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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Halt Three-Game Winless Skid

Benji Michel and Andres Perea scored on Orlando’s only two shots on target and the Lions held on despite a late Union rally.

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4 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City scored goals with its only two shots on target all night and withstood a furious rally attempt to defeat the Philadelphia Union 2-1 at Exploria Stadium. Benji Michel and Andres Perea scored the goals as the Lions (7-3-4, 25 points) halted a three-game winless skid and jumped over the Union (6-4-5, 23 points) in the standings. The Lions remain five points behind the New England Revolution with a game in hand on both the Revs and the Union.

With the win, Orlando improved to 4-4-5 (2-1-3 at home) in the all-time series. Oscar Pareja improved to 6-2-1 against Philadelphia in his MLS coaching career.

“A fantastic match against a fantastic opponent, and three points that we value a lot tonight,” Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “Today we faced a rival that has a lot of consistency in their ways and I think we were protagonists of the possession especially in the first half.”

Pareja’s back five was unchanged from Saturday at Toronto, with Pedro Gallese backstopping a defense of Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Kyle Smith. Junior Urso got the night off, so Perea got the start for the Bear, while Uri Rosell stepped in for the injured Sebas Mendez. Mauricio Pereyra and Michel were charged with feeding attackers Nani and Chris Mueller, with no true striker in the starting XI.

The game was delayed by lightning in the area because, well…Florida, and didn’t get underway until almost an hour past the original start time.

It took Orlando a few minutes to figure out how to play through the Union’s press. Once the Lions did get forward, however, they looked dangerous and they took the lead in just the 10th minute on the team’s first shot.

Pereyra threaded a pass through the Union defense to Michel, who made a diagonal run and nearly tripped over the ball. He was so open that he had plenty of time to recover and fire a shot past Matt Freese and into the net to make it 1-0. It was Michel’s third goal of the year and Pereyra’s fifth assist.

“I’m going to be honest. Props to Nani, because we were on the same side and he said, ‘Benji go inside,’” Michel said. “And so I started to creep inside and the space opened up. And right when the space opened up, Mauricio saw me, and I was able to take it first touch. I stumbled a bit but I was able to keep my cool and slot it in.”

Getting that early goal was important.

“When we’re able to score that first goal, it takes a lot of pressure off our shoulders, but we’re still able to maintain a level of play that we want to play at,” Michel said.

Three minutes later, Pereyra nearly made it 2-0, taking a pass from Perea around the penalty spot and firing a shot that trickled just inches wide of the left post. That ended up being the last Orlando shot attempt of the half, although the team did work the ball around the Union penalty area several times without creating a shot after that.

Most of the remainder of the half consisted of half chances for Philadelphia that went wide or high, and a lot of play between the two boxes. The Union’s best chance came on a corner kick that was headed off target.

Late in the half Pereyra picked up a yellow card while trying to fend off Jose Martinez, who was roughing him up from behind. Being smaller, Pereyra tried to make himself bigger by putting his arms out to box Martinez out and prevent him from getting a touch on the ball. Martinez leaned into Mo’s arm and got the call from Alan Kelly. Pereyra will be suspended for yellow card accumulation for Sunday’s match.

Philadelphia led in shots (6-2) in the opening period but Michel’s goal was the only one on target. Both teams earned one corner kick in the first half and Orlando held the advantage in possession (52.6%-47.4%) and passing accuracy (84.9%-83.9%).

The Union started attacking from further out when the second half began. Daniel Gazdag sent Gallese scrambling with shots in the 51st and 53rd minutes, but both were just wide of goal.

Perea doubled the lead six minutes after that second Gazdag effort. Pereyra sent the ball wide to Nani on the right side and the captain sent an inch-perfect cross into the area. Perea jumped early and placed his header just inside the far post and out of Freese’s reach. It was Perea’s second goal in three matches.

Pereyra got his second goal involvement of the match with a secondary assist on the play, sending the ball wide to Nani for the entry ball.

Orlando pressed for the kill shot and Nani nearly had it twice. He fizzed a shot just over the bar in the 64th minute from the left and Mueller set him up in the 65th in the box, but Gazdag nicked the ball from behind at the last second from behind. The Union midfielder got a piece of Nani after getting the ball and Orlando appealed for a penalty but there was no call from Alan Kelly and the video assistant referee didn’t ask the referee to take a second look.

