Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match
After a bump in the road last weekend against CF Montreal, the Lions returned to getting away results Saturday in a 1-0 win against Toronto FC at BMO Field. Major League Soccer is notorious for being a difficult league on road teams, but this year’s Orlando City squad seems well suited for the task of playing away from home (so far).
Despite bringing back all three points, it was far from the best performance of the season and needed a stoppage-time set piece goal to turn one point into three. Let’s take a look at the individual performances.
Starters
GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — The Peruvian international made two saves in the match on Toronto’s two shots on target, which is all you can ask in the shot-stopping department. He completed 87.5% of his passes, including two of his five long-ball attempts. He earned one tackle in the match, as well. It was a fairly quiet day for Gallese, who had 22 touches in the game and kept a clean sheet on a day when the opponent registered 0.55 expected goals. Goalkeeper seems to be the one position where volume of work affects the score, but the one thing you can say is that El Pulpo did his job on Saturday.
D, Joao Moutinho, 7.5 — The Portuguese fullback had a strong game. He finished third on the team in touches (68), tied for the team lead in shot attempts (3), and played solid defensively. His 75.7% passing success rate and 0/3 on crosses could have been better, but he recorded a key pass, was 2/5 on long balls, fired one of the team’s six shots on target, and won two aerials. He led the team with six tackles and four interceptions, and he contributed a clearance.
D, Robin Jansson, 7 — The Beefy Swede did Beefy Swede things in Toronto, including picking up a yellow card. I didn’t like this one, as he appeared to make his sliding challenge successfully ahead of the opponent’s arrival, but at least it was better than getting booked for yapping at the ref about a foul against someone else that was/wasn’t called. He contributed one on-target shot and made a terrific foray up the field that would have resulted in a quality scoring chance had Junior Urso not had a heavy touch at the end of the play. In a quiet day for the back line, Jansson had only one tackle and one clearance. He completed 90.5% of his 42 passes and five of his seven long-ball attempts — both led the back line players.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — Alongside Jansson, Schlegel had a solid day overall, albeit just a little below what his central defense partner provided. His 87.5% passing rate was solid and he managed 20 more touches than Jansson as the center back who stayed back more. He contributed four tackles, two clearances, and a blocked shot. His yellow card was for a tactical foul, which prevented a Toronto counter, so no issues with that. The Argentine did not have any offensive statistical contributions.
D, Ruan, 7 — The Brazilian speedster had an active day, although his crossing continues to be painful to watch. He was 0-for-2 on crosses but 3-of-4 on long balls. His 81.8% passing rate was good, considering some of the positions he gets into. He made one key pass that Urso should have finished to make it an assist, but…alas. He attempted one shot, but it wasn’t on frame, completed one dribble, and drew two free kicks. He made an underrated play late in the game to sneak in and win a corner, helping Orlando waste a bit more time. Defensively, Ruan blocked a shot and recorded three tackles.
MF, Cesar Araujo, 7.5 (MotM) — Once again, the young Uruguayan had a massive game. On a day that Toronto didn’t muster much offensively, he still had two tackles, two interceptions, two clearances, and one blocked shot. Araujo had no offensive stats but he did pass at a 93.3% rate to lead all starters, and he was second in touches (76), just one behind Mauricio Pereyra. Impressively, he completed nine of his 10 long-ball attempts, helping the lines stay connected. Much of what Araujo does on the pitch doesn’t translate to the box score, but he’s been asked to do a lot this season and he’s mostly delivered.
MF, Andres Perea, 6.5 — Perea built on his solid Open Cup outing and rewarded Oscar Pareja for giving him another start. He nearly scored a goal in his second straight game, getting a foot on a Pereyra free kick but sending the shot just wide. It was his only shot attempt of the match. Perea contributed two key passes and connected with his teammates at an 85.2% rate, completing both of his long passes. He contributed two tackles and an interception on the defensive end. Most importantly, he was only dispossessed once and had one bad touch — two areas that have been an issue at times for him so far this season.
