Orlando City
Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Again Drop Points Against a Team Low in the Table
Nani’s second-half goal rescues a point on the road.
Wednesday night’s 1-1 draw against Inter Miami should have been a wakeup call despite being a rivalry game. But Orlando City continued to be wasteful with chances in a 1-1 away draw against FC Cincinnati tonight, dropping points again in a matchup with a lower table team at TQL Stadium. The Lions (8-4-6, 30 points) came from a goal down in the second half on a Nani strike after conceding to Cincinnati (3-7-7, 16 points) forward Brenner in the closing minutes of the first half.
Orlando has not lost to FC Cincinnati since FCC entered the league (2-0-2) but has yet to win against the recent expansion side in their home stadium (0-0-2) with one more match to play there this season. The Lions are unbeaten in their last three (1-0-2) but still haven’t returned to their form from earlier in the season. FC Cincinnati still hasn’t won in its new home (0-3-4).
“Obviously it’s always tough, because you want to win every game,” goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar said. “We fought hard, though. We came back in the second half.”
Oscar Pareja didn’t rotate heavily, but did swap out some players from Wednesday’s match against Inter Miami. Stajduhar got his third straight start in goal, backing up a defensive line of Emmanuel Mas, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel (for the injured Antonio Carlos — concussion protocol), and Kyle Smith. Junior Urso and Uri Rosell played central midfield, with Benji Michel, Mauricio Pereyra, and Chris Mueller funneling the attack toward Tesho Akindele at the top of the formation. Nani started on the bench and Joao Moutinho returned to the match day roster, although there was no sign of Daryl Dike, Pedro Gallese, or Alexandre Pato.
Orlando City held much of the possession in the first half but did little with it. Cincinnati played defensively and the Lions didn’t do a lot to break down the hosts’ shape, opting for shots from outside the area or trying to be too fine around the top of the box and losing the ball without generating anything.
The Lions got the first opportunity in the 11th minute when Mas tried a shot from outside the area. The ball skipped in front of Kenneth Vermeer and nearly slipped underneath him for a goal.
Cincinnati’s first chance came in the 17th minute when Allan Cruz was able to sneak in down the right, but Jansson got back and made a sliding block.
Three minutes later, Mas hit an inside-out shot toward goal that Vermeer was able to snare, although it may have been drifting wide anyway.
Mas said he’s getting more comfortable in Pareja’s system and that’s allowing him to get more into the flow of the match.
“It’s a new football for me. It’s a new system,” Mas said through a club interpreter. “I think, seeing that’s the way that Oscar wants to play and he’s got the confidence to give me some minutes, that really helped me develop. It’s a system where you need minutes. You need time in the game playing with your teammates to really make it work.”
A minute after his second shot, Mas sent a dangerous cross back across the area from left to right, but the defense knocked it away before Akindele could get to it. Mas was easily Orlando’s best player in the opening half.
Mueller had a go from outside the area in the 22nd minute but hit his shot way over the bar as Orlando just didn’t seem to have any ideas on how to finish an attack.
In the 27th minute, both teams fashioned a chance. Brenner had his shot blocked by Jansson and it fell for Yuya Kubo, who fired well over the crossbar. The Lions somehow got the ball to Akindele behind the defense seconds later (the broadcast didn’t show how) and he was 1-v-1 against Vermeer, who made an outstanding save to preserve the 0-0 score.
Two Lions got in each other’s way on the ensuing corner and it appeared Mas got his head to it, but the confusion made him send it wide. Mas then served in a great cross in the 32nd minute to the top of the six and Smith got to it first but made a mess of his shot attempt and popped it up over the goal.
A minute later, the Lions almost paid for that miss when Luciano Acosta worked Schlegel back and forth and sent a shot just wide of the far post from the top of the area.
In the 36th minute, Pereyra sent a good ball across to the far side from the left. Mueller slipped on the play, but Smith was able to reach it before the defense closed. The right back again got his final touch completely wrong and the ball squirted harmlessly off target.
