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Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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5 years ago

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Orlando City managed to come back and win 3-2 at home against Atlanta United. It was far from comfortable, but the Lions took all three points after trailing twice against their rivals. It was a momentous night as Mason Stajduhar got the start in goal, Kyle Smith found the back of the net, and Nani broke an Orlando record.

Let’s dive right into how each of your favorite Lions rated in this home win.

Starters

GK, Mason Stajduhar, 6 — Stajduhar’s MLS debut got off to a rough start, but there wasn’t much he could do on Josef Martinez’ goal. His first save in MLS was a good one, going low to stop a surging Erik Lopez in on goal. It was also his only save of the match as he couldn’t reach Marcelino Moreno’s curling strike from distance. Still, Stajduhar was solid and looked comfortable directing his back line and rushing to snuff out any potential chances. In terms of distribution, he completed two of his five attempted long balls and ended up with a success rate of 83% on 18 total passes. While conceding two goals isn’t great, both are likely MLS Goal of the Week candidates and Stajduhar shouldn’t be too upset with a win in his debut.

D, Kyle Smith, 7 — Even with Ruan back in the lineup, Smith continues to start every game for Orlando this season. Playing at left back in this match, Smith proved that he’s more than a versatile, bit player on the team and scored his first goal as a Lion. Late in the first half with his team trailing, Smith got his head on the end of Nani’s corner to skip the ball into the net. It was great work from Smith. He was also solid on defense, leading the team in both tackles (three) and clearances (three). Smith was also second on the team in touches with 66 and completed 89% of 47 passes. A case can certainly be made that Smith deserves to start in every match no matter what other fullbacks are available.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — The masked Swede wasn’t able to make much of an impact on either of Atlanta’s goals as they were well struck and out of his area of influence. The two conceded goals will overshadow a fairly good defensive performance from him and Antonio Carlos to keep Martinez quiet. Jansson recorded no tackles or interceptions, but did have a clearance and played all 90 minutes. He completed 41 of his 45 passes for a strong 91% success rate and had 48 touches.

D, Antonio Carlos, 6.5 — Carlos came up with a big block against Lopez in the 22nd minute after a deflected cross teed up the Paraguayan forward for a shot. The center back also had a tackle, two interceptions, and a clearance in a solid defensive performance. He’s getting better on offensive set pieces as well, nearly scoring on a corner after making good contact with his head but sending it wide. Carlos had 54 touches and completed 45 of his 47 passes for an excellent 96% completion rate.

D, Ruan, 7 — Orlando City looked most dangerous when Ruan was racing down the right side. His crossing has always left something to be desired, but he did really well finding players in the box in this match. He nearly had two assists, but Benji Michel couldn’t finish one and Chris Mueller was stopped by a terrific save from Alec Kann. Ruan had two shots and put both of them on target. Although the first was from distance and aimed right at Kann, the second was from a tight angle and earned the corner that led to Orlando’s first goal. On defense, he had a tackle, an interception, and a clearance. Ruan didn’t track back in time on Atlanta’s second goal after the ball was turned over in the midfield, although Atlanta’s tempo before Moreno’s curler didn’t warrant a desperate sprint from Ruan to get back. All in all, it’s nice to have Ruan back on the field to add another dimension to the offense. The right back went the distance and had 60 touches, two key passes, and completed 81% of his 36 passes.

MF, Uri Rosell, 6 — Rosell was solid in his third consecutive start for Orlando, completing 50 of his 55 passes for a 91% success rate. He made two tackles and an interception to help out on defense. Atlanta seemed willing to give him space in the midfield, preferring to pay attention to Orlando’s more offensive players, and Rosell never really made them pay for it. Still, he did a decent job as a passing outlet for defenders and getting the ball either out wide or to Pereyra. Rosell was subbed off for Tesho Akindele in the 74th minute as Orlando was trailing and he finished with 63 touches.

