knock last Saturday. Despite assurances that he was available in Friday’s press conference, he made the trip and was seen with an ice pack on his leg on the broadcast. Kyle Smith switched to his natural right side and Joao Moutinho started on the left side of center backs Antonio Carlos and Rodrigo Schlegel. Junior Urso and Sebas Mendez manned the central midfield, with Benji Michel taking Chris Mueller’s spot in the starting XI on the right and Pereyra pulling the midfield strings, as usual. Nani and Tesho Akindele were the attacking force again.

Orlando got a chance early with Nani heading wide on a cross from the right. Then D.C. was able to ugly up the game for a bit.

The Lions then decided to go route 1 to play over the press and it paid off in the opening goal. Smith sent a long ball forward for Pereyra and the Uruguayan chested it down to Akindele. Tesho gave it back to Pereyra, who fought off a defender and fired past Jon Kempin for the opener in the seventh minute.

Pereyra celebrated afterwards by pulling up his jersey to reveal a t-shirt with a photo of a close friend he lost this past February. He had been waiting to honor Santiago García with a goal and the moment was a bittersweet one for him.

“It was a happy and a difficult moment for me,” he said. “I was really waiting for this moment because I lost a really good friend in February. He was a soccer player and we grew up together. We played together since like we were 10-11 years old and then we played in Nacional and we were champions there. So, I have a lot of moments with him and the honor was for him.”

Just moments after what turned out to be the game’s only goal, United nearly pulled it right back. D.C. worked the ball in through the defense to Adrien Perez, but Gallese got there first. The ball got through and was cleared off the line by the defense but Perez had fouled Gallese anyway on the shot attempt.

D.C. started throwing more numbers forward and pressing higher all across the pitch, with the forwards pressuring Schlegel and Carlos and the wingbacks pinching up to press the fullbacks. This forced the Lions to have to be quick, decisive, and accurate with their passes out of the back and they just weren’t on this night. Even a ball only slightly off line was quickly taken away from its intended target.

Gallese made a leaping stop on a headed ball by Drew Skundrich in the 21st minute as the hosts kept attacking, but it wasn’t ruled a save.

Orlando did fashion a few opportunities to double the lead. One of those came in the 22nd minute when Nani shook free on the left side of the box but fired over the net.

D.C. came right back down the pitch and forced a good Gallese save — his only one of the match — on an Edison Flores shot that was smashed toward the near post in the 23rd minute. Seconds later, Perez fired a volley shot over the bar. D.C. quickly regained possession on the ensuing goal kick and Perez’s shot was deflected out for a corner.

Nani fired just over the bar in the 31st minute off a well-worked short corner and I can’t believe I’m typing the phrase “well-worked short corner,” because for years the Lions have made an absolute mess of those plays.

D.C.’s most dangerous chance came off an Orlando set piece. The Lions worked a free kick to the right but Smith’s cross in was short and D.C. quickly cleared and countered with speed. Moutinho ended up with a vital blocked shot on a Paul Arriola attempt to prevent a goal.

As the half wound down, it looked like only a matter of time before Orlando unlocked D.C. with a counterattack. Michel’s heavy touch, however, spoiled two such chances. Just a couple moments from halftime Michel got to a deflected cross first and turned toward goal but let the ball run too far out in front of him and the defense closed and cleared. Then in first-half stoppage time, Michel was in the clear and about to be behind the defense when he took a touch so heavy the ball ran about 25 yards out in front of him and went out harmlessly for a goal kick.

D.C. out-shot Orlando City 6-4 in the first half, with each team getting one shot on target. The hosts also led in corners (4-2). The Lions held more possession (53.6%-46.4%).

“I think in the first half we were able to find our spaces and still play our game,” Moutinho said. “But then in the second half they made it harder for us. I think we were also a little bit tired. But yeah, we stayed together. Didn’t concede that that many chances.”

Out of the break, Arriola nearly equalized for D.C., sending a shot from the right just inches wide of the left post. That was a warning of things to come as Orlando City white-knuckled its way through the second 45 minutes.

