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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union, U.S. Open Cup: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Survive and Advance

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3 years ago

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Orlando City got second-half goals from Ercan Kara and Andres Perea and held on for a 2-1 fourth-round U.S. Open Cup victory over the Philadelphia Union at Exploria Stadium. The Lions advance to the Round of 16 with the victory, after holding on following a late Stuart Findlay goal.

With the win, the Lions avenged the Union’s 1-0 win over Orlando in Chester, PA, in the 2018 edition of the competition.

“The intensity (of the game) just shows the respect that both teams had for the Cup,” Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “It was not far from the high level in the league and I liked it a lot. The effort that our players did especially in a very difficult match against a very good team, too.”

Pareja’s starting XI included Homegrown Player Mason Stajduhar in goal behind a back line of Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Michael Halliday. Cesar Araujo and Perea started in central midfield with Junior Urso, Alexandre Pato, and Facundo Torres making up the attacking line behind Kara up top.

Orlando fashioned the first chance five minutes in when Torres sent in a cross from the left that found Urso in front of goal. Urso’s volley was wide of goal, however.

The miss was representative of the first half. The Lions were sloppy in possession, often giving the ball away carelessly. Halliday appeared the rustiest of the players in the opening half, with a couple of heavy touches wasting opportunities to create something in the final third and some poor passes that could have been costly.

The Union had a couple of opportunities in the ninth minute. Smith was unable to stop a foray down the right side and the ball was crossed in to Daniel Gazdag, who hit his shot right at Stajduhar. Seconds later, Paxten Aaronson fired over the bar from the right. Cory Burke hit a shot off target a minute later as the Union attempted to take control.

Jansson made a vital challenge in the 16th minute to deny Gazdag a 1-v-1 opportunity against Stajduhar, tracking back to recover after a poor pass by Halliday.

Orlando came into the game more after that and finished the first half pretty well. Torres got the ball out wide in the 17th minute and made a beautiful cutback pass to find Pato in the area but his shot was blocked by Stuart Findlay. In the 36th minute, Torres sent in a corner kick cross that fell to Pato’s foot. However, the Brazilian’s first touch got away from him and he wasn’t able to get back to it to take a shot before the defense cleared it.

Urso had two chances to open the scoring in stoppage time. The first one came on another good corner cross from Torres. The ball fell in the box for Urso, who put his shot on frame. Matt Freese came up big with his only save of the first half to keep it scoreless. A minute later, Torres was sent down the right. He fired a pass across to Urso on the left. Freese came out to challenge and Urso’s shot appeared to go off of Freese and over the bar but the referee awarded a goal kick, so the Bear may have just skied the opportunity trying to get it over the diving goalkeeper.

The Lions held the advantage in possession (59.3%-40.7%), shots (6-3), corners (3-0), and passing accuracy (84.4%-77.4%). Each team put one shot on target.

“The idea was to keep Ercan up front in his natural position,” Pareja said about the team’s improved connectivity over the previous few games. “We wanted to refresh (Mauricio Pereyra), he has been carrying the team for this period. We gave that responsibility to Alex Pato to drop and help us to connect with Urso.”

Pareja’s strategy involved Urso playing on the wing, a position he has played in the back, and that helped stabilize the team on both ends of the pitch.

“He played in that position as a very natural winger, who gave us possibilities to step in the box because he sniffed for the goal,” Pareja said. “He gave us presence in the back, and the best part is he glued us defensively too. So, today it was a phenomenal game for Urso.”

Orlando took control in the second half. In the first minute after the restart, Jansson smashed a shot from long range but hit it into the second deck. But that was just the start of the Lions getting a firm grip on the match, continuing their strong finish to the opening period.

Kara broke the deadlock in the 54th minute. Urso sent the ball to Halliday up the right side and then continued his run into the area. Halliday sent a good return pass to Urso, but the Bear’s shot was blocked by a defender in front. Kara was first to the rebound, turned and fired it into the back of the net to make it 1-0.

The fans were still celebrating when Philadelphia nearly pulled that goal right back. Quinn Sullivan was left all alone near the top of the area. The Union midfielder fired but missed the target with his shot.

Two minutes later, Orlando doubled the lead. The Union were able to dispossess Kara at the top of the box but the ensuing clearance fell to Perea about 30 yards out. With no Union defenders around him, the midfielder went for goal and sent a cannon shot just inside the left post, beating Freese and making it 2-0 in the 57th minute.