MF, Andres Perea, 6 — With Rosell playing defensively while Mauricio Pereyra was an offensive threat, Perea carved out a spot for himself in central midfield. He was a step behind Josef Martinez before the forward struck from distance, but it’s hard to pin the blame on Perea for that goal. The 20-year-old didn’t have a shot or a key pass in a pretty quiet night at home after scoring last week at home against the Philadelphia Union. He made a good run here and there, including some nice movement in the box on Smith’s goal to peel a defender and open up space. Perea was third on the team in touches with 65 and made 57 passes at an 86% success rate. Defensively, he finished with a tackle, an interception, and a clearance. With Rosell earning more playing time and the impending returns of Sebas Mendez and Junior Urso, Perea may see some of his minutes eaten up in the future. Head Coach Oscar Pareja has praised Perea’s ability to come in as a substitute and mimic the midfielder he’s replacing, so it will be interesting to see if he returns to that role in the future.

MF, Benji Michel, 6 — It was a mixed bag from the Homegrown Player. Although Michel had four shots, none were all too threatening as only two were on target and those were sent directly at Kann. While he did a good job making runs to find dangerous areas, more is expected of him to put the ball in the back of the net when it’s served to him on a silver platter. That being said, he completed all three of his attempted dribbles, won a free kick right outside the penalty area, and redeemed himself a bit with the assist on Silvester van der Water’s goal. It was his only key pass of the match, but it was a nice one as he headed the ball towards van der Water rather than trying to get a shot off. Michel was able to make more of an impact once Atlanta right back Brooks Lennon was forced off due to injury and he finished with 39 touches while completing 16 of his 17 passes for a nice 94% success rate. He didn’t attempt any crosses and often drifted in to the center of the attack while Nani had free range.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 7 — After missing Orlando’s last game due to his suspension, it took some time for Pereyra to find his rhythm in this one. But once he did, he really started to make an impact on the match. Pereyra led the Lions with five key passes, including a hockey assist on Orlando’s second goal. The Uruguayan delivered a beautiful ball over the defense for Michel to then head towards van der Water in the middle. Not only did Pereyra lead the Lions with a total of 59 passes, but he completed them at an incredible 92% success rate. Those passes were far from walks in the park too, as he was successful on all three of his crosses and was relied upon to switch the flow of play or find players making runs forward. His only shot was off target, but it was a desperate attempt after a poor clearance from Kann while Pereyra was falling down. Pereyra also led the Lions in touches with 71 and chipped in defensively with a tackle and two interceptions. He also didn’t earn any yellow cards, so it was a pretty nice night for him, although he was responsible for the turnover that led to the second Atlanta goal by letting the ball run through the midfield while his trailing teammate (Nani) wasn’t open enough to accept it.

MF, Chris Mueller, 6.5 — Mueller benefitted from Ruan’s work down the right side and nearly scored late in the second half but his shot was saved at the goal line by Kann. It was his only shot of the match though and he didn’t have any key passes or crosses either. Overall, his passing was decent as he completed 21 of his 25 passes for an 84% success rate. Defensively, he made two tackles and two interceptions. Mueller was subbed off for van der Water in the 74th minute and finished with 41 touches.

F, Nani, 8 (MotM) — Yet again, Nani bent the game to his will, scoring the game winner to give Orlando all three points. He turned on the jets immediately after van der Water whipped the ball into the box, beating his defender and heading the ball past Kann for his eighth goal of the season. His assist on Orlando’s first goal from a corner kick was his 23rd assist as a Lion, surpassing Kaká (who was at the match) for the club record. The captain finished with 57 touches and 36 passes with an 81% completion rate, including four key passes. Of his four shots, two were on target while the others were either sent wide or blocked. Nani is our Man of the Match for providing that lethal edge to a team that lacked a true striker for most of the match. He needed to do well in this one after not playing against New York City FC and he did just that, winning the game for the Lions.