Just 11 minutes after the restart Pareja subbed Michel off for Robin Jansson, who made his season debut. The Beefy Swede’s introduction was part of a tactical change that Pareja said was designed to ease the pressure from D.C.’s two pressing forwards and to give some help to Moutinho, who was thrust into a full 90-minute shift for the first time since last summer.

“Joao is coming from a long period with no activity. We didn’t have Ruan neither today. It just gave me a feeling that we were going to need help in the back,” Pareja said. “Because Flores and Perez were very active in the first half. And Antonio and Rodrigo were coming man-to-man with them, and they have ability. So I wanted to add one more player there.

“I did not do it when the half ended, because I wanted to wait at least 10 minutes to see if we could have a couple more rushes from Benji. But when they brought (Julian) Gressel fresh (on Moutinho’s side), we decided just to make the sub and bring in Robin. I thought it was a move that helped us a lot to conquer the three points. They looked stronger. Joao needed help and then they looked more solid.”

It was Moutinho’s foul that set up an opportunity for D.C., but Fredric Brillant headed wide on a near-post header. It looked like Gallese had that post covered anyway.

Moments later, Nani sent a shot on the left side into the side netting from a tight angle.

Still, the hosts kept the pressure on for almost the entire second half, turning the possession advantage in their favor. Despite their possession advantage and an inordinate number of free kicks and corner kicks, the Lions didn’t allow many shot opportunities, and even fewer in good positions.

Perhaps the most dangerous chance came on a free kick in the 72nd minute when a curving, in-swinging cross short-hopped in front of Gallese, but El Pulpo managed to fight it off into the air and then catch it before a D.C. attacker could arrive.

The Lions were able to battle through all of the set pieces and see the game out in the end, capturing that elusive second win of the season and the first on the road.

D.C. ended up with more possession (55%-45%), and more shots (13-6), but neither team put a shot on frame in the second 45 minutes. United also had far more corners (10-2) and was slightly better in passing on a night when neither team really shone in that area (74.7%-72.8%).

Gallese kept his third clean sheet of the season and his sixth as a Lion, moving past Tally Hall into third place behind Joe Bendik (13) and Brian Rowe (8).

“Today the maturity of the team is strong,” Pareja said. “I think we’re getting better defensively. We’re stronger. Offensively we need to get better too.”

“Since the first day that (Pareja) came in, he really taught us that defensive-minded side of the game,” Moutinho said. “He always reinforces that idea, that first we have to defend well, not concede goals, and then, going forward, the things will appear. So I think that the defensive consistency is one of our main focuses. And I think that’s been showing.” 

Pareja mentioned the same-day travel taking its toll on the team and said he’d rather have played a mid-week game like D.C. did and have a normal travel schedule than fly on game day.

“This morning we flew two hours and a half, and then we came to the hotel and we ate. And then we have to come to the stadium,” he said. “So that was, for me, more challenging than others. Today was difficult and that’s why I respect their performance today.”

“Those are the conditions and we didn’t complain and this is a good thing that this team has,” Pereyra said. “Nobody’s complaining. Nobody’s looking at these small things. And now we are having a really good moment. We are happy with the winning. And I think we deserved the win.”

The Lions return home Saturday night when Toronto FC “visits” Exploria Stadium. The Reds have been training and playing in Orlando so they won’t have far to go.

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Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Battle Back on Spicer’s Goal

The Lions fell behind before halftime but had the final say in a hard-fought home draw vs. FC Cincinnati.

Published

7 hours ago

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August 15, 2026

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Image of Tyrese Spicer battling against FC Cincinnati.
Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Tyrese Spicer’s early goal in the second half pulled Orlando City level in a 1-1 draw against normally high-scoring FC Cincinnati at Inter.co Stadium tonight. Pavel Bucha put Cincinnati (7-6-6, 27 points) in front with a goal in the first half, but Orlando City (6-10-3, 21 points) did well to fight back for a point at home.

It was surprisingly low scoring, considering the game featured two of the most porous MLS defenses and an open flow to it, but it’s a big improvement over the 6-2 loss the Lions suffered on the road at Cincinnati just before the World Cup break. While the point is good, Orlando is 0-1-2 in its last three matches in all competitions and will need to start finding the win column again to climb into the playoff places.

