Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Final Score 0-0 as Lions Open Season with Another Draw

Lions generated some good chances on opening day, but just couldn’t get the last touch quite right.

Published

5 years ago

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City generated better opportunities in a defensive struggle on opening day against Atlanta United, but ultimately had to settle for a 0-0 draw at Exploria Stadium. The Lions drew on opening day for the sixth time in seven years, with the only non-draw coming 2017 when they beat New York City FC in the first game ever at Exploria.

With the draw, Orlando is unbeaten in its last five games against Atlanta United, and is now 2-6-5 (W-L-D) in the all-time series in league play and 2-7-5 in all competitions. Orlando City starts the season 0-0-1 yet again.

“Good match. It was back and forth,” Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “In the second half, I think we had more balance. In the middle we started just creating more numerical superiority and I did like the team. But the game was intense. We found a good team in front of us and we’re going to take the point and start our season this way.”

Pareja did not have Uri Rosell or Robin Jansson (both have the dreaded lower body injury), so Pedro Gallese looked out at a back line of Kyle Smith, Rodrigo Schlegel, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan. Sebas Mendez and Junior Urso played central midfield, with Nani, Chris Mueller, Tesho Akindele, and Alexandre Pato as attacking options.

Graphic by MLSSoccer.com

The first half looked like a typical opening game. There were good passages of play but things broke down when players tried to read the game and thread passes in tighter spaces in the final third. There were fouls on both ends that Jair Marrufo let go, which perhaps prevented some chances as well, as the veteran referee was not in the mood to blow the whistle early in this one.

Orlando got an opportunity 15 minutes in when Urso was sent into the box but he took an extra touch and that allowed the defense to knock the ball away for a corner. Four minutes later, Ruan cut inside and had a shot blocked which would have fallen to Mueller had he not been knocked down. Marrufo wasn’t interested in making a call. Urso fired well over the bar in the 25th minute as the Lions continued to lack sharpness in the final third, and link-up play with Pato too often seemed to be two players looking for something different.

Pato nearly got behind the defense in the 28th minute, but he had his run cut off just outside the box. Again, Marrufo wasn’t interested. Nani got the first shot on goal in the game when the Atlanta defense gave him too much space and his shot was headed inside the right post but Brad Guzan made the save.

Smith conceded a couple of free kicks after a bright start, allowing Atlanta a few set piece opportunities but nothing came of them. An Atlanta shot was deflected wide from the top of the box to set up a corner and the entry ball was headed wide by Marcelino Moreno.

Urso and Mueller each failed to get a header on target from set pieces as the first half wound down and the last good opportunity saw Jake Mulraney cut inside and fire a shot that Gallese saved comfortably on Atlanta’s first shot on target.

Atlanta had more shots (6-5), with each team getting one on target, won more corners (4-2), held more possession (59.1%-40.9%), and passed more accurately (88.5%-84.7%).

“The nerves were kind of there in the first half,” Mueller said. “It was, you know, pretty frantic. It was all over the place.”

Andres Perea came on for Akindele after the halftime break and Orlando looked more fluid in the attack. Atlanta continued to have more of the ball, which was fine with the Lions, who did a good job of keeping everything wide and preventing the visitors from generating much of a threat.

Perea’s first touch nearly opened the scoring. Mueller centered a pass to him and Perea fired but his shot was straight at Guzan, who made the save. Moments later, Ruan zigzagged down the right side and won a corner. Carlos got his head to the cross but hit it straight down and it bounced wide of goal. Perea then tried to pick out Pato in the box in the 51st minute but the Atlanta defense was able to knock it away before it could find the Brazilian.

“In the second half we (were) much more balanced in the middle,” Pareja said. “We need a player who can mix the energy there, who can bring us some legs too. Andres knows how to do it. He has a lot of glue, he has a lot of range, and we needed to stop his number five (Santiago Sosa), who is a key player for them and Andres did that job. So we cut that connection and we started increasing ours, and stretching Pato as the number nine as well. It just gave us some space and more creativity in that part of the field, and that’s that’s why we created the best options in the game.”