Alvaro Barreal fired a shot wide of goal in the 39th minute and moments later Rosell went down with a non-contact injury, holding his groin area. He struggled back onto the pitch on the ensuing throw-in but was obviously not moving well. Barreal got down the right and cut the ball back to Brenner who was completley unmarked and the Brazilian finished easily. It was Cincinnati’s first goal in more than three matches.
As the video shows, Rosell’s lack of mobility after the injury set up an overload on the attacking right, but on the back side no one picked up Brenner. Rosell was subbed out after the goal for Andres Perea.
“I was very upset with that moment because I thought as well that (Rosell) was hurt,” Pareja said. “When I saw him walking back to the field — sometimes that happens with a player. It was almost the last two or three minutes in the half. I’ll take that responsibility on not subbing right away.”
Pareja said he’d hoped they could get to halftime and not have to use up one of their three substitution stoppages but dropping Pereyra deeper didn’t work on the play and he had no choice but to then send Perea on for Rosell.
Orlando held a possession advantage (51.4%-48.6%) and passed more accurately (87.8%-86.1%) in the first half, but a late flurry by FC Cincinnati had the hosts ahead on shot attempts (8-7), although Orlando got more on frame (3-1). Each team won one corner.
Pareja let the second half play out for 10 minutes and then brought on a triple substitution, sending Nani, Moutinho, and Ruan on for Michel, Mas, and Smith. Mas had been his most productive offensive player all night but he’s still likely a little short of 90-minute match fit and Nani works well down the left with the Portuguese left back.
Just a minute after Nani came on, he tied the game. A terrible no-look pass in his own half by Cruz ended up on the foot of Orlando’s captain instead. Nani dribbled toward the top of the area and sent a shot just inside the right post to even the score with his ninth goal of the season in the 56th minute. It was the captain’s 15th goal involvement in 15 appearances in 2021.
Orlando went for the kill in the moments right after the goal. Mueller ended up with the ball on the right and he blasted a shot but Vermeer was able to fight it off in the 57th minute. A minute later, Urso got into the box and went down as he was set to tee up a shot but referee Fotis Bazakos wasn’t interested in his penalty shout. Ruan won a corner on the other side just seconds later and the cross found Akindele’s head but his redirect was just over the bar.
Cincinnati had to sub Vermeer out a few minutes later, as the keeper went down holding his quad, and Przemyslaw Tyton entered the match. That delay seemed to break Orlando’s momentum and allowed the hosts to settle down a bit. The game opened up and FCC seemed to generate the better opportunities on the counter. Cruz fired over the bar in the 66th and Brenner did likewise from a tight angle in the 73rd.
Mueller nearly sent Akindele in behind just seconds after the restart from Brenner’s miss but new Cincinnati defender Geoff Cameron poked the ball away at the last second as the forward was preparing to shoot.
Brenner sent another shot just inches wide in the 75th minute before Orlando won a series of corners, but the Lions could do nothing with them.
Pareja sent Joey DeZart into the match for Urso in the 83rd minute with his final substitution, but would have liked to have made an attacking sub late. He said the injury to Rosell forced his hand to go a different way.
“The substitution early in the middle just took away the possibility, for example, to bring (on) Silvester (van der Water) or Alex (Alvarado). That was in my plans just to finish stronger up front,” Pareja said.
DeZart got into the box in the 88th minute and went down after contact but again Bazakos wasn’t interested. That was the last promising opportunity for Orlando other than some forays down the right that fizzled when Ruan either waited too long to cross or just sent a low ball blindly into traffic with his runners on the far side.
Cincinnati fashioned a chance to win the game in stoppage time. Forward Isaac Atanga was either offside or just held on by Moutinho and the ball found its way through to him. He dribbled into the area and Stajduhar came off his line, made himself big, and deflected the ball away for Jansson to clear in the 94th minute.
“I first thought he was offside — it’s what it looked like — but I guess he wasn’t,” Stajduhar said. “I just wanted to stay patient, stay up, wait for him to make a move, make him do something. The last second I went to spread and luckily got a piece of it. Robin was there to sweep it up, clean it up.”
Orlando saw out the ensuing corner and the match was over.
The more open second half allowed Cincinnati to out-shoot Orlando 17-13, although the Lions got more attempts on goal (5-2). Orlando also held more possession (53.8%-46.2%), earned more corners (6-2), and passed more accurately (87%-84.1%) but could only manage a single goal.
