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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union, U.S. Open Cup: Five Takeaways

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3 years ago

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Orlando City drew the toughest possible opponent out of the three in the team’s draw for the fourth round of the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Rather than facing USL League One side South Georgia Tormenta or 13th-place Eastern Conference foe Inter Miami, the Lions had to face Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia. No matter. The Lions took care of business at home with a 2-1 victory over the Union at Exploria Stadium Tuesday night.

Goals by Ercan Kara and Andres Perea in the second half lifted Orlando to a 2-0 lead. The Union pulled one back late off a second ball in on a set piece but otherwise Orlando City took care of business to advance to the Round of 16.

Here are the things that stood out to me in the match:

Caution: Bear Active in Area

Junior Urso was asked to play as a winger when Orlando was in possession and to be his usual hard-working self when the Union had the ball. Oscar Pareja praised his veteran Brazilian midfielder after the match, saying he had a “phenomenal game.” The Bear was definitely not hibernating in this match. He was one of the game’s most active participants. Urso led Orlando City with half of the team’s 12 shot attempts, putting two on target. His teammates combined to get only three other shots on target, but at least two of those were goals. Urso led the team in passing rate (92%), got into the box, and pressured the Union throughout the match, and he also tracked back well, won balls back in the midfield, earned fouls to relieve pressure (five of them!), and did all the little things we’ve come to expect from him.

Mixed Night for Mikey

Michael Halliday finally got some first-team minutes with the start at right back against the Union. The Homegrown defender had some injury issues early in the season and, aside from some minutes with OCB, he hadn’t seen the pitch much in competitive action in 2022. Halliday’s night was, well, frankly brutal at times, but that’s what rust and comparative inexperience looks like. Halliday had some miscommunication and poor passing issues, particularly in the first half, a few poor crosses in the attacking third, and two absolutely brutal first touches that cost the Lions potential scoring opportunities. However, it wasn’t all bad for the Homegrown Player. The teenager had a vital defensive intercession in the first half to prevent a 1-v-1 opportunity for Philadelphia. And he grew into the match as the game progressed. While it would have been completely justified for Pareja to sub the 19-year-old off at halftime, Halliday played better in the second period and he showed glimpses of the kind of player the Orlando City technical staff believe he could become. He created two scoring chances, which trailed only Facundo Torres on the team. Halliday may not be ready to step into regular-season matches just yet but he may have earned another Open Cup start with his second half and kudos to Pareja, because — and I’m speaking from experience here — it’s not always easy to be patient with a teenager.

Hail César!

It was another standout performance from 20-year-old central midfielder César Nahuel Araújo Vilches, just days after his 21st birthday. The Uruguayan turned in another workmanlike effort, shielding his back line and goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar. He deftly won balls and put out fires. Like Urso, he drew five fouls on the Union. He won a team-high four tackles and passed at a solid 84.9% rate, which was fifth on the team among starters — third among those not on the back line. Araújo has made a solid case for being the team’s most valuable player thus far on the season.

Three Key Defensive Plays Saved the Day

Tuesday night’s win could have gone very differently if not for three massive defensive plays that Orlando City absolutely had to get right — and did. I’ve already mentioned one of those above, which was Halliday getting back in the first half on a Union counter-attack opportunity and toe-poking the ball away for Stajduhar to clear. Another of those plays came when Robin Jansson prevented Daniel Gazdag from being in 1-v-1 against Stajduhar in the 16th minute after a badly misplaced pass from Halliday. Those two plays alone kept the game scoreless at the break. Rodrigo Schlegel made the third critical defensive stop late in the match. With the Union sending more numbers forward in search of the equalizer, the Argentine was faced with multiple attackers on a transition opportunity. Just as the ball was being slipped in for a 1-v-1 chance, Schlegel, tracking back, was able to contort his body and dangle out a foot to prevent a key pass in the 85th minute. If any of those desperation defensive plays had gone differently, the Union could have turned things around.