MF, Facundo Torres, 6 — The Uruguayan Young Designated Player compiles a lot of stats during a match but some of what he does — good and bad — doesn’t turn up on the sheet after the match. Torres attempted two shots in the match. One was an ambitious, long-range effort that missed the target (we seem to get at least one of those per game from him). The other was on frame but wasn’t terribly dangerous. Torres was active, with the team’s fourth-most touches (67), passing at an 80.4% rate. He struggled in crossing (1/5) and long passes (1/3), but did have one key pass. Defensively, he contributed a tackle and a clearance. But he had three unstable touches and in one instance he laid on the field lobbying for a foul call while Toronto cycled the ball dangerously around Orlando’s penalty area. That can’t happen. If the call isn’t made, some effort to get up and defend must take place.
MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 — The midfield maestro continues to log a lot of miles for Orlando City, with a team-high 77 touches in the match. He tried to be more of an offensive threat in this match, firing three shots and getting a decent free kick effort on target to force a good ave. That was his only shot that hit the target. He contributed a team-high five key passes, although his teammates struggled to do anything with them. Defensively, he added five tackles, two interceptions, and two clearances. His 84.3% passing rate was good. He completed three of seven crosses and two of four long balls. I deducted a little for getting dispossessed three times and for trying some difficult passes that didn’t get through the maze of legs when better options were available to potentially get in behind down the flanks.
MF, Junior Urso, 4.5 — This may seem like a harsh grade, but coming off a monster performance against Philadelphia, some tired legs may have been affecting the Bear. He gave his all, but at times he just didn’t have it. His heavy touches wrecked two glorious scoring chances, including a 3-v-1 transition chance and a great passing sequence that started with Jansson’s run up the field. He missed a sitter that Ruan served up, although some good defensive pressure from behind may have bothered him just enough to divert his focus. None of his three shots were on frame, but he did have two key passes. However, he was also dispossessed a team-high four times and had the two costly unstable touches. His passing rate was OK (81.8%), considering he played much of the match at wing. He was 0-for-2 on crossing accuracy and just 1-for-4 on long balls. Defensively, he added a tackle, an interception, and a clearance. I obviously knocked a lot off his score for lacking composure in a few critical moments of the match in an otherwise solid outing, but with fresher legs and/or a fresher mind, he could have helped the Lions put the game away early.
F, Ercan Kara, 5.5 — It’s not always the forward’s fault when he doesn’t get a lot of touches. The Austrian only had 17 of them, which isn’t good, and some of that is on him, but a lot of it has to do with the poor crossing and wasted opportunities from bad touches that have been described above. He was in the right position a few times, such as when Ruan crossed too close to the goalkeeper and as part of the 3-v-1 break that Urso’s heavy touch squandered. He attempted one shot that didn’t reach the target. He didn’t register a key pass and completed six of his nine pass attempts (66.7%). He managed to win three aerials, leading all Lions. He contributed one clearance on defense.
Substitutes
MF, Jake Mulraney (65’), 6 — The team’s new winger came on for the last 25 minutes and provided some energy. He completed all seven of his passes on his 12 touches and won a corner kick for the second time in as many games. Mulraney didn’t contribute any shots or key passes, and his one cross wasn’t accurate. He was dispossessed once and didn’t contribute anything statistically on defense, but he did give the Lions a new look and energy after his introduction.
F, Alexandre Pato, (76’), 7 — It was a short stint for the Duck, but an important one. His cross on the game’s only goal was inch-perfect at the near post, allowing Kyle Smith to finish. He sent one shot on target, created two scoring chances, and completed six of his eight passes on his 16 touches. He also completed two dribbles. His only cross was accurate but he missed on his one long-ball attempt. He didn’t contribute anything statistically on the defensive end.