Moments later, Kacper Przybylko pulled one back from the visitors. Moutinho knocked a ball away toward the middle of the field, but it went straight to Gazdag, who found Olivier Mbaizo streaking down the right. Mbaizo crossed at the top of the area, Schlegel was a split second slow to close, and Przybylko hit it first time, scoring in the 68th minute.

Quinn Sullivan forced a save from Gallese in the 78th minute as the Union kept coming. Then in the 83rd, with Nani down with what appeared to be a cramp, Philadelphia kept playing while the Lions asked them to kick it out of play and the Union fashioned a shot on goal that forced another save.

The Lions tried to put the game away on the counter in the 85th minute but Smith’s shot was blocked out for a corner at the last second.

Philadelphia continued to push bodies forward, looking for the equalizer. A set piece ended up with Jansson on the ground in his penalty area, having suffered what appeared to be a broken nose after his face hit Schlegel’s shoulder. It took several minutes for trainers to stop his nosebleed and the Swede’s nose was obviously crooked after the collision.

The Union nearly tied it at the death. Jack Elliott roamed forward and got a shot on target that forced a diving save from Gallese. Jack McGlynn tracked the ball down and sent it across the front of the goal line. Sullivan got to it at the far post first and seemed about to score, but Smith blocked it with his face. Philadelphia sent in another cross that Przybylko headed on frame but again El Pulpo was there to make the stop.

“It was a crazy ending,” Moutinho said. “I think we held on for dear life. We held together and we got the three points in the end. We’re already very tired because it’s the end of the game and they’re pushing even more numbers forward, so there’s not a lot of organization. It’s really tough for us, but I think we did a really good job. We had some luck there at the end with that last play, but that’s football. We held on tight. And we got the win and we ended up not conceding.”

“In the end, we suffered more than we wanted,” Pareja said. “Philadelphia started pushing, putting their lines higher. We may remember that last play where they had that option, but also we had more opportunities, especially in the first half, when we could (have) put the game away.”

That was the last gasp and the whistle blew at last to end the match with Orlando on top. Philadelphia out-shot the Lions 18-5 (6-2 on target), earned more corners (3-2), and edged Orlando in passing accuracy (83.4%-83.2%). Each team had 50% of the possession.

The Lions will travel north Sunday to take on New York City FC at Yankee Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/23/25

Orlando City signs Thomas Williams to new contract, Orlando Pride schedule revealed, USMNT wins against Costa Rica, and more.

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8 hours ago

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January 23, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

I hope you all are staying warm as we deal with cold weather across Florida. It’s at least been nice to break out some of my heavier blankets and forgotten hot cocoa packets I’ve had stored away. My cat has also been curling up next to me more, which is always a plus. Still, not shivering while waiting for my car to warm up would be great. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Thomas Williams Signs New Orlando City Contract

Orlando City center back Thomas Williams signed a new contract with the club that lasts through 2026, with an option for 2027 as well. Williams joined the club’s academy back in 2015 and became the youngest Homegrown Player in club history when he signed a first-team contract at 16 years old in 2021. The 20-year-old hasn’t featured much for the first team, and he’ll likely spend most of this year with Orlando City B for consistent playing time. Hopefully Williams can take a step forward in his development and provide the Lions some helpful depth at center back in the event of injuries.

Orlando Pride 2025 Season Schedule Unveiled

The NWSL announced its 2025 season schedule Wednesday, and the Orlando Pride will start their title defense season at home against the Chicago Red Stars on March 14. Their first road game will be the following weekend on March 23 against NJ/NY Gotham FC. Decision Day returns to the schedule this year, with all 14 clubs in action on Nov. 2. The Pride will close out their regular season at home that day against the Seattle Reign, with the postseason set to begin on Nov. 7. There’s also a break in the schedule in July, with no regular-season games scheduled due to international tournaments like the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and Copa America Femenina.

