The Lions had chances to make it three wins, or at least three results, from their first three post-World Cup matches, but the defense let them down as they were swept by the Red Bulls this season, losing 3-2 on Saturday night. The second half was much better than the first half, in particular on the left side of Orlando City’s attack and defense, but the 2-0 halftime hole was too deep and Orlando City could not ever get back level after falling behind.

I have my purple pen out and am ready to issue some grades, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their matchup with an Eastern Conference opponent.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crépeau, 6.5 — Orlando City’s defense did no favors for the Canadian, as it would have taken world-class saves for Crépeau to keep out any of the three goals scored by New York. Perhaps he could have gotten a hand on the second or third third goal, but few goalkeepers, if any, save any of the chances that New York converted. On the whole, Crépeau was excellent, making four saves (most sites had him with five, but the official stats on the MLS website only credited him with four) and completing 90.9% of his passes. He gave the Lions the opportunity to get back into the game with his strong play throughout.

D, Adrián Marin, 4 — Marin’s lack of pace was painfully obvious during the first half on Saturday, and New York attacked repeatedly down his side to take advantage of it. The game’s first goal came via an attack on his side, and the Spaniard was probably lucky it took as long as it did for the Red Bulls to score, because they had been feasting on his area up until the goal. That feast continued after the first goal, and the Red Bulls’ second goal came after Marin failed to step up to Cade Cowell quickly enough and Cowell was able to find Emil Forsberg alone in front of goal. On the other side of the field, Marin got forward and helped to create some offense, but his final product was not impactful when he had chances to engage. He completed 85% of his passes and added one tackle and one clearance on defense, but it was not a surprise when he came off at halftime for Bernard Rhein, as the Lions needed to make a change on the left side of the defense.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — The Beefy Swede came inches away from scoring a late goal to earn the Lions a point, and even though he could not convert that chance and the defense allowed three goals, it was still a solid night for the captain. Jansson cleaned up a few messes with sliding stops, including a great recovery run that prevented a breakaway for Mijahir Jiménez and actually turned into an Orlando City goal kick. He led all played with 85 completed passes, at a 91.4% completion rate, and his long ball over the top to Tyrese Spicer helped create Orlando City’s second goal. Jansson added one tackle, one interception, one block, and two clearances in a solid game in central defense.

D, David Brekalo, 5.5 —Brekalo stuffed the stat sheet with a team-high eight defensive contributions (one tackle, four blocks, and three clearances), but he was directly involved in both the first and third goals and could not contain Jiménez. He was not quick enough to get in front of the Red Bulls striker on the first goal and did not close down the Panamanian quickly enough on the third, and while he is not solely at fault on either, he definitely owns part of the responsibility. On the plus side, Brekalo’s four blocks were crucial and he completed 93.5% of his passes, including 22 into the attacking half of the field.

D, Griffin Dorsey, 6.5 — Orlando City’s right back bombed away against New York, with a heatmap that was much hotter in the attacking third of the field than defending third, despite Dorsey playing on the back line. His flicked header across the face of the goal helped to set up Orlando City’s first goal, and after timing his run perfectly to the back post, he scored the second goal with a tap-in, and he almost scored a goal in the first half as well, missing just wide from a shot on the right side of the box. Dorsey gave away the ball cheaply a few times in the attacking third, but he completed 81.3% of his passes and added two tackles, one interception, and one clearance on defense before coming off for Zakaria Taifi in the 72nd minute.

MF, Tiago, 4 — It was another start and another quiet performance from Tiago, who had a few chances to make plays but never was able to put anything together to really challenge New York. The official stats said he only completed two of his four passes, but he completed a few more than that, however every pass that he completed was toward his own goal, which is less than ideal from a wing player. He had one tackle and one interception on defense, and with New York repeatedly attacking Orlando City’s left side and finding great success, it was no surprise when Tiago came off at halftime for Tyrese Spicer.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 5 — Atuesta nearly opened the scoring early in the first half with a cannon shot off the underside of the crossbar, but aside from that near moment of magic, he brought little to the table on Saturday and actually took some things off the table on the defensive end. He completely lost Gustav Berggren on New York’s first goal, allowing the Red Bulls midfielder a free look to pick out a teammate across the box, and then he was saved by the offside flag after slowing down his recovery run and not getting all the way back to step in front of an uncovered Forsberg. In the second half, he again did not recover deep enough, allowing Jiménez enough room to sneak right in between Brekalo and Atuesta to score what turned out to be the game-winning goal. He came off immediately after that goal, having completed 86% of his passes and making one interception and one clearance, but really playing a mostly empty game.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 7.5 —Among the starting midfielders and attackers, Ojeda played the best all-around game, contributing three key passes, including an assist on a perfectly placed header to Spicer and a beautiful through ball that put Spicer in on goal, as well as two tackles, two interceptions, and one clearance. He also led all field players with 11 loose ball recoveries, while completing 72 passes at a 93.5% completion rate. The Paraguayan picked up all of the slack that he could from Atuesta while partnering with the Colombian and had a strong partnership with Luís Otávio when he came on to replace Atuesta for the final 30 minutes. “Defensive” Ojeda was everywhere, accumulating 93 touches while staying in perpetual motion on offense and defense, and despite a few loose touches in the attacking third, he was a strong contender for Man of the Match.