Atlanta’s first look came in the 57th minute when George Bello jumped into the play and got into the box. Schlegel came over to pressure him and the fullback’s shot went wide.

Mendez nearly got in alone in the box three minutes later but Guzan came off his line to smother the ball first. Two minutes later, Orlando nearly scored. The ball was pinging around with Pato and Mendez in front of goal, and it was the midfielder who ended up trying a spinning shot but he hit it wide. Had Pato been able to get there instead it was likely a goal.

Both teams started substituting between the 60th and 75th minutes, trying to find an edge to take control of the game. Benji Michel came on for Nani on the Orlando side.

The Lions came closest to scoring in the 72nd minute, when a cross from Mueller on the left found Pato in the middle. The Brazilian shot with his first touch and his attempt came off a defender and then hit the outstretched arm of Guzan, who scrambled on top of the rebound as it was rolling toward the goal line.

Pato went down with an injury in the 78th minute on a play without contact. He jumped to avoid what could have been an absolutely devastating tackle at the top of the box and went down after he landed, holding the back of his knee. He was able to walk off under his own power but was forced out of the game, making way for Silvester van der Water’s MLS debut.

“Good game for Alex,” Pareja said of Pato’s debut. “That commitment that he has with his team. He tried to create from that zone where we put him in the first half. I think we could find those spaces and then he is very crafty with the ball and created some chances for us. Second half as well, when we stretched him as a number nine. We had the best of him, put him in front of the goal twice. The doctors will evaluate what happened. We don’t have the diagnosis yet.”

Josef Martinez came on for Atlanta but didn’t do much. He did get onto a set piece but headed it well wide of goal on the last decent look for either side. In the end, the two southeast rivals had to settle for a point apiece.

Each team fired 11 shots and got three on target. Atlanta held more possession (59.7%-40.3%), had more corners (4-3), and was more accurate in passing (88%-82.2%).

“I think it was good to get back out there and try and catch some of our rhythm,” Mueller said. “I think it was obviously difficult conditions, just with the heat and everything. I think that we lacked a little bit of quality moving forward and in our positioning. I think that it would be really helpful for us to look at the film and see the areas where we can improve for next week, but overall it felt nice to get back out there and get some minutes under our legs and we’re definitely looking to build on that moving forward.”

The Lions will head out on the road for their second game, traveling to face Sporting Kansas City next Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions welcome San Diego FC to Orlando for the first meeting ever between the two clubs.

Published

9 hours ago

on

September 5, 2026

By

Image of Joran Gerbet playing against Minnesota United.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (7-11-4, 25 points) and San Diego FC (8-8-6, 30 points) at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the first-ever meeting between these two teams from different conferences

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

History

As mentioned above, tonight’s meeting between the Lions and San Diego is the first in the series history, so there is no history. The Lions are 2-2-1 against Western Conference teams this season, which means little to nothing in this particular match, and San Diego is going to be Orlando City’s final opponent from the opposite conference in MLS regular-season play this season.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a wild 3-3 road draw at Minnesota United a week ago, in which Daryl Dike and Antoine Griezmann scored on either side of halftime on Orlando’s first two shot attempts to put their team up 2-0 in the 64th minute. Minnesota stormed back with three goals off defensive errors in a four-minute span to take a late 3-2 lead. Just when the Loons appeared to be headed for all three points, Tyrese Spicer scored in stoppage time, forcing Minnesota to split the points. Orlando has a modest 1-0-1 unbeaten streak entering tonight, and the Lions are 5-4-2 at home in 2026.

San Diego is coming off a 3-1 home win over the LA Galaxy despite having Jeppe Tverskov sent off. Tonight’s visitors have won two straight games, but both were at home. They lost their last home game 3-1 at Portland on Aug. 19 and are 2-5-3 away from home this season.

