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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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Orlando City has now lost three straight games after falling 3-1 on the road against the Philadelphia Union. The Lions did well to bounce back from a goal late in the first half, but Union forward Kacper Przybylko scored a brace to take all three points.

Let’s dive into how each Lion rated and who was our Man of the Match.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 5.5 — The Peruvian didn’t have much of a chance at stopping the Union’s first, as it was deflected by Kyle Smith and sent the opposite direction. Gallese was closer to stopping the Union’s second goal, but he wasn’t able to go from covering the near post to protecting the center of goal quickly enough to stop a fast shot from Przybylko. He guessed wrong on the penalty late in the match and that was the nail in the coffin for Orlando. Gallese made five saves and earned a yellow card for rushing out and tackling Sergio Santos before the forward could sprint towards goal. El Pulpo was successful on 76% of his 21 passes and completed seven of his 12 long balls as well.

D, Kyle Smith, 4.5 — Smith played at left back in his first start since Aug. 18 and struggled in the game’s key moments. Orlando had a good chance to counter after a free kick from the Union, but Smith’s pass to the pack of Lions charging upfield was stopped and the Union scored shortly after. Smith was also unable to clear the ball on the end line in the buildup on the Union’s second goal. He had a key pass by setting up a shot for Mauricio Pereyra, but Smith didn’t have any crosses and was subbed off in the 68th minute for Joao Moutinho. Smith led the Lions with six tackles and also had two interceptions. He had 48 touches and only completed 16 of his 25 passes for a 64% success rate.

D, Antonio Carlos, 4.5 — Carlos was sent off in the 88th minute for bringing down Sergio Santos in the box and now won’t be available in Orlando’s next match. It was a tough way to end a frustrating game for Carlos, who wasn’t able to close down on Przybylko’s first goal in time to stop his shot. Carlos had six clearances, a tackle, an interception, a defensive block, 53 touches, and was successful on 83% of his 42 passes. If there is any silver lining to Carlos’ red card, it’s that it should allow him a chance to reset and come back stronger considering the defense has conceded 12 goals in four games.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — The Swedish defender led the team with seven interceptions, doing a decent job to cut off passes as the Union tried to infiltrate the defense. Jansson added four clearances and three tackles for a decent defensive performance despite the score. He had 61 touches and completed 84% of his 37 passes to help Orlando build out of the back. Jansson also had a key pass, crossing in a good ball for Tesho Akindele to get a piece of.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5 — It was Schlegel’s first time starting since Aug. 17 and he had a busy afternoon with six clearances, a tackle, and a defensive block. The center back was struck in the face by Przybylko right before the Union’s goal, but play went on and the goal stood after video review. Schlegel was substituted off in the 75th minute as Orlando tried to change its shape to score. He finished with 33 touches and completed 92% of his 24 passes while also picking up a yellow card. We will likely see Schlegel on Saturday against the New England Revolution now that Carlos is suspended.

D, Ruan, 6 — After getting a taste for goal last week, Ruan scored his second goal in MLS with a great header to bring Orlando level in the second half. The right back lurked around the back post and signaled his run for Mauricio Pereyra to serve him an uncontested ball. Only one of his four crosses was successful, but that cross was nearly an assist as he whipped in a good ball into the box for Junior Urso. Ruan benefited most from Orlando’s formation as he was able to push further upfield while the center backs stayed back. As a result, he didn’t have any defensive stats and was too far upfield on the counter to help on the Union’s first goal. The speedster had 43 touches and completed 24 of his 28 passes for a decent 86% success rate.

MF, Junior Urso, 6 — The Bear nearly scored in the 74th minute after getting his head on a good cross by Ruan, but Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake came up with a good save to deny him. It was his best of three shots, one blocked and the other on target but saved in the bottom right corner. Urso led the Lions with two key passes and completed 24 of his 32 passes for a 75% success rate. He did well on the defensive end as well, making six interceptions and two tackles to stop Philadelphia from outright dominating the midfield. It wasn’t Urso’s best performance, but he was one of the better Lions on the field in this one.