MF, Iván Angulo, 6 —The Colombian had two decent chances to bag a goal and continue his hot streak coming off the World Cup break, but it was not his night. Justin Ellis found him with an incisive pass early in the game, but Angulo had his shot blocked. Late in the game, the Colombian freed himself for a left-footed shot from the top of the box but hit it straight at New York goalkeeper Ethan Horvath. He completed 95.5% of his passes and led all players in tackles with four, but there were moments when he looked like early season Angulo with wayward touches and passes instead of the player from recent games who had looked like another number 10 on offense. Angulo’s pace and hustle were there, but overall he regressed from how he played last week, as it was more positive than negative, but only moderately positive.

F, Antoine Griezmann, 6 — The spotlight will always be brighter on Orlando City’s highest profile player, and while he was by no means poor, he did not deliver on Saturday. There were moments that could have changed that, in particular when Griezmann found Spicer with a beautiful ball but the winger’s shot went just wide, but while he was credited with an assist on a ball he barely touched on its way to Dorsey, the French superstar was not majorly involved in either goal (he took the corner kick that led to the first goal, but that ball eventually went all the way across the goal and then back before it went in). Late in the game, Griezmann showed his unselfishness by dummying a ball to allow it to go to Angulo, but with respect to the Colombian, the better play for the Lions would have been for Griezmann to make an attempt himself. He completed 86.4% of his passes, including two key passes, and tried to create all over the field, but it was not his night.

F, Justin Ellis, 6.5— The young attacker roamed the field looking to create attacks, with equally hot spots on his heatmap from both the right and left sides of Orlando City’s attacking third of the field. Ellis led the team with five key passes and completed 83.6% of his passes overall, but despite his great vision, in particular on passes to Angulo in the first half and Spicer and Taifi in the second half, none of his key passes turned into assists. Ellis also dropped deep to help Orlando City connect passes to get the ball out of its own defensive third and made one slaloming run on his own to progress the ball out himself. Saturday night was devoid of dribbling flash, but Ellis was solid and his class was evident. His teammates just could not turn their shot attempts into goals against New York.

Substitutes

MF, Tyrese Spicer (46′), 7.5 (MotM) — Spicy T did it again, coming off the bench hot to score a goal and contribute an assist. If there was an MLS award similar to the Sixth Man Award in the NBA for the best contributors who rarely start, he undoubtedly would be a major contender, and he nearly contributed even more, because he ripped a right-footed shot right at Horvath and a left-footed just off the outer part of the post, and with slightly better placement, both of those might have gone in. As it was, he got himself into a dangerous position early in the second half and nodded in a header to get Orlando City on the board, and then pulled the Lions within one goal once again a few minutes later after whipping in a nice cross that Dorsey finished with a tap-in. Spicer has outplayed Tiago on the left wing since the season resumed in July, perhaps during Leagues Cup we will see how he does as a starter. He put four of his five shots on goal and completed 93.8% of his passes and nearly turned the game completely around after entering at halftime.

D, Bernardo Rhein (46′), 5.5 — The Homegrown left back was an upgrade over Marin at left back during his minutes on the field, and while he still has a lot of room to grow, he made his case again that he should be the starting left back going forward. Going forward is what Rhein does best at the moment, as he likes to get into the attack and create chances and did so against New York, completing 88% of his passes, including one excellent cross to Dorsey for a big chance that was blocked, while also pushing way forward and getting a shot blocked himself as well. Rhein’s swashbuckling offense partnered well with fellow sub Spicer’s, and the left side looked much better offensively in the second half. The young left back learned a few hard lessons on defense, however, and he was culpable for New York’s third goal, as he failed to clear a ball that he, pardon the pun, clearly should have been able to extricate from danger, and the Red Bulls punished him for his mistake for the game-winning goal. His defensive partners helped him escape a second punishment later in the half, and while these lessons and reps will pay dividends later in the season, the mistake that led to the goal was costly on Saturday night.