Signs of Connectivity…Finally

For the past three games, Orlando City has been missing its connection between the back and the front. As a result, the Lions had only mustered a total of 12 shot attempts across three games, with five on target. Four of those five shots on target came against expansion Charlotte FC. Orlando had only three shots (none on target) in the loss to the New York Red Bulls and only two (one on target) in the loss at Montreal. The offense has been brutal and Kara has been isolated on an island, unable to affect matches the way he should. Last night was different. Against a good, and active, Philadelphia midfield, the Lions had more success. In addition to Urso’s help as mentioned above, Pareja utilized Andres Perea and dropped forward Alexandre Pato into much deeper role.

It wasn’t perfect. Perea still had some curiously poor passes and touches and showed too much of the ball to defenders at times (how about that golazo, though?). Pato didn’t have a good passing rate — just 62.1% — and tried a few too-fancy maneuvers in traffic that didn’t come off. Still, the duo made very few critical mistakes and, more importantly, created space and held the ball long enough for players to make the transition from defense to offense. This has been a missing component of the team. Against the Union, Kara and Torres were able to stay higher on the pitch than they’ve been in recent games, and that helped the offense. Kara fired two shots and one of them went in. Torres also had a shot on target and created a team-best four scoring chances. With more time on the ball, as well as receiving it in better positions, both of the Lions’ two most advanced attacking players passed at 80% or better (85.3% for Torres). It was a small adjustment that led to a much bigger performance. A little better night from Pato — who came tantalizingly close several times to pulling off audacious moves in traffic — and Perea would have helped Orlando become even more dominant.

Bonus Takeaway: She Said Yes!

Stajduhar made a diving stop off a set piece chance at the death to preserve the victory — one of three saves on the night. He stayed focused all game long and couldn’t do much about the lone Union goal, which was placed beyond his reach. His focus was just as sharp after the match, as he quickly tracked down the member of the Orlando City staff with whom he’d left a ring. After securing that ring and getting his girlfriend, Tatiana, onto the pitch, the Homegrown goalkeeper got down on one knee and popped the question.

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

She accepted, and I’d like to think she would have said yes even if that final Union shot had gone in. But would Stajduhar have popped the question on the pitch after a loss? We didn’t ask him in the postgame press conference, and thankfully the result prevented us from finding out. Congratulations to the happy couple!

That’s what stood out to me from Orlando City’s best performance in weeks. What did you notice? Let me know in the comments.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/2/25

Big names leave Toronto FC, hot conditions in Club World Cup match, FIFPRO makes ACL recommendations, and more.

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20 hours ago

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July 2, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Wednesday, everyone. It already feels like it’s been a long week, as I just got home from being out of town traveling up and down the East Coast for the last few days. The soccer world hasn’t stopped in my absence though, and as usual we have a lot to cover today. Let’s wish a happy birthday to OCB defender Tahir Reid-Brown, and jump into today’s links!

Italians Leave Toronto FC

It’s the end of an era at Toronto FC, as the club has parted ways with both Federico Bernardeschi, and Lorenzo Insigne. The Reds used both of their two buyouts of guaranteed contracts this season in order to get the transactions done, so the club was pretty keen to get them out the door. It’s hard to blame the Reds, as Insigne was the second-highest paid player in the league while Bernardeschi was the fifth highest. They didn’t have much to show for it though, as Bernardeschi had 26 goals and 22 assists in 99 games across all competitions, while Insigne had 19 goals and 17 assists in 76 matches. TFC never made the playoffs while the duo was on the team, and the decision to turn the page is an understandable one.

Difficult Conditions in Juventus vs. Real Madrid

The Club World Cup Round of 16 concluded on Tuesday, with Real Madrid knocking off Juventus 1-0 in afternoon match. Kylian Mbappe made his tournament debut for Madrid as a substitute, but it was Gonzalo Garcia’s 54th-minute goal that made the difference in the game. Juve boss Igor Tudor highlighted the difficult conditions in Miami, saying in his postgame press conference that 10 different players asked to come off the field during the game. Tudor didn’t outright blame the loss on the high heat and humidity during the 3 p.m. kickoff at Hard Rock Stadium, but noted that they were among several factors that made the game a very difficult one for his side.