MF, Joey DeZart, 5 — The 23-year-old wasn’t able to continue after going down with an injury in the 20th minute. With the Union on the front foot early on, DeZart wasn’t able to make much of an impact beyond a tackle and a successful dribble. He completed four of his six passes and had nine touches. Given how thin Orlando is in the midfield at the moment, hopefully the injury isn’t too serious.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 (MotM) — The Uruguayan delivered a perfect cross for Ruan to head into the back of the net and give Orlando a lifeline on the road after a difficult first half. It was Pereyra’s ninth assist of the season and he wore the captain’s armband with Nani suspended. His assist was his only successful cross of the game and he completed 40 of his 50 passes for an 80% success rate, which isn’t too bad considering the length of some of his unsuccessful attempts. While he had three shots, two were blocked and the one on target didn’t give Blake much trouble. He played all 90 minutes and chipped in defensively with a tackle, an interception, and a defensive block while leading the team with 73 touches. The 31-year-old is our Man of the Match for keeping his composure throughout the game and serving a perfect ball for the team’s smallest player to score off a header.

MF, Benji Michel, 5 — Michel had a rough time against the Union. He was only successful on one of his five attempted dribbles and just couldn’t get much going offensively, although he did have a key pass late in the match to tee up a shot for Pereyra. Michel played every minute of the match but didn’t have a shot and was shown a yellow card for simulation after going down in the box. The winger had 38 touches and completed 75% of his 16 passes. The winger did help out defensively with three clearances, but didn’t make much of a difference in the match.

F, Tesho Akindele, 5.5 — The Canadian striker did well when pressing and hustling back to defend, racking up two tackles and an interception in 67 minutes of action. But Akindele wasn’t able to get much done on the offensive end despite doing well to win possession. He had two shots, one off target and the other deflected, and no key passes as Orlando struggled to create chances throughout the match. Akindele finished with 37 touches and 21 passes at an 86% success rate.

Substitutes

MF, Raul Aguilera Jr. (20’), 5 — The Homegrown Player came on in the 20th minute for an injured DeZart. Aguilera didn’t make much of a difference in the match, but did contribute defensively with two interceptions and a clearance. He didn’t get forward much and completed 27 of his 32 passes for an 84% success rate and had 42 touches as well. It was the longest shift Aguilera has played for the Lions this season and he picked up his first yellow card in MLS to stop a potential counter.

F, Daryl Dike (67’), 5 — Dike came on in the second half to give a spark on offense, but wasn’t able to give the Lions an equalizer. He had no shots or key passes, finishing the game with just 12 touches and seven passes at a 71% completion rate. He’s played 168 minutes over the course of these last three losses and has only registered one shot, which was off target. Defenders have scored Orlando’s three goals in these three games and Dike will need to make more of an impact with important games left on the schedule. 

D, Joao Moutinho (67’), 5.5 — The left back came on for Kyle Smith to provide the Lions some more firepower to score. Both of Moutinho’s crosses were unsuccessful and he didn’t have any key passes. Moutinho didn’t have any defensive stats, but had 26 touches and was successful on 79% of his 19 passes as he tried to build possession along the left side.

MF, Silvester van der Water (75’), 5 — Like Dike and Moutinho, van der Water was brought on for the Lions to equalize but unable to make much of a difference. Van der Water had just seven touches and was accurate on three of his five passes. He didn’t have any shots, crosses, key passes, or dribbles in the loss. That being said, it was nice to see van der Water take the field considering his availability for the match was uncertain.


That’s how I saw things play out in Orlando’s loss to Philadelphia on the road. Make sure to weigh in on how you feel about the grades in the comments below and to vote for who you think deserves the title of Man of the Match.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Mauricio Pereyra13
Ruan5
Junior Urso2
Other (Comment Below)3

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New England Revolution, U.S. Open Cup: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from the Lions’ exciting U.S. Open Cup victory.