Substitutes

MF, Silvester van der Water (73’), 7.5 — What more can you want from a substitute? Van der Water only had seven touches but he made them count as he scored an equalizer and then delivered the game-winning assist. His diving header was perfectly placed, but what was even better was his quick burst of speed to get past his defender and in position. His assist was a pinpoint cross to Nani in front of goal and couldn’t have been any better. The winger was the needed spark Orlando needed to come back from a deficit and win.

F, Tesho Akindele (73’), 6 — It’s baffling that Akindele was able to play in this match, considering he’d just played for Canada in Arlington, TX the night before. The big guy did what he does best, winning the ball upfield and pressing the opposition. He didn’t play much of a role in Orlando’s late goals apart from drawing the attention of defenders. Akindele had seven touches and completed three of his five passes.

D, Emmanuel Mas (84’), N/A — Although he was brought on late for Smith, Mas racked up 13 touches and completed eight of his nine passes. It wasn’t enough playing time to earn a grade, but he looks comfortable with the ball at his feet and had a couple of unsuccessful crosses.

MF, Joey DeZart (90’), N/A — The midfielder is becoming a closer of sorts for Pareja, brought on late to see out matches once Orlando has the lead. DeZart put his fresh legs to good use by chasing the ball and had four touches while completing two of his three passes

MF, Junior Urso (90’), N/A — The Bear had a tackle, four touches, and completed both of his passes in a late cameo. It’s nice to see him back on the field and hopefully he will feature more in Orlando’s next game.

That’s how I saw things play out in Orlando’s win over its rival. Make sure to weigh in on how you feel about the grades in the comments below and to vote for who you think deserved the title of Man of the Match.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Nani31
Kyle Smith76
Mauricio Pereyra13
Antonio Carlos2
Other (let us know who in the comments)1

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Orlando City vs. Atlanta United, 2026 U.S. Open Cup: Final Score 4-1 as Lions Maul Five Stripes

A big first half filled with breakaway opportunities helped Orlando City knock Atlanta out of the U.S. Open Cup.

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7 hours ago

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May 19, 2026

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Image of Tiago celebrating a goal with Justin Ellis against Atlanta.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City ran wild over Atlanta United in the first half, building a huge advantage in what was ultimately a 4-1 victory over their Southeast rivals at Inter&Co Stadium in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals tonight. David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey, and Tiago (twice) provided the fireworks in a wild first half that could have seen Orlando ahead by even more goals if not for the offside flag and good goalkeeping by Atlanta’s Jayden Hibbert.

“I’m happy, of course, for the result, as well for the performance. But more than anything, I’m happy first of all for our group of players, because they do a huge effort every day,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the game. “From the very beginning they have been fighting and I’m happy they were able to gift us a performance like this.”

Perelman’s lineup included Javier Otero in goal behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, Brekalo, and Dorsey. Braian Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Tiago, with Martin Ojeda and Justin Ellis leading the attack up top.

The Lions decimated Atlanta in the opening 45 minutes to build a huge 4-0 halftime lead that could have been more if not for Tiago and Angulo being offside on breaks that they finished and a couple of huge saves by Hibbert. Orlando City ripped the Atlanta defense to shreds either by moving the ball quickly or simply placing perfect through balls or long balls into the gaps in the visitors’ three-man back line.

However, the first goal of the game came off a set piece. Atlanta cleared a corner kick in the fifth minute, but Braian Ojeda sent in a good ball on the recycle and Brekalo was able to sneak in behind by timing his run well, nodding home for his first goal of the year to get the scoring party started.

“I’m so relieved that it happened, and it happened in this kind of game, magnitude of importance, and I hope this is the first of many this season, because I know I’m capable of scoring more goals,” Brekalo said.

Three minutes after the opening goal, Dorsey came forward and beat Hibbert but the defense cleared the shot off the line.

Atlanta’s first good look at goal came in the 14th minute on across from the left that found Aleksey Miranchuk on the right. The Atlanta attacker sent his header just wide of the left post.