“I think we leave a little bit angry about the result,” Mas said. “We came in today to take the three points. I think that’s the beautiful thing about MLS is that every team is competitive. You can’t take a day off. You can’t relax on any particular game because there are so many irregularities that if you don’t come in and give your best effort, then any team can take the three points.”
“There’s no easy game in MLS, but you want to win every game you play,” Stajduhar said. “I think it’s just keep doing that next little step, get us over the hump, and get back in the win column.”
Next up for Orlando City is a Leagues Cup matchup at home against Santos Laguna on Thursday, Aug. 12. It’s the Lions’ first international competition and a big moment in club history.
Orlando City
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New York City FC
Get up to speed on the Pigeons ahead of Saturday’s game, courtesy of someone who knows them best.
Happy Friday, everyone. Orlando City got a week of rest after taking care of business against D.C. United at home, and it returns to the purple palace Saturday night to face a New York City FC team with its back against the wall in the race for a playoff place.
A showdown with the Pigeons means I caught up with Matthew Mangam of New York Soccer Journal. As always, he was helpful in getting us up to speed on NYCFC, and we appreciate his help. I also answered some of his questions about Orlando City, so make sure you check them out over at their place!
Talk me through NYCFC’s summer transfer business. Who’s out, who’s in to replace them, and how have they performed?
Matthew Mangam: NYCFC’s summer business wasn’t anything groundbreaking. The club brought in striker Luighi on loan from SE Palmeiras and got back midfielder/defender James Sands, whose loan with St. Pauli ended.
Luighi started off well, bagging four goals in his first seven league appearances. But since then, the 20-year-old is on a five-game drought. To his credit, Luighi started only two of his last five games. As for Sands, this is his third stint at NYCFC, so the versatile 26-year-old was welcomed back with open arms.
The biggest acquisition this summer, though, was Bénie Traoré. The winger joined the club as a Designated Player from FC Basel in Switzerland, but it hasn’t gone well. In 15 league appearances, Traoré has one goal — a penalty kick that hit off the post and went in — and no assists.
The club’s last move that didn’t happen in the summer surprised everyone: adding free agent Matt Miazga. The veteran defender hasn’t made his debut yet, and I’m honestly not sure when he will.
New York City has been a wildly different team since the league restarted after the World Cup. What’s happened to cause the change in form?
MM: I honestly don’t know where to start with this one. There’s so much I could say, but if I did then I’d be here all day. I’ll narrow it down to this: NYCFC can’t play a complete 90 minutes.
NYCFC has conceded six goals in stoppage time this season, is 0-4-12 after falling behind 16 times, and is 4-5-6 at home. So, they can’t hang onto leads — they’ve lost seven points after the 75th minute — they have no come-from-behind wins, and they’re poor at home.
There are other smaller factors, like injuries, individual mistakes from usually solid players (Matt Freese and Sands), and players struggling, but, as I said, it’s a lot.
The playoffs are still in reach, as NYCFC is just two points out of eighth. What needs to happen in order to get above the line and stay there?
MM: Simply put, NYCFC needs to win all four remaining games, or, at the very least, go 3-1-0. Teams around them, like Toronto, Columbus, and Cincinnati, are picking up wins and building separation, so NYCFC is in a do-or-die situation.
Getting Alonso Martínez back and starting again is huge, but you can’t expect him to return from a brutal injury and save the team immediately; it’s not fair. Traoré has to step up and show why the club paid DP money for him — one lone goal that, in my opinion, fortunately went in, and no goals from open play is extremely concerning.
Also, Nico Fernández Mercau hasn’t scored in five matches. He’s getting double- and triple-marked because teams are now well aware of how talented the Argentine is, but he has to find a way back on the scoresheet in this stretch. NYCFC needs him to. So, so badly.
Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?
MM: The only players out are the ones with long-term injuries: Keaton Parks, Kai Trewin, Maxi Moralez, Arnau Farnós, and Drew Baiera.