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Image of Tiago and Zakaria Taifi celebrating Tiago's first MLS goal vs. the Red Bulls.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City defeated the New England Revolution 4-3 to advance to the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open Cup. Both teams played a lot of younger players, but Orlando City showed a lot of maturity coming back three times in the match before finally taking the lead in second-half stoppage time. Here are my five takeaways from a pleasantly surprising result in the midweek match.

Welcome Back, Griffin Dorsey

When Alex Freeman left, there was a sense of dread given the options available to replace him. That dread faded when Orlando City brought in MLS veteran right back Griffin Dorsey. The former Houston Dynamo fullback recently came back from injury and got the start in Wednesday’s match. He played well throughout the game, but his best moment came in the 40th minute. Dorsey combined with Justin Ellis on a nifty give-and-go before smashing the ball into the back of the net to draw the Lions even a second time in the match.

Defense? Never Heard of It.

What happens when you have Colin Guske start at center back? You give up three goals. To be clear, I’m not solely blaming Guske, especially since he is less of a center back than Kyle Smith was in his time with Orlando City. Any time a team gives up three goals you have to assume the defense was not up to par, and that was the case against a New England squad that played even more youngsters than Orlando City. Luckily, it didn’t matter in the end since, it was mostly Orlando’s kids that won the match.

Take a Bow, Justin Ellis

The lack of veteran depth, combined with various injuries, has provided the opportunity for youngsters to get some minutes. No player has made more of that opportunity than Justin Ellis. The striker had an assist and a goal in the previous two MLS matches, and matched that output against New England. He was a part of the pretty give-and-go on Dorsey’s goal, and then scored a poacher’s goal to draw Orlando even for the third time in the match. It really should have been two goals, as Ellis put the ball in the net again a few minutes after the one that counted, but either Tyrese Spicer or Ellis was called offside when neither was offside.

Spicer was Spicy

Tyrese Spicer was a literal game changer in this match. He set up two of the four goals on the night, and as I mentioned above, it should have been three if not for the ridiculously bad offside call. He was a holy terror on the left side of the attack and may have actually injured a defender’s ankles with some of his moves. He wasn’t able to score a goal himself, but he was a crucial part of Orlando City’s ability to keep coming back and ultimately win the match.

Goals on Goals

I have not yet mentioned Orlando City’s first or fourth goal. Center back Iago flew above everyone on the pitch to put a beautiful header in the back of the goal. It was the type of goal we were told to expect from the young defender, and all I can say is “thank you sir, may we have another?” The winning goal came once again from a Spicer cross, which second-half sub Zakaria Taifi finished. Taifi made a well-timed back-post run to beat his defender and score the go-ahead goal. I don’t think anyone had the Lions scoring four goals to advance, with three of those goals coming from the back line.


I’m not ashamed to admit that I did not expect Orlando City to win this match, let alone score four goals while doing so. As such, I’m happy that this was able to be a positive article. Now, the Lions turn their attention to an MLS away match against rival Inter Miami. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/30/26

Orlando City advances in U.S. Open Cup, Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines earns praise, NWSL sticks with current calendar, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

For the third Thursday morning in a row, we are all basking in the triumph of a midweek win by Orlando City. It feels good, to say the least, and I’m a bit sad that there’s not another Wednesday match next week. Regardless, there’s plenty of Orlando soccer ahead this weekend to look forward to. Now that we have a little optimism to get us through the rest of the week, let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Wins U.S. Open Cup Thriller

Orlando City has reached the quarterfinals of the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after winning 4-3 on the road against the New England Revolution in the round of 16. It was truly a back-and-forth affair and Orlando didn’t have the lead at any point of the match until scoring the winner in stoppage time. Just like in the previous round against FC Naples, it wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but all that matters is advancing, and the Lions are through to the quarterfinals. The draw for the rest of the bracket will take place this morning starting at 9:30 a.m.