The key for Orlando City tonight will be to mark Anders Dreyer, which is far easier said than done, as he has emerged as one of the league’s best playmakers. His eight goals and 11 assists give him 19 total goal contributions to lead his team. Marcus Ingvartsen is Dreyer’s favorite teammate to combine with, as the Danish forward has converted 11 times, leading San Diego in goals, and has added five assists. However, Ingvartsen is listed as out with a lower body injury. Midfielder Onni Valakari has chipped in four goals and seven assists.

“We respect San Diego, but as well we prepare our game,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “We know how strong we are, especially at home, so now we go.”

Orlando City will be without Braian Ojeda (foot) and Adrian Marin (thigh), while Bernardo Rhein (thigh), has been upgraded to questionable. San Diego will be without the aforementioned Ingvartsen (lower body) and Tverskov (suspension).

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Joran Gerbet, Eduard Atuesta, Justin Ellis.

Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Daryl Dike.

Bench: Javier Otero, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Tiago, Marco Pasalic, Martin Ojeda, Tyrese Spicer.

San Diego FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: C.J. dos Santos.

Defenders: Kieran Sargeant, Ian Murphy, Manu Duah, Oscar Verhoeven.

Midfielders: Gabriel Pirani, Anibal Godoy, Alejandro Alvarado.

Forwards: Elias Achouri, Onni Valakari, Anders Dreyer.

Bench: Duran Ferree, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Christopher McVey, Bryan Zamble, David Vazquez, Ian Pilcher, Alex Mighten, Bryce Duke, Amahl Pellegrino.

Referees:

REF: Joe Dickerson.
AR1: Corey Parker.
AR2: Justin Howard.
4TH: Rodrigo Albuquerque.
VAR: Daniel Radford.
AVAR: Jeff Muschik.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Diego FC: Three Keys to Victory

Here’s what Orlando needs to do in order to return to winning ways against San Diego.

Published

1 day ago

on

September 4, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After the disappointment of two dropped points against Minnesota on Saturday, Orlando City is back home with an opportunity to get things back on track. The Lions need to keep picking up points if they want to keep pace in an increasingly crowded Eastern Conference, and Saturday’s game is a good chance to start September off on the right note. San Diego FC stands in the way of that good start, and what follows are three things that I believe Orlando needs to do in order to emerge victorious from this game.

Stay Strong on the Left

The left side of the defense has been a question mark for the Lions for much of the year. Adrian Marin, Bernardo Rhein, and Zakaria Taifi have all spent time at left back lately and have done so with varying degrees of success. Regardless of who suits up there on Saturday, that area of the field will be under scrutiny once again, since they’ll be tasked with stopping San Diego right winger Anders Dreyer. He has eight goals and 11 assists in 21 appearances this year, has played 60 key passes during that time, and is generally the lynchpin through which the San Diego offense operates. He hasn’t quite been on the same pace that saw him bag 19 goals and 19 assists in the regular season last year, but with four goal contributions in his last three MLS appearances, he’s extremely capable of wreaking havoc from the wing. A lot of the goals OCSC has conceded lately have come down the left side of the defense, and if that area of the field can’t be taken care of better, the Lions will likely be in for a difficult night.

Do Damage in Transition

Orlando’s current style of positionless, fluid, attacking soccer is at its best when it comes up against teams that want to come out and play. It struggles mightily against defensive bunkers but shines when the Lions can get out and run, target open spaces, and combine with teammates in unexpected areas. Fortunately for OCSC (in theory), San Diego is a team that likes to have the ball, as it has the highest average possession in the league. That means the Lions will have opportunities to force turnovers and break the other way at pace. In order to make that happen though, OCSC will need to be both disciplined and effective when it comes to applying its press. Then, if/when the Lions win the ball, correct decision-making and clinical execution in the final third will be key to avoid letting any chances slip through their fingers (paws?).