“I’m so happy for the goal,” Perea said. “I think for me it’s a very good point to start for my confidence and now I hope this helps me a lot with all my games and all this work. I just saw the ball and my mind said, ‘Shoot!’”

The Lions again left a Union player alone near the top of the area shortly after scoring. This time it was Gazdag, who sent his shot on target but Stajduhar parried it away in the 61st minute.

Philadelphia then tried to change the game by sending in starters Julian Carranza, Sergio Santos, and Jose Martinez.

Halliday sent in a good cross from right to left in the 66th minute that found Torres, but his header was right at Freese.

After that, the Union subs started to give Philadelphia a foothold in the match. Aaronson got down the right in the 67th but sent his shot into the outside netting. Ten minutes later, just seconds after Pareja sent three subs into the match — Mauricio Pereyra, Ruan, and Joao Moutinho — the Union pulled a goal back. Orlando dealt with a set piece from distance but the clearance fell for Martinez. He sent a pop-up back into the area that found Findlay, who bundled it toward the back post, just out of the reach of Stajduhar. With 13 minutes remaining in normal time, the Union were back in the match.

Schlegel made a critical challenge in the 85th minute to prevent Santos from slipping in behind the defense and in on goal.

“They all made incredible plays — Kyle. Mikey, Robin and Rodri,” Stajduhar said of his back line. “Even Mikey. First half he chased that one down on the left side and toe poked it back to me and I cleared it. Those guys are incredible. When they make plays like that, it makes my job a lot easier. I didn’t have to make many saves tonight.”

Ruan had two chances to put the match away late. On the first, he broke in behind the defense with Kara on his left. He tried to make the pass that would give Kara an easy goal but left the pass too close to Freese. On the second chance, the right back had a breakaway on goal and again had Kara mirroring him on the left. This time Ruan kept the ball but never even got a shot away as Freese came out to challenge him and the Brazilian simply dribbled the ball right to the keeper.

The Union had one more good chance to equalize at the death. Taking a free kick at midfield, the ball was flicked toward the middle of the box and then headed toward goal. Stajduhar dove to his left and secured the ball. Referee Elvis Osmanovic then immediately blew the full time whistle.

After the match, Stajduhar proposed to his girlfriend, Tatiana, on the Exploria Stadium pitch. The goalkeeper said he had given the ring to one of the team’s athletic trainers to hold onto for the big post-game moment.

“Yeah, I got engaged,” he said. “She said yes. I was more nervous than before the game for (the proposal).”

Orlando led in possession (55.1%-44.9%), shots (12-10), shots on target (5-4), corners (3-0), and passing accuracy (82.3%-78.1%).

“We were more consistent in the whole game,” Pareja said. “Not just in the possession side that we wanted to keep the ball and have sequences longer and things like that, but just have the creation of options, and it was much more like us. A good time today to bounce back and now we will refocus again on the league. But today was a match that we enjoyed a lot and congratulations to our players.”

The Lions are back in action this Saturday on the road against Toronto FC. Orlando City will learn its next U.S. Open Cup opponent on Thursday.

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Opinion

Orlando City’s Lack of Off-Season Signings Starting to Become a Concern

The Lions’ roster hasn’t gotten any bigger in the last few weeks, so it’s understandable if fans are getting a bit antsy.

Published

13 hours ago

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January 30, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Three weeks ago I wrote that there was no reason to panic about Orlando City’s lack of off-season signings. It was early in January, and the club typically does a lot of its business throughout the first month of the year. Since then, the club signed Nicolas Rodriguez, but the Lions also traded Mason Stajduhar, and forward Jack Lynn retired. That is more subtraction than addition for a team looking to make it to the next level. Is it now time to panic?

The departure of Stajduhar hits Orlando City supporters in the feels given how long he was with the club, but one may assume the coaches have seen enough from Javier Otero to be confident in his ability to back up Pedro Gallese. The club still needs to bring in another keeper [Editor’s note: this story was written prior to the club signing Carlos Mercado this morning], but Stajduhar’s departure isn’t as big of a problem as it might first seem.