Tiago nearly got in behind in the 15th minute but the defense knocked the ball away for Hibbert to collect. Orlando scored a minute later anyway. Marin sent a good ball forward for Angulo to run onto. The Colombian got down the left and centered a pass for Dorsey to tap home to make it 2-0 in the 16th minute.

Ellis played Martin Ojeda in behind in the 20th minute. The Argentine put his shot on goal and Hibbert made a good save, but the flag came up for offside anyway, although that one looked clean to me.

Atlanta United could have cut the lead in half a minute later when Emmanuel Latte Lath caught Otero off his line but the chip shot hit the right post.

It was a costly miss for Latte Lath, because Tiago made it 3-0 in the 24th minute on a good hustle play. The Brazilian pressed high and blocked Hibbert’s pass attempt. Martin Ojeda was offside, so he let the ball go and Tiago recovered and fired past Hibbert to triple the lead.

Like Dorsey just did recently, Tiago celebrated with the traditional ball under the shirt to honor his pregnant wife.

“It was recent news that we found out my wife was pregnant, obviously very happy about it, and today we actually found out it’s a boy,” Tiago said. “So, that’s what kind of gave me extra motivation for the goals, for my wife and now my son. They’re the two most important people in my life.”

Angulo got in behind and scored in the 33rd minute but the flag came up for offside again.

Miranchuk redirected a cross on goal in the 34th minute but sent his effort straight at Otero for a comfortable save.

The Lions then had more excellent chances to extend the lead just after Atlanta’s chance. Hibbert made an excellent save to deny Tiago in the 36th minute, getting his hand up just in time to keep it out of the net. Two minutes later, Dorsey bombed forward again on the break but the defense forced him wide. The fullback chipped it toward goal anyway and the defense cleared it off the line just before it could cross. In the 39th minute, Martin Ojeda got behind on a pass from Angulo but Hibbert made another solid save to keep the game at 3-0.

Brekalo got his head to the ensuing corner kick cross but the post denied the center back a brace in the 40th minute. A minute after that, Dorsey blasted a hard shot that Hibbert palmed over the crossbar.

Tiago thought he had his brace in the 44th minute, getting in behind and firing past Hibbert, but the flag came up once more.

Otero made a good save to stop Jay Fortune’s shot in the third minute of first-half stoppage time on one of Atlanta’s best chances of the game.

The Lions went the other way and made it 4-0. Braian Ojeda sent a good through ball to unlock Tiago. The Brazilian put the ball past Hibbert again to bag his first brace in an Orlando City uniform in the fifth minute of stoppage time on the last chance of the half.

“Extremely happy,” Tiago said of his brace. “I know the quality of the player that I am. I’ve spoken to Coach Martin (Perelman) during the week, and he told me the runs I should make, so naturally the goals came out of it.”

At the end of the first half, the Lions had the advantage in shots (11-7), shots on target (9-3), and corners (4-0). Atlanta led in possession (60%-40%) and passing accuracy (85%-80%).

“We were obviously extremely focused on the game,” Tiago said. “We know Atlanta is a tough team. We played them over the weekend, obviously we drew them, so we came into this game very focused, and we knew the quality of the group and knew we could advance.”

“I think I have to give credit to the coaching staff here, where they prepared the plan really well,” Brekalo said. “That was the main point: either take the ball super high or super low when we’re defending and counterattack them, so it worked exactly like the planned, and like we saw first half, I think many times, three or four times, that didn’t result in a goal, could be a goal, I think by a few inches or something. So, I would say that that was the whole plan, so it was either take it super low when in the our last third or super high up, and obviously the hard work of everybody, you know, defenders shifting, midfielders running like crazy. Everybody worked so hard today.”

Atlanta made four substitutions at the break and went to four at the back. This prevented Orlando City from getting the numerous breakaways the Lions enjoyed in the first half. Saba Lobjanidze’s introduction also gave the Five Stripes more bite in the attack.

