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Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Final Score 3-1 as Lions Crash Out of Playoffs

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3 years ago

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Orlando City’s 2021 season is over.

The Lions scored first, but fell victim to a fluky goal and the Nashville SC counter attack in a 3-1 loss at Nissan Stadium. The game was closer than the final score would indicate, but the fourth meeting of the year between the two sides — the third in Nashville — went to the hosts. Daryl Dike put the Lions ahead early but Hany Mukhtar scored twice and Jhonder Cadiz got an insurance goal deep in stoppage time.

The team to score first has still never won in the series and a solid second season under Oscar Pareja — despite a plethora of injuries, suspensions, and international call-ups — came to a close after the franchise’s first ever road playoff contest.

“Those counters affected us today and that was a difference maker in the game,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “I think the effort from the players and the desire and the willingness to be as we’re always asking them, it was there on the field. So there’s nothing to regret, and it’s painful but the boys left it on the field and there’s nothing we can complain about.”

Despite David Loera being the only player on the injury report, Pareja still didn’t have his first-choice starting XI in the lineup. Joao Moutinho did not dress and Nani started on the bench. Pareja had Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Emmanuel Mas, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan. Sebas Mendez and Junior Urso slotted into central midfield, with Mauricio Pereyra and Chris Mueller facilitating the attack to Benji Michel and Daryl Dike up top.

Orlando City started strong and looked to be growing into the game first. A good bit of buildup nearly resulted in a chance for Mueller in the 10th minute. The Lions worked the ball into the area but the final ball from Dike was too far out in front. But Orlando got the opener four minutes later.

Michel won a corner kick for Orlando and the Lions made the set piece pay off. Pereyra sent in a great cross and Dike peeled away from the defense and placed his header toward the far post and in for the first goal in the 14th minute. It was Dike’s first playoff goal.

Nashville tried to get back into it using the dark arts. CJ Sapong took a dive and Ismail Elfath rewarded it by giving the hosts a free kick in a dangerous area. Mukhtar’s free kick hit the wall and came back to him. He tried to pick out Walker Zimmerman with a recycled ball but Jansson cleared it away.

Unfortunately, Nashville tied the match in the 21st minute. Urso was unaware of Anibal Godoy’s quick close-down and gave away the ball in the middle of the field. Godoy poked it off of Urso to Mukhtar who dribbled toward Orlando’s area and tried a long-distance shot. Carlos was unlucky in trying to block it because instead of Gallese having a good chance to make a save, the ball deflected up and over the goalkeeper and in to make it 1-1.

“They bet for counters and they they don’t want to be the team to dictate the tempo,” Pareja said. “They wait and that’s what they do, and they did it well.” 

Randall Leal tried to put Nashville on top three minutes later from Gallese’s left as the defense failed to close him down, but he fired a laser shot right at El Pulpo and the goalkeeper gave no rebound.

Godoy thought he’d scored in the 41st minute off a rebound of a Mukhtar shot that Gallese saved but couldn’t control, but the midfielder was offside on the play and the game remained tied.

That was all the scoring in a bit of a sloppy first half that saw both teams slipping on the football field of Nissan Stadium. Michel had one moment of slippage in his own end that nearly gifted Nashville a scoring chance but Carlos headed a cross intended for Sapong out of harm’s way. Aside from the footing, Orlando had some heavy touches but overall played a solid first half on the road.

Nashville led in most of the statistical categories at the break, holding more possession (55.8%-44.2%), firing more shots (5-1), notching more shots on target (3-1), and passing slightly more accurately (82.4%-82.3%). Orlando City won more corner kicks (2-0).

The first chance of the second half fell to Sapong in the 47th minute as he attempted a header from near the top of the area but didn’t get anything on it and Gallese wasn’t troubled.

Orlando grew into the second half but then got too timid when approaching dangerous areas. Dike laid off a pass for Michel in the 48th minute but the winger opted to take a touch rather than fire first time and the touch was heavy. He tried to drag it back around a defender but ended up losing it and wasting the opportunity.