We don’t know how long Duncan McGuire will be unavailable once the season starts. Even if he’s back sooner than expected, Orlando City will still be lacking at the striker position. Ramiro Enrique has proven he can be a starter, but with Jack Lynn’s departure, there isn’t anyone behind him. While Luis Muriel is technically a striker, he tends to play further back in a facilitator role rather than as an actual No. 9. We haven’t seen any transfer moves for a new striker.

The Lions got a big influx of cash, thanks to the Facundo Torres deal. Replacing the goal production of Orlando City’s all-time leading goal scorer is a priority. So far, the club has brought in Rodriguez as an MLS U22 Initiative player. Despite the similarities between the two, Rodriguez is not a replacement for Torres. It is unrealistic to expect the young man to score double-digit goals his first year in MLS.

I’m not even worried about the attacking midfield. As I mentioned above, Muriel is best as a facilitator, Martin Ojeda is now wearing the No. 10 jersey, and Ivan Angulo can play on either side. It’s Torres’ goal contributions I’m worried about missing. Orlando City needs to replace that production sooner rather than later or another slow start seems certain.

I’m not going to address the Wilder Cartagena injury until we know more, but that is also potentially very bad news. That brings us to today. The team is already deep into its preseason trip to Mexico. This is the trip that in the past has been the time when the team truly bonds. Any players brought in at this point will obviously miss that valuable time.

Additionally, unless a signing is someone who has already played in MLS — which is incredibly rare for this front office — it is going to take them time to adapt to the league as well as the club and their new teammates. That brings us back to the real potential for another slow start to the season.

When you have roster turnover, the idea is to bring in players that are better than the players that departed. We know that the ownership is serious about winning. The 2022 Open Cup victory and the Orlando Pride’s two 2024 trophies are a testament to that. Now, it’s time to see that commitment with some substantial signings for City. In some ways, I feel the club has left it a little late, but I’ll take what I can get at this point.

I’m not saying it’s time to panic — though I won’t tell you not to do so — but I’m definitely getting a bit concerned. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/30/25

Orlando City reveals kickoff events, women’s transfer market grows, Tanner Tessmann named U.S. Young Male Player of the Year, and more.

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18 hours ago

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January 30, 2025

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

We’re all another day closer to the return of Orlando soccer and I can’t wait. I’ve been whittling the days away with reading, writing, and taking far too many photos of my cat. This month has flown by for me, and I’m not complaining too much about it. Let’s dive right into today’s links from around the soccer world.

Orlando City Announces Kickoff Events

In preparation for Orlando City’s 2025 season, the club announced various events before the season opener at home against the Philadelphia Union on Feb. 22. The launch for the team’s new primary kit will take place on Feb. 12 at the Canvas Event Venue, with fans in attendance able to get the jersey and meet players. Other events throughout February include a chalk talk, musical bingo night, and plenty of ways to get merch ahead of the season. However, the Purple Pride 5K is not listed, which is a bit disappointing considering it would have been the 10th annual edition of the event.

Analyzing the Women’s Soccer Transfer Market

American defender Naomi Girma’s move from San Diego Wave FC to Chelsea was the first to break the $1 million threshold for transfer fees in women’s soccer and The Athletic ($) dove into which players could warrant similar spending from clubs in the future. Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda was one such player noted. Banda did fantastic in her first season in the league last year, starred in the past two Olympics, and is still only 24 years old. Only time will tell if Europe can entice her before her contract in Orlando is up, but clubs would likely pay seven figures for her services. Americans Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman could also surpass that $1 million mark, along with NWSL MVP Temwa Chawinga and Paris FC’s Clara Mateo.

Tanner Tessmann Named U.S. Young Male Player of the Year

U.S. Soccer announced that midfielder Tanner Tessmann was voted 2024 U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year after a solid year for both club and country. The 23-year-old captained the U.S. at the Olympics last summer and started for the senior team in both Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal games against Jamaica. A regular starter for Venezia last year, Tessmann scored in the promotion playoffs to help the team earn a spot in Serie A. He was then transferred to Olympique Lyon in August and has taken part in the Europa League. Tessmann received 70% of the vote, winning the award over Gianluca Busio and Niko Tsakiris.