The Five Stripes offense looked better right from the jump as the visitors looked to get something on the board to make a game of it. Matias Galarza fired just off target in the 49th minute on the good first look of the second half.

Orlando’s first look at goal came three minutes later, when Martin Ojeda fired a hard shot straight down the middle at Hibbert.

Lobjanidze just missed the left post from the right side in the 54th minute as Atlanta pressed numbers forward. Two minutes later, Lobjanidze dropped a cross onto Miranchuk’s head but the redirection went wide.

Tristan Muyumba volleyed a cleared corner kick toward goal in the 68th minute but missed the target badly.

“I think the challenge when we went out in the halftime, we imagined that they were going to make substitutions and strong players were going to come in, because they have a really good roster and talented players,” Perelman said. “And we knew the first 15 minutes were going to be very important. We tried to maintain the plan. I think we were able to do it, maybe not the first five minutes of the second half, but yes, we knew we needed to go over those first 15 minutes, and fortunately we could.”

Having weathered the early second-half storm, Orlando settled into protection mode, still looking to get forward when it could, but not taking many chances in possession. The Lions won a couple of corner kicks in the 72nd and 73rd minutes but couldn’t do anything with them.

Galarza again fired over the bar in the 75th minute, and Lobjanidze missed on a good opportunity in the 83rd minute as the visitors kept coming. A minute later, Latte Lath spoiled the shutout by volleying a beautiful shot just under the crossbar from the top of the box to make it 4-1.

Angulo got forward and fired over the bar in the 88th minute in the first good look for Orlando in quite some time. Two minutes later, the Lions broke forward and Braian Ojeda looked for a passing route, but the defense kept the channels blocked, so the midfielder went for goal himself. It was a good effort, but Hibbert made a nice save to push it wide. The corner kick was cleared out to second-half sub Wilder Cartagena in space. The Peruvian fired from outside the box but sent it right at Hibbert at the near post.

The match ended without another look at goal for either team and the Lions advanced past their rivals.

Atlanta’s second-half surge allowed the visitors to finish with the advantage in possession (59.5%-40.5%), shots (16-13), and passing accuracy (84.7%-79.4%). The Lions finished with more shots on target (10-4) and corners (6-1). Most importantly, Orlando won on the scoreboard by a wide margin.

“I’m happy to move forward in this competition, to put the team in a semifinal, which is important for us, for our club,” Perelman said. “I’m happy for our fans, because they deserve it. They support us always in the good ones and in those ones that are not that good ones. And of course, I’m happy for the entire club, managers, owner, Ricardo (Moreira), everybody here. We work really hard, so I think today is a good day for us and I’m happy for us.”

“I’m so happy that we advanced to the semifinals,” Brekalo said. “The team performed really well. We know we played against the same opponent, a tough game three days ago, so it was not easy, like energy-wise. And yeah, I’m so happy and proud of this team.”

The Lions advance to play the winner of tomorrow’s match between New York City FC and the Columbus Crew on the road on Sept. 15 or 16. Orlando City returns to league action Saturday on the road against FC Cincinnati. After that, the team is off for the World Cup break until late July.

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Orlando City vs. Atlanta United, 2026 U.S. Open Cup: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions look to bounce back after conceding late Saturday in their draw vs. Atlanta in tonight’s knockout game against the Five Stripes.

Published

19 hours ago

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May 19, 2026

By

Image of Justin Ellis driving at Atlanta defenders.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

Welcome to your match thread for a Tuesday night U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal matchup between Orlando City and Atlanta United at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network). It’s the second of three scheduled meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals — the second in three days — with the Lions scheduled to make the return trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sept. 9 in MLS play.

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

History

The Lions are 5-11-8 in the all-time series against Atlanta in league play and 3-6-4 at home. Orlando City is 6-12-8 against tonight’s visitors in all competitions (regular season, playoffs, and U.S. Open Cup), 4-7-4 at home in all games played, and 0-1-0 in the U.S. Open Cup against the Five Stripes.