D, Kyle Smith (76’), 7.5 — The Accountant’s contributions in the final quarter of an hour plus stoppage time went above and beyond the expected for a defensive substitution. He scored the game’s only goal on his only shot attempt and he won the corner kick that set it up when his cross was knocked behind by the defense. Those were the highlights, certainly. He completed just two of his five pass attempts, and just one of his three long balls. His lone cross wasn’t accurate but, as mentioned, worked out well in the end. He added two tackles, two interceptions, and a clearance on the defensive end. His impact was big in a short amount of time. It was that amount of time compared with Araujo that gave the edge to the midfielder for me, although I wouldn’t argue against those who select Smith as Man of the Match.
MF, Sebas Mendez (87’), N/A — The Ecuadorian came on late for Mauricio Pereyra but didn’t have much time to impact the match. He did his job, though. With six touches, he completed all six pass attempts, including his one long ball.
That’s how I saw the individual performances on Saturday. What did you think? Be sure to let us know in the comments and vote in the poll below for your Orlando City Man of the Match.
Polling Closed
| Player | Votes |
| Joao Moutinho | 2 |
| Cesar Araujo | 13 |
| Kyle Smith | 24 |
| Alexandre Pato | 6 |
| Robin Jansson | 6 |
| Other (Let us know who in the comments) | 1 |
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Final Score 4-1 as Lions Dominate Second Half in Victory
A three-goal explosion after halftime lifted Orlando City to a much-needed win at home.
A dominant second half lifted Orlando City to a 4-1 win over Charlotte FC at Inter&Co Stadium tonight, powered by a Martin Ojeda brace. The Lions (2-6-1, 7 points) played a solid first half, but the second half was the club’s best of the year so far, as Orlando blasted the Eastern Conference’s third-best team entering the match. Luis Otavio and Ignacio Gomez each added their first MLS goal as the Lions’ previously sleepy offense exploded.
Morrison Agyemang scored the lone goal for Charlotte (4-3-2, 14 points).
“Today, we had eight players injured out,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said “And I think this is our way. This is our identity. This is who we are. Again, we didn’t win anything today. We didn’t lose anything past games. This (season) is long. The more time we have, the better we can do things on and off the field. But in this industry, and in life in general, it’s about time. So, every time we have one more session, every time we have one more game, we should be developing our team.”
Perelman’s lineup featured Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, Iago, and Zakaria Taifi. Braian Ojeda and Otavio started in central midfield with Ivan Angulo and Tiago on the wings with Martin Ojeda and Justin Ellis leading the attack. Tyrese Spicer missed the match due to illness.
Tonight’s offensive explosion could hardly have been less expected. The Lions entered with one of the worst attacks in MLS, scoring just six times in the first eight matches before unloading four on Charlotte in one game and three of those in one half. The teams played more or less evenly in the first half before the Lions charged out of the break to seize control of the game.
The first 15 minutes of the match were cagey, with the two sides feeling each other out but not producing much in the final third. Ellis’ spinning shot well off frame in the 12th minute was Orlando’s first sight of goal, but not much of one.
Charlotte’s first look was a good one in the 18th minute, when Ashley Westwood fired just over the bar on the recycle of a corner kick.
The Lions opened the scoring three minutes after Westwood fizzed his shot over the bar. Tiago sent in a great ball to Taifi from left to right. The Homegrown fullback attempted a volley shot but mishit it badly, sending it the other direction where Otavio collectied it outside the box. With no Charlotte player closing him down, the Brazilian took an inside-out shot that swerved inside the left post to make it 1-0. It was his first goal as a Lion.
“It was improvisation,” Otavio said. “It was the way the ball came. Instincts took over, and I hope to do that a lot more.”
Pep Biel chipped off target in the 28th minute, Wilfried Zaha had his shot from the top of the area blocked moments later, and Crepeau denied Rodolfo Aloko at the near side of the net from a tight angle seconds after that as Charlotte looked for a way back into the match.
But it was a foul on Otavio in the 32nd minute that set up the visitors with a dangerous free kick just above the penalty area on the right. Biel sent a good back-post ball to Morrison Agyemang, who overpowered Braian Ojeda and headed in to make it 1-1 in the 33rd minute.