USMNT Shuts Out Costa Rica in Orlando

The United States Men’s National Team beat Costa Rica 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando Wednesday night to stay perfect at the home of the Lions and Pride at 7-0-0. Goalkeeper Zack Steffen truly earned his clean sheet, coming up with some great saves to deny Costa Rica. It was also a solid attacking performance from the Yanks, and Patrick Agyemang put a bow on what’s been a great month for him with his second goal in as many games. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has some time to assess things before the USMNT plays Panama in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals on March 20

Keeping Up With MLS Transfer News

San Diego FC added another Designated Player ahead of its inaugural season, signing Danish winger Anders Dreyer from Anderlecht for a transfer fee reportedly near $5 million. He recorded 31 goals and 23 assists in 87 appearances across all competitions for Anderlecht and joins San Diego on a three-year deal. Charlotte FC officially added Wilfried Zaha on loan from Galatasaray. He’ll occupy a DP spot and the loan lasts through Jan. 16, 2026, with an option to extend it through June of that year as well.

LAFC made a trade with its rival to strengthen its midfield, acquiring Mark Delgado from the LA Galaxy in exchange for $400,000 in General Allocation Money. The Portland Timbers signed Venezuelan forward Kevin Kelsy from Shakhtar Donetsk as an MLS U22 Initiative player, with FC Cincinnati receiving GAM for his discovery rights. Real Salt Lake, which signed Mason Stajduhar from Orlando City earlier this month, continued to make changes to its goalkeeping group. The club signed veteran goalkeeper Rafael Cabral as a free agent and transferred 19-year-old American Gavin Beavers to Brondby IF in Denmark.

UEFA Champions League Roundup

The penultimate round of the UEFA Champions League’s league phase wrapped up this week. Paris Saint-Germain beat Manchester City 4-2 in the heavyweight matchup of the round, with all six goals coming in the second half. Joao Neves gave PSG the lead in the 78th minute before Goncalo Ramos put the game on ice in stoppage time. City now needs to win its final game against Club Brugge on Wednesday in order to advance.

Real Madrid cruised to a 5-1 win against RB Salzburg to advance, with both Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. scoring braces. Celtic also booked its spot in the next round after a 1-0 win against Young Boys. Feyenoord pulled off an upset by winning 3-0 against Bayern Munich as well. Elsewhere in the tournament, AC Milan won 1-0 at home against Girona, Arsenal beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0, and RB Leipzig did well in a 2-1 victory over Sporting CP.

Free Kicks

  • American goalkeeper Michelle Betos announced her retirement from professional soccer after a career that included winning the 2016 NWSL Shield with the Portland Thorns and the 2023 NWSL Championship with Gotham. Betos was also named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year with the Thorns in 2015.
  • Arsenal and Chelsea are among the multiple clubs reportedly keeping an eye on American forward Trinity Rodman, whose contract with the Washington Spirit ends after this year.
https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1882171400481542482

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a great Thursday and rest of your week!

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Orlando City

Orlando City Signs Defender Thomas Williams Through 2026

Orlando City signs Homegrown center back Thomas Williams to a new contract through 2026 with a club option for 2027.

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1 day ago

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January 22, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Orlando City announced this morning that the club has signed defender Thomas Williams through the 2026 season with a club option for 2027. The Homegrown Player has been with the first team since 2021 and will continue for at least two more years.

“Thomas is someone whose future we’re still very excited about and we’re happy to get him locked in with us for a couple more years,” Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi said in a club press release. “He’s shown a lot of growth these last few seasons, continuing to get game action with Orlando City B and proving the importance of our development pathway, and we’re looking forward to having him with us for the foreseeable future.”

The Titusville native joined the Orlando City Academy in 2015 and made his professional debut for the club on Aug. 7, 2020 against New England Revolution II. He played in 13 games that year with 10 starts and recorded 844 minutes. His play on the Young Lions’ back line earned him a first-team contract on June 15, 2021, at just 16 years old, making him the youngest player in club history to sign a Homegrown contract.

The 20-year-old center back made his MLS debut on April 16, 2022 in a 2-0 win over the Columbus Crew in Ohio. He made five appearances with three starts in all competitions that season, recording 271 minutes. To date, those are the only appearances he’s made with the first team.