“It was a very tough team, tough game, as we expected against Cincinnati. It’s always like this,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “They have a really strong offense. Their team is one of the best teams in the league attacking. I think we created chances by moments. The game was very open. They had chances as well.”

Perelman’s starting XI featured Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Luis Otavio and Joran Gerbet started in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Tyrese Spicer with Justin Ellis and Antoine Griezmann leading the attack.

Much of the first 15 minutes was spent between the two penalty areas. Orlando looked to build play patiently, while Cincinnati looked for opportunities to jump passing routes and counter. The first look of the game came three minutes in off a set piece from long range that fell to Kevin Denkey in the box. The Cincy forward fired but the shot was blocked and the visitors were offside on the recycle.

Orlando City’s first look at goal was a shot that Spicer mishit badly, firing well wide of the near post on the left. Ellis put the first shot of the game on target in the 10th minute, sending in a good effort from the top of the box, but Roman Celentano made a good save to tip it over. Cincinnati cleared the initial ball on the set piece but Rhein found Spicer in the box, but again the Trinidad & Tobago international fired wide in the 11th minute. Four minutes later, Griezmann got into the box but his shot was blocked behind for another corner and the Lions could do nothing with the set piece.

Orlando was fortunate not to fall behind in the 20th minute as Evander got past Dorsey on the Lions’ defensive right side. The Cincy star man fizzed a low cross to the back post but it was just out of Tom Barlow’s reach. However, the visitors scored anyway a few minutes later.

A shot near the top of the area caught Gerbet flush in the face and he went down immediately. Despite it being an obvious head injury, referee Tori Penso allowed play to continue and Cincinnati regained possession outside the box, where Bucha slotted into the right side of the net to make it 1-0 in the 23rd minute.

“Regarding that play, since I am here in the United States, I learned that in the MLS, we take care about those situations with the players,” Perelman said. “This is why we were expecting that after that kick in his head, the game should be stopped, as it always was. But I haven’t reviewed the sequence. I don’t know if the ball effectively got in the face. I didn’t see the sequence again. Maybe I’m ignoring some rule or maybe it’s OK what the ref did. I don’t know.”

Penso’s response to the pool reporter’s question was that the ball fell to an attacking player who immediately shot and scored, and the player was checked immediately afterward.

Orlando City should have pulled the goal back in the 36th minute. Dorsey got down the right flank and pulled back a nice pass for Ellis around the penalty spot. The Homegrown forward sent a shot on target with his first touch but sent it straight at Celentano for the save. The Lions were offside after the initial shot and the attack broke down.

Rhein went down with a non-contact injury moments later and went directly to the locker room. Adrian Marin subbed on to replace the Homegrown left back.

FC Cincinnati was the more dangerous team down the stretch. Evander fired just inches wide of the right post from the left in the 43rd minute. Ellis then had an opportunity with a free header in the middle of the box in the first minute of added time but sent his effort straight at Celentano again. Ender Echineque then saw his shot blocked just wide by Marin deep in stoppage time, winning Cincinnati a corner, but the Lions cleared and the halftime whistle blew.

The Lions held the advantage at the break in possession (50.6%-49.4%), shots (7-5), shots on target (3-1), corners (5-3), and passing accuracy (89.6%-86%), but a lack of clinical finishing allowed the guests to hold the lead at halftime.

Marco Pasalic came on for Gerbet to start the second half, pushing Angulo into central midfield for a while, with Spicer joining Ellis up top and Griezmann dropping to left wing.

Cincinnati won an early corner after the restart but it was Orlando City that scored off of it. The Lions dealt with the set piece and Angulo ended up with it on the left. He darted past a defender and sent a pass forward that Ellis touched on into the attacking half. Spicer raced for the loose ball with Bucha and won the physical battle, breaking in alone when the Cincy defender fell. The Trinidad & Tobago international rounded Celentano and smashed a shot high into the net to make it 1-1 in the 48th minute.