The Lions had a chance to snatch that goal right back two minutes later on a good attacking move. Taifi ended up with the ball on the right with Tiago racing toward the left post. Taifi opted to shoot but didn’t make good contact on the shot, allowing Kristijan Kahlina to make the save.
Agyemang headed off target in the 44th minute on a Charlotte corner kick, and shortly thereafter, the teams went to the break even at a goal apiece.
Charlotte had the halftime advantage in possession (52.1%-47.9%), shots (8-6), and passing accuracy (89.8%-86.6%), while each team fired two shots on target and earned two corners.
Orlando’s second-half dominance started early, as Martin Ojeda scored just four minutes after the restart. Ellis took a pass from Tiago on the left, but he didn’t have a path to goal. He spotted Ojeda’s run and fed a great pass that Ojeda smashed into the upper right corner with his first touch in the 49th minute to make it 2-1. Ellis’ assist was his first MLS goal contribution.
“It’s a special moment for me,” Ellis said about his first assist. “I think that play kind of sums my play style up, like I’m a striker by trade, but you know, I like to get my teammates involved.”
Like Orlando late in the first half, Charlotte had a chance to hit back quickly in the second. Aloko got down the right channel in the 54th minute and sent a wicked shot toward the near post but his attempt hit the outside netting.
The Lions should have extended the lead a minute later. Martin Ojeda sent a perfect pass through the defense for Angulo’s run, but the Colombian made a mess of his shot, firing it well wide of the right post.
Moments later, the Lions extended the lead anyway. A good switch of play by Otavio found Taifi in behind on the right side. Harry Toffolo tripped up the young fullback from behind, giving up a free kick in nearly the same place from which Charlotte had scored earlier. Both Ojedas stood over the ball, but it was Martin who smashed a low, hard, curling shot just inside the right post to make it 3-1 in the 61st minute. He curled the shot around Charlotte’s wall into a space that Iago had just vacated, giving Kahlina no chance to see it or stop it.
“The goal of ‘Tincho,’ the third goal, was crucial in the game, in my opinion, and I’m so happy for him, because he’s our DP, our number 10,” Perelman said. “He worked really hard, so humble. It’s amazing for our locker room, that guy, and he was able to appear in the moment we needed him. If you read the game as a story, that’s the moment of the story that the game changed.”
Charlotte again tried to hit back quickly, creating some chaos in Orlando’s penalty area. The trouble started on Orlando’s defensive right with a good cross into the area. Crepeau palmed it away but couldn’t control the rebound, which fell to Biel in the box. Tiago deflected his shot and the ball cycled to Aloko, who was offside on the play, ending the threat.
Iago had a free header on a free kick in the 69th minute but he failed to make good contact on it, squandering the chance to join the scoring party.
Martin Ojeda’s best chance to complete his hat trick came in the 70th minute when Taifi collected the ball on the right and sent the ball to the back side. Ojeda, however, did not make good contact with his shot on a ball that bounced a couple of yards before it reached him, sending it wide. Tiago then fired a weak shot from distance at Kahlina a minute later.
Charlotte made multiple attacking substitutions trying to find a way back into the game late. Crepeau’s teammates mostly kept him from facing much danger, but the Canadian international did well to track a back post header from Archie Goodwin in the 81st minute. Five minutes later, Wilfried Zaha sent a shot onto the roof of the net that took a slight deflection. Charlotte couldn’t pay off the ensuing corner.
The Lions put the game to bed just after that Charlotte set piece. Second-half sub Gomez got on the ball in the middle of the pitch and sent it to Angulo on his left, continuing his run. Angulo’s return pass sent the youngster in behind the Charlotte back line and Gomez finished like a veteran, scoring his first MLS goal in the 87th minute to kill the match.
Crepeau made one more save before the game concluded, doing well to move to his right and deny Kerwin Vargas’ free kick in stoppage time at the post. Moments later, the whistle blew on Orlando City’s second win of the season.
