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Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Storm Back in Second Half to Equalize

After a poor first half, Orlando City was excellent for most of the second 45, pulling even and coming within inches of winning on the road.

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5 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City struggled through the opening 45 minutes but played well after halftime, coming back from 1-0 down to draw Nashville SC 1-1 at Nissan Stadium. The Lions (8-4-7, 31 points) were a crossbar’s width from becoming the first visiting team to win in Nissan Stadium all season but had to settle for the team’s second road draw at Nashville SC (7-2-11, 32 points).

The fact the teams split the points keeps Orlando a point behind Nashville with a game in hand. However, with Philadelphia’s win over New York City FC, the Lions slipped to fifth in the Eastern Conference standings.

Antonio Carlos’ header in the second half canceled out a first-half goal by Lion killer C.J. Sapong, meaning the team to score first in this series has still never won the game (0-2-2). The teams are 1-1-2 against each other in the first four meetings.

β€œGood match. I think we recognized in the second half where we were missing in the first,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. β€œWe were losing some silly balls.”

With Nani questionable, Pareja didn’t risk the captain for this match and he wasn’t in the match day lineup. Mason Stajduhar once again started in net, backing up a defensive line of Joao Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Carlos, and Kyle Smith. Joey DeZart got the start alongside Junior Urso in central midfield, with Mauricio Pereyra and Silvester van der Water facilitating the attack to Benji Michel and Tesho Akindele.

Orlando City was swarmed in the midfield throughout most of the first half and it allowed Nashville to get forward in transition. The first decent look came in the fourth minute when Hany Mukhtar got down the right and fired a shot that Stajduhar parried away.

DeZart struggled in the first half hour and his giveaway led to a chance for Randall Leal, who fired just wide of the left post.

Van der Water forced Joe Willis into a diving save in the 11th minute with a nice effort from outside the area, cutting inside from the right.

Nashville always seemed likely to score first with the Lions continually giving the ball away around the middle of the pitch. Tah Anunga fired wide in the 16th minute, but the hosts opened the scoring minutes later. Unsure of his options, Moutinho telegraphed a back pass with numbers forward and Nashville easily read the play and took it away, breaking in 2-v-2 with Mukhtar and Sapong on Orlando City’s center backs. Sapong finished the play with yet another goal against the Lions and Nashville led 1-0 in the 23rd minute.

β€œThey were playing defensively and getting some counters, which is very dangerous for us,” Pareja said. β€œThe second half we were much better. We were smarter on containing those counters.”

Leal fired into outside netting in the 30th minute as Orlando continued to struggle against Nashville’s superior numbers in the midfield.

The Lions finally started to get something going in the final five minutes of the half. A heavy touch by Willis at the top of the box nearly became an easy goal for Akindele, who came in to nick the ball, but he couldn’t quite finesse it around the keeper, who was able to recover. Four minutes later, Moutinho and Urso combined to unlock the defense and Akindele laid off a ball to his left for van der Water. The Dutchman should have equalized, but his shot skipped just wide of the right post in the 44th minute.

β€œI know I had a lot of chances and I need to score. But on the other side, I think we need to be happy with a point today,” van der Water said. β€œI think the mentality of the second half was much better.”

Akindele got his head to a good cross from Pereyra in first-half stopage time and hit it down into the wet turf. The ball skipped up and looked to be heading in but it was floating a bit and Willis was able to get a touch on it to keep it out with the last play of the half.

Nashville finished the first half with more shots (10-5) and shots on goal (4-2). Each team won one corner, and the Lions held more possession (60.2%-39.8%) and passed more accurately (89.1%-82.1%). It was all about Orlando giving the ball up in bad areas and Nashville taking advantage on one of its opportunities.

Orlando City played a much better second half, but the Lions still nearly saw their deficit doubled early in the second period. Jansson was forced to foul Mukhtar in a dangerous spot near the box to Stajduhar’s right. Mukhtar went for goal on the set piece but could only catch the top of the crossbar near the far post as the young goalkeeper did well in playing his angle.