FIFPRO Makes Recommendations to Curb ACL Tears

Amid a rash of ACL injuries to women’s soccer players, FIFPRO has made some recommendations to cut down on the rate at which they occur. Rather than focusing on things that can’t be controlled, the federation has suggested modifying the calendar, number of games, and the playing surfaces. FIFPRO member Alex Culvin is calling for minimum standards in the women’s game relating to pitch conditions and access to physiotherapists. More research around risk factors is also necessary, as is implementing preventative exercises at the youth levels of the game.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

Summer transfer business is in full swing, so let’s catch up on some of the hot rumors currently flying around. First up, Arsenal is said to be in the final stages of signing Viktor Gyokeres to a five-year deal. Staying in the Premier League, Manchester United is reportedly interested in signing midfielder Fabian Ruiz from Paris Saint-Germain. Juventus reportedly is close to signing Jonathan David after his contract with Lille expired. Finally, Bayern Munich is reportedly preparing a formal offer for Liverpool for Colombian winger Luis Diaz.

Free Kicks

Apparently a non -#usmnt drone has crashed the training session. US Soccer staff aiming to identify it.

— Jeff Carlisle (@jeffreycarlisle.bsky.social) 2025-07-01T17:25:12.954Z

That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/1/25

Pride signings, OCB draws, both U.S. national teams in action Wednesday, and more.

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2 days ago

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July 1, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to July, Mane Landers. If you’re like me, you balanced the excitement and dread of the USMNT advancing on penalty kicks the other night. It was one thing watching Guatemala take out Canada but a whole other level of heart palpitating stress while watching the U.S. avoid a similar fate. There’s no time to relax with plenty of soccer to watch as we head towards Independence Day. Before we get to the links, please join us in wishing Orlando Pride/USWNT defender Emily Sams and OCB defender Clovis Archange each a happy birthday.

Orlando Pride Signings

The Orlando Pride announced a pair of transactions Monday. Midfielder Viviana Villacorta and the club have agreed to exercise the midfielder’s mutual option for the 2026 season. Villacorta was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft. The Pride also signed midfielder Ally Lemos to a new contract through the 2027 season with a mutual option for 2028. The Pride selected Lemos with the No. 9 overall pick of the 2024 NWSL Draft. Orlando continues to lock down current players ahead of time. Now, we wait to see if any new players will be added.

OCB Earns a Point on the Road

Orlando City B played Philadelphia Union II to a 1-1 draw in a Monday afternoon match. Unfortunately, the Young Lions lost the end-of-regulation shootout 4-2 and did not get the additional point. Gustavo Caraballo assisted Jackson Platts on the early goal for OCB. Philadelphia equalized early in the second half. Carlos Mercado was the difference maker in the match, recording a career-high 12 saves.

USMNT’s Gold Cup Run Continues vs. Guatemala

The USMNT will face Guatemala Wednesday night in a 2025 Gold Cup semifinal match. The U.S. advanced past Costa Rica on penalties thanks to a stellar performance from goalkeeper Matt Freese. Guatemala stunned Canada with a second-half equalizer and advanced on penalty kicks. Guatemala has been the overachieving underdog of the competition so far. This will be the USMNT’s 17th Gold Cup semifinal appearance.

USWNT Hosts Canada

The USWNT will host Canada in a third friendly of this international window Wednesday at Washington, D.C.’s Audi Field. The U.S. is coming off two 4-0 victories over the Republic of Ireland. Canada should prove a tougher opponent for Emma Hayes’ squad. There is a possibility that the match will feature two Orlando Pride players — Emily Sams for the U.S. and Zara Chavoshi for Canada. Kerry Abello has returned to her club team after picking up a knock.

Free Kicks

Sources: Bayer Leverkusen are finalizing a deal to sign USMNT attacker Malik Tillman from PSV.Deal in region of $40m.

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2025-06-30T20:36:24.359Z
  • Former Orlando Pride midfielder Erika Tymrak has retired from professional soccer.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for Orlando City’s match against Charlotte FC this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City Striker Ramiro Enrique Hindered By Inconsistency

Ramiro Enrique’s inconsistent play raises the question if he can be the go-to striker Orlando City desperately needs.

Published

3 days ago

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June 30, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City’s strike force has been inconsistent this season, to say the least. At times, the players up top have looked like they can score at will, but at other times, they struggle on chances they should finish. Nobody displays that inconsistency better than Ramiro Enrique.