“In that moment we didn’t have the confidence to do it or we were not sharp enough,” Pareja said of those chances. “And there’s many things that you can say but this is a group has been competing for two years and they have done the job many, many times and unfortunately today we (came up) short.”

A minute later, Pereyra sent a seeing-eye ball that would have sent Mueller in but Daniel Lovitz did well to make a sliding challenge to knock the pass away at the last second.

Michel was again hesitant in the area in the 57th minute, missing a chance to get a shot on target but he did win a corner. The ensuing set piece was knocked to the top of the area to Mendez who fired a shot that was heading on target but it was blocked out for another corner. Mendez again got a chance on the following corner after an initial clearance by Joe Willis, but he sent a rocket just wide to the right.

In the 60th minute, Pereyra led a counter into the top of the box and laid a pass off for Ruan on the right. Urso was trailing the play and didn’t see Ruan. The midfielder made a sliding effort to get a shot on goal but instead took out his right back, wasting another opportunity.

As Pareja was preparing to bring Nani on as a sub, disaster struck. A blocked shot at the top of the Nashville area turned into a Nashville counter and Mukhtar ended up on the right side 1-v-1 with Mas. The Nashville Designated Player cut in from the right toward the middle and Mas couldn’t keep up. Mendez, sitting on a yellow card, was too passive in closing down. Meanwhile, Sapong made a diagonal run that caused confusion between the two center backs and that gave Mukhtar room to shoot. He beat Gallese to make it 2-1 in the 74th minute.

Although the circumstances had changed, Nani’s introduction seemed to have the desired effect. Pareja said after the match that Nani had been having some recent difficulties but was fine to play and they decided to bring him off the bench to have him at his best. Unfortunately, the timing of the second Mukhtar goal meant Pareja was sending him on with the Lions chasing the game rather than level.

Just after he came on, Urso came free in the middle and fired a long-range shot but he hit it right at Willis in the 76th minute. Moments later, Nani cut in left to right at the corner of the area and smashed a rocket toward goal that Zimmerman blocked with his midsection.

The captain then won a corner in the 80th but Orlando could do nothing with it. In the 86th, Nani sent a free kick into the area that deflected to substitute Tesho Akindele. Lovitz closed him down and he tried to pull his shot around the defender but ended up sending it wide.

Moments later, Orlando should have had a set piece in the middle just outside the area. Dike made a good turn and got beyond his defender. He still had to deal with Zimmerman but before he could do that he was knocked down from behind. Elfath swallowed his whistle and Nashville cleared the danger.

The last chance at an equalizer came on a cross from late sub Silvester van der Water. Akindele got his head on it but couldn’t make enough contact to direct it inside the far post.

Cadiz put the game away in the 94th minute after outmuscling Carlos and slotting home.

Both teams finished the game with just nine shots but Nashville got more on target (6-2). Orlando City ended up with more possession (54.3%-45.7%), won more corners (5-0), and passed more accurately for the game (81.3%-79.1%).

“If you ask me for one difference between the teams I think it’s just that they scored the second goal when maybe they didn’t deserve it, because they didn’t (generate much attack) in the second half,” Pereyra said. “But that’s soccer, and that’s what we need to accept and we need to say congratulations to Nashville.”

The home team has won in every MLS playoff game so far this postseason, and that has to rub the Lions the wrong way after a terrible refereeing decision the last time these teams played ended up dropping Orlando from what would have been a home game to having to travel to Nashville.

The Lions will next play a competitive match in late February when they host CF Montreal in the 2022 season opener. Nashville will go to Philadelphia for a conference semifinal match on Sunday.

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Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. New England Revolution

Get to know this year’s New England Revolution team courtesy of someone who knows them best.

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2 hours ago

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May 9, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City remembered how to score on Wednesday night, as the Lions put five goals past the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the U.S. Open Cup. OCSC will try to carry that sort of offensive performance over to league play Saturday, when the New England Revolution come to town.