After a couple of misfires from Urso and Akindele in the next few minutes, the Lions seemed to finally get their legs under them in the match. Van der Water fired just wide of the left post in the 55th minute from the middle, just outside the area. Urso drew a foul on Anibal Godoy β€” one of several fouls the Bear suffered on the night β€” moments later, and Orlando made it pay off. Pereyra sent in a perfect cross from right to left and Carlos won the race to the ball, heading it back to the right and past Willis for the tying goal in the 58th minute.

Carlos laughed in the postgame press conference, saying he was happy to be able to celebrate his second goal of the season after getting injured while scoring his first against Miami.

β€œNormally Antonio wins those balls in the air because of his size and his timing,” Pareja said. β€œHe’s very dominant in the air. He needed to (get) some direction and improve his contact with the ball. And Josema Bazan, our assistant coach, is spending a lot of time with him. He’s trying to reinforce those actions and today they got rewarded by that beautiful goal, and important goal as well. So he’s not just making contact, but I think he’s now finding the net which is important for us.”

Stajduhar made what looked to be a sensational save on Alistair Johnston at the back post just two minutes after Orlando’s goal but the play didn’t count anyway as the flag had gone up.

Pereyra went for goal on a set piece in the 67th minute but couldn’t get his shot to dip and it sailed just over. A minute later, Michel smashed a shot just wide of the right post from the top of the box. Michel then won a couple of corners but the Lions couldn’t pay them off. Then Akindele headed a Moutinho cross off the front of Willis’ crossbar in the 75th as Orlando came within inches of taking the lead.

Nashville threw players forward in the final 10 minutes to go for the win and had a couple of opportunities, with Pareja making some subs that changed the shape and tactics. With more Nashville players forward, Orlando looked to absorb pressure and counter, putting four fullbacks on the field at one point, but Ruan played a forward position and Emmanuel Mas came on, pushing Moutinho further up the field.

Moutinho did well in the 80th minute to beat a Nashville player to a back-post ball and knock it out for a corner. Then there were a couple of late nervy moments when Nashville won some balls in the air and they pinged around the area, but ultimately, Orlando did enough to hang on.

Orlando completely turned around the shots totals, with each team registering 14 for the match. Nashville got more on target (4-3). Each team earned three corners in the match, with Orlando holding more possession (56.1%-43.9%) and passing more accurately (86.7%-81.5%).

β€œI saw the team positioned better and be closer to their backs and creating options,” Pareja said of his team in the second half. β€œAnd when they wanted to come up from that pressure, they couldn’t, and that was the best part of the game β€” I think that probably 30-35 minutes in the second half was a highlight for us.”

β€œPlaying away at Nashville is not an easy feat,” Carlos said through a club interpeter. β€œI was thrilled, once again, to be able to help the team, and we walked away with a well-deserved point but I believe that we could have even won the match.”

The Lions have another quick turnaround with the Chicago Fire visiting Exploria Stadium on Saturday night in a match that sure feels like a must-win game.

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Orlando City

Flashback Friday: July 4, 2023 vs. Toronto FC

Let’s rewind to an Independence Day affair that had plenty of offensive fireworks.

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3 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The United States Men’s National Team picked up a gritty, resilient 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, and will now face Belgium in a rematch of the 2014 World Cup Round of 16 next Monday. While we patiently wait for that game, it’s time to continue our Friday tradition of revisiting some classic Orlando City games from years past.

Last week, we rewound to a high octane affair against the Chicago Fire in late June 2022, that saw the Lions douse Chicago’s flames and pick up a much-needed 4-2 victory. Today, let’s hop in the time machine and travel back to Independence Day 2023, when Toronto FC came to town.