Orlando City and Atlanta United met just three nights ago on Saturday, playing to a 1-1 draw. Griffin Dorsey gave Orlando the lead early but the Lions squandered chances to extend the lead, allowing Jay Fortune’s late goal to steal a point for the visitors.

The Lions led 2-1 in Atlanta on May 28, 2025, on goals by Cesar Araujo and Ramiro Enrique to more than offset Alexey Miranchuk’s goal. However, Araujo foolishly got himself sent off. The Five Stripes turned the game around on Bartosz Slisz’s goal with seven minutes remaining in normal time and Jamal Thiare’s winner deep in stoppage time in a 3-2 victory for Atlanta. The teams just met in Orlando a month earlier on April 26. The Lions prevailed 3-0 on goals by Luis Muriel (from the penalty spot), Alex Freeman, and Marco Pasalic.

The rivals met in the 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals, with the Lions eking out a 1-0 home victory on Nov. 24, 2024. Enrique provided the game’s only goal, and the Orlando defense was dominant, allowing the visitors just seven total shot attempts — none on target. That win pushed the Lions into their first-ever conference final.

Prior to their postseason meeting, these two teams met on Decision Day 2024, with Atlanta scoring two early goals and holding on for a 2-1 win on Oct. 9. Saba Lobjanidze and Thiare gave the visitors an early lead. Martin Ojeda pulled one back and Duncan McGuire appeared to tie the game late, but the latter goal was overturned on video review for a handball. The teams also met at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 17, 2024, when Orlando City fell 2-0 on goals by Lobjanidze and Giorgos Giakoumakis.

The last meeting of 2023 took place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with Orlando City capturing a 2-1 away win. Atlanta took the lead through Caleb Wiley, but Antonio Carlos and McGuire scored to lead the Lions’ comeback. The southeast rivals also met in Orlando on May 27, 2023, at Exploria Stadium and played to a 1-1 draw. It was a heartbreaking dropped two points for the Lions, who took the lead through Kyle Smith at the half-hour mark and held that advantage until four minutes from full time, when Tyler Wolff pounced on a fortunate rebound in the box and equalized.

Atlanta went 1-0-1 in the season series in 2022. On Sept. 14 at Exploria Stadium the Five Stripes won 1-0 on a Thiago Almada goal despite the Lions out-shooting Atlanta 20-10. The sides played to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting of that year on July 22 in Atlanta. Mauricio Pereyra staked the Lions to an early 1-0 lead on a beautiful free kick. Juan Jose Purata equalized in the second half, but Atlanta bombarded Orlando the majority of the game and completely controlled the midfield, outshooting the Lions 18-3 in the match.

Orlando had a six-match unbeaten streak in the series (3-0-3) snapped on Sept. 10, 2021, as the Five Stripes won 3-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. George Campbell and Ezequiel Barco scored for Atlanta, sandwiched around a Daryl Dike own goal to hand Gonzalo Pineda his first win as manager for United.

The second of three 2021 meetings took place July 30 at Exploria Stadium, with the Five Stripes taking the lead twice on goals by Josef Martinez and Marcelino Moreno, but the Lions not only fought back twice on strikes by Smith and Silvester van der Water, but Nani scored a late game winner by heading in VDW’s cross in Orlando City’s 3-2 win. The first meeting of that season between the two rivals came on opening day — April 17 — and they played to a 0-0 draw.

The final meeting of 2020 came on Oct. 28, when Orlando City ran away with a 4-1 win over Atlanta at Exploria Stadium. Dike, Chris Mueller, Tesho Akindele, and Matheus Aias scored the goals for the Lions, with Cubo Torres preventing a shutout with a late goal for the visitors. Prior to that, the teams met in Atlanta on Oct. 7, 2020 and played to a 0-0 draw. Robinho and Nani each hit the woodwork and Brad Guzan stood on his head to prevent Orlando from taking a deserved three points in that one, while Brian Rowe held down the fort at the other end to earn a shutout in Pedro Gallese’s absence.