MF, Luís Otávio (62′), 6 — Otávio was excellent off the bench, outperforming the man he replaced (Atuesta) and nearly getting the Lions back level. He competed 84.4% of his passes and doubled Atuesta’s defensive contribution tally in approximately half the minutes, logging one tackle, two interceptions, and one clearance in only 29 minutes. The Brazilian went all out throughout his shift, and with the Lions stretched trying to find an equalizer, his hustle and backtracking were key in keeping the team at only a one-goal deficit.

D, Zakaria Taifi (72′), 5.5 — The Homegrown Zak-of-all-trades came on at right back in this one, and just as Dorsey did, he made a great effort to get deep into the attack while also recovering well to get back on defense. Taifi’s one big chance came just minutes after he entered, as Ellis found him alone in the box with a cross-field pass, but Taifi’s first touch was not ideal and he was unable to recover and get his shot on target. He completed 80% of his passes and added two interceptions, one critical block, and one clearance, but his big moment was on that shot attempt, and he was unable to convert it to tie the game.

F, Harvey Sarajian (87′), N/A — The rookie came on late for Ellis but did not have many opportunities to influence the game. He completed one of his two pass attempted and hustled around the field, but nothing came of it. He picked up a yellow card for a rough aerial challenge on a 50/50 ball just moments after entering the game.

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That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 3-2 loss on the road at New York. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

Orlando City traveled to the Garden State to take on the New York Red Bulls Saturday night. The Lions were unable to keep the winning streak alive against their Eastern Conference foe falling 3-2 to New York. Despite the loss it wasn’t all bad — though there was definitely some bad. Here are my five takeaways from the match.

My Kingdom for a Left Back

Adrian Marin returned to the starting lineup against New York and I wish he hadn’t. He wasn’t the only player culpable on the opening goal from the Red Bulls, but he didn’t close down Gustav Berggren, allowing the cross right across the face of goal for Mijahir Jimenez to tap in. To be fair, David Brekalo did nothing to defend Jimenez either. This wasn’t Marin’s only bad play. He was continually beaten by every Red Bulls attacker on his side of the pitch. He doesn’t have the pace necessary for the way Orlando City wants to play. Fortunately, he came off at the half for Bernardo Rhein. Unfortunately, Rhein had some growing pains, as the young Homegrown struggled to corral Cade Cowell.

Spicer the Super Sub

In the matches Tyrese Spicer has started, he has struggled. When he comes off the bench — no matter when that is — he has generally been outstanding. He continued that streak by scoring Orlando City’s first goal on Saturday. It was a rare triple header. Antoine Griezmann delivered the corner kick, Griffin Dorsey headed it across the front of goal from the near post, Braian Ojeda headed it from the far post back into the middle, where Spicer was waiting to head it in. This is why you don’t take short corners! Triple headers or other weird stuff happens that often results in a goal for the good. Oh, and he got an assist on Orlando’s second goal. More on that below.

Third Time’s the Harm

I know I didn’t mention the second Red Bulls goal earlier, but that’s because it was a total defensive breakdown and was way too easy for Emil Forsberg to finish. No one marked him and he came in for a relatively easy one on one against Maxime Crepeau. The third goal could have been avoided if Rhein had poked it out for a corner rather than trying (and failing) to usher it out for a goal kick. He didn’t, Cowell robbed him of it, and that set up a clear shot for Jimenez to earn his brace on the night. It ended up being the winning goal.

Still Good Crepeau

I know that you’d think a goalkeeper who allows three goals didn’t have a good night, but that wasn’t the case for Crepeau. The Red Bulls took 18 shots, nine of which were on target. One of the three that went in he had no chance to save, and the other two were difficult 1-v-1 situations that would have been miracles if he did save them. The other six shots he handled admirably. I’m not saying it was a perfect night from the Canadian, but his back line certainly hung him out to dry on the three goals.

The Good Fight

There have been times in the past when that third goal would have deflated any chance for a comeback, but that wasn’t the case Saturday night. Orlando City had already started to have the better of the ball before the third New York goal and continued to attack after. In fact, it only took three minutes for the Lions to pull a second one back. Robin Jansson sent one of his accurate long balls up the left to Spicer, who sent it across the box. Griezmann allowed it through to a late-arriving Griffin Dorsey, who easily put it in for the goal. That wasn’t the end though. The Lions continued to press the attack and win the ball. Though the club ultimately fell, it wasn’t from a lack of effort. Just a lack of precision.