At the time of Toronto’s visit, things were going relatively smoothly for OCSC. The team was riding a three-match unbeaten streak and had scored five goals across those three games. Oscar Pareja lined up his team in its customary 4-2-3-1, with Pedro Gallese in goal; a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith; Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo in the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres in the attacking midfield; and Duncan McGuire up top.

Orlando very nearly got a goal a little under 10 minutes into the game. Former OCSC goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh knocked down a cross in front of the net, and while Pereyra was first to the ball, he could only blast it over the bar with the goal at his mercy. Fortunately, that miss would not come back to haunt the Lions, who bagged the game’s first goal in the 16th minute. Angulo sucked defenders toward him on the left edge of the box before releasing Santos out wide. The fullback played a peach of a first-time, curling cross to the back post, where Araujo was waiting to power a diving header into the side netting at the far post for his first league goal.

That goal broke the game open, and Orlando got another goal six minutes later to double the advantage. It initially looked like a carbon copy of the first goal, with Santos out in space on the left side of the box, sending in a curled cross. The ball deflected off a defender and came in low toward the goal. Ranjitsingh waited for the ball instead of going to claim it, and that allowed McGuire to nip in front of him and get a touch on the ball to sneak it in at the near post.

Orlando nearly got even more goals inside the half hour, with Torres and McGuire both going close in quick succession. Federico Bernardeschi smashed a shot off the post in the 28th minute, and the Lions seemed to be losing focus a little bit, with the hydration break a welcome pause in play when it came. OCSC came out of the pause well, and Pereyra put Angulo through in the 36th minute, but the Colombian couldn’t bring the ball under control and fashion a shooting chance.

Orlando led in every meaningful statistical category at halftime. The Lions had more possession (55.8%-44.2%), shots (6-2), shots on goal (2-0), corners (4-2), and passing accuracy (89.5%-85%). Most importantly, they led 2-0 on the scoreboard.

Toronto tried to change things at halftime by introducing three substitutes, but Orlando settled back into the game quickly and negated the efforts of interim TFC manager Terry Dunfield. Angulo and Torres forced Ranjitsingh into a pair of saves in the 53rd and 55th minutes, and the Lions tried to press their advantage by sending on Ramiro Enrique and Martin Ojeda in the 57th minute for McGuire and Pereyra.

The game then changed in a big way in the 62nd minute. Cartagena and Bernardeschi exchanged words after a turnover, and the Italian winger put Cartagena on the ground with the help of a little theatrics from the midfielder. Bernardeschi had already been yellow carded in the 47th minute for a foul on Smith, and the altercation with Wilder saw him receive a second yellow and his marching orders to go along with it.

With TFC down to 10 men, the Lions started to tee off at goal. Ojeda came close to getting the team’s third in the 69th minute, with Enrique doing the same in the 71st but missing just wide. When the goal finally came, it was from the unlikely foot of Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, who had been subbed into the game alongside Ercan Kara in the 68th minute.

Thorhallsson made a great run behind the defense in the 77th minute, and Araujo picked him out well. Ranjitsingh came out to try to play sweeper-keeper, but DDT beat him to the ball easily, touched it around the former Lion, and rolled it into the empty net to score his first MLS goal and make it 3-0.

Toronto had a halfway decent chance to pull one back in the 82nd minute, but Brandon Servania’s long-distance attempt at chipping Gallese ended up missing high and settling on the roof of the net. Kara then iced the game in the 84th minute. Araujo fired a pass to Ojeda at the top of the box, and even though he had trouble bringing it under control, he had the presence of mind to backheel it toward goal for the big Austrian to pounce on and fire a low, hard shot into the net for 4-0.

Ojeda nearly got a goal of his own two minutes later but had a great effort saved in what was the last truly dangerous moment of the game.

As was the case at halftime, when the final whistle blew, the Lions had created plenty of fireworks on both the scoreboard and the stat sheet. OCSC finished with more possession (59.6%-40.4%), shots (18-6), shots on target (9-0), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (91%-84.8%).