Back on Sept. 5, 2020, a late, unforced turnover by Kamal Miller led to Adam Jahn’s 92nd-minute tying goal that offset a Benji Michel strike in a 1-1 draw at Exploria Stadium. Orlando City finally got on the board in the series against Atlanta United with a 3-1 win on the road on Aug. 29, 2020. Junior Urso, Mueller, and Nani supplied the offense to more than counter a Brooks Lennon headed goal. That three-goal explosion snapped a three-match scoreless streak against the Five Stripes for Orlando.

Orlando City created an incredible 17 scoring chances on Aug. 23, 2019, yet finished none of them in a 1-0 home loss. Martinez scored the game’s only goal in the second half. Only 17 days earlier at Exploria Stadium, Orlando also failed to score and lost 2-0 to Atlanta, getting bounced from the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. On Mother’s Day of 2019, Atlanta United claimed a 1-0 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Pity Martinez scored the goal.

Atlanta won at Orlando City Stadium on Aug. 24, 2018 by a 2-1 final score. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez bundled home a rebound off Joe Bendik, who misplayed Barco’s free kick to open the scoring just 21 minutes in. Scott Sutter tied the game just before the half, but Josef Martinez broke the deadlock in the second half, with only 16 minutes remaining in normal time.

Atlanta easily claimed the June 30, 2018 meeting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 4-0. Josef Martinez and Barco each scored a goal and Miguel Almiron added a brace. Orlando lost the first matchup of 2018, 2-1, on May 13. An early penalty on a Cristian Higuita foul gave the visitors a leg up on a Josef Martinez goal from the spot and Barco doubled the lead before halftime. Justin Meram scored his first goal as a Lion to pull one back, but Orlando could get no closer. The unfortunate ending included a shower of debris coming out of the stands due to dissatisfaction with referee Alan Kelly’s decisions that night.

Hector Villalba’s two late goals in the first two meetings turned what could have been an Orlando draw and a win into a loss and a draw. The two teams kicked off their series with Orlando suffering a late 1-0 loss at home on July 21, 2017. Villalba found the net late. He then scored a stoppage-time tally to rescue a 1-1 draw for Atlanta in the second meeting on July 29, 2017. Kaká scored one of his best goals as a Lion in that match to provide Orlando’s lone score.

Orlando City became the first visiting team to take any points out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a 3-3 draw in Atlanta that September. Dom Dwyer scored his first brace as a Lion (in MLS, anyway) and also assisted on Cyle Larin’s goal. Josef Martinez’s hat trick spoiled Orlando’s bid to take all three points.

Overview

The Lions and Atlanta obviously played just a few days ago and walked away splitting the points, but not all draws are created equal. The Five Stripes rotated more than Orlando City did, which should position them better for tonight. They were already better rested than the Lions and all Orlando did was add more miles to legs that have logged a lot of them this month. To make matters worse, captain Robin Jansson left with a knock at halftime on Saturday.

Orlando got to this point in the tournament by squeaking past two opponents it should have overpowered. The Lions were fortunate to get a 1-0 road win at FC Naples on April 15, with a Nolan Miller goal-line clearance that was perhaps fortunate to not have to stand up to video review. Naples outplayed Orlando City by a wide margin in the game, especially in the second half, but the Lions got the game’s only goal.

In the Round of 16, Orlando went north to face New England and was met by a youthful Revolution side made up almost entirely of prospects. The Revs didn’t even dress stars like Carles Gil and Matt Turner. City fell behind that makeshift lineup three times but fought back to ultimately win it 4-3 on April 29.

Atlanta is 3-0-1 in its last four road games in all competitions (two U.S. Open Cup, two MLS). The Five Stripes got to this point in the competition by beating Chattanooga FC 3-1 in the Round of 32 and Charlotte FC 2-0 in the Round of 16.