Seb Hines Receives High Praise

Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines placed eighth in ESPN‘s rankings of the top 20 women’s club soccer coaches in the world. Orlando’s transformation with him at the helm has been historic, as he coached the Pride to winning both the NWSL Championship and the Shield in 2024. The only other current NWSL coaches above him on the list are Angel City FC’s Alex Straus and Gotham FC’s Juan Carlos Amoros. Jonatan Giraldez, who left the Washington Spirit for OL Lyonnes last summer, tops the list, while former Pride head coach Marc Skinner missed the cut.

NWSL Will Stick With Current Calendar For Now

In a league statement, the National Women’s Soccer League announced that it will continue with its spring-to-fall schedule through 2030. This news comes after evaluation by the league of making a similar move as MLS and switching to a calendar that aligns with European leagues.

An update from the NWSL on the competition calendar.

NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) 2026-04-29T15:01:48.017Z

This should give all parties a decent amount of time to explore long-term options. It also means we will get to enjoy domestic soccer all year long for at least a couple of years once MLS makes the switch in 2027. We’ll see what happens in the NWSL in 2031, which is also when the U.S. will cohost the Women’s World Cup that summer.

Keeping Up With Americans Abroad

European soccer is winding down and many American players will aim to finish strongly after struggling a bit this season. Fulham defender Antonee Robinson only has one assist this season, while Christian Pulisic has recorded just one goal contribution in 2026. In more positive news, former Lion Alex Freeman played every minute of Villarreal’s 2-1 win over Celta Vigo and hopefully more minutes are ahead of him to close out the season. Forward Folarin Balogun was named AS Monaco’s Player of the Month after scoring in three of his four appearances this month. Another star-spangled storyline to keep an eye on is in the EFL Championship as Aidan Morris and Middlesbrough fight for promotion.

Free Kicks

  • New York City FC’s Maxi Moralez had three assists in his team’s 3-1 win against the New York Red Bulls in the U.S. Open Cup, with all three of NYCFC’s goals coming from corner kicks.
  • Nashville SC forward Ahmed Qasam won MLS Goal of the Matchday for his strike against Charlotte FC. I’m still not sure how Tyrese Spicer’s goal wasn’t nominated.
  • Atletico Madrid and Arsenal each scored a penalty in a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal matchup. Antoine Griezmann, who will join Orlando this summer, hit the crossbar in what was likely his final Champions League game at the Metropolitano.
  • Afghan Women United, a women’s soccer team of Afghan refugees, has been allowed by FIFA to take part in international competitions.
  • FIFA is in talks over implementing a rule that would require soccer teams to field a young Homegrown player during games. The idea would make more sense to me if players didn’t already have options available to get playing time through loans or tournaments outside of league play.
  • English defender Millie Bright announced her retirement from professional soccer. The 32-year-old has played for Chelsea since 2014, but injuries have plagued her over the years and she will continue to be part of the club in the future.
  • Paris Saint-Germain right back Achraf Hakimi is out for the next few weeks due to a thigh injury sustained in the club’s wild 5-4 win over Bayern Munich in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals.

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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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. New England Revolution, 2026 U.S. Open Cup: Final Score 4-3 as Lions Advance to Quarterfinals

The Lions overcame three one-goal deficits and saw a goal incorrectly disallowed for offside in a wild USOC match in Rhode Island.

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Image of Justin Ellis playing the ball in traffic against New England.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City overcame three separate deficits and a would-be winning goal that was called offside (but wasn’t) in a wild 4-3 win over New England at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, RI. The Lions moved into the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup on a night of firsts, as three Orlando City defenders — Iago, Griffin Dorsey, and Zakaria Taifi — each scored their first goal as Lions, while Justin Ellis stayed hot with a goal and an assist in the contest.

New England took leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 on goals by Malcolm Fry, Andrew Farrell, and Marcos Zambrano, but the Lions fought back each time and eventually found a way to put a foot in front in stoppage time. Taifi’s winner in the second minute of injury time avoided sending the two teams to their second extra time session in as many USOC meetings. Second-half super sub Tyrese Spicer provided assists on the last two goals and what should have been a second Ellis goal.