Charlotte finished with the edge in possession (52.2%-47.8%), shots (16-13), corners (4-2), and passing accuracy (90%-86.5%). The Lions put more shots on target (6-5).
“Happy for the result, and happy for everyone in our club — fans, owners, managers, staff and the players, of course, because the effort the players did was amazing,” Perelman said. “For me, it’s the same message. We’re working. The team is growing. The players are doing an amazing effort. And I think we didn’t win the league today and we didn’t lose the league (three) days ago.”
“Obviously we haven’t been doing the best, but, you know, we always see every game as a new opportunity just get three points,” Ellis said. “And right now we don’t have a lot of time to train, so just playing these games is good for us, you know? So, we’re still improving. We’re still getting where we want to be, where we’re going to be.”
“This has to be one of the best games we’ve played so far,” Otavio added. “It just shows the depth, the strength, and the determination of the team, and we hope to continue this moving forward.”
The Lions have another quick turnaround with a road match at D.C. United coming up Saturday.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Lions look for healthy bodies on the roster and offense on the field as Charlotte FC visits.
Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a midweek matchup between Orlando City (1-6-1, 4 points) and Charlotte FC (4-2-2, 14 points) at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the first of two games on the slate between the Eastern Conference rivals in 2026, with the return fixture in Charlotte scheduled for Oct. 31.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.
History
The Lions are 4-1-3 in the regular-season series and 6-3-3 in all competitions against Charlotte. Orlando City is 3-1-0 at home in the regular season and 5-1-0 in the City Beautiful across all competitions against the North Carolina-based side. These games are usually close, with all previous non-draws decided by one or two goals.
The teams last met on July 5, 2025, playing to a 2-2 draw at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The hosts took a 2-0 lead on goals by Pep Biel and Bill Tuiloma, but Ramiro Enrique and Marco Pasalic brought the Lions back to earn a point on the road.
Earlier in the 2025 campaign, the teams met on May 14 in Orlando, with Luis Muriel and Martin Ojeda giving the Lions a 2-0 lead inside the game’s first 25 minutes. Wilfried Zaha pulled the visitors within a goal before the break, making for a tight second half, but Enrique’s late goal put the game to bed in Orlando City’s 3-1 home win.
Prior to 2025, the teams met in the first round of the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs. Orlando City claimed two of the three matches, winning the first outright, dropping the second on penalties after a late goal was called offside in the buildup, and advancing after a penalty shootout win following the third match of the best-of-three series.
On Nov. 9, 2024, Facundo Torres’ penalty late in stoppage time canceled out a Karol Swiderski goal and sent the deciding third match to penalties with a 1-1 score. Pedro Gallese made two saves and Orlando City won the shootout 4-1, advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The teams played eight days before that in Charlotte, without either side scoring in normal time, as Torres’ strike was disallowed for offside on Nico Lodeiro on Muriel’s through ball. Charlotte won the ensuing penalty shootout 3-1 after the scoreless draw to tie the series at 1-1. That followed Orlando City’s 2-0 home win the previous Sunday. Torres and Ojeda scored the goals on either side of halftime to lead the Lions to the Game 1 win. It was the first time Orlando scored more than one goal in an MLS playoff game.
The teams met a month and a half prior to their first playoff meeting on Sept. 18 in Orlando. The Lions got second-half goals from Torres and Duncan McGuire to win 2-0, claiming the first multiple-goal win in the series. The teams also met on June 19, 2024, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and played to a 2-2 draw. The hosts struck first with an early Kerwin Vargas goal and the Lions pulled one back through McGuire in the second half. But despite Charlotte going down a man on Scott Arfield’s red card, Brandt Bronico restored the hosts’ lead shortly after McGuire’s strike. Torres struck back moments later but the Lions could not find a winner on the road.
The previous match was also a draw at Bank of America Stadium, finishing 1-1 on Aug. 30, 2023. Enzo Copetti’s late penalty appeared to wrap things up for the hosts on a rainy night in Charlotte, but Ojeda’s seeing-eye set piece equalized just before stoppage time as the teams split the points.