A match against the Revs means I caught up with Jake Catanese, one of the writers over at The Blazing Musket. As always, he was extremely helpful in bringing us up to speed on what this year’s version of the Revolution looks like.

Talk me through the Revolution’s off-season transfer business. Who are some of the new names to know?

Jake Catanese: Okay, so some of the new faces are from the end of last year: winger Luca Langoni and midfielder Alhassan Yusuf were both acquired back in August. Yusuf is a Nigerian international and has cemented himself in the lineup as one of the holding midfielders, and Langoni had a great spell at the end of the last year but was dropped to make room for the Revs’ newfangled 5-3-2 wingback setup — more on that in a bit. Also, Tomas Chancalay isn’t a new face but is fresh off the season-ending injury list from an ACL injury last May and is working his way back up to full fitness, and both he and Langoni started the USOC win against Rhode Island (Wednesday) along with MLS veterans Maxi Urruti and Jackson Yueill, who were picked up this off-season.

The big off-season stuff happened up front, with the Revs making a record GAM trade with Miami for Leo Campana and making an interesting short-term loan for Ligue 1’s Ignatius Ganago out of Nantes. In the Revs’ 4-2-3-1 setup to start the year, it was Campana as a lone striker and Ganago in what I’ll call the “Gustavo Bou” winger/striker role, but both have moved up top with the formation change and it’s been fairly successful. Campana did miss a month with a hamstring injury, which did not help the Revs early on, but the strike partnership is starting to blossom with productivity.

The Revs have been the best defensive team in the entire league, with just seven goals conceded in 10 games. What’s been the secret sauce there?

JC: To finish the rest of the question above, the Revs absolutely hit a massive home run with two new center backs in the off-season. Malian international Mamadou Fofana (age 27) and Colombian Brayan Ceballos (age 23) entered the starting lineup together and basically have been there ever since, and they’ve been tremendous. Ceballos got a Team of the Week nod on debut in Week 1 against Nashville and has been a solid aerial presence, which is something the Revs have struggled with in recent years. Fofana is tremendous on the ball and he’s passing at a 90% clip with an over 50% clip on long balls, as well with several deeper, line-breaking passes that have opened up the defense.

League veteran Tanner Beason was added as the third center back to go with Homegrown Peyton Miller and Israeli youngster Ilay Feingold as the wingbacks/fullbacks, and the Revs have pulled off effectively changing over their entire back line in one off-season, which, given the success this group is having, is rather unheard of. Combine that with keeper Aljaz Ivacic having a top season and his back line blocking a lot of shots for him as well, the Revs have a foundation that looks set for many years to come unless some big transfer offers come in.

The opposite side of that coin is the fact that New England has scored the third-fewest goals in the league with nine in 10 games. The Revs have come on stronger in recent weeks though, with six tallies in their last five matches. What’s changed for the Revs that has allowed the goals to start going in a little easier?

JC: Let me explain…no, there is too much, let me sum up. The Revs in a 4-2-3-1 to start the year were horrific. Campana’s injury didn’t help, but they weren’t moving the ball effectively up field to the attacking group, and turnovers often caught the fullbacks too high as well — almost a carbon copy of 2024, when the Revs were second to last in the East and more or less were to start this year as well. The solution was to drop the struggling Langoni and add a third center back and put Ganago into a second striker role, which on paper I had a lot of doubts about. However, Carles Gil is still a magician and the Revs did solve a major problem with the formation switch.

Having the wingbacks allows one of them to get forward without exposing the defense, so New England is able to switch the point of attack easier and not compromise their center back duo, because Beason is there to help put out any fires. Now the Revs get their width and deep support from the wingback spot and are able to use Miller and Feingold more effectively and confidently going forward, because they have enough strength in the back of the formation. It also helps that the two wingbacks have been really good with high passing numbers despite not registering any official assists yet. Feingold essentially had the assist on the Revs’ opener in Toronto last weekend, but his very dangerous initial cross into the box was half-cleared only to have Gil volley it top bins from the top of the box. Feingold isn’t the pure speedster Miller is, but as a duo they complement each other very well and bring back a 1-v-1 element the Revs really haven’t had since Tajon Buchanan.