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That is what I saw in the disappointing loss to the New York Red Bulls. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

Orlando City was unable to maintain its torrid start out of the break as the Lions fell 3-2 on the road against the New York Red Bulls in a six-point match in the standings. The Lions (6-10-2, 20 points) were trying to catch up to New York (7-7-4, 25 pts), which is above them in the standings, at Sports Illustrated Stadium. With their win tonight, the Red Bulls are now unbeaten in their last seven against Orlando City.

Mijahir Jimenez picked up a brace (his first MLS goals) in his first MLS start, and Emil Forsberg picked up just his second goal of the season for New York to go along with an assist. Tyrese Spicer scored and picked up a secondary assist on a goal by Griffin Dorsey.

“We did not start fast enough,” Dorsey said after the game. “That was a message from the coaching staff all week. This is a very aggressive team. They like to start hot. There will definitely be some things to learn from this game. They exploited some spaces, especially in that first half.”

Maxime Crepeau started in goal after coming off the bench in the MLS All-Star Game, where he netted six saves in 34 minutes. Defending in front of him were Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Dorsey. Braian Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta protected the middle inside of wingers Tiago and Ivan Angulo. Justin Ellis started up top alongside Antoine Griezmann.

Orlando City started out of the gate with an aggressive kickoff, dribbling right into top of the box before losing it. The Red Bulls countered with a shot by Cade Cowell that Brekalo blocked. The teams exchanged a couple of sloppy possessions before New York settled in the offensive end. In the fifth minute, Forsberg opened up Gustav Berggren in the box for a shot that beat Crepeau’s save, but Berggren was ruled offside.

The Lions proved to be a bit loose with their passing in their defensive end in the first 10 minutes, as there were a couple of times when passes to Crepeau were off and led to him having to dump the ball wide or rush to clear. However, they grabbed possession in the 12^th minute, and Ellis hit Angulo at the top of the box, where he dribbled in but had his shot blocked by Justin Che. On the ensuing corner, Ethan Horvath punched the ball to the top of the box and Atuesta volleyed it to the bottom of the crossbar, missing a goal by no more than a couple of inches.

At the 17-minute mark, Dorsey was a little slow reacting to Angulo’s defensive pass-off of Julian Hall, who dribbled to the middle and unleashed a shot to the left corner which Crepeau parried away. Six minutes later, after some continued offensive pressure from New York, Forsberg passed to Berggren wide. He crossed it into the middle and Jimenez slotted it home. Brekalo lost his mark on Jimenez which led to an easy tap in.

19-year-old Mijahir Jiménez scores his first MLS goal just 23 minutes into his first start for @NewYorkRedBulls! 👏 pic.twitter.com/cSuFz4ZQfb

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 2, 2026

In the 27^th minute, Angulo tapped the ball past Dylan Nealis, who brought the Colombian down from behind, leading to the first yellow card of the game. Nothing came of the ensuing free kick and, between a tight Red Bulls defense and some sloppy handles from Orlando City, the Lions struggled to mount any offensive threat, failing to put a shot on target in the opening 45 minutes.

New York continued to cause trouble down Marin’s side as, at the 37-minute mark, the Spaniard was caught high and Atuesta lunged and missed on a ball. Cowell played the ball back to the top of the box, and Brekalo blocked Forsberg’s shot. Five minutes later, Marin was beaten again by Cowell, who rocketed a shot that Crepeau had to parry away for a corner.

In the 43^rd minute, Marin played too loose off Cowell, who hit a smart pass to Forsberg through four Orlando City players. Forsberg took his first touch wide and blasted a goal home past Crepeau.

A true captain's finish. 💪

Emil Forsberg takes his space and doubles the @NewYorkRedBulls lead before halftime!

📺 Apple TV: https://t.co/3Yl73IOSON pic.twitter.com/eJZdsQEbVo

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 2, 2026

The best moment for Orlando in came in the 45^th minute, when Ellis found Dorsey on the right but the fullback put his shot wide. One minute into added time, Griezmann (yes, first time his name’s been mentioned) won a free kick outside the top left corner of the box. Griezmann’s free kick was a good one, but it just didn’t curl quite enough and hit the outside of the left post.

On the resulting possession, the ball ended up in the Orlando City goal again but Forsberg was just a bit offside. It was a depressing half for a team that had shown improvement at both ends in the first two matches after the World Cup break, but those gains were wiped away in one half.