Charlotte claimed a 1-0 “home” victory in U.S. Open Cup play on May 9 of that year. That game took place at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in Matthews, NC, rather than at the club’s regular stadium. The first matchup of the 2023 season didn’t go any better for Orlando City, finishing as a 2-1 Charlotte win at Exploria Stadium on March 18. Copetti and Vargas put Charlotte up 2-0 by halftime. Ojeda pulled one back, but the Lions were wasteful in front of goal and couldn’t pull level.
In 2022, the teams met at Bank of America Stadium on Aug. 21. After a scoreless first half, Ercan Kara put the Lions ahead on the road, only to see McKinze Gaines equalize just four minutes later. Tesho Akindele’s late goal lifted Orlando to a 2-1 victory.
Orlando City won the first-ever meeting between the sides on April 30, 2022, at Exploria Stadium. Ruan scored the opening goal and set up Torres on the counter for the second as the Lions took a 2-0 lead into the locker room. Christian Fuchs scored from the spot after Rodrigo Schlegel was called for a foul in the box in the second half, but that was as close as Charlotte got in what was ultimately a 2-1 Orlando victory.
Overview
Orlando City enters the match adrift in 2026, having won only one time in eight league matches to start the season — easily the worst start to any season in OCSC history. The Lions have managed only one draw to go with the win and are coming off a 1-0 home loss to the Houston Dynamo, squandering a handful of good scoring chances and giving up a late goal to a team that had previously not won on the road in 2026 and had never won in Orlando. The lads in purple are just 1-3-0 at home this season and Orlando City has scored just six goals on the year while conceding a league-worst 25. While the defense has been better the last couple of games since captain Robin Jansson returned, those came against teams not high in the standings.
Charlotte is 1-1-1 on the road this season after beating New York City FC at Citi Field — the Pigeons’ other baseball stadium — on Saturday. Tonight’s visitors have won four of their last five games in all competitions. Biel is off to a hot start with four goals and three assists, while Zaha has added two goals and four assists. Idan Toklomati and Archie Goodwin have three goals apiece, giving Charlotte three players with more goals than Orlando co-leaders Martin Ojeda and Marco Pasalic, who have each scored twice. Kristijan Kahlina is one of the league’s top goalkeepers, and Orlando City won’t have an easy time against the club that has conceded the fourth-fewest goals in the Eastern Conference.
Orlando City will need to be patient to avoid giving up dangerous counterattacks, as they’ve struggled to defend them all year, but the Lions must also try to build a volume of shots against a stout defense led by Kahlina and usually anchored by USMNT center back Tim Ream. However, Ream will miss the match per the latest MLS availability report with a lower body injury.
“I think both teams know each other really well. They have done a good job over the last year,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “We respect them like we respect every opponent, and we will have our plan and our strategy. We will be at home with the energy and attitude we want to have. Hopefully we can give the fans some joy and happiness with a result, for our people and for us as well, because we are the first ones who need and want to win. Hopefully we can do it this game, but the attitude will be there.”
The Lions will be without Wilder Cartagena (thigh), Griffin Dorsey (thigh), Joran Gerbet (knee),
Duncan McGuire (lower leg), and Pasalic (thigh). Eduard Atuesta (shoulder) and David Brekalo (lower Leg) are listed as questionable. Charlotte will be without Ream (lower body), while Henry Kessler (lower body) is questionable.
Match Content
- Our most recent epsiode of the PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for today’s match, as well as a preview of the game.
Official Lineups
Orlando City (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.
Defenders: Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, Iago, Zakaria Taifi.
Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Luis Otavio, Tiago.
Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Justin Ellis.
Bench: Javier Otero, Tahir Reid-Brown, Nolan Miller, Bernardo Rhein, Colin Guske, Ignacio Gomez, Yutaro Tsukada, Gustavo Caraballo, Harvey Sarajian.
Charlotte FC (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper: Kristijan Kahlina.
Defenders: Harry Toffolo, Andrew Privett, Morrison Agyemang, Nathan Byrne.