Now, do I still think that Caleb Porter’s possession system is too slow and hampers the offense? Yes. Do I think the Revs should counterattack a lot more than they do currently? Also yes. Their two goals against Toronto were very direct — a turnover sent out wide to Feingold set up Gil and then a semi-broken play leading to a long through ball to Campana. I think this is when the Revs are at their most dangerous, because they generally have opponents on their back foot and not in an established and/or set back line. But they are improving and against Toronto were generating better chances and doing so more frequently. And despite their win streak, big chances have been a rarity so far this year. If New England is able to consistently counter and create chances inside the box, the defense is going to carry them very far and you will see this team protecting a lot of leads.

Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting XI and score prediction?

JC: No suspensions to talk about, and most of the longterm injuries are off the board as well with Chancalay and Campana back in action. Andrew Farrell and Wyatt Omsberg were listed as questionable last week, but Farrell started in the midweek Open Cup game and Omsberg was on the bench and subbed on for the final 15 minutes. Youngster Malcolm Fry is likely the only person that will still be listed as out come gameday.

5-3-2: Aljaz Ivacic; Peyton Miller, Mamadou Fofana, Brayan Ceballos, Tanner Beason, Ilay Feingold; Alhassan Yusuf, Matt Polster, Carles Gil; Ignatius Ganago, Leonardo Campana.

Same lineup as last week in Toronto — the midfield triangle sees Carles Gil work his magic as the roaming No. 10, so you might see the wingbacks listed with the holding mids in a 3-4-1-2 looking thing. The running joke with the PawedCast demands I predict a 2-2 draw, but given the defensive stinginess of these two teams in the last month or so, I find it highly unlikely this game will have four goals in it…which is exactly why it will happen. We’ll add another to Carles’ tally and I think Mr. Ganago is due for another one. He’s been robbed a few too many times this year.

Thank you to Jake for the excellent primer on this year’s Revolution team. Vamos Orlando!



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Lion Links: 5/9/25

Orlando City’s next U.S. Open Cup match date revealed, MLS matches to watch, top soccer club valuations, and more.

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5 hours ago

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May 9, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Friday! I hope the week has treated you well as we get ready for a Mother’s Day weekend packed with soccer. Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are both in action at the same time on Saturday, so make sure to plan accordingly depending on how you want to enjoy the action. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Orlando City Will Face Nashville in USOC on May 21

Orlando City will officially host Nashville SC on May 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the U.S. Open Cup’s Round of 16. That match is sandwiched between a road game against Inter Miami on May 18 and a home game against the Portland Timbers May 24, so at least there won’t be much travel during that week during an already jam-packed month. The Lions reached this stage of the tournament after beating the Tampa Bay Rowdies 5-0 Wednesday, while Nashville won 1-0 against the Chattanooga Red Wolves on Tuesday.

What to Watch In MLS This Weekend

We’ll all be tuned in for Orlando City’s match on Saturday against the New England Revolution, but there’s plenty more MLS action to look forward to as well. Before Orlando’s match, Inter Miami will head to St. Paul to take on a Minnesota United team that leads the league with six clean sheets this season. Another notable match this weekend is a clash between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings when the Philadelphia Union host the Columbus Crew. That game has Daniel Gazdag written all over it. Sunday night’s match should be a doozy between two heavyweight Western Conference teams, as LAFC will hit the road to take on the league-leading Vancouver Whitecaps.

MLS Clubs Listed Among World’s Most Valuable

Sportico announced the valuations for the top 50 most valuable soccer clubs in the world, and a whopping 19 MLS teams made the list. The Lions aren’t included, but it’s still neat to see some clubs like Minnesota, Sporting Kansas City, and Charlotte FC listed. LAFC is the highest listed MLS side, coming in at 16th with a $1.28 billion valuation. Real Madrid tops the list at $6.53 billion, and six of the top 10 are from the English Premier League. While valuations aren’t exactly hard evidence of success or influence, I think this is a testament to the growth and parity of MLS through an international lens.