Given that NYCFC needs to win or the season is practically over, I expect Head Coach Pascal Jansen to leave it all out there with his best possible lineup:
Matt Freese; Kevin O’Toole, James Sands, Thiago Martins, Tayvon Gray; Andres Perea, Aiden O’Neill; Hannes Wolf, Nico Fernández Mercau, Agustin Ojeda; Alonso Martínez.
I think Nico Fernández Mercau and Alonso Martínez score, but it won’t be enough, as Antoine Griezmann gets a brace and both teams settle for a 2-2 draw.
Thank you to Matt for his excellent refresher on NYCFC. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 10/23/26
Orlando City prepares for New York City FC, Antoine Griezmann’s impact in Orlando, U.S. will host FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, and more.
Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a pretty nice week for me, as I was able to watch all of Slow Horses and finish reading Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson, both of which were brilliant. Attention now turns to this weekend’s soccer, with both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride playing at home over the next couple of days. Let’s get to the links!
Orlando City Prepares for New York City FC
The Lions host New York City FC on Saturday in one of the marquee matchups in MLS as the regular season nears its conclusion. Plenty has changed since Orlando’s 5-0 loss to NYCFC on March 7. The Lions have clawed their way up the table while the Pigeons have only won once in their past 13 league games. NYCFC enters this match after a 1-1 draw with LAFC that included an equalizer by former Lion Andres Perea to give the team a valuable point amid the playoff race. Nicolas Fernandez Mercau, Luighi, and Benie Traore are all NYCFC players the Lions will need to keep in check, or else it could end up being another high-scoring affair in the City Beautiful.
Antoine Griezmann’s Impact on Orlando’s Offense
Orlando’s wait for Antoine Griezmann to join in the summer has proven to be well worth it, as he’s transformed Orlando’s attack into a force to be reckoned with just as the playoffs near. Although Griezmann wasn’t able to enjoy a fairytale ending with Atletico Madrid by lifting the Copa del Rey or Champions League trophies this year, he’s breathed life into an Orlando side that struggled mightily prior to his arrival. The 35-year-old has recorded 12 goals and seven assists in just 14 appearances this season. Not only has he excelled when it comes to getting the ball in the net, but he’s done well in terms of defensive metrics and intangibles as well.
U.S. Will Host Women’s Club World Cup
The inaugural FIFA Women’s Club World Cup will be held in the U.S. in January of 2028 with the host cities still to be determined. There will be 19 clubs taking part, with Gotham, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Club America having already qualified along with three other teams so far. This tournament is sandwiched between the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, so there’s plenty of exciting women’s soccer to look forward to in the coming years.
U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team Wins at World Cup
The United States U-17 Women’s National Team won 6-1 against Kenya in the group stage of the FIA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, clinching a spot in the round of 16. Maggie DiMaria scored four goals to bring her total to 10 across just two games. The U.S. will play its final group game on Sunday against China PR, which also won both of its games against Kenya and Samoa to secure a spot in the knockout stage. The winner of this group will get to avoid a match with Spain in the round of 16, so there’s still plenty to play for before the next round gets underway.
Free Kicks
- The first leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal between the United States Men’s National Team and Haiti has been moved from Kingston to Miami. Haiti has had to play games outside of the country due to unrest and submitted a request to Concacaf to play in the country of its opponent.
- American center back Naomi Girma is now dealing with a calf injury that may sideline her for a few weeks according to Chelsea Head Coach Sonia Bompastor. She missed out on the team’s recent friendlies against Spain and may be absent for the Concacaf W Championship quarterfinal against El Salvador next month too.
- The United States Women’s Cerebral Palsy National Team beat Ireland 15-0 to advance to the IFCPF Women’s World Cup final, which takes place today against Australia. Annie Wickett scored five goals with four other players scoring braces.
- The San Diego Wave signed defender Mimi Van Zanten to a contract extension through the 2029 season. She’s made 27 appearances for San Diego during her rookie season, helping the club keep pace in the NWSL Shield race.
- After being stretchered off the field due to a head injury in the U.S. Open Cup final, St. Louis City goalkeeper Roman Burki is alert and in good spirits, according to the club.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!
Orlando City
Orlando’s October Outburst Originated Months Ago
Orlando City’s October offensive surge may look like a recent development, but the Lions have been scoring at an impressive rate for months.