“I know I’m going to get technical here, but like the spin that (Angulo) put on the pass was perfect for how I wanted to play the ball, you know, so I could redirect it into the path of Tyrese, Ellis said. “It counts as an assist, but the goal was all him, you know. I think he deserves all the credit.”

“(Ellis is) a creative player. He wants to flick. He loves to flick. And you know, I just read that,” Spicer said. “I thought it was going to go more in the air rather than on the ground, but I just had to turn the jets on to get there. You know, once I was one on one with the keeper, you know, I had a good feeling. He’s a good keeper. I think he would have guessed where I was gonna shoot. So I was like, let me try to go around him, and it worked out.”

Orlando tried to take the lead moments after the goal with a series of passes at the top of the area that finally got sent to Griezmann on the right. The Frenchman volleyed a shot on target but it was right at Celentano.

Cincinnati thought it had won a penalty a minute later. Denkey got in behind down the right channel, waited out Crepeau, and sent a shot off the post. Brekalo and Evander both went for the loose ball and Evander went down. Penso pointed to the spot and eventually went to the monitor for a second look. After reviewing the play again, Penso announced that Evander had initiated the contact and she booked the Cincy star for simulation. Orlando City avoided the spot kick.

Echineque rang the post for Cincinnati in the 64th minute. Cutting in from right to left, he fired a shot from near the right corner of the box that hit the left post and stayed out. Following an unsuccessful corner at the other end, Cincinnati came back on the attack and put the ball in the neet in the 71st minute, but the flag came up immediately for an obvious offside.

Former Lion Kyle Smith blocked Spicer’s shot behind for a corner in the 73rd minute. Griezmann’s service found Marin on the far side all alone in space. The Spaniard tried to head it back into the mix of players in front but it floated lazily for an eacy catch by Celentano.

Second-half sub Marco Pasalic fired wide in the 80th minute, as both teams continued looking for a go-ahead goal.

Crepeau may have made his biggest save in the match in the 87th minute, going down to deny Kenji Mboma Dem, who got inside down the right in the 87th minute.

Orlando got a couple of looks down the stretch. Pasalic saw his shot deflect over the bar for a corner early in stoppage time. Substitute Wilder Cartagena blazed a rocket shot just over the crossbar in the fourth added minute.

After the Lions defended a late Cincinnati corner, the final whistle blew, splitting the points between the sides.

At the final whistle, Orlando City held the advantage in shots (17-11), shots on target (5-3), and corners (10-5). FC Cincinnati finished with more possession (53.1%-46.9%) and passed more accurately (90.8%-87.8%).

“We knew which spaces we believe we can hurt (them), and that was the adjustment (at halftime) — try to to hurt them in those spaces and try to to neutralize as much as we can those talented players they have up front, and we we were able to tie.”

“I think it was a different looking game because we’re a different looking team in terms of how we’re playing,” Ellis said, comparing the 6-2 loss at Cincinnati to tonight’s 1-1 draw. “I think we’re a much more steady team, even though I feel today we didn’t have the control that we wanted. It was very transitional. I think we also just limited Evander. He’s, I don’t want to say he’s their whole attack, because they have amazing players, but a lot of the attack runs through him. And I want to give a special mention to Luis Otavio. I thought he was the best player on the field today.”

It’s another short turnaround for the Lions, who host the Chicago Fire on Wednesday.

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

The Lions go hunting for revenge for the 6-2 beatdown they suffered in southwest Ohio back in late May.

Published

19 hours ago

on

August 15, 2026

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Image of Griffin Dorsey dribbling up the side past two FC Cincinnati defenders.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your preview and match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (6-10-2, 20 points) and FC Cincinnati (7-6-5, 26 points) at Inter.co Stadium (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the last of the two scheduled matches between the teams this season.

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

History

The all-time series is tied at 5-5-4 in the MLS regular season, but Orlando City has been worse against FC Cincinnati in home matches, going just 2-3-1 in the City Beautiful against tonight’s opponents. The Lions are 0-2-1 in the last three meetings between the sides.