English Clubs Reach Europa League Final

This year’s Europa League final will feature a pair of EPL teams as Manchester United and Tottenham breezed through the semifinals. United overcame a shaky first half to beat Athletic Club 4-1 at Old Trafford, with Mason Mount scoring two of the team’s four goals in the second half. Tottenham avoided an upset in Norway by winning 2-0 against Bodo/Glimt. The final will take place on May 21 in Spain, and there’s both a trophy and Champions League qualification on the line. Both United and Tottenham struggled this season and are respectively 15th and 16th in the league standings, but winning the Europa League is all that matters now.

Free Kicks

  • American midfielder Johnny Cardoso played every minute of Real Betis’ 2-2 result against Fiorentina to advance to the Europa Conference League final, where the Spanish club will face Chelsea on May 28. Enjoy this goal from Antony to help his side prevail.
  • In honor of Mother’s Day, AC Milan players will wear their mothers’ last names on the back of their jerseys in today’s match against Bologna. I love this idea and hope more clubs follow suit moving forward.
  • An ownership group led by David Beckham and Gary Neville acquired Salford City of England’s League Two.
  • Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra’s MMA debut will have to wait, as the 43-year-old’s fight set for May 23 in Paris was postponed.
  • We’ll end our links with what looks to be some unexpected Orlando Pride representation in Vatican City!

That’s all I have for you this time around. Have a fantastic Friday and enjoy the holiday weekend!

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Orlando City vs New England: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to score some goals and secure a victory against New England?

Published

1 day ago

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May 8, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City might have the scoring woes in MLS matches as of late, but the Lions broke out against the Tampa Bay Rowdies Wednesday night in the U.S. Open Cup match. Of course, the Rowdies are not a very good team this year and are not a top flight team, so take it all with a grain of salt. What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points at home against the Revolution?

Stop Gil/Campana

New England has scored eight goals this season. Seven of those goals have come from Carles Gil (5) and Leonardo Campana (2). Gil has also contributed one of New England’s four assists on the season. The vast majority of the Revolution’s offense goes through these two players, meaning stopping the duo is priority number one.

I fully expect Oscar Pareja to field his first-team defense, including a back line of Alex Freeman, Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, and David Brekalo. Orlando City will also need whoever is playing in the defensive midfield to be the first line of defense. Pedro Gallese cannot be expected to have eight saves every match. The defense needs to step up.

Streak vs. Streak

Orlando City is on an eight-match unbeaten streak. New England is on a four-match winning streak in league play and five in all competitions. One of these streaks will end Saturday night. The Revolution have scored six goals in the last four MLS matches with at least one goal in each match without conceding a goal during the streak. The Lions have only scored three goals in the last five MLS matches with all three coming in one match against Atlanta United. Orlando City has shut out five straight MLS opponents and six consecutive in all competitions.

Orlando City has given away too many points during the unbeaten run. The Lions have missed Eduard Atuesta’s ability to create opportunities for his teammates to score. I’m hoping he will be available, but if not, Pareja will need to figure a better adjustment than he has in previous matches.

No More Nil

Orlando City may be on an eight-match unbeaten streak, but the offense has been absent in four of those matches. In those 0-0 draws, Orlando City took 53 shots with only 12 on target (23% rate). Contrast that with the four matches in which they scored, when Orlando City took 68 shots with 25 on target (37% rate). The Lions will need as many chances as possible given New England has only allowed seven goals so far this season. This is a defensively solid team.

Marco Pasalic did not play in the Open Cup victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies, meaning he will be well rested and ready to start scoring goals again. He seemed to be dialing in during the Chicago match but he was taken off before he could convert. I want him to pick up where he left off, so he and many others can score goals against the Revolution. Hopefully, the goals scored against the Rowdies will kickstart the offense.

That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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