Joining the Lions in 2023, Enrique has primarily served in a backup role for Ercan Kara, Duncan McGuire, and Luis Muriel. The young Argentine has had the occasional start, but ultimately ends up back on the bench, entering later in games. 

Orlando City acquired Muriel prior to the 2024 season when it appeared McGuire was on his way to Blackburn Rovers. However, the English side’s struggle with simple paperwork resulted in the Omaha, NE, native returning to Orlando. It left Oscar Pareja with some decisions to make.

The Lions often employ a 4-4-2 formation with a single striker and Muriel playing underneath. As a result, the three forwards all saw plenty of action in 2024.  Enrique started 12 games, Muriel 14, and McGuire was listed 18 times in the starting lineup. However, Enrique’s strong form near the end of the season saw him start 11 of the final 12 regular-season games and all five playoff contests.

Aiding Enrique’s playing time were injuries to McGuire. The 6-foot-1 striker suffered a shoulder injury on Nov. 9 in an MLS Cup playoff game against Charlotte FC, guaranteeing a starting spot for Enrique. As McGuire continued to work towards his return at the start of the year, Enrique took his place.

At times, it looks like Enrique is more than a substitute for Muriel or McGuire and can be the go-to scorer the Lions have struggled to find since Daryl Dike. But his inconsistency eventually returns, making it hard for Pareja to depend on the young attacker. That issue has been most noticeable during the two most recent games.

Putting shots on frame has been a struggle for the Lions this year, but it wasn’t for Enrique Wednesday night in St. Louis. After the Lions lost back-to-back games against Atlanta United and the Chicago Fire, Enrique was inserted into the starting lineup for Muriel. He took advantage of his opportunity in St. Louis, placing three of his five shots on target. He scored a first-half brace, giving his team a commanding three-goal lead after just 22 minutes.

In the seventh minute, Martin Ojeda sent a strong ball across the box that Enrique ran onto with perfect timing. He didn’t try to do too much, tapping the ball in on the slide. After Marco Pasalic made it 2-0, a bad turnover in the 22nd minute gave the striker a second chance. He was in on goal and made no mistake, slamming the ball past Roman Burki to make it 3-0.

The performance had many wondering if the team had finally found the striker it had been looking for since McGuire went down. But it wasn’t to be as Enrique reverted to his inconsistency with a poor performance in Saturday night’s 2-1 loss to FC Cincinnati.

The striker was unable to put any of his three shots on target, but that’s only part of the story. It’s how he failed to score that was the bigger problem.

In the 51st minute, Pasalic forced Brian Anunga into a turnover just outside the Cincinnati box. Enrique made a run toward the near post and Pasalic found him. The striker should’ve had no problem putting the shot on target, but he hit the ball with his left foot as his right came through, knocking the ball out of play for a goal kick.

He had a chance to redeem himself in second-half stoppage time with the Lions looking for an equalizer. Rafael Santos played a beautiful ball to the near post that only required a slight touch to beat Roman Celentano. However, the striker sent his header well wide, squandering a golden opportunity to claim a point.

These two games show the inconsistency that has plagued Enrique throughout his Orlando City career. He’ll look to be in excellent form and ready to claim the starting striker role, only to follow it up with a poor performance. It’s something that has held the Argentine back since his arrival and continues to do so this year.

Even more troublesome, it leaves Orlando City without a dependable striker. McGuire can’t seem to get over his shoulder problems, and he is currently on the sidelines again while he recovers from surgery on the opposite shoulder to the one he hurt in last year’s playoffs. Muriel and Ojeda often partner each other up top, but both are more comfortable in midfield positions.

Injuries and players in uncomfortable positions provide Enrique with the perfect situation. Consistent scoring would assure Pareja that he can depend on the 24-year-old to produce the goals his team has been searching for. But the striker can’t seem to put it together over the span of multiple games.

He’ll have plenty of opportunities in the near future to win the position he undoubtedly craves. McGuire’s absence due to injury and Muriel’s preference to play underneath means Enrique will likely get more playing time. However, he needs to show more consistency if he wants to hold onto the starting spot long-term.

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