We do not watch nearly enough Sesame Street in my house, but ever since the summer we say that A is for Antoine when the show discusses the alphabet. Sadly, this replaced A is for Andrew, which is my name, because Antoine Griezmann is more popular than me in my house. I cannot say that I am surprised, but I can say that it hurts just a little bit. More than a little bit.
For the past few years, O has been for Ojeda, as in Martín Ojeda, the man who is now Orlando City’s all-time leading goal scorer. This October, however, O is for offense, as the Lions have scored 10 goals during their three October matches, and that tally leads all of MLS this month. Orlando City’s offense has actually been on point for several months now, as you can see from the chart below (MLS games only):
| Month | Goals Scored | Games Played | Goals per Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| March | 4 | 4 | 1.0 |
| April | 7 | 5 | 1.4 |
| May | 11 | 5 | 2.2 |
| July* | 5 | 2 | 2.5 |
| August | 9 | 5 | 1.8 |
| September | 11 | 5 | 2.2 |
| October | 10 | 3 | 3.3 |
| Total | 58 | 30 | 1.9 |
- *There were no games in June due to the FIFA Men’s World Cup
Griezmann arrived for the July games, but even before that, the offense had started to heat up in May. Although May 1 is an arbitrary date, if we use it as a benchmark it allows us to capture two-thirds of Orlando City’s season, as the first 10 games happened before May and the team has now played 30 in total. Since May, the Lions rank fourth in MLS in goals scored with 46, sitting behind only Miami (54), Philadelphia (52), and St. Louis (47).
In a matter of perfect symmetry, the Lions also rank fourth in goals allowed, and by rank fourth I most certainly do not mean they are among the best defensive teams in the league. Orlando City has allowed 41 goals in the last 20 games, which is an average of more than two goals allowed per game but is also fewer than the 46 the team has scored. I know you already did the math in your head, but 46 – 41 = 5, and that +5 goal differential since May puts the Lions at eighth overall in MLS.
Perhaps we are now in the Inception timeline, because in yet another matter of symmetry Orlando City has also earned the eighth-most points (34) since May 1. This is yet another reminder of how poor of a start the club had this season, with seven losses in those first 10 games.
Since then, however, the 2026 team has performed like the teams of the past few years, but even with a top 10 performance for two-thirds of the season, it has not been able to climb above seventh in the Eastern Conference. This is because four of the five best teams since May are in the same conference, and the ninth and 10th hottest teams, right behind Orlando City, are also in the East. For those of you counting, hopefully in a voice like The Count’s (“Ah, ah,ah!”), that makes seven of the top 10 Eastern teams, so it is no wonder that the Lions are still in a precarious playoff position.
Saturday’s game against New York City FC is, on paper, the easiest of the remaining four games, but then again, the Pigeons did dirty pigeon things all over the Lions in the first matchup, winning that game 5-0. A repeat performance would wipe away the +5 goal differential Orlando has since May, but in addition to the fact that this game will be played on an actual soccer field, there is another pretty major difference between the early season Lions and the current Lions: Griezmann.
The French superstar is up to 12 goals scored and six primary assists (to go with one secondary assist in only 14 MLS games, which is wild), and he and Ojeda make up one of only seven tandems in the league in which both players have at least 12 goals each (Ojeda has 15). Only three tandems have at least 13 goals each (Miami’s Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, Cincinnati’s Kévin Denkey and Evander, and Nashville’s Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar), and with another goal from Griezmann, the two Lions would become the second pair in club history to each score at least 13 goals in a season, joining Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire in 2023.
Marco Pašalić scored in the most recent game, and both Iván Angulo and Justin Ellis have recorded double-digit goal contributions, so let’s hope the team’s recent offensive onslaught continues, because with all the injuries on the back line and some difficult opponents coming up on the schedule, the Lions will likely need to put up multiple goals if they are going to get results and qualify for the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.
And considering how poor the start to the season was, if they can orchestrate that it would be outstanding. Let’s gooooooooo.
Vamos Orlando!
Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New York City FC
Lion Links: 10/23/26
Orlando’s October Outburst Originated Months Ago
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