“A lot of happiness because of the result, especially, like I said last week, the effort of the players,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the game. “I think the effort of the players a couple of days ago, today, every game, I think that’s the biggest point to highlight. I think we have an amazing group of players. When they need to show up, they do it.”

Perelman’s starting lineup featured Javier Otero in goal behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Iago, Colin Guske, and Dorsey. Ignacio Gomez joined Braian Ojeda in central midfield with wingers Ivan Angulo and Tiago, with Martin Ojeda and Ellis leading the attack.

New England went extra young, with no veterans on the bench of the game day squad, and only elder statesmen Diego Fagundez and Farrell on the pitch with nine young players. Despite all that youth for the Revs, it was Orlando’s young players — Homegrowns Ellis and Taifi and MLS U22 Initiative signings Iago and Tiago — who ultimately stole the show.

Ellis had the first couple of scoring chances in the game. His shot from outside the area seven minutes into the match from Gomez’s pass was easily saved by Donovan Parisian. Seven minutes later, Ellis could have taken an early shot with his left in transition, but instead he cut inside on his right and his shot was deflected out for a corner.

The next 10 minutes saw the Lions start turning the ball over in their own half and Fry sent a warning shot wide of the left post in the 19th minute with two runners at the back post just waiting on a cross. However, that warning shot went unheeded.

Fry opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a shot from the left channel. Gomez trailed Eric Klein on the play but appeared to be running at half speed and never came close to running down the opposing attacker. Guske got caught between two minds, stepping up, but leaving too much room. Klein sent a chipped pass by Guske to Fry, Iago was a step slow to cover for his central defense partner, and Otero opened up his legs, allowing Fry to slip it in from a tight angle to make it 1-0.

The Lions quickly gave the ball away after the restart and nearly fell behind by a second goal on two occasions. The first was within a minute of Fry’s goal, when Fagundez found Allan Oyirwoth in transition but Otero was there to make the save on a 1-v-1 chance. Zambrano then hit the post in the 26th minute on another dangerous opportunity.

That was an important storm to weather, because the Lions pulled one back in the 31st minute off a set piece. The ball in from the left was cleared out to the right and recycled in by Tiago, who sent a nice curling cross into the area on the far side. Iago leaped over everyone and headed it back toward the right, beating Parisian to make it 1-1 with his first goal as a Lion.

This time it was Orlando City nearly scoring twice in quick succession. A good ball from Dorsey sent Tiago to the end line on the left. His pass to Martin Ojeda was late and hard, bouncing just before reaching the Argentine, who got under it as a result, sending his shot over the bar. A minute later, Ellis tried to connect with Ojeda’s run between defenders but it was just out of the Designated Player’s reach.

New England regained the lead off a set piece in the 37th minute that should have been cleared. The ball into the box landed amidst several bodies and only one of them was wearing Revs colors. Gabe Dahlin had no trouble taking it away from Gomez and Guske and sent it to Farrell near the top of the area. The defender smashed it through the traffic and in to make it 2-1, scoring his first goal since 2018.

Much like each of the previous goals, the next good chance came immediately for the scoring team. Zambrano forced Otero into a save just seconds after the go-ahead goal. Seconds later, another dangerous cross in from Fagundez, who was given too much space by Angulo, found Zambrano in front, but he sent his bicycle kick well off target.

Orlando City responded to that flurry of Revolution attacks with its second goal of the game. Dorsey took a pass from Angulo and worked a give-and-go with Ellis at the top of the box, with the forward giving Dorsey a clean look at goal. The right back blasted it home to make it 2-2 in the 39th minute.

Otero nearly created more problems for himself in the 42nd minute, overrunning Fagundez’s delivery on yet another set piece. He managed to extend his arm far enough to get a touch on the ball to send it out for a corner. A dangerous scramble in front of goal with one New England player on five defenders resulted in another corner, before the danger subsided with the ensuing set piece delivery swerving out of play.

Oyirwoth got a late free header in the box but couldn’t make good contact, sending it out of play. That was the last good look at goal of the opening 45 minutes and the teams went to the locker room tied up at 2-2.