The teams last met on May 23 in Cincinnati in the final match before the World Cup break. How shall I put this…oh yes…the Lions had their asses handed to them by FC Cincinnati to the tune of a 6-2 brutalization that had folks calling law enforcement to report a murder. Evander scored twice and assisted on three other goals to lead the rout for FC Cincinnati, despite Orlando City’s Martin Ojeda scoring the first goal and later tying the game at 2-2 early in the second half. It was all FC Cincinnati after Ojeda’s second goal. Kenji Mboma Dem added a brace for the hosts and Kevin Denkey and Tom Barlow also scored. Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the game that “the scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story,” and he was right, because it could have been worse.

A year ago, the teams played on Sept. 28, 2025, in Ohio, with Alex Freeman’s goal late in stoppage time salvaging a 1-1 draw for Orlando City, canceling out Denkey’s second-half strike. Prior to that, the teams also met last year on June 28 at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, with FC Cincinnati winning 2-1. An Evander brace, which included a poorly conceded set piece goal from distance, was enough to offset Marco Pasalic’s goal.

These two teams met at TQL Stadium on Oct. 5, 2024, with the Lions leaving southwest Ohio with a 3-1 victory in their final road match of the regular season. Ramiro Enrique scored twice and had a third chalked off for a controversial foul on a corner kick. He also assisted on a goal by Ivan Angulo in an impressive performance. Luciano Acosta scored Cincinnati’s goal.

These two sides also met on May 4 of that year in Orlando with FC Cincinnati claiming a 1-0 road win on a first-minute goal by Acosta. The Lions went down a man early in the game when Rodrigo Schlegel was called for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity on Yuya Kubo. Orlando City had a second-half goal waved off for an offside in the buildup. Cincinnati lost Bret Halsey to a second yellow card late but the Lions couldn’t take advantage.

The teams met in Ohio on Sept. 2, 2023, with the Lions claiming a 1-0 win on enemy soil, becoming the first road team to beat FC Cincinnati all season. Facundo Torres scored the game’s only goal. Orlando had to hold on down a man late when Wilder Cartagena was sent off. The teams played to a 0-0 draw in Orlando on March 4, 2023 in Orlando.

The Lions fell 1-0 at TQL Stadium on June 24, 2022. A second-half goal from Brenner represented all the offense, but it could have been worse for Orlando City as Pedro Gallese made eight saves in the match. The first meeting of 2022 took place in Orlando on March 12, with FC Cincinnati notching its first win in the all-time series, 2-1 at Exploria Stadium. The Lions were more in control but were wasteful, despite dominating the stat sheet. The visitors got a brace from Brandon Vazquez to offset Junior Urso’s goal.

The final meeting of 2021 was on Oct. 16 in Cincinnati, when Orlando City got its first road victory in the series, 1-0 on Urso’s early goal. Tesho Akindele should have scored a second off the crossbar late in the game, but the play was never reviewed, despite video evidence that the ball was completely across the line.

On Aug. 7, 2021, the match in Cincinnati ended up in a 1-1 draw. Nani’s strike rescued a point after Brenner had opened the scoring for the hosts just before halftime, taking advantage of an obviously injured Uri Rosell, who subbed off moments later. The first of the three meetings in 2021 came on May 21 in Orlando, with the Lions posting a 3-0 win. Akindele scored in the first minute and Nani and Urso each added a goal.

In Orlando’s first trip to the banks of the Ohio River, the match ended in a 1-1 draw at Nippert Stadium on Sept. 29, 2019. Benji Michel’s goal in stoppage time rescued a point for the Lions after Allan Cruz had given the hosts a lead. The draw officially eliminated Orlando City from playoff contention that year, but realistically the Lions had been out of it for a while.

The first-ever meeting between the two sides took place on May 19, 2019, when the Lions pummeled the expansion side, 5-1. Both Nani and Akindele bagged braces in the match and Dom Dwyer added a goal as well.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a pair of blown halftime leads in Leagues Cup, but with rotation throughout that competition, lots of players played and at least now they can concentrate on MLS and next month’s resumption of the U.S. Open Cup. Orlando drew Atletico de San Luis 2-2 after blowing a two-goal lead from the 79th minute on, claiming the meaningless extra point in penalties (5-3) as both teams were eliminated from the knockout rounds. Daryl Dike and Justin Ellis scored Orlando’s goals. The Lions are 4-3-1 at home in MLS play this season but 3-0-1 in their last four league matches on their own patch. Orlando brings a league-worst 47 goals conceded into tonight and a conference-worst goal differential of -17.