At halftime, Orlando City led in possession (51.9%-48.1%) and passing accuracy (88.4%-86.1%), but trailed the Red Bulls on corners (4-2), shots (10-5), and shots on target (4-0).

Interim head coach Martin Perelman made two changes at the half, subbing in Bernardo Rhein and Spicer for Marin and Tiago, potentially shoring up the left side. It worked early as an attack down the left side of the defense was wiped out.

In the 51^st minute, Angulo played Ojeda in, but Che blocked his shot. On the ensuing corner, Griezmann sent his service to Dorsey at the front post. Dorsey deflected it across the box to Ojeda, who then headed it to the front of the goal, where Spicer was waiting to head it in. Spicer continued to play his super-sub role well with another goal.

Super sub Spicer! ⚡

Tyrese Spicer gets one back for @OrlandoCitySC to start the second half. pic.twitter.com/jkilx4bYmJ

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 2, 2026

After trading some possession back and forth, New York ended up with a free kick in its defensive half. Che took too long with the restart and received a yellow card for his delay.

In the 60^th minute, Rhein was able to beat Cowell to the ball at his end line, but Cowell took it off him and passed it to Jimenez, who blasted it home for his brace. New starters for the Red Bulls getting braces against Orlando is becoming a thing, happening twice this year so far.

WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF 🔥

Mijahir Jiménez has now scored a brace in his first MLS start for @NewYorkRedBulls! pic.twitter.com/6lV6OhCMb2

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 2, 2026

Luis Otavio came on for Atuesta in the 62^nd minute and, one minute later, Jansson sent a long ball to Spicer, who crossed it all the way to a crashing Dorsey, who slammed it into the back of the net to pull Orlando back within a goal.

Instant response at the other end! 💥

Griffin Dorsey keeps this game close for @OrlandoCitySC! pic.twitter.com/IgWAwdDYas

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 2, 2026

The Lions continued the pressure as Ellis put Spicer in on a brilliant ball but Spicer fired it right at Horvath.

In the 69^th minute, Angulo tripped up Che at the top of the box and argued with referee Filip Dujic and drew a yellow card for dissent. New York took off Jimenez during the stoppage in play for Mohammed Sofo. Two minutes later, Orlando City subbed in Zakaria Taifi for Dorsey.

Both teams seemed disjointed as they worked their subs in and nothing of note happened before New York subbed again, bringing in Tim Parker and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty for Nealis and Matthew Dos Santos.

Finally, Orlando City was able to work an attack off some Rhein hustle and Ellis skill, with Ellis finding an open Taifi at the top corner of the box. Taifi’s touch was too strong and he scuffed his shot wide.

Taifi got caught up the field in the 80^th minute and New York switched the ball into that empty space, leading to Brekalo fouling to break up the counter. Forsberg put the free kick into the scrum in the middle and the Lions played it safely out.

New York seemed content with its lead as Orlando City mounted attack after attack with some obvious hustle by Otavio and Ojeda. It led to a shot by Angulo at the 83-minute mark that he didn’t do enough with as he pushed it right at Horvath.

New York brought on fresh legs in the 85^th minute, with Cameron Harper and Nehuen Benedetti coming in for Cowell and Forsberg.

Spicer continued the assault on the New York goal with a blast one minute later that hit the near post. Harvey Sarajian came in for Justin Ellis right after that and quickly introduced himself to the game on the next play, running through Julian Bazan on a high-bouncing ball and picking up a yellow card. Bazan stayed down for a couple of minutes after the collision.

Orlando City’s best opportunity to equalize down the stretch came in the fourth minute of added time when Rhein, Spicer, Otavio, and Jansson all got shots on a scramble but were not able to convert.

The scorebook closed with Marshall-Rutty picking up a yellow card for dissent for arguing with the assistant referee on an out-of-bounds call.

The Lions just came out of the gates slowly and the defensive improvements disappeared while everyone’s touch was off most of the night. At full time, Orlando City held the advantage in possession (55.9%-44.1%), shots (20-19), and passing accuracy (88.8%-82.9%), but trailed the Red Bulls on corners (5-4). Both teams logged seven shots on target.

“We are sad because we couldn’t get the points. We didn’t get the performance we wanted in the first half,” Perelman said after the game. “We conceded goals, which we don’t like, and it wasn’t our best night.”

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Orlando City’s next home game is Wednesday against Liga MX side Monterey in the first of three Leagues Cup games in the group stage. The Lions will stay at home for their next MLS game against Cincinnati on Aug. 15.