Champions League First Stage Wraps Up

The UEFA Champions League’s league phase is finally over, with eight clubs already through to the round of 16 and 16 set to take part in a knockout round. Manchester City escaped elimination after a 3-1 win over Club Brugge that resulted in both teams advancing to the knockout stage. A hat trick from Ousmane Dembele lifted Paris Saint-Germain to a 4-1 win against Stuttgart and secure 15th in the standings. Aston Villa, Lille, and Bayer Leverkusen all won to clinch a spot in the round of 16, all three benefiting from Atalanta coming up short in a 2-2 draw with Barcelona. AC Milan lost 2-1 to Dinamo Zagreb in a match that included Christian Pulisic scoring and Yunus Musah being sent off. Liverpool’s perfect run came to an end following a 3-2 loss to PSV Eindhoven, but it still topped the standings.

While I found the new league phase to be a bit underwhelming, the knockout stage should provide some intriguing matchups. The draw will take place on Friday, but we already know that Manchester City will play either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich and Juventus will face either AC Milan or PSV Eindhoven.

Free Kicks

  • MLS Season Pass will broadcast a featured game with enhanced production on Sunday nights. It’s a solid strategy and hopefully it can catch on and become something fans across the country look forward to each week.
  • The Chicago Fire are set for a nice payday if Jhon Duran completes his move from Aston Villa to Al-Nassr.
  • Giovanni Reyna earned some style points for this assist in Borussia Dortmund’s 3-1 win against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/29/25

Orlando City’s cup competitions, Orlando Pride’s new home kit leak, NWSL’s top 2025 matches, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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January 29, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Orlando City’s preseason continues in Mexico, where the Lions played a closed door match against Canadian Premier League club Forge FC in Cancun on Tuesday. The club didn’t release any details on the match (more on that below), but the feature image is from the scrimmage. For now, let’s get to today’s links!

Orlando City Cup Competitions

Orlando City will compete in two of the four North American cup competitions in 2025. After a year away, the Lions return to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup along with 15 other MLS clubs and 10 MLS Next Pro participants. Orlando City will also take part in the Leagues Cup with 17 other MLS clubs and 18 Liga MX clubs. The Lions did not qualify for the Concacaf Champions Cup, nor will they compete in the Canadian Championship for obvious geographical reasons.

Lions Remain Scoreless in Preseason

While Orlando City didn’t release any details from Tuesday’s scrimmage, the folks at TrueNorthFoot reported that the Lions and Forge FC played to a 0-0 draw in Cancun Tuesday. The photos released by the club mostly featured younger players, and it’s not surprising that the offense isn’t sharp at this stage, but at least the defense is doing well through two matches. The next scrimmage will take place Feb. 5 against Atlanta United.

Pride Home Kit Leak?

From now on, all Orlando Pride kits will have a star above the crest (or more, pending future results). Like many of you, I’ve eagerly awaited what the next home kit will look like. We now have a glimpse, if a leak from Footy Headlines is accurate.

ohwww.footyheadlines.com/2025/01/mass…

— andré (@838carlisle.bsky.social) 2025-01-28T15:14:13.357Z

I really hope that picture doesn’t convey how purple the kit is supposed to be. I’m also not a big fan of the crest in the center thing, but they don’t let me make those decisions. If the new kit doesn’t float your boat, you can pick up some previous Pride kits from the club’s official shop at a nice discount.

The Orlando Pride are Must-Watch TV

As the defending NWSL Shield and NWSL Cup winners, it’s not a surprise that the Orlando Pride earned three spots on All for XI’s Top 10 Must-Watch NWSL Games in 2025 list, including the top spot. The matches against NJ/NY Gotham FC, the Kansas City Current, and of course, a rematch against the Washington Spirit will certainly draw big viewership numbers.

NWSL Expansion Update

An official announcement adding Denver to the cities with an NWSL club is expected in the near future. Prior to that commissioner Jessica Berman hinted that there are plans to further expand the league. If Denver joins as planned, the team’s ownership will pay a record $110 million franchise fee. You can expect those fees to continue to grow as the league does the same.

Free Kicks

  • Remember Amro Tarek? He made 20 appearances for Orlando City back in 2018. If you don’t remember him, that’s all right since Austin FC supporters will almost certainly remember him for this fun fact.
  • Some pretty big names have left the NWSL for other shores. While the story includes the Pride’s Mariana Larroquette, she’s not quite the biggest name on the list, and she’s also only on loan until July 1.
  • The U.S. Open Cup has tweaked the competition rules so that teams must use primary venues when possible. If they cannot, the team will be on the hook for any differences in the cost to broadcast the match.

That will do it for today. Have a great rest of the week. Vamos Orlando!

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