FC Cincinnati is coming off a surprising 2-1 home loss to Atlas on Tuesday, which means it will be the better rested team for both matches against Orlando this season. The loss knocked Cincinnati out of the running for the knockout rounds and was the first time Cincinnati failed to score at least two goals in a match since July 25 on the road against rival Columbus — also in a 2-1 loss. What is surprising about that is FC Cincinnati is a scoring juggernaut, co-leading MLS in goals scored with 45 — tied with Inter Miami. Cincy’s Achilles heel this season has been road play, in which the club is 1-4-4 in MLS play. The only reason Cincinnati is as low as sixth in the Eastern Conference table at the moment is because it also ships a lot of goals — 44 so far this season, which is third worst in the Eastern Conference.

Orlando City’s back line and defensive midfield will be stressed for 90 minutes plus stoppage time tonight, as players like Evander, Denkey, Mboma Dem, Barlow, Pavel Bucha, and others will slice through the gaps between defenders and look to get onto excellent through balls. Transition attacks must be avoided, as Cincinnati can turn a takeaway into a goal in seconds. The Lions must control the ball, avoid turning it over in dangerous areas, and stay switched on for potential runners, otherwise the final score might look a lot like it did on May 23. Evander already has 22 goal contributions (11 goals, 11 assists), leading the league in the latter category while being just two goals off the Golden Boot lead. Denkey has also bagged 11 goals to go along with four assists.

The Lions will be without Eduard Atuesta (thigh), Nolan Miller (knee), Braian Ojeda (foot), and
Martín Ojeda (thigh). Cincinnati will be without Gerardo Valenzuela (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, Luis Otavio, Joran Gerbet, Tyrese Spicer.

Forward: Antoine Griezmann, Justin Ellis.

Bench: Javier Otero, Adrian Marin, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Issah Haruna, Wilder Cartagena, Tiago, Marco Pasalic, Daryl Dike.

FC Cincinnati (3-5-2)

Goalkeeper: Roman Celentano.

Defenders: Samuel Gidi, Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson.

Wingbacks/Midfielders: Bryan Ramirez, Obinna Nwobodo, Evander, Pavel Bucha, Ender Echenique.

Forwards: Kevin Denkey, Tom Barlow.

Bench: Evan Louro, Kyle Smith, Alvas Powell, Nick Hagglund, Teenage Hadebe, Brian Anunga, Kristian Fletcher, Kenji Mboma Dem, Ayoub Jabbari.

Referees

REF: Tori Penso.
AR1: Brooke Mayo.
AR2: Matthew Nelson.
4TH: Lorenzo Hernandez.
VAR: Kevin Stott.
AVAR: Fabio Tovar.

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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Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati

Get up to speed on FC Cincinnati, courtesy of some people who know the team best.

Published

2 days ago

on

August 14, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City endured a fairly disappointing Leagues Cup campaign over the past week and a half, but given how things went after making a run in the tournament last year, I can’t say I’m too upset about that. The Lions have a chance to get back to winning ways Saturday, but in order to do so they’ll need to avenge the 6-2 walloping they received at the hands of FC Cincinnati back in May.

A visit from Cincy means I spoke to the good people at the outstanding Cincinnati Soccer Talk. As always, they did a great job of helping us get up to speed on how things have been going for the Knifey Lions, and we appreciate their help.

FC Cincinnati has been scoring for fun this year, and its 45 goals scored is joint-most in the league alongside Miami. What has made the offense so potent?

Cincinnati Soccer Talk: Through 18 league play matches, these 45 goals translate into 2.5 per match, the highest in the league alongside Miami. A big reason is the influence of Evander, who leads the club with 11 goals and 10 assists through 17 matches. Other contributors have been Kevin Denkey with 11 scores, substitute Tom Barlow with six, Pavel Bucha and Kenji Mboma Dem with four (each), and several others. Essentially this means that while Evander has provided the creativity, drive, and orchestration, there have been other contributors that last year were just not present. Also, Evander, Denkey, and Bucha have now played together for at least a year and fully understand their roles and tactical positioning.   