Midfielders: Pep Biel, Ashley Westwood, Luca de la Torre.
Forwards: Wilfried Zaha, Idan Toklomati, Rodolfo Aloko.
Bench: Tyler Miller, Jack Neeley, Djibril Diani, Brandt Bronico, Tyger Smalls, Archie Goodwin, David Schnegg, Liel Abada, Kerwin Vargas.
Referees
REF: Filip Dujic.
AR1: Corey Rockwell.
AR2: Justin Howard.
4TH: Lorenzo Hernandez.
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero.
AVAR: Joshua Patlak.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.
TV/Live Stream: 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!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 4/22/26
Orlando City hosts Charlotte tonight, the Orlando Pride prep for Louisville trip, NWSL expansion coming to Columbus, and more.
Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s match day for Orlando City. That’s as much a warning for your mental health as it is a notification if you decide to watch the match tonight. Perhaps you could catch up on Pluribus, or rewatch Ted Lasso. I’m simply saying you have options that might not raise your blood pressure. On a brighter note, join me in wishing Orlando City legend Kaká a very happy birthday. More on him below. Let’s get to the links.
Lions Host Charlotte Tonight
Orlando City is looking to rebound against Charlotte FC tonight at Inter&Co Stadium. It’s no secret that the Lions are having a rough time of it so far this season, and with Charlotte sitting in third place in the Eastern Conference, it doesn’t get any easier. That doesn’t stop Martin Perelman and the players from thinking they are getting better and having a plan for the match tonight. What was it Mike Tyson said about everyone having a plan? Can the Lions turn things around on short rest?
Orlando Pride Return to NWSL Play Friday
The Orlando Pride return to action Friday against Racing Louisville FC. The match is at Louisville where the Pride have yet to win. Despite that, the players are ready to pick up where they left off before the international break. The break provided much-needed rest for many of the players. The Pride will play six matches during the month of May before the league takes a break for the World Cup.
Osceola Heritage Park Expansion Funding Moves Forward
Osceola County leaders have agreed to have Orlando City expand the club’s footprint at Osceola Heritage Park. Orlando Sports Enterprises (OSE a.k.a. the Wilf family) will match the $25 million that the county is putting up for the project. OSE will assume repair, maintenance, and operating costs for the facility. A hotel and free-standing restaurant are also in the plans. This is a good investment for the club’s future in the arms race that is professional sports.
NWSL Coming to Columbus
The owners of the Columbus Crew have been awarded an NWSL franchise. The Haslam Sports Group paid a record $205 million expansion fee to obtain the 18th NWSL club. The new club will renovate and play at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field downtown. The organization will also build a training center at McCoy Park that had previously been slated to be renovated for local residents, including features that would enable physically disabled people to use the park.
Free Kicks
- Project Play is an initiative aimed at getting kids to play soccer — not compete, or try for scholarships, but to just play. I like that, and hopefully the upcoming World Cup can boost the effectiveness of the program.
- The Vancouver Whitecaps are playing good soccer right now sitting atop of the Western Conference, but the club is still in financial distress. The future of the Whitecaps in Vancouver is uncertain.
- The election of new Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar over the outgoing Viktor Orbán may have impacts on the sport of soccer. To be clear, the ousting of a fascist autocrat is way more important than whether Hungary will continue to spend more money on soccer.
- Seattle Reign midfielder Jess Fishlock announced she will retire at the end of the 2026 season.
- Did you still want World Cup tickets? Did you think the tickets offered so far were not expensive enough? Good news! FIFA is selling more tickets after adding more expensive categories.
- In better news, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill is trying to get FIFA to pay their fair share of the transportation costs that New Jersey will incur thanks to the World Cup.
- I don’t usually get excited about new match balls or new soccer boots, but I will say I love the look and colors of the new Adidas Predator Kaká.
That will do it for today. Check back later today for our coverage of the Orlando City match this evening. Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Final Score 4-1 as Lions Dominate Second Half in Victory
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