Clean Up the Self-Inflicted Errors

Orlando has dealt with more than its fair share of general defensive struggles this year, but avoidable errors have been a particular problem in recent weeks. Whether it’s been an ill-advised challenge, passing to the opposition in the defensive third, or leaving men unmarked in the box, unnecessary mistakes have cost OCSC points time and again. Against lesser opposition it hasn’t always mattered, as the Lions were able to rescue three points against Real Salt Lake, but if Orlando wants to make a playoff push, it needs to make a habit of playing cleaner games, plain and simple. San Diego is a good team with dangerous offensive players, and Saturday’s visitors will very likely take advantage of any opportunities that the Lions gift-wrap for them. Keeping things mistake-free will go a long way.

We’ve got ample proof this season that nothing is guaranteed, but if the Lions can lock down the left side of the defense, make hay in transition moments, and limit unforced errors, then they should be in a good position to take all three points from Saturday’s game. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 9/4/26

Martin Ojeda details his recovery from injury, Anna Moorhouse loaned to Manchester City, Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup journey, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

September 4, 2026

By

Image of Martin Ojeda celebrating a goal against New England.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Three straight days of Orlando soccer starts tonight with Orlando City B’s road match against Inter Miami II at 7 p.m. Hopefully, Orlando’s teams do well over the next few days as crunch time is upon us when it comes to making the playoffs, especially for MLS NEXT Pro. For now though, let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Prepares for San Diego FC

Orlando City will take on San Diego FC on Saturday in the first-ever game between the two clubs, and one of the storylines to keep an eye on is how much Martin Ojeda plays as he works his way back from injury. The Designated Player came off the bench late in Orlando’s 3-3 draw against Minnesota United in his first appearance since May 23. Not often injured, Ojeda spoke on how being off the field for over a month has shifted his perspective while training to return.

“You learn to value the moment much more. You learn to value every training session because, when you’re training on your own and you’re not available to your teammates, you feel uncomfortable,” Ojeda said. “You value being healthy more. It’s like everything in life. When you feel good, you live life almost on autopilot, so to speak. You go to work, you go home, you come back, you sleep. However, when you or someone close to you goes through an illness or something like that, you value the moment much more and become more conscious of what you’re experiencing.”

Pride Loan Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse to Manchester City through January of 2027. Moorhouse joined the Pride prior to the 2022 season and helped the club win both the NWSL Championship and Shield in 2024. However, she has struggled this year alongside the rest of the Pride’s defense. Moorhouse hasn’t played in the past two games for the Pride, with Cosette Morche starting in her place. Her current contract with the Pride lasts through the 2027 NWSL season, so we’ll have to wait and see what her future with the club is when the loan ends.

Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup Journey

Between the World Cup, regular season, and Leagues Cup this summer, it can be easy to forget that Orlando City is still in contention to win this year’s U.S. Open Cup. The Lions are in the semifinals of the tournament after crushing Atlanta United 4-1 in the quarterfinals back on May 19. The Lions won much tighter affairs prior to that win, with Javier Otero coming up with seven saves in a 1-0 win over FC Naples and Zakaria Taifi scoring in stoppage time to beat the New England Revolution 4-3 in the following match. Orlando will be on the road for its semifinal match against the Columbus Crew on Sept. 16, but the offense has received a boost due to the arrivals of Antoine Griezmann and Daryl Dike this summer.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

MLS signings continue to pour in as teams look to improve their squads for the rest of this season and beyond. The Colorado Rapids signed Ghanaian winger Ibrahim Sadiq from AZ Alkmaar, where he recorded 18 goals and seven assists in 85 appearances across three seasons with the Dutch club. San Diego also added an attacker by signing forward Cedric Bakambu, who joins as a free agent after playing at Real Betis. As for other notable moves from across the league, Real Salt Lake signed winger Dusan Zagar as an MLS U22 Initiative player, forward Lyle Foster joined the Houston Dynamo on loan, and the Columbus Crew continued to improve on offense by signing Moroccan winger Anass Zaroury on loan from Panathinaikos.

Free Kicks

  • Former Orlando Pride player Christina Burkenroad is retiring from professional soccer and Monterrey will have Saturday’s game against Toluca be a send-off match for her.

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

Continue Reading

Trending