New England had a dominant advantage on the stat sheet at the break, leading in possession (51%-49%), shots (12-5), shots on target (4-3), and passing accuracy (90%-86%), while Orlando City won more corners (3-2).

Tyrese Spicer entered the match at halftime for Tiago.

After the Lions conceded an early set piece, Spicer got forward for the first time in the 49th minute, racing down the left channel and blazing a rocket just over the crossbar. A few minutes later, he destroyed Damario McIntosh on the left wing and got into the box but got his cross wrong, sending it straight to a Revs player.

Another spell of give-away ball and passive midfield play by Orlando eventually led to the third New England lead of the night. Zambrano took a pass out on the right, took a touch and beat a passive Marin — and Otero — to make it 3-2 in the 58th minute.

The Lions quickly won a free kick just wide of the box on the left but could do nothing with it.

Fagundez came close to a fourth New England goal in the 68th minute when given acres of space outside the penalty area. The veteran winger sent the shot just wide of the left post.

Two minutes later, the Lions again tied things up. Spicer got down the left again and sent a cross in front that was just out of Parisian’s reach at the top of the six. The ball went through and Ellis slotted home to make it 3-3 in the 70th minute.

Ellis scored again in the 74th minute but the flag came up. Martin Ojeda sent a beautiful ball just over the defender for Spicer to run onto. Spicer sent it to Ellis in front for the finish but the flag came up immediately. The replay showed from two angles that Spicer and Ellis both appeared to be onside. With questionable call, the game remained tied.

Spicer forged another chance in the 80th minute. He put a move on McIntosh and the New England defender went down. Spicer seemed a bit mesmerized by the sudden appearance of space and waited too long to get his shot away, which Farrell blocked. McIntosh had to leave the match with what appeared to be an ankle injury.

The Lions continued to press for a winner down the stretch. Martin Ojeda’s back-post ball fell behind substitute Taifi in the 89th minute. The Homegrown fullback tried a spinning shot but hit Ellis with it in front.

New England came the other way, winning a throw-in on the left. Orlando City’s defense got out of sync on the play and the Revs worked the ball to Fry alone on the right inside the box. The opening goal scorer was poised to be the game’s hero but fired his shot over Otero’s crossbar.

With seven minutes of stoppage time left to decide things before sending the game to extra time, the Lions needed only two to finally get their first lead of the match. Spicer again got down the left side with his speed to get to a perfect pass over the top from Ojeda. The Trinidad & Tobago international cut a menacing ball back across the area. Taifi made the back-post run and redirected it in for his first goal with the MLS side

“Today we were able to spread the goals (among) different players, and that helped raise the confidence,” Perelman said. “That’s always something positive. If they are scoring it’s because they are on the field, and if they are on the field, it’s because they are performing, growing.

Although he didn’t put the ball in the net himself, it’s impossible to understate Spicer’s role in the win, creating a threat that the Revs struggled to cope with down the left flank throughout the second half.

“Spicy, first of all, is an amazing person. I’m so happy for him,” Perelman said. “He’s an amazing boy, respectful, and then the talent he has, because he’s accurate when he shoots, when he crosses, when he finishes…and he has 1-v-1 capacity. I mean, a lot of qualities.”

Across the final minutes, Orlando City lived dangerously, setting New England up with multiple opportunities from set pieces, but the Lions managed to do just enough to clear their lines and see out what turned into more than nine added minutes. Eventually, the final whistle came and the Lions were through to the U.S. Open Cup

At full time, the Lions had the advantage in possession, (51.6%-48.4%), while New England had the edge in shots (15-14) and passing accuracy (85.1%-84.2%). Both teams put five shots on target and each side won three corners.

“The cup is not easy,” Perelman said. “I respect the Open Cup, and I respect the opponents, so happy, happy for the result. The game was tough. They played really well with their 4-3-3. We were trying to find a way to adjust to that. I think in the second half mainly we did it, even though we conceded one more goal in the second half.”


Orlando City is back in action Saturday at Inter Miami as league play continues.

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