Orlando City’s defense will have to keep tabs on Lobjanidze and Miranchuk in particular, but the Lions can’t switch off in their own end regardless of who is on the pitch and what the score is. OCSC has been fragile with late leads and even bringing on defense-for-offense substitutions has not helped. If they again don’t rotate much, the Lions will also need to conserve energy and pick their spots to make long runs as they are playing in their third match in seven days.

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Javier Otero.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Tiago.

Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Justin Ellis.

Bench: Maxime Crepeau, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Marco Pasalic, Duncan McGuire.

Atlanta United (4-4-1-1)

Goalkeeper: Jayden Hibbert.

Defenders: Elias Baez, Stian Gregersen, Pedro Amador, Ronald Hernandez.

Midfielders: Cooper Sanchez, Jay Fortune, Will Reilly, Matthew Edwards.

Attacking Midfielder: Aleksey Miranchuk.

Forward: Emmanuel Latte Lath.

Bench: Lucas Hoyos, Juan Berrocal, Tomas Jacob, Tristan Muyumba, Matias Galarza, Sergio Santos, Saba Lobjanidze.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Live Stream: Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network.

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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/19/26

Lions set for international duty, lessons from MLS matchday 14, Austin FC makes changes at the top, and more.

Published

23 hours ago

on

May 19, 2026

By

Image of Marco Pasalic saluting the fans.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone! It wasn’t a particularly successful weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams, but we don’t have time to dwell on the past. Orlando City is set for a big U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match against Atlanta United tonight, and all three teams will be back in action over the weekend. We’ve got a whole host of things to talk about today, so let’s jump straight into the links.

Lions Called Up for International Duty

A busy summer break from MLS is almost upon us, and that means that the international call-ups are starting to roll in. Gustavo Caraballo will be joining Venezuela’s U-20 outfit as it gets ready for an upcoming youth tournament.

In addition, Marco Pasalic has been named to Croatia’s World Cup squad, so Orlando City will be represented on the biggest stage.

Congrats to both players!

Lessons from Matchday 14

Matchday 14 is officially in the books for Major League Soccer, so let’s take a look at what we learned from the weekend’s action. For one thing, despite a slightly slow start to the season by his high standards, Hany Mukhtar’s hat trick against LAFC proved that he should still be considered among the league’s elite. Marco Reus flashed his versatility in the LA Galaxy’s 2-0 win over the Seattle Sounders, as he played striker and got an assist on LA’s first goal. Finally, while its too early to say things are definitely turned around for Sporting Kansas City, back-to-back wins means that there’s at least something to get excited about, and that’s very welcome in a season that’s been difficult for the most part. The spine of Sporting’s midfield looked improved on Saturday, and having Dejan Jovelic up top is never going to hurt a team’s chances.

Austin FC Makes Personnel Changes

Austin FC followed in the footsteps of the Columbus Crew by announcing the firing of head coach Nico Estevez on Monday. Where Austin went a step further was by also firing sporting director Rodolfo Borrell. The team has begun searches for permanent appointments to both positions immediately, while naming Davy Arnaud as interim manager in what will be his second stint in that role with the club. Austin has endured a difficult start to the season and is currently 13th in the Western Conference with a record of 3-6-5 and 14 points from 14 matches. The 2-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City on Saturday seems to have been the final straw, and Austin will now be seeking its third permanent head coach since becoming an MLS club.

Americans in Midweek Action

Most major European seasons have already wrapped up or will be doing so shortly, but there’s still a number of Americans who will be competing during the working week. Things get started later today when Tyler Adams and Bournemouth play host to Manchester City in Premier League action. The stakes ratchet up considerably on Thursday when Kevin Paredes and Wolfsburg play Paderborn in the first leg of the Bundesliga’s promotion/relegation tie. Things then finish up on Friday when Yunus Musah and Atalanta travel to take on Fiorentina in Serie A.

Free Kicks

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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