Marcus Mitchell had Player Grades for this one, and he named Araujo the Man of the Match with a grade of 8 out of 10 for his one-goal/one-assist effort. The other high performers on the night were Antonio Carlos, and Cartagena, who each graded out at 7.5 out of 10.

That’ll do it for this week’s trip down memory lane. We’ve been getting spoiled lately, with Orlando putting up four goals in back-to-back time machine games, and it’s made for an enjoyable glimpse into years gone by. With any luck, next week’s edition will be similarly entertaining. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/3/26

Orlando Pride visit Angel City tonight, NWSL free agents to watch, Portugal and Spain advance, and more.

Published

3 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! I don’t have many plans this holiday weekend beyond enjoying some soccer and indulging myself in a few hot dogs to celebrate. It should be a fun weekend, but make sure to stay safe out there if you plan on setting off any fireworks. For now though, let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Take On Angel City FC Tonight

The NWSL resumes today and the Orlando Pride will play against Angel City FC at 10 p.m. in their first match since a 3-1 win over Bay FC on May 29. That win capped off a six-game month for the Pride, including a stretch of three straight road games. Meanwhile, Angel City parted ways with Alex Straus over the break after only winning once in May, and tonight’s match will be Leif Gunnar Smerud’s first since being named interim head coach. It can be tough playing an opponent with a new coach, but hopefully the Pride can bring all three points back to Orlando.

Top NWSL Free Agents to Watch

Free agency is officially underway in the NWSL and the list of players with contracts expiring at the end of the year includes some of the league’s best players. Orlando Pride star Marta was listed as one of the top free agents to watch, though I would be pretty shocked if she plays for another NWSL club if she leaves Orlando after this season. Leicy Santos, Debinha, and Rose Lavelle are other skilled attackers who will become free agents, but Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger is sure to have plenty of clubs reaching out for her talents as well.

Portugal and Spain Advance in World Cup

This World Cup hasn’t been short on excitement and that continued with Portugal’s 2-1 win against Croatia. After a scoreless first half, Croatia took the lead thanks to a goal from Ivan Perisic, but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized from the penalty spot and the game was moments away from heading to extra time. Goncalo Ramos gave Portugal the goal it needed to advance deep in stoppage time, but Croatia nearly came back with a goal that was disallowed due to an offside call. Spain cruised to a 3-0 win against Austria to book its spot in the round of 16 as well. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice for his second brace of the tournament, with Marc Cucurella assisting on both of his goals. Spain and Portugal will square off in the next round in what should be a fantastic match. Switzerland and Algeria kicked off late.

The round of 32 wraps up today with a trio of matches, starting with Egypt’s game against Australia. Cape Verde will then look to shock the world when it plays Argentina, and the late game will be between Colombia and Ghana.

Columbus Crew Sign New Designated Player

The Columbus Crew have signed Spanish midfielder Brais Mendez to a Designated Player contract through the 2028-2029 season with a club option for the 2029-2030 season. Mendez has spent the past four La Liga seasons with Real Sociedad, recording 33 goals and 24 assists in 166 appearances. He gives the crew some additional firepower as reports swirl regarding Diego Rossi’s departure for CF Monterrey. While maybe not in the same headline-grabbing tier of MLS summer signings like Antoine Griezmann or Robert Lewandowski, Mendez is a big addition to the league as the Eastern Conference arms race continues.

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  • CF Montreal sent $2.1 million in General Allocation Money to Austin FC in exchange for midfielder Dani Pereira. Selected with the first overall pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, Pereira has contributed six goals and 23 assists in 165 appearances across all competitions for Austin.
  • Real Salt Lake reportedly rejected a transfer bid around $3.5 million from CF Monterrey for midfielder Diego Luna.
  • American winger Emma Sears reportedly requested a trade from Racing Louisville, although the club is not reportedly interested in a midseason transfer.
  • The United States Men’s National Team’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina had record viewership. Understandably so, too, as I spent most of the match pacing around my living room.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/2/26

USMNT shuts out Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kat Asman loaned to Denver Summit FC, MLS transfer news, and more.