In a nutshell, what stands out tactically is that Cincinnati can hurt opponents in multiple ways:

  • Quick transition attacks.
  • Aggressive wingback play (which is only now starting to bear fruit).
  • Dangerous service into the box.
  • Midfield progression through players like Evander and Bucha.
  • A willingness to commit numbers forward. 

The 6-2 victory over Orlando earlier this season was a perfect example. FCC repeatedly exploited space behind Orlando’s defense and punished mistakes in transition. 

The irony is that many of the same traits that make FCC dangerous offensively also contribute to the team’s defensive issues. There is no one reason why this has been a huge headache for Pat Noonan but a combination of injuries, underperforming of players such as Teenage Hadebe, aging players (e.g., Nick Hagglund), a midfield that left too much space and gave the ball away in dangerous situations (e.g., Obi Nwobodo not starting due to injury or other reasons), and wingbacks that either didn’t cover back fast enough or were exploited because of their lack of defensive skills relative to other wingbacks in the league, have contributed to the poor form of the back line.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t check in on Kyle Smith, who was a cult favorite in Orlando for a long time. How has he been doing this season?

CST: Kyle has been a substitute for the most part but has started when the team had to plug holes due to injury or congested schedules that forced rotation. He has played in 14 matches, logging 768 minutes (54.9 minutes per match). He is more of a veteran (in a) rotational role rather than an automatic starter. He plays one of three center backs in Nonna’s system (his preferred tactical lineup) and is seen as someone who can provide veteran leadership and dependability. Even if FCC has struggled defensively, he does bring experienced depth, but his lack of speed at times has been a liability. The bottom line is that he does his job but many don’t see him as the solution to FCC’s back line problems.

This is a team that both scores and concedes a lot of goals, Cincinnati games are never boring! Based on what you’ve seen up to this point, what should the minimum expectations be for the rest of the year?

CST: Minimum is making the playoffs. FCC sits sixth in the Eastern Conference and is already in a playoff spot. Missing the postseason from this position would not only be a major disappointment but would trigger all manner of questions around roster, talent, coaching, and front office. A lot of money has been spent on the roster (not all of it has resulted in expected performance from certain players and injuries have also added to that lack of performance) and ownership (not to mention the fan base) would want answers. 

A realistic expectation is at least one home playoff match, but we are also cognizant of the fact that this could disappear unless improvements are made in the back line. The attack is strong enough to push the team into the upper half of the Eastern bracket, possibly challenging for a top-four finish nut only if defensive performances improve. This version of FCC has only had two clean sheets in league play, which compares to five last year at this stage of the season. 

If FCC can become just average, defensively speaking, and that is a big if at the moment without new acquisitions, the attack is good enough to make them a dangerous playoff team that nobody may want to face.

Will anyone be unavailable due to injuries, suspensions, etc.? What is your projected starting XI and score prediction?

CST: As of today, only Dado Valenzuela won’t be available because of a two-match ban due to a red card in the Hell is Real match against the Columbus Crew on July 25. No injuries have been reported, so Noonan should have the full roster (other than Valenzuela) to form his lineup. 

Possible lineup would be: Roman Celentano; Samuel Gidi, Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson; Bryan Ramirez, Ender Echenique, Pavel Bucha, Obi Nwobodo, Evander; Kevin Denke, Kenji Mboma Dem.

We’d like to think Andrei Chirila, who has been performing well as a left center back, would get the call, but with Antoine Greizmann in the lineup, Noonan may decide for experience, especially given the porous back line FCC currently has.

This could be a high-scoring match or both teams, knowing their defensive weaknesses, might decide to play it safe and not risk too much. We believe a draw is very possible, either 2-2 or 3-3 (but we wouldn’t be surprised if FCC loses).

Thank you to the good people over at CST for the excellent refresher on Cincinnati. Vamos Orlando!

Image of the famous "The more you know" graphic from TV.
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