Since joining OCB in 2021, Williams has made 69 appearances with 61 starts and recorded 5,132 minutes. He’s been booked 19 times and sent off twice, both times after receiving second yellow cards.

What It Means for Orlando City

Williams is the fourth natural center back for Orlando City on the current squad behind Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Rodrigo Schlegel. He played well early in his OCB and MLS career, but has struggled recently. Last year, he played exclusively with the second team, partnering with Nabi Kibunguchy.

While Williams hasn’t made much of an impact on the first team so far, he’s only 20 years old and still has plenty of time to develop. Extending his contact shows that the club still has faith that he can turn into a key player for the MLS side.

It’s unlikely that Williams will see any time with the first team in 2025 (barring injuries and/or suspensions), considering that he’s also been behind versatile defender Kyle Smith at the center back position. He’ll likely spend the upcoming season with OCB, continuing to develop and earn his spot with the first team. As a Homegrown Player, there isn’t much risk in signing Williams to a new contract, especially if the club’s technical staff thinks he can develop into a quality defender.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/22/25

Orlando City transfer rumors, Orlando Pride preseason begins, USMNT at Inter&Co, and more.

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1 day ago

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January 22, 2025

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Dan MacDonald, The ManeLand

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Up here in Tallahassee, I’m waking up to snow/sleet, closed schools, closed government offices, and potentially icy roads. Many people will get an extra day off of work, however, I still get to go to work. I’m sure you can imagine how happy I am about that. Enough of my winter grumbling. Let’s get to the links but not until after we wish Orlando City fullback Michael Halliday a happy 22nd birthday.

Orlando City Reportedly Targeting Croatian International

While I can no longer say that Orlando City hasn’t signed any new players, the club is still moving at its traditionally slow speed as compared to other MLS clubs. We had the signing of Nicolas Rodriguez last week. Now, we have Tom Bogert report of yet another winger prospect for the club in Croatian Marco Pasalic from HNK Rijeka, though it is not a done deal. Hopefully the other targets Bogert mentions are of the striker variety.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881755961125449765?s=46&t=pMoq7Wulqfb35D7C8ydroA

Pride Preseason Begins

The 2024 NWSL champions are back to defend their title. The Orlando Pride returned to training on Tuesday. The club hasn’t needed to add many pieces, though some of the players already here, like Simone Charley and Grace Chanda, haven’t actually played any minutes for the Pride yet. Most of the chemistry is in place for Seb Hines, but reinforcing those bonds will be the challenge as the Pride look to repeat.

USMNT at Inter&Co Tonight

Hopefully you have tickets to the USMNT friendly match versus Costa Rica at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. The match starts at 7 p.m. and there are television and streaming options if you’re not going in person. Despite the squad having 14 players with three or fewer caps, Mauricio Pochettino does not consider this an “alternative” squad, nor does he want the players to think of themselves like that.

Girma Reportedly Nearing Completion of Chelsea Move

USWNT defender Naomi Girma is reportedly headed to Chelsea FC Women for a record $1.1 million transfer fee. That is a very big chunk of change for San Diego FC to use to try to replace one of the best defenders in the world. The deal is not complete as of Tuesday evening, but according to the original report from The Athletic, it is close to being done. Girma would be the first women’s soccer player to earn a transfer fee of over $1 million.

MLS Transfer Updates

Other MLS clubs keep on putting pen to paper when it comes to new players. The Chicago Fire are bringing in Jonathan Bamba on a Designated Player deal from La Liga side Celta de Vigo. The Luca de la Torre loan from Spain’s RC Celta de Vigo to San Diego FC is also official.

https://twitter.com/sandiegofc/status/1881741042904350864

Cucho Hernandez evidently wants to stay with the Columbus Crew, though he is still waiting on a new offer.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881786193693823104

Free Kicks

https://twitter.com/weareangelcity/status/1881749040863588770?s=12&t=_WZBNG4ILAyRLdwBeB4mpQ
  • Keep your eyes peeled later today for the NWSL schedule drop.
https://twitter.com/nwsl/status/1881749035218042954?s=46&t=pN-YJp3s7ZQlCXqnTAgSfw

That will do it for today. Stay warm out there, my friends. Vamos Orlando!

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