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4 days ago

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July 2, 2026

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Image of Pride goalkeeper Kat Asman
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Wednesday nights are starting to feel magical. Orlando City has thrived this year when playing on Wednesdays, and now the United States Men’s National Team has provided us with a reason to tackle this Thursday at full force. Before we dive into that result and the rest of today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City defender Tahir Reid-Brown!

USMNT Survives Red Card to Advance

The U.S. won 2-0 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in an emotional rollercoaster of a match in the World Cup’s round of 32. Folarin Balogun got the U.S. on the board at a crucial time right before halftime by scoring his third goal of the tournament. But the game flipped on its head in the second half when Balogun was shown a harsh red card by the referee after video review for a foul when he accidentally came down on the back of an opponent’s foot. The Yanks fought hard to make up for the difference of being down a player and doubled their lead after earning a free kick right outside the box. Malik Tillman’s shot went up and over the wall and into the net for a goal U.S. fans will be replaying over and over again.

The U.S. did well to grind out the win after that second goal, with former Lion Alex Freeman doing his part on defense to help shut out Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a memorable win, and now the U.S. will turn its focus to its round-of-16 matchup against Belgium on Monday.

Pride Loan Goalkeeper Kat Asman to Denver Summit

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Kat Asman to the Denver Summit for the remainder of the 2026 NWSL season. Asman is coming off of a loan with Lexington SC in the Gainbridge Super League, where she played every minute of the season to help Lexington win the title. She posted 11 clean sheets with Lexington last season and won the league’s Golden Glove as well. Asman has yet to make an appearance for the Pride since joining prior to the 2025 season, and her contract expires at the end of the season. She now heads to Denver, where Abby Smith has done well in goal as the expansion team’s starter.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

Real Salt Lake sent $625,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to Atlanta United in exchange for winger Saba Lobjanidze and a third-round pick in the 2028 MLS SuperDraft, with another $100,000 in GAM going Atlanta’s way if he re-signs with Real Salt Lake. The Columbus Crew fully acquired defender Andres Herrera from River Plate after an extended loan, signing him to a contract through the 2028-2029 season. The LA Galaxy transferred defender Mauricio Cuevas to Santos Laguna, the New England Revolution added forward Wilson Harris, and Sporting Kansas City signed center back Moises Mosquera from FC Juarez. The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly close to signing Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn, with Daniel heading to FC Dallas in a trade if that happens. It’s somewhat surprising considering Daniel has done well to help San Jose only concede 15 goals this season.

🏴󠁧󠁒󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Sources: San Jose Earthquakes closing in on a deal to sign Scotland int'l GK Angus Gunn.πŸ‡§πŸ‡· Sources: FC Dallas has agreed to a deal to acquire GK Daniel from San Jose.βž• Daniel trade is contingent on Gunn signing being formalized.

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-01T16:34:02.297Z

European Nations Move On After Dramatic Comebacks

This World Cup continues to deliver thrilling games during this new round-of-32 phase. Senegal looked certain to go through to the next round until Belgium scored a pair of goals after the 85th minute to knot the game at 2-2 and send it into extra time. The game was decided by a penalty, but not in a shootout, as a foul in the box resulted in Youri Tielemans scoring from the spot to give Belgium the victory. In Atlanta, Harry Kane scored twice to rescue England in a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Brian Cipanga gave the Congo an early lead, but Kane struck twice in the second half, with his winner being one of the best goals of the tournament so far.

England is now set to face Mexico at the Azteca on Sunday in what should be a great game. As for today’s action, Orlando City winger Marco Pasalic and Croatia will take on Portugal in a matchup between European heavyweights. The winner of that match will face whoever prevails today between Spain and Austria, with Switzerland and Algeria squaring off in the late night match.

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That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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